Hello Runners
Welcome to your July Captains newsletter. We are now stepping into August with strong legs and new goals, this month is all about building consistency and for some finding that missing mojo again, so if that is you read on and get inspired.
Congratulations to our Runners of the Month but before you scroll all the way to the bottom to find out who they are, first some News and Notices!!
Notices:
GBRC Trail Runs!
The GBRC trail runs are proving popular as always and we are now on Run 3 already!
The details for the third one is available to download from our website and will be until the end of the month when they will be replaced by next month’s instructions.
On completion of all four you will be able to claim a free “I trailed them all” T-shirt. To be eligible to get your hands on one of these shirts then you must text Rodger at the beginning and end of each run with your time taken and the answers to the questions he sets for each route. These trail runs aren’t just for our members either so if you have friends or family who aren’t Bentley members (please contact me for membership enquiry!!) then get them involved as well. They too can claim a T-shirt on completion of all four runs however they must purchase them.
If you wish to add a competitive edge to these runs, then there is a trophy and champions t-shirt up for grabs for the fastest time achieved over all four courses. More details can be found with the link below.
https://gbrc.org.uk/our-races/great-bentley-trail-runs/
Bentley v Harwich 5k Relays- Sunday 20th September
We have a fun inter-club 5k relay event with Harwich Runners on Sunday 20th September, which will take place on the Dovercourt promenade. Registration is from 9am, with the race starting at 10am. After losing to Harwich in 2025, this year we need to win! We need to field 15 teams, each consisting of 3 runners, so there are a total of 45 places up for grabs (we also need a couple of back up runners). To give us the best chance of winning we need to fill up the teams, as the scoring is based on the number of teams that compete, not just how fast they are, so please sign up if you can make it. It will also be a great social event so friends and family are welcome to come along and cheer you on.
If you’d like to take part, please complete the online form here: https://forms.gle/UhjuzaiRFqPGS4Jn9
New Social 5k Shakeout Session- Monday 6:30pm Northern Gateway.
Our lovely Sammy Cotton LiRF has started a new social 5k shakeout run on a Monday evening which is a fun friendly run with no pressure and perfect for anyone coming back from an injury or anyone just wanting a nice chatty social run. Please join the Monday group sessions on WhatsApp to book on.
News:
Micky Edwards 5K
Another ME series is over and well done to everyone that ran the race, marshalled and organised the series (Tom, Charlie, Rodger, Jon and special thanks to the Safety Biker Dave B!!)
Congratulations to this Years winner- Bee Harris.
Geoff Day Memorial 5K
We had a very successful Geoff Day race held on Weds 8th July which finished with a lovely Paella prepared and cooked by the wonderful Paul Carlisle. Thank you also to both Paula Fowler and Bev Shortley for all your help in the kitchen preparing and cooking Hot Dogs, Chicken drumsticks and Salads.
Congratulations to our winners Magdalena Komorowska and Flynn Eyre.
I am sure everyone will agree it was a very successful evening and a great way to finish our summer race series. Thank you to all the Geoff Day family for coming along and for their very kind donation of £200 to the Club.
Great Bentley Friday 5- Friday 3rd July
Well done to RD Scott Young for putting together another successful Friday 5 race. Special thanks to all the people who worked behind the scenes on both days Thursday and Friday. Big shout out to all the marshals and volunteers and congratulations to all our runners.
A particular mention and thank you to Claudia Keitch who organised the Junior race and to all the marshals who helped make this another successful race. Well done Claudia and Team.
Ekiden- 11th July
It was an incredibly hot day for the Ekiden Relays however everyone showed up and put on some incredible performances despite the heat, and it was a great fun GBRC day out. Congratulations to this year’s winning interclub team Purple.
Spitfire Scramble
Ladies Captains Donna Harris and Lou Balfour alongside Ella Harris , Martin Cotton and Mark Harris completed the Spitfire Scramble with their team (Rampant Ramblers) finishing with a 3rd place trophy (3-5 mixed team) having completed 25 laps with zero sleep (although one team member who shall remain anonymous achieved a Garmin sleep score that night!!)
