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Newsdesk 2020
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 570 19th May 2020
Editor: Steve Rowland
mailto: sandsrowland@btinternet.com
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Ranelagh Friends and Family,
First off I hope you are all continuing to keep fit and well. Recent
announcements have changed the shape of the current situation for many of
us, with unlimited exercise now possible and the ability to meet with one
person from another household (but only outside and only you and them at one
time and keeping two metres apart). England Athletics have published new
guidance for runners and coaches on Friday, which you can read here:
The easing of restrictions has brought to mind when training may resume, and
I don’t think that will be just yet. Because of the situation, the committee
have taken a stance to not chase subscriptions, which were due as usual on
1st April. We want to be sensitive to those of you who may be in financial
distress and not add to your problems while mandating membership.
However, with the increase in virtual races, I would ask all members who are
choosing to represent Ranelagh in this way to, if they can, pay their subs
for 2020. We are dependent on your subscriptions to keep the club in good
financial shape and fit for the future.
The subscription rates are as follows:.
Seniors £50
Under 20 or Student £20
Family Membership £90
Retired and Over 60 £25
Second Claim £20
Non-Running Member £10
Payment may be made by Standing Order or Bank Transfer to:
HSBC
Sort code: 40-23-29
Account number: 81109847
Reference: your initial and name and SUBS – e.g. J SMITH SUBS
On the subject of virtual races, it’s great to see all of the posts from the
virtual Green Belt Relay this weekend. It’s one of my favourite weekends of
the year and your posts have bought smiles to many faces. There are a
selection on various social media channels, e.g. facebook and instagram:
https://www.facebook.com/ranelaghharriers
https://www.instagram.com/ranelaghharriers/
Finally, the club is making arrangements for the AGM and planned races in
July. We will communicate these soon, but a lot will depend on the next few
weeks and what happens with Covid-19 infection rates and whether lockdown is
eased further before then.
On the subject of the AGM, I have decided to not seek re-election this year
and I am delighted to say, Ted Mockett is standing for President, with my
and the Hon Secretary’s support. I do hope you will support him at the AGM
and beyond. I have enjoyed my seven or so years on the committee, but now
wish to pursue some other projects, outside of Ranelagh.
Cheers,
Becky Curtis-Hall
KEEP IN TOUCH
1. Join the Strava group:
2. Log your run and give it a catchy title.
3. Give our segments a shot!
4. Check back here every week for highlights
5. Note that Activity and Profile Privacy settings will need to be set to
Everyone if you want the rundown team to be able to see your individual runs
Follow us elsewhere on social:
Twitter: @ranelaghharrier
FB
Insta: @ranelaghharriers
Ranelagh Harriers Virtual Green Belt Relay 16-17th May 2020
The Race
Since the Green Belt Relay was cancelled this year, we decided to put on our
own inter-club virtual version of the event. Each runner completed their
stage distances solo, and with 9 full teams we covered around 2,000 miles
between us!
We were absolutely delighted to have so many people taking part. We had 100+
runners from the club, an age range of about 60 years and people taking part
from further afield (Laura Blazey in France, Peter and Karen Weir in the
Peak District, and John Pratt and Neil Walford in Brighton).
Saturday kicked off early with the first run starting at 5:38am, courtesy of
Sergio Stillacci. Andy Starr was already enjoying his post run beer before
9am. Though to be fair, the Rockstars had to spend a bit of time getting
their hair and make-up ready, and the Royals had to polish their crowns. As
Sergio discovered, it’s a bit trickier to dress up as a Rascal! There were
some fantastic pre and post races photos from everyone – you can see them
here:
By the end of day 1, Rascals had already taken the lead, followed by
Rockstars. Saturday finished off with a superb virtual quiz by Ted and Ellen
Mockett, including five Green Belt themed rounds and real drinks enjoyed
together (virtually). Well done to Michael Morris and co. (aka The Royals)
who were the quiz winners.
