BRR Blog - 20 April 2026
Our proud Manchester Marathon finishers - Debra, Jason S and Steph - didn’t they do well?
Howdie Road Runners
I was quite stuck for who to put at the top of the blog this week, with no official Club races but so many huge achievements. I went for a triptych of the Manchester Marathon finishers in the end (it might be the only time I can use the word ‘triptych’ in the blog). Depending when you read this blog, our Boston Marathoners may also have finished their race. They will have missed the copy deadline for the B&D Post, so we will cover them in next week’s blog, alongside the London Marathoners. Just hoping everyone can get to the Expo to collect their race numbers and t-shirts despite the tube strike. I’ll be there on the t-shirt counter on Friday and Saturday mornings, for anyone who leaves it until then.
Without further ado, on to this week’s blog. But, while I remember, a bid ‘thank you’ to Greg, who has continued to send me his race round-up, despite being on an extended visit to family in Australia. Greg will be on the plane on the way home so I’ll have to muddle through as best I can.
Greg’s Race Round-Up
Several Barking Road Runners headed North this week for the Manchester Marathon. First BRR finisher was Jason Suddaby 4:13:25. He was followed by Debra Jean Baptiste 4:34:18 and Stephanie Rashbrook 5:57:21.
Also in Manchester was Emma Paisley although she finished the weekend in Sheffield whilst taking on the 80k Peak Divide Manchester to Sheffield two- day trail run. Emma did 42k on day one and 38k on day two.
Emma ready for action at the Peak Divide
Not quite as far North was Gary Harford who was in Cambridge for the ATW Cambridge 10k. Despite injuring his calf at about 7k Gary managed to finish in a time of 1:06:33.
Gary H at the Cambridge 10k
Whilst in the USA for the Boston Marathon supporting Cristina, Trevor Cooper ran the Boston 5k finishing in a time of 24:44.
Trevor C after the Boston 5k
BRR parkrunners
Barking - Dominic Herring 20:42, Jack Stanford 21:52, Joshua Ezissi 21:56, Shantelle Keech 22:56, George Hiller 27:13, Barry Rowell 29:01, Tom Shorey 32:07, Jason Li 32:07, Rob Courtier 34:34, Martin Mason 35:26, Nikki Cranmer 37:39, Faye Spooner 38:33, Sian Mansley 41:13, Darren Graham 41:29, James Sheridan 41:29, Astrid Effendi 41:36 and Alan Murphy 52:18.
Bournemouth - Mark New 24:40.
Champion Lakes - Greg Adams 38:52.
Danehy Park - Belinda Riches 24:01.
Belinda at Danehy Park parkrun
Gunpowder - Paul Ward 26:21.
Mersea Island - Louise Chappell 31:05.
Louise at Mersea Island parkrun
Raphaels - Doug King 25:22.
Valentines - Richard Dudman 24:40, Martin O’Toole 30:24.
Whitecliffe Lake - Rory Burr 23:07.
Rory at Whitecliffe Lake parkrun, with the white cliffs behind!
Wimpole Estate - Martin Brooks 27:42.
Woodlands, Scarborough - Joyce Golder 27:58.
York Community Woodland - Dawn Curtis 46:06.
Dawn at York Community Woodland parkrun
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Belinda Riches 73.42% for the women and Dominic Herring 63.69% for the men.
BRR Diary - April/May
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.
Saturday 18 April to Friday 24 April - Virtual Winter Handicap 07. Your final chance to record a time in this year’s virtual handicap competition.
7.00pm, Tuesday 21 April - speed session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week John will be leading the session:
2 min run, 1 min recovery
3 min run, 1 min recovery
4 min run, 90 secs recovery
5 min run, 90 secs recovery
4 min run, 90 secs recovery
3 min run, 1 min recovery
2 min run, 1 min recovery
The reps should be run at 5k race pace, or just over. No heroics from anyone running London, please!
11.00am, Wednesday 22 April - Ron’s 5k Run. Parkrun course, Barking Park. If you are free during the day, this is a great way to record your virtual handicap time.
7.00pm, Thursday 23 April - Club road run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Becontree. This week’s run is approx 3 miles:
Left from Castle Green Centre along Gale St, right Arden Cres, right Hedgemans Rd, left Heathway, left Porters Ave, left Spurling Rd, right Ivyhouse Rd, left Gale St, right Woodward Rd, left Arden Cres, right Gale St and back to Castle Green.
6.30pm, Friday 24 April - pre-London Marathon carb loading. China Friend, Longbridge Road. Come and join in a pre-LM nosh-up with your BRR friends, whether or not you are running London. We don’t book tables; just drop in.
