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Newsdesk 2004
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 160 1 DECEMBER 2004
Editor: Steve Rowland
mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com
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HEADLINE NEWS
* Women finish 2nd in Surrey League but retain overall lead
* Men finish 7th but stay in 8th place overall
WHAT'S COMING...
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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 ).
Saturday December 4th Dysart Cup invitation women's race
incorporating the Ranelagh women's championship for the Hugh Jones Salver;
also the club women's veterans championship (over 40s) for Trish's Trophy.
See below.
Ellis Cup invitation men's
race, 5 miles in Richmond Park starting at 2.30pm. See below.
Ranelagh 5 km Time Trial in
Bushy Park. 9am start
Friday December 10th Ranelagh Christmas Party at the Turk's Head
in St Margarets.
Saturday December 11th Stubbs Cup Mob Match v South London Harriers
in Richmond Park starting at 2.30pm. See below.
Ranelagh 5 km Time Trial in
Bushy Park. 9am start
Saturday December 18th South of the Thames 7.5 miles Championship on
Wimbledon Common starting at 2pm. See below.
Ranelagh 5 km Time Trial in
Bushy Park. 9am start
Saturday December 25th Ranelagh 5 km Time Trial in Bushy Park. 9am
start (yes, really!)
DYSART CUP WOMEN'S RACE including HUGH JONES SALVER CLUB WOMEN'S
CHAMPIONSHIP, TRISH'S TROPHY CLUB WOMEN'S VETERANS CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday 4th December in Richmond Park
We're the current holders of the Dysart Cup, which is a five to score
women's team race, but more important is that the first Ranelagh finisher
will become the club women's club champion and win the Hugh Jones Salver.
Sara Grosvenor was last year's winner and Kathy Mallett has Trish's Trophy
which goes to the first Ranelagh over 40 to finish. It's a 4 miles race
starting at 2pm. All Ranelagh women welcome - just turn up at the clubhouse
in good time to collect a number.
ELLIS CUP MEN'S RACE Saturday 4th December in Richmond Park
The men's team race is a 5 miler and follows on from the Dysart Cup event -
nominally at 2.30pm but usually a few minutes later as we wait for all the
women to finish first. It's 10 to score and the Stragglers are the current
holders. All Ranelagh men welcome - as above, just turn up at the clubhouse
to collect a number.
RANELAGH CHRISTMAS PARTY Friday 10th December
Jo Turner writes:
"Not long to go now before the party. We're having to turn late requests
down but we have 110 people coming so it's going to be a pretty big party.
The Turk's Head pub is on Winchester Road, St. Margarets and is an easy walk
from that station or people can park in the surrounding streets. We would
like people to get there at 7.30 for eating at 8pm. Can we also remind
people that we want to see party clothes and a bit of dressing up. No sports
wear! The bar will be open until 12".
STUBBS CUP MOB MATCH v SOUTH LONDON HARRIERS Saturday 11th December 7.7
miles in Richmond Park
Our next mob match, again at home in Richmond Park over the same course as
we ran against Thames. Start time is 2.30pm. Everyone, male or female, who
can manage 7.7 miles will be more than welcome! This race incorporates the
club championship for the Wynne Cup.
SOUTH OF THE THAMES 7.5 MILES CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday 18th December on
Wimbledon Common
This race is open to everyone but entries have to be made in advance. If
you're interested in taking part, please let Andy Bickerstaff know
immediately. Contact details above. Note that the start time for this event
has been brought forward to 2pm to avoid losing any runners in the darkness!
ALSO...
Entries have to be in soon for the Surrey county championships at Lloyd
Park, Croydon on January 8th and the Southern Championships at Parliament
Hill on January 29th. Again, anybody can run but you must be entered.
Contact Andy or Anna if you're interested.
VARSITY RACE
Best of luck to Oxford University club captain Alice Beverly as she attempts
to lead her troops to victory over their rivals from Cambridge on Wimbledon
Common on Saturday.
