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BA Athletics Club News Digest 11th April 2016

Events:

  • Wed 13th April - Watersplash 10k followed by club social (see below)*
  • Sunday 24th April - London Marathon for runners and marshals (pre-event briefing on Thursday 21st from 19:00 at Heston Venue)
  • Wednesday 4th May - Speedbird Ladies, Harmondsworth Moor, 19:00*

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: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z31P-sSECWno.kIIgdFzUuZAo&usp=sharing

Not for you, no longer interested?  remove me please.

Difficulty viewing this email?  Read it off the website instead - http://www.barunner.org.uk/News Latest.shtml. Running related gossip and chat: Facebook "BA Runner" (link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/636199849751546/).

Watersplash 10km, 5km and team meal details - THIS Wednesday

The post Watersplash 10km (and 5km) team meal will be Fish Pie plus salad/veg and will be served at 8 p.m. This is complementary for all members and, whilst fishing stocks last, for non-members also.  If you are not a BA Clubs member remember that you will need to be signed in.

All 10km runners should be at the Field of Hope (M4/Jct. 3 pedestrian area) early enough to start in time to reach the finish by 7.20 p.m. at the latest.  Anyone coming past the timekeepers having completed 7.9km after 7.05 pm will be asked to stop and will be given a time.

  • 10 minute milers start at 6.10 p.m.
  • 9 minute milers start at 6.18 p.m.
  • 8 minute milers start at 6.25 p.m.
  • 10km elite start is at 6.34 p.m.
  • The 5km runners will have a mass start at 6.35 p.m.  5km walkers can start earlier by arrangement.

Steve Newell

Subs are now due!

1st April has been and gone, and so your Subs are now welcome. UK Athletics affiliations even more so, as we can't pay your affiliation to UK Athletics until we get it.  Also, this year, with the demise of the BA Clubs Direct Debit process, if you used it we need you to take action to maintain your membership.

So please electronic payments / standing orders / cheques / cash to us at the usual addresses - as per:
http://www.barunner.org.uk/News_Digest_21Mar2016.shtml  or cash in person on Wednesday!

Chris Kelly (Treasurer)

April Dream Mile Results

Hi All,

Another windy day for our Mile event. It is amazing the number of times on a Thursday it is windy and either side it is not. Maybe we need to change the day of week the event is run! With lots of meeting and it being the middle of the Easter holidays, the turnout was a little lower than normal. With the wind the times were all a lot slower too, and with Colin Russell not running there were no PB’s either. Derek Grey did come along to run, but did not record a time as he arrived a little late. It was good to have Ian Cunningham and Simon Ashford running their first events of 2016 and looking forward to the next one in May, when it will be lovely and sunny, warm and no wind…

Previous Best Earlier Time 08-Jan-16 04-Feb-16 03-Mar-16 07-Apr-16 Difference New Best Time
Chris Kelly 00:05:42 00:06:12 00:06:54 00:06:18 00:06:19 00:06:21 +02 seconds no change
Sharon Kassemzadeh 00:06:47 00:06:51 00:08:12 00:07:26 00:07:16 00:07:22 +06 seconds no change
Paul Knechtl 00:04:56 00:05:29 00:06:19 00:05:35 00:05:25 00:05:34 +09 seconds no change
Ian Cunningham 00:05:52 00:06:12 00:06:34 +22 seconds no change
Simon Ashford 00:06:18 00:06:43 00:07:07 +24 seconds no change
Neil Frediani 00:06:34 00:06:55 00:07:45 00:07:53 00:08:26 +33 seconds no change

Next event will be on Thursday 5th May 2016.

Paul Knechtl

Green Belt Relay Reserve Required for Weekend May 21st/22nd

We have a full team and one reserve, but runners are always at risk of injury, so .... if anyone would like to be on the backup plan, for a possible last-minute request to run ~20miles over two days while trying to follow a map and avoid any unnecessary extra miles - let me know...  You could be lucky - it might not happen, on the other hand this could be you:

Green Belt Relay Start

Rgds,

 Chris Kelly (christkelly@yahoo.com)

Ed: Chris doesn't seem to understand that some potential team members may be put off by the thought that they would be running twice over two days in all weathers with some legs involving serious climbs, descents and navigational challenges whilst being ferried from point to point in the back seat of cars full of tired runners wearing damp kit (although a second kit IS recommended for the second day). But if you want to catch the spirit of the event...then get in touch.

