It is with great sadness that the team has come to the decision not to hold the Woodbridge 10k race in 2021.
We recognise that the race is a wonderful occasion for the runners, spectators and indeed the Woodbridge community as a whole and our decision to not go ahead with this years 10k is with great reluctance.
Given the nature of the ever changing pandemic and lockdown rules as well as the several thousand people likely to be drawn to the race we feel it would not be responsible or plausible to go ahead this year.
This is likely to be as disappointing to you as it is to us as a club, and we are already thinking about how to make the 2022 Woodbridge 10k an extra special event following a 3 year hiatus.
The Woodbridge Shufflers would like to take this opportunity to thank all the runners, sponsors and of course our local community for their interest and support in the Woodbridge 10K.
A special thanks also goes out to the many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to try and make the race happen.
It is with great excitement and immense gratitude that we can reveal our new banners that we have recently received thanks to the generous funding from Helen Taber-French and the Locality Budgets Team at Suffolk County Council and the support of Councillor Caroline Page without whom it would not have been possible.
The banners will allow us to show how proud we are of our running club in Woodbridge and also act to encourage new joiners. We will use them at our annual Woodbridge 10K and our winter Cross Country event in Sutton. We will also display them to highlight our participation at other great running events.
Many thanks to Graham Bush who continues to seek out opportunities to allow our club to flourish.
We are delighted to announce, that after loads and loads of work behind the scenes, the club shop is now open. Its here you can order all of the club branded kit you could ever imagine or dare believe were possible.
Huge thanks to Rosie, Matt and Mark for all their hard work
Round The Town 10k Race may have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak – but that didn’t stop over 40 club members taking on the distance!
Usually, the event takes place over a few hours – with this year’s race originally planned for noon on Sunday 17th May. This year, the event was extended over the entire weekend, giving club members the freedom to run the 10K distance in their own time.
The first entrant, Ed Abbott, set off around 09:00 on Saturday morning, with his comrades adding times up to the deadline of 20:00 Sunday night.
As in recent years, the weekend was warm and sunny making the notorious double Drybridge Hill as testing as ever!
While many club members did stick to the tried and tested route, others got creative with their ideas, running both town and trail to log the distance.
The event was a great success, with 43 members taking part across all age categories. Club Secretary Mark Allen is to be thanked for a very professional event, which saw members running in club colours complete with running numbers.
To get on the leader board, club members had to log their efforts on Strava or their running watch. Despite the lack of cheering crowds, there were some very impressive times reported.
Particular kudos to Fastest Man, Tom Wake, with a time of 37:47, fastest female Rosie O’Neill, Simon Sinclair who logged a sub 40 minute personal best, and Ruth Acworth, going sub 50 and winning her age group despite a recent hip operation. Mum to be Sarah Smith and new mum Sarah JC Lewis also logged impressive times.
Mark Allen, Club Secretary, said: “Well done to everyone who took part – it was uplifting and inspirational to see everyone out. Some amazing achievements in the heat and without the crowd and support. Massively well done to all of you. Next year, many of us will be back to race duties as we
prepare to put on the 40th anniversary of our iconic race – and we can’t wait!”
Since April 5th, the Woodbridge Shufflers have scaled the equivalent of the UK’s four highest peaks, completed 19 marathons and raised around £500 for charity – all thanks to the club’s Virtual Sunday Shuffle.
Mark Allen, club secretary, reports:
“For as long as most members can remember, Sundays are run days. Whether participating in a road or cross-country race or simply exploring countryside trails (followed by the obligatory coffee and cake) very little stops our intrepid club getting together.
So when lockdown was announced, we, like the rest of the world, took to Zoom to chat – not only about running, but pretty much everything that was impacting our work and our family life.
Before long, it became clear that many of us were missing running together. On one hand, we were pleased that we could still run – in line with governmental guidelines, of course. But on the other – we missed our camaraderie. So how could we recreate that feel of ‘running together’ while still being highly respectful of the unfolding coronavirus outbreak?
The answer came in the form of a series of ongoing challenges. Now in its fourth week, these online challenges allow us all to connect, to chat, and most importantly to gain the benefits of running while still being mindful of these challenging times.”
