The September 2023 newsletter is now available and it is a volunteer special to commemorate and thank our amazing helpers.

This edition is for events up to and including Saturday 30^th September. I’m sorry I can’t include them all, or necessarily congratulate direct individuals, but we’re a massive club and we do an equally massive load of events!

Volunteering is Contagious

They say the best things in life are free. And I’d say volunteers at HJ’ers fall into that category.

One of the things which sets us apart from other running clubs, is the sheer volume of helpers we have. People giving up their own time to help others, even relinquishing their own running goals temporarily to help others achieve theirs.

At HJ’ers we are unique, because as a ratio I can’t think of another running club that has so many volunteers helping so regularly.

Seeing others giving up their time not only inspires people, but as a result it also has the knock-on effect of more volunteers subsequently putting their hands up to help. I know this happened to myself in the past when I first joined the club, when considering whether to help at an upcoming race.

“Volunteering’s contagious” my wife told me. “It’s not going to take ages” I replied, slightly mis-hearing her Teesside accent. “No, no” she replied, “It’s contagious – you’ll get addicted to it.”

And this is exactly what happened. The kick you get out of helping others and the feel-good factor at the end of an event is up there with taking part in the actual event itself, so much so that you genuinely want to help even more, whether at individual or event level.

So, along the journey of this latest newsletter there will be the occasional nod to our volunteers.

Unsung Heroes

The unsung hero for this edition of the newsletter is Mary Klanczkowski.

Mary has been a regular (almost an ever-present) at the West Sussex Fun Run League races not only this year but in previous years too. This year has seen an unprecedented turnout of HJ’ers at these races, but Mary’s been doing these and other events representing Horsham Joggers for many years. She is an inspiration to lots of us at the club. Well done and thank you, Mary!

Races and Runs (and the WSFRL!)

Yet again we’ve gone through a whopping spike in HJ’ers taking part in various events. And yet again there is absolutely no way I can cover all of them, but here’s a selection of a few which have hit the headlines.

West Sussex Fun Run League (WSFRL) – Tilgate 5 Miler – 3^rd September

I must start with an overview of the WSFRL, mainly because we are top but also as the momentum still remains with us for now and we need to keep it going – we are so very close to the end now.

And it was yet another whopping turn-out of HJ’ers that took part in the Tilgate 5 on 3^rd September, which incurred chaotic scenes towards the end of the race.

HJ’ers ran superbly throughout, though some were so fast that the first 32 runners in the race clearly confused the marshals so much they sent them in the wrong direction, effectively meaning over a mile was missed off the course.

Although it would likely have had only minor issues in respect of final placings, it must have bemused those at the front seeing the finish line come up early, with those placed 33^rd and below who have a strong finish (such as the effervescent Malcolm Footer) likely aghast at not being able to close in on the leading places like they usually do.

It was also lovely that some of our more junior members took part too. No doubt ‘Jog-raphy is their favourite subject at school (unlike the Marshal who sent everyone the wrong way, clearly!).

As noted at the beginning we remain top with not many races left. Keep it up, HJ’ers, glory is almost within touching distance. Check out the calendar on our website (and the dates at the end of this newsletter) for the remaining WSFRL dates.

Marathon des Ousscuilles –  27^th August

Horsham Joggers travel far and wide to run, and this was no exception as Rosie Inman, Selina Elborough and fellow Committee member Florian Yeates travelled to this oddly sounding place which is located just to the south of Toulouse, France.

And Rosie certainly didn’t go ‘Toulouse’ as she came an impressive 2^nd in the 10k with a tremendous time of 43.49. A fantastic result, and well done to the three of them.

Horsham Round – 28^th August

The ever-popular Horsham Round took place on Bank Holiday Monday.

Wonderfully orchestrated by Roger Johnson, this terrifically fun event remains as popular as ever, even resulting in some teams getting lost along the slightly altered route. However, it subsequently came to light that some teams also got lost during parts of the route which have remained unchanged, which added to the bemusement (or amusement) of others.

The team names remain a source of comedy with wacky ones such as ‘Ploddy Hell’, and ‘Old Gits & Co’. However, the winner of the team name and arguably the winner of the most impressive run during the entire round must go to Elisabeth Scott, who ran the entire route solo, having started at 5am in the morning and under the name ‘Two Is Company’. The early start may have been partly the reason for this of course!

Well done to everyone who took part. The Committee and Roger will be working together ahead of next year’s run.

Parkrun Tourism

Our HJ’ers regularly turn up at various parkruns across the UK and further afield. In fact, every week there seems to be a number of us randomly turning up at remote parkrun events.

