Round Norfolk Relay 2025

The Round Norfolk Relay is an annual event – a 17 stage relay that follows the borders of Norfolk. Starting at Kings Lynn early on Saturday morning, the course follows the coast to Great Yarmouth, before heading inland towards Thetford, with runners continuing all through the night before returning to Kings Lynn as the sun comes up on Sunday morning. A total of 199 miles split into 17 sections ranging from 5.49 to 18.88 miles, with section being completed by a different runner.

To add to the complexity, this is not just a running relay, it is an exercise in organisation and logistics. During the day, each runner must be accompanied by another team member a bike, then during the night they must be followed by a car for safety reasons. As well as passing over a baton, the team are also responsible for their own timekeeping, recording the finish times of each stage on the official form.

This was our third year entering this event, which means we had a rough idea of what to expect, but with several new members taking part for the first time, there was still plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. Each member that took part has written a brief summary of their particular section, so enjoy...

Stage 1: Ian Moser

Distance: 16.32 miles | Finish time: 1:48:42

I had the privilege of starting our Round Norfolk Relay challenge for 2025 with Ben Allee accompanying me on the bike. There were 5 teams starting at 8:00am, two of whom had predicted times quicker than me, so my aim was to try to stay in sight of these teams early on. Very quickly I managed to slot in behind the lead runner and followed him through the first section which is through the roads out of Kings Lynn. About 4 miles in I went through a narrow gateway alongside their cyclist. Whilst looking across I managed to clip my ear on a tree branch. Several seconds later I could feel the blood dripping down my neck - not really what had planned. Ben was a superstar extracting a bandage from his bike kit and I managed to tape my head up without stopping or breaking stride (disaster averted!). After 7 miles we reached the point where the cyclist left us. Said a quick goodbye to Ben and at that point the runner I'd been following stopped for a drink so I found myself on my own. The next section runs through Sandringham estate and I decided to put the hammer down a bit to try to get away. After that there is a wonderful remote wild stretch alongside the Wash which winds in and out of the sand dunes through an RSPB reserve. Managed to maintain a good pace and kept pushing on. Eventually this joins onto solid ground again at Hunstanton Promenade and the route runs along the promenade. It's then short zigzag up the cliff and a final stretch on some grass where the course overlaps Hunstanton Parkrun. Got a big cheer from the runners at the finish funnel and then pushed on to to the changeover point to hand the baton to Steve and to meet up with Mandy who was waiting for me. Overall a really great enjoyable run across a multitude of terrain types. Managed to run this 14 minutes quicker than last time (albeit in much easier conditions!) and finished first of the 8am starters, so really pleased. Need to be quick at the changeover point to get out to be ready to cycle a section of Stage 2 so no dawdling!

Stage 2: Steve Brooks

Distance: 13.75 miles  |  Finish time: 1:53:50

Arrived at Hunstanton Lighthouse just before 9:00am (I was due to start at 10:00am) and thoughts of “Do I have time to fit a walked parkrun in?” soon dissipated when Ian came over the top of the hill leaving me no option but to grab the baton and leg-it. A short downhill was my warm-up and then onto the loose dune-sand through a myriad of interweaving paths; mostly just loose energy-sapping sand. Eventually reached a section of Boardwalk that had been closed last time I ran this section in 2022, but I could also see the sea and watch the incoming tide getting higher. Luckily Ian had run his stage 10mins faster than predicted, so I avoided the wading at high tide but I was pushing at a pace about a minute faster per km than I’d planned in the hope of keeping my feet dry. Turning inland I picked up Ian on his bike who was my safety escort. I carried on pushing as hard as I dared to get to Brancaster as soon as possible. When we turned down towards the Beach, the road was closed to traffic due to flooding (much to Ian’s amusement!) and I initially missed a turn - a quick U-turn got back on track and to my relief got through just as the path was starting to flood - feet still dry. At this point I managed to squeeze most of my drink down my leg as I tried to pull my bottle from my belt, so grabbed a gel as I was running on empty but about 10mins ahead of schedule. The run from Brancaster to Burnham was along the sea-defence bank and up across a field back to the road just outside village. I was destroyed but got cheered on by a cyclist waiting for his runner, then deflated when a lady said “Just a couple of miles to go now”, I called back “My watch says 700m?!”, “Oo, no, it’s a bit further than that!” she replied. Turns out I was right! Met Ian again for the last section of road and handed-over to Sarah 5mins earlier than predicted. Mission Accomplished!

