BRR Blog – 21 July 2025

The BRR Team at the Valentines 5k race

Goedendag, Road Runners

I’m fresh off the plane from Den Haag (The Hague) having completed Zuiderpark parkrun. I was in good company; I think more than half of the participants were Brits, trying to complete their parkrun alphabet. Not that the organisers seemed to mind; the Run Director himself had a suspiciously English accent. I’d certainly recommend Den Haag for a laid-back weekend away, if you want to get your parkrun ‘Z’. And the smell of weed everywhere made it feel just like Barking…

In the circumstances, a bit of a shorter blog this week.

Reminder - Track Closure

There will be no track sessions on 5 and 12 August as the floodlights are being replaced. Instead, we will be meeting at the Castle Green Centre/Jo Richardson School at 7.00pm, for a warm-up to Mayesbrook Park and then hill work by the railway line. Alternatively, meet us at Mayesbrook Park, in the car park opposite the Round House. There will be no charge for the sessions, as we won’t need to pay the track hire fee.

Hill work is great for building strength and endurance, and it’s good practice for cross-country too, so do take the opportunity to come along.

Here’s…Gordon!

Some of you met Gordon Ramsay when he took part in the London Marathon some years ago. The 58-year-old chef and TV personality is a serious endurance athlete, using the training needed for tough challenges to distract him from the pressures of his daily life.

But Ramsay’s confidence took a tumble when he was involved in a serious bike crash in June 2024 which, though he had no broken bones, he described as leaving him looking like a ‘purple potato’ due to extensive bruising.

All this was put behind him when he completed the Half Ironman Triathlon in Luxembourg (Ironman 70.3) on Sunday, 13 July. The event includes a 1.9 km swim on the German side of the Moselle River, a 90 km bike ride that cuts through France and a half marathon along the Luxembourg side of the river to Remich.

Ramsay finished in 6:52:28, posting online “Ironman 70.3… done.” And then, “I’M BACK.”

Fauja Singh

Fauja Singh

The sad death of Fauja Singh, after being struck by a car during a walk in Beas Pind, his home village in India’s Punjab region, has received international media coverage. The information below is summarised from a US running website:

“Singh was said to have been born on 1 April 1911, a time when birth certificates were not routinely issued in rural British India. That missing documentation meant his many age-related achievements, while widely celebrated, were never officially ratified by Guinness World Records. But the lack of paperwork did little to dim the legend of a man who became the face of possibility for aging athletes.

For most of his life, Singh was a farmer. His running career only began in earnest after a series of personal tragedies in the early 1990s, including the deaths of his wife and two of his six children. Seeking a change, he moved to East London in 1992 to live with his son. It was there, in his 80s, that he began to run, completing the London Marathon for the first time in 2000 in 6 hours and 54 minutes.

Over the next decade, he completed races in New York, Toronto, and London. It was in Toronto in 2003, at age 92, he set a personal best of 5:40:04, a pace of under 13 minutes per mile, which stood as a world best for the 90+ age group, even if unofficial.

Perhaps his most iconic moment came in October 2011. Over the span of four days, Singh first ran a track meet in Toronto where he reportedly set eight world records for athletes over 95, from the 100 metres to the 5000 metres. Three days later, he completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8:25:17, becoming the first person said to be 100 years old to finish a marathon. Race officials confirmed he was running the full course, although they noted he received a small amount of help crossing the finish line.

He officially retired from marathons in 2013 but remained a fixture in the running world. He participated in charity races, walked up to 10 miles a day, and used his platform to raise money for causes through the London-based running club Sikhs in the City.

In 2012, he was a torchbearer for the London Olympics. A children’s book based on his life, Fauja Singh Keeps Going, was published in 2020 by Simran Jeet Singh, marking the first children’s picture book by a major publisher to centre a Sikh story.

Singh credited his endurance to his vegetarian diet, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, deep Sikh faith, and unwavering routine. “The first 20 miles are not difficult,” he once told reporters. “As for the last six miles, I run while talking to God.”

The article ended by mentioning that Sikhs in the City is fundraising to build a Fauja Singh Clubhouse. This might result in more contribution to the clubhouse fund than SITC has managed over decades.

Greg’s Race Report

ELVIS race No. 05 was a 5k race at Valentines Park organised by East London Runners. The race was well attended by Barking Road Runners with 19 members competing. First finishers for BRR were Tom Brennan 21:45 for the men and Belinda Riches 27:33 for the women. Tom was followed by Martin Page 22:29, Tom Shorey 23:25, Jason Suddaby 23:54, Chandru Thayalan 24:05, Ron Vialls 24:33, Martin O’Toole 26:42, Jason Li 27:02, Barry Rowell 28:02, Gary Harford 28:08, Dennis Spencer Perkins 29:23, Steve Colloff 30:39, and Rob Courtier 30:40. Belinda was followed by Sian Mansley 27:50, Clodagh Shorey 30:06, Debra Jean-Baptiste 30:13, Nikki Cranmer 31:30, and Alison Fryatt 33:13.                          

