Contents

Coming Events September, October and November. 2

Attendance Scheme - Updated.. 3

Black Sheep Series. 6

Christmas Do - Friday 12th December. 6

Road Race Results. 6

Fell Race Results. 8

Idle Tide: World Marathon record smashed: 2.01.55. 8

The Idle Web.. 8

New Members. 10

London Marathon 2004 - Reminder. 10

Coming Races:. 10

West Yorkshire Winter League. 11

Wednesday Night Group.. 12

Idle AC Development Meeting.. 13

The Vets Bill 13

From The Chairman!! 15

Something different…... 15

From the Coach…... 16

 

Coming Events September, October and November

Events in bold indicate a ‘club’ event which members are encouraged to run.

Date

Event

Sun 7th Sept 03

Kirkstall Abbey 10k, 10am. Free t –shirt.

Sun 7th Sept 03

Great Langdale marathon 10.45 am & half 11am. 

Sun 14th Sept 03

Robin Hood Marathon & Half. There will be a few Idle vests at this popular event (flat course)

Sun 14th Sept 03

Yorkshireman Off road marathon & Half. 10am, Oxenhope. Recommended event.

Sat 20th Sept 03

Idle Tide: ALL members required to run/assist.

Sun 21st Sept 03

Ilkley Tri. Swim 500m, Cycle 9 miles, run, 3 miles. 12 noon.

Sun 5th Oct 03

Horsforth 10k. 10am. Good to see a full club turn out for this race (points race).

Sun 12th Oct 03

 

 

 

Sun 12th Oct 03

Harewood House 10 mile Trail race. 10.30am. Scenic off road event with free bottle of beer to all finishers.

 

Bridlington Half marathon 12 noon, Yorks Vets Champs.  Seafront start, fairly flat.

Sun 12th Oct

Bronte Way. 9 mile point to point race. 11am. Details see www.keighleyandcraven.co.uk

Sun 12th Oct 03

Temple Newsam 5 mile road race 11.05 am and 5k fun run 10am.

Sun 19th Oct 03

Richmond Castle 10k.  11am. Scenic and challenging course.

Sun 26th Oct 03

Homfirth 15, 10.30 am, hilly 15 mile road race.

Sun 2nd Nov 03

Guy Fawkes 10. 10.30. Hilly, part off road course. Points race. Give all entry forms to Martin to enter. T-Shirt.

Sun 16th Nov 03

Roundhay Park 5k/5miler. Please do not enter until the Cross country dates are finalised. 

Sun 23rd Nov 03

1st WYWL Cross country at Stainland. 10.30 am. All club  to run if possible.

Sun 30th Nov 03

Leeds Abbey Dash 10k. 9.30. Final points race for 2003. Get your entries in ASAP.

Attendance Scheme - Updated

Top Fifteen Club Races for 2003: Handicap/ Attendance Scheme -6 out of 15 possible races to count. Please don’t forget to sign in the book each time you attend a club session (but only pay once per week) as each attendance at a club training session is worth 1 point and to be eligible for a trophy members must accumulate at least 30 attendance points during the year.  Each attendance at a “Club” designated race earns you 5 points (see below).  50% of the required points must be achieved by attendance at training sessions. 

Name

July

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July

July

 

1

3

8

10

15

17

24

29

 

Races

Totals

Adrian Trevelyan

 

1

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

Amnuay Scott

1

1

 

1

 

 

1

 

 

 

4

Chris Smith

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

 

 

8

Chris Stubbs

1

 

1

 

1

 

 

1

 

 

4

Dave Currie

1

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

David Lewis

1

1

 

1

1

1

 

1

 

 

6

Davina Smith

1

 

1

 

1

1

1

1

 

 

6

Donna Edmonson

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Glen Pinkney

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Ian Fisher

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

1

 

 

3

Joanne Belcher

1

 

1

1

 

1

1

 

 

 

5

Kay Gambles

1

1

1

1

1

1

 

1

 

 

7

Martin Burnside

1

1

1

1

 

1

 

 

 

 

5

Matthew Coles

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

2

Michael Masleczko

1

1

 

 

 

1

1

1

 

 

5

Peter Vickers

 

 

 

1

 

1

1

 

 

 

3

Richard Raistrick

 

 

1

 

1

1

 

1

 

 

4

Simon Bellwood

 

1

1

1

 

 

1

 

 

 

4

Steve Little

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

2

Sue Elliott

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

Sue Little

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Tony Blythe

 

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

2

Trevor Hooley

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 1

Vicki Hawker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

1

Total 

15

10

10

10

9

9

9

11

0

0

83

Well done to July’s Attendance winner who is Chris Smith.  Chris is also August’s winner.

