Richard Barry's funeral took place at the Holy Trinity Church , Watermoor on 27 April and was attended by hundreds of mourners including half a dozen members of Cirencester AC. Although a terribly sad occasion, it gave friends and relatives the opportunity to outline what an amazing amount Richard packed into his short life of 32 years. He loved and participated in lots of sports, travelled extensively and was a highly successful businessman. Most importantly he was a family man and it is to his wife, daughter, parents and other relations to whom our thoughts remain. The club sent a donation (topped up by some individual contributions) in memory of Richard to CLIC, the Sargent Cancer Care charity for children.

RESULTS

01.05.2005 Neolithic ½ Marathon . Cathy Cook was a fantastic 3rd overall including the men and 1st lady in a time of approx 1.26.15. She reports further: " When I did the race five years ago I was 4th overall but I can't remember my time. I think it was something similar but last time I died horribly at the end. I was in 4th overall last Sunday until two miles to go but despite painful legs, managed to catch a very tired 3rd place man. Anyway, I'm really quite chuffed with the result for a number of reasons: can't quite believe the time because I haven't been doing the speed training; was really scared that I wouldn't be able to go the distance at race pace after such a long break away from racing (particularly over such a distance); am also pleased that years of running and triathlons have taught me some golden rules about pace control. Work within what you feel is comfortable at the beginning and it pays off in the end!" A sentiment a lot of club runners would do well to heed.

04.05.2005 Stroud Beer Race - Jane Wassell encountered a surprisingly strong ladies field in her first race after suffering from a virus. The club is waiting with baited breath for husband Michael's comeback race or has he succumbed permanently to the sofa?

1 T Russell (Stroud) 39.23, 15 Jane Wassell (4th lady, 1st FV35) 47.06. 84 finished

16.05.2005 Berkeley Power Station 10km - Paul Barlow continued his astonishing improvement this year with yet another PB, this time by over two minutes on a testing course. His engagement to a lovely Japanese lady has clearly done wonders for his running but why?

1 Dan Robinson (Tipton) 30.17, 25 Paul Barlow 37.07. 202 finished

19.05.2005 Pilot Inn 5km, Gloucester . Fourth race in the club championship. An excellent turnout on a blustery Thursday evening by the banks of the Gloucester & Sharpness canal, although the Wassell family nearly missed the start having almost reached Tewkesbury before turning back! Young Chris Illman had another good run on the out and back course mixing it with the front runners, excluding Olympian Dan Robinson who was out of sight from the gun. The much anticipated battle between the club's new wave of seniors saw Paul Barlow comfortably beat Bill Leggate and Justin Nicholls but these three with Chris give hope for the future of the club at the sharp end of races. The scramble for beer at the bar of the Pilot Inn afterwards took longer than the race - with typical British planning no extra staff were on duty despite the knowledge that nearly 100 runners & officials would be desperate for sustenance. For a small race there were lots of prizes including beer for Chris and chocolate fingers for Jane which were quickly devoured by her three children.

1 Dan Robinson (Tipton) 14.55
8 Chris Illman 16.54 - inaugural U20 club record
17 Paul Barlow 17.47
20 Bill Leggate 18.09
28 Justin Nicholls 18.40
32 Jane Wassell (4th lady, 2nd FV35) 19.00 - FV35 club record
46 Duncan Atkinson 19.43
48 David Wright 19.47 - inaugural V45 club record
53 Chris Riches 20.03
55 Jon Young 20.17
73 Kim Ingleby 22.10
77 Dick Waldron 22.46 - inaugural V60 club record
91 David Edelsten 25.24
96 finished

22.05.2005 Chiseldon '5'. Keith Firkin apparently ran in this race but is being very bashful about revealing his time.

LONDON MARATHON REFLECTIONS

Fred Robson sent this article in just too late for inclusion before the marathon but it is interesting nonetheless and therefore worth publishing:

"My marathon training has gone well and is now tapering off nicely, having done two lovely runs at the beginning of the week. The 25th London is only two weeks away and the priority is keeping out of trouble......injuries, colds, putting on weight, not falling off the steps when painting etc. My two main problems as ever are dehydration and not sleeping. Both affect a lot of runners. Over the next two weeks I will try to regularly do runs each morning and evening, maybe 3 miles, maybe 6 miles just how I feel and as time allows. For the race, well, it's not starting too fast, not drinking too much before the start but drinking isotonic at every drinks position, and getting to the finish. So wishing all the others that are running "a good race, and best of luck" we hope for a nice calm cool 6C day, dry, and slightly overcast."

Fred then commented briefly after his run:

"Just got back from London tonight. A bit disappointed with the run. It went OK up to about 21 miles but had a stop to let ambulances through which caused a good deal of traffic congestion making running difficult. Had a torrid last few miles weaving in and out of people. Had a wonderful weekend as crazy as ever. Saw Sue (Brown) early on."

