All posts by hj

Digital Membership Renewals

A bit of good news in these weird times of social distancing! You can now renew your individual or family membership digitally via the MemberZone. This helps us to reduce processing time and the risk of sending germs through the post!

Simply login and visit the subscriptions page, proceed to checkout and hey presto, your digital membership “card” will be available to download there and then! It’s even available within the “my account” feature should you need it in the future.

This option is available NOW to all current members looking to renew for 2020/21. Unfortunately those who’ve already renewed within the last few weeks or have/will be sending a cheque or bank transfer will still be processed manually. Once purchased, EA affiliation will continued to be issued direct from UKA.

If you have any problems with the new system, please CONTACT US.

UPDATE ON THE CURRENT HEALTH SITUATION

After consulting with information from the Government and also discussions with the committee, it has been decided to indefinitely postpone all club activities with immediate effect. This also means that the AGM will also be put back to a later date this year.
The club will effectively be put into a state of “deep freeze” until further notice. This is a very sad situation and we do it reluctantly in light of all the good our sport does for both physical and mental health but we have to follow national guidelines.
 
On the positive side though, we would love you all to share pictures and comments from any runs you do during this period so we can all keep in contact and fill the world of at least our social media with good and happy news!
 
We will endeavour to keep you updated on any more news.
 
Take care of yourselves and look out for each other where possible.
 
Phil Liberman (HJ Chairman)

HJ NEWS! – 12th January 2020

Ed – Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful festive season and have set some new running goals for 2020? We have some exciting news to bring you so lets get cracking…………………….

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 8th January with two guest members and discussed the usual club finances, kit, new members, forthcoming event etc as well as the member survey, challenge trophy series, committee vacancies, twinning and injury clinics! More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 26th February 2020 and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

 The Results Round-up

A shorter round-up this time, what with the run up to Christmas festivities. This is compiled mainly from the race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix of who has been doing what is HERE!

Committee vacancies

At the next AGM, we already know that four of your committee members will stand down after many years of service to the club. Chairman Phil, Secretary Sue and committee members Fiona and Paul are all vacating their seats. So, we have vacancies on the committee and if you want to give back to the club in anyway, please let us know. The club constitution stipulates that we require a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer along with up to 8 other members to form a maximum committee of 11. With our new treasurer in place and a new secretary already shadowing Sue on the run up to the AGM, the key role to fill is that of Chairperson. Phil has kindly summarised what this involves HERE! Volunteering provides an opportunity for your voice to be heard and for your ideas and input to influence the direction of the club in the future. Please CONTACT US if you feel you have what it takes or if you want more details.

Member Survey

Barring a few ping backs, all members should now be in receipt of our 2020 member survey, hosted by Survey Monkey. Take a look in your inbox and spam folder and, if you haven’t had it please CONTACT US. Your feed back is important to us and can influence the direction of the club and future initiatives. Please take a few minutes to complete it before the 29th January end date. Just answer the first question and it will take you through to the complete survey.

New WSFRL raceCrawley Run Crew are the latest club to add to the fixtures list this year. The “Run Your Heart Out” 8k is due to be held on 16th Feb and will start and finish at K2, using the paths and trails around Tilgate Forest and Park. Advance club entry is £3 (juniors go for free) and entry on the day is £7 (subject to availability). Take a look HERE for race details and enter in advance via the MemberZone before 29th January cut off!

Club Challenge Trophy races for 2020

The committee has made some changes this year in order to increase member participation and mix up the potential winners a bit. The rules remain the same and more information can be found HERE. But remember; results are taken from your GUN TIME and you MUST be wearing an official club race vest or t-shirt to qualify for an award (both available from the MemberZone)!

WSFRL Challenge – CRC “Run Your Heart Out” 8k – 16th Feb

10 mile Challenge – Haywards Heath 10 – 24th May

Half Marathon Challenge – Henfield Half – 16th Aug

10k Challenge – Littlehampton 10k – 6th Sept

Injury Drop-in ClinicHands On Sports Therapy are based at The Bridge and Tony has kindly offered members a FREE 10-15 minute drop-in session between 5 and 7pm on Tuesday 28th January. If you are upping your training miles in preparation for a marathon or have been ignoring a niggle for a while, why not pop in before your run with the club for some free help and advice. There’s no need to book. Just tell reception staff that you are there to see Hands On and they will allow you through to the 1st floor treatment room. Dependent on numbers, you may need to wait for a bit before seeing Tony. Any subsequent follow-up treatment will also be discounted for club members. https://www.handsonsportstherapy.org/

#RunAndTalk eventsContinuing the theme of our popular post-run event in December, our next RunAndTalk evening will be on 4th February, where we will be recognising Time to Talk Day, and again we invite everyone to join us in the bridge cafe for tea / coffee and a catch-up after the regular Tuesday evening club run. This is an informal event, open to all, so please pop in and say hello!

