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BA Athletics Club News Digest 14th June 2021

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

For Coronavirus related restrictions and advice see News_Coronavirus_Guidance_May_2021.shtml.

Today the government has announced that Step 4 of the lockdown won't happen on its earliest possible date of 21st June but will happen on 19th July, or earlier. This isn't a step backwards so it shouldn't affect any of our plans except possibly (probably) our intention to hold our AGM at the Bedfont Club on 14th July. Please leave that date in your diary for now.  

Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps]

This Week's and Future 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.

Track-on-Field (by 5pm on Friday 2nd July, to be reported on in the following digest):

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

Maidenhead Thicket NOW 16th June 2021 meet at 12:00: Reminder

Alice has planned a 5k route, starting and finishing at Stubbings Nursery (https://www.stubbingsnursery.co.uk/directions/). John will also join us and take those who wish to walk on a shorter route. There is a nice café at the nursery that serves coffee, cake and sandwiches etc. Parking is free and there is plenty of space available.

Alice Banks
Let us know to look out for you - we won't start on the dot of 12 and we will delay if we know that someone else is due: > Roderick

Ed: We won't be seeing regular NOW attendee and organiser Steve Newell in the Thicket. I have had a message from him confirming that he managed to smuggle aboard a boat that left Portsmouth late on Saturday (very late, perhaps only after they had searched the boat from top to bottom and failed to find him). The message this morning was labelled from Liverpool and the boat is heading further north, though Steve reports that the Irish and Scots intend to reject any attempt to land and their next successful port of call is likely to be Falmouth. However, Steve has hacked onto the ship's WiFi network and so can be contacted if needed. Note that he is using his "greatriverswim" email address - a wise precaution in the circumstances.

Black Park Orienteering Wednesday 9th June write-up

Nine of us met in Black Park last Wednesday evening including Sarah Kelly who took the photograph. Eight of us attempted either the medium or long permanent orienteering courses that are set up in Black Park - whilst Sarah had a pleasant unhurried stroll around the lake.

All participants had stories to tell by the time they finished.

I had tried out both courses, earlier in the day when it was hotter I'll add, and I'd run the "long" course in 0:39:27 and then walked the "medium" course in 0:36:44.  On a previous occasion I had run the long course (in 45:55) so one would expect a fast time from me.

John Banks walked the medium course and despite going a bit wayward at the end got back after 45 minutes.

Chris Kelly sprinted round the long course and recorded all eleven controls in a time of 34:22.  His only struggle was to find the third Control - and most of us struggled with this one which was off the main path behind some thick bushes and the main path had the distraction of many parked vehicles for a Disney Channel film crew. Chris explained the partial reason for his fast time was that he had done something similar the previous week so had his eye in.

Next fastest was experienced orienteer Simon Turton in 44:57 (so faster than my first run, but only by a minute).

Steve Taylor finished with a time of 1:00:50 and his route map on Facebook revealed that whilst he hadn't always taken the ideal path he had managed to avoid going in the wrong direction.

Steve Hillier set off with uncertainty but picked up the early controls without difficulty so his self-confidence grew. That proved his undoing as he got completely lost on the way to the seventh control and had to give up and return to the start after 70 minutes.

Alice Banks fared even worse - the third control proved unfindable and she had to return to the start believing that this type of event is not for her.

As we took the finish photograph we remembered that there had been another starter, Mark Taylor, and he was still out there. We divided into teams for a search of the park but as we were about to set off we spotted Mark on the horizon running towards us. He finished, having found all of the controls, in 76 minutes.

The second photograph isn't of illegal green belt encroachment - it is a woodland cottage taking shape for a subsequent scene in whatever Disney is filming in the woods this spring and summer.

The two courses that we did are permanently set up with wooden posts marking each of the controls (and the courses can also be done "electronically" by smart phone app). Let me know if you would like to do one of the courses in your own time and I'll let you know how to get hold of the map.

Map required > Roderick Hoffman

Vets Track & Field – back on the track

It was great to be back together as a team and competing on June 7th.  Two years ago the team were drenched and frozen at this Hillingdon fixture, but in 2021 the temperature was above average for the time of year.  We welcomed two new members to the team, Paul Giles and Fiona Bishop. 

We achieved three individual wins on the night:  Julie in the 3000m, plus Janet in the Shot and Javelin.  Jacqui was pipped at the post in the 200m.  Both Janet’s throws set new Club Records, while Fiona celebrated her debut with a Club record in the 3000m.

The men had a successful evening, too, featuring strong runs by Paul G in the shorter track events, while Steve concentrated on Shot and Javelin.  Paul W and Barry closed the evening with the 3000m in very warm conditions, Paul just missing out on stealing John Coffey’s long standing club record.

Eddie Giles travelled up from Salisbury to give good support to the team, while Harry Wild was there, cheering on both BA and the hosts.

The next Vets League fixture, to be held at Battersea, is scheduled for June 21st.  All are welcome, and the organisers also hope to stage relays and the 2000m walk.

Steve Hillier

Event	Event Age Group	BAAC Participant	Participant Age group	Performance	Result	Record
200m	W35A	Julie Barclay	W55	38.4	7th
200m	W50	Jacqui Musselwhite	W50	33.9	2nd
200m	M35A	Paul Giles	M35	29.8	4th
200m	M50	Michael Ball	M55	33.5	5th
200m	M60	Steve Hillier	M65	39.2	6th
800m	W35A	Julie Barclay	W55	02:57.4	7th
800m	W50	Jacqui Musselwhite	W50	03:04.7	3rd
800m	M35	Paul Giles	M35	02:39.8	6th
800m	M50	Michael Ball	M55	03:14.9	7th
3000m	W50	Julie Barclay	W55	12:48.9	1st
3000m	W60	Fiona Bishop	W60	15:23.3	3rd	Club Record
3000m	M50	Paul Watt	M55	11:14.8	4th
3000m	M60	Barry Walters	M65	17:01.5	4th
Javelin	W50	Janet Smith	W55	17.47	1st	Club Record
Javelin	M60	Steve Hillier	M65	19.92	3rd
Shot	W50	Janet Smith	W55	8.28	1st	Club Record
Shot	M60	Steve Hillier	M65	7.53	3rd

June 21st Vets League Match at Battersea

We are recruiting our team for the next Vets League match, to be held at Battersea Park next Monday evening from 1830.  We need to declare our team on Wednesday 16th.

The event list has changed compared to the previous match, while we continue to need ladies and men in the V35, V50 and V60 categories.  The confirmed events are:  100m, 400m, 1500m, 2000m walk, 4 x 400m, Discus, Javelin, High Jump and Triple Jump.  Please let me know by 10am on Wednesday 16th June if you are interested in competing.

I hope to see you there!

> Steve Hillier

June Club Mile

Michael and I ran on the same course, at Spikes Bridge. We have been closer in the past but Michael was in good shape and I wasn't. But had Denis been there as well I'm sure we'd have each run several seconds faster!

Roderick

BA Athletics Club Records - 1500m

Amongst the events at next week's Battersea meeting is the metric mile. These are the club records...

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

* Andrew's sub 4 minute 1500m was ratified as a valid record. He was the easy winner of a race against three other 1500m runners (Peter Fisk was second in 4:22:05) but it could have been claimed that he was "paced" by a 4x400m quartet of Ian Monk, Malcolm Field, George Jones and Paul Knechtl. On the fourth leg Paul ran a 61 seconds lap (3 seconds faster than his earlier 400m win, though from a moving start) but this wasn't fast enough to keep ahead of, or even up with, Andrew.

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 obo Paul Brandon

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