There were a few red noses at the 13th annual Southend Rudolph Run in aid of the Havens Hospices on Sunday 15 December 2024. Alcohol may have played its part; it could have been the Rudolph effect, but the most likely explanation was the windchill on Southend's promenade!

Havens Hospices at Benfleet, Southend and Wickford in Essex need over £200,000 a week to provide specialist care and support for people of all ages living with incurable conditions and their families.

This year's Southend Rudolph Run by Nice Work Race Management saw 618 runners finish the accurately measured, flat and fast five-mile course in 80 minutes. This was a healthy increase on the usual 400-500 competitors and a welcome boost for the event's main charity.

The pace was set by M40 master Barry Stephenson (Dartford Harriers, 25:29) – a 2:23:33 London Marathon finisher earlier this year. He was followed at a respectful distance by City of Southend AC's Stephen Kirsh (27:47) – runner-up here last year – and Chris Cook (Corringham Run Club, 28:39).

The top seven men beat 30 minutes and just 36 seconds over that threshold was the women's winner Olivia Forrest (Brentwood Beagles AC, 30:36) – an under-17 junior with a big future. The women's rostrum was completed by Georgia Couzens (Southend, 32:35) and W45 Emily Gamble (Cruisers RC, 34:37).

All finishers received a medal, festive goodies and a mince pie. The main event was preceded by the Rudolph Scurry one-mile race for children.

Nice Work still has numbers available for the 18th Christmas Pudding Dash at Pett in Sussex, a five-mile undulating cross-country race around the local farmland and woods on Saturday 21 December – enter here.

There are also a few places left for the Kent Christmas Cracker, a flat and fast two-lapper around Betteshanger Country Park in Kent on Sunday 22 December – enter here.

Southend Rudolph Run results are at the runABC South race listing here.

Image courtesy Nice Work