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***************************************************
 RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 497               24th March 2017
 Editor: Steve Rowland
 mailto: sandsrowland@btinternet.com  
 ***************************************************

 HEADLINE NEWS
 *************
 *  Ed Whitlock obituary
 *  Louis Griffin of UCS wins the Ranelagh Cup schools race but Judd School
     retains the trophy 
 *  Ally Pickard wins the Clutton Cup 10m handicap
 *  Fastest times by Ted Mockett and Wiebke Kortum
 *  Ted Mockett and Heather Martingell lead the Ranelagh contingent at the
     Finchley 20 incl club 20 champs
 *  Good performances at the Inter-Counties
 *  Half Marathon season! PBs galore. 
 *  South of England Road Relays this Saturday
 *  Baker Cup 3 miles road handicap + junior age group championship races on
     April 1st
 *  Still time to book your place at the Baker Cup Supper and prize
     presentations evening on Saturday 1st April
 *  Appeal for more help at our Half Marathon on April 30th

 ATTENTION PLEASE
 **************** 
 ED WHITLOCK
 We were shocked and saddened by the news of Ed Whitlock's untimely death
 from prostate cancer on Monday 13th March, one week after his 86th birthday.
 Ed's extraordinary feats as a masters runner have been well documented,
 including a 2:54.49 marathon at the age of 73 and most recently a 3:56
 marathon at the age of 85 in last October's Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Ed
 held literally dozens of age group world records on the track and on the
 roads, and equally well documented have been his modesty and generosity. He
 always had time to speak to his many admirers, even when they pursued him
 for an interview just as he crossed the line in a marathon. Here's Ben
 Kaplan from iRun: "He didn't carry himself like the belle of the ball-he
 carried himself like he was happy to be invited to the party."

 He famously took the simplest approach to his running. Runner's World quotes
 Ed talking to Alan Brookes, Race Director of the Toronto Waterfront
 Marathon: "I don't have a coach. I don't have a manager or an agent. I don't
 have any commercial endorsements. I don't really have a training program. I
 just like to go out to run." And run he did, lap after lap of a short loop
 inside his local cemetery, for up to three hours or more when preparing for
 a marathon. 

 Ed's connection with Ranelagh Harriers dates back to 1948, when as a
 schoolboy he recorded the first of two consecutive victories in the Ranelagh
 Cup Schools Race in Richmond Park. At the time Ranelagh was struggling to
 rebuild after the second World War and although Ed turned out in a few races
 for the club it was felt that a young man of such obvious talent would be
 better served by being directed to Walton AC, at the time one of the
 strongest clubs in the London area. Ed ran with some success for Walton but
 his running career more or less ground to a halt when he emigrated to Canada
 in his early 20s. In the next two or three decades there was some track
 running and a 2:31 marathon at the age of 48, but it was not until he
 retired from work in his early sixties that he began to train seriously on
 the roads again. His target was to become the first over 70 to run a
 marathon inside three hours and this he achieved in 2003 at the age of 72. 

 Meanwhile Ed regularly visited the UK to see family, and in 1998 he realised
 that his visit would coincide with the 50th anniversary of his first
 Ranelagh Schools race victory. He contacted the club requesting that he
 might run as a guest, and duly lined up with a hundred boys who must have
 been wondering who this "old man" with a shock of white hair was, especially
 as he went on to beat half of them! It would have been appropriate if he had
 managed to finish 50th but alas in the finishing straight he was pushed back
 to 51st. 

 Ed maintained his links with Ranelagh over the ensuing years, often visiting
 the club when he was in the UK. His last visit was in December 2016 when he
 turned out for the club in our annual mob match against South London
 Harriers. He hadn't run off-road since that Schools race in 1998 and found
 it hard going but finished 96th out of 109 finishers in a time of 70.37 for
 the 7.67 miles. Sadly this turned out to be his last race. That evening at
 the Roebuck 
 Ed spoke without notes for over an hour to fifty or more fellow club members
 about his life and running career, including plans for the future - now
 sadly never to be realised.

 Ranelagh's Peter Fordham writes: "Ed ran alongside me for nearly all the
 December mob match bar the final 200 metres of the match. His fitness,
 health and running style was remarkable to witness at close quarters, and
 that is perhaps why it is such a shock for this to happen so soon
 afterwards. I know many of us will forever remember the privilege of
 listening and chatting to him on that afternoon and evening."   

 Our sincere condolences go to Ed's wife Brenda, sons Neil and Clive and
 sister Catherine. 

 Videos from Canadian Running:
 ed-whitlock-dies-at-86/ and
 ed-whitlocks-final-race/. 
 Michael Morris's tribute for the swlondoner:
 ed-whitlock-mourned

 RANELAGH RICHMOND HALF MARATHON  Sunday 30th April
 Details and entry:   BUT we are still looking for marshals and other helpers on the day.
 Below is a note from Race Director Sandra Forrest. Please don't ignore it...take a moment to
 read and reply.