We are also pleased to welcome Roger Johnson, who has joined our team of Mental Health Champions. Please check out our web page HERE for more information, and keep an eye out for upcoming events.

Marathon Training volunteers

James is doing a fantastic job with organising the volunteers to provide a route and water stops each week, but he needs to fill 4 more slots for the 8am Sunday training plan. If you can volunteer, please take a look at the rota HERE and let James know which date you can cover. munden888@yahoo.co.uk

Twinning UpdateTG Lage, our twinned club in Germany, hosted AdventLauf before Christmas and a few members of Horsham Joggers made the trip to take part. Read all about it HERE

Gunpowder Trot Assistant

We may be 10 months away from the next GT event but run director, Margaret is already looking for a 2nd in command to help her this year. You would be involved in shadowing the event preparations and delivery of another fabulous run in November 2020. If you want to get involved, please CONTACT US.

Brighton Marathon Places

The club still has some places available for the Brighton Marathon on 19th April. If you want to use one, please CONTACT US.

Good news, race stories, new PB’s?

We are still looking for new material for the newsletter or to shout about your achievements in the local press. If you have something to tell us about your weekend running achievements there are numerous options – EMAIL US or MESSAGE US or POST IT TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE – So, don’t be shy. We all want to share in your success!

Dates for your diary

18th Jan – Sussex Master X-country champs, Lancing

18th Jan – Fitstuff G3 Race 2, Newlands Corner

19th Jan – Winter Tanners 20, Leatherhead

25th Jan – Run through Lee Valley Velopark, QE Park

25th Jan – Maverick Terrex Original 8, 15, 23k, Amberley Museum

28th Jan  – Injury drop in clinic

29th Jan – Member survey end date

1st Feb – Fitstuff G3 Race 3, Newlands Corner

2nd Feb – Chichester 10k

4th Feb – Time to Talk day

9th Feb – Worthing 10k and Half Marathon

16th Feb – Run Your Heart Out 8k (WSFRL & Challenge Trophy race)

23rd Feb – Brighton Half Marathon

 

HJ NEWS! – 24th November 2019

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 20th November and discussed the usual club matters as well as #RunAndTalk events, Awards night, Gunpowder Trot review, member survey and woolly hats!  More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 8th January 2020 and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

The Results Round-up

So much to talk about this time! Compiled mainly from the race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix of who has been doing what is HERE 

Annual winter handicap and awards presentation

To be held at 7pm at Horsham Cricket and Sports Club on Tuesday 3rd December, this event takes over from the usual group running from The Bridge. All are welcome and if you give your average 5 or 10k time to us, we will put you into groups which leave Blackbridge Lane at timed intervals on a 4.5mile route. The idea is that everyone finishes at about the same time with some surprising winners in the past! After this we will return to the warmth of the club house for the annual awards ceremony at 8.30pm. As well as making donations to our nominated charity representatives and the all-important marathon ballot draw, this is your chance to congratulate our Challenge Trophy, WSFRL 10, SGP 6, Time Trial and summer/winter handicap winners. All are welcome and there will be free sandwiches and the bar will be open to buy your own drinks!

Quiz night review 13 teams attended the annual quiz night, under the expert eye of quizmaster Martyn Newton and his assistant Iain Campbell. Held at Horsham Cricket and Sports Club on Friday 25th October, “Cirque du Sore Legs” came first with “Only 60 Days to Christmas” receiving the wooden spoon! It’s always a great night with the biggest fun coming from the “who brought the best snacks” competition!

Gunpowder Trot Review

Team hj’s volunteers turned out in force for our home WSFRL race on 3rd November. A huge thank you to all who helped, but especially to Rob, Derek and Richard who went above and beyond the call of duty by clearing a fallen tree from the course before 7.30am! We really can’t do it without you! All WSFRL clubs participated with the largest team of 59 from Hove Hornets. We had 488 seniors and 30 juniors entered into both races and the tea and cakes helped to raise funds for our nominated charities. Congratulations must go to Margaret and her core team for putting on another great event.

#RunAndTalk eventsWe had a phenomenal response to the free talk buy author and marathon runner Phil Hewitt on Thursday 21st November. Phil talked with passion and emotion about his story and how running helps him to cope with the stress and anxiety which came with it. “Outrunning The Demons” is available in all good book shops (ISBN: 9781472956514).

Our next runandtalk event will be a social on 17th December. Everyone is invited to join us in the bridge cafe after the Christmas lights club run for tea / coffee and a mince pie. This is open to all, so please pop in to warm up and say hello!

Subsidised track use

With your annual subs, the club makes a block booking with The Bridge for you to use the running track between 6.30 and 7.30pm every Thursday. However, this is a subsidised benefit and we do ask members to contribute just £2 to the “honesty pot” left under the benches by our coach(s). In recent months, takings have led us to believe that perhaps not everyone is being 100% honest so please pay what is due.

