baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 5th April 2021

 For future weeks: inclusions, with photos, please to Roderick Hoffman at news@barunner.org.uk.

Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps]

Roderick Hoffman

This Week's Solo 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, such as the weekend achievement, 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.

Solo Mile (submit before Monday 12th April):

Run one mile and send me your time or add the details to the Facebook prompt. 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. Alternately join in at Feltham on Thursday.

Weekend Achievement (by 5pm on the Monday) or use the Facebook prompt that will be added on Friday:

Roderick Hoffman

This Week's In-Person Events - please register in advance. Please provide suggestions.

On Thursday 8th April at Feltham Track we'll have an in-person one mile run. The start will be at 12:30 so please arrive before that to conduct your warm-up and any other preparation. It is important that we know how many people to expect at these events - please register your interest even if you are only a 'possible'. >Roderick Hoffman (register interest)

Future In-Person events - last week's Bedfont Lakes run attracted 16 of us and the Winter Handicap nine. It'd be good to have one "in-person" event each week from now on - at a variety of times and locations. I've raised a poll in Facebook to see who is interested in what events. Please use this to suggest your attendance and you can also add your own suggestion. All will be discussed on Wednesday evening at our club committee meeting. https://www.facebook.com/groups/636199849751546/permalink/3986000924771405/

Winter Handicap - Third Run Result

The third run of the winter 5 mile handicap series was held in good conditions on Wednesday 31st March 2021.  With the Covid19 lockdown in England having been imposed just after Christmas this was the first opportunity of the year to hold a group activity (albeit socially distanced). The 2 x 2.5 mile lapped course introduced because of the road works near Feltham Station was retained although access to the football club car park was blocked and the runs started and finished on the Hatton Road footpath with the distance between three lamp posts added.  It is planned to hold a fourth and final run on Wednesday 28th April.

Runners were again encouraged to run the course without referring to a watch and the majority slowed measurably on the second lap so debutant Harjit Jhooti is to be congratulated on a very steady run with almost identical splits.  Amanda Coombs again ran a well judged five miles close to her target.  Paul Watt lowered his course record to 34:21 while Julie Barclay set a new ladies mark of 36:44.  Former event record holder Gary Rushmer made his first appearance of the season and ran an encouraging first lap but retired to prevent aggravating what we hope was just a minor muscle strain.

Steve Newell

March Ross Barkley Results

Just two results this month - including my slowest Ross Barkley ever, perhaps because I did it whilst others were running the same course at a constant pace resulting in me not fully recovering before setting off again each time.

Roderick Hoffman

New Month, New Year

Reminder: As usual, 1st April is the start date of the new Athletics Club year. £9 for BAAC and £15 for England Athletics - so you need to submit either £9 or £24 - same rates as last year - and the same BAAC bank account too. Many thanks - from your Treasurer, Chris Kelly (Treasurer@barunner.org.uk). Thanks to those already paid, submitted, or scheduled!

BA Athletics Club Records - 10km

The table below shows the club records held for the 10k distance.

To qualify as a record the event has to be competitive and timed and the runner has to be a paid-up member of the club and running in a club vest (or in an in-house organised event - but on an accurately measured course). Members for whom BA is a second claim club may need permission from their first claim club for them to run in a BA vest and claim the record (so the same performance cannot be claimed by two different clubs).

If you know better please send us your claim - we want to get these in the best shape possible. New records or questions: Stats@barunner.org.uk . 

Roderick Hoffman

*John Coffey's MV60 record of 39:12 (so well under 40 minutes!) was covered in issue 64 of Round-the-Block but only because John submitted an article himself. Indeed there is an article on current records in that issue that reports John to hold the record at 39:31, set in April's Watersplash event. Clearly he went even better in June. John had just hit 60 and was making a determined effort to capture club road records many of which had been set and held by Tom Rowley. John ended up with a near complete set - just missing out on the Marathon (now held by Ray Hampton) and the 5k (set and held by Brian Bennett).

**Julie's time in the St Albans 10k last week has not yet been ratified but does appear to be a new FV50 record. Well done, though you may not get a Christmas Card from Helen this year.

