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Newsdesk 2019
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 544 10th March 2019
Editor: Steve Rowland
mailto: sandsrowland@btinternet.com
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HEADLINE NEWS
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* Ranelagh women finish 42nd in the National Championships, men’s team
incomplete
* Laura Blazey and Ian Kenton lead our teams
* Ranelagh women place 7th in their final Surrey League race and finish 6th
overall
* Ranelagh easily wins the Pelling Ratcliff Cup mob match against
Blackheath and Bromley
* Nick Impey runs sub-2.30 at the Tokyo Marathon
* Clutton Cup 10 miles Handicap on March 16th
* Ellis and Dysart Cups races on March 30th, to include the club junior
championships
* Baker Cup 3 miles road Handicap on April 6th
* Book now for our presentations evening on April 6th
* Wyn Williams bench dedication
* Trophy Holders – please return them to Ted Mockett as soon as possible
* Social Media editors and moderators needed
* Kit sale still on
ATTENTION PLEASE
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WYN WILLIAMS BENCH
Our very popular former Hon Sec Wyn Williams sadly passed away just over a
year ago. Wyn’s wife Linda has kindly donated a new bench in his memory, to
stand outside the clubhouse, and on Tuesday 5th March a short ceremony to
dedicate it was held just before everyone went off training. Our President
Becky made a moving speech to which Linda replied. Some appropriate words
are on the bench together with Wyn’s name:
Run Often
Run Long
But never outrun
Your joy of running.
CALLING ALL TROPHY HOLDERS
If you are the current holder of any of the club’s trophies can you please
arrange to return it (POLISHED PLEASE!) to our Trophies Steward Ted Mockett
as soon as possible. We need to gather in all the trophies and get them
engraved with their new holder’s name before the prize-giving evening at the
Roebuck on April 6th. We have a lot of trophies to process, so please don’t
delay. If you have a small trophy you can leave it in the clubhouse safe
(but be sure to let Ted know it is there!) For the larger trophies, contact
Ted to make arrangements. His email is tedmockett@hotmail.com.
BAKER CUP SUPPER AND PRESENTATIONS EVENING
This takes place on Saturday 6th April at the Roebuck on Richmond Hill,
starting at 7pm. Book your place now – especially if you have a trophy to
collect! The cost is £25 per head to include a welcoming glass of bubbly,
free beer while stocks last and a buffet supper. There is a limit of 60, so
don’t delay. RSVP to Michele Gibson – your glass of bubbly awaits you!
Please contact Michele at micheleagibson@hotmail.com, mobile:- 07703
518956.
Cheques payable to Ranelagh Harriers and posted / handed to Ms Michele
Gibson, c/o Baker Cup Supper, 79 Thames Side, Staines upon Thames, Middlesex
TW18 2HF or leave in the clubhouse safe with the name Michele Gibson / Baker
Cup on the envelope.
Cash payable to Michele Gibson at the Club on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
BACS Payments - Ranelagh Harriers, Sort Code 401310, Account 12154501 Ref-
Baker Cup & YOUR NAME
RANELAGH’S ROAD RACES
Looking forward to our two road races – the Ranelagh Richmond Half Marathon
on Sunday 5th May and the Ranelagh Richmond 10km on Sunday 16th June. A new
website has been set up for each race -
ranelagh-half-marathon.co.uk/ and ranelagh-10k.co.uk/.
Entries are coming in steadily so if you’re planning to run don’t wait too
long.
MARSHALS
As ever, plenty of marshals are needed for the two road races above. If you
helped last year we’ll be happy if you can take on the same job again. But
in any case if you can help in any capacity please contact
ranelaghhalfhelpers@hotmail.co.uk.
JUNIORS
The club junior championships for the Lotinga Cup and the Camilla Cup take
place on Saturday 30th March in Richmond Park over a 2.7 miles / 4km course.
Start time is 3pm and all under 20s are welcome. Register on the day at the
clubhouse or at the start. One week later we have the last club handicap of
the season, the 3 miles road race for the Baker Cup. Again, all juniors are
welcome and the Jack Ellicock Trophy goes to the first under 18 to finish.
2019 STRAGGLERS / RANELAGH JUNIOR HANDICAP SERIES
All under-18s are welcome. Dates and venues are shown below. Registration
opens at 6.50pm for a 7.25pm start.
Pre-registration is necessary and a consent form must be completed for any
child taking part for the first time.