The Club races, where points can be earned, are as follows:

Date

Race Details

Comments.

February - Sun 16th

Liversedge Half Marathon, 12.00 noon.

8 members ran. 3 club records broken: Male, Female & M40. 5 pb’s.

March - Sat 22nd

Coniston 14, 11am.

Sue Elliott flew the Idle AC flag.

April  - Sun 6th

Wakefield 10k, 10am.

Chris Smith, Martin and Jo Belcher ran. Jo set a new pb in a time of 46.01.

April* - Sun 6th

Baildon Boundary Way Half, 10.30am.

6 runners at the Baildon BW: Joe Marjoram 1.41, Dave Lewis 1.42, Adrian 1.43, Donna 1.45, Edward 1.46 and Simon 1.50.

April* - Sat 12th

Meanwood Valley Trail 8, 10.30am.

Two club records were set at this 8 mile race: Simon set an M40 record in a time of 60.38 and Richard set a Male record in 61.03.

April* - Sun 20th

Guiseley Gallop 10k, 10.30am.

6 runners in this local event: Richard 46.25, Dave Lewis 46.30, Donna 48.03, Tony 48.46, Edward 49.17 and Pete Helliwell 51.00.

April- Tues 1st

Bunny Run1, 3mile ‘Fell’ race, 7.00 pm.

9 runners at the first Bunny run: Kay, Jo, Amnuay, Chris, Tony, Donna, John, Richard & Simon.

May - Sun 11

Leeds Half or Full Marathon, 10am.

6 runners in the Half, many of whom obtained pb times, including Pete V who took 8 minutes off his previous best.

May - Wed 14th

John Carr 5k, Esholt, first race.

16 runners at this first of the John Carr 5k series with Dave Lewis, Donna Edmondson & Kay Gambles all breaking club records.

June - Sun 22nd

Blackpool Half or Full Marathon, 9am.

16 runners at this race and despite the hot weather pb’s were broken and Kay Gambles set a new F45 club record.

Aug -Sat 9th

Arncliffe Gala 4 mile Road and/or Fell race.

8 Idle AC members in the road race and three in the Fell race, including Jo Belcher was 2nd female.

Aug - Sat 23rd

Burnsall Classic 10 mile road race.

3 runners in the 10 mile race: Chris Stubbs 1.05 (23rd), Chris Smith 1.12 (43rd )   and Dave Lewis 1.13, (47th). Ian Fisher running for Otley won the race (54.11). Idle AC were 6th team. Tony Blythe ran in the fell race.

Oct – Sun 5th.

 

Horsforth 10k, 10am.

Next points race. Please get your entries in. Last year we had 15 runners – this year we’d like even more!

Nov- Sun 2nd

Guy Fawkes 10mile, 10.30am.

Give your entry forms to Martin ASAP.

Nov- Sun 30th.

Abbey Dash 10k, 9.30am.

Get your entries in ASAP. Final points race for 2003.

Next chance to get points is by running at the Horsforth 10k.

Black Sheep Series.

We had a good club turn out for all the Black Sheep Series and although the final race times and series positions have still be to confirmed we are confident that at least Amnuay Scott will have won a series prize (3rd F35 in the series). If anyone is interested in going to the presentation at the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, which will be on Sunday 5th October at 4pm please let us know.  Due to the prices of mini buses we will travel in cars.

Christmas Do - Friday 12th December.

Remember to keep the evening of Friday 12th December free as we have again booked the Symposium (Idle) for the club’s second Christmas celebration. This year we have booked the whole restaurant so we can spread out.  The price will be £15.95 per person for this three course meal which includes ½ bottle of wine each. As with last year this promises to be an excellent night out.  We have a supply of menus available for those who want to attend and a list for names will be placed at the club so please write your names down quickly as it’s limited to the first 38 names. A £5 deposit will be required by early October.  As with last year we plan to provide a little gentle entertainment.

 

If, like Tony, you can’t wait that long for a beer, come to the Symposium on Tuesday nights after training!

Road Race Results

It’s been another busy month as members continue to race at various events. This is important for the club for a number of reasons: generally running improves by racing, we get the opportunuity to support each other at races and we get noticed as a club.  The most recent results are as follows:

 

Tholthorpe 10k (Near York) on 31.8.03:

Michael Masleczko – 47.18 (pb), Amnuay Scott – 50.10 (pb), Martin Burnside – 53.03.

