On the weekend of 17th-18th May, Hillingdon Athletic Club took part in the Green Belt Relay! This was the fifth year that we’ve fielded a team, with previous entries in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The Green Belt Relay (GBR) is a long distance running event held annually and organised the the Stragglers Running Club. The event is a 220 mile relay race, divided into 22 stages which range between 6 to 13.5 miles that takes place over 2 days. The course traces the perimeter of London along the Green Belt. Each stage is given a difficulty rating between 1 and 10 (with 10 being most difficult). The four mountain stages (4, 5, 16, 19) are the toughest and times in these count towards the Kings and Queens Of The Mountains awards.
Each team consists of 11 runners taking on 2 stages, one on each day whilst supporting their teammates with transport and logistics throughout the event! Teams are responsible for transporting their runners between stages, marshalling duties and ensuring they learn their stage as they have to navigate themselves!
Learn more about each stage: Course
Hillingdon Athletic Club were 1 of 59 teams that competed in the Green Belt Relay this year. 2 athletes made their Green Belt Relay debuts this year, Alice Coburn and Deepak Pandiyarajan!
Follow our weekend below, please note it may take a few seconds for videos to load!
Day 1
Stage 1
Hampton Court Palace to Staines
12.70 miles – level 6
Jeremy started us off, running from Hampton Court Palace, taking on 12.70 miles to Staines. The first and last stages are dubbed, by us at least as the ‘glory runs’! As all the teams gather at these stages, the support is fantastic! This is until on the first stage, once all runners have made their way over Hampton Court Bridge and headed down the Thames, the teams scramble to their next points to drop off and pick up runners! Jeremy completed the stage in 1:39:19 in 29th place.
Being first to go has it good and bad points. Great because once it’s over, you can enjoy watching everyone else later in the day knowing you’re done. I had visions of sitting outside the pub in Chipperfield waiting for Gabe to come in from a hilly torturous run, I’m looking across the village green sipping my beer because I can.
But first things first, I had to face the bad, the small matter of 12.70 Miles in race conditions at 8:30am and I’ll be honest, I’ve been fitter. The weather was kind - maybe no more than about 10 degrees and overcast. I assemble near the back of the runners at the start line, after all, it’s not parkrun, it’s Green Belt Relay and club runners. The race is off to a bouncing jingle of cow bells and cheers. I cross the bridge and am lifted to see my fellow teammates cheering me on and taking photos. I’m aware that once I disappear down to the towpath that my teammates will be racing off to the next stages in their cars. All I’m thinking, I cannot let them down - I need to complete this leg and give it my best.
I’m checking my watch and the pace seems fast. I feel ok and decide to stick with it. I follow the towpath for about 5 miles, I settle into it. A young lady passes me along the way and tells me “well done” - I love it when people pass me and say that. Feels so sincere!It’s a scenic towpath and I’m chugging along, noticing my speed has dropped a small amount, but I’m ok with it. Leaving the towpath ascending Walton Bridge, I follow some busy main roads eventually leading me to Shepperton - a lovely affluent village following a meandering road to eventually take a turn back onto the river where I run the remainder of the leg. It’s beautiful scenery, the sun is out, it’s warming up but not too much. I’m feeling the pressure of runners behind me. One passes and we briefly chat - he asks me if I’m liking it, and I say no! I was tired and then added, but it’s beautiful here.
With 2 miles to go, I’m feeling it. It’s tough but I know really there is only about 15 minutes or so left - that’s what I’m saying to myself. I’m feeling like I’m slowing slightly but I try to push.Eventually I see Staines bridge, one last push. I can hear Spencer cheering me on. I cross the line and I cannot talk, I find a chair and fall into it recovering whilst Spencer goes online and orders me a sausage and egg muffin at the pub, Top man! Oh and my visions of Chipperfield green was realized!
Stage 2
Staines to Boveney Church
9.70 miles – level 3
Sam started the 2nd stage, running from Staines to Boveney Church. The route ran through into Windsor where The Royal Windsor Horse Show was being held, if navigating round the route was one thing, it was very busy! Sam completed the stage in 01:19:56 in 37th place.
Stage 3:
Boveney Church to Little Marlow
11.20 miles – level 5
Green Belt Relay debutant Alice joined the team from stage 3! Alice ran from Boveney Church, alongside the Thames before turning away from the river and into Little Marlow. Alice completed the stage in 01:44:26 in 48th place.