WHAT'S HAPPENED...
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SURREY LADIES' LEAGUE DIVISION 1 Saturday 27th November at Kingston Gate
(Richmond Park)
First, the statistics. We finished 2nd today, 33 points behind Belgrave, and
though we retain our overall lead it is now reduced to just 22 points. A
little disappointing then? Not a bit of it. This was a really great
performance from a severely depleted team. Of the five runners who
registered such a comprehensive victory in the first race on Wimbledon
Common, only one - Marie Synnott-Wells - crossed the finishing line today. A
second, Allison O'Neill, had started but suffering from swollen glands she
lasted barely half a lap. Of the others, Lauren Shelley is back in
Australia, Jo Ronaldson is injured and Alice Beverly was on University duty.
But how well the rest rose to the challenge! Sarah Seal showed that she's
almost back to top form by leading the team in 6th place - up from 28th in
the first race. Marie finished 10th (up from 13th) with Sara Grosvenor not
far behind in 14th (up from 31st). The pressure was then really on the final
two scorers but Sally Piesse and Clare Gutch both responded brilliantly in
25th and 29th respectively. Skipper Anna McLaughlin, herself returning from
injury and much relieved not to be in the scoring five, led the rest. We had
21 finishers altogether in what was probably a record field of 250 - 159
first division and 91 second division. Our second five were well enough
placed to take 13th place overall, 2nd B team and ahead of four A teams.
The third of the four League races is on our own course in the Park on
January 15th. Anna's hoping to have some of the absentees back for this one
and so stay on target for our first-ever senior Surrey League Division One
title.
It was good to see a crowd of Ranelagh vests in the junior races, several of
the girls in their first League race. Our only runner in the combined U20
and U17 race was Anair Beverly and she ran strongly as usual for 5th overall
but 2nd U20.
The U13s and U15s run together but they are separated out in the results.
There was a great fight amongst our leading runners with Georgia Miansarow
just coming out on top to take 13th place amongst the U13s. Victoria
Elbourne and Rebecca Clayden were right behind, 18th and 20th in the U15s.
Our youngest runner Amelie Hunton put in a great run half a minute behind
the top three, just ahead of Emily Ball and Rhiannon Mehta. Emily was
incorrectly listed as a U13 in the official results, so the team scores and
positions for both the U13s and U15s are to be confirmed.
SWEATSHOP SURREY LEAGUE DIVISION 1 Saturday 27th November on Wimbledon
Common
In contrast to the women, our men's team's lack of strength in depth at the
moment was cruelly exposed in the second race of their League campaign. Even
though we had David Benton over from Paris and he and Paul Doyle both ran
splendidly to finish in the teens, the loss of Julian Smith and Nick
Henderson to injury proved too big a handicap for us to be able to dig our
way out of the hole we had fallen into in the first race. Indeed, the hole
got deeper. We actually finished 7th today, one place better then in the
first race thanks to Aldershot suprisingly failing to field a complete team;
but they can hardly be expected to be so obliging again and against our main
rivals Guildford and Reigate we lost more ground.
After David in 14th and Paul in 18th there was a two-minute gap before our
third man crossed the line, though that third man was one of the brighter
points of an otherwise gloomy afternoon. This was Jordan Mungovan in 52nd
place, the second junior to finish overall, an outstanding performance. A
minute behind Jordan the rest of the scoring ten began to pour in headed by
a strong run from Rob Stillwell, but they were all just too far down the
field. A special mention for Seb Jones who made a good effort at mixing it
with the top men in the early stages, even though this time he finally found
himself passed by Rob, Mick Lane and the Captain. Marcus Gohar, Chris Owens
and Adam Tapley completed the scorers.
So with two races to go we remain in 8th place out of nine, with the bottom
two to be relegated at the end of the season. We're sitting over 100 behind
Aldershot and 165 behind Reigate. It'll be a tall order indeed to retrieve
the situation but we'll keep on fighting and hope for better luck
injury-wise.