Great Langdale Half Marathon, Cumbria on 7.9.03:

 

This was an extrememly scenic and seriously hilly course, which saw an Idle AC vest finish in second place.  Ian Fisher ran his first open race in his Idle vest which certainly provided good publicity for the club.  Ian seemed a little disappointed with his run but the rest of us were delighted that we had an Idle AC runner in second place – a real achievement for a club that only in its second year of existence!

 

Ian Fisher 1.13.51, Chris Smith – 1.35.43, Edward East – 1.41.21, Kay Gambles – 2.06.01.  

 

Hyde Park 5K, Leeds, on 3rd Sept: Doug Briggs – 19.17.

 

Kikstall 10k, Leeds, on 7.9.03:

 

Trevor 47.01, Michael 47.153, Jo 49.30, Amnuay 50.52, Peter H approx 55.37.

 

Robin Hood Marathon & Half, Nottingham on 14.9.03: Full: Peter Vickers 3.38.29, Jo Belcher 4.01.55, Simon Bellwood 4.08.11. This was Simon’s debut marathon and in addition he broke the M40 marathon record.

Half: Trevor Hooley 1.45.48 (pb), Adrian Trevelyan 1.49.33 and Martin Burnside 2.03.16.

 

Cardiff 10k on 14.9.03: Vicki Hawker 47.22 (pb). 522nd out of 1615 runners.

 

Mileta 10m, Clecheakton on 21.9.03: Vicki Hawker 1.36.44. This was the day after the Idle Tide marathon.

 

Fell Race Results                                                         

There are not as many fell races to report on this month following the completion of Chris’s fell race ‘course’ which saw many members entering fell race events over the summer months.

Grasmere Sports Fell Race (Cumbria) on 24.8.03 – 1.5 miles, 900’ AS: Richard Raistrick -20.45

Cock Howe and Beyond (North Yorks) on 2.9.03 - 7 miles, 1500’ B M: Chris Smith-59.23

Mount Skip Fell Race 6.9.03 – 4.5 miles, 1000’ BS: Tony Blythe – 41.48

Note: A list of local fell races for the remainder of 2003 is available at the club or on the website.

Idle Tide: World Marathon record smashed: 2.01.55.

Idle AC were the main attraction at Idle Tide on Saturday 20th September. As a club we smashed the world marathon record of 2.05.42 by running in relay over a short distance of approx 21 metres on the Tide site (Thorpe School grounds) until the marathon distance was completed in the record time of 2.01.55.  This involved running 2008 reps! Hopefully in addition to gaining a lot of publicity and support for the club we will have raised some funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Congratulations to all the runners and many thanks to all who helped and supported the event.

The Idle Web

This month saw the hit counter fly past another great milestone (10,000 hits).  At the time of writing it has just gone past the 10,700 mark. It is still showing a very healthy growth rate.  August was a lean month but understandable as most people are holidaying, so it’s nice that it’s picked up again.  It’s been very pleasing to still find IDLE AC coming out top in a lot of the search engines.  A lot of people are searching for race results & find them selves on our site as we tend to be first at publishing race results. (Even if we do post unofficial times prior to getting the ratified times).

 

The busiest days this month by a long way was the 22nd – No surprises for guessing why – No not the Great North Run on the 21st, but the Idle Tide that took place on the 20th.  This accounted for 10% of the month’s traffic & 18Mb of data was transferred to PC’s from the web.  In total we had 2Gb (Gigabytes) of data transfer for the month from over 1200 unique links (This means 1200 different PC connections).  Top pages for the month are a bit surprising, first place goes to our results service.  Followed closely by the archived results from the Great Noth Run & Wolverhampton Marathon & then the announcements page.  The Gt Langdale Road race also generated a lot of interest. Top search strings are as follows: Great North Run Results, Wolverhampton Marathon Results, Manchester Marathon, Donna Edmondson (Yet again), followed closely by Robin Hood & Brass Monkey half marathon searches.

There has been minor interest from foreign countries, only odd hits, but some strange countries nevertheless:  USA, Canada, Argentina, Sweden, Romania, Belgium, Mexico, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark & France.

 

Current work at the moment is keeping the site ticking over with the results & events lists together with updating the Winter League pages in readiness for the coming season.  I’m working on a clever spreadsheet so that we can get results out quickly post race by using a laptop computer that I have access to. 
I’ve put the photo album on hold at the moment as the method I’ve started to develop is very high maintenance & I don’t want to spend all my time sorting out photos on the website.  I’m looking at some automated web albums, but for the time being I think it’s good enough to have the photos on the relevant pages – ie: on the results pages etc.
The XML stylesheets & datasets I mentioned a few months ago should emerge as pages for the WYWL results.  Hopefully you won’t notice too many differences.


