Friday 5 Series & Summer Races: Hares Shine Through the Heat

Bury St Edmunds – 20 June

Halfway through the series and the heat showed no signs of easing, but that didn’t stop Kevin Long and Nathalie Hooper from taking on the challenge. The course began with a mile-and-a-half lap of Nowton Park before heading onto the open roads, where runners had hoped for some shade — unfortunately, there was little relief. A tough final mile of steady incline made the race especially challenging, but the sprint to the finish brought some redemption. Kevin finished an impressive 4th in his age category, with Nathalie 3rd in hers.

Our juniors also put in a strong showing. Lydia Farmer ran brilliantly, securing 3rd place in the Year 4 and below category. In the older age group, Felix Clover, Morgan Davies, and Elsie Price all delivered solid performances in a competitive field.

Stowmarket – 27 June

Seven Hares took to the woods and undulating roads around Haughley Park. It’s an easy course to go out too fast on, especially with the uphill finish catching many off guard. Nevertheless, there were fantastic runs from Kevin, Alli Maclean, Paul Lacey, Sam Ashdown, James Watson, Nathalie and Fiona Holland. The ice cream van at the finish was a very welcome sight!

Our juniors were out in force again, with Lydia grabbing 2nd in her category and strong runs from Rosalie van Aswegen, Felix Clover, and Josiah Todd.

Great Bentley – 4 July

The final race of the series, known for its flat, fast course and strong turnout, didn’t disappoint. Stuart Price led the Hares home in 10th place with an impressive 28:32, just shy of a personal best. Nathalie, Dami Bastos, and Joanne Sargent followed with strong, determined finishes.

Lydia and Rosalie continued their excellent run of form, joined by Morgan and Elsie in the junior race.

Despite enduring five weeks of blazing heat, our small but mighty team achieved outstanding results:

• Nathalie Hooper – 2nd overall in age category

• Fiona Holland – 3rd overall

• Stuart Price – 2nd overall

• Kevin Long – 3rd overall

• Jo Sargent & Alli Maclean – both finished 9th overall in their categories

• Lydia Farmer – 3rd overall in her age group

The Seniors finished 11th out of 58 teams — a fantastic result for such a compact squad!

Even with the Friday 5 series in full swing, our runners found time to shine elsewhere:

Nathalie and Stuart competed in the scorching Kesgrave 10k on 22 June and Nathalie was stunned to learn she had won her age category in the Suffolk County Road Championships. Stuart also had a fantastic run, finishing 3^rd in his age group.

Newmarket 10k - 29 June

For Jo, this was a new race. Set in a beautiful location surrounded by stud farms and horses, it presented a lovely area to warm up in and a very pleasant run. The route was circular, and mainly flat, although there was a fairly horrible hill at the 7k stage. Fortunately, thanks to tips from returning runners, Jo was well prepared for the challenge.  The weather was quite hot and muggy, so the two water stations on route were very much welcomed. A fairly local race, with partially closed roads and friendly marshals – Jo’s already considering a return!

Eikeden Relays - 6 July

Set in the impressive grounds of Ipswich High School in Woolverstone, Hares were only competing in the Junior Race and were fielding 3 teams, competing against some much larger and more experienced clubs. The weather was cooler this year and the Junior race was at 9.30am, so ahead of the expected rain showers that later arrived during the Senior races. The Juniors run in teams of 4, with each athlete completing a 1 mile lap before passing over the baton to the next team member.   Felix, Rose and Maia made a strong start before handing over to Josiah, Lydia and Polly in her first race. Jack, Aderyn and Freya were next with Felix, Lydia and Elsie finishing off. We had strong performances from everyone and must thank Felix and Lydia for running 2 legs each, and congratulate them for their first legs in the Clubs fastest times of 6.48 and 6.51 respectively. There were nearly 70 teams taking part so they did incredibly well – along with their own personal achievements, they helped their overall teams finish in 38th, 40th and 64th positions. Well done to all our runners – here’s to cooler weather and more great races to come!

Hares 5k series #3 - 7 July

We had a fantastic turnout for the third run in our Club 5K Series, with 20 members taking part. It was great to see so many time improvements across the board, showing real progress and determination.

As always, a huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers – your support makes these events possible and so enjoyable!

Arthur Whiston 5 mile - 13 July

Kev and Nathalie took part in the inaugural Arthur Whiston 5 Mile Race, a special event held in memory of Arthur Whiston following his sudden passing in 2024. A long-standing member of Colchester Harriers and a much-loved figure in the local running community, Arthur’s legacy was celebrated with a well-supported race, with all proceeds going to the Essex Wildlife Trust, a cause close to his heart. The course was mostly flat, beginning at the iconic Abbeygate and finishing on the Garrison Track, offering a fast route ideal for strong performances.

Kev made light work of the course, finishing 11th overall and 2nd in his age category—a brilliant result in a competitive field. Nathalie also had an excellent run, placing 4th out of 33 in her age category and 14th female out of 86, showing great form and consistency.

Ipswich Twilight 10k - 18 July

The Ipswich Twilight 10K, starting and finishing at the iconic Portman Road, took runners on a twisting route through the town’s main shopping streets and past some of its historic landmarks. As always, the summer heat made for tough conditions, but that didn’t deter Stuart, Rory Hanley, Harriet Hanley, and Ben Roper from putting in fantastic performances.

Stuart led the way, smashing it with an outstanding time of 36:05, earning 2nd place in his age category – a brilliant achievement! Great running from everyone on what was another hot and challenging evening in Ipswich.

And finally, a few intrepid Hares went hare hunting around Ipswich, following the colourful Hop To It art trail. They didn’t manage to spot all 130 sculptures—but they certainly gave it a good go and had plenty of fun along the way!