England Boxing Strava Running Challenge week three – 1k winners crowned
January 25, 2021 | by Matt Halfpenny
Through the wind, rain, hail and snow, Joe Glenwright (Schools), Liam Rennocks (Junior), Jack Addy (Youth), Will Scovell (Senior) and James Allen (Coaches and Non-Boxers) emerged triumphant in week 3 of the England Boxing Strava Running Challenge – a 1k endurance sprint.
The quintet came out in the top of their respective categories, often by the narrowest of margins, in a keenly-contested challenge that saw entries from all around the country.
Each winner had to complete a continuous 1k without stopping and only those who were specifically targeting this challenge, and running no more than 2k, were considered.
Similarly, participants had to complete at least 1k, with any runs clocking up a distance of 0.99km unfortunately not entered, showing the importance of mapping out and checking an accurate distance before setting a time.
The 1k challenge will run for a second week for the next seven days (Monday 25th January to Sunday 31st January), with the results of the top performers to be published next week, giving those who just missed out by a matter of seconds this week the chance to get their name in lights.
Leading the way in the Schools section this week was Lambton Street’s Glenwright (pictured top) with a quicksilver time of 3.18.
In second place was Charlie Aldous, one of a number of Barum boxers to take part, with a time if 3.35, while Jack Smith (Devizes) 3.49 was third.
For the girls, Mya Ash (Gosport) underlined her all-round running excellence after twice finishing in the top three for distance challenges as she recorded 3.57.
That put her well ahead of Faye Marshall (Great Wyrley) 4.45 and Beau Knight (Mackenzies) 4.52, who were second and third.
The boys junior section was an extremely close run thing, with Heart of England’s Rennocks (pictured below) just getting the edge with an impressive 3.04.
Seconds behind were Kian Quinn (Braunstone) 3.06 and Adam Croft (RABC) 3.08, who may both fancy their chances of going even better in the coming seven days.
For the girls, Leah Carter (4.25) and Paige Howarth (4.39) both put in excellent efforts.
The Youth section proved the most competitive of all and featured the quickest times, none more so than category winner Addy (Loughborough, pictured above), who powered his way to 2.38.
Also breaking the three-minute mark were Fred Brooks (Top Yard) with 2.50 and Billy Adams (Dagenham) with 2.51. The top-performing girl was Maisie Godley (Peterborough Police), who got round in 4.17.
Scovell (Bridport, pictured below) was the fastest 1k runner in the senior ranks, stopping the clock at 2.44 ahead of Ricky Barrett (Sweatbox) 3.01 and Luke Horne (Barum) 3.05.
For the women, Downend Police’s Jasmine Poole strode to a time of 3.27, with Lucia G (Sweatbox) clocking 3.50 and Kayleigh D’Arcy Blue Flames (3.55) for second and third respectively.
The popular coaches and Non-boxers category was won by the Army’s Allen in 2.45, nudging ahead of Matt Harrison (Aston) 2.58 and Russ Turnbull (RAF) 4.09.
The Market Drayton duo of Dee Cowey and Rebecca Jackson topped the women’s standings (both 4.45), with Hannah Pearson (Olympian) in third on 5.09.
England Development Coach Amanda Coulson was thrilled to see so many boxers step up to the mark in the 1k challenge – and is looking forward to seeing who can better their performances in the coming week.
She said: “The sense of belonging that people have had to the challenge – that they are part of a team doing this, encouraging each other with congratulatory posts – is brilliant to see.
“You can see a number of people have posted a time and then gone back and beat it… sometimes two, or even three or four times. That competitive edge is a fantastic quality to have as a boxer.
“We shouldn’t underestimate just how great it is too see people showing their commitment to this Challenge in what is a hard time for everyone during the Coronavirus lockdown.
“Good luck to everyone in posting even better 1k challenge times this week!”
Week 4’s 1k challenge
Just like last week, we 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 performers in each category will get a shout out in England Boxing’s website round-up.
You can set as many continuous 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!
You must complete your 1k without stopping and only those who were specifically targeting this challenge, and running no more than 2k, will be considered.
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 or in adverse weather (such as snow or ice) 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.
