Hi there, Road Runners,

March already! It’s a pleasure to be seeing lighter mornings, and later sunsets. Of course, the clocks will go forward on 30 March and we’ll not only lose an hour’s sleep but it will also be darker in the evenings again for a while. Let’s enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

Track Update

We have just been informed that our weekly track hire costs will increase from the beginning of April. We were lucky that the inflation rate was low in the month that they base the increase upon, and the price has only risen from £64.50 to £66.20. I’ll leave you to do the maths and work out how many participants we need each week to cover our costs, but we are OK for the moment and won’t need to to change our subs.

Last week some of us went across after track to Barking Football Club, to enjoy a few drinks (and pies, and chips), watch the game and have a post-training natter. It was really nice to socialise and we hope that we can make this a regular, last-Tuesday-in-the month, event. Thanks to Lizzie-Beth for sorting it out with the football club.

2025 ELVIS Planning Meeting

Rob and I attended the planning meeting for the 2025 ELVIS (East London fiVes Interclub Series) competition last Monday evening. The race dates for this year are:

Dagenham 88 – 7.30pm Wednesday 21 May, Eastbrookend Country Park
Havering 90 – 7.30pm Tuesday 3 June, Raphaels Park
East End Road Runners – 7.30pm Tuesday 17 June, Olympic Park
Ilford AC – 7.30pm Wednesday 9 July, Hainault Forest
East London Runners – 7.30pm Wednesday 16 July (if park not available that date, other choices are 11 June 7.30pm (2nd choice), Sunday 28th September/ Sunday 5th October. (To be confirmed.)
Harold Wood – 7.30pm Wednesday 30 July, Harold Wood Park
Orion – 10.00am, Saturday 2 August, Chingford Plain, Epping Forest
Barking Road Runners– 10.30am, Monday 25 August, Barking Park

Until now, there has only been one division each for men and women. For this year, the meeting voted that there should be two divisions for each gender. The results from 2024 give the following divisions:

Men – Division 1

Eton Manor
IAC
ELR
ERR
H90J

Men - Division 2

BRR
Orion
D88
Harold Wood

So H90 are relegated and start in Division 2. BRR are promoted to Division 2.

Women - Division 1

Eton Manor
ELR
EER
IAC
Orion

Women - Division 2

H90J
Harold Wood
D88
BRR (the only way is up!)

So, Orion are relegated and start in Division 1, H90 are promoted to Division 1.

London Marathon Water Station Update

I went along to the London Marathon Volunteer Kick-Off evening last Thursday. The event celebrated the success of last year’s Marathon, and looked forward to this year’s event. I took the opportunity to ask why our water station has moved from mile 14 to mile 15 of the route. The answer was that London Marathon Events has looked at water usage statistics over the last few years and found that people tend to take more water in the second half of the race. So, this year, there will be drinks stations every three miles until mile 15, then every two until the finish line.

I also asked about facilities for us at our water station. I was told that, like last year, we should get a gazebo with some chairs so volunteers can have a rest (we’ll probably also be expected to put the gazebo up and take it down!). We will get our packed lunches, and I was also promised a Portaloo, but I’ll believe that when I see it! On the map it looks like there is a Pret somewhere close to where we are located, so at least we should be able to get a hot drink and use their loo if necessary.

Those who have volunteered in recent years are expected to re-use their kit, with the aim of being more environmentally friendly, but there will be new kit for first-timers (or those who haven’t volunteered in the last few years). Dig out your blue Buxton t-shirts if you have them!

We only have 19 volunteer places left so, if you don’t want to be kicking yourself for missing out, sign up now, using the link below if you are new to volunteering. Volunteers from the last couple of years don’t need to register again – just let us know and we will add you to the ‘live’ list.

https://londonmarathonevents.rosterfy.eu/invite/prwA4eAwqPe8FPzVWE6gbuB6a3GxNKHqbcCJMEZ3bSGVzzH7U2DMwNr5Zbep -

In the meantime, here are some quick quiz questions:

How many people volunteered in total at last year’s London Marathon?
Above is a picture of the London Marathon Events Logo – but why is it slanted?
At the event, we were told we are no longer volunteers – but what are we called instead?

Answers at the bottom of the blog.

