Battle of the 10ks #2

Battle of the 10ks Round 2, and some 5k fun.

What an amazing bunch of runners! Between the Kesgrave Landmarks Half Marathon and Battle of the 10ks, we saw over 300 runs completed and have raised over £550 for the local Ipswich and Colchester NHS Staff Fund. All the medals are on order and we’ll begin to distribute them over the next couple of weeks. Well done everyone for getting out there and running and for some fantastic performances.

With a number of summer races cancelled we decided that it was only right to launch Battle of the 10ks Round 2, and again accept donations of minimum £2.50 per run to receive a unique medal! This time we’re proposing to donate the money to a local charity that is suffering financially through Covid. We’ll liaise with Community Action Suffolk to help us identify who needs the support. In addition we’re launching some Strictly 5k routes, for those who either enjoy the dancing show, or prefer a shorter distance. The Strictly 5k runs are just for fun, and while there wont be any medals there will be a prize for the most inventive dance related photo taken on one of these runs ?

With all our routes we’re trying to incorporate places you may not have run before, to help you discover some new locations to explore on our doorstep. All runs start in or around Kesgrave, and we’ve also highlighted suitable parking locations, if you prefer to avoid a long warm-up and cool-down! We will provide links to Strava segments, GPX files, and turn-by-turn directions for each route on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/battleofthe10ks/posts

There are 7 new routes, and this time Kev has set 4 and Neal has set 3, so you can direct any complaints about hills or trails to the appropriate person!

Battle of the 10ks Round 2 includes: “Not The Martlesham 10k” which manages a single loop of the 5k/10k course before whisking you round the rest of Martlesham. “Great Ipswich 10k” taking in sights from Twilight and Great East Run routes. “Scenic Seven Cottages 10k” visits some lovely trails around Rushmere and Playford. “Creek Challenge 10k” explores Martlesham Creek where the River Fynn joins the River Deben.

Strictly 5k includes: “Foxhall Foxtrot” exploring the fields and woods from Bell Lane into Foxhall. “Hip Hop to Holly” taking in the often unexplored heart of Kesgrave. “Martlesham Macarena” investigating the many trails and paths around Martlesham Heath and avoiding nearly all the roads!

Some routes may not be suitable for kids to accompany on bikes, so perhaps do some investigation first. Overall the Round 2 routes are less hilly than Round 1, but you may still find the odd stairway to heaven ?

Finally, these runs are again open to all and if you make sure to mention your running club when contacting us, we’ll make sure to highlight your clubs in our updates. Message us at m.me/battleofthe10ks to register for Battle of the 10ks Round 2 medals and we’ll provide payment details for the £2.50 per route.

Battle of the 10k Round 2 Routes	Strava Route	Garmin Route	Strava Segment
Creek Challenge 10k Explores Martlesham Creek where the River Fynn joins the River Deben
Great Ipswich 10k Taking in sights from Twilight and Great East Run routes (please check Holywells Park opening times if running very early or late in the day)
Not The Martlesham 10k Which manages a single loop of the 5k/10k course before whisking you round the rest of Martlesham
Scenic Seven Cottages 10k Visits some lovely trails around Rushmere and Playford

Strictly 5k Routes	Strava Route	Garmin Route	Strava Segment
Foxhall Foxtrot Exploring the fields and woods from Bell Lane into Foxhall
Hip Hop to Holly Taking in the often unexplored heart of Kesgrave
Martlesham Macarena Investigating the many trails and paths around Martlesham Heath and avoiding nearly all the roads!

Battle of the 10k Round 1 Routes	Strava Route	Garmin Route	Strava Segment
Lil Brokeley No graveyard in sight on this undulating jaunt around Broke Hall and Bixley – the ‘Lil Brokeley’ is a challenging replacement for Little Bromley, that will leave you wishing for flat country lanes
ALtoNS Water Who needs a reservoir when you can enjoy the quiet trails around the natural springs of Newbourne – you’ll probably want to stay a while, and forget the segment!
Colchester Road Stampede Fast, flat (mostly!) and with limited changes of direction; this is even better than the real thing. Save a little energy for the bridge in the middle, and you’ve got a chance at a PB!
To Woodbridge Just remember that nearly all of these hills are also in the actual Woodbridge 10k, and most of them are run twice – blame them, not us!