Reepham Summer 10k – 05/08/2022

A warm summer evening saw seven Jags run in the Reepham 10k, a race over a mixture of quiet country roads then back along the Marriot’s Way, finishing at the recreation ground where we were met with the cheers from the wonderful supporting Jags.

In a field of 253 runners, great running from Jack Stuttle saw him come home in 3rd overall with a time of 34:45, Adele Bushell was the fastest female Jaguar coming home 6th in her age group sneaking under 56 minutes in 59:59.

The finish saw us getting a wooden medal and a bottle of water – unfortunately not a bottle of beer from the sponsors Panther Brewery – with lots (and lots) of cake available afterwards so thank you for the great organisation Reepham Runners.

Nigel Stallard-Mulford

NameTimePBStandard
Jack Stuttle34:45
Stephen Pointer41:15
Chris Johnson47:22
Adele Bushell55:59
Nigel Stallard-Mulford58:56
Noel Meeks1:16:51
Debbie Hall1:18:26

Great Yarmouth Half Marathon – 31/07/2022

Myself and Sonja White were the only 2 silly enough to enter this race as we both needed to for the Grandprix series. Tough hot and humid sums up this Sunday morning run with a horrible uphill  climb in the last 2 miles . Think it  Was 1st time for both of us in this event and more than likely my last. I finished just outside my pb with a time of 01:42:28 and Sonja   who was carrying a injury with a respectable time of 1:56:35. 

Julian Smith

NameTimePBStandard
Julian Smith1:42:28Silver
Sonja White1:56:34Silver


Stour Valley Ultra – 13/08/2022

Completed by Karen Bradley and Sharon Jones

The SVP ultra is renowned for being a hottie but running in the middle of a heatwave was an additional challenge. Setting off from Sudbury at 12:30 along a shady trail was shortly followed by long stretches of relentless 34 degree sun. Eleven miles to the first checkpoint was a challenge with 900ft of elevation. The SVP crew threw on an amazing grazing bar at the CP1 in Lamarsh and refuelled, we set off to shouts of encouragement doused in hoses of water.
Onwards though beautiful Suffolk countryside, albeit burnt to a crisp in most places and still the rolling hills kept coming. Through CP2 at mile 19 with again much encouragement. The worst of the hills behind us. En route supporters kept popping up in the middle of nowhere offering water and ice cubes.  Some small offering of shade was much appreciated.
At checkpoint 3 in Stratford St Mary we had done a marathon. Our arrival was announced on megaphone to the whole village. At this point it was just 5.5 miles to the finish. With restored energy and motivation we set off knowing we would complete the course. The latter day sun had reduced in intensity and shadows offered welcome respite from the days heat. Past Flatford Mill, which was barely noticed by us we continued. Finally arriving at the village of Brantham, finishing with huge support and real encouragement from all. 32 miles and 1600ft of elevation in the bag.
Finishing 10th and 11th out of 38 ladies an added bonus with Sharon 3rd in age group and Karen 4th in age group. A third of the 50k runners retired during demonstrating the challenging conditions of this event.

The Organisers of this event were second to none with info on every element of training and preparation available prior to entry. The SVP crew were just awesome hosing us down at every checkpoint, medics checking us over and water replenishment being done for us. For a first timer this was so much more enjoyable than expected. If you fancy having a go we would recommend this one.

Karen Bradley

Worstead 5 – 29/07/2022

On a pleasantly cool but sunny evening the Worstead 5 mile was back on after a break of 2 years and a total of 35 Jags had turned out to run. A special mention should also though be given to the wonderful Jags supporters that were dotted around the course and the finish and really helped motivate the runners.

There was some amazing running, including of course Jack Stuttle and Ellie Gaskins setting new club male and female records for the distance with times of 27.03 and 32.05 respectively. In addition Ellie won the Senior Women’s prize for being first in her age category. Jack was 10th overall in a field of 458 runners. Second in for the men was Daniel Smith with a time of 28.52 followed by Stephen Pointer with 31.03. For the women there were also some incredible times with Sandra Roberts coming in at 36.40 followed by Vicky Tovell at 37.46.

Strong running and times were a feature throughout the club with everyone coming in within an hour. The wooden medals were a lovely feature as was the choice of snacks at the finish line so well done on the organising NNBR. It was also lovely to be able to stay around and enjoy the festival atmosphere and beverages afterwards.

