But first, congratulations to every single runner who took on the epic 12-mile course and completed what some people call the ultimate trail running experience… Let us know in the comments that you think
Secondly, thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors, and spectators for making this event the huge success it is every single year.
Thanks again to everyone who took part, took photos, and helped out in the lead up to the event. And especially those braving the cold weather today. It takes a team. Until next year! Cheers
The only way to guarantee your place, and a commemorative event t-shirt, is to sign-up today! Dursley Running Club is pleased to announce that entries for the Dursley Dozen are selling faster than recent years with the upcoming edition set to be the biggest and best yet. The date of the 2025 Dursley Dozen is Sunday, February 16. Don’t miss out!
Last held in 2019, Dursley Running Club’s infamous Peaks Race is a challenging off road running event that includes some of Dursley’s most testing climbs – Cam Peak, Cam Long Down, Uley Bury, and Downham Hill. The run rewards all runners with dramatic and expansive views of the surrounding countryside.
The race is 10.31km long with 318m of climb, the equivalent of a category B Fell Race! If you like hilly races then this one is for you and it’s also a popular warm-up race for the upcoming Dursley Dozen in February!
Thank you to everyone who ran, marshalled, volunteered, or simply came out to watch the 34th edition of our iconic race – The Dursley Dozen!
In the male category, Sam Moppett led home James Everett (first DRC runner) in second with Daniel Shepherd in third.
Top female runner was Caroline McAleese (19th overall) with Hannah Large (32nd) finishing as runner-up. Kath Sutherland rounded out the podium and placed 60th in the overall rankings. Leading DRC runner was Tia Corkish who delivered a top-100 finish in 97th.
Top three per individual category
Male 1st Sam Moppett 2nd James Everett 3rd Daniel Shepherd
Female 1st Caroline McAleese 2nd Hannah Large 3rd Kath Sutherland
Male 17-34 1st James Plumstead 2nd Dougal McDonald 3rd Theodore Roberts
After months of planning and preparation Sunday the 10th of February saw the 2019 version of the Dursley Running Club’s Dursley Dozen taking place. Six hundred athletes had entered the race with 450 making the journey to Dursley, they were greeted by a chilly and overcast morning. This year race was marked by a large turn out from DRC reflecting the club’s growth with 75 entrants and over 60 finishers. Up until a week ago the course was quite dry but a week of persistant and heavy rain meant that it was going to be reasonably challenging underfoot. From the gun there was rush from May Lane up Hilll Road with those with an eye on a top placing keen to get into the woods ahead for the masses. James Everett led the way for DRC. Sadly for DRC Dan Anderson and Paul Hocking were not on the start line due to illness and injury, which was a blow to DRCs hopes of another win in the mens team race, with Robyn Wait missing from the DRC women’s team. Everett noticed that one of his competitors, James Pictor, was findng it easy enough to talk to him on the initial climb to the Golf Course, a concerning sign, as Everett was working hard at this point. By the time the Pictor came off the golf course road and into the woods he had just over a minutes advantage of DRC’s Everett and Simon Byrne of Swindon Harriers. Xander McInnes was next in the woods for DRC. First woman at this stage was Annabel Grainger just three minutes behind the leader with Matt Read a minute behind Grainger. Next in for DRC were Ben Amigoni, Haydn Smith and Chris Sweet. Nicki Morgan of Chepstow Harriers (F50) was second woman at this stage with a 3-minute deficit on Grainger. DRC’s Zoe Lammerton entered the woods as 5th woman with Margaret Johnson a minute or so back. By the time they reached the Quarry Pictor, now running in bright sun, was now a clear two minutes ahead. Everett’s was second with two chasers within striking distance. Behind Everett for DRC it was MacInnes and Read, chased by Smith who had overtaken Amigoni, with Louis Rummer-Downing in the mix as well. In the woman’s race Grainger has almost 5 minutes on Morgan now, with Lammerton had moved into third position a further two minute or so in arrears. DRC runners were now coming through the Quarry thick and fast, Johnson just in advance of Jadie Cotterell and Kim Bird who were working well together. There was plenty of support around the course for all the runners and the course was well marshalled. As the runners ascended to the Golf course there was not much change in the key positions, with both the leading man and woman having commanding advantages that only a severe mishap would interfere with. At the finish Sam Pictor was a clear overall winner as was Annabel Grainger in the women’s category. Pictor floated around, unsurprising for an athlete who ran a 31:29 10K in 2018 and who posted that he was achieving 20 hours training a week mid-January. Grainger’s run was a master class in form and concentration. James Everett came home second overall and first for DRC. He was really pleased with his run he said it felt “harder’ but he was quicker than last year and he confirmed that conditions underfoot were definitely more testing than in 2018. Zoe Lammerton also continued to work hard to ensure she was not going to be caught on the run-in. She looked as strong as she had earlier on in the race as she started her decent in to Dursley. Zoe led a strong DRC women’s performance, with Johnson and Cotterall joining her to finish first Female Team. Bird, Lewis and Caroline Whitlock placing 3rd female team. Despite missing two key runners the DRC men’s team managed second place behind local rivals Thornbury with Everett McInnis, Smith and Read counting, DRC also supplied the 5th men’s team in the form of Amigoni, Rummer-Downing, Sweet and Jackson. There were at least two DRC personal bests on the day, Damian Lai and Louise Biddell were very pleased to smash their PBs on the course. There were a number of DRC athletes debuting some like Margaret Badger, a Walk to Run Graduate, and Hannah Osbourne vowing to marshal next year having experienced the challenge. DRC brought the race home with Nicki Cowle, Ben Houghton and Margaret Badger finishing in just over three and half hours.
