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BA Athletics Club News Digest 25th December 2023 (issued 24th)

Events Calendar - online here

Events marked "#" are points scoring for the club's participation trophy - for the 2023 title.

Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps] [parkrun run by club members updated 4th October 2023]

For future weeks: inclusions, with photos, please to Roderick Hoffman at news@barunner.org.uk.

Results for Next Week

Please help me by sending in your results, for instance by filling in the tables below and forwarding to News@barunner.org.uk. Some events will have "Prompts" set up in Facebook. These allow the posting of a single image and some text and make it easy to flip through everyone's entries.

Monthly Mile (please submit your December Mile performance by the end of the month for publication in the 1st or 8th January digests):

Run one mile and send me your time or add the details to the prompt in Facebook. The mile can be somebody else's formal event or even one mile within a longer run. I'll then produce a fancy graph showing your time this month compared to those of other people and previous runs over the last year: [no need to submit if your best mile was run at last week's Xmas event].

Mile Participant Location Date How Measured Duration/Time Comment: e.g. event
 

Your 2023 Athletic Achievement of the Year! (or use the Facebook group prompt):

Participant Event Distance Location Day/Start Time or Duration Details or comment, and other achievements
e.g. Running

Note that this is for the entire year - tell us your best!

2023 Review

This is the last digest of 2023...gosh, where did that year go! Have a great Christmas Day tomorrow (starting with a parkrun perhaps?) and have an equally good New Year before the next digest lands.

What was your best athletics related achievement of 2023? Let us know for publication in next week's New Year digest. It may be a performance in an individual event, or a series of events, or it could be getting someone else into keeping fit, or getting over a medical issue, or something else. For instance, I'll say that mine involved not running a parkrun on thirty-two Saturdays over the year!

Next week's digest will be prepared and issued on Monday 1st January, but as I'll be doing that in Australia please get any material to me by midnight on Sunday...i.e. before Big Ben strikes!  Photo content cannot be guaranteed - but send them or post them on Facebook anyway.

Round Heathrow Run view of T5This week's Round Heathrow Run - Thursday28th #

Six people have expressed interest in this week's run, some to run and some to walk. The runners will probably agree to start at 12:00 from outside the Bedfont Club (which will be closed that afternoon - but the pub should be open upon the completion of the circuit). The walkers may start earlier, so that the runners catch up with them on some part of the circuit. If you are interested in joining in then let Steve Taylor know.

# Club Christmas Mile and Party - Wednesday 20th December 2023

A strong and cool breeze greeted the runners who assembled for the annual event which has been held in relay format to promote lighthearted bonding competition and restrict to a safe level the numbers of runners racing on a narrow footpath.  The course was slightly over distance this year to avoid the start/finish line being right by a puddle!  Some parts of UK have received rainfall in biblical volumes recently!

Individual times were recorded as follows: 

  • Mike Dennison 6:50,
  • Julie Barclay 7:06,
  • Chris Kelly 7:07,
  • Fiona Bishop 8:14,
  • Stephen Taylor 8:15,
  • Roderick Hoffman 9:03,
  • Steve Hillier 11:00,
  • Harjit Jhooti 11:04,
  • Melanie Miller 11:15. 

Start/finish/changeover witnesses – Paul Watt (injured), Piers Keenleyside (over-trained) 

Steve Newell (timer)

The times above will be rolled into the club December mile results.

Christmas Party Attendees

Around 23 of us gathered in the Bedfont Club House afterwards for our annual Christmas social. As usual Santa's sack had an extra present in it (not from me this year!) and everyone had enough food with enough left over to feed at least two of us for the rest of the week. How do we do it? On a membership fee of just £9 that hasn't gone up for years? There is an easy explanation - the London Marathon group, in effect, funds our socials thanks to the many hours that many of us put in to make their events succeed.

Roderick Hoffman

Future Events

Note that we have changed the date for the next 5mile Handicap run to the 7th February. Technically this will still be the January run.

Recent Activity Achievements

9 members' achievements were communicated to me before this week's early publication time.