After 3 stages, HAC rank 38th in the leaderboards.
Stage 4:
Little Marlow to Great Kingshill
11.80 miles – level 10
Stage 4, the first of four ‘Mountain Stages’, featuring a total ascent of 470 metres! Arguably dubbed the toughest Saturday stage by the organisers, featuring steeps hills with rugged and remote woodland sections. Clive took on this stage, finishing in a time of 01:37:01 in 22nd place!
I came into the team right at the last minute, so didn’t really know what I was getting in for or what the stages would be like. I just threw everything conceivable into a bag, downloaded the routes & got my other half to drop me off. I rendezvous-ed with the team at the start of stage 3 in a little car park near Boveney Church, handed over my bag and trusted to their planning that I’d see it again. It was all a bit of a whirlwind, three cars, 11 people, two of them running already, I’d be picked up by someone else - just get to Marlow before cut off! I checked the route again, a fairly flat 11ish miles that looked promisingly simple follow the river, cross at the bridge, cross again at the other bridge, then turn left at the trees - I couldn’t possibly get that wrong could I? We set off as a bunch and quickly thinned out along the river. It was shady, pretty and vaguely familiar. We soon settled in with a couple of similar paced runners, two blokes and a lady, when one of the men took a spectacular fall over a root and went down with a yell. He shouted for us to keep going, and when he caught us back up took a moment to say how grateful he was that we’d stopped. A few minutes later, the other lady’s hair ribbons fell out & I passed them back to her. All very chummy this, I was having fun. A few miles and a bridge later, it was no longer shady and starting to get hot. It was about this point I realised I had been way off in calculating the pace I needed to get to the end point before cut off and had gone out over a minute/km faster than I needed to. I reached into my vest for the 2nd gel, and realised I’d left it on the coffee table at home in my hurried packing - major grumpy time! All was not lost, there was emergency food in the bag and fortified with sugar and a drinks station we passed through a charming little village back over the river and into the shade. The runner in front had stopped to walk and I set myself the task of catching her. Over the next few miles, we played a game of tortoise & hare - when she walked, I caught up to her, when she ran, I fell behind. Unfortunately, she zipped through the level crossing while I had to stop for a handful of seconds to let a train pass so never quite caught her! Into the finish straight, lots of cheers of GO ALICE! and we realised, we were both called Alice! Total magic and a massive grin. Jeremy & Spencer were there to meet me, quick change & baby wipes and hop in the car to the next stage to cheer in the next runner. Utter madness - I was hooked!
What a glorious weekend we were treated to!Day 1 Stage 4 was a sunny, super-scenic sample of the smorgasbord of slopes and surfaces of the Chilterns from Little Marlow to Great Kingshill featuring West Wycombe Park and Hughenden Manor. Recceing most of the 11.7 mile route (which included 470 metres of climbing!) proved to be time well invested as I gained a number of places simply by avoiding unnecessary detours.
Stage 5:
Great Kingshill to Chipperfield
13.50 miles – level 10
The second ‘Mountain Stage’, the longest stage of the Green Belt Relay at over half marathon distance. The stage takes runners through the Chilterns and the South Bucks Way.
Gabe took on the challenge of stage 5, clocking a time of 02:32:00 in 58th place.
The longest stage is over and the day 1 ‘Mountain Stages’ have been climbed! Next up is the busy market towns of Hertfordshire!
Great Kingshill... horrible route, the support was great all around and I would recommend it to anyone who would like a challenge!
Stage 6
Chipperfield to St. Albans
8.50 miles – level 3
The stage with the cricket players, we meet at Chipperfield! Stage 6 is the second shortest Saturday stage at 8.5 miles, although with its challenges, notably a climb out of Kings Langley. Andy commenced stage 6 which starts at 2:08pm, it was getting hot at this point!
We keep our own ‘HAC GBR Historical Results’, to track our previous attempts over the years! Andy broke a men’s HAC record on stage 6, which had been standing since 2022, set by Sam. Andy broke the stage record by a mere 9 seconds, finishing in 01:16:03 in 45th place!
Stage 7
St.Albans to Letty Green
11.60 miles – level 7
Stage 7 is a fairly flat, but long stage over 11.60 miles. The start of the stage is along a very narrow footpath and includes a narrow bridge crossing, it can get congested!