China Friend restaurant
Sunday 26 April - London Marathon. Volunteers to meet Dennis at Barking station at 8.00am to travel together to Shadwell Station. Earlybirds to go straight to the water station site for 7.30am: junction The Highway/Garnet Street. What3Words ///miss.proof.pushed
7.00pm, Friday 1 May - post-marathon get together. Side room (to left of the door), The Three Travellers, Wood Lane, Dagenham, RM10 7DS. A chance to get together for a drink and chat, whether or not you have run a marathon or volunteered on the water station. There will be a small buffet.
The Three Travellers
2.00pm, Sunday 3 May - The Rematch. Football Pitch by the Bus Garage, South Park Drive. Third outing for the BRR football team, and this time I have a good feeling about it! Do come along and support, if you are not playing. We’ll probably pop across to the Acorn afterwards, to celebrate.
7.30pm, Wednesday 13 May - Crown to Crown 5k. Westley Heights Country Park. Cheap and cheerful off raod race, organised by Pitsea Running Club. Just £2.50 to enter. https://www.entrycentral.com/Crown-to-Crown.
10.00am, Sunday 17 May - Great Baddow 10 (GP03). Great Baddow Recreation Ground, CM2 9RL. Third race in the 2026 Grand Prix Series, with a community fair thrown in. Enter at: https://baddowraces.co.uk/
7.30pm, Wednesday 20 May - Dagenham 88 5-miles. Eastbrookend Country Park, the Chase, Romford, RM7 0SS. First race in this year’s East London fiVes Interclub Series (a competition consisting of 5k or 5-mile races between clubs based in East London). The tea rooms will be open for refreshments. Enter at: https://www.entrycentral.com/Dagenham88Runners_2026
Barking parkrun Closures
You may have seen the update on Facebook setting out when Barking parkrun will be closed due to the High Lights music festival in Barking Park. Unfortunately, there will be no parkrun for four weeks but we are lucky that there so many other parkruns that are easily accessible so we can still get our parkrun fix. Let’s guess how many people will fail to check and still turn up at Barking Park…
Zahra’s Uni Unload
Chocolate milk is the best recovery option after exercise
The best thing to have after a run is chocolate milk, but why not normal milk or maybe strawberry or banana milk? When you recover you need protein but you also need lots of different macronutrients and micronutrients . In order for your muscles to effectively repair and for your glycogen stores to replenish you need to get the right ratio of carbohydrates to proteins. Normal milk typically has a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio whereas chocolate milk has a 4:1 ratio which is due to the cocoa and sugar. It's been scientifically proven that this ratio maximises protein synthesis and helps you get proper recovery. You're probably thinking why can't I have any flavour? There's a reason: chocolate has flavonoids. The cocoa in chocolate milk is filled with antioxidants which helps reduce inflammation caused by exercise. Chocolate milk tends to be 90% water but it is full of natural electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium and milk is more nutrient dense dense than water so it stays in you system longer allowing your body to absorb more fluids. Within 30-45 minutes of finishing a run you should drink 8-12 ounces (approx 250-350 mls) of fluids as this is the anabolic window which is the optimal time for your muscles to absorb nutrients.
Cracker Corner
A friend told me to place a bet on a horse called ‘Landfill’ in the Grand National. I did and it came last. It was a rubbish tip.
I was walking along the other day and someone dropped a power tool on my head. One minute I was fine, the next ‘Bosch’!
I was knitting whilst driving along the A13 the other day. A police car drove up beside me and the officer shouted “pullover.” I replied “No, it’s a scarf.”
Do you know how to make a Swiss Roll? You push him over.
Quote of the Week
"What you do today might not seem like much, but one day it will be part of something you’re proud of."
attributed to F. Scott Fitzgerald
(though there’s no evidence he ever said it)
And Finally…
Sadly, the story about Harry Styles competing in this year’s Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert proved to be untrue. But someone who did take part was Japanese ultrarunner Masahiro Michinaka, and he completed the race’s most punishing, 100k long, stage in wearing a black suit jacket, dress trousers and a burgundy tie.
Michinaka explained that the suit symbolised the tension between ordinary working life and extraordinary personal challenge. He wanted to run not as an “adventurer” but as himself — someone who, like most people, balances routine, responsibility and ambition. He said “I wanted to run as myself — not dressed like an adventurer, but like the person who has to return to real life when it’s over.”
The suit was worn deliberately on Stage 4, the defining test of the Marathon des Sables, run over two brutal days with minimal sleep and with daytime temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 degrees. He carried the same mandatory survival kit as every other competitor.
Culturally, the gesture reflected ‘gaman’ — a Japanese concept of quiet endurance and dignity under hardship. Michinaka’s message was: if you can face something this hard after work, what excuses remain? Dead right - c’mon Styles, stop being a wimp and give the MdS a go next year!
