After its postponement on Saturday the 7th December due to Storm Darragh, NHRR were finally able to stage the annual Santa Canta 5k on Norton Common on Saturday, and what a fine turn out it was. Over 200 runners took part and there was a veritable sea of Santa hats, Elf costumes & Snowman costumes on display, with the dedicated runners braving the muddy terrain to complete a 2-lap circuit of the Common.

The event was organised to raise money for the fantastic Headway Herts, who work tirelessly to improve lives of those affected by brain injury. It raised £500 and was described as ‘truly magical’ by those who took part. Prizes were given to the participants with the best costumes.​

Chase the Moon Battersea Park 10K
Elsewhere, Tom Barclay took part in the Chase the Moon Battersea Park 10K on Wednesday evening, finishing in a fantastic 3rd place with PB of 32:56, beating his previous best by 56 seconds.

​Parkrun Roundup
With our Santa Canta taking place on the same day, there were fewer parkrun results than usual to report on, but for those who did get to run in the mud, there were some excellent performances to report on. Of particular note was Elwyn Howell, who completed his first parkrun outside of the U.K, in Rheinpark in Cologne. He finished in 21st place and was 1st in his age category.

The other results were as follows:

Sunday was North Herts Road Runners home race in the Three Counties XC league. The weather was kind to the event with a beautiful sunny morning with minimal wind and stunning scenary. The event HQ used gazebos in a local field. The course was challenging with some steep hills and plenty of wet thick mud. 
 
Trailing overall after the first race, the team had an good opportunity to take the lead going into the festive period. 
 
45 squirrels ran in total including some first time cross country runners as well as some well grounded veterans of the sport. 
 
On the day, NHRR’s men won the race emphatically - beating close rivals Bedford Harriers and Amptill and Flitwick Flyers who were second and third respectively. 
 
NHRR’s women were third behind Rugby and Northampton AC and Bedford Harriers. This was a very close race with only 4 scoring points between these clubs. 
 
The combined team result was that NHRR won the race - beating Bedford Harriers and Amptill and Flitwick Flyers who completed the podium.
 
Scoring for the women’s team was Hannah Ridley, Tracey Pitcairn, Astrid Mckeown and Caroline Thrussell. Scoring for the men was Sam Coxon, Rob Jowett, Andrew Leach, Travis Kruger, Ben Sewell, Shahab Ahmad, Matt Sayers and Vince Wright. 
 
This means that after two events, NHRR lead the league overall in the combined team competition. The men’s team are second overall, 1 point behind Bedford Harriers. The women are also second behind Rugby and Northampton AC, equal on points, but trail by a very close 2 scoring points.
 
John Auld, the clubs mens team captain and cross country representative, thanked everybody for their contributions to the event as a whole - adding that the team victory and overall league placings was a lovely cherry on top. Its brilliant to have NHRR top of the league for Christmas and starting the new year leading the league overall. 

Plymouth Reindeer 5k 
Elwyn Howell completed the Plymouth Reindeer 5k in Central Park in 23:57 finishing in 8th place. This is a new event that will raise money for local charities. Elwyn described it as a nice event with a mince pie and a reindeer medal at the end. 

Parkrun roundup
Letchworth: Kris Whitmore (23:04), James Dalton (24:38), Steve Brenton (28:29), Michelle Grudzinski (29:44), Adam Wilson (33:16), Jennie Fraser (37:42), Michael Over (37:43)

Norwich: Chloe Lucas (22:34)

Stevenage: Daniel Wrigley (23:51)

Parkrun
We know Parkrun is not a race but one highlight from this week’s results is Tom Barclay’s time of 15:58 at the York event finishing just two seconds behind the leader.

This Saturday we had a number of Squirrels celebrating milestone Parkruns. Jon Hunt, Chris Stokes and Paula Holm made the pilgrimage to Bushy Parkrun (the home of Parkrun) to celebrate their 100ths and 50th Parkruns respectively. They were 3 of a field of 1400 runners on the completely flat, one lap course with glimpses of Hampton Court Palace for an exceptionally well organised event!

