News

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2024-11-26

“Sport Friendly” is an international, collaborative artistic experience led by artist Émilien Buffard, celebrating sports teams committed to diversity. In Jersey, the project is led by the Alliance française, a registered charity promoting French language and culture, and us! 21 teams from 16 countries took part a collaborative photographic production which began in Argentina two years ago and promotes inclusive sport, highlighting teams who seek to redefine the classic values of sport, affirming that, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, gender or physical or social condition - every person has a place. Local photographer Ryan O’Shea, a member of Rock N Road Runners, was commissioned to take a series of individual and group photographs which were then transformed into a traditional sporting “Panini Album” to highlight the norms still present in sport. The international edition “Sport Friendly: the field of diversity” features a rich collection of photos and testimonials from 22 teams across 16 countries, accompanied by exclusive interviews with 4 Olympic and international athletes. Commenting on the project, Noemie Alexandre, Event Co-ordinator at Alliance française, said: “It has been great working on this project alongside Rock N Road runners. Following the Olympics & Paralympics in Paris, our aim is to showcase how sport can be an inclusive space for all. We are very much looking forward to this beautiful exhibition of athletes from around the world and we hope it serves as a source of inspiration.” Sam Wilkes, who led the project for Rock N Road Runners, added: “Rock N Road Runners were excited to take part in this global project which celebrates inclusivity as it is huge part of our ethos – if you run then you’re a runner! Working with Alliance francais, Emilien and Ryan to produce such an interesting and thought provoking piece of collaborative art is huge for our group and Jersey.” Photographer Ryan continued: “It has been an honour and a pleasure to collaborate with Alliance francaise de Jersey, Émilien Buffard and Rock N Road on the #sportfriendlyproject which involved a total of 16 countries and 21 teams. I had the pleasure to not only photograph but be one of the subjects for the Jersey edition of this project. It will be great to see my photographs on show around the world and showcase this great project.”   Jersey will host its own exhibition of the final photography project in May 2025 at the Link gallery, part of Jersey Museum. For sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch. You can view the full project here: https://sportfriendlyproject.com/

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2024-07-26

One of the many benefits of being part of the Rock N Road Runners club is meeting like minded people. But it is isn't limited just to Jersey. Last year we arranged a trip for members to visit our neighbouring island to meet the Sark Running Club. This weekend, we are heading back to enjoy their kind hospitality, pubs, and of course up to 10 miles of running which includes lots of handy loops so it's open to all levels! Watch this space for an update on the trip...