 Dear Ranelagh Harriers,
 As you may be aware, the Ranelagh Richmond Half-Marathon is taking place on
 30th April, only five weeks away. The Club relies on the revenue from this
 race to keep us going, and a small group of volunteers spends the better
 part of a year making sure it happens. Most of the major jobs have been
 filled, but we are still looking for someone to shadow Tamsin as Volunteer
 Coordinator. It goes without saying that organising this race on behalf of
 the club can be stressful, the thing that usually keeps me awake at night
 from this point forward is not knowing whether or not we are going to end up
 with the 95+ marshals we need on the day to ensure this race runs as
 smoothly and safely as possible. Every year, about 30 people sign up
 straight away (thank you half-marathon marshal stalwarts!) but each year we
 literally white-knuckle it until the very last minute, trying to recruit
 enough people to help out. In the end we have always gotten there and
 everyone out on the course has consistently done the Club very, very proud,
 so if you are available on the day, please don't delay signing up to help.
 We really, really need you (and your children, partners, work colleagues and
 friends!) to ensure this race goes ahead. To save our sanity, please  do
 contact Tamsin at RanelaghHalfHelpers@hotmail.co.uk today to  sign up - we
 thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping out.
 Best regards
 Sandra Forrest
 Race Director, Ranelagh Half Marathon 

 BAKER CUP 3 miles ROAD HANDICAP  Saturday 1st April in Richmond Park (by
 White Lodge)
 Our shortest handicap, 3 miles road in the centre of the Park. 3pm start,
 all welcome, register on the day at the clubhouse no later than 2.15pm.
 Details:. 

 BAKER CUP SUPPER - TROPHY PRESENTATIONS EVENING
 Our Presentations evening will take place after the Baker Cup 3 miles
 handicap on Saturday 1st April, starting at 7pm.
 The venue as usual will be upstairs at the Roebuck pub, 130 Richmond Hill
 TW10 6RN (tel 0208 948 2329). Price is £25 per person, to include welcome
 drink, free beer (while stocks last) and buffet dinner. Your glass of bubbly
 awaits you!
 Please contact Michele Gibson, Email:- micheleagibson@hotmail.com, Mobile:-
 07703 518 956
 Cheques payable to Ranelagh Harriers and posted / handed to Ms Michele
 Gibson, c/o Baker Cup Supper, 79 Thames Side, Staines upon Thames, Middex
 TW18 2HF or leave in the clubhouse safe with the name Michele Gibson on the
 envelope. Cash payable to Michele Gibson at the Club on Tuesday and
 Wednesday nights. BACS Payments - Ranelagh Harriers Sort Code 401310 Account
 12154501 REF- Baker Cup & YOUR NAME.

 SOUTH OF ENGLAND ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS  Saturday 25th March at Cyclopark,
 Gravesend, Kent
 Good luck to our women's team who are competing in the six-stage
 championship.

 RANELAGH RICHMOND 10k  Sunday 18th June
 Race Director Rick Jenner writes:
 "In a little over three months it'll be the start of summer and time for the
 Ranelagh 10k on Sunday 18th June. Entries are now open, so please do visit
 here: 
 to put your name down. You may notice we've had to put prices up by £1 to £13
 this year to account for the increased costs in putting on the event but it's
 still got to be the best value event around. In past years we've had a
 fantastic number of Ranelagh members enter, as well as great support from
 people helping out as marshals etc. We need over 50 people to ensure the
 safe running of the event so if you can spare the time please email Hannah
 at ranelagh10khelpers@gmail.com. Whether you're  running or helping, please
 put the date in your diaries and spread the word to friends and family."

 CALLING ALL RANELAGH JUNIORS
 Trevor Maguire writes:
 "Ranelagh Junior Age Group Champs 
 Following on from the junior race on 4th March, the good news for many of
 our junior runners is that we will hold a further Ranelagh only race at
 14:00 on Sat 1st April in Richmond Park (before the Baker Cup) where there
 are several other trophies and medals up for grabs.  The start finish will
 be near the ballet school in the middle of the park.  We are currently
 debating the exact distance and whether we will run just one or more races.
 I will confirm details nearer the time. We have trophies for boys and girls
 in each of the following age categories (with gold, silver and bronze medals
 as well): U17 (boys and girls), U15 (boys and girls), U13 (boys and girls),
 U11 (boys and girls). The age categories align with school years i.e. age on
 1st Sep is the qualification date.  This time some of our older juniors
 aren't eligible but they can always enter the Baker Cup 3 miles road
 handicap at 15:00 (alongside any parents who might want a run)."   

 Also...the joint Stragglers/Ranelagh junior handicap series begins on
 Thursday 27th April. There are six events altogether, the first taking place
 at the Hawker Centre and subsequent events at the Ranelagh clubhouse or at
 the Hawker Centre. Registration is from 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Full details:. 

