The Finish Line’s In Sight

As we all know, there’s nothing quite like that feeling you get when the finish line comes into view. From an ultramarathon (presumably!) all the way down to a Parkrun when a PB’s in the offing, the sight of the finish unlocks that last little reserve of endurance and energy which you trade for the imminent reward of completion.

And so it is with Lockdown. 

At last week’s HJ committee meeting the return to HJ activities was top of the list for discussion. Government guidelines allow for groups of six people to gather outside from March 29 which, so the HJ Tuesday runs will resume the very next day. They’ll be limited to six people (one leader and five in the pack) and there will be an online booking system in place. More details to come on the booking protocols, and booking will open on Sunday March 28th. Expect it to be like trying to get tickets for Glastonbury. 100 open browser tabs at the ready! 

No word on track sessions or long Sunday runs just yet but expect an update in the coming weeks.  

Say what, now?

Here’s some information on the AGM which will be enjoyed by any fans of Joseph Heller’s ‘Catch 22’. 

Rule 10 of the HJ Club provides that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) “shall be held during the month of April”.  During unprecedented times, the AGM in 2020 was held virtually on 30 September.  Rather than hold a virtual meeting next month, as per Rule 10, the Committee decided at their last meeting to postpone the 2021 AGM to later this year, when we are likely to be able to meet up and socialise together.  Depending on the availability of the Horsham Sports & Cricket Club, the plan is to hold the 2021 AGM in August.  You will, of course, be given 21 days’ notice of the meeting date once confirmed, pursuant to the rules!

Breaking our own Rule 10 for two consecutive years strongly suggests the need to make this rule more flexible.  Rule 13 provides that “no alteration or addition may be made to the Rules except by an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for the purpose.”  The Committee propose to amend Rule 10, for voting at the next AGM, such that it provides some flexibility, to deal with unforeseen circumstances. 

“An AGM shall be held during the month of April every year…”

will be amended to

“An AGM shall be held every year, in April unless the Committee decide to postpone for good reason(s) to a later month…”  

Pay up – or else…

It’s that time again, peeps. HJ Membership renewal for 2021/2022 is due on April 1st. As we have frozen membership fees this year at £10.00 / individual, and £20 / family, your HJ membership fees remain the best value spend you can possibly make. 

England Athletics have also frozen their membership for 2021/2022 at £15.00.

The easiest way to renew your membership is via the memberzone which can be found on the HJ website.

Quizzy Rascals, Quiz Team Aguilera, Let’s Get Quizzical, etc…

The HJ Quiz is one of the highlights of the Horsham social calendar and, while we cannot yet convene in person, we do have a Zoom-based pub quiz planned for all the family on Thursday 25th March at 7:00pm (until 8:15pm). Organiser Roger offers the tempting information that there will be prizes, although really it’s all about the glory. There will be 5 rounds, including Geography, Music and Film, with a running theme woven throughout. The Zoom details are below (and will be posted again a few days before), so make a note in your diaries! 

Meeting ID: 886 0986 3901

Passcode: 858619

South Downs Way Relay – Update

This just in from John Wilcox:

Organizers have decided to move the Douth Downs Way  Relay from Saturday June 5th to Saturday July 3rd to increase the chances of the event going ahead. A full refund will be given to any teams already entered who find they cannot participate on this date.

The deadline for entries is still Thursday 1st April. All other information and requirements on the invitation remain the same.

Horsham 10k – Update

Hopefully the weekend after the SDWR will see our very own club race go ahead on Sunday July 11th. The HJ Committee will be monitoring further announcements from the government and will make a final decision regarding the race after our April meeting, and not later than May 1st.

Club Marathon Places

The club are still awaiting a decision from the organisers of both the London and Brighton Marathons as to whether we will be allocated any club places, and how many might be made available. Once we have an update we will make an announcement to clarify the criteria for entering the ballot for these places.

Community Spirit

We’re always on the lookout for ways in which the club could make contributions to the local community. The HJ Run & Talk team are hoping to get some activities underway as lockdown recedes and the club is open to suggestions from everyone. If you have an idea, please share with us!

On my honour!

On that note, we are pleased to announce that we have two members who this year qualify for honorary membership (being over 65 and having been a paying member for a minimum of the previous ten years). 

There are apparently three existing HJHMs who have not yet confirmed their agreement for HJ to retain their personal details for a further four years. If they wish to remain members, they are asked to consent to their data being held. Hopefully you all know who you are!

Save money!

March 2021 https://www.sportsshoes.com/ club discount code is: HVSAJ8 With this running club promotion code, you enjoy 10% off and FREE standard delivery on all orders over £30, expires 02-04-21

If you encounter issues with this discount code please contact sportsshoes customer service dept on: 01274 530 530 Mon-Fri 8am-4pm

Also a reminder that HJ members qualify for a 10% discount at Up & Running, on presentation of their membership.

Subscribe to Emails

If you want to get updates by e-mail – don’t forget to re-subscribe via the website!

Events Calendar:

March 25th HJ Pub Quiz

March 30th Tuesday runs restart!

April 1st Membership renewals due

April 25th Goodwood 5, 10k, HM, 20, Full M

May 1st – 3rd Mid-Sussex Virtual Half Marathon Wkd

May 2nd Three Forts Marathon

May 9th Dunsfold Jigsaw Run 10k

May 15th Eastbourne Trackstar Marathon and Half

Ed – Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful festive season and have set some new running goals for 2020? We have some exciting news to bring you so lets get cracking…………………….

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 8^th January with two guest members and discussed the usual club finances, kit, new members, forthcoming event etc as well as the member survey, challenge trophy series, committee vacancies, twinning and injury clinics! More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 26^th February 2020 and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

 The Results Round-up

A shorter round-up this time, what with the run up to Christmas festivities. This is compiled mainly from the race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix of who has been doing what is HERE!

Committee vacancies

At the next AGM, we already know that four of your committee members will stand down after many years of service to the club. Chairman Phil, Secretary Sue and committee members Fiona and Paul are all vacating their seats. So, we have vacancies on the committee and if you want to give back to the club in anyway, please let us know. The club constitution stipulates that we require a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer along with up to 8 other members to form a maximum committee of 11. With our new treasurer in place and a new secretary already shadowing Sue on the run up to the AGM, the key role to fill is that of Chairperson. Phil has kindly summarised what this involves HERE! Volunteering provides an opportunity for your voice to be heard and for your ideas and input to influence the direction of the club in the future. Please CONTACT US if you feel you have what it takes or if you want more details.

Member Survey

Barring a few ping backs, all members should now be in receipt of our 2020 member survey, hosted by Survey Monkey. Take a look in your inbox and spam folder and, if you haven’t had it please CONTACT US. Your feed back is important to us and can influence the direction of the club and future initiatives. Please take a few minutes to complete it before the 29^th January end date. Just answer the first question and it will take you through to the complete survey.

New WSFRL raceCrawley Run Crew are the latest club to add to the fixtures list this year. The “Run Your Heart Out” 8k is due to be held on 16^th Feb and will start and finish at K2, using the paths and trails around Tilgate Forest and Park. Advance club entry is £3 (juniors go for free) and entry on the day is £7 (subject to availability). Take a look HERE for race details and enter in advance via the MemberZone before 29^th January cut off!

