True GRIT from Squirrels
Ian Datlen said he was ‘bruised, battered but very happy’ after completing the race in an excellent 3:00:46 despite being tripped at 21 miles – a time only slightly slower than his sub-3 clocking in the Manchester Marathon last year.
 
Danny Alden (3:57:56) and Richard Weber (4:27:15) raised nearly £1,000 between them for the Club’s charity GRIT (Growing Resilience in Teens), after receiving their places through the North Herts club’s own ballot.
 
For Danny it was ‘third time lucky on my sub-4 hour attempt. I wasn’t sure how today was going to go but honestly it was amazing. My splits were consistent the whole way and it was so lovely to hear some Squirrels cheering around the course. I can’t begin to show my gratitude to the club and for having the opportunity to run London again through the ballot place’.
 
Meanwhile Richard said ‘It was really tough. I just didn't have it in my legs today and hit the famous wall at 15 mile. It was painful and difficult, but I'm really grateful to North Herts Road Runners for allowing me the chance to run it’. 

You can do it!
Angharad Lamon comfortably beat her personal 4-hour target and said ‘After a seven-year break from social running, having two children, completing a marathon felt like an impossible task. However, after taking part in the Standalone race and joining NHRR in November, that ambition became a reality. I completed the London Marathon in 3:47:34. Thank you to everyone at North Herts who has made me believe I can do it!’
 
Georgia Barker made her marathon debut with 6:30:42 and Sue Foot, running in the 70-plus age category, crossed the line in a remarkable 4:46:03. Rachel Arnott finished in 3:26:05, just a fortnight after clocking 3:31 in Brighton.
 
Other NHRR finishers at the London Marathon were Conor O’Hara Barrett (3:04:09), Oliver Babik (3.34.19), Paula Holm (3.39.19), Chris Stokes (3:54:56), Alice Carty (3.57.41), Nick Walker (4:35:18), Elsie Vivian (5:54:02) and Lindsay Cook (5:59:15). Stokes said a disrupted training schedule ‘made this an uncomfortable victory, but proud to get the time. Kept on plugging away, thanks for all those who shouted encouragement and abuse in equal measure!’

Shakespeare Marathon
Matt  Sayers travelled to Stratford-on-Avon for the Shakespeare Marathon and was ‘happy with the time and pacing’ as he ‘added to his extensive catalogue of fast times with a 2:44:00 finish. ‘Even better’, he said, his ‘family got to see me’.

Yet more marathons
Ben Howe and Steve Brenton completed the Flawed Hero Marathon in Letchworth Garden City, starting at midnight and requiring 15 laps around the town centre. Ben’s time was 3:27 and Steve reported he ‘would be quite happy to never run up Station Road again!’.
 
Finally, new NHRR Chairperson James Dalton completed a Virtual London Marathon with a speedwalk around the Greenway and HOOP in 6:48:15.

Couch to 5K Group achieve their goal
Saturday’s Parkrun at Henlow Bridge Lakes marked the conclusion of our latest Couch to 5K course. Eleven ladies completed their graduation run in style, enjoying almost perfect running conditions on a sunny morning.

Clubmates  turned out in force to cheer them on, creating a fantastic atmosphere and helping Henlow Bridge Lakes record its biggest ever turnout — an impressive 304 participants! NHRR Joint Head Coach Dave Braybrook said it was ‘a brilliant morning of community spirit, celebration, and achievement’.

Many congratulations  to all our brilliant new 5K runners!

Rotterdam Marathon
In Rotterdam, Tom Barclay broke the club men's marathon record in an amazing time of 2 hours 25 mins 3 second, finishing 53rd overall in a field of over 16000 runners.  Also taking part and with an equally brilliant time was Sarah Hartley and Katie Harbon, who completed the marathon together in a brilliant 3 hours, 28 mins 54 seconds, a personal best for both and Katies first marathon.​

Hannover Marathon
Over in Hannover Oliver Parsons was keen to get near his own personal best and very nearly did in a great time of 2 hours 58 mins 52 seconds just 1 second outside that PB.

Flitwick 10k
Closer to home 8 squirrels completed the very popular Flitwick 10k. Taking the prize for 1st female vet 65 was Lucy O'Connor in 55 mins 36 seconds.

