Comments
Add your comment
Also see
Read more stories about General
Vegan Runner Breaks North Pole Marathon Course Record!!!
Fiona Oakes wins the North Pole Marathon in new course record !!!
What an Achievement !
New Course Record Too
Few women have ever been to the North Pole, in fact the first was as recent as 1986!
This year was the 11th North Pole marathon & the course was described as the worst in the races history. The competitors had to run 10 laps of a 2.6 mile circuit of which half was "run-nable" & the other half meant wading through snow fields, up to waist height - all in MINUS 28 degrees with wind chill taking it to minus 33 approx.
Fiona fell over a number of times in the deep snow & damaged her thumb on the 2nd lap - her face mask literally froze to her face & she had to keep rubbing her eyes to stop the water in them from freezing.
This is tough - this is unbelievably tough.
But of course there is tough, there is extremely tough & there is Fiona Oakes - the Queen of the Extreme !
Fiona finished the marathon in 4 hours 53 minutes, smashing the previous course record by 45 minutes !! - the next lady was nearly an hour behind her.
Fiona was only beaten by 2 men in the field which is incredible & means she took 3rd place overall (unprecidented).
Percy Bear finished 1st in the race for small bears, but apparently complained that he was cold all the way round.
Fiona now holds FIVE marathon course records
Two in the UK, Two in Finland
...& one on the top of the World !
Please support her at North Pole Marathon on Facebook at Fiona Oakes and at Tower Hill Stables
100% of donations go towards the feed costs of the rescues at Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary
Thank You XXX
Copyright © 2013 Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary, All rights reserved.
VRUK Team Take Second Place at Tonbridge Half
London Regent's Park Training Sessions
VRUK blog - latest news
http://veganrunnersuk.blogspot.com/
Vegan running shoe guide - as featured in "Vegan" Summer 2011
http://www.veganrunners.org.uk/articles/vegan_running_shoes_and_trainers_1398.html
Club Training and Meetups
The monthly London meet up and training run has a base at Regent's Park from The Hub sports facility & cafe in the north of the park. The session is approximately one hour and normally includes a mixture of group running, intervals of faster running, hill repetitions and track circuits. Members, supporters, or indeed anyone who would like to try out our sessions are more than welcome. After the session we meet back at The Hub for a drink and social. Attendance at the January 2013 session there were 8 vegan runners. During the summer 2012 other venues / locations included: Hampstead Heath, Eltham Park(race) and Hackney Marshes.
Following the April 2013 London group training session in Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, no further sessions are planned until the Autumn when members are more likely to be available. Members will be running in events throughout the summer and there are likely to be targeted events as listed below..
Other London meet-ups include: Eltham Park 5 miles trail (9 June 11.15am), Ealing Half Marathon (29 Sept) and meeting up at the Animal Aid Xmas Fair early December and possibly this year the new London Olympia VegfestUK (5/6 Oct).
Other local or regional Vegan Runners groups we are trying to establish include:
- South Wales VR - meet-up at open events including the Cardiff Parkrun on Saturdays starting at 9am. Some popular events include Cardiff Half Marathon (Oct), Llaneli Half Marathon (March), Swansea Bay 10K (Sept).
- Birmingham VR - meet at the Cannon Hill Park Run on Saturdays starting 9am. Some other popular events include: Great Birmingham Run (Half Marathon, 20 Oct), Wolverhampton Half/Full Marathon (Sept) and the West Midlands Vegan Festival (4th Sat in Oct).
- Brighton VR - meet at open events and the Hove Park 5K Parkrun starting at 9am on 2nd Saturday of the month (except 3rd Sat in March for VegfestUK at Hove Centre). Other popular events include: Brighton Half Marathon (Feb), Brighton Marathon (14 April).
