Farnham Park - MABAC May 2026

We are already halfway through May, although based on the weather of late you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. In the MABAC calendar that means Farnham Park, what I think of as the ‘Goldilocks course’ – not too steep, not too flat, not too muddy but no soft sand either – and as Ken Swan has pointed out, shorter than most too at just under 7km.

Before the race Puffers were in the unaccustomed position of 3^rd in the league table, our best start to a MABAC year in a long time, possibly ever. But several of our regular runners had already warned they would be away for this one, trying to enjoy the spring weather in sunnier climes, no doubt. Last year at Farnham we managed to field just six runners (and four walkers). Would this year be a repeat?

Happily, no. Once more Puffers came good on the day, and we had a big turnout composed of a welcome mix of new(ish) faces, older ones making welcome re-appearances and some regulars, including a strong walking/jogging contingent and even a junior.

First Puffer home in 7^th place on what is a fast course was Warren Gibbs, running for us for the first time since Windsor in February, where he was also our first finisher. Warren professed to liking flatter courses and smoother surfaces (don’t we all, Warren?) but clearly conditions today were no deterrent, so we hope to see more of him in the future. Next was David Ebert, who has quickly established himself as a high-scoring MABAC regular. David finished 10^th in each of the last two races and was in a virtual three way dead heat for 13^th at Windsor. Consistency is clearly one of his hallmarks as today he finished 12^th, in just outside 30 minutes. Next Puffer home was Ian Turner who, like Warren, last ran for us at Windsor and whose result today, as 20^th finisher, suggests that he too is as comfortable running cross-country as on tarmac. Family commitments have prevented Ian from running with us as often as we would like but if today is a guide, hopefully the family will be happy to come along and cheer him on at future events. Ian was followed home by another regular, Craig Waddle, like David another ever-present who also turns in consistent performances. A pattern seems to be emerging for hard on Craig’s heels was Alex Gillespie in his first run of the year for us, and very evenly matched with Craig, finishing just six seconds behind.  That meant our five ‘extra points scoring’ men finished in the first 26, an impressive achievement by any standards (for context, in last year’s event, our first man home was 60^th).

Rounding out the male finishers were Alfie Day, comfortably within the top half of finishers, Ken Swan, perhaps not fully recovered after a park run the day before but still achieving a significantly better time than last year, and Laurence Flavell, in his second MABAC of the year. A special mention must also be made of Martin Rose, who is due to run the 50km Brighton-Eastbourne event next weekend but today withdrew after one lap with a -hopefully minor – calf injury. Good luck next weekend, Martin.

To the ladies. After Farley Heath four of our regulars had all said they would be unavailable. Would we be able to field a full complement? Step forward Katie Wiggins. Once a regular, a major spinal problem had kept her away from running and some of us wondered whether she would ever be able to return. She did run at Windsor in February, but that was on a hard, flat surface. Today was her first MABAC cross country event in many years but she ran as if she had never been away, finishing as 5^th lady overall and looking as if she enjoyed every minute of it. Well done, Katie, it’s great to see you back! Just 30 seconds behind Katie was Katy Gibson, who just held off a Dorking rival in a sprint finish. Katy was nursing a heel injury, hopefully only minor so that we can look forward to competition between her and Katie in the future. Next home was Sam Shawyer, in just her second MABAC and another impressive performance, and just over thirty seconds behind was Esme Holmes, 21^st of 58 ladies, so all our ladies were comfortably in the top half of finishers.

Today we could also boast a big complement of joggers and walkers, first among them being Liz Swan, and including three Nashes – Jane, Iain and Chris – and two Clarks – Lyn and Roger. And last but not least, an honourable mention to Thomas Gibson, one of four junior runners on the day and 2^nd male finisher among them. Well done, Thomas!

The overall performance meant we were 3^rd on the day – our best result since Reigate in 2019 when we finished 2^nd with a whopping 518 points – and remain 3^rd in the table going into the halfway stage. But we were just 8 points ahead of Wimbledon, who seem to be regaining momentum after a very slow start, so the 16 points the joggers and walkers brought in were every bit as important as all the others. Well done, everyone.

We now move into the summer months, which means the next two MABACs are midweek evening runs. First up is Denbies, in Dorking, on Tuesday 16^th June. It is a lovely run, especially on a summer’s evening, with excellent facilities, including car-parking, toilets and refreshments. It is also very popular – there were 285 runners there last year (155 today), so we need a big turnout if we are to hold off the challenge from some of the bigger clubs. So please, mark the date in your diaries and calendars and do come if you possibly can. Better still, try to bring a friend! Running, jogging or walking, everyone is very welcome.