Colleague Activity Distance Course When Duration Comments
Barry Walters Various Bracknell Sat 00:50:00 No running today, just a 50 minute boot camp workout with circuit training with burpees, overhead curls, boxing and hula hoops etc!  December running challenge into the final week with 102km completed so far.
Benita Scaife parkrun 5km Walthamstow parkrun Sat am This was Plan B. We were in Hackney overnight Fri and had intended to do Victoria Dock parkrun in the morning but this was canx due shortage of volunteers…
John Scaife parkrun 5km Walthamstow parkrun Sat am …Walthamstow's usual post-parkrun cafe in the sports centre was closed and we ended up as the only customers in a tiny Ukrainian-owned place in Higham’s Park on the way back to the station.
Harjit Jhooti Yoga Did a yoga ‍♀️ class after many years. My plan is to try and do one class a week, if not more.
Janet Smith parkrun 5km Nansenparken (Oslo, Norway) Sat am 00:45:00 It was Christmas in Oslo for me this year. There are 3 parkruns in Oslo and I have done 2 of them before this trip. I was keeping my fingers crossed that they wouldn't cancel Nansenparken parkrun because of ice. Luckily, it went ahead. It was a chilly - 8 degrees but a beautiful day. We saw 3 deer jumping through the snow at the briefing. I decided to walk with my friend because of the icy conditions but we finished in 45 mins, so not bad. I can now tick Oslo off my parkrun done list.
Petra Otto Various Gym Fri Busy weight training. Plus, a new benchmark on the Nordic Ski Erg - 6:26 mins for 1,000 metres, 5:55 mins for a 1,000 metre row, 10 mins on treadmill.
Roderick Hoffman Running 19.08km Round Heathrow Run Tue 02:28:09 Testing the course for this week's round LHR run, which I won't be able to attend. Yes, three paddles on the way around but nothing above the ankles and no thick mud.
Sarah Gordon Running Cosby Fri My local running group Xmas challenge. Sounded simple. Street name first letters to spell ‘PRESENTS’, in order, carry a present, photograph at each sign. Oh and decorate one of the signs!
Simon Turton Running 3.5km Charvil Sun 00:24:30 Took a leaf out of Sarah Gordon book and ran a ‘PRESENTS’ trail around nearby Charvil with my daughter Hayley. A fun thing to do on Christmas Eve; bit blowy but stayed dry.

Week Achievements

parkrun Results for Saturday 23rd December

36 activities are recorded below. Please get in touch if your activity is missing.

Club parkrunner parkrun Run# Pos Time Age Grade Comment
Emma Moreton Bedfont Lakes 672 18 0:24:02 64.98% F4, run #344
Ian Haylock Bushy Park 962 149 0:20:53 72.39% biggest attendance (1600) at Bushy this year
Ian CUNNINGHAM Bushy Park 962 967 0:29:39 54.58% run #533
Diana Smith Bushy Park 962 1531 0:48:31 49.09% run #50, all at Bushy
Scott DAVISON Crane Park 537 61 0:26:49 55.87% run #444, 96th at Hanworth
Julie BARCLAY Dartford Heath 219 13 0:24:11 79.12% F3, first run at Dartford Heath, straight in to top her age-group
Paul WATT Dartford Heath 219 20 0:25:35 61.63% BA fastest male (from Steve Newell). park #175, Dartford Heath is outside Londone but inside M25 ring.
Christopher T KELLY Dinton Pastures 217 35 0:23:28 67.19% 15th run at Dinton pastures, never been at a run #217 before!
Harjit Jhooti Guildford 498 323 0:40:57 44.20% BINGO - finishes in '07, '17, '27, '37, '47 and now '57 this year.
Alastair HESLOP Guildford 498 Funnel Manager at Guildford
Piers KEENLEYSIDE Gunnersbury 552 228 0:27:13 62.22% 212th run at Gunnersbury
Mike DENNISON Hanworth 166 4 0:20:43 80.93% 20th run at Hanworth, P-Index is 8
Denis FOXLEY Harrow 379 174 0:31:29 59.18% his turn to run this week, run #236
Joan FOXLEY Harrow 379 Timekeeper at Harrow, 101st volunteer credit
Keith Johnson Houghton Hall 239 58 0:23:54 63.25% run #123
Melanie Miller Houghton Hall 239 253 0:39:26 45.90% 100th volunteer credit: 117 individual credits over 100 events at 94 different parkrun venues.
Steve NEWELL Houghton Hall 239 265 0:48:27 42.38% And actually lapped the tailwalker !  Run #492
Sarah GORDON Leicester Victoria 345 344 0:36:59 56.51% Fortunately, the fallen tree was away from the path.
Fiona Bishop Llanerchaeron 214 37 0:26:15 77.21% New BAAC parkrun - #782. First run at Llanerchaeron (Aberaeron), park #85
Alice BANKS Maidenhead 387 182 0:29:08 72.83% run #247, 75th at Maidenhead
Janet Smith Nansenparken 99 24 0:45:37 41.36% First BA lady. First run at Nansenparken (Oslo), park #68, run #168
Elise LAWRENSON Nonsuch 563 312 0:27:32 59.44% run #247, 208th at Nonsuch
Bob BANNISTER Osterley 455 99 0:26:05 65.50% run #489, 53rd at Osterley
Oliver MATHAI Osterley 455 172 0:29:11 60.42% run #95
Anne Bannister Osterley 455 249 0:33:49 61.80% run #305
Alan ANDERSON Osterley 455 304 0:47:15 57.67% run #689 and marshalling at junior parkrun on Sunday too
Frankie HOGGE Reading 621 11 0:22:02 67.17% F2, 64th run at Reading
Murray Hogge Reading 621 21 0:22:38 72.75% run #357
Ben Kelly Reading 621 53 0:25:34 50.52% run #94
David DUGGAN Southall 98 33 0:33:33 49.08% Position and time - all the 3s.  Run #493, 19th at Southall, P-Index is 6
Trish MCCABE Southampton 525 387 0:27:43 57.85% BA fastest lady (from Caroline Cockram). 50th run of the year. First run at Southampton, park #134
Roderick HOFFMAN Stockley Country 49 Run Director at Stockley Country. Run #50 next week (in my absence)
Paul TIMMS Tetbury Goods Shed 163 24 0:24:14 66.16% 17th run at Tetbury Goods Shed
Benita SCAIFE Walthamstow 484 104 0:34:34 62.34% brave people going to Walthamstow in the winter!  Park #112
John SCAIFE Walthamstow 484 105 0:34:35 50.41% first visit to Walthamstow, park #120
Jacqueline MUSSELWHITE Woking 397 252 0:29:09 61.29% run #150, 111th at Woking

