*************************************************** RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 353 3 June 2011 Editor: Steve Rowland mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com *************************************************** HEADLINE NEWS ************* * Estelle Damant, Liz Kipling and Marie Synnott-Wells finish 6th team in the UKA 10km Championship * Estelle and Liz record 36.17 and 36.34 respectively * Peter Haarer is our leading man on 33.10 * Ranelagh teams 15th and 26th in the Green Belt Relay * Marie Synnott-Wells is our only stage winner * parkrun placings for Mark Herbert, Trevor Maguire and Simon Burrell * Dorking 10 miles this Sunday * Get your entries in for the Richmond 10km * BBQ at the clubhouse after the Richmond 10km on June 19th SEE HERE ******** DORKING 10 and the RANELAGH ROAD GRAND PRIX Full details of our 2011 Road Grand Prix are up on our website here:. The next race is the Dorking 10 miles on Sunday 5th June. This also includes the county 10 miles championship and is the third race in the Surrey Road League. Note the earlier start time 9am. At the time of writing, entries are still being accepted. Details:. After Dorking comes our own Richmond 10km on Sunday 19th June. See below... RICHMOND 10km Niall O'Connor writes: "This year's 10k race will take place on Sunday June 19th at 9am. The 'Ranelagh Richmond 10k' has supplanted the 'Dysart Dash' since 2010, with last year's new course being used again in 2011. This quicker course is now completely on tarmac, but does still encompass a large portion of the towpath. The start/finish area are the same as the finish area for our half marathon (Riverside Drive.) The race HQ will be the Ham and Kew Football Association clubhouse. This is both the club and Surrey championship and should an exciting, quick race. In order for this improved and impressive course to be a success we need plenty of volunteers to assist with marshalling the course, manning the water-station at the finish and a few to assist the competitors with removing their ankle chips, amongst other tasks. Please drop me a line at 10k-enquiries@ranelagh-harriers.com if you are available to help. In general you will be needed from 9am to 11am but all help will be gratefully accepted. All race details are available from this link, including directions to the race HQ and entry information." Please note that we already have over 600 entries, so if yo'’re planning to run get your entry in soon to avoid disappointment. BBQ We will be having a barbecue at the clubhouse on Sunday 19th June, following our Richmond 10km. It will start at about 12 noon and all are welcome. KIT STEWARD Lorna Smith is standing down from this position so we need a volunteer to look after the ordering and sale of our club kit. Contact Lorna lornasmith@probablerisk.com for more information about what is involved. 12 OF THE BEST Marc Snaith has contacted many of the club's outstanding runners over the past few decades and asked them a series of questions about their training and racing and general experiences with the club. The first two interviews with Bill Bird and Jim Forrest are already up on our website and others will follow over the next few months. See interviews. RANELAGH TALK FORUM The forum on our website is still being somewhat under-used. Please take a look and have your say about anything related to the club or the sport in general it only takes a moment to register if you haven't already done so: ranelagh-talk.com. SWLAN NEWS Kate Brook writes: "Don't hold a First Aid qualification? Think it would be a good idea? Now you can for £10 and a few volunteer sessions. SW London Athletics Network are holding a First Aid course on Saturday 2 July at St Mary's University College. The First Aid course is intended for people who are willing and able to volunteer time for First Aid cover at their club. Volunteering First Aid Time To qualify for being subsidised on this First Aid course you will be required to volunteer First Aid cover for your club. You will need to volunteer between 5-8 sessions of First Aid cover between July 2011 and July 2012 A session could be: ? an organised event that your club is holding e.g. track and field meeting; road running race ? a club night training session. ? You do not necessarily need to be exclusively a First Aid volunteer at the session. For example you may be coaching, marshalling or officiating. First Aid Cover: At a session: ? You will be required to make any persons in charge aware that you are the First Aider for the session, where you will be and how you can be contacted. ? You should be able to leave your position/charges in safety to attend a First Aid incident ? You will need to make sure you have access to a fully equipped First Aid kit during the session it would be useful to have access to this before, to check the equipment you have. ? Please bear in mind before you volunteer for a session, that if a First Aid incident were to occur it may take a long period of time to finish dealing with the casualty Contact Kate Brook kate.brook@swlan.org for booking details, as usual places are limited. ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL at WHITE LODGE For anyone who might be interested, there is an open day at the Royal Ballet School in Richmond Park on Saturday 11th June from 11am to 5pm. Details:. THORNTHWAITE GRANGE As many of you will know, our previous club President Clive Beauvais and Sue Ashley have moved up to the Lake District and opened a B&B near Keswick. It's called Thornthwaite Grange and their new website is now up and running. Please take a look: www.thornthwaite-grange.co.uk. For 2011 only, Clive and Sue are offering a 25% discount off your final bill. To claim the discount you'll need one of their special numbered discount leaflets your e-news editor has a supply of these, so just contact me and I'll pass one on to you or put it in the post. TEST VOLUNTEERS WANTED Cindy Croucher writes from St Mary's College: "A colleague of mine is undertaking some research in altitude and cycling. He is looking for some participants who meet the following criteria: Male 18 - 50 years old Have been regularly cycling for 2 years Regularly cycle at least 40 km per week A non-smoker In return the participants get: A lactate threshold test (used to optimize training intensities) A VO2max test (accurate test of aerobic fitness) Interested people should contact Simon Penn at penns@smuc.ac.uk." ...AND A SURVEY Peter Haarer writes: Regent's Park College has been supportive (even very positive) about my athletic endeavours (not always the case in Oxford). My College Principal is now asking for help with some serious academic research that he is doing, all very much above board. In essence he needs runners / athletes to complete a short and simple survey about their own running. Could anyone interested please take a look: www.surveymonkey.com/s/Athletics_RE_0511'. DICK HARTFORD... ...writes from Germany where he recently won an open 10km race at the age of 61 in a time of 39.08. CONGRATULATIONS... ...to ITV News International Editor Bill Neely, who won a BAFTA last month, his third in as many years. Bill was also recently voted Broadcasting Journalist of the Year by the London Press Club. SUBSCRIPTIONS... ...for 2011-2012 are now due! Rates are: Seniors £40 Under 20 or Student £10 Family Membership £70 Retired and over 60 £20 Second Claim £20 Non-running member £10 Post your payment to Membership Secretary, Ranelagh Harriers, 135a Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AA or leave it in an envelope at the clubhouse. If you have any queries please email the Membership Secretary aachrisowens@yahoo.co.uk 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) Home: 020-8286 3530 / mailto nandmwells@aol.com ) Sunday 5th June Dorking 10 miles. Details: Sunday 19th June Richmond 10km. 9am start. Details:. Followed by a barbecue at the clubhouse. Tuesday 5th July Chris Brasher Ponds Run in Richmond Park. 7pm start Tuesday 12th July Coad Cup summer 5 miles handicap in Richmond Park, followed by club AGM. Saturday 16th July Elmore 7 miles. 2pm start. Details:. 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 Kingston The Hawker Centre Old Deer Park Pools in the Park on the A316 Other venues, more details and registration at www.parkrun.com The 2km junior parkrun for under 15s takes place at 11am on the first Sunday of each month from Bushy Park's Teddington Gate. WHAT'S HAPPENED *************** BUPA LONDON 10km Monday 30th May Many thousands took to the streets of London to sample part of the course to be used for the 2012 Olympic Marathon. While Mo Farah overcame jet lag to win the men's race and Jo Pavey handed Paula Radcliffe a decisive defeat in the women's, the leading Ranelagh finisher was Peter Haarer. Pete's 33.10 secured him third place amongst the over 40s. It was a good quality race with 29 runners inside 31 minutes and Pete's excellent time was only good enough for 99th place overall.. Estelle Damant and Liz Kipling were never far apart and the official splits show them almost together at 5km just outside 18 minutes. Both ran strong second halves, passing lots of struggling runners who had over-reached themselves in the first half. Estelle eventually came out on top with a 36.17 clocking for 21st place in the wome'’s race. Liz had the consolation