*************************************************** RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 286 10 July 2008 Editor: Steve Rowland mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com *************************************************** HEADLINE NEWS ************* * Successful Dysart Dash * Darryl McDonald and Marie Synnott-Wells our leading finishers * Five Ranelagh men in the top eleven * Great turnout for the Chris Brasher Ponds Run * Anna Scally wins Square Mile run * Phil Killingley 2nd in Jim Braben 10km * Coad Cup handicap and club AGM next Tuesday SEE HERE ******** ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Tuesday 15th July at the clubhouse starting at 8.15pm You should have received the AGM notice and agenda as attachments to a separate e-mail. Let me know if you have had any problems opening the attachments and I will re-send them. Hon Sec Simon Burrell writes: "As the club AGM will be held soon I wanted to mention a few things about the annual election of officers. Roles within the club are open for anyone to apply for, whether there is a planned retirement for a role or even if there is someone already in place. Luckily we have a strong support team in the club and most roles already have someone willing to perform them for next year. However if you are thinking about giving some of your time to support the club feel free to talk to Frances Ratchford or myself (Simon Burrell). Options include: * An elected committee member (secretary, captain, clubhouse manager etc) * One of many other non-elected, yet essential roles (communication, liaison etc) * Helper at race events or other specific activities (marshalling, timekeeping, membership chasing, clubhouse work etc) * Contributor to the Development Group (being formed - more to follow) As we are lucky enough to have a broad and committed team, we are generally well supported and most people seem happy to volunteer without feeling they will be asked to do more than they have time for. However, we are always looking for new volunteers with fresh ideas, to ensure we keep things this way. I have advanced notice of a few retirements at the AGM. Please let Frances or I know if you feel you could help in any of the following areas: * Fixtures Secretary - this role, performed by John Hanscomb for many years, requires a well organised person for a significant amount of activity in early summer. John will produce the 2008/09 season fixture list but it would be great to have someone shadow him for the following season. * Men's Captain - this role, performed by Andy Bickerstaff for the last seven years, involves choosing the team and encouraging them, supporting new runners and bringing them into competitions as well as exploring new events for the club. Andy has a replacement in mind for this role but in the spirit of open elections you are free to put your hat in the ring if you wish to. * Veterans' Captain - this role has not really been filled in recent years and yet is a critical one due to our excellent standard of veteran runners in the club. The ideal candidate will be a veteran who has a competitive edge and is happy to identify suitable events and organise people to compete in them. The club leadership team (committee) meets every couple of months in an informal atmosphere to discuss matters affecting the club and agree on appropriate action. It is an open forum and all are welcome to attend. We also have many people who commit their time in either specific or quite informal ways to make our club such an excellent place to run with and for. Please let Frances or I know if you want to contribute some of your time to the club". COAD CUP Our 5 miles summer handicap takes place on Tuesday 15th July, immediately before the AGM. All members are welcome to take part, just turn up and enter on the night. First starter should be set off at 7.15pm. ELMBRIDGE 10km This is the next fixture in both the Ranelagh Road GP and the Surrey Road League. It's on Sunday 20th July starting at 9.30am at Walton Casuals Football Club, adjacent to Elmbridge Leisure Centre in Walton The course is part road and part Thames tow path. WEDDING DAY 7km This one is in the Ranelagh GP but not the Surrey League. It's a popular Friday night event (July 25th) in Bushy Park and usually fills up before the day so get your entry in quickly. Start is at 7.30pm near the Hampton Hill gate. The course is mostly road with a few stretches of grass. VETS TRACK LEAGUE Bev Ali writes: "The fourth and last vets' track meet is on Monday 14th July at Battersea and all male or female competitors over the age of 35 as well as any non-competitors of any (adult) age to help with the officiating are welcomed". It kicks off at 6.30pm (field events) and 7pm (track). Events: 200m, 800m, 3000m, hammer throw, high jump, long jump, shot putt and relays. The 3000m is at 8pm. RANELAGH ROAD GRAND PRIX Last week's Dysart Dash was the sixth of the nine events in our own Road Grand Prix. With quite a number of members taking part in their first road race this year - or in one or two cases the first ever - the total number of names on the scoreboard has now topped the ton at 103. Paul Doyle leads both the