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2024-05-22

It’s just before 8am on a cool and grey Saturday morning in Jersey. In just over an hour, nearly 320 people will be pounding the tarmac of Les Quennesvais cycle track but at this moment, it’s just me, Louise and (reluctant) local running celeb Wendy Gorvel standing in the car park. Every Saturday, parkrun is a free, timed 5k community event held all over the world with Jersey’s version being launched on September 26 2015. This is the first time that Rock N Road Runners has done a “takeover” so it’s all a bit new. Also in the car park are the usual RNRR Satruday morning trail runners, led by Will and tailed by Sylvie. Rock N Road Runners stole…I mean were inspired by, the tail runners at parkrun to make road and trail runs more inclusive and open. So it feels only fitting that we help out with the volunteering every now and then. The closer we get to 8am, the more parkrun stalwarts arrive. Mike, Sam, John, and Run Director Matt turn up to get the event prepped before runners arrive and today they have a willing army of hot pink wearing volunteers to help. It’s funny being on the other side of the operation. Like breaking some kind of fourth wall. I’ve only ever seen it from the other side as a runner and even when volunteering, it’s usually rocking up at the last minute. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is truly under appreciated. Volunteers are allocated to their allotted roles which are all designed to make the event go as smoothly as possible. I have taken the cowards way out and opted for a role with minimal chance of things going very wrong – finish tokens. With half an hour to go, prep is all done and the full contingent of 15 or so volunteers are ready to welcome the masses. It’s about this point when RD Matt invites us to say a few words about Rock N Road Runners before the event begins. This sounds great as Emily has done a sterling job in organising the takeover and would be perfect to do a few words. Weirdly though, she’s pointing at me. Along with a couple of other people. As Matt goes on to say, I’m not shy in coming forward. But I also absolutely hate stuff like this. Until it’s over. As a life coach once told me, I’m a collector of experiences. Turns out giving a speech to 300 runners was about to be my next experience… The start Matt stood on what I can only presume was a pink step-ladder from a doll’s house to give a brief introduction before handing over to me. I’d love to say that I sold the merits of the club and our weekly group runs with grace and style. But in reality, the whole thing went in a blur so I have no idea what I said. I just know I didn’t swear. Which was nice. As a seasoned pro, Matt re-took command of the mic and set everyone on their way. It was an impressive sight to look at it from this angle. There’s something very moving about collective goals and personal challenges which parkrun encapsulates each week. The volunteer team then headed towards the finish line where incredibly some of the frontrunners were already coming round for their second lap. It’s another amazing way to see a different part of a race (parkrun is not a race) that I would never normally be involved in! Personally, I love the cheers of crowds so I tried my hardest to clap everyone through and I think that everyone else did the same. What I didn’t appreciate was how many people would smile back or say thanks. Again it’s like being on the other side of a two way mirror. After watching the leaders go through the 4k mark, the finish line team all got in to place and I have to say that I was pretty nervous. My hands and fingers were cold which made giving out the finish token to the first place runner more of a fumble than a glorious presentation. Super Sam Horsfall kept an impeccable watching brief next to me, keeping me reassured as the trickle of finishers turned into a deluge and then a flood. The funnel managers kept on top of the numbers coming through and I just handed out those tokens like I was a dealer at the Bellagio in Vegas, barely seeing the faces of the runners as they came through. But it worked. And like someone turning off a tap, the numbers coming through slowed and I was able to get my head up and greet finishers individually, recognising some and congratulating all. Behind me the scanners had done an impeccable job – we were part of a well-oiled finish line machine dressed in hot pink. There’s a proper buzz that comes from doing an event well – whether it’s parkrun, a corporate meeting or Knebworth. And as Alex and John came through as final and tail runners, I felt genuine pride in a job well done. Mainly not getting anything wrong. After that, we headed to Off The Rails for a well deserved breakfast. As I said to anyone that would listen…this experience made me want to volunteer again. Just definitely not run 5k. Below is a list of volunteers from the day but I’m super conscious that we have done one day. So many people give up their time every week to make it happen. As the saying goes, if you can’t run, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer then cheer. I’m already looking forward to our next Jersey parkrun takeover!   Volunteers: Rob RUMFITT Trevor GOODSON Michael CHAYTOR Alexandra SCHLUEP Sam WILKES Matt CUTHBERT Sam HORSFALL John DRELAUD Wendy GORVEL Richard ENGLISH Wayne ENGLISH Melanie GOUZINIS John CUNNINGHAM Debbie KENNEDY Leila MILES Ronnie ISHERWOOD Helen CLAYTON Juliet LE BREUILLY Daryl HOPLA Emily LE BEUVANT Jenny GRAY Lydia THEBAULT Jo WRIGLEY Sasha MASEFIELD Emma KIRBY Jason PIERRE

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2024-02-17

Rock N Road Runners support Jersey parkrun This coming weekend, Rock N Road Runners will be helping out the amazing team at Jersey parkrun by providing volunteers to supplement those that help out each week. In addition, the RNRR Saturday Trail Run will begin as usual at 8am but will finish with participants taking part in parkrun. Jersey parkrun is a FREE weekly 5k event for participants of all standards, which takes place every Saturday at 9:00am in Les Quennevais sports centre, Don Farm, La Route Des Quennevais, St Brelade, Jersey, Channel Isles JE3 8LZ. Globally, parkrun now has over 2,300 events and more than nine million registered users. All events are staffed solely by volunteers so this is an opportunity for Rock N Road Runners to support another part of the Jersey running community.  You don't have to be a member to volunteer. To find out more or ask a question, please drop an email to [email protected]

