With the summer hiatus here and most members thinking of sunshine and beaches rather than training and racing, it was not planned to publish again until September. However, that did not take into account the barrage of articles sent through to wrights@tesco.net over the past few weeks. Thus herewith a newsletter short on races but heavy on compositions.
Whilst there have been no major club races run, there are some very diverse races to report on:
18.07.2004 KENTMERE HORSESHOE 11.9 mile fell race (3,300 ft climb - category AM)
The club's resident fell runner, since Sarah Hodgson returned to the Lakes a few years ago complaining that there were no hills in Gloucestershire(!), is now Rod Sinclair. He reports running this race on a very pleasant day in the Lakes and finishing 226 th out of over 400 in 1.59.24.
25.07.2004 GLOUCESTER ½ MARATHON
The morning after the club party Paul Barlow bravely ran this race, confusingly run in Newent not Gloucester , finishing 85 th in 1.35.58. The race was won by 51 year old Martin Rees in 1.08.49, the fastest O50 time in the country this year. 271 finished.
On the same morning, following the party, a bedraggled group had an apology of a run in the park.
01.08.2004 LONDON TRIATHLON
Kim Ingleby reports that she competed in this event at very short notice and with a mere two weeks training, which totally excluded cycling! Despite these barriers she was really pleased to finish 32 nd out of some 400 competitors in 1.27.00.
04.08.2004 CASTLE COMBE DUATHLON
Wendy Jones continued her foray into other forms of racing with another successful conclusion. She was 2 nd lady overall in this run, bike, run format. Bob Ferris took great pleasure in overtaking Wendy during the bike phase and staying ahead in the final two mile run. Full results & times not available.
07.08.2004 53 rd CRANHAM BOUNDARY CHASE 5.8
On a particularly tough course Jane Wassell finished 27 th overall, 3 rd lady (1 st LV35) in 40.19. 82 ran.
ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP
There are two races left in the championship:
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.witneyr o adrunners.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 in advance 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:
15 August Standish Woodland m/terrain 10m www.stroudathleticclub.org.uk
29 August Pewsey Vale ½ marathon www.pewseyvalerunningclub.co.uk
19 September Woodchester Park m/terrain 8m www.str o udathleticclub.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 (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 in next newsletter or on www.cirencester-ac.org.uk
MISCELLANY
As previously stated quite a few articles have been received but to stop Chris Riches falling asleep they are being rationed through to later editions. Apologies to all who have sent articles in, they will follow.
The first piece is from David Edelsten who reports on what has already become an infamous race, as can be gleaned from a similar article on the Stroud AC website (address above):
" 'Force 8 on a Welsh Mountain ' - the 2004 Rhayader 20
I am fairly used to wet and windy days in Wales so I didn't take too much heed of the weather forecast when I set off on the two hour drive to the small market town of Rhayader in mid Wales for this year's Round The Lakes 20. I have done the race a couple of times before as preparation for the London Marathon as it is a very scenic but challenging course around the lakes of the Elan Valley, made famous by the Dambusters film.
When I arrived for the lunchtime start it wasn't raining but the wind in the town was so strong that police bollards were being blown around like tennis balls and people were bent double as they fought against the gusts! This didn't bode well for the race, much of which is on an exposed mountainside.
Having met up with Chris Riches and swopped excuses as to why we were going to run slowly - the weather would take care of that - we lined up for the start, leaving the shelter of the leisure centre at the last possible moment.
Two short laps around part of the town and Chris was out of sight - typical! After three miles the course starts its long climb up a mountain road onto open moorland inhabited by a few hardy sheep. By now the wind was directly into our face and blowing loose straw, and plastic cups - from the forthcoming first drinks station - all around us. The steep three mile climb reduced all but the faster runners to a walk, fighting to stay upright. By the time I reached the top at 6 miles well over an hour had passed but I thought things might now get easier - some hope! The next two miles were downhill and are usually a welcome relief but now I was being blown to a standstill or clean off the road on two occasions. The noise of the wind was so loud that following cars could not be heard and things became dangerous as runners swayed across the road into their path. Marshalls were really suffering and drinks at the top of the mountain were handed out through a half opened car window. Runners tried to take a drink but the water was blown out of the cup before it could reach ones lips. Conditions stayed much the same to the vital left turn at halfway - which I reached in 1hr 52m - hardly a PB for10 miles!
Talk about a game of two halves - the gale was now directly behind and runners literally took off. I started passing people and the road was mainly downhill over the most scenic part of the course overlooking the lakes - I felt I had earned this. The wind was whipping up the water into sizeable waves and as we turned another corner by one of the dams water was being blown over the dam and across the road - it was just as if a bucket of water had been thrown at you, so although the rain had held off I was now soaked. The wind was still as fierce as ever but now it was blowing you along faster than tired legs could cope with and I was in danger of being blown off my feet forwards instead of backwards.
At last the town of Rhayader came into sight and some relief from the shelter of buildings. By the time I turned into the finish I had lost all track of time - was that 3hr 25m or 4hr25m on my watch. Much to my surprise it was three so I had run the second half 20 minutes faster than the first - that's what I call a negative split. Chris had finished in 2hr 58m with similar tales of battling the elements. In running folklore they will say 'do you remember Rhayader 2004!'
