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BA Athletics Club News Digest 16th December 2019

Events:

  • Wednesday 18th December - CIE mile race and Xmas social at the Bedfont Club #
  • Monday 30th December (proposed) - Round Heathrow Airport Run (date to be confirmed)
  • Saturday 11th January Men's and Ladies Cross Countries - details to be confirmed #

Our next Bedfont Club meeting will be on Wednesday 18th for our Christmas Run and Social. January club evenings will be on 8th (ad hoc) and 22nd (Handicap). All members are welcome.

New members and potential members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome at most of our events. The full diary of club featured events is on the club website at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml. Last updated: 1st November.

* Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps] (parkrun details updated 18th November 2019) / # Club Points event.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BARunnerUK/ (formal "front window" club page), BA Runner Facebook Group (informal "back office" - ask to join).

Inclusions, with photos, please to Roderick Hoffman at news@barunner.org.uk.


Acting Chairman's Xmas Editorial

I'm away skiing this week so I won't be able to in person wish you a Fantastic Christmas and a Fruitful New Year at our Christmas social on Wednesday so please take this as my wishes for you all. A reminder that I will be briefly in the UK on Christmas Day and will be timekeeper at Northala Fields parkrun from 09:00. After that I'll be off in Australia for three weeks. I hope to get out regular digests whilst I'm away (like this one - being sent over the WiFi from a hotel in Zell-en-See in Austria) but be aware that with the time difference I may need submissions for inclusion to be sent by early Monday morning in the UK. But please send these submissions because I don't like making things up!

Roderick Hoffman Acting Chairman & Communications


SPOTY associations

Steve Newell if offering a pint of Fuller's beer (from the Brewery Shop) for the most interesting and convincing claim.

Have you ever shared a 'field of play' with a Sports Personality of the Year winner ?  If so, write in and claim.

To keep the volume of mail down, being a London Marathon crossing point marshal in a year when Paula Radcliffe was running won't count. Sorry.  The same goes for London 2012 Games Makers.  parkrun will be considered a sport for this purpose even if it isn't actually a race, but you will need to point to a specific parkrun venue and week where the "SPOTY" winner and your name both appear. Obviously evidence for other claims over the last 65 years won't be so easy and won't be expected.  Just a bit of fun for Christmas.  Have a think and send in your story.
A full list of winners going back to 1954 is available via Wikipedia,

Steve Newell

Ed: I've just checked on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Sports_Personality_of_the_Year_Award and David Moorcroft wasn't a winner so I'll have to think again for my claim.


Five-Mile Handicap 11th December Report

The third leg of the Winter Five Mile Handicap was held on 11th December.  It was chilly but dry with a westerly breeze keeping the aircraft out of earshot in Bedfont.  The turnout was thin with several regulars citing seasonal excuses, travel difficulties, other events, etc.

Road works in the Feltham Rail Bridge area triggered the use of a variation to the normal route which proved fairly easy to navigate and will probably be used again in January and then reviewed when progress with the project has been monitored.

Recorded times were:

  • Gary Rushmer 35:33 (25 pts),
  • Roderick Hoffman 50:50 (16 pts),
  • Christine Munden 51:52 (18 pts),
  • Steve Hiller 53:08 (21 pts).

Gary Rushmer has run all three legs and tops the league table with Roderick Hoffman and Steve Hillier tied for second. At the end of the series only the best four scores for each individual will count so there are still opportunities for others to put in a serious challenge in the New Year.  The next run will be on Wednesday 22nd January 2020.

Harry Wild has now adopted a walking route which takes him about 50 minutes.  Route - Hatton Road to the "Two Bridges" over the Duke of Northumberland's River and the Longford River.  Turn left along New Road, then right into Staines Road.  Round to the right at Bedfont Green and return to the club via Hatton Road. Just under two and a half miles.

After the run, the group retired to the "Duke of Wellington" across the road from Bedfont FC which has been refurbished.  The bar is well stocked, the food menu (British and Asian) is extensive, modestly priced and the portions more than adequate.  I'm sure we will be there again before too long.

