*************************************************** RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 311 22 July 2009 Editor: Steve Rowland mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com *************************************************** HEADLINE NEWS ************* * Coad Cup win for Deborah Blakemore * Fastest times by Peter Haarer and Marie Synnott-Wells * AGM - Clive Beauvais is new club President * Two wins for Phil Killingley * Ralph Street in Junior World Orienteering Championships * Jonathon Stacey 3rd in Dulwich 5km * parkrun 2nd and 3rd for Duncan Mallison * Elmbridge 10km this Sunday, Wedding Day 7km on Friday 31st * Colin Gostelow obituary SEE HERE ******** WEDDING DAY 7km Friday 31st July in Bushy Park This is a good flat 7km mostly on road but with a section of grass: a fast course but also ideal for novices. Entries will probably close before the day, but they are still being accepted at the moment. There are already nearly 60 Ranelagh entered...the more the merrier! 2XU BELGRAVE BOLT 5km Sunday 9th August at Wimbledon This is the final event in both the Ranelagh Road Grand Prix and the Surrey Road League. 10am start. SLOW TRAIL CHALLENGE Tuesday 11th August in Richmond Park South London Orienteers will be running the next in their series of summer "trail challenges" from our clubhouse on Tuesday 11th August. What is a trail challenge? This comes from the SLOW website: "Trail Challenge races are mass-start TRAIL races with a difference. A series of checkpoints define the courses which are run over tracks and trails - the challenge arises from choosing the fastest route between them. All competitors are given a detailed map of the area and an electronic 'finger' to record your arrival at checkpoints. The electronic 'finger' (also known as a SportIdent dibber) allows us to produce instant results showing your time between checkpoints, giving you hours of harmless fun comparing split times!" This event is entirely within Richmond Park, so navigation shouldn't be too difficult...maybe. If you fancy having a try, you have a choice of a 10km starting at 7.30pm or a 6km starting at 7.40pm. Entry is £4 in advance or £6 on the day. There is also a junior 2km event (free) at 6.45pm. Details. ROAD RELAYS Looking ahead to September, the Surrey Road Relay championships take place on Saturday 12th September at Wimbledon Park and the South of England Road Relays will be at Rushmoor Arena (Aldershot) on Saturday 26th September (women) and Sunday 27th September (men). Note the schedule for the Southern is the opposite to usual - i.e. the men used to be on Saturday and the women on Sunday. Both events feature senior, over 40 and over 50 events for men; for women it's senior and over 35 for the Surreys and senior and over 40 for the Southerns. Contact the Captains (details in What's On below) if you are interested. THURSDAY TRACK TRAINING - HARUMBEE! Jonathon Stacey writes "You may be wondering what on earth the title of this is about...as we all know Kenyan distance athletes dominate athletics and their training is characterised by regular, extremely intense training (usually at altitude!) and typically in large training groups. They so believe in the benefits and competitive spirit that naturally comes from working together in a training group that they have a name for it - Harumbee! Which in Swahili literally means 'pull together'. So,.my point is that the more people we can get together to train in a group the better for all of us! So please do try to make it down to the track at St Mary's (7.15pm)." SUMMER BARBECUE Over fifty came along on a fine Saturday evening for our summer barbecue at the clubhouse. Many thanks go to Michele Gibson and Andy Hayward for the organisation, to their assistants Jo, Kirsty and Jo, and to the invaluable Michael White for providing the beer. DYSART DASH Bev Ali writes: "Correction to Dysart Dash notes...my reference to crises in timing was meant to be about a shared propensity for doing things at the last minute! It in now way was meant to reflect negatively on anything to do with race timing! Apologies for what was a poor choice of words, given the context". MAL COTHER VISIT Mal Cother is over here from Australia on a short visit. He will be at the Rose of York pub in