of setting a new PB of 36.34 in 27th place. Between Estelle and Liz was Chris Bundhun while just behind came Charles Jans and Marc Snaith. Marc writes: "It was a very high quality race, the start was incredibly quick and there were enough turns and twists, ups and downs to make the course more challenging than most flat road races. The first kilometre had a slight downhill stretch from Horseguards Parade towards the river whilst the final kilometre had the reverse 'climb' up from the river towards Trafalgar Square. Not a huge climb but it may help to account for the positive splits recorded for most finishers. I also think the narrow and overcrowded start forced many to go off too quickly." Marie Synnott-Wells was just outside 40 minutes, finishing 76th and taking 4th place in the over 45s. The race doubled as the UKA championship and our women's team of Estelle, Liz and Marie took a brilliant 6th place. Unfortunately the official results do not show clubs, so it has not been possible to pick out all the Ranelagh finishers. Please let me have any additions or amendments to the following. 1 M Farah (N&EB) 29.15 99 Peter Haarer 33.10 214 Estelle Damant 36.17 223 Chris Bundhun 36.28 229 Liz Kipling 36.34 245 Charles Jans 37.08 293 Marc Snaith 38.00 442 Marie Synnott-Wells 40.15 789 Simon Martin 43.46 1382 Andrew Brown 47.18 1849 Heather Martingell 49.23 2632 Kirsty Bangham 52.10 2893 Sue Camp 53.01 3267 Sharon Dooley 54.06 3976 Tony Clark 56.22 UK Women's Championship 1 Charnwood 1:41.41 6 Ranelagh 1:53.06 GREEN BELT RELAY Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd May Kirsty Bangham reports: "I shall begin with three apologies: one - for the ridiculous length this race report is bound to run to. Two - for the fact that I am writing this without the aid of my little yellow bible which I seem to have lost, and not all the results are on the web yet, so I am not going to remember exactly who did which stage. I might just make it up as I go along! Three - I saw much more of some people than others, so sorry if you don't get a mention (or you do!). I spent Friday evening doing two very important pre-GBR jobs: 1. packing my stuff from two lists into two bags (I was determined everything was going to be on the right bus at the right time!) and making flapjacks. I woke up on Saturday most unimpressed by the sunshine and clear blue skies - not what was required! However it was not nearly as hot as last year thankfully. Got to Hampton Court to find two buses, odd and even, and two teams, all was good. Could this be the year everything was going to go well?! The Golden Joggers were rather subdued this year in giant blonde wigs and fluorescent legwarmers, and there were a few running nuns about. All the usual GBR crew. My personal support team came to wish good luck, Sharon sprinted from Bushy Park to get there in time! We went to watch the start and cheered Colin and Chris C off on the way to Staines. The even bus headed straight there as well to drop off Sue and Jar. Nearly the entire crew of the bus needed the loo all ready! Sue was feeling a little nervous but had a good run, as did Jar. We didn't have time to watch the start of leg two as we had some marshalling to do at Runnymede. We pooled our knowledge of the Magna Carta (poor) and I discovered the first thing I'd forgotten that I'd told people to bring - National Trust card. However Phil had listened to my advice and brought his so we saved ourselves £3 in the car park. Our task was to get the runners across the very busy road and give them water. We were super-efficient - Sandra pointing the way, Tom and I stopping traffic, Phil and Mark handing out water and Iain collecting cups. All the drivers decided to be in a good mood so it went very well. Next stop was Little Marlow, with a coffee and loo stop in Big Marlow on the way. There seemed to be plenty of time for this, and then suddenly there wasn't and Mark and I, who were due to run next, started to get twitchy. So takeaways all round! I was scared about this run, due to it being graded 10 out of 10 for difficulty. According to team captain Jo, I had specifically asked to run it, I don't really remember that....! However I was well prepared with water, jelly babies... oh and I had done quite a lot of training too. Soon we were off and even sooner the entire field disappeared from sight before we'd made it to the first corner. All apart from a a lady from West 4. She ran along ahead of me but started to walk within the first two miles. We played hare and tortoise for a bit and then I got ahead on a hill and that was the last I saw of her. So this hill, it was very big and went up to Handy Cross. (at the top were