Club Challenge Trophy races for 2020

The committee has made some changes this year in order to increase member participation and mix up the potential winners a bit. The rules remain the same and more information can be found HERE. But remember; results are taken from your GUN TIME and you MUST be wearing an official club race vest or t-shirt to qualify for an award (both available from the MemberZone)!

WSFRL Challenge – CRC “Run Your Heart Out” 8k – 16^th Feb

10 mile Challenge – Haywards Heath 10 – 24^th May

Half Marathon Challenge – Henfield Half – 16^th Aug

10k Challenge – Littlehampton 10k – 6^th Sept

Injury Drop-in ClinicHands On Sports Therapy are based at The Bridge and Tony has kindly offered members a FREE 10-15 minute drop-in session between 5 and 7pm on Tuesday 28^th January. If you are upping your training miles in preparation for a marathon or have been ignoring a niggle for a while, why not pop in before your run with the club for some free help and advice. There’s no need to book. Just tell reception staff that you are there to see Hands On and they will allow you through to the 1^st floor treatment room. Dependent on numbers, you may need to wait for a bit before seeing Tony. Any subsequent follow-up treatment will also be discounted for club members. https://www.handsonsportstherapy.org/

#RunAndTalk eventsContinuing the theme of our popular post-run event in December, our next RunAndTalk evening will be on 4th February, where we will be recognising Time to Talk Day, and again we invite everyone to join us in the bridge cafe for tea / coffee and a catch-up after the regular Tuesday evening club run. This is an informal event, open to all, so please pop in and say hello!

Marathon Training volunteers

James is doing a fantastic job with organising the volunteers to provide a route and water stops each week, but he needs to fill 4 more slots for the 8am Sunday training plan. If you can volunteer, please take a look at the rota HERE and let James know which date you can cover. munden888@yahoo.co.uk

Twinning UpdateTG Lage, our twinned club in Germany, hosted AdventLauf before Christmas and a few members of Horsham Joggers made the trip to take part. Read all about it HERE

Gunpowder Trot Assistant

We may be 10 months away from the next GT event but run director, Margaret is already looking for a 2^nd in command to help her this year. You would be involved in shadowing the event preparations and delivery of another fabulous run in November 2020. If you want to get involved, please CONTACT US.

Brighton Marathon Places

The club still has some places available for the Brighton Marathon on 19^th April. If you want to use one, please CONTACT US.

Good news, race stories, new PB’s?

We are still looking for new material for the newsletter or to shout about your achievements in the local press. If you have something to tell us about your weekend running achievements there are numerous options – EMAIL US or MESSAGE US or POST IT TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE – So, don’t be shy. We all want to share in your success!

Dates for your diary

18^th Jan – Sussex Master X-country champs, Lancing

18^th Jan – Fitstuff G3 Race 2, Newlands Corner

19^th Jan – Winter Tanners 20, Leatherhead

25^th Jan – Run through Lee Valley Velopark, QE Park

25^th Jan – Maverick Terrex Original 8, 15, 23k, Amberley Museum

28^th Jan  – Injury drop in clinic

29^th Jan – Member survey end date

1^st Feb – Fitstuff G3 Race 3, Newlands Corner

2^nd Feb – Chichester 10k

4^th Feb – Time to Talk day

9^th Feb – Worthing 10k and Half Marathon

16^th Feb – Run Your Heart Out 8k (WSFRL & Challenge Trophy race)

23^rd Feb – Brighton Half Marathon

 

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 20^th November and discussed the usual club matters as well as #RunAndTalk events, Awards night, Gunpowder Trot review, member survey and woolly hats!  More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 8^th January 2020 and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

The Results Round-up

So much to talk about this time! Compiled mainly from the race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix of who has been doing what is HERE 

Annual winter handicap and awards presentation

To be held at 7pm at Horsham Cricket and Sports Club on Tuesday 3^rd December, this event takes over from the usual group running from The Bridge. All are welcome and if you give your average 5 or 10k time to us, we will put you into groups which leave Blackbridge Lane at timed intervals on a 4.5mile route. The idea is that everyone finishes at about the same time with some surprising winners in the past! After this we will return to the warmth of the club house for the annual awards ceremony at 8.30pm. As well as making donations to our nominated charity representatives and the all-important marathon ballot draw, this is your chance to congratulate our Challenge Trophy, WSFRL 10, SGP 6, Time Trial and summer/winter handicap winners. All are welcome and there will be free sandwiches and the bar will be open to buy your own drinks!

Quiz night review 13 teams attended the annual quiz night, under the expert eye of quizmaster Martyn Newton and his assistant Iain Campbell. Held at Horsham Cricket and Sports Club on Friday 25^th October, “Cirque du Sore Legs” came first with “Only 60 Days to Christmas” receiving the wooden spoon! It’s always a great night with the biggest fun coming from the “who brought the best snacks” competition!

Gunpowder Trot Review

Team hj’s volunteers turned out in force for our home WSFRL race on 3^rd November. A huge thank you to all who helped, but especially to Rob, Derek and Richard who went above and beyond the call of duty by clearing a fallen tree from the course before 7.30am! We really can’t do it without you! All WSFRL clubs participated with the largest team of 59 from Hove Hornets. We had 488 seniors and 30 juniors entered into both races and the tea and cakes helped to raise funds for our nominated charities. Congratulations must go to Margaret and her core team for putting on another great event.

#RunAndTalk eventsWe had a phenomenal response to the free talk buy author and marathon runner Phil Hewitt on Thursday 21^st November. Phil talked with passion and emotion about his story and how running helps him to cope with the stress and anxiety which came with it. “Outrunning The Demons” is available in all good book shops (ISBN: 9781472956514).

Our next runandtalk event will be a social on 17th December. Everyone is invited to join us in the bridge cafe after the Christmas lights club run for tea / coffee and a mince pie. This is open to all, so please pop in to warm up and say hello!

Subsidised track use

With your annual subs, the club makes a block booking with The Bridge for you to use the running track between 6.30 and 7.30pm every Thursday. However, this is a subsidised benefit and we do ask members to contribute just £2 to the “honesty pot” left under the benches by our coach(s). In recent months, takings have led us to believe that perhaps not everyone is being 100% honest so please pay what is due.

Club vacancies

As we approach the end of the year, our thoughts turn to 2020 and the next AGM. We already know that there will be vacancies on the committee so if you want to give back to the club in anyway, please let us know. A full list of vacancies will be published in January. One role in particular that we need to fill early in the new year will be a new membership secretary. Sue has completed this for many years alongside her general club secretary role but feels it is now time to step back a bit and let someone else take over. Full training and hand over would be given and you would need a basic knowledge of Excel, email, online banking etc. Time commitment can vary with renewal time at the end of March requiring maybe daily input to avoid it mounting up. Please CONTACT US for more details.

Marathon training organiser

As well as the above, we need someone to step up and arrange the Spring Marathon Training programme starting on Sunday 29^th December. It’s not as onerous as it sounds because we have a well trodden plan (pardon the pun!) but it would suit itself to someone planning to take part in the actual training programme and involves being there on 29^th Dec and making a list of those prepared to organise a weekly route with light refreshments half way (or more) and to ensure everyone makes if back safely. As the overall organiser you would prepare and circulate the rota and ensure that routes/refreshments are shared with the next person on the list. Please  CONTACT US to find out more.

