BRR Blog - 15 June 2026
BRR Team at the Valentines 5k, before the rain came…
Hi there, Road Runners,
It’s been a very busy week of running. After the rainfest that was the Valentines Park 5k ELVIS race last week, several Barking Road Runners were in action over the weekend, putting in some impressive performances. All the details in Greg’s race report, below - you have certainly kept him busy!
Sad news this week that the Ingatestone 5 mile race won’t happen this year, as the Anglo European School which is race HQ is being refurbished. As usual Ingatestone was due to be a Grand Prix race, but we have replaced it with the Southend 10k on 4 October (thanks for the suggestion, Martin P), which hopefully everyone will enjoy just as much. It sells out quickly, so enter asap at: Home - Southend 10K
Away from running, there was a completely British podium at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Barcelona, for the first time since 1968. Let’s hope it bodes well for England in the World Cup!
Greg’s Race Report
ELVIS race No. 3 was a 5k event hosted by East London Runners at Valentines Park. Once again Barking Road Runners had a good number of members turn out for this race.
First female BRR runner was Jean Bridgeman 25:14 followed by Belinda Riches 26:15, Debra Jean Baptiste 28:06, Nikki Cranmer 29:06, Louise Chappell 29:37, Emma Paisley 30:57, Sian Mansley 31:31, Dawn Curtis 31:33 and Alison Fryatt 32:59.
First BRR finisher for the men was Dominic Herring 20:20 followed by Tom Brennan 21:52, Martin Page 22:48, Jason Suddaby 23:18, Ben Suddaby 24:38, John George 25:08, Kevin Wotton 25:38, Gary Harford 29:28, Barry Rowell 29:32, Steve Colloff 30:24, Rob Courtier 34:16 and Darren Graham 35:49.
Rory Burr ran in the Southend Half Marathon on Sunday finishing in a time of 1:46:44.
Barry Rowell ran the St Albans Half Marathon finishing in a time of 2:29:46. At the same event Darren Graham ran the 10k in a time of 1:21:51.
Barry at St. Albans
Darren at St. Albans
Gary Harford ran the Boxted 10k finishing in a time of 1:09:29.
Gary H after the Boxted 10k
Martin Page ran the Quendon and Rickling Runfest trail 10k finishing 2nd in his category in a time of 49:33.
Martin Page at his Trail 10k
And, finally, second-claimer Steve Philcox ran at the High Easter 10k, finishing in 36:46, his fastest time over the distance in eight years.
Steve P at the Great Easter 10k.
BRR parkrunners
Barking - Stuart Mackay 19:56 , Jess Collett 22:36 , Daniel Plawiak 23:05 , ben Suddaby 23:42, Jason Suddaby 23:45, Stuart Burr 27:36 , Paul Manson 28:04 , Maysen Davies 30:55, Joyce Golder 30:41, Sian Mansley 31:30, Emma Paisley 32:02 , Martin Mason 34:54, Nikki Cranmer 36:32 and Alan Murphy 51:10.
Bexley - Rob Courtier 36:54.
Rob and friends at Bexley parkrun
Gunpowder - Paul Ward 24:58.
Harrow Lodge - Barry Rowell 31:03, Steve Colloff 34:44, and Darren Graham 40:41.
BRR runners and volunteers at Harrow Lodge parkrun
Highwoods - Louise Chappell 47:40.
Louise and her sister at Highwoods parkrun
Moors Valley - Mark New 25:42.
Valentines - Richard Dudman 24:59, Kevin Wotton 25:30 and Martin O’Toole 28:48.
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Jess Collett 68.58% for the women and Stuart Mackay 74.00% for the men.
BRR Diary - June
The highlights of the coming weeks are listed below but you can see the full diary of BRR events on the TeamUp app. Just 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.
7.30pm, Tuesday 16 June - speed session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. Greg will be at the helm this week:
10 x (2 mins at 5k race pace with 90 secs recovery)
Recovery can be walked or jogged.
7.00pm, Thursday 18 June - Summer Handicap #01. Barking Park, parkrun course. Just £1 per race or £6 in advance for the series of eight races, and the first past the post has a chance of winning a tenner each time. Plus trophies for first, second, and third for the best performers across the competition (five best scores to count). Let Greg know if you haven’t got a handicap time.I’m planning on going to the Acorn afterwards - purely for research purposes, you understand - if anyone fancies joining me.