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2024-02-12

Rock N Road Runners is proud to be part of Vibrant Jersey! Vibrant Jersey aims to represent the Voice of Jersey people in the promotion of the Island, and of course, Rock N Road Runners are super excited to be part of it. Jersey is so accessible from the UK and further afield that frankly we can't believe that more people don't jump on a plane or ferry to explore our roads and trails. We're excited to work with Vibrant Jersey and other organisations to help further boost the profile of running on our little ol' Island. If you have any cool ideas on how we can do this, please give us a shout at  [email protected]

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2024-02-05

Let's go. Intro. Our second Intro session of the year wasn't quite as well attended but provided a more spectacular backdrop to running education. Led by Coach Rik, the intro group ran a slightly shorter version of the Saturday Trails session from Elephant Park while taking in various lessons about the technical aspects of trail running, or off road running.  The intro took just over an hour and covered equipment, technique and common mistakes as the runners took in a beautiful Jersey morning over the dunes of St Ouen. The recent weather had made the route even more interesting but, as newly-qualified trail runners (school of trail life), the new recruits took it in their stride and adapted like pros. Would you like to get more into trails and off road running? Or is there something else that you would like to be taught about with regards to running? Please let us know at [email protected]  

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2024-01-20

Oh. My. Days. What just happened? A phenomenal response to our Intro to Intervals group run at the waterfront. Sometimes it's easy to take for granted the things that seem simple. Intervals are arguably one of the most inclusive group runs that can be put on by a run club but they do seem very daunting. This session run by Coaches Rik and Dan was aimed at dispelling the the myths around Interval Training and also showing the benefits that proper warm up, mobility work and speed sessions can have, regardless of the goal. It was an amazing turnout for the session and shows just how much appetite there is out there if the education and supportive environment is provided. If you have any questions about intervals, our club or running in general, give us a shout at [email protected] or get in touch on social media.

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2024-01-12

We’re super chuffed to have been shortlisted for Group of the Year at the Jersey Sport and Move More Jersey Awards 2023. Part of our mission is making running as accessible and supportive as possible and hope we’re doing ok at it so it’s lovely to be nominated. Thank you for all the support so far and we’re looking forward to putting on tonnes more events, races and social activities

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2023-10-14

Alongside our FREE Saturday and Sunday runs, we’re excited to be part of Wellfest 2023. Pop along between 10am and 4pm for loads of interesting stalls, talks and exhibitions showcasing the variety of wellness options in Jersey. You’ll spot our volunteers in their hot pink tees so please come and say hiya!

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2023-10-09

We’ve done our best to collate all the group runs we know of on island. We’re all very busy people so finding a group that fits in with our hectic schedule is important. Hopefully one of these works for you.