Club parkrun results for Saturday 9th April 2016

9th April family & friends time parkrun commentary grade
Kerstin Luksch 20:12 Gunnersbury F-2 74%
Chris Kelly 20:16 Reading run #285 73%
Richard Ruffell 22:25 Tring course pb, club record 68%
Jonathan Cox 22:36 Crane Park run #269 68%
Steve Dodsworth 24:03 Gateshead BA park #246, course pb 63%
Scott Davison 24:05 Bedfont Lakes run #157 58%
Colin Russell 24:16 Oak Hill run #18, 17th at Oak Hill 56%
Ian Cunningham 24:21 Guildford 62%
Chris Evans 24:22 Bedfont Lakes run #141 61%
Neil Frediani 25:07 Bedfont Lakes run #141 63%
Emily Warburton-Brown 25:54 Durham BA park #247 57%
Linda Dodsworth 27:08 Gateshead course pb 58%
Roderick Hoffman 27:11 Gateshead park #148 57%
David Duggan 27:12 Bedfont Lakes run #143 57%
Daniela Mayerova 31:22 Fulham Palace run #30, 3rd at Fulham Palace 47%
Steve Newell 31:33 Tooting Common course pb 57%
Alan Anderson 32:46 Gunnersbury run #405 64%
Joe Nolan 33:38 Black Park 247th run at Black Park 48%
Sarah Gordon 33:55 Leicester Victoria run #102, 5th at Leicester Vic 56%
Tony Barnwell 35:06 Wycombe Rye run #101, 42nd at Wycombe 52%
Joan Foxley 35:24 Harrow 60%
Janet Smith 36:21 Tewkesbury BA park #248 47%
John Lennon 39:01 Bedfont Lakes run #203 39%
Caroline Cockram volunteer Bedfont Lakes run director
Denis Foxley volunteer Harrow run director
Alastair Heslop volunteer Guildford timekeeper
Benita Scaife volunteer Maidenhead finish token support
John Scaife volunteer Maidenhead finish tokens
Sreeram Sethuraman volunteer Upton Court back-up timer

The chase to reach 250 different parkruns continued apace on what may well turn out to be the penultimate Saturday.

Steve Dodsworth (24:03) and Linda Dodsworth (27:08) had both run at Gateshead prior to joining the club but these were pbs for both of them.  Roderick Hoffman (27:11) joined them on the start line and don't imagine for a moment that Roderick was exhibiting some sort of John Scaife style conduct approaching the finish, Linda was simply faster.  parkrun is a run not a race - don't you believe it!

Only a few miles to the south Emily Warburton-Brown (25:54) was at Durham for the first time and established the new club record.  John Lennon ran there once before he joined us, but not as quickly.  David Duggan has run at Durham in North Carolina but again before he joined us.

Much further south and west, Janet Smith (36:21) was at Tewkesbury Vineyards, the third new venue this weekend.  That time may look a little slow but over the seven months this run has been going no man has beaten 17 minutes and no woman 20 minutes so nobody can be finding it easy.

Those three runs take the club total to 248 so there may be an end of season finale feeling next week and we can all be winners. 

All readers are encouraged to send in their nominations for the hardest parkrun they have visited with the brief reasons of why.  One candidate may be Tring where Richard Ruffell (22:25) lowered the club record on his sixth run there.

One of the aspects of having so many parkruns to choose from is that we seldom get a good crowd of members all at the same one so it was heartening see that we had five runners plus a run director and other helpers at Bedfont Lakes this week.  Chris Evans  (24:22) only seems to have one pace at the moment and his time was exactly the same as last week.

Steve Newell (steve-newell@blueyonder.co.uk)

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

Gatehead parkrun April 2016

Pictured: Steve, Roderick and Linda at the end of Gateshead parkun.

