Category Archives: News

Gloucestershire Cross Country League Race – Wotton under Edge

Cross-country is traditionally the backbone of winter training with Gloucestershire having an annual championship for individuals and teams. It consists of a series of four races to determine the individual and team rankings, and a one-off championship race which is also used as selection for the county squad which will compete at the inter-county championships.

An individual needs to compete in three of the four league races to obtain a county rank for the season. RSE needs to register a team finish (three runners for ladies; six runners for men) in each of the four races to obtain a county rank for the season.

The first race of the series took place on Sunday 13th October at Wotton under Edge over a slightly wet course.

The senior ladies course was over 2 laps totalling 6.4 km.

First in for RSE was Rosie Oates in a time of 27:33. She was followed by;

Sharon Smith – 30:53 and 1st LV65

Ellie Taylor – 30:54

Nadine Brown – 31:01

Kirsty Pitts – 31:34

Carol Sworn – 31:45

Jenny Hoffman – 36:54

Kate Potter – 39:52 and 1st LV 70

The senior men’s course consisted of 2 small laps followed by 2 large laps totalling 9.5 km.

First in for RSE was Dave Witnall in a time of 40:58. He was followed by;

Ben Chapman – 46:17

Gareth Roberts – 49:45

Martin Pitts – 52:38

Istvan Vegh – 54:03

Great effort from you all.

Sofia Half Marathon

Sofia is Bulgaria’s capital and one of the oldest capitals in Eastern Europe. Founded thousands of years ago, today it continues to develop as the country’s cultural and economic centre.

On Sunday 13th October the Sofia Half Marathon took place. Starting at Battenberg Square in front of the National Art Gallery the course ran through the heart of Sofia, through most of the city’s historical sights.

Representing RSE was Linda Edwards who completed the race in 2:00:30. Great effort Linda well done.

Cirencester Park Run

Carol Taylor – 36:10

Bath Skyline Park Run

Sarah Reynolds – 28:25

Swindon Park Run

Steve Sandercock – 23:56 and a new PB

Felicity Crotty – 28:24

Caroline Sandercock – 34:57

Swindon Half Marathon

On Sunday 22nd September the third New Swindon Half Marathon took place.  Starting and finishing in the town centre the course is largely flat (if you don’t include the 2 hills that is) and brings the runners through the various highlights of the town including the Magic Roundabout, the County Ground, the Oasis, the Railways, the Outlet Village as well as as the Old Town before a downhill finish into the town centre.

First in for RSE was Andy Masser in 1:39:54.  He was followed by;

Ryo Taylor – 1:58:54

Scott Mould – 2:03:35

Kevin Joynes-Creed – 2:37:00

Caroline Joynes-Creed – 2:37:04

Caroline Terry – 2:40:35

Pauline Tilbury – 2:40:36

Well done all of you.

Cotswold Way Century

This event took place over 21st and 22nd September. Simply put runners start in Chipping Campden at the Village Hall, stop in Bath at Bath Abbey and follow the signs marked “Cotswold Way” for 102 miles. It’s the Cotswold Way, which all members who have ventured onto the route will know it means it’s really very hilly. This is because the people who created it wanted and users to see every beautiful viewpoint on the top and every chocolate-box village at the bottom, and the only way to do that is to keep going up and down. There are a few road sections, a lot of hard stone tracks, plenty of green and grassy paths, and a fair number of ploughed fields along the route. You even need to qualify for the pleasure of doing this race. All that was required was runners had completed an ultra of 40+ miles after September 21st 2017. In total 99 runners started the race.

Representing RSE was Gareth Roberts.

Gareth made it to the 60 mile point in 18 hours at which point he still felt capable of completing the course within the 30 hour time limit. Unfortunately there are cut off times that are set by the race organisers. This means that runners are removed from the event if they fail to make a particular point within an allocated time. It must be noted that 46 of the 99 starters failed to complete the course. Many of those being very experienced ultra runners.

A great run from Gareth who should be very proud of the effort he put into the event.

Mentioned in Dispatches

Gareth Roberts. If in doubt read above from Cotswold Way Century down.

Cirencester Park Run

Ollie Hazel – 20:49

Ellie Taylor – 23:59

Dave Witnall – 24:02

Sally Jamieson – 27:38

Elizabeth Lloyd – 33:40

Charley Trykush – 37:22

The Hullavington 10k

The Hullavington 10K took place on Sunday 15th September. This was a road race & fun run over a gently undulating and picturesque course, starting and finishing in the village of Hullavington. The added bonus was that all runners received a free cake along with their finishers medal after they cross the line.

