Autumn racing begins!

On 21 September, Joel Bamsey and Sam Ashdown took on the Ipswich Half Marathon – a challenging yet well-supported course starting and finishing at Portman Road Stadium. The long road up Freston Hill proved to be the biggest test of the day, but runners were rewarded with a sweeping downhill stretch along the River Orwell and under the Orwell Bridge.

Meanwhile, over in Dublin, Joanne Sargent, Geraldine Suckling and Nathalie Hooper joined thousands of other runners for the scenic Dublin Half Marathon through Phoenix Park, reputedly one of the largest enclosed parks in a European capital city. Local parkrunners warned them about the hills, but they turned out to be no tougher than those back in Suffolk. All three delivered fantastic performances – and all achieved personal bests for the distance.

The 5^th October saw Julia Bilotta taking part in the Cambridge Town & Gown 10K, a scenic route through the heart of Cambridge past university landmarks and along the River Cam. Julia was delighted to achieve a new personal best for this distance – congratulations!

Meanwhile, Paul Lacey and Nathalie Hooper were taking part in the Saxons 5, a sold-out multi-terrain race celebrating the Saxons Running Club’s 20th anniversary. Paul put in a strong performance despite carrying a slight injury, and both runners enjoyed the friendly and well-supported event.

13th October turned out to be a busy race day for the Hadleigh Hares. Stuart Price took on the Tiptree 10 Mile Road Race, a scenic and mostly flat course with plenty of local support along the route. After battling injuries earlier in the year, Stuart has worked hard through cross-training to return to form. His efforts paid off as he stormed across the finish line with a personal best of 58:02, finishing 5th overall and 1st in his age category. Not only did he earn a trophy, but he also took home a pot of the famous Tiptree jam!

Further afield, Samantha Tapp completed the Givaudan Ashford 10k. This sell-out, flat event takes runners through the town, starting and finishing at the stadium. For Sam, it was a particularly nostalgic race — a return to her roots.

Closer to home, Geraldine, Samantha Theobald, Crystal Murry, and Elaine Turner all took part in the Capel 5 Mile Race, an undulating route along quiet country roads. Elaine was thrilled to achieve a PB, beating her previous time from 2012, while Sam had an excellent run, finishing as the 6th lady overall.