Parkrun Tourism - 250 in sight!

So as a team we have run at 248 different parkruns. Next Saturday I will run at a new parkrun for the club so that guarantees we'll be up to 249 SO you can run the 250th! Have a look at the club map https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z31P-sSECWno.kIIgdFzUuZAo&usp=sharing .  This shows all of the parkruns that the club has run at (in red) and those we haven't (in green). If you click on a specific parkrun you should be shown details relevant to that park - including a link to its website and if you are using Google maps on a mobile you'll probably also be offered driving directions or public transportation directions. So no excuses.  But check that the parkrun IS running next Saturday - the map includes parkruns that are due to start up in the next few weeks including, for instance, Bicester, just north of Oxford.  I've shown an extract of the map below - focused randomly on Weymouth.

Club Map showing parkruns

PS I don't know which parkrun I'll be running at on Saturday - I'll probably decide on Thursday evening. Tell me your plans if you want to guarantee to miss me!

PPS If you study the map you'll see that Toulouse is now promoted to have a parkrun - actually called "La Ramée".  This is due to start on 30th April, on a weekend I'll be in the States. However I'm keen to organise a club visit to this parkrun for a mutually convenient Saturday in May, June or July.  If you could be interested then please let me know. Now please.

Roderick Hoffman (roderick@rhoff.org.uk)

Late results - Mad March Twister Mad March

Team Name Run time
a Steve Hillier 00:37:51
a Christine Munden 00:36:21
b Alan Anderson 00:43:55
b Steve Newell 00:43:12
c Chris  Kelly 00:35:59

Paul Brandon

Ed: The extra twist is it isn't obvious from the results what the results are.  The fastest time seems to be by a member of team C, but it must be harder with two team in which case team A would get the win. But the objective should be to be even paced out and back and team B shows a closer match between the two runners revealing even running (or equally uneven!). I'm sure that good prizes were consumed by all.

Appealing Runners

Please consider adding funds for research into cures for spinal cord injuries. If it helps then consider the effort I'll be putting in to keep ahead of the car that chases me through the streets of Cambridge on May 1st.

fundraising wingsforlifeworldrun cambridge roderick hoffman

There is also an alternative option open to you - contribute £40 (other than VAT, 100% goes to the research) and you can run in the event also!  The UK event is from Cambridge from 12:00 midday on 1st May.  Many other worldwide locations are available with simultaneous start times. http://www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/gb/en/cambridge/

Roderick Hoffman

Hi All,

I am running my second marathon at London this year on April 24th ( I wasn’t expecting to run but my name came out of the ballot a few years earlier than expected!!) and would like to mark it by raising funds for a charity which relates to something that I think we all fear in one way or another. I will be running for  Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK).

By supporting Alzheimer's Research UK, you are helping to defeat dementia. ARUK is one of the top three dementia research charities in the world and their scientists have been behind some of the most important dementia research breakthroughs of all time. 
If you wish to donate to this worthy cause by sponsoring me then please go to my donation site at: www.virginmoneygiving.com/NeilFrediani

A few facts:

  • Dementia affects over 850,000 people in the UK and numbers are increasing  
  • Around 38% of the UK population know a close friend or family member with dementia  
  • At £24 billion each year, dementia costs the UK economy more than cancer and heart disease combined  
  • £20 could fund one hour of vital research  
  • £50 could provide access to specialist equipment for studying cells 
  • £120 could support complex protein analysis  
  • £300 could pay for a genetic test to help identify risk genes

Information about the charity can be found at:  www.aruk.org.uk

Thanks,

Neil Frediani

Running Shorts

Manchester Marathon 10th April 2016

I ran the Manchester Marathon yesterday for the second time - I had a target time of 3:29:59 but missed it by 3 seconds to finish in 3:30:02 (category position 32nd of 255).  I (as usual) perhaps did the first half too quickly in 1:35:41 - over a minute quicker than last weekend's Reading Half.  Kerstin Luksch finished the Marathon in 3:29:27 (first half 1:37:15, category position 22nd of 553).

I'm hoping for a better time in London.
 
Piers Keenleyside

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