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Newsdesk 2020
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 573 5th August 2020
Editor: Steve Rowland
mailto: sandsrowland@btinternet.com
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COVID-19 ENGLAND ATHLETICS GUIDANCE FOR ATHLETES AND RUNNERS 4th AUGUST 2020
England Athletics latest guidelines are here: https://www.englandathletics.org/.
Ranelagh Harriers hopes to decide on the approach to be adopted by the Club as soon as possible.
This will be communicated to members. Any questions you have should be directed in the first
instance to mailto:ranelagh.hon.secretary@gmail.com.
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Ted Mockett writes:
Last weekend saw the end of our Virtual Summer Race Series with the hotly-contested
Mercurial Mile. With the lack of any running events it’s not surprising that so many of you
took part in the series with over 105 runners entering at least one race over the past couple
of months. I would like to say a huge thank you to Suzy Whatmough, James Ritchie and
anyone else involved in organising the series and sorting out the results which was not
always an easy task given how close some of the results were!
August is normally a relatively quiet month for running events being sandwiched between the
end of the Road GP and the start of the cross country season in early September.
Unfortunately, there is still no certainty as to when we may be able to resume races and in
what form this might be. However, we are currently looking to see whether we may soon be
able to restart formal training sessions in some form within a Covid-19 secure environment in
accordance with the guidance from England Athletics. We will be able to share more on this
in the coming weeks.
Best wishes
Ted
KEEP IN TOUCH
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SOCIAL SECRETARIES
We need a new Social Secretary or Secretaries! Either one individual or a group of three of
four taking on one function each. The main events are the Christmas Party, the Baker Cup
Supper and Prize Presentation evening, the summer BBQ and – once every two years - our
Thames H&H Mob Match supper. In addition there may be additional irregular events such
as quiz nights. Our retiring Soc Secs Michele and Andy will, I am sure, be happy to give you
an outline of what needs to be done. If you think you could help with one or more of these
events please do get in touch.
VIRTUAL SUMMER RACE SERIES
Our virtual summer race series consisted of five events of varying distances at fortnightly
intervals during the summer. The last two were the Virtual Coad Cup 5 miles and the Mercurial
Mile. Results and reports can be seen below.
VIRTUAL COAD CUP 5 miles HANDICAP 17th to 19th July
Organisers Suzy Whatmough and James Ritchie report:
We had 71 runners taking part in the Virtual Coad Cup, which was the penultimate race in
Ranelagh’s Virtual Summer Series. It’s not the most obvious course to follow, so many of
us were heading out for recces in advance. This was also helpful for identifying a fallen tree
- potentially adding seconds to our race times! Luckily your virtual race director elves managed
to clear it in time for the race weekend.
We were impressed to see some Coad Cup PB’s in this virtual version. Well done to James
Whistler, James Riley, David Ready, Suzy Whatmough and Carol Aikin.
However, it didn’t quite go to plan for all of us. Despite the recces, many of us still managed
to lose our way in the ferns (including people who used to mark the course, but we’ll mention
no names). One runner took a tumble but managed to finish it anyway and still win his age
category. Another runner (again no names) clearly wasn’t in the race spirit when he decided to
stop halfway round for a chat. His elapsed time, not moving time, was counted!
We had 56 runners following / attempting to follow the Coad Course. We also had people
running as far afield as Mallorca, Spain and the French Alps (Rachel Revett, Alberto Esguevillas
and Paul Murphy), and others finding rather excessive elevation gains for their alternative
courses. Particular mentions here for Ross MacDonald in Cornwall (486m!), Rick Jenner in
Edinburgh (276m and going up Arthur’s Seat), Felix Von Schubert in Austria (218m) and
Dave Lawley in Devon (173m).
In the handicap, John Pratt had a clear lead with two minutes to spare before Clare Day.
Ed Smith followed, narrowly beating Jonathan Smith for bronze position. It paid to be a Smith,
with Pete in 6th place.
