BRR Blog - 1 September 2025

Jason S with his prize for winning Handicap No. 08

Hi there, Road Runners

It is the 1st of September, and the start of meteorological autumn. I always find this time of year bittersweet. After all the anticipation and hard work, our Phipps (August Bank Holiday) 5K race has been and gone for another year. The summer handicap competition is finished, all the crisp tenners have been handed out, and the trophy-winners decided. The floodlights are starting to be needed at track. Soon, some of us will be swapping from shorts, vests, and t-shirts into long-sleeve tops, full-length running tights, and jackets. On the other hand, the weather is often much nicer for running (assuming it’s not pouring down), the leaves are turning red, orange, and golden making for beautiful runs through parks and countryside, there are the joys of cross-country and the Chingford League to look forward to, and also our annual presentation night where the results of all our competitions will be revealed. So, best foot forward (if you have a best foot) and let’s make the most of the changing seasons we enjoy in the UK before climate change makes every day like the Sahara Desert!

Diamond League

Dina Asher-Smith at the Zurich Diamond League. Photo courtesy of her Instagram account

As well as the end of our own handicap competition, last week (27-28 August) saw the end of the 2025 Diamond League competition. The final meet was over two days in Zurich, Switzerland. With the World Athletics Championships set to start in Tokyo on 13 September, there were some encouraging performances from Team GB athletes. Here is a round-up of the best results for our competitors:

Women:

100m - Dina Asher-Smith (4th) - 10:94

200m - Dina Asher-Smith (2nd) - 22:18

400m - Amber Anning (5th) - 49:75 (SB)

800m - Georgia Hunter-Bell (2nd) - 1:55:96 (PB)

Men:

100m - Jeremiah Azu (4th) - 10:03

800m - Max Burgin (2nd) - 1:42:42

There was disappointment for George Mills who, after leading for most of the 3000m, was overtaken in the finish straight by a number of athletes who had kept their powder dry, and trailed in in 7th place in 7:38:71 (though I would love to ‘trail in’ at that pace!). But his disappointment was probably nothing compared to Australia’s Jessica Hull. steam in the dying moments of the 1500m final. The Australian was leading the 1500m final by ten metres heading into the home straight before running out of gas in the last 50 metres, with Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir beating her to the line by 0.03 seconds. Not only did the second place mean that she missed out on Diamond League glory, but she also lost the chance for a fourth Australian to compete in the women’s 1500m in Tokyo. Ouch!

Superfly Guys?

Sibusiso Kubheka crossing the finish line at the Chasing100

On 26 August near a small town in Puglia, Italy, Adidas staged a secretive, invitation-only, ultramarathon called Chasing100. The goal was to have six of their sponsored runners complete 100 kilometres in under six hours. And one of them managed it.  

South African runner Sibusiso Kubheka became the first person ever to finish the distance in under six hours, in 5:59:20. American Charlie Lawrence finished close behind with a personal best of 6:03:04. Aleksandr Sorokin, who holds the official world record, finished third in 6:04:10.

The Chasing100 race was not only a test for the runners but also for Adidas as a brand. They set up a special looped course, started the race at midnight when it was cooler, and introduced a new racing shoe called the Adizero Evo Prime X. With a stack height of around 50mm (that’s about two inches) and a new ‘Lightstrike Pro Evo foam’ compound in the sole, the shoe was designed to help athletes endure six straight hours at near-marathon intensity. However, because of the oversized design, any times set in the race will not be recognised by World Athletics, so Sorokin’s existing world record time of 6:05:35, set in 2023, will stand.

If you don’t mind not getting a record and want to give the shoes a try, they will go on sale in November for $500 dollars (that’s around £371 of your British pounds). However, the price does not include the pressurised gas tank that the shoes need to sit in for up to five days prior to use to ‘supercharge’ them, for maximum performance. Oh well, I’ll stick with the shoes I’ve got.

Walk this Way?

In the 80s the Bangles walked like an Egyptian. But the newest fitness trend on Instagram is Japanese walking, and it may have greater health benefits than walking with your arms and hands bent at right angles.

Created by professors at Shinshu University, Japanese walking uses intervals: walk fast for three minutes, then slow down for three, repeating for at least 30 minutes a few times a week. The brisk parts should feel tough, but you can still talk; the slow parts are for easy recovery.

Research shows Japanese walking improves weight loss, lowers blood pressure, and builds leg strength more than steady walking. It may even slow age-related declines in fitness, much like running.

How does it fit into running?

Japanese walking is good for cross-training or active recovery, offering cardio and muscle work while being gentle on joints. It’s not a replacement for running, but can complement your running routine and help prevent injury.

