Member of the Month

2023

Month	Who	Why
January	Kate Russell	Kate has been with the juniors since she was 12 and is described as – Very disciplined, Very enthusiastic and a Great team player. She has improved immensely considering she was out of action for almost a year after breaking her leg in 2021, to then come back and run 21:16 in January’s TT putting her in top 10 club records, this is testament to her hard work, determination and dedication to her running. Kate also made it in the team for Essex XC championships. We are told Kate is an absolute joy to coach
February	Jan Walker	Jan has been running with the club for a good few years now. The run leaders say that she always puts 100% effort into training sessions and also gives great feedback on sessions. Jan is known to be great for a chat and brilliant at encouraging others. known to always be pushing herself she managed a 15 minute PB at this years Tarpley.
March	Mat Bigley Joanne Rosenwold	Mat is commitment to the club and achieved a great success in the winter league cross country. Joanne helps with the beginners course, sometimes standing in at the last minute, and always supporting the beginners on their TT graduation 5k. Jo can also be often seen marshalling at race events and was a great cake seller at our own cross country.
April	Benjamin Smith	Ben stepped in last minute to run the final leg of the Suffolk Essex Road Relay after having already that day competed in a triathlon in Northampton. His other recent achievements include a 35min 5 mile, a sub 44min 10k, and at the High Lodge Duathlon he ran a mile in 6.03 minutes. Then, while training for his Hungary triathlon, he picked up a third-place podium finish at the Gravesend Duathlon. Ben has really caught the running bug.
May	Andy Gage	Andrew was awarded member of the month for his amazing achievement in the 100-mile challenge (though he actually did 104 miles), and for giving us a video commentary throughout the event.      Andrew is always enthusiastic about running, very supportive of other runners, and is always there to help at club events. Well done, Andrew!
June	Sophie Horler-Impey	Sophie has been one of our juniors for over 2 years and shows that hard work pays off. She is continuously improving and in the last 10 months has taken over 4 minutes off of her 5km PB. She ran a sub-22 at Newmarket’s Summer 5km series and improved on this a few weeks later at the Arkwright 5km race with a sub-20 minute performance. This effort puts Sophie 4th in the HRC women’s club records for the distance. In the Friday Five series she also finished 2nd overall in her age category. Well done Sophie. Well done Sophie!
July	Vashti MacDonald-Clink	HRC is Vashti’s second claim club, however she represented HRC at every Friday 5 race finishing the series 2nd in the Open Female category and 1st in the FV40 category. Although she wasn’t wearing our vest in the Saffron Striders 5k, she ran a time of 20.46, which is only one second outside our club’s top 10 records. Vashti also gives advice and support for members of the club who are struggling with their running. Well done Vashti!
August	Chay Hopkins	Chay came 1st in the SVP100 – Stour Valley Path 100km ultra run (62miles) in an amazing time of 9 hours 1 minute and 37 seconds, this was over 1.5 hours faster than the second place person. This race is the longest point to point race in East Anglia. Chay also finished 3rd in the last of the Summer 5k. Chay has shown he can perform over all distances and terrains, also enjoying the X-Country events. Well done Chay!

