Sunset Sprint 3K · 2026
Friday 3rd July, saw the inaugural Ranelagh Sunset Sprint 3K take place, bringing 239 runners to Ham Avenues for Ranelagh’s brand-new evening of fast racing, festival vibes and club spirit.
The idea was simple: a short, sharp 3K race, run in seeded waves through the evening and building towards a sunset finale. An idea that has been shaped, trialled and refined over the last 18 months.
The day dawned with the organising team feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, as it all came together for the first time. It was a format that gave us something of an instant classic - 8 exceptional and inclusive races, a celebratory festival feel for all, and the atmosphere of a summer club celebration.
The seeded waves gave the evening its shape, building from first to last as runners finished, stayed, cheered on their club mates, toasted each other with beer, prosecco and pizza, and excitement built to the final waves of the evening.
No-one has really run a 3k on the road before and that made the Sunset Sprint feel genuinely open and inclusive: short enough to be accessible, sharp enough to be competitive, and exciting enough for everyone to feel part of it.
From 13-year-olds to 76-year-olds, club runners to first-timers, this was a race where everyone could compete, and then also see their friends and family give it a go too.
For one youngest runner in the field, that sense of occasion was there from the very first wave. Thirteen-year-old Cordelia Perry, running her first ever external club event, had this to say:
The Sunset Sprint was an incredibly successful event for all participants, volunteers and supporters. As my first proper external club event, it was an absolutely fantastic experience and a great way for me to start my journey into racing.
As you start the race, you go down the long straight of Ham Avenues, with volunteers, supporters and people running in later waves cheering you on. The marshals around the course were incredibly helpful and supportive, pointing me in the correct direction while also spurring me on and giving me the boost that I needed to get around the course.
My favourite part of the entire race was the last 400m, where the ‘sprint’ in the name really comes into its own. As you race back towards the finish line, with the crowd cheering, it is such a surreal feeling.
In my wave, I finished 3rd lady, meaning that I got to sit on the Speed Bench. I got a gold crown and a lanyard showing that I was 3rd, and wore them until the 3rd wave, where somebody beat my time and swapped with me. This was super exciting because I could watch the clock tick by, hoping that I could stay on for another wave.
Once I had left the Speed Bench, I went to the stall for the race’s charity partner, The Mulberry Centre, and helped them get donations from runners and supporters. Everyone was super friendly and generous and up for a good chat. After that, I watched all the other races run past, slowly getting faster, did a bunch of cheering, and got delicious pizza from one of the food vans.
Cordelia’s experience sums up so much of what we’d dreamt Sunset Sprint would become: racing, cheering, getting involved and staying to be part of it. As the waves kept coming, finishers turned into supporters, the speed bench changed hands, and Ham Avenues began to feel more and more alive.
A 3K leaves little room to hide, and from the very start there were sprint finishes, close battles and plenty of runners discovering just how long the final few hundred metres can feel.
Across the evening, Ranelagh’s women gave us plenty to cheer, with Aoife Kilpatrick leading the club home in 11:21, followed by strong runs from Fiona Smith, Cordelia Parker, Edel McKeever, Cordelia Perry and many more across the waves.
There was strength throughout the men’s field too. Race Director Ed Perry somehow found time to run 10:18, while Jonathan Moore and Michael Morris both ran strongly in the V55s, and Robert Wise, Mick Lane and John Ricketts were all well placed in the V65 category.
In the last wave, Ranelagh were right at the sharp end. Peter Cook won the race in 8:53, with Callum Olden third in 8:54. Peter Robins finished tenth in 9:01, Joe Killip was 12th in 9:19, and Phil Collins ran 9:38 to finish first V45.
Here’s Peter Cook’s description from the sharp end:
Ham Avenues were already alive by the time I passed through the gatehouse on a sunny Friday night. I was given a warm greeting by the marshals, as is standard at any Ranelagh Harriers event, although this one had a different flavour to it: shorter, sharper, and with the additional anticipation of a new race and rarely run distance.