Kris Whitmore was first squirrel home in 39 minutes 41 seconds, closely followed by Joe Davis in 39 minutes 45 seconds.

​The other finishes from North Herts Road Runners were Mark Larwood, 41 mins 37 seconds, Steve McKeown, 42 minutes 18 seconds, Steve Tracey, 48 minutes, Branwen Jones, 59 minutes 4 seconds and Carina Quayle, 73 minutes 2 seconds.

Greenway Challenge
North Herts Road Runners are getting ready for the Greenway Challenge half marathon. Run on the Greenway trail round Letchworth Garden City, this extremely popular event is both challenging and beautiful with alkl proceed going to the clubs charity, GRIT. To enter go to www.nhrr.org.uk/greenway-challenge.html

First Saturday of the Month – Easter Edition, Letchworth Common
Saturday brought the Easter edition of the club’s popular First Saturday of the Month (FSOTM) event on Letchworth Common. A total of 44 runners, alongside numerous canine companions, tackled the picturesque two-lap course. Spirits were high, with home‑baked Easter cakes awaiting participants at the finish line.
Steven Bennett secured his first win at the event after several near misses, with Phillip Brunton taking second place and Ian Datlen finishing third. Hannah Ridley led the North Herts Road Runners women as first female finisher.
A standout moment of the morning came from Archie Dawson, who ran in a full Easter Bunny onesie. Finishing an impressive fifth, he earned the loudest cheers from spectators on a warm and cheerful morning.

Good Friday Results
Good Friday also delivered strong results for the club, with Mike Phillips finishing 16th in his age category in a time of 41:43, closely followed by David Edwards in 42:25. Hannah Gardner rounded off the weekend’s performances by placing ninth in her age category, posting a time of 50:36.

Squirrels the 10k masters at Thorney
There were stunning successes for North Herts Road Runners in a prestigious 10k race at Thorney, Cambridgeshire, with five Squirrels now in the frame to represent England Masters at the Bideford 10k Representative International Race on 10 May.
 
The standout performance came from Caroline Thrussell, who was thrilled to secure first place in her age category with a new lifetime best of 43:13, smashing the club record previously held by ex-Olympic marathoner Yuko Gordon. Caroline thanked Pete Sibbett for his ‘perfect pacing and encouragement during the race’.
 
The sunny and cool conditions were perfect for 10k racing and Ben Sewell duly led the Squirrels contingent home with a superb personal best of 33:17, with Shahab  Ahmad hot on his heels in another PB of 33:19 and winning the V45 age category victory.
 
Andrew Leach set another club record in taking the V60 prize with 34:02. Astrid McKeown’s 42:57 saw her take third place in the LV50 group and Tracy Pitcairn was ‘extremely pleased’ with a big new best of 40:33 – inside the England masters standard, placing her fourth in the LV40 category.
 
Thrussell, Ahmad, Leach, McKeown and Pitcairn now await confirmation that they have qualified to represent England Masters at Bideford in May.
 
Dave Edwards joined the PB brigade with an excellent new best of 40:58 and Rhia Botha (41:44) placed fourth in the LV35 category despite a bout of flu during the week.
 
Other North Herts finishers at Thorney were Kris Whitmore (38:32), Steve McKeown (40:29), Mike Phillips (40:38), Mike Over (41:42) and Pete Sibbett (43.20). 
 
The NHRR ladies’ team were second and the men third.  

Twin Lakes 20
Lindsay Cook headed to Milton Keynes for the Twin Lakes 20 as part of her London Marathon preparations. She was happy to find a ‘field big enough that I wasn't alone at the back’ on the two-lap course based on tracks and trails.
 
Lindsay reported a ‘good event’, despite not enjoying the section along a canal path. She ‘crawled over the finish line’ in 04:06:23.

Media Elche
Isaac Mateu Soler headed home to Elche in Spain to take part in what is claimed to be the oldest half-marathon in the world - the Media Elche, first run in 1968.
 
He finished in 1:31:58, ‘beating my PB by 47 seconds and one step closer to my sub 1:30 goal this year’. 

Squirrels Brave the Wind at Milton Keynes Running Festival 
A small band of Squirrels took on the challenge of the Milton Keynes Running Festival on Sunday, with club runners competing across several of the day’s distances.

