Hey ya, Road Runners!

After a quiet time the week before, there has been plenty of racing action over the last week. We had the start of the 2024/25 Chingford League season at Hog Hill on Tuesday, followed by the end of the 2024 Grand Prix competition at Tiptree on Sunday. We also had folks in the Royal Parks and Chelmsford Halfs (or should that be Halves?). Some members went a little bit further afield to the Chicago Marathon. All the details in Greg’s race report, below.

Rob has been in Wiltshire looking after Oscar the dog while friends Vicky and Stuart ran the Chicago Marathon. I enjoyed Rob’s photos of the idyllic Wiltshire countryside on WhatsApp, but I think they could have been improved…

Rob in Wiltshire. On the way to buy a Hovis loaf, perhaps...

The Magic Mile - Poll Results

After the welcome return of the timed mile at track at the beginning of the month, Jess held a poll to ask how often you would like to run the mile in future. Here are the results of the poll:

So, by a whisker, we will be magic mile-ing once every three months. That means that the next mile will be on Tuesday 7 January. Better not over-indulge too much at Christmas!

2025 Grand Prix Heads Up

The 2024 Grand Prix series may have only just finished but we are already looking ahead to 2025. The Great Baddow 10 (Great Baddow Recreation Ground, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 9RL) on 18 May 2025 has just opened, and we have decided it will once again be a GP race. There are discounts if you sign up early:

Entries between 1/10/24 – 31/12/24 - £25
Entries between 1/1/25 – 31/3/25 - £30
Entries between 1/4/25 and Race day - £35
Further information and entries at https://baddowraces.co.uk/

Lip Up Fatty!

We all know that the tummy is probably the worst place to carry fat. Belly fat is associated with an increased risk of chronic health problems like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure. But new research reported in Nature Metabolism shows that not all belly fat is equal.

The research team* compared the stomach fat of two groups of overweight/obese individuals. One group was sedentary while the other group consisted of people who had been exercising regularly for at least two years.

Amazingly, the fat in the active individuals was found to have more blood vessels, fewer inflammatory cells and more proteins that boost energy production and healthy fat storage.

The researchers concluded ‘Regular exercise may play a role in remodeling [abdominal fat] structure and proteomic profile in ways that may contribute to preserved cardiometabolic health.’ Or, in plain English, although exercise might not get rid of excess tummy fat, it will make the fatty deposits less injurious to your health. Good news worth celebrating with a bun or two, methinks!

Running in the News

There was some debate on our WhatsApp group about the fairness of using gun rather than chip times to determine race winners, after the East London Runners 5k in Valentines Park at the end of September.

Spare a thought then for participants in the Portland Half Marathon in Oregon. The Marathon and 10k events started on time at 7.00am. The Half was supposed to start at 7.15am but the gun went off at 7.07am, catching lots of runners by surprise. Many were still warming up or in toilet queues. Some only realised the race had started when they saw other people dashing off.

Thomas Chaston, of Colorado, ran the fastest time on the course - 64:56 – but, as the top finishers were determined by gun time, he was awarded third place after starting two minutes late.

Chaston told Canadian Running that the early start completely threw him off. “I was tying my shoes about 300 metres from the start when I heard the announcer say, ’30 seconds to go until the half-marathon.’ I checked my watch in disbelief and found myself jumping 40-inch barricades to make my way there.”

The 25-year-old estimated he passed more than 1,000 people in the first mile. “I was constantly weaving between runners,” Chaston said. “It was annoying, and a little bit dangerous, as well.”

First place was awarded to Noah Rasmussen with the gun time of 65:55. Rasmussen noted that he, too, was caught off guard by the early start, and was pinning his bib number to his chest during the first mile.

The social media platforms for the event, which cost $170 (approx. £130) to enter, were flooded with complaints, which were quickly deleted. But, in a statement posted after the event, Phil Dumontet, the producer of the Portland Marathon said:

“Our operations plan was to start the marathon and 10K at 7.00am. This occurred on time and as expected. Here’s what was unexpected: our corral groups for the marathon and 10K all crossed the start line quicker than we had estimated they would. This caused us to be ahead of schedule. Our team made a decision to go ahead and start the half marathon early, a decision that we now regret… As a result of this, we have determined that, across our entire portfolio of races, we will create a policy that a race should not start early unless it is meant to keep our runners safer and we have ample time to communicate that change to runners with reasonable notice.”

It’s one thing starting a race a little late, but why the events team ever thought it was acceptable to start early is beyond comprehension!

Chickpea & Pineapple Red Curry

Yummy chickpea and pineapple curry. Photo courtesy of the Co-op.

