A friendly running club based in Cirencester!

From Cirencester to the Sea: Parkrun Tourism

Race Report – 9th Nov 2025

A rest from racing for RSE this week after many busy weekends of club championship and Gloucestershire AAA races. Nevertheless members got out and about across the country to explore local and further afield parkruns, making the most of some perfect sunny weather on Saturday. Most notably the RSE Improvers (graduates from RSE’s ever-popular beginners programme) had a great day out at Milford Haven, smashing PBs and age-category results.

Kingsway parkrun, Gloucester

  • Vicki Mason: 28:08

South Shields parkrun

  • Naomi Allen: 32:12

Cirencester parkrun

  • Phil Hudson: 23:51
  • Richard Sharp: 25:04
  • Claire Sharp: 25:15
  • Andy Sworn: 26:25
  • Cheri Edwards: 27:05
  • Paul Beaumont: 27:08
  • Phil Newman: 27:44
  • Jade Beaumont: 28:45
  • Phil Scoble: 29:16
  • Rachel Smith: 30:41
  • Maria Yates: 30:49
  • Lee Jones: 30:58

“Slow start due to the funnel at the start and muddy due to the heavy rain the night before, so no PB for me today. Nice and sunny though” – Lee


Milford Waterfront parkrun

  • Rachel Weaver: 30:55
  • Clare Wood: 35:26
  • Julie Taylor: 42:43

Milford Haven is a lovely small park run that takes place by the sea. It was a challenge as it was not flat. We all absolutely loved it and there were PBs, best age percentage and plenty that did incredible in their age category!

We would definitely visit again. – Improvers Group


Kilkenny Lane Country parkrun

  • Darren Jenner: 24:29
  • Liz Hulcup: 27:00
  • Felicity Crotty: 31:53
  • Linda Edwards: 33:18

Save the date!

Thursday 13th November: ‘Why All Runners Should Do Strength Training’ by Scott Williams (See WhatsApp for details)

Running into the Record Books

Cotswold Lakes 10K, 13th September 2025

This local race is a popular choice for runners looking for a friendly local event in scenic surroundings.  Held at Cleveland Lakes Nature Reserve and hosted by the Cotswold Lakes Trust, the 10k route takes in both public and private areas of the reserve not normally open to the public. The course is fast, flat and traffic free, making for a great morning out!

Very friendly atmosphere and a civilised start time! Great to see other RSE runners there.  Course was nothing like as muddy as I  thought it might be. A couple of the marshalls gave great encouragement.   And it didn’t rain. A nice beginning to a Saturday – which carried on at Swindon County Ground!

– Paul Beaumont

     

Dan DRAYTON       00:48:48

Paul BEAUMONT   00:53:01

Lee JONES             01:00:41

 

Angel’s 10k, 14th September 2025

This 10k road race is held in Ashleworth and offers great view of the Cotswolds, the Malvern Hills and River Severn. It’s hosted by the Angels Running Club, the only affiliated all-female running club in Gloucestershire, and is now in its 14th year.  Part of the Gloucestershire AAA Road Race Series, it’s sure to be popular, and indeed increased entries this year after selling out in 2024.  RSE were well represented by those taking part in the AAA championship.

 

We all did our best in the battle for County points. Undulating, but not as steep as last week! We got the choice of a medal or a tin with flower seeds in. A well organised event and lovely company.

-Zoe Markham-Lee

Pleased to be in the top half of the field and maintained Marathon pace. Weather perfect hills as always quite taxing. but lovely course overall .  Great being with our regular gang. We all did well in the rankings.

– Sharon Smith

Race 9 out of 12 of the Gloucestershire AAA road race series was run by Angels running club at Ashleworth today. Conditions were perfect – dry, cool, light wind), and the 6 RSE runners took part had really good races with Sharon, Mick and Sue grabbing first in age group Steve taking 2nd a Zoe and Gemma getting 3rd and 4th. As ever for a AAA race there were plenty of hills and undulations to wear us out.

– Steve Sandercock

Another lovely hilly county race, arriving on Steve’s shuttle bus !

– Gemma Wright

It doesn’t seem like a year since we were last here. Good to have a chance to do it again and to try to pace it better.
Thanks to what I’ve learned at the Wednesday efforts sessions I managed a bit better than last year, set off slower and overall was a couple of minutes quicker than last year.  Still needing to walk most of the hills though…

– Sue Navin

 

 

Sharon SMITH              00.47.36

Steve SANDERCOCK  00:49.28

Gemma WRIGHT         00:54.08

Zoe MARKHAM-LEE    00.55.31

Sue NAVIN                    00:55.40

Liz HULCUP                  01:02.51

 

