Long standing members will be much saddened to hear of the death of Erich Winter from TG Lage, Horsham Joggers’ Twin Running Club in Germany.
In 1988 it was Erich who first made contact with Horsham Joggers, through the ‘Town Twinning’ Scheme, to establish a link between the two clubs. There followed 35 years of fun, friendship, and the shared enjoyment of running. Over that period, in his role as Chairman of the running club, Erich helped to organise and took part in many events.
Over the years the TG Lage runners have visited Horsham to take part in the Barns Green Half Marathon many times including in 1993 when they sent a team of 53 runners. In return, members of Horsham Joggers have visited Lage to take part in various events, including the Adventslauf (Christmas Race), the Volkslauf (People’s Race) and the gruelling Hermanslauf, which takes place over 30 kilometres of challenging terrain.
In addition, the two clubs have undertaken joint relay races to St Johann in Austria, Prague in Chechia, Cressier in Switzerland, Laage in the old East Germany and combined runs between Horsham and Lage and around The Netherlands. The shared experiences of running together and the associated social events have led to a strong and affectionate friendships between the two clubs and Erich was a key driver of both the sport and social events.
A physiotherapist by profession Erich, established a very successful practice in Lage which continues to flourish under the leadership of his two sons, Jorg and Dirk who are also both keen runners. Above all, those who knew Erich will remember him for his kind heart, generosity of spirit and great sense of fun. Erich and his beloved wife Ingeborg hosted many events for Horsham Joggers at their home. He will be greatly missed by friends in both Germany and Horsham.
Erich’s funeral took place on Friday 24th November and a floral tribute has been sent on behalf of Horsham Joggers; a small group of members travelled to Germany to attend the funeral.
The Horsham 10k takes place on 14 May and starts and finishes at Horsham Rugby Club. It’s one of two races that we organise every year.
As always, we do not expect Horsham Joggers to enter. This is because we rely heavily on members to volunteer on the day – we need close to 100 members’ help. There will be a call for volunteers in a few weeks and your roles will be confirmed about 10 days before the race.
South Downs Way 100 Mile Relay – Saturday 3rd June 2023
Arguably the best ‘running’ day out of the year!
We are looking for Horsham Joggers to take part in this “invitation only” event for about 55 teams. Horsham Joggers have again been invited to enter two teams (of six). This is a relay race over the 97 miles of the South Downs Way, starting at Beachy Head and ending at Winchester.
The teams consist of six runners who each run three non-consecutive legs of the relay. The distance of each leg is somewhere between 4 and 8 miles and you’ll have a good break between each of your 3 runs. Each runner will run somewhere between 15 – 18 miles over the course of the day, almost entirely off road.
The teams travel between the start/finish points of each leg by minibus and you will have a driver and navigator looking after you. There is a time limit to complete the event, meaning that an average pace per mile of at least 8.5 minutes over hilly terrain is required (over the whole distance).
Although it’s tough (it’s hilly!) and a long day, it is a truly great event with a lot of team spirit and camaraderie. Everyone who has ever taken part, including the drivers and navigators, will confirm that the sense of achievement and fun had is immeasurable.
The team entry fees are paid by the club, the cost per runner is approx. £35.00 to cover minibus and fuel costs. In addition to 12 runners we need drivers and navigators for each team.
At this stage, if you would like to take part (or even if you only think you might be interested in taking part) or want to know more please email John Willcox.
The voting for the Volunteer and Jogger of the year for 2022 closed on Tuesday 28 February. We are delighted for the winners to be presented with the appropriate award at the AGM to be held on Friday 21 April 2023.
Also, don’t forget to put in your nominations for 2023 as and when you see your fellow HJ members do something exceptional in either a volunteering role or in a running event. Simply email info@horshamjoggers.co.uk with the name of your nominee and the reason for your nomination.
Current committee members are not eligible to be nominated!
The Spring Party Night disco
The HJ Spring Party Night disco held on Friday 17 March, at the Horsham Sports and Cricket Club, was a roaring success. A total of 113 tickets were sold out of the maximum of 120. It was such a success that members are already calling for an encore.
Watch this space for more social events that are being arranged.
Committee Members Wanted
Following the resignation of Paul Morley as Chairman on 7 March, the position is vacant. Sok Wah Lee will take on the duties of the chair in the interim in addition to her role as the Club Secretary. If you are interested in considering the role, please contact info@horshamjoggers.co.uk for the role description and to discuss the role with the acting chair.