2022

Month	Who	Why
January	Steve Mason Andrew Gage	A little bit about Steve Steve joined HRC in 2017. He is one of our quiet but quick runners and can often be seen near the front at our monthly time trials. Our reason On 16th Jan, Steve took park in the notoriously hard Benfleet 15. Weeks of rain meant that this hilly trail course was even muddier than usual, yet he still managed a fantastic time of 1.44.29, which brought him home in 18th place out of 625 runners!! Well done Steve, what a performance A little bit about Andrew Andrew only joined HRC in early 2021 and has been a regular at Thursday night club runs ever since. Our reason Andrew took on The Peddars Way trail ultra on 22nd Jan. This event sees runners complete 48 miles of mostly fields and in order to gain your medal, runners must complete the course in just 12 hours and if they are not at mile 27 in 6 hours, they are disqualified Andrew completed the whole distance in a very respectful time of 10.23.53, getting to marathon distance in 5.05. What an achievement! Well done Andrew.
February	Dave Percy	Dave joined HRC in June 2016. He is a regular at training sessions and is one of the loudest marshals you’ll here at Thurlow! Our reason; On Sunday 27th Feb, Dave ran Tarpley 20 ( a great achievement in its self). He ran it in 2.22.07, finishing in 40th place out of 299 runners, he earnt himself a 2m 40 pb and moved himself from 10th to 7th in the all time club records. Great running Well done Dave.
March	Sam Boreham	A little bit about him: Sam joined HRC in May 2020, after taking up running at the beginning of Lockdown, in a bid to keep fit, and realising that he was actually ‘quite’ good! Our reason Where to start!? At the beginning of March, Sam was picked to run for Suffolk at the Essex 20. Sam did himself proud on the day, getting a great time of 1hr 54 and knocking 15 minutes (YES, 15 MINUTES!) off the club 20 mile records. A week later, Sam again ran for Suffolk in the British Inter-county Cross Country and finished in 99th place. A great achievement in a top class field of runners. The very next day, on a bit of a whim, Sam decided to run Haverhalf. He finished in first place, with a time of 1hr 14 and broke the course record. As if that wasn’t a good enough reason for his nomination, at the end of the month, Sam ran at Stoney Fields Parkrun and finished first in 16 mins! What a great month of running Massive well done Sam
April	Keeley White	A little bit about her: Keeley joined HRC in 2017, following in the footsteps of her Dad, Mark. She was ladies captain in 2021 and did a fab job of keeping us all active through lockdown with her many challenges. Our reason: Keeley has had a great month of running, earning herself no less than THREE PBs! She knocked 4 minutes off her 10k time at Bungay on 10th April. Five days later, she knocked 3 1/2 minutes off her 5 mile time and then at the first Hockeys race of the year, she took an impressive 1 min 40 off her 5km time! Fantastic running Keeley, well done.
May	Tujan Sari	A little bit about him; Tujan joined HRC in July 2019 and can often been seen supporting our wonderful junior section. Our reason; After running our Hockeys 5k at Horseheath, Tujan heard a runner from another club inform me that he had lost his car key somewhere on the site. Without any hesitation, Tujan offered to re-run the undulting 5k route again with the man to look for the key. Unfortunately, the key could not be found, but Tujan did not stop there. With the help of his daughter, Erin, they managed to open the mans van, let out his dog and get his house key out. Tujan then offered to drive the man to his house in Milton to collect his spare van key, and bring him back, a total of just under 40 miles, so he could then collect the stranded vehicle from the carpark. Tujan eventually made it home at around 11pm. What a gentleman, he most definately went above and beyond. Well done and thank you Tujan.
June	Dave Greenham	A little bit about him Dave has been a member of HRC for many years and is often one of the first to volunteer, whether it be to marshal on ‘Daves bridge’ at time trial, to organise the team at 2am at Scole for Round Norfolk Relay, or be cycle support at the back of a club run. Dave is without a doubt, one of our most valuable members and as someone once said ‘Every club needs a Dave Greenham, but they can’t have ours’. Our reason Dave had by far the most votes EVER received for Member of the month! Each and every one of them was to say what an amazing job he did of pulling off Neils dream of 1000 miles in 1000 hours. The things people mentioned most were how he brought the community together, how he ‘did Neil proud’, supported Neils family as they adjust to a new ‘normal’ and enabled people to share experiences that they had had with Neil, but most of all, to raise awareness and much needed funds for MND. Dave spent many, many hours at ‘base camp’ or walking the route, come rain or shine, night or day, even if he was not on the rota. I think you’ll agree, Dave deserves squatters rights in the gazebo next to the rugby club. Dave Greenham, you truly are a legend!