Overall Results Top 3: Male: Sam Pictor , 01:20:40, Un affiliated; James Everett , 01:23:51, (Dursley Running Club); Paul O’Mara , 01:24:29, (Tyne Bridge Harriers). Female: Annabel Grainger , 01:36:00, (Bristol and West AC); Niki Morgan , 01:46:12, (Chepstow Harriers); Zoe Lammerton, 01:48:30, (Dursley Running Club).
DRC did well in the age categories with Lammerton 1st F40, Lewis first in her category. Johnson and Everett 2nd in theirs and Kevin Jackson 3rd in his. Jenny Mills travelling up from Launceston was sprightly as ever, returning to Dursley to place first F65 ahead of Kate Sackett (F55) and Alice Lewis(F60), a very impressive performance, as was Chris O’Carrol’s first pace M70 performance. Tony Freer Race Director commented “ What an amazing day, this time being the 30th running of this amazing event which attracts runners from as far as Cornwall and Newcastle. As always, the success
The first ever DRC Junior Triathlon event was a huge success, wow, just wow! Over 50 athletes competed, giving their best and showing us their swimming, cycling and running skills. Well done to each and every athlete who completed the race. Full results here >>
Winners of the 8-10 years category were:
1st Benjamin Howse
2nd Stanley White
3rd Billy Smith
Winners of the 11-13 years category were:
1st Lucy Holdsworth
2nd Luke Davies
3rd Jacob Brounger
Winners of the 14+ years category were:
1st Aneurin Earle
2nd James Durden
This event could not have happened without the huge support of all those who planned, organised and delivered the event, so a huge thank you to everyone who helped. A few specific call outs to Martin Bragg, Tara Truman and Annette Keevil (our area leads) and our sponsors; The Pulse (thanks to Ange and team for the swimming, pool, spin room and help on the day), Emsea (our amazing medals and trophies supplier) and Sainsbury’s (the snacks).
This event was so successful we may even do it again next year!
A claggy late may evening greeted the 90 participants in the 2018 running of the Dursley Peaks Race, giving it that “fell race” feeling.
It was a great evening of racing for DRC. Dan Anderson led up the Peak and did not relinquish control of the race at any point. He finished in 44:31 a new course record, by just two seconds.
DRC’s Dan Anderson Starting the Uley Bury Climb on his way to a New Course Record
DRC’s Robyn Jackson was first woman home setting a course record for the women.
Paul Hocking and Jonny Marks were 3rd and 4th overall respectively. Jonny was a minute and half quicker than last year even though he had competed at the Gloucester Sprint Triathlon on Sunday!
DRC had winners in many age categories too, Margaret Johnson was third woman home and first F55, running over 2 minutes quicker than her previous outing and looking like she was enjoying herself all the way around. Tony Wooldridge first M65 and Alice Lewis first F60.
With so many strong finishes by DRC, local knowledge was clearly an advantage, with the visitors often quite leggy as they entered the final 50m. Conditions were not easy, wet and muddy after the torrential rain and quite humid, great efforts all round, and super, as ever, to see all the competitors enjoying the event.
Despite the mist the race was well supported with a large contingent on Cam Peak cheering the runners out and back.
A warm May evening greeted the runners at a sold out Berkeley 10k 2018. 50 of the 422 starters were Dursley Running Club athletes. Despite the hot weather, after a rousing send off from Dave Wood the front runners started briskly.
Steve Millward of Gloucester AC led the race around the first circuit, completing the 5k loop in 16:31 as he piloted Lee Stopford of Stroud AC into Hamfield Lane for the second time. They had an ample lead on the following runners and it seemed that it would all be down to who of the two had the legs. Steve later admitted that he probably adopted the wrong tactic of front running as he was unable to break Stopford who eased past him with 600m to go and extended his lead to about 15 metres in the run in, enough to secure him the victory.
Behind this tussle Eilidh Bell representing Team Bath AC had a more comfortable race to be first woman finishing in 37:22 and looking controlled, with Dursley’s own Robin Jackson second woman in 39:05, a new personal best.
Jonny Marks was first home for Dursley in 38:12, with Nigel Sankey second in and very pleased with his personal best of 38:54 off the back of some great training runs. Margaret Johnson was second DRC woman home with a PB of 44:25 with Fran Amigoni in 3rd to complete the women’s team. Fran was picked off by Graeme Tudor who paced his finish extremely well pulling past Fran with about 25 meters to go. The club had a host of top ten age category finishers; Veronica Higgins, Audrey Harris, Claire Searle, Jim Moss, Fran Amigoni Graeme Tudor, Nigel Sankey and Jonny Marks. On the Podium along with Robyn Jackson were Kevin Jackson second in his category, Alice Lewis first F60 and Margaret Johnson first F50. The strong women’s performance saw DRC third in the women’s team race behind Almost Athletes and CLC Striders.
Ronnie Williams completed her first 10k a year after her first attempt was curtailed by the need to have her appendix removed, Kris Rymer achieved another PB, his first in the space of a month whilst Ellen Efford and Graham Wilkes , both Walk to Run Graduates also completed the race.
Special thanks go to Race Director John Rogers and all his helpers, in particular Dave Saunders and Alice Lewis, but so many other people out there making the event run smoothly. Big thanks to Matt Sherrington and Jo Turner and crew who did massages and physio after the race raising over £70 for the clubs charity! Thanks to DB max for their excellent timing service, SGS College and Hamfield for use of facilities and Skills4Life for their medical support.