open and men's over 40 categories, though only by a few points. Chris Brook and Trevor Maguire are his nearest pursuers in the open competition, while Trevor and Steve Grout are joint second in the over 40s. Jonathan Robinson - fourth in the open category - leads the over 50s from Iain Wilson and Martin Clark. Kath Phillips has a clear lead in the women's competition over Marie Synnott-Wells and Carola Richter, and Marie is also in second place in the over 40s, this time to Heather Martingell, with Wiebke Kortum third. Janet Turnes has an almost unassailable lead in the over 50s, with Sonia Rowland second and Anne Baker and Lorraine Clifton joint third. Full scoreboard and details of the remaining events: here: SURREY ROAD LEAGUE After four of the six League fixtures, Ranelagh stands in 3rd place in both the men's and women's team competitions. Of the eight individual categories, a Ranelagh Harrier occupies the top position in no fewer than five, though at least three of those are vulnerable to being overhauled in the later stages of the competition. The two virtual "bankers" are Paul Doyle and Jonathan Robinson in the men's over 40 and over 50 categories respectively. Mathematically each could still be overtaken, but it would require David Freeman of Tadworth (over 40) and our own Iain Wilson (over 50) to win their category in both remaining races, the Elmbridge 10km and the Belgrave Bolt 5km. Kath Phillips and Janet Turnes lead the senior women's and over 45 categories respectively, largely because they are the only runner in their sections to have run all four races. Heather Martingell is the top over 35, ahead of just two others who have run all four. With the best four scores from the six races to count, Janet and Heather are both highly likely to be displaced by runners who have so far only competed in three events, but Kath is in a slightly stronger position. Her main rivals have only run two so far and would have to complete both remaining events in good positions to overtake her. RATCHFORD RELAY Tuesday 5th August This annual event for women only starts at soon after 7pm in the Park across the road from the clubhouse. It's an informal relay with teams drawn on the night, the faster runners having to run more laps than the slower. Just turn up on Tuesday evening and put your name down. RICHMOND PARK TRAIL CHALLENGE Tuesday 12th August South London Orienteers will again be using our clubhouse as the HQ for one of their "Trail Challenge" races on Tuesday 12th August. These are a hybrid of cross-country and Orienteering - competitors all start together but have to follow the map provided to visit a number of check points. The Orienteering part is not technically difficult and a compass is not a prerequisite, especially for those with some knowledge of the Park. Unlike last year, when the course had to be changed at the last minute, this year's event should I think be wholly within the Park. There are two races, a 10km starting at 7.30pm and a 6km starting at 7.40pm. Any Ranelagh members who fancy trying something a little out of the ordinary are welcome to take part. Details: Training sessions will go ahead as normal that evening for those who do not want to take part. ACHILLES TENDON STUDY Richmond Stace, Director of Nurturing Life Ltd, writes: "I am currently doing a research study looking at some of the possible mechanisms underpinning Achilles tendon pain. I am at the stage of recruiting volunteers who have had Achilles tendon pain for more than three months who would be happy to undergo several clinical tests and a computer based test that could identify some useful data to guide future treatments. The tests will last for 45-60 minutes and do not involve any invasive procedures or treatment. Following the tests some guidance can be given on future management". Richmond can be contacted on 020 8404 6013 or 07932 689081 or at richmond@nurturinglife.co.uk *************** WHAT'S COMING... *************** More details of the following from Andy Bickerstaff ( 07772 111491 / mailto: andy.bickerstaff@goodrunguide.co.uk ) or Marie Synnott-Wells (07956 431319 / mailto: nandmwells@aol.com ). Tuesday 15th July Coad Cup 5 miles handicap in Richmond Park followed by club AGM in the clubhouse. Sunday 20th July Elmbridge 10km at Walton. Friday 25th July Wedding Day 7km in Bushy Park. 7.30pm start. Sunday 10th August Belgrave Bolt 5km at Wimbledon. 10am start. Tuesday 5th August Ratchford Relay in Richmond Park. 7pm start. Tuesday 12th August Trail Challenge in Richmond Park. 7.30pm start. Parkruns every Saturday at 9am Bushy Park Diana Fountain car park Richmond Park Richmond Gate Wimbledon Common Windmill car park Banstead Woods Car park off B2219 Park Lane, Chipstead More details and registration at www.parkrun.com WHAT'S HAPPENED *************** DYSART DASH 10km Sunday 29th June at Ham We accepted over 600 entries for the 18th running of the Dysart Dash, which was under new management this year: Paul Sinton-Hewitt took over in the hot seat although as you will see below he is the first to acknowledge that his predecessor Bev Ali did most of the initial spadework for this year's event. Niall O'Connor also came in as the principal