HEADLINES

• Magnificent club record over 5k for new senior Chris Illman plus bronze medal in County track championships
• More outright victories for Jane Wassell
• Age group victories in early season triathlons for Elaine Wilson & Martin Pitts
• Personal bests see Stephen Elverd, Adrian Williams & Wassell top of club championships
• Results from road, track, multi-terrain, fell and triathlon this month so something for everyone

ROAD / MULTI-TERRAIN / FELL / TRACK RESULTS

24 April, Bridge Inn 5k, nr Bristol .

1 Stephen Mitchell ( Bristol Uni) 15.57

17 Jane Wassell (Cirencester, 1st lady) 18.15 – equals own club FV40 record. 76 finished www.bristolandwestac.org.uk

28 April, Sugar Loaf Fell Race, Abergavenny . This is a category ‘B’ fell race over approximately seven miles and with 1,725ft of climbing. Fell races are categorised by the distance and elevation climbed. According to the race organisers this is “a classic circular route over the Sugar Loaf Mountain , Abergavenny, this race continues to grow in popularity. With extensive views over to the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains situated at the gateway to Wales and supported with excellent facilities it’s one race that must be done time and again.”

According to Stephen Elverd: “I ran my first ever fell race on Saturday - the 7 mile Sugar Loaf race organised by the Mynydd-du Mountain Runners. Great conditions, sunny with a slight breeze, beautiful scenery, but with a bloody steep 1,725 feet climb up Sugar Loaf Mountain . The only downside was the wrong turning I took (along with a few others) because of some race marker sabotage by local vandals (or sheep). I came 25th out of 45, in a time of 67.13, which I was fairly pleased with. I'd recommend the race to any Ciren runners who fancy an introduction to fell racing. It's only an hour and a half away over the bridge.” 

1 Martin Shaw (Mynydd Du) 48.29

25 Stephen Elverd (Cirencester) 1.07.13. 45 finished. www.mynydd-du.org.uk

29 April, Shakespeare ½ Marathon , Stratford

1 Richard Malin (Bromsgrove & Redditch) 1.13.20

348 Sarah Cooper (unattached but see new members below) 1.45.27

580 Dave Cook (Cirencester) 1.52.31. 1,712 finished. www.shakespearemarathon.org.uk

2 May, Stroud Beer Race 7.2m

1 Martin Humphreys (Stroud) 41.40

26 Nicola Denning (Cirencester, 4th lady / 2nd FV35) 50.14

32 Trudy Compton (6th lady) 52.16. 105 finished. www.stroudac.co.uk

6 May, Rock of Ages 12km m/t This race finished at the Burrington Inn, which probably explains the participation of Cirencester’s lone representative.

1 Brian Penny (Team Bath ) 53.30

12 Keith Firkin (Cirencester) 1.01.35. 65 finished. www.nailsearunningclub.org.uk

7 May, May Day ‘5’, Pilot Inn nr Gloucester . Third win in a row for Jane Wassell.

1 Gary Hughes (Dursley) 26.16

7 Jane Wassell (Cirencester, 1st lady) 30.35. www.severnac.co.uk

7 May, BUSA Track Championships, Bedford . Chris Illman competed in the high quality National University Championships over 5,000m …

(Heat) 9 Chris Illman ( Brighton Uni) 16:11.25

11 May, Gloucestershire County Track Championships, Cheltenham … and followed this up with an even better run for a county bronze medal over the same distance.

