​Bounty of county medals for North Herts Road Runners in Buntingford.
Fueled by roast potatoes and Christmas pudding, 26 squirrels embarked upon one of, if not the final race of 2025. Conditions were ideal for racing and the team's carb loading game was strong.
Sam Coxon was first squirrel home for the club, taking third on the podium in a blistering 54:51.
 
The race played host to the Hertfordshire Masters County Championship, and the NHRR female 35 team were crowned champions led home by Tracy Pitcairn in a personal best time 1:08:44, closely followed by Rhia Botha in 1:09:03 and Rachel Arnot in 1:13:04. Tracy and Rhia took the individual country gold and silver medals respectively. Caroline Thrussell claimed bronze in the county female 55 category and was delighted to break the club record by 22 seconds in an impressive 1:14:41.
 
Matt Sayers won both his age category overall and the County Champs mens 50 category. He led the men’s 50 team to a county team bronze medal with Dave Brewer who ran his best time 1:09:24; Kris Whitmore 1:06:00 and Ian Datlen 1:08:11. 

Full results:

​Record breaking Stevenage Christmas Day parkrun
22 NHRR took part in Stevenage parkrun which saw a record breaking 911 runners racing round Fairlands Valley Park. It was a perfect morning for running, and a nice appetite builder for the big day!

The runners included three wise men, four sparkling baubles, five Wizard of Oz characters, six Christmas trees, seven snowmen and women, eight parcels and too many Santas to count!
 
North Herts Road Runners Chair Tash Pitman said ‘The event wasn’t just about running - it was a celebration of community and fun, and an opportunity to raise funds for our Charity of the Year, GRIT. It was a pleasure to have our GRIT friends with us and thank you to them for judging the most impressive costumes in various categories’.
 
Santa Canta results breakdown in full

North Herts Road Runners were out in force across Europe this weekend, taking on races ranging from sun-drenched coastal marathons to the challenging winter hills of Baldock and Stevenage. Squirrels delivered strong performances, personal bests and even a new club record.
 
From blazing sunshine in Málaga to breezy climbs in Baldock and Stevenage, NHRR athletes continue to shine as the winter racing season approaches. Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, especially to Mark Larwood on his marathon PB and Vanessa Rolfe on what may be a new FV70 club record.

Three counties XC
The third event in the Three Counties XC league was was hosted by North Herts Road Runners on the fields between Baldock and Weston. 49 Squirrels ran the home race on a glorious morning for proper grass routes cross country.
 
The results were a clean sweep of victories for NHRRs women, men and combined team.
After 3 races NHRR are now 2nd as a team in the league. The women are 2nd and the men are 4th.
Scoring for the women were Katie Harbon, Rhia Botha, Astrid Mckeown and Tracey Pitcairn.
Scoring for the men were Tom Barclay, Ben Hadman, Andrew Leach, Ben Sewell, Shahab Ahmad, Matt Sayers, James Warner-Smith and Nick Malpeli. 

Malaga Marathon – Marathon PB for Mark Larwood
Mark Larwood travelled to Spain for the Malaga Marathon and was rewarded with a superb PB of 3:17:49, cutting a remarkable 11 minutes and 39 seconds from his previous best set more than six years ago.

Mark enjoyed near-perfect running conditions, with temperatures around 15°C and a scenic route that wound through the historic city centre and along the coast. He praised the race for its excellent organisation and enthusiastic local support, recalling “lots of shouts of Vamos!” helping drive him towards the finish.

Stevenage Half Marathon – Strong Runs & a Club Record
A hardy group of Squirrels took on the undulating Stevenage Half Marathon, where breezy conditions made the course even more challenging.

• Chris Stokes led the NHRR contingent with a strong 1:37:38
• Daniele Socci was close behind in 1:37:59, achieving his first sub-1:40 half marathon in many years
• Vanessa Rolfe completed the distance in 2:46:11 (watch time), which she believes is a new club record for the FV70 age category

All three runners reported a tough but rewarding morning on the hills around Stevenage.

Stevenage Winter 10k – Squirrels Out on the Hills
In the companion event, the Stevenage Winter 10k, more Squirrels put in excellent performances on the same testing terrain.

• Daniel Wrigley clocked 46:27, pleased with his run on what he described as a “tough course”
• Joanne Hoare finished strongly in 50:21

Daniel also highlighted the great NHRR turnout across both distances, with plenty of encouragement and support between the half marathon and 10k runners.

London Hyrox
Ben and Craig Snowden competed in the men’s doubles at Hyrox London. The biggest Hyrox ever, 40,000 people over 4 days.

Ben described it as a ‘Cracking event, the sheer scale of it is so impressive.’ They were hoping to go sub 1hr 15, but were pleased with 1hr 17.

Also cross training with some strength work were some of out ladies. Team Captain Natalie Philips competed in the singles event on Friday, taking over 5 mins off her PB and on Sunday Rhia Both and Jane Clark paired up for Rhia to make her debut. They finished in an incredible 1:09. Mother and Daughter Partnership, Lindsay and Hannah Cook took on the challenge and achieved an incredible 1:31.