Bill Leggate writes about his rather bizarre day in London with his dad who was down from Scotland (some may remember him from the Frampton race last summer):

" London Marathon 2005 turned out to be an eventful day - for all the wrong reasons. Prospects at the start seemed good with both myself and my Dad hoping for PBs. I reached half way in about 1hr 33mins which should have been comfortable but I was beginning to struggle with the heat and by about 16 miles the legs were pretty shot. Not fancying a 10 mile slog to the finish I decided to walk, the idea being to allow Dad to catch up so we could run (hopefully!) to the finish together. All was going to plan as he caught me up just after 20 miles looking comfortable and well on course to beat his target time of 4hrs. Unfortunately the finish for us came much sooner than anticipated, just after 21 miles in fact. It's still all a bit unclear what happened but we think Dad must have tripped and fallen, the end result being him unconscious at the side of the road. He spent the next two nights in intensive care at the Royal London Hospital (quite an efficient way of recovering from the rigours of a marathon apparently - though probably not to be recommended!) but is now fine other than complete amnesia for the marathon itself. Given that the situation had the potential to be more serious we count ourselves very lucky indeed. All being well he should be back running soon - as for next year I think it's fair to say we shall both enjoy the London Marathon on the telly with the only discomfort coming from Brendan Foster's commentary!"

Wendy Jones paradoxically experienced the loneliness of the long distance runner as she started 45 minutes before the hordes, in the elite ladies field. She reached halfway in 1.23.53 feeling good in 35th place but soon after started to feel ill, was sick and then struggled to the finish. A dodgy hotel breakfast appeared to be the villain. The best club result in terms of individual expectations came with Terry Ranger's 3.49. Terry is a big believer in taking on the right fluids during the race something that Sue Brown was wary of. As a result she struggled in the last few miles having 'hit the wall' although she should be extremely pleased with her result. Sue gave another reason for not quite managing to beat four hours: apparently at each drink station she encountered great problems as her feet stuck to the road thanks to all the discarded lucozade remains from earlier runners!

RANKINGS

After four of the nine races in the club road race championship Bill Leggate appears to be out of sight. However with best six to count from nine races he will soon have to start dropping points which will allow others to catch up. The ladies championship is bubbling up to be a close contest between those perennial prize winners Wendy Jones (who has never won this championship) and Jane Wassell. Scoring to date:

1 Bill Leggate 59pts, 2 Duncan Atkinson 37pts, 3 Chris Illman 34pts, 4 Wendy Jones (1st lady) 32pts, 5= Jonathan Young, Jane Wassell (L) 28pts, 7 Paul Barlow 26pts, 8 Dave Cook 24pts, 9 Justin Nicholls 22pts, 10 Chris Riches 20pts, 11 David Edelsten 17pts, 12 Dick Waldron 16pts, 13 Pancho Diaz 15pts, 14= Niel Dunnage, Carol Clarke (L) 13pts, 16 Chris Sherrington, 12pts, 17= Elaine Wilson (L), Sue Brown (L), Kevin Ferris, David Wright 9pts, 21 Bob Ferris 7pts, 22= Tony Curry, Kim Ingleby (L) 6pts, 24= Diane Moore (L), Chris Brough 5pts, 26 Lyn Ferris (L) 1pt.

A big apology is due to Elaine Wilson after the publication of the club five mile records prior to the Highworth '5'. Elaine ran 35.47 at Highworth in 2003 which is a club FV45 record by some distance. As previously stated the records were recently inherited as at the end of 2000 and it has been difficult to piece together all results since. Poor Elaine is having a bad year - she was missed off the Bourton official results as well as the club rankings and is now injured! Another record has come to light: in 2004 Liza Darroch ran 4.17.28 in the Cardiff Marathon, which constitutes a club FV55 record. Sorry, Elaine, Liza and anyone else who may be missing from current records.

The Fairford 10k forms the fifth of the nine road races in this year's club championship. Being a 10k bonus points will be on offer (see championship details below). Updated 10k club records are set out below:

Women:

U20 42.11 Becky Stagg 1989
Sen 34.18 Wendy Jones 1998 (Bourton-on-the-Water)
O35 34.55 Wendy Jones 2005 (Bourton-on-the-Water)
O40 41.24 Molly Fisher 1988
O45 43.24 Molly Fisher 1994 (Bourton-on-the-Water)
O50 46.53 Ruth Fulford 1999
O55 44.51 Mary Campbell 2001 (Bourton-on-the-Water)

Men:

U20 33.50 Marc Fallows 1993
Sen 32.12 Mike Smith 1998
O40 33.57 David Wright 1997 (Bourton-on-the-Water)
O45 35.28 Brian Wither 1993
O50 38.40 Tony Curry 1997
O55 42.38 Tony Curry 2004 (Bourton-on-the-Water)
O60 43.10 Dick Waldron 2002 (Bourton-on-the-Water)
O70 54.12 Fred Robson 2003 (Fairford)

FORTHCOMING RACES & CONTACT DETAILS:

30 May Pilot Inn, Gloucester : Whitsun '5' beer race at 11:30 see www.severnac.co.uk

5 June Fairford Festival 10km at 11:00 www.fairford.org/10k/index.html Entries are usually accepted on the day. Fifth race in the club road championship. Can anyone catch the flying doctor? There is also a supporting 3k fun run / race for all ages so bring the family and persuade the wife / husband / son / daughter / granny / dog to run as well. Being a 10k bonus points will be on offer for bettering 2004/2005 times which, in most cases, means running faster than at Bourton in February. The course is quite tough and invariably it is very hot for this popular race. There is a bar and BBQ available afterwards so if the weather is good bring the family and make an occasion of it.