We haven’t had a recipe for a while. I thought this Thai-inspired, vegan, curry recipe from the Co-op sounded interesting. Of course, any coconut milk or chickpeas can be substituted for the Co-op brand, and a small can of pineapple should do just as well as fresh pineapple, but make sure it is in juice not syrup!

Ingredients (for 2 people)

½ tbsp sunflower oil

1 courgette, cut into small bite-size pieces

1 red pepper, deseeded, cut into small bite-size pieces

4 spring onions, thickly sliced

2 heaped tbsp red Thai curry paste

400g can Co-op Thai coconut milk

400g can Co-op chickpeas, drained

½ small ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into pieces

70g basmati rice, cooked according to pack instructions, to serve (I’d do more!)

Handful coriander, roughly chopped, to garnish

Method

Cook the basmati rice according to the pack. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add courgette and pepper and cook for 3-4 mins, stirring.

Add onions and curry paste, cook for 2 mins stirring well, before adding

the coconut milk, chickpeas and pineapple. Bring to a simmer and cook for

10-15 mins, until the sauce has reduced.

Stir through most of the coriander, reserving a little. Spoon into bowls

with rice, and garnish with reserved coriander.

Greg’s Race Report

The final race in this year's Barking Road Runners’ Grand Prix series was the Tiptree 10-mile run. It was a well organised race which all the members enjoyed despite the hill towards the end. First BRR finisher was Martin Page 1:18:30 followed by John George 1:24:10, Tom Shorey 1:29:24, Jason Li 1:31:51, Stephen Colloff 1:33:57, Sunny Bulchandani 1:34:34, Dennis Spencer Perkins 1:37:14, Joyce Golder 1:38:29, Louise Chappell 1:39:52, Alison Fryatt 1:43:45 and Belinda Riches 1:47:20.

The alternative Tiptree 10 photo. Fingers crossed Greg hasn't sent this one to the B&D Post... the woman behind is not amused.

The final race in this year's Barking Road Runners’ Grand Prix series was the Tiptree 10-mile run. It was a well organised race which all the members enjoyed despite the hill towards the end. First BRR finisher was Martin Page 1:18:30 followed by John George 1:24:10, Tom Shorey 1:29:24, Jason Li 1:31:51, Stephen Colloff 1:33:57, Sunny Bulchandani 1:34:34, Dennis Spencer Perkins 1:37:14, Joyce Golder 1:38:29, Louise Chappell 1:39:52, Alison Fryatt 1:43:45 and Belinda Riches 1:47:20.

As one competition ends another begins with round 1 of the Chingford league at Hog Hill with a 5k on the Redbridge cycle track.

BRR put out a large team for this race with Paul Withyman being the first male finisher and Belinda Riches first female. These were followed by Peter Jackson, Ayoyinka Obisesan, Mark Odeku, Tom Brennan, Owen Wainhouse, Adrian Davison, Martin Page, Mark New, James Hall, Ron Vialls, John Whan, Steve Colloff, Jason Li, Barry Rowell and Dennis Spencer Perkins for the men and Joyce Golder, Emma Paisley, Louise Chappell, Alison Fryatt and Sian Mansley for the women.

The BRR Women's team at Hog Hill (minus Belinda)

Several Members of BRR travelled to the USA to compete in the Chicago Marathon. First finisher for BRR was Chris Travis in 3:14:39 he was followed by Vicky Henderson 3:24:14, Jess Collett 3:54:11, Cristina Cooper 3:54:47 and Paul Ward 4:20:51.

Barry Rowell ran in the Chelmsford Half Marathon finishing in a time 2:21:52 respectively.

Danial Plawiak and Faye Spooner ran in the Royal Parks Half Marathon finishing in times of 1:42:29 and 2:01:56.

Barking parkrunners

Barking - Joe Stacey 19:30, James Hall 22:51, Adrian Davison 24:04, John Whan 24:28, Rosie Fforde 24:59, Ricky Narwal 26:27, Sian Mansley 30:41, Joyce Golder 32:04, Martin Mason 32:49, Faye Spooner 38:17 and Alan Murphy 50:01.

Chelmsford Central - Gary Harford 28:26.

Cornerstone Lakes - Paul Ward 24:50.

Harrow Lodge - Rachel Sharples 36:38.

Harwich - Rory Burr 23:34 and Mark New 24:37.

Mile End - Dawn Curtis 36:12.

Raphaels - Doug King 24.55.

Rushmoor - Owen Wainhouse 21:04.