The format is simple. Each challenge opens on Saturday morning at 8.30am and ends 10.30pm the following evening. During that time, members are free to contribute to the task in their own time, at their own pace, while staying local.
Each week, club members are also treated to a comprehensive set of motivational training drills and running tips led by lead coach, Dave Alley.
Here’s the highlights of the journey so far!
Challenge 1 – Local Landmarks – 4 – 5th April
Things started simply enough. The task? Take three pictures: a church, a pub and a village sign, and post them in the club’s Facebook page. Within hours, our page was filled with lovely pictures from the inns of the local area; including Bealings, Newbourne and Uggeshall to name a few. Simple and fun, it was the start of something much bigger to come!
Traditionally, the Shufflers run on Good Friday, leaving Sunday free to spend with our families. This year, Shufflers were set a challenge to “Eye Spy” as many items as possible all while in their recommended daily exercise window. By encouraging members to walk or cycle as an alternative to running, this was a great family task. By the end of the weekend, our winner had spotted 17/20 of the items, ranging from lambs to thatched cottages and pheasants! Many thanks to our friends at Stowmarket Striders for the idea.
Challenge 3 Virtual Elevation Challenge 18 – 19 April
This task brought out the adventurous streak in our members, some of whom are keen ultra-runners and enjoy gritty treks across some of the UK’s toughest terrain. This time, members needed to accumulate the elevation of the UK’s four highest peaks: that is, England (Scafell Pike), Ireland (Slieve Donard), Scotland (Ben Nevis) and Wales (Snowdon) – a total of 13972ft.
Using our Garmins and Fitbits, members were able to add the total climb gained over one run and add it to the score. By Sunday night, we’d hit 14276 ft – beating the target by 304 ft! Even members that usually ‘hate hills’ joined in with gusto, with every little bit contributing to the total. One member even took her son, a member of the Junior Shufflers, out on his scooter to tackle the hills of the Woodbridge 10k route – no mean feat!
Sunday 26th marked what should’ve been the London Marathon, so what better date than to up the ante and run 262 miles as a club? The idea was not for a handful of members to run for hours on end, but to get as many people as possible to make shorter, individual contributions. If we reached 262 miles, the club would donate £262 to NHS Charities Together. And that’s exactly what they did!
This challenge saw a whopping 50% of our club membership take part, including those who were returning from injury. As a result, the club smashed its target, running 503 miles (or just under 20 marathons) in a weekend. Lisa Squirrel, due to run this year’s London Marathon on behalf of the club, suggested the idea of donating to charities that would otherwise miss out as a result of the race being cancelled.
The idea gained momentum, and by the end of the weekend, members donated a generous £500 to charities of their choice.
As well as Lisa’s chosen charities, members dug deep for the Children’s Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Support, a brain tumour charity, MIND and a local church. This was on top of the £262 given to NHS Charities Together.
So what next?
With our own 10k race cancelled, as well as other key races such as the Ekiden (a marathon distance relay run by Ipswich Jaffa), we have lots of ideas in the bag to keep everyone not only physically, but mentally fit for as long as we are able to run.
Woodbridge Food Bank, run by the Woodbridge Salvation Army, has received a welcome boost of £500 thanks to the Co-op.
The donation of £250, which was subsequently matched by running club the Woodbridge Shufflers, brings the total donation to £500. The money will go towards helping around 26 local families that would otherwise struggle to afford food.
The £250 was originally paid by the Co-op to the Shufflers to sponsor this year’s Woodbridge Round the Town 10K, which has since been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Having being offered a refund, the Co-op generously opted to donate instead.
Major Alan Hill, of The Salvation Army in Woodbridge, said: “As we witness a greater demand for emergency food, this donation is very welcome, particularly at Easter time. From redundancy and illness to a difficulty simply going shopping for food, local families are facing increasingly hard times, and that’s where we can help.
Dave Alley, race director for The Woodbridge Shufflers, said:
“We were delighted to hear of the Co-op’s generosity and were pleased to match their donation. The Woodbridge Round The Town race is at heart a charitable enterprise, giving over 10,000 per year to charity. So while this year’s race is on hold, we’re pleased to help in what small way we can during these challenging times.”
For details about the Woodbridge Food Bank, Contact Major Alan Hill email: alan.hill@salvationarmy.org.uk or phone 07562007125
