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Newsdesk 2002
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 64 29 MAY 2002
Web site: http://www.surreyweb.net/rharriers
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DYSART DASH
There seems still to be some confusion over the date of our 10km race,
which was incorrectly shown on our fixture card as being on June 23rd. It
will in fact take place as usual on the last Sunday in June, the 30th,
starting at 10am. The course starts in Meadlands Drive, two or three
minutes jog from the clubhouse. Apart from those that Alan Hedger will
collar to help with marshalling etc, all club members are welcome and
indeed encouraged to take part. Entry forms can be downloaded from our web
site.
BRIAN CHARD
I'm sorry to relate that Brian suffered a heart attack earlier this week
while on holiday in Cyprus. I'm sure you'll all join with me in sending
him our best wishes for a speedy recovery.
GREEN BELT RELAY
As you must know by now, our Greyhounds team won the Green Belt itself and
our Bloodhounds won the Toilet Seat for finishing last. In between we had
three other teams and each team captain has contributed an account of the
race.
Pride of place of course to the Greyhounds. Non-running captain Julian
Smith reports:
"Inaccurate rumours of a strong SLH team persuaded us to put out our
strongest possible A team, cannibalising some of our other teams in the
process. Even my own last-minute injury actually strengthened the team, as
Peter Haarer agreed to fill the hole. But by the time Giles Marshall had
won leg 2 we were in the lead, and were never challenged, despite a lot
more route-finding problems than last time. Darryl McDonald did his best
to give the others a chance on leg 5 by getting lost so often he ended up
running with the leading woman. Hugh Jones also went a bit astray in
Hatfield, but less so than everyone else as he won by an amazing 10
minutes. Thereafter it was win win win for the rest of day one (apart from
Andy Bickerstaff, who was mercilessly outsprinted by an old man). On day
two the wins kept coming, although it was Peter Haarer's turn to go wrong,
as he went from first to last and back to first again. By the end we were
just 6 minutes slower than two years ago on a course 400m shorter overall,
and way ahead of the rest. A great weekend all told, and thanks to those
supporters, especially Alan and Alan, the minibus drivers. It was always
reassuring for me, after cycling around a stage, to be able to find my way
straight back to the Even Minibus simply by following the trail of
wreckage".
Old Dog Steve Rowland:
"With no less than six vets running like young pups for the Greyhounds it
was no surprise that the remaining Old Dogs struggled a bit. Some strained
at the leash but others howled for their kennels.
It's likely in fact that we could have put out a vets team good enough to
win both the overall and the vets prizes. But of course hindsight is a
wonderful thing. The team got round mostly in good order and there were
some excellent performances on the way to finishing 12th overall,
especially from the Mikes, Peace and Bruce".
Robin Drummond reports for the Lassies:
"RECIPE FOR DISASTER
Take 10 girls, 20 maps, 211 miles of road and path and throw in another 40
old dogs, greyhounds, mongrels and bloodhounds to put them off the scent.
Then tell them to run hard and you might expect a strong letter from the
RSPCA. At the very least you would expect tears before bedtime.
Luckily, highly trained thoroughbreds from the Ranelagh kennels always get
their man! Or is that the mounties?
Anyway, the girls did good and despite seven out of ten of them being GBR
novices they got round and ran well. Most of them even enjoyed the
experience.
As for me, well I went off course but it was an honest mistake, guv,
anyone could have done it. Even a girl.
Till next year!"
Alastair Sinclair for the Mongrels:
"The Mongrels team changed more times than I care to remember during last
few days before the event. Changes and injuries in the Greyhounds and the
Old Dogs meant that several Mongrels got promotion. Eventually a Mongrel
was seconded to the Bloodhounds, since they were a couple short and were
better placed to win the Toilet Seat trophy (you know it's bad news when
your team is not even in contention for the Toilet Seat!!).
Nevertheless, we did start with 10 named runners on the team declaration:
however Julian, who had dropped out of the Greyhounds with injury, was
still not able to run. Three of the team were only able to run one day:
Kathy Mallett, Chris Spink, and Robert Wakeford. That left the remainder
to get out and enjoy the weekend of running.