Parkruns 13th September 2025

Lydiard parkrun

Jade BEAUMONT            00:26:40

Stratford-upon-Avon parkrun

Darren JENNER               00:23:36

Felicity CROTTY               00:29:31

Cirencester parkrun

Wayne HEWITT               00:21:00

Jon CAMPBELL                00:21:30

Phil HUDSON                   00:22:25

Paul BILLINGHURST        00:23:01

Mark GARRETT               00:23:28

Anne GARDINER             00:26:59

Paul ROBERTSON           00:27:36

Rachel SMITH                  00:28:32

Phil SCOBLE                    00:29:08

Phil NEWMAN                  00:29:09

Rachel WEAVER              00:36:42

Stratford Park parkrun, Stroud

Andy SWORN                  00:27:08

Carol SWORN                  00:29:48

Seven Fields parkrun

Alan POWDERHILL          00:24:49

Elliot GARDINER              00:24:50

Vicki MASON                   00:29:47

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford

Cheri EDWARDS              00:26:02

Fire Service College parkrun

Liz HULCUP                   30:41

 

And finally…

Some exciting news to share about the successes of one of our club members.  After running 01:48:42 at the Frome Running Festival half marathon in August, our very own Sharon Smith now holds the UK all-time record for the half marathon in the Women’s V75 category!!   In this category Sharon also currently holds the fastest time in the 1 mile this year (3rd all-time), 2nd of all-time in the 10km, and holds the 2nd fastest parkrun in 2025.  Congratulations Sharon, we’re so proud of you!

 

Ultra support from RSE

York 10k 03/08/25

One of Yorkshire’s most popular 10k events, the York 10k offers runners the opportunity to race through the heart of the city, starting and finishing close to York Racecourse. It takes in some of the city’s most historic landmarks, including the ancient city walls, Clifford’s Tower and the Minster, on an appealingly fast and flat route.

Great city 10k.  My 4th year of running this event and it didn’t disappoint.  Forecast was heavy rain but it had all finished before we started which was a bonus.  Beat last years time by 90 seconds so pretty happy!

– Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie Davies  01:01:30

 

The Deadly Dozen, Oxford, 02/08/25

The Deadly Dozen is a series of fitness challenges requiring participants to complete a series of running intervals – interspersed with weighted exercises.  Not much recovery then!

This was a hybrid running/fitness event called the a Deadly Dozen Race – some describe it as one of the hardest races they do. It takes place at an athletics track  ( we chose Oxford). It involves running 12 laps of 400m but after each lap there is a “Labour” ie12 Labours.
Each of the Labours involves either DBS, KBs or Weight Plates ranging from 5 to 24kg  plus some Bodyweight ones for good measure:
Kettlebells : Farmers Carry 2x16kg for 240m, 60 x Deadlifts 24kg and 60x Goblet squats 12kg
Dumbells : Walking Lunges 2x8kg for 60m, 60 x Snatch 9kg, 60 x Push Press 2x6kg, 20 x Devil Press 2x5kg
Weight Plate : Front Carry 20kg for 240m, 60x Clean & Press 10kg, 180m Overhead Carry 10Kg)
Bodyweight : 60m of Burpee Broad Jumps and 120m of Bear Crawls

As a pair we both had to do all the running (we confess we did walk some) but could split the exercises however we liked between us which worked pretty well for us.
So a total of 4.8km running, 900 metres of weighted distance exercises and 320 reps of weighted exercises.
The training since March has been challenging but we (especially me) are glad we did the prep. This was the first of this type of event we have done but it was great fun,  a lovely atmosphere, great judges so although not a pure running event we hope you have enjoyed reading about it.
We both learnt that Burpee Broad Jumps are horrible, Bear Crawls make you dizzy and that it was great doing it as a pair. And it was a PB as it was our first one.

– Helen Cue

Helen Cue & Charlie 01:12:57

Harry Ravenscroft’s fundraiser for Mind

Harry’s mum, Rochelle (“Tosh”) Ravenscroft was a member of RSE and she sadly passed away in 2020.  Harry, now 18 years old,  wanted to take on a challenge in memory of his mum so he decided to run from where Tosh grew up in Edgware to where she lived in Cirencester, a distance of around 90 miles. He ran a marathon distance each day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week and then completed the total of 90 miles by running from Fairford to Cirencester on Saturday. He was joined on this final leg by Nadine, Paul Billinghurst and Tom Burdett running alongside him and Becca and Kirsty on bikes. His younger brother Josh also ran this leg with him. Harry completed the run (via his house) at Somewhere Else where he was rewarded by his Dad with a cold beer followed by burger and chips!

In the true style of an optimistic 18 year old he hadn’t really trained for this event but his mental determination was unbeatable!  At time of publication he has raised £2800 so far for the mental health charity MIND and he’s already planning another challenge for next year.

This is taken from his Just Giving page and there is a link below for anyone wanting to donate. Harry would like to send a big thank you to those members who have already donated and for RSE’s support of his event.

This year will be 5 years since my Mum passed away and I’ve decided to raise as much money as possible for Mind. My mum’s jobs were always either helping others and/or caring for others whether it was teaching dance, working as a carer or helping homeless. In a small way, this is my way of helping people by raising money for Mind.