1 Seb Duffy (Stroud) 15:24

3 Chris Illman (Cirencester) 15:53. www.glosaaa.org.uk

12 May, Papendrecht 15k, Holland . Just four weeks after facing searing temperatures in the Rotterdam Marathon, Wendy Jones was back in Holland at the invitation of the race organiser. Coming off the marathon and carrying an Achilles niggle, she was unsure as to how she would go but was pleased to produce a decent run against some good opposition. On a wild, windy day she stayed with the two leaders, both from Kenya , until halfway but when the Kenyans worked together into the wind, Jones was left to fend for herself and became isolated. She finished a comfortable third, well clear of invited athletes from Russia , France & America . Meanwhile David Wright spent the first half of the race trying to guess the ages of runners around him in an effort to search out any O50 opposition. A couple of likely looking characters – greying locks and balding pates – broke away from a big pack just before 10k so Wright chased them down. In a tight finish he managed to take four and 14 seconds respectively out of them and was subsequently ecstatic to find that they were indeed both O50. An embarrassing presentation on top of the podium was the result (as was an envelope full of €uros, which were later used as drinking vouchers in a particularly rough watering hole with the considerable help of Justin Nicholls, but that is another story!). Wright had actually run in this race 21 years earlier in a time of 47.29 so the ecstasy was tempered somewhat with the thought he’d lost a minute per mile over the years – such are the ravages of the ageing process! The wind played havoc with times, particularly on the middle 5km stretch, which ran alongside the Rhine . A breakdown of the 5km splits for Jones (17.09, 18.17, 17.44) & Wright (18.36, 19.25, 18.35) illustrate the point well. Including the finishers of the 15km, there were over 1,500 participants in races during the day: there was a 7½km race, a race for total novice runners (never raced before) and lots of junior races. This was a true festival of running. All in a town about the same size of Cirencester and based at a fantastic running track and sports complex that serves the whole community.

1 Jim Svenoy ( Norway ) 47.53

9 Gladys Otero ( Kenya , 1st lady) 51.33

18 Wendy Jones (Cirencester, 3rd lady / 1st FV35) 53.10

35 David Wright (1st V50) 56.36. 509 finished. www.avpassaat.nl

13 May, Tewkesbury ½ Marathon . Yet another personal best time for Stephen Elverd and a club debut for Rick Kiessler.

1 Mike Smith (Bourton) 1.12.29

71 Stephen Elverd (Cirencester) 1.29.51

285 Rick Kiessler 1.43.19. 929 finished. www.209.events.com

17 May, White Horse 5k, Sandhurst , nr Gloucester . Club championship event. A glorious sunny evening set the scene for a high class race. Highlight, without doubt, was 20 year old Chris Illman’s club record, breaking Mike Smith’s monopoly of all the senior records. No doubt this will be the first of many for Illman. A good turnout kept the competitive momentum of the club championship going.

1 Josh Lilley ( Severn ) 14.28

5 Chris Illman (Cirencester) 15.22 – club record

25 Marc Fallows 16.40

28 Adrian Williams 16.48

29 Catherine Dugdale ( Swansea , 1st lady) 16.49

30 Pancho Gonzalez-Diaz 16.57

37 Bill Leggate 17.17

41 David Wright (1st V50) 17.26 – club V50 record

49 Jane Wassell (4th lady / 2nd FV40) 17.53 – club FV40 record

52 Paul Barlow 17.58

56 Stephen Elverd 18.06

57 Martin Croucher 18.08

61 Bryan Reid 18.13

79 Dorian Matts 19.39

84 Andy Bradley 19.54

127 Alice Thomas 22.45 – inaugural club U20 record

134 Brian Barrowclough 24.15

141 David Edelsten 25.54

145 Barbara Thomas 26.49. www.severnac.co.uk

17 May, Malmesbury 5k (full results not yet to hand)

6 Nicola Denning (Cirencester, 1st lady) 21.05

13 Chris Riches 22.13. 30 finished. www.nwll.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 (and there are many) can be entered on the day. Space precludes the ability to flag up anything other than local races but for a good list of events around the country log on to www.runningdiary.co.uk Club secretary Dick Waldron also receives many race flyers which he posts onto the club noticeboard.

