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BA Athletics Club News Digest 4th January 2022
Events marked "#" are points scoring for the club's participation trophy - now for the 2022 title. Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps] For future weeks: inclusions, with photos, please to Roderick Hoffman at news@barunner.org.uk. Next week's digest will revert to the usual late Monday release (leaving the editor free to attend the Tuesday evening Street-O!). This Week's EventsPlease help me by sending in your results, for instance by filling in the tables below and forwarding to News@barunner.org.uk. Some events will have "Prompts" set up in Facebook. These allow the posting of a single image and some text and make it easy to flip through everyone's entries. Track-on-Field (by end of Sunday 9th January, to be reported on in the following digest):
Weekly Athletic Achievement (by late Sunday) or use the Facebook group prompt:
|
| 2021 Achievement | 2022 Target | |
| Stephen Taylor | My best for 2021 would undoubtedly be the London Marathon, it was just so good to be back at a mass event, running with other runners with the crowds cheering you on. I was pleased with my finish time and kept going to the end, overtaking lots in the last few miles so it felt like the training had paid off. | For 2022 I've entered in to the Edinburgh Marathon which will be my first outside London but I need to sort out some injury niggles if I'm going to make it. |
| Paul Timms | I only did two races in 2021, both 10Ks and neither were a PB. However, I did manage to run 2,765km (53.2k average per week) in 2021 which is the most I’ve run in a year. Surprisingly, I didn’t have any injuries, which makes such a difference. | Stay safe in 2022 |
| Nick Edge | I am unfortunately unable to run at all these days, having had the cartilage in both my knees removed some years ago. | I can walk quite comfortably for 2 or 3 miles so I do get out and about. Let me know when you next plan a pub stop! |
| Michael Ball | l would say that my most unusual run would be the naked 5k I did in September. | My hope for next year is to become the v60 100mtrs and 60mtrs record holder for Woking AC and also have a successful injury free season. |
| Jagjit Singh | I did 10 marathons in 10 days in Staines and Egham from 22/10/2021 to 31/10/2120. Over 2021 in total I completed 29 full marathons and raised over £3,300 for the Mayor of Hillingdon charities. | I have already completed a full marathon this year (on 02/01/2022) on the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, still this year rasing money for the same charity (until the end of April). |
| Dorothy Cook | I have been walking round the village for up to 3 hours in the summer, and singing for 1 to 2 of them. Indoors I am up to 10 modified press-ups, i.e. knees and hands touching the floor. The idea is to overcome / reduce the osteoporosis in one of my arms. | Take care and keep active. |
| Bob Bannister | Gaining a national ranking of 10th in the VM65 age group for 10,000 metres on the track. The qualifying race was at Wimbledon Park on 15th September and just a few weeks earlier on 15th August I gained a silver medal in the VM60 age group in the 5k Surrey County Championships, again at Wimbledon. During the year I also managed personal bests at 5k (22:01 at Osterley parkrun on 15/12) and 10 miles (01:19:35 at Great South Run on 17/10). | My initial target for 2022 has for some time been to compete in the World Masters VM65 at Tampere in Finland in the summer. However, a recent diagnosis of osteoarthritis in my lower back may limit my ability to train properly to run competitively but I'll keep my options and targets open and see how the training goes over the coming months. |
Round Heathrow Run #
2021 Club Participation OutcomeLast Thursday, 30th December, Ian Cunningham and I met up for the traditional Christmas/New Year Round Heathrow Run. We ran together for the first half and then for the second I ran the standard second half so finishing the 12mile circuit in just over 2 1/4 hours and Ian ran the longer way via the canal for 17.5miles in just under 3 hours.
This was the last featured run in the club's 2021 Participation competition so Ian and I got the final points on offer. No one else broke through the ten point barrier so I can confirm that across 2021 the 14 club members who contributed most to club participation at events were Amanda Coombs, Benita Scaife, Chris Kelly, Denis Foxley, Jain Reid, John Scaife, Julie Barclay, Mike Dennison, Paul Watt, Roderick Hoffman, Simon Turton, Stephen Taylor, Steve Hillier and Steve Newell. One of these will be presented with the Tom Rowley Club Participation trophy but which one I'm not saying. That is for two reasons, partly to save the surprise for the club 2021 awards evening (pencilled in for the 23rd of March) but primarily because I'm not sure of the winner myself - it is so tight at the top, including with the table administrator (myself), so I'm needing to refer the results to others for checking and adjudication.
The first events of the 2022 Participation competition will be on January 15th with the Surrey League Cross Country matches.