Thursday 25th April at the Hawker Centre
Thursday 16th May at the Ranelagh Clubhouse
Thursday 6th June at the Russell School, Petersham
Thursday 27th June at the Hawker Centre
Thursday 11th July at the Ranelagh Clubhouse
Thursday 29th August at the Hawker Centre
For registration and more details:
CLUTTON CUP 10 miles handicap Saturday 16th March in Richmond Park
Start time is 2pm. This is our longest club handicap and arguably the
easiest to win as it usually attracts a fairly small field. All are welcome,
register at the clubhouse. Note that the course will be flagged but not
martialled, so please familiarise yourself with it. Details and map:.
ELLIS CUP and DYSART CUP Saturday 30th March in Richmond Park
Start time is 3pm. This is an inter-club race for the Ellis Cup (men) and
the Dysart Cup (women) . It’s two laps of our old League course, totalling
about 5.5 miles. Stragglers are current holders of the Dysart Cup while we
hold the men’s. All are welcome, register on the day. As detailed above, the
race also incorporates our club junior championships. All under 20s are
eligible. The juniors will start with the main race but will finish after
one lap.
RANELAGH ROAD GRAND PRIX – THAMES TOWPATH 10m
Our Grand Prix is to include only nine events this year, instead of the
usual ten. This is because the Elmore 7m and the Elmbridge 10k are on the
same weekend. The Elmore has consequently been dropped for this year both
from our GP and from the Surrey Road League. The first event in the Grand
Prix is the Thames Towpath 10 miles on Sunday 14th April. Details and
entries:. Over
700 entries are already in, including 31 from Ranelagh. The entry limit is
likely to be reached, so don’t delay. More details about the Grand Prix,
including the list of races here:.
CABBAGE PATCH 10 miles
This highly popular event has been brought back from the dead and is to take
place on Sunday October 13th. Entries open in April.
KENDAL MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
Anna Bailey writes:
“The Kendal Mountain Film Festival Tour is coming to Kingston upon Thames.
Join us to watch 90 minutes of the world's best adventure films - stories of
talent, endurance and excitement to take your breath away! Ride icy waves in
sub-zero winter, chase tornados, run in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains
and mountain bike into the wildest reaches of your imagination. Plus hear
from the Queen of Adventure - Anna McNuff, whose explorations include
cycling through each and every state of the USA, running the length of New
Zealand, and most recently exploring the peaks and passes of The Andes
mountains! We will also be giving away prizes from our tour sponsors
including the chance to win a weekend at Kendal Mountain Festival in
November.”
kendalmountaintour.com/kingston-upon-thames
facebook.com/events/626643301107628/
RANELAGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Ed Perry writes:
“We are looking to build our presence on Social Media to help build
community within the club, raise awareness of who we are for those
interested, and promote races. I'm looking to pull together a team from
across the club to help moderate and produce content that represents
everything we do. If you'd like to help please drop me an email on
ranelaghharriersonline@gmail.com.
In the meantime do give us a like or a follow:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram: @ranelaghharriers
RANELAGH LOGOED KIT SALE - UNREPEATABLE BARGAINS
The following kit items are still available for purchase at just £10:
Men’s Long Sleeve Tops larger sizes
Men’s Short Sleeve Tops limited items
remaining
Ladies’ Fleeces Sizes 8 & 10 good availability
Ladies’ Fleeces Sizes 12 and 14 some availability
Ladies’ Long/Short Sleeve Tops all sizes still available
The following sizes of Ranelagh Vests are available for a very modest £5:
Boys’ vests ages 7-8 and 9-10 good availability
Ladies’ vests larger sizes good availability
All these kit items are on display at the club house. If you can’t make it
to the club house on a Tuesday then contact Marianne Malam at
marianne.malam.flp@gmail.com and she will sort you out. We also plan
to have the remaining kit on display at the clubhouse for the Clutton Cup on
Saturday 16 March and the Baker Cup Supper on Saturday 6 April.
NEW CLUB KIT
Our new supplier for club singlets, men’s and women’s. is iProsports.
Details and orders:
TUESDAY NIGHT SOCIALS
Don’t forget that we meet for a casual drink after training on the first
Tuesday of each month. Venue is the Roebuck on Richmond Hill. All welcome.