Tracksmith 100 Days to London – week eight

It’s not too late to sign up for Tracksmith’s free marathon training runs even if, like me, you aren’t even planning on running a marathon and just fancy a change of scenery. The eighth run in their training programme, on Sunday 9 March 2025 is a marathon-paced workout, sandwiching in some efforts at goal marathon pace to help you mentally and physically prepare for your goal marathon time. On offer are options of 15k (9 miles) and 30k (18 miles). Meet at the Tracksmith Store near Baker Street at 9.00am for a 9.30am start. For more details and sign-up see https://ti.to/tracksmith/100-days-to-london-2025

Tip of the Week

A recent study found that five daily minutes of two-legged hopping (which is jumping, in my book) divided into 10-second sets, significantly improved running in a group of recreational runners. So, hop to it!

The Jean Genie

Truett Hanes - overdressed on the bottom, underdressed on the top? Photo courtesy of Hanes

Fancy a new challenge? How about running a marathon in…jeans. That’s exactly what 28-year-old Truett Hanes from Springfield in Oregan, USA did – in 2:42:50 at the Austin Marathon.

Talking about the race on Instagram, Hanes said ‘The announcers were acting like they’d never seen a dude running a marathon in jeans before? Weird.’ Err, yes.

Hanes began running in jeans in 2023. “Why waste time switching out of them into shorts when I could just wear jeans for everything?” he told Canadian Running magazine. “I believe that if you have a strong mind and an able body, then you can run just fine no matter the attire.”

But, unlike the denim fabric, Hanes is flexible about his running gear: if he is already wearing jeans when he fancies a run, he’ll run in them, but if he is wearing sweatpants, he’ll run in those instead “Not terribly upset either way, the work will get done regardless of what I’m wearing.” The one concession he does make is to slather on anti-chafing cream when tackling longer races.

There is currently no Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in jeans; Hanes says the organisation only permits world record attire attempts at the London Marathon and hopes to set the record at this year’s race. Look out for him if you’re on the water station.

Just makes you think what he could do in proper running kit…

Fuelling the Morning of a Marathon

The last thing you want on marathon day is a dodgy tummy. Enjoy a simple carb-filled pre-race breakfast on your marathon morning, ideally three hours before your race. It’s important to leave this three-hour window so your system can process the food adequately and you are not running on a full stomach.

Examples of high-carb meals include toast with honey, pancakes with maple syrup, waffles, or a bagel and jam. Avoid meals with too much fibre, which can be difficult to digest. But make sure it is something you are accustomed to eating. You should practice eating the same thing on the mornings of your long runs; even if it is something you are used to eating on other days, you need to ensure that it is OK on race too.

Greg’s Race Report

It was a quiet week for Barking Road Runners this week with Dawn Curtis running in the Middlesbrough Half Marathon finishing in a time of 2:34:46 and Paul Withyman taking on the same distance at the Dartford Half Marathon. With a challenging hill at around the 10-mile mark, Paul finished in a good time of 1:28:12.

BRR parkrunners

Barking - Stephen Philcox 18:15, Ayoyinka Obisesan 19:35, Owen Wainhouse 20:58, Joshua Ezissi 21:42, Nehal Patel 22:35, Jonathan Furlong 23:17, Mark New 23:37, Rosie Fforde 23:59,Jason Li 27:12, Barry Rowell 27:27Joyce Golder 29:07, James Sheridan 30:32, Louise Chappel 31:11, Robert Courtier 34:29, Nikki Cranmer 34:35, Faye Spooner 35:59, Julie Gillender 38:03, Les Jay 40:34 and Alan Murphy 53:08.

Basildon - Ron Vialls 26:03.

Harrow Lodge - Rachel Sharples 37:32.

Lordship Recreation Ground - Martin Brooks 27:59.

Roding Valley - Paul Withyman 32:40.

Roosevelt Island DC - Kevin Wotton 26:01.

Storeys Field - Sunny Bulchandani 23:23.

Upton Court - Belinda Riches 24:29, Dennis Spencer Perkins 29:33 and Steve Colloff 30:25.

Dennis, Belinda, and Steve C at Upton Court parkrun

Valentines - Tom Shorey 28:47, Clodagh O’Callaghan 31:36 and Andrew Gwilliam 52:47.

Highest BRR age gradings this week were Belinda Riches 71.14% for the women and Stephen Philcox 87.12% for the men.