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2023-06-24

I’m currently asking my athletes to write up race reports from their most recent events, so I feel it’s only fair that I lead my example. Race reports are useful not only to help coaches fine tune training approaches but they also allow athletes to reflect on their performances and tease out what went well and where they might improve in the future. It’s too easy to finish an event and instantly move onto the next big race so take time to absorb your achievements.  “It never always gets worse” is a quote from ultra-running legend David Horton and a phrase which kept going round my head throughout Double Top this year. I’ve done enough of these now to know that this is usually true. However usually is very different from always and I struggled for pretty much the entire 40 miles. There was a very good for reason for this which I’ll go into at the end of the report. Let’s start out with how the race went. Although absolutely stunning (I’ve run the North Coast 30+ times and still marvel at its beauty), the Double Top is not a race you can enter lightly. Whether you’re navigating it once or twice, the route is always a challenging. Race morning saw a slew of wind and rain, which is arguably preferable to baking heat for most, but I actually prefer hotter conditions. I also turned up at the start line realising that my watch was on low battery which threw me for a beat. Never be complacent in any detail of your planning! The first 5km from St Caths to White Rock, although mostly on road, sets the tone for the rest of the day with 3 decent climbs. Many runners come unstuck here, attempting to run these first hills on a mix of adrenaline and fresh legs. This spike in effort and heart rate will come back to haunt many in the latter race stages. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether you plan on running these same grades at the end of the race. If the answer is no, don’t run them at the start. Ultra’s are about pacing and energy management. Don’t burn all your matches in the first half of the race.  For these reasons, I ran/walked these hills and still maintained 2nd place. At White Rock you hit the North Coast trails. I usually love this first section as it’s quite flowy with runnable climbs as far as Bouley. As usual James had gone off like a bullet so I was heading up a group of Single and Double Toppers back in 2nd. I didn’t feel right though. My heart rate was in Z4 and my effort felt high for the speed I was going. I wanted to slow down to bring my HR back under control but felt some pressure from behind to maintain this pace. In hindsight, I should have slowed earlier to force the relay and single top runners to go ahead. Bouley to the Horse Box car park is the toughest section of trail in Jersey, with loads of steps and a density of more technical climbing and descents. It’s a stunning segment but very hard to find a rhythm. I’m normally a good climber but today my quads felt like lead and I had no power at all. This heinous fact would only become more apparent on the return journey through this section. As we neared Catel Fort, I slowed. Partly to allows the other runners to pass but mostly because I was toast. I hung with my training partner Ash from La Fontaine heading West. This part of the race is much more runnable and super fun. Usually it provides a chance to open up your stride and it should have been an opportunity to use some of the road speed I’d developed. But I just had nothing and was clinging on by an ever-stretching invisible thread to the back of Ash. I remember him being in a great mood, really chatty, loads of energy and super encouraging. Even if I had some chat to give, I could only utter one syllable responses. (Apologies dude and thanks for pulling me through – that kind of support is what running is all about).  It was also at this point that I told him multiple times I was going to bail at Battery Moltke. I figured I could drop, walk the 1.5 miles’ home and be in bed within 20mins with a cup of tea. It would be my first DNF but who cares, this isn’t an A race. It didn’t mean anything. I kept up this flow of reasoning for some time which I’m sure was a proper downer for everyone involved. But Ash continued to carry my sorry ass as far as Greve. It was here that a spark of life came back into me. Who knows what caused it but I was suddenly more talkative, my heart rate came back down and I felt a bit like a runner again. That’s not to say that I had risen from the dead but I certainly had one arm sticking out of the grave clawing at the earth.  Greve to the turnaround at Battery Moltke is my home turf which played in my favour I think. I could also see us gaining ground on some of the runners ahead. It’s always more fun to be chasing than being chased. Ash and I flew into the turnaround, refilled our bottles, and headed straight back out. Aid station efficiency is key in ultra-performance. For these distances I carry all my nutrition with me and only use aid stations for water. Seconds and minutes per station add up quickly. I think my total time spent not moving was less than 2mins. Double Top is an out and back, meaning that to finish the race you have to run back over the same ground you traversed in the first half. That is mentally quite tough. The best way to tackle this is to not allow yourself time to think about it. Get to the turnaround, grab what you need, get back out there without skipping a beat and move your focus to what needs to be done next e.g. do I need to fuel, have I taken enough electrolytes, what should my effort be like for the next section based on the terrain, etc. Don’t think, shit I have to run another 20 miles over all that gnarly trail again. Break it down and focus on what needs to be done in the moment. As I started heading back towards St Caths I definitely felt a little more like myself. I was high fiving runners and shouting words of encouragement. I was genuinely stoked to see so many of my athletes absolutely crushing it and beaming from ear to ear. This fuelled my motivation until at least Bonne Nuit. At this point, nothing I was doing could even remotely be described as running, let alone racing. Last year I had been racing James along this section and felt strong. 