Hcap Hcap Actual Speed
Pos. Name Time Allow Time Order
1 John Pratt 23.06 28.40 51.46 69
2 Clare Day 25.14 17.40 42.54 54
3 Ed Smith 26.40 9.30 36.10 33
4 Jonathan Smith 26.45 1.50 28.35 2
5 Rebecca Bissell 26.45 12.00 38.45 43
6 Pete Smith 26.48 4.20 31.08 11
7 Kevin Knowles 26.57 11.00 37.57 39
8 Sarah Palmer 27.16 6.40 33.56 21
9 Sally Bamford 27.16 15.30 42.46 53
10 Phil Roberts 27.31 9.20 36.51 36
11 Carol Aikin 27.37 14.40 42.17 52
12 Richard Willoughby 27.38 6.20 33.58 22
13 Gary Armstrong 27.39 0.40 28.19 1
14 Michael Morris 27.41 5.30 33.11 18
15 Stewart Anderson 27.41 7.00 34.41 26
16 Neil Rae 27.43 4.30 32.13 14
17 James Riley 27.44 1.20 29.04 4
18 Tom Bradley 27.45 3.50 31.35 13
19 George Howard 27.48 1.30 29.18 5
20 Fiona Pugh 27.49 16.10 43.59 56
21 James Whistler 27.50 1.10 29.00 3
22 Marcus Atkins 27.56 8.20 36.16 34
23 Gavin Hillhouse 27.59 11.00 38.59 45
24 Ian Keith 28.00 13.30 41.30 50
25 Colette Doran 28.03 18.10 46.13 63
26 Ed Perry 28.13 1.30 29.43 7
27 Amrut Sharma 28.20 10.50 39.10 46
28 Richard Kimber 28.21 2.40 31.01 10
29 Suzy Whatmough 28.28 5.00 33.28 20
30 Lloyd Camp 28.29 10.10 38.39 42
31 Andy Starr 28.35 2.10 30.45 9
32 Michael Everard 28.35 5.30 34.05 23
33 Wiebke Kortum 28.39 9.00 37.39 37
34 John Shaw 28.42 3.40 32.22 15
35 Bruce McLaren 28.44 4.30 33.14 19
36 Nicholas Twomey 28.45 0.40 29.25 6
37 Simon Taylor 28.51 12.10 41.01 48
38 Alison Targett 28.57 18.10 47.07 65
39 Natalie Haarer 29.00 5.30 34.30 25
40 Hadi Khatamizadeh 29.19 8.20 37.39 38
41 Anna Scally 29.19 12.00 41.19 49
42 Claire Warner 29.25 15.00 44.25 60
43 David Ready 29.27 1.10 30.37 8
44 Paul Murphy 29.30 5.20 34.50 27
Rachel Singleton (G) 29.34 14.30 44.04 57
45 Jonathan Moore 29.39 1.30 31.09 12
46 Clare Fowler 29.40 5.50 35.30 29
47 Paul Doyle 29.50 3.00 32.50 16
48 Marianne Malam 29.52 8.40 38.12 40
49 David Lawley 29.55 3.00 32.55 17
50 Stephen Aikin 29.55 8.30 38.25 41
51 Angus Cater 29.57 20.00 49.57 66
52 Jeremy Day 30.00 10.50 40.50 47
53 Mike Thomas 30.05 5.30 35.35 30
54 James Ritchie 30.07 5.20 35.27 28
55 Deborah Blakemore 30.10 30.20 60.30 70
56 Sue Camp 30.13 16.50 47.03 64
57 Richard Pender 30.22 8.30 38.52 44
58 Alex Ring 30.42 5.20 36.02 32
59 Sergio Stillacci 31.08 3.00 34.08 24
60 Jarryd Hillhouse 31.16 5.10 36.26 35
61 Anna Reichwald 31.37 13.30 45.07 61
62 Rachel Revett 31.40 11.50 43.30 55
63 Alberto Esguevillas 32.14 9.00 42.14 51
64 Dave Kew 33.30 16.50 50.20 67
65 Ted Mockett 34.36 1.10 35.46 31
66 Graham Brook 36.49 1.50 44.07 58
67 Felix von Schubert 37.14 13.10 50.24 68
68 John Scally 39.06 21.30 60.36 71
69 Rick Jenner 43.25 2.30 45.55 62
70 Ross Macdonald 43.28 0.50 44.18 59
A big virtual round of applause for everyone that ran and well done to our podium finishers:
Handicap:
John Pratt 23:06 (+28:40)
Clare Day 25:14 (+17:40)
Ed Smith 26:40 (+9:30)
Men
Gary Armstrong 28:19
Jonathan Smith 28:35
James Whistler 29:00
Special mention for Marc Leyshon who ran it in 28:57, but didn’t sign up in time to be counted.