Ruth Pilch

NameTimePBStandard
Jack Stuttle27:03Yes and New Club Record!Diamond
Daniel Smith28:52Diamond
Stephen Pointer31:03YesGold
Ellie Gaskins32:05Yes, First in Age Category and New Club Record!Gold
Andy Foreman34:31First TimerGold
Julian Smith36:13YesSilver
Nick Eley36:15Diamond
Sandra Roberts36:40First Timer, 3rd in Age Category and New Club Age Category RecordDiamond
Stephen Neal36:50Gold
Vicky Tovell37:46Gold
Megan Swain37:50YesBronze
Paul Rogers38:37YesBronze
Ruth Pilch38:43Silver
Matthew Rogers39:05First Timer
Ruth Gainsford39:23YesDiamond
Keith Brighty39:36Silver
David Buck40:02Gold
Sonja White40:43Silver
Jackie Bye40:46Diamond
Karen Evans41:02Silver
Rosemary Jackson42:20Diamond
Martin Bishop43:47First TimerSilver
Laura Johnson44:23Yes
Jane Harrison44:56First Timer
Jackie Gooch45:59Silver
Lindsay Smith46:56Yes
Dee Neal47:00Gold
Dougie Barber47:18
Laura Hick47:18Yes
Kelly Piesse48:01
Claire Owen48:22
Hayley Smith49:33
Tim Evans54:03First Timer
Noel Meeks57:09Yes
Emily Spragge1:00:48

Wroxham 5k – 06/07/2022

This year instead of the traditional series of 3 races, there was just the one 5k at Wroxham. As it was a Sportlink Grand Prix event as well as a County Championship race, there was a huge field of 721 runners turning up on the evening. On the doorstep for Coltishall Jaguars, not surprisingly we had a large turnout of 45 taking part, with 10 Jags running their first in club colours, and didn’t they do well?!

There was a free fun run on the school field for the younger children before the main race. Three Junior Jags then took part in the 5k race, along with their parents, with some amazing results, they are all little stars in the making!

It was a warm, dry evening with a light breeze, perfect for the spectators who came out to cheer us along the closed roads, and there was great support from fellow Jags around the course with Mel shouting out our halfway times to spur us on! It was well organised by Norwich Road Runners, thanks also to all the encouragement from the marshals.

The course is fairly flat with a few gentle inclines, so it is always popular with runners chasing pbs and 11 Jags managed to achieve this. Jack Stuttle and Ellie Gaskins both set new 5k club records of 16:12 and 19:06 respectively, congratulations to both on such amazing times! 

Ellie was ahead of her dad Rod Bye by 3 seconds, although hopefully he wasn’t too disappointed as he achieved a pb and also earned himself a county silver medal!

Rosemary Jackson set a new F65+ age category record of 25:03 and both she and new member Sandra Roberts (F55-59) were awarded county bronze medals. 

So a great evening race for the Jags, hopefully they treated themselves to an ice cream at the end before heading for home! 

Ruth Gainsford

NameTimePBStandard
Jack Stuttle16:12Yes and New Club Record!Diamond
Stephen Pointer18:41YesGold
Ellie Gaskins19:06Yes and New Club Record!Gold
Rod Bye19:09Yes and County Silver Medal!Platinum
Andy Foreman19:29YesGold
Graham Johnson20:03Diamond
Barry Halkyard20:28YesGold
Franklyn Plume20:38Silver
Harvey Wade21:07
Julian Smith21:16Gold
Chris Johnson21:33Bronze
Nick Eley21:42Diamond
Rachel Jackson21:42First TimerGold
Andrew Wicks21:44Silver
Sandra Roberts22:08First Timer and County Bronze MedalDiamond
Shane Bidle22:27Bronze
Sarah Circuit22:42YesSilver
Megan Swain22:46YesBronze
Ryan Howe23:19
Ruth Gainsford23:30YesDiamond
Keith Brighty23:31Silver
Paul Rogers23:31Bronze
David Buck23:33First TimerGold
Iwona Litwiniec23:50First TimerSilver
Marian Costello24:04First TimerGold
Eden Spackman24:05
Hattie Swain24:43Bronze
Graham Fryer24:46Bronze
Rosemary Jackson25:03County Bronze Medal and Club Age Category Record!Diamond
Matthew Rogers25:25First Timer
Andy Smith25:47First TimerBronze
Marion Bensley26:40Bronze
Stephanie Hall26:41
Laura Johnson26:46
Hayley Smith29:08Yes
Kelly Piesse29:21Yes
Claire Owen29:47
Lindsay Smith30.09First Timer
Ross Howe30:24First Timer
Doug Barber32:06
Anna Spackman32:07First Timer
Rachael Cole34:01
Debbie Hall36:58
Emily Spragge37:34
Jenny Norris42:11

