Round Up 25th – 26th January 2025
Two very different events saw Tuff participation last weekend, along with the usual Parkrun outings.
Cowdray Park – Run the Seasons – Winter – Saturday 25th January
First up is the postponed winter instalment of RAW’s Run the Seasons, which saw Simon Thistlethwaite and Adrian Oliver running in the 10km race and Hazel Tuppen running in the 10km Canicross. As usual, there were Tuffs aplenty in the organising team, namely Clive Harvey, Trevor Harvey, Jon Roper, Tiff Orton, Jane Custance, Grant Smalley and Shelia Bailey.
Many thanks to Simon for reporting in, including full details of his acrobatics in the mud:
Due to December’s storms, both the Plumpton trail run and REP’s 2nd instalment at Cowdray Park were postponed to the New Year. It was a shame to see the Hangover 5 also cancelled due to bad weather after a great turn out last year with a cluster of Tuffs toughing out the muddy hilly course.
With the Autumn race now out of the way at Cowdray, some runners returning for the second outing in in the series were able to get themselves firmly planted on the leader-board: now there are just two more runs remaining.
Unfortunately, if you choose to do the two 10 milers on offer and two of the 10k races, you don’t really get a look in on the leader-board, but if you prefer the longer hillier slogs then it’s a worthy sacrifice. These run courses around Cowdray really are special and it’s clear to see why they are so popular – the free warm apple cider tents were a real treat too, along with the huge oaty bar and cracking finishers’ medal.
So race 2 – An evening run with head torches a must through dark forestry and muddy trails. This type of terrain is difficult enough when it’s light, so you really have to keep your wits about you, especially if you are getting dragged along by your K9 on the canicross.
Exposure Lights were also on hand here to let you try out their fancy head torches, but if you preferred there was a choice of glow sticks, so Adrian and I lit ourselves up like a couple of fairies, donning earrings and neck garments. Topping off the Tuff Trio was Hazel Tuppen with her pooch, hoping to replicate her strong finish at the previous outing in the autumn.
The Tuff helpers were also out in force as usual with the very menacing looking brothers Clive and Trevor first time keepers over the line, with Tiffany keeping a watchful eye on the brothers as third Tuff time keeper. Pretty sure there must have been a J Roper close by taking pics too.
The course was relatively flat with a few small inclines and a mixture of tarmac, grass and mud made for a very enjoyable platform. Adrian and I were caught napping at the start thinking we had a little more time, then had to barge our way in as the remainder of the runners were called to the start line. In my usual gentlemanly fashion, I made my way to the front to get a clear view of the course and the competition.
The race set off at a good lick and it was clear within the first kilometre that the pace was going to be quick. I found myself in 8th place surrounded by some strong looking ladies and gents and the ladies clearly meant business as two of them galloped off at speed.
The pace continued throughout the ”hole’trail with a small let up about 7km in where I was finally able to move up a couple of places, sitting 25 metres or so behind 5th place man and keeping him honest until 8km in I took a very fast head-first dip in the mud! I had not seen a big rock and it sent me down so hard leaving my entire right side covered in mud and cuts to the upper arm and elbow. I quickly got up and tried to get back up to the same speed, but I had also winded myself landing on my arm and so struggled with laboured breathing for the next couple of hundred metres until I got my mojo back.
Adrian, Hazel & Simon
5th place man was now a stone’s throw up the road and kept up his good pace, so I settled for 6th but 1st in my age group, so very chuffed with my first race of the new year.
Hazel Tuppen claimed 11th place out of the 27 participants in the canicross, picking up finishers’ medals for herself and pooch, whilst Adrian finished 10th Super Vet out of the 20 taking part. I would like to add that Adrian is following a tailored coaching plan to improve his 10k time, so good luck Adrian and I hope this was a step in the right direction.
Cold Water Swimming Championships – Tooting Bec Lido – Saturday 25th January
While Simon was swimming in mud, Susan Douglas was taking part in the Cold Water Swimming Championships. Very well done to Susan for braving the beautiful-looking but VERY cold water and for taking the time to report in:
On Saturday, Tooting Bec Lido hosted the much-anticipated Cold Water Swimming Championships, a spectacle that brought together swimmers from all walks of life to brave the icy waters. With the sun shining brightly overhead, the water temperature stood at a chilling 5.5°C, adding an extra layer of challenge to the event.
My first event of the day was the 90-meter freestyle. As I started the race the initial shock quickly gave way to a surge of adrenaline, making the temperature feel surprisingly bearable. The swim went well and I won my heat. However, my joy was short-lived when I discovered that I had been penalised for what I still don’t know, which added five seconds to my time, making my third place standing in my age group drop to fifth place.
Next up was the 30-meter swim, a shorter but equally challenging event. This time, I finished in sixth place in my age group and, fortunately, incurred no penalties.
The Cold Water Swimming Championships are particularly renowned for the heads-up breaststroke event, where competitors showcase their creativity with fantastic homemade hats. Among the many imaginative entries, my favourite was a trio of swimmers representing the Loch Ness Monster. They coordinated beautifully, each wearing green face paint to complement their head, middle, and tail segments.
The day concluded with the relay races. My team competed in the second heat and we didn’t do too badly, not last at least. A couple of hours later, while taking a break, I heard the names Nikki and Alice Gatland over the tannoy. I rushed out just in time to see them speed through their relay, finishing in an impressively quick time.
The Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido is a fantastic event. It was extremely well-organised, with a supportive and enthusiastic community of swimmers. I look forward to returning in two years’ time when the event is held again, ready to take on the icy waters once more.
Park Run Round Up
As it often the case, Littlehampton was the most popular venue for a Tuff Parkrun with 6 Tuffs taking part (Fraser Kidd, Emma Hinton, Wendy Frost, Alistair Evens, Chris Evans and Steven Fryer) and Hope Newcomer on the volunteering team. Alex Webb, Dave March, Ed Lay and Les Pearce all ran at Worthing, with Alex coming back strongly from injury. Clive Harvey was at his usual stomping ground of Bognor Parkrun. Paul Fielder was further afield at Hackworth Parkrun in County Durham. Colin and Sue Simpson ran together at Mole Valley, their first time there.