Despite having raced Saturday, many of our runners managed to smash out some
even stronger performances on the Sunday. It’s not easy doing this on tired
legs and solo. Simon Martin even managed to get a half marathon PB (1:28:35)
– well done Simon!
Sunday also saw Natalie Haarer and Peter Haarer go head to head in stage 17,
with the younger Haarer narrowly taking the win with just 7 seconds to
spare. Camilla Mignot had an eventful run, helping another park user who had
fallen, then waiting with them for an ambulance. She still finished her run
afterwards and earned herself the stage win for her good citizenship,
generously suggested by Michelle Beaumont who had recorded a faster time
earlier. This reflects what this weekend was about – coming together despite
the restrictions, running hard, but primarily supporting each other. It was
great to see so many of us getting to know other people in the club, making
new friends and cheering each other on, albeit virtually. It showed our
great club at its very best.
Unlike the usual Green Belt Relay, most of us managed to navigate our routes
without getting lost (ahem, Kev Kearey)! Whilst not getting lost as such,
Ross MacDonald did manage to finish his stage 5km from home on Sunday
evening. Unfortunately no virtual minibus was on hand to escort him back
home.
There wasn’t the usual grand finale GBR finish line for our stage 22
runners, but we hope some of you crossed your own finish lines in style, and
that all of you enjoyed some well earned drinks and cakes afterwards.
Luckily for Phil Roberts someone had left a walking stick in his garden on
the Saturday morning, which I’m sure became increasingly tempting towards
the end of the weekend!
The Rascals maintained their lead on day 2, finishing in 24:55:31.
What a fantastic weekend! We hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did!
The Results
VGBR Overall Winners: Ranelagh Rascals
(Clare Fowler, Jackson Creegan, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Sam Dalgleish, Sergio
Stillacci, Camilla Mignot, Dave Lawley, Sam Davidson, James Russell, Eirin
McDaid and Susan Ritchie)
VGBR Runners Up: Ranelagh Rockstars
(James Ritchie, James Riley, Kathy Henry, Cordy Parker, Paul Doyle, Nick
Twomey, Carol Aikin, Rick Jenner, Marcus Atkins, Mike White and Alison
Targett)
VGBR Toilet Seat: Ranelagh Cake Walking Radicals
(Lloyd Camp, Gavin Hillhouse, Steve Aikin, Sue Camp, Perry Rendell,
Marie-Ann Duncan, Amrut Sharma, Carmen Rendell, Robert Hillhouse, Alberto
Esgueivillas and Fiona Jones)
Queens of the Mountains: Fanny Vein, Laura Blazey and Karen Weir
Kings of the Mountains: Simon Hedger and Peter Weir
Best pre-race photo:
Best post-race photo:
1 Ranelagh Rascals 24:55.31
2 Ranelagh Rockstars 25:37.35
3 Ranelagh Raptors 26:18.18
4 Ranelagh Royals 26:25.42
5 Ranelagh Rebels 26:26.25
6 Ranelagh Rockets 26:45.35
7 Ranelagh Rapids 26:57.09
8 Ranelagh Raiders 27:50.27
9 Ranelagh Radicals 34:37.18
Stage Winners
Stage
Female Winner
Male Winner
1
Michelle Beaumont
Marc Leyshon
2
Fanny Vein
Nick Impey
3
Cordy Parker
Pat Wright
4
Colette Doran
Sam Dalgleish
5
Ross MacDonald
6
Camilla Mignot
Gareth Williams
7
Becky Northmore
Rick Jenner
8
Sarah Palmer
Ted Mockett
9
Rebecca Bissell
Ross Clayton
10
Marie Synott-Wells
Eirin McDaid
11
Izzy Atkins
Jonny Smith
12
Ann Kearey
Pat Wright
13
Camilla Mignot
Kev Kearey
14
Karen Weir
James Russell
15
Fanny Vein
David Ready
16
Nick Impey
17
Natalie Haarer
Rick Jenner
18
Laura Blazey
Sam Dalgleish
19
Clare Fowler
Ed Perry
20
Emma Harris Lloyd
Peter Weir
21
Wiebke Kortum
Rich Kimber
22
Cordy Parker
Kris Davidson
Full results here:
Thanks to…
• All Team Captains for coordinating your team and their stages, and getting
everyone’s results and photos in so efficiently. Thanks to Ann Kearey, David
Ready, Lloyd Camp, James Ritchie, HRH Simon Martin, Vaughan Ramsay, Clare
Fowler, James Whistler and Suzy Whatmough! Thanks also to James Ritchie for
helping to create the scores sheet.