THURSDAY NIGHT TRACK TRAINING AT OSTERLEY
The club is continuing to subsidise track sessions on Thursday evenings at
the Osterley track. All groups and all abilities are welcome. The sessions
are every Thursday 7.30-8.30pm. Link to the map is here:
WHAT'S COMING
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More details of the following from the men's Captains ranelagh.men@gmail.com
or the women's Captain / Team Manager ranelagh.women@gmail.com
Saturday 16th March Clutton Cup 10 miles handicap in Richmond Park.
2pm start. All welcome, register on the day.
Saturday 30th March Inter-club races for the Dysart Cup (women) and
the Ellis Cup (men) plus club junior championships
Saturday 6th April Baker Cup 3 miles road handicap. All welcome,
register on the day
Sunday 14th April Thames Towpath 10 miles *GP race 1* Details and entries:.
5km parkruns every Saturday at 9am and 2km junior parkruns weekly or monthly
on Sundays.
Venues, more details and registration at www.parkrun.com or
www.parkrun.org.uk/events/juniorevents/.
WHAT’S HAPPENED
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NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday 23rd February at Harewood,
Leeds
Pheidippides reports:
“Sorley's ‘And we run because we like it / Through the broad bright land’
could not have been more true at this year's National at Harewood. An
unprecedented warm spell in mid-February preceded by dry weather saw
temperatures of around 17 degrees in Yorkshire and sunlit lush grass with
not a speck of mud in sight. The course itself undulated gently for the
most part and its highest points offered highlights of the vista over the
stately home and the rolling countryside beyond, while for spectators there
was the possibility of multiple points of view. The day as a whole seemed
to have been very well-organised and thought through, even down to
Harewood's high priests in high-vis patrolling the perimeters of its sacred
woods to prevent any defilement. Of the Ranelagh contingent only the women
fielded a complete team which was led home by Laura Blazey who thereby wins
the Aotearoa Trophy. In other events Felix Allen ran for Ranelagh in the
Under 13 Boys and Tom Armstrong in the Under 15 Boys, both gaining valuable
experience. For the senior men, about half of those who had signed up for
this blue riband event had to withdraw leaving just a happy few (four, in
fact, but this is a step up on those Nationals in the north where we have
fielded just one). Ian Kenton took up position at the front of the pen and
very deservedly was the clear winner of the prestigious Roffey Salver. Mike
Peace had decided to make this his last National and, despite some
difficulties during the first lap, stormed home in style during his final
mile, thundering past a goodly number of competitors.”
Senior Women
1 Emily Hosker Thornhill (AF&D) 28.17
2 Philippa Woolven (Wycombe Ph) 28.28
3 Jessica Judd (Blackburn) 28.52
204 Laura Blazey (Ranelagh) 35.20
269 Fanny Vein 36.23
446 Rebecca Northmore 39.26
482 Eugenie McLachlan 39.59
531 Marianne Malam 40.55
Teams (4 to score)
1 Leeds City AC 47
42 Ranelagh Harriers 1401
Senior Men
1 Mahamed Mahamed (Soton) 36.34
2 Emile Cairess (Leeds) 36.35
3 Carl Avery (Morpeth) 37.04
369 Ian Kenton (Ranelagh) 43.42
468 Peter Haarer 44.32
1624 Peter Weir 57.09
1929 Mike Peace 67.16
Teams (6 to score)
1 Leeds City AC 110
Under 13 Boys
1 Benjamin Peck (Thetford) 9.51
271 Felix Allen (Ranelagh) 12.27
Under 15 Boys
1 Alexander Thompson (Wharfdale) 13.27
142 Tom Armstrong (Ranelagh) 15.23
START FITNESS SURREY LADIES LEAGUE DIVISION 1 Saturday 2nd March at Lloyd
Park, Croydon
There is invariably a falling away in numbers taking part for the final
League race, and this one was no exception. Overall headcount at the start
was only 164, and for various reasons only seven Ranelagh were amongst them.
This was enough to give us a decent result for the A team, but rather
scuppered the B team’s chances of a high final position.
Suzy Whatmough led our team, breaking into the top twenty for the first
time. Laura Blazey was next almost a minute back, then Fanny Vein, Cordy
Parker and Sarah Palmer. Alice Forbes and Marianne Malam made up two-fifths
of a B team.