That's all for this month - Keep Browsing - Martin.

 

New Members

This month we welcome 4 new members: Jane Lewis, Doug Briggs, Ros Stinton and Michael Compton.  Our 50th member is Jane who has been a regular attender with the Wednesday night group.  Member 51 Douglas found us via the website, lives locally, has previous running experience and now wants to improve. Douglas is also interested in cross country! Ros is member 52 who said that she joined due to constant pressure since the formation of Idle AC – whatever does she mean!! Ros’s partner Michael is, like Ros an old friend of Idle AC who has watched us since formation and having regularly attended the Wednesday group has now joined us. 

 

London Marathon 2004 - Reminder.

The 2004 London Marathon will be held on Sunday 18th April. The closing date for entries is 24th October 2003 so if you are wanting to take part then please get your entries sent in. Successful and unsuccessful applicants will receive a reply in early December 03.  Anyone who is unsuccessful in their entry will be eligible for the draw for the club entry which normally takes place at the Christmas Do. In addition members gain an automatic place under the ‘good for your age’ system i.e. if you have run between 2.45 and 3.15 (men) or 3.15 and 3.45 (women) in 2002 or 2003.

 

Coming Races:

Horsforth 10k is the next club points race which members are invited to run on Sunday 5th October. Last year we had a large club turn out and this year we hope to have even more. In addition it would be a good event for the newer members to run. Please assemble prior to the race start for a team shot!

 

As a warm up to this race members might want to get in some cross country running prior to the start of the 2003/4 cross country season.  Skipton AC host their 25th annual cross country race from Aireville school at Skipton on Saturday 4th Oct. The men and women’s events both start at 3.05 pm with the men running 9700m around Aireville park and the women running a shorter 7100 distance. Entry forms available at the club; entry on the day is OK.

 

Advance warning: The final two club points races will be the Guy Fawkes 10 on 2nd Nov at 10.30 am from Ripley Castle. (Give all completed entry forms to Martin) and the Leeds Abbey Dash on 30th Nov at 9.30am. Get your entries in ASAP.

 

We now have entry forms for the Brass Monkey Half marathon on Sunday 25th Jan 04 at 10am. Although this seems along way off please get entries in immediately as the race is always oversubscribed and the 2003 event was full by Nov 02!). 

West Yorkshire Winter League

The League meeting took place on for Friday 26th September. At this meeting the dates and venues of the 5 West Yorkshire Winter League cross country events were arranged.  This is the main league that we encourage members of Idle AC to run. Last year, our first year in the League, was a huge success with 22-26 members at each race. Last year we were able to show that despite our small size we are capable of achieving a great deal. Indeed we finished 4th overall, which was a brilliant achievement for the whole club. In addition we had many individual trophy winners.

This will be Idle AC’s second year in the WYWL and its important that as a club we all try to commit to running in all 5 fixtures if at all possible as these are TEAM events.  As with last year, the Committee all feel that we can field a fairly strong team if the whole club runs. Please all take the opportunity to ask the Committee (and other members) any questions about the WYWL, particularly if you are new to cross country running. The League, whilst competitive, is friendly and encouraging to all levels.

 

To count for individual awards you must complete all five events, and your scores will be added together. At the end of each race each individual is given a tag which denotes their points scored in the race. This works as follows: The first male runner gets 200 points, second gets 199, third gets 198 and so on. The first female runner gets 100 points, second gets 99, third gets 98 and so on.  So in addition to the team positions, individual results are available after each event and individual and category winners are presented with individual trophies at the Presentation Evening held at the end of the season (Mid March 04).

 

Two very special trophies are also presented to individuals each year - these are for the most improved male and female runner who has completed all 5 events. The most improved male runner receives the Dave Turpin Memorial Trophy and the most improved female runner receives the Paul Dowson Memorial Trophy. Through these trophies we remember two well known league competitors who both died suddenly during the 1999 -2000 season.

 

There are 8 clubs that form the WYWL: Idle A.C, Pudsey Pacers, Skipton A.C., Leeds & Bradford Tri, Dewsbury Road Runners, Baildon Runners, Stainland Lions and St.Bede’s.  The fixtures for 2003/4 are confirmed as follows:

 

1              23rd Nov 03 hosted by Stainland Lions. 10.30 am

2              7th Dec 03 hosted by Idle  AC- Festive event with optional fancy dress and silly hat competition. 11 am.