The run route will be approx 85 miles, the first 3 days will be just short of a marathon each, with a final 10 mile leg on the last day.

The challenge will start on Weds 30th Jul at Cheyneys Avenue in Edgware (London), where my mum grew up. 3 days running from Edgware – Watford – Amersham – Thame – Whitney – Fairford, then a final 10 mile leg on Sat 2 Aug from Fairford to Cirencester.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/running-for-mind2025?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

 

Parkruns 02/08/25

Cirencester parkrun

Jon CAMPBELL                00:21:52

Sharon SMITH                 00:23:54   PB!!!

Steve SANDERCOCK        00:24:33

Phil NEWMAN                 00:25:44

Andy SWORN                  00:26:14

Alison BOOTH                 00:28:20

Rachel SMITH                  00:28:20

Samantha WARD            00:29:33

Maria YATES                    00:29:55

Alan POWDERHILL          00:38:29

St Peters parkrun

Wayne HEWITT               00:21:48

Newbury parkrun

Oliver HAZEL                    00:21:44

Severn Bridge parkrun

Jade BEAUMONT            00:26:49

Sizewell parkrun

Robert BAKER    00:26:11

Zuiderpark parkrun, Den Haag

Cheri EDWARDS              00:25:21

Central parkrun, Plymouth

Darren JENNER               00:26:22

Felicity CROTTY               00:33:33

Y Promenâd parkrun, Aberhonddu

Vicki MASON     00:28:55

Fire Service College parkrun

Liz HULCUP       00:27:02

 

Great running, well done all!  Rachel Bodey 🙂

Longest Day and Longest Night

Chippenham Longest day 10K  18th June 2025

The sell-out Longest Day Chippenham 10k starts and finishes on closed roads in the town centre, winding on to the quiet country roads and trails around Chippenham in between.  Offering live music and a livelier atmosphere, it bills itself as a mini midweek festival of running, music and suitable for those who like beer… which apparently appealed to Elliot Gardiner!

What a great 10K event! Samba band, live guitarist, cakes, burgers, ice cream, sunshine & beer! 🍻 what more could you want?! I tried to do this race during the pandemic but it was changed to a virtual race, so the real thing (including the amazing medal 🌞) has been on my list for a while now!
Far too hot for a PB attempt but a decent scenic & predominantly flat course, with a nice downhill finish! Quite pleased with a sub 50 for my first 10K race in nearly a year, plus still coming back from injury! 😅
Definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a local summer 10K race with a fun atmosphere!    – Elliot

Elliot GARDINER 49:30

Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge 21-22nd June 2025

Yes that’s right, an event that spans 2 days, the “basecamp” for this long distance event is conveniently local at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.  The routes however roam far enough to take in a substantial portion of the Cotswold Way, a notoriously un-flat but scenic trail that winds its way through some of the loveliest Cotswold scenery.  100km, 75km, 50km and 25km routes with an overnight option are offered to walkers, joggers and runners, the longest a full loop taking in Painswick, Wotton-under-Edge and Hawkesbury Upton before turning back to Cirencester.  Nadine Brown took on the maximum 100km challenge in a single day, not only conquering the 2250m of ascent but battling the heat of the hottest day of the year, and persisting through the night despite unforeseen delays on route.  Huge congratulations Nadine!!

This was the toughest physical and mental challenge I’ve faced. The heat was relentless, the climbs hard going, and the terrain unforgiving.
But the support from fellow runners, friends and family cheering us on and the wonderful messages from fellow RSE members kept me focused and smiling.
Loved running round the back of Westonbirt listening to the McFly gig. “It’s All About You” mid-ultra kept us going.
Really well organised event and I’ve raised over £900 for my charity, Cruse Bereavement Support, thanks to so many incredibly generous individuals.    – Nadine

Nadine BROWN  20:53:15

   

 

Parkrun 21/06/25

Gloucester Park Run

Cheri EDWARDS             00:28:51

South Shields parkrun

Naomi ALLEN                   00:30:44

Keswick parkrun

Samantha WARD           00:30:11

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge

Jon CAMPBELL                00:22:13

Tewkesbury parkrun

Darren JENNER               00:24:22

Tetbury Goods Shed parkrun

Phil HUDSON                           00:22:20

Rebecca SOUTHERINGTON   00:23:59

Paul ROBERTSON                     00:28:33

Alan POWDERHILL                   00:36:41

Seven Fields parkrun

Paul BILLINGHURST                 00:23:10

Anne-Marie DAVIES                   00:31:17

Dietenbach parkrun

Liz HULCUP                               00:26:58

This was my first European Parkrun in a huge park on the outskirts of Freiburg. As there a few English runners there, the RD spoke in both German and English so we could understand him.  – Liz

(No Cirencester parkrun this week due to the Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge)

Well done all runners, and thanks for reading! Rachel