The A team finished 7th on the day and finished up in a highly respectable
6th place. The Bs were 10th on the day and 7th overall. Thames Hare & Hounds
took the title while the bottom three places – and therefore facing
relegation – were filled by Advent Running, West 4 and – somewhat
surprisingly – Guildford & Godalming who had a disastrous final race.
1 Stacey Ward (HHH) 29.36
2 Georgie Grgec (HHH) 30.01
3 Natalie Seymour (TH&H) 30.09
19 Suzy Whatmough (Ranelagh) 32.50
29 Laura Blazey 33.43
44 Fanny Vein 34.54
52 Cordelia Parker 35.24
65 Sarah Palmer 36.04
79 Alice Forbes 37.10
98 Marianne Malam 38.18
Teams (5 to score) – A teams only
Final Overall – A teams only
1 Herne Hill Harriers 32 1 Thames Hare and Hounds 295
2 Thames Hare and Hounds 43 2 Herne Hill Harriers 315
3 Hercules Wimbledon 149 3 Hercules Wimbledon 594
4 Dulwich Runners 177 4 Clapham Chasers 651
5 Fulham Running Club 179 5 Fulham Running Club 665
6 Belgrave Harriers 187 6 Ranelagh Harriers 676
7 Ranelagh Harriers 209 7 Belgrave Harriers 713
8 Clapham Chasers 226 8 South London Harriers 769
9 Kent AC 232 9 Kent AC 947
10 South London Harriers 261 10 Epsom & Ewell Harriers 1110
11 Epsom & Ewell Harriers 299 11 Dulwich Runners 1157
12 Reigate Priory AC 364 12 Reigate Priory AC 1357
13 West 4 Harriers 373 13 Guildford & Godalming AC 1375
14 Advent Running 471 14 West 4 Harriers 1768
15 Guildford & Godalming AC 589 15 Advent Running 2212
B teams
Final Overall – B teams only
1 Thames Hare & Hounds 221 1 Herne Hill H 1165
2 Herne Hill Harriers 227 2 Thames Hare & Hounds 1369
3 Dulwich Runners 348 3 Clapham Chasers 1549
4 Hercules Wimbledon AC 494 4 Dulwich Runners 1979
5 Clapham Chasers 498 5 Fulham RC 1992
6 South London Harriers 528 6 South London H 2001
10 Ranelagh Harriers 699 7 Ranelagh Harriers 2127
PELLING RATCLIFF CUP MOB MATCH V BLACKHEATH AND BROMLEY HAC Sunday 3rd
March at Hayes
Pheidippides reports:
“In contrast to last week's unseasonable hot and sunny climes, a ferocious
storm was predicted for the match against Blackheath; and indeed, standing
at the end of the race deluge after deluge rolled across the field - blue
vests gusting through the finishing funnel with such ferocity that the
opposition was blown away. Both teams were depleted: Ranelagh was missing
most of its women' section, resting after the final Surrey League fixture on
the day before, but put out a respectable thirty-nine runners (boosted by
new member Robert Andrews experiencing something of a baptism of fire in
terms of cross-country). Blackheath were able to muster just fifteen
members. At 12 a side to score, Blackheath had just one runner making the
top ten and only four crossing the line ahead of Ranelagh's last counter,
though the rest of our team contributed to widening the gulf between the
scores: 310 for the Heathens versus 90 for Ranelagh (and an unbroken 'blue
wave' from 24th to 36th). Up at the front, the aged Haarer led for a
nanosecond before being overhauled by an ambitious Mockett who was in turn
replaced after a mile or so by McDaid and Leyshon. This dynamic duo battled
for the F.B. Thompson medal which ultimately was bagged by Eirin McDaid,
having pulled four seconds clear of Marc by the time that he reached the
tape. Haarer in 5th place won the Harry Sheer Trophy for the first over 50
to finish.
