BRR Blog - 27 July 2026
Astrid with her handicap winnings
Howdie Road Runners,
Other than the handicap race, there were no official BRR races this week, but that didn’t stop folks from going out and finding things to do, including a wide range of different parkruns. We’re making up for this week with East London fiVes Interclub Series (ELVIS) races on both Wednesday and Saturday, with the return of very hot weather to look forward to too. Hope they have plenty of water stations.
BTW, I haven’t been able to find out how much the original Bowerman steeplechase shoes sold at auction for - if you spot it, let me know.
Greg’s Race Report
Belinda at the Standard Chartered 5k
On Tuesday, Belinda took part in the Standard Chartered Great City Race around the City of London, passing through famous landmarks like St Paul's Cathedral and the Bank of England. She completed the 5k course in 26:11. Barry Rowell volunteered.
On Thursday, Barking Road Runners had Round 04 of their summer handicap series at Barking Park. The first finisher all managed beat their handicaps and will have tougher run in round 05. First finisher was Astrid Effendi with Tia Sindall 2nd and Dawn Curtis 3rd. All three, plus fourth placed Barry Rowell, beat their handicaps and will have tougher start times for the next race.
Several BRR runners took part in the inaugural Dunton 10k on Sunday, on a very hilly course through the Langdon Hills nature reserve. First finisher for BRR was Ron Vialls 59:54 followed by Belinda Riches 59:57 who was first female veteran, Joyce Golder 1:06:06, Alison Fryatt 1:26:54, and Steve Colloff 1:29:45.
First women’s vet - Belinda
The BRR team at the Dunton 10k
At the London Triathlon event at Docklands, Cristina and Trevor Cooper competed in the 100k race finishing in 6:11:39 and 5:44:47 respectively, whilst Jess Collett took part in the 50k race finishing in a time of 2:54:57. Ken Summerfield volunteered.
Trevor and Cristina with their triathlon medals.
Barking parkrunners
Some of BRR’s parkrunners
Barking - Tom Mathew 21:07, Joshua Ezissi 21:19, Owen Wainhouse 21:22, Shantelle Keech 21:23, James Lowndes 21:27, Dominic Herring 21:53, Jason Suddaby 23:16, Stuart Burr 27:17, Joyce Golder 28:24, Daniel Plawiak 28:30,Martin Mason 35:13, Nikki Cranmer 39:39, Alan Murphy 49:11 and Les Jay 49:25.
Beckenham Place - Rory Burr 22:46, Belinda Riches 29:33, Steve Colloff 36:16.
Bickling - Paul Ward 24:46.
Bournemouth - Mark New 27:12
Brentwood - Martin Page 23:40.
Chelmsford Central - Gary Harford 32:10, and Louise Chappell 45:49.
Dartford - Barry Rowell 30:57, Darren Graham 41:16, and Denise Graham 54:19.
Dover Waterfront - Emma Paisley 33:06.
Eastville - Tom Shorey 28:06 and Clodagh Shorey 34:38.
Futakomagawa - Jason Li 31:01.
Roding Valley - Paul Withyman 21:43.
Southend - Dennis Spencer Perkins 32:58.
Thorney Bay Beach - Ron Vialls 27:51.
Valentines - Peter Jackson 24:43, Martin O’Toole 31:33 and Andrew Gwilliam 58:09.
Wanstead Flats - Stuart Mackay 20:58.
Wimpole Estate - Martin Brooks 28:17.
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Shantelle Keech 69.21% for the women and Martin Page 73.66% 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. Just 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.
7.30pm, Tuesday 28 July - Speed Work. Jim Peter’s Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week Jess will be leading us for a descending Intervals session:
* 1x 2m run, 90s rec
* 2x 100s run, 60s rec
* 3x 75s run, 45s rec
* 4x 60s run, 30s rec
* 5x 45s run, 30s rec
* 6x 30s run, 30s rec
7.30pm, Wednesday 29 July - Harold Wood 5k (ELVIS O6). Harold Wood Park, Harold View, Harold Wood, RM3 0LX. The race will be run on a 1 lap multi-terrain course of 5k in and around Harold Wood Park and Pages Wood, Harold Wood. Changing facilities, toilets and bar will be available. Enter at:Harold Wood Running Club 5K ELVIS #6. Registration closes 28 July 2026 at 11:59.
7.00pm, Thursday 30 July - recovery run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Becontree. A short, easy-going recovery run, starting and finishing at the Castle Green Centre. Faster runners/those wanting to go a bit further can loop back.
10.00am, Orion Forest 5 (ELVIS 07/GP05). Chingford Plain, Bury Road, Chingford. Give parkrun a miss for once. If you are chasing a Club trophy, you get double bubble for this race, as it’s an ELVIS race a a Grand Prix race too. A nice 5-miler around Chingford Plain and Epping Forest. Just watch out for the cows. Entries at: Orion Harriers Forest Five Series 2026 Race 3 ELVIS - EntryCentral. Entries close 29 July at 11:59.