Amongst the stacks of examples, Ali Shears ran in the 3^rd ever ‘Quakers Walk’ parkrun, Lisa Jestico and Kirstie Hedger ran at Uckfield (not remote but quite random), and perhaps one of the most extreme was Michael Dargue’s trip to Japan, as he came 2^nd at the ‘Sunshine Beach‘ parkrun (near Kyoto), out of a total field of just 10 runners.

When asked about the event, Michael said the winner of the parkrun came over to him afterwards and was a bit shocked when Michael offered to shake his hand….and after a brief pause the pleasantries were finalised with an exchange of bows instead!

Please keep your eyes peeled to our HJ Runs Facebook page where you will see our esteemed  parkrunners turning up at various locations, including our HJ parkrun tourism which takes us to Cranleigh on 7^th October and then to Lancing on 14^th November.

The Dragon’s Back Race – Monday 4^th September to Saturday 9^th September

There can be no denying the extraordinary achievement of both Michael Dargue and the flying Gary Tomlinson at the ‘Dragons Back’ race in Wales.

With Michael fresh from his parkrun visit to Japan, and with Gary fresh from his visit to, um, Horsham Park, the pair of them took part in the 6-day Dragon’s Back across the Welsh mountains, along with regular ultra runner Matt Whyman. This was a 6-day race, 380km, 17,400m of ascent mountain ultra of epic proportions from Conwy to Cardiff Castle. To put it into perspective, that’s 9 marathons and 2 Everest ascents over 6 days.

Gary and Michael placed in 30^th and 32^nd place overall – fantastic given this event has experienced ultra runners from all over the world taking part. An incredible achievement, more so if we also think back to how hot it was at the start of September.

Both Gary and Michael will be holding a talk at The Bridge on Wednesday 18^th October (7pm start) to discuss the run, followed by tea and cakes at 8pm.

Unfortunately, the event didn’t go quite as planned for Matt though. An integral part of the preparation and planning with Gary and Michael, Matt was forced to pull out early on following medical advice, much to his annoyance. Two years ago, Matt had similarly been unable to complete the event and ended up writing his book ‘Failure is an Option’ (a great read). The hope is this further attempt at the Dragon’s Back will again inspire a new book for Matt to start penning as a sequel…….over to you Matt, still time to get it on the shelves for Christmas!

Skyscraper Challenge – 9^th September

As mentioned above, as an athlete when you are unable to complete an event it leaves you with a sense of disappointment and frustration.

Lee Walker took on the London Landmarks ‘Skyscraper’ Challenge. He did fantastically well running up the whopping 42 floors of the Leadenhall ‘Cheese-grater’ building…..only to be told the 200 metre abseil back down had been called off due to the extremely hot weather that day.

Despite not being allowed to complete the full event, Lee raised a huge amount of money for the terrifically important ‘Tommy’s’ charity. Well done, Lee!!

Great North Run (Half-Marathon) – 10^th September

A splattering of HJ’ers ran the Great North Run, along with 60,000 others and there were some extraordinary biblical-type conditions experienced along the way.

With temperatures even in the North-East extraordinarily hot and humid and with a late-ish 11am start, it was a real effort to even start the Half Marathon without feeling the effects of the weather. Also, watching the locals attempting to hand out full pints of beer within the first couple of miles was a first and given the weather it was extremely tempting to take one on board. Many did.

In fact, even a plan to run the final part of the race with mouth open in the hope to digest some water coming off the North Sea home stretch was curtailed, as this left one susceptible to swallowing bits of old boat flailing in from the North Sea, as the wind began to whip up.

The weather was compounded by an extraordinary thunderstorm and flash flooding at the end which meant most finishers being stuck either in the car park, the queue for the North Shields Ferry, or the queue for the Metro for over 3 hours!

Despite this the race is a fantastic and very friendly event and I thoroughly recommend any HJ’ers to sign up to it.

Why the Great South Run is only 10 miles in length remains a mystery, however. Answers on a postcard, please.

Littlehampton 10K – 10^th September

A stack of HJ’ers took part in the Littlehampton 10k, on a hot September morning along the south coast.

When talking about volunteers, I know the fantastic work done by Simon Perkins, Sue Hensman and their team to help several runners make the transition from 5k runner to 10k runner in time for this race. The feedback from the course has been glowing and has been inspirational to many hj club members too, new, and old.

