Haywards Heath Harriers run their hearts out - as do Burgess Hill Runners

The Run Your Heart Out event was the second run of the season in the West Sussex Fun Run League calendar, taking place in Tilgate Forest and park over an multi-terrain course.

Here's our recent round-up of the Harriers finding form in Sussex and beyond.

The league contains 17 athletics clubs around Sussex with each hosting one event over the year. This equates to 17 races over 85 miles. Run Your Heart Out was Crawley Run Crew’s inaugural run in the league and what a run they had planned.

Starting from K2 Leisure Centre the route went around the 400m track, along the side of the car park into the forest, winding around the forest before taking a turn into Crawley Park heading past the Tilgate Nature Centre and towards the Smith & Western tavern.

Runners enjoy fine finish to cross-country league season.

Running downhill, athletes did a three-quarter run of the lake before being sent back via the forest to the second lake. This led to the last stretch home around the forest before one last lap of K2’s 400m track.

The course has something for everybody and some real challenges.

A barnstorming afternoon for rugby team.

Haywards Heath Harriers had some star performances with Andy Hind, Dave Warren and Jack Chivers chasing down the frontrunners and completing the course in a great time. This was the first event run by Caroline Gumm who had an excellent run and achieved her PB for 8k.

Results: 1st Mike Houston 28:13, Chichester Runners; 2nd Lian Briscoe, 28:57, Fittleworth Flyers; 3rd Michael Daly 29:13, Horsham Joggers.

Haywards Heath Harriers results: Andy Hind, 32:09; Dave Warren 35:45; Jack Chivers 38:58; Abigail Redd 39:22; James Smyth 39:37; Eric Hepburn 40:35; Bill Whitehead 44:35; Katherine Buckeridge 45:46; Marion Hemsworth 47:13; Michael Parish 48:54; Carys Hind 49:11; Hugh Stevenage 54:13; Caroline Gumm 55:01; Richard Bates 57:24; Rupert Purchase 01:02:58.

Elsewhere, Harriers were busy in other events.

James Bennett ran in the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 109th position in a time of 1hr 36min 9sec.

Kim Lo ran in the Marriott’s Way Trail Half. She finished in a time of 1hr 45mins.

Last Saturday parkrunners turned up for the normal free run on a Saturday morning at Clair Park, Haywards Heath. What many did not know was that, at some point during the parkrun, the 50,000th finisher at Clair Park would cross the line. That special person, finishing in 47th position, was Noel Jennings. Clair parkrun has been part of Clair Park since the first parkrun was completed on July 20, 2013.

The ever-improving Abby Redd improved her best parkrun time to 21.44 at Preston Park parkrun. In Brighton and Hove parkrun in 38th place was Graham Hart in 19.48.

Other parkruns: Horsham:27th Abby Ross 21:51. Tilgate: 154th Jack Chivers 28:03. Clair: 1st Ben Gibson 18:10; 3rd Andy Hind 19:31; 9th Simon Robinson 21:13; 11th Paul Cousins 21:19; 20th Katie Reed 23:04; 22nd Eric Hepburn 23:16; 39th Ian Dumbrell 25:24; 64th Sarah Hamilton 27:41; 66th Shelagh Robinson 28:03; 76th Carys Hind 29:54; 95th Oliver Francis 31:59; 105th Greg Hilton 33:43; 122nd Jason Robinson 39:33. Preston Park: 64th Abigail Redd 21:44; 197th James Smyth 25:50. Jersey: 46th Carl Bicknell 24:07. Wanaka (New Zealand): 3rd Katie Morgan 19:53. Littlehampton: 11th Pete Francis 20:45. Uckfield: 33rd Emma Pryor 33:30.

BURGESS HILL RUNNERS

After a few quiet weeks in the running calendar, Burgess Hill Runners have been out in force taking place in races around Sussex and further afield.

The second of the West Sussex Fun Run League events took place, this time in Crawley and hosted by Crawley Run Crew.

A fantastic number of 29 Burgess Hill Runners took part, with the top 10 BHR runners being led by Oliver Day in 33:48. He was followed by Kirsty Phillpot who also took the first female spot in 33:53, Jamie Goodhead (34:31), Travis Golbey (34:50), Fred Sykes (37:18), Rob Shalloe (37:24), Oliver Dewdney (37:55), Lee Crow (39:36), Neil Phillpot (40:03) and Andrew Bishop (40:08).

Jamie Goodhead and Hugh Stevenage took part in the Chichister 10k. They finished in 41:09 and 1:06:51 respectively. Mark Nicholls took part in the Goodwood Running Grand Prix 10k in 48:19 and Gayle Tyler the 20-mile race in 2:37:58.

BHR also had a team of runners in the Sussex Cross Country League at Bexhill.

For the men, first up for BHR was Phil Wallek (31:14) followed by Jack Maynard (39:59), Andy Sayers (40:02) and Stuart Condie (40:53).

For the women, first up for BHR was Emma McManus (23:18), followed by Katherine Wallek (25:40), Annette Maynard (26:20) and Mercy Dennis-Smith (28:06).

In other races, Daniel Belton took on the Marriott Way Trail Marathon in 4:09:19 and Karen Harvey the 30 mile Punchbowl Marathon in 6hrs 43mins.

Simon and Sarah Thompson took part in the Phoenix Runners Runificent half marathon event, in some fun fancy dress, in 2:47:10.