Brighton Trail Marathon – 26/06/2022

Nine Jags set out for Brighton on Saturday 25th June to take part in the inaugural Trail Marathon there, and managed to arrive safely at our Air BnB in spite of the train strike and busy roads. 

Early on Sunday we walked to the start in East Brighton Park and all set off at once -instead of the planned four waves going off at intervals – and ground to a halt after half a mile waiting for 1000 people to file through the first gate! After that it was plain sailing on an absolutely beautiful day. It was fairly breezy on the high ridges and we were pleased it wasn’t raining … The views were stunning. Nearly everyone just walked up all the (very long and steep) climbs, so it was a more relaxed event than a road marathon. It gave you the chance to chat to other runners as well as club mates, making for a friendly atmosphere. The aid stations were well stocked with gels, snacks and isotonic drink as well as water and the route was clearly marked over the bridleways and grassy downland paths. The final section was a few miles of mainly downhill wooded trail to Stanmer Park; I’m still paying for that with very sore quads two days on! Everyone was pleased to finish with a respectable time – it certainly was good endurance training.

We all had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the route over the South Downs behind Brighton. We would all recommend taking part next year, if you enjoy trail running. 

Rosemary Jackson

NameTimePBStandard
Elly Young4:47:51
Mel Porter4:49:24
Vicky Tovell4:52:28
Karen Evans5:20:34
Rosemary Jackson5:58:56
Emma Jordan6:02:01
Emma Blake6:02:56
Tim Evans6:19:11
Emma Penfold6:24:40

Marham Flyers Platinum Jubilee 10k

Sunday 5th June saw Marham Flyers host their Summer 10k Jubilee Race, anything with summer in the title means chance of rain in Great Britain. I arrived at 10 am and was the only Jag taking part on a course which was a 1 lap of the RAF Marham in airbase, home to the F-35 Lightning. The skies where grey but there was no rain, only a moderate wind. After collecting my number and warming up we headed to the start for a briefing aswel as a best of luck from the station commander. 11am we set off with a small field of 117 runners and my early pace was quick as I settled into my stride. The course was flat and open and just after 4k the moderate breeze became a head wind for about the next 3k. Going through the half way point at 19.40 my thoughts turned to a possible PB but that would depend on the wind. I was holding my position in the race and as the course came towards the finish we ran between some buildings meaning the wind wasn’t such a problem and my pace picked up. The last 1.5k I gave it my all as I realised I had a chance of getting a sub 40 minutes and that spured me to cross the line in 39.44 and a 6th place finish. This race was well hosted and at the finish I was presented with a medal and goody bag with beer and crisps aswel as a table with water, banana, pears, melon, strawberries, teas, coffeeand cake. A great race on a course with PB potential and a race I will certainly do again.

Stephen Pointer

NameTimePBStandard
Stephen Pointer39:45Yes, 6th place overall and 3rd in Age CategoryGold

Holt 10k – 29/05/2022

After 2 yrs off due to Coronavirus (like many other races) Holt 10k was back in full force!

A total of 395 runners took part and 14 of them were our fabulous Jaguars! In true British style, for late May, the weather was shall we say, a bit on the “chilly” side! A good breeze blowing and rain showers forecast, runners kept well wrapped up until it was really necessary to ditch that extra layer.

Lining up on the start line, the North Norfolk Beach Runners kept everyone’s spirits up and everyone seemed raring to go! And then came the rain as soon as the race starter shouted “GO!”

Now, I’ve only ever ran this race once before and could only really remember the lovely hill at 7k so had it in my head that it was a fairly level course. Silly me, Norfolk may not have many “hills” but it’s definitely not flat!!

The breeze and light rain kept runners refreshed and cool, so to be fair, the perfect running conditions and the lovely 1k off road just added to the fun (of the hills)!

Turning for home the rain eased and with the breeze behind us helped runners on those last couple of kilometres to the finish line (mind you for me this was now too hot 🥵😀).

