Race Report – 05/10/2025

Cirencester Slog

In support of SARA and the NFRSA, The Cirencester Slog is an annual 10 mile trail run in Cirencester Park. Runners get to tackle a mix of terrain and enjoy rarely explored parts of the park. In addition to the 10 mile race is a 5k family friendly trail run. RSE runners tackled both distances today, with the 10 mile part of the Club Championship.

10 mile:

• Alan Powderhill: 1:20:46
• Dan Drayton: 01:23:36
• Darren Jenner: 01:23:55
• Elliot Gardiner: 01:25:41
• Zoe Markham-Lee: 01:42:24
• Elaine Chapman: 01:43:45

5k:

• Felicity Crotty: 33:46
• Sylvia Warman: 36:58

Been a while since I’ve run a club race, but figured I’d be doing a long run anyway so why not. Enjoyed a leisurely walk down, great when a race is on your doorstep!
Not a huge turnout but very well organised. I really enjoyed it! It was definitely a slog at times but had the great company of Zoe in the first 8 miles which made it much better. Ran some new parts of the park as well. All in all I loved it, my legs not so much and are aching a fair bit!! – Elaine

Still not fit enough to race, so took it steady and used it as a training run. Aimed for around 8.30 pace/a sub 1.30 and a negative split, so I was very pleased to achieve that. Nice to explore some new parts of Ciren park I’d never run in before. Plus the feed station at the finish line had an excellent selection of treats! Would recommend this race for anyone interested in a local scenic trail race. – Elliot

Trail isn’t usually my favorite surface, but today went very well. A really nice course with some long flat segments that meant I could get into a good rhythm.
The slog description was apt for the last mile, where it seemed the finish line never got any closer.
A good morning in the park with fellow RSE runners. – Alan

An enjoyable but tough local race, did better than I expected. – Darren

Lovely weather for it. I saw parts of the park I’d never seen before and could probably never find the route again! I ran most of it with Elaine, until she coached me (got bored of me) and told me to run faster. It was nice to be home, still in the morning, from a race. – Zoe

Went to support the Cirencester slog 10 mile race but had a bit of FOMO so signed up to do the 5k. It was nice to support the charities and see some different trails within the park. – Felicity

Signed up for this as I thought the 10 miles might be a bit much so close to a half. It was great to run a 5k that wasn’t endless loops. The terrain was a bit more cross country than parkrun too. And due to the tiny field I won my age category (as the only person in it!). – Sylvia

Run to the Sea Bournemouth

This 50k ultra race runs from Moors Valley Country Park to Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth. It follows the Castleman Trailway for part of the route, as well as a stretch of the seafront into Bournemouth. Runners tackle a variety of terrain including forest trails and coastal paths. Sara represented RSE at Run to the Sea, completing her first 50k ultra.

• Sara Juggins: 06:38:14

It was my first 50km ultra marathon. It was a really good scenic route not to hilly mainly hard surfaces so road trainers were fine. It was really well signed and the CP were fantastic. Very well organised. – Sara

Cardiff Half

The Cardiff Half is renowned for being fast, flat and well supported, making for some fast times despite this year’s windy conditions. Runners were taken on a sightseeing tour of the city with the course taking in the iconic landmarks within the Welsh capital including Cardiff Castle, the Principality Stadium, barrage, Norwegian Church and Wales Millennium Centre.

• Paul Robertson: 1:48:15
• Rachel Weaver: 2:23:19
• Monica Farthing: 02:27:46

Weather was perfect for a run. THAT hill at mile 12 is harsh so I did walk up it!!! Then it’s downhill till the end. Knocked off 5 mins from last time I ran it. – Monica

This race is a must if you like big race day feels! Big runner attendance, big crowds and a route that takes in some wonderful views and sights.  This course has great potential for PB’s which makes it no surprise to be one of the Super Halfs. Lush to see some RSE runners out there today. – Paul

After an early start, finally the race began. Cardiff didn’t disappoint with its party atmosphere. The support was incredible. This definitely won’t go down as an easy run! Mostly due to continuous volume of runners. I was so pleased to see Monica in her RSE top out on the course. Now time to rest. – Rachel

Alcester 10k

The Alcester 10k race has been running for 11 years, taking place on Warwickshire’s rolling country lanes. The race epitomises the strong sense of community in Alcester, which includes one of the local cider brands providing cups of cider to runners at the water station!

