BRR Blog - 6 July 2026
Hi there, Road Runners,
What a weekend of sport that turned out to be! I’m not sure how long the ‘no spoilers’ rule stays in place, so I will avoid mentioning the football results, just in case someone hasn’t caught up with the England v Mexico score yet. Let’s just focus on what we do best: running.
Greg’s Race Report
Runners, volunteers and supporters at Handicap 2
Barking Road Runners had Round 2 of their Summer Handicap series this week at Barking Park. The 5k race over the Barking parkrun course was won by Maysen Davies, beating her handicap time by just over one minute. In 2nd place was round 1 winner Martin O’Toole followed by Steve Colloff in third place. With the first seven finishers beating their handicaps they will have a tougher run in Round 3.
The BRR team, minus Louise, at the Felsted 10k GP race.
Felsted 10k was the destination for Round four of BRR’s Grand Prix series of eight races this year. Eight members competed, with Martin Page being BRR first finisher in 46:30 which placed him 3rd in his age category. Second BRR finisher was Ron Vialls in 51:16 which placed him in 1st place in his age category. They were followed by Debra Jean Baptiste 57:18, Joyce Golder 58:28, Louise Chappell 1:03:09, Gary Harford, Alison Fryatt 1:10:28 and Dawn Curtis 1:16:43.
Male Vet 70+ winner at Felsted, Ron Vialls
Denise Graham ran in the 5k event at the RunThrough Brixton Half Marathon in Brockwell Park, finishing in 54:41. Darren Graham and Steve Colloff ran the 10k finishing in 1:49:26 and 1:17:44 respectively. Belinda Riches completed the Half Marathon, in 2:06:33.
Denise, Belinda, Darren, friend, and Steve at the Brixton races
BRR parkrunners
Barking - Tom Matthew 21:28, Owen Wainhouse 21:39, Joshua Ezissi 21:49, Jack Stanford 23:13, Jason Li 29:25, James Sheridan 35:26, Martin Mason 35:53, Nikki Cranmer 36:59, Astrid Effendi 40:51, and Alan Murphy 51:33.
Clacton Seafront - Shantelle Keech 22:49.
Foots Cray Meadow - Barry Rowell 33:23, Darren Graham 40:20, and Denise Graham 55:29.
Denise, Darren,and Barry at Foots Cray Meadow parkrun
North Walsham - Paul Ward 24:19.
Salisbury - Mark New 24:41.
Mark N at Salisbury parkrun
Three Brooks - Tom Shorey 26:53 and Clodagh Shorey 33:10.
Valentines - Kevin Wotton 25:38, Richard Dudman 25:52, Martin O’Toole 29:37 and Andrew Gwilliam 32:18.
Wanstead Flats - Stuart Mackay 21:53.
Wickford Memorial - Louise Chappell 46:09.
Zegerplas, Netherlands - Rory Burr 21:59, Belinda Riches 25:23, Dennis Spencer Perkins 32:34, Steve Colloff 34:04 and Rob Courtier 52:24.
Belinda, Rory, Rob, Steve, and Dennis at Zegerplas parkrun
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Belinda Riches 69.47% for the women and for Stuart Mackay 67.4% 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 7 July - Speed Work. Jim Peter’s Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week it’s Rob’s Magic Mile, and equally magic 300 metre reps (100m recovery). Have you improved since April’s Magic Mile?
7.30pm, Wednesday 8 July - Newman Hilly 5 (ELVIS 05). Hainault Forest, Fox Burrow Road, off Romford Road, IG7 4QN. A two lap, hilly, 5-mile course. One big lap followed by a slightly smaller lap around Hainault Forest. Enter at: https://www.entrycentral.com/newmanhilly5.
7.00pm, Thursday 9 July - Road Run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Dagenham. For those not doing the Newman Hilly, or for those a nice, gentle shake down after the race.
7.00pm, Thursday 16 July - Summer Handicap #03. Barking Park. It’s not too late to join in. Just £1 to enter, and you could win a tenner, like Maysen, and/or have the chance of winning a series trophy.
7.00pm, Thursday 23 July - Summer Handicap #04. Barking Park. Details as above, and it’s still not to late to join in!
10.15am, Sunday 26 July - Dunton 10k. Langdon Hills Nature Discovery Centre, Lower Dunton Road, Basildon, SS16 6EJ. A brand new race, organised by Phoenix Striders. The route goes around the challenging paths and trails that make up part of Langdon Hills. There are early bird prices until 14 July. Enter at: Dunton 10k - EntryCentral
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
Racing at Altitude
I won’t mention whether the high altitude of the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City did or didn’t affect the performance of the England football team.
But many runners – especially our ultra-running friends - dream of taking on races in stunning mountain locations. The scenery is spectacular, but the ‘thinner air’ can come as a shock if you're used to training at sea level.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that there's "less oxygen" at altitude. In fact, the percentage of oxygen in the air remains the same. The problem is that lower air pressure makes it harder for oxygen to move from your lungs into your bloodstream and on to your working muscles. The result?
Your heart rate shoots up Your body tries to compensate by pumping blood faster, so workouts feel more intense than they should.
Reduced performance Pace, power, and endurance drop noticeably. A run that feels “easy” at sea level can feel like a tempo effort at altitude.
Fatigue sets in early You may feel heavy‑legged or unusually tired, even after a short session.
Headache or mild dizziness Early signs that your body is struggling with the sudden change.
Not everyone can afford an altitude tent to prepare with. So, the good news is that your body starts adapting almost immediately. Initially, it increases breathing rate and concentrates red blood cells to improve oxygen transport. But longer-term adaptations, including the production of additional red blood cells, can take several weeks to develop.
If you're travelling to an altitude race, timing matters. Best practice suggests either arriving at least a week before the event to allow some acclimatisation, or arriving immediately before the race (the night before or day of the race) to minimise the impact of altitude-related fatigue. The period in between can be the most uncomfortable, as your body is still adjusting.
Practical tips include preparing in advance by building your aerobic fitness and training in heat (which has similarities to running at altitude). At altitude, slow your target pace, focus on effort rather than watch data, stay well hydrated, and accept that early runs may feel tougher than expected.
Zahra’s Uni Unload - If you Can’t Stand the Heat
A scary, sweaty, AI-generated Road Runner
Summer is here and we've definitely been feeling the heat. Running in extreme heat can be dangerous so, when you go for a run, you have to time it right.
The best time to go for a run is between 5.00am-7.00am because it's the coolest time of the day since all the heat during the day was released at night back into the atmosphere. You still need to be cautious because of humidity which may make running feel harder due to the air feeling thicker.
If you're not a morning person aim for after 8.00pm because you will avoid direct sunlight from the midday sun, reducing the risk of immediate overheating. If you go at this time you should aim to stay on trails and in parks as concrete absorbs heat during the day and radiates it back out after the sun goes down.
Avoid going for a run between 11.00am and 4.00pm because the sun is at its highest point and has the most UV radiation, temperatures will peak and your body will have to work twice as hard just to keep your core temperature stable. At these times there's a high risk for dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Quote of the Week
“What I've learned from running is that the time to push hard is when you're hurting like crazy and you want to give up. … Success is often just around the corner.”
James Dyson
And Finally…
I got round to watching the Paris Diamond League meet last Monday evening, and there were some excellent performances. In the women’s 400m, Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic won the race in 48.48, a new world lead and meeting record. She was given two boards announcing her achievements, and walked around looking for the best place to have her photograph taken with them. Unfortunately, she didn’t look behind her…
Marileidy Paulino celebrating her Diamond League win…