Well done anyway Marc!
Women
Suzy Whatmough 33:28
Sarah Palmer 33:56
Natalie Haarer 34:30
And well done to our age group winners:
M35 - Jonathan Smith 28:35
L35 - Claire Warner 44:25
M40 – Gary Armstrong 28:19
L40 – Clare Fowler 35:30
M45 – Neil Rae 32:13
L45 – Marianne Malam 38:12
M50 – Jonathan Moore 31:09
L50 - Wiebke Kortum 37:39
M55 – Marcus Atkins 36:16
L55 - Carol Aikin 42:17
M60 - John Shaw 32:22
M65 - Angus Cater 49:57
M75 - Dave Kew 50:20
VIRTUAL MERCURIAL MILE 30th July to 2nd August
Organisers Suzy Whatmough and James Ritchie report:
Our virtual series finished off with 73 runners competing over the classic mile distance.
This race attracted an all-age crowd, from Cordelia Perry and Sam Minchella, both in the
under 11 category, to Dave Kew and John Pratt in the vets 75+ category. Both vets had
the lead over these promising youngsters, for now at least!
We were impressed to see lots of PB’s in this race - well done to Ed Perry, Jarryd Hillhouse,
Suzy Whatmough, James Ritchie, Andy Starr, Jonathan Moore, Colette Doran, Dave Lawley,
James Whistler and James Riley. Apologies if we’ve missed any!
To add a bit of excitement (and motivation) some of you organised to run the mile in smaller
groups. The most popular route seemed to be variations of the flat and fast Arethusa Mile
course in Bushy Park, though with many of you also running on the middle road in Richmond Park.
Four of us enjoyed it so much we decided to race twice in Bushy Park - following up the
Mercurial Mile with a beer mile. Well done to James Ritchie, Suzy Whatmough, Ali Forbes
and Becky Northmore for their extra dedication!
It was great to see Sonia Rowland make her virtual race series debut in the Mercurial Mile,
and her first race for three years. Emma Harris also made her debut, coming back from injury
to run a very good mile time, despite turning up slightly late to join the others in Bushy Park.
A special mention also for Bruce McLaren who completed the mile despite an injury meaning
he was barely able to move. He valiantly took the last place.
At the sharp end of the race it was very close for the men, making the adjudicators’ job quite
exciting! Hopefully we can see them in a real race on the track at some point in the near future.
A big virtual round of applause for everyone that ran and well done to our podium finishers:
Men
Nick Twomey 4:38
Ross MacDonald 4:42.00
Ted Mockett 4:42.50
Women
Suzy Whatmough 5:33
Natalie Haarer 5:43
Cecily Day 5:50
And well done to our age group winners:
U11G - Cordelia Perry 9:22
U11B - Sam Minchella 10:05
M35 - Jonathan Smith 4:43
L35 - Claire Warner 6:58
M40 – Ted Mockett 4:42.5
L40 – Clare Fowler 6:10
M45 – James Ritchie 5:15
L45 – Marianne Malam 6:16
M50 – Jonathan Moore 5:00
L50 - Emma Harris 5:47
M55 – Marcus Atkins 5:58
L55 - Carol Aikin 7:05
M60 - John Shaw 5:37
M65 - Angus Cater 8:28
L65 - Sonia Rowland 9:31
M75 - Dave Kew 7:14
Times:
VIRTUAL SUMMER SERIES ROUNDUP AND LEADERBOARDS
It’s been great to see everyone getting involved in the series, whether for fun, extra motivation
or to enjoy a bit of competition again.
