HEADLINES

• Wendy Nicholls wins National Veterans ½ Marathon title at Bath .
• Nicholls 11th in Inter-Counties / World Cross Country trial race.
• Adrian Williams 3rd and another fine club turnout at Forest of Dean ½ Marathon .

CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS

15 March, Inter-Counties, Wollaton Park , Nottingham . Following their performances at the County Championships earlier in the year, four Cirencester athletes were selected to run for Gloucestershire in the grand finale to the cross country season. All the races were shown live on Sky TV. In high class fields, Alice and unrelated Jane Thomas both acquitted themselves very well. They have turned out regularly in the Oxford League through the winter and the experience gained from these races plus running against the very best in the country, can only help them in their quest to improve in the years to come. When Bill Leggate ran in the inter-counties in 2007, there were only a handful of runners behind him. This year on the same course he ran over five minutes faster and was much more competitive, in a field containing the best runners in the country, reflecting the progress he has made in the last 12 months. With the current strength of Cirencester’s men’s team, it may be worth targeting next year’s County Champs as victory is possible and five or six seniors could make the county team for the inter-counties in 2009.

Wendy Nicholls went into the race feeling that she had an outside chance of making the GB team for the World XC Championships, which will be held in Edinburgh next Sunday (full coverage on BBC). She needed to get into the top six to have any chance but found conditions too fast, resulting in her greater endurance not being sufficient to counter the basic speed of her younger opponents. She took a few good scalps, however, including Hatti Dean, likely to be running in the steeplechase in the Olympics. Unfortunately the Gloucestershire team, tipped by many to win, was decimated by injury, including our own Jane Wassell, so it was not to be.

U17 Women

1 Jess Burns ( Devon ) 18.06

200 Alice Thomas (Gloucestershire) 22.59. 240 finished

Junior Women

1 Laura Park ( Cumbria ) 22.31

105 Jane Thomas (Gloucestershire) 28.47. 132 finished

Women

1 Laura Kenney (Warwickshire) 27.56

11 Wendy Nicholls (Gloucestershire) 28.44. 254 finished

Men

1 Tom Humphries (Staffordshire) 37.03

206 Bill Leggate (Gloucestershire) 44.13. 264 finished

CROSS COUNTRY FIXTURES

29 March, National Masters XC Championships, Banbury. www.bvaf.org.ok

ROAD / MULTI-TERRAIN RESULTS

16 March, Forest of Dean Trails ½ Marathon . Club Championship race. For the second of this year’s club races, the good Cirencester turnout had to battle sodden conditions after very heavy rain. The course is run on good quality cycle tracks through the forest and Bill Leggate reported that he “certainly finished much muddier than in the last few cross country races”. Once past the initial muddy tracks and onto the cycle paths, the course was true, albeit with some puddles, but times were clearly affected by conditions, as were some cars which had to be towed out of the car park mud after the race! Club captain Adrian Williams was battling for the lead at one stage but eventually settled for a fine third place and big personal best. With Leggate and Paul Barlow also both under 80 minutes Cirencester was clearly the dominant team. Adam Harborow showed that his marathon training was on track for London with another personal best and there were lots of good club battles all the way down the field. It was good also to see two club debutants in Chris Good and Renata Sharp.