There were some terrific achievements at Littlehampton and a surprisingly high number of PBs on the day given the weather. Here is a selection of just a few HJ placings from the results (out of interest several Horsham Joggers were not actually recorded as HJ’ers on the Littlehampton results page!):

Lewis Reeves 36.52, Tony Jakens 41.52, Brian Stone 42.28, Ian Dickinson 42.29, John Crayford 45.17, Miranda Huisman 49.06, Matt Horne 51.08, Jo Stone 51.18, Yuko Casey 1.02.04, Tracy Jones 1.04.03, Barnaby Smith 1.09.07, Ali Boulton 1.13.52, Jane Footer 1.14.48, Brian Sessions 1.21.40, Penelope Sanders 1.25.13, Paul Morley 1.25.31, Emma Paine 1.25.48.

New Forest Marathon – 10^th September

Although it appears several races were deliberately set to be run on the same day, and on arguably the hottest day of the year, the New Forest Marathon was yet another run taking place on 10^th September.

A good number of HJ’ers were not put off by this sweltering race, which must have made remote islands in the Maldives feel more like Antarctica on a particularly cold day, though Crispin Scott has informed me this was tempered by a heavy shower during proceedings which did take the edge off the warmth.

Well done to everyone for finishing such a tough race.

10k Vets AC Championships (Battersea)

Christopher Lee and Clive Walker ran the 25 laps of the track at the Battersea 10k Vets Championships. To run this event, they had to run for their ‘other’ club, namely Vets AC. We are not offended by this (!) and they both produced fantastic runs in the race.

Run Reigate – 17^th September

A few HJ’ers ran at the Half Marathon and 10k races in Reigate on 17^th September.

The 10k race saw Colette Hall finish in 58.39, Jacqui Williamson 59.54, Sue Newman 1.01.01, Erika Hall 1.02.55, Steph Charman 1.06.00, Fiona Lear 1.17.51, Jane Adams 1.22.14 and Edna Clark 1.22.22.

The half marathon is actually a very nice route, albeit with an awkward climb towards the end, the likes of which even Kate Bush would have been delighted to run up.

Jonathan Fengaras came home in 1.36.39, Brian Frost 1.48.55, Alan Pettitt 1.51.26, Tony Hogben 1.59.03 and Caroline Bransden 2.17.50.

Spitfire 10k – 17^th September

Gill and Graham Lunn ran the Spitfire 10k at the RAF Museum in Hendon.

Apart from successfully completing the race, both also managed to fit inside a helicopter located within the museum…..though I am certain the version flown by David Malins in his RAF days were slightly more advanced!

Gill then continued her tour of 10ks by running at Windsor the following week.

London Vitality 10k – 24^th September

Plenty of HJ’ers took part in the London Vitality 10km.

Our club runners who finished were Kirstie Hedger (54.02), Colette Hall (55.57), Dawn Whamond (58.42), Erika Hall (59.49), Lou Johnson (1.01.06), Sue Bailey (1.03.24), Tracy Jones (1.03.32), Samantha Edwards (1.09.48), Heidi Chaney (1.22.41) and Jodi Bowbrick (1.24.24).

Congratulations to all that took part, especially those who raised money for good causes at the same time.

Run Barns Green 5k, 10k and Half Marathon – 24^th September

It’s quite hard to give a round-up of Barns Green without mentioning how much hard work was done by HJ’ers towards the event both in the run-up and on the day itself. Along with the Sunday morning half marathon training sessions (amongst other training runs), several of our club members also ended up being pacers during the various races which took place on this hugely successful day.

I know there has been some terrific feedback given by other runners on the day for the pacing team, our own Lilian Tse among those receiving lots of adulation. To sacrifice your own time to help others achieve theirs is a wonderful thing to do.

In the races, there were a huge number of success stories.

Michael Daly mistook the day as some kind of Mo Farah tribute, taking part in both the 5k and 10k races, comfortably winning the shorter distance and then coming 4^th place in the 10k, which started just a few minutes after the end of the 5k. His bid for double podium was thwarted by a Brighton Phoenix runner called William Russell, who is surely not the same person as the one who created Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine. In any case, it was a tremendous effort by Michael to run back-to-back races with such aplomb.

For the males, behind Michael’s 35.30 was Lewis Reeves 37.28, Will Michel 38.54 and Tom Robertson 39.08.

First female HJ’er home in the 10k was Lucinda Potten in 47.06, then Margaret Wadman 49.08, Jo Stone 50.07 and closely followed by new Thursday night track regular Anna McLaughlan in 50.15.

