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Newsdesk 2006
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 207 22 February 2006
Editor: Steve Rowland
mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com
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HEADLINE NEWS
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* B team breaks the Bank
* 1-2-3 for Andy Bickerstaff, Marcus Gohar and Niall O'Connor
* Women's team win in the Valentines 10km
* Marie Synnott-Wells 2nd in Valentines 10km and 5th in Sussex Beacon Half
Marathon
* Sam Perkins wins Middlesex Schools
* Liz Kipling 5th in National Tetrathlon
* Rob Pagnamenta 2nd in Battersea Park 10km
* National Championships this Saturday
WELCOME...
to the following new members:
Liza Everett, Katie Bryant, Layla Smith, Sharon Laws, Charlie Pedlar, Rob
Pagnamenta, Oliver Sutherland, Matthew Wilson, Steve Elswood and Michael
Black.
SEE HERE
************
NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday 25th February at Parliament
Hill
The timetable for the 'National' on Saturday is as follows:
11.05 Boys Under 15
11.30 Women Under 20 and Under 17
12.00 Girls Under 13
12.20 Men Under 17
12.50 Girls Under 15
1.15 Men Under 20
2.00 Boys Under 13
2.15 Senior Women
3.00 Senior Men
Parking near Hampstead Heath is limited, so the best means of travel is via
the Silverlink rail service from Richmond to Gospel Oak, which is literally
within sight of the start. You can also pick up this service at Kew Gardens
or Gunnersbury, both of which have free on-street parking nearby.
Afterwards, our clubhouse will be available for showering and there will be
a celebratory drink at the Roebuck on Richmond Hill from about 6.30pm.
JUNIOR POINTS PRIZE FINAL RACE Saturday 4th March in Richmond Park
Frances Ratchford writes:
"4th March is the last Junior Points Prize race. The race starts at 2pm so
either collect your numbers at the clubhouse before 1.45pm or up at the
start by the woods.
After the race there will be a tea for all competitors and their families
and prize giving at the clubhouse. Remember that everyone who has run at
least three races will receive a certificate".
MABAC LEAGUE Sunday 5th March in Richmond Park
Most of the MABAC events are down in the Surrey Hills, but this one is on
our doorstep in Richmond Park, based on the Isabella Plantation car park
between Kingston and Robin Hood gates. It's 5 miles starting at 11am and any
Ranelagh member is welcome to take part. It's free and numbers can be
collected at the start. For more information see the MABAC web site at
www.mabac.org.uk.
BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL - every Saturday at 9am
Bushy Park is due to be closed to traffic for the rest of this month, but
this does not affect the BPTT. If you drive there you'll need to leave your
car outside the park. There's a good car park just about 500 metres along
the A308 towards Sunbury, which gives you a perfect short warm-up to the
start. By the way, the Runner's World magazine ratings are overwhelmingly in
praise of this event. Here's one: "Journey to race on bike: £0. Entry to
Bushy Park: £0. Car Parking: £0. Race entry: £0. Scenery with deer: £0.
Bushy Park Time Trial: Priceless". Good on yer, Paul!
JOHN ATKINSON...
...writes from Canada:
"I'm going to be back in the UK for around eight weeks from March 22nd and
am looking for some accommodation in the Richmond / Twickenham area for 6-7
weeks of that period. So if anyone has a spare room, or knows someone that
does, e-mail me at: jma17473@yahoo.co.uk. I'd be looking to pay around £100
/ week and would sort out my own food and washing etc.".
ROAD RACES
Our club 20 miles road championship will be with the Finchley 20 at Ruislip
on Sunday 12th March - an ideal build-up race for London marathoners? There
are different opinions - see below! Details here:
http://www.hillingdonac.co.uk/.
The popular MABAC League Cranleigh 21 miles road race (with a 15 miles
alternative) on Sunday 26th March is filling up fast. Anyone thinking of
running should get an entry in straight away. Details:
http://www.mabac.org.uk/cran2006entryform.pdf.
