BRR Blog - 2 March 2026
Some of the competitors from the Trek London races
Hello Road Runners
The 2026 Grand Prix season has kicked off, with the Trek London Half Marathon. It didn’t much feel like the first day of meteorological spring, but at least the promised rain didn’t show up. Nice medal, but the free tube of Voltarol might be the best gift ever for a poorly trained runner! Further details of this race, and Tendayi’s HM debut, in Greg’s Race Report. And, if you want to see the results of last week’s parkrun complaints poll, you’ll have to keep reading right to the end.
Greg’s Race Report
After the Trek London Half
Barking Road Runners first Grand Prix in the eight-race series this year was the Trek London Half Marathon at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This was the first time BRR had this race in its Grand Prix series and there was quite a good turn out with the first finisher being Owen Wainhouse 1:35:02 followed by Martin Page 1:42:36, Belinda Riches 1:52:59, Mark Odeku 1:53:05, Barry Rowell 2:06:54, Joyce Golder 2:16:03, Dennis Spencer Perkins 2:36:20, Alison Fryatt 2:46:02 and Dawn Curtis 2:53:48.
Stephanie Rashbrook and Jack Stanford ran in the 10k finishing in times of 1:09:57 and 48:15 respectively.
Tendayi Hove ran her first Half Marathon in Chelmsford finishing in a time of 2:44:34. Tendayi and friends ran for the charity Doctors without Borders.
Tendayi and friends at the Chelmsford Half
BRR parkrunners
ARU Writtle - Gary Harford 28:14 and Vicky Groves 32:16.
Gary with Vicky Groves at ARU Writtle parkrun
Barking - James Lowndes 20:42, Rory Burr 21:59, Joshua Ezissi 24:53, Stuart Burr 28:38, Nikki Cranmer 28:39, Tom Shorey 28:56, Jason Li 29:08, Emma Paisley 31:03, Louise Chappell 33:23, Martin Mason 37:47, Alan Murphy 53:33 and Sian Mansley 54:24.
Rory, Stuart and friends at Barking parkrun
Basildon - Ron Vialls 26:19.
Chippenham - Rob Courtier 37:24.
Ferry Meadows - Sunny Bulchandani 26:35.
Gunpowder - Paul Ward 29:27.
Hillsborough - Rosie Fforde 23:47.
Mole Valley - Mark New 27:16, Belinda Riches 30:41 and Barry Rowell 36:14.
BRR tourists at Mole Valley parkrun
Valentines - Richard Dudman 27:29.
York - Faye Spooner 28:41.
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Nikki Cranmer 63.18% for the women and Ron Vialls 69.73% for the men.
BRR Diary - March
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 3 March - speed session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week, the pyramid is back. Because I am all heart, I have given you a couple of minutes extra recovery after the longest rep. Runs should be just over 5k pace or 8 out of 10 rate of perceived effort:
1 min run, 1 min recovery
2 min run, 1 min recovery
3 min run, 1 min recovery
4 min run, 1 min recovery
5 min run, 3 min recovery
4 min run, 1 min recovery
3 min run, 1 min recovery
2 min run, 1 min recovery
1 min run, 1 min recovery
7.00pm, Thursday 5 March - Road Run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Dagenham. A social run around the roads of Barking and Dagenham, we’ll be doing just under five miles:
Thursday’s running route
Right out of Castle Green Centre, left A13/Cook Rd, straight ahead New Rd, left Ballards Road, left Church Lane/Siviter Way/Church St/Church Elm Way, across Heathway to Hedgemans Rd, across Gale St to Woodward Rd, left Canonsleigh Rd, left Goresbrook Rd, right Gale St and back to base camp.
Saturday 7 March - Friday 13 March - Virtual Winter Handicap 04.
11.30am, Saturday 7 March - Chingford League Relays. Wanstead Park, Harrow Road Pavilion, 4 x 3,000m cross country. The grand finale of the Chingford League season, and always good fun, followed by presentations for 2025/26. Do let us know if you can take part, so we can pull teams together.
11.00am, Wednesday 25 March - Ron’s 5k run. Barking Park, parkrun course. If you’d like to record your virtual handicap time under proper handicap conditions. The Secret to Fast Running Later in Life
ELVIS Re-enters the Building
Greg and I attended the 2026 ELVIS planning meeting last Wednesday. For those of you who don’t know, ELVIS stands for East London fiVes Interclub Series, a summer competition of eight races organised by running clubs in the East London area. A club doesn’t have to organise a race in order to take part in the series, and it has been announced that this year Victoria Park Harriers and Athletics Club will be joining in (the races are ‘open’ which means that non-club members can enter too).
