It is fair to say it has been a slightly bewildering summer weather-wise.

I can’t run anything longer than about 400m in the heat. So, you’d think the summer we have had so far would be conducive to being a happier runner because it’s not always sweltering.

However, that mix of humidity and wet weather seems to have thrown any running plans out of the window and caused mass confusion.

Turning up at a WSFRL race expecting drier – but not too hot – conditions because its June or July just doesn’t work. Often the course is muddy, puddly, even a little iffy at times and finding that your running vest is soaked through only a mile into a 6-mile course is baffling when the temperature gauge suggests it’s only 15 degrees.

Even on the track on a Thursday, at times we have seen lane 6 covered in leaves, lane 3 covered in twigs and lane 1 effectively representing a swimming pool which would be better placed in Paris for the Olympics.

Talking of the Olympics, bring it on. The Athletics of course is the number 1 sport to watch, but it’s so much more than that because of the human endeavour, achievement and emotion which is involved.

Watching a competitor from somewhere like, for example, Tonga turn up at the mixed 10m Air Pistol event (having only taken up the sport by virtue of the fact they accidentally ordered a rifle instead of a trifle back in 2017) and securing an amazing 2^nd from last position with their final shot is something to behold.

And the inspiring thing about the Olympics is you know full well each and every one of the Athletes have sacrificed so much to get to that point. And whilst records tumble, there is something so very special about the Olympics that you feel perhaps a stronger connection to the athlete who came nearer the bottom of the results, perhaps even the athlete disqualified for a false start or for turning up late due to a flat tyre, than those who finish with the medals at the top.

Let the memories begin. 

40^th Anniversary Celebrations

Horsham Round  – Sunday 25^th August and Monday 26^th August (at Horsham Rugby Club) – Evening 80s Disco, Hog Roast, Camping, Games

As we roll past the halfway mark of our 40^th anniversary year, there is much to look forward to over the coming months.

The end of August sees the main 40^th anniversary celebratory weekend with the Horsham Round taking place on Sunday, 25^th August, and into the following day. After the Horsham Round in the evening of 25th there is a Hog Roast, 80s disco (prize for best dressed!), camping and then on the following day (Monday 26^th August) there are a range of fun activities and games taking place.

Teams for the Horsham Round are now being put together so if you want to join a team then do reach out to the captains of those teams (or Roger Johnson) who will be able to add you.

• Please note we’ve also had clearance from the Rugby Club that camper vans are allowed for camping at the Horsham Round.

Please purchase your tickets for the Evening Disco via Memberzone. There is also Hog Roast (vegan option available) and you can buy your food for this in advance on Memberzone too.

• Login to Memberzone here

Christmas Party at Brookfield Barn – 6^th December

Separate to any 40^th anniversary celebrations, but at the request of a number of members, on Friday, 6^th December we have the Christmas Party at Brookfield Barn which is a ticket only event and is not subsidised by the club.

This includes a three-course meal, wine on arrival, half a bottle of wine per person, teas and coffees and mince pies, along with a photo booth and a DJ playing until midnight.

Tickets are now available on Memberzone. Remember: you can also purchase tickets for non-members (such as spouse’s etc).

Unsung Heroes – Marcus Leach

Former Committee member Marcus Leach is this edition’s ‘Unsung Hero’.

Marcus often gives up his own time to help others in the club. This includes taking out various Tuesday night group runs if the group leader is unable to take their lead, stepping in at the last minute. He is also willing to listen and help others, and to give advice or recommendations.

Marcus also continues to assist with some of the club work behind the scenes too, including helping with the Alf Shrubb 10k.

Well done Marcus!

If any members would like to nominate someone specifically, please let the Committee know. Thank you!

Charity News

For 2024 the Committee have decided that any surplus funds raised for worthy causes be split between two charities, namely Olive Tree and St Catherine’s Hospice.

Runs and Races

So, what have we all been up to these past few weeks? Putting our feet up watching the Football? Wimbledon perhaps? Golf? Maybe even some clay pigeon shooting perhaps? Not a chance of it of course as we’ve been our usual busy selves and here’s a selection of runs and races which have taken place (sorry I can’t include them all!).

West Sussex Fun Run League

As the current reigning champions, we’ve obviously had quite a few other events taking up our time, but we still sit towards the higher end of the league table. And we’ve competed brilliantly at some recent races, such as the Downland Dash, the Roundhill Romp (where the large downhill at the end is now a large uphill at the start), the Hove Stinger and the Henfield Seven Stiles – which clearly needs renaming as this year I didn’t count any stiles whatsoever … I may write and ask for a refund on the entry fee.

