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BA Athletics Club News Digest 9th September 2013

Forthcoming Events:

  • Monday 9th & 23rd September - BAAC T&F Grand Prix events - Hillingdon Track - see below.
  • Lunchtime, Tuesday 10th September - 'Round The Park' - Harmondsworth Moor (reminder below)
  • Wednesday 25th September - Brian's Relay and Social at the Concorde Centre 

New members and non-members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome at all of these events.

The full events diary is on the club website at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml.

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.  Do you know someone who might appreciate being on the mailing list?  Let us know.

T&F Grand Prix Monday 9th September from 18:00

At the Hillingdon Track on Monday 9th September we will host the latest in our in-house "Grand Prix" series of events. The 400m event is a definite and we'll also hold one or two field events if the facilities are available.  The final Grand Prix of the year will then be on 23rd September with 100m and Long Jump events.

Everyone is encouraged to make these Monday nights

Contact Eddie Giles for details

Governance Changes at the Concorde Club - your support needed

The Concorde Club is the parent club of the BA Athletics Club without whom we would be out on the streets after our runs as well as during them. All members should have received a letter about the proposed changes.  A copy of the letter is here. 

In short:  The club is currently breaking even but significant investment is needed to safeguard the future. The club currently has no lease over the land it uses and no one is likely to invest without security of tenure. The landlord, BA, has been fixing leaks where necessary but won't do more without a sound business plan for the future of the club.  The plan the club is proposing requires a change in the way that the club is set up so that it can save money and attract new members. This plan should lead to British Airways granting the club a lease over the grounds and this will enable investment in the club's buildings and infrastructure. Safeguards are to be built in to maintain the interests of the club's current membership and arrangements.  Inevitably things are more complex than that but that is the gist.

Where do you come in?  The changes need to be accepted in a vote of members PRESENT IN PERSON at the BA Clubs AGM on Thursday 26th September.  If the motion is accepted then the changes can be taken forward.  If the motion is rejected then the Concorde Club committee will have to look for an alternative plan to achieve the same result - there is not an option to continue indefinitely without change.

The BA Athletics Club committee has considered this and voted to recommend to members that they attend the BA Clubs AGM on Thursday 26th September (from 18:30) and vote in favour of the changes proposed.

Further details can be sought from myself or from the Concorde Club Chairman, Chris Byron, email 'enquiries@baclubs.com'.

Roderick Hoffman

The Magic Mile - Bath Road, Thursday 5th Sept: Report

We had 13 runners turn out on one of the hottest September days I can remember to compete in the 'BA Lunchtime Dream Mile'. The event was performed as part of the yearly 'Magic Mile' challenge.

It was such a success and enjoyed by all, that we are looking to host the event on a regular basis. The next Dream Mile event will be on Thursday 3rd October 2013 @ 12:45.

Paul Knechtl

Surrey League Ladies XC

The evenings are closing in and the cross-country season is approaching.  The first Ladies match of the season takes place on Saturday 19 October at 12:00 at the Lightwater Country Park with host Woking AC. I look forward to seeing many of our lady runners turning up for the event - all are welcome even if you've never run a cross-country race before. If possible, please let me know in advance if you are coming {email: clarapn@aol.com - NOT Clara's BA address}. As soon as I receive details of the match I'll circulate them.

Clara Halket

Round-the-Park Tuesday 10th September 12:30 - Reminder and course map

This year's Round the Park race takes place on Tuesday 10th September 2012 at 12:30 over a distance of about 5 km or 3 miles over the Waterside parklands. This is a fun event and ALL levels of runners/joggers are welcomed.  The course is shown above.  This includes TWO laps of the Hawthorns and all fast runners are expected to do both laps.  Slower runners have the option of doing just one lap for a 3.2k or 2 mile distance - but please advise the finish team as you finish that you have run the shorter distance.

Those not resident at Waterside wishing to take part should use the BA1 bus to get to Waterside, where the start will be a 10 minute walk away. For people where this is not an option please let me know and I will request parking in the BA visitors car park.

The entry fee is £1 per person and all proceeds goes to the White Lodge Charity. You can either enter the race as an individual or as part of a team. Teams are to be made up of four runners, including at least one male and one female.

In an attempt to avoid too much of a rush on the day and to inform the wardens of expected numbers, please could you let know if you are going to take part. If you are entering as part of a team, can you please complete the attached form and email it to me. We will hand out numbers, collect your entry fees and take any final entries on the day at the start, so please arrive a few minutes early.

