baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 17th Apr 2017

Events:

• Wednesday 19th April - London Marathon marshals briefing - 19:00 Heston Venue [previously advertised for the Thursday]*
• Sunday 23rd April - Club Run-of-the-Month London Marathon - see below. 
• Wednesday 3rd May - Speedbird Ladies Race - Harmondsworth start time 19:00.* (see below)

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.

*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. 

Club Facebook Page "BARunner" https://www.facebook.com/BARunnerUK/

In the papers

For those who weren't paying attention to the news on Friday I'll point out that Janet Smith was photographed at the Maidenhead Easter 10 with some high powered company (and I don't mean the Rhino) - for instance see the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/the-running-blog/2017/apr/14/pointing-the-way-theresa-may-dons-high-vis-vest-to-marshall-running-race .

Marathon Results

Piers Keenleyside finished the Marathon Des Sables last week.  This consisted of six stages covering a total of 250km in the desert. I'm going to register as fake news his Facebook statement "It is a very tough event - but if you can stick it out then it is certainly something most people could complete....".

"Chris Kelly has finished the Boston Marathon with a time of 3hrs 18mins 37secs (first half in 1hr 37mins 56secs); excellent time and very consistent on the splits" Simon Turton (Monday 17th April)

Both Piers and Chris expect to run the London Marathon on Sunday!

New Venues needed for the Running Club

As a section we have been advised by BA Clubs that we need to plan on the assumption that we will not be able to use the Heston Venue from 1st June onwards.  As an example we have quickly moved to secure access to Cranford Community College facilities for the Concorde Five Mile Road Race for 11th June.

We have been meeting and running from the Concorde Centre/Heston Venue since the foundation of the club more than 35 years ago and so inevitably we are unhappy to have to change.  But let us be positive, and not just because we have no choice but also because this forced change could give us opportunities to explore new bases which may turn out to be more convenient to more members.  I say that in part because in the club meeting at the Heston Venue last week I asked how many of the twenty of us there actually lived within three miles of Heston Venue and only two of us raised our hands.  So anywhere we meet that suits three members could be seen to be an improvement!

So please put your thinking caps on and consider venues that might be able to host us on a running evening.  If possible, cross the threshold of the venue and either look around or ask them some basic questions and send me the answers.  I've written a brief note listing eleven questions that could be asked (BAAC_New_Venue_Questions.docx).

Two examples - Gary Rushmer agreed last week to checkout Bedfont Football Club's facilities and Joe Nolan is checking out the facilities at the Silver Wing Sailing Club, Wraysbury.

Any ideas let us know - it could be that one venue could provide an ideal solution or we may find different summer and winter venues or we may find that having a different venue each month provides greater opportunities for more members to meet up.

But remember that until the end of May we are continuing to meet at Heston Venue AND we may discover that this is extended to at least the end of July.

Roderick Hoffman (Acting Chair)

May Run-of-the-Month - The London Marathon - Sunday 23rd April

Yes, too late to enter, but the club has the following members and friends running this year, as well as around 140 marshals involved:

Apologies to anyone missed off this list - let me know and I'll update the list on the online version.

And good luck to all runners - start carefully and save some smiles for the last two miles!

Roderick Hoffman (roderick@rhoff.org.uk)

Tracking our Runners

You may have heard me give this story before but the first time the London Marathon introduced any form of electronic tracking it was in the form of text messages sent to say where the lead runners were.  The message to say that Paula Radcliff was at the 16 mile point arrived to my phone shortly AFTER Paula had run past my crossing point at 25 miles.

But technology has got much better since and you can now track all runners in near real time from your computers and smart phones.  This from the Virgin Money London Marathon website - "You will be able to keep track of your favourite runners, whether they are your friends, family or elite athletes, on our live tracking page on Race Day. You can search by surname or running number and follow your runner(s) as they make their way around the course (updates will appear as they cross the timing points, which are at 5km intervals). The page will also show an estimate of the runner's location based on pace."  ( https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/event-info/spectator-info/ ) The page also says that there will be a downloadable APP which will include the tracking functionality though I couldn't find this when I looked for it on Sunday.

And some late news...

WARR World Airline Road Race 2017, 4th through 8th October in Singapore - registration is now open

Club Communications update

As the Club's Communications Officer I thought it was about time I provided an update on how the club communicates:

The Weekly Digest	Since that is what you are reading now it is probably the most obvious communication tool. The digest is sent out weekly, usually shortly after 21:00 on Monday, and to a broad distribution list.  We are currently happy for anyone to be on this list - they do not need to be a paid up member.	A small change is due - I will lose my @ba.com account shortly and may need to substitute an alternative.  This may impact how I can send out the digest and whether it gets directed to your inbox or to a spam folder.  If this creates issues then I may need to redesign how the digest is produced BUT I intend to continue with it regardless.  Expect changes from next Monday.
Facebook	There is a Facebook Page ( https://www.facebook.com/BARunnerUK ) and a Facebook Group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/636199849751546 ).  "Why two?", you ask... Think of the Page as being a shop window for the club.  Anyone, world-wide, can view what is in the shop window and for that reason I have to control what is posted in it.  The Page is most useful for the posting of club events that we might want non-members to become aware of - such as next month's Speedbird Ladies race. Think of the Group as being a private room in a club house.  Members of the group can post and respond to anything but non-members have no visibility of anything posted.  Membership of the group is restricted to club members and trusted friends.	I would prefer these two Facebook entities to be closer together or even combined - though still with the controls and freedom for each of the Page and Group.  I may attempt to bring the two closer together in future.  I also intend to use the Page more in the future to promote the club and its events to a wider audience. You can help with that by sharing posted items with groups you are in that could be interested
Yammer	This is an internal BA communications tool and there is a "Running and Jogging" group that is used to communicate any news or ideas on running involving BA staff.  I publish this Digest to it and the group is used to promote events like the Dream Mile.  It ought to be a good tool for getting new staff members at BA interested in the running club.	Sadly Yammer has not been as useful as was hoped. I will be losing my BA account shortly so maintenance and review of the Yammer group will fall to those still at BA such as Neil F, Simon T and Clara H.
Website	The www.barunner.org.uk website is a significant repository for club information - as well as holding the online copies of the Digest and the club Event Diary, it also holds information such as the joining process and committee membership and information on events such as the Concorde Five, Speedbird Ladies, WARR and the Green Belt Relay.	We could make more use of the website although we need to be careful not to add large volumes of detail that will not be maintained.
Other websites	We have presence elsewhere - such as a page on the UK Athletics RunTogether website (https://groups.runtogether.co.uk/baRunner).	These initiatives come and go so we need to be careful not to invest too much in them - where possible such sites should contain links to our website and/or Facebook Page.
Notice Boards and Leaflets	I have produced notices for the Waterside changing room noticeboards and the Heston Venue noticeboard and in theory these should bring the club to the attention of users of such venues	In practice new members are not influenced by notices on noticeboards - the most common mechanism quoted by recent joiners in the survey earlier this year was personal referrals.
Members' meetings	Members' meetings are a useful communication channel but only for those members able to attend such meetings.  The meeting last week was a good example because it was to discuss alternatives to Heston Venue hence all those attending the meeting held at Heston Venue should have had a view point.	It remains important to gather the opinions of those members NOT able to attend meetings, even for topics relevant to meeting attendees.

However good communication should be a two-way street, the Committee needs to listen to what you have to say…

The committee is keen to listen to thoughts, ideas and concerns expressed by members, potential members and other interested parties either in one-to-one conversations or through emails submitted to committee members, to the Facebook Group or submitted to the digest editor via news@barunner.org.uk .  The members' meeting listed above is also a useful tool for listening to members and we also have electronic surveys, such as the one conducted earlier this year.

Roderick Hoffman (Club Communications Officer)

Club parkrun results for Saturday 15th April

There were some big attendances this week.

Over 1400 at Bushy Park and over 700 at Black Park.  In both cases the second highest on record at both locations.  90 UK parkruns attracted more runners than ever before and there were over 120,000 at UK 5km parkruns altogether.  More and more people are obviously being attracted to parkrun and interestingly the first across the finish line at Bushy Park (Daniel Jarvis of Liverpool Harriers in 14:17) was running his first ever parkrun.  A few minutes later Ramona Thevenet (23:19) became the first woman to join the “500” club.

Several new club records were set this week.  Julie Barclay (22:40) and Paul Watt (22:34) at Banstead Woods, Richard Ruffell (20:51) at Colwick clipping 28 seconds off Ian Cunningham ‘s previous effort.

Roderick Hoffman (25:39) at Jersey beat the previous best set by Eddie Giles by just one second.  Trish's sister Maureen McCabe was one of the timekeepers there.  Eddie Giles (26:48) who is now living near Salisbury lowered the club record there just to make up.  Ian Cockram (25:01) and Caroline Cockram (27:31) set new records at Medina Isle of Wight.  Both had run quicker there before becoming members, so had Julie Barclay.  You have to be a paid up member to set a record.

All the puddles have dried up at Bedfont Lakes and James Shoulder (19:51) set a new p.b. there.  Bedfont Lakes will be celebrating its eighth anniversary run on Saturday 13th May and it will be a joyous occasion.

Alice Banks ran at a new parkrun for the club - Secunda in South Africa, about 50km east of Johannesburg.  I'm also sure that it is the parkrun run by club members with the highest altitude (about 1,600m).  Club members have now run at a total of four South African parkruns (but not yet the one in Namibia).

The parkrun report will be slimmed down somewhat for the next two weeks to allow plenty of space for all the reports about the London Marathon. 

Steve Newell

Updated club parkrun stats

An invitation to my 250th parkrun

All club members are welcome to join me at Osterley parkrun next Saturday, 22nd April, when I'll be undertaking and celebrating my 250th parkrun.  After the run, so from about 09:30, I'll be providing celebratory cake on the lawn by the finish.  Then from 10:00 or so I'll be in the Stables Tea Rooms Café for a hot beverage or two and perhaps some more cake.  Let me know to look out for you, particularly if you plan to arrive late.

The car park at Osterley is free to National Trust Members AND to those waving a parkrun barcode but I don't know that they'll honour the barcode arrangement after 9am.

For more details of the venue see http://www.parkrun.org.uk/osterley/course/ . Please assume that Osterley parkrun will be reverting to the old three lap course…and treat it as a nice surprise IF they are still doing the temporary two lapper. 

Note that the dinosaurs will have gone…present company excepted!

Roderick Hoffman (roderick@rhoff.org.uk)

If you want to promote a special parkrun then let Steve or I know. One you might like to know about in advance is that we are considering having a team outing to Salisbury to give Eddie some company there.  The current date proposed for this is Saturday 17th June.

Running Shorts

• At last week's Street-O event at Tooting I managed to score an impressive (for me) 500 points worth of controls - but then plummeted down the scoreboard due to over 100 points of time penalties from being over five minutes late back.
  The final event of this series will be at Wimbledon on Tuesday 9th May. Roderick Hoffman

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.