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BA Athletics Club News Digest 16th March 2020

Events:

  • Wednesday 18th March - Mad March Twister # [cancelled]
  • Wednesday 25th March - 5 Mile Handicap @ Bedfont Club from 18:00 # [if allowed]
  • Thursday 2nd April Parkland Mile, Harmondsworth Marsh at 12:45 [if allowed]
  • Wednesday 8th April - NOW run at Wimbledon from 12:00 [if allowed]

See below for future events.

New members and potential members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome at most of our events. The full diary of club featured events is on the club website at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml. Last updated: 10th March, but latest announcement not incorporated.

* Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps] (parkrun details updated 12th February 2020) / # Club Points event.

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.

Coronavirus Restrictions

The club would like to operate normally over the forthcoming weeks but will be following the advice of Health England and the Government.  This is currently designed to manage the spread of coronavirus so that its peak is smaller and delayed.  Travel and social contact is now also to be severally discouraged.  This has led to the postponement or cancellation of some large events, including the London Marathon, and smaller events will probably now also be cancelled.  However, it is a widely-held belief that running as an exercise boosts health by building fitness and through exposure to fresh air and sunshine. This helps make the body stronger against viral infections. Some events may therefore be held - though without socialising afterwards.

  • Do not attend our events if 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,
  • Please restrict your attendance if you consider yourself vulnerable, such as being elderly and with pre-existing health conditions OR if you interact with others who are from those vulnerable groups.  

We won't hold the Mad March Twister at the Bedfont Club this Wednesday and we probably won't hold next week's Five Mile Handicap either, or if we do we won't meet in the club or pub afterwards. However we are still planning for events including the Speedbird Ladies race on 6th May and the Green Belt Relay in the weekend of May 16th.

If we do run the Handicap on March 25th, and should you not be able to attend for the reasons stated above, then please let Steve Newell know in advance. He will set up a "virtual runner" to take your place so that you are not unduly handicapped in the season table.  

Keep well and we look forward to running with you in both the near and distant future.

Roderick Hoffman - Acting Chair obo the Club Committee

PS (from me with my editor's hat on) - Over the next few weeks please email in with any interesting running related comments or items. This weekly digest could be very quiet if you don't!

BAAC 2019 Awards as presented on 4th March 2020

Other Awards presented on the evening:

Other awards presented at the club 2019 awards evening

  • Steve Newell presented Chris Kelly with a bottle of beer for the best story of running with a SPOTY winner,
  • John Williams presenting the Five Mile Handicap trophy for 2018/19 to Maartin Stenham,
  • Mark Taylor and Julie Barclay receiving the club Cross Country Championship Trophy for the 2018/19 race.

Thanks to Paul Brandon for the photographs, nobody commented about the improved backdrop inserted last week so I've left these photographs as taken.

Roderick Hoffman

Track is Back - Summer 2020!

Yes it’s true, a new season of Track & Field is almost upon us.  We can offer competition for all standards, whether you are a beginner, a star sprinter, a field athlete, or a veteran.  Please come along and enjoy something from the T&F menu.

Monday evenings:  With the exception of the Bank Holidays, there is something available every week throughout the summer.  We organise in-house competitions (AKA Grand Prix events) at the Uxbridge Track, and during the season we will work our way through a full range of running distances, throws and jumps.  If you’ve never tried a Shot Put or 1000m, this is your opportunity! 

We compete in the Southern Veterans League, a chance for everyone from 35 to 95 to compete against their peers in age graded events.  These are all located in the West London area. 

On the Mondays without competitions, we continue to train at Uxbridge track – an opportunity to improve your pacing, fitness and technique.

Contact for Mondays: Steve Hillier

Wednesday evenings:  We compete in the Rosenheim League, a friendly T&F competition spread around tracks in NW Surrey.  Again, all standards are welcome and you will find someone to compete with, whether you plan to run 100 metres, 3000m, or try a field event.  Last year, both league teams grew as the season progressed, and the performances of our relay squads were legendary!

Contact for Wednesdays:  Neil Frediani

Here are the planned dates for March, April and May: [subject to the stadiums being open and fixtures not being cancelled]

  • Mondays 9th Mar - 6th Apr:  Track training, Uxbridge
  • Mon 13th Apr:  Easter Monday, no training
  • Mon 20th Apr:  Grand Prix, Uxbridge:  1500m & Discus
  • Mon 27th Apr – 4th May:  Track training, Uxbridge
  • Wed 29th Apr:  Rosenheim League, Walton
  • Mon 11th May:  Veteran’s League, Battersea
  • Mon 18th May:  Grand Prix, Uxbridge:  1000m, Shot, Long Jump & Wellie Wanging
  • Wed 27th May:  Rosenheim League, St Mary’s Twickenham

Steve Hillier and Neil Frediani

1984 BA ShirtWorld Airline Road Race - the Team Tee Shirt

Let us look forward to a better time - this year's World Airline Road Race, the 39th, is scheduled to be held in Hawaii from October 22nd through 25th. We've currently got a team of 12 registered and, with positive vibes, could hope to have twice as many come the event.

