The logo of the baRUNNER website. HOME NEWS DIARY

baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

The logo of the baRUNNER website.
Events>

BA Athletics Club News Digest 16th January 2017

Events:

  • Wednesday 18th January - Club In-house Event "Street-O" from Heston Venue and social (see below)*
  • Wednesday 25th January - Five Mile Handicap at Heston Venue from 18:00*
  • Tuesday 31st January - Round-the-Block at Heston Venue at 12:30*

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. Updated 9th January.

*Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps]

Not for you, no longer interested?  remove me please.

Difficulty viewing this email?  Read it off the website instead - http://www.barunner.org.uk/News Latest.shtml

Running related gossip and chat: Facebook Page "BARunner" https://www.facebook.com/BARunnerUK/


CIE Event 18th January "All Ways Folly" - Street-O Orienteering - Heston Venue from 18:00

The Club In-house Event on Wednesday 18th January will be a Street-O Orienteering event.  Start times can be anytime from 18:00 to 18:20 (or advise me if you may be later). At the start you will be given a map of the area and on the map will be indicated a number of "Controls".  Whatever your start time you will have exactly sixty minutes to visit controls to accumulate points and get back to the clubhouse before picking up time penalties.  The winner will be the runner with the largest net score. No prior experience is necessary and Orienteering can give you a good running workout with alternative sprints, jogs (whilst reading the map) and pauses (whilst recording answers).

Equipment needed / not needed:

  • Running shoes and kit - optional! This is an event that could be done walking and I'll turn a blind eye to anyone who uses a bus to get back to the clubhouse (but no cars),
  • Map - provided,
  • Answer Sheet - provided,
  • Pen - a basic writing instrument will be provided - but your own pen, on a piece of string or elastic, could be of benefit,
  • Touch - bring a torch if you have one.  Most of the controls are on lampposts so you may not need it,
  • Compass - you are unlikely to benefit from having a compass,
  • Phone - you do not need a phone for the event but it may be reassuring to know that you have one on you - and many smartphones have a torch option!  Using a smart phone to assist with your navigation is unlikely to be of benefit to you,
  • Running companion - you may run in a pair if you wish.

Most of the controls will be items of street furniture and you will "prove" that you have visited each by writing down a number, letter or word from the control onto your answer sheet.  Different controls are worth different numbers of points, and you will not be able to visit them all, so the skill isn't just to navigate to controls it is also constructing a course that allows you to visit the higher value controls (which tend to be further out) but still get back to the finish without incurring time penalties. And your thinking time is also your running time!

For more instructions please see this attachment.

After the event we will be visiting the Queen's Head - so remember your BA Clubs card, if you are a member, since a generous discount is available.

Please let me know to expect you so that I can have the right number of maps printed.

Roderick Hoffman (roderick@rhoff.org.uk)


BA Hosted Men's Cross Country on Saturday, 14th Jan 2017 - Results and Report

Hosting a match always adds an extra level of complexity to a cross country week-end. There are marshals to find, course marking to do, signposting to set up, time recording roles to fill and understand, not to mention our own team to organise. Myself and Gary shared the organisational roles with me focusing on the IT and communications side and Gary with organising marshals, signage and running. Thanks to our ever reliable team of volunteers Tom Rowley, Paul Brandon, Harry Wild, Ann Coffey, Chris Stockwell, Denis Foxley, Joe Nolan, Alan Anderson, John Williams, Steve Newell and Sarah Kelly, sorry if I have forgotten anyone, all was set up and fully staffed. West 4 Harriers provided assistance in the form of a funnel team which was reassuring due to my lack of experience at the business end of a race. Their role was to produce a list of finishers and a list of times and they also took photos of finishers in case they were needed to confirm finishing order and times.

Anyway, after some less than promising weather, Harry was able to start the race of 260+ runners with a whistle in lovely sunshine. A couple of runners arrived a few minutes late and dutifully headed the wrong way to start at the correct place but the guy who arrived as leaders completed lap 1 just joined in near the first corner. Anyway it looks like the course was in fairly good nick and well-marked by Tom so there weren't any disasters. We had eleven runners who turned out for BA and ten finishers due to Mark Taylor sustaining an injury (probably by running too fast). Jeremy Short and Simon Turton came a cropper due to low sunlight and invisible tree roots but luckily recovered to finish. This is the 3rd time out of three that we have had a full team this season with one more race to come, thank you everyone for turning out though it would be good to see some new faces next time.

