Where can you sign up for a well-organised, long-established trail race for less than the price of a posh coffee? The Pitsea RC Crown To Crown 5K Trail Race is the answer to that question, and the first of seven off-road events for 2026 was held in Essex Wildlife Trust's Willow Park, Basildon, on Good Friday, 3rd April.

Why is it called the Crown To Crown 5K Trail Race? Because the start and finish are in Westley Heights Country Park, at the rear of the Miller & Carter pub called...The Crown!

Pitsea Running Club's Katie Darby (pictured above) clearly knew where the photographer, Laura, was positioned as she flashed the event snapper a winning smile on her way to a sub-30-minute time!

Despite the multi-terrain surface and 'proper countryside running vibes', as the event website claims, the course records are highly impressive, owned by GB internationals Adam Hickey (15:25, August 2013) and Jessica Judd (18:01, December 2015).

The top three men in the 2026 Crown To Crown season opener were Alec Finch (Thurrock Harriers, 17:25), Robin Smith (Brentwood Beagles AC, 17:51) and Alex Robertson (Thurrock Harriers, 18:04).

Not far behind was Sophie Bickerstaff (Brentwood Beagles AC, 18:21) who won the women's race in fifth place overall, with the decade-old course record taking a nervous look over its shoulder!

Bickerstaff led a Brentwood Beagles AC clean sweep of the podium, with Zara Morley (19:21) and Lianne Esterhuysen (19:37) also finishing among the 24 athletes who beat 20 minutes.

The remaining six Crown To Crown 5K Trail Races will be held on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm on 13th May, 10th June, 8th July, and 12th August. The penultimate race will start at 7:00pm on Wednesday, 9th September, and the final event will be the traditional Boxing Day 5K at 11:00am on Saturday, 26th December 2026.

Full race details are available at Entry Central here.

The results are available at the runABC race listing here.

Photo courtesy of Laura for Pitsea RC on Facebook