baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 4th April 2022

Events marked "#" are points scoring for the club's participation trophy - 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.

Note the change on 20th April to a lunchtime NOW event, previously a Bedfont Club run evening.

This Week's Events

Please 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.

Monthly Mile (submit before Monday 18th April):

Run one mile and send me your time or add the details to the Facebook prompt. The mile can somebody else's formal event or even one mile within a longer run. I'll then produce a fancy graph showing your time this month compared to those of other people and previous runs over the last year.

Weekly Athletic Achievement (by late Sunday) or use the Facebook group prompt:

Club Featured parkrun on Saturday at Guildford

Whatever your fitness join us on Saturday at Guildford parkrun. Alastair Heslop will be doing his 250 volunteering occasion at Guildford (251st in total) and will be tailwalker so, even if you can only limp round, there is guaranteed to be a club "runner" behind you. This could be the opportunity for some colleagues to come out of retirement and do a parkrun!  For details of how to get there, and where to park if you drive, see course | Guildford parkrun. If you need a lift let me know. > Roderick Hoffman.

Bargain of the Year!

Don't forget to renew your membership (or join for the first time). Details last week or ask:

Chris (Treasurer) - Chris Kelly

Alan (Membership) - Membership@barunner.org.uk

Final Handicap of the Series, 30th March, Results #

Nearest to the target was Benita, furthest from the bull was Roderick. Was that a tactical ploy for next year's handicap or a consequence of having had C19 since the previous run? Paul was most average - third out of five and with exactly even splits.

"What do those results mean for the overall handicap series?", you ask. Steve Newell will provide the answer once he has his land legs back.

Thanks to Julie Barclay and Stephen Taylor for manning the clock and recording the times, enabling me to run.

Roderick Hoffman

Club Awards 2021 (part 2)

Continued from last week's digest.

Mike Dennison becomes the first club member to ever retain the Most Improved Athlete Award! For two years of sustained improvement. He had a brilliant year in 2021.  He picked up PBs over one mile, in parkrun, over ten miles, the half marathon and the marathon (sub 3:30).  His best run was surely achieving an 85% age grade PB in the Richmond 10K.

The Tom Rowley Participation Trophy is given to the club member who organises and participates most in key club activities. In 2021, two club members stood out.  Without them, we would not have enjoyed the 5 mile Handicap, the Solstice Miles, Track on Fields, NOW events, Street sign exploration, the Equinox 5K, and many more.   It was a close run race, deciding who would win the new award.  In the end, our two dedicated members could not be separated hence Roderick Hoffman and Steve Newell will share the award.

The 2020/21 Five Mile Handicap Trophy was awarded to Amanda Coombs. The event had been interrupted by roadworks in Feltham necessitating the introduction of the two-lap circuit and the Covid-19 restrictions resulting in the postponements of two events and delays to two others. However, Amanda was able to simply make an appearance in the fourth and final run of the series to get a token single point but still finish well ahead of the second-place finisher. 

The Female Athlete of the Year was Julie Barclay. Julie had an excellent Track & Field season, and was consistently the best age-graded runner of all the clubs competing, not just BAAC.  She was our best runner over all distances from 800m to 3000m, and supported the team by running against V35 sprinters to pick up valuable points.  She has broken ten club records in recent times.   She produced an exceptional time of 21:31 at the Dorney Lake 5K in March, an 83% age grade.  She went on to be her age group winner in all four of the Dinton Pastures races. In Cross Country, our winner has not only been regularly our fastest lady runner in the Surrey League, but she also came top in the MABAC league. Most importantly, she has been an important social member of the club, organising a NOW run and being ever present at club social runs.

The Male Athlete of the Year was Paul Watt. Paul has had his best ever running year, picking up PBs in ten events from 200m to 10K.  He added to his trophy collection with a 400 metres bronze at the Surrey and Sussex Masters.   He became a guest roving parkrun reporter for the Digest, substituting for Steve Newell while he was away.  A great year of parkrun tourism included running a 19:18 PB at Dulwich, his first run exceeding an 80% age grading.  His commitment to the club teams and social events made him a clear choice for this trophy.

The Veterans Trophy was presented to Jas Modaher. Jas has been a great servant to this club over many years.  He is a serial marathon runner, and in 2021 he completed many half marathons across the length and breadth of the UK, proudly wearing his BA vest.  He has become the poster boy for many running events. For us he has helped stage our Concorde races, providing catering for the participants.  He is always there to marshal for us, and it is difficult to persuade him to take rest breaks.  He usually leads the sweep at the challenging Ride London events.  He has encouraged his family to run and marshal with us, and we thank them for their hard work at many club events. 

More details and previous trophy winners are listed on the baRUNNER News Trophies page.

Photos by Paul Brandon (request originals from either Paul or Roderick), words mostly by Steve Hillier.

Roderick Hoffman

Track-on-Field Result - March

With the forthcoming Track-and-Field season in mind, Steve Hillier returned to recording a Track-on-Field result last month. The winter layoff, including C19, doesn't appear to have done him much harm - yes, perhaps the edge has been taken off from his 200m speed, but it looks like that left him with more breath than usual for the 100m.

I'm happy to publish results for an April Track-on-Field if any are submitted - by the end of the month record and submit your times for a 1500, an 800, a 400, a 200 and a 100 all within the same session.