Patrick took to this stage, achieving great personal success! Patrick finished in a time of 01:22:42, returning in 20th place! Patrick achieved an overall HAC record in doing so, whilst also finishing 2nd in the V55 category!
Starts in St. Albans, almost the town centre but immediately onto a narrow path that soon joins the Alban Way. I had ran the route a couple of weeks earlier with Jeremy and Adam which helped enormously, towards the end of the stage it gets quite difficult to navigate through a wooded area. Otherwise an easy route, much of which is on the Alban Way, an old railway line, now a busy cycle and footpath. Interesting route as they have kept the old stations platforms with hanging baskets and signage. I quickly found a group to run with, although the pace was a bit spicy and I started to feel a bit rough half way through. I think the heat was the cause as well as the pace. However hung on the best I could. The finish was a welcome sight, Alice and Zoe were there to collect me and get me back on my feet, took a little while as I was quite wiped out.
Stage 8
Letty Green to Dobbs Weir
10.70 miles – level 4
A 10.70 mile and an almost flat stage along a cycle path and through the town of Hertford, leading onto a towpath for the majority of the stage! Deepak made his Green Belt Relay debut on stage 7, coming home in 01:26:32 in 38th place!
At the finish of stage 8 is our first of two marshal duties, with this being a stage end water station!
Stage 9
Dobbs Weir to High Beach
10.20 miles – level 7
The famous ‘Dobbs’ stage for HAC!
Adam got us underway on stage 9, mostly flat… until the 8 mile mark which sees a sharp climb of 120 metres towards the end of the stage!
Adam finished the stage in 01:16:17, finishing in 23rd place which turned out to be well earnt with Adam clinching the position on the finish line with a stunning kick finish!
Stage 10
High Beach to Toot Hill
9.00 miles – level 6
The penultimate stage of day 1 saw 9 miles of Epping Forest awaiting Spencer who led us through stage 10. The stage is a tough and largely offroad run with a history of slippery conditions and perhaps some fallen trees!
Spencer finished the stage in 01:10:09, finishing in 17th place!
Returning from another period of injury recovery, I was uncertain whether I could even compete in the GBR. On the first day, I was required to run stage 10 from Epping Forest to Toot Hill. The course was predominantly off-road, trail, hilly, and rutted, necessitating caution to avoid ankle rolls. I was pleased to complete the 9-mile segment in 1 hour and 10 minutes, securing 17th place.
Stage 11
Toot Hill to Blackmore
7.50 miles – level 3
The final stage of the day! Zoe took the honour of bringing day 1 to an end in fantastic style too! A hattrick of awards, Zoe achieved the HAC women’s record, a V55 category win and course record, in a time of 01:02:22, finishing in 39th place!
All of the team dashed to Blackmore to cheer Zoe home! We headed back to our cars, passing by the fish & chip van on the green which is always a fantastic smell after a long day of travelling! We were off to Chelmsford, where our accommodation for the night was. A quick freshen up and we enjoyed a well earnt Wagamama’s, which Gabe had been sharing the menus around before stage 1 got underway! We left refuelled and headed for some rest before we got underway again!
HAC finished day 1 in a total time of 16:26:47, sitting in 35th place.
All of the team dashed to Blackmore to cheer Zoe home! We headed back to our cars, passing by the local fish & chip van on the green which is always a fantastic smell after a long day of travelling! We were then off to Chelmsford, where our accommodation for the night was. A quick freshen up and we enjoyed a well earnt Wagamama’s, which Gabe had been sharing the menus around before stage 1 got underway! We left refuelled and headed for some rest before we got underway again!
Check out our day 1 summary on Instagram!
Day 2
Stage 12
Blackmore to Thorndon Park
10.75 miles – level 6
Rise and shine, it’s time for day 2 of the Green Belt Relay! Stage 12 starts at 8am, with an arrival time of 7:15am, so it was an early start! There’s a Co-op by the start line here and most runners grab some breakfast and a hot drink, but it was business for Gabe who starts day 2 off for HAC!
Gabe completed the stage in 01:41:27 in 54th place.
Really nice, good weather and much better compared to the heat on day 1! I felt strong towards the end and a very good route overall!