2023 was just about survival. Every climb was a fresh ordeal and for the first time I can recall, I had to stop on some of the stair climbs to catch my breath and take some time to honestly question my life choices. I was just beat man. I ran out of water at Egypt and seriously considered drinking straight out of the stream (note –  please don’t do you this as you will almost certainly become quite ill). The aid station volunteers at Bouley were a godsend, allowing me to neck half a litre of coke before heading off. The final 10k weren’t very notable. Basically a death march to the finish and some choice cursing for every step and incline along the way. I reminded myself to be grateful that I was able to participate in these events, that I was able to run (sort of) and was able to experience all this beautiful coastline. There were many people less fortunate than myself – which is easy to forget sometimes when we do these silly events. A good dose of perspective can often make things a lot easier. I finally glimpsed St Caths at Fliquet and thankfully this year the finish line was near the start of the breakwater. Cheers Paul! Second place but over 30mins slower than last year. But it didn’t matter. It’s a great event and I love hanging out at a finish line, watching the other runners come through and swapping war stories after. Everyone struggles at some point in a race like this and sharing these tribulations is cathartic – as it sharing in others victories and successes. It’s such an awesome running community we have in Jersey and I am very proud to be a small part of it. The Positives: I finished; I fuelled better than previous races (300g over 7 hours so roughly 43g carbs per hour – definitely room for improvement); I managed to successfully alleviate a side stitch which has plagued me over several races; I didn’t sustain any MSK injuries; All my gear worked well. I didn’t poop myself and I got to hang out with my mates. The Less than Positives: I didn’t perform as well as I should have and was actually slower than previous years; I produced quite a large positive split; I had entered an event against my better judgement and had probably increased my overall recovery time. Gear: Inov8 Race Elite Peak 2.0, RNRR club tee, Salomon Sense Pro 10 vest, Salomon Sense Aero 5” shorts, Inov8 Trailfly mid socks, Adidas Terrex Speed Ultra shoes Nutrition: 6 x 30g Precision Fuel gels, 2 x 20g OTE gels, 1 x 40g OTE super gel, 400-500ml coke Hydration: 1.5 litres of water (I have a low sweat volume) with 3 x PH 1000mg electrolyte tabs So why was I so knackered going into the race? I’ve spent the previous 18 months hopping from training block to training block with no rest in between. I spent 16 weeks training for an Ironman in October then transitioned straight into a 20-week marathon block which saw me running both my highest mileage and most intense sessions ever. Don’t get me wrong, I had an absolute blast but 4 weeks out from Manchester I was totally fried and was probably experiencing some non-functional overreaching. The training load combined with trying to run a small business and other life stresses were taking a toll on my nervous system and I just needed to heed the warning signs and give myself a break. Post-Manchester, which was an ‘A’ goal, would have been the ideal time for this. But being highly susceptible to FOMO and relatively dumb, I signed up for Double Top and jumped back into training the next day. Even though the intensity and volume were much lower, I should have just chilled the hell out and attempted to eat my weight in cake instead. So inevitably I arrived at the start line ground into a fine powder rather than fresh, eager and something resembling human form. I was also acutely aware that I had spent 6 months training on the roads and my trail legs were shadows of their former selves. Road and technical trail running are in many ways, very different beasts. Takeaways: A lot more rest and recovery is needed. Both acutely (as I write this I am on day 6 of no running with only some very light cycling) and chronically I need to build more rest into my micro, meso and macrocycles. I am diligent in prescribing rest for my athletes and I really need to be leading by example and heeding my own advice. Often we feel that we are the exception to the rule but the reality is we are all human and can only take so much before something gives. Finally, I heard a great quote the other day. ‘Don’t let the wins go to your head or the losses to your heart.’ Although this race was neither of those, it did serve to remind me not to dwell on things when they don’t go to plan. And be kind to yourself.

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2023-05-13

Rock n Road Runners is an exciting new club for everyone who loves to run. Inquire in store for further information.

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2021-08-01