Admiral City of Newport Half Marathon
It was the 10th Anniversary of the Admiral City of Newport Half Marathon, a race celebrating the iconic landmarks of Newport and a visit out to the historic town of Caerleon and back. The course follows the river Usk on a 1-lap undulating route.
Running for RSE was Liz Farooq, who completed the course in a brilliant time and was not far off a new PB!
- Liz Farooq – 1.56.27
I completed the Admiral City of Newport Half Marathon in 01.56.27, 17 secs off my PB 😬 Only my 2nd time under 2 hours though so I’m happy. It was a great race. Half town, half country, well supported. Undulating with some twists and turns but you can’t argue with a piper in an underpass and a load of freebies at the end (including beer) 😁 Heads up – don’t put your car park ticket in your running belt. It gets a bit worn and sweaty and the machines don’t like it! The kind car park attendant at the barrier did let me out for free though!
Liz Farooq
Gloucestershire Cross Country Over Farm
It was the forth and final round of the Gloucestershire Cross Country league. The run took place at Over Farm near to the river Severn, and the course takes runners around the Over Farm grass air strip and then around the adjacent fields. The route is relatively flat (in the grand scheme of cross country races!) and offers quick times to finish the cross country.
Well done to Fran Penny who finished the 6.4k race with a brilliant time of 32:34!
The last race in this winter’s league, with some added wildlife too! Ostrich patrolled the fence on the walk up to the start line, and the starter’s instructions included ‘don’t touch the electric fence it’s keeping the pigs in!’
Fran Penny
The 2 lap course was mainly field edges with a small winding section through some trees.
I really enjoyed completing all 4 races in this year’s cross country league, each provided a different challenge. Looking forward to next year!
Imber Range Perimeter 33m Ultra
Starting at Leighton Sports Centre in the town of Westbury at the north west of the Imber Ranges, this ultra follows a unique course which is accompanied by the explosions of the Salisbury firing range. The route follows the Imber Range Perimeter Path, passing iron age hillforts, bridleways and the most remote parts of southern England.
Seasoned Ultra runners, Mark Manley and Lesley Hinsley, took to the course!
- Mark Manley – 6:00:17 (Unofficial)
- Lesley Hinsley – 6:00:17 (Unofficial)
Imber Range Perimeter 33m ultra. It runs all around the perimeter of the Salisbury plain firing range, always just through a fence to your left. Quite exposed, and almost 3000ft of elevation.
Mark Manley
Starting at Wesbury over the Salisbury Plain, [the course goes round] the Imber Ranges 3,000ft hills, very cold 🥶 and bleak in places. [It’s] usually very muddy, cold and wet, but we were lucky today as it was dry underfoot.
Lesley Hinsley
Devon Grizzly
Hosted by Axe Valley runners, this multi-terrain race follows the East Devon coastline and countryside for some incredible views. This year, the race was named ‘I Fought The Claw’, a hint to it’s grizzly course, with beaches and bogs to navigate. Despite the tough route, the race attracts over 2,000 runners a year to take part.
Taking on the challenge for RSE was Andy Sworn and Zoe Markham-Lee!
- Andy Sworn – 4:30 (Unofficial time)
- Zoe Markham-Lee – 4:55 (Unofficial time)
I ran the 20 mile Grizzly race today across undulating countryside between Seaton and Branscombe in Devon. It was a cold day but the going was pretty nice due to the recent dry weather. There were the customary muddy bogs and beaches to traverse and many inclines including the Stairway to Heaven up from Branscombe beach. It was altogether a very enjoyable run again (my 14th Grizzly race) and finished in just under 4 1/2 hours.
Andy Sworn
That was really tough and my foot blew up at mile 18. But there was no way I’d not finish! I’ll send a few photos. Plus… you run all that way and no medal! There were pirates, bag pipes and bogs. But no medal!
Zoe Markham-Lee
parkruns
Lydiard parkrun
- Anne-Marie Davies – 27:40
Plymvalley parkrun
- Felicity Crotty – 36:43
Seaton parkrun
- Andy Sworn – 29:24
Cirencester parkrun
- David Witnall – 20:42
- Jon Campbell – 22:47
- Phil Southworth – 25:12
- Steve Sandercock – 25:18
- Sue Navin – 29:03
- Maria Yates – 29:04
Witney parkrun
- Taryn Hancock – 35:44
Save the Date!
Dates to add to your diary:
- Sunday 11th June 2023: Fairford 10k