Across the five races we’ve seen 105 runners take part, 361 runs completed and 2121km
distance covered.
We were also pleased to see dedication across the series with 44 people taking part in all
5 races. Well done!
Newcomer Gary Armstrong won the open category for the series, as well as the M40 category.
These were his first Ranelagh races (aside from the virtual GBR), so we look forward to meeting
you in person Gary (and trying to keep up with you)!
A big congratulations to all the leaderboard podium finishers:
Open:
Gary Armstrong
James Whistler
Nick Twomey
Women:
Suzy Whatmough
Natalie Haarer
Sarah Palmer
Men 40+:
Gary Armstrong
James Riley
Ted Mockett
Women 40+:
Clare Fowler
Marianne Malam
Rebecca Bissell
Men 50+:
Jonathan Moore
Paul Doyle
John Shaw
Women 50+:
Wiebke Kortum
Carol Aikin
Sally Bamford
A special mention also to those consistently winning their 5 year split age categories in all 5
races - Clare Fowler (W40+), Marianne Malam (W45+), Jonathan Moore (M50+), Marcus Atkins
(M55+), Carol Aikin (W55+), John Shaw (M60+), Angus Cater (M65+) and Dave Kew (M75+).
The full leaderboards are here:, thanks to Ken Powley.
Thank you to everyone taking part and making these races so much fun. We hope you’ve all
enjoyed it as much as we have.
Suzy and James
SECRET 7k Friday 31st July
This virtual event was organised by The Stragglers to fill the hole left by the cancellation
of the Wedding Day 7k. The winner was the Lithuanian representing Vegan Runners Andrius
Jaksevicius in 23.14. Ross Macdonald finished 2nd overall, Andy Starr was 2nd M40,
John Shaw was 1st M60 and Rebecca Bissell was 3rd F45.
Times: 2 Ross Macdonald 24.24, 6 David Ready 25.56, 7 Andy Starr 26.12, 11 John Shaw 27.03,
Chris Brook 29.06, 32 Rebecca Bissell 31.09.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH STUDY
Rick Jenner writes:
A friend's fiancé is currently undertaking a Masters Degree in Human Nutrition at St Marys
University in London. She is looking for recreational and elite athletes to participate in her
research study which is an online survey on healthy eating behaviours, and we would be super
grateful if you could participate and circulate to any other athletes you know that would fit the criteria.
The research project aims to investigate the symptoms and predictors of ‘clean eating’ behaviours
(known as orthorexia nervosa) among athletes at both a competitive / recreational level and an elite level.
Until recently, there has been very limited research on orthorexia nervosa in athletes, therefore little i
known about the presence and predictors of the eating behaviour. As a consequence, this researc
project will be the first study in the UK examining orthorexic behaviours among elite and recreationa
athletes, whilst using a relatively new measurement scale. Results of the study will be used and written
up as part of a MSc research project, and with the prospect of publication in an academic journal.
The survey takes approximately 15-20 minutes and works well on a mobile phone if that is more
convenient. All of your answers and information will remain anonymous. Essentially, to be
eligible you need to be an elite athlete or take part at a recreational level e.g. registered
with a club, or train = 4 hours per week. I'm sure we all fit into that category.
Further information and a 'Participant Information Sheet' can be found on the first page of the
survey, which can be found here:.
LONDON MARATHON
There’s still been no definite decision regarding whether the 40th edition of the Virgin Money
London Marathon will take place on October 4th. A further announcement from the organisers
is expected on August 7th.
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