It’s a warm welcome to the half way point of 2025.
Very warm in fact, as temperatures (as I type) are hitting the early 30s and I sit in my house wondering whether installing a fully functioning air conditioning unit might be a good idea. As ever and almost subconsciously, we love nothing more than to talk about the weather.
Actually, I’d say for us runners there is perhaps one thing we do love to talk about more than the weather, and that’s running shoes.
As a club of over 600 members, I’m always intrigued to see what everyone is wearing on their feet. Nowhere else would I lean over to inspect a pair of shoes on someone else’s feet with such interest, eyes squinted (for me anyway), the mind racing to embrace my fellow runner’s new pair of shoes and the questions which then follow … should I buy some? Am I at a disadvantage if I don’t? How much are they? Are they on offer? Who else has them? Am I copying them? What will they think of me? What am I doing?!
These days there’s a whole host of running shoes available, ranging from your more traditional types (though these are less frequently available now) up to your carbon plated, heel stacked, high drop, energy returning, drink spilling, heel tipping, wallet sapping blockbusters which you can find in all sports stores and online now.
Gone seem to be the days of the good old racing flats, which to be honest had less cushioning than the hair on a late 1970s skinhead. These shoes (particularly on a running track or road) meant you could run fast speeds but ultimately destroy your lower limbs at the same time even over very short sprinting distances.
Now though, we’ve propelled ourselves into the 1980s, cushioning our feet in a similar way to the perms and haircuts found on the heads of people like Angie from EastEnders, Cher, Jon Bon Jovi, or perhaps more so the one and only Limahl.
Personally, as someone who has had no interest in shoes for the majority of my life, I now find myself almost obsessed with new releases, and propulsion, arguably in some vain attempt to seek out former glories, as had with old fashioned track spikes and flats. I find myself knocking on the door at Nike, Puma and the like to try and get a steer for where these so-called super shoes are headed in the future. Exciting times.
Anyway, for now let’s enjoy the running shoe options available and see where the future takes them (and us).
Unsung Hero – Jane Footer
As a club, we rely on people volunteering their time to help out, to give something back and without these people the club just wouldn’t function in the fabulous way it does.
The unsung hero for this edition is someone who gives an awful lot to the club and seemingly on an almost daily basis too.
From sorting out the kit, coaching and taking payments at track on a Thursday, to taking walking/running groups on a Tuesday evening, and regularly stepping in when others are away. On top of that, Jane is also on the Committee meaning that she is involved with a number of important meetings and decisions which take place.
Additionally, Jane has liaised with the Committee, Mark Alger, and the manufacturer on the rebranding of the HJ logo (see below), and is always helping members out. For example, Jane is an England Athletics Coach and is currently assisting Oliver Cannon with his LiRF (Leader in Running Fitness) qualification.
So, the very deserving winner of the Unsung Hero is the one and only Jane Footer. Thank you so much for your dedication to the club, Jane!

HJ Logo News
A number of submissions were entered into the hj logo competition to design a new logo for our club.
There were some excellent entries, and you can tell from the split of the vote it was extremely close.
The winning hj logo (with 31% of the total vote) was designed by Mark Alger.
Mark has since been working with the Committee, Jane, and our kit supplier to ensure the new club logo will be updated on to our various vests etc in the coming weeks.

Jogger of the Year (JOY) and Volunteer of the Year (VOY)
The April AGM was followed by several awards being handed out to various members for their accomplishments during 2024.
This included the prestigious awards for the Jogger of the Year and Volunteer of the Year, as voted for by club members from the list of nominees.
Steve Wilson was presented with the Jogger of the Year award and Rob Jochimsen was presented with the Volunteer of the Year award.
What I thought was really touching was how much it meant to both Steve and Rob to receive this. They are very deserving winners of their respective awards and so it’s huge congratulations to them both. Well done chaps!


London Marathon
As ever hj’ers were well represented at the London Marathon. Not only did we have some of our club runners taking part in the race but we also had a huge swelling of volunteers as part of the pre-race marshalling, helping to ensure all the Marathon runners, fast and slow, safely made their way to the respective start zones.
There were a few oddities. One runner turned up without their race number, which meant unfortunately they couldn’t take part in the race (Lee Walker having to give the chap the bad news that despite months of training they couldn’t run), and one runner who was part of the ‘Green’ entry zone turned up with an entire week’s worth of household waste, asking where the recycling bin was located! Bizarre!