In addition, there are other vacancies to join the committee because of resignations over the last few months.
West Sussex Fun Run League
The cancellation of the run in Lewes in April was due to an access issue with the local authority and sadly will not be replaced. Thus, the next league run will be in May. However, it isn’t all bad news as HJ is currently at the top of the league after one race (organised by Crawley Run Crew).
These races are fun and a social event in itself. All members are welcome. The points for the first 25 runners in the club add to the club’s points for the race, but regardless of whether you will be the first 25 or not, your participation in these league events makes us stand out as a club.
Leadership in Running Fitness (LIRF)
The Leadership in Running Fitness (LIRF) is a course which England Athletics offer.
The club has established a practice of paying for members, who have established themselves as volunteers in some capacity or are run leaders, to do LIRF courses as an investment. This is on the condition that the qualified members use their qualification to help and support other members.
The payment would be funded not from the club’s annual subscriptions but from the surplus that has built up over the years, which had been set aside for the club’s investment in its people and other assets.
Your membership is due for renewal on 1 April 2023. If you have not yet renewed your membership, please login to Memberzone and buy Individual or Family membership.
The committee reviews the appropriateness of the membership fee on a regular basis. We have been able to keep the membership fee unchanged for many years and it remains as £10 for individual membership and £20 for family membership. Your membership fees cover personal accident insurance and the details of this cover is on the HJ website under Club Documents. Specifically, it covers all members up to age 80 but there is an exclusion for competitors over the age of 70.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM will be held on Friday 21 April at the Horsham Cricket and Sports Club. The agenda for the AGM has been posted on the HJ website. If anyone would like to raise an issue for the meeting, please contact info@horshamjoggers.co.uk
Thank you to those of you who nominated your fellow members for either Volunteer or Jogger of the Year during 2022. Nominations closed at the end of 2022 and the list of nominees are now ready for you to vote here.
The voting will close on Tuesday 28th February and the person with the highest vote in each category will be presented with the appropriate award at the AGM to be held on Friday 21st April 2023.
Don’t forget to put in your nominations for 2023 as and when you see your fellow HJ members do something exceptional in either a volunteering role or in a running event. Simply email info@horshamjoggers.co.uk with the name of your nominee and the reason for your nomination. Committee members are not eligible to be nominated!
Spring Party Night
The HJ Spring Party will be held on Friday 17th March at the Horsham Sports and Cricket Club on Cricket Field Road. DJ with 80s/90s theme.
Each member can purchase an additional ticket for a guest.
South Downs Way 100 Miles Relay
This year will see the 37th running of the South Downs Way 100 Miles Relay on Saturday 3rd June, 2023. The club will pay the team entry fee of £120 to support this successful, very popular, annual event.
Overall entries are restricted and each participating running club can only enter the same number of teams as the previous year. The entry fee includes a donation towards the upkeep of the South Downs Way via the South Downs National Park Authority.
The non-runners for each leg of the relay will travel between legs in a minibus which has already been booked. If you are interested in taking part and representing HJ in this relay, please email info@horshamjoggers.co.uk and you will be put in touch with the team leader for this event.
Horsham Twinning Visit to Lage
The Horsham Twinning Association has arranged a trip to Lage, which is the German town twinned with Horsham, travelling out on Thursday 11th May and returning on Monday 15th May 2023. Each year, the dates of the visit coincide with traditional running events in Lage which are held on the 2nd weekend in May. The events will include a marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k and Nordic walking events at different times that weekend. There are food and drink events on the same weekend.
Unfortunately, this weekend coincides with the Horsham 10k which requires some 100 or so of our members to support and volunteer, and which remains the club’s priority. In future years, HJ will consider organising the Horsham 10k on a different weekend to avoid the clash and to enable more members to be available for both occasions.
The Club are continuing to procure a range of benefits and discounts for its members.
Mycomputerworks & Macrehab specialise in affordable Apple Mac repair, support, upgrades and refurb sales in Horsham. They cater for all types of Apple computer and all other computers and are micro-soldering experts in repairs at component level.
They are offering Horsham Joggers a 10%discount on labour. You may need to present your digital membership card to get the discount.