 THAMES TOWPATH 10 miles  Sunday 9th April at Chiswick. 8.30am start.
 This ever-popular race will be the opening fixture in our 2017 Road Grand
 Prix. Over 650 entries have already been received, including nearly 30 from
 Ranelagh. Details:.   
 
 SIT VAC
 We have another club job to fill - that of Assistant Clubhouse Manager. We
 need someone to help Clive Naish with routine maintenance jobs at the
 clubhouse (NOT cleaning). If you can help, please reply to this e-mail. 

 THURSDAY NIGHT TRACK TRAINING AT OSTERLEY
 The club is continuing to subsidise track sessions on Thursday evenings at
 the Osterley track. All groups and all abilities are welcome. The sessions
 are  every Thursday 7.30-8.30pm.  Link to the map is here:.

 FACEBOOK
 Follow Ranelagh on Facebook. 

WHAT'S COMING
 *************
 More details of the following from the men's Captains ( e-mail Phil
 or Trevor ) ranelagh.men@gmail.com
 or the women's Captain / Team Manager ( e-mail Becky or Phil ranelagh.women@gmail.com  )      

 Saturday 25th March            South of England Road Relay Champs at
 Gravesend

 Saturday 1st April                Baker Cup 3 miles road handicap in
 Richmond Park (at White Lodge). 3pm start. All welcome, register on the day
 at the clubhouse please.
                                         Junior races also at White Lodge
 starting at 2pm. See above.   

 Sunday 9th April                 Thames Towpath 10 miles at Chiswick. See
 above.   

 Sunday 23rd April               London Marathon

 Sunday 30th April               Ranelagh Richmond Half Marathon. Entry and details:.

 WHAT'S HAPPENED
 *************** 
 RANELAGH CUP SCHOOLS RACE  Saturday 11th March in Richmond Park
 This was the 90th anniversary of our annual Schools race, and this year we
 welcomed a field of 74 runners from nine schools, including four girls from
 Wellington College. Judd School from Tonbridge in Kent have been unbeaten in
 this race since 2013 and although they failed to provide the individual
 winner this year, they did manage to fill the next three places. Their
 fourth and final scorer was home in 7th place, ensuring a very comfortable
 team victory. The race winner by over half a minute was Louis Griffin from
 University College School, a member of Highgate Harriers who the previous
 month had won the London Schools  Championship. His time of 20.59 was the
 fastest seen in this event for several years. 

 Royal Grammar School Guildford had three men in the top ten and took the
 team silver medals ahead of Brighton College, with the winner's UCS team
 down in 4th place. First girl was Tara Sallaba of Wellington College in 27th
 place overall, just ahead of Ranelagh's Euan Sinclair who was the third
 finisher for 6th-placed Tiffin School. The other Ranelagh runner was race
 organiser Julian Smith who hasn't raced for ten years but took on the role
 of hare to lead the field round the middle part of the course. He calculated
 he might just stay ahead but didn't allow for the winner's speed! Still,
 Julian showed an impressive level of fitness and we'll look forward to
 seeing him race properly again before long.        

 1   L Griffin (UCS)          20.59
 2   T Emm (Judd)             21.33
 3   B Brooks (Judd)          21.58
 4   A van der Plas (Judd)    22.01
 5   O Hurdle (RGS Guild)     22.28
 6   C Gibson (RGS Guild)     22.33
 7   A Thompson (Judd)        22.36
 8   G Manolis (RGS Guild)    22.45
 9   A Smailes (Brighton)     22.56
 10  J Stewart (Chart)        22.59
 27  T Sallaba (Well)         25.07  (1st girl)
 28  Euan Sinclair (Tiffin)   25.15

 Teams (4 to score)             
 1   Judd School               16
 2   RGS Guildford             43
 3   Brighton College          59
 4   UCS                       82
 5   Charterhouse School       95
 6   Tiffin School            110
 7   Wellington College       122
 8   Lancing College          144
 Highgate School did not close in   

 FINCHLEY 20 miles  Sunday 12th March at Ruislip incl Spendlove Cup club 20m
 championship
 Ted Mockett ran a steady race to take the Spendlove Cup in 2.07, ahead of
 Mark Herbert and Michael Morris. Heather Martingell was our leading woman,
 in her own words "jogging" the first three laps and racing the last one.  