West Sussex Fun Run League update
At the time of typing, we sit 2nd in the league, albeit a few points from the top spot. There are a lot of WSFRL races currently taking place (including three in July).
We don’t want to let those swines from Haywards Heath get too far ahead in the league so if you’re free on the day/evening of a WSFRL event please sign up via Memberzone and get the club some much needed points.
We can catch them!
Sussex Grand Prix update
After the explosive decision to postpone the first SGP event at Hastings on 23rd March, the Grand Prix season is now well underway!
The 10 miler at Haywards Heath took place on 4th May, followed by Rye 10 miler on 18th May, Hastings 5 miler on 1st June, and Heathfield on 15th June.
The next SGP is the famous Bewl 15 on 6th July 2025, which is usually popular with our members. If you’ve not done one of the SGP races before, this one could be the one for you … Bewl be silly not to sign up!
Naked Run – 15th May 2025
The famous “Naked” Run took place in Horsham Park on 15th May.
Naked Run means running without any wearable tech which might guide your pace. So, it was very impressive that not only did everyone turn up clothed which avoided any potential disqualification (thank you, everyone!) but also that two runners ran the exact same time they predicted!
Helen James (26.42) and Oliver Cannon (23.05) were bang on it – both to the second, then closely followed by Karen England (30.58 – 2 seconds out) and Liz Giannopoulos (31.18 – 3 seconds out).
Well done to everyone who took part and particularly Helen and Oliver.

Alf Shrubb Memorial Race 14th September 2025
Volunteers needed!
The 2025 edition of the Alf Shrubb Memorial 10k Race, now including a 5k, is not far off and we are looking for marshals. Some of last year’s volunteers were so impressed with what they saw and experienced they have entered the race!
If you are not planning to run but still want to be part of this great day, get in touch by text or WhatsApp with John Willcox on 07734 045206.
Lots of roles to fill, and as we all know these events cannot happen without the volunteers who will receive a hot drink and cake as a thank you.
Challenge Trophy Races
There are two remaining HJ Challenge Trophy races left in the calendar.
These are the above mentioned Alf Shrubb 10k which takes place in September, and the imminent Hornets Stinger WSFRL race at Hove on Sunday, 13th July … we need as many hj’ers as possible at the WSFRL races so this might be a good chance to turn up and see how you get on (remembering they’re only fun runs at the same time of course!).
Enter the Hornets Stinger via Memberzone.
Socials
90s Disco – Horsham Rugby Club, Friday 11th July
Florian has been busy pencilling in some social dates for the diary, but one event where the tickets are currently available on Memberzone is the 90s disco. This is to be held at Horsham Rugby Club on the evening of Friday 11th July (7 pm to 11 pm).
The evening promises to be great fun, all played out to the background of our favourite 90s music.
Note: this event is also available to non-members too, so you can bring your family along too if you wish to also join in the fun!
Picnic in the park – Saturday, 26th July
A picnic in Horsham Park is planned for Saturday, 26th July. All members are welcome to this and it is always a good opportunity to come and chat with other club members at a social gathering. As with the 90s disco, everyone is welcome including non-members, children, family members etc. There may be a few games planned too!
More details to come soon!
Parkrun Away Days
The parkrun away days continue to be popular with our members, in fact some 25 or so hj’ers turned up to the most recent one at East Grinstead.
The next parkrun away day is 9th August at Malling Rec, Lewes.
Half Marathon training – starts Sunday 6th July
The Half Marathon training runs start from Sunday 6th July for 12 weeks through to Sunday 21st September.
These runs start off from The Bridge each week (meet 7.45 am for an 8 am start) and range in distance from 7 miles up to 12 miles, increasing each week. Note, although there are run ‘leaders’ each week, we do expect people to be able to support themselves on these runs and they do not have the mid-run refreshment stops that you get with the Marathon training, so you must be able to fend for yourself.
These runs are open to all club members to join in. The runs are perfectly placed as training in the lead up to the Barns Green Half Marathon at the end of September, but you don’t need to have entered that race to take part in these runs so you can use them as training, or however you want to (just make sure you can do the relevant mileage).
Many thanks to the people who have volunteered to lead these runs.
Horsham Round – Monday, 25th August (Bank Holiday Monday)
The annual Horsham Round takes place on Monday, 26th August (Bank Holiday Monday). This year, we are again starting and finishing at Horsham Rugby Club.
For anyone new to the club let me give a brief explanation into how this works.
The Horsham Round is a loop around the outskirts of Horsham, approximately 29 miles in total. However, the loop is split up into sections. You can either run the whole thing yourself (unusual but has been done!) or you can join a team and take part by running as many or as few of the sections as you like. The individual sections tend to be somewhere between 4 and 6 miles in total. However, this year, the last section will be split into two so that anyone who wants to run 5 km (3 miles) will be able to do that.
So, as an example, you may have joined a team of 8 runners…..two or three of you might run sections 1, 3 and 5………two or three of you might run sections 2, 4 and 5…… and two of you might run sections 3 and 6. The team members not running the particular section will meet you at the end of your section (usually by car), then you swap over and they start running and you jump in the car to take you to your next section. There is a great atmosphere at each changeover point!
More details of how to enter the Round coming soon.
South Downs Way Relay
On Saturday 28th June, a team of brave Horsham Joggers, with driver and timekeeper (an injured Matt Mason), took on the mighty South Downs Way Relay, all 100 miles with 12,700 feet of climbing.
Six team members, each running three non-consecutive legs of the total 18, with individual total mileage ranging between 15 and 19 miles! The race had been postponed from the 7th June due to the storm warning but Saturday presented its own weather challenges. A chilly sea fog led to the neutralisation of part of the first leg to prevent participants careering off the cliffs, followed by overcast and tropical humidity with finally, clear skies and searing heat on the exposed downs.
Spirts remained high though and the team comprising Matt Gordon, Tom MacDonald, Luke Minogue, Hadley O’Dwyer, Rob Sherwood and Harry Wilcox, all put in a great effort doing the club proud (as the relay teams always do every year). Official results are pending.