3              11th Jan 03 hosted by St.Bede’s, 11 am.            

4                     8th Feb 03 hosted by Pudsey Pacers, 11am.    

5                     22nd Feb 03 hosted by Skipton AC, 11am.

 

They are all around 4-5 miles of mixed terrain. Further details will be circulated prior to each event. ALL club members are strongly encouraged to run the events in the WYWL. Please note that club kit (vests and black shorts/bottoms) should be worn. In this team competition officials and other athletes must be able to identify us easily.

Wednesday Night Group

This additional informal training night on a Wednesday, which started back in May, has been a huge success and has been regularly attended by members/prospective members who are new to running or coming back after illness/injury. The runs have been at an easy pace, over shorter distances in a relaxed atmosphere and we’ve regularly seen 14-16 people for each session.  The intention with this group was to have this as an informal night which is free and that it would be run through the summer months only.  All those who wanted to join in with the main club would then be encouraged to do so. The group has, I hope, had a great summer of running and gained a general introduction to the sport. I’d certainly encourage them all to look at joining Idle AC on regular Tuesday and Thursday training nights.  I too have really enjoyed my involvement in the group especially as it has enabled me to continue running throughout my pregnancy.  The group will continue as at present as other club members are prepared to continue to take a lead on it but ideally Wednesday night members are all at the point where they would be welcomed into the club with the benefits that we have: A club house, coached sessions, drinks, club kit and of course reduced race entry fees. Thanks to all who have been involved. – Davina.

Idle AC Development Meeting

THURSDAY 23RD OCTOBER, 7.15, IDLE BAPTIST CHURCH (opposite Co-Op)

 

The Club has a three year development plan, which has seen us through our first 18 months.  However we now need, as a club, to look to the future to ensure that we develop in line with the requirements of the majority of our members.  We have a copy of a Pro-forma of a suggested Development Plan format from NoEAA, which we hope to be able to adapt to suit our club’s profile. It has been suggested that we consider this format and possibly use a mixture of the current format and the NoEAA suggested format to create a plan, which would suit the current and future needs of Idle AC.  We then hope to be in a position to have an outline ‘guide’ of the plan, which will include, short, medium and long-term items for inclusion. This will then be used a as ‘steer’/base document to put to the whole club at a Development Plan meeting which has been arranged for Thursday 23rd October 2003 at 7.15 pm at Idle Baptist church Hall (same venue as AGM – opposite the Co-op.  This meeting will replace the regular training night. Please all try to attend. 

The Vets Bill

The hot sunny summer months must have provided a tough challenge for our Vets, as there are not too many races to report.

July 23rd was the Widdop Fell Race, a B class medium event 7 miles/ 1200 feet of ascent. Here Dave Lewis led the charge for Idle AC in a time of 1:17:26, followed by Amnuay Scott in 1:18:23 and Kay Gambles in 1:36:00.

By contrast Friday 8th of August was the Bristol GWR towpath 10k race with about 12 feet of ascent.  Here I ran after a weeks carbo-loaded diet of Somerset ‘Knee Bender’ cider. With a time of 41:12 I can safely say I should have stuck to pasta but the cider was more fun.

The 9th of August saw the Arncliffe 4m road race with Trevor Hooley finishing 31st in 30:57, Kay Gambles 39th in 32:30 and Davina Smith et al 45th position in 39:01.

At the Burnsall 10m road race Dave Lewis championed the cause of the Idle Vets in 47th position with a time of 1:13:35.

On the 31st of August at the Tholthorpe 10k-road race Amnuay Scott recorded a PB lowering her time to 50:09 accompanied by Martin Burnside in 53:10.

6th September at the Mount Skip FR Tony Blythe finished in 41:48 and 33rd position.

Our sole Vets representative on 7th September at the Great Langdale ½ marathon was Kay Gambles in 2:06:01.

Also that same day at the Kirkstall Abbey 10k Trevor Hooley finished in 47:15 and Pete Helliwell in 55:32.

Finally the Robin Hood marathon on 14th September gave Simon Bellwood a PB of 4:08:11 recording 390th place.  In the Half Marathon Trevor Hooley struck his PB with 1:45:48 and Martin Burnside finished with a time of 2:03:16.

  

Over the long summer months on your behalf I have been conducting a detailed study.  Something that has raised more than just a few eyebrows.  A subject close to all our hearts, namely nipple rash, or the dreaded runners nipple.

