BA Athletics Club News Digest 6th May 2013This News DigestThis is being sent to you because you are on the BA Athletics Club email list. If you wish to be removed please email us at news@barunner.org.uk. Do you know someone who might appreciate being on the mailing list? They don't need to be a member. Let us know. Difficulty viewing this email? Read it off the website instead - http://www.barunner.org.uk/News Latest.shtml. Forthcoming EventsDon't forget the following priority club events:
New members and non-members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome at all of these events. NEW DATE - The BA Fun Run, in aid of Cancer UK, will now be held on Thursday July 25th a week later than planned. This will enable attendance by BA Board Members. BAAC members are invited to marshal the event and manage the results. The full events diary is on the club website at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml. Updated this week. parkrun Results and StatisticsClub featured parkrun Bushy Park 27th April ResultWe ran at Bushy Park primarily because it would be Ian Cunningham's 100th run. Being the week after the London Marathon many other runners had dusted off their parkrun tags and showed up so the ten of us struggled to find each other amongst the total running crowd of exactly 1,000. But we all had an enjoyable run and the best came at the end when Janet produced a collection of fairy cakes promoting her husband's hundred.
Roderick, Alan F, Alan A, Ian, Barry, Neil and Steve - with Janet taking the photograph and Piers and Oliver lost in the crowd. The next Club Featured parkrun is due to be at Wormwood Scrubs on 1st June but given any excuse and a volunteer to promote the gathering and we'll throw in another one - contact Steve Newell, Neil Frediani and/or Roderick Hoffman to suggest. Other parkrun updatesSteve's parkrun stats (currently updated to 27th April)
Alamo Trophy PresentationIn the BAAC 2012 Awards write up in March we omitted to mention the Alamo trophy. This is presented each year to the club member whose achievement at the World Airline Road Race is most notable. The 2012 award was to Gareth Snook who not only had the furthest to travel to get to Qingdao (starting his journey in Cardiff) but was also the only one of the team who trusted Chinese public transport to get himself the 300 miles from Beijing to Qingdao and, having arrived, was the only one of the team to win an award (third place in his age category). The club committee had debated sending one of us out to Cardiff to present the award on a live video link but the thought of South Wales in midwinter resulted in no one volunteering. The snows and floods having now receded I managed to persuade Gareth to come all the way to Bedfont Lakes parkrun last Saturday whereupon I was able to present him with the award. Luckily for Gareth he was able to justify the petrol by taking in a car show at Brooklands before heading home.
Gareth was delighted to win the award and to see his name alongside those of his heros such as Paul Knechtl, Adrian Haines, the Taylor Family and Simon Ashford. He was also very pleased to be taking one of the BAAC awards across the Severn Bridge and into Wales. He was also very modest about his achievement "I only had to beat a bunch of geriatrics" he said {"Thanks Gareth" says the editor who came fourth in the same age category as Gareth}. The truth is that you can only beat the opposition who line up against you but Gareth is looking forward to a tougher race in Capetown in October. Perhaps next year the Alamo trophy will be coming back across the Severn Bridge and returning to its more normal home at Gatwick. The inaugural Ridge Off Roader 10k (at Bledlow Ridge,Bucks)This event is one of the many throughout the year that the BAAC hire out our clock to:
and like clockwork...
Track & Field Grand Prix ResultsThe results of the 1st Grand Prix of the season, Monday 29th April at Uxbridge track, had a double win for Gary Rushmer (senior), with Gary Rushmer (junior) close behind.
The 2nd Grand Prix is at Uxbridge track, Monday 20th May - 6pm, when the 1500m & Shot Putt are our chosen subjects. Hope to see you there. Eddie Giles Resenheim League Match Kingsmeadow Wednesday 1st May resultsJust 3 BA competitors for the 1st Rosenheim league match at Kingsmeadow.
