Runners on The Road

Runners on The Road

Come and join us for International Events!!

Often throughout the year many of us Roadrunners organise our own trips abroad. Someone will come up with an idea and we'll then eventually post it on Facebook.

These events are usually marathons but many incorporate half marathons & 10Ks also. We also have members who travel to international parkruns.  Often many may just come to support, so it's ideal if you just want a holiday.

The problem is many people can feel left out or new members may not have noticed old posts on Facebook.

If you have a trip planned in next year or so, or have a great idea then please contact me or email your idea and rough details to runnersontheroad@readingroadrunners.org or just tag me in (Paul Monaghan) and mention details on Facebook. Note you're not obliged to do this and it's totally understandable that you just may want to arrange your own trip with friends. But come on we all love a good holiday.

 

Upcoming Trips:sible text


 

Seville Marathon 2023

Distances  Marathon & 5K Breakfast Run
parkruns?  None nearby
Date  19th February 2023
Contact  Paul Monaghan & Caroline Jackson
Details One awesome city that is quite possibly our favourite Spanish marathon. It's billed as one of the flattest in Europe and certainly lives up to that. The course also passes the picturesque Plaza de España which is also the kick off point to the 5K breakfast run the day before. Post race the city is brimming with brilliant tapas bars and numerous watering holes. Really is one that can't be missed as many Roadrunners will testify
We normally stay around the reasonably priced Macarena district which is a short bus ride from the centre..
Entry details & Website

 


 

Palma Marathon Weekend 2023

Distances  Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K
parkruns?  None nearby
Date  15th October 2022
Contact  Paul Monaghan & Caroline Jackson
Details We've done this a few times. You'll not be disappointed with Palma. The race is set in the unique scenery of the beautiful city of Palma. Participants enjoy a course along the breathtaking promenade with views over the bay and the turquoise blue Mediterranean Sea, towards the cathedral with its sandstones colours, and into the historic old town.
We're staying at the BQ Belvedere Hotel within easy bus reach of Palma.
Entry details & Website

 


 

Lanzarote Running Festival 2023

Distances  Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 6K
parkruns? None in Lanzarote at present
Date  2-Dec-2023
Contact Kerri French socialsec@readingroadrunners.org
Details Grab yourself some winter sun with an average temperature of 19ºC the Lanzarote International Marathon weekend takes place in December along a coastal avenue in the Island of Lanzarote, covering the municipalities of Costa Teguise, Arrecife, San Barlotomé and Puerto del Carmen.
There’s plenty of opportunity of socialise to get you warmed up for Christmas, including Karaoke at the runners favourite ‘Jesters’ Bar.
Entry details & Website

 


 

Malaga Marathon 2023

Distances  Marathon & Half Marathon
parkruns? No
Date  10th Dec 2023
Contact  Paul Monaghan & Caroline Jackson
Details This has to be one of the most underrated cities in Europe. If you love Spanish culture & Tapas bars then yu can't get much better than here. If you are searching for a great winter escape and a race set in a beautiful location then Maratón Málaga may be what you are looking for. It's held in December in the city of Málaga, Spain, the capital of Costa del Sol.
Done this marathon and visited so many times and absolutely love the place.

Registration info & Website

 


 

Thursday Outruns

Outruns 2023

Come and join us on Thursday evenings for a social run geared towards club members.  We meet about 6.20pm – 6:30pm at various locations for a 5-6 mile relaxed run starting at 6.30pm. These take place most weeks except weeks when there is a pub run arranged (See pubrun page)

These runs are usually led by club members who will arrange the route which we try to vary each week. A typical route is shown below.

It’s a a leisurely talking pace and no-one is ever left behind as emphasis is based on enjoyment rather than speed. It’s a great way to meet fellow club members in a relaxed environment. So come on what you waiting for?

 

 

 

Runs we have arranged for 2023 are as follows: Please contact Stuart Lunn if you would like to arrange a location and a route.

Date Organiser Location
16th March Kerri French The Waterside, Woodley
23rd March
30th March Ian Giggs Whitley Wood Rec Ground
6th April

Please note: Participants take part in outruns at their own risk, and should run within their own limits.

This is our 3 Lakes route but routes will vary each week.

Club Kit 2023

Great news in, we now have kit available to buy at Up & Running in Broad Street Reading!!

TEES £25
VESTS/RACER BACK £19
SHORTS £27

Thanks to Jamie for doing this and also don’t forget you get 10% discount with RR Membership (excludes club kit)

Many thanks

Dean Allaway – Kit Manager
Email: clubkit@readingroadrunners.org

 

 

Come Training With Us

Come and Join us at Palmer Park

We have many track and outdoor training sessions for beginners and new members alike on both Wednesday and Friday’s. We also have a vibrant social scene, so this is an ideal place to mix with like minded people.

Please check out our Palmer Park track schedule from link here.  We’re always happy to see new members.

Gavin and pacy! Roadrunners vets prove the old ones are the best


Sunday’s Ridgeway Relay ended in triumph for one Reading Roadrunners squad… it just wasn’t the one you might have expected! Club chairman SAM WHALLEY tells the inside story..

Roadrunners’ Vets walked away with first place at last weekend’s Ridgeway Relay, for the first time since 2015. Then they were the only vets team, and finished last out of 42 teams, so also took home the wooden spoon!

This year’s over 50s were in a league of their own, coming 13th overall, out of 37 teams, and completing the 86.5 mile race from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Marlborough in Wiltshire in 12 hours and 46 seconds. The second placed vets team was 24th, one hour and 40 minutes behind.

