Coltishall Jaguars Running Club

I found this race when looking for a 20 miler to add to my training for the London Marathon. The usual choice of the Wymondham 20 was not an option for an Autumn Marathon so I decided we could have a nice weekend break enjoying the lovely seaside resort of Morecambe and do the Trimpell 20 as well. Anyway I managed to convince Jackie, Ellie and Ben that it would be fun, haha! 

Ben was instructed to look after the children while we ran the 20 miles. Thankfully the wind dropped from the previous day and we had excellent conditions for the 11 o’clock start. I always enjoy seeing all the different club vests and this time from the northwest and further afield for a change. 

Ellie and I set off like we were running the Wroxham 5k!!!  We never learn!  After we had run about 2 miles I realised I hadn’t even started my watch, another rookie error. 

The course was mostly traffic free and followed tarmac paths alongside the river Lune which we crossed back and forth several times. It was a nice flat route but my early pace took its toll at about mile 16. The only thing that kept me going was that I realised that if I could maintain a fairly modest pace I could still get a PB and an age group record. 

Ellie didn’t fare much better, her intolerance to gels struck again and she had to take time to throw up!!! Jackie found to her cost that jumping from 13 miles in training to this 20 miler, wasn’t the best idea and paid for it. 

I was able to hang on and get my PB and club age group record in 2:27:03.

Ellie struggled in with a smile on her face and continued heaving up after she had finished in 2:35:21.

Jackie finished in 3:18:56, battered and bruised but not completely broken. 

All in all a good race and fast course, if you pace it right, haha!  Well worth the trip to stay in the lovely Morecambe.

Rod Bye

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Rod Bye	2:27:03	Yes and Club Age Category Record	Diamond
Ellie Gaskins	2:35:21		Silver
Jackie Bye	3:18:56		Gold

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Jack Stuttle	16:05	Yes and New Club Record!	Diamond
Julian Smith	21:02		Gold
Nick Eley	21:41		Diamond
Keith Brighty	21:44		Gold
Sandra Roberts	22:01	Yes and 3rd in Age Category	Platinum
Doug Barber	22:44		Gold
Ruth Gainsford	23:11	Yes	Diamond
Megan Swain	23:45		Bronze
Sonja White	23:50		Silver
Rosemary Jackson	26:12		Diamond

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 3^rd overall with a time of 34:45, Adele Bushell was the fastest female Jaguar coming home 6^th 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

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Jack Stuttle	34:45
Stephen Pointer	41:15
Chris Johnson	47:22
Adele Bushell	55:59
Nigel Stallard-Mulford	58:56
Noel Meeks	1:16:51
Debbie Hall	1:18:26

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

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Julian Smith	1:42:28		Silver
Sonja White	1:56:34		Silver

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

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

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Jack Stuttle	27:03	Yes and New Club Record!	Diamond
Daniel Smith	28:52		Diamond
Stephen Pointer	31:03	Yes	Gold
Ellie Gaskins	32:05	Yes, First in Age Category and New Club Record!	Gold
Andy Foreman	34:31	First Timer	Gold
Julian Smith	36:13	Yes	Silver
Nick Eley	36:15		Diamond
Sandra Roberts	36:40	First Timer, 3rd in Age Category and New Club Age Category Record	Diamond
Stephen Neal	36:50		Gold
Vicky Tovell	37:46		Gold
Megan Swain	37:50	Yes	Bronze
Paul Rogers	38:37	Yes	Bronze
Ruth Pilch	38:43		Silver
Matthew Rogers	39:05	First Timer
Ruth Gainsford	39:23	Yes	Diamond
Keith Brighty	39:36		Silver
David Buck	40:02		Gold
Sonja White	40:43		Silver
Jackie Bye	40:46		Diamond
Karen Evans	41:02		Silver
Rosemary Jackson	42:20		Diamond
Martin Bishop	43:47	First Timer	Silver
Laura Johnson	44:23	Yes
Jane Harrison	44:56	First Timer
Jackie Gooch	45:59		Silver
Lindsay Smith	46:56	Yes
Dee Neal	47:00		Gold
Dougie Barber	47:18
Laura Hick	47:18	Yes
Kelly Piesse	48:01
Claire Owen	48:22
Hayley Smith	49:33
Tim Evans	54:03	First Timer
Noel Meeks	57:09	Yes
Emily Spragge	1:00:48

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

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Jack Stuttle	16:12	Yes and New Club Record!	Diamond
Stephen Pointer	18:41	Yes	Gold
Ellie Gaskins	19:06	Yes and New Club Record!	Gold
Rod Bye	19:09	Yes and County Silver Medal!	Platinum
Andy Foreman	19:29	Yes	Gold
Graham Johnson	20:03		Diamond
Barry Halkyard	20:28	Yes	Gold
Franklyn Plume	20:38		Silver
Harvey Wade	21:07
Julian Smith	21:16		Gold
Chris Johnson	21:33		Bronze
Nick Eley	21:42		Diamond
Rachel Jackson	21:42	First Timer	Gold
Andrew Wicks	21:44		Silver
Sandra Roberts	22:08	First Timer and County Bronze Medal	Diamond
Shane Bidle	22:27		Bronze
Sarah Circuit	22:42	Yes	Silver
Megan Swain	22:46	Yes	Bronze
Ryan Howe	23:19
Ruth Gainsford	23:30	Yes	Diamond
Keith Brighty	23:31		Silver
Paul Rogers	23:31		Bronze
David Buck	23:33	First Timer	Gold
Iwona Litwiniec	23:50	First Timer	Silver
Marian Costello	24:04	First Timer	Gold
Eden Spackman	24:05
Hattie Swain	24:43		Bronze
Graham Fryer	24:46		Bronze
Rosemary Jackson	25:03	County Bronze Medal and Club Age Category Record!	Diamond
Matthew Rogers	25:25	First Timer
Andy Smith	25:47	First Timer	Bronze
Marion Bensley	26:40		Bronze
Stephanie Hall	26:41
Laura Johnson	26:46
Hayley Smith	29:08	Yes
Kelly Piesse	29:21	Yes
Claire Owen	29:47
Lindsay Smith	30.09	First Timer
Ross Howe	30:24	First Timer
Doug Barber	32:06
Anna Spackman	32:07	First Timer
Rachael Cole	34:01
Debbie Hall	36:58
Emily Spragge	37:34
Jenny Norris	42:11

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

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Elly Young	4:47:51
Mel Porter	4:49:24
Vicky Tovell	4:52:28
Karen Evans	5:20:34
Rosemary Jackson	5:58:56
Emma Jordan	6:02:01
Emma Blake	6:02:56
Tim Evans	6:19:11
Emma Penfold	6:24:40

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

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Stephen Pointer	39:45	Yes, 6th place overall and 3rd in Age Category	Gold

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

Name	Time	PB	Standard
Daniel Smith	37:14
Stephen Pointer	41:40
Julian Smith	44:52
Josh Brighty	45:24
Keith Brighty	46:24
Sonja White	48:25
Emily Beavis	50:01
Richard Peters	50:37
Ruth Gainsford	50:47	3rd in Age Category
Nick Eley	50:48
Rosemary Jackson	51:07	3rd in Age Category
Doug Barber	51:30
Andy Smith	57:41
Anna Spackman	1:06:21