First things first – what a busy month! March brought with it the return to virtual events, a brand new RIOT challenge and the start of lockdown restrictions being eased. The efforts and achievements within the club over the last 31 days have been incredible.
We always try to include everything we spot, but if you feel like something has been missed off please do let us know. We love hearing about what our members are up to so don’t be shy and share your achievements! Whether it’s a new longest run, your first continuous 5k, you’ve starting venturing off road or you feel like your friend deserves a shout out, we want to hear about it. Drop the club a message, tag us on Facebook or Instagram, or share within the group chat.
We all know how hard it can be to kick start your running routine after a break away, so the first blog kudos goes to Simon Fowler who has maintained regular running after a month off. Well done Simon!
Many of you will have noticed that running duo Peter and Katie Smith are this year running the virtual distance from Lands End to John O’Groats. March saw them hit the impressive milestone of 100 days of running at least 3 miles a day. Well done Peter and Katie, you’ve made an impressive start to the challenge and we’re looking forward to watching you progress.
White Star Running are well known for putting on great events so many of us were disappointed that the Spring Larmer events would be postponed. Not deterred however, several members took on the virtual option. Not having the support and atmosphere of an event can be tough, so well done to the following members who earnt themselves a medal across the various distances:
Larmer 7:
- Peter Knight
Larmer half:
- Louise Curtis
Larmer 20:
- Reni McPhail
- Rebecca Bradley
- Gemma Shone
- Nikki Rich
Also missed off the running calendar at the moment are Park Run events. Despite them not restarting until later this year, we’ve noticed regular #notaparkrun runs from Liz Elliott and Darren Grummitt. This month also saw Darren take part in the Marie Curie Step into Spring Challenge, clocking up an amazing 50166 steps. Well done Liz and Darren.
Two more half marathons went virtual this month; well done to Mark Brown, Laura White and Kerri Oliver for completing the Bath Half, and Anne Woodruff, Tara and Peter Knight, Gunny Archer and Sarah Dunford who completed the Weymouth Half.
The Phoenix events have become popular amongst our members (for unknown reasons!) and this month Wendy Britton went one step further. Running 14.4 mile every day for 7 days, Wendy clocked up over 100 miles in just one week whilst raising £1900 for the Stroke Association! Impressive its own, just 4 days later Wendy laced up once again and completed her first sub-4 hour marathon. Incredible running Wendy!
44 RIOTers took part in our brand new challenge, RIOT Rumble. In teams of 4, runners had to accrue points to ensure they weren’t at the bottom of the table and therefore eliminated from the challenge. With alliances formed (and abused in some cases!) the final day saw 3 teams choose bonus runners to increase their chances of clinching the title. After a very close final and incredible runs across the board, it was Team 6 who were victorious. Well done to Andy Mutter, George Peters, Mike Lamb and Amy Mason, along with their bonus runners Steve Hall, Shelley Carter and Christina Guppy. Keep reading to find out what helped them take the top spot…
Time for some PBs
First up, well done to the following RIOTers who this month completed a new longest distance:
Claire Lane – 7.5 miles
Ruth Lonie – 7.5 miles
Mike Lamb – 20 miles
Bronwen Davison – 20 miles
Gunnleyg Archer – 20 miles
Shelley Carter – marathon.
Woman of Steel Shelley was training for her first marathon in the Spring of 2020 before Covid interrupted her plans. Deciding to go all out on the final day of the RIOT Rumble challenge, Shelley completely pulled it out the bag, simultaneously smashing her first marathon and helping Team 6 win the trophy. Proving once again why she was a worthy winner of the Woman of Steel accolade at last year’s awards night.
We also saw a number of time PBs this month. Well done to:
Malcolm Curtis and Richard Archer for their 10k PB,
Claire Carlin for her half marathon PB,
Scott Southgate for his marathon PB.
Don’t forget our AGM will be taking place on 16th April at 7pm on Zoom. As well as a chance to review the last year plus discuss the year ahead, we’ll also be asking you to vote in this year’s committee, including prospective new Membership Secretary Mark Stockman.
April sees the long-awaited return of club runs and group cycles, so check back next month to find out what else our members have managed to squeeze in!