The ASICS Kingston Breakfast runs ( 8 or 16 miles) are on Sunday 2nd April:
http://www.humanrace.co.uk/breakfast/index.html. On April 9th is the Reading
Half Marathon, details here:
http://racepayment.mirrorservers.co.uk/readinghalfmarathon/.
The Ranelagh Road Grand Prix will kick off with the Thames Towpath 10 miles
which is also on Sunday 9th April. Details here:
http://west4harriers.org/TTT.htm.
THE 20 MILES DEBATE
Gosh, didn't know what I had started when I innocently suggested that the
Finchley 20 might be a good build up race for the London Marathon. Here are
the latest comments, first from Mike McDowell:
"Every person is different. I ran London in 1982, having previously run the
Poly marathon 26 years before with a Finchley 20 a year later. Training was
37 miles a week including racing, apart from a two week holiday when I did
50 miles a week. The run-up was the Bath half marathon, two weeks later the
Fleet half marathon, two weeks later the Finchley 20 and three weeks later
London. The result, aged 54 I ran a blinder, under 3 1/2 hours, half an hour
faster than Ken Powley expected. Do what you think is right for you".
Clive Beauvais:
"I believe that it depends entirely on the sort of training you have done in
the preceding months. In my running heyday (yes it was a very long time
ago!), a small group of us would target a spring marathon, and plan our
training throughout the winter with this April race in mind. Our training
would include a Sunday morning run, every week, of at least 20 miles, as
part of a 75-85 miles per week schedule. Fitting in such a long run was far
easier in those days when all races were on Saturdays (I believe the advent
of Sunday races has been one of the major contributory factors in the
decline of distance running standards in Britain, as it effectively denies
the majority of runners from having the time / opportunity to regularly
tackle a long - 20 miles plus - training run).
In January / February / March I would 'up the distance' of the long run and
would aim to do a minimum of six runs over a favourite 27 mile course. About
4-5 weeks before the big race, I would race a '20' (usually Finchley) and
would use the time recorded as a guide to my forthcoming marathon. With four
or five weeks of the right training and with health & injuries permitting, I
would aim to pass 20 miles in my marathon in the same time that I had
covered the distance in the 20 mile race. This always worked very well for
me. On one occasion I ran the Finchley 20 in 1.53.15 and, 4 weeks later,
went through 20 in the Westland marathon (Holland) in 1.53.15!! I certainly
never felt any 'hang over' whatsoever from the 20 a month earlier.
About the only contentious thing I did in my marathon preparation was to
finish training the previous weekend, and not run a step in the last 7 days
before the big race. We are all different and I am not suggesting that this
would suit everyone. It is, however, a pretty well established fact (and one
regularly espoused by Arthur Lydiard - the greatest distance running coach
of all time) that there is nothing you can do by way of training in the last
seven days before a marathon which will improve your performance on the day.
Conversely, training on these days has a habit of throwing up niggling
injuries which help to destroy your confidence on race day.
No matter how you have prepared, I wish all of you doing the London or any
other spring marathon the very best of luck".
But David Wright says:
"I come down very firmly on the Barnard-Auerback axis re 20 mile races as
part of marathon build-ups. I used to do a lot of marathons and a lot of 20
mile races, the latter being a much more sensible distance to race.
However, I never raced a 20 miler as part of my marathon preparation. I
even remember missing the London Marathon in 1985 to concentrate on racing
the Finchley 20 a few weeks beforehand. The whole point of an 8-12 week
marathon build-up is consistency of training. The day after doing a 20-22
mile training run in Richmond Park I would be doing my normal Monday
training. The day after a 20 mile race I would struggle to get down the
stairs in the morning! And yes, Margaret, being an 'older member of
Ranelagh', I remember the old Bels 20 races extremely well - it was always
30ºC! Try telling that to the young of today - they won't believe you!"
