BRR Blog - 27 April 2026
Well done to our runners and volunteers. This is how AI thinks we look…
Hello Road Runners
The media may - rightly - focus on Sabastian Sawe making history at the London Marathon by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race, crossing the line in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds; that was indeed an amazing achievement, as was Tigst Assefa’s breaking the women’s-only world record in 2:15:41. But watching the race, you realise that it is full of people making their own amazing personal achievements.
Well done to all our fantastic marathon runners, both at London and over the last couple of weeks. And also well done to our equally fantastic volunteers - races like the Marathon couldn’t take place without you.
Now, for one time only (I hope!), while Greg flies back from Australia…
Alison’s Race Round-Up
Members of Barking Road Runners have been in marathon action on both sides of the Atlantic this month. Cristina Cooper and Belinda Riches jetted off to the United States to take part in the 130th Boston Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious races. Cooper completed the 26.2‑mile course in 3:45:25, with Riches close behind in 3:58:18.
Belinda and Cristina after the Boston Marathon
Barely six days later, Cristina was back on home soil to complete an impressive double, finishing the London Marathon in 3:56:48. She was joined on the capital’s streets by fellow club members Mark Odeku (3:46:15), Kevin Wotton (4:21:32), Charlotte Owen (4:25:11), Barry Rowell (5:42:46), Jason Li (5:47:07) and Zahra Akram, who crossed the line in 8:17:37 to complete her first‑ever marathon.
The club’s support extended beyond the runners themselves, with Barking Road Runners volunteers manning the water station at the halfway point, to keep thousands of participants hydrated and motivated, and Stephanie Rashbrook tailwalking to help ensure those at the back of the pack made it across the finish line.
Zahra, Cristina, Barry, and Mark after the London Marathon
Elsewhere, Jason Suddaby represented the club overseas, taking part in the Rhodes Half Marathon, finishing in 2:30:53.
Jason S before the Rhodes Half
This week also saw the culmination of the Club’s virtual Winter Handicap. Colin Jones won the seventh race in the competition, but the overall winner was Richard Dudman, with Martin Page in second place and Steve Philcox and Mark New in joint third. Well done to everyone who participated.
Virtual Handicap winner Richard with Martin Page and Mark New. Sorry, no photo of Steve Philcox.
BRR parkrunners
Thanks to Greg for pulling together the parkrun results just before flying back from OZ.
ARU Writtle - Martin Page 22:13.
Barking - Dominic Herring 20:18, Tom Matthew 21:10, Shantelle Keech 22:26, Chris Muthaka 26:32, Joyce Golder 27:27, Nikki Cranmer 27:58, Mark Odeku 29:56, John Lang 30:47, James Sheridan 30:57, Emma Paisley 31:33, Martin Mason 33:36, Stephanie Rashbrook 37:42, Sian Mansley 38:09, Dawn Curtis 41:02, Louise Chappell 48:50 and Alan Murphy 49:05.
Basildon - Ron Vialls 24:55.
Berkeley Green - Tom Shorey 29:16 and Clodagh Shorey 30:43.
Tom and Clodagh at Berkeley Green parkrun
Bournemouth - Mark New 25:18.
Champion Lakes - Greg Adams 38:41.
Ferry Meadows - Sunny Bulchandani 26:33.
Fulham Palace - Dennis Spencer Perkins 37:09.
Dennis at Fulham Palace parkrun
Gunpowder - Paul Ward 25:02.
Harrow Lodge - Rory Burr 22:36.
Lloyd - Belinda Riches 29:18, Darren Graham 42:04 and Denise Graham 55:52.
Belinda, Denise, Steve C and Darren at Lloyd parkrun
Roding Valley - John Mitchell 32:10 and Rob Courtier 36:41.
Rob and friends at Roding Valley parkrun
Valentines - Richard Dudman 25:05 and Martin O’Toole 29:30.
Wanstead Flats - Stuart Mackay 20:25.
Wimpole Estates - Martin Brooks 28:24.
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Shantelle Keech 65.97% for the women and Martin Page 77.64% 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.
7.00pm, Tuesday 28 April - speed session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week Jess will be leading the session:
8 x (3 mins with 90 secs recovery)
Phily Bowden (British long-distance runner, coach, and content creator) says this is the best session for improving verything from 5k to marathon times. We’ll see!
7.00pm, Thursday 30 April - Club road run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Becontree. This week, now the evenings are getting lighter, we will do some hill work - fantastic for building strength. Starting at the Castle Green Centre at 7.00pm, we will run down Goresbrook Rd/Maplestead Rd, right into Lodge Ave, into Mayebrook Park at the Round House entrance, then laps of the hill by the railway line for 20 minutes before heading back to base. No set number of hills, just as many as you can do at your own pace in the time.
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. Do come along - there will be a buffet.
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 and maybe try out the new Caribbean menu.
7.30pm, Wednesday 13 May - Crown to Crown 5k. Westley Heights Country Park. Cheap and cheerful off road 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
London Marathon 2027
Inspired by this year’s London Marathon? The ballot for the 2027 TCS London Marathon is open until 4:00pm on Friday 1 May 2026. The ballot is completely random and not first‑come‑first‑served, so everyone has an equal chance of being selected (and not being selected!).
Runners who enter will find out whether they’ve been successful by early July 2026. Organisers are exploring a one‑off two‑day London Marathon in 2027. If approved, all ballot entrants would be entered for both days automatically, which would increase the number of available places and improve the odds of getting a spot on the start line.
