baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 15th October 2018

Events:

• Saturday 20th October - Club Featured parkrun - Upton Court Cancelled (see below)
• Wednesday 24th October - Non-Office Workers run Osterley Park from 12:00.
• Wednesday 31st October - Winter 5mile Handicap - Bedfont Club from 18:00

New members and potential 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. Last updated: First week of October.

* Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps] (parkrun details updated 2nd week of October) / # Club Points event.

Not for you, no longer interested? remove me please. / Difficulty viewing this? Read it from the website:- http://www.barunner.org.uk/News Latest.shtml. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BARunnerUK/ (formal "front window" club page), BA Runner Facebook Group (informal "back office" - ask to join).

Inclusions, with photos, please to Roderick Hoffman at news@barunner.org.uk.

This Wednesday...

...October 17th, there will be ad hoc runs from the Bedfont Club from 18:00 including a trial run of the 5 mile winter handicap course. This is prior to an informal social in the bar.  If you need to use the changing rooms before 17:50 please check with me for my arrival with the keys.

Roderick Hoffman

Milocarian AC Home Match at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst RMAS, Saturday 27th Oct 2018, 14:00

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve again been invited to attend the annual Milocarians 6 mile XC at Sandhurst. The XC is the stuff of legend with the infamous Saddleback Hill just one of many hills on a course that’s described as ‘undulating’.

Some of our normal attendees aren’t available this year but I’m keen we get at least six to count in the team event (which can be mixed). Other clubs attending include; Thames Hare & Hounds AC, Ranelagh Harriers AC, Kingston & Poly AC, Runnymede Runners AC, Sandhurst AC & Bank AC.

Showers and changing facilities will be provided as well as refreshments after the event (get in quick before Baz eats all the cake!).  

The Terry Lewins Trophy plus individual winners (male & female) will be presented after the match.

Given the location, obviously security is tight, so I need to submit personal details in advance by 17 Oct. The following is required:

• Full name of each attendee (runners and spectators)
• Vehicle details (Make, Colour, Reg Number)

All adults will require photo ID on the day.

Timings are:

•              1230 hrs Teams arrive at Main Gate (Entrance must be by the Main College Gate, on the A 30);
•             1300 hrs Final Team lists to Match Secretary;
•             1345 hrs Race Briefing (always a good laugh!)
•             1400 hrs Race Start.

Hope to see you there! BUT tell me to expect you...NOW...

Simon Turton {simon.turton@ba.com}

WARR Event Photographs

For more see: https://1drv.ms/a/s!Ao4wOv9pbDU1gv5Ie5EW5wdIeGT0kw

Roderick Hoffman

Men's Cross Country Match 1: Roundshaw Downs – 13th October 2018 – 3:00pm  – 4.85 miles - Results #

Shift work, injuries and other events left us with a small team which gave a presentable performance at the first Cross Country of the season at Roundshaw. Semi-running-retired Mike Thorn came back for a return to his childhood stomping grounds and we saw a first run for Adam Moquet perpetual winner of the BA fun run.  Adam gave a stunning performance missing out on first place in Div 4 by a handful of seconds. Good performances by the rest of the team - Chris Kelly, Richard Ruffell, Simon Turton, Graham Taylor, Mike and Steve Hillier meant that we came 9th out of 12 in the Div 4 'A' team.

Thanks all and thank you Steve Newell for being our official.

Looking forward to seeing a good turnout at Epsom in November.

Next fixture:  Div 3/4 Match 2 - 10th Nov 3pm at Epsom Downs (hilly, around and across the race course)

Neil Frediani {neil.frediani@ba.com}

Ladies Cross Country Event 1 - Wimbledon Common, 13th October 2018 - Results #

It was a glorious day and unseasonably warm weather for the First Ladies XC match at the session held at Wimbledon Common.

As I arrived at the starting area I heard my name being called out and I was greeted by the lovely Tom Rowley who had already kindly collected our BA bib numbers. Being relatively new to XC running and having never attended the first match of the season before, Tom kindly showed me the ropes and showed me what was required and introduced me to Ron. We gathered near the Woking Club base and it was nice seeing so many familiar faces of friends from other clubs, but it was also nice chatting to some new people as well. I was soon joined by Helen & Monica and it was lovely catching up. After our warm-up jog together it was time for the off. The course was on a mixture of stony paths and had some wooded and grass sections. It consisted of one small lap and then one bigger lap. Thankfully, due to the dry conditions, there was no accumulation of mud! The later part of the course had a tough hill to master which was made more challenging in such warm conditions.

Once all 3 of our BA runners were home we did some post run stretching. We then enjoyed Monica’s yummy bread and butter cake and refreshment drinks whilst enjoying the sunshine and chatting to Tom, Jacqui and Kay and other colleagues. 

Thanks Helen & Monica for a great first match! My special thanks to Tom for being my mentor on the day. It was a small turnout but hopefully we will get to see more ladies taking part at the next match on 10th November at Nonsuch Park. 

I never thought I would say this but I wholeheartedly recommend XC and it would be great to have a full ladies team at the next match!
Until the next match! 

Trish McCabe 
 
Helen adds - "We were all pleased to see Tom and have our post race treat of Monica’s Bread Pudding Cake. All exhausted and went home although I guess Trish was fitter as she did Park Run, XC then the Cabbage Patch... Bravo Trish‍"

Next fixture: Match 2.    11am on 11th November at Nonsuch Park, Cheam.