Surrey League Cross Country Cranford Park start

During the race I was recording finishers on my phone using an app which had been created for the league. Steve Newell called the numbers as I typed them in. Names of pre-registered runners and their times were instantly available. Ideally we would have three people recording using the app, one for numbers, one for times and one for both and then it is just a case of merging spreadsheets and adding the unregistered athletes who were declared by the old paper method. Results could ideally be out within the hour but I missed some of the runners due to them finishing in bunches so had to do some manual editing. The excellent manually recorded lists from West4 ensured that this was a simple process.  The Division 3 and 4 results were available by 8pm having only spent about an hour or so working on them after beer, coffee and my dinner. That is real progress for results processing and Surrey League were very happy with our efforts.

Division 4 Results

Pos# Points Num Name Age group Club Time
1st 1 970 Steven Blake SEN Woking AC 26:35:00
22 22 552 Paul Knechtl V45 BAAC 31:50:00
34 34 567 Gary Rushmer V55 BAAC 33:09:00
37 36 559 Chris Kelly V50 BAAC 33:26:00
62 57 572 Ian Cunningham V50 BAAC 35:50:00
66 60 565 Simon Turton V50 BAAC 36:26:00
69 63 573 Jeremy Short V55 BAAC 36:33:00
70 64 550 Matthew Stratful V40 BAAC 36:43:00
82 76 566 Graham Taylor V55 BAAC 37:42:00
101 90 557 John Coffey V70 BAAC 44:32:00
106 93 594 Steve Hillier V60 BAAC 52:31:00
107 94 674 Peter Dry V60 Epsom Oddballs 62:03:00

In the team competition the British Airways AC team were placed 7th of ten teams.  As well as the 107 finishers in the Division 4 match there were 157 in the Division 3 match run simultaneously so a total of 264 finishers.

Neil Frediani


Tom Rowley - 90th Birthday celebration at Woking parkrun on Saturday 28th January

Tom Rowley at 89Tom Rowley helped us set up the course for the Cross Country on Saturday, as he usually does for events like this. Now aged 89 Tom has been helping the club throughout its existence. Tom's 90th birthday will be on 28th January and fifteen months ago he decided that to mark the occasion he would complete the Woking parkrun. It is likely that many people will take the opportunity to join Tom on the day at Woking and hopefully the BA club will have a large presence. Tom did a 5k last year, joining us in Chicago for WARR, his time as an M89 was 54:25 so it will be interesting to see if he runs faster in his 90s!

John Coffey writes:

" I have known Tom for many years.  His life revolves around running whether it be XC, Track, Road Running, Walking, and of course Coaching.  Tom goes to bed early so he can start his next day full of activities.  He can be found swimming at Woking Leisure Centre at 6 o'clock in the morning.  Every Wednesday morning we have a walking/Running event for mainly retired athletes.  At it sometimes Tom will disappear and can be found doing repetitions on the grass to keep fit.

Does he have any spare time? I don’t think so.

I really don’t know where he gets his energy from. Tom can also be found at many races encouraging all age groups and abilities and his enthusiasm is certainly infectious, also a dab hand at taking photos and marking out XC courses.

You could go on and on, Tom is certainly a goldmine.

Just some of Tom’s records at Woking AC:

M70

100m

T Rowley

18.10

1999

Guildford

M70

200m

T Rowley

39.10

1999

Woking

M70

400m

T Rowley

89.40

1999

Guildford

M70

800m

T Rowley

3.10.40

1998

Tooting

M70

1500m

T Rowley

6.51.80

1998

Tooting

M70

1 Mile

T Rowley

7.31.20

1997

Woking

M70

2000m Walk

T Rowley

13.25.00

1995

Portsmouth

M75

800m

T Rowley

3.43.70

1998

Portsmouth

M75

1500m

T Rowley

7.25.00

2002

Basingstoke

M75

2000m Walk

T Rowley

13.25.90

2003

Basingstoke

I managed to take some of Tom's Road Running records but was never able to match his marathon time - 3hrs 15mins is not bad for a 60 year old!!!

