A friendly running club based in Cirencester!

RSE Club Report – Flat Vs ‘Undulating’

Lulworth Cove trail half

Based on the Dorset Coast in an Area of outstanding Natural Beauty, Lulworth Cove is is one of the most beautiful and recognisable stretches of coastline. Trail Events offer 4 distances for runners looking to take on a scenic, but undulating challenge, including Ultra Marathon, Marathon, long Half Marathon and 12k. Well done to Cheri Edwards for volunteering as backrunner for the half marathon event – a great way to see the stunning scenery!

  • Cheri Edwards – 4 hours 30 mins

I was the backrunner for this race, tasked with ensuring runners stayed on course, helping anyone who needed assistance and motivating when required. It was a beautiful route with sea views for the majority of it. There was a small section on rocky/shingle beach which would have been tricky to run on!  The second half was on the South West coastal path and passed Durdle Door with the iconic rock formations, a real highlight. As the photos show it was a lovely day, although quite windy on the exposed coastal path! Highly recommend the Trail Events Company, well organised, clearly marked routes, friendly volunteers and brilliant, well-stocked aid stations.

Cheri Edwards

Dursley Dozen

The Dursley Dozen makes no bones about the type of race that entrants are signing up for, with such gems as ‘multi-terrain misery’, ‘mud, roads, more mud’ and the route having ‘spared no hills’ listed on the race website. With over 2,000ft of elevation, the route is tough, and the briefing indicated that there were 6 ‘significant’ hill climbs. And so it became the next race in our running club championship!

Hills aside, the atmosphere of this race was fantastic, from marshals to supporters, to friendly runners who were just trying to make it to the finish. The route cross every terrain possible, including grass, mud, road, and a touch of bouldering. The course has a bit of everything!

  • David Witnall – 1:50:04
  • Nia Glover – 1:50:56 – 2nd FSen!
  • Mark Garrett – 1:59:47
  • Cheri Edwards – 2:20:08
  • Kevin Joynes-Creed – 2:20:17
  • Nadine Brown – 2:22:49
  • Kirsty Pitts – 2:31:39
  • Ellie Witnall – 2:31:40

Fantastic event! They’d made no secret of the tough hills in the race description but they were brutal. Steep and never-ending! Started with a huge climb up to lovely tracks through woodlands, downhill to a pond (and the support of Caroline, thank you!) up onto Stitchcombe golf course and a section of the Cotswold Way, down into woods, up in woods, through a muddy section, up another hill, around a stony quarry, more woodlands and finally the mile descent to the high street finish line. Brilliantly marshalled (including an impressive 3 water stations) and frequent pockets of support (often with sweets!), finishing with a nice T-shirt and cake at the end.

Cheri Edwards

This was a new race for me. It was safe to say it was a bit hilly and rather hard. That said the support and marshalling made the experience a whole lot nicer.

Hats off to Dursley Running Club for putting on a really well organised event, another one to add to the calendar for future.

Kevin Joynes-Creed

I’m not the best at hills, and these ones were tough (70% of the race elevation was in the 1st 3 miles!), but I’m glad I didn’t give up and made it to the finish. The route was beautiful. Thanks to Kirsty for getting me round!

Ellie Witnall

The Terminator 2023

This world-famous race is one for the bucket-list, and is feature in the World’s Ultimate Running Races. Hosted by Pewsey Vale Running Club, The Terminator is aptly named for its challenging multi-terrain course which covers 12 miles of ‘undulation’. Runners are lulled into a false sense of security with the course’s gentle start, before the route offers some seriously steep climbs. The race offers some stunning views of Pewsey Vale, however, and boasts fantastic marshalling as well as a free shoe wash!

Taking on the course for RSE was club coach, Carol Sworn!

  • Carol Sworn – 2:21:23

Glorious weather, lots of hills (but not too much mud) and the chatty company all the way round of a friend from my old running club made this a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.

Carol Sworn

Bourton 10k

The Bourton 10k is an incredibly popular race and is a sell out every year; it’s no surprises why, as it’s set in the beautiful town of Bourton-on-the-Water with a fast, flat course. The route takes runners around 2 laps of the town before heading out on country lanes to a turning points; it’s then back to the town centre for a speedy finish.

Taking to the course for RSE were Gemma Wright and Alan Powderhill!

  • Alan Powderhill – 49:41
  • Gemma Wright – 50:26

It was fairly flat but not totally. My aim was negative splits which I just  about managed! It was enjoyable which I never imagined I’d say about a 10k. The funniest part was when Alan and I couldn’t find his car at the end!

Gemma Wright

Just 13 seconds off the PB, but over the moon to get my second ever sub 50! An interesting course, which is largely flat, except for the cheeky hill between 5&6k! Great day though with Gemma Wright also doing a great time.

Alan Powderhill

Brighton Half Marathon

The Brighton Half Marathon is popular for it’s coastal views and emphasis on charity fundraising, raising vital funds for The Sussex Beacon amongst other fantastic causes. The route takes runners on a tour of some of Brighton’s most iconic sights, including the Royal Pavillion, Hove Lagoon, the Brighton Palace Pier and Brighton Marina, as well as the panoramic views of city and seascape. The out and back course is fast and flat, perfect for runners of all abilities.

RSE’s Phil Newman took on the challenge in club colours, entering with his son, Austin! Phil finished in a brilliant time of 1 hour and 56 minutes!

parkruns

Lydiard parkrun

  • Mick Bagot – 23:11
  • Darren Jenner – 24:47
  • Felicity Crotty – 31:32
  • Kevin Joynes-Creed – 31:33

Cirencester parkrun

  • Daniel Drayton – 23:30
  • Jon Campbell – 24:10
  • Phil Southworth – 25:39
  • Steve Sandercock – 25:50
  • Paul Beaumont – 25:55
  • Andy Sworn – 26:37
  • Anne Gardiner – 27:13
  • Maria Yates – 29:30
  • Sylvia Warman – 35:20
  • Ben Chapman – 39:07

Witney parkrun

  • Taryn Hancock – 40:06

Save the Date!

Dates to add to your diary:

  • Sunday 11th June 2023: Fairford 10k
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If you would like a run or race included in the club report, don’t forget to fill in the form below by Sunday 5pm

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