Buckingham 10k - Sunday 23rd October 2022

Report by: Adrian Crookes (AKA: YT)
Distance: 10km
Location: Buckingham
Web link: https://chiptimingsolutions.com/results/result.html?race=322

Event Details: Nice small and local event. Starts in Buckingham town centre, goes up Stowe avenue, into Stowe national trust, where you do a loop around the lake, and back down Stowe avenue and back to the start.

Before the race:It was an extremely wet day, so most runners congregated in the ‘Old town Hall’ (which is now part of the Villiers Hotel). Pre-race banter and chitter chatter is always good fun! Free parking on a Sunday morning at the Waitrose car park.

Who ran: Macca, Tash, Nichola, Franko, Nat, Jayne & YT

The Race:
A really nice undulating course predominantly off road, but mainly on tracks and much of it through Stowe Gardens……apart from the weather, biblical rain, massive shin deep puddles, made it rather hard going! Still, we all still seemed to enjoy it!

BDRC Results:
YT: 45:51, Franko: 55:58, Nat: 55:59, Jayne: 56:25, Macca: 57:19, Tash: 59:56, Nichola (52:31 Strava time, No time on website!).

Big shout out to Jen Critchley also (who is a good friend of our Bobbles’) and finished first lady in 45:13!!!!

Funny Moments
All of it, mainly because of the weather!

Would you recommend?
Definitely recommend, particularly as it is so local. We should have this in BDRC champs!

Cotswold Classic - 3rd September 2022

Report by: David Griffiths-Allen
Distance: 10 miles
Location: Witney, Oxfordshire
Web link: witneyroadrunners.co.uk/cotswoldclassic/

Event Details: Described as a ‘fundulating’ race in the Oxfordshire countryside

Before the race:Great communication, although the route looked tough with a total climb in excess of 500ft. Fortunately, the weather was near-perfect ‘on-the-day’ - cool and still.

Who ran: Adrian Crookes, Nicola Crookes, David Griffiths-Allen and Chris Noble

The Race:
A challenging undulating race with a killer climb mid-way, but very scenic and well-marshalled with perfectly-spaced drink stations.

Super-Vet Chris Noble led the way from the gun for BDRC with Adrian and David running close together before Club newcomer David eased ahead in the closing 2 miles. Nicola ran a solid sub 1 hour 30 as a returner (after a period of injury) to take 5th WV50.

BDRC Results:
Chris Noble: 1:09:39 (Gun); 27th of 272 runners; 3rd MV50
David Griffiths-Allen: 1:16:15 (Gun); 54th of 272 runners
Adrian Crookes: 1:17:34 (Gun); 62nd of 272 runners
Nicola Crookes: 1:28:09 (Gun); 125th of 272 runners; 5th FV50

Funny Moments
Watching a bunch of lean runners gulping down free beer at the finish!

Would you recommend?
Absolutely, a quintessentially English and well-orchestrated rural event 😊

Alchester 5km - Wednesday 10th August 2022

Report by: Louise Honeyball
Distance: 5km
Location: Marsh Gibbon Cricket Club
Web link: alchester-runningclub.co.uk

Event Details: A fast and flat 5km race mainly on road, starting and finishing at Marsh Gibbon Cricket Club. This race is part of the club calendar counting in both the club and handicap champs categories, and was a good opportunity for all to get a final speedy 5km in before the end of the season!

Before the race:There was plenty of parking in the field just a short walk away from the Race HQ at the cricket club in Marsh Gibbon. I hadn’t entered in advance but had no problem getting an on the day entry when I arrived. Facilities were a little limited; there was only one toilet, but I had a nice chat in the queue!! After a short run briefing we had a VERY short walk across the road to the start line - so short in fact, that some of us weren’t ready!

The Race:
The heatwave didn’t deter us mighty BDRCers - we are so hardcore! With temperatures over 30°C, we set off on this fast and flat course where the sun was melting the road and there was no shade! A two lapper with one big loop and one small loop with nice friendly marshals along the way. The finish was a lap of the edge of the cricket field and across the line where we were rewarded with an ice pop.

BDRC Results:
Christopher Noble - 00:19:51
Adrian Crookes - 00:22:07
Alan Smith - 00:22:24 (1st MV 60)
Alasdair MacSporran - 00:23:00
Claire Reynolds - 00:24:12
Nicola Crookes - 24:31
Ryan Paton - 00:25:15
Mark Poulton - 00:25:37
Jayne Cooper - 00:26:03
Sue Torrance - 00:26:05
Louise Honeyball - 00:26:25
Gareth Meade - 00:27:02

Funny Moments
Too hot to be funny!

Would you recommend?
It was a well organised and well marshalled race. In normal conditions, i.e. not a heatwave, if you are looking to get a fast 5km time this is a good opportunity. It is a flat course, and it isn’t too narrow or too busy. I think the memento, or lack of was pretty poor though. I would have personally preferred a medal or a T-shirt and I think £15 is a little expensive for water and an ice pop!