Petersham Road next Wednesday evening (29th July) and would be pleased to see anyone who can get there. PACERS FOR RICHMOND parkrun Karen Weir, race director for the Richmond parkrun, writes: "Please consider volunteering at Richmond parkrun! The first Saturday of each month we put out our pacing team to help our runners achieve new PBs or even just to learn what a specific pace feels like as many of our runners have never raced before. We need your help. We need pacers who can complete 5km in every time from 20 mins to 40 mins at 2.5 min intervals, i.e. 20 mins, 22.5 mins, 25 mins etc. As an added incentive, each month there is a prize for the pacer that gets closest to their pace time - a pair of compression calf guards thanks to regular parkrunner John Brame and RGActive. If you would like to volunteer as a pacer or for any other role, please contact volunteer co-ordinator Andy Woodhouse by clicking on the Richmond Helpers link from our website. UP AND RUNNING EAST SHEEN Shop manager Verity Ansell writes: "The East Sheen branch of Up & Running has had a complete refurbishment and will be re-opening as a 100% specialist running shop, with an improved gait analysis suite and some exciting new running brands. Our Grand Opening was Saturday 18th July - going forward, the club will be entitled to 10% discount on full price shoes, clothing and accessories in store. To claim, members will need an England Athletics card. For all our latest news visit our shop website Up & Running East Sheen here: ". NIKE+ RESEARCH Lynne Chapman writes: "I am working for a research company called Firefish, on behalf of Nike. Nike would like us to interview some users of their Nike+ Sportskit or Sportsband system and I wondered whether any of your members might be using it. The objective of the research is to help Nike to improve the quality of their services; to help with this they would very much like to talk to some of their customers and hear their views and opinions. Respondents, who must be aged 18 - 34, would be asked to complete an online blog for a few days and then would be interviewed for one hour by a researcher from Firefish. As a thank you for undertaking the research and the blog they would received £105. All feedback will be treated in the strictest confidence and will be used for internal research purposes only. The research will be carried out in accordance with the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. Please be assured that no one will be attempting to sell anything, we are merely looking to assess people's views. I'd be really grateful if anyone interested could e-mail me (lynne@consideredresponse.co.uk) as soon as possible. I will be happy to answer any queries or concerns they have as well". WYCH ELM GARDEN The award-winning garden at Janet Turnes's pub The Wych Elm in Elm Road, Kingston, is open from noon to closing time on Sunday 2nd August, as part of the NGS "Gardens Open For Charity" scheme. Janet will be pleased to welcome all visitors - admission is £2.50, all proceeds going to charity. COLIN GOSTELOW I am very sorry to report the death on July 1st of Colin Gostelow at the age of 66. He had been suffering from a brain tumour. Colin had been a member of Ranelagh for nearly 52 years, having joined us from Emanuel School, who at that time used Ranelagh's changing rooms and courses for their school cross-country. While still at school he became a frequent competitor in club events and continued as a "regular" for many years. After taking a job at the National Gas Turbine Establishment he moved to Fleet and became involved with the local club, Fleet and Crookham AC, though always retaining his first-claim loyalty to Ranelagh. He regularly held open house after races in the area, where thirsty runners discovered the surprising strength of his home-made beer. Colin perhaps never hit the heights as a runner, though he was victorious in a couple of club handicap events - the Thomas Cup in 1963 and again in 1980 - but as his racing appearances became more sporadic he commenced what was to become an extraordinary and invaluable second career as an administrator. At various times over the ensuing years he was a member of the AAA Road Running Advisory Committee and the Finance and General Purposes Committee; a