He also loves telling jokes and stories that you have to wonder about.  His military service, you're never quite sure whether its World War 1 or World War 2.  Was he in the Navy or the Army? let me know if you find out.  As for his WAR wounds, that’s another story. "

John Coffey

And Julie Barclay adds:

Tom at WARR 2016" I'll tell you what I know of Tom but my involvement with him only started about 4/5 years ago. It was quite a while later that I became aware of the link to BAAC.

I used to go to the track at Woking in 2012, along with a few other ladies, and Tom would put a little coaching session together. I decided that I would enter the Brighton Marathon in 2013 and Tom volunteered to put a training schedule together for me based around my shift work.....and that is how we started!  The marathon didn't go very well for me unfortunately, I pulled up after 10 miles with a calf injury!

What is so special about Tom is that he not only sets the training schedule based on the race I have entered but he is part of it! I'm never left to 'get on with it', he marks trees, lampposts, bins and pavements to measure distances for reps, he logs and records every training session. He travels to different areas, Aldershot, Guildford, Woking Park. Horsell Common and many more to find hills, steps, grass banks, muddy runs tarmac runs.

We train most mornings at 07.30 and he is always there first to mark out the session. When I do circuit training on Friday morning he has 7/8 pieces of apparatus to put out and then put away!

He has this huge enthusiasm for running....he will help anyone and over the last 4/5 years several people have joined us during our morning sessions but people's lives change and they stop coming, this doesn't bother Tom at all...he is there to help whoever and whenever he can....he loves to see runners enjoying their sport...it isn't about being the best. It's about being the best you can be and that is what Tom has done for me.

His biggest accomplishment must be running the 5k at WARR...what an amazing sight to see him running with John, with his friends and family cheering him on....89 years young....is there no stopping him?......let's hope not! "

Julie Barclay


ASCA Cross Country - Saturday 18th February, Dublin

Dear All,

Please find below the details and costs relating to the ASCA XC from host Aer Lingus. If you are interested in going to the event, please can you let me (clarapn@aol.com), Neil (neil.frediani@ba.com) and Gary (gary.rushmer@btinternet.com) know so that we can get organised and send the team list to the host. You need to make your own hotel booking - may also want to do this ASAP.

Many thanks,

Clara

Ed: The event is aimed at Airline Employees who are members of BA Clubs (who fund ASCA) but usually anyone who fancies a day/weekend out including a competitive run is welcome to enter and join in, though will not score in the main competition. Discount "Hotline" tickets can also be acquired. Contact Clara for details.

Dear Delegates,

You are all welcome to Dublin on Saturday 18th Feb for the ASCA Cross Country Events. All the information is now on the ASCA website,
www.asca.cc ;

Please enter your interest in taking part as soon as possible and don't forget the hotel rates may not apply after Jan 31st.  All events are at the ALSAA Sports Complex, 8 minutes walk from the hotel.  In short, the schedule is as follows:

Friday 17th Feb:

  •  20:00 Captains meeting.
  • For those not involved in that meeting, our facilities include a big bar, snooker, pool and darts, 10 lane ten pin bowling and a restaurant.

Saturday 18th:

  • 11:00 Ladies Race - 2 miles (3.33k).
  •  11:30 Men's Race - 5 miles (8.33k).
  •  12:00 onwards - tea/coffee & snacks.
  •  14:00 Awards Presentation.
  •  16:00 Lunch.
  •  Free after that.  

The package price is €50 pp and payable at the Captains meeting.  We can organize standby tickets for staff and partners of airlines that do not have an interline agreement with Aer Lingus.  Please provide me with your routing, list of staff with staff numbers and one credit card and we will issue the PNR.

Below are the steps for booking the rooms in the 4 star hotel beside the terminal building and 8 minutes walk from the competition venue.
The rates are €109 single, €119 twin/double & €139 triple room per night, all include full Irish breakfast.

  • Go to homepage http://www.maldronhoteldublinairport.com/
  • Click on Promotional code (top right of page)
  • Enter Promotional code ASCA2017 and press go
  • Click on dates required and complete booking
  • An automatic booking reference will be generated when completed.

