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Newsdesk 2004

 ****************************************************************************
 RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 151       22 SEPTEMBER 2004
 Editor: Steve Rowland
 mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com
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 HEADLINE NEWS
 *  Thomas Cup win for Jacqui Reid
 *  Women's course record for Allison O'Neill
 *  Ranelagh weekly 5km time trial to start on October 2nd

 WHAT'S COMING...
 The fixture list for the 2004/05 winter season, can be found on our web site.
 More details of the following from
 Andy Bickerstaff (07966 552302 / mailto: andy@norris-hobs.co.uk ) or 
 Phil Aiken (07739 035189 / mailto: phil.aiken@rnid.org.uk ) or 
 Anna McLaughlin (07971 606521 / mailto: anna.mclaughlin@itv.com ).

 Sunday September 26th          Women's Southern 4 stage relay at Rushmoor
 Arena, Aldershot. 3.30pm start.

 Saturday October 2nd             Page Cup 5 miles handicap in Richmond Park.
 All members welcome - enter on the day in the clubhouse. 3pm start. See our
 web site for more details of the course and the history of the Cup.
                                             Ranelagh 5 km Time Trial in
 Bushy Park. 9am start. See below and look on our web site for more info.
 Saturday October 9th             Surrey Women's Cross-Country League on
 Wimbledon Common starting at 12.30pm (seniors, followed by junior races)
                                             Surrey Men's Cross-Country
 League in Brockwell Park starting at 2.30pm (juniors, followed by seniors at
 3pm)

 Saturday October 16th           Surrey Veterans' Cross-Country Championships
 in Richmond Park (women 6km at 2.30pm, men 10km at 3pm). See below.
                                             Invitation match v Oxford
 University and others at Shotover, Oxford.

 RANELAGH WEEKLY BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL
 Paul Sinton-Hewitt writes:
 "Ranelagh is introducing the "Bushy Park Time Trial": a weekly event
 involving a short, sharp and flat course allowing you to challenge yourself.
 Treat it as part of your Saturday run or incorporate it into your speed
 training. A regular burst will do wonders to your performance in short
 races.

 You don't need to remember when this event is held because this event
 happens each and every Saturday whether you are there or not. It's a low-key
 event, no results provided on the day, no entry fee, arrive 15 minutes
 before the start and away you go. Results will be listed on our web site.

 The inaugural event will be on Saturday 2nd October at 09:00.
 We meet in Bushy Park in the car park closest to Hampton Court Palace.
 The course is 5km long, flat and doesn't cross any roads".
 Thanks go to Paul for getting this off the ground. The event will need a
 minimum of personnel to organise, but Paul would be pleased to hear from
 anyone who could help regularly or occasionally
 (mailto:p.sintonhewitt@btinternet.com). He would also of course like to see
 a number of us taking part in the inaugural event on October 2nd to get the
 enterprise off to a flying start! See our web site for some more details
 including a course map.

 CHRISTMAS PARTY
 Jo Turner has more details about the Ranelagh Christmas Party, to be held on
 Friday 10th December at the Turk's Head pub in St Margarets:
 "It will be a sit-down three course meal and will cost £18 per person. We
 need to know by the end of October who is going to be coming. There is a
 menu choice and that will be available at the club from next Tuesday. Could
 people either look for the list at the club to sign themselves up or let
 Marina or myself know by email if they are going to come
 (mailto:joturner_45@hotmail.com or mailto:marina_quayle@hotmail.com)".

 SURREY VETERANS' CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS  Saturday 16th October in
 Richmond Park starting at 2.30pm.
 Margaret Auerback writes:
 "This event is open to women age 35 and over and men age 40 and over. It's a
 low key race of 6km for women and 10km for men. We usually pick up a few
 individual and team medals here so it's worth turning out for. You don't
 have to be super fast to take part as it's also a good social event. And you
 get tea in the clubhouse afterwards! But to count in the team races you do
 have to enter in advance. Women who want to run should contact me either on
 Tuesday night at the club or by e-mail at margaret.auerback@btinternet.com.
 Men who want to run should contact Chris Owens
 (mailto:aachrisowens@yahoo.co.uk). We need your name, age and £3 entry fee".