Conditions at the start of Saturday were excellent for running. Later on
the sun came out and the temperature rose. By the end of Saturday we had
eight runners start and finish a stage each, missing out on stages 8 and
9. Ian Webster produced the best Mongrels' result for the day, with third
place on 13.5 mile stage 7, 10 mins behind stage winner Hugh Jones.
Sunday started again with excellent runnning weather: cool and overcast.
We missed out on stage 12, but stage 13 saw Chris Spink run his first
stage of the day. Ian Webster achieved fourth place in stage 14 (13.3
miles) and this time he narrowed the gap behind stage winner Jones to 8
mins. Again Ian was the Mongrels' best stage place of the day. We arrived
at the start of stage 15 to find the Mongrels short of a runner: Jonny
Rowan had pulled out. Before anyone could comment, Chris Spink had hauled
his tracksuit bottoms off and was gearing up for his second stage of the
day, undeterred by the fact that he knew he had already signed up for the
final stage. No Mongrels ran the following two stages, but Steve Barber
ran stage 19 to finish in fifth position, 11 seconds ahead of sixth-placed
Milos Dusek of the Greyhounds! By the last stage, Chris Spink's pace had
slowed a bit, but on completing it he had managed to rack up over 29
miles!!
I never heard any Mongrels say they got lost, and most seemed to enjoy
their running, despite being short of a full team. So well done to
everyone for turning out".
And finally (where else?) Bev Ali's Bloodhounds:
"Bloodhounds Rule!
As Frances put it, we mere mortals did it! And, we did it without coming
last in every leg - partly because we mere mortals were able to see the
maps and arrows, whereas they were just a blur to the front
runners........Our Pat started us off in her usual confident style from
Hampton Court, and finished for us, 'bringing up the rear' at the Hawker
Centre to the biggest cheer of all. I expect that, if there were any
records kept for the slowest leg times, Bev likely set them on both days
to secure us a 'bottom spot' on the toilet seat (to coin a phrase), and to
counteract the efforts of those who had trouble curbing their competitive
instincts. This was also probably the first time, for this race, that a
runner has stopped and insisted that another finish in front of them.
We definitely had a fantastic two days, thanks to the efforts of all team
members, drivers, supporters, and organisers, and at the end of the
weekend, the infamous toilet seat had pride of place at the clubhouse!"
Overall result:
1 Ranelagh Greyhounds 21.16.12
2 South London 22.54.03
12 Ranelagh Old Dogs 26.16.29
16 Ranelagh Mongrels 27.26.02
18 Ranelagh Lassies 28.13.50
24 Ranelagh Bloodhounds 32.30.38
Stage details (time in brackets is stage cut-off time; actual time is also
shown where known):
Stage 1 13.3m
2 Chris Owens (G) 79.31
3 Mike Peace (OD) 84.02
11 Alastair Sinclair (M) 94.18
20 Lucy Facer (L) 108.13
23 Pat Hewlett (B) (125.00)
Stage 2 9.1m
1 Giles Marshall (G) 60.01
8 Robert Wakeford (M) 71.07
11 John Hughes (OD) 71.25
20 Louise Piears (L) 79.21
21 Mike Rowland (B) 84.37
Stage 3 11.2m
2 Kevin Jacques (G) 66.01
8 Mike Bruce (OD) 76.18
14 Kathy Mallett (M) 80.37
20 Julie Naismith (B) 98.26
22 Eileen Church (L) 104.36
Stage 4 13m
2 Peter Haarer (G) 77.58
13 Jonny Rowan (M) 97.47
14 Alan Davidson (OD) 98.02
15 Bridget Cuthbert (L) 98.36
20 Frances Ratchford (B) (130.00)
