THH Parkland Relays · 2026
There is one notable omission from the illustrious roll of honour on the Parkland Relays section of the Thame Hare & Hounds website. THH themselves proudly proclaim their dominance of this fantastic event; and rightly so, having won 20 of the 30 editions.
Yet one club name has remained conspicuously absent from the men’s & women’s trophy: Ranelagh Harriers.
Could this year be different?
The format is deceptively brutal: a fast but demanding 2.8-mile relay loop, four legs for the men, three for the women, featuring the infamous drag up Spankers Hill, Queens Ride, the sweeping descent by the ponds and, just when the legs are pleading for mercy, the final grind back to the finish. Add in a blustery evening and the lingering sting of recent defeat to THH at Green Belt, and there was extra motivation in the Richmond Park air.
Ranelagh turned out in force, fielding four men’s teams and three women’s teams, one of our biggest Parkland Relay turnouts in recent memory. While the club depth on show was brilliant, there was also a quiet sense that one men’s team might just have something special brewing: a quartet of young seniors - arguably the fastest runners in the club - all assembled and ready to roll.
And boy, did they deliver!
Leg 1 saw Joe Killip, apparently deciding that running for Ranelagh is more important than gallivanting around the Southern Hemisphere, tasked with going toe-to-toe with the formidable James Hoad of THH. Even aided by some early “intel” from Ted MockEckert, the club’s newly appointed Head of Espionage (a role, we’re reliably informed, all the rage in Germany), we knew this would be tough.
Joe emptied the tank. Going stride for stride with Hoad and a rapid Thames Turbo (the only runner to dip under 14 minutes), he put us firmly in contention despite cramp biting late on.
Next up was the seemingly cryogenically preserved Peter Cook, forever youthful and unshakably dependable, who delivered another superb leg. But THH were not blinking. Their second runner - built, frankly, like brick 💩house – maintained the lead to what looked, at the time, a daunting and perhaps unassailable gap.
Enter Peter Robbins.
Still carrying unfinished business from a punishing Green Belt stage, Peter attacked his leg with intent, determination, and perhaps a touch of vengeance. As the nervous crowd gathered near the ponds, eyes scanning desperately for the first vest to emerge, hopes were cautiously tempered.
Then, suddenly… Blue and Amber. Peter had reeled them in, and then some!
A remarkable turnaround saw him surge through to hand over to Callum Olden on the anchor leg with Ranelagh now in front. From there, Callum simply removed all doubt. Running one of the fastest times of the evening, he left absolutely nothing to chance, stretching the lead and sealing a stunning and historic first-ever men’s Parkland Relay victory for Ranelagh, by over two and a half minutes.
A phenomenal performance from an outrageously talented quartet. But this was far from a one-team story.
Our men’s vets once again showed the extraordinary strength in depth that has become a hallmark of the club. The Vet A team of Dave Lawley, Phil Collins, Graham Weller and Ted Mockett superbly defended their title to retain the V40 crown for a second consecutive year - a brilliant achievement.
The Vet B team (Mark Herbert, Sam Davies, Rick Jenner and Ed Forbes) and Vet C team (Hadi K, Neil Rae, Mike Thomas and Vaughan Ramsey) also turned in strong performances, once again proving that Ranelagh’s veterans rarely disappoint.
Although women’s race itself was a brilliant contest (with THH taking top honours, while Hercules Wimbledon and Stragglers battled hard for the remaining podium spots), Women’s Captain Aoife Kilpatrick - wisely preserving the legs for the weekend’s SDW Relay - declared beforehand that the evening was all about enjoyment, team spirit and giving the race a good crack.
Mission duly accomplished! The real victory was the fantastic turnout and atmosphere, as Ranelagh fielded three women’s teams, one of our biggest representations in recent years.
Huge congratulations to:
Team A: Sarah Cogswell, Natalie Sacre (temporarily disguised as THH at the start) & Edel McKeever
Team B: Carol Aikin, Sarah Carnwath & Rebecca Bissell
Team C: Leo Penry, Maia Rushby (great finish!) & Ruth Gledhill
It was simply brilliant to see so many Ranelagh runners taking part, cheering one another on, racing hard and making a proper club evening of it.
While many of the women sensibly headed to the Lass O’Richmond Hill for post-race refuelling, the men had a rather different mission… crossing enemy lines into THH headquarters to collect trophies, claim some alcoholic spoils, and to enjoy an excellent curry.
After Green Belt, that felt very good indeed.
Race report by: Vice-Captain David Lawley
💙 Results: 31stParklandRelays.3June2026.pdf