member of the Southern Counties General Purposes Committee and their Road Running Secretary; the Secretary of the BAF Road Running Committee and a member of their Council; a member of the South of England AA General Committee and Road Race Management Committee; the SEAA Road Permits Officer; President and Life Member of the SEAA; and a member of the UKA Road Running Management Group. He was the recipient of the SEAA's silver award for long service to athletics. On the basis of "If you can't beat them...", Colin's wife Barbara also became involved in the sport's organisation, herself serving for some years as the SEAA Road Permits Officer. At the first London Marathon in 1981 Colin was asked at the last moment to organise the elite runners' drinks stations, which he did with his usual efficiency while still managing to complete the race himself in 3 hours 10 minutes. He was later one of the London Marathon Directors for three years. In 1982 he was co-founder of the Fleet Half Marathon and his experience with this prompted him to become one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the British Association of Road Races in 1984. Colin's personal drive and energy will be greatly missed throughout the sport. Our condolences go to Barbara and their son Neil - himself a Ranelagh Harrier as a junior - and daughter Jo. WHAT'S COMING ************* More details of the following from Marc Snaith (07717 213035 mailto ( mdsnaith5@hotmail.com ) or Marie Synnott-Wells (07983 430264 (After 5pm Weekdays) / mailto nandmwells@aol.com ) Sunday 26th July Elmbridge 10km at Walton. Entries closed. Friday 31st July Wedding Day 7km in Bushy Park. Sunday 9th August 2XU Belgrave Bolt 5km at Wimbledon. Tuesday 11th August SLOW Trail Challenge in Richmond Park. See above. parkruns every Saturday at 9am Bushy Park Diana Fountain car park Richmond Park Richmond Gate Wimbledon Common Windmill car park Banstead Woods Car park off B2219 Park Lane, Chipstead Bedfont Lakes Bedfont Lakes Country Park, Ashford, Middlesex Other venues, more details and registration at www.parkrun.com WHAT'S HAPPENED *************** COAD CUP 5 miles Handicap Tuesday 14th July in Richmond Park A huge field of nearly ninety runners turned out for our summer handicap on a sultry evening, somewhat swamping the poor handicapper Mike Rowland!. A large proportion were new members who had little or no "form" for Mike to work from, necessitating a good deal of ad hoc calculations based on runners' own estimates of their capabilities. This inevitably led to a later than hoped for start, but at length everyone assembled beside Sidmouth Wood and the "limit" runner Gill Clay-Jones was set on her way. The sheer number of runners also put pressure on the start officials to get everyone away on time. Mike, Alan, Ken and Heather kept on top of the task and only the unlucky Andres Arana-Garcia set off somewhat later than he should have done. By the time the "scratch" man Jonathon Stacey sprinted off, first starter Gill was well on her way round the course. She had nearly a clear two minutes over the second starter and held the lead for a long way before the inevitable happened and she was swallowed up by the pursuing hordes. Leading the charge was Deborah Blakemore en route to a course personal best by nearly five minutes. Once Deborah had passed Gill nobody else could have seen her and she ran on to finish a massive 78 seconds clear of the rest for a well-deserved first ever handicap win. Second and third across the line were new members Emma Short and Alan Wilkinson who were both competing as guests, so the silver medal went to the next finisher Michael Brandon. Another new member Kate Comisso was a few metres behind Michael, running an impressive 33.52 for the fourth fastest women's time of the day. Behind Kate, and taking the bronze medal, was Hannah Turnes. Jonathon Stacey ran through half the field to 40th place recording a time of 27.57, but his run was eclipsed by an excellent performance from the man who started ten seconds ahead of him. This was Peter Haarer in his first race for some six months owing to injury. Peter rushed through the field like a whirlwind, reaching 14th place in an outstanding 26.35. Also showing good form as the third fastest of the day was Alyn Morgan who ran 28.18. The standard in depth was better than is often the case in these events, with the first eleven running 31 minutes or faster. Last of these was a very welcome reappearance from Jordan Mungovan who was showing great promise as a junior three or four years ago. It's interesting to note that women accounted for just about half of the 87 finishers. Fastest amongst them was Marie Synnott-Wells with 32.25. Second and third - and racing each other all the way - were Emma Tomlinson and Bonnie Webster on 33.09 and 33.32 respectively. Twelve beat 40 minutes. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Tuesday 14th July in the clubhouse With the race having been late getting under way it followed that the meeting was also a little tardy. But we made up for that by whizzing through the agenda with the minimum of delay and no awkward questions from the floor. There may have been some consternation amongst the fifty or so attendees when it was announced that Hon Treasurer David Rowntree was at that moment flying across the Atlantic - but it transpired that he had not in fact absconded with the club's funds, and his Assistant Chris Read efficiently stood in to deliver the Treasurer's report. President's, Captains' and Secretary's reports were also received before we came to the President's Awards. Frances Ratchford gave Clive Naish a splendid build-up - 100 consecutive mob matches, joint premises manager, chief washer-upper and lawn mower - only to find that when the time came to present the new Carl Nargang Trophy - donated by Ed Whitlock - Clive had already dashed off and so missed his big moment. Congratulations anyway Clive! Awards were also made to outgoing Fixtures Secretary John Hanscomb - who had held the post for some 28 years! - and to Janet Turnes who so generously hosts our post-London Marathon party each year. David Rowntree, who has held the post of Treasurer since 1992, was proposed for Life Membership and this was approved to general acclamation. The same went for Carol Barnshaw, Chris Read, Andy Bickerstaff and Simon Burrell who were appointed Vice Presidents. Election of Officers was mostly an "as you were", but there were a few significant changes. Principal amongst these of course was that our first female President was standing down. Frances Ratchford had completed three years in the sometimes difficult post and she was presented with flowers and an engraved pen to mark the club's appreciation. Clive Beauvais takes over the Presidential chair and we wish him the very best of fortune. The other changes were that Heather Martingell officially takes over as Fixtures Secretary (having understudied John Hanscomb last season) and also assumes the role of Half Marathon race director. Niall O'Connor takes on the race director job for the 10km. Our thanks go to outgoing directors Carol Barnshaw and Bev Ali. Finally, Lorna Smith takes over as Kit Steward from Karen Weir. CHRIS BRASHER PONDS RUN Tuesday 7th July in Richmond Park Admirable organisation arranged for rain to fall during the day to ensure full ponds, followed by a dry evening for the run. There appear to be now 21 readily-accessible ponds to find, and most of us found them all. As usual we divided into various groups, each led by someone who - theoretically at least - knew the optimum route. Some groups sped round at a great rate of knots, others took their time and at least one was treated to a potted history of each pond ticked off. The run - one of Chris Brasher's favourites - provides a great way of seeing bits of the park usually beyond our radar. DULWICH MIDSUMMER 5km Wednesday 24th June Jonty Stacey took third place. 