Club vacancies

As we approach the end of the year, our thoughts turn to 2020 and the next AGM. We already know that there will be vacancies on the committee so if you want to give back to the club in anyway, please let us know. A full list of vacancies will be published in January. One role in particular that we need to fill early in the new year will be a new membership secretary. Sue has completed this for many years alongside her general club secretary role but feels it is now time to step back a bit and let someone else take over. Full training and hand over would be given and you would need a basic knowledge of Excel, email, online banking etc. Time commitment can vary with renewal time at the end of March requiring maybe daily input to avoid it mounting up. Please CONTACT US for more details.

Marathon training organiser

As well as the above, we need someone to step up and arrange the Spring Marathon Training programme starting on Sunday 29th December. It’s not as onerous as it sounds because we have a well trodden plan (pardon the pun!) but it would suit itself to someone planning to take part in the actual training programme and involves being there on 29th Dec and making a list of those prepared to organise a weekly route with light refreshments half way (or more) and to ensure everyone makes if back safely. As the overall organiser you would prepare and circulate the rota and ensure that routes/refreshments are shared with the next person on the list. Please  CONTACT US to find out more.

Christmas Socials

We’ve had a few questions from members regarding a Christmas get together and, with our main annual social event now being the Horsham Round in August, we are more than happy for individuals to arrange their own smaller Christmas get togethers at venues of their choice. Opening up a social event to over 550 members at this time of the year comes with its own challenges and we feel that smaller, self-funded groups making their own arrangements to fit their budget is the best way to go forward.

Club kit

With Christmas just around the corner, you may want to buy a new hoodie, cap, number clips or race top (or at least drop a hint to your friends and family!). Kit manager, Steve is waiting for your orders via the MemberZone and still has 1x medium, 1x large commemorative T-shirts from this year’s Horsham Round. £10 – cash only.

Good news, race stories, new PB’s?

We are always looking for new material for the newsletter or to shout about your achievements in the local press. If you have something to tell us about your weekend running achievements there are numerous options – EMAIL US or MESSAGE US or POST IT TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE – So, don’t be shy. We all want to share in your success!

And finally……………….Woolly Hats! Martine has the following message for you…………

This image shows hand-knitted Horsham Joggers hats. So far, we have sold several to those members who have asked for them and have placed an order. They cost £7.50*, are knitted by HJ member Karen Wigmore with the proceeds going to Sussex Air Ambulance. They are one size and are all made to order. It would be great to get a few orders in the run up to Christmas and it’s a great cause too for hj members to support! I look forward to hearing from you, Martine (martine.burke@gmail.com)

*NOTE: these are only available by contacting Martine and aren’t on the MemberZone

Dates for your diary

24th Nov – Crowborough 10k (SGP)

24th Nov – Jigsaw 10k, Dunsfold

30th Nov – Sussex X-country league, Stanmer Park

1st Dec – Downland Devil 9m, Lancing

3rd Dec – Annual winter handicap and Awards night

7th Dec – Worthing Christmas Cracker 5 and 10k (women only)

8th Dec – Mouth to Mouth marathon, Shoreham

8th Dec – Mince pie 10m Peacehaven

8th Dec – Hogs Back Road Race, Loseley Estate

8th Dec – Shere Trail Run

17th Dec – hj Xmas lights run with #RunAndTalk social after

21st Dec – Christmas pudding dash, Pett nr Hastings

25th Dec – Christmas Day (just in case you forget!)

26th Dec – Turners Hill Boxing Day run

1st Jan – Hangover 5 (WSFRL)

4th Jan – Sussex AA X-country champs, Bexhill

VMLM club ballot

Have you been rejected from the Virgin Money London Marathon ballot? Don’t despair! There is still a lifeline to taking part in next year’s event. We have 3 places available but you have to meet the following criteria:

  • Places no.1 & 2 (club allocation) – Entrants must fulfil the club rules which can be found HERE
  • Place no.3 (Volunteering) – Entrants need to have volunteered at either VMLM in 2019 or Ride London in the last 2 years and also have been rejected through the ballot this year.

If you are interested and can provide evidence to support your claim to any of the 3 places available, please CONTACT US to register your entry to our ballot. Names will be drawn from a hat at the annual awards ceremony which is planned for Tuesday 3rd December 2019.

hj NEWS – 6th October 2019

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 2nd October and discussed the usual club matters as well as Quiz night, Gun Powder Trot prep, #RunAndTalk events, website updates and a member survey.  More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 20th November and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

The Results Round-up

Some incredible achievements to read about. Compiled mainly from the race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix of who has been doing what, where, when and why is HERE!

35th Anniversary celebrations

Over 150 people attended the anniversary celebrations in the park after the annual Horsham Round on bank holiday Monday 26th August. We had free fish & chips, commemorative t-shirts and a special cake! Phil said a few words and we thanked the teams from guest clubs for attending. The weather was a bit warm and so we lazed around under the trees behind Horsham Bowl and some even drank beer! A fab day was had by all!

