Ivanhoe Runners, organisers of the annual ALDI Ashby 20 mile road race, received some fantastic news this week when they learnt that the 2014 Ashby 20 has been voted the UK’s 13th best road race of the year overall by Runner’s World magazine coming a very impressive 3rd place in its distance category. To be awarded such accolades is an amazing achievement for the club given that there are now many thousands of road races held every year across the country, many organised by large teams of professionals. In contrast, the Ashby 20 is a relatively small race organised by club members themselves along with much valued support from local organisations including the local Rotary clubs, venture scouts and race sponsors ALDI. Now in its 31st year, the event is incredibly popular with runners up and down the land and this year the race sold out within a few weeks. Runner’s World described the event as “a hilly, testing pre-marathon favourite, often praised for the excellent organisation and the great atmosphere in the villages it passes through.” Race Director Barry Alldread, delighted with the news, said “this is an incredible achievement for Ivanhoe Runners showing that the race is continually improving. Well done to everyone in the club - this was a big team effort!”. The race attracts a very high quality field and last year’s winner, Ben Livesey of Birchfield Harriers went on to finish third fastest Brit in the 2014 London Marathon. It is now all hands on deck for next year’s race team, with every single available member of the club allocated a role on the day to ensure that the event continues to go from strength to strength. The 2015 event will be held on Sunday March 22nd at 10am, with runners starting on Upper Packington Road, taking in two undulating loops of Packington, Swepstone, Heather and Normanton le Heath, before returning to victory on the Ashby Bath Grounds. 

Written by Ruth Green - last updated on 30/12/2014