Fast Times at Battersea
Three NHRR athletes travelled to Battersea Park for the highly competitive Top Flight 5K, racing in sweltering 34°Ctemperatures.

The standout performance came from Tom Barclay, who produced a sensational personal best and new North Herts Road Runners club record of 15:02, eclipsing the previous mark and continuing his excellent season.
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Sam Coxon followed home in a superb 16:04, while Ben Sewell completed the trio in 16:40, with all three producing impressive performances despite the challenging conditions before rounding off the evening with a well-earned post-race debrief.

First Saturday of the Month 5K
The club's monthly Run of the Month at Norton Common once again attracted a fantastic turnout, with 34 North Herts Road Runners taking part.

Leading the club home was Nick Malpeli, who finished an excellent 4th overall in 21:14. Close behind was Steve McKeown in 5th with 21:37, while Mark Larwood completed the club's top three in 8th with 22:55.
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Sara Vere-Whiting was the first NHRR woman across the line, placing 9th overall in 23:03, followed closely by Paula Holm (23:50), Astrid McKeown (24:11) and Laura Fairbanks (24:25).
The event saw runners of all abilities enjoying the friendly atmosphere, with club members spread throughout the field and plenty of support on the Norton Common course.

Snowman Triathlon
While many were enjoying a flat 5K, Craig Cartier headed to North Wales to tackle the notoriously tough Snowman Triathlon.
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What was expected to be a standard-distance event turned into anything but, with an extended 70km bike course and a run that was more accurately described as a hike up a mountain. Battling Welsh rain, wind and relentless hills, Craig successfully completed one of the UK's toughest triathlons, joking afterwards that even the swim felt uphill. An outstanding achievement in extremely demanding conditions.

Parkrun Round-up
NHRR runners were once again represented at parkruns across the country, from Scotland to Devon.
Some of the quickest performances of the weekend included Kris Whitmore with 18:32 at Father Collins parkrun, Matthew Sayers with 19:22 at Rothamsted Park, Matthew Hornblow with 19:25 at Cassiobury, and Ian Datlen, who dipped under 20 minutes with 19:59 at Jubilee Bedford.

Elsewhere, members enjoyed parkruns from Fort William in the Scottish Highlands to Poole, Bideford, Merthyr, Wormwood Scrubs, and, of course, Letchworth, highlighting the club's continued enthusiasm for parkrun wherever the weekend may take them.
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Another excellent week for North Herts Road Runners saw members hosting, racing, volunteering and representing the club across a wide range of events. Congratulations to everyone who pulled on the black and yellow vest, with special congratulations to Tom Barclay on his outstanding new club record.

Montane Lakeland Ultra 50 - Saturday 25 July
Advertised as “one of the greatest ultra trail challenges in Europe, perhaps the world”, the Lakeland 50 is no ordinary race. Covering the final 50 miles of the iconic Lakeland 100 route, runners tackle nearly 3,000 metres of ascent on rugged Lakeland terrain from Dalemain to Coniston, passing through Howtown and Ambleside along the way. As the organisers say, “The Lakeland 50 is a huge challenge. It requires commitment, drive and the ability to ‘just keep going’ when most folk would ‘just rather not’.”
A huge congratulations to Jennie Fraser, Anna Gibson and Fiona Baker, who all rose to the challenge and crossed the finish line this year.

First Squirrel home was Jennie Fraser, who finished in an outstanding 15:01:31, knocking an incredible 3:28:54 off her 2025 time. Close behind was Anna Gibson, who completed the course in 15:04:29, while Fiona Baker showed tremendous determination to finish in 19:58:24. Having battled injury in the build-up to the race, Fiona wasn't even sure she would make it to the start line. Adapting her race strategy to include plenty of walking, she dug deep and earned a well-deserved finish.
As for the weather, Anna described conditions as “light showers and sun” during the day before “proper rain from 10pm onwards.”

By finishing in under 16 hours, both Jennie and Anna have secured qualification for the legendary Lakeland 100.
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Congratulations to all three runners – this is an extraordinary achievement, and we are so proud of you.