Quiz night – 25th OctoberSlightly earlier than usual due to venue availability so you best start brushing up on your knowledge of all things film, history, sports, music and more as it’s nearly time for the annual Horsham Joggers quiz again! Under the expert eye of quizmaster, Martyn Newton, it will take place at Horsham Cricket and Sports Club on Friday 25th October. Please arrive at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Maximum 13 teams are required and entry costs £18. There will be a maximum of six players with at least two hj members in each team. You can now register and pay for your team via the MemberZone. There will be 9 rounds in total with a break halfway through. The bar will be open all night for you to buy drinks but feel free to bring your own nibbles to eat at your table. Good luck!

Gunpowder TrotPlans are now in the final stages, and we are fast approaching our own WSFRL fixture on Sunday 3rd November 2019. Margaret now has enough volunteers and job allocations will be sent out over the next few weeks to those who completed the Survey Monkey link. If you’ve offered to volunteer, PLEASE save the date and try not to make any changes before the event as it takes countless hours to pull this all together. Entry is open via the MemberZone for those not wanting to volunteer.

Charity Donations

In addition to funding the recent celebrations, we are delighted to be able to give two charitable donations of £600 each this year to the West Sussex North Branch of MDNA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) and The Hope Charity. MND is a cause close to hj’s heart having lost two bright lights recently to this awful disease and The Hope Charity is a local organisation run by people who are personally touched by a young person struggling with their emotional well-being. They provide a much-needed resource for children aged 10-18 and their families, who are experiencing the trauma of mental health issues in our society today. We hope to welcome charity representatives to our annual awards ceremony in December in order to present the donations.

http://www.mndwestsussexnorth.com/

https://www.hopecharityproject.org/

#RunAndTalk events

 As mentioned in previous newsletters, we will be starting to incorporate RunAndTalk events within our Tuesday evening programme (initially once a month) – details of these will be posted on our usual social media platforms.

As an introduction to this, your Mental Health Champions, Mark and Geri, will be available for an informal chat at The Bridge Café on Tuesday 8th October following the regular club run. Please pop in if you’d like to find out more, share ideas, or just to say hello!

Don’t forget we’ve added some additional pages to our website with lots of useful information. Do have a look and let us know what you think – we’d also love to hear from anyone who is interested in getting involved.

Guest Speaker – An Evening with Phil Hewitt.

In tandem with RunAndTalk, we are excited to be joined by Sussex Newspapers Group Arts Editor and marathon runner Phil Hewitt to talk about his new book, Outrunning The Demons (Bloomsbury, 2019), which celebrates the massive mental health benefits of running. Phil will be speaking at The Bridge Leisure Centre, Broadbridge Heath, on Thursday 21st November (8pm).
As Phil says: “Running can take us to fantastic places. Just as importantly, it can also bring us back from terrible ones. For people in times of crisis, trauma and physical or mental illness – when normality collapses – running can put things back together again”.

Phil will talk of his own experience, after being mugged – stabbed, punched, kicked and effectively left for dead in Cape Town 3 years ago, and how he put himself back together again by getting back to his first love, running….

The book also includes interviews with 34 people from around the world who, as he says, have been to hell and discovered that the surest, safest, quickest way back was to run. He interviewed people caught up in 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing; people who have lost loved ones to murder and natural causes; people who have suffered addiction, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, violent and sexual assault; and sheer bad luck.

The result is a remarkable collection of stories about hope and survival – a genuinely uplifting celebration of the strength of the human spirit and all the good that is unleashed simply through running.

This will be a free event for members, but due to limited spaces you will need to book your place by contacting Mark Aylmore at HJRunAndTalk@gmail.com

Race reports

Chris Yeomans is still kindly producing the weekly report for the local press but ideally, we’d like this to be a shared role with another willing volunteer. It involves scanning the race calendar, results pages, social media etc on a Sunday or Monday and sending a brief summary (with a photo or two) to the local newspapers. If you can help, please CONTACT US

Challenge Trophy Results

All four CT races have now been run and Steve Wilson is pulling together the results ready for the awards presentation. Having done this for a few years, Steve will be taking a break next year and handing the reins over the Miranda Huisman. We thanks Steve for his help and diligence in completing this tricky role.

Possible Twinning Trip

We are looking to organise a trip to our twinned club in Germany next year! Our links with TG Lage have been in place for many years and it would be nice to go to visit one of their biggest events of the year after they visited us during Barns Green last year. The Hörster Waldlauf takes place on Saturday May 9th next year and is a festival of running comprising of a Half Marathon, 10 and 5K as well as child’s races over 1.2 and 400m all taking part in the beautiful Teutoburger Forest. We are checking for interest initially so here is the proposed itinerary:

  • We would organise transport on the Friday to the airport (probably Heathrow, Stanstead or Luton), participants would need to book their own flights and hopefully we can match it up so we can either be on the same flight or within a short space of each other.
  • We would then organise transport at the other end to Lage (approx 90 minutes).
  • TG Lage have a large sports complex with facilities, but the sleeping arrangements would probably be a dormitory style. They would also be happy to give us a B&B arrangement.
  • We would then return by the same arrangements on the Sunday.

