Christmas may be fast approaching but that doesn't mean running clubs are settling in for a festive hibernation.
Stevenage Striders have been enjoying themselves following a feel-good moment for the club.
Following the success of the Stevenage 10k in September, Striders were very proud to hand over a combined £2,250 to three charities.
The East & North Hertfordshire Hospitals' Charity received £1,500 to be split between the Lister Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre and Neonatal Unit Parent’s Bedroom fund while the Stevenage Community Trust also received £750.
Striders' chairman Marc Hagland said: "We couldn’t be happier to be giving some of the proceeds of the Menzies Stevenage 10k back to our community.
"Our chosen charities this year do such great work for the people of Stevenage and north Hertfordshire and we hope that our donations will help support their important projects."
This week's action saw Alan Hough bagging two PBs in a day and three in total.
He raced the Chase the Moon event at both 5k and 10k, setting new times of 18 minutes 47 seconds and 37:51 respectively.
He was then one of five Striders at the Milton Keynes Half Marathon where he finished in 1:25:15.
Hagland (2:16:00), Chrissie Thomas (2:17:34), Alun Watkins (2:27:54) and Russell Edwards (2:50:25) were the others.
The biggest event of the week though saw 44 turn out for the Festive 5 in Welwyn Garden City.
Christmas costumes were almost a must but among those enjoying a good day out in the field of 168 was Abdullah Athar, whose second-placed finish came courtesy of a club five-mile record of 29:40, breaking the previous best set in 2014.
Along with Matthew Robinson (30:54) and Helder Soares (31:22), he was also part of the team that finished second.
Robinson set a PB with his run while Soares was first MV55.
Jessica Ives-Keeler also set a PB of 36:29 with that run and those of Lucy Crocker (39:28) and Kate Towsey (39:42) putting Striders' women into third in the team event.
Fairlands Valley Spartans were also feeling festive in Welwyn as they raced for a chocolate Santa prize.
Nick Kleanthous was 96th in 45:22, Jim Brown 126th in 49:44 and Penny Schenkel one place and nine seconds further back.
Brown was second in his age group.
Michael O'Keefe was another from the club in the Christmas spirit as he took on the Twas the Run before Christmas ultra at Bury St Edmunds.
He completed nine laps for 29 miles in 5:54:14.
There was a PB for Matthew Newton at the Malaga Marathon in Spain as he finished in 3:13:11.
Fairlands Valley Park hosts the next round of the Sunday Cross-country league on Sunday, beginning near the showground at 10.30am.
North Herts Road Runners were at wet, rather than wintry events.
Seven were at MK for the half marathon which had plenty of puddles on the course.
The first squirrel across the line was Kris Witmore in 1:25:45 while the first club female was Rachel Arnott in 1:33:20.
Kat Burr (1:39:25), Caroline Thrussell (1:46:50), Dervla Downing (1:49:06) and Adam Wilson (2:05:38) were the others.
Natasha Pitman and Carina Quayle travelled to Telford for a famously fast 10k run that attracted elite runners.
Pitman managed 40:52, fifth in her age category and her fastest 10k for 11 years, while Quayle was eighth in her category.
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