BA Athletics Club News Digest 17th October 2016Events:
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: [long Google-map hyperlink you would not copy] 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 "BA Runner" (link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/636199849751546/). Catering and Venues for Club events for the rest of this yearThe club committee have discussed catering arrangements and venues for the remaining club night events this year. The meeting took place in the Queen's Head so we had had first hand experience of the arrangements there. The food was good, and inexpensive given the discount that we get with the BA Clubs Membership card. The location of the Queen's Head is marked on the club map and is barely 400 metres from the Heston Venue on Cranford High Street. The following includes some changes not yet reflected in the club diary:
All other Wednesdays are also club running nights where there will be individual running from the Heston Venue at 18:00 and the opportunity to have a drink in the Heston Venue bar afterwards although no food is available. Note that you can bring in your own food for these evenings. Options and plans for January 2017 onwards are not yet known. Roderick OBO The Club Committee Surrey Cross Country League Results and reports - Ladies firstThe sun was shining for the first match of the season, it was almost a summer's day! We welcome a new member to the club and to the team, Laura Matthews. For the first time in a long while, we had a full team of five turn out. The course comprised of 2 equal laps totalling 6.3k with a field of 452 runners. Unusual for a cross country race, the course was dry despite some undulating sections. Our team was led in by Lissa, followed closely by Deby. Laura was conserving her energy for the Cabbage Patch 10m the next day. Even so she came in a full minute in front of Helen and me. We finished with a little picnic of tea, Ribena, cheese sandwiches, mini pork pies, mini pasties and onion bhajia with a few Oreo biscuits thrown in.
Thanks to Ian, Neil and Tom for coming along to cheer us on, and for Natalie for coming over to say 'Hello'.
Our score after the first match - 681 points putting us in 26th place out of 41 teams. We can better that in the coming months, so this is a call out to our lady runners to come along to the next one, or two, or three! Whatever pace you run, we need you! Clara Halket (Ladies Captain) Surrey Cross Country League Results and reports - and the MenSurrey League Men's Cross Country - Match 1 at Wimbledon on Saturday, 15 October 2016 The first fixture of the 2016/7 season took place, surprisingly, in glorious warm sunshine. Weather forecasts suggested that we couldn’t avoid the rain but we did. The ground was very firm but with a very small amount of mud and one puddle out on the extremities of the course. We had a full team of 10 turn out, long may that continue, as did all teams bar one who were a man short. Setting out on an approximately 5.25 mile course as is usual with these events we headed out towards the road and then on past the Windmill car park and then the course took on a slightly unfamiliar look. I thought, oh its different to usual, that will make a change. Well to cut a long story short (or to make a short run long) we approached "halfway" at 3.6 miles!! all cursing and swearing no doubt. I get the impression it wasn’t just me. Thankfully our marshal, Steve Newell, appeared to have the special role of telling people the second lap was to be shorter. Phew! Anyway we all made it around in a similar order to usual book-ended by Paul Knechtl and Denis Foxley and although we ended up second bottom in the table there is a good gap to the bottom team and we have two reachable teams above us.
Thanks for turning out everyone and I believe that a few more people are planning on turning out to the next one at Epsom Downs. I hope to see you there. And a special thank you to Paul Knechtl again for providing refreshments of coffee and cake and to Sarah Kelly for the lovely banana cake (can we order more for next time). Provisional results are here: https://www.surreyleague.org/slm/race/150/ Neil Frediani Steve Newell has also sent in a report on the organization of the event and on the lessons that should be learnt before we host the equivalent event in Cranford Park on 14th January: "I was the designated volunteer for the men's team and was there in good time to be allocated a role. There seemed to be confusion throughout as to whom was responsible for what. I was told to meet by the funnel rather be out on the course somewhere. A sensible plan was cobbled together as far as timekeeping and recording was concerned although only once the race was underway. Runners numbers were to be recorded at the finish line and at the funnel exit. I was allocated to a funnel management role. I believe the whole finish sequence was recorded on a video camera as well. Minutes after the start there were mutterings that there were seven marshal points unmanned. One guy seemed to have decided for himself he was going to be in charge of the clock and camera rather than be out on the course where his name appeared on some other list! After about 15 minutes word came through that the whole field had gone off course and a local expert estimated that meant "at least half a mile" had been added to the first lap. Runners eventually making it back after the first (extended) lap were told that the second lap would be shorter (and some with any energy left to think muttered something like "Oh Good"). The race was meant to be two equal laps. One veteran tail-ender reaching "halfway" after over half an hour headed for the funnel but was directed out for another lap. He was probably living on memories of running five miles in 30 minutes in his prime. Another veteran (towards the back of the field but far from being last) staggered into the finish and promptly collapsed and needed attention from the first aid crew." Cabbage Patch Ten Miler - Sunday 16th October - Results