This will be the second time that the event has been held in Hawaii. The 3rd ever WARR was held there back in 1984. At that event the British Airways team introduced something new to WARR in the shape of a team tee shirt. This was so well received that the following year several airlines had team shirts and the year after a best team tee shirt competition was introduced and has been held every year since.

These days we don't always have a team tee shirt - reflecting the number of shirts we have in our closets. But this year I do propose having a shirt - to celebrate the shirt that we had back in 1984. I propose a simple white cotton shirt with the 1984 design reproduced (other than having "84" replaced with "1984 & 2020"). The design on the back will reflect all of the WARR events that have been held.

I'll ask for feedback on this idea on Facebook, or email me.

Roderick Hoffman

parkrun Review Saturday 14th March 2020

14Mar Member parkrun Place Time Grade PB Comment
TRUE Paul PRESCOTT Bedfont Lakes 4 00:20:14 63.84% M-4, 46th run at Bedfont Lakes
TRUE Emma Moreton Bedfont Lakes 36 00:24:54 61.04% F-4, 220th run at Bedfont Lakes
TRUE Maarten Stenham Bedfont Lakes 55 00:26:44 51.81% pacing Jakob (JM10)
TRUE David DUGGAN Bedfont Lakes 103 00:31:07 51.53% run #357, 218th at Bedfont Lakes
TRUE Ian Cockram Bedfont Lakes Run Director
TRUE Caroline Cockram Bedfont Lakes Finish Tokens
TRUE Neil FREDIANI Bedfont Lakes Barcode Scanning, still on "249"!
TRUE Joe NOLAN Black Park 297 00:30:09 55.11% very consistent these days
TRUE Sarah GORDON Braunstone 307 00:33:21 59.87% Missed seconds bingo by 1s (too slow)
TRUE Ian CUNNINGHAM Bushy Park 478 00:26:37 58.74%
TRUE Christopher T KELLY California Country 128 00:37:52 40.23% PB   83s improvement
TRUE Roderick HOFFMAN Canons Park 61 00:30:03 52.91% 2nd run at Canons Park
TRUE Scott DAVISON Crane Park 74 00:24:30 59.25%
TRUE Adam Moquet Fulham Palace 8 00:18:03 72.30% M-8
TRUE John Lennon Guildford 295 00:38:06 41.73% Still needs an ":00" for seconds bingo
TRUE Alastair Heslop Guildford Barcode Scanning
TRUE Steve NEWELL Gunnersbury 454 00:44:41 42.41% run #382, 141st at Gunnersbury, 2020 sb
TRUE Paul Davis Hanworth 4 00:20:48 65.63% PB   M-4, 27s improvement
FALSE Joan FOXLEY Harrow Token sorting
TRUE Harjit Jhooti Ifield Mill Pond 65 00:31:02 55.37% 1st run at Ifield Mill Pond, park #23
TRUE Melanie Miller Ifield Mill Pond 87 00:35:42 48.13% 1st run at Ifield Mill Pond, park #41
TRUE Julie BARCLAY Linford Wood 12 00:22:05 81.96% F-1, 1st run /  club ladies and grade record
TRUE Paul WATT Linford Wood 8 00:21:41 70.87% M-8, 1st run / club men's record
TRUE Benita Scaife Maidenhead 258 00:32:57 61.51% Still needs a ":55" for seconds bingo
TRUE John Scaife Maidenhead 259 00:32:58 51.37% 100th run at Maidenhead
TRUE Petra OTTO Manor Field, Whittlesey 51 00:37:56 55.93% 96th run in Cambridgeshire !
TRUE Murray HOGGE Mile End 59 00:21:29 74.01% PB   Another 13s improvement / improves own club records
TRUE Janice Jones Mole Valley 122 00:31:54 54.60% 1st run at Mole Valley, park #22
TRUE Alan & Ann ANDERSON Osterley 258 00:48:55 55.78% (assisted)
TRUE Trish MCCABE Osterley 152 00:28:47 54.26% run #321, 20th at Osterley Park
TRUE Alan ANDERSON Osterley 259 00:48:56 48.02%
TRUE Jain Reid Richmond Park 186 00:27:32 64.04%
TRUE Mike Dennison Rushmoor 14 00:20:16 80.51% 1st run at Rushmoor, best age-grade score there this week
TRUE Maria Jovani Rushmoor 22 00:21:21 73.69% PB   11s PB (+2% better age-grade)
TRUE James Shoulder Rushmoor 4 00:18:44 68.86% M-4, Has run 18:42, 18:43 and 18:44 in last two months
TRUE Kay Trinder Woking 14 00:21:42 81.26% F-1, best age-grade% at Woking this week
TRUE Tom ROWLEY Woking Marshal
TRUE Alice BANKS Wycombe Rye 249 00:28:12 70.80% 6th run at Wycombe Rye, attendance 490