Roderick Hoffman
I picked up on 14 club members and friends reporting recent activity achievements.
| Colleague | Activity | Distance | Course | When | Duration | Comments |
| Andy Rayner | Fast walks | 2miles | local | Mon-Thur | Daily 2mile walks for four days of Christmas | |
| Barry Walters | Running | 8km | Lightwater | Sun am | 00:51:06 | Did an easy run to Windlesham village and back home feeling quite good. Conditions were breezy and pleasantly mild. |
| Ben Cooper | Running | 8.46km | Pontprennau | Xmas eve | 00:45:12 | A steady Xmas eve effort for me. I had my booster on 28th and combined with terrible weather I've not had opportunity to run again. It will be interesting to see the impact of the festive feasts when next on the weighing scales |
| Benita Scaife | Walking | 7km | To Cookham | Sun am | We walked to Cookham on a new route mostly following Strand Water which meanders across Cookham Moor and Widbrook Common before discharging into the Thames… | |
| Clara Halket | Walking | 10.15km | In my happy place! | Sat am | 01:47:10 | Starting the New Year as I mean to carry on... in my happy place clocking up the miles. Think running has to take a back seat at the moment, walking it is then . Loving my walking boots |
| Ian Cunningham | Running | Round Heathrow Run | Thur lunch | See above. | ||
| Jagjit Singh | Race | Marathon | Hillingdon Cycle Circuit | Sun | See achievements above | |
| Jain Reid | parkrun | 5km | Richmond Park | Sat am | 00:34:13 | After a long break from running I'm finally back. Albeit with a lot of walk breaks I managed 5k at Richmond Park parkrun - my first one in 10 months. Hoping to build from here. Excited for 2022. |
| John Scaife | Walking | 7km | To Cookham | Sun am | ...This required us to head south towards Maidenhead in order to pick up the footpath going north. The mud enroute was plentiful but the weather was just right. | |
| Michael Ball | parkrun | 5km | Homewood | Sat am | 00:30:36 | |
| Petra Otto | parkrun | 5km | Manor Field, Whittlesey | Sat am | Never mind the last two weeks - I finally got my butt moving again, rejoining my leisure centre last Thursday and, since then, did 3x gym, plus NYD Parkrun - 4x exercise in 4 days. | |
| Piers Keenleyside | Race | 10km | Serpentine New Year's Day 10k, Hyde Park | Sat | 00:54:00 | Was very mild yesterday and records were broken today with an official temperature of 16.3c in the adjacent St James' Park - almost felt like a summer's day. Also did the Serpentine "Last Friday of the Month" 5k on Friday in 26:35. |
| Roderick Hoffman | Running | 18.95km | Round Heathrow Run | Thur lunch | 02:17:09 | See above |
| Steve Hillier | Running | 6km | Rayners Lane parks | Mon am | 00:43:43 | The council have been doing some further flood avoidance work, and the result is a new footpath through Newton Park West, along the eastern arm of Yeading Brook. I looped back via Roxbourne Park and the western arm. |
Photos include some from the 2021 achievements lists.
At least 35 of us started off 2022 well with an early morning parkrun or volunteer. I don't have information on how much sleep individuals got the previous night - though it was well under six hours for me and my sisters. Please get in touch if your activity is missing.
| Club parkrunner | parkrun | Pos | Time | Age Grade | PB? | Comment |
| Melanie Miller | Bartley Park | 195 | 00:39:00 | 45.21% | (and Token Sorting) BA Park #611 | |
| Barry WALTERS | Basingstoke | 177 | 00:29:53 | 56.66% | first run at Basingstoke, park #49 | |
| David DUGGAN | Bedfont Lakes | 126 | 00:34:00 | 47.60% | ||
| Harjit Jhooti | Bedfont Lakes | 113 | 00:32:11 | 54.79% | ||
| Scott DAVISON | Bedfont Lakes | 68 | 00:28:41 | 51.42% | ||
| Julie BARCLAY | Bethlem Royal Hospital | 15 | 00:27:59 | 66.47% | BA female and grade record | |
| Paul WATT | Bethlem Royal Hospital | 4 | 00:23:56 | 64.76% | BA male record, rapid recovery from last week's injury | |
| Charlotte HABGOOD | Brixworth Country | 99 | 00:44:17 | 41.44% | My other sister - visiting from Oz | |
| Roderick HOFFMAN | Brixworth Country | 56 | 00:30:03 | 53.85% | BA male record. | |
| Sarah GORDON | Brixworth Country | 76 | 00:34:39 | 58.49% | PB | PB by over 3 minutes, new club ladies record and grade record. |
| Andrew William Jordan | Bushy Park | 500 | 00:27:29 | 56.40% | ||
| Ben Chaytow | Bushy Park | 202 | 00:22:57 | 61.80% | 20th run at Bushy, 2nd NYD, time better than 2016 | |
| Di Smith | Bushy Park | Marshal al Bushy | ||||
| Ian CUNNINGHAM | Bushy Park | 805 | 00:32:09 | 49.46% | With Janet and Kiki | |
| Neil FREDIANI | Chopwell Wood | 92 | 00:34:07 | 48.71% | ||
| Alastair Heslop | Guildford | Run Director at Guildford | ||||
| Joan FOXLEY | Harrow | 154 | 00:37:36 | 62.28% | ||
| Micheal BALL | Homewood | 88 | 00:30:36 | 51.96% | run #178, 8th at Homewood | |
| Keith Johnson | Houghton Hall | 62 | 00:28:08 | 52.84% | ||
| Maarten Stenham | Lymington Woodside | 16 | 00:23:52 | 58.94% | PB | 3rd run at Lymington Woodside Gardens, 42s improvement |