 1   J Poole (Serp)           1:51.03  (chip time 1:50.54)
 27  Ted Mockett              2:07.47  (2:07.33)
 34  Mark Herbert             2:11.25  (2:11.10)
 44  L Ashe (Harrow)          2:13.18  (2:13.03 - 1st woman)
 49  Michael Morris           2:13.46  (2:13.32)
 62  James Whistler           2:16.22  (2:16.09)
 321 Heather Martingell       3:15.39  (3:14.07)
 349 Ally Pickard             3:28.01  (3:26.29)     

 CLUTTON CUP 10 miles HANDICAP  Saturday 18th March in Richmond Park
 Jonathan Smith reports:
 "In February this year the man responsible for setting the handicaps for the
 Grand National came under heavy criticism for allegedly giving horses
 belonging to Michael O'Leary (the Chief Executive of Ryanair) unfairly
 disadvantageous weightings. Yesterday, as 21 people assembled for the 126th
 running of the Clutton Cup, similar questions were being asked when Angus
 Cater dished out what can only be described as one of the most generous
 handicaps of all time. Richard Kimber, a 2:57 marathoner with a penchant for
 hilly long distance races, was awarded a handicap allowance of 21 minutes
 and 50 seconds. To put this in context, a perplexed Becky Curtis-Hall (who
 unfortunately wasn't able to finish the race) started after him, and scratch
 man Ted Mockett was borderline hypothermic by the time he had waited another
 13 minutes before he could get going. With allegations of bribery flying,
 Kimber was duly installed as the odds on favourite, but could he take home
 the trophy?

 Before that question was answered the race would witness a hugely
 controversial moment in this year's cross-country season. Dave Lawley,
 standing on the cusp of history, knew that a Clutton finish, combined with a
 non-appearance from Ranelagh legend Peter Haarer, would secure him the
 McLeod Trophy. With Peter absent, Dave had tried his best to compromise his
 chances of finishing the race by doing a 10 mile 'warm-up'. The increased
 fatigue may have contributed to what happened next. As he was called to the
 start line and counted down by Alan Hedger, it was clear to everyone
 watching that Dave started at least half a second too early. A chorus of
 complaints followed him around Sidmouth Wood. Somewhere in Oxford a
 constitution and a rulebook may even have been consulted. At the time of
 writing the club has issued no formal announcement on whether Dave has been
 disqualified from the entire competition, or whether his Clutton result has
 merely been declared null and void to keep the club's TV sponsors happy and
 ensure a nail-biting end of season finish at the Baker Cup.

 Meanwhile, up at the front of the race, things started well for Rich when it
 transpired that he would only have to catch six people to take the title.
 Rob Curtis, Tamsin Burland, Wiebke Kortum, Mike Peace and Michael Osborne
 were all duly dispatched, and it was surely only a matter of time before the
 frontrunner was swallowed up. 

 Further back in the field one or two participants were struggling with
 directions. Chris Bundhun and Seiko Angelo, clearly feeling their handicaps
 were too generous, decided to even things up by adding the hill up to the
 ballet school into their route. Some alert shouting from Kris Davidson
 helped to prevent Chris, Seiko and this writer from further embarrassment.
 Mike Morris, taking on this course for the first time, seemed to fare better
 in the directions department, and there was also the welcome sight of John
 Shaw in the field, sporting an impressively clean set of footwear.

 Back at the front, as he rounded the final corner, Rich Kimber was
 struggling to live up to his pre-race favourite status. That was because he
 hadn't reckoned with Ally Pickard, who had started off first and was clearly
 determined to stay there. With Ally in his sights, and realising he had work
 to do, Kimber sprinted for home. But spurred on by the warning calls of the
 time recorders and supporters, Ally put in a final burst, and came home with
 a comfortable 16 second lead to get her name on the trophy. Michael Osborne
 was third home to round out the handicap placings.

 In terms of speed order, Ted Mockett lived up to his scratch man billing,
 coming home in 1 hour 2 mins and 21 seconds. Kris Davidson took second and
 Seiko Angelo recovered impressively to secure third. Wiebke Kortum, Ally
 Pickard and Tamsin Burland were the three fastest ladies and each took home
 their medal.

 And so attention turns to the cross-country season ending Baker Cup. In the
 women's Performance Award equivalent of the McLeod, Becky Northmore is now
 confirmed as the champion, with the minor placings still up for grabs. In
 the Points Prize (for those finishing outside the top three in each of the
 club handicaps) Mike Peace made a huge leap into second, but Corinne Bishop
 is holding firm with one race to go. As for the McLeod, it promises to be a
 nervous fortnight for Dave Lawley's trophy cabinet..."