Stage 13
Thorndon Park to Cranham
6.60 miles – level 2
A mostly flat stage with some tricky navigation! Andy got HAC underway on stage 13. Andy earned the overall HAC record on stage 13, in a time of 00:48:35 and 26th place!
Stage 14
Cranham to Davy Down
9.00 miles – level 4
A mostly flat 9 miler, with around half of the stage being ran on remote footpaths along the Mardyke Way stage with some tricky navigation! Deepak took HAC through stage 14 in a time of 01:17:14 and 37th place!
Stage 15
Stone Lodge to Lullingstone Park
9.40 miles – level 6
A downhill and then mostly flat 9.4 miles from Stone Lodge into Lullingstone Park, Spencer ran stage 15 in a time of 01:10:48 in 28th place!
Fatigued and with sore calves from the previous day’s exertions, I once again doubted my abilities for stage 15 from Dartford to Lullingstone. The course was similar in length, at 9.2 miles, but featured more road sections, including a final sprint finish alongside a stream against a Burgess Hill athlete. I was relieved to finish in a respectable 28th position, completing the segment in another 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Overall, it was an extraordinary weekend of endurance and camaraderie, and I eagerly anticipate repeating the experience next year.
Stage 16
Lullingstone Park to Tatsfield
13.10 miles – level 10
Famous for James’s sprint finish and stage win from 2022, stage 16 is a ‘Mountain Stage’ and the first of two on day 2. Stage 16 features two climbs, each of over 200 metres elevation! Despite this, HAC achieved more success with Zoe completing a double of V55 stage wins, in a time of 02:14:34 in 55th place! Zoe is the first HAC woman to complete this stage!
Stage 17
Tatsfield to Merstham
10.50 miles – level 7
Stage 17 is set mostly on the North Downs Way, with some very steep uphill sections. Adam completed this stage in a time of 01:19:01 in 25th place!
Most of the team popped into a newly opened bakery at the start of this stage for a refuel!
Stage 18
Merstham to Burford Bridge
9.60 miles – level 9
The final ‘Mountain Stage’ of the Green Belt Relay, taking runners to Box Hill. Patrick ran this stage, finishing 2nd in the V55 category in a time of 01:23:24 in 29th place!
The excitement started before the stage, heading there with Andy and Gabe, we took a wrong turning onto the M25 and the sat nav all off a sudden indicated our arrival time after the actual start, oh sugar! They kept really calm about it, casually suggesting I get ready to go as soon as we arrived, without trying to alarm me too much. When we pulled up at the start I jumped out and ran, the stage was starting across the field as I approached, I just latched on to the back of the group, wow! I take my hat off to Andy and Gabe who kept so composed and got me there against the odds. It felt like a right of passage to nearly miss a stage on the Green Belt.
The stage, very tough. It was either steeply up hill or down hill and all very rough terrain. I ended up walking up Box Hill, to my dismay! Some amazing views over the South Downs though. The finish was at the bottom of a steep down hill section with loose stones. I could hear a runner a short distance behind and was determined not to lose the place on the descent. All the coaching kicking in, pick up my heels and lean forward, it went on for what felt like forever but a little victory, I kept my place.