With the 2nd fixture of the Three Counties Cross Country League cancelled due to Storm Bert, many squirrels were left disappointed and race-less. However, a few of our members had other races booked that did manage to take place. ​

Silverstone Half Marathon
Daniel Wrigley ran the Silverstone Half Marathon. He commented that the weather was awful with very strong winds and heavy rain leaving everyone soaked and freezing before the race even started!

​Despite the weather Daniel was very happy and surprised to beat his half marathon PB with a time of 1:45:55.

Hatfield 5
Four squirrels defied Storm Bert to run the Hatfield 5 Miles. James Keogh and Clare Holley booked the Hatfield 5 miles quite a while ago and then promptly forgot about it when booking a weekend away this weekend as well.

Fortuitously, where they were staying was even closer to Hatfield than home! They commented that circumstances with training this year mean neither of them went very fast but for Clare it was the furthest she had run since April. The weather held up far better than they thought and stated that it was "actually surprisingly warm, and seemed sheltered from the worst of the head winds except on the finishing stretch!"
​
NHRR times (chip) from the results are:
James KEOGH 00:35:20
Stephen BRENTON 00:36:49
Tracey MCCREATH 00:53:00
Clare HOOLEY 01:10:21

Doncaster 10k
Tom Barclay travelled up North to take part in the Doncaster 10k. He finished in 33rd position in a speedy 34:18. 

Parkrun Roundup ​

The past week has been another great week for our squirrels: a week full of fantastic performances, inspiring comebacks, and plenty of camaraderie. Here’s a roundup of where our members have been showcasing their grit and determination.

St Neots Half Marathon: Strong Runs and Sunshine
The annual St Neots Half Marathon drew 16 NHRR runners to the rolling hills of Cambridgeshire, with blue skies and a downhill finish making it a day to remember. The course, famous for its undulations, challenged legs and lungs alike, but our members rose to the occasion.
 
Leading the club pack, Helen Nuttall stormed through in 1:34:09, securing 8th place in the FV35 category and celebrating her fastest half marathon in eight years. Lucy O’Connor, returning after injury, was thrilled to complete the race in 1:54:23, just two minutes off her course PB from 2021 and earning 10th in FV55-64. Caroline Thrussell put in a fantastic run, taking 4th in FV55 with 1:47:12.
 
The support and teamwork on the day were as strong as ever. Richard Barker paced Meyrick around the course, while Tash Pitman and Helen Cairns crossed the line side by side in 1:48:41. With smiles all round at the downhill finish, it was a memorable day for the club.
 
Full results from St Neots:
Helen Nuttall: 1:34:09
Caroline Thrussell: 1:47:12
Jane Clarke: 1:48:40
Tash Pitman & Helen Cairns: 1:48:41
Dave Braybrook: 1:49:35
Damian Christou: 1:53:23
Lucy O’Connor: 1:54:23
Nick Walker: 1:54:44
Adrian Barnett: 2:01:43
Dawn Power: 2:04:43
Hannah Keeble: 2:14:05
Keith Swain: 2:23:51
Caroline Nobbs: 2:38:15

Trail Adventures: Exploring the Great Outdoors
 For those who prefer their running routes a little wilder, it was all about the trails this week.
Sue Foot tackled the Shillington Shuffle Trail Marathon, a self-navigated course that started and finished in Barton-le-Clay. With perfect weather and solid ground underfoot, Sue enjoyed scenic countryside and conquered the many ploughed fields along the way.

Parkruns the focus for Squirrels, North Herts Road Runners put the focus on training rather than racing this week as they gear up for the next fixture in the Three Counties Cross-country League. 

It was a quieter weekend for racing this weekend with the majority of the fireworks in the sky not on the roads and the frights limited to halloween and not route elevations! 
 
New York Marathon
The final Marathon Major of the year took place in New York and on a beautiful Sunday Mike Bannister took part in the race.  Supporting a friend rather than chasing a PB, Mike came home in 4:42 and enjoyed a fantastic day out soaking up an incredible atmosphere. 
 
Knebworth Half Marathon
Closer to home it was the Knebworth Half Marathon also on Sunday.  Farzana Bhatti was representing the squirrels at this one and completed the course in a time of 3:25 and personally a 5th half marathon completed.
 
