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​Victory for Botha at the Hitchin Hard 10km

28/6/2023

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Four North Herts Road Runners tackled stifling heat and challenging hills at the popular Hitchin Hard 10 kilometre race on Sunday.  Rhia Botha won the ladies race and came fourth overall in a sizzling 47 minutes and 4 seconds, while Nathaniel Rosa also made the podium, coming third in 44 minute and 11 seconds.  Caroline Thrussell was pleased to finish in 54:16 without any niggles and David Weston took the sensible run/walk approach to dip under the hour in 55:06.  James Dalton made sure he got value for money as despite being 4th placed at halfway, he ended up running 17km as a marshal mistakenly pointed him on the half marathon route!  Nevertheless, he put his best foot forward and finished 17km in an impressive 1:20:05.  Half.   Both Rhia and James did the 10km as part of their Sunday long run!

Elwyn Howell headed to Stevenage to take part in the Stevenage Rainbow 10km race.  He found the conditions “hot, hot hot!” but finished in an impressive 46:03.
 
Barbera Sayers competed at the Welwyn 10km race and finished in 56:30 describing it as “hot and hilly”. 
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Parkruns were as popular as ever, with 42 Squirrels in action tackling the heat across the country:​
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Rickmansworth parkrun: Matt Roberts 22:44
 
Stevenage parkrun: Chris Stokes 21:18; Elwyn Howell 21:47; Steve Tracey 22:33; Andrew Cooper 28:34; Sheila Leavy 40:22
 
Sheringham parkrun: Stewart Overton 18:36; Katie Harbon 20:33; Richard Harbon 24:36; Jo Harbon 32:06; Wimpole Estate parkrun; Mike Phillips 24:00; Natalie Phillips 31:59
 
Rushmere parkrun: Joseph Barker-Sherry 29:52
 
Letchworth parkrun: James Dalton 20:40; Jon Hunt 23:43; Steve Brenton 24:01; James Godfrey 24:16; Philip Hawkes 24:17; Nick Walker 26:53; Jennie Fraser 27:55; Alice Noakes 27:55; Lucy O'Connor 27:57; Adam Stout 27:59; Philip Flack 31:25; Carina Quayle 33:23; Aimee Flack 33:49; Brian Judkins 36:35; Lindsay Cook 38:08
Great Denham parkrun: Helen Giffin 29:08
 
Watermeadows parkrun: Tracey Palmer 31:59
 
Coldham’s Common parkrun: Georgina Quayle 28:15
 
Stratford Park parkrun, Stroud: Kris Whitmore 20:51
 
Rothay Park parkrun: Sue Vaughan 29:53
 
Henlow Bridge Lakes parkrun: Dave Braybrook 23:49; Jane Clarke 25:21; Sarah Mitcherson 25:23; Tim Banting 26:09; Andrew Coates 27:49; Bob Davis 29:23; Jane Robson 33:58; Julie Taylor 34:37

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Clacton Seafront parkrun: John Russell 25:16
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Success for Squirrels at ‘iconic’ Relay run

18/6/2023

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Two teams from North Herts Road Runners tackled stifling heat and demanding terrain at the Greensand Ridge Relay - a 34.4-mile, six-stage event starting in Leighton Buzzard and finishing in Northill, Bedfordshire – and still came away smiling.
 
The ‘Faster Squirrels’ were delighted to take third place in the mixed male /female team category with a combined time of 4 hours 22.23. Their excellent result, achieved despite losing a handful of minutes to navigational mishaps on the testing section through Maulden Wood, was built around a tremendous 1.01.53 performance over the 9.1-mile third leg by team captain Katie Harbon. Backing her with determined running were Paula Holm, Ben Ryan, James Walsh and Astrid McKeown, before a strong 30.41 run on the final 4.7-mile leg from Steve McKeown, who described it as ‘a fabulous day, an iconic race in my calendar’.
 
The second team from North Herts – the ‘Fast Squirrels’ – finished in 5.12.20, with first leg runner Jo
Harbon enjoying what has become ‘one of my favourite running days’. She handed the baton to Michael Over before Richard Baker, Richard Harbon and Sue Vaughan took over. Matt Ankers rounded their run off in fine style.

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​Another contingent of Squirrels was in North Wales to tackle the Salomon Trail Marathon Wales, with Jennie Fraser and Andy Grudzinski attempting the full 26.2 mile challenge. They passed up the option of dropping out at halfway, ‘carrying on to get the full experience’, as ‘the greater the difficulty, the more glory surmounting it’. They were greeted at the finish line by clubmates Paul Bowal, Kat Burr and Adam Wilson, who had all completed the half-marathon version of the event.