Music and commentary were next to greet me, with a great DJ’s tunes adding to the atmosphere and buzz of the evening.
The eight-wave format meant that I had the relatively rare opportunity to spend the evening supporting my clubmates, rather than racing alongside them. As the evening drew on, I loved watching the blue and amber faithful try their hand at the 3K course. Particularly impressive were many of my clubmates undertaking a ‘side quest’ away from ultra-distance racing to attempt something many multiples shorter than usual.
I ran in the last wave of the evening, as the sun began to go down over Richmond. The race itself was a competitive affair, with local rival clubs, chiefly Woking, bringing a platoon of fluorescent orange singlets to take on the course and add to their Surrey Road League points tally.
Within four and a half minutes, the pack had already reached the halfway mark and were battling back towards the finish area. Racing over 3K was a different experience of road racing, requiring a fast start and then hanging on to a quick pace before emptying the tank as soon as the finish was in sight.
When we kicked around the last corner into the final straight, the noise from the crowd lining the avenue was electric, and gave me an extra gear to stretch for the line and break the tape.
At the pub afterwards, chatting to both friendly Ranelagh and rival Surrey League competitors, the verdict was unanimous: the 3K distance is worthy of respect, Sunset Sprint was a roaring success, and they’ll be back next year.
That’s something that we started hearing immediately from people after the event; and the feedback continues to be phenomenal. People have talked about the racing, the course, the welcome, the organisation and the volunteers.
But more than anything, they have talked about how the evening felt, and how they’ll be back with friends next year.
And, of course, there were the behind-the-scenes moments that will become part of the first Sunset Sprint folklore: managing Polo Club traffic, escorting horse trailers along the one-way road against a tide of irate Uber drivers, and the odd parking mishap.
Special kudos to the amazing Jeremy Day, who, very much living up to his name, saved the day by calmly and expertly reversing a food trailer into position when it mattered most. As always, humour, patience and that familiar Ranelagh instinct to work things out got us through it all.
A huge thank you to everyone who made the evening possible. To the volunteers who gave their time, energy and encouragement so generously. To everyone, especially the runners who trusted us with a new event. To the supporters who stayed, cheered and helped build the buzz. And to our partners, sponsors and The Mulberry Centre for being part of the first ever Sunset Sprint!
It was the perfect end to a brilliant event season, and judging by the smiles, the messages afterwards and the number of people already talking about next year, it feels like the first of many more to come.
Race report by Ed Perry & Narissa Vox
Our gratitude to our volunteers:
Anne Childs, Andy Bickerstaff, Aurélie Zahm, Ben Hurley, Cecily Day, Chris Owens, Clare Day, Clare Fowler, David Lawley, Edel McKeever, Edward Forbes, Ellie Lawley, Emma de Heveningham, Felix von Schubert, Gavin Hillhouse, Graham Weller, Greg Smith, Hadi Khatamizadeh, Helen Davies, James Riley, James Stokes, Jarryd Hillhouse, Jeremy Day, Joe Killip, John Ricketts, Karen Feeney, Lizzie Broughton, Lukas Appenzeller, Maia Rushby, Malcolm Davies, Marion Rayner, Mark Lucas, Pete Vox, Phil Aiken, Phil Roberts, Robbie Hillhouse, Sally Bamford, Sally Minchella, Sam Minchella, Sarah Palmer, Stephen Hird, Tracy Barlow and Wiebke Kortum.
And also to our sponsors:
Shout out to our vendors:
And our deepest appreciation for the support of:
💙 Full results: www.results.racetimingsolutions.co.uk/sunsetsprint >
💛 Ranelagh results: Ranelagh Sunset Sprint 3K 2026 Club Results (PDF) >
Photos by: Emma de Heveningham @emmadeh | https://photos.app.goo.gl/qDdTGXxMRU3HJGUx5
Photos by: Stephen Hird | https://photos.app.goo.gl/BkNgcjgsbpuTB1WFA