parkrun Review 23rd December 2023

This report is going to press on Sunday so any Christmas Day results will be included with next week.

Most members kept fairly close to home this Saturday but Janet Smith (45:37) was at Nansenparken parkrun in Oslo where Roderick Hoffman has also been earlier in the year.  Members don’t visit Wales very often but Christmas club mile runner Fiona Bishop was close to Cardigan Bay this week to run at Llanerchaeron parkrun (Aberaeron). 

Di Smith (48:31) was part of larger than usual attendance of 1600 at Bushy to complete her milestone 50th parkrun.  Others getting close to targets include Elise Lawrenson (27:32) who ran at Nonsuch and Alice Banks (29:08) who ran at Maidenhead.  Both are on 247.

The age-grade performers this week were Mike Dennison (20:43, 80.95%) at Hanworth, one of his regular haunts, and Julie Barclay (24:11, 79.12%) on her first visit to Dartford Heath where she now tops her age-group list by over a minute.  

Steve Newell

Also...

"I had expected to see Melanie at Houghton Hall having spotted her name in the volunteer list (car park marshal) during the week.  I always park in the business park next door which is never congested at all and only 10 extra yards to walk.

 A runner, it must have been Keith Johnson, spotted my BA top as he lapped me and called out.   I actually lapped the tail walker!  I see from the results the tail-walker finished 20 minutes after me.  We had been in the cafe for quite a while when I spotted course clearer uppers coming in with an armful of signs etc.   Melanie was celebrating volunteering on 100 different parkrun occasions.  A few sweets in the cafe.  John Wright also helped out.  Some of Melanie's friends there too.  I stayed a while in the cafe.  Lovely sunny morning when I left.  M1 and North Circular not too bad today."

Clarens parkrun 1912mMatters Arising

Celebrating at a parkrun isn't just for Christmas. Next Saturday, 30th December, will be the 50th run at Stockley Country and participants and volunteers are encouraged to wear red. Then on January 6th it will be our one year anniversary. Sadly, I'll be away for both of those Saturdays, but please consider attending if you are free.

After last week's parkruns low and high item Chris Kelly suggests that Clarens parkrun in South Africa may be the highest done by a club member - himself with Sarah Kelly also. The sign says 1912m above sea level (other sources say 1890m). On Facebook this has been said to be the third highest parkrun (after Aspan, 2454m, and Dullstroom, 2018m).

But a pedant points out that the parkrun furthest from the centre of the earth is, surprisingly, East Coast Park parkrun near sea level in Singapore. That is because the earth is not a true globe! East Coast Park parkrun is 6,378,145m above the centre of the Earth whereas Dullstroom is only 6,376,245m above. At the time the lowest parkrun was Tampere in Finland at 6,361,756m. By the way, the pedant was me.

 

Full club parkrun database - {read access to club parkrun database} - Download or save a copy, and explore at your leisure.

Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps]

Roderick Hoffman

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.

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

 

      

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