News

RR10 Race 7

Hedge End Running Club and Netley Abbey Runners have the pleasure of hosting Race #7 of the 2024 RR10 series. This will take place on Wednesday 10thJuly at River Hamble country park, which is on the outskirts of Hedge End, just off Junction 8 of the M27.

The nearest postcode is SO31 1BH.

The start is 19:00 prompt. Please allow time to arrive, park and get to the start. Please remember to bring your Parkrun barcodes and register for the league at rr10.org.uk if you have not done so already.

Route: Following the success of last year's race, we will be using the same route as 2022. The route takes in some of the newer paths the park has around near the river and the farm. The route is 4.85 miles long with all the usual mix of hills and rough ground. Trail shoes are recommended. New Route Map on RR10 website.

Kings Community Church Food Bank Collection:

Hedge End Running Club and Netley Abbey Runners have close ties with the Food Centres which are run in both Hedge End and Weston by Kings Community Church.

The Food Centre is a church led, community-focused project that enables individuals and families to be supported during the financial crisis. We provide dried, tinned and fresh food to our customers which is donated by individuals, schools, churches and local businesses. Our passion is to provide food with love and encouragement to those in need and also to assist where possible with signposting for other services. All food that is provided to our customers is on a referral basis over an initial period of eight weeks. The referrals are provided to us from a huge number of other agencies that we work with.

We have decided to hold a collection for the food bank during the race and encourage all runners to please bring a donation to contribute in lieu of parking (which is free). Alasdair Duncan, the manager of the food centre will be attending and will be gratefully accepting contributions before and after the race, near to the refreshments stand at the barn. All donations are appreciated, however they are particular need of the following items at present:

· Tinned Stew/ Curry

· Dried noodles/ spaghetti

· Toiletries

· Toilet Roll

· Tea/Coffee

· Tinned hotdogs/ Meat

For those who would prefer to donate financially instead, this can be done via the link below: https://kccsouthampton.churchsuite.com/donate/fund/vsbbjj0y

All donations are welcome, this is a fantastic opportunity for the RR10 league to come together and positively impact our local community. THANK YOU FOR DONATING.

Safety:

The route is mainly on grave tracks so you may get away with using road shoes however we would recommend trail as so on the new paths had loose stones on them. The course is mainly dry at the moment, Spikes are not suitable. The weather in the Spring has exposed more tree roots than normal, which we will try and mark wherever possible. There is a narrow section where runners will need to run towards the right of the path as runners will be going in both directions on it.

Parking:

As ever, we expect parking to be tight, so please car share as much as possible. There will be no parking charges for the evening, so there is no need to buy a parking ticket. Please do not park on the access road outside the Country Park entrance. With the wet Year we have had we are unable to use the parking field this year, plus the park have put in a block in place to stop the traveling community from invading the park. As a result, we will also have to park carks near to Manor farm in their overflow carpark this is about a 15 min walk from the start area So please arrive early so that you have time to walk to the start area. Permission has been given with good will that we will leave it clear when finished so please don’t leave any litter there. This will hopefully help avoid congestion with cars attempting to leave the park being blocked by runners arriving. Please follow the instructions of the Car Park marshals and be aware of traffic while walking along the road to the start area.

General Notes:

· We have worked River Hamble Country Park, and they are going to keep the new ‘The Barn’ café open so for anyone to get some pre-race coffees!

· There is also lots of toilets open, they are at the The Barn itself, the old kiosk and the Green block in the Toplands car park. Please use these and not the bushes around the start area.

· We do not have exclusive access to the Country Park, which is popular with dog walkers, cyclists, and other users, so please be considerate to the local residents. If the weather is fine, there may also be families picnicking in the Country Park.

· The Start and Finish will be in Barnfield

· The route is a mixture of grass, gravel paths, trails and bridleways.

· If you have a car, please leave the Country Park by 8.45 pm… the entrance gate for vehicles is locked at 9.00pm

· There will be water available at the end of the race however, an effort to reduce our environmental impact, it has been decided not to provide cups so please bring your drink or reusable cup. Please also take any odds and ends plus litter with yourself to keep the park clean.

We look forward to seeing you all on 10th July.

Rob, Kym and Jack