Captains Corner

Hey all! Your captains here! To bring you up to date with all things EGRC.

We hope you’re having a lovely summer! That’s right - present tense. We’re hoping it’s not over quite yet! Hopefully you’ve all managed to get a break at some point. Not from running obviously! In fact we’re guessing that some of you may have packed your trainers and taken them with you! ....and why not. There’s nothing better than running in a different loco to keep things interesting. Speaking of which - it was great to see that a large bunch of you ventured out to Bradley Stoke on the latest Away Run to experience Bradders’ best kept secret. No we don’t mean the Hollow Tree pub! Although we hear the post-run re-fuel / drink-stop proved popular.... we mean the trails of course! The lovely trails. A real bit of green jungle amongst the urban jungle that is Bradders. Thanks to Keith, Ady & Matt and all that supported. Without support like this from the members, these events simply would not happen. 

Hot off the press - the latest EGRC 2019 club champ races. A cheeky 10k in Malmesbury on Saturday at the end of August and a 10 mile beast the following day in Oldbury on Severn. Both runs went down well and there were some great performances in each. The lovely people of Malmesbury came out to support the runners, including the dozen EGRC, for the 10k. An undulating scenic venture into the countryside around Malmesbury. Topped off with a complimentary pint of cider or beer fresh from the Flying Monk brewery if you wished! A hardcore quad (us, Jer & Pam) then dusted off their trainers to attempt the 10 miler the following day, along with another dozen or so EGRC. Another venture into the countryside, along the winding (thankfully not as undulating) country roads around Oldbury. So whether you flew with monks, or went nuclear, or both (!) very well done. 

Now 10k is impressive. 10 miles even more so. So how about we triple it. Or even - quadruple it! Then add on a bit more! Well you’d be bonkers crazy wouldn’t you!? Probably! I’m sure the dozen ish EGRC who gathered in a field at Ashton Court to attempt the summer Green Man Ultra 45 miler or at a pub in Hambrook to attempt the Green Boy 30 miler would admit as much! But gather they did. On a scorcher of a day! Tales of epicness and camaraderie unfolded and pride overflowed. Both in the hardy members who ventured out, to the amazing EGRC supporters who came out to cheer and support. Kudos to each and every one of you. See the Green Man Ultra race report for a flavour of what it’s like to attempt your first ultra.

Now I’m sure that many of you have been enjoying the awesome 2019 Club Champ races throughout the year so far. We certainly have! Well done to Matt Bradley & Tracey Horton for selecting such a fabulous and varied bunch. Over the last few months we have been working hard to come up with a bunch of races of similarly epic proportions. To the end, Ladies and Gents, we’re very excited to announce ..... the EGRC Club Champs list for 2020! We really hope you like it. It has certainly been a labour of love on our part. We have tried to come up with a list which includes something for everyone. We have a mixture of distances, from the 5k and 4 mile to the long, longer and the VERY long! We’ve put a couple of old favourites on there. We’ve also come up with a few gems that I’m sure most of you will have never heard of. Our hope is that there will be at least one race (hopefully more than one!) that you have never done before. Introducing us to new races is one of the best things about the champ list.

To the less competitive or newer runners amongst us we would massively encourage you to take a look at the list as well. The best thing about doing a race on the club champ list is that it gives you the opportunity to don the club colours and do an event as part of the EGRC team. Whether you choose to race it, jog it or just enjoy it - you can guarantee that there will always be familiar and friendly faces there to support you – maybe half a dozen, a dozen, a couple dozen or a couple dozen dozen (try saying that when you’ve had a few!). That’s part of what we believe the club champ races are all about! Team spirit! 

Head over to the Noticeboard section of the newsletter to see them in all their glory! 

Happy running all!

Graham & Wendy