In the half marathon, Neil Boniface (who these days competes for Horsham Blue Star Harriers, but we’ll include him as a HJ’er for this) won the race in a staggering 1.12.17. However, first official Horsham Jogger home (and 11^th overall) was Simon Perkins in 1.20.25 – even more extraordinary as he’d won Horsham parkrun the previous day – then Matt Mason in a fine 1.23.48.

There was some concern towards the end of the half marathon, as our very own Tom MacDonald finished the race as third HJ home but worryingly overheated in the final quarter-mile, only just making it over the finish line. Our former Chairman Phil Liberman was fortunately on-hand to help Tom, who then spent an hour in the Medical Tent. The excellent news is that Tom recovered quickly from this ordeal – perhaps stick to vertical ascent races in future as you seem to cope better with these, Tom!

First female home in the half marathon was Rebecca Rankin in 1.41.57 (who hopefully now realises that the Sunday morning training runs were worth it!), followed by the ever-smiling Amy Johnson (now Capsey) in 1.51.10. Phyl ‘Westy’ Weston ran a tremendous 1.52.31 and Fran Gunning was firing on all cylinders closely behind in 1.52.53.

I know there were some other fantastic personal achievements set by so many at Barns Green. To hear from some of you that had previously doubted whether you could complete a half marathon (or a 10k) and to see that you not only completed the event you entered but did so with such resounding success is a real accomplishment.

I also know everyone at the club who took part in the training runs found them to be of benefit to them, and thanks goes to everyone who volunteered on those Sunday mornings and also to Clive Walker for helping provide the route plans.

Sussex Cross-Country relays – 30^th September

To show we’re not just a running club that’s great on both track, road and ultra, the HJ Seniors and over 60s took part in the cross-country relays at Goodwood on 30^th September.

A fine 6^th place for the Seniors team (which included more people aged in their 40s than 30s) was outshone by the terrific 1^st place finish by the over 60s team of Pete O’Connell, Dean Angell and Steve Wigmore. As ever this group demolished all opposition in their path to bring home gold for HJ’ers.

Fantastic work chaps!

Tuesday night club runs

A huge number of club runners attend the Tuesday night runs from the Bridge. Thanks goes to all the various group leaders who volunteer and take charge of the different mile paces along the way, even more so now the dark nights are setting in.

Please take care in the evenings as the lighting along the routes we take isn’t always the best. Head or body torches/lights and bright running gear is a must and please ensure you stay within your group and make the relevant leader aware if you are struggling.

Run and Talk Tuesdays

Once a month a run and talk Tuesday takes place, whereby after the Tuesday night session people can gather in the Bridge café for a chat and a catch-up to talk about things either running or non-running related. It’s good to talk.

Track – Thursday night 6.30pm

No question that Thursday night track continues to increase in popularity, and with a few new coached sessions also throwing variety into the mix.

Just a reminder that its £2 to pay by card – please arrive at 6.15pm to pay so that everyone can be ready to start on the half-hour.

We also had some interest from a few members regarding whether track was suitable for their younger children to attend. As a ‘one-off’ we would not refuse younger children, but parents would need to complete a safeguarding code of conduct and ensure family membership was covered beforehand.  It’s probably also worth pointing out that HJ’ers isn’t really a suitable regular running group for under 12s and we’d therefore steer parents towards signing their children up to the Horsham Junior Athletics Club instead, which is for children aged 5 years up to 12, or to Horsham Blue Star Harriers which has specialist training and is for both children and adults from 10 years and up (noting some of our club runners young and old are also members of Blue Star).

Thursday night non-track sessions – 6.30pm

The Thursday night non-track events hosted by Claire Butler and Karen England continue to prove a resounding success.

Both Claire and Karen regularly give their time both at these sessions and at the Tuesday night club runs too for the benefit of others at the club. The feedback is the sessions are great fun – often a mix of hill-work, fartlek training, interval work and conditioning. Behind the scenes remains the super Fiona Clifton, who ran these sessions for many years in the past but still provides tips and support. Keep your eyes on the HJ Runs page for upcoming sessions.

Other News and dates

Vote for VOY and JOY

Please continue to get your votes in for Volunteer of the Year and Jogger of the Year. You can submit your own nominations by emailing the Committee (or individual Committee member) with the name of the Horsham Jogger you wish to see nominated.

SportsShoes discount code

Don’t forget you can use the exclusive HJ SportsShoes code as put up in the FB private forum each month for discount on your orders and delivery.