Christmas Socials

We’ve had a few questions from members regarding a Christmas get together and, with our main annual social event now being the Horsham Round in August, we are more than happy for individuals to arrange their own smaller Christmas get togethers at venues of their choice. Opening up a social event to over 550 members at this time of the year comes with its own challenges and we feel that smaller, self-funded groups making their own arrangements to fit their budget is the best way to go forward.

Club kit

With Christmas just around the corner, you may want to buy a new hoodie, cap, number clips or race top (or at least drop a hint to your friends and family!). Kit manager, Steve is waiting for your orders via the MemberZone and still has 1x medium, 1x large commemorative T-shirts from this year’s Horsham Round. £10 – cash only.

Good news, race stories, new PB’s?

We are always looking for new material for the newsletter or to shout about your achievements in the local press. If you have something to tell us about your weekend running achievements there are numerous options – EMAIL US or MESSAGE US or POST IT TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE – So, don’t be shy. We all want to share in your success!

And finally……………….Woolly Hats! Martine has the following message for you…………

This image shows hand-knitted Horsham Joggers hats. So far, we have sold several to those members who have asked for them and have placed an order. They cost £7.50*, are knitted by HJ member Karen Wigmore with the proceeds going to Sussex Air Ambulance. They are one size and are all made to order. It would be great to get a few orders in the run up to Christmas and it’s a great cause too for hj members to support! I look forward to hearing from you, Martine (martine.burke@gmail.com)

*NOTE: these are only available by contacting Martine and aren’t on the MemberZone

Dates for your diary

24^th Nov – Crowborough 10k (SGP)

24^th Nov – Jigsaw 10k, Dunsfold

30^th Nov – Sussex X-country league, Stanmer Park

1^st Dec – Downland Devil 9m, Lancing

3^rd Dec – Annual winter handicap and Awards night

7^th Dec – Worthing Christmas Cracker 5 and 10k (women only)

8^th Dec – Mouth to Mouth marathon, Shoreham

8^th Dec – Mince pie 10m Peacehaven

8^th Dec – Hogs Back Road Race, Loseley Estate

8^th Dec – Shere Trail Run

17^th Dec – hj Xmas lights run with #RunAndTalk social after

21^st Dec – Christmas pudding dash, Pett nr Hastings

25^th Dec – Christmas Day (just in case you forget!)

26^th Dec – Turners Hill Boxing Day run

1^st Jan – Hangover 5 (WSFRL)

4^th Jan – Sussex AA X-country champs, Bexhill

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 2^nd October and discussed the usual club matters as well as Quiz night, Gun Powder Trot prep, #RunAndTalk events, website updates and a member survey.  More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 20^th November and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

The Results Round-up

Some incredible achievements to read about. Compiled mainly from the race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix of who has been doing what, where, when and why is HERE!

35^th Anniversary celebrations

Over 150 people attended the anniversary celebrations in the park after the annual Horsham Round on bank holiday Monday 26^th August. We had free fish & chips, commemorative t-shirts and a special cake! Phil said a few words and we thanked the teams from guest clubs for attending. The weather was a bit warm and so we lazed around under the trees behind Horsham Bowl and some even drank beer! A fab day was had by all!

Quiz night – 25^th OctoberSlightly earlier than usual due to venue availability so you best start brushing up on your knowledge of all things film, history, sports, music and more as it’s nearly time for the annual Horsham Joggers quiz again! Under the expert eye of quizmaster, Martyn Newton, it will take place at Horsham Cricket and Sports Club on Friday 25^th October. Please arrive at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Maximum 13 teams are required and entry costs £18. There will be a maximum of six players with at least two hj members in each team. You can now register and pay for your team via the MemberZone. There will be 9 rounds in total with a break halfway through. The bar will be open all night for you to buy drinks but feel free to bring your own nibbles to eat at your table. Good luck!

Gunpowder TrotPlans are now in the final stages, and we are fast approaching our own WSFRL fixture on Sunday 3^rd November 2019. Margaret now has enough volunteers and job allocations will be sent out over the next few weeks to those who completed the Survey Monkey link. If you’ve offered to volunteer, PLEASE save the date and try not to make any changes before the event as it takes countless hours to pull this all together. Entry is open via the MemberZone for those not wanting to volunteer.

Charity Donations

In addition to funding the recent celebrations, we are delighted to be able to give two charitable donations of £600 each this year to the West Sussex North Branch of MDNA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) and The Hope Charity. MND is a cause close to hj’s heart having lost two bright lights recently to this awful disease and The Hope Charity is a local organisation run by people who are personally touched by a young person struggling with their emotional well-being. They provide a much-needed resource for children aged 10-18 and their families, who are experiencing the trauma of mental health issues in our society today. We hope to welcome charity representatives to our annual awards ceremony in December in order to present the donations.

http://www.mndwestsussexnorth.com/

https://www.hopecharityproject.org/

#RunAndTalk events

 As mentioned in previous newsletters, we will be starting to incorporate RunAndTalk events within our Tuesday evening programme (initially once a month) – details of these will be posted on our usual social media platforms.

As an introduction to this, your Mental Health Champions, Mark and Geri, will be available for an informal chat at The Bridge Café on Tuesday 8^th October following the regular club run. Please pop in if you’d like to find out more, share ideas, or just to say hello!

Don’t forget we’ve added some additional pages to our website with lots of useful information. Do have a look and let us know what you think – we’d also love to hear from anyone who is interested in getting involved.

Guest Speaker – An Evening with Phil Hewitt.

In tandem with RunAndTalk, we are excited to be joined by Sussex Newspapers Group Arts Editor and marathon runner Phil Hewitt to talk about his new book, Outrunning The Demons (Bloomsbury, 2019), which celebrates the massive mental health benefits of running. Phil will be speaking at The Bridge Leisure Centre, Broadbridge Heath, on Thursday 21^st November (8pm).
As Phil says: “Running can take us to fantastic places. Just as importantly, it can also bring us back from terrible ones. For people in times of crisis, trauma and physical or mental illness – when normality collapses – running can put things back together again”.

Phil will talk of his own experience, after being mugged – stabbed, punched, kicked and effectively left for dead in Cape Town 3 years ago, and how he put himself back together again by getting back to his first love, running….

The book also includes interviews with 34 people from around the world who, as he says, have been to hell and discovered that the surest, safest, quickest way back was to run. He interviewed people caught up in 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing; people who have lost loved ones to murder and natural causes; people who have suffered addiction, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, violent and sexual assault; and sheer bad luck.

The result is a remarkable collection of stories about hope and survival – a genuinely uplifting celebration of the strength of the human spirit and all the good that is unleashed simply through running.

This will be a free event for members, but due to limited spaces you will need to book your place by contacting Mark Aylmore at HJRunAndTalk@gmail.com

Race reports

Chris Yeomans is still kindly producing the weekly report for the local press but ideally, we’d like this to be a shared role with another willing volunteer. It involves scanning the race calendar, results pages, social media etc on a Sunday or Monday and sending a brief summary (with a photo or two) to the local newspapers. If you can help, please CONTACT US

Challenge Trophy Results

All four CT races have now been run and Steve Wilson is pulling together the results ready for the awards presentation. Having done this for a few years, Steve will be taking a break next year and handing the reins over the Miranda Huisman. We thanks Steve for his help and diligence in completing this tricky role.

