Get Ready For Ryton
Places will be snapped up fast for this popular Warwickshire 5 miler...
Warwickshire's Road Race League Series gets underway in May with the Ryton 5 Mile race. Following that another nine events will take place between then and October. The Ryton event is a popular one, so it is worth noting that entries for the 18 May event will open next week on 4 March at 9am. Organisers urge haste: "Our race does sell out every year so do aim to get your entries in early!"
The Spa Striders club-organised five-mile race is off road on mainly flat paths that surround the beautiful Ryton Pools Country Park. The route takes in one large and two small laps of the pools in the park, as a result, as well as an accurately measured, and fast course, runners are treated to spectacular views of the pools and local wildlife.
Organisers comment: "Don’t worry about getting lost – you will be guided (and encouraged) around the course by enthusiastic marshals! Ryton 5 is our flagship race and a favourite on the Warwickshire Road Race League calendar.
The inaugural Ryton 5 race was held in 2014, where 226 athletes completed the five-mile course. Since then the numbers of runners taking part has increased, with over 300 runners completing the event every year.
The race was designed and created with the view to give local club runners a chance to race in a new environment at a relatively low cost. It was, and remains, the club’s intention to create a no-frills race, in order to make it as accessible as possible for those wanting to race. The course was designed by club members, along with Ray Morgan, Alan Edwards and Stewart Harris; all well-known figures in Warwickshire Athletics.
The race regularly receives comments like this: "Beautiful evening for a running race thanks SpaStriders for a great event!” and “Thanks to Spa Striders for a great race tonight!”
In 2023 there were 306 runners with Ben Kruze of Stratford Upon Avon AC claiming victory in 26:21 and Megan Blake of Leamington Cycling and Athletic Club winning the women's race in 30:20.
If you'd like to know more, visit the Spa Striders website.
Image: Spa Striders Facebook
