Wimbledon - MABAC August 2026

Years ago when I used to work in the civil service I recall a then Chancellor of the Exchequer dismissing some critical August press reports as the work of ‘teenage scribblers.’ Grown-ups, he said, were at the seaside with their families and buckets and spades. Nigel Lawson had never heard of MABACs, obviously, for the August run on Wimbledon Common traditionally sees one of the biggest turnouts of the year. This year’s event saw 351 runners and joggers, almost as many as last year and not far behind the 378 who were at Denbies in June, which was possibly a MABAC record. The extreme heat of the last few weeks had eased, an afternoon shower had cleared away the humidity in the atmosphere and an evening breeze kept both the temperature down and the midges away, all combining for near-ideal running conditions.

At this point I offer an apology. It has been the tradition, at least since I joined the Puffers and no doubt from long before then, that the MABAC reports duly mention everyone who turned out for the Puffers. As they should. But last night wasn’t just a big MABAC turnout, it was also a record turnout for the Puffers, certainly since 2015 when my records start. Our previous best attendance was at Wisley last November when we had 22 runners and walkers. Last night we blew that away with no fewer than 29 people representing the Puffers. (To put it into perspective, we currently have just 32 paid up members). Everyone made a welcome, and valued, contribution to what was another magnificent team effort. So rather than go through the results name by name, allow me only to mention a few highlights of the evening.

First was the magnificent Puffers team spirit. A few examples: Katie Westlake ran despite being several months’ pregnant; Craig Waddle had returned from summer holiday just a few hours earlier; and Katie Wiggins and her friend Katie Davison Jenkins overcame everything ‘Great British Railways’ did to try to stop them from even getting there. Despite   a very late start they persevered and recorded two very fine runs (thanks are also due to some marshals who, spotting them arriving, did everything they could to get them on their way without further delay). Yet another example was the ‘post-run social.’ In years gone by, the Wimbledon run was followed by a complimentary buffet supper in the rugby club. That is now a thing of the past, but Paula Holmes brought sausage rolls and a cake and Martin Rose (and maybe others?) cold drinks which all made for a convivial post-run post-mortem. Thanks to all.

Second, once again the Puffers consist was a welcome combination of old runners returning, regulars and new faces. Among the returnees, warm welcomes back to John Hopes and Dylan and Rob Lewis, all running for us for the first time in 2026, and Amy Henley who ran for us last at Denbies in 2025. And a welcome of a different sort to Will Archer-Burton, for although he is both a regular and long-time Puffer, this was his first time at this Wimbledon course. The new faces were James Biggs and Mitesh Mistry, both invited/persuaded by David Ebert. Congratulations to James, who was the second Puffer home in a very big and very competitive field (for the record, first Puffer in was Dylan Lewis and first lady Puffer Paula Holmes) and to Mitesh who also made an impressive debut as one of our ‘extra points scoring’ finishers. Also joining for the first time was Katie Davison Jenkins. A warm welcome to you all, we hope to see you again at future events (and we don’t usually rely on trains to get to them, Katie!)

MABAC is not, of course, primarily a social event. While Martin Rose was the only one to publicly admit that he ‘obviously hated the running part,’ from my vantage point most Puffers were taking it very seriously. None more so than Martin Rose, in fact, who just managed to hold off Katie Wiggins in a very tight three-way finish also involving Laurence Flavell. (By my calculations the two Katies started at least eight minutes behind the main field so had it not been for the trains, Katie would doubtless have been in the top 15 lady finishers).  A special mention should also be made of Esme Holmes who, as she approached the finishing funnel, seemed oblivious to the exhortations from mum Paula on the side line to try harder. Until, that is, she realised that dad Ian was on her tail, which brought on a sudden and rapid turn of speed, with Ian chasing her hard but not quite managing to catch her. Discretion prevents me from saying who Paula was shouting for at that stage!

Which brings me to the overall results. At the start of the evening, we were in 3^rd place in the league but huge turnouts from both Wimbledon, as hosts, and Runnymede, see us drop to 5th. Our best finishing place in the league in recent years has been fourth, in 2015 and again in 2019. We are just fifteen points behind Wimbledon, so a repeat achievement is very doable. And Runnymede in 3^rd place remain very catchable, so if we can match, or better, the turnout we got at Wimbledon on Tuesday in the remaining runs of the year, we could still achieve a best-ever finish.

We now revert to Sunday morning runs for the rest of the season, with just three events left. Next up, on 20^th September is a return to a (very) old course that older Puffers (those who were in before I joined in 2015!) may remember as once being the venue for Epsom Oddballs’ runs. It is around the Hogsmill River in West Ewell - https://mabacleague.org.uk/mabac-hogsmill-river-chessington-unity/. The organisers assure us that it is also a flat course, with no hills. That will be followed by Nonsuch Park in Epsom on 18^th October, followed by ‘our’ event at Wisley on 15^th November. More on that in due course, in the meantime happy running and I hope to see all of you again on 20^th September if not before.