Stage 3: Sarah Oxley

Distance: 5.76 miles  |  Finish time: 0:55:01

Stage 3 is a beautiful, scenic route. It starts at the small fishing harbour and follows the Norfolk Coast path for just over a mile. The path then turns to a sandy track, crossing the sand dunes down onto the beach. Running on sand is not my favourite surface and it did zap the energy from my legs, after a mile on the beach the route goes back over the sand dunes and into a wood. Following the paths through the wood was lovely, the surface much easier and it was flat. Coming into the finish it was great to be cheered on by Eileen, Ali and Ben and I was very happy to hand the baton over to Simon. I loved being part of the RNR team. My other duty came later following Jake in the car for his stage, this was something I'd never done before and really enjoyed being on the support side. A great weekend.

Stage 4: Simon Bickers

Distance: 11.14 miles  |  Finish time: 1:31:07

Running more than 10 miles for the first time in years, the first few ‘k’ was surprisingly quicker than I had planned. Nevertheless, I was confident that once I hit 12k everything would go wrong. You run most of the race on your own so it was a pleasant surprise when after about 4k a nice young lady caught up and accompanied me for the next 3k before disappearing into the distance - I guess she felt she had discharged her ‘Care in the Community’ obligations by then. Enjoying a nice stroll (yeah right) along the coast punctuated with a fall and dropped baton in the marsh, I checked progress as I approached 10k and found I was about to complete 12k - where did those 2k go? So time (first time ever) to take in Gel - well never again - the sheer effort to rip the packet open exhausted me. Delighted to say I was right - at 12k it all started to go wrong. I had memorised the route and all was going swimmingly until Blakeney where I realised didn’t know where to go - no markers in case you were wondering. Fortunately, I made the right choice and headed to the bottom of the hill - I am certain the biggest in Norfolk. Needing medical intervention I was cheered up the hill before starting the final 3k. This was the highlight - 2 groups of tourists lined the streets of Clay cheering me on. Then the longest 800m (and I have done a few) before a sprint across the shingle and handed over to Lee. This was the furthest I have run in many years.

Stage 5: Lee Taylor

Distance: 10.81 miles  |  Finish time: 1:20:38

I had the privilege of running stage 5, after my first experience with it in 2023, and felt the nerves as are usually present before a race. I was unusually prepared so when Simon came charging along the shingle I was ready to intercept the baton. Simons relief in finishing gave way to my nerves at starting. The first three and a half miles of this leg is on shingle which I managed to navigate successfully by finding a more solid line close to the sea. The miles started to click by comfortably, albeit in the rain, as I passed the first runner. I think she was having a hard time on the shingle at the top of the bank and soon joined lower down. Once off the shingle the route starts to undulate, continuing on the Norfolk coastal path and reminding you that the journey ahead is likely to hurt. After the compulsory high fives, the route takes you through Sheringham, allowing a Daventry Road Runner to finally stretch out on some tarmac. The Beeston bump is up next which has a slight sting in its tail, to continue past a couple of caravan parks, a small road section and finally, the finish. The nice aspect of the run is being involved with a group of like minded people, sharing a common goal. I meet team members at the start of the leg, including Eileen, Mandy and Ian, all working to 'oil the machine' and keep it all running. The finish also had support, including Eileen, Trevor and Ed.

Stage 6: Mandy Moser

Distance: 7.90 miles  |  Finish time: 1:08:05

I’d previously done the scenic - and much shorter - stage 3, so was a little nervous about keeping up the pace for a longer, and lumpier stage. Starting in Cromer with a handover from Lee who I handed over to last time, it’s a twisty downhill to the front passing the pier and icecream shops until you head back up another twisty ramp and keep on going up towards the lighthouse and a pleasant trail section. I’d been warned it was a big uphill, but as those warning were mostly Norfolk folk, the hill didn’t cause any issues (though I did walk some of it) and would barely qualify as one of Phil’s hill repeat sections. Once past the lighthouse it was downhill to the golf-course where I was met by my cycling companion Simon. From here it was a very undulating road section and I was relieved to have a cyclist to protect me from the passing cars. A bit of rain and some thunder had me nervous about a storm, but it actually stayed mostly dry and warm. I tried to keep a steady pace going. I’d not run with a cyclist before and it definitely helped to keep you going. I did walk a couple of the hills though, which Simon was very patient about. Last mile I really pushed on and the downhill into Mundsley was a huge relief. As was the sight of Trevor at the handover point. The coronation hall at Mundsley had home made cakes and refreshments, so a pretty good place to handover.