Mike Rowland pursues the Belgrave 20 sidetrack:
"Perhaps worth mentioning my Belgrave 20 'mirage'. Must have been about 20
years ago and it was certainly an extremely hot day. In those days, the
Belgrave 20 incorporated the club 20 mile champs. I think there were only
five Ranelagh started and I was soon a distant 5th. But, as I reached the
end of lap one, I saw two of the blue and golds standing at the side of the
road. The heat was too much for them. So I started to get big ideas. What if
the other two give up as well! A club champion - what a result for an old
tortoise like me. Now I knew John Hanscomb was wearing a white vest and
yellow shorts. And, as I was running along by Wimbledon Common before the
descent down the A3, I saw John up ahead.... and I was gaining fast.
Ridiculously fast. Surely John hadn't stopped as well. Not John. But, as I
closed in on him, I saw who, or rather what I was chasing. It was a Keep
Left sign in the middle of the road (white top, yellow bottom). Needless to
say, I gave up as well soon after. I feared the sun was boiling my brain!!"
Last word (so far) to Pete Mulholland:
"To think: all these years, I believed that John Barnard's London Marathon
preparations were always geared to ensuring that he matched the pace of the
first female to finish thus ensuring he got on the telly!"
LAUREN SHELLEY
More news of Commonwealth Games-bound Lauren Shelley, courtesy of Ian Dent:
http://esperance.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=local&stor
y_id=457798&category=General%20Sport&m=2&y=2006.
MOB MATCHERS
Jim Forrest writes:
"As a cricket and athletics fan, I note with interest that John Hanscomb has
decided to hang up his mob match boots after 117 races, because a comparison
with cricketers who have notched up a hundred hundreds or more is quite
revealing. John has decided to coincide his score with that of the great Don
Bradman who scored 117 centuries. What a good place for him to stop. Dave
Wright, at 123, is on a par with Denis Compton at present and will reach
W.G. Grace's 126 some time next winter, all being well. He has a few other
scalps to take over the next years but he will have to keep going for
another 20 odd years to catch Jack Hobbs on 197".
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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 25th February National Cross-Country Championships at Parliament
Hill, Hampstead Heath.
Bushy Park Time Trial 5km. 9am start.
Saturday 4th March Hec Petersen Trophy inter-club 6km race in Richmond
Park. 3pm start.
Junior Points Prize final race in
Richmond Park. 2pm start. Followed by prize presentations.
Bushy Park Time Trial 5km. 9am start.
Sunday 5th March MABAC League 5 miles in Richmond Park (Isabella
Plantation car park). All Ranelagh welcome. 11am start.
Saturday 11th March Clutton Cup 10 miles handicap in Richmond Park.
2.30pm start.
Bushy Park Time Trial 5km. 9am start.
Sunday 12th March Finchley 20 miles road race at Ruislip, including
Spendlove Cup club championship.
Saturday 18th March Ranelagh Cup Schools Race in Richmond Park. 2.30pm
start.
WHAT'S HAPPENED...
***************************
'B' TEAM v BANK OF ENGLAND Saturday 18th February 5.5 miles in Richmond
Park
Our annual visit to the other side of the Park is always a fairly low key
affair, and this year even more so than usual. With negligible opposition
from the other clubs Cap'n Bicks took the opportunity to register a win and
Marcus Gohar and Niall O'Connor made it a 1-2-3 for Ranelagh.
Andy comments on his victory:
"Most enjoyable, I'd forgotten what it was like. I've never run that race
before but after this winter considered myself sufficiently 'B' team to have
a run round. The course is so much 'nicer' than our own what with a climb at
the start and three more on each lap including a long drag 'backwards' up
Queen's Ride. Niall had a stormer until right at the end of the first lap
Ken said 'Well done Niall' so that pretty much sealed his fate and he let me
take over the lead at that point. Marcus has been second on numerous
occasions in this race but never won it. No change there then!"
