baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 23rd March 2015

Events:

• Wednesday 25th March - Final Five Mile Handicap of the winter series. Heston clubhouse from 18:00 (see below)
• Saturday 28th March - Club Featured parkrun - Maidenhead (Braywick park) from 08:50 (see below)
• Thursday 2nd April - Magic Mile on the Bath Road from 12:45

New members and non-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.

Running related gossip and chat: Facebook "BA Runner" (link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/636199849751546/).

This news digest is being sent to you because you are on the BA Athletics Club email list.  To be removed please email us at news@barunner.org.uk. Difficulty viewing this email? Read it off the website instead - http://www.barunner.org.uk/News Latest.shtml. 

BAAC New Membership Year - Subscriptions Due

You should recall that the club's membership year runs from April through to March and that means therefore that a new year's subscription is now due. But this is a good news story because once again we are able to keep the membership fee frozen at £9 for full members and associate members alike. Not such good news from England Athletics since the annual affiliation fee is increasing from £10 to £12 but there is some good news there also - not only were they talked out of increasing the fee to £15 but also because of the late notice to you of that increase it has been decided [subject to other members of the BAAC committee accepting the 2015 membership fee advisory group's recommendation on the matter] not to pass on the England Athletics fee increase to any existing club member, who already pays the fee through us, and who renews automatically through direct debit or promptly with cash, cheque or money transfer by the end of April.

So a summary of the fees due:

Full details of membership including payment options: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Club_Membership.shtml

Shortcut to this year's membership form: membership form

Note that new Direct Debits are no longer being accepted.  Electronic transfers are possible for renewals - contact the treasurer for details.

These digests are sent to a distribution list that includes many non-members. You are more than welcome to continue to receive these digests and to meet us and run with us without joining.  But £9 isn't much to ask for you to say that you are a British Airways Athletics Club runner!

Roderick Hoffman, Alan Friar, Chris Kelly

Five Mile Handicap 2014/15 - the final chapter this Wednesday from 18:00

The 6th and final run of this year's handicap is on Wednesday and a quick reminder - unlike the F1 Grand Prix finishers of the last race don't score double but instead may score nothing!  This is because the results will be based on the top five scores from the six runs and several of the leading contenders have already run five times so will be discarding a result.  So anticipate Paul disappearing for two hours after the end of the run whilst he tries to work out who has won! 

OBO Paul Brandon

Mad March Twister Results

Paul Brandon

Ed: Fortunately there were an even number of competitors otherwise Roderick's excuse of getting waylaid between setting off for the club and getting to the bar after the run, by a girl on rollerblades, might not have been accepted so readily.

Club parkrun results for Saturday 21st March 2015

After the frustration of the clouded out solar eclipse and the rather cool vernal equinox we had many runners out and about for the parkrun on Saturday morning before the Rugby fest in the afternoon.

Monica Alonso was at Guildford for her 49th run and must surely qualify for one of the new red T-shirts soon.  I'm sure she won't hover on 49 for as long as Gary Rushmer did in 2014.  Janet Smith ran at Black Park for the 20th time (32:32) and her WAVA score of 51.54% was her best there since 2009.  Does she have a heptathlon in mind?

Roderick Hoffman ventured to the northeast and ran his 149th total parkrun, and his 109th different parkrun, at the relatively new Harlow parkun coming 26th out of a field of 104 runners helped on their way round by 17 volunteers.  That brought the BA total to 156 parks.  Steve Newell also went out into Essex (from Liverpool St) to run at Valentines Park (Ilford) but chose the wrong scanner at the finish and in spite of having two barcodes with him has nothing to show for it as we go to press.  Always blame the technology, never the volunteers!

John and Benita Scaife were at the inaugural run of the Maidenhead parkrun in Braywick Park.  That took the club total to 157 parks.  They are members of Maidenhead AC who have been the driving force behind establishing the new event.  See more about our planned mob visit next Saturday below.

Roger Wiltshire made one of his biannual appearances at Bushy Park.  The course will probably be different the next time he ventures out.

Gareth Hobby ran for the second week in a row.  Don't even think about mentioning proverbial London buses.  Neil Frediani worked a rare visit to Crane Park into his marathon training schedule while Piers Keenleyside made his first ever visit to Osterley as part of his prelude to the finale of his 100 marathon odyssey.

Sarah Gordon (Roderick's sister) took on the challenge of the hills at Alexandra Palace Park and found it hard work. Steve and Roderick know why - all other club members are welcome to find out for themselves!

Daniela became the 10th club member to run at Frimley Lodge.  Once a regular venue for Barry Walters this was only the second visit to Frimley by club members in two and a half years (after last year's Taylor family outing).

