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 ****************************************************************************
 RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 185               3 August 2005
 Editor: Steve Rowland
 mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com
 ****************************************************************************
 HEADLINE NEWS
 *  Wedding Day 7km - women's team and "mob match" wins
 *  2nd places for Marie Synnott-Wells in the Wedding Day race and Mick Lane
    at Elmore
 *  One race to go in Ranelagh Road Grand Prix and Surrey Road League
 *  Thomas Cup to take place on September 3rd

 SEE HERE
 *************
 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL  Saturday 6th August   9am in Bushy Park
 It's a special one this week - we are promised bubbly and birthday cake to
 celebrate John Hanscomb's 70th birthday. Many happy returns John! John is
 also hosting an afternoon birthday party at the Hawker centre from 2pm to
 6pm and would be pleased to see anyone who can make it.

 MILLAND VALLEY TRAIL RACES  Sunday 7th August at Milland, nr Liphook
 A few intrepid RH are planning to visit this scenic off-road event in West
 Sussex. There's a 21km event at 10.30am or a 6 miler at 11.15am. Entries
 will be taken on the day. For more info see
 http://www.liss-runners.org.uk/17663.html.

 SURREY 5km  Sunday 14th August at 10am in Wimbledon.
 This is the final race in both our Grand Prix series and in the Surrey Road
 League. See below for the current standings in these competitions. 

 125th SEASON OPENING RUN and THOMAS CUP HANDICAP  Saturday 3rd September in
 Richmond Park
 This is the traditional start of our "winter" season. September 3rd seems
 unconscionably early but our preferred date two weeks later has been ruled
 out because the Park is being taken over for the London Duathlon. 

 It would be great to see as many members as possible for the annual club
 photograph which will be at about 2.45pm. We hope then to have a 2 miles
 junior race at about 3pm before the main handicap race over 3.8 miles. All
 welcome! 

 CABBAGE PATCH 10 MILES  Sunday 16th October at Twickenham
 It seems a long way away yet, but entries are reportedly flooding in already
 and the limit seems likely to be reached well before the advertised closing
 date. So if you are thinking of running, get your entry in now. Details
 here: http://www.cabbagepatch10.com/Scripts/default.asp 

 HORTON COUNTRY PARK RELAY  Tuesday 9th August at 7.30pm.
 This is a relay for teams of four, each leg being 1.3 miles. If anybody is
 interested in taking part please contact Phil Aiken (details below). 

 WHAT'S COMING...
 ************************
 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 August 6th             Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km. 9am
 start

 Sunday August 7th               Milland Valley trail races  10.30am at
 Milland nr Liphook. See above. 

 Saturday August 13th           Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km. 9am
 start

 Sunday August 14th             Surrey 5km. 10am at Wimbledon. Ranelagh Grand
 Prix Race 10 and Surrey Road League event. See above.
 
 Saturday August 20th           Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km. 9am
 start

 Saturday August 27th           Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km. 9am
 start

 Saturday September 3rd      125th season Opening Run: club photo, junior
 race and Thomas Cup handicap from 2.45pm in Richmond Park. See above.
                                         Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial
 5km. 9am start 

 Saturday September 10th    Surrey Road Relays for men and women at Wimbledon
 Park from 12 noon.
                                         Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial
 5km. 9am start 

 CANCER RESEARCH RACES - HELP REQUESTED
 Bev Ali writes:
 "Cancer Research is holding a series of 10k races for fund raising later in
 the summer/autumn. If you would like to help the cause but are weary of
 asking your friends to sponsor you yet again, why not volunteer to help make
 the event run smoothly so that others can pester their friends and
 relations! 

 Hampton Court will be the venue for one of the races on Sunday 4th
 September, and I would like to enlist a group of at least 20 helpers to give
 them a hand. The day would start at 9:30 am and likely finish sometime after
 1 pm. High vis gear and 'snacks' will be provided. Events like this are
 usually quite rewarding to help at, and no special skills would be required. 