1 Victor Vinyals ( Spain ) 1.15.27

3 Adrian Williams (Cirencester) 1.16.46

6 Bill Leggate 1.19.26

7 Paul Barlow 1.19.34

23 Adam Harborow 1.23.10

72 Martin Croucher 1.29.19

92 Stephen Elverd 1.31.00

95 Jon Young 1.31.10

113 Nicola Denning (8th lady) 1.32.22

215 Chris Brough 1.37.56

221 Ian Pople 1.38.08

246 Trudy Compton 1.39.16

265 Andy Bradley 1.40.23

347 Chris Good 1.43.38

458 Tim Willson 1.47.16

483 Carol Clarke 1.48.17

526 Dick Waldron 1.49.51

633 Renata Sharp 1.53.23

692 Jessica Nethercott 1.55.41

1082 Yvonne Binks 2.13.11

1104 Jane Stevens 2.14.55

1154 Christina See 2.17.47. www.forestofdean-halfmarathon.co.uk

16 March, Bath ½ Marathon . The day after the inter-counties, Wendy Nicholls was lured by the prizes on offer at Bath and didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately the race was an organisational nightmare: overnight heavy rain made the HQ located in a low lying field an absolute quagmire; traffic was gridlocked with not enough buses available to transport runners from the park & ride to the centre of the city and then the Red Cross didn’t have their promised marquee delivered, eventually having to borrow one from another organisation. All this led to a one hour delay to the start on a cold, wet & miserable morning. Another problem encountered by Nicholls was having to lap a large proportion of the field, involving running wide, on the second of the two laps making up the course. Thankfully the running side of things went well and she ran her second fastest time ever, just behind an Ethiopian lady with a time from 2007 of 71.01, as well as being within the likely GB team qualifying time for the World ½ Marathon Championships later in the year. The icing on the cake was victory in the National Veterans (or Masters as now called) Championships held in conjunction with the race. The race organisation didn’t get any better as the day progressed: having hung around for two hours after the race, Nicholls went up to the rostrum to collect her prize, it was an envelope which, when opened, was empty! Apparently the cheque is in the post.

One of the recipients of a club ballot place in the London Marathon, Wallace Ascham, showed that his training is going well: “I did a PB (by 9 minutes!) - I put it all down to the training for the marathon (and being very slow last year)!”

1 Raymond Tonui ( Kenya ) 1.05.21

44 Roman Gebrersse ( Ethiopia , 1st lady) 1.13.09

52 Wendy Nicholls (Cirencester, 2nd lady /1st FV35) 1.13.33

1284 Wallace Ascham 1.38.58 (chip time 1.37.23). 10,054 finished. www.runninghigh.co.uk

22 March, Easter 10k, White Horse, Sandhurst .

1 Gary Hope ( Severn ) 33.44

3 Bill Leggate (Cirencester) 35.31

24 Bryan Reid 43.21

37 Alice Thomas (1st FU17) 45.56

51 Barbara Thomas (1st FV50) 54.39. 52 finished. www.severnac.co.uk (website updated at long last!)

23 March, Hanham Horror 6m m/t. The website description of this race has to be reprinted for all to view: “Yes, you are seeing that [photo] right, that is a rope, and unless you're a mountain goat, getting up this hill is going to be pretty tough without it. The Hanham Horror is an annual event of mass suffering organised by Bitton Road Runners. The route starts in Hanham, on the east edge of Bristol , before delving down into the scenic yet murky woodland trails that run alongside the River Avon . The route then continues along the river towpath before heading back up towards some challenging hills. This is all before you come to the 100 steps!” Welcome back Mr Firkin.

1 Vito Graffagnino (Clevedon) 39.22

19 Keith Firkin (Cirencester) 47.53. 244 finished. www.bittonroadrunners.co.uk

ROAD / MULTI-TERRAIN FIXTURES (Sunday unless stated)

30 March, Cleevewold ‘14’ m/t. www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

5 April, Midland 12 stage road relays, Sutton Park , nr Birmingham . Following on from the club’s success at last autumn’s 6 stage relays, Adrian Williams is in the process of putting together a competitive team for the spring version of this major event.

6 April, Chedworth Roman Trail ‘10’ m/t at 10:30 (see club promotions below).

13 April, London Marathon . Good luck to all the club’s entrants. Reports afterwards always appreciated, whether good or bad experiences.