Steve Newell

Roderick reported his slow time was because he didn't have Trish chasing him!


Christmas Mile Relay on Wednesday 18th December

Will all those planning to run a mile at Bedfont on Wednesday please send Steve Newell an estimate of their expected time. The plan is to have a relay race over the same flat out-and-back course as we used last Christmas. We would like to have two (or more) balanced teams.

Also insure that you have told Steve Hillier to expect you on the night for the catering.


Who went to Hawaii in 1984?

The attached BA Team photo was taken at WARR in Hawaii in 1984. I was the photographer, but how many faces can you recognise and names remember? If you can help then please add a note to the Facebook entry or if you are not a Facebook user please let me know what you know or can guess.

Roderick Hoffman


Club parkrun results for Saturday 14th December 2019

Member 14th December parkrun Pos Time Grade PB Comment
TRUE Bob Bannister Bedfont Lakes 42 00:24:44 66.58%
TRUE Ian Cockram Bedfont Lakes 38 00:24:28 61.24% 298th run at Bedfont Lakes
TRUE Paul Davis Bedfont Lakes 11 00:22:10 61.13%
TRUE David DUGGAN Bedfont Lakes 78 00:29:39 53.63%
TRUE Trish MCCABE Bedfont Lakes 100 00:31:16 49.57% back home after 21 weeks on tour
TRUE Zoe OSTLEY Bedfont Lakes run director
TRUE Anne Bannister Bedfont Lakes marshal
TRUE Micheal BALL Brooklands 92 00:27:17 57.30% our most frequent visitor to Brooklands
TRUE James Shoulder Bryanston 14 00:20:46 62.12% 2nd run in Greater Joburg region, BApark #544
TRUE Andrew William Jordon Bushy Park 218 00:22:25 67.43% 2nd run in 2019
TRUE Ian CUNNINGHAM Bushy Park 368 00:24:19 64.29%
TRUE Maria Jovani Crane Park 21 00:21:46 71.75%
TRUE Ben Chaytow Crane Park 31 00:23:00 60.72% will be run director for Crane 400th next week
TRUE Scott DAVISON Crane Park 51 00:24:50 58.46%
TRUE Jacqueline MUSSELWHITE Dishley, Loughborough 27 00:26:13 64.72% club rec (F)
TRUE Janet Smith Grovelands 177 00:35:41 50.07% first run at Grovelands, park #42
TRUE Steve NEWELL Gunnersbury barcode scanning
TRUE Mike Dennison Hanworth 1 00:20:21 79.52% M-1
TRUE Maarten Stenham Hanworth 3 00:22:05 62.72% PB   M-3, course pb (by 2:51)
TRUE Paul PRESCOTT Hanworth 2 00:21:38 59.71% M-2
FALSE Joan FOXLEY Harrow 181 00:37:08 59.96%
TRUE Denis Foxley Harrow run director
TRUE John COFFEY Hazelwood 50 00:32:58 59.66% very soggy
TRUE Julie BARCLAY Jersey Farm 32 00:24:24 74.18% "J", club rec (F), park #38
TRUE Paul WATT Jersey Farm 25 00:23:56 63.65% "J", club record, park #33
#N/A Paul Freyne Jezioro Swarzędzkie 49 00:30:44 48.37% run #544, 500th different parkrun (non member !)
TRUE Caroline Cockram Kingston 105 00:24:38 68.06% our most frequent visitor to Kingston
#N/A Darren WOOD Littlehampton Prom 6 00:21:34 61.90% run #750
TRUE Alice BANKS Maidenhead 148 00:28:28 70.14% Marlow course under water (again!)
TRUE Benita Scaife Mile End 248 00:31:10 65.03% run #170, 2nd at Mile End
TRUE John Scaife Mile End 249 00:31:11 53.77% run  #197, 2nd at Mile End
TRUE Murray HOGGE Reading 20 00:22:47 69.79%
TRUE Frankie HOGGE Reading 19 00:22:47 64.96% F-3
TRUE Christopher T KELLY Reading 170 00:42:52 35.54%
TRUE Sarah GORDON Riemer 22 00:34:21 57.30% run #249, park #114
TRUE Roderick HOFFMAN Riemer 19 00:29:40 53.60% at old airport in Munich, park #291, Bapark #545
TRUE Piers KEENLEYSIDE Sedgefield 134 00:30:38 53.26% 2nd run at Sedgefield
TRUE Vira Simms Squerryes Winery 31 00:33:55 54.84% run #56, 1st at Squerryes, park#21, BApark#546
TRUE Janice Jones Squerryes Winery 30 00:33:41 51.71% run #64, 1st at Squerryes, park#21, BApark#546
TRUE Keith Johnson St Albans 160 00:26:21 55.53%

