Trail Talk: Pace groups, a new daytime session, and your first ultra

Aug 16

3 min read

Trail Talk | August 2026

It's new week! May we easy you in gently with some light reading about your favourite past-time :)

Another week of trails behind us, and a decent amount to look forward to as we head towards autumn. Whether you're making it out this week or you're still catching your breath from the last one, there's plenty below worth reading before you lace up again...

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📣 What's On

Open Trail Night is back: first week of September. An easy intro to running trails after dark, all welcome including anyone who's never run off-road before. Details to follow next week as well as a link to register for non-members.

A new daytime session is coming. We're trialling a Monday or Tuesday daytime run, and we'll gauge interest over the next few months before deciding whether it sticks around. If a daytime slot works better for you, this is the one to turn up for.

Pace groups are coming to more runs, including Tuesday 5k nights. If you've ever hung back from a session worrying about being "too slow," this one's for you. Set pace groups mean everyone's running with people at a similar pace, no pressure, no getting left behind.

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Did You Know? England Athletics Affiliation

Did you know ITR is affiliated with England Athletics? We sit under the umbrella of Trail Runners Adventure Running Club, and that means all of you can access the benefits too, if you want them.

Here's how it works: When you register with Trail Runners Adventure Running Club through England Athletics, your club membership gets linked to England Athletics and you become an officially registered club runner. That's what lets you compete in licensed events and be counted within the club's England Athletics registration.

A personal England Athletics affiliation is a separate thing, and it costs £23 a year. It's an individual membership on top of the club registration, and it brings its own set of benefits straight from England Athletics: discounted entry fees at many licensed races, access to national rankings, eligibility for certain championships and competitions, and a proper personal insurance policy that covers your running.

So the short version: club registration links you into the system through us. Personal affiliation is what actually unlocks the full set of individual runner benefits, on top of that.

If you think it's for you, there's more detail and the registration process here: England Athletics: Athlete Registration

👀 Something's Coming: Your First Ultra

We've been working on something for anyone who's ever looked at an ultramarathon and thought "maybe... one day."

We're putting together a first-ultra education programme. Six weeks, taking you from "why would anyone do this" through training structure, kit, packing your run pack, nutrition and aid stations, right up to a full race day simulation with the club, aid stations and all.

We're still pinning down the venue and dates, so more details soon. If it's on your radar, keep an eye on this space.

👋 Before You Go

That's everything for this week. As always, if there's something you want to see more of, or a session that isn't quite working for you, just shout, this club runs on what you tell us.

See you out on the trails, Emma & the ITR team

You're receiving this because you're part of the ITR community. Questions? Reply to this email or find us on Instagram. Ipswich Trail Runners

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