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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS
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I quote from e-news #1: "NEXT is the Surrey 5km at Wimbledon on Sunday
August 13th...This year it's also the FINAL of the Surrey Road
Cup....Ranelagh men's and women's teams have both made the final....The men
have to beat Elmbridge, Collingwood and Sutton Runners. If we fail to do
this we should be taken out and shot."

OK, boys, just line up over there against that wall, would you? Girls, get
the guns and let them have it.

Yes, while the women did the bizz, pulped their rivals, won the "cup" and
await their CASH PRIZES (oh yes!), the men rolled over and let Collingwood
walk all over them. 

Well, it's true that some of our speedier types were jogging up a small hill
in Snowdonia at the time (see below for Julian "my Achilles is so bad I'm
not running at all" Smith's account of proceedings).
But....  

Linda Cartwright (5th), Liz Kipling (6th) and Sarah Seal (8th) were the cup
heroines; especially perhaps Liz, who had spent the previous day pole
vaulting, hammer throwing and running 1500m for Richmond & Twickenham. In
the Surrey 5km championship team event it was the Ranelagh gels again of
course but this time Liz - without a Surrey qualification at the moment -
was replaced by 17-year-old Zoë Vail who finished 9th in her first senior
race.

Marcus Go-go-go-har (or Gohair, as the organiser Derek Crookes insisted on
calling him - which is a bit unfair as Marcus is more hirsute than many I
could mention) ensured that the men got into the individual reckoning at
least, by finishing 3rd - though only just. A helpful chap from Hercules
Wimbledon took it upon himself to act as lead bike and helpfully took it
upon himself to lead the first three off course with no more than 400 metres
to go. Equilibrium was restored but in Marcus's case only because the
Boxhill runner who had been the principal benificiary of the leaders' detour
gallantly stopped and waited for Marcus to re-pass him.

Of course Marcus won the old boys (Over 40 variety) gold medal, and Mike
Peace and Martin Clark pitched in with Over 50 and Over 60 wins too.
Results:

1  P Hayward (Boxhill) 16.22
3  Marcus Gohar 16.26
11 John Herries 17.04
18 C Templeton (Dulwich - 1st W) 17.46
24 Mike Peace 18.13
38 Linda Cartwright (5th W) 18.54
44 Roger Brankin 19.06
49 Liz Kipling (6th W) 19.18
65 Sarah Seal (8th W) 20.21
66 Chris Read 20.29
67 Zoë Vail (9th W) 20.38
69 Steve Rowland 20.47
70 Fabio Scarpello 20.55
72 Martin Clark 21.07
75 Sara Grosvenor (11th W) 21.15
79 Alan Craig   21.36
83 Eliete Nascimento (15th W) 21.44
93 Sonia Rowland (23rd W) 22.30

This was the final event in the Ranelagh Road Grand Prix, and most of the
cups were already booked for the Gohar / Nascimento household. 98 RH
finished at least one of the nine races - not a record, but not far off.
Leading scores:
Open: Marcus Gohar 83, Chris Owens 72, Clive Beauvais 43, John Hughes 41,
Roger Brankin 39, Darryl McDonald 35, Tim Bacon 29, Mike Peace 26, Linda
Cartwright 24, Paul Perry 22 
Over 40: Marcus Gohar 42, Chris Owens 35, John Hughes 24, Roger Brankin 20,
Clive Naish 13
Over 50: Clive Beauvais 35, Martin Clark 31, Mike Peace 18, John Hanscomb
16, Brian Chard 11
Women: Eliete Nascimento 35, Linda Cartwright 24, Sonia Rowland 16, Sue
Healey 10, Clare Nicholson 7, Catherine Gadd 7, Bev Ali 6, Marlene Pautard 6

COMING UP:
Tuesday August 22nd  7pm  Ratchford Relay (women only) at the clubhouse
Saturday September 9th  Surrey Road Relays (men and women) at Wimbledon Park
Saturday September 16th 3pm Thomas Cup 6km handicap preceded by club photo
at the clubhouse. By the way, cancel the previous request to bring a
passport photo for the new club directory - someone will be on hand with a
digital camera instead. More details later.
Sunday September 24th  10am  Cabbage Patch 10 miles road race at Twickenham
including Callis Cup club championship. Entry forms in the clubhouse or I
can fax you one. 

Here is Julian's account of Andy Bickerstaff's attempt to cripple half of
our first team in Snowdonia:
 
"What I can tell you is that it was 10 miles, 2800 feet of ascent in
total,and lots of hills - very scenic (unlike the weather, which apart from
during the race was wet virtually continuously for 3 days) and very tough.
Results - won in 71 by someone who wins it every year
5th - me in 83 or so (2nd was 80ish)
6th - AB about 90s behind.
Then I don't know about times or posns, but it was Darryl
"Black-Toenails-To-Go-With-The-Rest-Of-Me" McDonald, Chris Owens (first
V40), Paul Graham and Dave Knight, some taking it more seriously than
others. 
Women  - Clare Nicholson did 1.51 I think (Andy's nomination for run of the
weekend), Laura Burkett 2.03, an AUS triathlete friend of Ellie's 2.15,
whilst Ellie fell over head first after 5 miles, cut her arm, and dropped
out.
For my part, all I can say is that it was the hardest race I've ever done,
partly because I perhaps started too fast (but slower than everyone else),
and maybe my legs were still tired from cycling to work every day. Even at 7
miles I was with 2nd place, but by then I was walking up every hill and by
the end I could hardly stand up (passed by a V50 on the final descent!!). We
ran for the first time yesterday morning - 4 of the most painful miles I
have ever run. I still can't walk downstairs except in agony. But it was a
brilliant race and weekend. The others can tell their own stories.
(Clare adds: "True to Ranelagh form, we spent the majority of the rest of
the weekend in the pub ..."). 
The only other thing to report is that by her own admission, Ellie is a
trained killer."

And with that....

Steve Rowland
e-mail: srowland@calorgas.co.uk