Reading Athletic Club

Reading AC Huskies win at Endure 24!

Keeping up with tradition, the Reading AC Huskies once again took on Endure24 over the weekend of 8–9 June.

Endure24 is an endurance running event like no other. Whether competing Solo, in Pairs, or as part of a Team of up to 12 runners, the challenge is simple: keep moving for 24 hours and complete as many laps as possible of the stunning 5-mile trail course.

This year, the Huskies competed in the Large Male Team category (8 runners). Captained by Joe Hayes, the team included a wealth of Endure24 experience, with runners Matthew Kunov, Zak Lambourne, Sandeep Simon, Tom Nike, John Hible and Máté Lőrincz all bringing valuable knowledge of the event and its unique challenges.

The team was also fortunate to welcome Jeff Titmas, who was taking part in Endure24 for the first time. Despite being a first timer, Jeff's strength and determination made him a valuable addition to the Huskies squad.

The race had not even started when a weather warning was issued due to strong winds, making the challenge even tougher. As the event progressed, persistent rain arrived, turning sections of the course into muddy and slippery trails.

Matthew Kunov got the Huskies off to a fantastic start, finishing 2nd on the opening lap and immediately putting the team among the front-runners. He handed over to Máté Lőrincz, who battled through the course despite not feeling at his best due to a health issue.

Zak and Jeff continued the strong start, helping to keep the Huskies firmly in the leading pack. After the first four runners had completed their laps, the team had averaged an impressive 31:09 per lap, placing the Huskies firmly in contention among the top teams.

Tom, Sandeep, Joe, and John were the next four runners to take on the challenging conditions. Their strong performances kept the momentum going, and by the end of the first rotation the Huskies had moved into 1st place overall.

From there, things only got better. Despite the relentless rain, strong winds, and increasingly muddy trails, spirits remained high. The team embraced the conditions with plenty of banter, laughter, and good-natured jokes about the weather. The camaraderie within the squad was a huge factor in keeping everyone motivated.

As darkness approached, the Huskies continued to deliver consistent performances lap after lap. By nightfall, they had built a one-lap lead over their nearest rivals in the Large Male Team category, while also battling with a strong 12-person mixed team for the overall lead. The race was far from over, but the Huskies had put themselves in an excellent position heading into the night.

During the night, the team continued to work through steady, disciplined rotations, averaging around 36:50 per lap in the toughest hours of the race. Despite fatigue and increasingly difficult conditions, the Huskies kept their composure and maintained consistent pacing throughout the darkness.

As dawn broke and the team headed back out into daylight with fewer than five hours remaining, the Huskies were still sitting in 1st place in their category. The overall lead battle had also become increasingly intense, with positions being exchanged with a strong mixed team of 12 runners.

On the second day, even though not competing fellow Husky, Gerry, visited the team, helping lift spirits and adding to the support and atmosphere during the final hours.

In the end, the Reading AC Huskies completed 42 laps ( about 210miles) — a distance equivalent to running from Reading to Nottingham and back. The performance secured 1st place in the Large Male Team category, and the Huskies covered the most miles of any team in the race.

A special mention also goes to fellow Husky Aaron Baker, captain of a previous Endure24 team, who took on the challenge in the solo category. Aaron started strongly and remained in good spirits early on, but unfortunately had to stop after 10 laps (50 miles), averaging an impressive 47:05 per lap.

Meanwhile recent recruit Kyle Simpson was running as a Pair with his mother. They finished 4th in the mixed pair competition with 24 laps. Kyle running 21 of them for an aggregate distance of 105 miles!

Other Reading AC runners taking part included Leanne James who completed 6 laps as part of her mixed small team and Gavin Marsh who did 4 laps for his works team.

