​Elwyn Howell completed the ocean city half marathon in a time of 1:42:20 to break the V65 club record by over 4 minutes which has been held for over 11 years. Elwyn commented “before I joined NHRR in 2018 I did this race a year earlier in 2017 my first race in over 45 minutes longer. The advantage of joining a brilliant running club.”

​The weekend also saw Monica Cullin celebrate her 80th birthday in typical runners style with a NHRR trip to Great Denham parkrun. Over 40 NHRR’s took part in the flat, 2 lap course. Happy Birthday Monica!

​London Marathon Legends:
Records Shattered & Memorable Milestones
Our club's squirrels tackled the London Marathon with incredible performances, celebrating personal achievements and memorable moments.

Laura Fairbanks, who had qualified to run London thanks to her brilliant Manchester performance last year, celebrated her 10-year anniversary since her first London Marathon with a finish time of 3:41:51. A watch malfunction at Canary Wharf didn't dampen her spirits; she finished with a smile, supported by Anna Gibson's flat Coca-Cola pick-me-up at mile 22. 

Stuart Cocks achieved a new personal best of 3:31:50, reflecting his rigorous training block. Stuart fully embraced the electric atmosphere on the course and is still riding high on his success. 

Clare Hooley crossed the finish line in 6:33:02, completing her first marathon in four years. Though the race was tough, Clare is relieved and delighted to have accomplished this significant feat.

On top of all the great performances today, we had two club records broken at London! Matt Sayers broke his own MV45 record in 2:36:57, and Rachel Arnott broke the FV45 record (previously held for 6 months) in 3:09:10. 

Other Marathons Mastery: Adventures Across Diverse Races
The club’s marathon adventures didn’t end at London, as other squirrels chose to enter a variety of different marathons, each with its unique challenges and rewards.
 
Ollie Parsons took on the legendary Boston Marathon on Monday 15/04, experiencing the city's enthusiasm for the event and running-themed activities everywhere. Despite the heat and the challenging hills, including the notorious Heartbreak Hill, Ollie crossed the finish line in 3:14. Although it wasn't his target time, he appreciated the incredible experience and soaked in the event's vibrant atmosphere. 

Sue Foot participated in The Other Run marathon in Barrow Suffolk, organized by ZigZag Running. She described the one-lap course as undulating with some challenging hills. Sue appreciated the event's well-organized nature, including free tea, coffee, and cake at the finish. Having just run the Haverhill marathon two weeks prior, she was delighted to complete this race 16 minutes faster, with a time of 4:44.
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Simon Clapham embarked on his marathon journey at midnight, running the inaugural Flawed Hero virtual London marathon. Despite limited training and sleep, Simon managed to finish in an impressive 4:26. Although it wasn't a personal best, Simon is proud of his performance given the circumstances.
 
Congratulations to all three runners for their determination and achievements in these marathons! Their experiences showcase the variety and spirit of our club's runners.

Parkrun Roundup
Our members were also busy across various parkrun events, showing great energy and enthusiasm:

A 12-strong North Herts Road Runners turned in a series of superb performances at the Manchester Marathon.  The potential for fast times on a flat course has made the event increasingly popular in recent years and the Squirrels had been training hard to make the most of the opportunity.
 
Tom Barclay led the way with an outstanding 11th place out of 21,000 finishers in a scorching time of 2:33:22. Ben Sewell was close behind in 2:42:14 and Shaun Allin said he ‘couldn’t be happier with a massive personal best’ of 3:07:50, despite ‘paying the price at 22 miles’ for attempting a sub-3 hour pace in the earlier stages.
 
Rhia Botha recorded a 10-minute PB with 3:16:11, even after ‘really struggling’ in the last 5km. She said ‘the NHRR support along the route was amazing, and seeing my coaches around the 10-mile and 23-mile spots made the world of difference’.
 
Helen Nuttall was on pacing duties for husband Steve – until ‘he decided at 21.5 miles he wanted some peace and quiet, so told me to run ahead to the finish!’ Helen finished in 3:50:56, with Steve crossing the line in 4:03:48.

​Flitwick 10k

Hannah Ridley was delighted to finish as second lady in a ‘massive PB’ of 42:22 at the Flitwick 10k, reporting ‘It was quite an undulating course but a good one, and the sunshine made it 10 times better’. 

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​​Parkrun round-up
This week’s outstanding Parkrun performance came courtesy of Elwyn Howell at Teignmouth in Devon. Elwyn demolished the existing Club Parkrun record for the V65 age-group, knocking 5 minutes off the previous mark with a superb time of 21:09.

Elsewhere Sue Foot was out in the Suffolk countryside taking on the Haverhill Marathon. She took a podium place as the 2nd lady overall in a time 5 hours in spite of “an undulating course and a challenging run with gusty winds trying to blow me in the wrong direction”.

Beyond the marathon...
Lee Varley took part in the Ultra Marathon Windsor.  Lee set out to break 4hr30 and came home in 4:23 and took 1st place overall, in a fantastic run, all of this whilst hitting the wall at 46k.  “Probably the first and last time I come first in any race.
Beautiful first 25km going along the River Thames and through Windsor Great Park and then running down the long walk listening to Parisienne Walkways made my day!”