The club AGM will be held at the Leisure Centre on Tuesday 14 September at 8pm , after the evening's training session. This is the only opportunity in the year for members to have a say in how the club is run so please turn up and find out a bit more about the club, including getting involved if so desired. It is also a chance to socialise and have a drink. Part of the fun of being part of a club in an individual sport such as running is the social aspect and a drink after training for some is the focal point of the evening. So please turn up and enjoy yourself, especially as the committee has generously offered to buy all AGM attendees a drink at the bar after the meeting has closed (it should only last one hour, the AGM that is).

One matter that will no doubt be raised at the AGM is the prompt payment of subscriptions. As ever some members have been slow to respond to Tony Curry's request for payment, which was due in July. Please ensure that subscriptions are paid promptly and avoid the need for reminders to be sent out.

ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP

There are two races left in the championship (see below), the first of which is next Sunday. There are still lots of matters unresolved as the unofficial positions show:

Men: D Wright 72pts, M Pitts 58, B Ferris 53, D Atkinson 46, T Curry 39, C Riches & C Sherrington 31, N Morris 25, R Waldron & B Leggate 24, G Clarke 19, K Firkin 15, M Humphries 14, C Illman 13, P Barlow 12, J Prout 10, I Fletcher 9, J Young 5, D Edelsten 3.

Women: J Wassell 58pts, W Jones 48, K Ingleby 40, C Clarke 39, K Withycombe 36, L Ferris 30, P Vass 23, S Brown 20, S McKeeman 14, E Wilson 13, J Bourke 8, A Sherrington 8.

Sunday 12 th September at 11:00 . Cotswold Classic Witney '10'

A tough but very picturesque course with lots of prizes for those with pretensions in this direction. Cost is £5.50, or £6.50 on the day: full details can be obtained from www.witneyroadrunners.org.uk

Sunday 24 th October at 10:00 . Stroud Half Marathon

It is imperative to enter in advance for this race as entries close well ahead of race day. This is one of the classic races in Gloucestershire and is by far the biggest with some 1500 runners. Not to be missed! Entries close 15 October latest. Full details on www.stroudathleticclub.org.uk

Other forthcoming races and contact details:

19 September Woodchester Park m/terrain 8m www.stroudathleticclub.org.uk

19 September Clevedon road relays - the club is thinking of entering teams in the men (5 x 5km) and women (4 x 5km) races if sufficient interest. Please let Bob Ferris (677466) or David Wright know if interested.

26 September CIRENCESTER PARK 10k - whilst some will be able to race, the club will also be looking for volunteers to help. More news on this race on www.cirencester-ac.org.uk David Edelsten, who is organising the race, reports entries are coming in well and that he will be asking for helpers over the next two weeks.

3 October at 10:30 Cricklade ½ marathon & 10km www.crickladefunrun.co.uk

Looking further afield the Oxford League XC fixtures have now been published. More details to follow but please put the dates in your diaries:

7 November Ascott-u-Wychwood

5 December Enslow Quarry

2 January Drayton School , Banbury

6 February Cirencester Park

6 March Shotover, Horspath, nr. Cowley

Paula Vass has penned a short article summarising the efforts of the club's juniors during 2004:

JUNIOR ATHLETICS

"This season the junior club has had a number of successes. Recently Robyn Maxtone has joined us and is a very promising distance runner. She won the under 11's 3km at Fairford and is looking forward to running with Alice Thomas in the U13's XC this winter. Alice Thomas, daughter of Barbara Thomas - a former member of the club and organiser of the Duntisbourne Challenge, completed 4 races in her first season and is improving all the time. In the mini minors we have some really good athletes notably Dan Warriner, Lucy Vass and Jess Davies. Lucy came 2nd in the Glos. County champs. and gained an overall 8th place in the Oxford league. Dan also learned to pace himself and achieved a similar position to Lucy in the Oxford league races he entered. Jess, younger sister of Jay, has improved tremendously this season and is a name to follow, having come 5th in the Glos. County champs. If the girl who came in third had worn the correct vest (i.e. not a Bourton vest when she was a Cirencester member), the mini minor girls would have easily won the county team award - so next year the girls have a job to do! It mustn't be forgotten that Tom Hill came first with an exceptional lead in his first Oxford League race, and earlier last year he came 9th in the 800m at the nationals. He is taking a break at the moment due to knee problems (not serious I gather) and a new girlfriend (Ed: is this serious?)!