Roderick Hoffman

2022 Participation Trophy Competition

Steve Newell and I may be sharing the Tom Rowley Trophy this year but we would like someone else to be challenging for it next year. The winner is determined by involvement in club featured events. These are marked in the diary with a "#" and include Cross-Country League matches, Track & Field Competitions, Club Featured parkruns, chosen Run-of-the-Months and many in-house events. In most events participants score 1 point if they simply run, 2 points if they marshal or help in other ways without running and 4 points if they are the prime organiser of an in-house event.

Last year's competition featured 43 events and a total of 747 points were awarded to 217 different club members, friends and associates. 61 members and friends scored points in two or more events (i.e. discounting those who only helped by marshalling the London Marathon). Steve Hillier contributed to 28 different events, just ahead of myself with 26 and third most was Julie Barclay with 19. In points me and Steve Newell scored 37 points at the top with Steve Hillier third with 35 points. It was close for fourth with Stephen Taylor on 20 points and Chris Kelly and Julie Barclay on 19points.

A total of 14 club members scored ten or more points - all those listed above plus Paul Watt, Amanda Coombs, Denis Foxley, Benita Scaife, Mike Dennison, Jain Reid, Simon Turton and John Scaife. 14 is more than the previous year's nine members but fewer than 2019's 24 members.

The 2022 competition is already well on the way with 11 events having been held and 44 people having been awarded points! No one has yet reached ten points.

Roderick Hoffman

Marshalling help needed! #

London Marathon Events are gearing up for several events this summer and autumn, and we have our own Concorde One Hour Race planned for June 5th.

If you are free, please could you put your name forward to marshal at one or more of these events:

Monday 2nd May:  The Vitality London 10K.  We need a team of thirty marshals for this annual event.  Please contact Clara Halket if you able to help:  > Clara Halket (aol)

Sunday 29th May:  Ride London Essex.  BAAC will be managing the final stage of this course as it approaches Tower Bridge.  This will be the first year that the event has followed this course, after a decade of races into the Surrey Hills.  Steve Hillier is the person to contact if you can assist:  > Steve Hillier (msn)

We hope to provide transport from the Heathrow area to London for both these events.

Sunday 5th June:  Concorde One Hour race.  The famous Concorde event will move from the streets of Harlington to Minet Park track in Hayes.  Marshals are needed to make this BAAC event a success.  Please contact Roderick Hoffman if you can help:  > Roderick Hoffman

Thank you!

Steve Hillier

Recent Activity Achievements

I picked up on 20 club members and friends reporting recent activity achievements.

Other race results:

Piers reports two other club finishers in the Manchester Marathon - Chris Kelly in 4:27:17 and Jasvir Singh in 5:40:31.

Trish McCabe finished the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2:22:40. I guess we may have had other runners also but the results don't include club name.

Roderick Hoffman

parkrun Results for Saturday 2nd April 2022

26 activities are recorded this week. Please get in touch if your activity is missing.

As previously trailed, Alastair Heslop, a stalwart of the club and committee over the last few decades, reached the milestone of 250 volunteer credits, most of them at Guildford and the vast majority of them fulfilling a role that precluded running, walking or jogging round the course.  This week he was run director for the 18th time, his specialty has been time keeping – 80 Saturday mornings in all weathers.  Last week he walked/jogged round free of responsibilities and to complete the celebrations he will be tailwalker this coming week and some of us will be keeping him company or lining the funnel at the end.  Guildford parkrun is a two lapper held in Stoke Park with parking across the road at the Spectrum Centre, both close to an A3 junction.

There are other members who have collected even more volunteer credits over the years but the records show that the efforts are often combined with a run as well as a supporting role, and/or at Junior parkrun.

Many of our members were on the tourist trail again this week including Melanie Miller (39:15) and Harjit Jhooti (tailwalker, 1:04:37) at the single lap course at Salcey Forest a few miles further up the M1 beyond Newport Pagnell; Neil Frediani (33:41) continued to explore his new hinterland at Durham; Paul Watt (21:25) and Julie Barclay (1:01:09, report writer and tailwalker’s companion) at Foots Cray Meadows; Maria Jovani (21:23) at Eastbourne.

Two new parkruns were added to the club collection this week.  David Duggan (31:11) went to Knockbracken Reservoir to the south of Belfast and enjoyed the flattish three laps course while Roderick Hoffman (32:27) chose the hilliest available parkrun in Leeds.  The club total moves up to 637 and Roderick’s personal tally to 323 – he is still just inside the top 25 in the world but competition is fierce.

It was confirmed absolutely and finally this week that the popular and testing Tring parkrun which never restarted after the Covid-19 interruption won’t be doing so – ever.  The long-promised replacement at nearby Amersham appears to be nearing take-off.  Watch this space.

Steve Newell

Full club parkrun database - {read access to club parkrun database} - Download and explore.

Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps]

Roderick Hoffman

Forthcoming Events

We have been notified of the following events. The first one requires a volunteer to be a club captain - reply to me if you are prepared to be the club captain or even if you are not but you would like to be involved.

I am writing to let you know that entries are now open for the Horsham 10K to be held on 22 May 2022.  We look forward to welcoming as many of your members as possible and I would be grateful if you could share this information with them. Runners can enter via the Horsham Joggers website:- https://www.horshamjoggers.co.uk/horsham-10k/
or direct through Sports Systems.

Thank you.

Regards

Geoff Parker (Race Director)

Next Digest - Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send them to the editor, Roderick Hoffman, at news@barunner.org.uk.

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