There is a possibility that some of us could be put up by TG Lage families if anyone was interested. It would be an adventure and we are sure a great event! We are going to gauge any interest and then maybe organise a meeting to discuss it further, so if it sounds like your thing please CONTACT US

Membership survey

Our membership currently stands at 560 and so it’s becoming more and more difficult to ask each member for their views on the club and what they want to get from it. So we are putting together our very first membership survey which will go out in the New Year and we need some help. If you have market research type skills and would like to help put this together, please CONTACT US

Dates for your diary

6th Oct – Lewes Downland 10 (SGP)

6th Oct – Heron Way 10k

6th Oct – Bournemouth Half and Marathon

13th Oct – Great Walstead 5 (WSRFL)

19th Oct – SEAA x-country relays

20th Oct – Hove Prom 10k (SGP)

20th Oct – Worthing Seafront 10k

20th Oct – Great South Run 10m

20th Oct – Great Bottom 5, Arundel

25th Oct – hj quiz night

26th Oct – Beachy Head Marathon/10k

27th Oct – Crawley 10k

27th Oct – Steepdown Challenge (WSFRL)

3rd Nov – hj Gunpowder Trot (WSFRL)

9th Nov – Sussex x-country league, Lancing

10th Nov – Rewell Wood 5, Arundel

17th Nov – Brighton 10k

24th Nov – Crowborough 10k (SGP)

24th Nov – Jigsaw 10k, Dunsfold 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

 

 

hj NEWS – 25th August 2019

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 21st August and discussed club finances, membership, MemberZone orders and social media hits as well as Survey Monkey, #RunAndTalk, mental health champions, charity donations, Horsham Round 35th celebrations and Gunpowder Trot preparations. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 2nd October and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

Tony Johnson

Hopefully you have all seen our recent tribute to Tony who sadly lost his fight with Motor Neurone Disease on 20th July. A celebration of Tony’s life was held on 6th August and was well attended by past and current hj members. The committee have been discussing ways to honour Tony’s memory at the event which he grew to love the most during his running journey – The South Downs Way Relay. Over the coming weeks we will be thinking of a fitting tribute and discussing options with Tony’s wife Julia.

The Results Round-up

So who has been where in the past six weeks? Compiled mainly of race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix is HERE!

Horsham Round – Bank Holiday Monday

 

 

 

21 team entries have pouring in, the t-shirt orders have arrived, the food is ordered for those who asked for it and we’ve even arranged good weather! This year’s Horsham Round and 35th Anniversary celebration is set to be a fantastic day and you are welcome to join us in the park from 2.30pm to see the teams home. Team captains will now have instructions and maps to follow and will have agreed their start time with James. Remember, it’s a self-navigated 29 mile route as a relay team or in pairs as a minimum. Runners are responsible for your own safety, food, water, sunscreen, support crew, mobile contact etc for the whole run! T-shirt orders can be collected at the finish and, for those who have ordered food, you will be provided with a meal voucher to exchange for your selected food choice at the mobile catering van between 2.30 and 4.30pm. All being well, it will be parked adjacent to Park House, North Street (the old HDC headquarters), a short walk from the park. We look forward to seeing you!

#RunAndTalk

We are delighted to welcome our two new mental health champions and to be firmly involved in England Athletics #RunAndTalk initiative. Mark Aylmore and Geri Smith have been working very hard over the past few months and have put together some fantastic pages and content on our website (https://www.horshamjoggers.co.uk/about-runandtalk/). There’s lots of interesting fact sheets and advice. Take a look, see what you think and drop them a line to let them know via their contact page. In the coming months Mark and Geri will be holding regular #RunAndTalk events. Details of these will soon be added to the web pages and promoted via the newsletter and our social media platforms.

 

 

 

Barns Green Pacer required

This year we will be providing all the pacers for the Barns Green Half Marathon. However, organiser Jason Walker is missing a 1hour 30minute pacer to complete his team. If you can run like clockwork at this pace, please contact Jason (jason.walker1@hotmail.com). Pacers get free entry and a pacer bib to wear.

Gunpowder Trot

Plans are well advanced, and we are fast approaching our own WSFRL fixture on Sunday 3rd November 2019 but we are already receiving entries from members who haven’t offered to volunteer first! As always, we rely on many volunteers on the day so please, please, please remember to offer your help BEFORE thinking about entering the race.