On Sunday Martin Page travelled to Kent for the Sandwich 10k. The two-loop route around one of the best-preserved medieval towns in England took in the historic town centre, quayside and river. Martin finished in a great time of 45:40.

BRR parkrunners 

Barking - Owen Wainhouse 21:16, Barry Rowell 27:38, Jason Li 28:26, Martin Brooks 28:36, Chris Muthaka 29:21, George Hiller 29:52, Joyce Golder 31:18, John Lang 31:20, Nikki Cranmer 32:52, John Mitchell 33:07, Martin Mason 33:43, Les Jay 40:10 and Alan Murphy 50:00.

Harrow Lodge - Rory Burr 25:24.

Highbury Fields - Darren Graham 41:36 and Denise Graham 56:16.

Darren and Denise Graham at Highbury Fields parkrun

Southend - Louise Chappell 30:55.

Ury Riverside - Dawn Curtis 37:10.

Dawn at Ury Riverside parkrun

Valentines - Kevin Wotton 25:02.

Walthamstow - Stuart Mackay 21:15.

Westmill - Mark New 25:25, Belinda Riches 27:43, Steve Colloff 31:00, Dennis Spencer Perkins 32:59, and Rob Courtier 35:34.

Steve, Belinda, Dennis, Mark, and Rob at Westmill parkrun

Zuiderpark - Alison Fryatt 34:04.

Alison at Zuiderpark parkrun

Highest BRR age gradings this week were Belinda Riches 62.84% for the women and Stuart Mackay 68.86% for the men.

BRR Diary – July/August

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 22 July - Speed Session. Jim Peter’s Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week Greg will be taking the session. It’s nice and simple but perfect if you are trying to improve your 5k time:

1k repeats with up to 2 minutes recovery, to get from finish back to start, at slightly above 5k race pace.

You should aim to do a minimum of four repeats.

7.00pm, Thursday 24 July - Handicap 05. Barking Park, near the tennis courts. Things are getting exciting in the handicap competition, but it is all still to play for. Even if, for you, it is too late to win a trophy, you could still win the crispy tenner, for just a £1 investment. As always, let Greg know if you want to run but haven’t already taken part, so he can work out your handicap.

7.30pm, Wednesday 30 July – Harold Wood 5k (ELVIS 06). Harold Wood Park, Harold View, Harold Wood, RM3 0LX. The race is run on a one-lap, multi-terrain, 5k course in and around Harold Wood Park and Pages Wood, Harold Wood. There is a bar if you can stay for a drink afterwards. Enter at: https://events.kronosports.uk/event/1092

10.30am, Saturday 2 August – Orion Forest 5 (ELVIS 06). Chingford Plain, Bury Road, Chingford (race HQ, Orion Clubhouse, Jubilee Retreat, further up Bury Road). A nice (though tough), cross-country, ELVIS race, usually with decent refreshments available at the clubhouse afterwards (fingers crossed for bread pudding). Enter at https://www.entrycentral.com/Orion_Forest_Five_Race_3_ELVIS

Cracker Corner

The farmer at Hainault has lent me one of his cows to keep my grass down. It is a very effective lawn moo-er.

Chris told me the other day I didn’t look a day older than when he first met me, 36 years ago. Then he went for his appointment at Specsavers.

I am following the almond diet. Chris isn’t very supportive; he says it’s nuts.

Quote of the Week

“No shortcuts. No excuses. Just sweat, sea, coastlines, and serious grinds.”

Gordon Ramsay on his Iron Man Triathlon training

(and channeling Winston Churchill, by the sound of it)

And Finally…

What is the most romantic thing you have ever done for someone you love? Aron Green ran 100 miles from San Diego to Los Angeles to see his girlfriend. It was billed as However, ‘San Diego man runs 100 miles to surprise girlfriend’ but perhaps the gesture wasn’t as romantic as it sounds.

The 26-year-old’s attempt was backed by Jocko Fuel, a US protein drink company. He was supported by a crew of friends and photographers. Despite this, at mile 83, he hit the wall and only kept going by putting on his headphones and listening to music. He eventually reached his girlfriend’s front door after 32 hours.

And what about the surprise of his girlfriend, Josie? It turns out that Josie, a nurse, was part of his support crew to assist with any medical needs along the way, which rather negated the purpose of the run. Should have stayed put and seen her where he was rather than running 100 miles…

Happy Running

 

Alison

Chair, Barking Road Runners