Possible Twinning Trip

We are looking to organise a trip to our twinned club in Germany next year! Our links with TG Lage have been in place for many years and it would be nice to go to visit one of their biggest events of the year after they visited us during Barns Green last year. The Hörster Waldlauf takes place on Saturday May 9th next year and is a festival of running comprising of a Half Marathon, 10 and 5K as well as child’s races over 1.2 and 400m all taking part in the beautiful Teutoburger Forest. We are checking for interest initially so here is the proposed itinerary:

• We would organise transport on the Friday to the airport (probably Heathrow, Stanstead or Luton), participants would need to book their own flights and hopefully we can match it up so we can either be on the same flight or within a short space of each other.
• We would then organise transport at the other end to Lage (approx 90 minutes).
• TG Lage have a large sports complex with facilities, but the sleeping arrangements would probably be a dormitory style. They would also be happy to give us a B&B arrangement.
• We would then return by the same arrangements on the Sunday.

There is a possibility that some of us could be put up by TG Lage families if anyone was interested. It would be an adventure and we are sure a great event! We are going to gauge any interest and then maybe organise a meeting to discuss it further, so if it sounds like your thing please CONTACT US

Membership survey

Our membership currently stands at 560 and so it’s becoming more and more difficult to ask each member for their views on the club and what they want to get from it. So we are putting together our very first membership survey which will go out in the New Year and we need some help. If you have market research type skills and would like to help put this together, please CONTACT US

Dates for your diary

6^th Oct – Lewes Downland 10 (SGP)

6^th Oct – Heron Way 10k

6^th Oct – Bournemouth Half and Marathon

13^th Oct – Great Walstead 5 (WSRFL)

19^th Oct – SEAA x-country relays

20^th Oct – Hove Prom 10k (SGP)

20^th Oct – Worthing Seafront 10k

20^th Oct – Great South Run 10m

20^th Oct – Great Bottom 5, Arundel

25^th Oct – hj quiz night

26^th Oct – Beachy Head Marathon/10k

27^th Oct – Crawley 10k

27^th Oct – Steepdown Challenge (WSFRL)

3^rd Nov – hj Gunpowder Trot (WSFRL)

9^th Nov – Sussex x-country league, Lancing

10^th Nov – Rewell Wood 5, Arundel

17^th Nov – Brighton 10k

24^th Nov – Crowborough 10k (SGP)

24^th Nov – Jigsaw 10k, Dunsfold 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

 

 

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 21^st August and discussed club finances, membership, MemberZone orders and social media hits as well as Survey Monkey, #RunAndTalk, mental health champions, charity donations, Horsham Round 35^th celebrations and Gunpowder Trot preparations. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 2^nd October and you are welcome to join us by arrangement.

Tony Johnson

Hopefully you have all seen our recent tribute to Tony who sadly lost his fight with Motor Neurone Disease on 20th July. A celebration of Tony’s life was held on 6^th August and was well attended by past and current hj members. The committee have been discussing ways to honour Tony’s memory at the event which he grew to love the most during his running journey – The South Downs Way Relay. Over the coming weeks we will be thinking of a fitting tribute and discussing options with Tony’s wife Julia.

The Results Round-up

So who has been where in the past six weeks? Compiled mainly of race reports by Chris Yeomans, your regular results fix is HERE!

Horsham Round – Bank Holiday Monday

 

 

 

21 team entries have pouring in, the t-shirt orders have arrived, the food is ordered for those who asked for it and we’ve even arranged good weather! This year’s Horsham Round and 35^th Anniversary celebration is set to be a fantastic day and you are welcome to join us in the park from 2.30pm to see the teams home. Team captains will now have instructions and maps to follow and will have agreed their start time with James. Remember, it’s a self-navigated 29 mile route as a relay team or in pairs as a minimum. Runners are responsible for your own safety, food, water, sunscreen, support crew, mobile contact etc for the whole run! T-shirt orders can be collected at the finish and, for those who have ordered food, you will be provided with a meal voucher to exchange for your selected food choice at the mobile catering van between 2.30 and 4.30pm. All being well, it will be parked adjacent to Park House, North Street (the old HDC headquarters), a short walk from the park. We look forward to seeing you!

#RunAndTalk

We are delighted to welcome our two new mental health champions and to be firmly involved in England Athletics #RunAndTalk initiative. Mark Aylmore and Geri Smith have been working very hard over the past few months and have put together some fantastic pages and content on our website (https://www.horshamjoggers.co.uk/about-runandtalk/). There’s lots of interesting fact sheets and advice. Take a look, see what you think and drop them a line to let them know via their contact page. In the coming months Mark and Geri will be holding regular #RunAndTalk events. Details of these will soon be added to the web pages and promoted via the newsletter and our social media platforms.

 

 

 

Barns Green Pacer required

This year we will be providing all the pacers for the Barns Green Half Marathon. However, organiser Jason Walker is missing a 1hour 30minute pacer to complete his team. If you can run like clockwork at this pace, please contact Jason (jason.walker1@hotmail.com). Pacers get free entry and a pacer bib to wear.

Gunpowder Trot

Plans are well advanced, and we are fast approaching our own WSFRL fixture on Sunday 3^rd November 2019 but we are already receiving entries from members who haven’t offered to volunteer first! As always, we rely on many volunteers on the day so please, please, please remember to offer your help BEFORE thinking about entering the race.

Group Leaders

We’ve had a couple of new leaders join us, but we still need more to help us provide a better spread of smaller, more evenly paced groups. We can provide guidance and route maps for you so that you can step up and lead regularly or in the event of a shortage on the night. Have a word with your group leader and they can help you to help us!

Race reports

Chris Yeomans is kindly producing the weekly report for the local press but ideally, we’d like this to be a shared role with another willing volunteer. It involves scanning the race calendar, results pages, social media etc on a Sunday or Monday and sending a brief summary (with a photo or two) to the local newspapers. If you can help, please CONTACT US

Ride London Ballot winner

Ian Bradbury rode the Prudential Ride London this year after winning his place in the ballot last winter. He said “I took part in the Prudential Ride London & Surrey 100 today using the Horsham Joggers ballot entry.  I had a fantastic day and really enjoyed it.  Thank you!  I did pretty well as well – 5h14m, average speed of 18.8 mph”.

Dates for your diary

26^th Aug – Horsham Round/35^th Anniversary picnic

1^st Sept – Fittleworth 5 (WSFRL)

3^rd Sept – 4^th Itchingfield Time Trial (7pm!)

8^th Sept – Hellingly 10k (SGP)

8^th Sept – Bacchus Half Marathon

8^th Sept – Littlehampton 10k (5-10k group graduation)

14^th Sept – Rewell Wood Running festival, Arundel

15^th Sept – Richmond Half Marathon

22^nd Sept – Tilgate Forest 5 (WSFRL)

28^th Sept – SXCC relays, Goodwood

29^th Sept – Barns Green Half Marathon

6^th Oct – Lewes Downland 10 (SGP)

6^th Oct – Heron Way 10k

6^th Oct – Bournemouth Half and Marathon

 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 10^th July and discussed club finances, membership, MemberZone orders and social media as well as the Horsham 10k review, Run & Talk mental health champions, charity donations, Horsham Round 35^th celebrations and Gunpowder Trot preparations. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 21^st August and you are welcome to join us by arrangement!