 COACHING
 Robin Drummond writes:
 "I am giving 4 x 15 minute coaching talks on Thursdays at 7pm, starting on
 the 23rd September. They are entitled 'Lose weight, get rich and knock ten
 minutes off your 10km pb' and subtitled 'How much do you want to improve?'
 All are welcome".

 COMMITTEE MEETING...
 ...in the clubhouse on Tuesday 28th September starting at 8.30pm.

 TUESDAY NIGHT TORTURE
 Tuesday sessions for the next few weeks, starting from the clubhouse at 7pm:
 28/9   2 x 6 mins efforts + 2 x 5 mins
 5/10   1 x 10 mins effort + 3 x 4 mins
 12/10  3 x 3 x Ham Gate hill
 19/10  2 x 7 mins efforts + 2 x 5 mins
 See our web site for more complete details.

 CABBAGE PATCH 10 miles  Sunday 17th October at Twickenham
 Phil Aiken writes:
 "The race is now sold out but if anyone would like to marshal, their
 assistance would be appreciated. Contact me and I will pass on your details.
 A race t-shirt and a free meal (and drink) in the Cabbage Patch pub after
 the race are on offer to those who help". Phil's contact details are shown
 in "What's Coming..." above.

 THOMAS CUP  3.8 miles handicap  Saturday 18th September in Richmond Park
 The race for the Thomas Cup, the Opening Run of our 124th season, attracted
 a field of 77 runners and a dozen or so more for the annual club photograph
 that kicked off the afternoon's proceedings. Ken Powley was behind (and in
 front of) the camera and the result of his work can be seen on our web site.
 We managed to dodge the showers for both the photo and the race, and
 conditions overall were pretty good.

 As ever at the start of the season, a number of the runners were competing
 as guests - no less than 16 of them in fact. And as often happens it was the
 guests who actually led the way home: Lucy Stevens crossed the line with
 almost two minutes in hand over Karen Broadbent and Nicola McGillivray and
 another half minute elapsed before the first runner not carrying a 'G' on
 her vest finally crossed the line. This was Jacqui Reid, whose regular short
 races in Battersea Park over the summer have obviously given her an extra
 turn of speed. She ran a well-judged race, passing George Coates up the last
 hill to win her first club trophy. Stuart Perry had been tracking Jacqui
 from a distance throughout but could gain only a few seconds overall - but
 he too managed to pass George just before the line to claim the silver
 medal. George held on to win the bronze, a metre ahead of fast-finishing
 Clive Naish.

 The finishing stampede was led by David Wright, obviously getting some
 fitness back, and not far behind him Julian Smith led Allison O'Neill across
 the line to set the fastest men's and women's times respectively. Allison's
 22.27 was a new women's course record, hacking almost a minute off Margaret
 Auerback's previous mark which dated right back to 1986.  Paul Doyle had
 been the scratch man, with 40 seconds to make up on Julian, and gained some
 ground early on before fading a little to record the day's second fastest
 time of 21.11. Marcus Gohar was 3rd at 21.55. Aussie visitor Lauren Shelley
 also set a very impressive time of 23.28 and Sarah Seal ran 24.27.

 Paul Sinton-Hewitt made a low-key comeback to competition after injury but
 far more importantly hosted the club's Opening Run party in the evening,
 which by all accounts was a great success. Thanks, Paul!


 COURSE MARKING
 We experimented with marking the course for the Thomas with a sawdust trail
 rather than the conventional flags. Robin Drummond was the volunteer who
 kindly ran the course in the morning laying the trail. It looked pretty good
 to me, but we'd like to hear any other feedback from those who ran.

 WIMBLEDON PREMIER 10km  Sunday 19th September
 Phil Aiken reports:
 "I don't know my official time - the clock was in front of the finish(!) and
 the results aren't on the website yet - but I timed myself at 42.37, a
 Ranelagh 10k PB by over two minutes! There must be something in running 4
 miles cross country on Saturday afternoon, partying till one o'clock in the
 morning and only getting four hours sleep, though I'll try a more
 conventional approach prior to this Sunday's race in Camberley. Also running
 were Steve Instone and Thomas Cup winner Jacqui Reid".

