Race Report – 14/12/2025
Gloucestershire AAA Cross Country – Race 3 – University of Bath
This was the third installment of this season’s Gloucestershire XC league, where the fixture ran alongside the 4 Counties Championship (Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Bristol). This meant that runners were eligible to be awarded county medals for their age categories within their respective home county. We currently don’t have any official results yet so watch this space!
XC consists of two different races for men <65 (roughly 10k) and men 65+ and women (roughly 4 miles). The race consists of loops of varying size depending on which race you’re in. This year the course was fairly dry with not too much mud (surprising considering all the rain we have had) and we had good weather conditions if you ignored the nasty headwind from the east. XC is always hard work but great fun, with good team camaraderie and a different sort of running challenge – you tend to run to feel rather than your watch, which is a refreshing change from chasing a time on road races.
Today we had a full women’s team but sadly two slightly depleted men’s and men’s masters teams due to injury and illness. Nevertheless a brilliant performance from RSE runners! The next fixture is at Pittville in Cheltenham and is a Club Championship race for 2026. I’d recommend giving it a go even if you haven’t run XC before (it’s weirdly fun I promise!) – it would be great to get 3 full teams representing the club. Feel free to join the Whatsapp group if you are interested or have any questions.
This XC race was held on a large sloping field next to Bath University. The weather was kind and conditions underfoot were good. The race was challenging though, with 4 long uphill legs, sapping the strength and making it a survival run to the finish. Had a good sprint at the finish with Paul Beaumont! Very enjoyable outing – Steve
Less muddy than last year. They were concerned that they didn’t have volunteers but it seemed well organised and managed to me. Good to see RSE runners taking part. Hopefully be even more at Pittville! – Paul
Todays cross country was the 3rd in the series. I’ve managed to get to all 3 so knew what to expect a bit more and was prepared with spikes!! After a quick downhill start it was a slow pull up to the top where the wind added to the fun. It was a 3 loop course with a extra section through the middle on the last loop just when you didn’t need it!!! I survived and managed somewhere around 33 mins ish which I was pleased with. It’s a very friendly chilled atmosphere and you do feel a sense of achievement when you’ve finished. The last race is Pittville Park on 14th February which people describe as similar to Cirencester parkrun with added water so why not dip your toes into cross country as it’s also a club run. – Claire
Westonbirt House Christmas 10k
This ever-popular sell-out race takes place at Westonbirt House, following two loops of quiet country lanes. Some runners dress up for Christmas which makes for some fun festivities and are rewarded with an impressive snow globe medal at the end. This year three RSE runners tackled the course with some fantastic times and PBs!
- Anne-Marie Davies: 1:00:59
- Helen Cue: 1:07:55 – huge 11 minute PB!
- Sylvia Warman: 1:11:17
Great event with some superb outfits and lovely to see some RSE faces. Beat my time from last year by over a minute so pretty happy. Even saw the King drive by at the end of the 1st lap – Anne-Marie
Always a great event. Pleasant route with great support. And a very Christmasey medal. Pleased with my time given how little running I’m managed recently. – Sylvia
Parkruns
Cirencester parkrun
- Andy Cullen: 22:21
- Jon Campbell: 22:33
- William Cobbett: 27:42
- Daniel Drayton: 29:35
- Jade Beaumont: 30:00
- Rachel Smith: 30:40
- Samantha Ward: 30:57
Warwick Racecourse parkrun
- Felicity Crotty: 30:45
Central parkrun, Plymouth
- Darren Jenner: 24:34
Marine Parade parkrun
- Vicki Mason: 28:08
Battersea parkrun
- Campbell McIlroy: 20:26
Stratford-upon-Avon parkrun
- Liz Hulcup: 28:09
Save the date!
RSE Annual Awards evening: Saturday 31st January at The Gateway Centre (South Cerney)