The following dates have been agreed for this year’s races:
Dagenham 88 Runners - Wednesday 20th May, 7.30pm - 5 miles Eastbrookend Country Park.
Havering 90 Joggers - Tuesday 2nd June, 7.30pm - 5 miles Raphael’s Park.
East London Runners - Wednesday 10th June, 7.30pm - 5km Valentines Park (back up date – Wednesday 27th May).
East End Road Runners - Tuesday 23rd June, 7.30pm - 5km Olympic Park.
Ilford AC - Wednesday 8th July, 7.30pm - 5 miles Hainault Forest Country Park.
Harold Wood Running Club - Wednesday 29th July, 7.30pm - 5km Harold Wood Park.
Orion Harriers - Saturday 1st August, 10.00am - 5 miles Epping Forest.
Barking Road Runners - Monday 31st August, 10.30am - 5km, Barking Park.
Each race awards its own trophies, and there are also trophies for the overall series. In addition, BRR holds its own ELVIS competition to acknowledge the members that have turned out to represent the club. I’ll include all the competition rules in the blog nearer to the first race.
Adieu to Jeff
Wednesday, 25 February saw the sad passing of a running legend: Jeff Galloway. Galloway died at the age of 80 in Pensacola, Florida, following a hemorrhagic stroke, as confirmed by his family.
Galloway was a 1972 Olympian, running for the US in the 10,000 metres, but it is as a pioneer of the run‑walk‑run method that he will be most remembered. His approach opened the sport to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, proving that endurance isn’t about perfection but about consistency, joy, and self‑belief. His method— known as “Jeffing”— became a lifeline for beginners and a performance tool for seasoned athletes too. By encouraging planned walk breaks, he challenged outdated ideas about toughness and showed that smart pacing could lead to stronger finishes and happier runners.
For running clubs like ours, his legacy lives on every time someone takes a walk break without guilt (like Dawn and me at the Trek London Half!), every time a nervous first‑timer lines up for a 5K, and every time we remind each other that progress and enjoyment of running matters more than pace. Jeff Galloway didn’t just change how we run—he changed how we think about running.
Zahra’s Uni Unload
Squats and lunges are great for building strength
Strength training is something that all runners should be doing. It's one of those things where people get confused between the right and wrong and the truth is lifting and strength training doesn't make you big; it's not about getting bigger it's about getting stronger and being able to train harder with a lower injury risk. Strength training helps your body to better absorb impact when running protecting all your joints and muscles, it also helps you to be a more efficient runner since your muscles are stronger so they don't need as much energy and oxygen to maintain a faster pace so you can run more and quicker while using less energy.
Strength training also kicks in at the finish line of a race, when your fatigued and want to give up. It helps you to keep going and keep your posture upright. You will have the power to finish strong and maybe even throw in a sprint finish.
Strength training doesn't have to be hard and confusing, squats and lunges are good for power in the legs and planks and sit ups can help you build a strong core which will help you keep upright and feel stronger and better.
Keep Competitive at Any Age
Ever wondered how some mature runners manage to keep racing fast and stay healthy year after year? The story of a remarkable un-named Spanish runner offers a clue.
The 81-year-old Spaniard started running at the age of 66 and began competing at 70. In May 2025, he set the men’s 80+ world record for 50 km in 4:47:39, beating the previous world record by 49 minutes.
The runner worked hard for his record, with typical training weeks of around 65 km spread over seven runs, occasionally rising to 120 km in the months leading up to a big race. But researchers found that what set him apart from other runners of the same age was his body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently. Through frequent, steady running and carefully targeted workouts, he built a foundation that allowed his muscles to extract and utilise oxygen—keeping them fast even as they aged.
The lesson here is simple: run consistently, add a touch of speed, and give your body time to adapt. Oxygen utilisation is your superpower for staying fast at any age.
Quote of the Week
“We are designed to run, and we increase our chance of daily happiness when we do so.”
Jeff Galloway
Cracker Corner
I went to the doctor because I had a lump like a strawberry on my forehead. He said ‘I’ve got some cream for that.’
Chris keeps painting me with black and white stripes while I’m asleep. I’ve told him to stop badgering me.
My neighbour has a map of the UK tattooed on his back. I always know where I am with him.
And finally…
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in my parkrun complaints poll. It seem you all value your free, weekly, 5k run, and appreciate the volunteers that make it possible, but the majority thought it was ok to give feedback if there was a big issue. I liked Dawn’s suggestion that, while feedback is fine, it should always be polite. Pity the woman who told me off because she missed the turn for the second lap at Barking and walked an extra 10 metres didn’t feel the same…
Results of the parkrun complaints poll