 For current McLeod, Performance Award and Points Prize standings, see. 
                                                              
                               H'cap     H'cap    Actual   Speed
                               Time      Allow     Time    Order
  1   Ally Pickard     (L)     43.58     46.10     90.08     18 
  2   Richard Kimber           44.14     21.50     66.04      7 
  3   Michael Osborne          48.14     33.00     81.14     16 
  4   Mike Peace               49.17     30.10     79.27     15 
  5   Wiebke Kortum    (L)     50.53     23.40     74.33     12 
  6   Michael Morris           52.06     15.00     67.06      8 
  7   Tamsin Burland   (L)     52.37     43.00     95.37     19 
  8   Kris Davidson            53.22      9.50     63.12      2 
  9   John Shaw                53.34     14.20     67.54      9 
 10   Chris Bundhun            53.41     11.30     65.11      4 
 11   Seiko Angelo             53.43     11.20     65.03      3 
 12   Ted Mockett              54.01      8.20     62.21      1 
 13   Jonathan Smith           54.29     11.00     65.29      6 
 14   Mark Herbert             56.17      9.00     65.17      5 
 15   Dave Lawley              57.13     13.10     70.23     10 
 16   Paul Rider               57.25     20.10     77.35     13 
 17   Trevor Maguire           60.24     10.00     70.24     11 
      Julian Sampson      (G)  60.24     17.30     77.54     14 
 18   Rob Curtis               60.37     23.30     84.07     17 

 MIDDLESEX COUNTY SCHOOLS CHAMPS  Thursday 26th January at Harrow
 These results have been elusive! In the senior girls race Jess Harbert
 finished 20th and Ellie Luxmoore 21st. Jess was fourth and final scorer for
 the winning Ealing team. In the intermediate girls, Freya Thomson and Izzy
 Atkins both made the podium in second and third places. Alice Patterson was
 9th and all three were scoring members of the winning Richmond team. In the
 junior boys Kabir Sait was 25th for Richmond. 

 KINGFIELD CANTER 2.85 miles HANDICAP  Wednesday 1st March at Woking
 1   M Tibbotts (Woking)      24.49  (actual time 20.49)
 14  Louise Piears            27.41  (23.26)    

 CAU INTER-COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIPS  Saturday 11th March at Prestwold Hall,
 Leicestershire 
 Lancashire's Nic Jackson was our only runner in the senior races this year,
 after an unwell Gill Sanders withdrew from the Surrey team - which then went
 on to take the team title. Nic was third finisher for 8th-placed Lancashire.
 Surrey were successful again in the Under 17 Women's race, in which Freya
 Thomson and Alice Patterson were first and sixth finishers for 7th-placed
 Middlesex. Scotland West were victorious in the Under 15 Girls race, Surrey
 placed 4th and Middlesex were 20th. The Ranelagh contingent was again in
 Middlesex colours - Izzy Atkins 3rd finisher and Lexi Keech 5th. Finally in
 the Under 17 Men's race the title went to Yorkshire with Surrey 5th and
 Middlesex 12th. Greg Atkins was fifth home for the Middlesex team.

 Senior Women
 1   J Judd (Essex)           29.54 
 51  Nic Jackson (Lancs)      32.45

 Under 17 Women
 1   C Lance Jones (Surrey)   19.51
 42  Freya Thomson (Middx)    21.49
 160 Alice Patterson (Middx)  23.42

 Under 15 Girls 
 1   O Mason (Cumbria)        15.22 
 82  Izzy Atkins (Middx)      17.13
 188 Lexi Keech (Middx)       18.08  

 Under 17 Men

 1   Z Mahamed (Hants)        20.00
 118 Greg Atkins (Middx)      22.25              

 THAMES MEANDER HALF MARATON Saturday 11th March at Kingston HON n Fiona Ford placed third in the women's race.

 1   M Jones (Clapham)        1:17.06  (chip time 1:17.05)
 26  D Godwin (Windle V)      1:30.46  (1:30.44 - 1st woman) 
 33  Fiona Ford               1:33.47  (1:33.44)

 THAMES MEANDER MARATHON  Saturday 11th March at Kingston
 1   N Martin (Overton)       2:52.24  (chip time 3:52.24)
 68  Matt Sowton              3:50.12  (3:50.00)

 SURREY HALF MARATHON  Sunday 12th March at Woking
 Nick Twomey writes on Facebook: "3Ds=R:  Discipline, Determination and a
 whole lot of Dreaming equals Reality. Surrey Half Marathon 1.15.22...just
 under 2 minute PB, 16th place!" 
 PBs abounded - it would be quicker to list those who did not set new bests!

 1    A Jaksevicius (Belg)    1:09.49  (chip time 1:09.490
 16   Nick Twomey             1:15.26  (1:15.22)
 24   Ian Kenton              1:17.27  (1:17.22)
 28   Rick Jenner             1:18.54  (1:18.50)
 46   Jonathan Moore          1:20.48  (1:20.45)
 57   David Ready             1:21.50  (1:21.44)
 73   J Eastham (Ravens)      1:22.26  (1:22.23 - 1st woman)
 101  Peter Faull             1:24.26  (1:24.12)
 192  Simon Ogle              1:28.14  (1:27.58)
 377  William Griffin         1:33.22  (1:33.03)
 723  Lara Werrett            1:40.59  (1:40.25)
 2768 John Herriott           2:12.57  (2:07.55)