Updated club parkrun stats: www.barunner.org.uk/results/ba_parkrun_park_totals.xls 

Steve Newell (mainly)

You missed Bridget Ruffell last week. Because she ran over 2 mins quicker than last time out she was totally chuffed. We ran at St Albans, 3 laps round the lake, I expected to lap her down the back straight on lap 3, but when I watched her disappear on the start of her third lap well before I got to the end of my third lap I knew she was going very well.  Nicely in just over 29 mins, so now she has a goal to get under 29!

Richard Ruffell 

[Ed: Steve replied with a suggestion that Richard enroll Bridget as an Associate member - then he could be automatically notified of her achievements!]

Maidenhead Club Featured parkrun - Saturday 28th March

John reports that there is plenty of free parking in Braywick Park. The course itself is two laps of the Braywick nature trail, which is a sunken path, so not much in the way of views although part of it runs along York stream, which eventually runs into the Thames. It's pretty flat apart from a 5 metre-ish ramp which you have to negotiate twice. The path proved rather narrow in places to accommodate the 303 runners in the inaugural event, but this shouldn't be so much of an issue when the numbers settle down next week. Mostly good underfoot, but some stretches of the path are gravel/stone chips which can be a bit uneven. There are public toilets in the sports pavilion, of which Maidenhead AC's clubhouse forms a part.

We've also got an offer from Alice Banks for all BA runners to go back to hers afterwards for a coffee and Danish.

This looks like a good opportunity to meet up for a club run so please reply to me roderick@rhoff.org.uk if you plan to be there, if you want a lift from anywhere and if you fancy the coffee and Danish afterwards. Also try to get there early so that we can take a team photograph whilst we are fresh!

Getting there by road:

• From the M4: Take junction 8/9 to the A308(M). At the roundabout, take the first exit. In approximately 500m, merge into the right-hand lane to cross the dual carriageway into Braywick park.
• From Maidenhead town centre: Head south out of Maidenhead, past the train station and under the railway bridge. Take the second exit and continue along the A308 for approximately 500m before turning left into Braywick park.

Please park in the main car park that you can see immediately on your right as you enter Braywick park. Other car parks are for permit holders only. Parking is free.

More details: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/maidenhead/course/

Roderick Hoffman, Alice Banks and John Scaife

Free Datchet Dasher 20 mile Marathon training event Sunday 29th March

Quite a few BA have asked me more about the free Datchet Dasher 20 mile marathon training event happening next Sunday 29 March - I mentioned this in my training reports and have done over the last few years.  I spoke to the DD chairman last Saturday at parkrun who confirmed it is all on as usual - here are the details.  It is a very friendly event - no frills and just put on to help anyone - just turn up, run, enjoy and limp home straight after!

Details:

•  Sunday 29 March, 9am start, briefing 8.45am Annual Datchet Dasher 20mile mara training run (free),
•  Starts at their clubhouse: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=SL4+6HX (Romney Lock Road) Windsor Home Park,
•  Loos/changing facility at club,
•  Go right the way down until you see the clubhouse on the right, park for free about 50yards beyond on the left,
•  Sign in and put predicted time and collect/wear ident ribbon/clip (very important),
•  Check out the route map which should be in the clubhouse,
•  Advertised by “word of mouth” as it goes through Windsor Park as an 'unofficial event'. Not a race - don’t wear club vests,
•  There are marshals and water stops,
•  Normally between 50-100 runners from neighboring clubs, ranging from 6 to 12+min/milers.

Hope to see a few of you there,

Cheers, Joe Nolan

Fleet Half Marathon

I ran the Fleet HM today, and I don't know if there were any BAAC entries, (I just had my own place) but I got a chip time of 1:51:34 which I'm pleased with and excited for London Mara!

Jenny Reeves

When I was honoured with the 'Most Improved Athlete of the Year' award recently I was told by many that this was 'the jinx award' as most past winners have 'gone downhill; rapidly afterwards !

Well, I'm trying hard to break that myth and since then have beaten my 20mile PB a couple of weeks ago at the Finchley 20 and improved it by a few more minutes with the Kingston Breakfast 20 miler last Sunday, and then today took about 45s off my half marathon PB at the Fleet half - and by the way pleased to get a cheer on the run-in by Graham Taylor who had finished well before me (as ever !) and Tom Rowley on route ...much appreciated !

Joe Nolan

Results

Running Shorts

Jagjit Singh is training for his 150th Marathon at this year's London. Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell recently hosted a reception at the House of Commons to celebrate Jagjit's efforts including his fundraising. John is quoted as saying "Jagjit is an absolute Phenomenon" and I doubt that any of us would disagree.

Was at the Reading Half Marathon today. Finished in a time of 1:40:27 - calf muscle getting better - but now I also have a groin strain that came on in the Imber Ultra a couple of weeks ago. Next weekend I'm doing the Hampton Court Palace Half Marathon.

 Piers Keenleyside

News for the next BAAC News Digest?

Please send items for inclusion in the next Digest.  Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send it to us at news@barunner.org.uk.

Club website:

www.barunner.org.uk.