While much of the country spent the summer searching for shade, Minehead Running Club had other ideas. With the mercury soaring, the miles kept coming and our runners proved that a little heatwave was never going to stop them
A Coleridge Way to Remember
The club continued its Coleridge Way adventure throughout June, finally crossing the finishing line in mid-July. Tough terrain, spectacular scenery and plenty of tired legs made it an unforgettable challenge.
With another epic route ticked off the list, the only question is: where will we conquer next? Watch this space…
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Chairman’s Challenge Gets Seriously Hot
Manda and Stephen have both now completed this year’s Chairman’s Challenge, taking on the Three Peaks of Exmoor from Minehead.
The rules were refreshingly simple: there weren’t any! Choose your own route, set your own pace and get it completed before the end of 2026.
Manda laid down the marker with a well-rehearsed route taking in some of Exmoor’s finest paths and views. Stephen followed, deciding to stretch his route to marathon distance “just for the fun of it”. At 32°C, that bright idea very nearly left him completely cooked. Sometimes there really is such a thing as too much sizzle!
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Racing News: Hot Performances All Round
June
Crewkerne 10K saw Tanya storm home as 1st female and 16th overall, while Kevin claimed 3rd in his age category and 20th overall. Dan finished 35th and Barry 46th.
At the Neroche 10K, Tanya was on fire again, taking 1st female and 9th overall. James finished an excellent 5th overall, with Danny 24th and Barry 33rd. Sue added another podium place with 2nd in her age category, finishing 73rd overall.
The winning streak continued at Forde Abbey, where Tanya once again took 1st female, joined by Danny, Kevin and Richard.
Elsewhere, Robin and Barry completed the Exmoor Perambulation, Jon tackled the Woolacombe Half Marathon and came away with 1st in his age category, while Martin returned to Endure24 and did the club proud on another relentlessly tough course.
July
Things stayed scorching at the Brean Banger. Martin finished 11th overall and 1st V60, while Tanya was 19th overall and 2nd female.
Kevin came home 46th, Danny 65th, and Barry was breathing down his neck to finish just two seconds later in 66th. Sue completed the Minehead line-up in 149th.
August
There was no cooling off in August.
At the Haselbury Trail 5K, Tanya added yet another 1st female finish to her summer haul, Kevin took 2nd in his age category, and Richard also completed the race.
The next generation was flying the flag too, with Cady taking 1st place in the One Fyne Night Junior 5K in a cracking 28:49.
Jayne and Sue stepped up for the One Fyne Night 10K, while Sue was back in action at the Wimbleball Trail Race, finishing 4th in her age category.
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One Red-Hot Summer
From long-distance adventures and Exmoor challenges to podium finishes and age-category wins, it has been a summer packed with miles, medals and memorable moments.
The temperatures may have been sizzling, but so were Minehead Running Club.
Catch the highlights in the video below and relive a summer to remember…