You can enter the official public ballot directly via the London Marathon Events website: https://www.londonmarathonevents.co.uk/ballot
BRR gets access to three guaranteed London Marathon entries each year, which we allocate on the basis of points earned representing BRR at club races, and for volunteering on the water station. To be eligible, you must:
1) have entered ballot and been rejected.
2) be affiliated to EA; and
3) not have run the London Marathon in the previous year, regardless how the place was obtained.
Full criteria can be found in the Club Rules: Barking Road Runners
April Committee Meeting
With thanks as always to our Club Secretary, Isabel, here is the link to the minutes of the April Committee meeting.
Running the Blues?
For all our marathon participants, months of hard work are finally over. Time to bask in the glory, to rest and recuperate, and to think about what has been learned from the event.
Some of you may experience the post marathon blues: the low mood or flat feeling once the goal that you have been training for intensely is suddenly over. They’re usually caused by a mix of physical exhaustion, hormonal changes, and the loss of structure and purpose that training provided.
Top tips for tackling the blues:
Keep moving gently: light runs, walks, yoga or swimming help mood and recovery without pressure.
Reflect and celebrate: write down what went well and enjoy what you achieved—closure really helps.
Recharge socially: meet running friends without training talk (really? Is that possible?), or enjoy time with non‑running plans.
Prioritise recovery basics: good sleep, nourishment, and patience while hormones and energy rebalance.
Set your next goal: it doesn’t have to be another marathon or something more extreme. Try a complete change of tack. There are plenty of ELVIS races and GPs coming up over the next few months. Why not give them a go?
Synovial What?!
Thank you to John L for mentioning my favourite fluid during his warm-up at track last Tuesday. Synovial fluid is a thick, slippery liquid inside synovial joints such as the knees, hips and ankles. Its job is to:
lubricate joint surfaces so bones glide smoothly
absorb shock during impact
deliver nutrients to cartilage (which has no blood supply)
So, you can see why synovial fluid is important for runners. Every footstrike compresses joint cartilage, squeezing fluid out; when the load is released, fluid flows back in. This constant circulation keeps cartilage healthy and joints moving freely. Warming up makes sure that the fluid is flowing properly before the serious workout begins.
Unfortunately, there is no strong evidence that supplements meaningfully increase the amount of synovial fluid in healthy joints. Synovial fluid production is regulated by the joint lining and responds mainly to movement and mechanical loading, not pills or potions. Omega 3, glucosamine, and collagen may help to reduce joint stiffness which may help joints feel smoother and less stiff during running but they won’t directly boost synovial fluid.
The best things to do to help synovial fluid are:
🏃 Regular movement – easy runs, strides, drills
💪 Strength work through full range – especially hips, knees, ankles
🔁 Loading and unloading joints – cartilage thrives on controlled impact
🚰 Staying hydrated
😴 Managing inflammation through sleep and recovery
Oh, and ever wondered why you joints sometimes pop? As long as the popping isn’t accompanied by pain or swelling, it’s nothing to worry about. It’s often just ‘cavitation’ - gas bubbles forming or collapsing in synovial fluid when joint pressure suddenly changes.
KO for KT Tape?
Kinesiology, or KT, tape, has been widely used since the 1970s to address muscle and joint issues in sports and rehabilitation settings. Designed to support without restricting movement, the thin, stretchy tape claims to lift the skin, stimulate sensory nerves, boost blood flow, and accelerate healing. But recent research casts doubt on its actual effectiveness.
An analysis led by Dr Xiaoyan Zheng and Dr Jihua Zou at Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, and Zhujiang Hospital, reviewed 128 systematic studies comprising 310 trials, 15,812 participants, and 29 musculoskeletal conditions. Most studies focused on leg and foot problems, with nearly 90 per cent assessing pain levels.
The findings suggest KT tape may offer immediate to short-term relief in pain and movement, particularly for conditions such as knee surgery recovery, chronic knee or back pain, knee osteoarthritis, tennis elbow, and plantar fasciitis. However, the evidence remains highly uncertain, and results from clinical trials have been inconsistent. Little or no evidence supports KT tape’s effectiveness for medium-term pain relief, improved muscle strength, movement range, or quality of life. In most instances, KT tape performed only marginally better than placebo or sham taping, with low certainty.
Published in the BM Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, the research concluded: 'Current evidence is very uncertain regarding the clinical effects of KT taping on musculoskeletal disorders. Considerable differences between studies, unclear relevance to real patients, and potential side effects may limit its use in clinical practice.'
Where does this leave us? In my experience, most of us who use KT tape aren’t doing it for medium to long-term relief. In my experience it is usually used to provide short-term relief from a particular niggle, maybe to give confidence to get through a race. If it helps with that, I’d say it is worth it.
Cracker Corner
My book about poltergeists has just been published. It’s flying off the shelves.
My next book is about hurricanes and tornadoes. It’s only a draft at present.
Why don’t escaped convicts make good writers? Because they never finish their sentences.
Quote of the week
“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
Anthony J. D'Angelo
Author
And Finally…
Nike replaced a controversial window display at its Newbury Street store in Boston after being accused of 'pace shaming' by runners and disabled competitors.
A window display saying ‘“Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated” went up at the store on the Thursday before the Boston Marathon. It quickly drew criticism online, with many runners feeling the wording dismissed large parts of the marathon community, including charity runners, run-walk qualifiers, and adaptive athletes (i.e. those with a disability or long-term health condition).
Nike issued a statement acknowledging that one of its signs “missed the mark” and saying it would “use this moment to do better and continue showing up for all runners.” The window remained empty for about a day before a replacement display saying simply “RUN Boston” appeared.
I guess that Nike intended to be humorous with the original sign, but the joke back-fired. For a company that makes running shoes, I think they well and truly put their foot in it…
