Beckley 10k: The Happiest Hills in Sussex

I love the Beckley 10km. It’s one of those races where I’m not sure why it happens, as it’s a challenging route, but everyone seems so happy. I think yesterday’s staging surpassed my previous experiences, and I’ve never witnessed such post race joy as I did on this beautiful autumnal morning.

Let’s start with those who landed an award. I’ve heard some good excuses for missing a cool down, but Laura and Lucy’s “Sorry coach, we’ve got too many prizes to carry, we can’t do a cool down” has to be my favourite.

Lucy P was 3rd female overall in 48:34 and part of the winning Hastings Runners team. She also collected 200 club championship points, which leapfrogs her to the top of those standings with just two races to go. A good morning’s work.

Laura, hot on her heels (in fact they were neck and neck for much of the undulating route), claimed a new 10k PB of 49:15, 1st in her age category and a place in the winning female team. More smiles.

There were also age category wins for Xiulan and, after a polite email to the organisers about a slight results hiccup (in case you think I’m making this up), Michelle. They both produced fantastic times of 52:05 and 52:35.

Beckley surely isn’t a course for a new 10k PB, is it? Well, that’s exactly what Glenn (43:19) and Martin (48:29) managed to produce, finding their top form on this challenging layout. Sandwiched between them were Patrick in 45:28 and Ben, who ran his fastest 10k in over 5 years in 46:55.

In a somewhat Chuckle Brothers moment, Karl and I crossed the line almost together, both trying to let the other go first (“to me, to you”). I must have started earlier, as Karl’s chip time of 49:01 was a few seconds better than mine (49:03).

Rosy’s dashboard feedback probably summed up the vibe perfectly. “Loved it, loved it, felt strong and happy,” she said post race. It was one of her best 10ks for a while, crossing the line in 54:40, and has been another great addition to Team Orange in recent months.

Carl continues to make big improvements. His recent 10k target was to get well under the hour, and he did it in 56:27 on Sunday. Jan continued her strong recent form, coming in soon after in 56:53.

Jax was only 5 seconds off her course PB and continues to make progress, running a fantastic 57:22, her fastest at this distance since her recent injury. Klare ran her fastest 10k of the year, coming in just over a minute later in 58:26.

Sue W is back on plan and she was another happy camper, coming in under the hour mark in 59:37. Shana produced a strong finish to cross the line in 1:07:35, it's great to see her back racing more frequently.

Chrissie, despite struggling with a cold, produced a new course PB of 1:11:49. Ellie, who didn’t quite realise this race was so soon after the Beachy Head Marathon, did very well, finishing in 1:12:08 on her tired legs.

I don’t think any of the 19 members of the team who ran at Beckley had a negative comment. Positivity is infectious and I’m just so proud to be your coach and part of this amazing team. I know, cheesy, but it’s true.

Also tackling a hilly course on Sunday was Lou W. She produced another brilliant 10k performance, finishing Crowborough in 54:43, 20 minutes quicker than she’d run it in the past.

Last but not least, new member Rae clocked a PB of 33:00 on Saturday at Hastings parkrun. I could go on for hours if I started mentioning training runs too, like Steph doing her longest run ever and Jane earning a free kebab. Keep the feedback coming, keep being awesome and keep smiling. Team Orange is the best. 🧡