Some other key races/events coming up

• 7^th October – parkrun away day (Cranleigh)
• 8^th October – WSFRL Great Walstead 5
• 15^th October – Hove Prom 10k
• 15^th October – Gunpowder Trot ‘trial’ run
• 18^th October – Dragon’s Back Race talk by Gary Tomlinson and Michael Dargue
• 22^nd October – Worthing Seafront 10k
• 22^nd October – WSFRL – Windlesham Whip
• 29^th October – WSFRL – Steepdown Challenge
• 29^th October – New Forest 10 miler
• 5^th November – WSFRL – GunPowder Trot (The finale!Volunteers needed please!!!)
• 11^th November – parkrun away day (Lancing)
• 14^th November – Winter Handicap followed by Awards Night
• 19^th November – Brighton 10k
• 19^th November – Sussex Grand Prix Crowborough 10k
• 24^th November – Horsham Joggers Quiz Night

Please keep your eye on the calendar on the Joggers website for any additions/updates to the above.

Have a great few weeks everyone, be lucky and see you next time!

Simon Holmes

HJ Newsletter! The latest version of the newsletter is now available, and remains up there with the Bible in length, mostly due to the extraordinary volume of races, events and news which have taken place these past 6-7 weeks. What a great bunch we are.

A Summer of Warmth

With the world sometimes seemingly doom and gloom, we all need things which reflect the lighter and brighter side of life. When asked if I could start penning the newsletter last time out, the thought had crossed my mind to inundate you with quips, light-heartedness and useless attempts at general amusement. However, you will recall that my opener to the May newsletter was a little deep but heart-felt, and I have been quite touched by some of the feedback I received from a number of fellow runners, many saying how they could relate to the feelings I had experienced over winter. It’s good to talk, or so Bob Hoskins used to say.

This opener isn’t quite so deep.

Personally, I dislike running in hot weather. Luke Minogue mentioned to me after the 2^nd time trial up at Roosthole that he gets faster in the heat, but apart from injuries I can’t think of anything more depleting.  Recently it has been so warm I think even local farmers have probably been feeding their chickens crushed ice to avoid them from laying hard-boiled eggs, and whilst running out on the trails I’m sure I spotted some cows giving evaporated milk.

When I see athletes deliberately training at altitude or extreme temperatures, I admire them. I’m aware heat training has been shown to improve aerobic performance, but given I find running to the top of Lambs Farm Road awkward when the sun shines, I can’t see the top Kenyans being troubled by similar issues.

Don’t get me wrong, it has been nice to see the sun. It had been so damp in the previous few months that even Marti Pellow would surely have considered adding a further name to his famous band, so I suppose I should avoid complaining too much. But a little bit of cool and overcast weather to run in would be nice, otherwise it really will be Sweet Surrender.

Unsung Hero

So much volunteer work takes place at HJ’ers and a lot of it goes under the radar. At some events, people work tirelessly behind the scenes who may themselves not be taking part in the actual event, to ensure those who are able still may.  

So, going forward and starting now in each newsletter one of our ‘Unsung Heroes’ at the club will be included as a thank you to them.

Our first Unsung Hero is John Willcox.

John organised and co-ordinated the HJ’ers at the recent South Downs Way (SDW) 100-mile relay, managing the two HJ teams with fantastic aplomb. He took on both the organisation of this event and a lot of the driving, and he has helped with this event over a number of previous years and this has certainly not gone unnoticed.

The Club would therefore like to thank him for his hard work with this event. It is a huge task. Thank you John!!

Alf Shrubb Running Shoes

The HJ’ers have sponsored Alf Shrubb’s running shoes from Horsham Museum. Alf was a World Champion middle/long distance runner, born in Slinfold in 1879 and someone who dominated the sport in the Edwardian era. During a career from 1899 to 1912 he won over 1,000 races and set a staggering 28 world records!!

Races and Runs

Trying to piece together so many individual and group runs and races is a tough job, not least because we take part in so many and particularly at this time of the year. So, apologies in advance but there are simply too many taking place to include them all… but here’s a selection:-

Horsham 10K

Where else can we start but the Horsham 10k and the fantastic success of the event this year?

A huge swathe of volunteers from the club helped to make the day an outstanding success, and we have received a massive amount of positive feedback from runners of other clubs who also took part. Such a lot of effort and months of planning goes into making the day work, from the Committee members to the pacers, to the Marshals and to those taking payments for the on-the-day entries.   

A whopping £342 was also raised from the cake stall sales alone which is terrific to see. Ella Agent’s last minute plea for additional bakers clearly worked and also showed that by having the coolest name at the club you can get your fellow runners to do pretty much anything.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a victory.