The Results Round-up

Compiled mainly of race reports by Chris Yeomans and other contributors, your six-weekly fix of who has done what, when and how is HERE 

Meeting place at The Bridge

Now that the new facility is fully open, we will be moving our meeting point from the rear undercroft to the main entrance area under the gym from Tuesday 16^th July. This will provide a better focal point for new arrivals, instead of having to walk around the back to find us. Please don’t block the main entrance area!

The Andy Spriggs Running Spirit award

Following the untimely passing of our dear friend Andy Spriggs in December 2017, we honour his memory each year with the Running Spirit Award. This is awarded at the Horsham 10k to someone who demonstrates exceptional generosity, courage, stoicism, passion, perseverance or sportsmanship. This year the award went to Martyn Greaves, who is a regular at the 10k and parkrun. Martyn finished the race in 73:42 and came 396th. We caught up with him at Cranleigh parkrun to present the award.

Horsham Round – Bank Holiday Monday

Entry for teams is now open and, as this is our 35^th anniversary year, the annual Horsham Round on will be something special! A chance to celebrate 35 years of the club with guest teams joining us from other local clubs as well. To commemorate the occasion, we have commissioned a special t-shirt and are pleased to offer this to all members who want one for the subsidised price of just £10! Made from lime green technical hi-viz fabric with black hj and Horsham Round logos, these are now available to order from the MemberZone for a limited period and will be distributed on the day. T-SHIRT ORDERS MUST BE IN BY 31^st JULY!

As well as this, we will be having the usual gathering in Horsham Park from 2pm onwards so that everyone can join us for a social picnic and we will even be providing FREE FOOD to those who pre-order it! We need to confirm numbers and print enough vouchers to exchange for your free meal so, we are asking members to pre-order t-shirts and food options via the MemberZone and we will let the t-shirt and mobile fish & chip suppliers know in advance. Guest teams will be contacted directly to confirm numbers for both t-shirts and food. We look forward to seeing as many people as possible in the park, whether you are running The Round or not.

Group Leaders

If you train with us on a Tuesday evening, you may have noticed a shortage of group leaders recently. This has been due to injury, other event clashes and other volunteering commitments from the “usual” group leaders. To help us provide a better spread of smaller, more evenly paced groups, we need more volunteers to step up and lead a group. We can provide guidance and route maps for you so that you can step up and lead regularly or in the event of a shortage on the night. Have a word with your group leader and they can help you to help us!

Gunpowder Trot

Our 2^nd club event of 2019 will the “Gunpowder Trot” on Sunday 3^rd November 2019. This is a 4.5-mile Fun Run around Denne Park and Chesworth Farm and is part of the West Sussex Fun Run League and we are delighted to welcome Horsham Co-Working on board as our new sponsor! As always, we rely on many volunteers on the day so please, please, please remember to offer your help BEFORE thinking about entering the race.

Dates for your diary

14^th July – Hornets’ Stinger (WSFRL)

14^th July – Beat the Tide Worthing

17^th July – Wakehurst Willow

27^th July – Lunar Tic night marathon

28^th July – Seven Stiles (WSFRL)

31^st July – Bexhill 5k (SGP)

7^th Aug – Highdown Hike (WSFRL)

10^th Aug – 13 The Hard Way

18^th Aug – Henfield Half

25^th Aug – Will Page 10k Newick

25^th Aug – Windlesham House 4 (WSFRL)

26^th Aug – Horsham Round/35^th Anniversary picnic

 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 29^th May and welcomed new members Iain Campbell and Mark Aylmore. We discussed club finances, membership renewals, MemberZone orders and social media platforms as well as the Horsham 10k, #RunAndTalk mental health champions, summer handicap and Horsham Round 35^th celebrations. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 10^th July.

The Results Round-up

Such a busy few weeks! We don’t know quite how you fit it all in! The ever popular result round-up is HERE

Congratulations!

At the recent AGM, we presented awards to Simon Perkins – Jogger of the Year, Julie Jochimsen – Newcomer of the Year and Sue Hensman/Simon Perkins – Volunteer(s) of the Year. We salute you and all those nominated in these categories!

Membership renewals reminder

Subs are now long overdue and there are a significant number of members who’s membership will expire on 30th June if they haven’t renewed by then. The committee feels that 3 months is more than enough time to renew the £10 required. The best way to renew is via the MemberZone using PayPal or Card. Remember, if you joined after 1^st Jan 2019 then your membership carries through to 31^st March 2020.

Itchingfield Time Trials

The first ITT has been and gone and the results are now on the website. We’ve noticed a decline in numbers recently which is a great shame given the time and effort put into this by John and his team. The 2^nd ITT is on 11^th June so, if you haven’t tried it before, you race against yourself around a challenging 5k road route with the aim of making consecutive improvement over 3 of the 4 time trials. Parking is limited so either jog from The Bridge or car share. Dates: 11^th June@7.30pm, 9^th July@7.30pm and 3^rd Sept@7pm.

Mid-Summer Handicap

Nigel Blackbee has kindly agreed to help with this again at 7pm on 18^th June. We will be using the parkrun course in Horsham Park and setting off groups at timed intervals based on your 5 and 10k times and, if we’ve got our sums right, you will all finish together! A prize for the first finisher will be awarded at the awards evening later this year.

Riverside Walk

A popular event for hj’s, this is being organised by Horsham Town Community Partnership on Saturday 6^th July and is a 13 mile route around Horsham which can be ran, jogged or walked. If you are interested in taking part, details can be found HERE on how to register your interest in taking part.

Horsham Round organiser

This year will be our 35^th anniversary celebration and we are still looking for a willing volunteer to organise what is now a well set out plan for the annual Horsham Round on 26^th August. Please CONTACT US for more information. We have a commemorative T-Shirt being designed and are currently looking a new foody options after the round as well!

Run And Talk

Horsham Joggers have now officially joined England Athletics #RunAndTalk programme, with Mark Aylmore & Geri Smith being appointed as Mental Health Champions on behalf of the club. The #RunAndTalk programme has been created with the aim of improving mental health through running in England, and is supported by Mind, the mental health charity. We are excited to be a part of this programme, as we look to get people talking, sharing their experiences and removing the stigma associated with mental health. Mark and Geri plan to incorporate #RunAndTalk sessions into the Horsham Joggers programme, as well as targeting specific events through the year such as Time to Talk Day (January/February) and World Mental Health Day (October). Events will be open to friends and family, and will almost certainly involve cake whenever possible! We will soon include a section on our website where people can find more information, get involved and also provide useful links, support and guidance for those who might need it. Watch this space……..

Through the programme we hope to have a positive impact on our members and wider community by promoting and supporting the benefits that running can have on all our physical and mental wellbeing. With your support we are sure this will prove to be a very positive addition to the club.

Gunpowder Trot

Our 2^nd club event of 2019 will the “Gunpowder Trot” on Sunday 3^rd November 2019. This is a 4.5-mile Fun Run which is part of the West Sussex Fun Run League and we have some exciting opportunities for sponsorship of the event! The race will be open to 500 senior runners and has sold out in advance during the past few years. Additionally, a junior race of 1 mile for under 16s will also take place with around 50 runners aged between 4 and 15.  Full details of last year’s race can be found HERE

We are seeking a sponsorship amounts of £500 for the senior race and £100 for the junior race and would like to know if any club members can help by providing a corporate contacts/leads which we can follow-up.