- Bristol / Bath - Potential meet-up at the Ashton Court Park Run, 9am Saturdays. Other suggested events include: Bristol 10K (5 May), Bristol Half Marathon (15 Sept), the Bristol VegfestUK (25 and 26 May)
- Cheddar / North Somerset for more rural / hilly runs
- Coventry / Leamington Spa - regular meet-up at the Coventry Park Run on Saturdays 9am start. Other suggested events: Coventry Half Marathon (Oct), Coventry 10K (Nov)
- Leicester / Market Harborough - Potential meet-up at the Braunstone 5K Park Run, on selected Saturdays 9am start. Regular low-key training sessions recently started in Market Harborough early Tuesday evenings. Other suggested events where we could meet include: Leicester Half and Full Marathon (Oct), East Midlands GP series (Rugby 6 miles (15 May), Corby 5 miles (29 May), Market Harborough 5 miles (18 June) and the Leicester Vegan Fair in August or November
- Northants / North Bedfordshire / North Bucks - Occasionally meet at Animals-in-Need sanctuary (vegan cafe available), Little Irchester for training in Irchester Country Park or Wellingborough. Other occasional meet-ups include the 5K Park Runs at Northampton Racecourse Ground, Bedford Park and Milton Keynes at Willen Lake on Saturdays starting 9am. Some popular annual events include: Bedford Half Marathon(Dec), MK Half/10K (March), Northampton Festival of Running (March/April), Wellingborough 5 miles (late July), East Midlands GP series (8 event locations, 5 miles - 10K (May - July))
- Poole / Bournemouth / New Forest - local vegan runners interested in holding training sessions in this area. Other suggested events include: New Forest Festival of Running (March), Bournemouth Half Marathon (April), Bournemouth Running Festival (5/6 Oct)
If you would like to join the mailing list for one or more of these areas please leave a message either with Peter Simpson on Protected email address,on this website or with the Facebook group UK Vegan Runners.
Check the VRUK diary to see if there are any dates for training sessions or other event meet-ups highlighted in green. Alternatively, for a free 5K run, we suggest you visit Parkrun to check for a local venue. They are held weekly on Saturdays starting at 9am, you just need to register for a barcode at least a day before your first Parkrun and take a printout along.
For an idea of how recent London training sessions have turned out click here.
If you would like to arrange training sessions in a different area of the UK, please join VRUK and we can publicise it through this website otherwise, contact Peter Simpson on Protected email address.
Summary of 2010 Activities
Depending on the location of members, the club was represented in most regions of the UK sometime during the year. In the Winter season more members were taking part in off-road events or training for Spring marathons otherwise generally road & park races throughout the year. Here we focus on a sample of events where members met either through popularity or locality. Click title to open report.
London Marathon 2010
Eight members of Vegan Runners UK successfully completed the London Marathon, five wearing the club kit. In the photo from the left: Cedric David, Helen Watkinson, Maria Hamilton, Peter Simpson (support), Chloe Vincent & Keith Hammond (Vegetarian C&AC). In the 2009 event we had one of our strongest teams, the highlight being our 4 sub 3-hour runners, this year the focus was on our core members. Some of our runners set large personal bests, others their first marathon or first London event. Congratulations go to all our runners who achieved the following times:
- Colin Braybrook 3:02:41
- Cedric David 3:46:51
- Verna Burgess 3:49:36
- Chloe Vincent 4:04:56
- Helen Watkinson 4:10:36
- Maria Hamilton 4:11:40
- Laurence Klein 5:12:04
- Teressa Longhurst 5:27:05
Anna Finn Reaches 100 Marathons
33 Year old Anna Finn, a maths teacher and member of Vegan Runners UK, has run 100 Marathons. She seems to be the youngest woman to achieve the feat, and is awaiting news from Guinness about the World Record.
Vegan Runners Cross Country Season: Victors, Veterans and Virgins …
Winter is another busy period for several members who enjoy cross country. Vegan Runners of all abilities and ambitions have taken part in races large and small over the last few weeks. Peter Simpson reports on the South of England XC Champs held on the 30th January 2010. Beside his own well-paced race, Peter reports on Vannessa Hudson’s battle with road shoes and the mud, and a well-placed Colin Braybrook (a vegan runner competing under the St Albans Striders banner). Neil Ford marks his come-back with a victory in the Berwick Cross Country, which was ‘somewhere between four and five miles’. A winter-loving Clare Coombes has been mud-running through the cross country season, sporting her club vest, finally breaking the top 100 places.
More General stories.