Please note the Horsham 10k is also part of the Sussex Grand Prix, so anyone who entered may also wish to check their results to see how they scored. More details about the Sussex Grand Prix can be found in the ‘Other News’ section towards the end of the newsletter.

Andy Spriggs Running Spirit Award

One of the awards presented on the day of the 10k was for the Andy Spriggs Running Spirit award.

This award was set up to typify the criteria of generosity, courage, stoicism, passion, perseverance, or sportsmanship.

Therefore, the 10k panel deservedly selected a Crawley Saints and Sinners runner who reflects all of these and is someone so many of us know, Nina Trevarthen. Nina was selected by the panel due to her being an ever-present at the Horsham 10k (and other local races), with her infectious smile and bright yellow scrunchies making her instantly recognisable in so many races.  

West Sussex Fun Run League

The WSFRL races are now well under way and at the time of typing our amazing HJ’ers team is currently sitting top of the league.

Within these events we have seen some terrific runs and times, notably at the Portslade Hedgehopper 5 there was a terrific 3^rd place overall for Michael Daly and an equally terrific 3^rd women’s place for Melissa Galea.

At the Trundle View 5, which frankly contained more uneven ground than Boris Johnson’s political tenure, the hj’ers came second points-wise on the night and at the Littlehampton Beach Run a fortnight later we demolished all our opponents to take top spot.

The Beach Run saw a record 86 hj’ers in this event. There were some terrific performances too, top points going to a number of the men with Michael Daly (3^rd) and Gary Tomlinson (4^th), and also both Melissa Galea and Kat Owens bringing home top points for the women too. Mick Duplock came home to terrific applause, and a big shout out must go to Marcus Leach for doing brilliantly to duck under the seemingly endless and low lying Groynes along the sand. It would certainly have been a different way of getting a ‘Groyne’ strain if he had bumped his head.

Not only this, but our figures for fish and chip sales arguably broke all records too, with a stonking 60 portions of cod, 68 portions of chips, 10 battered sausages, 8 jumbo sausages and 3 portions of Quorn Veggie Nuggets being consumed.

The journey home probably also beat some sort of record for time spent trying to navigate closed roads, but let’s not discuss that again. However, no doubt if there was a league table for ‘number of expletives spoken on the route home’ us hj’ers would be top of the pile there too!

REP Bluebell 10k and 10 mile Event – 7^th May

A few hj’ers took part in the Angmering Bluebell Trail Run on 7^th May. Even with the rain and mud still everywhere, it was a top performance by Lucinda Potten coming home First Lady in the 10k race.

LDWA South Downs Marathon – 14^th May (and Wimbledon Common Half)

On the same day of the Horsham 10k, Brian Frost and Alan Pettitt were taking on the 28-mile, 1200m climb of the South Downs Marathon. This run starts at East Dean, then across Seven Sisters, Firle, and Alfriston and has some gorgeous views to take in. It feels a slightly extreme way to avoid volunteering at the Horsham 10k but I’ve known both long enough to let them off. Great running chaps.

It should also be pointed out that both Brian and Alan then followed up this run by completing the Wimbledon Common half marathon on 28^th May. A lovely, off-road course round the common, made arguably more fun by the appearance of some Wombles during the run. I’m not sure there would have been much competition for Great Uncle Bulgaria in the V300 age category!

England Masters (Chester) – 21^st May

Three of our top ladies ran at the England Masters in the Chester Half on 21^st May. Ali Edney (V55), Penny Barron (V60) and Lorraine Hunter (V75) produced some terrific performances against the rest of England’s elite.

Windermere Marathon – 21^st May

HJ’ers were represented amongst the 577-strong field at the very tough Windermere Marathon on 21^st May. Rob Jochimsen, Ian Wilcox, Richard Cherriman, and Michael Saunders completed this event with every one of them coming in under 5 and a half hours, terrific times given the hilly course. Michael Saunders continues to defy belief with a tremendous 4 hours 40 mins.

Run Gatwick 10k – 21^st May

16 hj’ers took part in the slightly altered event this year, with the Half Marathon chaos of 2022 being removed but with the 10k event remaining.

Despite a heavy cold, David Wilkinson was first hj’er home (40.20), followed by Raff Vitale (41.00), and Andy Robins (44.56), who smashed his 10K PB in the process. Miranda Huisman was first female hj’er home in 47.13, followed by Margaret Wadman (49.24) and Frankie Bailey (52.32) who also demolished her PB.

Nutbourne Vinyard Run – 21^st May

Another event taking place on 21^st May was the Nutbourne Vinyard run, where finishers of this beautiful course were also rewarded with a glass of wine.