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Elwyn Howell found the weekend’s warm conditions to his liking as he broke his own club record with a rapid 21.12 on the Stevenage Parkrun course, setting a new personal best in the process.
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​Lucy O’Connor and Brian Judkins both braved the ‘very warm and particularly humid’ conditions at the Shuttleworth 10k Hoohah, Lucy reporting she had ‘forgotten how hilly the first 5k are, and there is no shade until later on’.

​Both ‘managed to scrape through’, with O’Connor taking first place in the F60 category with a 59.38 clocking and Judkins crossing the line in 1.23.39. ‘All worth it for the delicious flapjack at the finish’, according to O’Connor.

Chris Cope chose another challenging course for his first ever race in the Cliveden Classic 10k, after his brother ‘with 20-plus years of running experience told me it would be fun’. After tackling ‘not one, but two ascents of a steep set of 172 steps’, Chris said ‘I don’t think “fun” is the word I would use’, but he was still pleased to complete the course in 68.41 and is ‘looking forward to something flatter for race number 2!’
Parkruns were as popular as ever, with 32 Squirrels tackling the classic 5k distance at venues across the country:
Clacton Seafront: John Russell (26:19)

Dunstable Downs: Philip Hawkes (23:21)

Great Denham: James Poulton (23:11)

Gunnersbury: Joseph Barker-sherry (29:27)

Henlow Bridge Lakes: Darren Sunter (17:18), Stewart Overton (18:00), Tom Webb (19:22), Sarah Mitcherson (24:17), Barbara Sayers (24:39), Tim Banting (26:32)

Letchworth: Vincent Wright (18:51), James Dalton (20:26), Ian Harvey (20:59), Rhiannon Botha (21:55), James Godfrey (22:20), Chris Stokes (23:08), Frances Stanton (27:00), Philip Flack (29:57), Carina Quayle (33:58)
Lowestoft: Chloe Lucas (23:14)

Milton Country: Brian Judkins (37:10)

Rickmansworth: Kris Whitmore (19:02)

Sizewell: Julie Taylor (34:41), Lindsey Lucas (40:52)

Stevenage: Elwyn Howell (21:12), Andrew Cooper (29:13), Andreea Weisl-shaw (29:41)

Whitehaven: Tom Barclay (18:14)

Wimpole Estate: Mike Phillips (22:07), Matt Roberts (27:56), Anna Greetham (28:03), Natalie Phillips (30:54)
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Squirrels sizzle in scorching sun

11/6/2023

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This week saw the arrival of some long awaited proper summer weather and the opportunity to race under hot and sunny skies, with some squirrels facing serious tests of endurance.
First up was the third Mid-Week League (MWL) fixture in beautiful Trent Park in Cockfosters on Thursday evening, where 57 North Herts Road Runners raced cheered on by a large support squad.
The Squirrels put in another fantastic performance. They won the overall race with the Men in first place and Women in second. After three races they are second overall, 5 points behind St Albans Striders and 5 points ahead of Trent Park. Both Vets men and women’s teams finished third, and are still first overall after three races, just one point ahead of Trent Park! The team’s consistency from the strength and depth of the number of runners has been stand in the league.
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Katie Harbon’s clean sweep of wins continues in convincing style, finishing 90 seconds ahead of the second placed female. In the men’s race, the club had three in the top 10 for the second time this season, with Ben Hadman second, James Fox third and Tom Webb sixth.
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On Saturday, which was the hottest day of the year so far, three North Herts Road Runners opted to run an ultramarathon (of course!), participating in the Greensand Country Ultra Trail 50k. Richard Weber, Cara Sutton, and Anna Gibson all completed the race in the extremely challenging hot conditions. Weber, for whom it was his first time tackling the 50km distance, questioned “Why did I pick the 10th June (the hottest day of the year so far) to do my first ultra? It was the hardest race I've ever done by quite some margin - it was actually 31°C at its peak.” He did however admit that the race was “a wonderful route, with lovely scenery and very well organised”, and woke up the next day really glad he had done it – always a positive sign! He thanked several of his fellow squirrels for their support, which no doubt helped him to complete the epic run in 7:22:00. Cara Sutton and Anna Gibson ran together, finishing in 7:39:05.

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Sunday was another hot day, and two squirrels headed over to St Albans to take part in the annual half marathon there. With both running and walking events on offer, Rachel Arnott entered the  running race, which she completed in a superb 1:37:20 and was 5th lady overall and 3rd in the female vet category. She described the race as “beautiful but challenging” and added that “the biggest reward was definitely the ice lolly at the finish!” Meanwhile, Sheila Leavy, who has taken to race walking following a hip operation, did the walking half marathon, which started in cooler conditions at 8:30am. Sheila said “I was enjoying myself and keeping up a steady pace until I hit the wall at about 10 miles, but I dug deep and with the help of some banana gels was able to finish in 3:19:23.”
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Several squirrels also took part in Parkrun events across the country on Saturday; the full NHRR Parkrun results for this week are as follows:
Aldenham: Kris Whitmore (19:33);