 Please contact me, Bev at bev.ali@blueyonder.co.uk if you would like to
 help - or give me your name in person on a Tuesday night". 

 RANELAGH ROAD GRAND PRIX 2005
 **********************************************
 With only one event still to come the destinations of most of the trophies
 are already decided. The only question marks are over the Open category
 where Marcus Gohar could be overhauled by Nathan Mills and the women's over
 50 section where Corinne Bishop has just four points over Kathy Mallett.
 No less than 124 Ranelagh Harriers have competed in at least one of the nine
 races so far, which I believe must be a record. There is a full score sheet
 on our web site at http://www.ranelagh-harriers.com/gp.html. Here's the
 leader board:
 Open
 Marcus Gohar 61  Nathan Mills 52  Paul Doyle 48  Marie Synnott-Wells 43
 Stephen Whitehead 40  Trevor Maguire 37  Dave Powell 34  Stephen Instone 25
 Noel Stoddart 24  Mark Middleton 22
 Men Over 40
 Marcus Gohar 35  Chris Read 17  Simon Lawrence 17  Stephen Logue 17  Mick
 Lane 11  Clive Naish 8
 Men Over 50
 Dave Powell 40  Mike Peace 30  Stephen Instone 24  Pete Warren 21  Chris
 Owens 12  Alan Craig 10
 Women
 Marie Synnott-Wells 34  Anna McLaughlin 19  Anna-Maria Plaza 12  Kathy
 Mallett 11  Liz Kipling 10  Karen Broadbent 10
 Women Over 40
 Marie Synnott-Wells 36  Janet Turnes 21  Sonia Rowland 10  Teresa Segovia 8
 Michele Gibson 8
 Women Over 50
 Corinne Bishop 22  Kathy Mallett 18  Pat Hewlett 9  Frances Ratchford 6
 Celia Beverly 6 

 SURREY ROAD LEAGUE 2005
 ************************************
 This competition too has just the one race to come - the Surrey 5km at
 Wimbledon.   

 Team-wise, Belgrave seem to be in the driving seat in the men's competition,
 though SLH could still snatch the title. We are safely ensconced in 3rd
 place and seem certain to remain in that position. The women's table shows
 Stragglers with a clear lead over Ranelagh at the moment, but if we can win
 the team event at the 5km then we would overhaul them - so there's
 everything to run for! 

 In the individual reckoning, Paul Doyle will take the men's title unless
 SLH's Stuart Major wins at Wimbledon. Anna McLaughlin stands in second place
 in the women's competition behind Becky McNicholas of Herne Hill. Anna's
 only realistic hope of moving into the top position will be if McNicholas
 misses the final race.

 The men's over 40 section looks like a showdown in the final fixture between
 Marcus Gohar and Chris Phelan of SLH, but the men's over 60 title will
 almost certainly go to Pete Warren provided he runs the final race.
 Similarly Marie Synnott-Wells will probably win the women's over 35 title if
 she runs at Wimbledon.

 WHAT'S HAPPENED...
 ****************************
 ELMBRIDGE 10km  Sunday 23rd July at Walton
 Times were generally good as everyone revelled in the first cool and damp
 morning for weeks, though conditions were still quite humid. Belgrave were
 out in force, providing the first three home. Paul Doyle finished a solid
 5th: "I ran the first half of the race very slowly and left myself too much
 to do, although it wasn't a particularly bad run. The official result has me
 one second behind Stuart Major".

 Behind Paul there were some very encouraging performances, especially from
 Mark Middleton who ran a personal best 34.10. Another relative newcomer
 Nathan Mills also broke new ground with 36.38 while the old hands Marcus
 Gohar and Chris Owens showed they were still capable of mixing it. Marcus
 was 5th over 40 home and Chris was the leading over 50. Steve Whitehead
 finished a few seconds ahead of Marcus, Andrew McLauchlan a few seconds
 behind Chris.

