March 2025
By: Mark Watts
Welcome to March’s edition of the GWR monthly newsletter!
This is the place where you can hear all about the latest club information including races, save-the-dates, ADMF good-news stories, kit updates, and more… all in one place! This is a great way to keep you all updated on the exciting goings-on of the club, and to celebrate all we have accomplished.
We’re back to March through this month’s news. There were parkrun takeovers, some questionable mud, an anonymous PB to look back on whilst it’s that time of the year where we ask you for your annual support. To encourage you there’s a sprinkling of events in the coming months to wet the appetite. Plus of course I’ve loads more things to make that membership well worth the cost!
So sit down with a hot chocolate and take this club news in for 10 minutes of your life.
Dates for the diary and Events:
March 2025
- Wednesday 5th March: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
- Wednesday 12th March: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
- Wednesday 19th March: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
- Thursday 20th March: Weston Prom 5 mile race (Race 7)
- Sunday 23rd March: Bristol Running Show
- Wednesday 26th March: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
April 2025
- Wednesday 2th April: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
- Wednesday 9th April: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
- Sunday 13th April: Frenchay 10k
- Wednesday 16th April: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
- Thursday 17th April: Weston Prom 5 mile race (Race 8)
- Wednesday 23rd April: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
- Sunday 27th April: London Marathon
- Wednesday 30th April: Club run at 19:00 (4, 6, 8 and 10 mile groups)
February Race and Achievements Report
Done something you are proud of? Then please share it all! Look out for the monthly calling post on facebook and give us all the news, and pictures!
We started the month with some hills and some cow mud by the Emersons Green Running Club hosted, Doynton hard half. A great way to start off the year and more so for Katy Sutcliffe who scooped 1st Female! Excellent job!
In February we continued our local parkrun takeovers with an immersion of Three Brooks parkrun in Bradley Stoke. Three Brooks supplied around half of the marshals and GWR the other half. Joe Gillett was top GWR runner coming in 4th overall! Brunch was at Mrs B’s and was highly recommended so if you attend Three Brooks then it’s the place to go, a free coffee after for parkrunners and volunteers definitely hits the spot!
The second half marathon of the month saw 9 GWRians head down the M5 for some 13.1 mile action (and the 5 mile race). In great weather conditions the man of mystery “Unknown Runner 2” came away with a new PB of 1:58.32. Well done to everyone who ran this one, the reviews were good so maybe one to add to your calendars for next year?
Misc. Updates
Membership Renewals
The time is now! Martin has now sent out this year’s renewal email so you can get yourself a whole year running with GWR for less than £1 per week. Martin is currently on holiday until the 20th of March but if anyone has any questions we will do our best to answer them in the meantime. The more memberships we can close off at the start of the year the better so it doesn’t become a tedious task for Martin. Also, if your life circumstances have changed and you wish not to renew, please contact Martin so he can cross you off the list.
Feeling flush? This is also a great time to donate to ADMF (our club charity). Just add the amount to your membership amount and that will go to the athletes of the future!
GWR is always a good idea!
February saw the annual Bristol lights run around the city and chief snapper James Healey caught some of the displays from this year’s event. These events are really good for mixing up the monotony of the portway and the mountainous Stoke Hill so we will look to continue runs like these as they bring runners of all abilities running with people they may not usually share their Wednesday nights with.
Bristol Running Show
23rd March at the BAWA club, Filton is the 4th incarnation of the Bristol running show. GWR will be in attendance and have a small stand at the event so if anybody would like to visit that would be fab. There will be opportunities to buy things, chat to your running peers and listen to the many speakers they have lined up for the day. Should anyone wish to come and hold fort at the stall for an hour then please contact myself or Ian Haynes.
John Clayton Fitness
Friend of the club Jon Clayton (JCFullBodyFitness) operates bootcamp classes on the downs everyday and all times and all weathers.
He has offered GWR club members £100 off one of his bootcamp programs. That’s £77 down from £177 for a 6 week course, go as many times as you like. With the weather getting warmer and the nights getting lighter it’s a great time to get some outside strength work in. Just mention you are a GWR Club member to receive the discount.
Towpath Open
The biggest and best version of the Towpath is now open for entries so please share as far and wide as you can. It’s one of the main ways the club generates money and means we can keep the membership low and discount the summer and Christmas events. There is a facebook event group and people can sign up via the club website. £25 for four chip timed races is stonking value. Volunteers, hold your horses, we will be needing your names in the next month or so your time will come.
https://race-nation.co.uk/register/great-western-runners-2/towpath-series-2025
GWR Club Championship
The return? This is something the committee has been discussing over recent months at the committee meetings. It plans to be inclusive and speed won’t be the only factor that can get you a prize. Watch this space for further communications…
ADMF
Do you know an up and coming athlete? The ADMF grant application process is open until March 22nd so not too long left for potential investment. If you have any questions then please see one of the below people at the club on a Wednesday.
- Kelly Dicks
- John Cox
- Sam Mumford
- Katy Sutcliffle
- Christopher Taylor
For any other queries, please email admf@greatwesternrunners.org.uk. Soon to be announced will be another fundraising event after recent successes of the Bingo night and Christmas lights run/raffle.
Cotswold Relay
The club once again entered two teams in the cotswold relay (mixed teams). We will find out in April whether they have been successful and Ian Haynes/Victoria Davies will not coordinate teams until then so do not panic. Be advised the same rules will apply as last year that we will require £5 to run a leg.
Great Run, or Great Support?
Are you not running Bristol Half marathon or Bristol 10k but are free on that day? Im looking for 6 people to help marshal at the great run event to help Great run put on the event and promote our club. If anyone is interested then please click the link below!
https://greatrun.rosterfy.uk/invite/GreatWesternRunners
Sportsshoes Code
We have an exciting new discount to offer members of England Athletics affiliated clubs!
You can now link your England Athletics membership with your (free) SportsShoes ULTRA account to receive a discount automatically at checkout. This prevents the need to enter a code at checkout, making receiving a discount from us a lot quicker and easier. You can find out more here.
The discount on offer has been increased to 15% off in season products. Some exclusions apply to this promotion, including Coros, Garmin, Shokz, Maurten products and a few shoes.
Please note the old system of sportsshoes supplying a code for discount will cease in the coming months in exchange for the new one.
Kit
For club race kit and leisurewear (including club-branded running gear), please see the website here to pay and then collect your item (s) from the club on Wednesdays. For training and/or leisurewear please see the Macron Store here.
Welfare
Need some support, a neutral second opinion? Please reach out to our welfare team David Honeywill and Karen Wills via email welfare@greatwesternrunners.org.uk
Everyone should feel safe and supported at the club.
Contact
If you would like to contact the committee about any club run business, suggestions, questions or otherwise, please do get in touch on committee@greatwesternrunners.org.uk
We’d love to hear from you!
