BRR Blog – 21 April 2025

The BRR team at the Crown to Crown: Alison, Dawn, Ron, Rob, and Nikki

Happy Easter Road Runners!

Oooh, not long to go if you have a marathon next Sunday, whether it is London, Manchester or Stratford-upon-Avon. There is nothing more to be done now except rest up, keep the legs ticking over, and fuel properly. The rest of us will be getting ready for a hard but enjoyable day on the water station. Good luck to all of us!

April Committee Meeting

The minutes for the April Committee meeting can be found here.

Water Station

The Mile 15 water station location in Westferry Road

If you are helping at the water station, you should get an email from London Marathon Events with general instructions on Tuesday. Some of us will be getting to our new location at around 7.00am to start sorting out the barriers – please feel free to come along! The bulk of volunteers will be meeting Dennis at 8.00am at Barking Station to travel down together. We then need to get the tables set up and loaded with water. We will have a bit of a lull before the madness ensues! Everyone should have gone past us by 4.00pm, by which time we will be as cream-crackered as the runners.

At the moment the weather forecast looks reasonable, ranging from 8 degrees first thing in the morning up to 16 degrees by early afternoon. That means you will need to dress for varying temperatures – layers are good! If you volunteered last year and have lost your kit, you need to go up into town to collect replacements (see last week’s blog). We will get a packed lunch but do bring snacks if you need them, and your own lunch if you are very particular.

London Marathon – the ones to watch

Of course, we will be looking out for our own friends and clubmates at the London Marathon. But before they come along, there will be a bunch of elite athletes to watch out for. Here are just some of them, with a bias towards GB athletes:

Women
Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:09:56
Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53
Sifan Hassan (NED) 2:13:44
Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:22:17
Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:23:21
Philippa Bowden (GBR) 2:25:47
Lucy Reid (GBR) 2:26:37
Eilish McColgan (GBR) debut
Holly Archer (GBR) debut

 Men
Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:09
Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41
Sabastian Sawe (KEN) 2:02:05
Timothy Kiplagat (KEN) 2:02:55
Emile Cairess (GBR) 2:06:46
Mahamed Mahamed (GBR) 2:07:05
Philip Sesemann (GBR) 2:08:02
Jonathan Mellor (GBR) 2:09:06
Dewi Griffiths (GBR) 2:09:49

Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR) 2:09:50
Alex Yee (GBR) debut

Super Shoe or Super Hype?

The last few years have seen the rise of "super shoes" like the Nike Vaporfly, with equally super price tags. But are they really worth the extra money?

The journal Footwear Science published some interesting research that might make you think twice before parting with your hard-earned cash.

Researchers gave 24 female recreational runners two identical pairs of Nike Vaporfly Next% 2s. One pair was in its original “super shoe” form as worn by elite runners, the other pair was spray-painted black and described as a cheap knock-off.

Each runner completed four treadmill sessions (6 minutes each at 10k per hour speed) wearing both the "super shoe" and "knock-off" versions. Researchers tracked oxygen use, biomechanics, and perception.

There were no differences in running economy, energy cost, or biomechanics between conditions. However, runners reported significantly greater comfort, enjoyment, and performance confidence with the super shoe. In fact, 87.5% of the participants preferred the super shoe over the knock-off version, even though they were actually the same shoes.

What does this mean? Well, if you believe your running shoes will make you run faster and more comfortably, you may feel better and run more confidently, even if there’s no mechanical difference. Perhaps the trick is to have faith in the performance of your bog-standard running shoes!

 Tip of the Week

 No matter how competitive you are, treat your first race at a new distance as a learning opportunity. Aim for an amazing performance in your next attempt at it. Very good advance if you are running your first marathon.

Greg’s Race Report

It was a busy Easter weekend of racing for Barking Road Runners with members taking on various races and distances.

Four members travelled to Folkestone for a 10-mile race. The fast, flat course was mainly on the traffic-free seafront promenade from Hythe to Folkestone and back. First BRR finisher was Belinda Riches 1:20:48 followed by Rory Burr 1:27:47, Stuart Burr 1:30:57 and Steve Colloff 1:44:33.

Stuart B, Belinda, Rory, and Steve C after the Folkestone 10

Five members headed to the Pitsea Running Club Crown to Crown 5k run, in Westley Height Country Park near Laindon. First finisher for BRR on the tough off-road course was Ron Vialls 26:30 followed by Rob Courtier 35:29, Alison Fryatt 36:21, Nikki Cranmer 39:03, and Dawn Curtis 39:58.

Andy and George Hiller went to Victoria Park for the run through 10k race finishing in times of 1:01:41 and 1:07:08 respectively, a great way to celebrate George’s 16th birthday the next day.  

Birthday boy George and Andy Hiller at the Victoria Park 10k

Faye Spooner ran in the Shrewsbury Easter Dash 10k through the Shrewsbury Quarry, which is now a park. Faye finished in a time of 52:32, winning a medal and an Easter egg!

Faye Spooner after the Shrewsbury 10k

BRR parkrunners 

Barking - Rosie Fforde 23:44, James Sheridan 24:57, Barry Rowell 27:13, Jason Li 28:11, Rob Courtier 31:37, Martin Mason 32:26, Nikki Cranmer 36:16, Les Jay 38:31 and Alan Murphy 53:43.

