Autumn Adventures – Hares Going the Distance!
With the autumn racing season well and truly under way – and seemingly no shortage of half marathons to choose from – Joanne Sargent, Nathalie Hooper and Geraldine Suckling headed across the Irish Sea to take on the Belfast Half Marathon on 20 September.
One of the biggest half marathons in Northern Ireland, the route gave runners a whistle-stop tour of Belfast, taking them south, east, north and west, alongside the river, through residential areas and into one of the city's parks.
It was a wonderfully well-supported race and, with a runner-friendly 12 degrees, sunshine and blue skies, the three Hares really couldn't have asked for better conditions. All three came away saying how much they had enjoyed it, so Belfast has definitely earned itself a place on the "one to do" racing list!
Also on 20 September, but a little closer to home, Matt Wylett took on the Mersea Island Half Marathon in Essex. This trail race follows the coastal path around the island, with runners tackling a mixture of uneven paths and sand.
Matt admitted he spent much of the race looking down rather than admiring the scenery, as keeping upright on the tricky terrain required his full attention! When he did manage to look up, however, he reported that the views were lovely. Sometimes trail running really is as much about watching your feet as enjoying the countryside!
Meanwhile, Stuart Price took on the Felixstowe 10 Mile, following the coastal road. Despite describing it as a tough race, Stuart clearly didn't let that slow him down too much, crossing the finish line in an excellent 1:05:31.
Seven Hares Take on Ipswich
The following weekend brought one of Suffolk's major running events – the Ipswich Half Marathon – and it was fantastic to see seven Hares lining up at the start.
Kevin Long, recording his third-fastest half marathon, and Tom Cowley both produced brilliant performances to finish in under 1 hour 30 minutes. Not far behind were Richard Cowley, Paul Barton, Sam Ashdown, Geraldine Suckling and Nicola Thornton.
Fantastic running from everyone and a brilliant representation of the club!
Further north, Ed Murphy was flying the Hares flag solo at the Sandringham Half Marathon. The route took him around the Sandringham Estate and along the surrounding roads and trails, with some stunning views across the Norfolk countryside to distract him from the small matter of running 13.1 miles.
A Flamingo Comes to Hadleigh!
Not all our running has been about chasing PBs and collecting medals. On 3 October, the Hadleigh Hares joined forces with Stowmarket Striders for something a little different – a social run around Hadleigh to create a piece of Strava art. And what did we create? A hare perhaps? No. A flamingo, of course!
The route had been cleverly designed by one of the Striders and took us around roads and trails, including parts of Hadleigh that even some of the Hares didn't know existed. It was a lovely, relaxed run and a great opportunity to meet and chat with runners from another local club. Most importantly, the finished Strava picture really did look like a flamingo. A great morning of running, chatting, exploring and proof that sometimes it's perfectly acceptable to run nine miles simply to draw a large bird on a map!
Rob's Kent Downs Ultra – So Much for "Never Again"!
On Saturday 10 October, Rob Taylor headed to the Garden of England to take on the Kent Downs 50 Ultra Challenge, proving that runners have very short memories when it comes to declaring they'll never do something again!
After completing the London to Brighton Ultra in May 2025 – a gruelling 101.8km in 15:40:03 – Rob had firmly declared, "Never again!" Yet seventeen months later, there he was, lining up for his second ultra.
Starting and finishing at the Kent Showground near Maidstone, the 50km route took runners on an anticlockwise loop through the beautiful Kent Downs. Following sections of the North Downs Way to Blue Bell Hill, the course continued alongside the River Medway to Mote Park before heading along the Len Valley Walk, past the magnificent Leeds Castle and back to the finish.
Rob described the event as fantastically well organised, with stunning scenery and thankfully kind weather. However, with over 2,800ft of climbing, some brutally steep gradients and plenty of loose rocks and stones underfoot, it was certainly no walk in the park!
And then there were the trainers. Having chosen comfort over function, Rob discovered that his footwear wasn't quite up to the challenge. By the finish, his trainers were completely wrecked – an expensive lesson in choosing the right shoes!
Although Rob admitted his training hadn't been quite where he wanted it to be, he knew he had the mental and physical strength to get himself around the course. And he certainly proved it, crossing the finish line in a fantastic 4:58:54, finishing 16th overall and 14th in the male 25-and-over category.
To make the achievement even sweeter, his time was quicker than that of the winner of the under-25 category – something Rob was understandably rather chuffed about!
Despite the tough course, tired legs and ruined trainers, Rob was absolutely buzzing afterwards and is already eyeing up his next ultra. So much for "never again"!
From Budapest to Oxford – Marathon Miles and a Comeback!
Sunday 11 October saw the Hares tackling more long-distance challenges, with a marathon in Hungary and a half marathon in Oxford.
Sam Theobald and Elaine Turner headed to the beautiful city of Budapest to take on the marathon. While the stunning architecture and sights of the Hungarian capital provided a wonderful backdrop, there was still the small matter of running 26.2 miles!
Elaine discovered that a marathon really is a very long way to run (who knew?!), but she maintained a fantastic pace throughout and was rewarded with her fastest marathon time of 3:48:09. Sam also put in a superbly strong performance, crossing the finish line in an impressive 3:37:47. Brilliant running from both of them, and what a wonderful city in which to celebrate afterwards!
Meanwhile, Nikki Vince took on the Oxford Half Marathon, a fast and flat course winding through the streets of the historic university city. With sunshine and cool temperatures, conditions were just about perfect.
Having worked hard to return to running, Nikki was pleased to be back out racing. She admitted it might not have been her best performance, but sometimes simply getting back on that start line and crossing the finish is an achievement in itself. A great comeback, Nikki, and hopefully the first of many more races to come!
A Hare Invasion at Capel St Mary!
A little closer to home, 12 Hares headed to Capel St Mary for the annual 5 Mile Race, an out-and-back course that always attracts a good turnout from local clubs. It was fantastic to see so many Hares taking part, along with a brilliant group of our Juniors who tackled the one-mile Fun Run. The future of the club is certainly looking bright!
Stuart Price led the Hares home in a superb 7th place overall, with our newest member, Joe Squirrell, hot on his heels in 8th place. Both finished in under 30 minutes – clearly neither fancied spending any longer out on the course than necessary! Andrew Cross and Nathalie Hooper came in around the 40-minute mark, with Kay Oxford, making a welcome return to running, not far behind. Also flying the Hares flag were Belinda Godbold, Barbara Jousiffe, Emma Calver, Dami Bastos, Jo Sargent, Anne Herbert and Julia Bilotta, completing a fantastic turnout for the club.
A special congratulations goes to Barbara Jousiffe, who finished 1st in her FV70 age category. An outstanding achievement and proof that age is certainly no barrier to great running!
There was more good news in the Suffolk Grand Prix, with our ladies' teams finishing an excellent 4th and 6th. A brilliant team effort and something to be proud of.
Little Hares, Big Efforts!
And we certainly can't forget our fantastic Juniors! A huge well done to Aderyn, Eira and Dylan McDonald, Lydia Farmer, Eva and Paige Smithen, Polly Price and Fikeey Bastos, who all took part in the one-mile Fun Run. Congratulations to Lydia, who picked up first place in GU11.
It's wonderful to see our younger runners getting involved, enjoying themselves and proudly representing the Hares. Who knows, in a few years they might be the ones leading the pack in the five-mile race!
Congratulations to everyone who has raced over the past few weeks. From half marathons in Belfast and Suffolk to Rob's incredible ultra, marathon PBs in Budapest, age-category wins at Capel and our enthusiastic Juniors, it's been a fantastic start to the autumn season.