7.00pm, Thursday 6 August - Summer Handicap #05. Barking Park, parkrun course. Four races so far, four different winners. It really is anyone’s to win (if you haven’t raced so far you won’t win a trophy but you could still win the tenner, all for a £1 investment.
7.30pm, Wednesday 12 August - Crown to Crown 5k. Westley Heights Country Park(At the rear of the Miller & Carter – Crown Public House), High Road, Laindon, Essex. A nice, no-nonsense, mainly off-road 5k. Enter in advance or on the night. Pitsea RC 5k Crown to Crown - August - EntryCentral
7.00pm, Thursday 13 August - Summer Handicap #06. As above.
July Committee Minutes
With thanks to Isabel, the minutes of the July committee meeting can be found here.
Don’t Panic! Don’t Panic!
There was an article on the BBC website last week about the importance of teaching children what to do in an emergency situation but, as an adult, would you know what to do?
A 999 call should be made when someone is seriously ill or injured, there is a fire, or there is an immediate threat to life or safety. In these situations, staying calm is one of the most important things you can do. The call handler will ask a series of questions to understand what has happened and where help is needed.
One simple step every household can take is to ensure everyone knows their home address and postcode. Children should also understand when it is appropriate to call 999 and that they should never be afraid to ask for help in a real emergency.
If you ever need to make the call, remember:
Stay as calm as possible.
Tell the operator which emergency service you need.
Give your location clearly. If you are outside the home, the What3Words app is a really great idea, as it will pinpoint your precise location anywhere in the world within a few metres.
Explain what has happened.
Stay on the line and follow any instructions you are given.
Taking a few minutes to discuss emergency procedures with your family today could help save a life tomorrow. Being prepared doesn't mean expecting the worst – it means being ready to help when it matters most.
Red Hose Day
The Red Hose Run is a cross country running race taking place in in Carnwath, South Lanarkshire in Scotland. It is considered the oldest continuously run foot race in the world. James IV of Scotland granted the lands of Carnwath in 1508 to John Lord Somerville with unusual terms: “Praying thence yearly one pair of hose containing half an ell of English cloth at the feast of St. John the Baptist, called Midsummer, to the man running most quickly from the east end of Carnwath to the cross called Calla Cross.” In other words, the first prize is a pair of red socks, provided by the laird.
There was probably a military reason for imposing this duty on the owners of the Carnwath Estate; a fast runner could bring news of any approaching invasion from the South to Edinburgh and the red hose would be the insignia by which he would be recognised.
Originally held around the Feast of St John the Baptist in June, the race has now been absorbed into the Carnwath Agricultural Show which this year takes place on 29 July. The race requires the permission of the Lord Chamberlain to be cancelled, and has been held every year except during the 1926 general strike, World Wars I and II, the Foot and Mouth disease outbreaks in 1952 and 2001, and the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
Names of winners were recorded from 1830 but winning times were only recorded from 2003. Since then, the race distance has varied from 1.9 mile to 3 miles. Separate women's winners were recorded since 2011. Anyone wearing red socks who is not from the local boroughs is disqualified.
Cracker Corner
The law and order edition
Police have arrested the man who hijacked a lorry full of trifles. He is now in custardy.
I was arrested for illegally downloading the whole of Wikipedia. I said ‘wait, I can explain.’
Police found a stolen car with an incomplete set of golf clubs in the boot. They are still looking for the driver.
Quote of the Week
“Train smart. Train hard. Have fun!”
Matt Wilpers
And Finally…
Are you the runner who has shoes for every occasion? Or do you wear the same shoes until they disintegrate (you know who you are)? Growing evidence suggests that rotating between two or more pairs of running shoes could be one of the simplest ways to improve your running and reduce injury risk.
For example, you might have a cushioned daily trainer for easy runs and long runs, a lighter shoe for faster sessions, and perhaps a dedicated race shoe for events.
One of the biggest benefits is injury prevention. Research cited on the Marathon Handbook website found that runners who regularly rotated their shoes experienced significantly fewer running-related injuries. Different shoes place slightly different stresses on muscles, tendons and joints, helping to avoid repeatedly loading the same structures in exactly the same way.
Rotating shoes can also help them last longer. The foam in a running shoe compresses during a run and benefits from 24–48 hours to recover. Giving shoes a day or two off between runs helps maintain their cushioning and responsiveness.
There are performance benefits too. Modern running shoes are often designed with specific purposes in mind, whether that's comfort on recovery days, speed during workouts, or efficiency on race day. Matching the shoe to the session can make running feel easier and more enjoyable. Guess I’ll just have to buy some more shoes. Sigh…