Five minutes with … Natasha Heasman

- How long have you been a runner and what made you start?
I fancied a runner, so asked if he’d take me for a run, which he did. My running has been more successful!! - Why do you run?
Now I run for physical and mental fitness but it’s so much more than that. Spending time outside, with friends, is just the best way to waste time. - How long have you been at Horsham Joggers?
Think I’ve been with Horsham Joggers for 10 years - Biggest running achievement so far?
Biggest achievements in my running life has to be the friendships (you know who you are) - What are your future running goals and ambitions?
Currently training for a time at the Frankfurt Marathon - What’s the best thing about hj?
The best thing about the club has to be the people plus the table of goodies’ during marathon training. It’s worth doing the training just for the sweets and home-made flap jacks! - Specialist subject on Mastermind?
I’m not sure I’m a specialist in anything but I’d go for horses. - Tell us something we don’t know about you?
Prince Philip was born on a dining room table in Corfu. That table is now in a boardroom, in the city. I’ve had a client meeting at the table!
Other News
Membership Numbers
There are currently 614 members of our ever-growing club, of which approximately 193 of us are EA affiliated (as at end of June 2025).
If anyone ever wants to know more about EA affiliation then please feel free to ask any of the Committee, or your fellow hj’ers ‘in the know’, or me (I’m also in the know!) for an explanation into how this works and whether joining EA is suitable for you.
Dates for your diary
- 6th July – Bewl 15
- 9th July – Gibbet Hill 10k
- 13th July – WSFRL (Hove Hornets Stinger – HJ Challenge Trophy)
- 16th July – SGP (Brighton Phoenix 10k)
- 20th July – WSFRL (Henfield Seven Stiles)
- 26th July – Picnic in the Park
- 6th August – WSFRL (Highdown Hike)
- 9th August – Parkrun away day (Malling Rec, Lewes)
- 10th August – SGP (Henfield Half)
- 25th August – Horsham Round
- 31st August – WSFRL (Windlesham 4)
- 6th September – HJ Cycle Ride
- 7th September – WSFRL (Tilgate 5)
- 14th September – Alf Shrubb 10k (HJ Challenge Trophy)
- 20th September – Parkrun away day (Haywards Heath)
- 21st September – SGP Hellingly 10k (tbc)
- 28th September – Barns Green 5K, 10K and Half Marathon
As ever please check the calendar on the HJ website for any updates/changes which may take place.
Have a great few months, and I’m sure I’ll see some of you out there running!
Be lucky.
Simon Holmes