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 RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 200                21 December 2005
 Editor: Steve Rowland
 mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com
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 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 ***********************************************************

 HEADLINE NEWS
 *********************
 *  Women's team retains South of the Thames title
 *  Jo Ronaldson wins the individual championship
 *  Men's team finishes 11th
 *  All welcome for Henty Relay on Saturday 31st - noon start

 WELCOME...
 ...to the following new members:
 Clare Lamberton, Anje Lanting, Stephanie Espinosa, Katharine Griffiths,
 Sarah Johnson, Emily Johnson Purvis, Holly Nicholds, Kerry Gale, Lobsang
 Tenpa, Steven Downie, Gary McCready, Toby Piachaud.

 SEE HERE
 *************
 HENTY RELAY  Saturday 31st December at 12 noon in Richmond Park
 Our Christmas season fun relay over six 2km laps of Sidmouth Wood. Teams of
 three are drawn on the day in the clubhouse, each team comprising one
 'fast', one 'medium' and one 'slow'. 'Fast' runners run three laps,
 'mediums'  do two and 'slows' one. All members, friends and guests are
 welcome BUT you must be at the clubhouse by 11.30am to get into a team.

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL
 As well as the usual Saturday morning events on Saturday 24th and 31st there
 will also be special runs on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Start as
 usual at 9am at the Diana Fountain car park.

 SURREY CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUES  Saturday 14th January
 Advance warning that the start times for the men's league at Lloyd Park,
 Croydon, are half an hour earlier than normal - that is, under 17s at 2pm
 and seniors at 2.30pm. Start times are as normal for the women (12.30pm for
 seniors, 1.15pm for U17s / U20s and 1.45pm for U15s / U13s) for their event
 at Merrow Downs, Guildford.

 MABAC LEAGUE
 Bev Ali writes:
 "The MABAC fixtures list for 2006 is now on their site at www.Mabac.org.uk.
 A link to this website is now on the Ranelagh website under 'Links'. The
 first race, which will be a road eight mile run or 1.3 mile walk/jog, is on
 the 8th January in Windsor Great Park starting at 11 am - BUT best be at the
 car park by 10:20 with £2 ready for parking fees, and NEW 2006 numbers will
 be distributed.
 Directions and maps are available on the MABAC website fixture list.

 There will also be a 'gentle 12 mile jog' (not race), organised by MABAC
 member club 'MAGIC', also through Windsor Great Park, on the 27th December.
 Start is at 9 am for walkers and 10 am for joggers/runners from the RAF
 Memorial car park, Coopers Hill Lane, Englefield Green (just off the A30
 south of the M25). There will be a halfway drinks station and it is planned
 to meet up in the Barley Mow pub afterwards. More detailed instructions are
 linked to the 2005 fixture list on the MABAC website". 

 SPORTS MEDICINE WEBSITE
 Sian Tingley writes:
 "I found a good website while looking for info on knee injuries. It's quite
 comprehensive and rang a bell or two with me:
 http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spknees.html."

 *********************
  WHAT'S COMING...
 ************************
 More details of the following from
 Andy Bickerstaff (07966 552302 / mailto: andy@norris-hobs.co.uk ) or 
 Phil Aiken (07739 035189 / mailto: phil.aiken@rnid.org.uk ) or 
 Anna McLaughlin (07971 606521 / mailto: anna.mclaughlin@itv.com ).

 Saturday 24th December    Christmas Eve Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km.
 9am start.

 Sunday 25th December      Christmas Day Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial 5km.
 9am start
                                         Christmas Morning 30 mins Paarlauf
 at Lauriston Cottage, Wimbledon Common. 11am start

 Saturday 31st December    Henty Relay in Richmond Park starting at 12 noon.
 See above.
                                         Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km.
 9am start.

 Sunday 1st January           New Year's Day Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial
 5km. 9am start

 Saturday 7th January         Surrey County Cross-Country Championships at
 Lloyd Park, Croydon. Juniors from 11am, senior women 1.15pm, senior men
 2.10pm.
                                         Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km.
 9am start. 

 Saturday 14th January       Sweatshop Surrey League Div 2 at Lloyd Park,
 Croydon. All under 17s at 2pm, seniors at 2.30pm.
                                        Surrey Ladies League at Merrow Downs,
 Guildford. Seniors at 12.30pm, U20s/U17s at 1.15pm, U15s/U13s at 1.45pm
                                         Ranelagh Bushy Park Time Trial  5km.
 9am start. 

 WHAT'S HAPPENED...
 ****************************
 SOUTH OF THE THAMES 7.5 miles CHAMPIONSHIP  Saturday 17th December on
 Wimbledon Common
 Our women's team made it a South of the Thames double this season after
 adding the 7.5 miles championship to the 5 miler they won in October; and Jo
 Ronaldson made it a double double by taking the individual title to match
 Marie Synnott-Wells's win in the first race.  