my parents handing out water and support). It was also the first of many. I ran up all the hills on page one of the map, and walked them on page two. I even had to walk down one hill, it was so steep! The route was absolutely beautiful and so well marked that even someone stupid like me couldn't possibly get lost. I went down country lanes (not to mention up them), through forests, past a National Trust property, along the motorway (well, next to it) and who knows where else. I felt like I'd been gone for days! The last mile or so was hard work but overall I enjoyed the run and it wasn't as hard as I feared. Moral of the story - face your fears! (And you too can join the 10 club. Jo, Jar, Marie and I were thinking of getting tattoos. GBR 10. Not really). Because I ran so incredibly slowly, the odd bus had already zoomed off to its hot date in St Albans, but all was well because Helen and Martin collected Mark and me in the car. (Mark had a great run and came 5th). I realised the second thing I'd forgotten wet wipes. Luckily Mark remembered them. We got to stage 7 with seconds to spare to see the start, but we struggled to break into the required jog to get from the car park to the start in time to give Vicci and Kate a shout. I then missed the finish of stage 6 due to being selfishly more interested in getting changed and eating some food. (All of which was on the right bus!) Sorry, stage 6 runners. Next stop Dobbs Weir, which seemed to be the first time I'd actually stopped all day! We arrived with loads of time to spare so looked at the results, chatted and generally lolled around for a bit. Helen and Wiebke set off, and for the first time things went slightly wrong. Nothing drastic, but some major map/arrow/marshalling malfunctioning caused several runners to go astray, apparently running up to 6 extra miles in some cases. Ah well, it made me feel better about getting lost on this stage last year! We picked up Phil and Tom who both ran well, headed to Toot Hill to drop off Jo and Andy, and then went straight off to find our marshalling spot. We had this down to a fine art by now - road, pointing, water, yellow bibs etc, and even added jelly babies into the mix. A Serpie man came zooming along at top speed, accompanied by Pete Kennedy on his bike. That's nice we thought, he's got a lead bike. Then we noticed Pete appeared to be maniacally throwing sawdust over his shoulder as he furiously cycled through the undergrowth trying to keep up with this elite athlete! It turned out that he was course marking, and this Serpie guy was so fast that Pete couldn't keep ahead of him on his bike! We were also most impressed by the Frontrunner who grabbed three jelly babies at high speed and didn't drop one! Finally we were able to go to the pub for some much needed food, drinks and chats about the day. We were all knackered so it wasn't too long before we headed for the B and B, an interesting journey that seemed to go from A to B via X, Y and Z. We eventually arrived to be greeted by not one but three big fat chavtastic weddings. However the noise did not infiltrate and most people had a decent sleep. Iain had an extra little journey down a country lane to accost a woman in a dressing gown, but that's another story... So (if you're still with me, well done), on to Sunday. Nice early start to discover it was absolutely pouring down with rain. However it soon blew over and the wind turned out to be a much bigger weather issue. I was on the even bus again so headed back to Blackmore, where we found Marie (cold) and Colin (full of cold). This was also the point that I noticed Iain's Ranelagh vest was clearly a bit last minute just like his place in the team. On the back was written - display copy only - do not remove. Oops! We made some complicated lift arrangements with some Stragglers and some 26.2ers and Colin and Iain set off. Then it was marshalling time again. I don't remember ever doing so much marshalling at GBR before - was there more than usual this year? I certainly appreciated them on my stages. This one was by the windmill in Mountnessing. All was well when the runners passed us, but later many of the leaders, including Colin, went horribly wrong and got rather lost. Our next stop was Thames Chase where we found a very nice visitor centre with possibly the best cafe of the whole weekend. Jo and I had a lovely bowl of porridge, which was my third breakfast of five that morning. I was too busy eating it to see Kate and Mike finish. Sorry! I was up for eggs on toast for my next breakfast but time was ticking and we had to get to Lullingstone Park, where we found Jar. I was just glad to get out of the bus and away from Mike's