Sponsorship for the senior race provide following benefits to the sponsor: –

• Sponsor’s logo being shown on the on-line entry page where it will be seen by all who enter.
• Sponsor’s company having a presence at the event with the option to set up a tent/display (if they have such a thing) with company promotional banners etc.
• Recognition of the sponsorship at every opportunity through all promotional material, local press coverage and during the pre- and post-race announcements on the day.
• An option to have the company logo printed on all competitor’s race numbers to be attached to their running singlet.

Sponsorship for the junior race would provide the following benefits to the sponsor: –

• Provision of “goody bag” suitable for ages 4-15 which can include items associated with sponsors company. Bag could include sponsor’s products and logo if wanted
• Sponsor can have presence on race day to distribute bags to junior runners at the finish.

If you think you may be able to help, please contact Margaret Wadman using our CONTACT US page.

Dates for your diary

2^nd June – Horsham 10k (SGP)

8^th June – Box Hill Trail Running Festival

11^th June – 2^nd Itchingfield Time Trial

16^th June – Hove Park Races (WSFRL)

18^th June – hj Summer Handicap

22^nd June – Downland Dash (WSFRL)

22^nd June – Midnight Sun Marathon, Tromso, Norway

22^nd June – Race to the King

23^rd June – Heathfield 10k – (SGP)

30^th June – Lingfield 10m and 10k

30^th June – Eastbourne 10k

3^rd July – Roundhill Romp (WSFRL)

6^th July – Horsham Riverside Walk

7^th July – Bewl 15 (SGP)

7^th July – North Downs Way Half

10^th July – Phoenix 10k (SGP)

14^th July – Hornets’ Stinger (WSFRL)

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 10^th April and discussed club finances, membership, MemberZone orders and social media as well as the AGM, Horsham 10k and Horsham Round 35^th celebrations. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 29^th May.

The result round up

We get some lovely feedback on this regular feature. It’s always good to see who’s done what and when. Read all about it HERE. The result roundup is compiled mainly from press reports by Iain Campbell and are still looking for someone new to take on the job when Iain becomes treasurer. It involves scanning the weekend activity of team hj, collecting results, writing a report with a few photos and issuing them to meet the local press deadlines on a Monday/Tuesday each week. Please CONTACT US if you want to get involved.

Membership renewals reminder

If you haven’t already paid, your annual subs are now overdue! We have managed to keep the individual membership fees at an incredibly low £10 for yet another year! The best way to renew is via the MemberZone using PayPal or Card. Remember, if you joined after 1^st Jan 2019 then your membership carries through to 31^st March 2020.

It’s party time!

With the spring marathons comes the traditional pasta party! Come and celebrate your marathon achievement at our Pasta Party at Prezzo in the Carfax at 19:30hrs Saturday 11th May. Max 25 persons so replies to James Munden by email: munden888@yahoo.co.uk by 30th April 2019 latest. Don’t forget to wear your medals!

Summer Pub Runs

Our thanks go to Mike De Frateschi for organising some superb winter head torch runs throughout the dark months. We will soon hand over to the Summer Pub Run schedule which start on 25^th April. The 2019 schedule can be found HERE

AGM

This will be held at 8.30pm on Tuesday 30^th April 2019 after the usual 7pm group running which will all start and finish from Horsham Sports Club, Cricketfield Road, Horsham, RH12 1TE and we would like to see as many of you there as possible. There will be no organised club run from The Bridge on this evening.

Itchingfield Time Trials

John Dykes has kindly agreed to continue organising these events, with the help of John Mac and Steve W. If you haven’t tried it before; you race against yourself around a challenging 5k route with the aim of making consecutive improvement over 3 of the 4 time trials. Parking is limited so either jog from The Bridge or car share. Dates: 14^th May@7.30pm, 11^th June@7.30pm, 9^th July@7.30pm, 3^rd Sept@7pm. We will need someone to take the race clock and some warning signs to and from the 1^st trial. Please CONTACT US if you can help.

Southdowns Way Relay

Team organiser, John Wilcox now has two teams of 6 for the 100 mile Southdowns Way relay on Saturday 1^st June 2019 and, as well as the “A” team, we also have a ladies team for the 2^nd time in recent years! However, we could do with a reserve on the ladies team and there are spaces for driver/navigator as well. To read all about it and express an interest, please click HERE for details.

Horsham 10k Volunteers

Plans are well underway for our annual 10k on Sunday 2^nd June this year. We are aware that other local races clash with this revised fixture, so we kindly ask that members consider keeping this date free to volunteer on the day, instead of racing elsewhere. Remember that all volunteers will score a credit towards fulfilling the BM and LM ballot criteria for 2020! Watch this space and our Social Media platforms for more details on how to volunteer.

Club kit SALE – final clearance

Steve Entecott still has some new “old” stock! If you want to purchase any of the following items, please speak to Steve directly and pay him £10 (cash only) per item.

Men’s Vests – size small x 1
Men’s Vests – size XL x 1
Ladies T-Shirts – size large x 1

2019 Challenge Trophy Races

May is just around the corner so the next CT race is looming! Remember to wear club kit if you want to win the silverware!

10mile Challenge – Haywards Heath 10 miles (5^th May)

WSFRL Challenge – Hove Hornets Stinger (14^th July)

Half marathon Challenge – Run Reigate (15^th Sept)

Horsham Round organiser

This year will be our 35^th anniversary celebration and we are still looking for a willing volunteer to organise what is now a well set out plan for the annual Horsham Round on 26^th August. Please CONTACT US  for more information.

West Sussex Fun Run League

Now that the weather is getting warmer, why not see some of our countryside by taking part in the WSFRL races. Join us on Easter Monday for the Lewes 10K followed by Portslade Hedgehoppers (5 mile), Gloria’s Goodwood (5 mile), and the ever popular Beach Run at Littlehampton which finishes with Fish and Chips! All these races are in May. Entries can be made through the HJ club members zone shop – cost £3.00 per race or see me on club nights. I hope to see you there. Jenny Boyd, WSFRL Rep

2019 FIXTURES LIST

Dates for your diary

14^th Apr – Brighton Marathon/10k

22^nd Apr – Lewes Easter Monday races (WSFRL)

28^th Apr – London Marathon

28^th Apr – Angmering Bluebell 10k

30^th Apr  – hj AGM

4^th May – East Grinstead 10m (Mid-Sussex Weekend Marathon)

5^th May – Three Forts Challenge

5^th May – Haywards Heath 10m (Challenge Trophy and Mid-Sussex Weekend Marathon)

6^th May – Burgess Hill 10k (Mid-Sussex Weekend Marathon)

11^th May – Arun River Marathon

12^th May – Portslade Hedgehoppers (WSFRL)

12^th May – Run Gatwick Half Marathon

12^th May – Hastings 5 mile (SGP)

14^th May – hj Itchingfield Time Trial no.1

15^th May – Gloria’s Goodwood (WSFRL)

19^th May – Bognor prom 10k

19^th May – Run Wisborough 5/10k

22^nd May – Beach Run (WSFRL)

26^th May – Rye 10m (SGP)

1^st June – Southdowns Way 100mile relay

2^nd June – Horsham 10k (SGP)

 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

Committee activity

We met again on Wednesday 27^th February with 3 guests in attendance and discussed club finances, membership, forthcoming events, MemberZone orders and social media as well as nominations for jogger, newcomer and volunteer of the year, twinning trip and EA Run & Talk initiative. More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 10^th April.