 SURREY 5km  Sunday 12th March at Woking
 1   B Bishop (Woking)        16.59
 6   K Hopkins (Woking)       18.50  (1st woman)
 26  Kirsty Steel             21.27  

 BATH HALF MARATHON  Sunday 12th March
 1    B Fish (Blackburn)      1:05.16  (chip time 1:05.16)
 58   R Barnes (Avon V)       1:15.32  (1:15.32 - 1st woman)
 124  Sam Dalgleish           1:19.11  (1:18.59)
 1134 Julia Bailey            1:37.54  (1:37.09)

 SILVERSTONE HALF MARATHON  Sunday 12th March
 Suzy Whatmough finished 383rd in 1:33.06. The official results aren't
 searchable by club so I don't know if any other RH were there.

 BARCELONA MARATHON  Sunday 12th March
 1     J Chesum (Kenya)       2:08.57  (chip time 2:08.56)
 22    H Bekele (Ethiopia)    2:25.04  (2:25.04 - 1st woman)
 11865 Jarryd Hillhouse       4:44.09  (4:23.51)
 13221 Lorna Smith            4:58.02  (4:35.31)
 15264 Deborah Blakemore      5:29.56  (5:07.25)  

 NORTH LONDON HALF MARATHON  Sunday 12th March
 1    P Whittaker (Southend)  1:08.55  (chip time 1:08.55)
 1011 Charlotte Hyde          1:46.07  (1:45.46)
 2567 Siobhan Sharp           2:03.35  (1:57.19)

 WEST WORTHING 10km  Sunday 12th March
 1   J Baker (Chich)          33.02
 122 John Pratt               59.14

 ENGLISH SCHOOLS CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS  Saturday 18th March at Norwich
 Greg Atkins was 143rd in the Senior Boys race for Middlesex while in the
 Senior Girls also for Middlesex Jess Harbert finished 211th. In the
 Intermediate Girls Freya Thomson and Izzy Atkins were 20th and 74th
 respectively as the first two Middlesex finishers, while for London Jenny
 Silva finished 148th. 

 READING HALF MARATHON  Sunday 19th March
 Richard Gregory set off with a will and - if the official splits are to be
 believed - passed through 10km in 33.35. This would have been close to a 10k
 PB until his 32.49 a few weeks ago. Things seem to have gone wrong for
 Richard  between 15k and 20k, and though he rallied again at the end his
 final time was a disappointing 1:19. Nick Impey, on the other hand, seems to
 have got his slowest 5k out of the way first and finished looking strong in
 1:16. Carl Selya-Hammer was never far behind Nick, and then came Eirin
 McDaid, shepherding round his protégé Ryan Hogan to an amazing 1:18 in his
 first-ever road race. Forming a quartet with Eirin and Ryan were James Winch
 and Jackson Creegan and all four crossed the line within a few seconds.
 Michael Everard was our final finisher, just outside his PB.

 1   A Vernon (AFD)            1:03.08  (chip time 1:03.08)
 58  C Purdue (AFD)            1:12.15  (1:12.15 - 1st woman)
 118 Nick Impey                1:16.14  (1:15.59)
 141 Carl Selya-Hammer         1:17.36  (1:17.21)
 163 Eirin McDaid              1:18.26  (1:18.10)
 164 Ryan Hogan                1:18.27  (1:18.11)
 165 James Winch               1:18.28  (1:18.19)
 166 Jackson Creegan (Gates)   1:18.31  (1:18.22)
 174 Richard Gregory           1:19.02  (1:19.02)
 265 Michael Everard           1:22.43  (1:22.38)      
      
 FLEET HALF MARATHON  Sunday 19th March
 Marie Synnott-Wells finished third in the W50 class.

 1   M Kallenberg (Cardiff)    1:07.21  (chip time 1:07.21)
 71  L Locks (Hart)            1:20.59  (1:20.57 - 1st woman)
 197 Mick Lane                 1:27.01  (1:26.57)
 510 Toby Cooper               1:36.10  (1:35.11)
 583 Marie Synnott-Wells       1:37.54  (1:37.33)
 830 Heather Martingell        1:43.38  (1:42.45)    

 HAMPTON COURT PALACE HALF MARATHON  Sunday 19th March
 1    J Lewis (unatt)          1:11.48  (chip time 1:11.48)
 5    S McCall (SLH)           1:19.22  (1:19.22 - 1st woman)
 432  Rachel Revett            1:47.39  (1:44.24)
 554  Gary Lee                 1:51.14  (1:47.26)
 649  Elisa Ferrua             1:53.35  (1:50.31)
 826  Llewellyn Davies         1:57.44  (1:54.20)
 3023 Tanya Allen              3:01.43  (2:48.56)