5 hj’ers took part on the day, and whilst I wouldn’t like to suggest the lure of a glass of wine at the end perhaps helped these individuals to decide to enter the event, I can see next year’s run suddenly having a hj’er turnout on the scale of the Littlehampton Beach Run!

Boston Harpoon 5 miler – 21^st May

Graeme Hull ran the Harpoon Brewery 5 miler which, not dissimilar to the Nutbourne Vinyard Run, included beers and lunch vouchers as part of the entry. Whilst my own memories of Boston are of course somewhat mixed, I could well be tempted to return if there’s free drinks going! Graeme ran a terrific time of 38.49 and was amongst a field of 3,815 runners, the winner coming home in an outstanding 23.52.

Kempton Park Half – 28^th May

Harry Wilcox smashed his own 10k/10 mile and Half Marathon PBs in the one race with a time of 1 hr 26 mins at Kempton Park. I’m fairly sure this didn’t include jumping over any fences on his way round.

Edinburgh Marathon and Half Marathons – 28^th May

Both Andi Marfleet (an outstanding PB of 3 hrs 7 mins), and Mark Holmes (4 hrs 5 mins) ran the Edinburgh Marathon which actually measures a little longer than a Marathon on the official route. Mark’s time was impressive particularly given he struggled with training and Covid in the run up to the race.

Hadley O’Dwyer put in a fantastic 1 hr 26 mins at the Edinburgh Half despite being ill twice on his way round, to smash his own PB.

South Downs Way (SDW) 100 Relay – 3^rd June

The SDW 100 Relay took place on 3^rd June, and there were some outstanding efforts which took place during this run. Two teams ran the 100 miles from Eastbourne to Winchester, and a few club records went on some legs.

The ‘A’ Team finished in 11 hrs 50 mins (just 9 mins outside a new club record) and the Vets team came home in 14 hrs 19 mins.

Rebecca Rankin won the Tony Johnson Award after smashing two of the ladies’ records and narrowly missing out on the third. Becky has recently had a break from running to become a mum, and recent injuries during her comeback slowed her progress, making her achievements on the day all the more impressive.

Stockholm Marathon – 4^th June

Chris Newberry was another hj’er ‘on tour’ as he completed the Stockholm Marathon. In very warm conditions he completed this in a tremendous time of just under 4 hours. Not bad going for his first marathon!

Worthing 10k – 4^th June

Any 10k down in Worthing is well represented by the club, and this time around was no exception with 27 hj’ers taking part.

Despite hot conditions a number of PBs were set during the event, not least by husband and wife Brian and Jo Stone who ran super times of 44.07 and 48.55 respectively.

Victoria Welsby was first female hj’er home (46.55) with Margaret Wadman second (48.38), and Jo Stone third, but there was some controversy over the results of the day concerning the top place for the males.

Malcolm Footer had looked all set to take the prize of first hj’er home with a narrow one-second advantage over Tony Jakens (42.04/42.05). However, as Malcolm was no doubt ready to crack open the champagne, later that very day new hj’er Simon Lockwood suddenly appeared at the top of the results page to take the glory with a tremendous time of 39.55.

Malcolm has a very forgiving nature as we know, though no doubt will have still drunk the champagne in despair at having the top place taken from him in dramatic circumstances (well, dramatic for a 10k results page).

Endure 24 – 10^th June

Despite temperatures more akin to the Sahara Desert on a particularly stuffy day, the hj team of David and Sally Malins, Tess and Mark Adams, Victoria and Andy Robins and Mark and Lisa Aylmore still managed to complete the 24 hour running challenge with very little sleep. The overall position of 81^st out of 753 teams a very good end result.

In particular, it is fantastic to see Mark Aylmore back running in an event again.

A few of other hj’ers in the shape of Simon Perkins, Malcolm Footer, Phil Liberman and Claire Miller were also in attendance albeit as part of another team (so I won’t post the result but they did very well).

Wisborough Green 10k

This event normally has a huge hj’er turnout and once again we did ourselves proud with 16 hj’ers turning up despite blisteringly humid weather.

Gary Tomlinson was first hj’er home in 34.44, and Rosie Inman was first female hj’er over the line with a fab 44.38. Other notable mentions must also go to Carl Laver who ran a PB of 52.24 and Tim Hampson with a welcome return to some shorter races with an impressive 49.28.

Jersey Half Marathon – 11^th June

Jill Page (2 hrs 1 min), Margreet Potter (2 hrs 25 mins), and Lee Wood McGeean (also 2 hrs 25 mins) took on the ever-scenic Jersey Half Marathon along with 367 other competitors.  