The HJ Committee has reviewed the Club’s finances and discussed increasing membership fees. Two key points are:
There has been an increase in expenses associated with races and other costs like kit and equipment storage.
We do not want to use the Club’s built-up surplus to cover yearly costs but want to keep that for reinvestment back into the club, e.g for Leadership in Running Fitness Courses.
However, after careful consideration, we are pleased to confirm that individual and family membership fees will remain at £10 and £20 respectively for 2023. What great value!
This will be reviewed regularly and it is not inconceivable that the fee may increase in the next couple of years. Any increase will be to cover increased expenses because, as a Community Amateur Sports Club run by volunteers, we do not aim to make a profit.
The accounts for the club can be viewed each year at the AGM, or on request from club members.
Please note: England Athletics has announced that the affiliation fee will increase from £16 to £17 per athlete from 1 April 2023. Thus, if you are affiliated with the EA, then your renewal fee will reflect this increase which is passed to the EA on your behalf.
Code of Conduct
HJ is a club affiliated to UK Athletics and as such, complies with the standards set by UKA. When you renew your membership for 2023, you will see a new requirement to read and agree with a code of conduct. Members were first notified of this earlier in 2022 when the various codes of conduct were made available on the HJ website.
London Marathon
Three HJ members have won guaranteed places through ballots to take part in the London Marathon in April 2023. The winners of the ballot for the places for London Marathon via the Club’s membership of UK Athletics were Martin Allen and AIan Pettitt. The winner for the ballot under LM Volunteering is Viv Underhill.
Race Directors
In this post in November, we highlighted the need for two race directors for the Horsham 10k and the Gunpowder Trot which are held in May and November each year. Unfortunately, we have not had anyone put their hands up for either of these roles. Please consider if you are able to help with this and contact info@horshamjoggers.co.uk for more information. Thank you!
Running Course 5k to 10k
HJ will be organising an 11-week running course starting on 20th June 2023 to take participants from 5 to 10k, culminating in the Littlehampton 10k in September. There will be two sessions each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The course will cost £35 for non-members and £25 for current members.
If you would like to participate in the course or know of anyone who would like to do so, joining forms will be available online in March. The course can accommodate up to 55 participants.
For the course to be a success, we are dependent on our members to volunteer their services. We have several run leaders with Leadership in Running Fitness (LIRF) qualification who will be leading the course, with Simon Perkins and Sue Hensman being the main leads. In addition, for each session, we need six members who are able to jog with the course participants at their respective paces to keep them motivated.
We have up to three vacancies in the committee and are looking for team players who are happy to give up some of their time to ensure that the club can deliver to its members. If you are interested, please contact info@horshamjoggers.co.uk.
The main roles in the committee have descriptions consistent with those published by UK Athletics. The other members of the committee, who are also key to the efficient functioning of the committee, not only help in specified areas but, together, provide a good sounding board for debate and joint decision making. The committee act as a whole and attendance for most of the meetings would be a requirement.
The committee meets every six weeks on Wednesday at 7 pm. The dates of the committee meetings for 2023/24 are as follows.
1 February
15 March
26 April
14 June (changed from 7 June to avoid a clash with the WSFRL Littlehampton Beach Run)
19 July
30 August
11 October
22 November
3 January 2024
Volunteer and Jogger of the Year
Thank you to everyone who has nominated either a Volunteer or Jogger of the Year. The voting survey should be made available to all members at the end of January and polling will end after 4 weeks.
This is an annual exercise so please keep your nominations coming for 2023! The list of nominees are collated at the end of each year.
Leadership in Running Fitness (LIRF)
HJ is continuing to invest in our members by funding the training to achieve LIRF certification. In return for this, the club would like members who have achieved the qualification to support the club in its coaching activities.
This parkrun near Brighton is under threat because the number of runners have dwindled to about 30 recently. To support this event, HJ would like to make this our first tourist parkrun outing for 2023. We will run there on Saturday 4th February. More details have been posted on HJ Runs on Facebook. Please car share where possible.
HJ is planning a family camping weekend at a campsite near Brockenhurst so that we can do the Brockenhurst Parkrun on the Saturday morning. Those who do not wish to camp will be able to find accommodation nearby and join in the outdoor fun and barbecue at the campsite.
Marcus Leach, our social secretary has other ideas such as a 70s/80s disco. More information will be available as these are brought to fruition so watch this space!