organiser of the marshalling, and as usual there was the invaluable assistance of the regulars like Alan Hedger at the start and finish, Ken Powley on the results and many others in various capacities. All combined to ensure another highly successful event. Of those 600+ entries fewer than 500 actually turned up on the start line. The weather shouldn't have put people off - it was warm and sunny but there was plenty of shade on the towpath and a stiff breeze to keep the runners relatively cool on the open roads. Three times winner Stuart Major was probably the pre-race favourite and once the race was underway he duly went to the head of the proceedings. By the end of the first lap he had shaken off all the pursuers bar one, a mystery runner unfamiliar to any of the onlookers, who actually led Major into the second circuit. It was only in the final mile that Major's experience told and he was able to pull away from the mystery man to cross the line 8 seconds clear in 32.42, the slowest of his four Dysart victories. The unknown turned out to be John Gilbert, an inexperienced but obviously talented unattached runner from Kennington. Dorking's Nick Hodges was a further 11 seconds back in third place and Stragglers' Jimmy Goulis - last year's runner-up - fourth. It was good to see a strong Ranelagh presence at the sharper end, with five of the next seven places filled by home runners. Darryl McDonald won the domestic battle with an excellent 33.44, giving him a cushion of almost half a minute over his rival for the top over 40s prize Peter Haarer. Darryl will also take the Surrey County Over 40 title and the Flash Gardner Cup for the leading Ranelagh runner. Just six seconds behind Peter came newcomer Richard Gregory. Richard had finished 7th as an "unattached" runner in our Half Marathon back in May, and now happily "attached" to Ranelagh he made a very impressive debut in the blue and yellow. Just another few seconds back came Justin Webb and Jonathon Stacey, giving us five runners well inside 35 minutes. Paul Doyle - race winner himself back in 2005 - would surely have made it six inside 35 had he not been nursing a sore calf. He just missed the third over 40 prize but put himself even more firmly in the driving seat to win that category in the Surrey Road League. Doing the same in the Over 50 category was Jonathan Robinson: his 38.56 run today was a little below par but scored maximum league points. Ahead of Jonathan were Niall O'Connor, Trevor Maguire and Vaughan Ramsay and behind him Chris Brook and Duncan Mallison, giving us a total of a dozen runners inside 40 minutes. Looking further back there were good efforts from 15 year-old George Inman and the more venerable Martin Clark (70) and Pete Warren (68). We won the men's team races - open and Surrey - very comfortably: the champagne going to Darryl, Peter and Richard and the county medals going to Darryl, Richard and Justin. The women's race also went to a former winner, Naomi Warner of Thames, who was untroubled in building a lead of over three minutes over Reigate's Meera Siva and South London's Beckie Woodland. Marie Synnott-Wells was feeling a little off colour but she was Ranelagh's leading finisher in 6th place in a relatively pedestrian time by her standards. Kath Phillips finished 15th and Carola Richter 27th, securing us third place in both team events. Marie and Sonia Rowland also made it into the individual prize list as third over 35 and over 45 respectively. 18 women were amongst our 49 finishers, including several in their first 10km and /or setting PBs. Paul Sinton-Hewitt adds: "I just wanted to express my thanks and appreciation to everyone who helped at the Dysart Dash this weekend. I've not had any bad news yet and so can conclude that everything went off reasonably well. There are many people to thank so please bear with me on this. Firstly, I did very little to make this event happen this year. What most of you will not know or appreciate is that Bev Ali did all the preparation for this event. She wrote to and spoke to all the parties leading up to the event gaining the permissions required and sorting the documentation. Bev couldn't be with us on Sunday which meant I stood in for her. Thanks very much Bev. The other major contributor was Niall who used all he had learnt at the Half Marathon to gather a group of professional marshals. In the process I am sure Niall learned a great deal about the course which will be valuable in future years. Without Niall's help, I would have been pretty stumped as I've been pretty busy myself lately. Thanks Niall. Of course we would find it extremely difficult to operate an event like this without the experience and calmness of the old guard. I refer to the expertise brought by the team of volunteers led by Alan Hedger and including Ken Powley and Steve Rowland. Many thanks for a flawless execution. I'd also like to express my thanks to Louise Piers and Hugh Jones for marking the course and for collecting the signs post the event. Hugh and Simon Hedger also cycled with the lead runners while Mark Snaith brought up the rear. These jobs are invaluable and without them the event would not have the level of professionalism