 RIVER RELAY  Sunday 12th September
 This is a pleasant low-key charity event running from Virginia Water to the
 Hawker Centre in Ham. There were two Ranelagh teams amongst the 49 starters,
 and most of our gluttons for punishment had also taken part in the Surrey
 relays the day before. Niels Andersen and Lucy Stevens were due to run stage
 4 but found themselves stranded in traffic on the wrong side of Walton
 Bridge, so John Kipps and Alan Craig, fresh from stage 2, jumped out and ran
 again.
 1 Stragglers 3.04.13
 23 Ranelagh B 3.44.43
 35 Ranelagh A 4.03.18

 Stage 1  Virginia Water - Bishop's Gate  4.15 miles
 35 Julia Langensiepen (A) 31.30
 45 Jo Muirlittle (B) 35.57
 Stage 2  Bishop's Gate - Staines  5.16 miles
 25 John Kipps (B) 32.15
 34 Alan Craig (A) 39.21
 Stage 3  Staines - Walton Bridge  7.56 miles
 29 Simon Burrell (B) 57.38
 32 Phil Aiken (A) 55.49
 Stage 4  Walton Bridge - Hurst Park  3.82 miles
 24 John Kipps (B) 25.01
 34 Alan Craig (A) 30.52
 Stage 5  Hurst Park - Ham  5.27 miles
 23 Wyn Williams (B) 36.34
 37 Karen Broadbent (A) 44.58
 Stage 6  Ham - Hawker Centre  5.45 miles
 23 Pete Warren (B) 37.18
 35 Shelley Beeston (A) 40.48 

 SELF-TRANSCENDENCE 10km  Saturday 11th September in Battersea Park
 Tim Woods's come-back progresses...
 1 D Gitau (Nth York M) 32.18
 3 Tim Woods 35.39
 21 Stephen Instone 40.27
 48 Jacqui Reid 45.42

 NEW FOREST HALF MARATHON  Sunday 19th September
 ...and progresses. Next comes the Normandy Marathon on October 3rd.
 1 L Rodriguez (New For) 70.10
 9 Tim Woods 78.01

 SURREY ROAD RELAYS - MORE FOR THE STATSHEADS
 Pete Mulholland has updated the ranking lists for the Wimbledon Park course,
 which has been in use for this event since 1998. Jo Ronaldson naturally sits
 on top of the women's individual list with her course record of 16.30, and
 Sarah Seal's 16.59 from last year gives her 7th place. Julian Smith's 15.10
 in the Over 40s event places him 6th, two places behind Marcus Gohar's 14.55
 in 2003. Chris Owens's 16.52 this year nets him joint 17th place in the Over
 50s list.

 In the team lists, our 2004 winning women's squad set the second
 fastest-ever time (but would have to find nearly a minute to displace SLH's
 2000 time at the top). But our 'B' team, which finished 5th this year, seems
 to have set the fastest-ever 'B' team time! Our men's Over 40s and Over 50s
 both set the fastest-ever Ranelagh times this year in those categories, and
 respectively rate 4th and 5th by club (though some clubs have more than one
 faster performance). Our fastest senior men's time dates back to 1998 and
 rates us 9th.

 Phil Aiken points out a few more big improvers since 2003 amongst the
 Ranelagh teams: Lorna Smith 1.25 quicker, Anna McLaughlin 1.16 and Neil
 Walford 44 secs. Well done all!

 BEST OF LUCK...
 ...to David Benton who represents Britain in the European duathlon
 championships this Sunday in Swansea.

 APOLOGIES...
 ...to Jeff Bull who was inadvertently left off the list of Vice Presidents
 on the recently published fixture card. Jeff protests that he is alive and
 well and still running! He has been a member for over 50 years, having
 joined the club in 1953 as a teenager from Emanuel School.