FTRC Year in review!

You’ve heard of Spotify wrapped and Strava year of Sport, but how about an FTRC flashback. Sit back, relax and enjoy looking back on our club’s adventures over the past year. If you look closely, you might even spot some sneaky quiz questions thrown in!

Question 1- How many runners took part in Farnborough half marathon?

January

For many of us, 2024 started with a New Year’s Day parkrun! We set our goals and intentions for the year and off we went. Our welfare focus was all about sleep and our club runs were still dark, with lights, torches and layers being the fashion of the moment!

The old adage “Winter miles for Summer smiles” paid off when 21 club members completed the Farnborough half marathon (in far milder conditions than previous years)!

Question 2- What sort of animals could you expect to see at the London Winter 10km?

February

The January blues were well and truly left behind in February as the club celebrated being named Farnham Sports Club of the Year 2023! Our welfare focus was muscles and stretching and our member of the month was Chris Wake! We figured February was a great month to launch another couch to 5km program and loved getting to share our joy of running with new people (we even had some previous C25k-ers back to help lead this time!). Our club runs were still dark, but at least we could squeeze in a sneaky Valentine’s run!

We also kept our racing hats on, with two races in very different locations and climates. Whilst Charlotte took on a 10km race in sunny Johannesburg, many of us headed to a chilly London for the Winter 10km (whilst it was cold, we did get to see an array of polar “animals” including penguins and polar bears!)

Question 3- How many different awards were on offer at the annual awards evening?

March

By now, Spring was finally emerging! Our club runs were still run largely in the dark, but we knew daylight and trails were around the corner. We launched our intraclub March Runfest competition which got many members out and about to earn their team miles. Our welfare focus was stress awareness, and our member of the month was Debbie Hardman!

One of our bigger events in March was our annual awards evening, where many members braved being seen in something other than their running gear and gathered in the Maltings to celebrate the club’s successes over the previous year! We proudly awarded 11 different awards and a fantastic evening was had by all!

Our members also took part in numerous races across the month of March, including the Weymouth half marathon, the Salisbury 10 miles, the Beast of the Blacks 20 miles and the Fleet Half marathon (you can read more about the Fleet half here-Fleet Half Marathon - 24th March 2024 — Farnham Town Running Club | A friendly, fast growing running club)

Question 4- What shape was the medal for the Vienna marathon?

April

Spring was here at last! The clocks went back, and we were finally able to leave our lights at home for club runs (although we still needed some layers!). Our welfare focus was all about mental health, and Libby Ralph was named member of the month!

With the change in season, we now saw a significant increase in the number of races our members took part in. Races included the Brighton marathon, Vienna marathon, Prague half marathon, London Landmarks half marathon, Aldershot 10km and London marathon itself!

There was also further success as our C25k-ers, who had been diligently working on the program for 12 weeks, graduated and were able to celebrate with a medal and a social night at the Shepherd and Flock pub!

Question 5- How many different events did our members take part in during the month of May?

 May

Ah, warmer weather! Now we could venture onto those routes we had to abandon in winter, and we got to enjoy actually being able to see each other properly on the runs! We also used the change in weather to launch our new ‘Walk and Talk’ group, which many of our members took advantage of when injured, or when they just fancied a nice and easy chat. Our welfare focus was eating disorder awareness, and our member of the month was Gary Sheehan.

The warmer weather also gave rise to an enormous number of events our members took part in. Take a deep breath before you try to read all these events aloud…..Milton Keynes marathon, Frimley 10k, Alton 10k, Horsham 10k, 50 mile North Downs way, 50km Maverick trail race, Godalming 5k and 10k, Netley 10k, Great West Run, Edinburgh marathon and the Woodland Woogle (read more about the Woggle here Woodland Woggle - 12th May 2024 — Farnham Town Running Club | A friendly, fast growing running club)

Question 6- How many extra miles did our chair run on the Hangers way 50km?

June

Summer was now in full swing and our layers were firmly left at home. We celebrated Pride month with a brightly coloured whole group run whilst our welfare team focussed on men’s health. Our member of the month was Nikki Foster.

The start of summer didn’t dampen our love of taking part in events, with June seeing FTRC members standing on start lines around the country. We made our annual pilgrimage to Wasing park in Reading for 2024’s edition of Endure 24 (join us next year if you haven’t planned too already)! We also had runners taking part in Sydling Hill, Martian 10k, Alresford 10k and Hangers way 50k (also known as the Hangers way 60k for some…..). Read more about the Hangers way event here Hangers Way 50k - 23rd June 2024 — Farnham Town Running Club | A friendly, fast growing running club

Question 7- Which July session featured unseasonably wet weather?