socks. Not such a good cafe so I just had a piece of toast. (Interestingly, Mark, who ran the same stage as me, consumed nothing all morning except for a bottle of lucozade. He finished 23 minutes ahead of me. Is there a lesson to be learned here?!) We were marshalling again on this stage, can you believe it? And only two miles in so had to find it quickly. Unfortunately it was not easy to find. We followed a horse round and round the village of Shoreham, Mark did some fantastic three-point turns and eventually we found our spot... sadly it was 10 minutes after all the runners had gone past. We felt really bad about it but thankfully it was not a danger point, and it wasn't too hot so hopefully no one was too desperate for water after only two miles. Sorry stage 16 people. If that was the biggest thing to go wrong all weekend we decided we could live with it. Next stop was Merstham where it started to rain again. I had a little snooze in the bus and waited for the rain to stop, which it did just before the start. Mark and I then got told off for not signing in early enough. Oops. We set off up a hill, that made a change - not. However, I think I was not the only one with tired legs, as this time I could actually see other runners around me! There were two Dulwich Park Runners behind me at the start and I soon passed a West 4 lady, a nun and a few others, and caught up with a Golden Jogger. We ran together for a few miles, not only was he a fantastic pacer and map reader, but he also opened a gate for me that I could not figure out. So I felt a bit mean when I dropped him on the final hill, but by that point I just wanted to get to the end. It was a lovely run with great scenery and I ran up all the hills this time! The best thing about running from Merstham was that I missed out Tatsfield which was the scene of all the bad news last year. I had a fantastic reception from my fan club on Box Hill, who had had a bit of a nightmare getting runners and marshals to the right places at the right times. But had got it all sorted in the end. Next on the list was Ripley, the end was nigh. But we could not relax yet as this was Vicci's leg, and Vicci's day two track record is not good! Andy was also running from here and decided flat coke was his pre-race nutrition of choice. We all agreed this was a good choice, recommended by ultra runners and doctors, but then he went to the shop unsupervised and came out with Irn Bru. I don't think anyone would recommend that! Andy and Vicci set off on stage 21 and the odd bus headed for the finish. I don't think I've ever got there so early before. But it wasn't long before the runners started arriving, led by a Serpie man of course. Chris O and Chris C both finished strongly, and we heard that Andy and Vicci had both finished with all arms and legs still attached. We had done it - both teams safely round the entire course. I think that is a huge achievement regardless of finishing places or times. (Although I must mention that Marie won her stage on Saturday and set a vet course record both days). Most of the team, plus several supporters, gradually arrived and we had a quick drink but decided to save the celebrations for a future date. We were exhausted. Another fantastic GBR weekend was over. Kate summed it up beautifully I think, and I hope she doesn't mind me misquoting her - who knew how much fun two really hard runs and two days in a minibus could be?!" 1 Serpentine 21:28.40 2 London FrontRunners 23:20.09 3 Stock Exchange Mixed 23:32.28 15 Ranelagh A 28:13.05 26 Ranelagh B Mixed 32:20.25 Stage 1 Hampton Court - Staines 12.7 miles 1 A Greenleaf (Serp) 1:12:19 2 Steve Whitehead (S Ex)1:16.41 5 Gary Christie (Brigh) 1:22.32 12 Colin Brett 1:28:06 25 Chris Camacho 1:36:31 Stage 2 Staines - Boveney 10.15 miles 1 B Reynolds (Clapham) 57:52 22 Jar O'Brien 1:21:19 31 Sue Camp 1:34:34 Stage 3 Boveney - Little Marlow 11 miles 1 M Williams (Dulwich) 1:05:21 7 Chris Owens 1:11:43 16 Iain Mathieson-Blake 1:20:05 Stage 4 Little Marlow - Great Kingshill 12.2 miles 1 A Barnes (S Exch) ) 1:16:17 5 Mark Herbert 1:27:10 34 Kirsty Bangham 2:10:13 Stage 5 Great Kingshill - Chipperfield 13.5 miles 1 H Torry (Serp) 1:14:53 8 Marie Synnott-Wells 1:34:05 35 Michael White 2:05:18 Stage 6 Chipperfield - St Albans 8.4 miles 1 A Bourne (Serpentine) 47:58 11 Neil Walford (Bright) 58.08 15 Lee Coole 1:01:09 22 Sandra Prosser 1:10:30 Stage 7 St Albans - Letty Green 12 miles 1 K Mason (Brighton) 1:07:12 13 Kate Blakey 1:25:49 30 Vicci Randle 1:52:45 Stage 8 Letty Green - Dobbs Weir 10.65 miles 1 J Nugus (Serpentine) 1:04:12 14 Phil Jackson 1:16:56 25 Tom Reay 1:31:17 Stage 9 Dobbs Weir - High Beach 10.2 miles 1 Andrew