HEADLINES

• Westonbirt Arboretum race promotion a major success for the club.
• Chris Illman wins Westonbirt; Jane Wassell finishes second the day after winning at Oldbury.
• Men & women both win team race at Westonbirt.
• Cathy Cook breaks 11 hours at European Ironman Championships
• Corinne Clark & Elaine Wilson qualify for World Triathlon Championships.
• Jane Wassell 4th in National Veterans 5k Championships.
• Adrian Williams finishes second at Lethbridge 10k.
• Wendy Nicholls wins Torbay & Bourton Hilly ½ Marathons.

ROAD / MULTI-TERRAIN RESULTS

13 June, Lethbridge 10k, Swindon . Having run this midweek race many times in recent years and finished down the field, Adrian Williams made a big breakthrough in coming close to his first ever race win. He picks up the story of a muggy evening in steamy Swindon : “At the start of the race I was completely swamped by Swindon runners, I think 90% of the entries were either [ Swindon ] Harriers or Striders. The conditions were ok but possibly a little too humid. I knew the course and have always found the second half a lot harder than the first as it is a gentle down hill for three miles and therefore you know that the second half of the race is going to be a gentle up hill! I set off and was leading the race, that completely confused me, I had never led a race before and was a little uncertain about tactics so just tried to run to my race plan. I went though three miles (it was marked in miles not km’s which confused my little head) a little slower that I was aiming for so knew that getting a PB was going to be difficult but was still leading. I felt good up until around the four mile mark and running over the canal for the first time was fine, but when I went over the second bridge I realised that it was going to be difficult to hold on, especially as I could see a shadow just behind me. I was still leading at mile four, but I could hear breathing in my ear and knew then that it was going to be tough to keep the pace going up hill. Tim Hughes overtook me around the five mile mark and his old legs were working much better than my young ones! I tried to keep up with him but soon realised that was not going to happen but did hold on for a comfortable second.”

1 Tim Hughes (White Horse) 36.12

2 Adrian Williams (Cirencester) 36.42. 283 finished. www.lethbridge10k.org.uk

17 June, Oldbury-on-Severn ‘4’ After a fine win in this charity race, Jane Wassell reports on the experience that may well lead to others running next year: “The race is run every year in June (on Father’s Day), approximately 4 miles in aid of CLIC Sargent.  I’ve been doing this race for a number of years and it’s one of the nicest races I have done.  Although advertised as a fun run a number of serious athletes take part.  The committee of CLIC, along with Thornbury Running Club put it on and it always attracts between 600 and 700 runners every year.  There’s always a good atmosphere in the village – BBQ’s, stalls etc.  The presentation takes place in one of the two beer gardens in the village where there’s usually live music, children’s entertainment and a beer festival.  Prizes are very generous and if you do win one it means a big climb up onto the podium and you may have to do a short interview! – highly recommended.”

1 Clive Bromhall 19.40

9 Jane Wassell (Cirencester, 1st lady/FV35) 23.00. 650 finished.

18 June, Westonbirt Arboretum 10k. The club’s first stab at organising this race was highly successful. David Edelsten and Tony Curry worked tirelessly in ensuring that the massive field of 600 entries were accommodated without problems. As well as numerous Cirencester club members helping, former organisers Tetbury Royals, led by Tim Willson, also turned out in force. After a murky day, the sun broke through in the evening and the still, warm conditions were superb for running, complimenting perfectly the magnificent course winding through the arboretum. The icing on the cake for the club was an outstanding win for 20 year old Chris Illman. Despite starting off a bit too quickly, as evidenced by a 2.53 second kilometre, Illman was never seriously threatened and exactly matched his time from the Fairford 10k. Jane Wassell narrowly missed out on a double for the club as she was just beaten by the effusive Susan Marr from Highworth. Despite large turnouts from local rivals Bourton Road Runners and Stroud & District AC, Cirencester’s men and women’s teams both secured convincing victories to seal a highly successful evening for all concerned: Illman being supported by Bill Leggate’s impressive personal best time and Marc Fallows who continues his improvement after a few years away from the sport; Wassell by an excellent run from Nicola Denning plus Kveta Kroulikova, who was also part of the winning team at Fairford. Chris Riches took it upon himself to be official photographer for the evening. To see the results of his fine work, which wonderfully captures the beautiful surroundings, lovely weather, convivial atmosphere and large turnout for the race, log on to www.snapfish.co.uk with the usual login.