Stage 7: Trevor Dockeray

Distance: 9.24 miles  |  Finish time: 1:17:02

For the third time of calling, I jumped at the opportunity to join the DRR Round Norfolk Relay team. After 2 previous efforts, this time was a no brainer – the team event is like no other and the WhatsApp group chat is as exciting as the run itself! Noting the first runner was off at 8am in Kings Lynn I chose to start the day with a warm up jog around Daventry Parkrun, followed by a drive to Mundesley (through thunder & lightning with heavy hail) ready to handover. Mandy came in over the hill shouting out how pleased she was to handover the baton and not ashamed to say how much she was hurting. So off I went with Simon cycling as my escort behind me. My leg was simple - so Scott said - two left turns! Navigating a road closure and traffic control didn’t distract me. The start included some inclines away from the coast and was familiar, nothing more complicated than a Northamptonshire country lane run to be fair. With occasional words of encouragement/abuse from Simon I found it comfortable daylight section. Risks included the several Fish and Chip shops (it was teatime) and an Ice Cream van at one beach. Before I knew it we were nearing the end with Ali in sight just as another runner approached from behind to charge into the handover checkpoint and another RNR completed. The RNR organising team are great and volunteers are some of the best. Always worth showing them your thanks and supporting them in their tasks as best you can to keep the event running. Locals? Whilst not every corner is busting with supporters like you’d find in a Half or Full Marathon the support along the way can be seen from team supported and locals aware of the event. Finally, must not forget both Mrs B and Mrs D who stalked us by car along the way providing helpful feedback on our pace to others and driving us away at the end!

Stage 8: Ali Allee

Distance: 7.52 miles  |  Finish time: 1:06:29

This was my second time being at the Round Norfolk Relay. Last time I was just a spectator but was impressed with the scale of the event. So, it didn’t take much persuasion to rope me in - I had a stage to run. I was apprehensive about being trusted to follow a map but felt reassured, firstly that Ben was following me in the car and secondly that my route was pretty much a straight line! I thoroughly enjoyed the section that I ran, fortunately it was all in daylight and we didn’t see many others runners during it. Once my stage was over, we had to drive to Ben’s stage (10). Then my turn to escort him along a really long stage. I personally don’t enjoy driving at night and found this quite a challenge, especially as it was quite busy and Ben kept overtaking runners making it even more challenging. But great fun in all respects.

Stage 9: Ben Rolfe

Distance: 16.60 miles  |  Finish time: 1:49:37

As we moved from dusk into dark, Stage 9 marked halfway for RNR 2025, taking in country lanes, Caister and Great Yarmouth. Ten kilometres on a single country lane could easily drive anyone to madness, but an early support boost from Ali and Ben out the car window definitely kept me sane. Caister brought the first of many roundabout navigations before heading further south to Great Yarmouth. After an underpass fly-through and a town hall loop, I pushed into the last 4 miles with overtakes in sight. The #51 pit crew kept me fuelled with support and fluids, even nailing a 9mph bottle catch through the car window — not exactly how we pictured using our dodgeball skills, but effective nonetheless! Blinded by the changeover area lights I handed over to Ben (the faster one!) after 16.6 miles at 6:40ish/mile pace with 7 overtakes in the bag. Thank you to Naomi as well for ultimately agreeing to stare at my backside for 2 hours, making sure she — or no one else — ran me over!

Stage 10: Ben Allee

Distance: 16.50 miles  |  Finish time: 1:49:48

This is a great event and I love being able to participate. This year I was involved with the timekeeping, cycle support Running and Car escorting. I was cycle support for stage one and really enjoyed this part, hearing all of the support as we went along was uplifting. The leg I did (10) was in the dark which I was a little nervous about as I thought I would be running it on my own ( not including Ali in the car behind me as you have to some one with you with a flashing light on ) . As I started, my worries soon vanished as there was a lot of runners on my section . It was amazing to see all the lights from the other teams in front of me. It was a good run, however I did feel like it was a constant up hill (Strava says otherwise).

Stage 11: Jake Oxley

Distance: 14.90 miles  |  Finish time: 1:45:14

Stage 11 was a nighttime route along the A143, and it felt really special to be the one running as Saturday turned into Sunday. It was a strange sensation running down a dark road with my mum following right behind me in the car. I even came up with a signal for her to pull alongside so I could grab a gel I’d stashed under the car’s wiper arm—not the sort of thing you do in most races! What kept me going were the orange flashing lights of other runners’ support cars appearing in the distance, giving me something to focus on and chase down. Instead of thinking of the route as 24km, I broke it down in my head as “four and a bit parkruns.” The best feeling came afterwards, sitting in the car full of adrenaline and on a high, knowing I’d given it everything, and proudly updating the WhatsApp group with my time. It was a fantastic experience being part of the team, and I’d love to do it again. A big thank you to the club for giving me the chance to take part.