Bedford 10k
In Bedford there was a 10k, which Frances Stanton tackled.  This was a return to racing and resulted in a time of 52:11, which Frances said was “pleasantly surprising!” over a “lovely route along the river, highly recommended!”. 

First Saturday of the Month
This Saturday saw North Herts Road Runners' 'First Saturday of the Month' Monthly 5km race celebrate its 15th Year. 
 
As recognition of this milestone and with gratitude for the use of the beautiful Norton Common on the first Saturday of every month for these past 15 years, an award of £500 was presented to the 'fFriends of Norton Common' - a volunteer group who works to preserve the precious habitat of the Common. Graham Frost from the group expressed his appreciation and says that the donation will be used to plant some trees by the Letchworth Outdoor Pool.
 
Twenty Five Squirrels were among those enjoying the Autumnal delights of the Common this Saturday with ttwo club runners on the 1st and 2nd steps of the podium, with Steve McKeown taking first in a time of 19:57 and Mike Phillips second home in 20:07.

​Marathon Eryri! 
A scurry of squirrels headed to Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) for the demanding and spectacular Marathon Eryri! With 2,490 ft of elevation gain over 26.2 miles this route encircles Wales and England’s highest peak and is known as one of the hardest races around. The runners were Richard Barker, Alice Noakes, Michelle Grudzinski, Caroline Thrussell, Georgia Head and Gregor Bowie, with great support from Paul Bowal and Georgia Barker. They were fortunate to have a lovely sunny day in a region notorious for its mist and rain. Following a massive climb at mile twenty-two the runners were rewarded at mile twenty-four with a Mexican themed tea and cake aid station.  That’s a long way for a cup of tea!  Unsure about whether they would be able to complete the course due to injuries, Caroline Thrussell and Georgia Head decided to run together and loved the atmosphere and stunning scenery. Both did finish thus making it Georgia Head’s first ever marathon! Congratulations Georgia.
 
Results
Richard Barker 4:45
Caroline Thrussell 4:37:22
Georgia Head 4:37:22
Gregor Bowie 4:53:32
Alice Noakes 4:54:45
Michelle Grudzinski 5:18:58

Ricky Road Run 10 Miler
Richard Weber, Dervla Downing and Lucy O’Connor made their way to warm and sunny Rickmansworth in the Chiltern Hills to take part in the Ricky Road Race 10 Miler. This was Richard’s first time at this event, which this year is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The race starts on a downhill, but not for long. Almost immediately you become aware of the hills, which Richard described as ‘brutal,’ forcing him to stop and walk once he reached the top. Despite the hills it is a lovely route, displaying stunning autumn colours, with pretty country and residential roads from Mill End, through Chorleywood and Little Chalfont and back. This year a revised course, due to road works, meant runners did not have the big climb at mile eight and could instead look forward to the fantastic downhill final kilometre to the finish line. Richard achieved a very respectable time of 1:23:51 given the tough route, and not having managed a long distance run in over a year due to injury. Equally speedy was Dervla, whose time was 1:22:57.  Lucy O’Connor’s time was 1:30:03

Ashridge Canicrossers’ Annual Race
This year’s popular and sold out Canicross race offered two courses - long (13km) and short (8km)- and covered undulating cross country style trails across the Ashridge Estate in the Chilterns. Running the short course, and winning his class was Rob Jowett galloping home in 29:36.
Running the long course with two dogs each was Fiona Baker and Jill Tooley-Boys in 1:16:31 and 1:32:56, coming 2nd and 4th in their class (open).
Running the long course with one dog was Anna Gibson in 1:16:26 and coming third in their class 18-44.
Thanks to the canine companions Mabel, Flora B, Lulu, Bella, Flora G and Rob’s dog for delivering such a strong performance for team NHRR.

Exeter community Halloween 5-mile race.
On a beautiful autumn day Elwyn Howell ran the Exeter Community Halloween 5-miler. Elwyn finished in a time of 37:19, 33rd and was second in his age category.


​Parkrun Roundup