Captains Corner

Graham & Wendy here to report on what has been another action-packed month for EGRC! Book-ended by some fabulous races. It’s great to see so many of you out enjoying the spring weather and the lovely long warm evenings. 

Races in May .... Let’s start at the end - of April that is. We had clashes all over the place on our racing calendar, but that didn’t stop us getting out in force. Over 20 EGRC descended on the Frenchay 10k to make it another fantastic year. Splashes of black and green everywhere left us brimming with pride. See the F10K race report for all the details. On the same day another 15 members ran with bulls in Horton to take on Club Champ race 4. Ok, so The Horton Bull run didn’t involve being chased by any actual bulls, although it did involve running with a horse for some of the runners after one escaped from a nearby field. No one was hurt thankfully and the horse put in quite a good time by all accounts! Well done to all who took part. Including the horse.

This month saw our next clash but of different distances as around 40 EGRC popped into town. Not to get their shop on. To get their Bristol 10k on! Whilst another dozen and half dozen respectively ventured further afield to Newport - to do the 10k and marathon - Club Champ race 5. Events both sides of the bridge went down really well. Some fantastic times were set at Bristol including some PB’s. You’re always guaranteed to get good support along the way, Bristol now being a huge event. On the other side of the bridge Newport also proved to be a fabulous event with some crazy times - including some PB’s - being set in both distances. Newport is still a very new event being only in it’s second year. If you’re ever toying with the idea of doing a marathon - this one is certainly recommended. The numbers are decent enough to have the feel of a big event (around 5000 across both events) without being too crazy to be a hassle. In a nutshell - the queues for the loos are small! See Newport marathon race report by James Hawkins for more details. 

This month was a special one for two EGRC members. Many congratulations to Dan and Laura! They completed their very first ultra marathon together, but more importantly, they tied the knot! We do love an EGRC wedding. So congratulations both! May you have many happy miles together. This stuff must be catching as well. Not getting hitched - going long! This month saw our man Pav following in crazy Danny’s footsteps to take on one crazy hilly ultra - 50 miles (yes miles!) in Butcome. If ever a man deserved a pint of it after that - it’s Pav. Speaking of being deserving of a pint - well done to the dirty (half) dozen who spent a dirty weekend up north tackling 200 obstacles over 20 miles! Wow. It is a good job they had a bar there!

We started with a 10k so let’s end with a 10k. One that’s become close to EGRC hearts - the Hogweed Trot. The end of May saw an amazing 43 of us flood the ranks of the Trotters out in Yate, making up nearly 10% of the field! It’s an event that our Monday club’s Up & Coming Runners particularly love. It was great to see so many of us turn out. For any EGRC thinking of doing their very first 10k - there’s none better than the Trot. Not only due to the flatness or the low-key nature, being more like a run out in the country than a race, but due to the support from EGRC members along the way. There were some amazing performances from all. Particular congratulations has to go to Hayley Franklin and her sister Vicky for getting around what was an emotional trot for them, following the passing of their father in the week before. Also to our man Kevin Rickerby! Kev, complete with entourage, smashed his PB by around 15 minutes with a time of 1h 27! Amazing. You certainly all deserved your ice pops at the end! Thanks Danny for providing the ice pops once again! 

You continue to inspire us with your running achievements. Far too many to mention them all here - so apologies for those we’ve missed. Even more inspiring than that is the camaraderie, support and encouragement we give each along the way. Keep it up you lovely lot!

Down to some business - the deadline for the Stroud half marathon group entries has now passed. If you want to jump on board with the 17 of us signed up - please email the Captains ASAP and transfer £21.25 to the club account within the next few days and we may be able to squeeze you in. 

Planning is now well under way for the Club Champs races for 2020. Two which we can confirm will definitely be on the list are:

 We thought we’d give you these CC 2020 spoiler because early-bird entries are now open for both.

Next month will be another action-packed one. See the Noticeboard section of the newsletter for all the upcoming races

Happy running all!