Bedford Harriers AC Doug Anderson Memorial 5K (incorporating the Beds AAA County Championships) – Wednesday 22 July
Anyone who has run the Bedford ParkRun will know what a gem this two-lap course is, winding through the beautiful grounds of Bedford Park. On Wednesday 22 July, 10 Squirrels lined up among a field of 392 runners for this popular and long-established race, producing some outstanding performances.

Leading the way was Sam Coxon, who finished an impressive 4th overall and 2nd in the MV35 category. Matt Sayers also enjoyed a superb run, crossing the line in 14th place overall and taking 1st place in the MV50 category. Meanwhile, Rhia Botha continued her excellent form, finishing 44th overall, 3rd female, and 1st in her new FV40 age category.

Congratulations to all 10 Squirrels who took part and represented the club so well! 
​Full results below:

ParkRun Roundup
Saturday saw 42 Squirrels take on ParkRuns far and wide, spreading across Britain and beyond – from Land’s End in the southwest to Ambleside in the north, South Wales in the west, County Donegal in Ireland and as far away as Illinois in the USA.
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David Brewer led the way by taking first place at Spring Rock (Western Springs, Illinois, USA) in a superb 19:57. Tracy Pitcairn was the first female finisher at Thoulstone, crossing the line in 21:17, while Laura Fairbanks claimed second female place at Letchworth in 25:07. Kris Whitmore was also second overall at Jubilee in 18:55.
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Congratulations to all 42 Squirrels!

The Squirrels Run Well in the Sun
Runners from North Herts Road Runners took part in a whole range of events over the last week up and down the breadth of the United Kingdom.
 
Thursday saw a brilliant turn out of 84 Squirrels taking part in the very fast and popular Fairlands Valley Relays. Set in Fairlands Valley park, teams of 4 runners run in relays over a 3km course. In warm but very fast conditions the senior men's team of Sam Coxon, Michael Roberts, Abdullah Athar and Shahab Ahmed finished 3rd overall and 2nd in the Herts County Championship in a superb time of 39:04. The Ladies Female Vet team of Tracy Pitcairn, Helen Nutall, Astrid McKeown and Verity Stow, ran superbly as a team to finish in 3rd place in both the overall standings and the County competition in 51:16. Similarly the mixed team of Rhia Botha, Sam Whitmore, Mike Phillips and Alice Carty came 3rd in the County competition in 49:20.

Ipswich Twilight 10k
Following the successes of the relays Rhia Botha and Shahab Ahmed travelled to Ipswich on Friday evening to take part in the Ipswich Twilight 10k. As this was a qualification race for the England Masters, pressure was on both runners to perform. Both did in impressive style. In a field of 1600 runners Shahab was 20th overall  and 1st in his age category in 33:48. Rhia ran equally well in a new personal best of 38:57, finishing in 9th position. Both ran times to put them in contention to run for England. Masters.

St Albans Summer 10k
On Sunday the Squirrels took park in races closer to home. 5 Squirrels ran the St Albans Summer 10k. This very popular event is both flat and fast. In very hot conditions all ran well. Kris Whitmore was first Squirrels home in 38:28. Matt Hornblow was not far behind in 41:59. Sam Whitmore ran a seasons best in 43:32. Steve Tracy continued his good form in 45:19, whilst Tim Levitt helped pace the race finishing in a very impressive time of 50:02.

Fairlands Valley Challenge
Over in Stevenage 2 hardy Squirrels competed in the Fairlands Valley Challenge. Sue Foot completed her 10th marathon finish at this event in a superb 6:20, considering the sweltering conditions. Brian Judkins chose the half marathon, finishing in 3:04.

Parkrun Roundup​
Saturday saw over 50 Squirrels run in 17 park runs up and down Great Britain from Jersey in the Channel Islands to Applecross in the Highlands of Scotland. Highlights included Tracy Pitcairn finishing first lady at Letchworth in 21:56, Kris Whitmore finishing 3rd at Pocket in 18:56, quickly followed by Mat Hornblow who finished 8th in 19:56. In Devon Chris Powell came 20th at Bolberry Down in a time of 23:01, whilst over 720 miles away in Applecross Oliver Babik finished 2nd in 18:40. To show that park running is not all about winning Phil Flack took part in the Jersey park run, in the Channel Islands. He ran walked the event finishing in 51:52 and enjoyed every minute.