• Rachel Smith: 59:55

This is a lovely 10km road race that starts in Alcester High Street and runs a single loop through the Warwickshire countryside. Well attended with over 1,500 runners. Pleased with my time. I only hope the official time is similar as very close on the hour! 🙂 – Rachel

Parkruns

Didcot

• Liz Hulcup: 28:05

Maldon Prom

• Cathy Steer: 32:27

Cirencester

• Phil Hudson: 22:31
• Ollie Hazel: 23:03
• Paul Billinghurst: 23:31
• Phil Newman: 23:29
• Paul Robertson: 25:50
• Robert Baker: 26:35
• Vicki Mason: 29:27
• Phil Scoble: 30:14
• Maria Yates: 30:16
• Anne-Marie Davies: 30:31
• Sylvia Warman: 37:52

Volunteer Awards evening 2025: South West

It was amazing to celebrate the efforts of all the volunteers in the South West at our Regional Volunteer Awards! On Saturday evening, we welcomed all the winners and runners up from across the region to the Devon Hotel, Exeter to say thank you and recognise their contribution. Congratulations to all the award winners and runners up! 

Runner up: David Witnall (Running Somewhere Else)

David Witnall is the driving force behind Running Somewhere Else’s coaching success. As Head Coach, he leads with creativity, empathy, and a genuine passion for making running accessible to all. From beginners’ programmes to technique workshops and time trials, Dave’s sessions are fun, inclusive, and expertly planned. His famous “Dave’s Dice” sessions blend challenge with laughter, while his support for fellow coaches and athletes builds confidence and community. Whether writing personalised plans or cheering from the sidelines, Dave’s dedication shines through. He inspires runners of all levels to believe in themselves—and that’s what makes him an exceptional coach.

(https://www.englandathletics.org/news/volunteer-awards-evening-2025-south-west/)

Great stuff, Dave

Vitality London 10k

The Vitality London 10,000 celebrates both mental and physical wellbeing. It’s the only 10K in the capital to finish outside Buckingham Palace and takes you past some of London’s most famous landmarks, including St Paul’s Cathedral and Big Ben.

Congratulations to Lee Jones who ran it in a time of 01:00:44.

I’ve always wanted to run through the centre of London & take in all the sites that the London marathon does & this was the perfect event! Very well organised & a great route. Didn’t quite get under the 60min mark, but was very close

Lee Jones

Swindon Half Marathon

The road closed route takes runners through Swindon and the surrounding countryside, past the villages of Wanborough, Badbury and Medbourne. This route is mostly flat for the first 5 miles, miles 5-10 are undulating, before a downhill finish!

It went very well today, because of the hills, and getting over a cold, I set myself a more reserved target of 1:45 today. Ended up running 1:43 exactly – only 26 seconds off my PB which was really pleasing.
A brilliant downhill/flat finish in the last 5k.
Some brilliant RSE results today, another great race day event.

Alan Powdwerhill

Great atmosphere in the event village and lots of enthusiastic spectators on the route. Forgot about the hills! but it was 2018 when I last ran it so possibly a new course. FIRST lv75 and a new UK record time. Rewarded myself with an icecream afterwards Lovely!

Sharon Smith

Haven’t run a HM for a while so wasn’t sure what to expect. Enjoyed the course (even with the hills in the middle). There was great support all around the course including the villages and the Ridgeway!

Felicity Crotty

NEW PB!! Pleasantly surprised to have achieved a second HM PB for the year, improving my best by a further 39 seconds. Especially considering the undulating course (and walking up most of the second hill!).