20 April, Highworth 5m at 11:00 . Club Championship race. As with many races, there are no entries on the day and entries will close when the 500 limit is reached. Last year this happened a few weeks before the race, so enter now. www.highworthrunningclub.com

7 May (Wed), Stroud Beer Race 7.2m, Minchinhampton Common at 19:00 . Part of Gloucestershire Road Race Championship. www.stroudac.org.uk

11 May, Tewkesbury ½ Marathon at 09:30 . www.209events.com

15 May (Thu), White Horse 5k, Sandhurst , nr Gloucester at 19:30 . Club Championship race. Enter on the evening. www.severnac.co.uk

CLUB RANKINGS

Here are the current rankings at 5 miles, the distance being run at the next club race at Highworth:

U20: 27.20 Chris Illman, Bexhill 2006; FU20: 36.57 Alice Thomas, Gloucester 2007;

Male senior: 25.59 Mike Smith, 2000; Female senior: 29.38 Wendy Jones (Nicholls), Highworth 2003;

FV35: 26.56 Wendy Nicholls, Gloucester 2008;

V40: 27.35 David Wright, Broad Town 1997; FV40: 29.46 Jane Wassell, Tewkesbury 2007;

V45: 29.59 David Wright, Highworth 2002 & 2006; FV45: 35.47 Elaine Wilson, 2003;

V50: 28.39 David Wright, Tewkesbury 2007; FV50: 38.09 Ruth Fulford, 1999;

V55: 35.04 Tony Curry, Highworth 2004; FV55: 36.08 Carol Clarke, Highworth 2006;

V60: 32.19 Tony Shelbourn, Monclova USA 2007;

V65: 38.30 Dick Waldron, Highworth 2007;

With the London Marathon coming up as well, this is a good time to print the current club marathon records:

U20: 3.27.56 Chris Illman, Blackpool 2005

Male senior: 2.26.23 Mike Smith, Abingdon 2000; Female senior: 3.06.19 Trudy Evans ( Compton ), New Forest 1999;

FV35: 2.45.54 Wendy Jones (Nicholls), Rotterdam 2007;

V40: 2.59.-- John Jameson, 1988; FV40: 3.30.-- Molly Fisher, London 1989;

V45: 2.58.-- John Jameson, 1989; FV45: 3.34.-- Molly Fisher, Abingdon 1992;

V50: 3.22.18 Andy Bradley, White Peak 2007; FV50: 3.49.10 Ruth Fulford, 1999;

FV55: 4.17.28 Liza Darroch, Cardiff 2004;

V70: 4.36.18 Fred Robson, London 2002.

V75: 4.46.54 Fred Robson, London 2006.

ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP 2008

After just two events, a total of 37 members have run in this year’s championship. Scores to date:

Men

Adrian Williams (incl. 20 bonus points) 58pts, Adam Harborow (18) 49, Paul Barlow (8) 42, Bill Leggate (5) 41, Stephen Elverd (8) & Martin Croucher (8) 36, Jon Young (4) 29, Marc Fallows (8) 27, Chris Illman (6) & Ian Pople (8) 26, David Wright (7) 22, Andy Bradley 18, Chris Brough 13, Dick Waldron (1) & Darren Dent (8) 12, Dorian Matts & Chris Good 10, Mark Langman & Tim Willson 9, Bryan Reid 8, Bob Ferris 5, Chris Berry 2, Brian Barrowclough 1.

Women

Trudy Compton (3) 38pts, Carol Clarke (3) 36, Jane Stevens (7) 35, Yvonne Binks 26, Christina See (3) & Jenny Manners (8) 25, Sarah Cooper (5) 23, Wendy Nicholls (2) 22, Nicola Denning 20, Jane Wassell 19, Renata Sharp 17, Jessica Nethercott 16, Sue Brown & Lynn Ferris (1) 13, Ruth Fulford 10, Sophie Edelsten 8, Amanda Pizzey 7.

