BRR Blog - 19 October 2026
Most of the Neon running team
Howdie Road Runners
Another packed week of running for Barking Road Runners despite there being no official Club races, with members lighting up events near and far in true BRR style. From neon‑bright night races to big‑city 10‑milers and a milestone marathon debut, our runners once again showed the grit and determination that make this club special.
Members’ Cup 2025/26
A reminder to register your vote for who you think should be the winner of the Members’ Cup for 2025/26. The Cup is awarded to the person most members think has made the biggest contribution to the Club in the past year. I won last year, so you can’t vote for me, and you can’t vote for yourself either! Find out more and vote using this link: https://forms.gle/9eDxrA8uPMLbew3D8. Voting closes Friday 6 November.
Get Involved, Get Competitive (but friendly)! 🏆🏃♀️🏃♂️
Our club competitions are a great way to challenge yourself, represent Barking Road Runners, and enjoy some friendly rivalry with your club mates. Whether it's the Chingford League, South Essex Cross Country League, Grand Prix, or ELVIS, there's something for runners of all abilities, with trophies and recognition available across a range of categories.
Trophies for the 2025/26 year will be awarded at the Club Presentation Night on 27 November.
There's another important reason to get involved. Participation in club competitions earns points towards the club's London Marathon selection process. Consistently supporting the club through these events could help you secure one of Barking Road Runners' guaranteed places for the 2028 London Marathon. See the Club rules for more details.
So pull on your club vest, join your teammates on the start line, and make every race count. You could come away with a trophy, some well-earned kudos, and a step closer to London Marathon 2028!
BRR Race Report
It was a busy week for Barking Road Runners, with members out racing across Britain and beyond.
On Tuesday evening, Alison and Dawn took part in a Street Orienteering event with a difference. The aim was to navigate around Bow, East London, with the most basic map, and find the answer to as many clues as possible within an hour. Originally coming from Bow, Alison had a distinct advantage, though it is 37 years since she moved away!
Dawn and Alison after the orienteering event in Bow
In Lanzarote, Paul Manson was awarded a diploma for successfully completing a duathlon – a long run, followed by a cycle then another run - at Club la Santa.
Paul M with his duathlon diploma
Friday evening kicked off in glowing style at the ATW Neon Run, a fun and vibrant evening event at the Gravesend Velopark with both 10k and 5k distances. Belinda Riches led the way in the 10k with a strong 49:55, followed by Barry Rowell in 58:59 (winning the 65-69 age category), Steve Colloff in 1:00:36 and Darren Graham in 1:22:39. In the 5k event, Tom Brennan produced an impressive 20:10, with Rachel Sharples finishing in 34:16, Graham Monckton close behind in 34:25, and Denise Graham completing the distance in 55:21.
The bonkers Neon Run photo
Shantelle Keech took on this atmospheric Nike After Dark 10k and delivered a superb performance of 46:36. The race started and finished at Silverworks Island and featured a unique course across the runway at London City Airport.
Shantelle at the Nike After Dark 10k, with her fantastic necklace ‘medal.’
Sunday saw a huge milestone for Maysen Davies, who completed her marathon debut at the Yorkshire Marathon in 4:23:21, despite a tough, hilly, course.
Maysen celebrating her first marathon
Meanwhile, Dawn Curtis headed to Portsmouth for the 10‑mile Great South Run. Dawn completed the race, which passes through Portsmouth’s historic dockyard and along the seafront, in 2:07:09.
Dawn after the Great South Run
BRR parkrunners
Barking parkrun – Daniel Plawiak 22:59, Trevor Cooper 28:46, Mick Davison 29:34, Jason Li 30:58, Amanda Heslegrave 31:14, Cristina Cooper 31:15, Anjali Mahey 34:15, James Sheridan 35:11, Martin Mason 36:19, Dawn Blake 37:39, Nikki Cranmer 37:40, Alan Murphy 49:30 and Emma Paisley 1:11:31.
Thorney Bay Beach parkrun – Ronald Vialls 25:31.
Chalkwell Beach parkrun – Antony Leckerman 21:20.
Valentines parkrun – Richard Dudman 25:49 and Martin O’Toole 30:25.
Chelmsford Central parkrun – Louise Chappell 29:24.
Leybourne Lakes parkrun – Paul David Withyman 21:58 and Peter Jackson 24:13.
Bournemouth parkrun – Mark New 26:08.
Harlow parkrun – Martin Page 22:45.
Bromley parkrun – Belinda Riches 25:16, Barry Rowell 31:18, Stephen Colloff 32:16 and Denise Graham 53:43.
Barry at Bromley
Stanborough parkrun – Rory Burr 22:42.
Rory and friend at Stanborough
Portsmouth Lakeside parkrun – Dawn Curtis 41:01.
Dawn at Portsmouth Lakeside
BRR Diary - October/November
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.
7.00pm, Tuesday 20 October - Speed Work. Jim Peter’s Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week’s session is the ‘Triple Threat’:
1 x (6 mins with 90 secs recovery) - 7 Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE)
3 x (3 mins with 90 secs recovery) - 7.5-8 RPE
4 x (90 secs with 90 secs recovery) 8.5-9 RPE
The session blends a long VO₂max interval, medium controlled efforts, and short sharp repeats. That combination gives you the full spectrum of speed‑endurance benefits: stronger aerobic power, better fatigue resistance, and sharper leg turnover. Remind yourself of that while you are running it…
7.00pm, Thursday 22 October - Warrior training from the May and Baker Social Club. Dagenham Rd, Dagenham, Romford RM7 0QX. The session will be:
1000m, 800m, 600m, 4 x 400m
Nige may also be leading a road run from the Castle Green Centre in Gale Street. Look out for details on WhatsApp.