July

Bring on the heat! Most of the time anyway….. Very fittingly, our welfare focus was on running in hot weather. Our club runs now featured vest tops and shorts with cool drinks very much in demand on our return to the clubhouse! We even celebrated the summer with a post run BBQ! The weather held out most of the time, however one of the “Phil’s Hill’s” sessions was run in torrential rain- hopefully they found it refreshing?

Despite the heat, our hardy runners took part in a number of events including the Yateley 10k, Lordshill 10k, a ‘naked’ 10k, Magna Carta half marathon and the Elstead “marathon”.

Question 8- Can you guess what our welfare theme was for August?

August

I don’t know about you, but in typical British fashion, I was now too hot and longed for some cooler Autumn runs. However, we still enjoyed our weekly sojourns into the woodlands and trails around our town. Our welfare theme was Dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness, and our member of the month was Charli Speak.

We had runners take part in a wide variety of events once again, including the Swanage fun run, York 10k, Yateley 10km, Windsor 10 and the Hart 4 relay.

Question 9- Who was the tail runner at the Pilgrim’s half marathon?

September

Back to school season and the start of our Awesome Autumn campaign! Loads of our members were inspired by the challenge and set out to tick off the various activities including (attending a parkrun, doing yoga, having a hot drink). Many of us were able to tick one off by attending Peter’s 500th parkrun. This month our welfare focus was all about heart health.

Once again, FTRC was well represented at a number of different events including the Tard trail 10k, Ipswich half, Shine night walk, Vitality 10k and the Pilgrims half and full marathon (more on that event here Farnham Pilgrim Half Marathon 2024 — Farnham Town Running Club | A friendly, fast growing running club)

Question 10- Which much-loved race was sadly cancelled due to bad weather in October?

October

The darker nights had crept back in, and we had to leave our beloved trails behind. That was ok though as now we could celebrate Halloween with a spooky run and take advantage of some cooler evenings! We also started the month with our AGM and pizza! Our welfare theme was Women’s health and our member of the month was Zoe Davies.

We still saw a remarkable amount of members taking part in running events, including Chester marathon, Solent half marathon, Bournemouth 10k and half marathon, Hayling Island 10 miles, New York Marathon and the Wellesley 10k (read more about that here Wellesley 10k 2024 — Farnham Town Running Club | A friendly, fast growing running club). Unfortunately, the much-loved Great South Run, that many had been training for, was called off at the last minute due to very bad weather. No problem for FTRC though-we just did our own 10 miler in Farnham instead!

 Question 11- What is a useful phrase for runners to remember in the Winter?

November

Here we go, time to crack out the “Winter miles for Summer smiles” phrase again. But it’s true! Our winter training pays off! Our layers and lights and were firmly back into circulation and our runners continued to pound the pavements of Farnham throughout November! Our welfare focus was safety (always remember your lights!) and our member of the month was Gordon Randall.

 We still had some brave souls taking on running events despite the ever-declining weather conditions. FTRC was well represented at the Leatherhead fire station charity 10k, South Downs trail half marathon, Gosport half marathon, Florence marathon and Jimmy Irvine 10k.

Question 12- How many new members did we welcome to FTRC in 2024?

December

The festive season was finally upon us. Our colder, darker runs didn’t seem so bad now that they were broken up by Christmas lights and visits to the tree in Gostrey meadow! Our welfare focus this month was all about addiction. Also, FTRC could proudly announce that we welcomed 44 new members to the FTRC community over the course of 2024. How wonderful!

Just because it was December, didn’t mean we gave up on the races. This month we had runners take part in the Valencia marathon, HRRL victory 5 mile, Lord Wandsworth SCC, Portsmouth coastal waterside half and full marathon, and Boxing day racers too! Most importantly though, we took part in our 3rd annual Beer chug mile with Kathryn Rudd named the winner for 2024!

Year-round special mentions

So, whilst the above has summarised the main events of the year, we mustn’t forget all the great work that goes on week in week out every month! In addition to our club runs, our members regularly show up to our hill sessions, Sunday socials and Destination Run Coaching sessions! Thank you as well to our club sponsors Aurora Legal, Melior Wealth, Howden Group and the Shepherd and Flock pub. This really has been a brilliant year for FTRC and we are eagerly looking forward to what the New Year might bring! See you in 2025!