Finally, the ever-popular WSFRL Beach Run at Littlehampton took place on 10^th July. This one deserves particular acclaim for those who sacrificed watching some of the Euro Semi-final to produce some terrific performances not only during the race but also afterwards with the food consumption. 35 portions of cod and chips, 16 portions of Jumbo battered sausage and chips, and 15 standard portions of chips were consumed after the race by hungry hj’ers … costing over £450!

I have no trout we’ll be back again next year.

Thanks as ever goes to Julie Jochimsen for all her hard work in continuing to make the WSFRL races such a success.

Sussex Grand Prix Races

Also proving to be popular this year are the Sussex Grand Prix races.

These have included the Rye 10 miler (19^th May), Hastings 5 miler (2^nd June), Heathfield 10k (23^rd June), and Bewl 15/5 mile on 7^th July.

At Bewl, in particular, there was a huge hj contingent turnout for the 15 mile (and 5 mile) which was unusually muddy and resulted in a number of runners falling over.

Jon Fengaras was first male hj’er home in 2.11.29, and Kat Owens slip-slid her way to being the first female hj’er to cross the line in 2.13.52. I know there were a number of fallers that day so well done to everyone who took part and hopefully uninjured from the process!  

There are more Sussex Grand Prix events coming up so please keep your eye on the Joggers Calendar to find out when they take place. Thanks to Mal Thornton for helping promote these and give updates on the league tables.

London to Brighton 100km – 2^nd June

Robert Swan ran the full 100km in just under 18 hours. The actual total measurement was 109km. This is simply a tremendously impressive achievement so huge congratulations go to Robert.

SDW 100 miler – 9^th June

Of course, talking of long distances … Michael Dargue is one of those club members pushing his body to the extreme. This time, Michael took part in the South Downs Way 100 miler and completed this in 23 hours and 14 minutes (with a bit of assistance from wife Vicky!).

Leonardslee Summer 10k – 9^th June

The Heritage Trail 10k at Leonardslee, with some hj’ers completing this lovely little event including Dawn Whamond, Margaret Wadman, James Munden, Mike Bransden and Caroline Bransden.

Endure 24 weekend, Reading 8^th/9^th June

Ahhh, our old friend Endure 24 was back for 2024 and as ever a number of hj’ers took part in this annual event.

The run started midday on 8^th June and finished at midday on 9^th June. Each lap of the course is 5 miles and the various teams camp out overnight whilst taking it in turns to run the route, some doing more laps than others!

Hull 10k – 9^th June

Simon Markham used the cooler weather to run a fantastic 10k up in Hull. Going through the 10k mark in 40.44 included running the last couple of kms in under 4/min km pace. A brilliant run, well done Simon!

Worthing 10k – 9^th June

The Worthing 10k took place in hot and sunny conditions along the front. Despite obvious chaos regarding the pacers and the starting pens (leading to most faster runners starting nearer the rear), there were some good times posted including:

Trevor Barrett (38.16), Luke Minogue (39.21), Hadley O’Dwyer (40.35), Simon Holmes (42.12), Ian Lucas (45.39), Stuart Cox (46.41), Emily Brookes (48.18), Matt Cooper (48.54), Frankie Bailey (48.55), Sarah Clark (49.16), Mohit Shah (49.07), Warren Marks (50.50), Karen Hobbs (50.49), Jill Page (54.03), Christian Liberman (55.23), Kerry Short (56.56), Emma Catlow (1.01.34), Laura Holmes (1.02.47), Geoff Noble (1.04.50), Louise Moore (1.08.20), Jane Footer (1.11.14), Emma Woolley (1.13.46), Jim Minogue (1.14.12), and Karen Denness (1.18.43).

I know at Worthing sometimes unless you are UKAA affiliated then names don’t always show up with your running club, so apologies for any hj’ers not shown as a hj’er on the official Worthing results page.

Wisborough Green 5k and 10k – 9^th June

On the same day as Worthing, a large contingent of hj’ers turned out at the local Wisborough Green 5k and 10k event and with immense success! We’ve performed well as a club here before in the past and this year was no different with some terrific results across the board.

David Wilkinson was 3^rd in the 5k with a super 18.49. Nick Street (M50) was 1^st in his age category coming home in 22.03 and Marcus Leach was also 1^st in his age category (M60) in 24.59. Miranda Huisman (F50) was 2^nd in her age category with 23.14, and Val Purnell was 1^st in her age category (F60) in 25.09, just ahead of Jo Tomlinson who was 2^nd in her age category (F40) in 25.20.