• Ed Forbes and Kathy Henry for helping to collate the photos, and for
Kathy’s brilliant photo collages.
• Ted and Ellen Mockett for the excellent virtual Green Belt themed quiz on
Saturday night.
Finally, thanks to all the runners who took part – new friends met,
brilliant team spirit from all and some fantastic running. We had a blast!
Suzy Whatmough, Clare Fowler and James Whistler
FLYING THE RANELAGH FLAG IN OZ
David Criniti writes:
“I and fellow Ranelagh Sydney-Siders Tom Do Canto and Tom Middleton flew the
Ranelagh flag here last Sunday. We were all slated to represent the club at
London this year, and Tom Middleton, especially was in the form of his life,
so he decided to make the most of his training with a marathon of his own.
I paced him to half way in 72:35, before Tom Do Canto (a former sub 2:15
guy) took over and brought him home slightly faster, as he finished in
2:24:48.
Though it didn't quite have the vibe of finishing in front of Buckingham
Palace, it was still a great morning out, representing Ranelagh from afar!”
RUNNING IN THE FAR EAST
Nick Impey writes:
As some pretext, Steve has asked me to do a write up of my experience living
and running in Asia. Just over 18 months ago I moved with my job in media
to Singapore. If I had a list of places to choose to train for a marathon,
Singapore would be towards the bottom of that list. Being right under the
equator, tropical temperatures don't really dip under 30c, throw in
an average of 80% humidity levels and a casual jog feels like an
achievement!
I was wondering how my running was going to shape up and adapting to work
and lifestyle. I already had a place at Tokyo marathon so was determined to
run a fast time and not to let my progress slip after three steady XC and
road seasons with Ranelagh.
Weirdly, before leaving and at the end of the Dorking 10 miles in 2018, I
met a husband and wife couple from Cobham who turned out to be the country
directors for Parkrun Singapore and also run a club called Singapore
Shufflers. I soon discovered Singapore has a big community of enthusiastic
and driven runners many who have become friends as in Ranelagh.
All athletic tracks are free for public use and open all the time so track
running is manageable after work and early mornings. Track sessions are so
important for marathon pace and I was getting faster. Long runs and tempo
are tricky, there are lots of free water stations along routes around the
island which helps staying cool but you don't stay hydrated for very long.
Training
The closest thing to a XC course is McRitchie Reservoir, very popular for
many runners. It is a 10k muddy undulating rainforest loop of a lake filled
with fish, snakes, monkeys, monitor lizards, wild boar and one photo I've
seen from a friend is of an alligator. On my first run around this loop I
missed landing on a snake’s head by an inch. This Strava segment crown was
mine until Covid19 inspired a fully rested pal to steal my crown, whilst I
am back in the UK.
Racing
My favourite distance is marathon so after arriving I put my name down for
the Singapore Standard Chartered half-marathon. Races generally start at
unsociable hours, this one at 4.30am. I won the race in 74 minutes, probably
setting a record for the slowest winning time for a national half marathon!
However, I was more pleased I could operate well in the heat and made a
mental note to self, run more in the mornings! Racing for a PB in Singapore
makes no sense so most runners head to Australia or Japan for cooler climes.
My two marathon PB's have been in Japan at Tokyo (2h 29mins) and in Fukuoka
(2h 28mins) last year. If anyone is interested I really recommend
reading:
One thing for sure is after running in Singapore and then racing in cooler
weather, you feel like you fly! I like to think of running in Singapore as
'poor man's altitude training'.