 

In researching this subject I have observed this thorn in the side affecting many athletes.  I canvassed fellow runners and in the tradition of scientific study experimented upon myself to try and alleviate this suffering for others.  Many solutions have been put forward, from liberal applications of various lubricants to a small lightweight trainer bra for racing purposes (please be aware that this theory remains untried by myself).

 

The most interesting solution revealed to me was the covering of the afore mentioned protrusions with electrical insulating tape. After a long and gripping discussion with some of my athletic peers I couldn’t ascertain which colour worked the best.

 

However as with most things in life, right out of the blue popped an innovative solution from a joint NASA/CIA initiative. This is in the guise of a product called Nipguard.  For just $8.95 plus shipping and handling a pack of 10 can be purchased packaged in a convenient neon green tube.  The maker says not only does the in built cavity shield the nipple but is medically safe as well. Here are what other runners have said about this product: - “at the finish my nipples never felt so great”, “finally my nipples are no longer tipped with perma-scab”,  “at long last I’ve found a product that keeps my guys happy”.  Please note that names and addresses have been withheld to protect the innocent.

Should you require more information please supply a plain brown sae- Steve Little

From The Chairman!!

Here’s one for next years diary. The Gt.Langdale Marathon and Half Marathon. I was told it is the most scenic race in England. They’re not wrong. Some people told me it had a couple of hills and the rest was undulating. They were wrong. It is probably the hilliest race I have ever done. The first hill was before you even reached a mile. I struggled, gasping to the top and it started to rain. “Oh God, what am I doing here” I thought.  After a few minutes the rain stopped, the sun came out and things began to look brighter.

 At about four miles I struggled, gasping up another hill and was greeted by a dear old lady who asked me if I was the last.” No. I’m not last” I said proudly. “Well I should give up if I were you,” she told me.  With these words of encouragement I ran on trying not to look too disheartened.

A few miles later there was the opportunity to smile and pose for the club’s photographers (Davina and John). I was beginning to enjoy myself now and not even the hill from hell at eight miles was going to spoil my day. The view at the top was fantastic and well worth every agonising step it took to get there.

It was a long decent and then a fairly flat three miles to the finish. I ended the race with a smile and even a bit of a sprint. I had a wonderful day out and as Arnie says “I’ll be back” (next year)- Kay.

 

Ps. my thanks go to the carload of women who kept popping up every couple of miles and yelling “Come on Idle AC Bradford West Yorkshire, you’re looking good”. I don’t know who they were but their encouragement was most welcome.

Something different…

In April 1908, a handful of runners made athletic history when they took part in the first-ever official marathon-distance race at the London Olympics. And on Friday, October 31, you can help two intrepid runners do the same on the same course. Arctic explorers, ultrarunners and adventure racers Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dr Mike Stroud will be running a marathon on the original London Marathon course (finishing in White City) as the sixth leg of their attempt to complete seven marathons in seven continents in seven days. And they’d love you to join them for some or all of the route. The route has been measured and certified by Hugh Jones, and there will be drinks available. So, if you fancy a long run, register here (it’s free) and wait for further details by e-mail. NB - the exact date and start time are still provisional. Even close to the date, the timetable will be subject to change because of Antarctic weather patterns...

For anyone wishing to register themselves online the webpage is http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/777. Peter Vickers has already registered his interest. Please speak to Peter if you are interested.

From the Coach…

READERS will perhaps be surprised to discover that I have inadvertently upset club members before now.  In my single minded pursuit of a goal for the club I have

often failed to take into account the needs and feelings of individual members. 

 

It’s perhaps inevitable.  How can a large number of individuals, loosely connected by a shared hobby, but each still having their own goals, preferences and ambitions, possibly be single minded?  And then there’s that oft quoted truism “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

 

And so it was that with some trepidation that I returned to the club on the Tuesday

after the Idle Tide Marathon record attempt.  I feared the injuries, the recriminations,

the running careers ruined by a crazy stunt.

 

“So,” I had asked Ian Fisher on the Saturday afternoon after the event, “How does

this rank among the daftest things you’ve done in running?”

 

“Oh, it’s the daftest,” was his response.

 

I had vague memories of a Saturday Night Symposium packed with celebrating people, but I was still astounded by the turnout when I arrived at the club on Tuesday.  Three days later they still hadn’t finished talking about it. 

 

The photographs passed round that evening told the story of a remarkable group of individuals – of a single minded club.     Chris.