Team GBRC was headed up with Captain Charlie Keitch, Claudia Keitch, Scott Young, Gary Howard, Caroline Searle and Cameron Taylor finished in 11th place out of 29 in the 6-8 mixed team category.
Also, congratulations to Bee Palmer- Barnes and John Bush for completing their 3rd Spitfire.
A great weekend was had by all and anyone who can name the person and the yoga pose in the below photo will be rewarded with a box of chocolates!
Arthur Whiston 5 mile (Essex Champs)
Colchester Harriers organised and ran this race celebrating Arthur’s memory and doubling up for the 2026 as the Essex County 5 mile road race. We saw a great turnout from the club at this event and a very special mention to Bev Shortley who won an Essex County Bronze medal for her incredible run and also congratulations to the legendary Barbara Law for winning a Silver Essex County Medal for her fantastic run.
What our Ladies got up to in July
Another spectacular month. Well done Ladies let’s keep this momentum rolling!
Izzy Day completed her first running event (3.8km) at Future Outlaw Holkham wearing her new blue vest.
Keeping it in the family (Mum) Katie Collin took on her first 70.3 triathlon distance (swim 1900m, bike 90km and run half marathon) finishing in 6hrs 52 mins. Wow!
Magdalena Komorowska celebrated her 250th Parkrun milestone at Highwoods, then went off to Beccles Quay PR a couple of weeks later. Eileen Shadford was 1st in age at Marks Hall PR (26:43). Lorna Sharp did a spot of PR tourism at Castle Haven in CO Cork and was 1st in age Cat. Head Coach Caroline Searle was at Fountains Abbey PR finishing in 33:23. Bev Shortly won a Bronze County Medal for her incredible run at the Arthur Whiston 5 miles. Barbara Law won a Silver County medal at this race. Claudia Keitch keeps producing those PB’s with 2 gained at our ME races. Karen O Grady completed the new Layer Marney trail 10k.
Ladies Runner of the Month
Donna and I have been watching this lady for several weeks and despite her never singing her own praises she has over the last couple of months achieved 2 new 5k PB’s at the recent Mickey Ewards races (22:58) and then another PB at Harwich PR (22:35) and then there were the course PB’s at Highwoods and Mersea Island. She was also a truly valued member of the team at the Spitfire Scramble and after all that she then found the time and energy to take on the role of RD at the Junior Friday 5 race and then go and run the senior race finishing in an incredible time of 39:06. Congratulations Claudia Keitch you are our very well-deserved Ladies Runner of the Month.
What our Men got up to in July
July was another strong month for our men and a few performances stood out in particular:
- Malcolm Statham continued to add to his remarkable marathon tally (247 and counting!), completing two marathons at the Great Barrow Challenge and finishing fifth on both occasions.
- Flynn Eyre flew round the Geoff Day Memorial 5k to claim the men’s trophy for the second year in a row.
- Jon Mann’s excellent run of form saw him move to the top of the Essex County Grand Prix V45 standings following the Arthur Whiston 5 Miler.
- Paul Hollidge sits second in the V55 rankings of the Essex County Grand Prix after another impressive performance in the same race.
However, this month’s Runner of the Month has enjoyed a blockbuster summer of running, taking on an odyssey of events that was truly epic.
The highlights include:
- Completing the Friday 5 at Great Bentley before going on to tackle a weekend that included Colchester Castle parkrun and the Ipswich Ekiden Relay.
- Following that up with another action-packed weekend of racing, completing the Brantham 5 Mile, Great Dunmow parkrun and then both the 5k and 10k races at Colchester Sports Park just ten minutes apart.
- Saving the best for the final act with a new 10k personal best of 57:09 at the Ipswich Twilight 10K, taking more than two minutes off his previous best.
Whether it was parkruns, club races, relays or chasing a new personal best, this runner kept turning up and getting the miles done throughout July, determined to fit in as many events as possible before the credits rolled. That commitment, combined with a significant PB at Ipswich Twilight, makes Paul Smith our Men’s Runner of the Month. Well done, Paul.
Great Bentley Running Club 