 Marie Synnott-Wells was the 5th woman home and second veteran.

 Dave Powell's 38.30 earned him 3rd place amongst the over 50s and Chris Read
 was delighted to crack the 40 minutes barrier for the first time at the age
 of 41.


 WEDDING DAY 7km  Friday 29th July in Bushy Park
 We had 47 finishers in this year's Wedding Day race, and after several years
 of near misses we finally won the Father Onn trophy for the club with the
 greatest number of finishers. Apparently we won by one runner! Well done
 all. It was great to see so many Ranelagh vests on parade. 

 There was also a trophy for our women's team of Marie Synnott-Wells, Liz
 Kipling and Clare Gutch who won the "Added Value Vase". Marie was 2nd
 overall but leading veteran and Liz, though 5th overall, was rewarded with
 the prize for the second senior, three of those ahead of her being vets.

 The men's team race was four to score and our leading quartet were not far
 off making it a double team win. But in the end they fell 13 points short of
 Thames Hare and Hounds. Noel Stoddart led the team with another strong run,
 half a minute clear of Steve Whitehead. The fast-improving Nathan Mills was
 next, getting the better of Marcus Gohar for the first time. Adam Tapley
 supported the team effort close behind Marcus, and these two were 5th and
 6th amongst the over 40s.

 Dave Powell was 3rd over 50 home and Kathy Mallett 2nd over 45.

 It was good to see Kevin Jacques and Keith Firkin returning from injury and
 there was a surprise for some older members in the shape of Ian "Fossie"
 Foster, who hasn't been seen in a race for the best part of 20 years but got
 round the course in good order. Hopefully we'll see some more of him.

 Unfortunately not many of our prize winners were present at the
 presentation, leaving the obliging Ken Powley to stagger home with bottles
 of wine, vouchers, plaques and trophies.


 SUMMER EVENING 10km  Wednesday 13th July at Reigate
 Mick Lane was 2nd over 40 on one of those courses euphemistically described
 as "undulating".
 1 A Moses (Reigate P) 34.02
 8 Mick Lane 36.58 

 ELMORE 7 MILES  Saturday 16th July.
 Another good road run from Mick Lane. He writes:
 "I didn't fancy another dose of heat and hills after High Wycombe the week
 before, so I wasn't going to run Elmore. However, I'd booked the afternoon
 off specially and anything had to be better than being at work!

 The final mile was quite eventful as I caught up first one, and then
 another, of the leading bunch of three. With only Chris Phelan (SLH) left in
 front we entered the final 400. The lead motorcycle had pulled over and
 Chris had to navigate the final stretch on his own. However, he took the
 wrong final left turn and ended up in someone's front garden in the kid's
 paddling pool!  Just in time he managed to turn round, re-join the correct
 route and reach the line in front. Oh well.......

 One of the most obvious but nonetheless useful pieces of advice anyone has
 ever given me about racing is, when racing on a new course for the first
 time, warm up over the last half mile, rather than the first, since that is
 where the race is frequently won or lost".

 Pete Warren was 3rd over 60.

   1 C Phelan (SLH)  40.29
   2 Mick Lane       40.39
  24 Clive Beauvais  46.09
  92 Pete Warren     52.48
 189 John Hanscomb   64.44
 193 Corinne Bishop  65.32
 204 Alan Meaden     66.45
 225 David Meaden    70.01
 235 David Rowntree  71.19

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km  Saturday 23rd July
 Stephen Instone reports on yet another course pb, pulled around by Gordon
 Whitson on a flying visit from Athens :
 "Graeco Gordon enthralled the crowd in Bushy Park on Saturday. Easing past
 silly Steve Instone after half a mile by the playground, to the sound of
 hysterical cries from child spectators at the sight of such a muscular
 Hellene leading the lad with the limp, wily Whitson held on to his advantage
 to wipe out at last those tormenting memories of that crushing defeat
 inflicted on him by the limper last century in the Chigwell 10.