Next fixtures:

20 April, Highworth 5m (details above)

15 May (Thu), White Horse 5k, Sandhurst , nr Gloucester (details above)

1 June, Fairford Festival 10k www.fairford.org

14 July (Mon), Frampton-on-Severn 10k www.stroudac.org.uk

19 July (Sat), Bourton 1m www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk

24 July (Thu), Malmesbury 5k

6 August (Wed), Bugatti 10k, nr Winchcombe www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk

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

12 October, Chichester 10k www.chichester10krace.org.uk

26 October, Stroud ½ Marathon www.stroudac.org.uk

In addition, times recorded at any marathon between the dates of February 24 and October 26 will score points in the same format as the races above i.e. as though all competed in one race. The Chichester race, which should be entered early as it’s very popular, has been inserted as a suggested idea for a club trip away for the weekend. Of the 13 races, including 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 2006 and 2007. 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. If no qualifying times have been recorded in the last two years, the first run in a championship race in 2008 will form the benchmark for any subsequent bonus points. To qualify for points, runners must be fully paid-up members, be entered under Cirencester AC and be wearing a club vest.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY ROAD RACE SERIES 2008

This county series follows a similar format to the club championship and also shares some of the same races. There have already been two fixtures and the next one will be the very sociable Stroud Beer Race on Wednesday 7 May (see fixtures above). For a full race listing, rules and up to date positions, look up www.runnerduck.co.uk/running

CLUB RACE PROMOTIONS 2008

Cirencester AC will once again be promoting three races this year. The first is only two weeks away. David Edelsten outlines below details of each race:

6 April, Chedworth Roman Trail ‘10’ m/t at 10.30am. “Entries received to date 342 (10% up on the same stage last year).No limit on numbers but no entries on the day. Rupert Chesmore is now canvassing support from members for marshalling duties. Only three Cirencester members have entered to date. Whilst officials are needed, there are usually sufficient to allow a fair number of members to run, but please remember no entries on the day so download an entry form from the club website and give it to me on one of the next two Tuesdays. It will be greatly appreciated if people could bring cakes to sell at the race; last year’s response to this request was very poor.”

9 June (Mon), Westonbirt Arboretum Trails 10k at 7.30pm . Entry limit 600, forms are now available. 28 September, Cirencester Park 10k at 10.30am. Entry limit 600.

“In all cases I will be responsible for entries and all pre-event administration and promotion. On the day organisation and marshall recruitment will be the responsibility of me plus Rupert Chesmore (Chedworth), Tony Curry (Westonbirt) and Bob Ferris ( Cirencester Park ). Full details as ever can be found on www.cirencester-ac.org.uk .

Another date for the diary is Tony Curry's cancer charity event in Cirencester Park on September 6/7. More details to follow on this major weekend of racing in a future newsletter. 

Members should keep all these dates free as they will be expected to be available to marshall if they do not wish to run.”

CLUB SOCIAL

As announced at training last week, tomorrow evening, Tuesday 25 March, all members are encouraged to stay for a drink after training at local hostelry Somewhere Else, just a short walk from the leisure centre. Winter is almost behind us – albeit with a sting in its tail as this is being written – and we can look forward to training in daylight from next week. The club also has much to celebrate following victory in the Oxford League and record numbers turning out both at training and at club races. With so many new members, this is also an opportunity to meet up and socialise, especially as we now have two separate groups training on Tuesdays as a result of the increased size of the club. Of course we can also rejoice at the welcome return of Tony Shelbourn after his six month sojourn across the pond (see below)! A number of members already meet up each week at the same venue and all are welcome to join in on a regular basis for a convivial chat, drink and plate of chips! The more the merrier.