Castle Park: Anna Greetham (25:34), Matt Roberts (25:34), Michael Over (25:35), Natalie Phillips (31:38);

Durham: Elwyn Howell (21:58);

Great Denham: Richard Barker (22:41);

Henlow Bridge Lakes: Stewart Overton (18:04), Tom Webb (19:06), Chris Stokes (21:28), Dave Braybrook (23:28), Sarah Mitcherson (25:02), Daniel Mallett (25:59), Lucy O'connor (26:48), Bob Davis (28:15), Brian Judkins (36:28);
Letchworth: James Dalton (20:48), Ian Harvey (21:55), Daniel Martin (23:24), Joe Dixon (24:08), Nick Walker (28:48), Jo Harbon (32:06);

Somerdale Pavilion: Lorna Chambers (27:09);

St Albans: Jon Hunt (23:01), Richard Harbon (23:19);

Stevenage: Darren Sunter (16:45), Russell Hagan (27:12), Andrew Coates (28:10), Andrew Cooper (29:52), Andreea Weisl-shaw (32:01), Hayley Cocks (50:47); Sunny Hill: Tracey Palmer (33:38);

​Westmill: Paula Holm (24:54).
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North Herts Road Runners climb up the league

4/6/2023

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Wednesday evening saw seventy six North Herts Road Runners and their loyal support crew head south on the A1 to St Albans for the second of the four 10km races in this season's 10km Midweek League series.  This race proved popular with 455 runners competing along the flat out and back tree lined Alban Way footpath, a disused railway line.  NHRR were delighted to finish second overall, behind St Albans Striders on their home turf and well ahead of Trent Park in third. The ladies were third behind St Albans  and Trent Park and the men were 2nd to St Albans. 
 
Katie Harbon won the ladies race in convincing style, followed home by Astrid Mckeown 19th, Rhia Botha 20th, Rachel Arnott 21st, Tracy Pitcairn 25th, Tash Pitman 26th, Sophie Thrussell 30th and Jane Clarke 39th.  The men packed their whole 12 man team into the top 48 to finish a stunning 2nd with St Albans Striders winning. Led by Ben Hadman 3rd and backed up by, Tom Webb 7th, Mike Roberts 10th, Andrew Leach 13th, Wayne Bell 21st, Stewart Overton 23rd, Ed Price 24th, Sam Coxon 26th, Tom Boble 33rd, Tom Barclay 41st, Ben Sewell 47th and Vince Wright 48th.  After two races the Squirrels are second in the league, siz points behind St Albans Striders, one point ahead of Orion and three points clear of Trent Park.  Head coach Karen Dodsworth commented “It's still all to run for with our next race down at Trent Park”.  Both the veteran men and ladies raced hard to finish second, behind St Albans.  NHRR vets are joint leaders overall in the vets competition, 4 points ahead of St Albans. 
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Sun shines for First Saturday of the Month
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On Saturday North Herts Road Runners hosted their monthly First Saturday of the Month which is free and open to all.  The sun came out to shine just in time for the 9am start and shone down on the 79 runners who completed the scenic two lap route round Norton Common.  James Keogh was first squirrel home, finishing in 3rd.  Rhia Botha was first Lady.  It was a fantastic community event and enjoyed by all.  James Walsh took some fantastic pictures which you can see at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nhrr/
Action Challenge Ultra London to Brighton 100km
On Saturday 27th May Lee Varley took part in the Action Challenge Ultra London to Brighton 100km continuous. Setting off from Richmond Deer park at 7.30am, Lee devised a game plan of a sub 18hrs finish. Little did he know it would be the hottest day of the year, so far. Having done seven of these events before, Lee knew hydration and fuel were key, especially in the first 60km.  Lee finished in the early hours of Sunday morning at 12.17am on the home straight at Brighton race course. Completing the course in a time of 16hrs 47mins, Lee was “elated to achieve a sub 17hrs”. Out of 622 finishers on the full continuous he came 149. 
 
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Parkrun Roundup
Parkrun action from around the UK!

Oldham: Jo Dixon (30:44)

Milton Country: Brian Judkins (33:29)

Stevenage: Elwyn Howell (21:57), Richard Baker (23:23), Georgina Barker (29:11), Carina Quayle (31:55)

Gunpowder: Darren Matussa (20:27)
​
Sheringam: Jennie Fraser (28:57) 

Longrun: Sue Vaughan (28:33)
Melksham: Peter Clarke (22:19)
​

Letchworth:
Philip Hawkes (25:29), Jane Robson (31:21)

Great Denham: James Poulton (23:03)

Northwich: Nick Malpeli (19:21)

Oldham Common: Georgina Quayle (25:09)

Millennium County: Kris Whitmore (18:50)

Warwick Racecourse: John Russell (24:07)

Waterakkers: Steve Brenton (22:26) ​
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Hitchin
​Hertfordshire
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