 SALOMON RICHMOND HALF MARATHON  Sunday 19th March
 1    T Payn (Run Fast)        1:08.21  (chip time 1:08.21)
 14   N Seymour (unatt)        1:22.53  (1:22.52 - 1st woman)
 105  Richard Gurd             1:30.48  (1:29.37) 
 108  Bill Neely               1:30.57  (1:29.35)
 181  Laura Blazey             1:36.17  (1:35.04)
 186  Daniela Mingham          1:36.33  (1:36.25)
 356  Chris Read               1:45.57  (1:42.50)
 395  Stephen Logue            1:47.09  (1:44.03)
 766  Phil Rushby              1:59.31  (1:54.13)
 1064 Aoife Kilpatrick         2:08.24  (1:59.30)
 1473 Ally Pickard             2:25.05  (2:12.11)
 1518 Emma Wood                2:28.01  (2:16.39) 

 SALOMON RICHMOND 10km  Sunday 19th March
 1   T Buckley (unatt)         34.50  (chip time 34.50)
 4   R Nolan (Luton)           36.48  (36.43 - 1st woman)
 305 David Meaden              66.19  (64.56)
 322 Alan Meaden               67.50  (67.05)
 376 Louise Wapshott           73.30  (71.01)

 parkrun results...
 For those of you who are not currently shown as Ranelagh in the parkrun
 database, it would be very helpful if you could update your details. You can
 also access Ranelagh results here:.       

 Parkruns 5km Saturday 25th February

 Bushy Park
 We included some excellent results in the last e-news for several juniors
 who took part in the Bushy Park parkrun. There were a number of others, all
 registered under the name of the Optima triathlon club: Reef BOERICKE 17:27,
 Jacob PATTERSON 18:49, Jess WENLOCK 19:09, Kamal JABRE 19:24, Alice
 PATTERSON 19:47, Dana JABRE 23:11   

 parkruns 5km Saturday 11th March

 Bushy Park
 Nick WRIGHT 17:32, James WHISTLER 21:25, Emily COULSON (jnr) 21:29, Tom REAY
 26:28, Toby COOPER 27:06, Rob KITCHEN 27:18, Ashleigh FERRIS 29:13, Rachel
 REVETT 29:15, Jackie DUNKLEY 30:08, Wally GARROD 39:14, John HANSCOMB 51:57

 Richmond Park
 Nick Impey was first home and Laura Blazey was second woman.
 Nick IMPEY 17:01, Laura BLAZEY 19:46, James RITCHIE 20:36, Jess HARBERT
 (jnr) 22:22, Daniel RUSHBY (jnr) 22:43, Cecily DAY (jnr) 23:13, Michael
 POTTS CALLAGHAN (jnr) 24:07, Ellie LUXMOORE (jnr) 24:09, Tom BRADLEY (jnr)
 24:10, Alberto ESGUEVILLAS 24:14, Alastair RITCHIE 24:17, Tomas STERNER
 24:26, James RUSHBY (jnr) 24:29, John HOBSON 24:37, Maia RUSHBY 25:00, Sam
 RUSHBY (jnr) 25:01, Simon TAYLOR 25:07, Kevin KNOWLES 25:21, Aoife
 KILPATRICK 25:53, Karen HARBERT 26:11, Clare DAY 26:31, Carol AIKIN 27:02,
 Andrew BROWN 27:16, Sue CAMP 27:39, Ally PICKARD 28:02, Ben RUSHBY (jnr)
 28:42, Phil RUSHBY 28:44, Deepa SHARMA 28:45, Bronwen NORTHMORE 32:59,
 Martin CLARK 42:03, Penny MERRETT 42:51, Beverley ALI 42:52, Pat HEWLETT
 42:52

 Ashton Court
 Alex FORDHAM 20.42, Nick FORDHAM 21.52, Peter FORDHAM 28:21

 Old Deer Park
 Dave Lawley was the first finisher.
 David LAWLEY 17:42, Colin BRETT 19:42, Christopher READ 23:06, Luke MAGUIRE
 (jnr) 24:56, Paula MAGUIRE 26:15, Tim WOOLMER 28:34, Julian HOLDEN 28:46,
 Colette DORAN 28:57, Kris DAVIDSON 30:42, Katrina ROCHE 41:38

 Kingston
 Estelle Damant was the leading woman.
 Estelle DAMANT 19:14, Wiebke KORTUM 21:30,  Chris CAMACHO 26:04, Fiona PUGH
 29:04

 Oxford
 Evelyn JOSLIN 28:53

 Plmvalley
 Chris WRIGHT 26:40, Mary HICKSON 31:50

 Southsea
 Marc Snaith was third home.
 Marc SNAITH 18:19

 Dulwich
 Rob CURTIS 23:19

 Crane Park
 Dan  LITTLE 18:52, Bruce MCLAREN 20:17, Kevin KEAREY 20:43, Richard GURD
 22:24, Ann KEAREY 24:03, Josie KEAREY (jnr) 24:17, Tamsin BURLAND 25:19,
 Michael WHITE 29:03, Heather MARTINGELL 29:03, Nigel COOMBES 33:23, Louise
 WAPSHOTT 34:46, Su CLARK 51:29