Bedgebury Pinetum - John Mitchell 39:04.

Ben’s Yard Ely - Darren Graham 46:15, Belinda Riches 55:07 and Denise Graham 55:08

Chelmsford Central - Gary Harford 28:08, Louise Chappell 32:10 and Craig Chappell 32:12.

Hanworth - Mark New 24:21.

Harrow Lodge - Steve Colloff 56:25.

Mile End - Alain Cooper 27:41.

Pymmes - Stuart Mackay 19:46 and Jess Collett 21:54.

Raphaels - Chris Muthaka 27:59.

Roding Valley - Paul Withyman 20:10.

Story’s Field - Sunny Bulchandani 25:43.

Sunny Hill - Doug King 29:05.

Valentines - Kevin Wotton 23:51.

This week's highest BRR age gradings were Jess Collett 70.24% for the women and Stuart Mackay 74.03% for the men.

BRR Diary – April/May

To 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 22 April – Speed Session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. It’s the Easter egg session: we have several sessions of 12 minutes each, plus a couple with strength exercises. But which will we do? It depends on which eggs are cracked open.

7.00pm, Thursday 24 April – Road Run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Dagenham. Usually between 4-6 miles.

6.30pm, Friday 25 April - Pre-London Marathon Carb Loading. China Friend, 36 Longbridge Rd, Barking, Essex IG11 8RY. Join us for some pre-marathon carb-loading, whether you are running a marathon or not!  No need to book - just turn up and join us at the communal tables at the China Friend restaurant, near Barking Station (opposite side of the road, close to the roundabout). 

Various times, Sunday 27 April – London Marathon/Manchester Marathon/Shakespeare Marathon.

7:00pm, Sunday, 27 April – Post-London Marathon drinks. Prince of Wales Pub, 63 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1XJ (if you drive, remember to enter your car registration number on the screen inside the pub). If you've run in the London Marathon, volunteered on the water station, or just fancy chilling out with those who have and hearing all the tales, come and join us in the Prince of Wales pub for a few drinks. No buffet this time as the Landlord and Land Lady will be away, but there will probably be some club chips...

12.00 noon, Sunday 4 May – Wings for Life World Run. Eastcross Bridge, Stratford, London, E20 1DY. The Wings for Life World Run is a global race raising money for spinal cord injury research. Instead of a finish line, competitors race side by side to keep ahead of a Virtual Catcher Car (which tracks you using an app). The Virtual Catcher Car takes off 30 minutes after the start at 14 km/h and steadily increases its speed until the last athletes are caught. More details at https://www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/en

0.30am, Monday 5 May – Witham May Day 10 (miles). Starting and finishing at Witham Rugby Club. An Essex Championship race this year. https://www.withamrc.org.uk/races/may-day-10/

7.00pm, Thursday 8 May – Handicap 01. Barking Park. More info to follow next week.  

7.00pm, Thursday 15 May – Handicap 02. Barking Park

7.30pm, Wednesday 21 May - Dagenham 88 5 (miles). ELVIS 01. Eastbrookend Country Park, off Dagenham Road, Dagenham RM7 0SS. First race in the 2025 ELVIS competition. There is a new, three-lap course this year. Race HQ is the Eastbrookend Discovery Centre, and will be open from 6.00pm until 9.00pm for toilets and refreshments. Enter at https://www.entrycentral.com/Dagenham88Runners_2025

10.00am, Sunday 25 May - Thameside 5k and 10k. Thameside Nature Discovery Centre, in Mucking. A lovely run alongside the Thames Estuary, with a fantastic medal. Early bird discount until 23 May. https://www.entrycentral.com/Thameside10512025Races

11.00am, Monday 26 May – Hatfield Broad Oak 10k. Coincides with the village fair. There’s a kids’ one-mile race too.   https://www.atwevents.co.uk/e/hatfield-broad-oak-10k-9088

Cracker Corner

What do you get if you pour hot water down a rabbit hole? Hot cross bunnies.

Why is the Easter Bunny such a good listener? He’s all ears.

What did the frog say when he saw the Easter bunny? “Ra-bbit.”

Quote of the Week 

“It's OK for a training session not to go as well as you hoped…You will be surprised at how helpful even a bad training session is for you.”

Eliud Kipchoge

And Finally

In running, good form is vital. But did you realise that good form is also essential if you are going for a mid-race kiss with your better half? Here is the correct way to do it:

• Don’t lose momentum: Remember, you are racing. No stopping.

• Stay Square: Keep your shoulders aligned and facing forward until the very last moment.

• Hit the Kiss Pivot: On that final right foot (assuming the object of your attention is on your right) execute a subtle shoulder lean—just enough to glide in for the smooch, then pop back into stride like it never happened.

• Commit: No hesitation, no second-guessing. Lock eyes, lean in, land it. The kiss should be smooth, confident, and race-timed to perfection.

Of course, practice makes perfect so do try it out as often as you can before race day. Just don’t try and smooch a stranger. A punch in the race often offends…

Keep on Running

 

Alison

Chair, Barking Road Runners