Dan Jermy and Matt Hirschler flew the Ranelagh flag in the junior race, both
well placed in a field of 24. Dan was 2nd Under 17 home, less than half a
minute behind the overall winner, and Matt was 5th Under 15.
CHELMSFORD 10km Sunday 21st November
Mick Lane was 3rd over 40 in 34.48.
RON WHEELER HANDICAP 2.75 miles Wednesday 24th November at Wapping
1 L Armitage (Kent) 18.50 (actual 13.20)
8 Chris Read 19.20 (actual 16.35)
LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5Km Friday 26th November in Hyde Park
Pete Warren was the only Ranelagh runner this month and was 4th over 60 home
in 20.09.
BUSHY PARK 5Km TIME TRIAL Saturday 27th November
There were 26 finishers this week and a new course record from Aldershot and
the Sweatshop's Kevin Quinn.
1 K Quinn (AF&D) 16.10
2 Simon Lawrence 20.04
5 Darren Wood 21.04
7 Roger Wilson 22.50
10 Robin Drummond 23.41
11 Luke Wilson 24.00
12 Steve McClune 24.06
13 Karen Broadbent 24.19
16 Wally Garrod 25.22
21 Gill Wilson 31.46
KINGFIELD CANTER HANDICAP 2.85 miles Wednesday 1st December at Woking
1 J Harper (Unatt) 24.41 (actual time 22.41)
10 Sonia Rowland 26.33 (actual time 20.33)
13 Steve Rowland 26.48 (actual time 17.18)
TRAINING
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Robin Drummond is starting another series of "Improvers Sessions" on
Thursday nights commencing on December 2nd. The sessions will concentrate on
speed and technique and will start from the clubhouse at 7pm. See below for
an outline of the first few weeks. Full details can be found on our web
site.
There is now also a regular Sunday morning long run from the clubhouse
starting at 10am. It's a fairly small group at the moment but with a few
more regular attenders we can introduce separate groups at different paces.
Everyone welcome!
As an alternative on Thursday nights, Margaret Auerback and Frances
Ratchford are holding Strength and Conditioning coaching sessions at 7.30pm
in the free-weights room at the gym at St Mary's College, Waldegrave Road.
Coaching at the gym on other days is negotiable. For more information
contact Frances at mailto:grapevineproductions@compuserve.com.
Tuesday nights continue as normal, with speed work for various groups and
Wally's beginners' club. The next few sessions for the "fast" group are
shown below, full details on our web site.
Don't forget Wednesdays too, 6.30pm at the clubhouse for a steady run in the
Park.
Thursday sessions. Each also includes a steady run warm up and warm down.
Dec 2nd 4 x bottom of Nightingale Lane, 1 x top of Nightingale Lane
Dec 9th 2 sets of 3 x 60 secs in Ranelagh Drive
Dec 16th 4 x bottom of Nightingale Lane, 2 x top of Nightingale Lane
Tuesday "fast group" sessions. Each also includes a steady run warm up and
warm down
Dec 7th 4 x 6 mins efforts
Dec 14th 4 mins, 2 mins, 7 mins, 3 mins, 4 mins, 2 mins efforts
Dec 21st 3 x 5 mins efforts, 3 x 3 mins efforts
FINALLY
Deborah Young sends news of a study published in 'Nature' magazine:
"Long-distance running may have been a driving force behind evolution of the
modern human body, American researchers said. Humans began endurance running
about 2 million years ago to help hunt for prey, influencing the development
of the human body. Previous studies have suggested running was purely a
by-product of walking.
Without the development from running, humans would be much more like apes
with shorter legs, smaller heads and a hunched posture, the scientists said.
Important attributes for endurance running include skull structure to
prevent over-heating, ligaments to give spring, long legs to increase stride
length and independent head and shoulder movement to aid balance. The
scientists said that because of natural selection, our ape-like ancestors
known as Australophithecus, who were good at running, survived, while
shorter-legged ancestors died out".