Darren Jenner

Really pleased to have achieved a PB on a pretty undulating course! There’s a couple of brutal hills thrown in between miles 5-9 as well! Nice medal and great to see so many other RSE runners getting PBs on the course too!

Jade Beaumont

Forgot to take my watch for the Cotswold run last week.  This time I remembered it – but forgot to put it on!  Think I quite like running without it.  Some nice views of the Marlborough Downs and a really nice walk  from the car park to the race village

Paul Beaumont

Swindon half was undulating, but some lovely downhills. I was surprised at the lovely views near Swindon! A very unexpected PB for me.

Zoe Markham-Lee

Sun was shining on Swindon today with a big turnout from RSE, and a load of PB’s.
Described as undulating should be challenged as the two long climbs felt tough and long, but then rewarded with a fast downhill close.
I ran a personal PB today and finished 137th. A great day out and congratulations to all the RSE finishers.

Phil Hudson

Philip Hudson       01:34:03 PB

Wayne Hewitt       01:34:45

Mark Garrett        01:37:37

Jennifer Glass       01:41:09

Alan Powderhill    01:43:00

Thomas Barnes    01:43:20

Sharon Smith       01.45.35 (a new UK record time for LV 75)

Paul Robertson    01:48:35

Liam Pettit             01:49:39

Darren Jenner      01:48:17 (PB)

Paul Beaumont    01:52:37

Jo Beames             01:55:05

Zoe Markham-Lee 01:58:07 (PB)

Jade Beaumont    02:05:53 (PB)

Felicity Crotty       02:17:13

Bourton Hilly Half

The Bourton Half Marathon follows an accurately measured 13.1 mile route through the amazing Cotswolds countryside around Bourton-on-the-Water. It is a single lap route on undulating, sometimes hilly, rural roads with some spectacular views en route.

Michael Bagot   01:50:27.59

Gemma Wright 02:15:17.13

Linda Edwards  02:20:53.03

Liz Hilcup           02.57.58

Tail runner, but with lots of walking involved.

Liz Hilcup

Parkruns

Gloucester North parkrun

Vicki MASON                   00:29:43

Cirencester parkrun

Daniel DRAYTON            00:23:20

Steve SANDERCOCK      00:24:22

Claire SHARP                    00:25:29

Alison BOOTH                  00:25:29

Sue NAVIN                        00:26:50  PB!

Phil SCOBLE                     00:29:05

Phil NEWMAN                 00:29:06

Nadine BROWN               00:29:47

Cheri EDWARDS             00:32:15

Rachel WEAVER              00:35:13

Chedworth Roman Trail Race

A 10 mile(ish) single lap, and ,new to 2025, 5 mile lap of scenic Cotswold countryside through Stowell Park, the Coln Valley, and close to the famous Chedworth Roman Villa. It is a challenging multi-terrain race that uses a variety of undulating tracks, footpaths, fields, and features a river crossing. Having been voted one of the best trail races in Gloucestershire, 97% of entrants would do the race again (Runnersworld.co.uk).

This year, the 5 mile race was a RSE Club Championship race, so there was a great turnout by RSE.

5 mile race –

• Nia was 1st lady
• Jenni was 3rd lady
• Rebecca 1st in age category
• Mark was 1st in age category
• Jon was 1st in age category
• Sue was 1st in age category
• Also 1st Men’s team and 1st Ladies’ team.

10 mile race

• Scott Williams 1.16:55 (7th overall)
• Paul Beaumont 1.41:06(1st in age group)
• Jess James 1.52:55

Well done RSE – what incredible results today!