In kinder weather conditions this a great race to do in mid March especially as a marathon training run, but it might be a while before the memory of this year fades!"
It appears that the whole club has been waiting for the next article. At long last Rupert Chesmore has forwarded the first part of what is to become a trilogy of articles on his epic 145 mile race. Let him take up the story:
"The conversations usually started off with why (?) finishing with 'you must be mad...' Well I certainly was standing on a pavement in Birmingham at 6am on a Saturday morning about to step through an archway and onto the canal towpath and start running south, from Gas Street Basin to Little Venice, Paddington, 145 miles and 46 hours.
It was too late. Had I prepared enough? That £15 entry cheque back in January seemed a dream. I had worked up to this with the 20 mile Grizzly in March, so stormy that 2 miles of the beach/route was washed out to sea, and then the Compton 40 miler on the Ridgeway. My complacency caught up with me and I did not prepare correctly suffering cramp and blisters. My support crew (mainly Liza) really pointed out the obvious, eating properly, resting etc. etc. Lesson learnt! I also realised that I was not that balding solitary club runner who disappeared off to strange places and came in on a Tuesday evening muttering about ultras, knee deep mud and the joys of running in the dark, but that I was part of a team effort to complete the distance and a group of others were going to give up all their weekend to help me do it.
Final long run to improve on / perfect the preparation was a month before the big one. A 53 miler from Winstone via most of southern Gloucestershire to Liza's house, eat a pasta snack and then home again. A 2am start and the job was all done in 10 hours and most important of all I felt good at the end. 11 minute miling and the omens looked good....
To get into the 'Hall of Fame' and avoid the cut off times at some 5 controls I would have to start at 15 minute miling and then drop back to 20 minute pace averaging 18.3 minutes per mile. Sounded easy.....
Two planning meetings c/o Liza's kitchen table brought together club regulars Dick, Claire, Jo and Liza with Jo's other half John and two conscripts from Dyson's, Owen and Paul. Dick most gallantly volunteered to take his narrow boat all the way from Sharpness up into the Midlands and then down the Grand Union so that there was a base for some of us to sleep in on the first night. He broke his own record in passing locks to get there but most importantly for me was able to describe a lot of the towpath from a runner's perspective. It was not going to be as smooth as I thought.
Final planning and panics in the last week, a tooth abscess resulted in an extraction and then a final wait for the weather forecast. Please not too hot.
Jo and John took me to the start, a very informal event (apart from the BBC filming Glyn Marston a competitor, for a series on compulsive exercisers) and the runners assembled. Jo was surprised where I used my Vaseline but it REALLY works and a final choice of clothing as it started to drizzle. We all shuffled through the archway and off! Bit of an anticlimax but just a matter of following the others twisting out of Birmingham . A great temptation not to go too fast but I got into company with two others who had completed last year (one was a real hero as he had done the Mauritania 333km race as well). Their advice was to go as you felt, not to hold back and get ahead of the cut off time as much as you could.
This would probably explain why I got to the first meeting point before J & J and left without seeing them. Still I did see them in a short while, (domestic harmony restored), speeds were recalculated and off I trotted. Mentally I had decided that this was not a 'race' but a 'complete' and so broke it down into three thirds. The first 50 was no more than a training run (HA-HA!), the second a repeat of last years West Highland Way and the final 45 miles unknown territory. I was determined to keep something mentally and physically in reserve for that part whatever transpired. A small clockwork egg timer velcroed to my wrist enabled me to follow Capt. Bob's advice of a 25 minute run and 5 minute walk pattern to make sure I ate enough and kept downing the liquids. Having left my early companions behind I jogged along at 11minute pace. J&J kept popping up at regular intervals all day to restock my bum bag and change clothing. I was nearly paranoid (already?) about my feet and getting blisters so early so I kept changing my socks at every opportunity. The second part of my crew, Liza, Paul and Owen were due to meet us at 45 miles and they received an urgent call to 'bring even more socks'.
Having issued the crew with bright orange T-shirts (with company advertising on), it was a wonderful sight to see them all in the distance when I reached 45 miles. The first third was nearly over, I had company on the towpath but those worries of the final third were looming closer.
Next report: Milton Keynes by torch light, Dick's boat, drug deals, raves, fights in canal-side pubs, navigational problems and this only happened to the support crew!"
David and Elaine Wilson have now put previous newsletters onto 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. Please let any members without e-mail facilities know this so that they can peruse past editions, perhaps at work.
David Edelsten reports that Cheltenham Harriers are hosting a talk by Bill Adcocks (still the record holder for the Classic Athens marathon course, 2:11.07 in 1969) entitled 'Memories, Advice and Tips Middle Distance Running to Marathons'. It is on September 8 at the Civil Service Club, Tewkesbury Road , Cheltenham starting at 7.30pm . Anybody welcome, no fee. Further details available from Joyce Barrus 01452 812942.
Next time: part two of Rupert's epic story, details of the Oxford League fixtures and Keith Firkin's run with the mad El Presidente in Jakarta , plus much more. Please keep forwarding results, articles etc. Have a good summer.
David Wright
wrights@tesco.net or 01285 641224
|