20 May, Pewsey Vale 10k at 11:00 www.pewseyvalerunningclub.com

28 May (Mon), Whitsun ‘5m’ beer race, White Horse, Sandhurst, nr Gloucester at 11:30, www.severnac.co.uk

3 June, Fairford Festival 10k at 10:00. Club championship event. Some may have noticed that the mill bridge in Fairford, an integral part of the course, has been closed for many months for rebuilding. It appears that a temporary bridge will be erected to accommodate the race. Some rumours state that as a consequence the course may be run the opposite way to normal i.e. anti-clockwise, but this has yet to be confirmed. www.fairford.org

6 June (Wed), Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo ‘5’ at 19:30 . www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

9 June (Sat), Broad Town ‘5’ at 14:30 . Fun low key race run in conjunction with local school fête near Wootton Bassett.

14 June (Thu), White Horse 5k, Sandhurst , nr Gloucester at 19:45 . Enter on evening. 2nd of four in summer series, others on 19 July & 16 August. www.severnac.co.uk

18 June (Mon), Westonbirt Arboretum 10k m/t at 19:30. This race was previously organised by Tetbury Royals who have handed over the promotion to Cirencester AC. Entries have already closed, with the race limit having been reached. Any members able to help on the evening should contact David Edelsten.

30 June, Bourton Hilly ½ Marathon at 18:00 . www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk

9 July (Mon), Frampton-on-Severn 10k at 19:30 Club championship event. No entries on the night.www.stroudac.co.uk

12 July (Thu), Malmesbury 5k at 19:30 . 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. www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk (nothing on website yet but keep looking!)

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

CLUB RECORDS

The next club championship event is a 10k so here are current club age group records for that distance, incorporating, positively, some changes already in 2007:

FU20: 42.11 Becky Stagg, 1989; U20: 33.30 Chris Illman, Brighton 2006.

Female senior: 34.18 Wendy Jones, 2000; Male senior: 32.12 Mike Smith, 1998;

FV35: 33.38 Wendy Jones, Gloucester 2007;

FV40: 37.11 Jane Wassell, Gloucester 2007; V40: 33.57 David Wright, Bourton 1997;

FV45: 43.22 Molly Fisher, 1994; V45: 35.28 Brian Wither, 1993;

FV50: 45.41 Elaine Wilson, Bourton 2007; V50: 36.15 David Wright, Bourton 2007;

FV55: 44.51 Mary Campbell, 2001; V55: 42.38 Tony Curry, Bourton 2004;

FV60: 52.38 Mary Campbell, Westonbirt 2005; V60: 43.10 Dick Waldron, 2002;

V65: 49.15 Dick Waldron, Bourton 2007;

V70: 53.32 Fred Robson, Fairford 2005.

CLUB ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP 2007

David Edelsten’s decision to introduce bonus points at all distances this year has created a very exciting championship. Stephen Elverd is breaking his personal best time every time he races and the resultant bonus points are keeping him at the top of the table with the greatly improved Adrian Williams. It is far from a two horse race, though, as points will have to be dropped later in the season. Jane Wassell has taken over at the top of the ladies table and will be hard to beat. Unofficial scores after four races plus scores from spring marathons to date:

Men: S Elverd & A Williams 88pts, C Brough 66, P Gonzalez-Diaz 57, M Croucher 46, B Reid 43, J Young & D Matts 42, B Ferris 41, M Fallows 39, A Bradley 37, B Leggate 35, D Wright 34, D Waldron 32, T Ranger & T Willson 31, N Dunnage 27, C Illman 26, C Riches 25, C Tapley 23, B Barrowclough, M Gluning & D Dent 19, K Firkin 17, T Kingston 16, J Fallon & P Barlow 14, J Knight 13, G Grafton 11, D Edelsten 8, E Sinton 6, J Bennett 2.

Women: J Wassell 66pts, Corinne Clark 56, S Brown 33, W Jones 32, S Elphick 29, L Ferris 28, C Bolam 27, J Manners 25, K Withycombe 22, A Thomas 19, C Cox, C Blampied & B Thomas 18, E Wilson 15, Carol Clarke 14, J Hill 12, J Green 9, N Hunt 7.