Stage 5 13.8m
1 Darryl McDonald (G) 89.23
15 Clive Naish (OD) 101.37
16 Fabio Scarpello (M) 108.19
18 Annemi Van Zyl (L) 110.54
23 Bev Ali (B) 164.00 (136.00)
Stage 6 8.4m
3 Milos Dusek (G) 54.14
6 Steve Barber (M) 56.17
15 Martin Clark (OD) 64.02
18 Sophie Timms (L) 67.58
23 Emmanuelle Coustenoble (B) 80.51
Stage 7 13.5m
1 Hugh Jones (G) 72.58
3 Ian Webster (M) 83.00
12 Lizzie Clifford (L) 94.39
21 Tom Reay (OD) 128.11
22 Marina Quayle (B) 138.43 (132.00)
Stage 8 10.3m
1 Marcus Gohar (G) 57.31
9 Bill Harvey (OD) 71.17
17 Jo Shearsmith (L) 78.08
21 Jenny Steadman (B) 94.47
Stage 9 11.5m
1 Mick Lane (G) 68.37
15 Sue Healey (L) 94.11
17 Robin Drummond (B) 96.37
20 Brian Chard (OD) 100.19
Stage 10 8.1m
2 Andy Bickerstaff (G) 49.38
10 Dave Knight (M) 54.33
11 Steve Rowland (OD) 55.07
16 Sonia Rowland (L) 64.28
21 Julie Drummond (B) 68.36
Stage 11 10.9m
1 Darryl McDonald (G) 63.32
7 Alastair Sinclair (M) 76.52
16 Lizzie Clifford (L) 82.50
17 Martin Clark (OD) 83.47
22 Robin Drummond (B) 90.42
Stage 12 11m
1 Mick Lane (G) 65.10
11 Clive Naish (OD) 79.19
13 Eileen Church (L) 82.10
18 Julie Naismith (B) 97.33
Stage 13 9.2m
2 Giles Marshall (G) 60.32
6 Chris Spink (M) 67.18
9 Bill Harvey (OD) 69.21
16 Sonia Rowland (L) 77.53
22 Frances Ratchford (B) 97.55 (90.00)
Stage 14 13.3m
1 Hugh Jones (G) 82.24
4 Ian Webster (M) 90.28
16 John Hughes (OD) 101.35
18 Bridget Cuthbert (L) 108.33
22 Bev Ali (B) 168.00 (132.00)
Stage 15 10.5m
2 Chris Owens (G) 63.59
19 Chris Spink (M) 85.11
21 Lucy Facer (L) 95.44
22 Brian Chard (OD) 95.54
24 Marina Quayle (B) 99.23
Stage 16 8.9m
1 Andy Bickerstaff (G) 55.01
6 Mike Bruce (OD) 58.38
18 Sue Healey (L) 72.48
19 Mike Rowland (B) 77.36
Stage 17 10.4m
1 Peter Haarer (G) 63.13
2 Mike Peace (OD) 64.42
15 Fabio Scarpello (M) 75.10
19 Annemi Van Zyl (L) 79.55
23 Emmanuelle Coustenoble (B) 103.53 (95.00)
Stage 18 8.5m
1 Marcus Gohar (G) 50.33
9 Alan Davidson (OD) 56.14
20 Louise Piears (L) 67.48
22 Jenny Steadman (B) 82.37 (80.00)
Stage 19 6.9m
5 Steve Barber (M) 40.02
6 Milos Dusek (G) 41.13
8 Steve Rowland (OD) 42.30
Alan Craig (guest) ?
17 Jo Shearsmith (L) 49.44
18 Julie Drummond (B) 51.30
Stage 20 9.5m
3 Kevin Jacques (G) 54.43
15 Tom Reay (OD) 74.09
16 Sophie Timms (L) 75.21
20 Chris Spink (M) 80.03
23 Pat Hewlett (B) 96.47 (90.00)
Chris Read writes:
"Here are the Ranelagh results from the Keswick Half Marathon on 5th May
2002. The race itself was pleasant, with sunshine interspersed with sunny
spells. The Lake District scenery was as attractive as ever".
1 R Ward (Sheffield) 73.14
83 Chris Read 95.07
140 Bob Beatson 100.50
214 John Keep 107.04
290 John Hanscomb 115.16
342 David Rowntree 123.16
SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY
It's Tom Reay's turn to organise a Sunday morning run in new surroundings
followed by a pub lunch:
"I'm trying to organise a run in the Headley-Reigate area on June 23rd.
The run is 8 miles, scenic, undulating (no steep hills) but is a 'fixed
route'. Directions will be provided. Meeting will probably be at the Hand
in Hand pub on the Boxhill Road at 10.30ish. Send me an e-mail if
interested (mailto:reayta@aol.com) so I've got some idea of the numbers".
John Bristow writes:
"Family house in Wimbledon to let from 1st August, possibly sooner:
10 mins walk to BR & Underground, 4 mins to Thameslink.
3 double beds plus small 4th bedroom, 2 bathrooms, modern kitchen,
stripped pine floor, south facing garden.
