Other big date for your diary.

Written by David Jones on 08/10/2026. Posted in News

Mark Barker

Another week, another superb report on an unbelievably gruelling Ultra. This time it is from Mark Barker on his 3 marathons in 3 days and involving 3500m of climbing. I know. Crazy. What I have noticed is reports from our small but elite band of Ultra runners is that, as well as doing what they do when running these events, they also submit super reports for your enjoyment. I guess they’ve got plenty of time to think during the many, many hours they have when competing.

Wednesday night at the track saw The Track Hour, the final Shakespeare Race of the year take place in pretty much ideal conditions. Patrick Jolly and Richard Liggatt both managed to run just over 40 laps in an hour, with barely a cigarette paper between them for the whole 60 minutes.

Saturday 7th November at Stratford upon Avon School is our Annual Awards Presentation evening. Definitely an event not to be missed. Full details are given below. Please ensure that you reserve your seats on the links provided. It is free to attend but is always fully booked and places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

One of the awards on the night will be to the Senior Club Personality of the Year Award. This award is voted for by senior members and there is a link below to enable you to do this. The deadline is 23rd October.

There is then a lovely report from Kathryn Woodcock, entitled The Confessions of a Reluctant Steeplechaser. The title is self explanatory and the article is well worth a read.

We also have a smashing report from Miranda Maloney on her successful Shakespeare Triathlon and finally, Kate Wright was our only participant in the Rugby 10 – the final WRRL fixture of the year and there are a few words on that.

This weekend sees the start of the West Midland Young Athletes’ Cross Country League (WMYACCL) and many of our juniors will be making their way over to Walsall Arboretum to take part. Good luck to them all. Good luck also to those competing in the Alcester 10k.

Take care,

David Jones

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Atlantic Coast Challenge

Report – Mark Barker

Last weekend I took on the Atlantic Coast Challenge, a three-day trail event following the South West Coast Path from near Padstow to Land’s End. Covering almost 80 miles of Cornwall’s stunning coastline and around 3,500 metres of climbing.

The event had been on my bucket list ever since Lesley Kirk completed it a few years ago and wrote a race report for the club. Lesley was not wrong, as it proved to be the most enjoyable and memorable event I’ve done.

Base camp for the weekend was a holiday park overlooking St Ives Bay in Hayle. I had successfully convinced my partner this qualified as a mini holiday, although she may have had some doubts as I disappeared each morning to run a marathon.

The format was wonderfully simple. Each day runners were transported to the start before following the coast path to the finish. It was a fully self-navigated route, although the organisers helpfully advised us that navigation was straightforward, keep the sea on your right and the land on your left. If I somehow managed to get that wrong, I would probably end up with wet feet!

Training had gone well and I felt prepared but this challenge was always going to be more about recovery than running.   Running one marathon is one thing. Making sure your legs still function on days two and three is another matter entirely.

Day One: Padstow to Perranporth:

Day one began on a cool, misty morning as the sun rose. The weather could not have been kinder all weekend. Most of the mandatory kit stayed zipped away in my backpack and was never needed.

The opening miles were fast and runnable, allowing me to settle into my usual checkpoint strategy of getting in, refilling bottles, grabbing a few snacks and getting moving again as quickly as possible.

The first half of the route passed quickly but the second half became increasingly tough as the paths narrowed and the climbs became steeper and more frequent. Eventually I reached Perranporth Beach and could see the finish in the distance.

Unfortunately, the coast path then took a steep climb up through a series of sand dunes. On reaching the top, I looked down and observed the other runners carrying on along the beach below on firm sand. It turned out the race briefing had included some useful information about taking the easier route if the tide allowed. Clearly, I had not been paying enough attention.

After 26.4 miles and 6 hours 19 minutes, day one was complete.

Day Two: Perranporth to Hayle:

Day two wasted no time introducing us to some of Cornwall’s famous cliff paths. The coast path seemed to cling to the coastline, constantly climbing and descending with spectacular views in every direction. Morning mist drifted across the sea, old tin mines overlooked the cliffs and there seemed to be another postcard worthy view around every corner.

