Bideford Amateur Athletic Club

20/09/2026

And yet more results still coming in!
At the Donne Run, Mark Jenkin smashed it coming in 1st almost 4 minutes clear of the next runner in 1:06:48, a strong effort from Will Croxford finishing in 1:34:39
At the Bude Pirate Run, Martin Colwill finished in 1:15:09 - 1 second behind his son and not dressed like a pirate! 🏴‍☠️

20/09/2026

A great Sunday Race Day so far for the Blues 🎽🩵
Our fabulous Harriers Chairman, Gemma Steele, finished the Irish Life Dublin Half Marathon in 1:48:46

Closer to home Warhorse10: Leigh Crossman finished 3rd and 1st in category in 0:39:00, Tom Owen 4th and 2nd in category in 0:39:43, James Jewell 5th and 1st in category in 0:40:33, Candace Jewell 3rd in category, 0:52:44, Geoff Panter 1:02:53, Alan Heard 1:10:33

And John Shapland ran Stafford 10k which was an England Qualifier, finishing in 0:46:45 and 2nd in age group, qualifying for England 10k in 2027

Congratulations all you Blues 🩵🎽

20/09/2026

Captain Chat

Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet over the last few weeks, it’s called going back to work after 6 weeks off 😂

There have been so many post to read and celebrate, I must mention our Rowing section who took 4 championship titles this year.

Ladies Senior C, Open Novice 4+, Senior A scull and Open 14 Scull.

Enjoy the new social next Saturday, sounds good going for a run together and then having breakfast.

I will be at the Wakepark watching some of our Juniors getting their own back on coaches. I think Sharon Cloak, Dave and Harry Fanson are in for a good soaking 😂

Little job for you all over the next few weeks..
Please rummage around and make sure you are ready for morning and evenings getting darker.
High Vz for running and lights on boats 😄

Tracey

16/09/2026

Now summer is over it’s time to start mentioning the ‘C’ word….

Yes Cross Country is back!

We’re really pleased to be taking part in the Westward Cross Country League for the 2026/27 season, and this year there’s a new addition, with the opening fixture at Newnham Park taking the form of a relay event! 🙌

As a Bideford AAC member, we cover the cost of your participation in the league, so there’s no additional league entry fee for our members.

And if you’ve never tried cross country before, you absolutely can!

We’d love to welcome new senior members who fancy giving it a go. You don’t need to be an experienced cross country runner or a particular standard- if you want to run, you can take part.

The races are approximately:

🏃‍♀️ Women: 5–6km
🏃 Men: 8–9km

💙 WE’D PARTICULARLY LOVE TO GROW OUR LADIES’ TEAMS

So, if you’re a runner who fancies giving cross country a go, we’d love to hear from you!

To compete, you need to be a Bideford AAC member (currently just £20) and affiliated to England Athletics (£23). We’ll organise your England Athletics affiliation for you.

You can also come along and get to know the club before committing - cross country is for anyone who wants to give it a go.

📩 Interested? Drop us a message or speak to one of the Bideford AAC team.

THE WESTWARD CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE IS BACK!

The dates and venues for the 2026/27 Westward Cross Country League are confirmed and we’re excited to announce something a little different for the opening fixture…

🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️ RACE 1 — RELAY EVENT! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

We’ll be kicking off the new season on Sunday 11th October at Newnham Park with a special cross country relay.

It’s a chance to get your club teams together, race for your club and start the new league season with a bit of extra fun and competition! Individual points will be given towards the series. If you can’t make up a team you can still take part.

📌 Save the dates and get your club ready for another season of Westward XC!

More information about the relay format and affiliation/ registrations for the league will be announced soon.

14/09/2026

Sorry

We had a bingo planned for Friday 18th September. We are going to have to cancel 🥲

Please watch this space for a new date soon.

13/09/2026

Well done to our racing Blues today…

At the Great North Run Adrian Prust finished in 1:20:24.

At the Burnham Half Marathon Vince Helliwell finished 3rd MV60 in 1:30:32

At the Worcester Half Marathon Lorraine Clements finished 1st FV65 in 1:38:56 qualifying for England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, John O’Donoghue finished 4th MV40 in 1:14:34 and Ben Edwards finished in 1:24:28.

Chippenham Half Marathon Nick Lapham 1:15:43 in 10th place.

At Barney to the Beach Steph Olliffe in 1:06 and Chris Stone 55:04 1st MV and 6th overall.

10/09/2026

We are a bit late with our weekend race round up!

At the Bridgewater 10K John Shapland ran 45:00 finishing 1st V70.

At the Littlehampton 10k Martyn Levien finished in 39:04.

At the City to Sea Marathon Amy Hawkes finished 6:11:53 1st F55

At the Cardiff 10k...

Adrian Prust 00:36:12
Samantha Antell 00:36:28 3rd F35
Rob Thomas 00:38:33
Martin Colwill 00:39:38 2nd M55
Gary Blight 00:40:52
Sarah May 00:41:40 2nd F55
Steve Clements 00:43:51 4th M65
Lorraine Clements 00:44:06 2nd F65
Jo Bedler 00:45:39 4th F50
Steph Olliffe 00:47:52
Gemma Steele 00:49:25
Peter J Rigler 00:49:52
Mark Fundrey 00:53:38
Tara Fundrey 00:53:39
Linda Eastmond 00:54:06
Melanie Brown 00:57:34

John Shapland also ran the Yeovilton 5k last night finishing in 21.17 - 1st V70.

08/09/2026

🏃‍♀️☕ NEW MONTHLY SATURDAY SOCIAL RUN & BREAKFAST! 🥓🏃‍♂️

Looking for a relaxed way to start your Saturday, get some miles in and meet new people? Come and join our new monthly Saturday Social Run, followed by breakfast or a drink at Wetherspoons!

• Meet: The train station on the Tarka Trail, near the Royal Hotel, Bideford
• Distance: Approximately 4 miles
• Pace: Whatever pace suits you!
• No one gets left behind: We’ll have a tail runner to make sure everyone is accounted for
• Open to members and non-members
• Ages 11+: Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult at all times
• Social Saturday held on the last Saturday of the month

There’s no need to be a Bideford AAC member to come along, so it’s a great opportunity to try a social run, meet new people and get to know some friendly local runners.

And afterwards? Join us for a well-earned breakfast or drink at Wetherspoons!

Whether you come on your own, bring a friend or are looking to meet new people, everyone is welcome. We’d love to see you there!

DISCLAIMER: By taking part, participants confirm that they are medically fit and physically able to participate in this activity. Participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own health, safety and personal belongings. Bideford Amateur Athletic Club accept no liability for any injury, illness, loss, damage or other incident arising from participation. Participants are expected to follow the instructions of the run leaders and take reasonable care for their own safety and the safety of others.

07/09/2026

🏃‍♂️ Could you help pace the RUN Barnstaple full marathon?
We're urgently looking for experienced runners to join our pacing team after a couple of last-minute drop outs.

We're looking for pacers for:
⏱️ 3:30
⏱️ 3:45
⏱️ 5:00

If you're confident running at one of these times and would like to help fellow runners achieve their goals on race day, we'd love to hear from you.

Please email [email protected]

💚 Thank you for your support!

04/09/2026

Another run enjoyed by our Thursday 5.30pm social group. This time, via roads and public footpaths, to one of our favourite places - and the misty rain cleared so we could all enjoy the view. Thank you to the passing dog walker who took this lovely photo.

Non-members are welcome to come along and join us for a run, and membership is now reduced until the end of the year.