Gavin Rennie got the vets into a strong position from the off, finishing leg one in 16th place, and first vets team. The vets position was never in doubt, but the overall placing moved up to 11th and 12th after strong runs from Julie Rainbow (leg four, tenth fastest for that leg), Chris Webber (leg five, seventh fastest), and Ian Gosling (below, leg seven, ninth fastest), before settling into 13th until the end.

The remainder of this superstar vets team was made up by Eoin McLeod (leg two), Ann Rostern (leg three, gaining four places), Alan Freer (leg six), Peter Rennie (leg eight), David Fiddes (leg nine) and Pete Jewell (pictured below, leg ten). Congratulations to them all – truly inspirational.

Meanwhile the Mostly Men’s A team had to settle for second place behind Newbury AC after switching between first and third since Dave Boulton set the team off in the lead on leg one.

There were some fantastic runs throughout the day, most notably from Carrie Hoskins (leg four, gaining one place, second fastest for that leg), Ben Paviour (leg five, gaining one place, third fastest), and Chris Lucas, who ran the fastest time for leg six. 

The rest of the team was made up of Sarah Dooley (leg two, sixth fastest), Tony Page (leg three, fourth fastest), Matthew Sarjent (leg seven, third fastest), Dave Parton (leg eight, third fastest), Mark Worringham (leg nine, second fastest) and Sibrand Rinzema (leg ten, fifth fastest). Sibrand was running his last race as a Reading Roadrunner before returning home to the Netherlands.

The Mostly Ladies team managed its highest ever placing with 19th, and third ladies team, thanks in particular to excellent runs from Dimi Gospodinov – one of the two permitted men – finishing in 11th place on leg one, Holly Sedgwick (leg seven, gaining three places) and Aga Faulkner (leg eight, gaining two places) and despite a couple of fallers among the rest of the team, made up of Mel Shaw (leg two), Sam Whalley (leg three), Alice Carpenter-Cave (leg four), Belinda Tull (leg five), Swinda Falkena (leg six – also returning to the Netherlands soon), Brooke Johnson (leg 9) and Liz Johnson (leg ten).

The Mostly Men’s B team finished in 30th, with Jamie Smith getting the team off to a great start in 15th and brilliant runs by Mike Worsfold (leg two, gaining three places, ninth fastest for that leg), Sophie Mures (leg four, gaining six places, fourth fastest), Lance Nortcliff (leg seven, gaining one place, seventh fastest), Fergal Donnelly (right, leg nine, gaining two places, sixth fastest) and Alix Eyles (leg ten, gaining one place).

Completing the team were Peter Higgs (leg five), Pete Morris (leg six), Claire Seymour (leg eight) and Jon Green, who added two miles to leg three by taking the wrong path through a corn field.

Congratulations to all those who took part and many thanks to the captains for putting the teams together. Thanks also to Barry Cornelius for the images of our guys toughing it out.

For more information on the route of the Ridgeway Relay, and to whet your appetite for next year, read this: http://www.marlboroughrunningclub.org.uk/uploads/files/documents/RidgewayRelay/Ridgeway_relay_information_pack_2022.pdf

Draft results can be found here: http://www.marlboroughrunningclub.org.uk/uploads/files/documents/RidgewayRelay/MRCRidgewayRelay2022DraftResults.pdf

Photos from leg five onwards can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrycorneliusox/sets/72177720300127853/

Battling Roadrunners survive the Hampshire League mudbath

Our flagship 10/20 event at Bramley was cancelled because of the weather but the driving rain and high winds were no match for the Roadrunners’ Hampshire Cross-Country League team at Popham, writes men’s captain TONY PAGE.

In the fact our ladies team seem to be enjoying themselves, though to be fair that was before the race had started!

All of the results are now in and the great news is that the RR men’s fifth place on Saturday was enough to secure our place in the prestigious First Division for another season as we climbed out of the relegation zone up to eighth.

This included an excellent 40th place from new member, Dave Boulton, who was second to Ben Paviour (31st and third vet). Our men were the first-placed vets team at Popham, and fifth over the season.       

The remainder of the scoring team for the men were Sibrand Rinzema (43rd), Mark Worringham (51st and sixth vet) and Tony Page (59th and 10th vet). 

The ladies had a strong finish to the season too, with tenth place at Popham, led home by Hannah Green in 27th. This was enough for ninth place over the season.  

Most pleasing was the day’s sixth place which saw our vet ladies secure a bronze-medal finish to the season. The remainder of the scoring team were Helen Pool (47th and 12th vet), Chloe Lloyd (61st), Emma Paton (66th and 23rd vet) and Sam Whalley (39th vet). Well done ladies.

Both Helen and Sarah Dooley clinched places in the League’s vet ladies top ten with their efforts over the season.

There were lots of excellent performances across the teams, in very challenging conditions. Roadrunners have gone from strength to strength in the final two fixtures of the campaign and we want to keep the momentum up for the Nationals at Parliament Hill Fields this coming Saturday… and for next season!

I would really encourage everyone to try the Hampshire League and experience the excellent team spirit for themselves. 

As is traditional, we rounded off the season with great night out at the Market House in Reading on Saturday night. A good time was had by all, and there were a few late starts on Strava today!

The Hampshire League results and final placings for the season can be found here:

https://www.hampshireathletics.org.uk/results/2022/20220219_hlmen.html

Meanwhile those of us who slogged through that mudbath aren’t in the least bit jealous of our team-mates who enjoyed great runs in the Spanish sunshine, chalking up five PBs in the Seville Marathon. Well, just a bit…

Many congratulations to Paloma Crayford, Carmen Fuentes, David Clay, Sarah Dooley and Chris Webber, as well as all the others who did us proud there.