A to Z of Running

Episode three in the A-Z of running, and this week it is brought to you by the letter ‘C.’

C25K - Standing for Couch to 5K, a popular beginner training programme that helps newcomers to running build stamina and power over several weeks without risking injury or burnout.  

Cadence - Also known as stride rate, or stride turnover, this refers to the number of steps taken during a minute of running. Most experts say a cadence of around 180 steps per minute is ideal to maximise efficiency and minimise the risk of injury.  

Carbs - Short for carbohydrates. Carbs are the sugars, fibres, and starches commonly found in vegetables, grains, fruits, and other food. Carbs are vital for runners because they provide energy on the run and speed up recovery afterward. Common sources of carbs for runners include pasta, bread, and potatoes.

Carb Loading: the practice of upping your carbohydrate intake in the days leading up to a race or long run, to ensure your body’s glycogen (energy) stores are full.  

Chafing: A painful rubbing or irritation of the skin caused by skin to skin or skin to fabric —socks, underwear, shirt, sports bra — friction. Heat and moisture might exacerbate the irritation. Can be prevented or reduced by barrier cream like Vaseline or body glide, or tape and plasters.  

Cardio - short for cardiovascular exercise or aerobic exercise, is any physical activity that raises your heart rate and breathing for a sustained period, requiring increased oxygen use. Examples include brisk walking (like the Japanese walking mentioned above), running, swimming, and cycling. Regular cardio strengthens your heart and lungs, helps manage weight, improves mood, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. We love it!

Chicked: A term that’s used to describe a male runner (or cyclist) who gets passed by a female runner during a race. Quite old-fashioned these days and nothing to be ashamed of anyway.

Chip: This is a small electronic device on the back of your race bib or attached to your shoe or ankle with the purpose of keeping tabs on progress and running times during a race. The chip gets activated the when you step over the electronic mat at the start line and stops when you cross the finish line. If you forget to wear your chip, your race time won’t be formally recorded. There are sometimes electronic mats at points along the course of a major race, to catch out runners who try and cheat by missing part of the course.  

Conversational Pace: Sometimes referred to as the ‘talk test,’ this is a running pace which is relaxed enough that you can speak in complete sentences without much huffing and puffing. You should be using this pace for your recovery runs. It is NOT the pace you should be using for the fast sections of interval training!

Cool-down: a short period of easy jogging, walking, and stretching after a run, designed to gradually bring your heart rate and breathing back to their resting levels. This active cool down helps to improve blood circulation, flush out lactic acid, reduce muscle soreness, and prepare your body for recovery or the next workout. It's a crucial part of post-run recovery that aids in preventing injury and maintaining optimal muscle length and joint mobility.

CR - Stands for the course record.

Cross country - a form of running where individuals or teams race over a challenging, open-air, course with natural terrain, such as grass, mud, steams, hills, and woodland. Races are typically held in autumn and winter. You usually need special cross country running shoes to reduce the risk of slipping.  

Cross Training - Or XT for short, this consists of low-impact activities or forms of exercise other than running, such as weight training, cycling, swimming, yoga, and aqua running. Interspersing your running with XT can help improve fitness while reducing your risk of injury.

Greg’s Race Report

Joseph Grange with his first place trophy at the Phipps (Bank Holiday Monday) 5k

ELVIS race No. 08 was a 5k event hosted by Barking Road Runners on Bank Holiday Monday at Baking Park. 

First finisher on the day representing BRR was Joseph Grange in a time of 15:39. With plenty of volunteering duties to be covered BRR fielded a small team for this race. Other BRR runners on the day were Paul Withyman, Stuart Mackay, Jess Collett, Ron Vialls, Kevin Wotton, Belinda Riches, Paul Garvey, Joyce Golder, George Hiller, Dennis Spencer Perkins, Darren Graham, and Steve Colloff.

Clodagh and Tom Shorey took part in the Tracksmith Twilight London 5000, finishing in 29:45 (PB) and 23:30 respectively.

Tom and Clodagh at the Tracksmith Twilight 5000

The final race in BRR’s 5k summer handicap was won by Jason Suddaby who beat his handicap time by just over a minute. First place in the series went to Barry Rowell who managed to edge out Nikki Cranmer and Ron Vialls who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. 

Soft-focus BRR crew at the last Summer Handicap race

Louise Chappell completed the Ride Essex 100 miles cycling Sportive, in a time of 9:16:22.

Louise with her Essex 100 medal

In a trial for a new event BRR are planning Alison Fryatt finished in first place. The event which is a point-to-point race at Hainault Country Park is based on distance covered rather than time, whoever covers the least distance between the various points wins.

