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BA Athletics Club News Digest 6th April 2015

Events:

• Wednesday 8th April Watersplash 10k Heston Venue sports-ground for 18:00pm start followed by social with food (see below)
• Are you up to a half marathon at the weekend?  Hillingdon Half - see below
• Monday 13th April Track & Field Grand Prix Hillingdon Track Uxbridge (1000m + Triple Jump) - Be ready at 18:00.
• Wednesday 6th May - Speedbird Ladies 5k - Harmondsworth Moor 19:00

New members and non-members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome at all of these events.  The full diary of club featured events is on the club website at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml.

Running related gossip and chat: Facebook "BA Runner" (link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/636199849751546/).

This news digest is being sent to you because you are on the BA Athletics Club email list.  To be removed please email us at news@barunner.org.uk. Difficulty viewing this email? Read it off the website instead - http://www.barunner.org.uk/News Latest.shtml. 

Watersplash 10km and 5km Wednesday 8th April 2015 reminder

The annual Watersplash 10km event will be held on Wednesday 8th April with wave starts designed to bring everyone to the finish line in the Field Of Hope (M4 junction 3 pedestrian area) by 7.15 p.m.  There will be a 5km (running) option starting at 6.40 p.m.  Those wanting to walk a 5km should wait at the end of Church Road and set off up the bridge when the first wave of runners have come past.

Start times

• "10 minute milers"   6.12 p.m. and 5km (walking)
• "9 minute milers"     6.18 p.m.
• "8 minute milers"     6.24 p.m.
• "7 minute milers"     6.30 p.m.
• elite start                  6.35 p.m.
• 5km (mass start)     6.40 p.m.

The 10km course will be the "figure of 8" one used many times before with an anticlockwise circuit of the Western International Market site followed by a clockwise loop through Cranford Park, through the archway, along the alley, up Roseville Road, along North Hyde Road and returning to the start finish area via the Parkway (A312) cycle track. Map of course: http://www.barunner.org.uk/courses/Watersplash_Map_2015.DOC

Entries in advance please (for catering purposes) to: steve-newell@blueyonder.co.uk

Steve Newell

April Mile Results (part 1)

Hi All,

Considering the recent wind and rain, we had a reasonable settled day with just a slight head wind. The air was cool, and the ground was dry (just!), but still no PB’s, but some very good times… Derek Baker is proving to be Mr. consistent, with all of his three runs being within 4 seconds of each other. He was also only 1 second outside his PB with a  time of 7:47. Steve Taylor (6:49) and Bernard Sexton (5:25), both had good runs too, falling just 4 seconds and 7 seconds outside their bests.  It was also good to see Tim Hawkes join us after a long absence. Currently training for the London Marathon he decided to add some speed to his training and recorded a time of 5:29.

	Previous Best Time	Last Recorded Time	08-Jan-15	05-Feb-15	04-Mar-15	02-Apr-15	Difference	Best Time
Steve Taylor	00:06:45	00:06:52	00:07:06	00:06:49	00:06:55	00:06:49	-06 seconds	00:06:45
Bernard Sexton	00:05:20	00:05:49	00:05:51	00:05:32		00:05:27	-05 seconds	00:05:20
Derek Baker				00:07:46	00:07:50	00:07:47	-03 seconds	00:07:46
Paul Knechtl	00:04:56	00:05:06	00:05:15	00:05:08	00:05:25	00:05:23	-02 seconds	00:04:56
Simon Ashford	00:06:18	00:06:18	00:06:40	00:06:38		00:06:43	+05 seconds	00:06:18
Tim Hawkes	00:05:19	00:05:19				00:05:29	+10 seconds	00:05:19
Dave Bird	00:05:52	00:06:24		00:06:07	00:06:00	00:06:23	+23 seconds	00:05:52
Carl Pierce			00:08:19	00:08:45		00:09:13	+28 seconds	00:08:19

Since a lot people were away this week due to Easter, there will be another chance at the mile next week on the 9th April – if you missed today or fancy another go.

The May event will be on Thursday 7th May 2015.

Paul Knechtl

BAAC New Membership Year - Subscriptions Due - Reminder

The club's membership year runs from April through to March and that means therefore that a new year's subscription is now due. The membership fee has been frozen at £9 for full members and associate members alike.  For those who affiliate to England Athletics their annual affiliation fee has increased from £10 to £12 but the club has decided not to pass on the England Athletics fee increase to any existing club member who renews automatically through direct debit or promptly with cash, cheque or money transfer by the end of April.