Hibbert (Serp) 1:04:31 28 Helen Nance 1:38:54 32 Wiebke Kortum 1:50:35 Stage 10 High Beach - Toot Hill 9.7 miles 1 A Reeves (Serpentine) 57:37 26 Andrew Brown 1:19:16 31 Marina Quayle 1:30:28 Stage 11 Toot Hill - Blackmore 7.5 miles 1 N Torry (Serpentine) 43:37 11 Andy Woodhouse 58:01 20 Jo Sinton-Hewitt 1:00:25 Day 2 Stage 12 Blackmore - Thorndon Park 10.9 miles 1 R Phillips (Serpentine) 59:36 11 Iain Mathieson-Blake 1:20:13 15 Gary Christie (Brigh) 1:24.59 27 Colin Brett 1:43:49 Stage 13 Thorndon Park - Thames Chase 6.9 miles 1 A Taylor (Serpentine) 41:10 16 Kate Blakey 48:09 27 Michael White 56:09 Stage 14 Thames Chase - Davy Down 7.9 miles 1 W Harrison (Serpentine) 48:07 11 Neil Walford (Bright) 54.45 12 Marie Synnott-Wells 55:24 22 Tom Reay 1:07:53 Stage 15 QE II Bridge - Lullingstone Park 9.2 miles 1 J Cunningham (Serp) 53:19 24 Andrew Brown 1:15:31 31 Helen Nance 1:29:27 Stage 16 Lullingstone Park - Tatsfield 13.3 miles 1 K Mason (Brighton) 1:21:53 33 Jo Sinton-Hewitt 2:11:40 34 Jar O'Brien 2:11:41 Stage 17 Tatsfield - Merstham 10.5 miles 1 R Reeder (Stragglers) 1:03:11 26 Wiebke Kortum 1:29.21 31 Sue Camp 1:37.56 Stage 18 Merstham - Box Hill 8.7 miles 1 H Torry (Serpentine) 46:30 3 Steve Whitehead (S Ex) 51.30 8 Mark Herbert 58:30 27 Kirsty Bangham 1:21:09 Stage 19 Box Hill - West Hanger 10.5 miles 1 N Torry (Serpentine) 58:17 19 Phil Jackson 1:21:54 31 Sandra Prosser 1:37:38 Stage 20 West Hanger - Ripley 5.6 miles 1 J Nugus (Serpentine) 31:06 12 Lee Coole 36:15 28 Marina Quayle 45:47 Stage 21 Ripley - Walton Bridge 8.4 miles 1 A Reeves (Serpentine) 49:41 13 Andy Woodhouse 59:03 30 Vicci Randle 1:17:04 Stage 22 Walton Bridge - Hawker Centre 9.15 miles 1 A Greenleaf (Serp) 49:27 8 Chris Owens 59:19 15 Chris Camacho 1:04:29 RICHMOND HALF MARATHON PHOTOS... ...by Sussex Sports Photography SHEFFIELD HALF MARATHON Sunday 8th May John Pratt was 3rd over 65. 1 F Meade (Leeds) 1:11.32 (chip time 1:11.32) 894 John Pratt 1:43.14 (1:43.04) RICHMOND PARK MARATHON Sunday 15th May Howard Gleave's 4th place was reported in the last e-news, and here is Andy Hayward's account. It seems that the organisers are not planning to publish results, so I don't know if any other Ranelagh members took part. "With no long runs since October, I managed a sixteen miler just ten days before this marathon, and then a few days later the Ranelagh Richmond Half Marathon, seven days before the marathon. Not a perfect build up, but at least having done a sixteen would give me a bit of confidence over the distance. Obviously I know the course well, with our club house on the doorstep of the park. That is the main reason I wanted to do the race, along with the fact that it was the first marathon ever allowed in any of the Royal Parks, and was limited to 300 runners. The downside is that I also knew how tough the course would be. Three and a half laps round the very perimeter would mean at least six tough hills, as well as many undulations. Also, only about one mile of the run was on a paved surface - the rest on either grass, hardened rutted mud, or dirt trails with tree roots etc. Taking this, my overall training and my lack of long runs into account, I figured I would be looking at around 3:45 - 3:50 for the run. I felt I would be ok for two and a half laps, but would struggle when I hit the hills on the last full lap (miles 22 and 25). The fact that this was happening on our home course though meant many Ranelagh members had arranged their Sunday morning runs to coincide with the race, and ran the other way round, so there was plenty of support from runners (hardly any spectators though) and I hoped this support would get me through. Starting at Sheen Gate, the half lap (4.6m) came first - I started at a comfortable pace, and was surprised to go through two miles in 15 minutes. However, I knew that one of these was the only paved mile, and also the hills hadn't started yet! Through Pen Ponds and up the hill almost to Richmond Gate before turning back towards Sheen Cross and then Sheen Gate completed the half lap. The three full laps were 7.2 miles each, and it was therefore about six and a half miles before we hit the first tough hill after Robin Hood Gate. Interestingly enough (for me, anyway!) this is the same hill I was running up when I first experienced my heart flutter late in 2004, which led to seven heart procedures during 2005. Since then I have always called it my "Heartbreak Hill". When I approached the bottom, and saw someone had put a sign there with a picture of a broken heart and the caption "Heartbreak Hill", and here I was six and a half years later running a marathon on it, I almost got quite emotional! Thankfully I got up the hill