Week two’s Strava Challenge winners – and introducing the new 1k challenge
January 18, 2021 | by Matt Halfpenny
A big well done to the respective winners of week two of the England Boxing Strava Running Challenge – Joe Tarrant (Senior), Leo Ellis (Youth), Leah Carter (Parkstone), Mya Ash (Schools) and Simon Patterson (Coaches and Non-Boxers) – ahead of this week’s switch to a new 1k sprint endurance challenge.
Well over 500 boxers signed up to join in the race to clock up as many miles as they could during the week from Monday to Sunday (11th to 17th January), with the competition to finish top of each category running hot.
This coming week, starting today (18th January), there is a new challenge for participants to target – running a 1k as fast as possible (see full details below).
But top performer in the senior category last week was Barum’s Joe Tarrant (pictured above during his time at Torbay), who clocked an astonishing 181.1 miles to edge out Mikey Burgess (Carlisle Villa), who ran 150.4 miles, and Sonny Tanner Bridport), who totted up 92.5 miles.
Top Senior females were Kayleigh D’Arcy (Blue Flames) 73.1 miles, Michelle Cox (Premier) 51.2 miles and Annaka Lloyd (Barum) 39.3 miles.
A clear winner emerged in the Youth category where Leo Ellis (Fitzroy Lodge, above) compiled 70 miles, ahead of Sam Wilkinson (Huthwaite) 37.6 miles and Jamie Burrows (Washington) 35.7 miles.
It was a much closer contest among the females, with Amalia Morris (Holmes Chapel) 25.6 miles, just pipping Lily Henderson (Tommy Coyle) 25 miles, and Kelsey Oakley (Priory Park) 21.9 miles finishing in third.
Arguably the biggest tussle of the week was in the Junior section, where the top of the leaderboard was dominated by female boxers.
Parkstone’s Leah Carter (below) claimed top spot with 141.1 miles, with the equally-dedicated Ruth Huntley (Kent Gloves) not far behind, notching 128.5 miles, and Amy Nolan (The Right Stuff) in third with 74.4 miles.
For the males, John Hewitt (Torbay) 55.9 miles was a fraction ahead of club-mate Sonny Reardon, who had 55.8 miles, and Lewis Smith (Bishop Auckland) was third with 39.7 miles.
In the Schools section, Mya Ash, of Gosport (below), proved her consistency to lead the way with 77.2 miles after finishing in third place last week.
Another back for more was Bradley Smith (Bishop Auckland) who finished third with 72.5, having claimed second spot last week. Separating the two in second was Jack Smith (Devizes) who ran 72.9 miles.
The third placed male was Oli Gibson (Tamworth) 52.4 miles, while Leah Paylor (Wimborne) 30.1 miles and Bella Dempsey (jimmy Egan’s) 14.6 miles were second and third placed females.
The new Coaches and Non-Boxers category proved to be a hit, with 69 participants signing up.
It was Simon Patterson of Brandon who emerged at the top of the leaderboard by posting 101.3 miles.
He finished in front of Russ Turnbull (RAF), who posted 95 miles, and Mark Bebbington (New Era), who ran 89.1 miles.
The Market Drayton duo of Dee Cowey, with 33.9 miles, and Rebecca Jackson, with 31.2 miles, led the females ahead of Vicki Baker (Peterborough Police) 19.2 miles in third place.
England Performance Coach Amanda Coulson was full of admiration for the dedication on show across the board – and is looking forward to seeing how participants fare din the new 1k challenge.
She said: “Well done to all that have joined this Strava challenge so far! There have been some amazing signs of competition from each of the categories trying to top the leadersboard.
“I have noticed parents, coaches and siblings running with each other in support as well as praise from participants to each other. All in all, I have witnessed some fantastic positives from these running challenges – so a massive well done to each and every one of you who have ventured out into the fresh air to take part.
“The longer distance running is beneficial for boosting your aerobic capacity and all round general fitness levels…but now it’s time to speed up the running and reduce the distance for a new twist as we ask you to test yourself at the 1km challenge. Can you top the leaderboard for the quickest 1km time for your age category?”
Week 3’s 1k challenge
After two weeks of asking you to show your stamina, we’re now mixing it up and want to see the kings and queens of speed endurance.
This 1k challenge represents the kind of sustained, high-energy effort that is similar to what you might put in during a boxing bout and is easy for anyone to have a go at.
Again, the top three in each category will get a shout out in England Boxing’s website round-up.
You can set as many 1k times as you like, but it must be automated through Strava or, if on a private treadmill or inputted manually, must be supported by pictorial evidence of the data created.
Please see below for an example of how your 1k should show up on your Strava page.
In the example, the time that will be measured is the ‘pace’, which in this case would be 3.47.
In order not to lose any time, it is in your interest to make sure that you run as close to 1km as possible. Equally, make sure you run at least 1km, as if you run 0.99k, your time will not count.
To get the best results, follow these pointers:
- Always find an-off road route away from traffic.
- Try to find a route as straight as possible, which prevents loss of time on cornering.
- Try to find a route with little or no inclines that will slow you down.
- Measure out the 1km exactly on a slow practice run, so you know where to start and stop to record the correct distance.
- Don’t forget to stop the timing of your run immediately after reaching 1k!
Please note that while boxers overall mileage will continued to be displayed on group leaderboards, these results will not be acknowledged in week 3’s challenge.
How to join in
If you want to begin your 2021 by getting in running shape but not entered yet, there is still time to join with Challenges running each week from Monday morning to Sunday evening.
To join in with the England Boxing Strava Running Challenge 2021, first sign up to Strava at https://www.strava.com/, if you haven’t already.
Then head over to the relevant group to complete your registration. Runs will automatically be logged in the challenge once you are registered:
Schools boxers – https://www.strava.com/clubs/englandboxingschools
Junior boxers – https://www.strava.com/clubs/englandboxingjunior
Youth boxers – https://www.strava.com/clubs/englandboxingyouth
Senior boxers – https://www.strava.com/clubs/englandboxingsenior
Coaches and Non-boxers – https://www.strava.com/clubs/englandboxingcoaches
Please state your club and position on your Strava profile. For example, put ‘Army boxer’, ‘Steel City Coach’, ‘Aberfeldy Welfare Officer’ or ‘Wearmouth Administrator’. If you are an official with no specific club, please state your region and role, such as ‘Eastern Counties Judge’.
For the 1k challenge, participants must ensure they have their Privacy Controls under Settings set to ‘Everyone’ both for the Profile Page and Activities in order that results can be viewed.
Should you have any problems with registering, please email: matt.halfpenny@englandboxing.org
Key Information
Important: Please note that boxers and participants taking part are doing so their own risk and must ensure they have adequate footwear and clothing and no injury or health concerns.
It is recommended that participants do not to run alone in the dark and parents and coaches are requested to monitor the activity of under 18s and ensure that those taking part do not push themselves beyond their running capabilities, while also giving themselves adequate rest. Adults should also be careful to run within their limits and rest when appropriate.
You can also post pics that you’d like to share of you running in your England gear on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter channels using the hashtag #EBStravaChallenge.