BRR Diary – March

To see the full diary of BRR events on the TeamUp app. Just download the TeamUp app onto your phone, then enter the calendar key: ks67p21gt8p5gzdo66 when asked. If you don’t want another app on your phone, you can also find it under the ‘events’ tab on the Barking Road Runners website: https://www.barkingroadrunners.org.uk/calendar.

7.00pm, Tuesday 4 March – Speed Session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. Zahra will be taking the session this week. It will be recorded as part of her course assessment, so I know you will all be on your best behaviour. The session will be Snakes and Ladders:

3 min run, 90 sec recovery
2 min run, 90 sec recovery
1 min run, 90 sec recovery
3 min run, 90 sec recovery
2 min run, 90 sec recovery
1 min run, 90 sec recovery
3 min run, 90 sec recovery
2 min run, 90 sec recovery
1 min run, 90 sec recovery

7.00pm, Thursday 6 March – Road Run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Dagenham. Usually between 4-6 miles.

11.30am, Saturday 8 March - Chingford League relays. Wanstead Flats, Harrow Road Pavilion, E11 3QA (parkrun start/finish area). We will be looking for male and female teams (sorry, no mixed teams) of four people, each to run a two-mile leg. Thank you to everyone who has already put their names forward – it looks like we should be fielding some strong teams.

8-14 March – Virtual Handicap 05.

10.00am, Sunday 23 March - Brentwood Half Marathon (GP01). Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, Essex CM15 9DA. Don’t miss the first race in this year’s Grand Prix competition. There is still time to sign up at https://www.brentwoodhalf.org/

22-28 March – Virtual Handicap 06. The penultimate virtual event.

Cracker Corner

I was made redundant from my job but instead of redundancy pay all I got was some bubble wrap in the post. I never thought they’d send me packing like that.

I tried a new job as a taxi driver but I got fed up with people talking behind my back.

My friend told me she has a new job with the World Health Organisation. I said “WHO?”

Quote of the Week

"Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet."

Unknown (for Rob)

And Finally

Chipotle is a Mexican fast-food chain with 25 restaurants in North America (plus one in London and one in Paris too) which has come up with a bizarre ultra-event challenge as a marketing ploy. The chain comes up with a Strava segment of 400-600 around each of its stores, and challenges runners to complete as many laps as they can during the month of January. The prize? A year’s free food at Chipotle.

Marley Dickinson, a Toronto-based writer and runner, managed 375 laps of the one-block loop of the Canadian city’s Chipotle restaurant. around his city’s congested downtown core. That amounted to 140 miles (225k) in total.

When uploading his daily results on Strava he noticed that he had a few competitors but, by 21 January, nearest rival Jerome Sakoun appeared to drop out due to hip and ankle problems. Dickinson carried on, building a 150-lap, 55-mile (90k) lead. He spent the final day camping out at a restaurant next door to the Toronto Chipotle, working there whilst looking out the window to ensure no rivals appeared to claim his crown, then run a final victory lap with his girlfriend to celebrate.

Imagine his disappointment the next morning when he discovered that Sakoun had uploaded several days of runs, amounting to 112 miles (180k), on Strava just before the 31 January deadline, beating him by 18 miles.

Dickinson complained to Chipotle that Sakoun had broken a competition rule about unsportsmanlike behaviour, saying ‘If I knew the “injured” guy was still in it (even if he took the delayed approach to hide his uploads), I would’ve gone 40-50k in the final day to put it out of reach.” But the Vice-Chair of the company upheld Sakoun’s win, saying “After reviewing, we are upholding the Local Legend as they completed the segment the greatest number of times in January, and Toronto was not the only city where runners used unique tactics to throw off their competitors.”

I expect Dickinson won’t be eating at Chipotle again for quite some time…

Keep on Running

Alison

Chair, Barking Road Runners

Quiz answers:

Last year there were 7,000 volunteers at the London Marathon. But, altogether around 11,500 put their names forward to help, so there were lots of disappointed people.
The London Marathon Events logo is slanted at 26.2 degrees to reflect the marathon distance. The triangle in the logo represents the volunteers, the triangle being a stable and reliable shape, like the volunteers. They probably paid a media company hundreds of thousands of pounds to think of that.
Volunteers will now be called …activators, because we actively inspire the participants. I think I might just stick with calling them volunteers!

BRR Blog – 3 March 2025