Milton Keynes Festival of Running - Sunday 13th March 2022

Report by: Richard McMahon (AKA: Macca)
Distance: 10km
Location: Xscape Central Milton Keynes
Web link: mkrun.co.uk/

Event Details: The MK Festival of Running has been held for many years, and has 5k, 10k, half-marathon and 20-mile races. This event has been part of the Club calendar for many years with the Club subsidising entries on occasions. This year it was only the 10k that was included in the Club race calendar (avoiding strategic distance entry to maximise points!). Also, for the first time Club results were based on age grading rather than finish position.

Before the race: The event felt significantly less busy than previous years. There are a lot of races held in MK during the year now, so maybe the calendar is getting saturated. The race starts are staggered with the 20milers going off first, followed by the 5k and 10k races at 10-minute intervals. The morning was dry but cold with a chilly wind. Heading to the start I met up with some wonderful BDRCers and we grouped together on the start line, and as is traditional shared horror stories about Beacon Hill with the first timers!!

Who ran: Clatters, Jayne, Mary, Lolly, Louise H, Sue, Noz, Ryan and Macca. ET was there too running with Redway Runners.

The Race:
Starting on the dual carriageways, the race always feels a bit of a tarmac festival, however the main roads do give way to country roads through villages and into the parks. The course is generally fast and flat (although there was one year when one of the underpasses was flooded with water to knee depth which slowed us all down!). There is good support through the residential areas and there’s one water station. Beacon Hill, 1k from the finish, is always a challenge but this time I felt stronger going up than previous years which was a bonus. There is no real chance to get your breath back as you are then on the last km home. A special mention goes to Clatters for the best sprint finish of the day!!

BDRC Results:
Mary De Frates 51:17 (4)
Sue Torrance 52:55 (1)
Louise Honeyball 53:26 (5)
Rachael Prior 54:04 (2)
Jayne Cooper 54:45 (3)
Izzy Clatworthy 58:45 (6)

Chris Noble 42:10 (1)
Ryan Paton 51:55 (3)
Richard McMahon 53:51 (2)

(Figures in brackets indicate age-graded position).

Funny Moments
Having had trouble parking outside Xscape (particularly in the cheaper bays) in previous years I got there early, only to find I was virtually the first car in the car park!! Discussing the lack of other BDRC runners taking part being because the results would be age graded and they couldn’t compete with masters aged members!! (Not true, I am sure!!)

Would you recommend?
Yes, a well organised race with a mixture of fun, recreational and club runners that has variety as well as the opportunity for a fast run.

Banbury 15 - Sunday 20th March 2022

Report by: Chris Noble (AKA: Noz)
Distance:15 miles
Location:Spiceball Leisure Centre & Country Park, Banbury
Web link: banburyharriers.org/banburyrun.asp

Event Details:
- HQ is at Spiceball Leisure Centre. The start is in Spiceball Park.
- It’s definitely an undulating/hilly course!
- Showers available back at HQ

Before the race: I got to HQ early as usual. Lots of familiar old faces from CRJ, plus Shaun (ex BDRC) and a few others, so had a good old natter/catch up. Then noticed Heidi had arrived, so we got into race gear and went to look for other BDRC’s, who we found in the Park.

Who ran: Alice Hall, Franko, Heidi, K&K1, K&K2, Noz

The Race:
The race: Start and finish is on grass for roughly 100 meters, then it’s run on pavement/footpath and road. Race headed out of Banbury up the Southam Rd where we turned off the roundabout to head down Noral Way to do a 200 meter loopback. I saw K&K2 as I was turning in, which obvs means he was just exiting the loopback and disappearing quick! So back onto the Southam Rd and at mile 1 1/2 we met our first of four climbs. That first climb was still rising when going through the first village of Little Bourton, but then it flattened out going to Great Bourton, where it was a fast downhill into Cropredy. Was kind of flat for the next 2 ½ miles until the ‘easiest hill’ of the race going up to Claydon, then another kind of flat couple of miles before the ‘KILLER’ hill. Appletree hill is just nasty, but I decided to use it to get my cadence back on track and I went past a few CRJ’s. It proved successful and I stay ahead of those pesky CRJ’s for the rest of the race. This was important as one of them was the SiPi’s wife, both of CRJ and defo didn’t want to get chicked by her 🤣 Anyway, we looped on back to Banbury, going back through Cropredy, where Sue Torrence’s gang appeared again and then to the long hard Great Bourton climb. Not as ‘nasty’ as Appletree, but as you do the couple of left turns to go to Little Bourton, it has a couple bits of real energy sapping short gradients, which at eleven miles in, is not fun. After having invoked Rule #5, it was then down the Southam Rd and back to Spiceball for a relaxed finish. Missed most BDRC’s finishing coz I preferred to have a v.welcome shower in HQ, but got back to say tarragh and Alice was so impressed I waited to see her finish, she later bought some Club kit 👌🤣 Thought I deserved a beer after all that, so went to the GF Club just over the road with Phil and Geordie Dave of CRJ 😎🍺🍺 A very satisfactory day of running and socialising, thank you Banbury 15 🙂