 Jo led from the start and had over a minute in hand at the finish - a
 comfortable win, but she might have needed every second of that cushion.
 Half way round the second of the three laps her shoelace came undone and she
 spent the rest of the race wondering whether she would have to stop to
 re-tie it. Fortunately it didn't come to that and she duly became the first
 holder of a new trophy for the women's champion. 
 
 Anna McLaughlin filled the bronze medal position for all but the last mile
 of the race. The fast-finishing Lily Martin from Invicta then swept past on
 the steep climb up to the Windmill and Anna had to settle for 4th - sadly,
 another repeat of the October race! 

 Last year's individual winner Sarah Smith enjoyed a relaxed run round in
 10th place followed by Anair Beverly, Sandra Foot and Kerrie O'Connor to
 complete the team. Only two clubs closed in the full complement of six and
 Ranelagh comfortably retained the championship they won last season. A
 special mention for Corinne Bishop who supported the scoring six but missed
 out on the medals just as she did last year. 

 There was some 'déjà-vu' in the men's race too. Paul Doyle, short of racing
 this season, matched the 17th place he recorded in 2004, though he was
 actually a few seconds faster this time. Jordan Mungovan made an optimistic
 start and even led Paul for a while before slipping back into the pack. He
 rallied on the third lap to keep ahead of Mark Middleton who ran in with
 women's winner Jo. Andrew Mclauchlan put in a good run to finish a few
 seconds further back, pursued by Marcus Gohar. Andrew Forth in his first
 championship race for Ranelagh closed in the six which wound up half-way
 down the team result in 11th place.

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km  Saturday 17th December
 This was the second consecutive victory for Commonwealth Games-bound James
 McIlroy.
 1 J McIlroy (WSEH) 15.43
 12 Nick Wright 18.13
 13 John Atkinson 18.43
 18 Chris Read 19.49
 21 Jamie Taylor-Caldwell 20.08
 22 Darren Wood 20.09
 25 Jonny Rowan 20.23
 29 Stephen Logue 21.05
 30 Chris Wright 21.21
 31 Roger Wilson 21.25
 46 Gill Wilson 24.48
 48 Chris Hunton 25.08
 49 Sam Hunton 25.08
 56 Becky Withycombe 27.32
 58 John Hanscomb 28.00

 SURREY CLASSIC 10km SERIES RACE 3  Sunday 18th December at Horton Country
 Park
 Alan Meaden, Geoff Bell, David Meaden and Bev Ali all completed the three
 races in the series and placed 143rd, 149th, 159th and 175th respectively
 overall.
 1 R Ward (Belgrave) 32.12
 219 Alan Meaden 54.30
 225 Geoff Bell 55.20
 248 David Meaden 59.45
 262 Bev Ali 63.48

 RUN BARBADOS 10km  Saturday 3rd December
 It was hot!
 1 J Kamau (Kenya) 31.00
 25 Andy Bickerstaff 40.58 

 MABAC LEAGUE 5 miles  Sunday 4th December at Ashtead
 1 N Hodges (Dork & MV) 32.49
 123 Lorna Smith 56.49
 132 Bev Ali 65.03
 133 Pat Hewlett 65.58
 136 Cindy Croucher 70.38

 One lap only
 1 C Craig (Dork & MV) 23.32
 17 Rachel Ali 51.41

 BRIDGES 2.3 miles Handicap  Wednesday 13th December at Westminster
 1 R Whiting 20.01  (actual time 17.22)
 3 John Hanscomb 20.52  (actual time 20.07)
 7 Alan Davidson 21.20  (actual time 15.38)

 MORE ON YIANNIS KOUROS
 Gordon Whitson writes from Athens:
 "As a 'warm up' for his Australian exploits, Yiannis ran the Spartathon this
 September. Actually he didn't run in the race due to certain differences he
 has with the organisers. Starting the day before the main event and
 eschewing the current course which avoids the mountain near Nemea, on top of
 which I met him while I was marshalling and he was winning the first
 Spartathon in 1985, Yiannis ran the purists' route from Athens to Sparta in
 about 21 hours 30 minutes, a time which would have comfortably won the next
 day's race. After a half hour's sit down in the main square in Sparta,
 Yannis turned round and ran back to Athens, taking it rather easy as the
 return trip took some 30 hours..... 

 This is of course what Pheidippides would have had to do if he had wanted to
 get back in time for the battle at Marathon. Some of your readers may recall
 that the whole point of his run was to try (in vain as it turned out) to
 persuade the Spartans to turn out for the Athenians versus the invading
 Persians in 492BC. In any event, the Athenians comfortably won the first
 marathon mob match, thereby proving the exception to the rule that numerical
 superiority is all important in these events. The Athenians left the
 slowcoaches back in town, fielding a team of quality Hoplites and beat the
 Persians to a pulp".

 FINALLY...
 "We do not have cross-country and we do not have pole vaulting"...Gerald
 Curtin on the sports day at Sing Sing prison.