There was a spectacular club result at Hanworth parkrun this week where from a well spread out field Mike Dennison (20:21) was first across the line followed by Paul Prescott (21:28) in second and Maarten Stenham (22:05) third.  Maarten often paces his eight year old son but this week he was able to run freely and lowered his course pb by almost three minutes.

The club records at Jersey Farm (near St Albans) have been under attack this month with improving times being posted three weeks in a row. Roderick Hoffman and Ian Cockram held the record for just one week each and Paul Watt (23:56) now tops the list over what is a cross-country style course (in a seasonal condition).  For the women, Janet Smith’s longstanding record was replaced by Caroline Cockram (26:09) last week and now that time has been eclipsed by Julie Barclay (24:24) this week.

The weather continues to disrupt and parkrun attendances generally were down this week.  The river level at Marlow rose again overnight causing the Higginson event to be cancelled at short notice.  The follow up to the somewhat overcrowded inaugural at Sandhurst Memorial last week was put on hold due to flooded paths.

Three new parks were added to the club collection.  James Shoulder (20:46) visited Bryanston Park in the Greater Joburg region of South Africa.   With 801 finishers it was one of the busier parkruns this weekend.  Roderick Hoffman  (29:40) and Sarah Gordon (34:21) were at Riemer parkrun near Munich where the course takes in part of the old airport.  Janice Jones (33:41) and Vera Sims (33:55) visited Squerryes Winery near Sevenoaks in Kent which has been going for about three months.  We have absolutely no idea whether they spent time in the shop afterwards.

 Globally, there were 1697 (5k) parkruns this weekend.  The most ardent tourist Paul Freyne travelled to Jezioro Swarzędzkie in central Poland to chalk up his 500th different one. He still has a bewildering choice, even allowing for the ones in prisons where only runners with special status get to run.  The world’s most prolific parkrun, Darren Wood has reached 750 runs.  I guess that makes him half way between a blue 500 shirt and a rainbow 1000 one.

Steve Newell

Steve's parkrun stats - club parkrun stats

Full club parkrun database - {read access to new club parkrun database} - Download and explore.

Steve Newell

parkrun Achievement Stats

My run at Reimer happened to be my 50th parkrun this year, called "Gold Obsessive" by the Chrome parkrun Challenges tool. That wasn't my objective for this year so I'm not that excited by it (and David Duggan, for instance, has already done more). However it was also my pc-index of 6. That means that I have now run six different parkruns in each of six different countries as shown in the table below. I see that as a measure of breadth AND depth of parkrun tourism.  My target for next year is to achieve a pc-index of 7, and work towards 8. I do know of someone who is already on 7 and will probably get to 8 before I get to 7.

Feel free to write in with your parkrun or running related target for 2020.

Roderick Hoffman

St Albans parkrun and Jingle Bell Run 10k

Good afternoon,

Just an update for my activities this weekend.

Went back to my “home” parkrun at St Albans this weekend, both as volunteer and runner. Volunteered to do pre-event set-up and due to the recent weather this included a pre-course check so I got an extra lap in before the event got underway at 9am. Did a deliberately slower parkrun this week as I knew I had a 10k event the following day on Sunday.