| Benita Scaife | Maidenhead | 222 | 00:34:47 | 60.09% | ||
| John Scaife | Maidenhead | 223 | 00:34:48 | 49.09% | ||
| Petra OTTO | Manor Field, Whittlesey | 56 | 00:48:47 | 44.89% | ||
| Anne Bannister | Osterley | 207 | 00:28:34 | 70.95% | ||
| Bob Bannister | Osterley | 69 | 00:23:36 | 71.05% | ||
| Maria Jovani | Osterley | 44 | 00:22:10 | 71.65% | ||
| Mike Dennison | Osterley | 8 | 00:19:54 | 82.75% | best time and age grade for the club this week | |
| Stephen K TAYLOR | Osterley | 162 | 00:27:01 | 58.36% | ||
| Steve NEWELL | Osterley | 417 | 00:46:01 | 42.74% | 10th appearance at Osterley, 3rd NYD | |
| Trish MCCABE | Osterley | 228 | 00:29:05 | 54.10% | run #345, 27th run at Osterley but first time on NYD | |
| Christopher T KELLY | Reading | 29 | 00:24:07 | 64.27% | Run #498 | |
| Murray HOGGE | Reading | 11 | 00:21:58 | 73.67% | ||
| Jain Reid | Richmond Park | 294 | 00:35:02 | 51.67% | First run since restart | |
| Jacqueline MUSSELWHITE | Rushmoor | 108 | 00:25:57 | 67.12% | run #111, 8th at Rushmoor | |
| Janet Smith | Sandhurst Memorial | 111 | 00:39:52 | 46.03% | run #127, first at Sandhurst, park #45 |
We have known for some time that the NYD parkrun experience this time round would be a little different. With 1st January falling on a Saturday it could have been business as usual but several core teams decided to take a rest especially if they had operated on Christmas Day. For once-a-week parkrunners the excuse of over over-exercising didn’t apply for once but whatever the official line about parkrun being a benefit rather than a hindrance to good health some people will have understandably stayed away from what are often crowded occasions. The 0900 starting time may have been a challenge for those partying into the small hours, in past years there have been many 1030 options available as well but not this year.
In UK, Christmas Day attracted almost 76,000 runners spread over 362 events against the 103,000 at 762 events the previous Saturday. New Year’s Day witnessed 499 5km parkruns and 97,405 runners.
With several parkruns in West London (e.g. Gunnersbury, Northala Fields, Crane Park. Wormwood Scrubs) not being held, Osterley Park attracted the biggest group of our members with Mike Dennison (19:54, 82.75%) achieving a top 10 finish and the best time and age grades of the day. Trish McCabe (29:05) was at Osterley for New Year for the first time with her usual choice of a Bushy/Crane Park double not on the menu this year.
Our other runner with a top ten finish was Paul Watt (23:56), 4th at Bethlem Royal Hospital. That is less than half the time he took to limp to the finish at Old Deer Park last week. There were PBs for Maarten Stenham (23:52) at Lymington Woodside, and Sarah Gordon (34:39) at Brixworth Country.
Melanie Miller (39:00) ran at a new venue for the club at Bartley Park in Southampton which only started the week before Christmas so 51 parks for her and 611 now for the club. She helped sort the finish tokens out afterwards as well so she’ll be invited back! Roderick Hoffman (30:03) set a new club record at Brixworth Country in Northamptonshire as he notched up his 314th different park.
Life is a bit uncertain at the moment so trying to predict more than a week ahead can bring frustration and disappointment – so avoid it! Relax! Suffice it to say that Chris Kelly (24:07) was at Reading to record his 498th parkrun finish this week and hopes to complete his 500 later in the month. See below, but watch this space.
Steve Newell
Full club parkrun database - {read access to club parkrun database} - Download and explore (this is where I get most of my club stats from).
Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps]
Chris Kelly's current plan is to run his 500th parkrun on Saturday 22nd January at Reading parkrun. Obviously things may not go to plan, but if they do we would like members to support Chris becoming our second club member of the parkrun "500 club" (after Alan Anderson). However, that would create a bit of a dilemma for us since we had pencilled in Gunnersbury to be a Club Featured parkrun on that Saturday, and at least one of our members is listed on the Gunnersbury volunteer roster for that date. The club's philosophy with parkrun is that we don't tell members which parkrun to do, we encourage both local parkrun support and parkrun tourism and will point out opportunities for club participation. So we have decided that for the 22nd January we will have both Gunnersbury and Reading as Club Featured parkruns - feel free to join some of us at either of these, or run your local parkrun, or run any parkrun; your decision.
Note that Steve is expecting to be away for the next couple of weeks so the weekly report is likely to be down to me - unless anyone else would like to volunteer (the process is that I extract the club's results on the Saturday, then Steve writes the report based on the weekly results on the Sunday or Monday).
Roderick Hoffman
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