David Edelsten is already planning for next year’s race; watch out for some interesting innovations!

1 Chris Illman (Cirencester) 32.55

6 Bill Leggate 35.44

8 Marc Fallows 36.06

9 Adrian Williams 36.30

13 Susan Marr (Highworth, 1st lady / FV35) 37.57

14 Joe Barrowclough 38.03

16 Jane Wassell (2nd lady / FV35) 38.13

20 Robbie Brown 38.25

31 Martin Croucher 39.46

40 Mark Gluning 40.36

45 Nicola Denning (3rd lady / FV35) 41.10

50 Andy Bradley 41.27

67 Kveta Kroulikova (5th lady) 43.24

79 Sarah Cooper 44.09

84 Trudy Compton 44.37

107 Corinne Clark 45.54

111 Carol Clarke (2nd FV55) 46.21

112 Wallace Ascham 46.23

142 Jenny Manners 47.50

181 Sue Brown 49.14

238 Jessica Nethercott 51.39

282 Brian Barrowclough 53.19

344 Patsy Ind 56.06

359 Clare Blampied 56.42

373 Liz Brown 57.20. 535 finished. www.cirencester-ac.org.uk

Teams: Men, 1 Cirencester AC (Illman, Leggate, Fallows) 15pts.

Women, 1 Cirencester AC (Wassell, Denning, Kroulikova) 128pts.

21 June, White Horse 5k . A big personal best time for the ever improving Marc Fallows whilst 14 year old Alice Thomas keeps chipping away at her best times and therefore the club U20 record.

1 Paskar Owor (Belgrave/Uganda) 14.27

8 Marc Fallows (Cirencester) 16.30

21 Paul Barlow 17.07

37 Stephen Elverd 18.29

49 Dorian Matts 19.11

73 Alice Thomas 21.52 – club FU20 record

80 Barbara Thomas 26.09. www.severnac.co.uk

24 June, Horwich 5k, incorporating National Veterans Championship. Although slightly disappointed with her time and position – aim was top three in her age group – Jane Wassell finished well up in this national championship and still looks to be in line for an England call up for the home countries cross country international in Belfast later this year, particularly as one of her conquerors here was from Scotland.

1 Karen Hazlitt ( Winchester , FV40) 16.53

7 Jane Wassell (Cirencester, 4th FV40) 17.58. 58 finished. www.horwichcarnivalraces.co.uk

24 June, Torbay ½ Marathon The English Riviera was not at its best for this race but the runners weren’t complaining. After last year’s heatwave, this year’s race took place in incessant rain but the sea, running alongside throughout the beautiful but challenging course, was like a mill pond, reflecting a total lack of wind. Wendy Nicholls, in her first race since getting married, comfortably defended her title in a time just a few seconds slower than in 2006 and in doing so won a hefty cheque. The newsletter editor managed to beat his 2006 time mainly because of a strong last mile – the guy in front looked really old so had to be chased down (turns out he was ‘only’ 47)!

1 Toby Lambert ( Winchester ) 1.08.03

20 Wendy Nicholls (Cirencester, 1st lady/FV35) 1.18.32

33 David Wright (2nd V50) 1.22.02 – club V50 record. 1,047 finished. www.torbayhalfmarathon.co.uk plus link to www.supremephotos.co.uk where pictures can be viewed (race nos. 312 & 337).

30 June, Dorney Dash 10k A fine personal best for Cirencester’s sole representative at the same location and weekend as the triathlons listed below.

1 Tim Crossland ( Leeds City ) 32.12

67 Martin Croucher (Cirencester) 38.59. 867 finished. www.datchet-dashers.com

30 June, Bourton Hilly ½ Marathon . Andy Bradley took over the lead in the V50 category of the Gloucestershire County Road Race Series with this Saturday evening run on a brutally tough course which starts with an uphill mile and doesn’t get any easier. The course’s only endearing features are in the beautiful Cotswold villages it passes through. In heavy rain, Wendy Nicholls won the ladies race despite running in trainers, breaking her own course record in the process.