The result round up

Your regular fix of who has been doing what and when. Read all about it HERE. The result roundup is compiled mainly from press reports by Iain Campbell, who will soon be standing down from this role. We thank him for his continued contribution to the club and are now looking for someone new to take on the job. It involves scanning the weekend activity of team hj, collecting results, writing a report with a few photos and issuing them to meet the local press deadlines on a Monday/Tuesday each week. Please CONTACT US if you want to get involved.

Nominations for Jogger/Newcomer/Volunteer of the year

Nominations have now closed for your Jogger, Newcomer and Volunteer of the year. Given the incredible uptake and engagement with this in 2018, we’ve been disappointed to see a sharp decline in nominations this time around. However, the voting window will open on 4^th March for you to vote for your winner (closes 16^th March). Just login to the MemberZone and you can vote via the links available to you. The committee will review engagement with this and possibly make some changes next year to increase interest.

Message from Pete O’Connell.

Spring is here and there are a couple of dates for Sussex races. Saturday April 6th – the Sussex Relays at Christ hospital open to all paid up first claim HJ members. Sunday June 2nd – Dorking 10 mile – this is a British Masters championship and there will be teams and individuals in 5year age categories from M35, W35 upwards. To qualify you have to be paid up member of a vets club such as Southern Counties Veterans Athletic Club (SCVAC) – membership is £20. Any queries please contact Pete O’Connell – purpledrummer@sky.com

Southdowns Way Relay

Team organiser, John Wilcox is now looking for two teams for the 100 mile Southdowns Way relay on Saturday 1^st June 2019 and, given the male domination of this event last year, he really wants to put forward a ladies team! To read all about it and express an interest, please click HERE for details.

AGM – Save the date!

This will be held at 8.30pm on Tuesday 30^th April 2019 after the usual 7pm group running which will all start and finish from Horsham Sports Club, Cricketfield Road, Horsham, RH12 1TE.

Club Treasurer

We are delighted to announce that Iain Campbell has offered to take over from Fiona as club treasurer. Iain has been a member of hj since 1991 and is and regular club runner and experienced distance competitor. In recent years he has been producing the weekly race reports on a Monday to meet tight press print deadlines. We wish Iain all the best in his new role.

Accounts Auditor

There’s more good news in that Gary Tomlinson has agreed to review the club accounts for 2018 in preparation for the AGM in April. Again, huge thanks to Gary for his help. We really can’t run this club without offers of help from our members.

Committee Members

At the AGM we ask you to re-elect your committee members and we also invite new people to join us. This year we will have some vacancies to fill so if you want to have a voice and influence the direction of your club, why not join us. We meet every 6 weeks and invite members to sit on the committee and grow into a role organically where you think your talents can be best used. Please CONTACT US if you need more information.

Membership renewals 1^st April

It’s almost that time when your annual subs will be due and we have managed to keep the individual membership fees at an incredibly low £10 for yet another year! The only way to renew is via the MemberZone using PayPal or Card. Remember, if you joined after 1^st Jan 2019 then your membership carries through to 31^st March 2020.

Marathon minibuses

We’re sorry to announce that the London Marathon bus will no longer be available. The logistics of getting around London on Marathon day have become too complicated and uptake from runners has dwindled in recent years. Please arrange car sharing with those volunteering on Blackheath (where it’s free to park) or to go by train. However, we are still hoping to offer a minibus to and from the Brighton Marathon on 14^th April if we can find a willing driver! Any member can drive the bus as long as they have category D1 on their driving licence. Please CONTACT US for more information.

It’s party time!

With the spring marathons comes the traditional pasta party! James Munden will be putting plans in place for a celebration of your achievements on Saturday 11^th May. Watch this space and our social media channels for more news.

Club kit SALE!

Steve Entecott has been a busy bunny recently and while moving house he has found some more new “old” stock in the attic! If you want to purchase any of the following items, please speak to Steve directly and pay him £10 (cash only) per item.

Men’s Vests – size small x 1
Men’s Vests – XL x 2
Ladies T-Shirts – size small x 2
Ladies T-Shirts – size medium x 1

Twinning Update

Dave Maurice is currently doing some research on a potential trip to TG Lage in May 2020. For now, he’d like to know if there would be some interest in this? Click HERE for details.

Job Opportunity

Our friends at Up & Running in Horsham are looking for new staff. Mike writes: We are currently looking for some part time staff for the shop. The work will include selling and till operation with full training provided. Whilst weekday work is available ideally the person(s) will be available to work on Saturday. Contact horsham@up&running.co.uk for more details.

West Sussex Fun Run League
Ed – Our Jenny wants to let you know about the beautiful WSFRL racesJoggers, why not join in the friendship of the WSFRL races. You will experience the joy of running in our beautiful county, and meet lots of friendly folk from other clubs, share tea/cake/beer/burgers/fish and chips – plus lots of encouragement. Why not give it a try? You will not be disappointed. Next race is on Easter Monday, 22nd of April – The Lewes 10K – start 11:15am.
I hope to see you there.
Your Club Rep
Jenny Boyd

Pip’s proud day

Ed – Club member, Pip Mortimer tells us about her 2018 marathon experience and unexpected award!

I was asked to run the VMLM in 2018 as the only runner for The Benevolent – The Drinks Industry Charity.  Having worked in the wine trade for the past twenty years I could only say ‘yes’. The day was hot, my nerves were high and my hair was purple. A truly mind-blowing experience that saw me pass through every gauntlet of emotion.  I met so many amazing people over the 26.2 miles, including someone dressed as a dinosaur, firefighters from Grenfell and a guy running carrying a bicycle!  It took me six hours, five minutes and four seconds to cross the finish line and I ended up raising over £6,000 for my charity. The nomination came as a huge surprise.  The award was for raising the profile of The Benevolent to a wider audience.  Obviously, the purple hair swung it! However, I would have never been able to get to the start line, let alone the finish without the help; support and training of Horsham Joggers. From the gruelling planned long runs on a Sunday morning as I watched my mileage creep up from around 6 miles to 21; to the support of the other runners on a Tuesday evening and the fun (?) of Fiona and Claire’s hill and strength training on a Thursday, the support, advice and encouragement was top class. I also met some amazing people and made some fantastic friends. So a massive thank you to everyone; this is as much HJ’s award as it is mine! Pip.

2019 Challenge Trophy Races

One race has now been run so we look forward to race two in May. Qualifying criteria remains the same; you must be a paid up member at the time of each race and you MUST BE WEARING CLUB KIT to qualify for an award. If you’re not listed as a Horsham Jogger, please let us know so that we can include you in the results. As these are races and not a time trials, times are recorded and prizes awarded on your GUN TIME, so sharpen your elbows and get up the front at the start!

10mile Challenge – Haywards Heath 10 miles (5^th May)

WSFRL Challenge – Hove Hornets Stinger (14^th July)

Half marathon Challenge – Run Reigate (15^th Sept)

Mental Health Champions

Mark Aylmore has kindly offered to become our Mental Health Champion in conjunction with UKA’s Run & Talk initiative. He will soon be finding out more about the role and how to develop it within the club. Watch this space and our social media channels for more news and appeals for help to support Mark in growing this.