July	Mark Novels	A little bit about him; Mark joined HRC this year and has been running for a few years but only competitively since lockdown ended. He recently turned 59, one more year until a new age cat! Since joining the club Mark has given his all at events, steadily gaining a wealth of impressive PB’s. Recent noteworthy performances; He won his age category at Newmarket 10k. At Ekiden, Mark ran a 40-minute 10k. He also showed perseverance in pulling a team together, despite challenges and displayed a positive team spirit throughout. During the Hockey’s 5k at Carver Barracks Mark gave it his all, and carried on to finish strongly despite falling quite seriously and causing damage to his mouth. Not withstanding upcoming dental treatment Mark has remained positive, cheerful and fiercely competitive still. This epitomises his personality and resilience. Good luck now with your marathon training Mark and thanks for your commitment in club training sessions and support of the club both within running events and helping to organise social events too. We think you are an inspiration! Well done!
August	Angus Duckworth-Smith	Member of the month for August is….. Angus Duckworth Smith. Angus has always run with HRC since he was a young boy. He was the first of six juniors to join when HRC Juniors formed four years ago and is one of two from the original crew. He clearly enjoys his running, is very dedicated, trains hard and mixes very well with others. He is a team player through and through. He has represented the club as a junior in races and once he was of age Kevin Henry’s, and also now Hockey’s. He recently stepped up and helped the senior team at Ekiden. All of these reasons add up to his award as member of the month. Sil says it has truly been wonderful watching Angus grow into a responsible young man who is always happy to help and a real pleasure to coach. Well done Angus, we think you are a star and wish you continued success in your running journey.
September	Charlie Minnette	Charlie has been with us for 3 years since he was 12 He joined the club full of enthusiasm and hasn’t waved since. He is very dedicated to his training and loves racing. He has gone from strength to strength This, showing in the results he is achieving. Improving to 17 min 40 at Carver 5k race in April , then to 17.36 at Shelford 5k Most recent a pb at Abington 10k with a time of 37min 38sec, 1st U18   After turning 14, Charlie began to represent the club at some races, Hockeys With a fantastic contribution at RNR recently, finishing with a second fastest time for his stage,5.49miles in 33.8 He is a great team player, very hardworking in training, he is wonderful/pleasure to coach.
October	Stephen Husband	Stephen has recovered from a fractured ankle earlier this year and has since gone from strength to strength, particularly over the last month where all that hard effort is paying off as he’s continually improving his times and getting a PB almost on a weekly basis. He is also a team player, encouraging of everyone.
November	Rachel Dickson	Since getting the running bug and completing the beginners’ course earlier this year, Rachel has gone from strength to strength in her running. She has become a regular participant in races for HRC, securing a number of achievements. Of particular note, Rachel managed to get a 5k PB at Carver Barracks, going on to get a 5 mile PB on a particularly tricky course at Hadleigh. Rachel also supports and encourages other members of the club.
December	Toby Wilson Waterworth	Toby has been a runner for a while having run a marathon or two before stopping but returned to running in the last few years and re-joined the club. He is known to really enjoy the Cross Country and last year he also took part in the Round Norfolk Relay running stage 15, the 10.59 miles between Wessington and Downham Market early on the Sunday morning, completing it in just over 1hour 35mins. Toby is known to enjoy running with his dog Louis. Being member of the month is not always about being the best and the fastest it is about embracing the spirit of the club, Toby turns up to many events full of encouragement and support for all the other runners.