1 Dennis Walmsley (Bourton) 1.15.57

7 Wendy Nicholls (Cirencester, 1st lady/FV35) 1.22.18 – course record

21 David Wright (1st V50) 1.26.18

61 Andy Bradley 1.32.35

106 Caroline Bolam 1.41.33. 273 finished. www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk

5 July, Aerospace ‘4.6’ . Highlight of a very strange evening near Cheltenham was the much heralded debut run for the club by 61 year old Tony Shelbourn who was first finisher in his age category by some distance. The race was advertised as being over five miles but the first section of the course on grass had to be taken out because the ground was waterlogged, thus the strange race distance. The evening got no better for the race organisers when the first six runners went off course, leaving new dad Dennis Walmsley comfortably ahead and, for a while, our own Marc Fallows in second. The prize presentation was also riddled with errors, including Shelbourn being missed out, a matter that was quickly rectified by his new teammates! Ian Pople & Dick Waldron competed despite doing their normal Thursday morning long run with the club. A very strange evening …

1 Dennis Walmsley (Bourton) 24.17

7 Marc Fallows (Cirencester) 25.29

11 Jo Brewer ( Cheltenham , 1st lady) 25.49

19 Jane Wassell (2nd lady/1st FV35) 26.19

21 David Wright (2nd V50) 26.38

37 Stephen Elverd 28.20

42 Tony Shelbourn (1st V60) 28.31

71 Ian Pople 32.04

96 Dick Waldron 34.18

104 Alice Thomas 34.48

133 David Edelsten 39.19

134 Barbara Thomas 39.36. 137 finished.

Teams: Men, 1 Cheltenham 16pts, 5 Cirencester 54pts.

Women, 1 Cheltenham 101pts, 3 Cirencester 257pts. www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

9 July, Frampton-on-Severn 10k . Club championship event. This evening’s race has been cancelled because the field to be used for car parking has yet to be harvested due to the recent wet weather. It may possibly be rescheduled and a decision will be made in time for the next newsletter whether to include this or another race in the club championship. So instead of racing tonight sit down and have a good read of your favourite newsletter!www.stroudac.co.uk

ROAD / MULTI-TERRAIN FIXTURES (Sunday unless stated)

Entry forms for some of these races on club noticeboard, otherwise access via websites. Severn AC promotions can be entered on the day. Club secretary Dick Waldron also receives many race flyers which he posts onto the club noticeboard.

12 July (Thu), Malmesbury 5k at 19:00 . Rumours of a barrel of beer to be consumed at Chris Riches’ house afterwards appear to be well founded. Apparently all are welcome. www.nwll.co.uk

14 July (Sat), Pilot Inn ‘10’, Hardwick nr Gloucester at 15:00 . www.severnac.co.uk

19 July (Thu), White Horse 5k, Sandhurst , nr Gloucester at 19:45 . Enter on evening. 3rd of four in summer series, last one on 16 August. www.severnac.co.uk

21 July (Sat), Bourton 1m at 18:00 . Club championship event. Great fun. Course is a straight line flat road mile finishing in the centre of Bourton – if weather good, then atmosphere fantastic. Can enter on the day but pricey given distance (£7) so best to enter in advance; forms on noticeboard. www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk

29 July, Gloucester ½ Marathon , Newent at 10:30 . www.gloucesterac.co.uk

1 Aug (Wed), Bugatti 10k, nr Winchcombe at 19:30 . Club championship event. This popular event always fills up over a month before the race, probably as a result of free beer, burger & t-shirt to all finishers. The rural course is pleasant but quite undulating. Great atmosphere afterwards. Entry forms on club noticeboard at leisure centre. www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Instead of printing club records for the next championship event – it is over a mile for which there are no rankings, followed by another 10k for which rankings were published recently – herewith a listing that shows just how well Cirencester AC is doing on a national basis thanks to our top three runners. The rankings below are for the whole country in 2007 to date and can be viewed in detail on www.athleticsdata.com as can other club performances:

Chris Illman: U23: 10th at 5k and 22nd at 10k.