First in for RSE was Elliot Gardiner. He was followed by Elaine Chapman and Linda Edwards. Great effort from you all.

At the time of publishing this the race times were not available.

Kew Gardens 10k

The Kew Gardens 10k took place on Saturday 14th September as part of the Richmond Running Festival. The race started at The Orangery, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and was described as Londons’ flattest course and was all on road and path inside Kew Gardens.

Representing RSE was Cathy Steer who completed the race in a PB time of 56:08. Well done Cathy.

Marlborough Tiny Temple Trail

Setting off alongside the Temple Trail Half Marathon, this 7 mile multi-terrain race was nestled in the spectacularly scenic Marlborough Downs. The race, which took place on Sunday 15th September, started at Marlborough Rugby Club and headed out of Marlborough along Frees Avenue for approx. 0.7 miles before bearing left and getting off-road running alongside the Gallops at Barton Down. Runners then picked up the White Horse Trail towards Manton and back into Marlborough, where after negotiating several fields, they began the final, gradual climb adjacent to Hyde Lane and back upto the Rugby Club for the finish.

Representing RSE was Tracy Webster, Sandie Wood (unofficial time of 1:09:10) and Kay Thompson (unofficial time of 1:32:16). Well done.

At the time of publishing this the race times were not available.

Tamar Trails Park Run

Felicity Crotty – 30:07

Cirencester Park Run

Nadine Brown – 26:54

Sally Jamieson – 27:44

Jenny Hoffman – 30:31

Elaine Chapman – 43:18 running with Daniel for his first park run

Ben Chapman – 44:48 running with Matthew for his first park run.

Chippenham Half Marathon

The Chippenham Half Marathon took place on Sunday 8th September. This was run over a fast and predominantly flat course starting and finishing at Chippenham Sports Club. The route went through the centre of Chippenham and then followed scenic country lanes visiting local villages and hamlets including Tytherton Lucas, East Tytherton, Avon and Langley Burrell. 

The race was also the 6th event in the RSE Endurance Expert Series.

Representing RSE was Mark Garrett who completed the race in 1:29:29. He was followed by;

Dave Witnall – 1:30:49

Andy Masser – 1:39:22

Dave Whitlow – 1:39:25

Ben Chapman – 1:40:06 which was a PB

Ellie Taylor – 1:42:42

Rosie Oates – 1:44:57 which was a PB by an impressive 12 minutes.

Kirsty Pitts – 1:56:30

Kevin Joynes-Creed – 2:00:17

Ryo Taylor – 2:01:22

Elisabeth Butler – 2:05:15

Great running from you all.

Simply Health Great North Run

First held in 1981, the half-marathon has grown from an initial 12,000 runners to 57,000 this year. Starting in Newcastle upon Tyne, the Great North Run had a route that took runners through Newcastle city centre towards the River Tyne. From there runners went through Gateshead before heading off to South Shields where at the top of Prince Edward Road the view of the sea was one of the most welcoming sights along the whole course. From that point there was just over a mile to go when the crowds got louder as runners made their way down the final straight towards the finish line.

Representing RSE was Linda Edwards who completed the race in 1:57:58. She was followed by:

Sandie Wood – 2:14:09

Tracy Webster – 2:30:05

Well done to you all.

New Forest Marathon

The New Forest Marathon took place on Sunday 8th September. The event offered a multi terrain course with one of the most scenic running experiences in the country including a stunning blend of forest enclosures, New Forest villages, open roads, far reaching views and of course the famous New Forest Ponies.

Representing RSE was Paul Coates who completed the event in 4:36:00.

Great running Paul.

Cotswold Triathlon

The Cotswold Triathlon took place on Sunday 8th September at Cotswold Country Park & Beach. The race included a one-lap 750m lake swim, followed by a fairly flat, one lap 20km ride on quiet country roads and ended with a two lap 5km run on paths around the lake.

Representing RSE was Martin (Ted Pitts) who completed the event in 1:14:42 coming first in his age group.

Great effort Ted well done.

Swindon Park Run

Steve Sandercock – 24:01

Caroline Sandercock – 35:14

Cirencester Park Run

Ollie Hazel – 19:51 which was a PB

Anne Gardiner – 26:07 which was a PB

Sally Jamieson – 26:52

Suzanne Steel – 29:52