Group Leaders

We’ve had a couple of new leaders join us, but we still need more to help us provide a better spread of smaller, more evenly paced groups. We can provide guidance and route maps for you so that you can step up and lead regularly or in the event of a shortage on the night. Have a word with your group leader and they can help you to help us!

Race reports

Chris Yeomans is kindly producing the weekly report for the local press but ideally, we’d like this to be a shared role with another willing volunteer. It involves scanning the race calendar, results pages, social media etc on a Sunday or Monday and sending a brief summary (with a photo or two) to the local newspapers. If you can help, please CONTACT US

Ride London Ballot winner

Ian Bradbury rode the Prudential Ride London this year after winning his place in the ballot last winter. He said I took part in the Prudential Ride London & Surrey 100 today using the Horsham Joggers ballot entry.  I had a fantastic day and really enjoyed it.  Thank you!  I did pretty well as well – 5h14m, average speed of 18.8 mph”.

Dates for your diary

26th Aug – Horsham Round/35th Anniversary picnic

1st Sept – Fittleworth 5 (WSFRL)

3rd Sept – 4th Itchingfield Time Trial (7pm!)

8th Sept – Hellingly 10k (SGP)

8th Sept – Bacchus Half Marathon

8th Sept – Littlehampton 10k (5-10k group graduation)

14th Sept – Rewell Wood Running festival, Arundel

15th Sept – Richmond Half Marathon

22nd Sept – Tilgate Forest 5 (WSFRL)

28th Sept – SXCC relays, Goodwood

29th Sept – Barns Green Half Marathon

6th Oct – Lewes Downland 10 (SGP)

6th Oct – Heron Way 10k

6th Oct – Bournemouth Half and Marathon

 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

Tony Johnson – 1960-2019

Horsham Joggers lost a dear friend on 20th July. Tony was a key part of the club from the early 2000’s until 2016 when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease which, ultimately stopped him from running. To say his time at the club was integral to the current success would be an understatement and we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to him for his leadership, straight talking, dogged determination and useful inventions.

Tony grew up in Reigate and attended Reigate Grammar School before turning his hand to joinery. He joined Horsham Joggers in 2004, shortly after meeting Julia and by 2008 they were married with both standing on the committee and helping to shape the club’s future as well as organising the much-loved Valentine’s Run from 2008 to 13, social events and even the flagging Alf Shrubb memorial race.

When Gordon Reay stood down as chairman in April 2011, there was only really one choice to replace him and Tony duly stepped up with Julia very much in the wings supporting him. Some say that Gordon could see into the future as by October 2011 the club’s future was plunged into doubt when Horsham District Council announced the closure of Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre, without re-providing for the many clubs and community members who used it.

But what they hadn’t banked on was the outpouring of objection and groundswell of public opinion, mainly lead by Tony. He stood up to the authorities, formed a Joint User Group and called our club to arms, in order to overturn HDC’s decision. We marched on the council offices with our homemade placards, demonstrated in the town centre at the weekend collecting petition signatures and even ran a continuous relay from the town to the leisure centre, all to raise awareness of the plight of our club, as well as others.

He won a Community “Good Sport” Award in November 2012 for his work fighting the closure but in typically modest fashion he told the local press “I feel like a bit of a fraud, it’s such a strange feeling, thank you”, later adding on our social media page “Although I received the award, it’s for all of the hard work put in by everyone who fought to keep the track and leisure centre”.

The work that Tony put into saving our meeting place went deeper than just the visible activity. He spent countless hours writing emails, researching the legal and moral objections and meeting users and councillors alike. By 2015 the council had reversed their decision and agreed to re-provide a new leisure centre (albeit smaller and for less user groups) and by October 2018 it was opened to the public; a ceremony which Tony attended. But, he had to have the last word; writing to the West Sussex County Times the following week and reminding the champagne quaffing councillors that it was the user groups and members of the public who should be thanked for re-providing a much loved public resource.

So, if you’ve been to The Bridge and used the new facilities, it’s fair to say that it probably wouldn’t be there without Tony’s tenacity and drive for justice.

Although not really becoming a runner until he met Julia, it’s fair to say that he was extremely competent and competitive. His 15 marathons, countless half marathons, 10k’s, Sussex Grand Prix races, Christ Hospital relays and even his one parkrun at Horsham’s inaugural event speak for themselves. Anyone who can run 5k around our lovely park in 19 minutes and 35 seconds deserves respect! His style was unique; often seen bouncing around Horsham with both feet off the ground! All arms and legs but fast never-the-less.

By far the best event in Tony’s opinion was the South Downs Way 100 mile Relay. An invitation only event that Horsham Joggers took part in many years ago. He contacted the organisers and got hj back on the invitation list. Then, having done so well in 2012, we were invited to enter a 2nd team in 2013 and it has since become one of the highlights of the hj calendar. Tony competed in the event from 2012 to 16 and always said it was one the best days of running he could ever have. The Downs had a special place in Tony’s life.