The rest of the fixtures are as follows:

3 June, Fairford Festival 10k (see above)

9 July, Frampton-on-Severn 10k (see above)

21 July, Bourton 1m (see above)

1 Aug (Wed), Bugatti 10k, nr Winchcombe www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

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

16 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

At last some scores have appeared on the official website www.runnerduck.co.uk/running Unfortunately this website doesn’t get updated too often which makes monitoring the series very difficult. Andy Bradley is the best placed Cirencester member, currently second in the O50 category. There have been four races to date (only the first two races have been recorded so far), the rest are as follows (Sunday unless stated):

30 June, Bourton Hilly ½ Marathon (see above)

5 July (Thu), Aerospace ‘5’, nr Cheltenham www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

21 July (Sat), Bourton ‘1’ www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk

1 Aug (Wed), Bugatti 10k, nr Winchcombe www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

9 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

22 April, Tidworth Fast Twitch Triathlon (400m swim, 16mile bike, 5mile run)

1 Chris Rhodes (MAD Tri) (5.00, 35.55, 28.00) 1.08.55

124 Elaine Wilson (Cirencester, 1st FV50) (7.34, 46.47, 38.17) 1.32.38

193 finished. www.conceptsport.co.uk

7 May, Springfield Triathlon, Corsham (400m swim, 22km bike, 5km run)

1 Gordon Croucher (Total Fitness Bath ) (5.26, 34.27, 20.08) 1.00.01

12 Martin Pitts (Cirencester, 1st V45) (7.10, 38.45, 22.23) 1.08.18

184 finished. www.nwll.co.uk

13 May, New Forest Triathlon (1000m swim, 36km bike, 10km run)

1 Colin Dixon (16.44, 57.37, 38.59) 1.53.19

116 Corinne Clark (Cirencester, 10th lady) (22.49, 1.12.51, 49.58) 2.25.37

244 finished. www.racenewforest.co.uk

Some other popular events coming up:

27 May, Gloucester Triathlon www.triteamglos.co.uk 400m swim - 20k bike - 6k run.

10 June, Womens Only triathlon, Keynes Park plus Cotswold sprint triathlon www.triferris.com sprint and super sprint events, good for first timer.

10 June, Wantage Triathlon www.soll-leisure.co.uk 800m swim - 35k bike - 12k run.

17 June, Royal Windsor Triathlon www.humanrace.co.uk

24 June, Marlborough Triathlon www.conceptsport.co.uk 400m swim - 32k bike - 8k run.

1 July, Dorney Lake Eton Olympic distance www.humanrace.co.uk- there are other events on this website too.

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.

For anyone who would like to try an Ironman distance swim only, there is an event at the South Cerney Outdoor Education Centre ( Lake 12) on 9 June contact www.votwo.co.uk

NEW MEMBERS

Charles Woodd, familiar to some as he has won a few local races, has joined this month, as has Sarah Cooper whose fine performance at the Shakespeare ½ Marathon is recorded above although she entered before joining Cirencester.

MISCELLANY

… Chris Goldie was the first to react to last week’s circular asking for a volunteer to ride the lead bike in front of the Race for Life at Kemble airfield. Readers of the Wilts & Glos Standard will have seen pictures depicting atrocious wet conditions that were encountered. It didn’t record what happened to the lead bike and Goldie has not been seen since. Perhaps a full report will appear next time – in the meantime many thanks to him for helping out at such short notice.

… talking of the local paper, the club’s ace reporter, Bill Leggate, has asked that if any member has material worthy of publication they contact him on wleggate@doctors.org.uk and/or contact the editor for insertion in the newsletter.

… many congratulations to Tony Curry who was elected as a councillor in last week’s local elections. The chamber will never be the same again. The club now has two councillors, Curry joining John Burgess, so perhaps that new running track may appear soon!

… Jon Young is looking for a recommended podiatrist in the area. Please let him know or contact the editor who will pass on the details.

David Wright: wrights@tesco.net or 01285 641224