Runcations
I always run on holiday and secretly see it as a chance for extra training.
I ran in Phnom Penh which was absolutely crazy, accidentally training with
the Cambodian national team at their national stadium one early morning
before sunrise and doing a 20 mile run through the streets dodging tuk-tuks,
dogs, motorbikes and potholes along the Khmer river on Saturday evening. You
have to keep marathon training interesting!
Another fun run was in Bali, running 20 miles in 35c around ancient temples,
waterfalls and occasionally being chased by wild dogs. I ran in Borneo
around mountains and through rainforests. The scenery at these places is
stunning and makes an excellent excuse to keep running and avoid the boredom
of marathon work. A very recent run was in Okinawa, a beautiful Japanese
Island when one afternoon after lunch my girlfriend dropped me off on one
side of the island and I ran 20 miles through mountainous roads (despite
getting very lost - Japanese road signs are not my forte!) I managed to meet
her on the other side. A sudden downpour meant it had rained hard the entire
way and I had no money or phone so she was relieved to see me emerge in the
dark and cold, strip naked in a carpark and act like everything was normal.
Asia offers a lot of opportunities for adventurous runners. Singapore is a
good place to work, socialise and run if you don't mind the heat and spicy
food. There are not many better things than a curry and cold beer after a
good run!
ALL GREEK TO US
This comes from “Track Stats”:
Andy Milroy quotes two stories from Ancient Greece; a runner named Charmus
finished 7th in a race in which there were only six starters, being
overtaken by a friend who joined in the encourage him, and it was said of
Charmus that “if he had five more friends he would have finished 12th.”
Another runner named Marcus was so slow that the groundsman locked him in
the stadium for the night, having mistaken him for a statue.
JOHN BRYANT
John Bryant, our old friend from Thames Hare & Hounds, died on April 29th at
the age of 76.
He was born on 25th April 1944 at Haselbury Plucknett in Somerset. A
distinguished newspaper editor and author of several outstanding athletics
books, he died peacefully at his Surrey home on April 29 after a long
illness aged 76. A member of Achilles (Oxford Blue) and President of Thames
Hare and Hounds, he clocked 9:18.2 for the steeplechase in 1966, 14:18.6 for
5000m in 1972 and a 2:21:59 marathon in 1973. He participated in 29 London
Marathons and coached Zola Budd during her time in England. He began his
Fleet Street journalistic career in 1971 and was editor-in-chief of the
Daily Telegraph, deputy editor of The Times, editor of the Sunday
Correspondent and The European, and consultant editor of the Daily Mail. He
worked closely with Chris Brasher, John Disley and Dave Bedford during the
early years of the London Marathon and wrote 3:59.4: The Quest To Break The
4 Minute Mile (2004), The London Marathon: The Greatest Race on Earth
(2005), The Marathon Makers (1908 Olympic Marathon; 2008), and Chris
Brasher: The Authorised Biography (2012). He was a good friend to Ranelagh,
ensuring with his songs and stories that our Ranelagh v Thames mob match
suppers would be highly entertaining. He was also one of the guest speakers
at our 125th anniversary dinner.
SPORTING FEET
Our friends at sporting-feet.com continue to support
runners in these challenging times. Please support this local business and
friend of the club when you're thinking about any running / footwear
purchases. Their Richmond and Putney shops are physically closed but you can
order online or over the phone. You can pick up in store or they will
deliver within two days free of charge. If you quote the code WEB10 and you
will get 10% off whatever you purchase.
THAMES SIDE BREWERY
Andy Hayward writes from his Brewery and Tap Room on the Thames close to
Staines Bridge:
We’re open for off-sales 4-7 pm Thursday-Saturday, please try to pre-order
if you require bag-in-box beer, see website for details:.
CABBAGE PATCH 10 miles Sunday 18th October at Twickenham.
1500 runners have put their names on the waiting list though it’s looking
increasingly unlikely that the event will take place. Check the website for
further announcements. https://www.cabbagepatch10.com/
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