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Newsdesk 2003

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 RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 86         8 JANUARY 2003
 Web site: www.ranelagh-harriers.com  
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 CLUB HONOURS FOR SARAH!!!  See the Surrey Championships report below.

 SATURDAY JANUARY 11TH   SURREY LEAGUE in Richmond Park
 It's our turn to host the men's and women's Surrey League fixtures this
 Saturday. Proceedings get under way at 12.30pm with the senior women's race,
 followed at 1.15pm by the combined girls under 15 / under 13 race and at
 1.45pm by the girls under 20 / under 17. Then at 2.30pm comes the combined
 boys under 17 / under 15 / under 13 event and finally at 3pm the senior men.
 All are welcome to run if you'd like to, but otherwise help with marshalling
 or officiating or just supporting the teams would be very welcome!

 SATURDAY JANUARY 18TH   Match v MILOCARIANS and others at RMA Sandhurst,
 Camberley. 6 miles, start 2pm.
 This is additional race not on the fixture card. If you want to run and
 haven't yet let anybody know, e-mail me straight away with your name and car
 details. If you're not on the list in the guard house you won't be allowed
 in! Even if your name is on the list you might be asked to prove who you
 are, so take some i.d. with you.   

 HENTY RELAY    December 28th 2002  in Richmond Park
 We had a reasonable turn-out for the Saturday after Christmas, with eleven
 teams carefully assigned by the Sorcerer's Apprentice and one more team
 comprised of the late and the lame - one so lame indeed that he wishes to
 remain anonymous lest his physio finds out. My lips are sealed, but will of
 course open to accommodate a pint. 
 Marcus's Mob meant business. Their captain galloped home first on the
 opening stage and thereafter they were never more than a few seconds away
 from the lead. Andy's 'Arriers stayed close at hand and led for a couple of
 stages but at the death they died. These two were well clear of the rest of
 the pack which was headed by an ornithological team of remarkable
 consistency - allowing for the shorter first lap, no more than a minute
 separated their "fast" from their "slow".  Not surprisingly, that "slow"
 Alex Hook proved to be the fastest of the day in her category. Quickest
 "medium" was Neil Walford, though rumour has it he was actually selected as
 a "fast" but unburdened himself of that honour in favour of his young
 colleague Jordan Mungovan. Experience, experience. And fastest "fast", of
 course, was Marcus.    


 SURREY CHAMPIONSHIPS   January 4th  at Nork Park, Banstead 
 This was a new venue for most of us and turned out to be perched on a
 hillside with seasonal patches of snow dotted about. The courses were all
 multi-lap, comprised mostly of a long downhill followed by a strangely
 longer uphill. A slippery but flat playing fields area provided the start
 and finish. 
 There were some good results and medals from the junior events but I hope
 Anair and the others will not mind if I give pride of place to Sarah Seal.
 She started the women's five miles event with considerable confidence,
 showing up 5th on the first downhill and then establishing herself in 6th
 place which she held with great style for the remainder of the race. This
 will give her a place in the inter-counties team for Surrey but more
 importantly qualifies her for the club honours award, only the fourth woman
 to achieve this. Well done Sarah, the champagne is on ice!
 Behind her Liz Kipling was also running in the top ten before unfortunately
 having to retire at the end of the first lap. Marlene Pautard ran strongly
 after a steady start to pass Sara Grosvenor in the closing stages and the
 scoring four was completed by Kathy Mallett. We just missed the team medals
 in fourth place.
 Alex Hook ran well as ever for 6th place in the under 13s but our only
 individual and team medals of the day came in the combined under 20 / under
 17 race. Here Alice and Anair Beverly and Estelle Damant finished within 40
 seconds of each other to secure team silvers and Anair won another silver
 for 2nd in the under 17 category.
 Richard Sim and Dan Jermy had solid runs in the boys under 15 race while in
 the senior men's event we had a scratch squad of six members who did not
 dodge quickly enough when Cap'n Bicks was looking for volunteers. Andy
 himself led the way after slowly overhauling Paul Doyle. I'm not sure of the
 team finishing position, suffice it to say that we did not trouble the prize
 presenters. But at least we finished a team and all credit to the guys for
 making it round what was a pretty gruelling course.     

 
 OTHER RESULTS
 Holly Runs   December 22nd at Reigate
 Women
 1 C Best (Crawley) 19.30
 7 Anair Beverly (1st U17) 21.06
 8 Estelle Damant (3rd U20) 21.09 

 Lauriston 7 miles   December 28th at Wimbledon
 1 S Wurr (TH&H) 38.44
 11 Stephen Instone 43.40 

 Oxfordshire Championships      January 5th at Banbury 
 Peter Haarer ran well to make the county team closely pursued by his
 Headington Road Runners club mate Gary Harris who is soon to become a
 second-claim Ranelagh member, while runner-up in the women's race was Jude
 Craft who has just done so! 
 1 K Sheppard (Tipton) 31.48
 4 Peter Haarer 33.59
 5 Gary Harris (HRR) 34.13
 Women
 1 K Caffel (Oxford) 21.11
 2 Jude Craft (HRR) 21.31 

 BARBADOS MARATHON
 Six-times winner Hugh Jones had to give best to a runner from Trinidad in
 last year's event on December 1st. The leaders were playing cat and mouse
 for much of the way according to the runbarbados web site, hence perhaps the
 slower than usual times, before Cantius Thomas got the drop on the rest.
 1 C Thomas (Trinidad) 2.38.12
 2 Hugh Jones 2.40.17

 TUESDAY & THURSDAY NIGHT TRAINING 
 Sarah and Margaret have unveiled the tortures they have in store over the
 next few weeks. Full details appear on our web site, but the kernels of the 
 first few are as follows:
 Tuesday 14th: 6-8 x 90 secs uphill at Holly Lodge.
 Tuesday 21st: pyramid session.
 Tuesday 28th: 4 x continuous loop on Ham Cross hill.
 Thursdays are steady runs of 5-6 miles with some shorter efforts or strides
 incorporated.
 All are welcome, starting from the clubhouse at 7pm. 

 Wednesday night training continues as usual of course, with steady runs
 starting at about 6.30pm. 

 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 January 11th     Surrey League Division 1 men and women both in
 Richmond Park. First race at 12.30pm. See above for details.

 Saturday January 18th     v Milocarians and others at RMA Sandhurst. See
 above.  

 Saturday January 25th     Southern Championships at Exmouth.

 Saturday February 1st   Final Surrey League fixtures - men at Coulsdon,
 women at Lloyd Park. 

 FINALLY
 "Runner's World" reports that Kenyans recorded 301 sub 2.20 marathons in
 2001 but were already up to about 330 by mid-December 2002. Don't ask how
 many Brits were doing the same....  

 Steve Rowland
 e-mail: srowland@calorgas.co.uk
 Tel: 01926 318734
 Fax: 0870 4006901