Race Series Report – ‘Naked Parkrun’ (Penultimate Event in the Club Series)
This morning saw the penultimate event in the club race series: the much-loved and mildly-misleading ‘Naked Parkrun’, run for the Keith Hanna Trophy. Thankfully, “naked” once again referred only to running without a watch rather than braving the Belvoir forest mud in the all-together — a welcome distinction given the wet and slippery conditions.
Runners tackled three laps of the Belvoir course: one short circuit followed by two longer loops, all featuring the same leg-sapping hills that somehow felt steeper each time around. With no watches, GPS alerts, or digital guidance, competitors had to rely entirely on instinct to judge their pacing.
With the results based on who finished closest to their predicted time, accuracy was everything — and this year’s Keith Hanna Trophy goes to Grainne McMacken, whose superbly judged run missed her prediction by just six seconds. A brilliant performance in tough conditions.
Grainne’s pinpoint pacing earned her the Keith Hanna Trophy for 2025 — a well-deserved win on a day when the mud and hills did their best to challenge everyone. Donna Healey and Rowena Fair delivered excellently judged runs to complete a tightly fought top three.
Strong performances were seen throughout the field, with Kevin Moriarty and Jill Mellon demonstrating excellent pacing under tricky conditions.
With the Naked Parkrun complete and the Keith Hanna Trophy presented, attention now turns to the final event of the club race series: the Seeley Cup 10K at the end of the month. With valuable points still up for grabs, the overall standings remain finely poised — and the finale promises to be a fast, competitive conclusion to the season.
MR