WARR 2021 Survey - feedback required

"WARR", the World Airline Road Race", is well featured in the 10k records listed above. Both the 5k and 10k have been well contested events over many years. The first WARR was held in 1982. Last year has been the first year since then without a WARR event. The International Committee responsible for the event is currently considering what to do this year and has raised a questionnaire to get everyone's views. The link to this is here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RSRLM77 and the survey closes on April 10th. If you are airline staff or you have considered attending previous WARR events then please provide your feedback.

Di Smith's Challenge

Di has featured recently in these pages since she still holds club records for the 1 Mile (FV45) and Marathon (FV45). She is taking on this challenge whilst, or as part of, recovering from a stroke in 2018 and also having had both hips replaced. 10,000 steps a day for 120 days will be a tough challenge in such circumstances so please consider giving her encouragement.

parkrun Return

Last Saturday parkrun had another recent record with 507 events and 55,876 participants plus 5,322 volunteers.

Junior parkrun is due to restart in the UK on Sunday (for under 11s only) - initially only at a limited number of venues, where the teams and landowners are ready, but more should swiftly follow.

The date for UK 5k parkruns to return is still 5th June depending on the government roadmap being met and each team and landowner being willing and ready.

Coronavirus Warning Footnote [changes from last week underlined or struck-through]

The government has confirmed that we will enter stage two of the roadmap out of lockdown on 12th April. This stage makes no difference to what we can do exercising outside, although it is more likely that we will be able to get a drink or a meal after we exercise - albeit only in groups of up to six (or two households) - but we will be able to sit down!

In the UK exercise outside is permitted because it will boost physical and mental health and because the risk of catching Coronavirus outdoors is very low provided social distancing advice is kept to.

• Do not exercise outside the house if you have been asked to isolate or you are unwell, particularly if you have symptoms of the coronavirus such as a fever, or if you share a house with someone who has these symptoms, or if you consider yourself to be vulnerable, such as being elderly or with pre-existing health conditions,
• You may drive to outdoor publicly accessible open spaces but you are advised to stay 'local' (defined as "in the village, town, or part of the city where you live."), you are also advised to minimise the amount of time spent outside your home and you should follow social distancing guidance whilst you are out. Further advice is to reduce public transport and shared car journeys and if reinstated do not cross the "Tier 3" boundary (in either direction).
• Current rules allow informal groups of up to six (or two households) to meet outside and exercise together.
• As you exercise, keep 2m away from all others including those you run with as well as those you meet on the run, by default diverting around those you meet (don't leave it up to them to avoid you),
• Do not push yourself too far, this may weaken your defences against the virus and/or increase the probability of requiring assistance. We all have different limits so you need to judge what would be too far for you,
• If government instructions are updated to limit or prevent exercising outside your homes, or to meet with fewer people, please respect such instructions - we should be fighting the virus, not authority.

If you are unwell yourself, especially if you have symptoms of the virus:

• Put your needs first...
• but please let me (Roderick Hoffman) or Steve Hillier know of your condition/status, but we will keep it to ourselves unless you ask us to pass information on.

Shared club activities are permitted.  Any club member is permitted to organise a shared activity. We recommend the social distancing gap of 2metres although "1meter+" can be followed during the activity itself.  Until everyone has had the opportunity to be protected by the vaccine all participants should continue to follow the social distancing rules. To legitimize a run with more than six participants:

• The chairman (Roderick) or the secretary (Steve Hillier) must be notified in advance that the event is taking place,
• One of the participants must be a paid-up member of the BA Athletics Club and must be prepared to perform the duties of a "Covid-19 Coordinator", if more than six attend we recommend that that member wears a BAAC top or distinctive clothing,
• If the tiers are reintroduced then participants, and the activity, should not cross the "Tier 3" boundary or the "Tier 4" boundary (in either directions).
• A risk assessment has to be raised based on this template,
• The considerations within the risk assessment must be followed,
• After the activity perform a review of the risk assessment and log and pass on any issues or lessons learned.

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

Not for you, no longer interested? remove me please.

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