There is a very good bus or taxi service into the city (10k) from your hotel or ALSAA.

Don't hesitate to contact Eugene or myself if you have any queries.

Kind Regards,

Jim Mc Evoy,

Aer Lingus Delegate.


BA Athletics Club Survey - Last Call

We've now had 68 responses to the survey and I'll close it on Thursday and start analysing the results on Friday.  Expect to see some nice graphs in next week's digest.

Jumping the gun; the early feedback on the digest content asked for greater variety of authors and more pictures, whilst keeping the digest the same frequency and size so I'm attempting to do this - but I will be dependent on you to submit articles and photographs for inclusion.

Roderick Hoffman (roderick@rhoff.org.uk)


Coach and Officials Training Opportunities + Marathon Workshop

We've received another batch of details for training for Coaches and Event Officials for courses for January through to June. The club is keen to encourage members to get undertake such courses and will be prepared to subsidise some of the costs.  So if your New Year's Resolution includes developing such skills then please contact Steve Hillier: Steve Hillier (stevehillier@msn.com) .

Our marathon runners may be interested in the "Preparing for a Spring Marathon with International Athlete Mara Yamauchi" workshop on 1st February in Southwark from 18:30 for just £10. Mara holds the second fastest Marathon time behind Paula Radcliffe. More information and to book see: https://www.ulearnathletics.com/cpdEvent/84092


BA Clubs - NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS - New Membership Cards

Membership cards are being renewed over the next few weeks and will come into effect on 1 March 2017.

Please call Membership Reception on 0208 513 2000 or email membership@ba.com to renew your card.  We will let you know when it is ready for collection.

Discounts at the Queens Head will only be applied to members holding a new card after 1 March 2017.

Thank You,

Alison Hartigan

BA Clubs Limited, Concorde Club Trustee


Thorpe Park Half Marathon - Sunday 26th February 2017 - Two free places available

Good evening,

My name is Jack and I am part of the RunThrough Events team. We are organising the Thorpe Park Half Marathon on Sunday 26th February 2017 (www.thorpeparkhalf.com).

We would like to extend an offer to your running club of 2 free places into the half marathon for your club members. We are really interested in supporting the local running clubs in the area and would love to see some British Airways AC runners at the event!

We also have the opportunity of marshalling work at the event, and in return we would be willing to make a donation to your running club in return for your club members' valuable help at the event. If any of your club members are interested in this, please don't hesitate to get in touch and I will be able to provide full details.

Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the above and I sincerely hope that we are able to see some representatives from your club at the event.

Kind regards,

Jack Williams,

www.runthrough.co.uk

Any paid up club member who would like to take advantage of this free offer please contact Neil Frediani (who has already entered this event).  Also contact Neil if you could be in that area that day and would like to help out with some marshalling.


Different Datchet Dashers Events on 11th March and 25th June

Hi,

Are you able to add this link for a race in next week’s newsletter please?  http://www.runface.co.uk/beattheboat. On 25th June, this is a 10k with an out-and-back course parallel to the river - with spectators on boats cheering you on! There are three boats for spectators for different pace runners. There will be team prizes so maybe BA would like to enter a team.

There is also another one coming up in March at Black Park.  Dash in the Dark on Saturday 11th March from 7pm. See http://www.dashinthedark.co.uk/ "10k trail race after dark...where you will run in areas of the park you’ve not explored before" (head torches mandatory).

Thank you,

Janet Smith (obo Datchet Dashers)


Club parkrun results for Saturday 14th January

No space for the results table this week - see the club parkrun stats file for the results for this and recent weeks and a wealth of other information including tables of performances by runner and by parkrun: Updated club parkrun stats [this link should work now - it has been broken for the last few weeks]. 

Commentary

A combination of cross country league races and widespread freezing conditions reduced the total number of parkrunners this week to below 100,000 as dozens of events were cancelled due to dangerously icy conditions on Saturday morning (78 in total).  Bedfont Lakes was one of the runs cancelled.  It is always worth checking websites/facebook to make sure the parkrun you are heading for is operating as usual.  Some of the runs which did go ahead attracted record numbers, including Guildford where Alastair Heslop was on barcode scanning duty serving the 487 finishers.  Benita (30:01) and John Scaife (30:02) were part of a record turnout of 455 at Wycombe Rye.