Arriving in Portreath, I began to question my nutritional choices. Here I was in Cornwall, home of the Cornish pasty, yet I was still attempting to fuel myself with stale marmite sandwiches from checkpoints. A quick stop at a local bakery corrected that mistake.

Whether by coincidence or superior sports nutrition, the second half of the day felt much stronger. The route opened onto more runnable cliff-top trails and a few miles of beach before eventually finishing back at base camp.

I crossed the finish line in 6 hours 15 minutes, four minutes quicker than day one, before enduring a cold recovery bath that was arguably more challenging than the marathon itself.

Day Three: Hayle to Land’s End:

Day three was the big one. Nearly 28 miles and the most rugged section of coastline Cornwall has to offer.

The legs felt surprisingly good, although my hips spent the first mile voicing their objections. Once I left St Ives, I knew I wouldn’t see civilisation again until the coastal village of Sennen Cove 22 miles later.

Before leaving St Ives, I made one final bakery visit and purchased a Cornish pasty for lunch later in the day.   That plan didn’t last long.   Carrying a warm pasty in a backpack while running proved impossible. The smell followed me for miles until eventually I gave in and ate it far earlier than intended.

What followed was some of the most spectacular coastline I have ever seen. The terrain was relentless, with scrambling over boulders, loose rocks and narrow coastal paths that never seemed to ease up. Hidden coves appeared below the cliffs, the Atlantic was calm and crystal clear, and long stretches of coastline looked completely untouched.

Checkpoint two deserves special recognition. Perched on a tiny rocky outcrop overlooking the sea, it offered incredible views and just enough room for a handful of runners. Fair play to the volunteers who carried supplies out there, although I’m not entirely convinced about their risk assessment process.

Day three was significantly slower, but as the miles ticked by I found myself gradually catching runners who had been around me throughout the previous two days. Eventually the headland of Cape Cornwall came into view, followed by the final checkpoint and a glimpse of Land’s End in the distance.

Reaching Sennen Cove felt like returning to civilisation. Families were enjoying the sunshine on the beach. Having successfully stayed upright for three days across cliffs, rocks and technical terrain, I somehow chose that moment to trip over a small rock, landing face first into the sand, in front of a sizeable audience of beachgoers, providing some entertainment for those enjoying their Sunday afternoon by the sea.   Fortunately, nothing was injured apart from my ego.

The final climb was followed by a glorious downhill run to the finish line. Somehow, after almost 80 miles over three days, I even managed something that felt like a sprint finish.

Crossing the line in 8 hours 23 minutes, I was greeted with a medal, applause and, most importantly, another Cornish pasty.

Over the three days I completed the challenge in 20 hours and 57 minutes. It was a brilliant weekend with stunning scenery, perfect weather, fantastic organisation and three unforgettable days on one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Britain.

A big thank you to Lesley Kirk for all the information and encouragement.

The body coped remarkably well with the challenge, something I would like to attribute to good training, sensible pacing and the very nutritious Cornish pasty!

October Shakespeare Race

The Track Hour

Wednesday night at the track, saw 35 seniors take part in the final Shakespeare Race of the year – The Track Hour. As the name suggests, this meant those participants running round the track for an hour and then having their total distance measured.

The conditions were pretty much perfect, perhaps a little chilly.

Many thanks to Sarah, Simon and the many lap counters, shouting out the laps as you passed them. Very much appreciated.

At the time of writing there are a few anomalies in the official results but what I can tell you is that the distance seen between Patrick Jolly and Richard Liggatt shown in the photo below (Patrick in white with Richard alongside him) remained pretty much the same throughout the whole of their 40 laps – yes 40 laps. Patrick finally edged it by just 89 metres, having run 16116.9 metres compared to Richard’s 16027.7m. Absolute awesome running. They were followed by Matt Burdus-Cook-Cook (39 laps 26.6 metres), Bogdan Ene (36 laps 388.3m) and Ade Mason (36 laps 80.7m).

First female finisher was Emma Vickers in 18th place overall (31 laps 242.6m) followed by Julia Brookes in 21st place (30 laps 273.9m) and in 24th place, Yumiko Turner (27 laps 14.3m) .