Helsinki Half Marathon – 11^th June

Caroline Bransden kept up her reputation as arguably the best travelled HJ’er of 2023 by running the Helskini Half Marathon in an excellent time of 2 hrs 17 mins.

Caroline ran the race with the help of some heavy metal/rock music which played along the course, and no doubt this in part helped her to get to the ‘Finnish’ in such a good time.

South Downs Way 100 – 10^th/11^th June

Congratulations must go to Matt Whyman for completing the SDW100. Not only was the weather extraordinarily hot for the run, with temperatures touching 30 degrees at times, the route in itself is very tough. Matt has also now finished the whole Centurion series!

A notable mention must also go to Emma Walters who did a sterling job by turning up at 1am to join Matt for ‘only’ 30 miles of his route.

Other News

Mick Duplock’s 80^th birthday

Mick Duplock, our blind runner who amazes us all with his courageous attitude and remarkable turnout at a number of events, will be 80 years old on 22^nd July.

To celebrate, Mick is intending to run 20 laps of the BBH track on 4 separate Thursday’s during June and July, on 22^nd June, 6^th July, 13^th July and 20^th July. The final run on 20^th July will be followed by cake and a drink at The Bridge.

Mick will also be doing Horsham Parkrun on 22^nd July (his actual birthday).

Please feel free to come along to any of these events to help Mick celebrate his special birthday and to encourage him along.

Sussex Grand Prix races

With a lot of focus on the West Sussex Fun Run League, the highly enjoyable Sussex Grand Prix has gone a little under the radar. Briefly, this is a 12 race event where respective clubs score points in a league format. The races range from 5 to 15 milers so there is usually something for everyone. More details of these will be shared if only to remind us all it exists, and we scored very well at one of the events earlier in the year.

As noted earlier, the Horsham 10k is also part of the Sussex Grand Prix so anyone who entered may wish to check their results to see how they scored, and how we as a club are getting on over the year so far.

SportsShoes Code

Don’t forget you can use the Sportsshoes code as put up in the FB HJ Runs group each month for discount on your orders and delivery. Remember though that these codes are for exclusive use by Horsham Joggers only and are not for sharing!

Membership Renewal and Numbers

We now have 557 club members as at 14 June 2023. Note anyone who missed the renewal deadline will need to pay to re-join. Please put it in your calendar to remind yourselves to do it next year if you forgot this time around!

Coming up

Some of the other items and races of note coming up are:

• 20^th June – Naked Run (Horsham Park). Please don’t turn up naked, but make sure you are NOT wearing a timing device!
• 24^th June – Downland Dash (West Sussex Fun Run League)
• 25^th June – North Downs Run 30k
• 2^nd July – Bewl 15 (Sussex Grand Prix)
• 5^th July – Roundhill Romp (West Sussex Fun Run League)
• 9^th July – Hove Hornets Stinger (West Sussex Fun Run League)
• 12^th July – Phoenix 10k (Sussex Grand Prix)
• 14^th/15^th July – Camping and Parkrun weekend at Moors Valley Parkrun
• 18^th July – Summer handicap (Horsham Park)
• 19^th July – Wakehurst Willow
• 23^rd July – Henfield Seven Stiles (West Sussex Fun Run League)

Roosthole Time Trial 5k

Two of the time trials have now taken place, with the next one due on Tuesday 11^th July. You can still turn up for these even if you have yet to complete one, they are great fun.

Tuesday Night Runs

The Tuesday night club runs from the Bridge continue to be a success. So much thanks as ever must go to the group run leaders. Please note on occasion over the summer these will start from Horsham Park so please keep your eyes peeled to the FB page for any announcements.

Thursday night Track

The track sessions (£2 a session) take place every Thursday night at The Bridge (arrive 6.15 to pay for a 6.30 start) with both the coached and main track sessions very well represented.

5k to 10k ‘Keep on Running’ course

These sessions begin on Tuesday 20^th June and anyone who has entered these will have been contacted separately. These are held twice a week on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at 7pm for an hour and it is NOT too late to join! The cost of this course is £25 for HJ members. Not bad for an 11-week course!

Barns Green Half Marathon Training

Sunday morning runs will start from 2^nd July onwards at The Bridge, likely to start at 8am. These are not supported runs but routes that you can follow.

Social Events

Along with the Moors Valley Parkrun on 14^th/15^th July, some other dates for social events will follow so please keep an eye on social media and the Facebook page for these.

Enjoy the summer.

Simon Holmes