Alison Fryatt, first place at the point-to-point trial run

BRR parkrunners 

Barking - Chris Muthaka 25:54, George Hiller 27:54, John Lang 31:02, Andy Hiller 32:23, Rosie Fforde 34:32, Faye Spooner 34:54, Nikki Cranmer 38:11 and Alan Murphy 48:37.

Bevendean Down - Rory Burr 25:31.

Rory at Bevendean Down parkrun

Blickling - Paul Ward 27:48.

Gunnersbury - Doug King 30:33.

Doug at Gunnersbury parkrun

Kings Lynn - Jason Li 27:20.

Mile End - Alain Cooper 27:39.

Raphaels - John Mitchell 31:56.

South Woodham Ferrers - Belinda Riches 25:46, Ron Vialls 27:17, Steve Colloff 32:41 and Dennis Spencer Perkins 35:26.

Dennis, Belinda, Ron, and Steve C at South Woodham Ferrers parkrun

Valentines - Kevin Wotton 24:35.

Walthamstow - Stuart Mackay 20:31.

Wimpole Estate - Martin Brooks 29:55.

York - Mark New 23:35.

Highest BRR age gradings this week were Belinda Riches 67.59% for the women and Stuart Mackay 71.32% for the men.

Mark at York parkrun

BRR Diary – September 

The highlights of the coming weeks are listed below but you can see the full diary of BRR events on the TeamUp app. Simply download the TeamUp app to your phone, then enter the calendar key: ks67p21gt8p5gzdo66 when prompted. If you don’t want another app on your phone, you can also find it under the ‘events’ tab on the Barking Road Runners website: https://www.barkingroadrunners.org.uk/calendar.  

7.00pm, Tuesday 2 September - speed session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week Jess will be taking the session. She is going to do an Inverted Pyramid:
* 4m run, 2m rec
* 3m run, 2m rec
* 2m run, 90s rec
* 90s run, 1m rec
* 1m run, 1m rec
* 90s run, 1m rec
* 2m run, 90s rec
* 3m run, 2m rec
* 4m run, 2m rec

7.00pm, Thursday 4 September - Club road run. Castle Green Centre/Jo Richardson School. A road run, usually around four miles.  We might go over to Barking Riverside and do some stairs, before it gets too dark in the evening.

9.30am, Sunday 7 September - Eastbrookend Country Park. Those of us not doing football training will be seeing if we can remember the Dagenham 88 Running Club ELVIS race route, in preparation for our Chingford League race in early November.

The Eastbrookend Country Park route

10.30am, Sunday 14 September - Pleshey Half Marathon (GP06). Pleshey Village Hall, The Street, Pleshey, CM3 1HA. If you are fed up with the crowds of the central London half marathons, you’ll enjoy this race through the country lanes of Essex. Enter at https://www.atwevents.co.uk/e/springfield-striders-pleshey-and-essex-half-marathon-11528

11.00am, Sunday, 21 September - Ingatestone 5 (GP07). Anglo European School, Willow Green, Ingatestone CM4 ODG. Penultimate race in the grand prix series. This year is the 40th anniversary. Entries close 12 September, or when the race is full. Entry via Entry Central at https://www.entrycentral.com/Ingatestone5MileRoadRace

2.00pm, Sunday 28 September - BRR v The Builders football match. Barking Abbey School Sports Ground, South Park Drive.

Advance Notice:

7.00pm, Tuesday 30 September - timed mile. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park.

7.30pm/8.00pm, Tuesday 7 October. Chingford League race 01. Hog Hill (Redbridge Cycle Circuit), Forest Rd IG6 3HP. Senior Women start at 7:30 pm, Senior Men start at 8pm. All Seniors run a measured 5k, on a very dark course! Toilets, showers, changing rooms, lockers, and refreshments are available at the centre. THERE WILL BE NO TRACK SESSION so you might as well give it a go!

Cracker Corner

Airport police say that the number of people smuggling helium balloons in their luggage is under control. But cases continue to rise.

My friend decided to get a face tattoo of his favourite Star Wars character…You should have seen the Luke on his face!

I had so much trouble sharpening my pencil I gave up. I just couldn’t see the point.

Quote of the week

‘Winners Never Quit & Quitters Never Win.’

Vince Lombardi

And Finally…

Us slower runners who completed the Clacton 10k on Sunday 17 August are still waiting for our medals, after the shipment was refused entry to the UK by Customs. Personally, I blame the MP for Clacton, Nigel Farage. Probably thinks the medals were trying to claim asylum…

Happy Running

Alison

Chair, Barking Road Runners