Please contact John Bristow - mailto:john_bristow@talk21.com or 020 8288
2677".
CHRIS SPINK'S three stages in a day on the Green Belt Relay should stand
him in good stead for the Grand Union Canal Race which he attempts over
the bank holiday weekend. Chris writes: "It's Gas Street Bowl Birmingham
to Little Venice London, a total distance of 145 miles. I will be running
for Naomi House Children's Hospice, where my sister is a nurse. The cut
off time is 45 hours. I am confident of finishing within the time but
could still use some support in the way of sponsorship, logistics and
support runners. I will be supported largely by my family, who will have a
vehicle out on the route, they are Martin & Sheelagh Spink, and can be
contacted on 07774 406 639 (mobile) or 01984 641 207 (home). Please e-mail
me if you think you can offer any sponsorship:
mailto:chriss@fulham.hphc.co.uk.
COMMITTEE
Bev Ali writes:
"There is a Committee meeting on 5th June - 7:30 for 8pm start. One of the
major items on the agenda will be preparation for the AGM in July and
nominations for new committee members - all members of Ranelagh are
encouraged to put their names forward for ANY of the positions (especially
if you have any reservations about the way the committee has functioned in
the past or ideas on how it should function) - a real election could be
entertaining!"
NEXT...
More details of the following from Andy Bickerstaff (07966 552302 /
mailto:norris.hobs@ndirect.co.uk) or Sarah Seal (020 8995 2380 /
mailto:sarahs@walker.co.uk).
Sunday June 9th Dorking 10 miles road race. Ranelagh Grand Prix race 4.
10.45am start.
Sunday June 23rd Sunday in the Country. See above.
Sunday June 30th Dysart Dash 10km from our clubhouse. Ranelagh Grand
Prix race 5. 10am start. Entry form available on our web site at
www.surreyweb.net/rharriers.
Saturday July 6th Brickmakers Arms Marathon Relay at Windlesham.
Always a popular low-key event - teams of 10 each running 2.6 miles.
Wednesday July 17th Coad Cup 5 miles handicap in Richmond Park. 6.45pm
start. All members welcome.
Sunday July 21st Elmbridge 10km at Walton. Ranelagh Grand Prix race
6. 10.30am start. Entry form can be downloaded from
www.elmbridgeroadrunners.co.uk.
Friday July 26th Wedding Day 7km at Bushy Park, Teddington. Grand
Prix race 7. 7.30pm start. Entry form can be downloaded from
www.stragglers.org. Note this is a very popular race and will probably be
fully subscribed. You will probably NOT be able to enter on the day.
DAVID CHURCH
I'm sad to report that Dave Church died of cancer on May 23rd at the age
of 71. Dave was one of the many inspired by the inception of the London
Marathon to take up running and at his first effort in 1984 he recorded
4.36 as one of no less than 74 Ranelagh Harriers in the race. He
immediately threw himself into club activities and a year later hacked
nearly an hour off that time. He went on to win the handicap in the Callis
Cup 10 miles road race a few weeks later with a time of 73.04. He ran in
everything from mob matches to league races, in the latter almost
invariably finishing as last Ranelagh if not last overall. An injured
Marcus Gohar limping home behind Dave in one such event founded the BBC
(Beaten By Church) club.
Dave went on to complete most of the 'Londons' during the 80s, as well as
the New York and Berlin events, and eventually cracked the 3.30 barrier in
1989. He features in one of the classic club photographs (Gazette 149)
when Kevin Harrison was on hand to record Dave sprawling flat on his face
into a huge puddle on the Bank of England course.
Dave was club Treasurer from 1989 to 1992 and although he managed to
finish 2nd in the 1991 Coad Cup injuries were already beginning to
restrict his appearances. By the mid 90s he had given up running but went
on to compete with some success in the somewhat esoteric but apparently
very popular sport of indoor rowing.
FINALLY
Paul Doyle writes that he's running in the "City Race" this year:
"It's organised by a firm of City lawyers and they give the runners pages
of information and disclaimers covering every eventuality however
unlikely, eg 'The race will not be cancelled in the event of a public
transport strike or if it is raining"....
Steve Rowland
Telephone: 01926 318734
Fax: 0870 4006901
e-mail: srowland@calorgas.co.uk