Stage 12: Daniel Clarke

Distance: 18.88 miles  |  Finish time: 1:51:08

The nerves before a big event are often the toughest part – once you’re running, it’s almost a relief. What worried me most here wasn’t my own performance, but the thought of letting the team down. Still, all you can do is give your best on the day. Our team was comfortably ahead of schedule, so we set off early from our Airbnb in Swaffham and drove my stage in reverse. I’d run it twice before, but this year the end changeover point had been moved, shortening the route by around a kilometre to 18.88 miles and thankfully removing the uphill drag at the end, in Thetford. At Scole I had just enough time to get ready before Jake arrived earlier than I had anticipated – no time for stretches, just grab the baton and go. My goal was simple: run under two hours, ideally around my marathon PB pace of 6:17/mile. The opening miles felt smooth, sitting just ahead of my target pace. By mile 4 I’d passed a couple of runners, but then was shocked to be overtaken myself. A surprising 5:59 in mile 5 followed, and from there, I kept things steady, occasionally dipping under the 6:00 again, while tracking the support van and runner that passed me, who were only metres ahead of me. At halfway I was moving well, focusing less on pace and more on staying relaxed. A brief uphill at mile 14 slowed me, but I pushed on, finally re-passing the runner from earlier and trying to build a sensible gap. Miles 15–17 rolled into Thetford with cautious effort, especially through the downhill silted section. Spotting familiar landmarks, I kicked for home, weaving through the Tesco car park to hand over to Stuart. My final mile was my fastest at 5:56, finishing in 1:51:08. With the course slightly shorter than expected, part of me was relieved, though I felt I had more left for a final push. In the end, I averaged 6:08/mile, never slower than 6:18, and clocked four sub-6 min/miles. I placed 6th out of 58 runners for the stage – overtaken once, but making 11 passes of my own, including the one I most wanted. A solid result, and another memorable leg of the Round Norfolk Relay.

Stage 13: Stuart Clarke

Distance: 15.00 miles  |  Finish time: 1:48:53

This was my third time running Stage 13 having done it in 2022 and 2023, however this year the route had been extended from 13.5 miles to 15 miles. The start checkpoint had been moved back to a new location, meaning the added distance would previously have been the end of stage 12 and unfortunately for me it was an incline. Dan arrived ahead of schedule, which took me a bit by surprise, and at 2:20am I set off into the night. Knowing about the uphill start I kept the pace fairly steady until I exited Thetford and reached the part of the course I was more familiar with. I could see another flashing beacon about 400m in front which gave me motivation, but they must have been doing a similar pace as it never seemed to get any closer. I made my way along the country lanes and through the trees, almost in silence apart from the sound of the following support car. Im sure it’s a lovely scenic view when it’s daylight. As I approached mile 7, I’d caught up to the runner in front who had in turn caught another two runners, so it had suddenly become quite congested. I picked up the pace and overtook all 3 runners within about half a mile, exchanging well dones as we passed. Once out in front I tried to relax again and settle back into my rhythm. I didn’t see anyone else for the second half of the run, right up until the final mile. I didn’t think I’d have enough time to catch them, but I gave it all I had (which turned out to be my fastest mile of the run) and got past him with about 400m to go, before handing the baton over to Rachel. Incredibly I was less than 10 seconds off my half marathon PB, not too bad for 2am and with an extra 1.5 miles at the start.