that is required. Simon Lawrence had quite a job down at Ham car park on Saturday. The council did not arrive with the keys to open the bollards as agreed and so we had to get the fire brigade in about 10 minutes before the race started to unlock these. They then proceeded to park directly in the way of the runners. I'm very grateful that between Chris Owens and Simon they sorted all these issues. Thanks too to Karen and Peter Weir for managing the car park and preventing a further degradation of our relationship with the Dysart. Also, thanks to Andy Woodhouse for sorting the medals and to Bob Beatson for his liaison role with the lock keeper. Finally I wish to thank George Coates and Ann Murray for sorting the water station and all that goes with that. Carol Barnshaw sorted the teas at the clubhouse again, and we are most grateful for that too. We had many wonderful volunteers who managed this station, too many to mention and I am sure to miss someone. Thank you everyone. Hearty congratulations to each and every one of you". David Rowe was behind his camera: Photos CHRIS BRASHER PONDS RUN Tuesday 1st July in Richmond Park There must have been over a hundred club members meandering around the Park on Tuesday night trying to locate the 20 - or was it 21? - ponds. Some groups ran fast, others didn't. Some groups navigated well, others didn't. The optimum distance seemed to be about eight and a half miles and on a fine evening everyone eventually returned to base having visited hitherto unexplored bits of the Park. RON WHEELER 5km handicap Thursday 26th June at Wapping 1 D Moore (TH&H) 17.04 7 Andy Hayward 20.31 NEAR AS DAMMIT 10km Thursday 26th June at Coulsdon 1 S Major (SLH) 35.05 27 Clive Beauvais 42.48 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 28th June 1 T Boardman (Leigh) 15.41 15 Nick Wright 18.47 59 Darren Wood 20.42 68 David Rowe 20.52 123 Phil Aiken 22.17 263 Heather Martingell 27.00 283 Wally Garrod 27.59 284 John Hanscomb 28.05 317 Stacey Barber 30.28 RICHMOND PARK TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 28th June 1 M Holden (West 4) 18:26 6 Vaughan Ramsay 19.05 20 Sandra Prosser 22.36 28 Paul Bisping 23.30 34 Kathy Mallett 23.59 68 Pat Hewlett 33.58 69 Joanne Turner 34.00 KINGFIELD CANTER 2.85 miles handicap Wednesday 2nd July at Woking 1 E Sullivan (Waverley) 25.00 (actual time 22.00) 11 Alan Davidson 26.41 (19.01) 13 Louise Piears 26.43 (21.13) 20 Jim Forrest 26.58 (20.58) 25 Andy Bickerstaff 27.24 (17.09) 27 Sonia Rowland 27.39 (20.54) BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 5th July The return of Nathan Mills from a lengthy injury took the form of the first leg of a three-race challenge between himself, Marc Snaith and Captain Bix. Nathan's 17.47 was good enough to come out on top. 1 M Trees (Belgrave) 16.12 10 Nathan Mills 17.47 18 Marc Snaith 18.09 23 Andy Bickerstaff 18.21 24 David Rowe 18.25 34 Nick Wright 18.48 38 Darren Wood 19.05 41 Duncan Mallison 19.09 60 Kerrie O'Connor 20.12 89 David Ready 21.04 115 Ian Grange 21.46 208 Chris Wright 24.45 269 Alison Salmon 26.55 281 John Hanscomb 27.35 307 Sharon Rowe 29.02 RICHMOND PARK TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 5th July Susie Bush of Aldershot was the overall winner. 1 S Bush (AFD) 17.26 9 Vaughan Ramsay 18.57 17 Stephen Instone 20.23 26 Sandra Prosser 21.40 31 Simon Burrell 22.20 34 Karen Weir 23.07 54 Penny Merrett 28.51 60 Andrew Prosser 30.17 66 Pat Hewlett 33.18 BANSTEAD WOODS TIME TRIAL 5km Saturday 5th July 1 A Tindall (SLH) 16.20 115 Lynne Barber 26.52 JIM BRABEN 10km Sunday 6th July at Wimbledon Phil Killingley finished an isolated 2nd in this multi-terrain event. 1 M Halman (Herc Wimb) 33.06 2 Phil Killingley 34.29 ASICS BRITISH 10km LONDON RUN Sunday 6th July This new event used a course mostly on the Embankment, starting in Piccadilly and finishing in Whitehall. They apparently received 25,000 entries including some quality internationals but have produced results only for the first hundred. 1 S Baldini (Italy) 30.06 22 Jonathon Stacey 35.13 CRISIS SQUARE MILE RUN Thursday 12th June in London Not a mile race as the name might suggest but a complicated three and a half miles circuit of central London taking in sharp turns, steps and bridges. Anna Scally was the leading woman in 23.09. FINALLY... Is Channel 4's "Gok's Fashion Fix" on your "must-see" television list? If not, you might have missed the recent episode which "road-tested" the latest fashions in high heeled shoes. More of a track test, actually...women from local running clubs were invited to take part in a 400 metres track run clad in designer footwear provided by the TV producers. The shoes had prices as high as their heels and - it's safe to say - were not designed for running. Three Ranelagh Harriers old enough to know better took part - let's for the sake of argument call them Marie, Anna and Evelyn - and survived with ankles, if not dignity, more or less intact. And they didn't even get to keep the shoes! The full clip - featuring Evelyn falling off her platforms on the way to the start - is sadly no longer available online, but you can see the run itself here: Click on "Stiletto Sprinters" on the right-hand side.