It's a Jungle out there!

Squirrels head to the jungle!
Mother and son Paula and Jonah Holm travelled to Bo, Sierra Leone at the weekend, to participate in the Sierra Leone Street Child Marathon—an event that combines endurance with purpose. In the days leading up to the race, they visited schools, small businesses, and community projects funded by the charity, witnessing firsthand the impact of its work.
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The marathon began at 6am in intense humidity and rising temperatures. The route took runners through vibrant villages and rugged terrain, where locals cheered, children joined in, and aid stations offered coconuts, bananas, and honey. Paula paced her youngest son, Jonah, to complete his first half marathon in an impressive 1:59 before continuing solo for the second lap, supported by the local army for safety, and crossed the finish line in 4:05—becoming the first international runner to complete the course. She described the experience as the most extraordinary, challenging, and rewarding event she has ever undertaken.

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Cross Country Season Opener
Twenty North Herts Road Runners (NHRR) took part in the first race of the new Three Counties Cross Country season under glorious sunshine, which added to the vibrant atmosphere of the event village. The NHRR women’s team placed 4th, while the men’s team finished 8th. The combined team secured an impressive 4th place overall, behind Stopsley Striders, Rugby & Northampton Academy, and Bedford Harriers.

​Ben Hadman led the team with a strong 2nd place finish, followed by Wayne Bell in 8Th, Vince Wright 48th, Steve Mckeown 52nd, Matt Sayers 67th, Mike Phillips 68th, Pete Sibbett 92nd and Dave Weston 150th. Also pushing other clubs runners down the pecking order were Richard Webber 178th, John Auld 259th, and Brian Judkins 380th. The women’s scoring team featured standout performances from Hannah Ridley, Astrid McKeown, Natalie Phillips, and Emily Taiano and good races from Lucy O’connor 247th, Mel Flynn 285th, Victoria Markham 299th, Clair Power 300th and Linda Aird 308th. Cross country secretary and men’s team captain John Auld thanked all who turned out for the club.

Marathon Eryri – Britain’s Toughest Road Marathon
Several hardy North Herts Road Runners braved the elements to take on Marathon Eryri, widely regarded as the UK’s toughest road marathon. Covering 26.2 miles and over 2,500 feet of ascent and descent, this year’s race was made even more memorable by freezing temperatures, hail, rain, and high winds. Despite the brutal conditions, the squirrels delivered strong performances with Caroline Thrussell – 4:32 (a few minutes faster than last year), Richard Barker – 4:52 and Gregor Bowie – 5:13 (just six days after completing the Abingdon Marathon)!

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Marathon in a mine -
​world record!
Sarah Hartley had an experience of a lifetime and was part of a Guinness World Record (to be verified) to take part in a world first Marathon in a Mine which ranks as the world's deepest marathon at Garpenberg Zinc Mine in Sweden.

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She was one of 60 runners to descend 1,120 metres below sea level to run 26.2 miles which comprised 11x1.92k out and back repeats in darkness! Sarah said she finished in a 'humbling 4.42 and that mine tunnels aren't flat so it was a brutal 2% incline and 550m of elevation!' She had to wear a protective hard hat with a torch to light up the tunnel!

Stroud Half Marathon and 10k
The family trend continued in Stroud where father and son, Kris and Sam travelled to Gloucestershire for Kris's annual half marathon visit to run the 43rd edition and Sam took the opportunity to run in a new 10k edition. Kris reported,  'A challenging course around the Stroud valleys with a few cheeky hills out was my first half marathon race since injury and only the second time doing the distance when in training since the same event last year. Not really knowing what I was capable of, I went out gung ho and held on for a course best of 82:41. Sam in the 10k also chose assertiveness at the start (clearly the Whitmore way) coming in 13th place overall in another consecutive personal best time of 43:01.'

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Frankfurt Marathon
Rochelle Smith headed to Frankfurt for her debut marathon and reported a great time of 5:35!