The popular event offered runners a choice of races including 5k, 10k, half marathon and 20 miles, attracting participants from across the region to the city of Milton Keynes. Despite bright sunshine greeting runners at the start, a brisk wind ensured conditions were cooler and more testing than they first appeared. For many, Milton Keynes is best known as a shopping destination, leading to the assumption that the race might be pancake-flat. However, those expectations were soon challenged once runners left the town centre streets.

Taking on the 10k distance, one Squirrel reported that the opening half of the course offered a welcome downhill stretch, allowing runners to settle into a strong pace early on. The second half, however, brought a gradual rise before a tougher hill in the final kilometre, ensuring a challenging finish to the race.

The event was widely praised for its organisation, with plenty of parking, enthusiastic marshals, strong spectator support, and a route that made good use of mainly closed roads and pavements. For Mike Phillips and his running companion, the race formed part of a longer training session ahead of a future event. Mike finished the 10k in an impressive 43:49, while Natalie Phillips crossed the line in 50:00. Also representing the club in the 10k was Andrew Wallis.

In the half marathon, Squirrel runners Niccolo Bassani, Ian Harvey, and Ellie Frid all completed the distance, battling the blustery conditions along the course.

All runners deserve congratulations for taking on the challenge, with the windy conditions making the day that little bit tougher in places. Nevertheless, the festival proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable event and one well worth considering for future races.

Parkrun roundup
Closer to home, Coach Dave Braybrook was celebrating his 100th Parkrun. He planned to celebrate this milestone at his local course, but a very last minute cancellation due to a tree down meant a mass exodus to the busy Stevenage for this special event! Congratulations Dave! ​

Jones o Gymru Anglesey Half Marathon
Kat Burr, Caroline Thrussell and Adam Wilson travelled to a rain‑free but blustery Anglesey to take on the stunning coastal half marathon. Kat finished in an impressive 1:43:04, closely followed by Caroline in 1:43:29, earning her first place in her age category, just seven days after securing the same achievement at the Baldock Beast Half Marathon. Adam delivered a strong run, completing the course in 2:13:29.

RomaOstea Half Marathon
Renowned as Italy’s most popular half marathon, the RomaOstia attracts around 13,000 runners each year to its famously fast, flat course. Having sustained an injury only 12 days ago, Daniele Socci still managed to deliver an excellent performance at the event’s 51st edition, completing the race in an impressive 1:38:48. 

Great Yarmouth Half Marathon
Isaac Mateu delivered an outstanding performance at the Great Yarmouth Half Marathon, running a huge three‑minute personal best in challenging, windy conditions on the otherwise flat course. He crossed the line in an excellent 1:32:45 and expressed his thanks to Karen and Dave for their invaluable support throughout his training.

​​Burghley 7
Hannah Gardner made the trip up the A1 to Stamford to take on the Burghley 7 Miler.

A route that begins with a sweeping downhill through the town’s picturesque streets before looping around the perimeter of the Burghley estate and back into its impressive grounds.

​She delivered a strong run, finishing in 56:59.

Sunday saw the very popular but challenging Baldock Beast Half Marathon take place on the rolling countryside to the east of Baldock. 23 squirrels from North Herts Road Runners were up for the challenge in a field of nearly 300 runners.
 
In excellent running conditions, there were some amazing performances. First home for the local running club was James Deneslow in an excellent 1:23:27, first male vet 40 and 5th overall. First lady home for the squirrels was Katie Harbon in 1:29:06 and 2nd lady overall. Also taking home a prize was Sue Foot who was first vet 70 female in an amazing 2:15:38.
 
However, the Beast is much more than the prizes. For many, it's just about finishing and having the bragging rights to having tamed the Beast. Others take part for a variety of reasons.
 
Many ran the Beast for the first time. Paula Holm was celebrating her birthday and chose to run with her friends, all crossing the finishing line together. Others such as Caroline Thrussell and Lindsay Cook ran the event in the buildup to the London Marathon in April. Both ran  excellent times of 1:49:03 and 2:36:08 respectively.
 
All in all, it was another great day for both North Herts Road Runners and the Baldock Beast, where all the monies raised go towards putting on events for the communities of Baldock.
 
Photos courtesy of Dave Braybrook
 
NB:- If you look closely at the First photo. There is a deer in mid air between the runners. They were buzzed by a large herd in Roe Green.