Rory, Mark N and friends at Harwich parkrun

Thames Path, Woolwich - Stephen Colloff 30:15, Belinda Riches 30:15, and Darren Graham 55:22.

Valentines - Kevin Wotton 23:34, Richard Dudman 28:42, and Andrew Gwilliam 33:01.

Highest BRR age gradings this week were Rosie Fforde 60.04% for the women and John Whan 72.96% for the men.

Denise, Darren, Steve, and Belinda at Thames Path, Woolwich parkrun

BRR Diary – October/November

7.00pm, Tuesday 15 October – Speed Session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week we will be doing the Toblerone session, with the following ‘mini-alps’ three times:

· 30 seconds run, 30 seconds recovery

· 1 minute run, 30 seconds recovery

· 90 seconds run, 30 seconds recovery

· 2 minutes run, 30 seconds recovery

· 90 seconds run, 30 seconds recovery

· 1 minute run, 30 seconds recovery

· 30 seconds run, 2 minutes recovery

7.00pm, Thursday 10 October – Club run. Jo Richardson School/Castle Green Centre. Usually around 4-5 miles, all abilities welcome.

10.00am, Sunday 20 October - South Essex Cross Country League 01. Hadleigh Country Park, Chapel Lane, Hadleigh. Entry is £5 but the Club subsidises the cost by £2, so you pay £3 on the day or into the BRR bank account.

10.30-11.30, Sunday 20 October. Great South Run (10 miles). Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO5 3NT.Some of us entered the Great South Run before the cross-country dates were announced (sob). https://www.greatrun.org/events/great-south-run/

7.00pm, Tuesday 22 October – Speed Session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. A bit of a different session this week, combining running with some strength work. Look out for details in next week’s blog.

7.15pm, Thursday 24 October – BRR Annual General Meeting 2024. Jo Richardson School/Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Dagenham. You chance to vote for committee members for the coming year, discuss issues affecting the Club and vote on any proposals.

7.00pm, Friday 25 October – ELVIS Presentation Night/BRR 40th Anniversary Party. Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club, Victoria Road, Dagenham. Details above.

6.00pm, Sunday 27 October 2024 – Leigh-on-Sea 10k. Car park behind Leigh-on-Sea Station. A spooktacular, after-dark, 10km multi-terrain run through Leigh-on-Sea has to offer, with the choice of a 5k race too. All finishers get a glass of Prosecco or a soft drink. Head or body torches are mandatory. Always good fun. Enter at https://www.entrycentral.com/Leigh10k

10.30am, Saturday 2 November – Eastbrookend 5 mile-ish (Chingford League 02). Discovery Centre, Eastbrookend Country Park, The Chase, RM7 OSS. Our very own Chingford League race, on gravelly paths and grass. A very pretty course and not too hilly. Trail shoes not spikes. The kids’ race starts at 10.30am and the adults’ race at 11.00am. We will need enough people for a men’s and women’s team and also marshals for the course.

Cracker Corner

I got sacked from my part-time job as a graffiti artist. To be honest, the writing’s been on the wall for some time.

I went to the shop the other day to buy a stretcher. They said I could try it out but I didn’t want to get carried away.

My addiction to social media has got so bad, I had to be tweeted in hospital.

Quote of the Week

"I run with my head, my heart and my guts, because physically, I don't think I've got a great deal of talent or ability. I started at the bottom and worked up."

Steve Jones

two-time winner of the Chicago Marathon

And Finally…

Eliud Kipchoge is often called the GOAT – greatest of all time – but it appears he has a rival with a better claim to the title: a pet goat named Joshua from Conception Bay South, in Canada.

Seeing participants in the T’Railway Trek Half Marathon pass by the farm where he lives, Joshua decided to break out and join in. He managed to cover 4k (2.5 miles) before his owners finally tracked him down. However, rather than dragging him back home, owner Heidi Taylor let Joshua finish the race, where he received a finisher’s medal for his efforts.

“He was actually leading the race at one point,” Taylor told Canadian TV News. “We take Joshua for walks regularly, so when he saw people running, he probably thought, ‘I’m in!’” I understand he has now been awarded a place at the Boston Marathon. Only kidding (sorry)…

Happy running!

Alison

Chair, Barking Road Runners

*The belly fat research was by Ahn C, Zhang T, Yang G, Rode T, Varshney P, Ghayur SJ, Chugh OK, Jiang H, Horowitz JF. Years of endurance exercise training remodel abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue in adults with overweight or obesity. Nat Metab. 2024 Sep;6(9):1819-1836. doi: 10.1038/s42255-024-01103-x. Epub 2024 Sep 10. PMID: 39256590.

BRR Blog – 14 October 2024