7.30pm, Friday 19 June - 30th John Clarke Memorial Fell Race. Jubilee Retreat, Bury Road, Chingford, E4 7QJ The only Category A fell race within the M25. To be classified as Cat A a race must: average not less than 50m climb per kilometre; have more than 20% of the race distance on road; and be at least 1.5 kilometres in length (this race is about 5k). It’s a real challenge! Enter on the night by 7.00pm or in advance at:https://www.orionharriers.com/fixtures/fell-race/
7.30pm, Tuesday 23 June - EERR Olympic Park 5k. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Enter at: krono:sports - Entry System & Race Timing Solutions - East End Road Runners - Olympic Park 5K ELVIS #4.TRACK CANCELLED.
7.00pm, Thursday 25 June - Summer Handicap #02.
The Art of Not Getting Tired
This week we are moving away from what to eat and drink, and instead looking at the training hacks you can do to maximise your running performance without feeling wrecked.
#6: Do Cross-Training Workouts
For any runner aiming to get fitter, faster, and more resilient, cross‑training isn’t a backup plan. It’s a smart, sustainable way to build endurance while keeping your body happy and injury‑free.
All runners should add at least one cross‑training sessions into their weekly routine. It’s an easy way to boost endurance without asking your legs to absorb even more pounding from extra running miles.
Low‑impact cross‑training such as cycling, swimming, rowing, or the elliptical reduces the repetitive impact stress that running places on your joints, bones, and connective tissues. That means you can safely increase your overall training volume while giving your body a break from the forces that often lead to niggles or overuse injuries.
At the same time, these workouts still deliver a strong cardiovascular challenge. They strengthen your heart and lungs, build muscular endurance, and improve your ability to sustain effort — all of which translate directly into better running performance. Because you’re working hard without the same mechanical load, you recover more quickly and avoid the fatigue that comes from simply adding more miles.
Tabata? Oh, Go On Then
If you liked the short sprints at the end of last week’s track session, you will love Tabata.
Tabata is a specific type of high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. The classic format is simple: 20 seconds of very hard effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. That adds up to just four minutes, but because the work intervals are so intense, it can feel far tougher than a longer steady workout.
The appeal is its efficiency. Tabata can help improve fitness, boost speed and power, challenge both aerobic and anaerobic systems, and add variety when you do not have much time. For runners, Tabata sprints can sharpen leg speed and running economy.
Although Tabata is often associated with sprinting, the format can be applied to almost any exercise. You can use it for hill sprints, cycling, rowing or skipping, but it also works well with bodyweight moves such as squats, burpees, mountain climbers, high knees or push-ups. The principle stays the same: short bursts of near-maximal effort, followed by very brief recovery.
Because it is so demanding, Tabata works best when you warm up properly, focus on good form and give yourself recovery between hard sessions. Done well, it is a simple way to fit a serious workout into a busy day. So, next time you are vegging in front of the TV, wear your kit, and you can fit in a quick Tabata session during the ad break.
And I would run 5,000k
Darren Woods with parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt. Photo courtesy Sky News
You’ll have seen that, on 30 May at Morden parkrun in south-west London, Darren Wood made parkrun history, becoming the first person ever to complete 1,000 events and earning a lovely yellow t-shirt into the bargain.
Wood took part in the second ever parkrun, when it was still called the Bushey Park Time Trial. Since then, he has taken part in nearly 120 different events across the UK and abroad. He credits parkrun with helping him get through some difficult times in his life, including personal and financial struggles. He has described parkrun as “the one constant” that helped him keep going.
Rather cynically, my first thought when I heard about the 1,000 runs, was ‘yeah, but how often has he volunteered?’ Quite a lot, it turns out: around 400 times, and not just roles that you can do that still allow you to run.
Because parkrun was never just about counting runs — it’s about being part of something bigger, week after week.
Cracker Corner
There is a nudist convention in Barking next weekend. I might go if I’ve got nothing on.
My favourite new band is called the Tarpaulins. They cover everything.
Someon keeps sending me flowers with their heads cut off. I think I’m being stalked.
“You are truly your own hero in running. It is up to you to have the responsibility and self–discipline to get the job done.” – Adam Goucher
And finally…
Not the actual driverless car…
I was waiting to cross Victoria Street the other morning when a Waymo car came along. They are the driverless cars that are being piloted in London. I felt a strong urge to dash across the road to test the car’s braking system but resisted the temptation.
Turns out, that was a wise decision. Researchers have found that, whilst the cars are good at predicting what walkers might do, runners are a lot less predictable. We’re way more likely to bolt into the street to avoid messing up our pace, and the cars don’t really handle that well. Glad I didn’t end up learning that lesson the hard way!