1 J Trapmore (Shaft B) 15.32 3 Jonathon Stacey 16.37 RON WHEELER 5km Thursday 25th June at Wapping The 'Running in London' website recently featured this event, charting its history and Andy Hayward's part in establishing the event in its current form. 1 S Fraser (Herc Wimb) 17.23 24 Andy Hayward 23.43 ORION HARRIERS JOHN CLARKE MEMORIAL FELL RACE Friday 26th June in Epping Forest Phil Aiken reports: "Fell running owes its name to the fells of the Lake District and you'd struggle to find anywhere less like the Lake District than London, which is why the concept of a fell race in the capital was both bizarre and appealing. By judicious use of the hills in the corner of Epping Forest by Chingford, including ascending Pole Hill twice, starting at the bottom and finishing second time around at the top, our friends at Orion manage to squeeze over 800 feet of climbing into a 3.35 mile course, so satisfying the criteria for a short Category A (over 250 feet of ascent per mile) fell race. And a genuine, official fell race at that, following affiliation to the Fell Runners Association. The downside was an increase in the race entry fee - to £3! The race comprises five vertiginous climbs and four precipitous descents (the author pleads poetic licence) and the occasional comparatively flat section. Imagine starting at Petersham Gate and running up towards King Henry's Mound, turning left at the top, just before the gate. Then follow the path in the direction of Richmond Gate and turn left again, following the path inside the wall back down to Petersham Gate. Do this loop a total of four times and then run back up towards King Henry's Mound to finish at the top. That is pretty much what the race was like. But with less flat. And more climbing. By Hawkwood Hill, the fourth climb and the final one on the famous mob match course (aka to generations of Harriers as 'Yardley') , I had slowed to below walking pace. My steps were getting shorter and shorter until I was virtually running on the spot. This continued until I could no longer lift my feet off the ground. When my arms stopped swinging I knew it was time to abandon any notion of running and walk. I didn't even bother trying to run up from the bottom of Pole Hill the second time, waiting for the false flat just over halfway up - I was determined to run across the line. The reward, aside from a welcome cup of water on a warm summer's night, was a can of beer, thrust into my eager hands. It was a hard race. It must have been - I neither noticed nor cared I'd been given a can of lager. From the obelisk at the top of Pole Hill, London lay in the distance, over there, through the trees, further away than from Parliament Hill and conveying the impression of being outside the city and in the country. Yet Chingford is actually quite accessible. Four trains per hour leave from Liverpool Street, taking just half an hour. The one I caught, at quarter past six, was empty compared to leaving Waterloo at the same time. Leaving on the 9:40 train, I was home by quarter past eleven. I'd thoroughly recommend this unique race for anyone who fancies something a bit different, a bit challenging. Wearing the Ranelagh vest, I got more support than I was entitled to racing so far from home. Just don't expect to run a good time at Bushy Park the following morning". 1 N McGoun (Orion) 22.47 56 Phil Aiken 34.10 BEDFONT LAKES parkrun 5km Saturday 27th June A near-miss for Duncan Mallison. 1 A Bell (unatt) 19.17 2 Duncan Mallison 19.24 59 Daniel Hobbs 30.12 RICHMOND parkrun 5km Saturday 4th July 1 G Brook (Stragglers) 17.32 6 Peter Weir 18.43 9 Bill Neely 19.22 13 Jerym Brunton 20.03 23 Christopher Parsons 21.19 38 Alan Davidson 22.33 40 Kathy Mallett 22.40 59 Andrew Brown 24.58 64 Gary McKeown 25.48 78 Louise Reeder 27.31 79 Wiebke Kortum 27.31 80 Gareth Davies 27.32 87 Rob Kitchen 28.24 94 Janet Turnes 29.08 116 Pat Hewlett 33.09 131 Vicky Pordan 26.09 BUSHY parkrun 5km Saturday 4th July 1 M Shore (unatt) 16.21 22 David Rowe 18.31 59 Darren Wood 19.53 79 Simon Collingridge 20.22 102 Simon Rothwell 21.06 119 Adam Wright 21.29 121 Ian Grange 21.30 143 Chris Camacho 22.04 237 Chris Wright 24.26 242 Peter Fordham 24.34 252 Jose Scheuer 24.53 267 Phil Aiken 25.23 332 Alison Salmon 27.47 371 Daniel Hobbs 29.18 399 John Hanscomb 30.02 421 Sharon Rowe 31.41 BEDFONT LAKES parkrun 5km Saturday 4th July Third place this time for Duncan Mallison, equalling the winning time from the previous week. 1 O Jones (ESM) 18.57 3 Duncan Mallison 19.17 28 John Scally 25.05 BASINGSTOKE parkrun 5km Saturday 4th July 1 J Payne (unatt) 17.22 36 Joanne Turner 23.02 43 Heather Martingell 23.40 50 Kirsty Bangham 24.57 WIMBLEDON COMMON parkrun 5km Saturday 4th July 1 K Smeets (unatt) 17.24 44 Luke Wilson 21.32 74 Roger Wilson 23.28 SELF TRANSCENDENCE 10 miles Saturday 4th July in Battersea Park One-lap Wally Garrod reports: Kate Comisso and Jane Walsh ran well in the mid-70 minutes range, I was first over 70 in 89.18 and beat the course record by more than 10 minutes!. Please don't ask how many other over 70s were in the race!!!. However John Hanscomb now owes me £10. End of story". 