baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 9th June 2014

Forthcoming Events:

• Wednesday 11th June - Parkway Mile 18:00 followed by Club AGM 20:00
• Sunday 15th June - Concorde Five - See below
• Wednesday 2nd July - Rosenheim T&F match - BA Hosted at Eton

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 (updated 2nd June).

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

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Reminder of the AGM (and Parkway Mile races) Wednesday 11th June

The Club's AGM is on Wednesday 11th June.  This is your opportunity to find out more about how the club is run and influence the new committee. The parkway mile races are from 18:00 and the AGM itself is from 20:00.  All full members of the club are entitled to attend and vote.

Sunday 15th June - Concorde Five - Call for Marshals and Runners and GUIDE

Reminder, kids race starting at 10:00 ahead of the Concorde Five road race from 10:30 which is followed by the awards presentation in the Concorde Centre Olympus Hall from around 12:00 after which you can treat your dad to a father's day lunch with a Concorde Centre carvery!

I'd still appreciate a few more marshals committing themselves in advance - please reply to me:  roderick@rhoff.org.uk

We are also keen to attract additional runners - Please tell your friends and colleagues.  Entry forms and arrangements are on the website page: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event_Concorde.shtml and you can enter on the day. 

We've also been asked if we can provide a guide for a blind runner.  You'd need to be capable of running 9 minute miles holding someone's arm and talking.  If you have done this before and/or you are KEEN to do this please reply to me straight away so that we can inform the runner.  I would like us to be able to do this BUT the course isn't the most suitable for a blind runner hence me asking for someone who is keen to make it work. We would wave the entry fee - not that that is why you might volunteer.

Roderick Hoffman

The results of the 2nd Grand Prix, Uxbridge, Monday 19th May 2014

Results of the 3rd Grand Prix Monday 2nd June 2014 at Uxbridge:

800m:- Neil Frediani – 3.02 / Eddie Giles – 3.06 / Rod Hoffman – 3.21 / Danny Treherne – 3.31

Long Jump:- Danny – 3.85m / Neil – 3.12m / Eddie – 2.77m

The 3RD GP of the season was meant to have the Hammer as the field event.  Steve Hillier was unavailable on the night to oversee the throwing so I decided to change it to the last GP of the season, which on the 1st September.

The 4th GP of the season is at Uxbridge on Monday 4th July 6pm start.  200m & Javelin are the chosen events, hope to see you there.

Eddie Giles

 Club parkrun results for Saturday 7th June

A couple of mentions of missing parkrun results last week, May 31st, firstly Jeremy Short who won the Crane Park event in a PC time of 18:24 (Jeremy isn't a member but ought to be!) and secondly Piers Keenleyside (who is) who travelled all the way to Durban South Africa to run the club's 109th parkrun, North Beach, though fortunately whilst he was there he spotted that it was also the weekend of the Comrades Marathon (see below).  We will shortly be reviewing who's results we list in this section but current membership of the club will be a key factor.

Our runners were dodging the showers (or getting caught) as rain dampened proceedings on Saturday morning.

Crane Park was in anniversary mood as Chris Kelly and Roderick Hoffman both put in course pb performances.  New associate member Ben Chaytow was celebrating his male table topping year but all failed to keep up with that guy mentioned above who ought to be a member whose 19:16 was good enough for 3rd place and a WAVA score of over 78%.

Tony Barnwell is closing in on his red "50" vest.  His 47th run was at Wycombe Rye which could be his new adopted home.  Over at Fulham Palace his V70 record which had lasted for 15 weeks was finally broken.  Steve Newell's V70 record at Rushmoor has been broken, just over a month since the inaugural run.  Steve was over at Beckton for a nostalgic visit to London Triathlon territory and notched up the club's 110th (and his 37th) park.

Ealing borough is to have its own parkrun.  Northala Fields parkrun is starting on 21 June.  It is a mere 6km (4 miles) from the Concorde Club and half that from Roderick's house so you can expect to meet him there. The park is easy to spot from the A40 since they have built four conical hills in this new park which, you will be pleased to learn, the parkrun course runs round, not over. http://www.parkrun.org.uk/northalafields/ .

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

Steve Newell (mainly)

Summer Marathon Relay Sunday 8th June BA Flyers success

On Sunday afternoon 10 BA runners gathered for our first entry in the Summer Marathon relay run by Purple Patch Running.  The relay is 10 legs of 2.62 miles, hence making up a full marathon. The event allows for anything between 2 and 10 runners, with most teams having between 5 and 10 runners.  We had the full ten, so one leg each at full speed, slowed only by the afternoon sun and the majority of the course being off road with a few sharp twists and turns. This year there were 25 teams who finished.

To save time each team has 2 runners running at any one time, so we were split into 2 "teams" of 5, each passing the baton on to the next in their mini team, but the overall time was the combination of all 10. At 2pm the race started with 50 runners setting off. There was a good mix, a bit like the London Marathon, with just less people, as we saw some fast runners setting off at pace, a few aiming to get round, plus those in fancy dress, including one team of Flintstones and one of fruits - including full banana suits.

