BRR Blog – 9 June 2025

Hi there, Road Runners!

It was a busy week for club races, with both an ELVIS race and a Grand Prix (GP) race (Raphaels Park and High Easter, respectively), not to mention those club runners who completed the Southend Half Marathon. Greg has all the details in his race report, below.

Talking of the GP, if you took part in this year’s Brentwood Half Marathon, the first race in this year’s competition, you may have already received an email inviting you to sign up for the 2026 race. Please note that it hasn’t been decided yet whether or not Brentwood will be part of next year’s GP competition, so - unless you love Brentwood and want to run it come what may - please hold your horses for now.

Advance notice that there will not be a blog (or, if there is, it will be late) as I’ll be away for a week from Wednesday. Let’s hope that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’!

To run or not to run, that is the question

We’ve all been there. You have a slight injury. Do you run through it and risk turning it into a serious injury? Or do you back off and perhaps miss training or races that you didn’t need to? The next time you’re in that situation, here are a few suggestions.

If you are running and pain develops, slow down and walk for a while. If the pain continues or comes back immediately when you start to run again, it is best to call it a day. Stopping running might prevent a minor injury from becoming something serious that takes weeks or months to recover.

Afterwards, if you have a mild aggravation (pain is less than 5/10) and this settles within 24 hours, then keep going with your exercises and gradually return to full activities. Once the pain settles, you can gradually introduce exercise again, but err on the side of caution; it is always better to stop BEFORE you are in pain rather than carrying on until you are in pain. Doing two 15-minute runs on consecutive days might be a better option than one 30-minute effort.

if the pain is more than 5/10 (with 10 being the worst pain imaginable) and lasts for more than 24 hours, definitely ease back and – at the top end of the pain scale - consider seeking medical attention.

ELVIS is definitely in the building

All the remaining East London fiVes Interclub Series (ELVIS) races are now open for entries. You can find details online at https://elvisraces.club/ or on our TeamUp app. Remember that the Club has its own internal ELVIS competition, so even if you can’t win a trophy in the interclub competition, you might win one in ours. We have trophies for the top three male and female performances, measured over their best five of seven races. Our own race is excluded, as most members have to volunteer on the day, but both runners and volunteers will earn marathon points, if you are trying for a club London Marathon place.

Are super shoes so super after all?

There is an interesting article in this month’s Runner’s World magazine by BBC newsreader and pretty decent runner, Sophie Raworth, questioning whether super shoes (i.e. shoes with a carbon plate in the sole) are all they are cracked up to be.  

She initially enjoyed the feeling of speed and ease in supershoes, particularly at the Valencia Marathon in 2019, where she achieved a personal best. She subsequently used them in numerous marathons and races, finding them helpful for achieving good times. 

However, she has also experienced injuries she hadn’t suffered before, like calf and tendon strain. There doesn’t seem to be any research yet linking supershoe use with a greater risk of injury. However, having raised the issue on social media, she found that a number of other runners had had similar experiences while wearing super shoes, especially those with pre-existing foot conditions. 

Experts advise that supershoes should be reserved for racing and not used for regular training. If you do wear them, to minimise the risk of injury, strong calves and feet are essential. It might be best to steer clear of supershoes altogether if you regularly suffer from plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendon injuries.

Having been forced to pull out of the 2024 London Marathon due to a stress fracture in her ankle, Raworth has now ditched the supershoes and is enjoying pain-free running. 

On this day - 13 June 2004

Londoner Huw Lobb became the first human to win the Man vs Horse race in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells, completing the 21-mile course in 2:01:19 and winning £25,000. The race started in 1980, after Gordon Green, the landlord of local pub the Neuadd Arms, overheard a discussion between two men, one of whom suggested that over a long distance across country, man was equal to any horse. Green staged the race to see if that was true - most years, the horses do better than the humans. Want to give it a go? Humans seem to do better when the weather is hot and the going is good to firm.

Tip of the Week

Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil have found that running barefoot on grass or sand results in lower impact forces among participants in a study, which reduces the risk of injury. So, if you are off to the seaside this summer, why not try running on the beach? Just watch what you are treading on!

Greg’s Race Report

Barking Road Runners attended the ELVIS competition race No. 2, which was a five-mile run at Raphaels Park hosted by Havering ‘90 Joggers. BRR fielded 25 participants, with Paul Withyman finishing first in 32:20 as the first male finisher for the club. Paul was followed by Tom Brennan 35:46, Martin Page 37:12, Kevin Wotton 40:15, Jason Suddaby 40:10, Tom Shorey 40:22, Rory Burr 40:42, Ron Vialls 40:46, Barry Rowell 45:34, Stuart Burr 45:37, George Hiller 45:35, Jason Li 45:49, James Sheridan 46:50, Steve Colloff 48:00, Gary Harford 48:16, Rob Courtier 50:22, and Dennis Spencer-Perkins 50:35.  

Debra Jean-Baptiste 45:48 the first female finisher for BRR. Debra was followed by Lizzie-Beth Garraghan 47:02, Sian Mansley 48:06, Joyce Golder 50:15, Clodagh Shorey 50:54, Alison Fryatt 52:10, Nikki Cranmer 53:28, and Dawn Curtis 58:40.