He stood down as Horsham Joggers Chairman and honorary member in April 2015 and leaves wife, Julia. Son, Jamie. Two sisters and one brother and will be very much missed by everyone who knew him. His funeral will take place on Tuesday 6th August at 3.40pm at Worthing Crematorium, BN14 0RG with a celebration of his life continuing afterwards at Long Furlong Barn, Clapham, BN13 3XN.

hj NEWS – 14th JULY

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 10th July and discussed club finances, membership, MemberZone orders and social media as well as the Horsham 10k review, Run & Talk mental health champions, charity donations, Horsham Round 35th celebrations and Gunpowder Trot preparations. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 21st August and you are welcome to join us by arrangement!

The Results Round-up

Compiled mainly of race reports by Chris Yeomans and other contributors, your six-weekly fix of who has done what, when and how is HERE 

Meeting place at The Bridge

Now that the new facility is fully open, we will be moving our meeting point from the rear undercroft to the main entrance area under the gym from Tuesday 16th July. This will provide a better focal point for new arrivals, instead of having to walk around the back to find us. Please don’t block the main entrance area!

The Andy Spriggs Running Spirit award

Following the untimely passing of our dear friend Andy Spriggs in December 2017, we honour his memory each year with the Running Spirit Award. This is awarded at the Horsham 10k to someone who demonstrates exceptional generosity, courage, stoicism, passion, perseverance or sportsmanship. This year the award went to Martyn Greaves, who is a regular at the 10k and parkrun. Martyn finished the race in 73:42 and came 396th. We caught up with him at Cranleigh parkrun to present the award.

Horsham Round – Bank Holiday Monday

Entry for teams is now open and, as this is our 35th anniversary year, the annual Horsham Round on will be something special! A chance to celebrate 35 years of the club with guest teams joining us from other local clubs as well. To commemorate the occasion, we have commissioned a special t-shirt and are pleased to offer this to all members who want one for the subsidised price of just £10! Made from lime green technical hi-viz fabric with black hj and Horsham Round logos, these are now available to order from the MemberZone for a limited period and will be distributed on the day. T-SHIRT ORDERS MUST BE IN BY 31st JULY!

As well as this, we will be having the usual gathering in Horsham Park from 2pm onwards so that everyone can join us for a social picnic and we will even be providing FREE FOOD to those who pre-order it! We need to confirm numbers and print enough vouchers to exchange for your free meal so, we are asking members to pre-order t-shirts and food options via the MemberZone and we will let the t-shirt and mobile fish & chip suppliers know in advance. Guest teams will be contacted directly to confirm numbers for both t-shirts and food. We look forward to seeing as many people as possible in the park, whether you are running The Round or not.

Group Leaders

If you train with us on a Tuesday evening, you may have noticed a shortage of group leaders recently. This has been due to injury, other event clashes and other volunteering commitments from the “usual” group leaders. To help us provide a better spread of smaller, more evenly paced groups, we need more volunteers to step up and lead a group. We can provide guidance and route maps for you so that you can step up and lead regularly or in the event of a shortage on the night. Have a word with your group leader and they can help you to help us!

Gunpowder Trot

Our 2nd club event of 2019 will the “Gunpowder Trot” on Sunday 3rd November 2019. This is a 4.5-mile Fun Run around Denne Park and Chesworth Farm and is part of the West Sussex Fun Run League and we are delighted to welcome Horsham Co-Working on board as our new sponsor! As always, we rely on many volunteers on the day so please, please, please remember to offer your help BEFORE thinking about entering the race.

Dates for your diary

14th July – Hornets’ Stinger (WSFRL)

14th July – Beat the Tide Worthing

17th July – Wakehurst Willow

27th July – Lunar Tic night marathon

28th July – Seven Stiles (WSFRL)

31st July – Bexhill 5k (SGP)

7th Aug – Highdown Hike (WSFRL)

10th Aug – 13 The Hard Way

18th Aug – Henfield Half

25th Aug – Will Page 10k Newick

25th Aug – Windlesham House 4 (WSFRL)

26th Aug – Horsham Round/35th Anniversary picnic

 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

hj NEWS – 2nd June 2019

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 29th May and welcomed new members Iain Campbell and Mark Aylmore. We discussed club finances, membership renewals, MemberZone orders and social media platforms as well as the Horsham 10k, #RunAndTalk mental health champions, summer handicap and Horsham Round 35th celebrations. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 10th July.

The Results Round-up

Such a busy few weeks! We don’t know quite how you fit it all in! The ever popular result round-up is HERE

Congratulations!

At the recent AGM, we presented awards to Simon Perkins – Jogger of the Year, Julie Jochimsen – Newcomer of the Year and Sue Hensman/Simon Perkins – Volunteer(s) of the Year. We salute you and all those nominated in these categories!