 Osterley Park
 Philip JACKSON 24:20, Michael OSBORNE 24:36, Wyn WILLIAMS 28:23, Christine
 DAVID 30:46, Tracey SMALL 33:19, Katie WALTON 35:14, Cindy CROUCHER 35:37,
 Tanya ALLEN 37:17

 Homewood
 Jo SINTON-HEWITT 30:33

 Huntingdon
 Paul SINTON-HEWITT 20:40

 Parke
 Mike PEACE 25:42

 Tooting Common
 Megan de Silva was the leading woman again.
 Megan de SILVA 18:26 

 Stratford-upon-Avon
 Paul HODGES 20:46

 Junior parkruns 2km Sunday 12th March

 Moormead
 Theo DOYLE 10:10, Sam DOYLE 12:30

 Wimbledon Park
 Megan DONOVAN 10:55

 parkruns 5km Saturday 18th March

 Bushy Park
 Nick WRIGHT 17:46, Toby COOPER 24:06, Rachel REVETT 24:36, Ian GRANGE 24:36,
 Amy SILLITOE 26:42, Ashleigh FERRIS 28:53, Jackie DUNKLEY 30:08, Janet
 TURNES 31:19, Wally GARROD 38:36, John HANSCOMB 50:28

 Wimbledon Common
 Laura BLAZEY 19:39

 Richmond Park
 Tom BRADLEY (jnr) 18:53, Bill NEELY 20:18, Steve AIKIN 22:44, Ellie LUXMOORE
 (jnr) 23:35, Cecily DAY (jnr) 24:03, James RUSHBY (jnr) 24:25, Alberto
 ESGUEVILLAS 24:33, Tomas STERNER 24:40, Karl GARVEY 24:52, Daniel RUSHBY
 (jnr) 25:07, Maia RUSHBY 25:08, Carol AIKIN 25:45, Hadi KHATAMIZADEH 25:48,
 Clare DAY 26:38, Sam RUSHBY (jnr) 28:14, Ben RUSHBY (jnr) 28:41, Phil RUSHBY
 28:42, Deepa SHARMA 29:31, Jarryd HILLHOUSE 30:40, Gavin HILLHOUSE 30:41,
 Rob KITCHEN 32:08, Bronwen NORTHMORE 32:35, Pat HEWLETT 45:24, Beverley ALI
 45:25

 Old Deer Park
 Fiona FORBES 25:01, Melanie DAVISON 26:30, Wyn WILLIAMS 28:47, Julian HOLDEN
 29:28

 Southampton
 Penny MERRETT 32:19

 Coventry
 Rebecca NORTHMORE 21:24

 Kingston 
 Paul SINTON-HEWITT 20:24, Alison DICKS 24:47, Chris CAMACHO 25:23, Andrew
 BROWN 25:27, Fiona PUGH 27:15, Tom REAY 27:18, Katie WALTON 33:04, Jo
 SINTON-HEWITT 34:00

 Plymvalley
 Chris WRIGHT 26:26 

 Rickmansworth
 Peter FORDHAM 28:57

 Newbury
 Henry MAGUIRE 54:36

 Gloucester North
 John ATKINSON 20:25

 Concord, Sheffield
 Peter WEIR 21.05, Karen WEIR 23.22

 Dulwich Park
 Megan de Silva was first woman home.
 Megan de SILVA 18:46

 Crane Park
 Daniel LITTLE 18:48, Eric PLUE 20:28, Kevin KEAREY 21:52, Rue TURNER 24:35,
 Kevin JACQUES 24:51, Heather MARTINGELL 24:58, Josie KEAREY(jnr) 24:59, Ann
 KEAREY 25:05, Afrah SAIT (jnr) 32:03, Hilary THOMSON 32:25

 Preston Park, Brighton
 John PRATT 28:12

 Osterley Park
 Phil JACKSON 23:53, Christine DAVID 30:30, Cindy CROUCHER 35:18

 Bognor Regis
 Simon TAYLOR 25:47

 Swansea Bay
 Nick FORDHAM 20:57

 Junior parkruns 2km Sunday 19th March
 Moormead
 Chase LAWLER 9:27

 FINALLY... 
 Thanks to Pete Mulholland for this:
 Runners in the Foulées des 2 Rives 14K in Brest, France, faced serious gusts
 during a recent race: Video:. During the
 race, runners were forced to brace themselves (or slow to a walk) as they
 crossed the Plougastel Bridge (also known as the Albert-Louppe Bridge) along
 the course. Wind gusts reached higher than 40 miles per hour during the
 race. More than 400 people participated and no injuries were reported.