We should not forget that historically the Heathens have turned out in might
and have proved hard to beat - the score-line after 99 matches credits us
with only 29 wins, eight of these achieved consecutively since 2011/12, so
we still have a lot of catching up to do (if the unbroken run were to
continue then I would be a nonagenarian before we achieved parity). Talking
of history, this was our first outing on Blackheath's new course. Veterans
of previous matches will recall the mixed terrain of the old route which
varied from filth to tarmac. Also seared into the grey cells will be the
sharp undulation, the field of frisky horses, and the element of dicing with
death during the various crossings of increasingly busy roads. In view of
the latter, Blackheath devised an entirely new course (even the perilous
early fence crossing was scrapped) and although lacking some of the variety,
charm and excitements of its predecessor the general feeling after the race
was that this was a good route. It comprises two laps through a wood with
the odd bit of plough and grass thrown in for good measure, not forgetting
some logs to vault. The surface is now soft and suitable for spikes all the
way round - surely a welcome change [if wearing spikes, that is]. In
addition to the new course Blackheath has decided to abandon its old
clubhouse and to base its home cross country fixtures at the sports ground
of the Met Police. The facilities provided were good but one couldn't help
but feel a bit of nostalgia for the old HQ and the irreplaceable patina it
had accrued over the decades (I am not referring to the plumbing) - I will
miss it.”
We had the luxury of two reports for the Blackheath race. Here’s skipper
Phil Killingley’s take on it:
“Blackheath and Bromley changed the race day to Sunday a number of years ago
to get more runners out, so a good turnout of Ranelites was blown over to
South East London by Storm Freya with a job to do. On the way over, some of
us passed happy Surrey League hunting grounds on Mitcham Common, Lloyd Park
(and on the way back Streatham Common). Could we defeat the might of
Blackheath, who are well well ahead in the all-time mob match tally vs
Ranelagh?
The venue was the Met Police club - Blackheath having sold their premises to
help upgrade their track, it seems. We were told to hand in our valuables
to avoid them being stolen, which seemed a bit ironic given we were on the
Peelers’ patch. A 1-mile jog to the course ensued, and already it looked
like Ranelagh had superior numbers – were the opposition all hiding behind
the ancient church waiting for the 5 minute call?
The answer was no - 15 Heathens to 39 Ranelites made it almost a foregone
conclusion on the start line. And when one of their top runners slipped and
crashed out on a corner in mile one, things got even worse for the hosts.
Rain and slippery mud was the order of the day. Eirin McDaid, in pink gloves
and black tights, skipped balletically through it all to land a rare
individual win. At the finish line he claimed it was the furthest he'd run
since 2008 (well, editorial license), so injured has he been in the
in-between years. Marc Leyshon and Graham Brook made it a complete podium
for the Blue and Amber.
The ladies also netted a complete podium for Ranelagh - well done Anna
Reichwald, Carol Aikin and Claire Warner, all within 2 minutes of each
other. (Is it unchivalrous of me to mention that there were no Blackheath
ladies running? OK, sorry!). In any case, all our runners performed bravely
in treacherous conditions, with log jumps, boggy bits and cambered
downhills. A superb blue wave of 13 runners in a row started with Eirin's
brother Sean (far more suitably dressed for cross-country) and ended with
Robert Andrews, who Ranelagh welcomes for his first match and sincerely
hopes he hasn't been put off for ever.
Mark Herbert moves onto the top page of all time mob appearances with 30.
Chris Camacho and Peter Haarer both turned out to stay level pegging at 53.
David Wright meanwhile and Mike Peace move onto 175 (top) and 144
appearances respectively. Check your stats
http://www.ranelagh-harriers.com/ranelaghstats/mob_att_.html. Thanks as
always to our brave, if somewhat blue round the edges, supporters.”
There are lots of photos on the Blackheath website here:
http://www.bandbhac.org.uk/ranelagh%203-03-19.html#photos. They give a
deceptive impression of the conditions, but you can judge how wet it really
was by the large quantity of missing numbers. The ‘heathens officials did
well to produce an accurate result.