 Although the man from Athens claimed afterwards he could have run about a
 minute faster, many were left wondering why in that case he hadn't, and
 judging from how many Rice Krispies and slices of toast were needed to bring
 him round afterwards before slumping onto a sofa to watch the Test Match, it
 was clear that to gain this famous victory he had pushed himself, like Lance
 Armstrong, to the very limits of human endeavour".

  1 R Reeder (Stragglers) 16.43
  4 Gordon Whitson        18.21
  5 Stephen Instone       18.28
  6 Duncan Gaskell        18.32
 17 Darren Wood           20.11
 18 Chris Hunton          20.15
 24 Alan Davidson         20.31
 32 Joanne Muirlittle     22.32
 33 Dympna McNally        22.43
 35 Jo Turner             22.53

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km  Saturday 30th July
 Darren Wood evidently hadn't seen enough of Bushy Park in the Wedding Day
 race the night before and, well warmed up, he missed his BPTT personal best
 by only six seconds. Darren also holds a convincing lead in the new BPTT
 points table, ahead of Stephen Instone.
  1 J Storms (Unatt) 17.27
  5 Darren Wood      19.32
  6 Chris Read       19.38
 23 Adam Wright      22.16
 26 John Hanscomb    26.46
 27 Gill Wilson      27.34

 RON WHEELER 2.8 miles handicap  Wednesday 29th June at Wapping
 1 A Barnes (Bk of Eng) 12.54  (actual time 19.24)
 6 Chris Read 15.36  (actual time 20.36)

 LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5Km  Friday 29th July in Hyde Park
   1 E Macrae (Belgrave) 15.21
  90 Alan Davidson       20.05
 101 Pete Warren         20.22
 228 John Hanscomb       26.51

 KINGFIELD CANTER  2.85 miles handicap  Wednesday 3rd August at Woking
  1 A Del Giudice (Craw) 25.13  (actual time 18.13)
 22 Sonia Rowland        28.01  (actual time 21.31)

 EDINBURGH MARATHON  Sunday 12th June
   1 Z Kihara (Kenya) 2.15.26
 134 Iain Wilson      3.05.29

 TRAINING
 ************
 TRACK
 Frances Ratchford writes:
 "The track at St Mary's College is now open and even better we can use it.
 The track has been designed for endurance runners not sprinters so you will
 find it a little kinder to your legs. There will be training on Wednesdays
 and Thursdays from 7.30 with Frances & Margaret.

 The cost is £2.50 per session, or £10 per month. If you are coming along
 bring a cheque made out to St Mary's College and a passport photo. St Mary's
 College is on Waldegrave Road, Twickenham.  Enter by the white gate and the
 track is straight in front of you. Changing room and showers are available.

 If you are under 18 and a member of Ranelagh there are training sessions on
 Saturdays at 10.30am. Contact Frances
 (mailto:grapevineproductions@compuserve.com) for details".

 GENERAL
 Tough Tuesdays continue as normal, with speed work for various groups and
 Wally's beginners' club, at 7pm from the clubhouse. The next few sessions
 for the fast group are shown below. More details are on our web site.

 Robin Drummond's  "Improvers Sessions" continue on Thursday nights at 7pm
 from the clubhouse, concentrating on speed and technique.

 Also Wednesdays at 6.30pm and Sundays at 10am at the clubhouse for a steady
 run in the Park.

 Don't forget the Bushy Park Time Trial every Saturday morning at 9am. It's a
 timed 5km run on the cycle track and grass in Bushy Park, starting and
 finishing at the big car park by the Diana Fountain. All are welcome - no
 need to enter in advance, just turn up and run.

 Tuesday sessions
 9.8    4 x Pen Ponds & White Lodge loop (1.2 miles)
 16.8    7 x Queens Ride loop in pairs

 FINALLY
 "I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself and
 under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you
 wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just
 on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs".
 Jesse Owens.