There were other good runs by Guiseppe Maccarrone in 27.02, Sally Arnold (32.06), Suzanne Bunch (32.40) and Ian Bunch (33.24).  

In the 10k, there was a 1^st place overall finish for Gary Tomlinson (not ahead of the lead cyclist this time) in 35.08, followed home by Chris Moore (who shattered his PB in the process with 39.10), and Melissa Galea stormed home as 1^st female in an outrageous 42.21.

Phyl Weston was 1^st in her age category (F50) in 47.35.

Other fast finishers were Andi Marfleet (41.37), Jon Fengaras (42.51), Pete O’Connell (42.58) amongst a number of speedy club runners who took part.

Mike Clark was also 1^st  in his age category (M70) in 47.45 though running under his Mel’s Milers guise (so a little lucky I’ve mentioned you here, Mike 😉 ).

In addition, Kim Emson was 2^nd in her age category (F60) in 59.16, and Julia Johnson was also 2^nd in her age category (F70) in 1.00.23.

There were a lot of hj’ers who took part in the 10k so well done to everyone who took part that day.

Race to the King – 16^th June

The Race to the King ultra saw a few club runners take on this difficult challenge. Brian Frost took part and was accompanied by late stand-in Baz! Baz entered as a very last-minute replacement for Alan Pettitt (literally only a couple of days before the run) and took on the 50k challenge as though he had been preparing for it for months.

Robert Swan, fresh from his achievement at London to Brighton, also took part albeit without an actual race number meaning he was unable to make use of any of the refreshment pitstops along the way! But, he stopped at pubs and other places on the route!

Improve your Time Trial (Events 2 and 3 – 11^th June and 16^th July)

There continues to be a good turnout up at Roosthole for the time trial 5k runs. With just one event left (due on Tuesday 13^th August) there is all to play for!

Summer Handicap – Horsham Park, 18^th June

57 hj’ers took part in the annual summer handicap in Horsham Park.

Ella Neave took 1^st place, just ahead of Harry Wilcox who came home in 2^nd. There was drama with the 3^rd place as Chris Swann took this, though this was prior to him becoming an official member of the club, so unfortunately under the Club Rules he had to forfeit his 3^rd place this enabling Steve Wright to move up a position.  

This didn’t put Chris off though, he’s still joined the club!

Ultra Wales 50 miler – 22^nd June

Matt Whyman produced a typically resolute performance with a brilliant 12 hours 22 minutes at the 50 mile Ultra in Wales. This included elevation gain of 3,325 metres and included runs up Craig Lwyd, Craig Cwm Amarch, Cadair Idris – Penygadair, Cyfrwy, Y Llethr and Rhinog Fach!

To be honest it’d take me over 12 hours just to pronounce those names let alone run them. Well done, Matt!

Midnight Sun Marathon, Tromso (Norway), 22^nd June

A massive well done goes to Oliver Cannon for knocking 22 minutes off his PB with a fantastic 4 hrs 5 mins.

Iron Man, Austria – 25^th June

Congratulations go to David Capsey who completed the Iron Man in Austria in a tremendous time of 10 hrs, 9 minutes and 20 seconds. I’m not sure David has quite yet fully recovered from this!

Vets 5k at Battersea – 27^th June

There were some terrific performances by club members at the Vets 5000 in Battersea.

Chris Lee took v65 bronze, and Margaret Wadman followed up her World’s success last time out with a bronze in the VW60.

Serpent Trail 50k/20k – 6^th July

Some brilliant performances at these two events which took place in unseasonable weather conditions, with Tom MacDonald and Chris Newberry completing the 50 k (both finishing in just over 6 hours) and Lee Walker completing the 20 k in an excellent 1 hour 43 minutes.

Brighton Phoenix 10k – 17^th July

This fast event remains a popular one for hj’ers, with 19 of us taking part in the 2024 edition. Warm but relatively calm conditions meant some fantastic times were produced and I know a number of you PB’d. Results from the official site as follows:-

Simon Perkins (36.31), Steve Wright (40.34), Raff Vitale (41.10), Melissa Galea (41.14), Simon Mills (43.05), Nick Street (45.07), Richard Harwood (45.16, Phyl Weston (46.02), Frankie Bailey (46.37), Matt Cooper (46.38), Anna McLauchlan (46.59), Lea Quentin (47.58), Aoife Calnan (48.33), Andrew Wright (49.23), Mal Thornton (49.43), Clive Walker (50.07), Marcus Leach (51.33), Crispin Scott (1.21.11), Matt Duplock (1.21.11).

Half Marathon training

The Sunday morning Half Marathon training runs have now started. Please keep an eye on the HJ Runs Facebook group during the week as the runs are advertised a few days beforehand.