Wendy Nicholls (née Jones): Overall women; 3rd at 5k, 14th at 10k, 7th at ½ marathon, 3rd at marathon.

Wendy Nicholls (née Jones): FV35: 1st at 5k, 3rd at 10k, 2nd at ½ marathon, 1st at marathon.

Jane Wassell: FV40: 5th at 5k, 7th at 5 miles, 8th= (with Liz McColgan!) at 10k.

CLUB ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP 2007

As Frampton was postponed/cancelled, there are no changes to the scores published in the last newsletter.

The rest of the fixtures are as follows, note two date changes for Beacon & Witney races:

21 July, Bourton 1m (see above)

1 Aug (Wed), Bugatti 10k (see above)

2 Sep, Beacon 10k, nr Gloucester www.angelsrunningclub.co.uk

9 September, Witney 10m www.witneyroadrunners.org.uk

7 October, Cricklade 10k www.crickladefunrun.co.uk

21 Oct, Stroud ½ Marathon www.stroudac.co.uk

In addition, times recorded at any marathon between the dates of February 25 and October 21 will score points in the same format as the races above i.e. as though all competed in one race. Of the 12 races, plus marathon, best eight scores to count. 20 points will be awarded to the first Cirencester finisher in each race down to one point for the 20th and any subsequent finishers. Male & female championships will be scored separately. Bonus points will be awarded for any personal bests achieved against times published in the newsletter for 2005 and 2006. One bonus point will be awarded for every 15 seconds improvement up to a maximum of two minutes (8pts) for races of up to & including 10k and three minutes (12pts) for longer races. To qualify for points, runners must be fully paid-up members, be entered under Cirencester AC and be wearing a club vest. This rule will be strictly enforced in 2007.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROAD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP 2007

Six out of the 12 races making up this championship have now taken place. At last scores have been updated on the official website www.runnerduck.co.uk/running . Best placed Cirencester athletes to date (based on ages as at 1st January 2007 ): Jane Wassell (2nd lady / FV40), Wendy Nicholls (3rd FV35), David Wright (2nd V45), Andy Bradley (2nd V50) & David Edelsten (3rd V60). The rest of the fixtures are as follows (Sunday unless stated):

21 July (Sat), Bourton ‘1’ (see above)

1 Aug (Wed), Bugatti 10k (see above)

2 Sep, Beacon 10k, nr Gloucester www.angelsrunningclub.co.uk

23 Sep, Cirencester Park 10k www.cirencester-ac.org.uk

21 Oct, Stroud ½ Marathon www.stroudac.co.uk

4 Nov, Tewkesbury ‘5’ www.tewkesburyac.blogspot.com

TRIATHLON RESULTS & FIXTURES

3 June, Blenheim Triathlon (750m swim, 19.3k bike, 5.2k run).

1 Paul Holdaway (12.19, 30.56, 20.25) 1.07.44

313 Jonathan Knight (Cirencester) (16.06, 37.28, 24.05) 1.23.51.

2678 finished. www.blenheim.triathlonresults.co.uk

10 June, Womens Only Triathlon, Keynes Park (Sprint: 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run).

1 Shirley Yarde (12.05, 34.55, 21.09) 1.08.09

16 Kim Withycombe (Cirencester) (14.32, 40.02, 21.34) 1.16.08. 56 finished. www.triferris.com

10 June, Womens Only Triathlon, Keynes Park (Novice: 200m swim, 20k bike, 2½k run).

1 Anja Haijnen (5.43, 37.25, 9.43) 52.51

14 Clare Blampied (Cirencester, 1st FV40) (7.26, 45.42, 12.35) 1.05.43. 32 finished. www.triferris.com

23 June, Dambusters Triathlon, Rutland Water (1,500m swim, 42k bike, 10k run). With this performance, Corinne Clark joined Martin Pitts in qualifying for the ITU World Sprint Triathlon Championships, in the 18-24 age group, to be held in Germany in September.