The schools district/area sports saw a large number of athletes from Cirencester A.C. taking part. George Collings was an impressive sprinter, winning by a large margin in the district, but was unfortunately injured for the area. We wish him better luck next year. Tom Holliss performed with an excellent technique in the skipping and had an enormous lead in both the district and area. His performance was really something, and I look forward to encouraging his hurdling. Tom is also a determined XC runner, so please cheer him on next season. Lucy Smith won all three races she ran in at area level, but notably the 600m. The best thing was that she chose to run in her Cirencester vest - brilliant.

The under 11 athletes finished the season with a fun Olympics. Lots of medals were awarded and fun had by all. The best thing for us coaches was that it was a chance to see the improvement in their technique in events such as long jump, sprinting and hurdling, as well as the reward of seeing their enjoyment, determination and amazing fitness levels (better than ours!). Oliver Bayliss (you may know his Dad, Nigel), picked up quite a few medals as well as George Collings and Lucy Vass - we weren't biased honest.

Help Needed

If anyone in the club (or their friends/ family etc) is interested in helping please let us know. Even if you would do an administrative job or just be an extra pair of hands for half an hour on a Wednesday evening, it would be great to hear from you. At the moment we have Tim and I on a regular basis, Ian Sadler who has shifts at the sports centre and Jenny who enjoys coaching but can't really manage every week. We always need extra help. All we ask is that you like kids and are enthusiastic."

Paula Vass (tel. 01285 657245)

MISCELLANY

Keith Firkin was unable to defend his club road running championship for two reasons: firstly his back gave in just before his intended marathon attempt at London, then his employers decided that six weeks in the Far East would do him a lot of good ( Ed. I just hope that they didn't give him carte blanche for drinks on his expenses). His back, or perhaps his drinking habits, didn't allow him to do any training whilst he was away in Japan but a brief sojourn to Indonesia changed all that as he explains:

"I failed spectacularly to run whilst working in Japan so my next target was Jakarta . Whilst talking to the President <Viva El Presidente!> of the Company I was visiting, he offered to take me out for an early morning jog.

I got up at my usual 5.00am to meet the President <Viva El Presidente!> for 5.30am prompt. Sorry I am mistaken, 5.00am was the time I had been returning from a long day at the office & an even longer night in the bar.

So off we set, Cirencester's answer to a complete mess & the President <Viva El Presidente!>. Now I don't know if you have ever been to Jakarta but lets just agree they have a traffic problem. 10% of the traffic is cars which possibly equates to twice the amount in London , the other 90% = motorbikes, millions of them!! The experience could only be described as "dodging bullets."

We ran for maybe 45mins at some god forsaken temperature & humidity through the streets around central Jakarta . Passing through the posh parts where they have a lake (I didn't have the heart to tell the President <Viva El Presidente!> that it would possibly be described in the UK as a bit of a puddle) and onto the street with your normal everyday Chieftain tanks. Appropriately keeping guard of the country's President <Viva El Presidente!> who just happens to live near to the country's vice-President <Viva El vice-Presidente!>.

Finally we returned to the hotel with my senses honed to the absolute max whereupon the President <Viva El Presidente!> as in "Company" dropped a shimmy and got me on the exercise bike in the gym for 30mins. There was outrage at the bar that night when everyone questioned my total lack of staying power by sloping off to my room at 2.00am feeling knackered.

I believe I can feel another injury coming on ................"