1 Eirin McDaid RAN 47.14 SM
2 Marc Leyshon RAN 47.18 SM
3 Graham Brook RAN 47.43 SM
4 Ted Mockett RAN 48.02 M40+
5 Peter Haarer RAN 48.28 M50+
6 Luca Ercolani BBHAC 48.43 M45+
7 Phil Killingley RAN 48.54 SM
8 Jonathan Smith RAN 49.16 SM
9 Mark Herbert RAN 50.28 SM
10 Louis Randall RAN 50.54 SM
11 Dave Lawley RAN 51.19 SM
12 Paul Sharpe BBHAC 52.01 SM
13 Finlan Parkinson BBHAC 52.51 M40+
14 James Whistler RAN 53.17 SM
15 Steve Hough BBHAC 53.31 M45+
16 Richard Kimber RAN 55.13 SM
17 Roy Reeder RAN 55.38 M50+
18 Vaughan Ramsay RAN 55.44 M45+
19 Paul Kerekgyarto BBHAC 55.57 M40+
20 James Ritchie RAN 56.02 M45+
21 Steve Pairman BBHAC 56.18 M55+
22 Richard Willoughby RAN 56.26 M50+
23 Clayton Aves BBHAC 56.40 M50+
24 Sean McDaid RAN 57.00
25 Hadi Khatamizadeh RAN 57.05 M40+
26 Alex Ring RAN 57.22 M45+
27 Dave Wright RAN 58.13 M60+
28 Chris Owens RAN 59.05 M65+
29 Marcus Atkins RAN 59.15 M55+
30 Stewart Anderson RAN 59.26 M50+
31 Bruce McLaren RAN 60.50 M50+
32 Niall O'Connor RAN 61.19 M40+
33 Simon Hedger RAN 61.43 M55+
34 Phil Roberts RAN 62.11 M50+
35 David Powell RAN 62.33 M60+
36 Robert Andrews RAN 63.18
37 James Unwin BBHAC 63.58 M55+
38 Mark Ellison BBHAC 64.14 M55+
39 Stephen Aikin RAN 64.41 M50+
40 Robert Brown BBHAC 65.14 M65+
41 Mike Peace RAN 66.24 M65+
42 Jason Short BBHAC 66.39 M45+
43 Paul Wapshott RAN 67.26 M50+
44 Adrian Stocks BBHAC 68.11 M45+
45 Andy Bickerstaff RAN 69.09 M55+
46 Chris Read RAN 69.43 M55+
47 Michael Osborne RAN 71.40 M55+
48 Jim Phelan BBHAC 73.22 M70+
49 David Leal BBHAC 73.28 M60+
50 Anna Reichwald RAN 73.53 L55+
51 Carol Aikin RAN 75.31 L50+
52 Claire Warner RAN 75.59 SL
53 Chris Camacho RAN 83.35 M45+
Dan Kennedy BBHAC DNF SM
MATCH RESULT (Scoring 12 a side)
1 Ranelagh Harriers 90
2 Blackheath & Bromley H&AC 310
LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5km Friday 22nd February in Hyde Park
1 J Tipper (Kent) 15.42
152 Matthew Aikin 21.27
238 Carol Aikin 24.52
271 Alan Davidson 28.45
RUNTHROUGH LEE VALLEY VELO PARK 10km Saturday 23rd February
1 W Brahimi (unatt) 32.45
80 Roger Wallace 56.39
DASH FOR THE SPLASH 10km Sunday 24th February on Wimbledon Common
1 M Jones (TH&H) 36.32
62 Martin Harris 47.05
80 Steve Aikin 48.47
176 Carol Aikin 56.50
TOKYO MARATHON Sunday 3rd March
Nick Impey – now resident in Singapore – made the journey to Tokyo well
worthwhile by hacking some nine minutes off his personal best. In a
remarkably well-judged race he ran faster and faster as the race progressed,
recording negative splits and saving his fastest 5km for the section leading
up to 40k, despite headwinds. He was the first Brit to finish and the reward
for his efforts was a great sub-2.30 chip time. Nick writes: “Training
really paid off and I felt good the whole way. It did feel like an ideal
run, although it rained the entire morning and was so cold I could barely
open my gels! At times it reminded me of some of the Surrey League XC
conditions!”
Paul Doyle reports:
“The Tokyo Marathon is the most recent addition the Abbott Marathon Major
series and I went there in search of my Six Star finisher medal given those
in recognition of the Air Miles (and a few road miles) they have travelled
in running London, Berlin, Boston, New York, Chicago and Tokyo Marathons.