1 Daniel Corner (21.16, 1.01.29, 33.20) 1.57.21

155 Martin Pitts (Cirencester) (24.34, 1.12.34, 40.35) 2.20.07

349 Corinne Clark (26.54, 1.21.49, 43.33) 2.34.26. 625 finished. www.pacesetterevents.com

24 June, Marlborough Triathlon (400m swim, 32k bike, 8k run)

1 Chris Rhodes (MAD Tri) (5.08, 50.51, 28.36) 1.24.35

111 Nicola Denning (Cirencester) (8.06, 1.09.06, 38.42) 1.55.54

124 Kim Withycombe (7.15, 1.11.22, 39.24) 1.58.01

173 Chloe Cox (9.58, 1.17.07, 44.09) 2.11.14. 200 finished. www.conceptsport.co.uk

1 July, Frankfurter Sparkasse European Ironman Champs, Frankfurt , Germany (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). After months of preparation, this was a magnificent performance by Cathy Cook but was tarnished by heartbreak afterwards. Only an elite few could qualify from this race to compete in the blue riband ironman in Hawaii later in the year. It transpired after the race that Cook missed this qualification by a mere two minutes, the distance she was behind the last FV40 to qualify, despite scything through the field with one of the fastest marathon times of the day overall. Cook describes her feelings after the race:

“I competed in Ironman Germany on 1 July 2007 which was also the European Ironman Championships.  I knew the competition would be tough as the Germans are very strong but I was trying to qualify for a slot at the World Championships in Hawaii .  I had a good race, 1.01 swim, 6.04 bike and 3.29 marathon, which placed me 5th in my age group 40-44 in a total time of 10hrs 47mins.  Although disappointed at placing outside the top three (only three slots available for Hawaii ), I knew I couldn't have gone any faster and my biking simply wasn't up to scratch against the super fast German women.  I attended the awards ceremony the following day and watched on the edge of my seat as the slots rolled down to fourth place but not fifth.  The fourth place woman was only two minutes in front of me. There were tears of frustration to have been so tantalisingly close and it's fair to say I'm bitterly disappointed but hopefully over the coming weeks I'll appreciated the magnitude of my performance.  After all, I beat my time at Florida in 2000 by five minutes and improved my marathon time by two minutes.  Not bad considering what my body has been through during the last seven years!” 

According to Cook, this was a fantastic event and superbly organised with fanatical support out on the course.

1 Timo Bracht ( Germany ) (48.25, 4.29.44, 2.47.34) 8.09.15

30 Nicole Leder ( Germany , 1st lady) (53.08, 5.01.04, 3.05.55) 9.04.11

747 Cathy Cook (Cirencester, 36th lady / 5th FV40) (1.01.52, 6.04.19, 3.29.01) 10.42.24

2,121 finished. www.ironman.de

1 July, Pembrokeshire Triathlon, Fishguard (1,500m swim [sea], 40k bike, 10k run). Elaine Wilson became the third Cirencester athlete to qualify for the ITU World Triathlon Championships with this battling performance in atrocious conditions off the west coast of Wales .

1 Colin Dixon (24.10, 1.17.50, 36.24) 2.18.25

147 Elaine Wilson (Cirencester, 3rd FV50) (35.33, 1.47.16, 52.09) 3.15.00. 178 finished.

1 July, Dorney Lake , Eton . (1,500m swim, 40.8k bike, 10k run).

1 Peter Slijkhuis (18.27, 1.04.52, 37.06) 2.02.19

111 Bob Ferris (Cirencester) (22.24, 1.16.18, 49.25) 2.31.05

132 Bill Leggate (30.18, 1.20.52, 38.33) 2.33.24

163 Terry Ranger (23.43, 1.22.05, 45.10) 2.36.07

345 Chloe Cox (31.07, 1.29.23, 57.52) 3.02.04. 397 finished. www.humanrace.co.uk

1 July, Dorney Lake Challenge, Eton . (800m swim, 30k bike, 7.5k run).

1 Joseph Francis (Maidenhead) (15.15, 50.57, 31.34) 1.39.50

21 Ben Cox (Cirencester) (14.36, 1.02.09, 31.23) 1.51.53. 159 finished. www.humanrace.co.uk

TRIATHLON FIXTURES

15 July, Bath Triathlon Olympic and sprint both pool swims www.bathamphibians.co.uk

For some local triathlons, swim/runs plus 5ks www.nwll.co.uk 

These web sites cover most of the local triathlons. For other triathlon events visit the British Triathlon web site www.britishtriathlon.org

Some of the above organize more than one event so this should give plenty of choice.