MISCELLANY

… it appears that Rupert Chesmore is not the only mad ultra runner in the club. Stephen Elverd is competing in the Jurassic Coast 3-Day Challenge commencing next Saturday 29 March. This race comprises a total of 78.6 miles over three days along the coast from Lyme Regis to Studland Bay or, to put it another way, a marathon each day for three days (on reflection, perhaps a bit short for Mr Chesmore)! More details on www.justgiving.com/stephenelverd

… throughout the winter Tony Shelbourn has been penning articles back to both his running clubs - Toledo Road Runners in the USA and Cirencester AC - whilst on a final six month tour around the southern states with his wife Pauline before finally returning to the UK. Here are his final two efforts. No apologies for taking up newsletter space: Tony’s writing is superb and he encapsulates life as well as running in his musings: “I pen this on a cold, snowy day from our favourite camp site in the USA , Catalina State Park in Arizona . Tomorrow the sun will be out and we’ll be back in our shorts but today we sit in the warm and watch the Santa Catalina Mountains gathering a half metre mantle of snow around their shoulders. Running is one of my great pleasures, as long as its flat and I can stop after a few kilometres but I do know that long runs are an essential part of any training plan, even my fragmented routine. So, here are couple of longer runs that might interest you, should you be down Texas or Arizona way.

In a previous article I mentioned an early morning run in Big Bend National Park and this is an off road follow up. I dug out trail shoes from under the motor home and on a blustery morning set off on the Hot Springs trail. Before I could catch my breath it changed from packed earth to a rocky zigzag up a mountain side and breathing in an organised rhythm became impossible. Gasping for breath I made it onto the first escarpment and the Rio Grande curved away and Mexico looked as serene as Texas . The trail was rugged but about ninety percent runnable as long as your attention never wavered and you only focused on your next footfall.

Three miles of this narrow, curving route rose and fell many hundreds of feet and left you disoriented as to direction and, on the flat rock slopes, whether you were on the trail or not. The rock strata here are amazing and one area, comprised of compressed volcanic ash, was a mixture of purples and blues, violet and reds – easy to see as you watched each footfall. Then a drop back to the Rio Grande and I missed the hot springs, hidden behind a stand of bamboo but I did glimpse pictographs on the rock face. The remainder of the run was easier, trails and dirt roads, so a 10 mile run with mile times of 8:52 . Later on that day we walked the same trail and sat with our feet in the hot springs where we chatted to a group of cyclists. They were pedalling across the USA from San Diego CA to Charleston NC . It was a respite for them as they soaked in the hot rejuvenating waters and drank a few beers while we ate our lunch and contemplated the three mile return trip.

The second trail run was unrelenting with the first mile being along a bridle path which was deep sand. I felt sorry for the horses as they do this with a person on their back and have double the feet to sink and slip; then into a rocky canyon and a sharp hill out onto the Sutherland trail which climbs into the foothills of the Santa Catalinas. This first four miles is all uphill, stone strewn and winding but at least the wind was from behind me; then through a barbed wire fence and into the National Forest and a turn to the north. As I scrambled up a rocky slope a large, black, hairy rump lurched away behind a rock just a few yards away. I frantically tried to remember what to do when one encounters a bear but, to my relief, a second Aberdeen Angus appeared.

I’d run this trail about a year ago and had had nightmares about the next mile or so. There is a canyon trail up in Moab called the Steel Bender and this matches it. Rocks, boulders and stones are your only footing. It’s all downhill and just as tough to walk as it is to run and as you hop, leap and lurch along you pass occasional abandoned pieces of Jeeps and see the boulders scored and grooved by the off-roaders. By way of relaxation another mile of deep sand follows (this is the desert) and then I’m climbing again, up to the 50 Year Trail, an ordinary, twisting and comfortably rocky path. After about a mile I catch a nauseating whiff on the wind that is now blowing in my face and coming over a small ridge there are the remains of a cow. The black hide is still in place over the skull and the huge rib cage but the rest is hollow and the trampled area around the beast is stained and very smelly. It’s not hard to imagine the coyotes, foxes, vultures and other carnivores feasting here. What will remain in a few months is the skeleton, the thing of John Wayne movies.