The BRR team post race at the High Easter 10k

BRR’s Grand Prix race No. 4 was the High Easter 10k with 12 members racing. First BRR finisher was Martin Page 45:02 followed by Tom Shorey 50:05, Ron Vialls 50:14 (1st place in the 70 plus age category), Debra Jean-Baptiste 56:00, James Sheridan 58:29, Isabel Pinedo Borobio 58:42, Sian Mansley 59:21, Dennis Spencer-Perkins 1:00:06, Rob Courtier 1:01:42, Louise Chappell 1:03:22, Alison Fryatt 1:04:28 and Dawn Curtis 1:14:29.

Ron with his well-deserved men’s 70+ trophy

Several BRR members ran in the Southend Half Marathon. First BRR finisher was Peter Jackson 1:34:44 followed by Rory Burr 1:54:56, Barry Rowell 2:15:46, Steve Colloff 2:26,32, Rob Mack 2:36:43, Kaye Jackson 2:36:45 and Maisie Jackson 2:36:45.

BRR runner’s at the Southend HM

Belinda Riches travelled to St. Brelade, Jersey to take part in the Cannacord Jersey Half Marathon, completing the course in 2:01:00.

Belinda at the Jersey HM

BRR parkrunners 

Beckton - Colin Jones 24:58.

Billericay - Gary Harford 28:52.

Ingrebourne Hill - Les Jay 32:40, Mick Davison 36:05 and Martin Mason 36:55.

Jersey - Belinda Riches 26:33.

Kingdom - Steve Colloff 30:06, Dennis Spencer-Perkins 31:34, Rob Courtier 34:03 and Nikki Cranmer 35:49.

Raphaels - Doug King 26:20, Lizzie-Beth Garraghan 28:50 and Andy Hiller 31:12.

Thames Path - Clodagh Shorey 29:45 and Tom Shorey 29:46.

Valentines - Rosie Fforde 24:37, John Mitchell 25:13, Andrew Gwilliam 36:54 and Alan Murphy 55:20.

Victoria Dock - Barry Rowell 27:11.

Wanstead Flats - Mark New 25:04.

Gary at Billericay parkrun

Smiles all round: Les, Martin M, and Mick D at ingrebourne Hill parkrun

Belinda at Jersey parkrun

Rob, Nikki, Dennis and Steve C at Kingdom parkrun

Barry at Victoria Dock parkrun

BRR Diary – June

To see the full diary of BRR events on the TeamUp app. Simply download the TeamUp app to your phone, then enter the calendar key: ks67p21gt8p5gzdo66 when prompted. 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 10 June - Speed Session. Jim Peter’s Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week Jess will be taking the session:

• 4 x 2 min run, 90 secs recovery

• 4 x 1 min run, 1 min recovery

• 4 x 2 min run, 90 secs recovery

7.00pm, Thursday 12 June – Handicap 03, or relays. Barking Park. Fingers crossed the Highlights Festival will have cleared out of the park and the handicap can go ahead as planned. If not, there will be relays around the field opposite the Splash Park. 

7.30pm, Tuesday 17 June – ELR Olympic Park 5K. ELVIS 03. Hopkins Field, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 3BS. We already have 15 BRR members signed up for this ever-popular race. If you haven’t already registered, why not join them? Enter at https://events.kronosports.uk/event/1090. THERE WILL BE NO TRACK SESSION, so why not race? 

7.00pm, Thursday 19 June – Club Run. Jo Richardson School/Castle Green Centre, Gale Street. A road run for all abilities around the streets of Barking and Dagenham. Usually 4-5 miles. Everyone welcome.  

7.30pm, Friday 20 June - John Clarke Memorial Fell Race. Jubilee Retreat, Bury Rd, London E4 7QJ. The only category A fell race within the M25, with more than 900 feet of climb over three miles of beautiful Epping Forest. Only £5 to enter and you get a free drink after the race. Entry via this link https://spond.com/invite/ICFXI or on the day if you can arrive by 7.00pm. The Springfield Striders 5-mile race that Dennis and Gary are planning to run on the same evening is now waiting list only.

7.00pm, Thursday 26 June – Handicap 3 or 4. Barking Park.  

1.00pm, Sunday 29 June. Sikhs in the City Summer Samosa 10k. GP05. Teresa Gavin House, 310 Southend Road, Woodford, Woodford Green, IG8 8FA. We are running this race in memory of our dear friend, Micky Ball, who passed away just after Christmas. The route is an undulating (for that read “50% uphill”) and mostly on good tarmac surface. Entries should have closed on 3 June, but still seemed to be open when I looked on Sunday: https://www.evententry.co.uk/sikhs-in-the-city-summer-samosa-ultra-2025

Cracker Corner

I went to see my doctor because I was covered in spots, He told me I’m allergic to jelly, sponge, and custard. I thought his diagnosis sounded a trifle rash.

A laughing clairvoyant has managed to evade arrest. The police have confirmed they are looking for a happy medium.

Did you know that the word ‘exit’ is on the way out?

Quote of the Week

“No one regrets lacing up their shoes and heading out the door – you never know where a single run might lead.”

Eilish McColgan 

And Finally…

I was very disappointed on Saturday morning. Having been to Barking Park to let any parkrunners who happened to turn up know that we are cancelled until 21 June (there were 11 this week), Mick Moohan and I adjourned to the Daily Munch for breakfast. An elderly lady who is a regular struck up a conversation with Mick. She told him she had dreamed that the pair of them had got married, and it was a lovely ceremony. I was pretty upset - not only was I not asked to be a bridesmaid, I wasn’t even invited to the wedding…

Enjoy your running 

Alison

Chair, Barking Road Runners