The journey started five years ago when I had a shot at running a decent
Boston Marathon, as often happens, blew up, but finished in a respectable
2:55. After that, injury has limited my training and I’ve run marathons more
for enjoyment than fast times. Tokyo is the most difficult of all marathon
majors to get into, it is also the most different, the Japanese culture is
fascinating, extreme politeness, organization and adherence to rules are a
feature of the culture, pre-race and race (although the expo is less well
developed). The course is flat, skirting around the hills of Tokyo. I would
rate it faster than London, not as fast as Berlin or Chicago. There is no
racing blue line, which makes Ranelagh’s Nick Impey’s run of 2:30 all the
more impressive. There are about three out and back sections within U turns
which would slow the faster runners by a few seconds, but for people like me
offer the opportunity to see the sharp end of the field. The roads are wide
with only very mild short hills. The drinks stations are well placed and
easy to use. They had the best drinks of all the majors, ‘Porcari Sweat’ was
amazing, they had special cups that were easy to drink from on the move. The
volunteers were enthusiastic, smiling and efficient. Support was good, but I
couldn’t understand their shouts. The start was surrounded by skyscrapers,
the finish was at the Imperial Palace, but perhaps less impressive than
London or Berlin. As luck would have it the weather was the most perfect I
have ever run a marathon in. It was about 7-8 degrees, with light rain all
the way, horrible for anything else than marathon running, but just right,
so as not to overheat or sweat. I ran the race with the 3:30 pacers, they
were incredibly reliable, with 10k to go I still felt good, so I kicked on,
finishing in 3:25:43. After the finish it is traditional to turn around and
bow at the finish, after that it was a cold long walk to the changing area.
Everyone was wonderfully helpful, perhaps the most memorable of all the
majors I have run.”
1 B Legese (Ethiopia) 2:04.46
156 Nick Impey 2:29.51
4292 Paul Doyle 3:27.36
THAMES RIVERSIDE 20 miles Sunday 3rd March at Fulham
This seems to have been a popular event for those with marathons on their
minds. Tom Fairbrother was an excellent 9th overall. Suzy Whatmough and
Laura Blazey were 12th and 16th women, both the day after competing in the
Surrey League race at Lloyd Park!
1 R Laing (Kent) 1:58.23
9 Tom Fairbrother (Rane) 2:07.26
12 E Davis (Ward Pk) 2:10.21 (1st woman)
70 Suzy Whatmough 2:29.23
81 Laura Blazey 2:34.34
133 Richard Gurd 2:45.06
143 Kathy Henry 2:46.59
220 Jarryd Hillhouse 3:03.20
247 Aoife Kilpatrick 3:11.07
250 Siobhan Sharp 3:12.49
255 Margie Harrison 3:14.30
MORNINGTON CHASERS REGENTS PARK 10km Sunday 3rd March
1 T Epton (Soton Uni) 35.22
293 Roger Wallace 57.16
RUNTHROUGH VICTORIA PARK 10km Saturday 9th March
1 J Elliott (Clapham) 35.01
329 Roger Wallace 56.18
VITALITY BIG HALF MARATHON Sunday 10th March in London
Simon Martin reports:
“I ran as a Runner’s World x New Balance 2:00 pacer. Miserable conditions
pre-race in the start pen - cold, wet and windy. Sunny spells and very gusty
during the race itself. I had a solid pacing group with many holding the
pace and finishing with me. Nice and easy HM trot for me with consistent 5k
splits.”
The high winds caused one or two ancillary events to be cancelled on safety
grounds. But conditions seemed fast for the runners with many a PB set. Our
first finisher was Ross Macdonald who found his excellent 1:12.45 clocking
only good for 92nd place.
1 Mo Farah (N&EB) 1:01.15
53 Charlotte Purdue (AFD) 1:10.38 (1st woman)
92 Ross Macdonald (Rane) 1:12.45
194 Tom Fairbrother 1:16.24
287 Kris Davidson 1:18.29
2516 Richard Gurd 1:40.29
3295 Jarryd Hillhouse 1:44.34
4935 Aoife Kilpatrick 1:52.23
5223 Hadi Khatamizade 1:53.46
6544 Simon Martin 1:59.21
6631 Claire Warner 1:59.44
SURREY HALF MARATHON Sunday 10th March at Woking
1 P Pollock (Kent) 1:06.23
28 Ian Kenton (Rane) 1:16.39
45 E Davis (Ward Pk) 1:20.08 (1st woman)
46 Ed Perry 1:20.11
75 James Winch 1:22.02
347 Alice Forbes 1:32.43
572 William Griffin 1:37.40
2963 John Herriott 2:15.05
SURREY 5km Sunday 10th March at Woking
1 R Rivero (G&G) 17.37
5 K Hopkins (Woking) 18.53 (1st woman)
28 Becky Curtis-Hall 22.50
50 Rob Curtis 24.17
RUNTHROUGH FINSBURY PARK 10km Sunday 10th March
1 D Caruso (unatt) 35.01
115 Roger Wallace 61.17
parkrun results...
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FINALLY...
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