This will take place at the Horsham Sports & Cricket Club on Friday 18 November at 7:30 pm. Teams of six will be challenged to win prizes which include bottles of wine, HJ cap, race pins, and of course the wooden spoon!
Santa Run 2022
The Santa Run will take place on Tuesday 20 December 2022, starting from The Bridge Leisure Centre, Broadbridge Heath. Santa hats will be supplied.
Running pace on Tuesdays
The committee has received feedback from various members that some groups start at a much quicker pace than the declared pace for the group, leaving the slower runners behind, even if the slower ones are running to the expected pace agreed at the outset.
This is not the intention of the Tuesday club nights, and it gives our run leaders difficulties in keeping the whole group together. Please keep to the pace of the group and watch out for the tail runners of the group and for each other.
The ‘Naked’ Run
Running naked, that is, without any wearable tech, and having to gauge your pace to complete the distance in exactly or close to the time you expect is no easy feat. Challenge yourself to this feat on 18 April 2023 in Horsham Park.
Having lead groups in one form or another for over 10 years, Fiona has decided to hang up her whistle. Her last session will be on 15 December 2022. The club would like to thank Fiona for all the support she has given the club. This is reiterated by many members who have individually expressed their gratitude for the coaching and training they have received from her over the years.
Trip to Lage, Germany
It’s not too late if you are interested in visiting Lage with other members of HJ in early December.
Brighton Marathon
The company behind Brighton Marathon is to be sold after it was reported it would be heading for administration. Although applications for the Brighton Marathon were still being taken until Monday 7 November, it is uncertain this event will take place and if not, whether you will be able to get a refund of the entry fees you have paid.
London Marathon Club places
Once HJ has been notified (expected to be by end of Tuesday 29 November), assuming it is successful in getting at least one place, members will be informed within the same day via a notification on HJ Runs.
To be eligible for the ballot, the following criteria will apply.
You are a first claim member – that means that HJ is the only or the first club you registered with
You have been a HJ member for at least a year (12 months) at the time of the ballot
You have not previously had a club place in the last three years
You received a rejection in the public ballot
You have volunteered to support HJ in one or more capacity in the last 12 months, as at the time of the ballot. The capacity to be determined by the committee and could include run leaders for the Tuesday night runs
Please contact SokWahLee@leeholgate.co.uk if you satisfy the criteria and would like to be included in the ballot.
The successful winner(s) will be notified by Tuesday 6 December, giving 2 weeks for the runners to complete and pay for their entries.
UK Athletics Affiliation
HJ as a club is affiliated with UK Athletics and this affiliation has many benefits. But what are the benefits for our members to be affiliated with the UKA? What do you get for the £17 (for 2023) annual affiliation fee?
In addition, your affiliation counts towards the club’s allocation of guaranteed club places at the London Marathon since allocation is based upon the number of first claim and affiliated athletes aged over 18.
Joining the Committee
The committee needs help with managing the HJ website. Ideally, this member should have content editing experience, have a can-do attitude and help with member communication. If you are interested, please email info@horshamjoggers.co.uk for more information.
In 2022, there were 17 running clubs in West Sussex that participated in in this league and the most successful clubs are those that have at least 25 members participating in each event. This is because the highest points that a club can achieve on attendance is 25 points and points for race positions are added.
You can find out more information about this via this link here West Sussex Fun Run League (WSFRL) | horsham joggers. The fixture list is typically published at the start of each year, with the first race on New Year’s day being appropriately named the Hangover Five!
Compared to other races, the WSFRL races typically cost £5 for adult entry with many clubs providing junior races in addition, for a lower entry fee and shorter distances.
Apart from the fun and challenge of these events which are held all over West Sussex, other benefits include:
There is a free T-shirt for completion of all the races.
There is a glass shield WSFRL 10 as described below.
HJ members who have completed 10 or more WSFRL events in the calendar year will be presented with the glass shield at either the AGM or the awards evening, depending on when the results can be analysed in time. Volunteering at the Gunpowder Trot counts as completing one event. To avoid double counting, running the Gunpowder Trot and volunteering at the same event is treated as one. The WSFRL 10 awards for 2022 will be present at the AGM to be held on Friday 21 April 2023.