The next Rosenheim Match is at Walton ,Wednesday 15th May , 6.45pm, hope to see you there. Eddie Giles
Steve Hiller adds the following observation:
Sarsen & Neolithic Marathon - Sunday, 5 May 2013
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This is the second year I run this event. It started in Avebury and
finished on the fields at Stonehenge (car park side). Last year I was
suffering from really bad cramps in the calves I had to stop at the half
marathon point and got bus back to the finished, so I was determined to
finish it this year even though I was still having issues with the right
hip. My plan was to walk it as it's also a walkers' event. Those of us who parked our cars at Stonehenge were bus to Avebury where
we collected our race packs. It was a chilly morning with a fairly brisk
wind blowing across the Salisbury Plains. There were staged starts - walkers
(0930), regardless of the distance they'd entered, started an hour before
the marathon runners (1030). The half marathon runners (1130) then started
an hour after the marathon runners at exactly the half way point of the
marathon course, which in my opinion was tougher than the 1st half because
of the surface which was mostly loose gravels! There were cyclists too and
they took a different course as I didn't see any cyclists until a mile to
the finish. I didn't seem to remember there were so many hills on this course! I did
jog from the start until I started to get the warning signs of cramps in the
legs at around mile 8, and slowed to a brisk walk from then on, interjected
with some short spells of jogging when I thought the cramps were
disappearing. It started to get really hot in the sun. Luckily the breeze
helped to cool things down a little. At the water station at mile 22 I was
feeling great and started jogging again, crossing the road and following the
Sarsen signs. It was a deserted road with lots of ups and down. At first I
was concern that there wasn't anyone in front of me or behind me until I saw
a walker in front powering up the hill. Half way up I saw him coming back
down towards me. We were about 1.5 miles from the junction of the water
station. He said we might have made a wrong turn as he couldn't see anyone
down the road when he got to the top of that hill. We checked his map and
decided to turn back to the water station. I was cursing inside because it
meant I'd done an extra 3 miles! It appeared we'd followed the cyclists' signs, which were pointing the
opposite direction to the walkers/runners. Trying to make up some time I
started jogging again despite my hip protesting at the effort, and finally
made it to the finish line in 6:47. Clara Halket |
I ran the Richmond Park Marathon today and despite the hills (there were
2 quite steep ones on each of the 3 laps) I still managed to do another sub
3:30 time! I am not sure of the official chip-time, as the results have not
been published yet, but the race clock was showing 3:29:10 as I finished
{ED: and Piers provided a photograph of himself (in normal running gear),
the finish line and the clock but there are already enough photographs of
Piers in this edition}. Piers Keenleyside |
The last 3 to 4 weeks run into Marathon day produced some very mixed
results as tapering started earlier than planned and was more tapered than I
would have hoped !! This was a combination of work commitments including a
week in Madrid and some particularly busy weekends for other reasons.
As for the day itself it got off to a very emotionally charged start for the 30 seconds remembering the events of Boston the previous weekend. You could hear a pin drop and at the end of that 30 seconds there was such a roar of real emotion from the runners it gave me goosebumps, and does even now thinking back on it. Something I will never forget As for the run itself some highlights:
The really good news is I managed to raise £600 for the British Heart Foundation in the process so all in all it was indeed a fantastic day and my thanks for being accepted through the ballot . Regards Michael O'Hagan |
Firstly a big thank you to BA running club for my Marathon place, this
was my 10th London so a nice milestone to reach !!.
Having not run London for 3 years I realised on the week before just how well it was organised and anticipated a steady run having done training run to 21m but I knew I needed 4 times 20+ training runs before marathon day ..oh I only managed 1 due to work and family commitments. Decided to enjoy the day so took no watch or wristband timing table had a really good 1st 13m with 5km splits only seconds apart but like others was surprised to see so much sun. At 16ish started to feel effects so slowed to 10min pace as in training I'd set the treadmill to this and done up to 1hr runs at this pace knowing what was likely to happen in the last 6m. After 21miles adapted sort of 400m walk 1200m run/shuffle..... Crowds were great and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere at this stage, no pressure on myself as in previous marathons had always wanted sub 4hrs now know not always possible dependent on training Slowed to a finish time of 4:23.... 1ST half 1:54... Thanks to all the marshals on those last 5 crossings, already put in for 2014 Rgds Scott Davison next run Staines 10k 19th May..... might see some of you there. |
[image of Piers in Mankeenee with Richard Branson removed since we cannot prove that we had permission to include the picture]
RB: "I thought I was the master of vergin' on the ridiculous". (Alastair Heslop)
‘I’m looking for new uniforms for our flight crew, can you come in and model next Tuesday?’ (Eddie Giles)
Sir Richard: 'A Little Red?' Piers: 'No Dick!' (Piers Keenleyside)
Guy behind Richard "Twenty seconds more then it'll be safe to open your eyes" (Roderick Hoffman)
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