After the first three we graciously allowed a couple of Milocarians to come
in before Clare Gutch led home a group of four to give us seven of the first
nine. With six to score, that pretty much wrapped up the team race for us.
Chris Read and debutant Lobsang Tenpa headed up the C team which finished
third.
BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 11th February
Conditions were perfect - firm going, very cold but still. In the overall
points tables Darren Wood maintains a narrow overall lead in the men's
competition but in the women's Gill Wilson remains a fairly distant 2nd in
her bid to retain her title.
1 R Ward (Belgrave) 15.13
16 Stewart Ward 18.34
20 Steve Rowland 18.51
26 Chris Read 19.42
27 Darren Wood 19.45
43 Chris Wright 20.55
44 Roger Wilson 20.56
66 Sonia Rowland 22.23
72 Evelyn Joslin 22.54
90 Gill Wilson 24.54
BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 18th February
Bristol's Tom Kingsnorth became the 14th man to run inside 16 minutes in the
75 BPTTs to date.
1 T Kingsnorth (Bristol) 15.57
5 Michael Black 16.47
51 Adam Wright 22.10
55 Jim Forrest 22.21
60 Chris Wright 22.51
75 George Inman 24.06
84 Luke Wilson 25.06
85 Gill Wilson 25.07
92 Julie Naismith 26.24
96 John Hanscomb 26.35
103 Janet Turnes 27.59
VALENTINES 10km Sunday 12th February at Chessington
Marie Synnott-Wells reports:
"You may have remembered that cold, grey, windy and wet day. In fact the
first bit of rain I have encountered this year. Ranelagh ladies won the team
prize again, with myself second lady overall. Not a PB, but respectable time
for a wet Sunday am. If I had known that another woman was in front of me I
would have run faster. It is very interesting when people shout out at you,
'First lady home!' - I wonder how they missed the other woman going around
the road! It was three to a team which included myself, Fari Shams (5th) and
Rachel Rowan (7th). A prize of a bottle of vino each to take the sting away
from the sultry day".
1 P Wicks (Belgrave) 30.51
42 Marie Synnott-Wells 38.56
58 Chris Brook 39.58
64 Jonny Rowan 40.15
68 Fari Shams 40.20
81 Rachel Rowan 40.58
104 Clive Naish 41.56
479 Janet Turnes 55.49
491 Juliette Chan 56.34
493 Alan Meaden 56.46
551 Lorna Smith 58.56
566 David Meaden 59.51
630 Deborah Blakemore 65.56
651 Cindy Croucher 70.41
WOKINGHAM HALF MARATHON Sunday 12th February
Noel Stoddart reports:
"The weather was fairly miserable with fine rain falling throughout the race
but luckily it wasn't as cold as it has been of late. Running as part of his
Paris Marathon preparations Nathan set off a shade faster than intended,
passing two miles in 11:15, but hung on well to knock 4 minutes off his
previous best time. At the front end, Commonwealth bound Huw Lobb dug deep
to catch John McFarlane within sight of the finishing line (he had been some
150m back at the 12 mile mark). Surrey Champ McFarlane had passed 10 miles
in under 50 minutes before running a 5:20 mile and tiring further in the
last mile. Both produced quality 66 minute efforts".
