History of the Essex Way Relay
This page is going to be a work in progress for a while, if you have any information on either the race or the origins of the trail then please get in contact
The Essex Way Relay from 2009 has been organised by various clubs in Essex each of them taking responsibility for a stage. The previous 9 years having been organised by Thurrock Nomads.
Thurrock Nomads, in partnership with John Good, started the Essex Way Relay in 1989. Gradually John became chief organiser and this
continued until the year 2000 when he unexpectedly dropped out late resulting in the event nearly folding. Mainly due to Fergie
McKenna's determination and sheer bloody-mindedness with his fellow Nomads he 'rescued' the Essex Way Relay - Seven teams from just
four Clubs took part that year!
At Robert Teer's instigation all stages were re-written in trail run narrative format and the Relay went from strength to strength alongside the boom in Essex trail running; today's numbers could never have been imaged in the Nomads' wildest dreams back in 2000. Peter Woodard set up a website where all this information was immediately accessable to everyone. In 2007 the Nomads realised that the event was now just too big for the resources of a small club like theirs and gave notice that a different form of organisation would be required after 2008
The Essex Way was conceived as a result of a competition organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England in 1972.
The green badge above is the old Essex Way waymarker, now replaced by the more visable poppy.
Acknowledgements
- Thurrock Nomads - Orgainsers 2000-2008
- Peter Woodard (emails should no longer be sent to Peter) - collector of much of this sites information till 2009. Horndon 10k site
- Bob Teer, Derek Atkinson and Fergie Mckenna who are still involved in Essex Way waymarking, stile repair and other maintenance work (voluntary on behalf of Essex Council).