Midweek League #4: Trent Park
Thursday 2nd July saw the final event in the 2026 Midweek League series at Trent Park, London, with North Herts needing to put in a sterling performance to avoid dropping into division 2 next year. However, we needn’t have worried. Coming 2nd on the day overall (with the Ladies 2nd and the Men 3rd) we managed to avoid relegation and finish 4th in the league with 27 points.
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The route was a challenging and undulating 10km through the lovely woodlands and trails of the North London Park (with 143m of elevation) and added to the 24c heat, this made for a tough but enjoyable finale to the series. Well done to North Herts for pulling out all the stops to hang onto our 1st division place. Also well done to the 22 runners who managed to compete in all 4 events, and to the 43 Ladies and 76 men who competed in at least one of the races. Well done us & roll on next year.

Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon
On Saturday, Isaac Mateu took part in the Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon, which is a point-to-point race along the canals and through industrial areas between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

​Issac felt that he went out too fast and ended up paying for it later on, however, he still finished in an impressive 1:35:54, noting that it was slightly longer than a true half marathon at 21.7 km. Issac felt that it was a very different kind of race, but certainly an enjoyable one, and one well worth taking part in.

Hitchin Triathlon
Sunday the 5th of July saw Sophie Thrussell & Steve Mckeown competing in the Hitchin Triathlon. Starting and finishing at Butts Close, Hitchin, the Sprint event commenced with a 400m swim in the Hitchin outdoor pool, followed by a 20km closed-road bike ride, before finishing with a flat fast 5km run back to Butts Close.
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Sophie Thrussell came 1st in her category & 18th overall in an absolutely outstanding 01:12:21, while Steve Mckeown stormed home in an amazing 01:03:35, coming 2nd in his category & 3rd overall, both seriously impressive achievements given the hot weather.

First Saturday of the Month
Saturday the 3rd of July saw our own FSOM monthly 5k event taking place at 9am on Norton Common. With lovely weather and dry conditions, some fantastic performances were on display – check the following link for results:  FSOTM - Free 5km Race

Parkrun Roundup
A special mention goes to Sam and Kris Whitmore, who travelled to Cologne on their annual European Parkrun beano.

​Despite some serious ‘carb loading’ the night before, they both competed in the Rheinpark event, which was described as ‘cosy’ as there were only 37 runners.

Kris finished 2nd in 19:29, while Sam came in 5th with 21:45, both amazing times, especially so given the very hot weather.

Dalton celebrates 250 Parkruns
North Herts Road Runners Chairperson James Dalton celebrated running his 250th Parkrun at one of his most favoured venues – Letchworth’s own demanding Parkrun course. James said he was delighted to be accompanied  by a ‘special guest - my son Anthony, who was running his first ever Parkrun.’ The duo completed the  in 26:06.
 
James added ‘It will likely be 2032 before I get to the next 500 milestone, so I'll celebrate this achievement for now. Watch out in the coming months when I will celebrate 250 Parkruns on the Letchworth course.’
 
Congratulations to James and well done to Anthony!

Three Peaks conquered
Richard Thackery enjoyed ‘a great day out in the Yorkshire Dales’ as he tackled the Upper Wharfedale Three Peaks Challenge – a 27km route taking in Birk Fell, Buckden Pike and Great Whernside. Thackeray completed the course, which included 1100m of ascent, in 4hrs 37 mins. 

Brewer aptly rewarded
David Brewer tackled his namesake race – the 3 Brewers 10k between Hatfield and St Albans - and was rewarded for an impressive sixth-place finish with a bottle of beer - naturally enough. His finishing time was 45:41. 

Clophill Lakes with coffee and cake
Ten Squirrels enjoyed a 4-mile social run around the Greensand Trust’s Clophill Lakes nature reserve. The reserve’s Greenway-style paths made for easy running and the group also got some gentle hill-work in, climbing to the ruins of Old St Mary’s Church and getting a commanding view of the reserve from the mounds that form the site of the former Cainhoe Castle. 

All involved enjoyed post-run coffee and cake at the reserve’s café. Many thanks to Richard Barker and Dave Braybrook for organising!