1 H Lobb (Bedford) 66.07
33 Nathan Mills 77.49
46 Steve Whitehead 79.32
609 Stephen Roberts 101.28
709 Pete Warren 103.43
844 Tony Appleby 107.35
SUSSEX BEACON HALF MARATHON Sunday 19th February at Brighton
The untireable Marie Synnott-Wells was out again, 5th woman and first over
40. Fari Shams was 15th.
1 R James (Lewes) 1.12.27 (chip time 1.12.26)
71 Marie Synnott-Wells 1.26.16 (1.26.12)
184 Fari Shams 1.31.53 (1.31.08)
2169 John Hanscomb 2.09.27 (2.08.25)
2889 Ann Murray 2.30.17 (2.23.53)
BRAMLEY 20 MILES Sunday 19th February
1 J McFarlane (TH&H) 1.46.16 (chip time 1.46.14)
76 Colin Frew 2.13.37 (2.13.32)
420 Tom Reay 2.51.44 (2.50.28)
BRAMLEY 10 MILES Sunday 19th February
1 O Jones (Southampton) 51.40 (chip time 51.39)
143 Evelyn Joslin 75.12 (74.51)
WOBURN 10km Sunday 19th February
1 N Shasha (Walth) 33.11 (chip time 33.10)
346 Alison Cullen 49.20 (48.36)
MIDDLESEX SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP Thursday 9th February
Sam Perkins won the Middlesex cross-country schools champs, so he has
qualified for the English Schools in March.
PARENT PROJECT VALENTINES LOVE RUN 10km Saturday 11th February in Battersea
Park
Rob Pagnamenta was runner-up in a field of over 700 in this charity
fund-raiser.
1 P Mainwaring 33.05
2 Rob Pagnamenta 35.49
NATIONAL TETRATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday 18th / Sunday 19th February at
Bath
Liz Kipling finished 5th in this event, which is Modern Pentathlon minus the
horse riding phase. She scored a total of 4172 points, to winner Katy
Livingston's 4476.
REALLY CHILLY 10km Sunday 19th February in London, Ontario
John Atkinson reports on his first race in Canada:
"I ran 39:28 on Sunday and was 17th out of 172 runners. The race was won by
Chris Nagle (London) in 33:44. Considering my training's been a little
inconsistent over the last month and a half (due to tonsilitis, ankle
problems and the slightly nippy climate), I was quite pleased with that! To
justify the race name it was 'really chilly' (-25c factoring in the
windchill) - in fact, when the gun went and we started off directly into the
wind I was sure I was going to get frostbite on my face! However,
fortunately we changed direction quickly and my body warmed up, so I was
able to retain some feeling in my face and still roll out my token
smile/grimace to the crowd at regular intervals. I'll look to build on that
now and get some solid training in - so I'm in decent shape to make my mark
on my UK return in the Baker Cup!"
TRINIDAD INTERNATIONAL 5km Sunday 29th January
Andy Hayward writes:
"After 13 months of frustration I was given the 'all clear' by the heart
surgeon and told that I could resume full marathon training, the day before
Michele Gibson and I flew out for a two week holiday in the Caribbean.
Yippee!!! Upon arrival in Trinidad, I was reading the local paper and saw an
advert for the Trinidad International Marathon which was on the following
Sunday (our middle weekend). This seemed at the time like it was 'meant to
be', so I entered the race. I was convinced that even though I hadn't
trained for it, I would be able to run at least 16-20 miles, and then I
could struggle, jog or walk the rest. However, Michele managed to persuade
me at (almost) the last minute that it may not be the most sensible thing I
had ever done in my life (and as you know, I have done some pretty silly
things in my time) so we both ended up watching the marathon, and running
the 5k. I ran it in 21:49 by my watch, and Michele about 23:30. Now to gear
up for a serious attempt at a marathon pb!"
MABAC LEAGUE 5 miles Sunday 5th February at Farley Heath
1 C Folan (Blackwater V) 34.30
113 Bev Ali 72.53
114 Pat Hewlett 72.53
REGENTS PARK 10km Sunday 5th February
1 S Barrett (Serpentine) 33.12
35 Steve Rowland 40.11
117 Sonia Rowland 45.50
FINALLY...
Ethiopia beats Kenya Olympic shock!
Yes, Ethiopia's sole winter Olympics representative, Robel Teklemariam,
comfortably defeated Kenya's sole representative, Philip Boit, in the 15km
cross-country event. Ski-ing, that is. Teklemariam finished 84th out of 97
finishers in 47.53. while Boit was 92nd in 53.32. It must be admitted that
they did not overly trouble the winner, Andrus Veerpalu of Estonia, who
recorded 38.01...