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Newsdesk 2007
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 239 10 January 2007
Editor: Steve Rowland
mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com
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HEADLINE NEWS
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* Sam Perkins wins Surrey Junior title
* Silver medals for the women's team
* Jo Ronaldson 6th and Phil Killingley 7th lead senior teams
* Amelie Hunton wins bronze in Middlesex Under 13s
* Surrey League races this Saturday
SEE HERE
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SURREY LEAGUE DIVISION ONE Saturday 13th January
IMPORTANT: the start time for the men's fixture on Wimbledon Common is half
an hour earlier than usual - 2pm for juniors (U17s, U15s and U13s) and
2.30pm for seniors. See the Belgrave website for details including maps.
The women's race is also on Wimbledon Common, but on the other side of it,
based at the Thames Hare & Hounds HQ in Roehampton Vale.
Start times are: 12.15pm (seniors), 1.15pm (under 17s and under 15s), 1.45pm
(under 13s).
JUNIOR POINTS PRIZE RACE 3 Saturday 20th January in Richmond Park
The third of the four Junior Points Prize races will take place on the usual
course around Sidmouth Wood starting at 2pm. All under 17s are welcome.
MARATHON COACHING
Frances Ratchford, who is not only our President but is also a Grade 4 Coach
(the top qualification available), is organising a marathon training course.
She writes:
"It's three days coaching per week: Tuesday at the clubhouse, Thursday at
the track and Saturday at the clubhouse. The Saturday morning, 10.30-11.30
will include conditioning work. There will be plans for individuals, email
suport and a special coaching day in February. For members of Ranelagh it is
free but outsiders will have to pay £26.2".
Contact Frances at mailto: grapevineproductions@compuserve.com
LONG TRAINING RUNS UPDATE
Clive Beauvais gives more details of the long Sunday runs planned for the
next few weeks. All are welcome to join in - distances are long, but most
have shorter options:
Sunday January 14th "The Winter Tanners"
20 miles through the Surrey Countryside - written route description. Two
checkpoints en route with hot & cold drinks and food. Warning! This is
probably the only LDWA event with no facilities at the end! Check-in around
8:30 at the car-park 300 metres south of Leatherhead station (GR 163566)
with a view to us all starting together at about 9:00am. It's £4 to enter on
the day but beware - if you turn up late they may have run out of route
descriptions! Best bet is to enter in advance (£2.50 cheque to 'Surrey LDWA
') - send to Barry Harrison, 58 Arundel Road, Kingston KT1 2RZ. Enclose an
SAE & you will get the route description sent to you.
Other long training runs planned - details in future E-News.
Sunday January 28th 20 miles in Windsor Great Park : 2 lap course with a
pub lunch afterwards.
Sunday February 4th Thames Path run (out & back) - 24 miles maximum. From
Ranelagh HQ (Petersham).
Sunday February 11th 'Punchbowl Marathon' - another LDWA event, 20 or 30
mile options. From Witley (nr. Godalming) beautiful scenery and great
facilities including hot meal at the end.
Sunday February 18th 24 miler in Windsor Great Park. 4 x 6 mile laps -
ideal for getting your marathon race drinking needs sorted out - opportunity
to place drinks every 3 miles.
(Note : the Windsor Great Park runs - route descriptions will be provided -
easy paths to follow - you won't get lost!)
MOB MATCH v BLACKHEATH HARRIERS Saturday 3rd February at Hayes (Kent)
This is the last of the mob matches this season, and as usual we need
everybody we can get on the starting line. It's 7½ miles multi-terrain
through the Kent countryside. The Blackheath HQ is in Bourne Way, close to
the junction of the A2022 and A232 and near Hayes, Kent, station.
The start is at 2.30pm but note it's a 10 mins jog from the clubhouse.
If you're late, go straight there.
BUSHY PARK TRAIL RUNS
These take place on Sunday 25th February in Bushy Park, a 4.8 miles race for
seniors and a 2 miler for juniors.
MEMORY LANE
Mike McDowell writes:
"I wonder if I am the only Ranelagh Harrier left who ran against the famous
Sydney Wooderson who has just died. We both ran in the Daily Telegraph
Inter-Counties Championship in 1949. He was 6th. I believe, running for
Kent - I will not say where I was, running for Beds and Hunts. I noticed how
frail he looked, but this was his hallmark".
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WHAT'S COMING...
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More details of the following from
Andy Bickerstaff ( 07772 111491 / mailto: andy@norris-hobs.co.uk ) or
Mark Middleton ( 07725 119649 / mailto: markjmiddleton@yahoo.co.uk ) or
Phil Aiken (07739 035189 / mailto: phil.aiken@rnid.org.uk ) or
Anna McLaughlin (07971 606521 / mailto: anna.mclaughlin@talk21.com ).
Saturday 13th January Surrey League Division 1 (men and women). See
above.
Saturday 20th January Junior Points Prize Race 3 in Richmond Park at 2pm.
Saturday 27th January South of England Championships (men and women) at
Holkham Hall, Norfolk
Saturday 3rd February Pelling-Ratcliffe Cup mob match v Blackheath
Harriers at Hayes (Kent). See above.
Every Saturday Bushy Park Time Trial: 9am start at the Diana
Fountain car park.
Wimbledon Common Time Trial: 9am start
at the Windmill car park.
See http://www.bptt.net/ for details.
WHAT'S HAPPENED...
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SURREY CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday 6th January at Lloyd Park,
Croydon
Lloyd Park always tends towards "soft going" but today, after days of heavy
rain, it was in its choicest condition. Anyone trying to get round without
spikes or studs was to be pitied as they alternately slithered and
squelched. It was no place for the faint-hearted!