7.15pm, Thursday 29 October - BRR 2026 AGM. Jo Richardson School/Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Becontree. To elect the club committee, vote on proposed rule changes, and discuss developments in the club over the past year.
11.00am, Saturday 31 October - Eastbrookend 5 miler (Chingford League 01). Discovery Centre, Eastbrookend Country Park, The Chase, RM7 OSS. The first race in this year’s Chingford League competition. Thanks to those who have already confirmed they will run or volunteer.
6.00pm, Sunday 1 November - LoSS 10k and 5k. Leigh on Sea Station car park, Belton Way, Leigh on Sea, SS9 2ET. A spooky Hallowe'en themed evening of fun & running. Medal and a glass of Prosecco or soft drink for every finisher. Headtorches or body torches are mandatory, fancy dress is optional though there is a bonus prize for the latter. Enter at: Leigh-on-Sea Striders 10k - EntryCentral
Male Menopause?
Last week, we explored how menopause can affect women runners. This week, it’s the men’s turn: what does the “male menopause” mean for runners? You’ll notice I haven’t been brave enough to include a photo of the guys like I did for the ladeez…
The phrase ‘male menopause’ is widely used, but the NHS describes it as misleading because it is not the same as the female menopause. Rather than a sudden hormonal shift, men generally experience a gradual decline in testosterone—around 1% a year from their thirties or forties onwards.
Even so, some effects can be similar: lower energy, slower recovery, reduced muscle mass, poorer sleep and less motivation. The response is similar too—men also need to train smarter, not harder.
Recovery is one of the biggest changes for masters runners. You may still be able to complete the same sessions, but your body may need longer to recover. Build easy and rest days into your plan, and address niggles before they become injuries. And remember the magical properties of an extra hour’s sleep – that’s when your body repairs itself.
Strength also becomes increasingly important with age. Simple exercises such as squats, lunges, step-ups and calf raises twice a week can help reduce injury risk.
A little speed work, like we do at track, can help preserve the fast-twitch muscle fibres that naturally decline with age.
So, it may be a tough message guys but, as we age, consistency matters more than heroics. A runner who trains sensibly for 45 weeks a year will usually outperform one who trains brilliantly for six weeks, then spends the next six injured. The goal is not to run exactly as you did at 25, but to be the best runner you can be today.
A Brief History of…Mayesbrook Park
For BRR members, Mayesbrook Park probably means Tuesday night speed sessions at Jim Peters Stadium. But the park around the track has an interesting history of its own.
Mayesbrook Park was created in the 1930s to provide open space for residents of the rapidly growing Becontree Estate. It was also a job creation scheme; with high unemployment in the borough, builders had a clause in their contract to make sure that 85 per cent of the workers should come from the local Labour Exchange (nowadays called the Jobcentre).
The park takes its name from the Mayes Brook which runs along the side of the park. The original plans were ambitious, with football and cricket pitches, tennis courts, a hockey pitch and putting green. There was a sunken garden (unfortunately filled in during the 1980s), sometimes remembered as the Japanese Garden because of the lotus flowers growing in its pond The two large lakes, an important wildlife habitat, began life as gravel pits. Development was interrupted by the Second World War, when soldiers were accommodated in the park and bombs fell there in 1940 and 1941. The athletics track was added to the park after the War, in 1951. Today it forms part of Jim Peters Stadium, which was extensively refurbished for the 2012 Paralympic Games.
In 2011 a major restoration turned the previously straightened Mays Brook into a more natural river landscape, creating wetlands and additional flood storage. Natural England described the project as the UK's first climate-change park.
So next Tuesday, while you're cursing those reps, remember you're running through a surprisingly interesting little bit of local history.
Cracker Corner
I told the doctor I got a nasty reaction when I applied ointment to my piles. He asked ‘where did you apply it?’ I replied ‘on the bus.’
I’ve been diagnosed with a phobia of German sausages. I fear the wurst.
Yesterday evening Chris went to the barbers and asked what kind of cut would make him look good. The barber replied ‘a power cut.’
Quote of the Week
“Whether a mile or a marathon, you get there the same way… one step at a time. Such is life.”
Baylor Barbee
And finally…
BRR members like their post-run beverages, and Yorkshire tea is often a – non-alcoholic – favourite.
Hopefully everyone is aware that the tea isn’t grown in Yorkshire. It is made by Taylors of Harrogate, a family business with roots in Yorkshire going back to 1886. The Yorkshire Tea blend was originally created in the 1970s to taste good with the different types of water found across Yorkshire. The tea leaves, however, come from considerably warmer parts of the world, with teas from countries including Kenya, India and Sri Lanka used in its blends.
However, as a tea lover, I was interested to see an article on the BBC News site about tea that is actually grown in Scotland. Susie Walker-Munro has been growing tea on her family's farm in Angus since 2007. Her Kinnettles Gold is grown in a walled garden near Forfar, where the acidic soil provides suitable conditions for tea plants.
There is, however, one fairly substantial catch: The most expensive tea produced on Susie's farm costs around £40 a packet. At that price I think I’ll stick with Yorkshire’s finest for my post-run refreshments…