Midweek League #1: St. Albans
Kicking off the week’s events on Wednesday the 20th was the first race in the 2026 midweek league calendar, in St. Albans. There were over 70 North Herts Road Runners taking part, as well as some super supporters lining the 10k route, which takes in the Alban Way (a disused Railway line) from St. Albans towards Hatfield and back. With a long slow uphill climb on the return leg, the 2nd half of the race was especially challenging in the hot weather. After the first race, our overall position was 5th, with our overall vets ranking 3rd. Well done North Herts, next stop Royston.

London 2 Brighton Ultra Challenge (100km)
On Saturday the 23rd May, Hannah Keeble completed an astonishing Capital to Coast 100km ultra challenge, starting in Richmond on Thames, winding through the North & South Downs and down to Brighton. Hannah finished in 19hrs and 27 minutes, which was an unbelievable achievement in the punishing weather.

The Fox 62k
Proving that the squirrel is tougher than the fox, on Saturday the 23rd, Tim Levitt ran the Fox 62k, which is a Runthrough Trails event around the Foxway, in Surrey. Despite the brutal 32-degree average temperature, Tim crossed the line in a seriously impressive 08:23:10.

Cape Town Marathon
With Table Mountain as a stunning backdrop, Natasha Pitman and Caroline Thrussell competed in the Sanlam Capetown marathon on Sunday the 24th. For Caroline, it was the age group world championships, and she finished in an outstanding 03:42:23, which was another club record. She also scored a 33rd in her age group, and 2nd for the UK, which is seriously impressive given that she had no expectations and simply went out there to enjoy herself. Tash meanwhile, finished in an amazing 03:43:09 and remarked that it was a beautiful undulating course, which she just ran to feel. Afterwards, Caroline, Georgia and Tash celebrated with Castle Lagers all round.

Run the Wade
Described as a feel-good run for everyone, the Run the Wade race took place on Sunday the 24th. With a choice of either 5k or 10k, the route took in Biggleswade Town centre as well as a series of riverside paths and trails. Hannah Ridley was the first lady home in the 5k in an amazing 20:49, whilst Lucy O’Connor came 1st in her FV65 age category in 27:42. For the men, Ian Datlen finished the 10k in an impressive 42:19 and was first in his MV50 age category. Having the fire brigade waiting at the end with sprinklers was absolute bliss in the scorching weather, and the event was described as well organised, with a great vibe. Full results below:

Squirrels storm to victory at Gosling relays
Five North Herts Roads Runners teams topped their respective categories at Gosling track 4x400m relays last Wednesday evening, with all athletes delighted with a rare dry break in the weather on a day of torrential hail and rain. 
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Hannah Ridley, Tracy Pitcairn, Rhia Botha and Katie Harbon, ‘Team Kardasheruns’ were crowned Senior Female winners, while Craig Cartier, Alberto Angurel, Ian Datlen and Kris Whitmore, Team Chafing the Dream were crowned Senior Male winners. Both Hannah and Craig were fastest female and male athletes on the night in a blistering 59 and 66 seconds respectively.
 
The female vets was won by ‘Sassy Striders’ Nikki Wright, Hannah Gardner, Vicki Markham and Clare Power closely followed by ‘The Dashing Dames’ formed of Caroline Thrussel, Natalie Phillips, Lucy O’Connor and Lindsay Cook. The men’s vets victors were ‘Quads of Fury’, Darren Matussa, Mike Over, Stuart Cocks and Ben Ryan.
 
The Vet Mixed Team, ‘Sweat and Swagger’ formed of Richard Harbon, John Auld, Mel Flynn and Joanne Hoare also won their category.
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Women’s captain Rhia Botha said, ‘Tonight was just for fun, but NHRR still cleaned up thanking coaches Karen Dodsworth and Pete Sibbett for supporting on the evening.

Squirrel sprints to second at Naked 5k
Kris Whitmore returned to the Brockenhurst Naked 5k for a second consecutive year, once again taking on the woodland course wearing only his running essentials, his watch, and trainers! Despite forecasts of thunderstorms earlier in the week, conditions on the day proved ideal, with cool temperatures providing comfortable racing conditions.

Whitmore improved on his performance from the previous year, finishing in an impressive second place with a time of 19 minutes and 20 seconds.