Membership renewals reminder

Subs are now long overdue and there are a significant number of members who’s membership will expire on 30th June if they haven’t renewed by then. The committee feels that 3 months is more than enough time to renew the £10 required. The best way to renew is via the MemberZone using PayPal or Card. Remember, if you joined after 1st Jan 2019 then your membership carries through to 31st March 2020.

Itchingfield Time Trials

The first ITT has been and gone and the results are now on the website. We’ve noticed a decline in numbers recently which is a great shame given the time and effort put into this by John and his team. The 2nd ITT is on 11th June so, if you haven’t tried it before, you race against yourself around a challenging 5k road route with the aim of making consecutive improvement over 3 of the 4 time trials. Parking is limited so either jog from The Bridge or car share. Dates: 11th June@7.30pm, 9th July@7.30pm and 3rd Sept@7pm.

Mid-Summer Handicap

Nigel Blackbee has kindly agreed to help with this again at 7pm on 18th June. We will be using the parkrun course in Horsham Park and setting off groups at timed intervals based on your 5 and 10k times and, if we’ve got our sums right, you will all finish together! A prize for the first finisher will be awarded at the awards evening later this year.

Riverside Walk

A popular event for hj’s, this is being organised by Horsham Town Community Partnership on Saturday 6th July and is a 13 mile route around Horsham which can be ran, jogged or walked. If you are interested in taking part, details can be found HERE on how to register your interest in taking part.

Horsham Round organiser

This year will be our 35th anniversary celebration and we are still looking for a willing volunteer to organise what is now a well set out plan for the annual Horsham Round on 26th August. Please CONTACT US for more information. We have a commemorative T-Shirt being designed and are currently looking a new foody options after the round as well!

Run And Talk

Horsham Joggers have now officially joined England Athletics #RunAndTalk programme, with Mark Aylmore & Geri Smith being appointed as Mental Health Champions on behalf of the club. The #RunAndTalk programme has been created with the aim of improving mental health through running in England, and is supported by Mind, the mental health charity. We are excited to be a part of this programme, as we look to get people talking, sharing their experiences and removing the stigma associated with mental health. Mark and Geri plan to incorporate #RunAndTalk sessions into the Horsham Joggers programme, as well as targeting specific events through the year such as Time to Talk Day (January/February) and World Mental Health Day (October). Events will be open to friends and family, and will almost certainly involve cake whenever possible! We will soon include a section on our website where people can find more information, get involved and also provide useful links, support and guidance for those who might need it. Watch this space……..

Through the programme we hope to have a positive impact on our members and wider community by promoting and supporting the benefits that running can have on all our physical and mental wellbeing. With your support we are sure this will prove to be a very positive addition to the club.

Gunpowder Trot

Our 2nd club event of 2019 will the “Gunpowder Trot” on Sunday 3rd November 2019. This is a 4.5-mile Fun Run which is part of the West Sussex Fun Run League and we have some exciting opportunities for sponsorship of the event! The race will be open to 500 senior runners and has sold out in advance during the past few years. Additionally, a junior race of 1 mile for under 16s will also take place with around 50 runners aged between 4 and 15.  Full details of last year’s race can be found HERE

We are seeking a sponsorship amounts of £500 for the senior race and £100 for the junior race and would like to know if any club members can help by providing a corporate contacts/leads which we can follow-up.

Sponsorship for the senior race provide following benefits to the sponsor: –

  • Sponsor’s logo being shown on the on-line entry page where it will be seen by all who enter.
  • Sponsor’s company having a presence at the event with the option to set up a tent/display (if they have such a thing) with company promotional banners etc.
  • Recognition of the sponsorship at every opportunity through all promotional material, local press coverage and during the pre- and post-race announcements on the day.
  • An option to have the company logo printed on all competitor’s race numbers to be attached to their running singlet.

Sponsorship for the junior race would provide the following benefits to the sponsor: –

  • Provision of “goody bag” suitable for ages 4-15 which can include items associated with sponsors company. Bag could include sponsor’s products and logo if wanted
  • Sponsor can have presence on race day to distribute bags to junior runners at the finish.

If you think you may be able to help, please contact Margaret Wadman using our CONTACT US page.

Dates for your diary

2nd June – Horsham 10k (SGP)

8th June – Box Hill Trail Running Festival

11th June – 2nd Itchingfield Time Trial

16th June – Hove Park Races (WSFRL)

18th June – hj Summer Handicap

22nd June – Downland Dash (WSFRL)

22nd June – Midnight Sun Marathon, Tromso, Norway

22nd June – Race to the King

23rd June – Heathfield 10k – (SGP)

30th June – Lingfield 10m and 10k

30th June – Eastbourne 10k

3rd July – Roundhill Romp (WSFRL)

6th July – Horsham Riverside Walk

7th July – Bewl 15 (SGP)

7th July – North Downs Way Half

10th July – Phoenix 10k (SGP)

14th July – Hornets’ Stinger (WSFRL)

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!