with no problems, and three miles later the second tough hill from Petersham Gate to Richmond Gate, in the same fashion. I completed the first lap a mile or so later, with 11.8 miles on the clock. I was delighted to see Colin Frew (previously a member of both Ranelagh and my lunchtime club Raven Racers, who has just returned from three years living in Boston) there, who then jumped in to run and encourage me for at least a lap. My concerns about accusations of pacing were unfounded as I could'’t hang on to him! He stayed in sight and shouted encouragement though. I maintained a fairly even pace, and went through 13.1 bang on 1:45. This shocked me a bit as the pace felt comfortable enough that I felt I may be able to hold it. A sub 3:30 on this course was unthinkable on the training I had done, but I thought I would hang on as long as possible and see what I had left on the last lap. I got through the two hills again, and I felt good on stamina going through the end of the second full lap at 19 miles, but I could really start to feel the legs from the hills now, and I steeled myself for what I knew would be a tough final lap. Michele and another Ranelagh member Jon Lurie, jumped in with Colin at this point and Colin decided to do another lap. Michele dropped off the pace as we hit the penultimate hill, and took a couple of short cuts to intercept further along. Colin and Jon stayed ahead of me and encouraged me up the hill, passing several now walking. There was three miles mainly downhill or flat to the final hill, and it took a supreme effort of will to keep going up this one (everyone else I could see was now walking the hill) and I was really grateful to Colin and Jon for their shouting at me to keep going, which I did. The top of the hill came finally at about mile 24.5, and then it was across the road at Richmond Gate, and a gentle downhill all the way to the finish at Sheen Gate. Jon and Colin pulled me through the last mile in about 6:45, to stop the clock on 3:32:06 (1:47 second half). I do'’t know my placing yet as the full results are still not out, but the winning time was 2:58, and second, third and fourth (Howard) were all 3:04. I was ecstatic with the time on that course with that training! I had a few beers and a meal with friends, and then headed straight out to the airport to attend a trial in New Orleans. I slept well on the plane!" EDINBURGH MARATHON Sunday 22nd May 1 P Nicholls 2:19.21 7602 Julie Naismith 4:51.20 WINDERMERE MARATHON Sunday 22nd May Sharon Dooley reports: "The most beautiful marathon so far, a little bumpy and to keep tradition the sun shone all the way - but I wasn't too hot. 4hr 41min with a flying finish! 1 S Littler (Wesham) 2:32.08 (chip time 2:32.08) 116 Sharon Dooley 4:42.17 (4:41.26) HORNSEY YMCA CROUCH END 10km Sunday 22nd May John Pratt was 2nd over 60. 1 D Burbridge (High) 34.26 (chip time 34.26) 161 John Pratt 47.11 (47.07) LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5km Friday 27th May in Hyde Park 1 B Shearer (Camb H) 15.57 113 Alan Davidson 22.09 209 John Hanscomb 33.09 BRUSSELS 20km Sunday 29th May John Ricketts reports: "Sunday 29 May saw 30,000 runners gather at 3pm under the arches on the Cinquantenaire esplanade in Brussels. The handicapper needs to know that it was 15 C and a fast, flat 20k. In reality it was 25 C, 400 metres of cobbles, three road tunnels - you have to go up to get out, steady uphill from 17-19k with an extra 100 metres after the 20k marker. The race is a great way to take in Brussels - the EU institutions, the Royal Palace, the shopping district, the diplomatic area and the surrounding forests. The ex-pat community in Brussels meant that the Brits were well represented. It was hot and the emergency services were kept busy as the afternoon progressed - a pantomime horse would not have made it! There was good crowd support, with bands playing at key points. Najim El Qady of Morocco broke the hour to win in 59:41. As I crossed the line in 961st place in 1:26:30 I was rather relieved to be spared the additional 0.64 miles of a half marathon. Those interested in running next year should visit www.20kmdebruxelles.be. 1 N El Qady (Morocco) 59.41 961 John Ricketts 1:26.30 HATFIELD BROAD OAK 10km Monday 30th May 1 P Molyneux (Spring) 32.04 (chip time 32.03) 297 John Pratt 46.58 (46.47) HAMMERSMITH RIVERSIDE HANDICAP 3.3 miles Tuesday 31st May 1 R Cox (WG&EL) 18.30 6 Alan Davidson 23.09 9 Alan Howard 25.17 KINGFIELD CANTER 2.85 miles handicap Wednesday 1st June 1 P Dry (F&L) 26.33 (actual time 18.33) 13 Steve Rowland 29.22 (21.22) RICHMOND parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 W Cockerell (Belg) 16.17 13 John Ricketts 19.17 15 Jerym