Ben M: “A lovely Sunday morning run in the countryside, my first time and will be back again! ”

Jade : “A lovely scenic race with a river crossing around 3 miles in, followed by a hill which goes on forever! Really nice to run most of the race with Sue and we had a great sprint finish which was good fun!” ☺️

Nia : “This is a great trail race with a variety of terrain and some strong hills. We were lucky and the weather was perfect, with no mud to contend with. The river crossing wasn’t as deep as I was expecting but I think some scaremongering had been going on before the race! It was tough work but well worth the effort with the club taking lots of awards and great homemade cakes afterwards too.”

Al : ” God I love trail 🤦‍♂️ great morning of running with RSE taking over. Wasn’t my best day, and really struggled today. Anyway some excellent results from everyone else, good to see everyone enjoying the hills and water crossing.”

Sue: “I really enjoyed this race. Friendly marshals (thank you RSE volunteers), long downhills and the uphills were either so steep or went on so long that I felt fine about walking up them. And the stream wasn’t too deep.
It was lovely to run round with Jade too, she kept me going”

Cheltenham Half Marathon

Set in the heart of the beautiful regency town, Run Cheltenham offers splendour and Cotswold charm plus an epic grandstand finish at Cheltenham Racecourse.

• Dan Drayton 1.43:59
• Tom Burdett 1.55:09
• Rachel Weaver 2.16:32
• Monica Farthing 2.41:27
• other RSE members – Sophie Dickenson, Russell Young, Samantha Lane, Amanda Robson

Monica: “Nice route around Cheltenham with lots of drums at different spots on the course. I was near the back 🙂 I was happy to be overtaken by a tiger or might have been a lion!”

Tom: “Returning to my most repeated race.
This year they started the race in waves – splitting the pace groups. This meant I started in the wave behind the two hour pacers I wanted to keep eyes on. Thankfully I was able to catch and pass them in the first mile or so and never saw them again. I hadn’t done enough long distance recently, but pleased to get comfortably under the 2 hour mark.
Ideal running conditions and some good crowds made this quite an enjoyable half. And not having to run a lap of the racecourse itself is a vast improvement on the route! Getting in and out of the racecourse before and after the race however…”

Rachel: “The most challenging part of the morning was getting to the start! I started  after the official start, no problem due to chip timing.
My race plan was to take it steady and enjoy. Which is exactly what I did. I ran to feel, not caring about the watch. The conditions were perfect for me. The support was amazing, loved seeing the children supporting and handing out sweets. I really
enjoyed the course with just a couple of inclines. I would definitely recommend this HM. This was the Improvers’ Group first outing to a Half – Marathon. How lucky we are to have joined RSE with such amazing encouragement to get us to this distance.”

Parkruns

Event Date: 20 September 2025

Lydiard parkrun (#699)

• Vicki MASON – 31:08

Plymvalley parkrun (#603)

• Darren JENNER – 25:47

• Felicity CROTTY – 32:59

Pomphrey Hill parkrun (#519)

• Anne-Marie DAVIES – 31:04

Cirencester parkrun (#310)

• Wayne HEWITT – 20:34

• Phil HUDSON – 21:39

• Jon CAMPBELL – 22:11

• Paul BILLINGHURST – 23:31

• Steve SANDERCOCK – 26:09

• Rachel SMITH – 29:15

• Phil SCOBLE – 29:17

• Cathy STEER – 31:55

• Elaine CHAPMAN – 31:56

• Paul ROBERTSON – 1:03:34

Gloucester City parkrun (#288)

• Jade BEAUMONT – 26:48

Marlborough Common parkrun (#269)

• Elliot GARDINER – 25:04

Diary Dates

Your club needs you!

Gloucestershire League Cross Country fixtures – October 12th Woodchester Park, November 1st Cirencester Park, December 14th Bath University (inc. County Championships), February 14th Pitville Park. The aim is to get 5 men and 3 women at every race. You don’t need to be able to do all of the dates. If you are a fairly speedy runner and are interested, chat to Ben or Elaine Chapman or Jon Campbell.

November 1st. Dave Witnall is looking for marshalls to help with the Cross Country race in Cirencester Park – either 9.30-12.30 or 12 – 15.30.