So a summary of the fees due:

Full details of membership including payment options: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Club_Membership.shtml

Shortcut to this year's membership form: membership form

Note that new Direct Debits are no longer being accepted.  Electronic transfers are possible for renewals - contact the treasurer for details.

These digests are sent to a distribution list that includes many non-members. You are more than welcome to continue to receive these digests and to meet us and run with us without joining.  But £9 isn't much to ask for you to say that you are a British Airways Athletics Club runner!

Roderick Hoffman, Alan Friar, Chris Kelly

London Marathon Volunteers

Thank you to those that offered to help at this year's Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 26th April. As always the response has been excellent and I've now got the required number of marshals, I don't require any more. Final details have been e-mailed out but just as a reminder, the pre-race brief will be on Thursday 23rd April from 19:00 at Imperial College - Heston Venue (formerly known as the Concorde Centre).

BAAC also supports other London Marathon organised events (BUPA 10km, City Race & Ride London) and it would be great to have your help for these races too. Requests for help will go out in due course.

Regards,

Simon Turton

Club parkrun results for Saturday 4th April 2015

After almost missing the start at Maidenhead last week, Alice Banks arrived at Braywick Park so early this last Saturday she had time to put in a volunteer shift and set up the course first and then zoom round for a new pb and a new club female course record only six seconds slower than Roderick's all gender club mark.  Also running at Maidenhead was Chris Cowell, the exceptional parkrun tourist, increasing his tally to 142 [ED: I've added a "Most parks" tab to the club parkrun stats for this week only.  Chris was the first to achieve 100 tourist parkruns and all those who have followed him to the hundred now claim to be in the "Cowell" club.  There are now 41 in that club and the leader in the table has now run at 239 different events.  Chris is lagging behind in 8th place with his 142.  Roderick is struggling to stay in the top 35 hence his sudden tourism burst over the last few weeks!  Others in the club are further down the list - including Steve Newell in 134th place and Richard Ruffell in 302nd.]
 
Is Janet Smith on a new mission?  After two runs in the Bushy Park Time Trial in 2006 and some periods in hibernation in the intervening years she has now run at four different parks in the last four weeks and her run total is up to 30.  Her latest venture was at Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Horndean in Hampshire which is seriously hilly at the best of times and muddy and slippery as well after rain.
 
At Crane Park, Ben Chaytow moved on to 99 runs but faced stiff competition from Stuart Hayes who was the third man in the GB triathlon team in 2012 and helped nurse the Brownlees through the bike leg to launch them on to their medal winning runs.
 
Marion Taylor was delighted to finish ahead of Alan Anderson at Gunnersbury where the course reverted to the "summer" routing after almost five months,  Husband Steve was reported to be putting in a long marathon training run.
 
On tour in the East Midlands at Beeston (Nottingham), Roderick Hoffman ran at his 108th different parkun and moved the club total up to 159.  Or maybe that should be 160.  John Bagley ran at Reigate Priory but his membership status needs to be clarified.  Roderick's sister (Sarah Gordon) was also at Beeston, she had run there before, one of the 35 parkruns courses she has completed.

Updated club parkrun stats: www.barunner.org.uk/results/ba_parkrun_park_totals.xls 

Steve Newell

Running Shorts

Hillingdon Half Marathon Sunday 12th April

Piers, Jasvir Singh Modaher and I are early entrants in next Sunday's Hillingdon Half Marathon.  If your London training needs a competitive half distance practice or if you simply fancy a challenge just longer than four of your usual parkruns then entries are still open - online entries only until "Midday Friday 10th April 2015" from the website http://www.hillingdonhalf.co.uk/index.html .  They may still be in need of "Event Makers" for the race and this could be personally rewarding - there are details on the website or you can email events@activetrainingworld.co.uk saying that you are available.

The course consists of two 5.4 mile laps on the roads around Brunel University following a smaller lap around the campus. Given Piers' various injuries he may be pleased to know that the course is never more than 1 mile away from the entrance to Hillingdon Hospital. Largely flat though there is an undulating section taken at 6 and 11.5 miles - though you may notice the downhill more than the up.  The biggest challenge may be the start time of 9:00.

Roderick Hoffman

News for the next BAAC News Digest?

Please send items for inclusion in the next Digest.  Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send it to us at news@barunner.org.uk.

Club website:

www.barunner.org.uk.