There may have been other second claim runners. Janet and Ian Cunningham marshalled, thank you. This is a great race (my favourite) the only drawback being that there is no timing mat at the start so you only get gun to tape time. My real time was 32secs better. Despite some very inclement weather on Sunday morning it cleared just in time to allow us to run in near perfect conditions and if you were eagle eyed you could pick up a free can of Pride at mile nine. Neil Frediani Milocarian Race 29th October - adjusted start time
Club parkrun results for Saturday 15th October
We had fewer runners at parkruns this week as both the women's and men's Surrey League cross country seasons got underway. First into action were Benita (31:37)and John (31:38) Scaife at Galston in New South Wales, a few miles to the north of Sydney. The 3-lap parkrun there was in only in its second week and includes a 25m climb (on each lap!). Roderick Hoffman (27:16) was also in a country in a timezone ahead of Greenwich. This week he was in Milan for his and the club's first run in Italy - though he wasn't the most travelled parkrun tourist there. His next port of call is likely to be nearer to the North Pole as Sweden and Russia are the remaining countries where the parkrun movement flourishes, and Roderick hasn't run (though Daniela has run in Russia for the club). Conveniently much nearer to home, John Coffey (also 27:16) was at the inaugural run at Homewood Park in Chertsey. Ian and Caroline Cockram were also there as volunteers. There were 168 runners including about a dozen parkrun virgins. Steve Newell (32:30) went to the 3rd anniversary run at Fulham Palace. The course has varied a bit over time. The original grass finish was soon abandoned when it got too muddy and now the start has been moved to allow a much longer stretch for the larger fields of runners to spread out before the first corner. What was for years probably a short 5km is now a little over-distance but a pleasant enough flat 3-lap course by the river with bike parking and toilets right by the start/finish. And a cafe close by. The other run in Hammersmith and Fulham borough is at Wormwood Scrubs. That one is all on grass and the course has chopped and changed a bit there as well over the years. The latest version is definitely longer than some we have run. Updated parkrun stats: www.barunner.org.uk/results/ba_parkrun_park_totals.xls Steve Newell Neil Frediani reported in relation to the previous week's parkrun: "I had a different experience on Saturday at Bedfont Lakes parkrun. My mission was to pace someone to a pb on his 100th 5k parkrun (run at over 20 different venues). The target was 28mins so definitely achievable. In fact we broke it by 33secs. I didn’t really have to do any pacing just accompanied him and kept him motivated. So why do I mention it?? The lad in question is 6 years old in 2 weeks' time!!! His sister 3 or 4 years older also achieved her 100 runs on Saturday. They both run the children’s runs on Sundays as well. I also noticed in the results that a junior male (<14 yrs) came second. He trains with a triathlon club as well as my other team: Shepperton Running Group. It is great to see the youngsters developing within parkrun. Hopefully some will go on to bigger and better things and provide parkrun countries with a stream of new athletes, some of whom could challenge the dominance of East Africa in middle and long distance running as well as providing fit youngsters for other sports." Running Shorts
Frieth Hilly 10k 16th October 2016 The Frieth Hilly is one of the events which borrow the BA Club race clock each year. This year I worked out that the easiest way to ensure that we got the clock back before it is next needed (for the five mile handicap) was if I entered the race myself and collected the clock at the end. I was reluctant to do so - since I was only flying back from Milan the previous evening and because although much of the race is run on roads the event isn't called "Hilly" for nothing and several challenging chunks are most definitely cross country - and I don't "do" cross country. Driving to the start my worries grew since the rain was hammering it down. They had earmarked for the event car park a field at the bottom of the hill into the village but as I drove up it was obvious that the entrance/exit was already proving undrivable. The car park marshals somehow managed to requisition another field half way up the hill - narrow but long, and somehow an enormous number of cars managed to make it in. The rain was continuing and as we gathered in the school hall we were impressed by each others presence and we realised that in this weather the only thing you can do is go out and enjoy it - and enjoy it we did. With the benefit of being able to read the reports above I'll point out that along the 10k course there were marshals and supporters at every turning point and along most straight stretches also. And this was in the middle of nowhere - all of the parents of all of the school kids must have been roped in to stand in the middle of fields and cheer on the runners. We were blessed by the rain stopping as the race started and there was only one short shower as we ran. And after finishing and with the awards due to be presented the clouds cleared and the sun shone. I have to attach the photo to show what a great day it appeared to be! I was pleased with my time of 1:03:40 (unofficial) - I would have liked to have beaten the hour but had that been my aim I would have been in the country the previous day.
Roderick Hoffman Next Digest?Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send it to us at news@barunner.org.uk. Club website:
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