The Junior Men's race saw Sam Perkins as the first Ranelagh runner in action
and his long raking stride seemed well suited to the conditions. He was
always with the leaders and in the last mile broke clear to victory by just
three seconds. This was a great performance by Sam, who only turns 19 next
week and has another year to go in this age group. He is Ranelagh's first
Surrey Junior Men's champion since 1976.
Victoria Elbourne was next up, and finished 28th in the combined Under 20 /
Under 17 race, but was 20th amongst the Under 17s. The senior women
followed. They were looking for a third consecutive county team title, but
Belgrave are flying high this year and today they were bolstered by the
presence of their international Birhan Dagne. We welcomed Jo Ronaldson -
last year's bronze medallist - back from injury and she led the team more or
less all the way to finish 6th. Anna McLaughlin was never far behind in 8th
and Marie Synnott-Wells finished 14th. The scoring four was completed by
newcomer Abi Weeds in 24th place. The championship went to the Belles but
Ranelagh comfortably secured the silver medals. Chasing hard behind Abi was
Yvonne Hill, who put in a great run, and then backing up came Estelle
Damant, Jenny Lloyd-Jones, Liz Kipling and Sonia Rowland.
As the senior men lined up at 2.30 the light was already beginning to fade
and just to make it perfect the heavy rain returned. But Belgrave's Phil
Wicks wasn't bovvered. If there were mud and hills he didn't seem to notice,
as he steamed round to an astonishing two and a half minutes victory. Phil
Killingley sat in the pack at around 12th place in the early stages but as
the race progressed so too did he, and by the third lap he was contesting
6th. In the end he had to settle for 7th, a fine performance and two places
better than last year. The fact that his time was two minutes slower than
last year gives some indication of the conditions the runners had to deal
with.
Duncan Bell seemed to float over the mud on his way to 23rd, but owing to an
"administrative oversight" he hadn't been entered and so couldn't count in
the scoring team. Nathan Mills was 35th and Mark Middleton 44th, both
substantial improvements on last year's results. Captain Bicks too ran well,
and the Ranelagh contingent was completed by Trevor Maguire, fast-starting
Marc Snaith, Burkhard Fehsenfeld and rearguard Phil Aiken. Without Duncan,
the team finished 7th.
MIDDLESEX COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Frances Ratchford reports:
"It was the muddiest field I have ever been in and it was muddy en route to
the field and to make things worse it rained all the time so the mud became
a quagmire with deep muddy puddles just to make things even more difficult
for everyone. Gosh it was fun!!"
There was an unexpected bronze medal for Amelie Hunton in the Under 13
girls' race. The winner was well clear, but in a close finish Amelie held on
to a great third place. Rebecca Clayden, 7th in the Under 17s, was only some
40 seconds outside the medals. Sam Hunton and George Inman ran well in the
Under 15 boys' event, in which Jamie Taylor-Caldwell finished 3rd for his
first-claim TVH. The St Mary's Richmond teams also fared well, including a
gold medal for Nadia Fidler in the Under 15 girls.
Full details on the Middlesex County web site here:
Under 13 Girls
1 G Bell (Ealing SM) 10.19
3 Amelie Hunton 14.05
Under 17 Women
1 L Lattimore (Harrow) 22.24
7 Rebecca Clayden 24.06
Under 15 Boys
1 J Laing (Hillingdon) 16.11
11 Sam Hunton 17.47
27 George Inman 20.01
BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 6th January
Numbers kept up well above 200, despite the launch of the WCTT. David Rowe
currently stands on top of the 2006-07 BPTT points table, with Darren Wood
in third place.
1 T Bedford (Shaft B) 16.55
8 Peter Weir 17.57
26 Darren Wood 19.41
33 David Rowe 20.01
102 Karen Broadbent 23.28
123 Adam Wright 24.11
135 Holly Clemens 24.45
147 Paul Bisping 25.27
161 Gill Wilson 25.54
167 Stephanie Croucher 26.28
182 John Hanscomb 27.37
WIMBLEDON COMMON TIME TRIAL Saturday 6th January
50 turned out for the inaugural WCTT, though there were no Ranelagh amongst
them.
BOX HILL KNACKER CRACKER Monday 1st January
"Must have seemed like a good idea at the time" says Andy.
1 G Francis 48.41
4 Andy Bickerstaff 52.42
77 Louise Piears 67.43
KINGFIELD CANTER 2.85 miles handicap Wednesday 3rd January at Woking
1 M Brown (Unatt) 24.33 (actual time 20.48)
32 Sonia Rowland 27.45 (actual time 20.35)
36 Steve Rowland 28.04 (actual time 18.49)
TADWORTH 10 MILES Sunday 7th January
1 K Quinn (Real Runners) 57.27
554 John Hanscomb 101.16
CHRISTMAS MORNING PAARLAUF Monday 25th December at Wimbledon Common
Sam Perkins upheld a strong Ranelagh tradition in Lauriston Runners' annual
Christmas morning appetiser on Wimbledon Common. Sam was teamed with Alan
Turner of Hercules and between them they covered 5 miles 1349 yards in the
allowed 30 minutes, finishing in 2nd place just over 50 yards behind the
winners.
1 A Przedrzymirski (HW) & D Anderson (Bel) 5m 1405y
2 Sam Perkins & A Turner (HW) 5m 1349y
FINALLY...
"Walking is a most excellent means of getting 'fit'. Whilst it avoids the
violent strain of running, it exercises the same muscles and develops the
staying powers. Across country I have often got into very good condition
simply by walking and a single race or run every week on Saturdays; and
Heath told me, after winning the Southern Counties C.C. Championship in
1893, that it was almost all done on walking. I think he had only been
running about twice a week before the race".
Extracted from 'Athletics' by W. Beach Thomas, published 1901.