baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 3rd Apr 2017

Events:

• Wednesday 5th April - "RunTogether"  Starter Session - Heston Venue at 18:30* (see below)
• Thursday 6th April - Dream Mile on the Bath Road from 12:45*
• Wednesday 12th April - Watersplash 10k at 18:00 followed by Member's Meeting with food at 20:00 at the Heston Venue* (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.

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

RunTogether at Heston Venue at 18:30 on 5th April - Reminder

On Wednesday 5th April we will have our first RunTogether event at the club.  We don't yet know if there will be anyone new to the club at the session but this is what we have planned:

• From 18:30 we'll have a warm-up / welcome exercise on the field near the changing rooms.  This won't be intense so we'll recommend that any club runner wanting to get some mileage in should do an initial run before the start - either laps of the field or even a lap of the 3.6 mile "round-the-block" course.  You can then join in the welcome session.
• From 18:40 we'll have the main exercise which for twenty minutes will feature repetitions on the field - focused on the capability of each individual but with a side-by-side element to encourage participants to push themselves.
• At 19:00 participants can either join a formal low intensity warm-down OR do their own warm-down round the field (this week it should remain light well towards 19:30).

Please encourage anyone you know to join us - with any ability.  Participants should preregister on the website (groups.runtogether.co.uk/baRunner) but all are welcome even if they haven't.

Roderick Hoffman

BAAC Cross Country championships 2nd April results

There were 16 competitors, 8 BA and 8 Milocarians. There were two female runners however the Milocarian runner chose to do 3 laps and be part of their team, so Julie Barclay was the only competitor to finish after the two laps and therefore is the Female winner.  The male BA winner (2nd overall) was John Taylor (pictured, with Gary.  More photographs available on Facebook).

The team competition consisted of 6 counting runners, and was won by Milocarians.  This is based on finishing position points (though they would also have won had it been on total time).

We had 8 marshals :- Steve Newell, Anne Coffey, Chris Stockwell, Colin Haylock, Clara Halkett, John Williams, Tom Rowley and myself, and we were visited by a cycling Paul Goldsmith.

Weather was dry, sunny, and warm, though with some wind.

Paul Brandon

BAAC Equinox 10K, 5k and Social with food and Members' Meeting - Wednesday 12th April

Entries are now invited for the 5km and 10km events starting and finishing at the Field of Hope (M4/jct 3) pedestrian area.

• The 5km event will have a mass start at 6.35 p.m.
• The 10km event will have wave starts intended to bring every one to the finish by 7.15 pm.
• The elite start will be at 6.33 p.m.  All other starts will be "on the minute" of the runners choice.
• Figure of eight course same as last year, 5km 1 lap, 10km 2 laps.  Non-runners can help.

Everyone is welcome to come for the meal at the Heston venue at 8 p.m. but we need to pre-order so please can everyone who intends to come let Steve Newell (steve-newell@blueyonder.co.uk) or Gary Rushmer know by this Wednesday evening (5th April).  PLEASE TELL US, even if you are not yet certain, we'd rather have too much catering than not enough.

Following the airline's example catering will be by M&S (as pictured).

There will also be a members' meeting after the meal during which we'll discuss the changes happening to BA Clubs and options for the Athletics Section. This could be an important meeting for the club so please attend if you can.

Steve Newell and Roderick Hoffman (acting Chair)

Five Mile Handicap March Result and Series Results

March's event had Alan Anderson finishing almost spot on with Gary, Dennis and Harry not far behind. Roderick, handicapped by running without Trish for the first time this series, got his timings all wrong and missed the opportunity to improve his points from his previous best result.  Simon and Chris know that they were capable of better times than on their previous appearances this series and decided to put their feet down on the peddle - perhaps thinking ahead to the next winter series with Wednesday's time setting their handicap for the first run in October. 

Over this series we had 19 competitors starting runs...though only 18 finished! (Christine Munden started one week but did not complete the course).  Winner this year overall is Gary, with newcomer Trish second and Roderick third. The consistency of these competitors is shown in the results graph.

Most competitors do the five mile handicap but we make an exception for Harry to allow him to take part doing his powerwalk over the traditional 3.6 mile round-the-block course.  Another newcomer this season was Benita Scaife, who ran Feb and March.

Over the years that this event has been running we have had 49 competitors.

Roderick Hoffman / Paul Brandon

Marathon Training - Diet

If your marathon training is going well then you should be finding that you are able to eat well but still keep the weight off.  To the right is a photograph of Gary Rushmer from last Wednesday about to tuck into the baby ribs provided by the Queen's Head. Witnesses reported that he finished them all. The Queen's Head discount is available to all BA Clubs members (with the new membership card), on food and drink and on all days of the week.