VETERANS’ LEAGUE MATCH 1
Reading AC’s veteran athletes began their 2026 Veterans’ League season at Horspath track, Oxford, on Monday evening. The weather was uncharacteristically warm, dry and sunny for most of the match, but competitors in the later events were faced with stormy conditions. Our women’s and men’s teams got the season off to a fine start, both finishing 3rd out of the eight competing teams, behind host club Oxford City AC, and Radley AC.
The evening began with the men’s 100m races. Both Alan Chan and new member Caleb Zarth were involved in tight finishes – Alan tied for 2nd place in the M35 A-race (12.2s) as did Caleb in the B-race (12.5s). Non-scorer Ken Chan clocked 13.1s. Lee Fellowes was our sole runner in the women’s 100m and was 3rd in the W35 A-race (16.7s). Lee went on to take 3rd in the long jump (3.23m) and 2nd in the javelin (12.51m). She was joined in the field events by Sarah Ball, who was 3rd in both the W50 javelin (15.38m) and hammer (16.94m). Our male field eventers did very well. There were wins for Michael Dzandu (M35 hammer, 26.67m; also non-scoring shot 8.62m) and Mike Dyer (M35 shot, 10.96m), 2nd place for Kevin Cranmer (M35 high jump, 1.55m, a height matched by non-scorer Mike), 3rd for Alan Chan (M35 long jump), 4th and 5th places for Jan Drzewiecki (M60 hammer and shot, 25.47m and 6.11m), and 4th for M70 Tony McCreery, who dropped down two age categories to score valuable points in the M50 hammer (13.64m).
As the sky began to cloud over, with a few spots of rain, the 400m runners were ready to compete. Jonathan Hiorns, in his first season as a first-claim Reading AC athlete, secured an excellent win in the M35 A-race (55.6s), while Máté Lorincz did well to take 3rd in the B-race (73.6s), just 8 days after running a sub-3-hour marathon. Andy McDonald secured 4th place in a close M50 race (64.4s), while Ken (who usually prefers the shorter sprints), showed his strength over 400m clocking 64.3s as a non-scorer. Lucy Daniells made a good start to her track season with 3rd place in the W35 A-race (71.5s), while Leanne James surprised herself with an excellent 2nd place in the B-race (70.7s) in her first race over this distance, and Sue Francis was 3rd in the W50 race (74.2s).
Luc Jolly (who’d taken an accidental little detour via Tilsley Park on his way to Horspath!) teamed up with Charlie Madelaine to contest the M35 1500m. They raced very well together, separated by only 1.2 secs at the end (Luc 3rd A, 4:20.3; Charlie 1st B, 4:21.5, a PB). Andy took 6th place in the M50 race (5:34.6), and Neil Walker clocked 6:24.8 for 3rd M60. Non-scorers Sandeep Simon and Máté finished in 5:08.4 and 5:11.5, respectively. Our women’s 1500m runners gathered on the start line as the sky suddenly went very black, the temperature dropped, and the wind built up. Gilly Meek rose to the challenge of being the W35 A-string runner, racing well to finish 3rd (5:27.80), while Shirley-Ann Dix was close behind, taking 2nd B (5:31.0), and non-scorers Charlotte Phillips and Leanne crossed the line in 7:04.7, and 5:41.2. In the W50 race, Sue made use of a tall Radley AC runner as a ‘windbreak’ and finished 2nd (5:39.80).
The rain really set in for the 4x100m relays, but our men’s team (Ken, Kevin, Caleb, and Alan) were undeterred and Alan brought the baton home in 1st place (51.1s), while the women’s team (Sue, Shirley-Ann, Leanne, and Lucy) were 3rd (63.8s), an excellent end to an enjoyable evening.
Many thanks to Reading AC’s officials and timekeepers – Sarah-Urwin-Mann, Julie Rayfield, Julie Dew, Lincoln Ball and Andrew Jones, who are a key part of our team and earned us an additional 16 team points.
Our next match is on Wednesday 20th May at Abingdon.

Susan Francis (Veterans' T&F Team Manager)