Brunton 19.40 37 Ben Shore 20.38 57 Chris Read 21.40 177 Val Lowman 28.15 207 Christine Goodsell 29.50 214 Peter Lowman 30.22 217 Tamsin Burland 30.32 231 Bronwen Northmore 32.20 232 Stacey Barber 32.33 241 Pat Hewlett 34.34 BUSHY parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 J Ashton (Bracknell) 15.57 9 Ted Mockett 17.59 21 David Rowe 18.37 140 Ian Grange 22.27 243 Jose Scheuer 23.59 328 Peter Fordham 25.21 329 Gill Wilson 25.22 551 Emily Harriman 30.14 625 Andrew Brown 32.48 626 John Hanscomb 32.51 629 Annemarie Goodridge 32.55 667 Sharon Rowe 35.01 KINGSTON parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May Simon Burrell reports: "Getting my first placing (3rd out of 50) at Kingston was the pinnacle of my parkrun career and also a 19 second pb at 20:00 dead. Sadly, having held 2nd place for 4k, I inexplicably veered off-course at Teddington Lock, allowing the 3rd placed runner to tuck in right behind me by the time I rejoined the right path. I might have held him off and got my sub-20 if not for tripping over a Bull Mastiff about 500m from the finish. Still, always next time!" 1 R Brookling (unatt) 16.20 3 Simon Burrell 20.00 15 Alan Davidson 22.01 45 Deborah Blakemore 29.58 CANNON HILL parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 D Hamilton (Abingdon) 15.51 4 Sean Paynter 17.05 BEDFONT LAKES parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 B Powell (WG&EL) 16.12 92 Deirdre Inman 31.16 98 Cindy Croucher 32.55 OLD DEER PARK parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May Trevor Maguire set a course PB in second place. 1 D Tanner (Clapham) 18.03 2 Trevor Maguire 18.17 13 Chris Wright 22.47 19 Mary Hickson 25.24 CARDIFF parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 S Crees (Les Croup) 16.34 9 James Whistler 17.53 GREENWICH parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 M van der Hoeven (Hi) 16.51 39 Wally Garrod 27.31 FINSBURY parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 R Anderson (Holm) 16.43 24 Andres Arana Garcia 21.56 ROUNDHAY parkrun 5km Saturday 21st May 1 J Common (unatt) 18.09 6 Duncan Mallison 18.48 RICHMOND parkrun 5km Saturday 28th May 1 B Thursby-Pelham (THH)16.42 10 Peter Faull 18.58 44 Chris Read 21.16 48 Phil Jackson 21.25 55 Jar O'Brien 21.40 67 Andrew Brown 22.17 82 Jo Sinton-Hewitt 23.03 197 Val Lowman 29.00 210 Peter Lowman 30.16 245 Bev Ali 36.25 246 Pat Hewlett 36.28 BUSHY parkrun 5km Saturday 28th May 1 S Renfer (TVH) 16.26 153 Christine Palmer 22.22 238 Jose Scheuer 23.44 506 Heather Martingell 29.44 507 Kirsty Bangham 29.45 613 John Hanscomb 33.52 KINGSTON parkrun 5km Saturday 28th May 1 R Reeder (Strag) 18.09 13 Chris Camacho 20.21 CANNON HILL parkrun 5km Saturday 28th May 1 S Pictor (unatt) 16.50 6 Sean Paynter 17.36 BEDFONT LAKES parkrun 5km Saturday 28th May Mark Herbert finished first in a new PB. 1 Mark Herbert 18.31 46 Gill Wilson 26.00 62 Sharon Dooley 26.48 67 Christine Goodsell 28.57 77 Danny Hobbs 30.10 80 Cindy Croucher 31.48 OLD DEER PARK parkrun 5km Saturday 28th May 1 D Tanner (Clapham) 17.31 35 Lorna Smith 27.48 LLOYD parkrun 5km Saturday 28th May 1 L Flanagan (SoC) 18.33 10 Paul Sinton-Hewitt 20.58 FINALLY... More from Walter Thom's 1813 book "Pedestrianism": "The pedestrian who may be supposed in tolerable condition, enters upon his training with a regular course of physic, which consists of three doses. Glauber Salts are generally preferred; and from one ounce and a half to two ounces, are taken each time, with an interval of four days between each dose. After having gone through the course of physic, he commences his regular exercise, which is gradually increased as he proceeds in training. When the object in view is the accomplishment of a pedestrian match, his regular exercise may be from twenty to twenty-four miles a day. He must rise at five in the morning, run half a mile at the top of his speed up-hill, and then walk six miles at a moderate pace, coming in about seven to breakfast, which should consist of beef-steaks or mutton-chops under-done, with stale bread and old beer. After breakfast, he must again walk six miles at a moderate pace, and at twelve lie down in bed without his clothes for half an hour. On getting up, he must walk four miles, and return by four to dinner, which should also be beef-steaks or mutton-chops with bread and beer as at breakfast. Immediately after dinner, he must resume his exercise by running half a mile at the top of his speed, and walking six miles at a moderate pace. He takes no more exercise for that day, but retires to bed about eight, and next morning proceeds in the same manner." We'll continue with the pre-race finishing touches in the next e-news.