The Track Hour – ready for the off.

Awards Presentation Evening

STRATFORD UPON AVON AC

AWARDS PRESENTATION EVENING

TO BE HELD AT STRATFORD UPON AVON SCHOOL

on Saturday 7^th November 2026

Doors open 5.45 to Start at 6pm prompt

Our annual Awards Presentation Evening is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the whole club and in particular our athletes and is always very popular.

Apart from the major annual awards that includes Athletes of the Year, trophies and medals will be presented for the Club Championships and our successes in the various competitions we have been involved in.

A lot of preparation goes into making our awards a special evening for our athletes and we hope you will come along and enjoy the celebrations, so please be prompt in letting us know you will be attending.

The evening will be FREE and there will be goody bags for the young athletes. There won’t be a licensed bar and so you are welcome to bring your own refreshments and snacks.

As usual we are anticipating a big turnout for the awards as we have so many members across the whole club and as space is limited, we may have to limit numbers of tickets per athlete/family. It will be first come first served, so please reserve your seats now.

The closing date is 2nd November.

Please follow the link to RiderHQ to reserve your seats for the evening.

https://www.riderhq.com/events/p/92cwv99v/f/stratford-upon-avon-ac-2026-awards-presentation-evening-even

You will be asked to make separate reservations for each adult and junior attending, selecting the respective category, Parent/Guardian/Guest, Senior, U18+, U16, U14, U12, Child Guest.

We will be running a raffle of hampers made up from the generous donations of goodies from everyone, so please bring something along on the night. Thank you.

We look forward to seeing you all.

SUAAC Executive

Senior Club Personality of the Year

Every year, senior members’ get the chance to vote for the club’s Senior Personality of the Year.

This can be any person in the club who has helped you, helped the club, gone the extra mile or just made an impression on you.

Please please make that vote by pressing on the link below.

https://forms.gle/quh7twxsyCpsak2M7

You can only vote once and must do so, at the very latest, by October 23rd.

Thank you!

Emma Bexson, left and Kathryn Woodcock, right.

Numbers 1 and 2 in the Power of 10 rankings no less. Pretty impressive.

Confessions of a Reluctant Steeplechaser

Report – Kathryn Woodcock

Back towards the end of the 2025 Midland Senior League season, I was looking at the scoring spreadsheet and noticed two things: the steeplechase is very poorly entered, and it offers plenty of points to any team that turns up.

Teams weren’t sending B string entries and Emma Bexson was already entered in the A string. So if I entered as B string, I could claim 11 points just for getting round. Eleven points! As an overweight 50-year-old in a 17-and-over league, that seemed like more than I’d score in the rest of the season put together.

So on the Saturday morning I packed a towel and a change of clothes alongside my usual kit and headed off to Abingdon with Paula Williams. I eventually admitted what I was thinking, and Mike Sheppard declared me with about five minutes to spare.

I survived, and apart from the tedium of seven and a half laps, it was fine. Eleven points were bagged, and as a bonus I found myself ranked 4th in the UK W50 rankings, which says more about how few of us there are than about my running.

Of course, I’d now set a precedent, and 2026 turned into a season of steeplechasing with mixed conditions:

At Newport, where a ‘heptathlon’ of events nearly crippled me, the water level was declared too low to be safe, so the women’s race was run without water jumps. Emma came 3rd in the A string and I won the B, which was 18 points between us.

The technical match at Birmingham fell on one of the hottest days of the year. Again the water was too low, so the 2000m steeplechase went ahead without water jumps. As Emma wasn’t available, I came second in the A string for 11 points.

Gloucester’s water jump was full depth but green, more neglected cattle trough than athletics facility. It was used anyway, so at least it counted as a proper steeplechase for Power of 10, and thankfully Emma, who had stitches in her leg at the time, didn’t pick up anything nasty. Another 22 points between us.

At Stoke the water was beautifully clean and I felt good. The lap times sounded promising, so I tried to push over the last few laps and knocked 13 seconds off my PB. Emma and I were the only entries, so another 22 points for the A and B wins.