Sunday 15/12, this was the Jingle Bell Run 10k at Northwood near Rickmansworth promoted by Active Training World. This was effectively a very muddy cross-country type 10k event. Was never going to be a PB event due to the conditions. Came home in 24th place overall with a confirmed chip time of 54:15.

That’s it from me for this week.

With kind regards,

Keith Johnson


Street-O Ealing 10th December results

The club had five participants in last Tuesday's Street-O event in Ealing. I was able to claim the prize for getting the wettest on a foul night - I took over 68 minutes which was well longer than any of the other 59 runners on the night. That also meant that I had the most penalty points so my score on the night wasn't impressive BUT I'm still leading the BA team in the series results table (which, for the first half of the season, rewards turning up at every event - the "top five of nine events" won't impact until January - although I am accumulating some lower points events I can safely drop!)

Simon Turton was our first finisher with 440 points, no penalties and 25th place of 60. BUT he discovered afterwards that they had added his score up incorrectly and missed 100 points - so he should of finished on 540 points and been given 11th place.  That'll teach him for sending me a text whilst I was still running, asking me to pick up his results map. Then came Chris Kelly with 380 (37th place) followed closely by Jain Reid (14 seconds late so 5 points behind Chris, 39th place and, now correctly classified as a lady, 11th lady), myself with net 234 points (34th) and Christine Munden with 230 (55th, 18th lady).

We all had tales to tell - mainly about the wet conditions but also about missed or discounted controls:

  • Simon hadn't found the right door at the church so couldn't report it as the door to the Crypt (at least three of us got that answer correct…but we may have been guided by two characters at the other door pointing the right way).
  • I had a 30 point answer discounted, and I can read that it says the same name that Chris wrote on his answer sheet, but nobody else would (it was very wet and although the paper used on the maps/answer sheet is plasticky and doesn't dissolve, pens don't write on it very well when very wet).
  • Chris had an answer discounted where he misread "16" for "18" on a sign high up on a wall - but visibility in the conditions was challenging.
  • Christine finished the evening saying, for the second event in a row, "Never Again!", but we shall see.

The next event is on the 15th January, a Wednesday (unusually, but not an evening we are meeting at the Club) at Wimbledon (no details published yet). Being south of the river attendance may be higher and hence series points harder to achieve - but we shall see.

Roderick Hoffman


KLM Beach Run 2019

I was the sole BA runner in attendance this year. This was my third year running in this event and I love it! Despite the hosts obsession about Brexit they were as hospitable as usual.

It was a rainy and windy afternoon but not as cold as last year. The 10k route takes you out across the sand dunes then a u turn diverts you to run along the beach back to the start then you do another shortened loop. Wind assisted over the dunes and in your face on the beach so I wasn’t going to set a PB! There was about 20 participants doing the 10k and I think I was about tenth.

No night out on the town this year and I had to take a quick exit to the airport as it was a day trip. I also didn’t get a chance to hear the full results. This is a great event and I would recommend it to everyone.

Cheers

Tim Bellars

Ed: I'm hoping that next year's race will be able to be combined with an Amsterdam parkrun.


Triathlon News

An update on the Western Australia Ironman

Alistair Brownlee's plan to qualify early for the 2020 Hawaii Ironman (essentially the Ironman World Championship race next October) went according to plan. He entered the event at Busselton in Western Australia knowing a win would gain him automatic qualification and he produced an outstanding performance, not just winning in 7:45:21 but breaking the course record by six minutes as well. His impressive split times were:-

  • 3800m swim 46:30,
  • 180km bike 4:10:32,
  • marathon run 2:43:39.

His prize money was $10,000.  He can now concentrate on trying to get into the GB team for the Tokyo Olympics next July and attempt a hat trick of Olympic gold medals.  Is that time a British record? No, a few years ago Tim Don (originally a member of Thames Turbo based at Hampton pool) and world champion at shorter distances won the Ironman in Brazil in 7:40:23.  I am indebted to John Levison (a former BA colleague and now journalist) for the data.

Steve Newell


Next Digest - Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send them to the editor, Roderick Hoffman, at news@barunner.org.uk.

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