Remember you don’t need to be signed up to a half marathon to take part, just make sure you know the route and can do the distance before you arrive. These runs are suitable for all and start at 8am (meet 7.50am) every Sunday up until the Barns Green weekend at the end of September.

Just be aware there are no drinks/gels/refreshments provided during the training runs, so bring your own if you need them.

Other News

Club Membership

The club currently has 610 members, of which 187 are England Athletics affiliated.

If anyone ever wants to know more about EA affiliation then please feel free to ask any of the Committee, or your fellow hj’ers, for an explanation about how this works.

The size of our club now makes us larger than many small businesses!

New Pacer Vests

A range of new pacer vests have been ordered and received by the club. There was some discussion as to what sort of pacer items we could order. We had looked at flags/backpacks though this option was surprisingly expensive.

Instead, it was agreed that bright bibs would be the most economically viable option, and these have now been received. Thanks to our club kit specialist Jane Footer for organising and ordering these.

Social Events

Social events continue to come thick and fast.

You will have noted the paragraph above mentioning the 40^th anniversary celebrations over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August.

On 5^th June there was an Alf Shrubb talk by Cliff Comber. The resurrected 10K Alf Shrubb race will take place on 15th September at nearby Slinfold. I know this is already proving to be a popular race so sign up fast if you want to secure an entry.

There was a Horsham parkrun ‘salute’ by hj’ers on 8^th June where all the volunteer roles were taken by hj’ers, including the pacer roles for that week. Club colours were the order of the day and it was a highly successful morning. Following the parkrun .the cakes and biscuits supplied were hugely popular too, with a whopping 300+ individual food items being consumed!

A few days later and it was the track ‘games’ night on 13^th June, orchestrated by Florian Yeates and Anna McLauchlan, with Jane Footer helping on the night too.

Despite the weather this was well attended with six teams taking part in a variety of games including a wheelbarrow race, an egg and spoon race, ‘threading the hoop’, paper plane throwing, and a ball ‘over and under’ race.

There was immense fun for all competitors and in an (apparently) ‘non-competitive’ atmosphere.

On 22^nd June there was a trip to the Milkchurn and Firebird Brewery on the Saturday afternoon.

Once again Florian was the organiser. Horsham Joggers had the choice to either run to the Brewery or take the bus, the idea being that the runners would run the Downslink and arrive at the same time or just ahead of the bus!

For those running the 9.3 km route from the Bridge to the Milkchurn they would set off at a time which would see them arrive around 12.30 pm … hopefully ahead of those not running and taking the bus.

Once there, a number of joggers enjoyed lunch/tea/coffee at the Milkchurn and then some drinks at Firebird Brewery.

The option was there for anyone to either return by bus or alternatively run the 9.3 km route back!

Please check out the calendar and the ‘dates for your diary’ below for more social events (and runs) coming up!

Parkrun with a Z

On Friday 20th September, 12 HJ members are flying from Gatwick on the same flight to Krakow to run Zielony Jar parkrun on the Saturday followed by a trip to Auchswitz on Sunday. Most are flying back either on Sunday evening or Monday evening.

If anyone is interested, contact Sok Wah Lee for more information.

Dates for your diary

• 24^th July – Wakehurst Willow 8k
• 27^th July – Parkrun away day (Wakehurst)
• 2^nd August – Brighton and Hove Rainbow 5k
• 6^th August – Run and Talk Tuesday
• 7^th August – WSFRL race Highdown Hike
• 11^th August – Guildford 10k
• 25^th August – WSFRL Fittleworth Flyers
• 25^th August – Horsham Round followed by BBQ, Hog Roast and 40^th Anniversary celebration 80s Disco, plus optional camping
• 26^th August – 40^th Anniversary Fun and Games including Yoga, Rounders and more!
• 7^th September – Parkrun away day (East Brighton)
• 8^th September – WSFRL Saints and Sinners Tilgate Forest
• 15^th September – Alf Shrubb Memorial 10k race (Slinfold)
• 15^th September – East Grinstead 10k
• 20th September – Parkrun with a Z trip to Poland
• 22^nd September – Run Reigate 5k, 10k and Half Marathon
• 22^nd September – Sussex Grand Prix Hellingly 10k
• 29^th September – Barns Green 5k, 10k and Half Marathon

As ever, please check the Horsham Joggers calendar and the HJ Runs group on Facebook for forthcoming events.

With the weather at least partially warmer now, let’s hope we keep this drier spell for the next few weeks (to include Horsham Round/40^th celebration weekend too please!)

Be lucky.

Simon