Horsham Round organiser

We are delighted for James and Becky Munden who are expecting their 2^nd child in August 2019. Unfortunately this means that James can no longer commit to the Horsham Round and so we will be looking for a willing volunteer to organise what is now a well set out plan for the annual Horsham Round on 26^th August. Please CONTACT US for more information.

Dates for your diary

3^rd Mar – Eastbourne Half

3^rd Mar – Steyning Stinger Half and Marathon

3^rd Mar – Leith Hill Half, Dorking

10^th Mar – West Worthing 5&10k

10^th Mar – Surrey Half, Woking

17^th Mar – Balcombe Bull Run

23^rd Mar – Kelly’s Clandon Park 10k

24^th Mar – Hastings Half Marathon (SGP)

24^th Mar – Reigate Priory 5/10k

31^st Mar – Mel’s Milers 10k

31^st Mar – Cranleigh 15/21m

7^th Apr – Lancing 10k

14^th Apr – Brighton Marathon/10k

22^nd Apr – Lewes Easter Monday races (WSFRL)

28^th Apr – London Marathon

 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!

 

Ed – Happy New Year y’all! We’ve got a fair bit to cover so lets crack on………..

Committee activity

After a short break for the festive season, we met on Wednesday 9^th January and discussed the usual club finances, membership, forthcoming events, MemberZone orders and social media hits as well as old kit stock, SGP and WSFRL results, nominations for jogger, newcomer and volunteer of the year, new arrangements at The Bridge, Horsham 10k plans and our 35^th anniversary year! More on some of this later. We agreed to meet again on 27^th February. Just a reminder that anyone can attend a committee meeting as a guest, either to observe or to raise a concern. Just CONTACT US to get involved in the next meeting.

The result round up

A quieter period in the run up to Christmas but still some amazing performance by team hj. Read all about it HERE. The result roundup is compiled mainly from press reports by Iain Campbell and we thank him for his continued contribution to the club.

Sussex Masters Cross Country Championship

Entries are open for this, taking place at Coombe Farm, Lancing, BN15 0RS, on Saturday, 19^th January. If anyone is interested in being part of the hj team then please email Pete O’Connor at: purpledrummer@sky.com

Club Treasurer

Following Fiona’s open letter in the last edition of this newsletter, sadly no one has stepped forward to take on the role of treasurer, so we will need to find a new one before the next AGM… could this be you? You don’t need to be a qualified accountant, but you do need to make prompt payments and able to drive a fairly straight forward spreadsheet.  There’s still time for a handover period, with plenty of time to ask questions and get comfortable with the role before you have to go solo. If you’d like to know more, please have a word with Fiona or any of the committee members.

Accounts Auditor

Following on from the appeal above, we also need someone to audit the club accounts in preparation for the next AGM. You don’t need to be qualified, just good at following a trail of invoices/payments/receipts etc for all club transactions recorded on a simple spreadsheet. This can be done over a period of days as and when you can. Please CONTACT US if you can help.

Spring Marathon Training

Starting at 9am (8am from 3^rd Feb onwards!) these training runs are now 3 weeks into the 16 week schedule but James Munden is still looking for a few more volunteers to organise and support the runners. Please check the schedule HERE and offer your support by CONTACTING US. We have hundreds of routes saved and can support you with water containers, cups etc.

Nominations for Jogger/Newcomer/Volunteer of the year

As a new year starts, it is time to look back over the past year and think about who is your Jogger (JOY) / Newcomer (NOY) / Volunteer (VOY) of 2018.

JOY can be for any reason which makes a current member stand out in your eyes.

NOY will be those newcomers who joined between 1st Jan and 31st Dec 2018.

VOY may be those individuals who aren’t necessary regular runners (if at all) but are always supporting the club and getting involved.

Please CONTACT US with a brief description why you believe they should be considered. Nominations will close at midnight on Sunday 3rd February. Voting will then open on Sunday 17th February and close on Sunday 10th March. Awards will be made at the AGM in April.

Quiz Night Winners!

Horsham Joggers had a great night at the Quiz evening back in November when 13 teams of hj’s and friends/family tested their knowledge against one another. Congratulations to our winners “And In Forth Place” followed by “Low Expectations” in 2nd place and “Old Gits And Others” in 3rd place. The most coveted award of the HJ wooden spoon went to “5 cakes to 10 cakes Improvers”. The most coveted award of the HJ wooden spoon went to “5 cakes to 10 cakes Improvers”.

Award winners!

At our recent awards night, over 50 members went home with some bling for their efforts in 2018. To read all about it, click HERE

The Bridge

We are now meeting in the undercroft at the new leisure centre just before 7pm on a Tuesday and 9am on Sunday. We can use the toilets and refreshments in the leisure centre at any time as before. Showers are available for a small charge, payable at reception.

2019 Challenge Trophy Races

Just a quick reminder of the CT races for 2019. Qualifying criteria remains the same; you must be a paid up member at the time of each race and you must be wearing club kit. As these are races and not a time trials, times are recorded and prizes awarded on your GUN TIME, so sharpen your elbows and get up the front at the start!

10k Challenge – Chichester Priory 10k (3^rd Feb)

10mile Challenge – Haywards Heath 10 miles (5^th May)

WSFRL Challenge – Hove Hornets Stinger (14^th July)

Half marathon Challenge – Run Reigate (15^th Sept)

Track Etiquette

It can be a daunting prospect taking to the track for the first time. Some of us haven’t stepped a foot on a running track since school days! Rest assured that you are all very welcome and the benefits of a weekly £2 interval or circuit training session on a track are well recognised. However, as a first timer you will need to be aware of some simple rules or, if you are a regular track user, you may need a gentle reminder! These are displayed on trackside and are available on our website HERE.

SGP & WSFRL races for 2019

While the WSFRL race calendar has already been published HERE, the SGP dates are not yet on their website. However, we have an advance page for our members handbook which can be found HERE. Horsham Joggers came 12^th in last years SGP team list with Paul Chantler and Geri Smith scoring the most points for our men and women respectively.

Mental Health Champions

We have had one member interested in becoming a Mental Health Champion in conjunction with UKA’s Run & Talk initiative. If you want to join in, please click HERE for details.

January SALE!

We have various bits of new “old” kit stock which we would like to offer members for just £10 per item! Please take a look at the list HERE and see Stephen Entecott or CONTACT US directly to purchase items. These are not for sale via the MemberZone and we can only take cash payments to simplify the process.

Dates for your diary

19^th Jan – Sussex Masters X-Country Champs

26^th Jan – Maverick Series 8, 15 or 23km, Amberley Museum

27^th Jan – Dark Star River Marathon, Shoreham

3^rd Feb – Chichester 10k (Club Challenge Trophy race)

10^th Feb – Worthing Half

24^th Feb – Brighton Half

2^nd Mar – Winter Nuts Challenge, Dorking

3^rd Mar – Eastbourne Half

3^rd Mar – Steyning Stinger Half and Marathon

3^rd Mar – Leith Hill Half, Dorking

 

Don’t forget; if you’ve got something worthy of the newsletter then please let us know!