NEW MEMBERS

Fresh from a 10 year working stint in the USA , where he ran for Toledo Roadrunners Club in Ohio , and recently retired back to Minety, we welcome Tony Shelbourn to the club. He has already had an impact on the local running scene. Wallace Ascham has also joined and made his debut for Cirencester in the Westonbirt Arboretum 10km as can be seen in the results section above.

SUBSCRIPTIONS & OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

Annual subscriptions became due on 1st July. There have been no changes to rates for a while now so please ensure that cheques are handed to membership secretary Sandra Elphick without delay to help keep it that way. Family membership is £30, standard single rate is £20 and members joining since 1st April 2007 don’t need to pay again until 1st July 2008 . Sandra is usually at the club on a Tuesday or Sunday evening; alternatively send cheques, made payable to Cirencester AC, to her at 3 St Peters Road , Cirencester, Glos. GL7 1RE.

Club secretary Dick Waldron has received quite a bit of legislative material from uk :athletics, the governing body of our sport. Rather than clog up the newsletter it is thought more worthwhile to post this information on the club website www.cirencester-ac.org.uk where it can remain in situ. This may take a week or so to arrange but if interested the headings are:

• Use of inhalers for asthma prevention and control. Requirement to register with uk :athletics .
• Individual & club insurance cover for when taking part in organised training sessions etc. This comes free with Club membership.

MISCELLANY

… watch out for buzzards! Recently a couple of members have been dive bombed by these big birds of prey whilst running on their own in Cirencester Park between Daglingworth and the polo grounds. Although no contact was made with the runners, it is not unknown for them to go one step further. A quick surf of Google on the internet flags up a few instances of blood being drawn from runners as they train.

… many members will be aware that Rupert Chesmore has been collecting discarded pairs of running shoes to box up and send to Ethiopia . An article in a recent edition of the Wilts & Glos Standard (otherwise known by the media friendly acronym WAGS) outlined what happens to these shoes. Club member Liza Darroch is currently working for the Ethiopian Ministry of Education on a VSO placement and has linked up with a group of young athletes who have formed a club called Aspiration Hope. The WAGS article states : “Liza’s former [sic] running club colleagues at Cirencester Athletics Club have been gathering cast-off trainers to send out to their Ethiopian counterparts”. The article was accompanied by a photograph of Liza with some of the shoes and two of the club’s runners, both of whom look as though they would be very useful additions to our Oxford League squads! For more on Liza’s Ethiopian experience see her blog at www.liza2vso.org.uk

… Deer Park School recently put on a well attended sports open evening for the local community. Guest speaker was Wendy Nicholls (née Jones), who was asked to stand up in front of a full hall of 500 visitors and talk about her background & early inspirations as well as her recent international achievements. Following her experience in furnace like conditions at the Rotterdam Marathon earlier this year, Nicholls has also been asked to speak by uk :athletics at a seminar on Tuesday 24 July put on by the organisers of the Bristol ½ Marathon . The subject: ‘Running in hot weather – looking after yourself’. Many top names from the world of athletics will be sharing the podium with her. See www.bristolhalfmarathon.com/workshops for more details.

… every summer Ali & Norm Lane from Bourton Road Runners host a fun day at their home near the village. This year’s event is on Sunday 29 July and Cirencester runners have been invited to come along. Amongst various events going on during the day, which include a musical band competition, is a pairs relay event comprising one male & one female each completing nearly two miles. See the editor for more information.

… now that 1st July has passed, it is worth reminding members that a growing number of stalwarts retire each week to local watering hole Somewhere Else after Tuesday night exertions. The relevance of 1st July, of course, is that smoking is no longer permitted in pubs. All are welcome in the new clean atmosphere where chips are consumed, cuds chewed and drinks downed.

If you have read this far, congratulations and thanks, you must be exhausted. I make no apologies for the length of this newsletter, it reflects not only the great success of our runners & triathletes during the busiest time of year for racing, but also the numbers that are taking part in the various disciplines. Long may it continue.

David Wright: wrights@tesco.net or 01285 641224