The aftermath of the winter storms continued to disrupt with many parkrun courses still waterlogged and some events called off for lack of key volunteers and coronavirus Covid-19 getting a mention.  Events in Europe, Asia and North America were cancelled on a country by country basis although parkruns went ahead in Russia, New Zealand, Australia and Southern Africa. It is too early to know whether parkrun UK will operate again next Saturday (announcement due on Wednesday).  It would be a shame if Neil Frediani and Zoe Ostley get stuck on 249 runs “for a very long time”.

There was a record attendance of 178 at Hazelwood for their 100th edition (and 2nd anniversary) but our members spurned the opportunity to fill up on cake!  The going has been rather soft in recent weeks.

Our in-form runners had another good week with Julie Barclay (81.96%), Kay Trinder (81.26%) and Mike Dennison (80.51%) all topping the age grade scores this week at Linford Wood, Woking and Rushmoor respectively.  Paul Watt (21:41) lowered the club record at Linford Wood (near Milton Keynes.  Yeovil will have to wait, hopefully not “for a very long time”.

Steve Newell / Roderick Hoffman

Steve's parkrun stats - club parkrun stats

Full club parkrun database - {read access to new club parkrun database} - Download and explore.

Roderick Hoffman

Harjit at Hampton CourtHampton Court Palace Half Marathon - 15th March 2020

This event did happen over the weekend and at least one of our runners had an enjoyable last race for a while - Harjit Jhooti finished in 02:22:45.

Photograph from Facebook.

SLO Street-O approaching its climax

The "South" London Orienteers Street-O season has one event every month from September through to April. So last week was the penultimate with an hour's run around the undulations of Highgate. Whilst only Christine and I made the evening we both had good runs.

I managed to find an almost perfect route for my current speed and fitness - an out leading to a 50pt control, an across to the only other 50pt control and then a return to the host pub with each of the three paths being via valuable 30 and 40 point controls. I did pick up two minutes of time penalties but that was mainly because I didn't run fast enough, not that I choose the wrong route. On the day I finished 24th of 77 competitors and scored 78 points for the season competition, my highest score of the season.

Christine also had a good run for her, finishing 60th out of 77 or 23rd out of 29 women taking part. Her score of 41 points wasn't her best of the season but that was due to a feature of the scoring system at her end of the table - her only two better scores were in fields of 56 and 60 where coming last would have earned 45 and 41 points respectively!

There is one more event in the "South" London Street-O calendar and this is also north of the Thames near Kings Cross on Tuesday April 14th. The season championship table is poised so that if Simon Turton makes that event then he could walk round to confirm his lead over me BUT if he doesn't make it then I only need a reasonable run and I'll improve my points total by the ten points I need to overtake him in the final table!  Christine is pretty much confirmed in third place unless Chris Kelly turns up and perhaps shadows Simon all of the way round in which case he could just catch Christine (70 points to make up). Alternately Jain Reid is only 28 points behind Chris so if she makes it and Chris doesn't she could make 4th. Jain is on 102 points and the maximum awarded at an event is 100 points so she can be pleased with her top five club finish.

Club Runner Sep > Feb March +ve Time Penalty Score March Pts 5 Events Pts
Simon Turton 4 events 326 pts       0 326
Roderick Hoffman 5 events 267 pts 420 1:02:09 / -43 377 78 316
Christine Munden 5 events 177 pts 260 0:58:10 260 41 200
Chris Kelly 3 events 130 pts - - - 0 130
Jain Reid 3 events 102 pts - - - 0 102

Roderick Hoffman

Running Shorts

  • Dear Ed; further 2.2M jog today (Sun 15March= 30m 30s).  Andy Rayner.
  • Today I took the bus and a train from Yeading to get to Paddington and then ran home from there along the canal (11.5miles). I suspect that would now be classified as an "unnecessary journey" so I'm glad I got it in! Roderick Hoffman 

Over the next few weeks please email in with any interesting running related comments. It will be very quiet if you don't!

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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Club website: www.barunner.org.uk.

 

      

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