Daniel Smith was first home for us in an amazing time of 37:14, followed by Stephen Pointer in 41:40 and Julian Smith in 44:52. Ruth Gainsford came 3rd in her age category in 50:47 and likewise for Rosemary Jackson who also came 3rd in an amazing time of 51:07, both ladies paced fantastically well by the marvellous Nick Eley (both ladies asking me to give Nick a big shout out!) Some fab times from our Orange army, great team spirit and support as always and once again proud to be a Jag!

Sonja White

NameTimePBStandard
Daniel Smith37:14
Stephen Pointer41:40
Julian Smith44:52
Josh Brighty45:24
Keith Brighty46:24
Sonja White48:25
Emily Beavis50:01
Richard Peters50:37
Ruth Gainsford50:473rd in Age Category
Nick Eley50:48
Rosemary Jackson51:073rd in Age Category
Doug Barber51:30
Andy Smith57:41
Anna Spackman1:06:21

Mammoth Half Marathon – 15/05/2022

The Day started overcast and it was cold as we arrived at Mundesley for the half marathon start. Jaguar’s past and present (and perhaps future) met, chatted, and caught up many not having seen each other since the start of the pandemic. The race director and team were present and obviously enthusiastic about the race to come. Runners from across Norfolk and further afield were marshalled into the start area on a closed road in the heart of the village.

Staring up the hill from Mundesley toward Trimmingham already looked like hard work and so it proved. I’ve no doubt that many runners were thinking about the full Marathon participants who would only get here at the half-way point. It was indeed a taxing course with a lot of ‘elevation’ and many fast starters fell back as we ‘ground’ on toward Sheringham. Cromer was full of crowds cheering us on and for me the sight of Jaguars cheering support on the road as we left the town gave me a specific boost which was sorely needed.

As we piled on toward the finish we were treated to Common Lane, initially an innocent road taking us around the back of the tourist route. It turned into an unforgiving double kink, uphill all the way. This amounted to a brutal last mile or so culminating in a long finish across the full length of the high school playing field.

All in an excellent event coupling a challenging course with good organisation and excellent marshalling. Roads were calm and drivers though obviously inconvenienced behaved themselves. The finish area was well appointed with good coffee and plenty of space. Our Jags all came home in good spirits having put up some excellent times – despite the hills!

Steve Neal

NameTimePBStandard
Julian Smith1:41:22YesSilver
Stephen Neal1:44:20Gold
Vicky Tovell1:45:52
David Buck1:52:21Gold
Clare Hicks2:10:51
Dee Neal2:11:51Gold
Laura Johnson2:16:16First Timer
Emma Penfold2:16:52YesBronze
Kelly Piesse2:19:02First Timer

Great Yarmouth 5 mile series race 3 – 18/05/2022

Interlocking medals from races 1 & 3

Fifteen Jags turned out to race the final 5 mile race in this years series, and after a very hot day the weather was surprisingly cool with a sea breeze.

After a 2 year break due to the coronavirus, Great Yarmouth Road Runners had changed the course, it was now 3 laps around the sea front instead of 2, which I felt was better as we got to see all the Jags supporters more often as we ran round, thank you to all those who made the trip over to Yarmouth to cheer us on! It was a flat course as promised but with one little obstacle where you had to run down a slope under the pier and back up the other side, without hitting your head if you were tall!

We had some great results from our runners, with several PBs and the brilliant Jack Stuttle winning his age group with an amazing time of 27:38.

The medals interlocked to form a seaside beach scene, although I’d only got the 1st and 3rd.

Well done to all those that did all 3 races and I hope, like me, you managed to get some sneaky chips in before heading off for home!

Ruth Gainsford

NameTimePBStandard
Jack Stuttle27:38Yes, 1st in Age Category and 4th place overallDiamond
Neil Button33:523rd in Age CategoryGold
Keith Brighty37:40Silver
Sonja White37:47Yes and 3rd in Age CategoryGold
Megan Swain37:58YesBronze
David Buck39:02YesGold
Ruth Gainsford40:03YesGold
Hattie Swain40:58YesBronze
Andy Smith46:33Yes
Laura Johnson46:39First Timer
Kelly Piesse47:17
Hayley Smith48:27
Lindsay Smith49:11
Debbie Hall59:14
Emily Spragge1:01:40
1 2 3 4 5 12