2021

Month	Who	Why
January	Benji Darken	Benji Darken joined HRC in 2017 at the age of 12 and trained with the adults until he joined the HRCJ section when it was formed. Over the last few years he has done HRC proud by winning numerous trophies and he is very committed to his running and is disciplined with his training. Benji is a great team player, more so during lock down challenges and is always participating and striving to do his best for the team. In these challenging times we find ourselves in, Benji has managed to stay focused and motivated to get to half marathon distance.
February	Melanie Catton	Mel joined HRC in 2014 not long after her second son was born. She’s a naturally fast runner who doesn’t give herself enough credit! In the new year she started training with Kelly Mepham and has worked really hard sticking to her training programme even during lockdown, whilst working full time and with three young children at home. Her hard work is starting to pay off and she is seeing lots of improvements in her times.
March	Mark White	Mark has been no stranger to a challenge during his time at HRC and his 4x4x48 challenge was quite possibly the most gruelling one yet! Mark has constantly shown that no matter how tough it gets or how tired you are, to never gives up and power through – sometimes with a wheelbarrow race, piggy backs, head stands, mud fights, you name it!!He has helped to raise a lot of money for very worthy causes close to his heart which shows just what a caring person he is. Mark is an inspiration to everyone in the club and he will continue to find new challenges and keep people laughing wherever he can!
April	Stephen Reyes	Stephen was nominated for organising and leading the clubs first covid-secure beginners course. Since joining the club in 2009 Stephen has lead most of the beginners courses, enabling 100’s of people to go from couch to 5K in just 10 weeks. His endless enthusiasm is infectious, and you can’t not feel motivated when Stephen is around.   Stephen is also well known in the club for organising the RNR teams every year, and of course his Mr Blobby hi-viz!
May	Emily Cutting	Emily joined HRC in 2019 and she encompasses everything HRCJ stands for – It is not only about speed, but also, participation, consistency and determination. Emily always finishes her reps during training regardless of how long it takes her. That attitude has finally paid of as this month Emily achieved her sub 30 minutes 5k with 29:43 An amazing achievement Well done Emily
June	Dan Everitt	Dan joined HRC in 2016 and has been awarded MoM for his amazing successive PBs and achieving an amazing sub 23min 5k in last months TT. In addition to this he is always helping fellow runners and the club itself and leading club run groups! He has run several half marathons and is aiming to run sub 2hrs this year or next. He loves to help people reach their running goals and is great at ‘getting people round’ a run.
July	Dionne Walford	Her brother has a few words to say – “As a brother I’m proud how Dionne kept at it when the going got tough. From “ Baby steps “ with the beginners through to achieving her first 5Ks of which I buddied up with her ….learning a few new swear words as we went !! Injuries and covid got in the way along her journey, but achieving a half marathon, coincidentally which she raised loads of money for charity, makes all those blood sweat and tears worth it . Bloody well done sis x” Well done Dionne
August	Josh Wigmore	Some words from Sil – For those of you who have been with HRC for a few years will remember Josh mixing with the adults at TT’s. As soon as he turned 12 he joined HRCJ and has been going from strength to strength. He is very dedicated to his training, which is paying dividends as he is currently top of the PB league. Josh is also a great team player, whether doing his best for his team in games or cheering on others in races. Keen to learn and improve and a pleasure to coach!
September	Michelle Brazier Gardner & Ellen Williams	Fran had some words about their achievement and its a really really good read! ‘Ellen wanted to complete an ultra and decided on the Thames Path Ultra and asked Michelle only a week before as I was worried her doing it on her own as it would go into the night. They hadn’t trained and decided that whatever happened they would stick together and see how it went. I followed by car stopping at every checkpoint. They kept a steady pace, rested well at the checkpoints and never once left each other, when one was faltering the other kept them going. Nightfall brought on a different atmosphere, they said at times quiet scary. The fog rolled in, visibility almost nil but they ploughed on, Michelle especially keeping an eye on Ellen near the Thames!! When they ran in at 2.30am Sunday morning my god they looked absolutely shattered, but standing 10 feet tall. The air was foggy and still and cold and for a moment they hugged, just the two of them in an unbelievable embrace of triumph. It was an outstanding day, two friends, 30 years difference between them, but bonded in one common goal to push themselves to the limit and to finish, together. I will remember this day forever the sheer determination, true friendship and endurance and just what two great runners that stuck together could achieve. 62 miles, 19 hrs from Putney Bridge to Henley on Thames, not one complaint, kept true to each other and ran their hearts out, very emotional indeed. They really deserve to be recognised it was everything that running is about – true camaraderie and guts
October	Louise Harris	Louise joined our beginners course in 2018 and in a bid to improve, was soon a regular at Parkruns before she had even finished the course. Our reason Louise ran over 100 miles in October, she ran with another HRC runner to help them complete their first half marathon. She also completed the virtual London marathon by doing laps of Haverhill and finished October with Bury 10k. Louise often volunteers to be tail walker at Parkrun, last runner at time trial and leads the 12mm group on Thursdays. She is one of the most supportive and encouraging runners within the club. She never worries about getting herself a pb, she just wants to help others succeed and enjoy running.
November	Kate Russell	A little bit about her: Kate joined our junior section when she was just 12 and it was clear from the start that she was determined and disciplined. Her focus has never faltered while training and this has paid off. Our reasons Kate set herself a target at the beginning of the year to run 5k in under 22 minutes. She achieved that this month by running a 5k in 21.53. She was second u15 girl at Framlingham xc and 8th u15 girl at The Eastern Athletics xc championship in a fantastic time of 16.55. Well done Kate, she will be another junior to watch out for in the future.
December	Hayley Wilson	Hayley joined our beginners course 2014 and quickly got the running bug. In 2016, she joined the committee, 2019 she become female captain and in 2020 she stepped up to become club chair. To say Hayley loves xc would be an understatement and is always trying to recruit new xc runners! Our reason Despite being very poorly for a huge part of November and December, Hayley put together a very detailed and professional AGM and then went on to organise HRC cross country, with water, singing, elves and mulled wine all a week before Christmas! Well done Hayley, job well done.

2020

Month	Who	Why
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2019

Month	Who
January	Gina Hickey
February	Kirsty Millard
March	Helen Parnell
April	Craig Sisson
May	John Nevin
June	Sally Johnson
July	Peter Miller
August	Tobin Sari
September	Jo Rosenwold
October	Ross Arnold
November	Hayley Wilson
December