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Newsdesk 2002
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RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 81 13 NOVEMBER 2002
Web site: www.ranelagh-harriers.com
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NATIONAL MASTERS CROSS-COUNTRY RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS at Lloyd Park, Croydon
Sunday 10th November
Margaret Auerback reports:
"Ranelagh took part in their first British Masters cross country relays at
the weekend. Most of us know the Lloyd Park course very well from Surrey
League and county champs fixtures. Thankfully it wasn't as muddy as usual
and the rain stopped which was just as well as I forgot The Tent.
Everybody who went ran really well with particularly good performances from
Marcus who came storming through in fifth place on the first leg of the M40
race and from Andy who held fifth place on the second leg. The M40 team
finished in 19th place against some very strong opposition. The M60 team ran
consistently with only 12 seconds covering their three lap times. They were
in fourth place all the way through but can take some consolation from the
fact that the three teams in front of them all contained internationals -
Bingley who finished in first place had two who will be competing for
England this weekend in Ballymena.
Kathy Mallett took the first leg for the W45s and started very fast coming
out of the first small lap in second place. She finished strongly in fourth
place handing over to Sonia who ran an excellent middle leg and handed over
to me. I managed to overtake SLH but got run down by a very strong Invicta
runner.
We thought we had finished in third or fourth place and were very pleased
with that so the news that we were second was just brilliant. To get
National team medals at our first attempt is pretty good going.
On the day I think Ranelagh showed they can mix it with the best - it was a
truly national event with the first three men's teams coming from Brighton,
Glasgow and Swansea. Well done everybody and let's build on it - see if we
can do even better in the future.
The next Vets / Masters race is the South of England cross country
championships in Bournemouth on 14th December. This race is usually held in
March and the change of date is very unfortunate for us as it now falls on
the same day as the SLH mob match.
I will put the dates of future events in the e-mail news as I get details.
Anyone fancy Puerto Rico next year?"
Peter Haarer writes from the Stroud Half Marathon on Sunday 27th October:
"I passed up my biennial opportunity to snorkel through Epping Forest for
the Stroud Half Marathon, thinking that Stroud would be a soft option
compared to the Chingford Mob match and that no one could be expected to
participate in both. Wrong. Dave Wright's appearance demonstrated the
folly of one preconception while gale force winds blew away the possibility
of an easy run.
The first half of the race went head on into the wind and was heavy going,
ensuring that none of the select group of runners I watched cruising into
the distance had any chance of taking 200 quid home for breaking the course
record. My own run, some distance behind, was 34 seconds off a p.b. thanks
mostly to the cumulative vexation of an Irishman using me as a windshield
for eight miles or so, which speeded me up towards the end.
Meanwhile, Gary Harris of Headington Road Runners was busy setting a new
world half marathon record for pushing a buggy plus infant. What is surely
most remarkable is that the infant was not his, but borrowed, and
volunteered".
I can't help but wonder how the infant volunteered, Peter. Perhaps she just
couldn't say no?
1 A Vassilev (Russia) 65.09
7 Peter Haarer 71.46
88 Gary Harris (HRR) 83.39
166 David Wright 88.35 (started late) (that's
his story, anyway)
Celia Beverly writes:
"Alice Beverly is now running with the Oxford University cross country squad
in term times and went up to the second Reebok Cross Challenge in Birmingham
at the weekend. Although still under 20, she had to run with her team in the
Senior Women's race - a newish distance for her - but she had a good run and
came 44th in 27.05 and 5th in the huge Oxford contingent of 13 runners out
of a total of 66. Hayley Yelling of Windsor was the winner in 21.51. Alice
looked out for (but could not find) Alex Hook who was also there and had run
a very good U13 race - 37th in 12.36 (winner Lynsey Sharpe EWM - 11.05) out
of a field of 65".
Dave Locke writes from Australia:
"Just a note to wind up the World Masters report from the geriatric end of
the Ranelagh diaspora. Neil Ryan and I both took part in the 10 km [you
can't describe what we do as 'running' anymore], Neil coming in in 41:09,
myself 41:34, 9th in the 60+ (the quickest 60-year-old Peter Sandery ran
35:21, 33rd overall - where was he when Clark was running?) I also ran in
the 5k on the track, 19:58, 13th in the 60+ [Sandery 17:09} .
We didn't come across Simon Hedger, although he was on the list of those
having paid the entry fee, nor for that matter, Jimmy Langford, although one
of his Perth club mates, Johnny Gilmour ran the 10 km in 58+ to head the
over 80's".
SURREY LEAGUE
The next Surrey League fixture on Saturday 16th November finds our men's and
women's teams at the same venue, the Thames Hare and Hounds course at
Kingston Vale, Wimbledon Common. The car park and changing rooms are about
200 metres north of the Robin Hood roundabout on the A3. This car park will
probably fill up, so think of using the one inside Richmond Park at Robin
Hood Gate as an overflow if necessary (but check the Park closing time!).
All are welcome to run the League races, though for the men only the first
ten count as the scoring team. In the women's race there are 'A', 'B', 'C'
etc teams, so all runners count. The women run first at 12.30pm, followed by
the Under 13/15 and Under 17/20 events, then at 2.30pm the Under 13/15/17
boys run followed by the senior men at 3pm.
MOB MATCH
All are also welcome to run the season's second mob match, at home to Thames
Hare and Hounds on Saturday November 30th. Indeed, you are not only welcome
to run, you are encouraged, implored, beseeched and cajoled to run! Thames
have a much stronger team than we do at present but mob matches are all
about numbers and if we can outnumber them the result is not a foregone
conclusion. There are a lot of you out there who have never run a mob match,
though the distance is well within your capabilities. It's 7.5 miles in
Richmond Park. Please make the effort. You can do it. You really can. Start
is at 2.30pm by Sidmouth Wood, opposite Pembroke Lodge. Pick up your number
at the clubhouse preferably, otherwise at the start.
This event also includes the club veterans championship for the Hastings Cup
plus the McDowell Cup for the first Over 50 and the Maslin Mug for the
leading Over 60.
CONGRATS...
to Chris Owens who has just turned 50, to Colin Gostelow who has reached 60
and most especially to Sue Healey and Alastair Sinclair who are to be
married on November 23rd.
NEXT...
More details of the following from Andy Bickerstaff (07966 552302 /
mailto:norris.hobs@ndirect.co.uk ) or
Sarah Seal (020 8995 2380 / mailto:sarahs@walker.co.uk ).
Saturday November 16th Surrey League Division 1 - men and women both at
Kingston Vale. See above for details.
Saturday November 30th Mob Match v Thames Hare and Hounds in Richmond Park.
See above for details.
Saturday December 7th Dysart Cup invitation women's 6km in Richmond Park
including Hugh Jones Salver club women's championship and Trish's Trophy
club women's veterans championship. Start 2pm, followed by Ellis Cup
invitation men's 8km at 2.30pm.
Saturday December 14th Stubbs Cup mob match v South London Harriers in
Richmond Park. 7.5 miles starting at 2.30pm.
FINALLY
Peter Saw writes:
"A recent piece in the Times quoted P.G.Wodehouse (of Jeeves and Wooster
fame) likening the movements of the butler in the House at Kay's (1905) to
the winner of a walking race to Brighton. Did Wodehouse have some
involvement with walking or was the Brighton Walk covered in the press the
way Premiership football is nowadays? Perhaps a reader of your newsletter
knows the answer".
Steve Rowland
e-mail: srowland@calorgas.co.uk
Tel: 01926 318734
Fax: 0870 4006901