1 J Gillanders (LFR) 60.19 45 Kate Comisso 74.38 47 Jane Walsh 75.42 97 Wally Garrod 89.18 JIM BRABEN 10km Sunday 5th July on Wimbledon Common Phil Killingley was the clear winner by over two minutes. 1 Phil Killingley 33.57 333 John Hanscomb 65.15 REIGATE PRIORY SUMMER 10km Wednesday 8th July And the second win in four days for Phil, though this time with only three-quarters of a minute to spare. 1 Phil Killingley 33.42 22 Simon Hedger 40.16 JUNIOR WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS 6th - 11th July at Primiero, Italy Ralph Street was selected to represent Great Britain & NI at the championships held in the Italian Dolomites. Ralph's best performance came in the Sprint event where he finished 32nd in a field of 170 in a time of 16.20, just over a minute and a half behind the winner. He retired from the long event but was a member of the GB first team for the relay, in which they finished 27th. BRIDGES 2.3 miles handicap Wednesday 8th July at Westminster 1 R Whiting (Herts P) 20.15 (actual time 17.30) 7 John Hanscomb 20.57 (22.27) 16 Alan Davidson 21.22 (16.07) RICHMOND parkrun 5km Saturday 11th July 1 G Brook (Stragglers) 17.10 7 Jerym Brunton 18.53 8 Vaughan Ramsay 19.11 13 Chris Read 19.59 29 Christopher Parsons 21.26 32 Michael Cawley 21.37 34 Andy Woodhouse 21.45 46 Alan Davidson 22.24 53 Jar O'Brien 22.55 54 Rachael Holmes 22.56 59 Alison Dicks 23.07 66 Wiebke Kortum 23.30 70 Gary McKeown 23.51 79 Phil Aiken 25.25 106 Emma Short 30.26 108 Penny Merrett 30.32 111 Pat Hewlett 31.37 114 Annemarie Goodridge 32.10 121 Bronwen Northmore 33.27 131 Vicky Pordan 35.56 BUSHY parkrun 5km Saturday 11th July 1 J Trapmore (Shaft B) 15.42 26 Sean Paynter 18.55 110 Chris Camacho 21.34 227 Kirsty Bangham 24.23 242 John Scally 24.48 341 Daniel Hobbs 27.35 364 Wally Garrod 28.30 395 John Hanscomb 29.41 BEDFONT LAKES parkrun 5km Saturday 11th July 1 J Brown (Thames Turb) 16.57 7 Duncan Mallison 19.27 15 Chris Wilson 22.31 28 Paul Martingell 24.49 35 Sharon Dooley 26.42 54 Peter Martingell 41.59 WIMBLEDON COMMON parkrun 5km Saturday 11th July 1 A Chalmers (Spring) 16.48 107 Catherine Carthy 27.26 BRITISH LONDON 10km Sunday 12th July This event costs the best part of 30 quid to enter, but nevertheless attracted a field of some 27,000 runners. Results are somewhat bizarre as some competitors were automatically timed by chip and others not. There may well have been more Ranelagh in the race than those listed below, but with club names not included in the results it's something of a needle in a haystack to find them! David Wright, representing Cirencester, was the leading over 50 and an account of his race can be found on his blog. 1 C Ndereba (Kenya) 30.19 12 David Wright (Ciren) 34.37 16 Jonathon Stacey 35.11 57 Kevin Jacques 39.47 248 Daniela Mingham 44.09 SOUTHERN VETS TRACK AND FIELD LEAGUE Monday 13th July at Battersea Park Bev Ali was the only Ranelagh Harrier representing Richmond St Mary's in the final track league fixture. In the over 50 age group she threw the hammer 15.61 for 4th place and threw the javelin 9.54 for 5th. ELMORE 7 miles Saturday 18th July 1 S Major (SLH) 37.51 242 Alan Meaden 71.18 259 John Hanscomb 75.03 260 David Meaden 75.20 BUSHY parkrun 5km Saturday 18th July 1 J Goulis (Strag) 16.10 17 Nathan Mills 17.49 24 Nick Wright 18.30 45 Chris Brook 19.32 50 Darren Wood 19.37 51 David Rowe 19.40 70 Grant Hibbert 20.23 148 Chris Camacho 22.22 253 Kirsty Bangham 24.42 275 Wally Garrod 25.19 391 Daniel Hobbs 28.11 399 Phil Aiken 28.23 445 John Hanscomb 30.53 473 Sharon Rowe 33.47 RICHMOND parkrun 5km Saturday 18th July 1 R Dzikowski (West 4) 18.07 33 Christopher Parsons 22.01 51 Alison Dicks 23.22 52 Jar O'Brien 23.29 53 Gary McKeown 23.31 79 Julie Naismith 26.37 96 Janet Turnes 28.51 101 Emma Short 29.45 110 Pat Hewlett 31.25 115 Stacey Barber 32.18 116 Annemarie Goodridge 32.40 122 Vicky Pordan 35.04 BEDFONT LAKES parkrun 5km Saturday 18th July 1 R Parker (King Tri) 18.36 4 Duncan Mallison 19.42 5 Graham Quick 19.44 13 Chris Read 21.24 58 Peter Martingell 37.23