Conditions at Gunnersbury were cool and calm and Alan Anderson (30:31) achieved his best time since last September and was our only runner with a WAVA score of over 70%.  Steve Newell was the volunteer tail runner and his son and grandson both reached the finish line several minutes ahead of him.  Another little milestone.  The tailrunner task was made more difficult because of the large number of people who missed the start by as much as five minutes and gave chase.

On the tourist scene Sarah Gordon (38:13) became our first runner at Cannock Chase where the parkrun has been going for just a couple of months.  That makes 77 different parkruns for her and 316 for the club.  Roderick Hoffman (27:05) was at Fareham for the first time and moved his total on to 182.  Others trying a course for the first time were Daniela Mayerova (27:52) at Gunnersbury, Trish McCabe (30:19) and John Lennon(30:20) as refugees from Bedfont were at Richmond Park.

Steve Newell is going to be away in Vietnam and Thailand for the next two Saturdays so any noteworthy parkrun news items should be sent direct to the editor.  I hope that weather conditions at Woking on 28th January are kind for Tom Rowley's first parkrun.  Why on earth has he waited 90 years?  Everyone who is able should join in.  Free parking for three hours.

Steve Newell


Janet at ClivedenCliveden Cross Country Race 8th January 2017

This year’s race was on January 8th and it takes place at the National Trust Cliveden House in Taplow, organised by Burnham Joggers.  I don’t know how many of you have run this annual race, but the attraction of it (!!!) is the 180 odd steps from the river up to the house.  Very few people manage to run the whole flight, even the elite runners walk a little.  There is also the ‘Hill of Doom’.  It is a popular race despite these obstacles and it was sold out by the end of November.  There are two laps, both include the steps.

It was a misty morning last Sunday and at 9am we were off.  The rain got heavier throughout the race but it didn’t really matter.  Trail shoes are a must really as the downhill sections were pretty slippery.   It is approx. six miles in length and the winning man ran it is just over 35 mins!

I managed to finish, near the back of the field in 80:47.  Three seconds slower than last year.  I will just have to come back again next year and try to be a bit faster!

Janet Smith

Ed: I did this race last year and can confirm that it is a great event. The photo of Janet on the steps does sum up how all competitors feel at this point...but it is worth it!   Also see: http://burnhamjoggers.co.uk/clivedenxc/


Request for help on research study into the effects of injury

I was previously a member of Redhill & Reigate AC, Redhill & Surrey Beagles and Herne Hill Harriers.

I am writing to you to ask for your assistance with a research study that I am conducting as part of my Masters at the University of Roehampton.

I am researching the psychology impact that a career ending injury has on amateur athletes. The majority of previous research has been with elite performers, who, through their status, receive support. However, research with the competitive amateur athlete may indicate separate types of impact.

I am hoping that you may be able to pass on this correspondence with the attached letter and circulate to your club members who may be suitable as potential participants or who may know someone. 

I very much appreciate your attention and look forward to hearing from yourself or club members. 

Kind regards

Roger Gibbens .BSc(Hons)Psych(Open), MBPsP

Full letter request


Picture quiz - chalk circle with a line drawn from itKnow your Hash from your Elbow...

Whilst running over the weekend I spotted this chalk sign. It is a circle with a rough drawn line extending towards me and to the right. Does it most likely indicate...

A] A Hash trail has been set for later on in the day - this is a checkpoint and the line indicates the direction you should have approached the checkpoint from,

B] It is what is called an Elbow on an Orienteering course - indicating the direction that the next Control is from where you currently are,

C] It is the turnaround point on an out-and-back parkrun,

D] It is a mark left by workmen - expect to find a hole here next time you visit,

E] None of the above.

Answers please - though if you say "None of the above" then you need to tell me what the sign does indicate.

Roderick Hoffman (roderick@rhoff.org.uk)


Next Digest?

Is it your turn to send something in this week?

Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send it to us at news@barunner.org.uk.


Club website:

www.barunner.org.uk.


 

      

Full Index