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Regards,

Paul Knechtl

Club family parkrun results and stats for 7th September 2013

    Time parkrun comment wava
Chris Kelly 20:34 Reading   71%
Richard Ruffell 20:42 St Albans course pb 72%
Ian Cunningham 21:49 Bushy Park 99th Bushy Park 68%
John Coffey 24:17 Bushy Park   74%
Tony Hird 24:32 Gunpowder   60%
Alan Friar 24:38 Reading   70%
Roderick Hoffman 25:05 Milton Keynes course pb 60%
Alan Anderson 26:37 Gunnersbury 281st parkrun 75%
Kerstin Luksch 26:58 Gunnersbury female points leader 55%
Neil Frediani 27:02 Wimpole Est Clubs 69th parkrun 57%
Steve Newell 29:46 Gunnersbury 30 minute pacer 59%
Tony Barnwell 33:01 Black Park Getting faster 54%

Steve's parkrun stats

Osterley parkrun had its second week and is now established on the parkrun list.  Like other UK parkruns it will run at the same time every Saturday provided there are enough volunteers to mark the course and collect the results.  ALL parkruns need volunteers and these are usually a combination of non-runners who are happy to help without having to run and parkrunners who are taking a week off - perhaps saving themselves for a Sunday race.  All regular parkrunners are invited to volunteer three times every year. It helps if you can volunteer two or three weeks out but most run directors will find roles for anyone volunteering close to the day. Most of the roles are simple and explanation will be given on the day. To volunteer for Osterley parkrun email osterleyhelpers@parkrun.com .  To volunteer for your local parkrun you can probably work out what the email address is...or check on the website.

Roderick Hoffman

Ridgeway Challenge - 85 mile Ultra

I completed the Ridgeway over the weekend {Aug24th/25th}. We ran from north to south i.e. Ivinghoe Beacon to Avebury. It should have been 85 miles but I ended up doing over 89 miles according to my Garmin after getting lost in a couple of places. There were 3 other Ealing Eagles doing the race with me and we had planned to try and run together. The weather was not good - we started at 10:00am in quite heavy rain that continued through most of the day.

At checkpoint 3 (after about 26 miles) one of our team, Jose, had to pull out due to a longstanding injury. He has had a hip problem most of the year but still managed a 2:43 London Marathon back in April!

The half-way point (CP #5) was the village hall in Goring (on Thames) where we had a short rest, hot meal, change of clothes and a chance to patch my feet up with some 'Compeed' blister plasters. We left Goring at about 10:00pm and it was now very dark and so for the next 8 hours we had to run with head torches - not that easy when the ground is so rough and you really need to see every small contour under your feet. I arrived at CP #8 at about 5:30am where a welcome bonfire was burning having unintentionally pulled away from my 2 team mates who were not coping too well with the lack of sleep and amount of miles covered. For one guy it was his first ultra although he had done several 30 mile training runs recently. My team mates arrived about 10 minutes later and we warmed up by the fire and had a bite to eat before setting off together just before 6 with enough light in the sky to dispense with the head-torches. Once again I pulled away despite walking for about half of the next 10+ miles to the final checkpoint (CP#9). I was going to just have a drink and move on but they were serving delicious looking hot-dogs so I just had to stay and indulge! After about 15 minutes I was ready to go again and thought I may have an outside chance of completing the run in under 24 hours. It was now 8:53 - not long to cover 6.5 miles when you've already done about 80! Luckily this final stretch was mainly downhill although not on a smooth surface. The ground was very rutted because this bit of the Ridgeway is open to 4-wheel drive vehicles and people often take their "Chelsea Tractors" up here for a spin in the mud! Somehow I managed to get myself close to an 8 minute mile pace and maintained it all the way down into Avebury running past the famous stone circle to finish at the village hall at 9:57 - so I just made it in an overall time of 23:57. It was my fastest pace of the whole race!

I have now completed 70 marathons/ultras over my running career. Next up, in 2 weeks time, a proper road marathon in Dingle on the west coast of Ireland.

Piers Keenleyside

PS A short video of us running on the day put together by an Ealing Eagles guy who works with video for a living - so the quality is very good.

http://vimeo.com/73077595 {Ed: It's OK - I've checked the video for unsuitable content and Piers keeps his clothes on throughout.  The link works outside the BA network.}

News for the next BAAC News Digest? I also need a club running related photograph every week so help me out here.

Please let us have your ideas for how club communications can be improved and please send us items for inclusion in the next Digest.  Results, news, feedback, jokes, stories - send it to us at news@barunner.org,uk.  You can copy Paul Brandon and Roderick Hoffman in BUT the news@ address is the one that we use when the digest is compiled.

Club website:

www.barunner.org.uk.

 

      

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