A comfortable run back home that was mostly downhill. I was dodging the inch spines on the prickly pear and the ocotillo and running past the stately saguaro with their many arms held aloft, not to acclaim the passing runner but to reach for their sun god. These are great runs and during these ten miles I didn’t meet one other person, which can be a bit daunting when the trails disappear. I took water on this run too; twenty percent humidity even on a cool morning saps the reserves and I ended up doing the ten miles with mile times of 9:26 , slightly better than last year. There was a happy ending to the story, too. Calories consumed, according to my Garmin - 1440. Just think – a large steak and fries and a few beers and you’re still ahead.”

… and here is his final report written back in good old Blighty: “Transitions – What a difference a week makes.

These last few days have been hectic and just a week ago today I ran with the Sunday morning group at Oak Openings Metropark near Toledo, seven square miles of natural forest with miles of trails but, on the day, only the paved ones were runnable. Our group comprised Ben, Don (training for the V50 US Mile championships in Boston ), Wendy, Eddie and myself. A few inches of snow had fallen on very icy trails and in the 12F (-9C) temperatures even the cleared, paved areas were slippery; none-the-less we were there churning out eight minute miles and happy to do it on this sunny but chilling morning.

The running loops allow people to peel off when they choose and after about eight miles I did, but the others completed their usual ten miles or so. Summer running in the park is all on forest trails and the pace is fierce and the group can soon split into various pairings doing their own speed. Summer though is beautiful and it’s hard to remember, in 12F, the sun, the mosquitoes, the humidity and the soporific mottled greens flanking the forest paths. In just a few weeks this frozen forest will begin to thaw out and the arrival of spring will be underway.

After our cold run we go out for breakfast (UK folks, this is a truly great American tradition) at our local café, Mikey P’s, and our morning is finished off with three egg omelettes or eggs over-easy, with sides of hash browns, home fries or rashers of crispy bacon and don’t forget the pancakes and endless hot coffee. My thanks go to the Sunday group for their company and encouragement.

Today is Sunday, one week later, and since we arrived back in the UK last Thursday we have not seen the sun. Yesterday morning it started to rain and it’s been pouring since and I only just made it in time to the Cirencester Leisure Centre having made several diversions because of flooded roads. Just three of us, Tony, Bob and myself ran today. Where are the rest; Chris, Trudi, Mark, Jonathan and David? Rumour has it that they are off doing various gruelling multi-terrain and cycling races. We intrepid three sloshed our way around, Tony peeled off and Bob, our club coach, chose to stick to the club cross country course. This just went to prove that Bob is not just a coach who beats us up at training sessions but he appears to be a masochist as well. We laboured up and down hills, in ruts and through long grass, on mud and rocky trails and all of this in a savage northerly 5C (43F) wind and heavy driving rain. We were covered to the waist in mud and soaked to the skin but still managed to chat all the way round the nine miles.

Usually we grab a coffee at the leisure centre but this morning we both had things to do. I was just pulling into our gate at home when Pauline breathlessly said that an invalid lady had driven into theflood waters down the road and was stranded. I set off and met a couple of builders in a large white van. They were surveying the situation and were relieved to see my bare legs (not a pretty sight) and running shoes so I volunteered and waded into the knee deep, frigid water and tried to push the vehicle out, without success. The builders ultimately found a rope and drove their vehicle close enough so that I could hitch it up and the car, lady and all, were successfully hauled out. It felt wonderful to be successful, but it took several hours for feeling to return to my feet.

Is there a moral to this tale of two Sundays? I suppose that few folks do the crazy things that runners do; turn up when others just turn over, who are willing to push themselves in inclement conditions. Does it make us tough? Maybe it does but more often it gives us some great stories to tell and on this particular Sunday it meant that I ate and enjoyed a massive plate of roast beef, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy; another great eating way to finish a good Sunday run and bask in the warmth of a good deed.”

David Wright: wrights@tesco.net or 01285 641224