Our 2 lead runners, Dave Bird and Mark Taylor, who was returning from injury, were soon at the sharp end as we watched them disappear in the distance. After the first half mile the runners go out of sight and then re-enter the field for a last lap of the athletics track before touching down their baton on the timing mat, passing over the baton to the next eager runner and then collapsing in a heap on the floor.

Dave and Mark were not far behind the lead runners when they re-appeared and put in the final effort to the changeover, just a few seconds between them as they finished and we were certainly the first team to have both runners in. Natalie and Graham Taylor set off in about 4th and 5th places and ran together for a while. Dave who had certainly put a shift in, explained it was hotter than we thought and that there was some nasty little off road bits on shingle, leaving the next 2 runners a little anxious. So it was with a mixture of delight and then horror that I saw Natalie head back into the field in first place.  I was taking on the next leg from her, and I can't remember ever leading a race before, so was not sure what to do! Graham came in not far behind in 3rd, so our team really was setting the pace. I set off hoping I would not let the side down, with no one to follow how on earth would I cope? But it was not too far into my leg when things became more normal, I started to see some runners ahead of me albeit still on their second legs, so although I would be lapping them a more familiar feeling of being around others returned. I managed to stay in the lead and passed on the baton to Barry. Gary Rushmer jnr had also made good ground on his leg and came in second to pass on to Gary Rushmer senior. So the two BA mini teams were leading the way, and even those hard pushed at maths could work out we were probably in the overall lead by this stage. As Barry finished well and passed on to PK, and Gary R snr made the last pass to a new BA runner, Bernard Sexton, we had a commanding lead. PK and Bernard both flew round to seal the win. In fact when the final times came in we had won by 30 mins. PK had run the fastest leg of the day - and could have gone round twice more and we would still have won!

So we won the overall trophy and also came 1st in the Entertainment and Leisure category. What with that and PK's individual win it was a very successful day. We were well supported by Bridget and our team mascot Bonnie, who would have loved to have run a leg as well, but made do with finishing off Gary Rushmer junior’s never ending supply of post run hamburgers. 

While it was certainly an expensive race to enter it was very well organised and really a good fun afternoon, apart from the 17 to 18 minutes when we actually had to run! Thanks from me to everyone who joined us on the day.

Our results were:

Dave Bird	16.57	Natalie Ruffell	18.01	Richard Ruffell	17.48	Barry Walters	17.19	Paul Knechtl	14.48
Mark Taylor	17.02	Graham Taylor	18.43	Gary Rushmer jnr	19.29	Gary Rushmer snr	17.29	Bernard Sexton	16.30

Team Time                  2 hrs 54 mins 23 secs

Richard Ruffell

The Standard Chartered Great City Race Thursday 10th July Volunteers needed

The Standard Chartered Great City Race is on Thursday 10th July and is being held in the City of London. This year's race entry is already closed, so 5000 runners will be pounding the streets around the 5km course. We'll be helping to support the course senior stewards in marshalling the course and general assistance with the spectators & general public who need to cross the course. This will be the 10th year of assisting with this race so I think we're fairly familiar with what's required. In terms of timings, the start is 19:15, and we'd need to be on site by 18:00, finishing by 20:00. In return you'll get a t-shirt, expenses up to the cost of a zone 1-6 travelcard, that all important club donation and some post race refreshments (food and drink!) in a local pub (very well received from those that helped last year).

I need 25 helpers, so if you can help (I hope you can), please drop me an e-mail with a contact phone number (ideally a mobile) and preferred T-shirt size. Nearer the time I'll circulate final details. Thanks in advance for your continued support.

Regards,

Simon Turton

Quickies...

8th June 2014 Ickenham Five   Roderick Hoffman 42:19 HHot and close conditions resulted in a disappointing time but others on the course had found it equally tough.  After finishing I set off back to my car to pick up the Concorde Five leaflets to distribute to other runners - but on my way I was handed a promotional leaflet for...the Concorde Five!  Fred Ashford was distributing these along with a Five Mile he is organising (see below) so he was happy to kill two birds with one stone...and he had his wife on the other exit to the park giving out leaflets to those leaving that way! Also thanks to Harry Wild who was marshalling on the course. Roderick Hoffman

Sunday 29th June Wexham park 5 mile and family fun run (10:30) This is a multi-terrain event in aid of Wexham Park hospital charitable trust.  Entry fee is £10 or £12 unaffliated (+£3 on the day).  See www.heatherwoodandwexham.nhs.uk/runwxm or www.fabian4.co.uk to enter. OBO Fred Ashford

Comrades Marathon I was in South Africa for a long weekend to run in the Comrades Marathon (89k). It certainly lived up to its tag-line of ‘Hard is what makes it great’. We were doing the ‘down’ run this year – that said there was still a lot of hills to go up and some of the downhill sections went on for so long they turned your quads to jelly! Several thousand runners missed the 12 hour cut-off (as they do every year apparently). I had been trying to go for a time of 9 hours but was way off due to the many hills which in the second half of the race I walked up rather than ran. I finished in a time of 10:25:43. It was a very well organised event and if you are into ultra running this should be on your bucket list. Great crowd support in all the villages and crossroads on the route with many people making a day of it sitting in deck-chairs and having barbeques by the side of road. Piers Keenleyside

News for the next BAAC News Digest?

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Club website:

www.barunner.org.uk.