West Norfolk Athletic Club delivered their fastest-ever performance at the famous Round Norfolk Relay.
The club posted a collective time of 23 hours, 6 minutes and 32 seconds to finish 13th overall in one of the UK’s toughest and most unique endurance races.
The 198-mile, 24-hour event, starting and finishing in King’s Lynn and divided into 17 stages, saw WNAC field a team of 17 runners supported by a dedicated crew of drivers, cyclists, timekeepers and marshals.
Team manager Richard Dickson oversaw operations, assisted by bus drivers Tim Coates and Gavin Lane, support cyclists Arran Reeve, Steve Bolt, Rob Gosnell, Dan North and Mike Stollery, with Benjamin Collison on timekeeping duties.
Club marshals also manned the finish at Alive Lynnsport for five hours, cheering in the last teams.
WNAC’s challenge began in style as Reeve ran stage one (King’s Lynn to Hunstanton, 16.3 miles) in 1:47:19 before switching roles to the support bus.
He was followed by Phil Kitney, who completed stage two (13.7 miles to Burnham Overy) in 1:41:32.
The standout early moment came from 15-year-old Ethan Ward on stage three.
Fresh from a 16:32 parkrun, he covered the 5.7 miles to Wells in 37:04, the second-fastest overall and the quickest junior time.
Ultra-runner Craig Roberts impressed on stage four (11.1 miles) with 1:27:07, before Lewis English tackled the notoriously brutal stage five to Cromer, conquering cobbled beaches and hills in 1:17:11, some six minutes faster than predicted.
Digby Frammingham marked his injury comeback with 59:23 on stage six, while Darren Easter (stage seven, 9.2 miles) continued the momentum with 1:00:43.
As night fell, Hanley Angell sped through stage eight in 55:16.
The endurance test of stage nine saw Neil Gayton battle 16.6 miles in 2:18:05.
Drama struck on stage ten when a team bus breakdown forced a DNF, but a replacement vehicle was sourced and Lewis Pearson – drafted in with just 48 hours’ notice – restored order on stage 11, running 14.9 miles in 1:45:35 through the small hours.
Debutant Mitchell Bunn rose to the challenge on stage 12 (18.8 miles) with 1:48:24, before Ryan Oakes stormed 15 miles to Feltwell in 1:30:31.
Junior runner Henry Gosnell’s grit and determination shone through on stage 14 after being misdirected and covering an extra three miles, he still posted 1:19:18 over the extended 10-mile run.
Megan Miller got the final push underway with 1:11:08 on stage 15, while fellow junior Alfie Bone completed the 5.5-mile stage 16 in 34:49.
That set up a triumphant finale as Callum Stanforth powered through the last 11.7 miles to Lynnsport in 1:05:35, winning his stage by nearly two minutes as teammates, supporters and rival clubs roared him home.
Despite setbacks, WNAC’s mix of seasoned veterans, debutants and junior talent highlighted the club’s ethos of support, resilience and pride.
Their 13th-place finish, coupled with a record-breaking time, made the 2025 edition a year to remember.