Cabbage Patch 14th October Run-of-the-Month results #

So both Craig and Trish judged the sprint to the line to perfection, one second under 80 minutes and 100 minutes respectively.  This is what Craig had to say afterwards...

And Trish...

Yes, it was great to get under the 100 minute at the Cabbage Patch. The heavens opened and I think that was what did it. It spurred me on to speed up towards at the end just to get out of the rain. I can honestly say that was my wettest ever race finish! Trish

Club parkrun results for Saturday 13th October 2018

parkrun numbers were down a little this week as the cross-country league season got underway {Ed: but you will note that two of our fitter runners used a parkrun as a warm-up for the cross-country}.

Adrian Haines (18:42) returned to parkrun at Tilgate after a very successful summer on the track.  Maria Jovani (22:24) set a new female club record at Crane Park.  She did run even faster there (20:38) in 2016 before she joined us.  John Coffey (28:44), who has been parkrunning longer than any of us, ran at Hazelwood for the 26th time and reached the milestone of 300 parkruns (235 of them at Bushy Park, starting on Christmas Eve in 2005). Ian Cockram (24:45 at Bedfont Lakes) is up to 449 so should achieve his blue vest towards the end of next year, Chris Kelly (24:06 at Reading) moved on to 401, so maybe the year after.

Denis Foxley (31:09) visited Bedgebury Pinetum in Kent for the first time.  The seriously hilly single lap course is rated as the 14th most difficult UK parkrun.

The club featured parkrun planned for Upton Court next Saturday (20th October) has been dropped from the diary.  The run will still go ahead so anyone intending to go there can still do so.  Be warned though, Upton Court parkrun has been cancelled on 3rd November. The next run scheduled as a cfp will be at Fulham Palace on Saturday 1st December.  Steve Newell will be coordinating the run and trying the latest course out in advance.  Travel/parking advice to follow nearer the time.

Plans for Christmas and New Year are now being made and over the next few weeks parkrun event directors will be announcing whether or not there will be runs on 25th December and 1st January.  Start times will often not be the standard 9 a.m. and a maximum of two New Year runs are allowed.  Incredibly Dinton Pastures is planning to start the ball rolling at 0830 on 1 Jan 2019.  Bedfont Lakes has already opted out on both dates.

Steve Newell

Updated parkrun stats - club parkrun stats

Osterley Park parkrun starts a new two lap course on November 3rd. We are due to visit Osterley for the next NOW run on lunchtime on Wednesday 24th October so perhaps we'll get to try out the new course before it is set!

Street-O London Bridge 9th October - Results

Simon Turton, Christine Munden and I had a good time running around the London Bridge area last Tuesday. The leader managed to accumulate 670 points out of a maximum 860 available. Simon's total of 340, mine of 320 and Christine's of 220 are low in comparison (though ten of the 85 competitors scored less than Christine - including one who ended up with minus70 points due to excessive time penalties!).  Both Simon and I lost time because the organisers had decided to hide traces of the railway from the map (I'm not sure why). Simon struggled to find the start position on the map because, although it was right by London Bridge station, the station wasn't shown.  I wasn't confused by the missing station but later when I was looking for a Control Point just before a bridge over the Thames I searched the wrong area because the railway bridge had been removed from the map we had been given.  However, despite these and other frustrations, we each had a good workout of body and mind, and in Christine and my case we had an enjoyable drink and meal afterwards in the pub that was the event HQ.

Next month's Street-O is in Teddington on the 13th November - the race HQ is The Park Hotel near Teddington railway station (which may or may not be shown in the map!), TW11 0AB. Registration will be from 18:15 with the last permitted start time expected to be around 19:30.  Entry on the night costs £4 and contact one of the three of us if you want more details of what to expect.

Roderick Hoffman

Running shorts...and longs...

• From the archives - 30 years ago on Friday Steve Newell completed the Hawaii Ironman.
• Ever been held up in a Marathon?  Runners at the Portland Marathon the other week were held up by a train crossing the course. Now, anyone who has been to that part of the world recently will know that some of those trains are very long and move very slowly. The delay was up to 22 minutes! The leader had got past the crossing but at the finish there was still a 27 minutes gap back to second place: https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2018/10/train_crossing_race_path_delay.html.

And finally...

So what is the BAAC connection with this photograph?

It was taken at the recent 2018 British Open Speedgolf Championships, held at Piltdown Golf Club. Speedgolf combines golf with running and the male winner, Chris Benians, completed the full course in 80 shots and 43minutes and 41seconds to score 123.21. The winning lady was Liz McKinnon who shot 76 in 50:41 to score 126.41.  For more details, and to see videos of players in action see https://britishspeedgolf.co.uk/british-open-speedgolf/.

And the link with BAAC?  The clock in the background is our very own race clock, hired from us for the championships.  The club invested in this clock a good many years ago and uses it for our external events and major internal events. When not in use by us we allow other clubs to hire it with a current charge of £50 per event or £25 for charity related events. It was used for the South Bucks 10k last weekend and on Wednesday for the Merchant Taylor's School's annual Cross Country race. If you know of an event being organised that would benefit from the use of a race clock then contact me to check availability.

And thanks to Joe Nolan who has recently undertaken a couple of repairs on the clock, as well as covering for me when I've been away.

Roderick Hoffman

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

Club website: www.barunner.org.uk.