As promised, the second part of Rupert Chesmore's epic account of the 145 mile Birmingham to London canal race has been received (Ed: he appears to be taking as long to write the article as he did to run the race! ):

Running alone can be a little depressing, conversations a little one sided etc so the joy of having someone else to sound off to was wonderful. Owen took up the mantle for the stage over Braunston Tunnel where the towpath goes over the 'top'. On we went with the run/walk cycle developing more to walk/run and walking up the hill over Braunston. We got to the top, fine, looking forward to a good run back down when I had my first bad turn. Dizziness, total lethargy, no go at all! I did not let on how bad I really felt but after a few nibbles and a drink and when we got back down to the canalside again, my enthusiasm was restored. I knew that I would have bad times on the run but not so early on and for no apparent reason. Perhaps it was the altitude or the absence of the canal I don't know.

Lesson one - bananas do not travel well in a rucksack. We found that out when Liza swapped with Owen for the next stage and all the goodies were transferred to her bike. I had the first of many hot snacks here courtesy of Liza's 'Trangi'; real campers will know what this is, and I was served up pasta meals or rice pudding as many times as my crew could get me to eat. The use of two mobile phones enabled a hot meal to be ready every time I approached a meeting point; there was no hanging around with this culinary service.

At 60 odd miles we went up and over the Blisworth tunnel, nearly 2 miles long. The air ducts were not so obvious, neither was the route and Liza sped on with her bike to confirm the way. We only went a short way off the correct route but had made the mistake of not having the canal map with the runner. From then on the bike rider had the canal map and the car crew a road map. Trying to co-ordinate the two was not that easy with intermittent phone calls. More problems with this later but I was oblivious. Just keep going forwards.......

70 miles came up at Navigation Bridge , near Stoney Stratford . We were well up on the cut off times by some four hours at one point, even running 11th overall (but that did not last). Paul was to brave Milton Keynes with me as J & J went further south for a B&B near Hemel Hempstead, and Liza and Owen made for Dick's boat at 90 miles to get some sleep. MK what can one say? UGH! Not the most inspiring but better in the dark. Head torches on but there was always a lot of street lighting nearby to help. The inhabitants are a little strange but not as bad as a man on a bike peddling VERY slowly behind a runner and not even offering him a lift on his crossbar. I had a bad attack

of cramp at one stage in the darkness and the local guy seeing me writhing on the floor hardly looked at me as he hurried on to the rave we heard nearby. We passed the magic halfway point as my pace slowed. I had become totally unaware of my average pace/timing etc and all that worrying was left to my crew. The organisers had promised us all hallucinations at any point in the race, and I saw the ground really move in MK. It was only a hedgehog but in poor lighting made the heart flutter. Mice apparently have a better effect.... rats.. well..

The kitchen table plan from the outset was for me to have 10 mins sleep on Dick's boat. This was one of the real lessons from Scotland last year. It would then be able to follow me as far as it could on a length of canal with few locks and the crew could feed me tit bits as they sat on the boat and I trotted along the tow path. On reaching a big flight of locks it would stop and they would transfer to the car. Fine except we arrived two hours earlier than planned and you cannot start up a boat a 4.30 am . I crawled down into the boat and stretched out for a very short 10 mins before Dick followed me out onto the towpath leaving the others asleep. Off into the dawn we ambled being overtaken by two runners, the first I had seen for nearly 35 miles. I seemed to take ages to get going every time I stopped but that 100 mile point was beckoning and ANOTHER pasta meal. Grand Junction 99.8 miles, another passage control, No 74 in, No 74 out and now real unknown territory.

[Part three, the final push to the finish, next time].

A lot of members will know Norm Lane from Bourton Road Runners, by sight if not personally. He is the man who always stands on a ladder at the start of the Bourton 10k each February and starts to tell jokes whilst all the runners are freezing. Norm had both hips replaced a few years ago and during July and August of this year he ran from John O'Groats to Lands End in aid of Arthritis. He successfully completed the journey and it is described on www.normlane.org.uk

Two large slow moving objects have been spotted recently in the Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury. Yes, Danny Ruddick and Ian Pople have both decided that the time has come to recommence training after long breaks. We all hope to see them racing again in the near future.

All previous newsletters can be read on the club's website www.cirencester-ac.org.uk . Results from the Cirencester 10k and Chedworth Roman Trail '10' for the past three years can also be accessed.

David Wright