Eileen Quinton – The ‘Queen of the West Sussex Fun Run League’ – was an accomplished and determined runner, even well into her 80’s. Eileen was on the original Horsham Joggers Committee. An inspiration to many Horsham Joggers.
In memory of Eileen Quinton, the first Eileen Quinton Award, a returnable shield to be passed on to the winner each year, will be presented at the AGM on Friday 21 April 2023.
It was agreed at a recent Committee meeting that the Award, for Achievement and Participation in the West Sussex Fun Run League, will be based on points scored by individual members in the WSFRL races.
Each Horsham Jogger will be awarded 5 points for participation in a race in addition to points awarded by the league for the race position. These points will be totalled at the end of the WSFRL season in November.
Volunteers for the Gunpowder Trot will also get 5 points, the same as for participation, but to avoid duplication for those who volunteered and ran, no points will be awarded for volunteering if the person also took part in the event.
The two key events that the club organises each year are the Horsham 10k and the Gunpowder Trot, held in May and November.
Geoff Parker who has been the race director of the Horsham 10k for many years has decided to hang his hat but will remain as Race Director for one last time in 2023. We would like a member to take up the position and shadow Geoff in the next few months, with the view of taking over the role for the Horsham 10k going forwards from 2024.
The race director for the Gunpowder Trot for 2022 was Paul Morley and was Margaret Wadman before that. The club also need a race director for this event in 2023 and going forwards.
Both events have a core team of supporters who have experience, but the club require a leader to direct and control the many activities that make these 2 events successful.
We also need a Lead Marshall to take over from Lin Whiting for the 10k in 2023.
Horsham Joggers will be eligible to apply for 2023 TCS London Marathon club entries. The number of entries the UKA will allocate to each club will be based on the number of first claim-registered (aged 18 or over and registered with the UKA) members it has as at 3 November 2022.
This means that HJ will be able to apply for 2 entries as per the UKA rules.
HJ has between 3 November and 16:00 on 23 November to apply for these places. Sok Wah Lee as the club secretary will make the application. The UKA will email successful clubs by the end of Tuesday 29 November confirming the number of entries allocated to them, together with instructions for logging on to their entry console and entering runners.
Once HJ has been notified, assuming it is successful in getting at least one place, members will be informed within the same day and be asked to submit their names for an internal ballot via a notification on HJ Runs. The successful winner(s) will be notified by Tuesday 6 December, giving 2 weeks for the runners to complete and pay for their entries by the deadline of 16:00 on Tuesday 20 December.
To be eligible for the ballot, HJ has established the following criteria in the past which will continue to apply:
You are a first claim member – that means that HJ is the only or the first club you registered with
You have been a member of HJ for at least a year at the time of the ballot
You have not previously had a club place in the last three years
You received a rejection in the public ballot
You have volunteered to support HJ in one or more capacity in the last 12 months, as at the time of the ballot
As many of you will know, Horsham is twinned with the German town of Lage, which is located in the Lippe district of North Rhine – Westphalia. Horsham Joggers used to have an affiliation with a running cub based in Lage called TG Lage, and every year some members made their way there for a few runs and vice versa. Sadly, due to the Covid restrictions of the past couple of years, this has eased off but it would be nice to resurrect it.
Lage, Germany
In December each year, TG Lage have an event called Adventslauf, which involves a day of 5k, 10k runs and walks; this year it will be on Sunday 4th December. Also, every Saturday in the nearby city of Bielefeld they now have a park run, which goes around the beautiful lake at Obersee.
Lage also has a Christmas Market which starts late November, and has many stalls selling lots of Xmas treats. The nearby town of Lemgo also has a Christmas market, which is bigger than the Lage one.
A typical German Xmas market
Lage is around one hours drive from Dortmund and Hanover, both of which have direct flights from England, via Stansted on Ryanair and Heathrow on British Airways respectively. Alternatively, it is approximately 8 hours away by car, using Eurotunnel or cross channel ferries. There are a small number of hotels/guesthouses in Lage, and a few more in nearby towns or, if interested, some of the local families maybe willing to host people.
If anyone from Horsham Joggers is interested in going on a trip to Lage for Adventslauf, please email info@horshamjoggers.co.uk. The plan would be to travel out on Friday the 3rd December, then have a choice of doing the park run, the Xmas markets, the 5k, 10k runs or walks, and then return on Monday 5th December.
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