Stage 14: Rachel Markus

Distance: 7.27 miles  |  Finish time: 0:59:57

Saturday 8am checking WhatsApp - so impressed - as everyone completed their legs and watching my estimated start time get earlier. Bed around 10pm, but with one ear on my phone, sleep was rather unsuccessful! Originally I was due to start at 4.52am, expecting to start in the dark and finish as the sun was rising. Unfortunately for my sleep, the 13 team members before me smashed their sections, meaning my start time was now 45 minutes earlier, the whole run was in pitch black! 2.30am, alarm and an hour later I met with Dan and Becky - my escorts for the leg. They were amazing, reassuring me, talking me through how the changeover works, and answering any questions I had. A 15 minute warning that Stuart had around 2 miles to go, so I made my way to the change over point where I found other teams milling around, who had what seemed like an Olympic support squad backing them. Stuart came flying in at 4:05 and my leg started. It’s a very strange feeling running in the dark while being followed by a car, in an unknown place. I headed off towards the village of Feltwell, through the village, before getting onto country lanes towards Wissington. It took a couple of kilometres to settle into a pace slightly quicker than I would normally run, wanting to do the team proud. I had a couple of quick teams overtake (one runner I was sure evaporated she disappeared so fast!), at least I was heading in the right direction! The route was fairly flat, very dark (thank goodness for car headlights) and I imagine very pretty in daylight! Seeing the lights of the changeover point was a very welcome sight. Having the earlier team members nail their stages meant I pushed myself hard, coming into the checkpoint just over 3 minutes earlier than expected, where I handed over the baton to Scott. The event was brilliant, I had so much fun and everyone in our team and the wider DRR club was so supportive. If the opportunity comes again, I would love to do it!

Stage 15: Scott Kingsbury

Distance: 10.59 miles  |  Finish time: 1:14:20

This year’s Round Norfolk Relay was another brilliant experience. I’ve run Stage 7 in the past, along the sea and in the afternoon, so this year’s Stage 15 was a very different challenge, but just as memorable. Because of all the amazing work from the earlier runners, we were ahead of time. That meant my focus on Saturday was mostly on how early I needed to get to bed before my 2:30am alarm! A strong coffee and quiet drive down set me up nicely for my 5am start. I arrived with about 20 minutes to spare and met Stuart, who was driving the support vehicle behind me. After a quick warm-up, the baton was passed over, and I was off. The opening stretch was flat, and with the roads still quiet, I settled into a steady rhythm. Running through the first village, I experienced our first overtake of the stage. From there it was onto the A10 for about 4 miles, quiet country roads as the sun rose, for me you can’t beat it! Half an energy gel gave me the boost I needed for the final few miles. A left turn into the last village brought another overtake, this time by a faster runner, but that was exactly the kick I needed. The downhill finish spurred me on, and I pushed hard to try stay with him, all the way to the handover. Shouts of encouragement from the DRR crew greeted me at the finish! Every time I take part in the Round Norfolk Relay, I come away loving it even more. Roll on next year!

Stage 16: Sam Prentice

Distance: 5.49 miles  |  Finish time: 0:46:43

When Becky messaged to ask if I was interested in taking part if the Round Norfolk Relay, I thought she meant help out (of which I thought might be quite good to do). Then when we discussed running, my initial thoughts were I'm not good enough for that. Then after a few days I started to think I needed to do something to challenge myself and out my comfort zone... so why not! After several messages the challenge was something I looked forward to. The support from others made me feel like part of the team. When Daniel did the predicted team times and he had me down for 48 minutes for my stage I started to feel a bit if pressure. This pressure made me more determined to give it my all. On the day it was fantastic getting all the team updates and how amazing it was how everyone was doing better than expected. After a silly early start to get to Norfolk I was actually looking forward to the run. The support from Daniel on the bike and Stuart and Becky in the car for the first part was really good (thank you everyone). The buzz from completing such a challenge is still there and the new found appreciation for all the hard work that's needed to get a team together and and all that's involved behind the scenes, makes me look forward to helping in what ever way I can next year. Go on push yourself!

Stage 17: Dominic Tranter

Distance: 11.73 miles  |  Finish time: 1:34:30

I felt a bit detached as I followed the little tracker dots, social media and chat posts, watching my estimated start time creep forwards all Saturday, trying not to worry about my leg. More or less 50% road and 50% trail - 100% pressure, all those great runs and all the effort required to get the baton here I was worried about letting the team down. Small sock drama meant I wasn't quite ready and in place when Sam strode into site 15 seconds lost. Thanks to Dan I didn't miss the first turn thus avoided Lincolnshire. First runner passed me I tried not to be drawn into his pace I knew I'd never hang onto it and was mostly consistent for 8 miles. Vaulted a gate like an Olympic gymnast (no really), back on tarmac and could get going a little quicker now. Got encouragement from those who overtook me and their cyclists not to mention the 30+ members of a running club going the other way on their SLR and applauding. Sure stage 17 is the glory leg - track finish, cheering crowd, two name checks on the P A system, but the thing about the RNR is it's not just one foot in front of the other and it's not just all the other runners. It's the riders, drivers, timekeepers and supporters, all their Herculean efforts that make it a possibility for you to finish. That is what the baton you carry represents as you finally cross the line.

A massive well done and thank you to everyone to ran, supported, organised and helped make this event possible. Another successful representation for DRR and one that we're already looking forward to again next year!