We finished the season at the British Masters Outdoor Championships in Derby, where Emma took silver and I took bronze in the 2000m steeplechase.

For Emma that event was sandwiched between a Fire Brigade Challenge of 120 flights of stairs in full kit and breathing apparatus the day before and a Half Iron Man the day after. Mine was not quite as hard core, a day of field judging both before and after, and a W50 100m race a half hour before the SC.

We are currently ranked 1st and 2nd in the UK W50 3000m steeplechase rankings.

Next season I’d love to hand my spot to someone faster who can actually hurdle, since steeplechase training isn’t doing much for my sprinting ambitions and if a couple of men fancied giving it a go, the points would really add up.

Do come and talk to me, Emma or Mike Sheppard if you’re curious. The water’s (usually) fine!

L to R: Jennifer Cockayne and Miranda Maloney

Stratford Triathlon.

Report – Miranda Maloney

I got a freebie for marshalling at an earlier event. As this one is on the doorstep, I thought why not. Sprint distance – 400m swim, 18km bike, 5km run. I’ve done this one twice before – first time 2016, second 2020.

The day started cool and foggy. First dilemma was whether I added a long sleeve cycling top to the repacked kit bag. I decided not to as it’s bad enough trying to put short sleeves on whilst dripping from the swim.

As I arrived at 8am, the first lot of elite cyclists were heading out. There’s always such an electric atmosphere at these events. People arriving to start getting set up, people milling about waiting for their swim start. I racked my bike at an easy to remember spot. Not making that mistake again! Laid out my kit in order of need, then faffed about until my swim start.

I was in the Open category, so a mix of male and female swimmers. I saw Hannah Stockil and her dad, Matthew Cooke just ahead of me. I managed to get in to Hannah’s slipstream for half a length and then lost her.

I was pleased with my swim time even though I was slightly held up by others in the pool.

Out into the cold morning, I knew I’d taken too long in T1, as I couldn’t feel my fingers to get my socks on properly and I’m not hardcore enough yet to go without.

Running out of transition I spotted some fellow SuAAC friends who had come down to cheer – thank you Lisa & Pip.

The bike route was straight forward but rather undulating. How are hills tiny bumps whilst in a car, but mountains when on a bike?! At least the sun came out to burn off the mist and I could start feeling my feet.

T2 wasn’t swift but I wasn’t going for a podium finish. 🙃 I felt a bit discombobulated at the start of the run as I couldn’t quite get my bearings, even though I’ve run the footpath at Fisherman’s many times on a social run. Anyway, one foot in front of the other, either running, shuffling or walking – all the time giving myself a good talking to – just get going! It didn’t help, well, it did, but I knew some of the marshals so of course I stop for a hug and a hello.

Some other friends from SuAAC were out for their usual Sunday morning miles so they kept me company for a few mins (thank you Kath Pester).

I got across the finish line in 1:39 – 3 mins slower than 10yrs ago but 8 mins faster than 6yrs ago.

If you’ve ever thought about having a go at a triathlon, these guys are super supportive, friendly and in the doorstep! As Jennifer Cockayne said, having finished her 2nd triathlon of the year, if she can do it, anyone can! I think they were my words previously, and now look! I also heard her say she’d like to go bigger next time. 70.3 Jen?

Kate Wright

Warwickshire Road Race League.

Sadly Kate was the only one of our club members to compete in the last of this season’s WRRL fixtures, the Rugby 10 miler.

Unfortunately Dave Maundrell, who up until the race had been our only ever present this season, had to pull out due to him being poorly, thus depriving himself of what would have been a richly deserved ‘Ever Present Award’

Kate finished in 29th place out of the 188 who finished the race. She was 3rd female finisher in a time of 1:06.19, which according to my maths is a hugely impressive average of 6:36 per mile. She was also some 12 minutes ahead of her nearest rival in the W60 age category.

Over the season as a whole, Mike Hayward won the M65 age category, Marijke Tear-Verwij was runner up in the FU20 category and Kate Sergent tied for 2nd place in her F70 category.