BDRC Results:

Name / Overall Pos / Age Cat / Cat Pos /Gender Pos / Time
Keith Fox (K&K2) / 18 / MSnr / 11 / 18 / 1:40:53
Chris Noble (Noz) / 37 / MV50 / 9 / 36 / 1:50:07
Kim Fox (K&K1)/ 55 / FV35 / 3 / 6 / 1:55:47
Heidi Carruthers / FV45 / 75 / 4 / 11 / 2:03:11
Frances Edwards (Franco) /92 / FV35 / 9 / 19 / 2:10:04
Alice Hall / 138 / FSnr / 6 / 41 / 2:34:22

Funny Moments
Alice coming over to our little BDRC group before the start and looking at me as though I knew who she was. Fortunately, after getting a bit of verbal abuse, it clicked… and I even got her name correct 😁

Seeing Sue Torrence and Co. popping up to support at various places on the course.

The race adjudicator running the race… and winning it!!!

CRJ Rachel, with a mile to go, shouting out ‘I’m coming to get you’! But as I had since Appletree, I stayed ahead by 20 seconds 😈

Would you recommend? Definitely, but only if you’re ready for a tough course or marathon training. Always good to support a local race, organised by a local Club and that has a v.reasonable entry fee.

Cattle Creep - Sunday 20th February 2022

Report by: Heidi Carruthers
Distance: 10 miles
Location: Milton Keynes
Web link: bigcowsports.com/events/cattle-creep-a-little-further/

Event Details: No parking at the race HQ/start so Izzy and I parked at one of the recommended car parks where we met Sarah and we all walked to the HQ together. This was a good 10 minute or so walk and we didn’t really know where we were going as no signs anywhere but we soon saw other runners coming from other directions and their various car parks so we knew we were on the right track. Due to high winds there was no bag drop which I moaned about a fair bit! We met up with all the other BDRC’rs and we used my black bin bag that I was using to keep warm pre race to put all our hoodies in then that went into Kim’s shopping bag and we found a good hiding place for it. Passed on to Keith where it was for him to collect for us all when he finished!

The race started on time and was a kind of staggered start due to the narrow path through the woods to begin but we had chip timing so that was fine. It was a close pack to begin with but soon spread out and I was able to get into a decent pace. A long stretch of the race was alongside the canal which was extremely windy and a bit boring, I didn’t think it would end but as we turned off the canal we got to the good bit…a short off road section which led us to the cattle creep - literally a tiny, very narrow tunnel that even I had to bend down to get through. It was a fairly short tunnel so not as scary as I was imaging. After this there was a horrible uphill section on grass and the we turned back onto the path towards the finish at the pub. The commentary was really supportive and they seemed really impressed with the amount of BDRC runners. We rocked!

Funny Moments
- Not funny for Kim and Keith who both took a wrong turn and had to play catch up
- The commentator calling SYBT Susan and several of us shouting back ITS SUZANNE at her

Would you recommend?
I would recommend this event, i liked the 10 mile distance and the variety of road, track, canal and off road and the cattle creep is a bit of an unusual element. Nice medal too.

NTRIX - Sunday 30th January 2022

Report by:Kevin Tusatin (AKA: Cornish)
Distance: 12km
Location: Stratford upon Avon
Web link: stratfordac.co.uk/not-the-roman-ix-ntrix/

Event Details: A bit of an usual distance for a race! The course is run on part closed or very quiet country roads, there is a big old hill about a third of the way in, pretty much plain sailing after that bar the odd lump here and there.

Before the race: It was FREEZING!! Number pick up was very well organised and as usual there was a mammoth queue for the loo(urinal for the gents always a plus point). I’d got a lift with Del Boy we managed to get him parked in a easily accessible parking spot and it was a 5 minute mooch to the race HQ. I was a bit concerned I was going to be the only lunatic in a vest and shorts(FREEZING!!) but there was plenty of other mad people too. We found Heidi in the toilet queue had a catch up, moaned about how cold it was though Del Boy had about 5 layers on…

Who ran: Kevin Tustain, Heidi Carruthers & Mark Poulton

The Race:
The race: Another 5 minute mooch to the start line though you’d try and move a bit quicker as was FREEZING!!, all gets a bit chaotic near the start as its quite a narrow road to start on, once there we were sent on our merry way. Starts with country roads heading down towards Banbury road which is partly closed for runners to run along there for a bit before starting the big climb.

I’d managed to get myself in a pack of about 5 of us and we stayed pretty close until the hill when all my Brackley running helped me and I pulled away from them with the first lady not too far behind.

Going down the otherside of the hill towards the bottom is the 10k marker, a little glance at the watch saw a pleasant surprise for myself which gave me the motivation to cling on for the last little climb towards the finish line which is a hairpin left and short sprint(got one on the line 😊).

BDRC Results:
Kevin Tustain 17th | 45:35
Heidi Carruthers 154th | 59:43
Mark Poulton 227th | 68:40

Would you recommend?
100% yes. Great challenging course, very well organised and marshalled. Probably need to get another sock provider though…