London Marathon - Tips

One from experienced London Marathoner Mike Thorn:-

Speedbird Ladies 3rd May Entries

The 2017 Speedbird Ladies race will be held on Wednesday 3rd May on Harmondsworth Moor with a start time of 19:00.  The 2017 entry form: Entry Form and entries can be posted (or handed) to Steve Taylor. 

Alternatively you can enter online via: https://www.activetrainingworld.co.uk/event_details.aspx?id=4304

The event is organised by British Airways Athletics Club and run under UKA rules with UKA Permit: 2017-28290.  The course is a single 5km lap, it is traffic free and gently undulating. Please note this course is not suitable for wheelchair users or pushchairs.  There is free parking and toilets nearby.  There are no changing facilities - please come ready to run.  There is a memento to every finisher and prizes for Open and Veteran runners and Team prizes with three to count.

Please pass on these details to any individuals or groups who you think may be interested in this event.

The website details are at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event_Ladies.shtml

Male members of the club are also welcome on the evening, both to marshal and also for an informal check of the course from 18:00.

Roderick Hoffman

Club parkrun results for Saturday 1st April

I don’t suppose that Joe Nolan will take all of the credit* but his continuous volunteering efforts to train a highly motivated group of pacers was rewarded with a huge attendance at Black Park of 738 on Saturday.  That is over a hundred more than the corresponding first Saturday in April last year.  And were there any p.b.s? – well no, but with a huge crowd like that jammed into the narrow woodland path which serves as a starting area, what can you expect.  I’m only joking.  There were 144 p.b.s and another hundred runners were first timers who set a p.b. to aim for next time.

Ed: * It has also been reported that Black Park had a big group of charity runners and a local girls football team join them last Saturday. Across the UK Black Park had the third biggest attendance of the day (After Bushy and Southampton) and the biggest absolute increase in attendance from the previous week of 133.

Denis and Joan Foxley were volunteering at Harrow which celebrated the hundredth edition of the parkrun-o-the-hill and their second biggest attendance.

We didn’t have any members actually running at Black Park or at Harrow but we had a good bunch at Rickmansworth, the youngest parkrun inside the M25 and quite accessible from junction 17 or Rickmansworth station (Metropolitan Line and Chiltern Railways).  There is a good car park and a quality café with lakeside al fresco morning coffee options when the weather is good.  Roderick Hoffman (27:19) and Benita Scaife (30:38) set new club records which are likely to be bettered quite soon given the proximity of Rickmansworth to LHR and the fact that the hastily arranged temporary 3-lap course we ran on Saturday was a bit more than 5km.

We have had a lot of new members joining recently and not unexpectedly some resignations as well.  I’ve set up a new section in the ‘runners worksheet for “former members” which will include those who have moved on, passed on or know they won’t be running for a while.  That way, records of past achievements can be held as a visible archive and, digitally at least, reactivation will remain a possibility.  Anyone in the wrong box should let me know.  And it may be the last time I mention him but Steve Dodsworth only resigned wef the end of March and by 09:22 on Saturday had run an all time parkrun p.b. at Worsley Woods which would have been BA park #328.  What might have been.  The honour of claiming a new parkrun for the club this week went to Neil Frediani (28:24) at Huddersfield.

Steve Newell

Updated club parkrun stats

parkrun Growth

I produced this graph to see if the start-up of Rickmansworth parkrun had pulled in runners from the nearby parkruns (distances from Rickmansworth in brackets).  The conclusion? No. the nearby parkruns continue at the same level or have grown since Rickmansworth has started up.

Virtual parkruns?

Please note that the item reference last week about virtual parkruns able to be run from your local Virtality Sports Centre was an April Fool's spoof. See parkrun_announcement_01042017.html for details.

Had I announced that parkrun will be starting up in Namibia in early April then any non-believers would have been the fools.  Although administered by parkrun South Africa, Swakopmund parkrun initiates this coming Saturday. Who will be the first (and perhaps only) adventurous club member to make it there?  And will they make it back?  http://www.parkrun.co.za/swakopmund/

Ride London 2017 - Ride spaces!

Pier's Day Off (from tapering) - Alexander The Great Marathon

Running Shorts

• The HESTON VENUE will be closed for Easter from Friday 14th April until Monday 17th April 2017.  It will be open for business as usual Tuesday 18th April 2017.
• The 2017 Middlesex outdoor track and Field Championships are being held at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre on 13/14th May.  Events from 100m to 5000m and most of the throws and jumps. More details: https://entries.opentrack.run/2017/middxtfchamps/ or contact Steve Hillier.

Next Digest?

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

Club website:

www.barunner.org.uk.