Stage 19
Burford Bridge to West Hanger
8.55 miles – level 7
Alice took us from Burford Bridge to West Hanger over 8.55 miles, almost entirely on the North Downs Way. Alice completed the stage in a time of 01:26:36 and 49th place
I was both more and less prepared for stage 19 than my debut the day before. I’d had more chance to look at the route - it looked daunting, with the first 3 miles more or less all uphill, then twisting & turning another 5 miles through the woods to a nondescript finish. I’d also spent the morning dashing between stages with Zoe, whooping through bushes, and learning to drive her car. We arrived at the start with only a few minutes to go, I bailed out the passenger side while the others went to find somewhere to park and would hopefully cheer me on.Sue & Sally - the time keepers I was getting to know quite well by now - signed me in and we were off. Through the underpass, up into a little village, turn at the ruined chapel and keep going up. And keep going up. I started power walking intervals quite quickly, when a local came literally skipping past. I knew I wasn’t last this time as a few of us were run-walking past each other. At last, the top and a spectacular view across the vineyards to Box Hill and along the valley. From here, we plunged into and out of woods and across chalky meadows, with plenty of DofE walkers for company. We passed marshalling points manned by team mates of my two running buddies, with much joshing and laughter.After a few miles, my watch beeped at me to take a left turn - straight down a steep wooded hill through the underbrush without a path. Not a chance. Ahead, I heard the same conversation between two other runners who came to the same conclusion. Our faith was justified and we stayed on the North Downs Way for another couple of miles. For the second day in a row, I was following glimpses of another female runner up ahead, but this time she was pulling away from me. Everything started to feel very difficult - I had run over 20 miles off road in two days with no taper and it was catching up to me. This time I might actually be in danger of missing the cut off, but I still had 5 minutes. My watch was ticking down the distance, so nearly there but I couldn’t see any sign of the finish. More beeps, turn left - wait what? Where? I’d gone past the last sharp turning, swiftly found, and nothing left for a charge to the line. Ahah, Hillingdon vests, this was definitely the right way, more trees, where was the finish? Sally & Sue were just there in their pink high vis - and DONE!! with minutes to spare, I had made my goal of finishing in one piece before cutoff for both stages.I found out later - the other woman was also also an Alice. In a little bit of data-diving - there were 13 other instances of people with the same first name finishing next to each other over the 22 stages, plus one Alex,Tim,Alex,Tim combo I deemed equally interesting.No time to hang around, we were due at our marshalling spots in 20 minutes and it was 30 mins away! GOGOGO. Fortunately Andy was driving, so all I had to do was hop in & try not to spill my water over myself. The madness continued, I was now wearing my pyjamas (my warm clothes were in the other car) and a borrowed coat, drinking beer in the sun with the rest of the team. A totally bonkers weekend, but totally memorable. I’m so glad I said yes, and will be back in future.
Stage 20
West Hanger to Ripley
6.00 miles – level 1
6 miles on mostly roads and largely downhill! Sam ran this stage, finishing in a time of 00:45:24 in 22nd place, setting a HAC men’s record.
Saturday's stage was a struggle, running in heat like that isn't really my thing. I had planned to go out calmly on stage 20 and build into it, not quite realising how early on the downhills were! I had started around the middle of the field and started to pick off places making use of the downhills, sticking with a Clapham Pioneer and building up a gap once the elevation had levelled out, with the field quite spread out just before halfway, it got quite lonely!
I was mostly alone for the last 3 miles until I was caught by a member of the Stragglers with half a mile to go, eventually reclaiming the position on the final stretch! Was much happier with my performance on this stage and 22nd was a nice surprise, running my longest distances for some time!
Stage 21
Ripley to Walton Bridge
8.40 miles – level 2
The penultimate stage of the Green Belt Relay, Clive ran from Ripley to Walton Bridge in a time of 00:58:15, finishing in 18th place, setting a new HAC overall record!
This stage marked our final marshalling point, at 6.80 miles along stage 21, navigating runners over the bridge and through a hard to spot alleyway. A great spot to cheer runners, on their way through the final 2 miles of the stage!
Day 2 Stage 21 in Surrey from Ripley Green to Walton Bridge couldn't have been more different to the undulations of Day 1, with a dead-flat 8.4 mile route along rivers Wey and Thames. With sore hamstrings at the start and a rushed warm-up I wasn't expecting much, but was very pleasantly surprised to lock into a decent pace and close some big gaps in the second half, boosted by HAC team-mates marshalling in a Weybridge park, picking off several flagging rivals on the Thames Path run-in
Stage 22
Walton Bridge to Bushy Park Sports Centre
8.20 miles – level 1
The final stage! A flat 8.20 miles across towpaths and pavements leading towards Bushy Park Sports Centre. It’s always a rush from all teams to reach the finish in time to cheer their final runner home! Luckily we all make it to watch Jeremy cross the finish line in a time of 01:02:42 in 30th place!
We all gathered round the club flag to celebrate and grabbed some food and drink, chatting about our highlights of the weekend.
Congratulations to everyone for such a fantastic effort throughout the 2 days, it’s never easy but it’s always great fun! Thank you to Captains Andy and John for, as always the fantastic preparation and planning so we can make our way around the 220 mile route successfully! Thank you to everyone for contributing, from drivers to marshals and runners! A big thank you to the Stragglers Running Club for hosting the event, we’ll be back again!
Hillingdon Athletic Club finished the Green Belt Relay in a total time of 1.06:34:47, finishing in 37th place out of 59 teams.