11 June Broad Town '5' at 15:00 . A good old fashioned Saturday afternoon race put on as part of a school fete. Enter on the day - Broad Town is near Wootton Bassett - or look out for entry forms at the leisure centre.

16 June (Thursday) Pilot Inn 5km at 19:45 . This is the second of four 5km series promoted by Severn AC and is a good workout which can be followed by a canalside pint. See www.severnac.co.uk for more details. Note: originally planned for the Globe Inn but this pub is currently closed for renovation.

20 June (Monday) Westonbirt Arboretum 10km at 19:30 . The 300 entry limit was reached by the end of April. A number of Cirencester athletes got their act together and beat the deadline. Many others will be helping out in this first promotion by Tetbury Royals.

25 June Cotswold Way Relay. This is a ten stage relay: Chipping Campden - Stanway - Cleeve Common - Seven Springs - Cranham - Stroud - Dursley - Wotton-u-Edge - Old Sodbury - Cold Ashton - Bath . Total distance is 107 miles and stages range from 8-12 miles, most with a fair amount of climbing. A quality mixed team from the club has been entered and if sufficient interest is shown in the next two weeks a second team may be entered. For more information about this event look up www.cityofbathac.org click on events and then follow the prompts. As the race is virtually on the club's doorstep, at least for some stages, it would be good to see some spectators to support the runners. Please read notes on the website about parking as the travelling circus that forms this event means that there are a lot of vehicles involved and at times not much parking space.

2005 CLUB ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP

The remaining races and entry details for this year's championship are as follows:

11 July (Monday) Frampton-on-Severn 10km www.stroudathleticclub.org.uk

3 August (Wednesday) Bugatti 10km (nr Winchcombe) www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk - entry forms at the leisure centre. T-shirts to all finishers. Note there are no entries on the day.

11 September Witney 10 mile www.witneyroadrunners.org.uk

23 October Stroud ½ Marathon www.stroudathleticclub.org.uk

There are nine races, one each month from February to October, with best six scores to count towards the separate men and women championships. As oft stated a lot of these races reach their limits very quickly so plan ahead, get the entry forms from the above web sites or the club noticeboard and enter early. Points awarded to the first 15 finishers on a reducing basis from 15 down to 1. Based on 10k times achieved in 2004, as published in newsletter no. 9, plus times in 2005 to date, bonus points will be awarded for improvements: 1 minute or more = 5pts, 45 seconds = 4pts, 30 seconds = 3pts, 15 seconds = 2pts and up to 15 seconds = 1pt. The Fairford, Bugatti & Stroud races form part of the Gloucestershire County road race series.

TRIATHLON

As if running wasn't exhausting enough, a rapidly increasing number of members appear to be going quite mad and getting involved in triathlon. The Sunday night swimming sessions at the leisure centre (6 until 7pm if interested) are very popular and there are some Saturday morning club bike rides as well. With the main triathlon season about to commence Bob Ferris has written a few words:

"Forget the election results the main news is that Justin and Wendy have a new arrival to their family; yes it's a brand new baby Quintana Roo Lucero. Proud new father Justin say's it's the best ride he's ever had! This mean machine is Quintana Roo's first carbon bike with 10 speed dura-ace and real design supersonic 40 race wheels. If you would like to arrange a private viewing please contact Justin on 01285 712639. Please note due to popular demand no photos can be taken, any photographic equipment will have to be handed in at the door and returned when you leave. Justin will also be taking bookings for after dinner talks about his new arrival. Would I ride or want such a posers bike? Bloody right I would.

Listed below are a few triathlons and it would be nice to get club members attending.

30/5/05 - TTG Triathlon - www.triteamglos.co.uk

19/6/05 - Marlborough - www.conceptsports.co.uk

24/7/05 - MK Triathlon (Olympic distance) - www.big-cow.com

14/8/05 - Swanage - www.conceptsport.co.uk

11/9/05 - Cotswold Sprint open water www.triferris.com

Also from May through September, on the first Wednesday of each month, there is a series of duathlons held at Castle Coombe motor racing circuit - start time 7.00pm , distance 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run. July's event could be 2 -10 - 2 - 10 - 2. You can usually enter on the night. If you wish to know any more details about these and other triathlon/duathlon events contact Bob".

JUNIORS

Paula Vass reports on success for the junior members in the Gloucestershire County Championships held at Cheltenham on 15 May:

Jodie Wallis U15 - 1st in the Long Jump - 4.16m and 3rd in the 100m - 13.8s,
Ben Crocker U13 - 2nd in the 100m - 14.9 (but best time in the heat 14.6 -
which gave him best time of the day in the U13's by a long way)
Eve Barry U17 - 4th in 100m - 13.8
Liam Frazer U15 - 10th in 800m - 2.51.6
Jenny Manners U17 - 2nd in 1500m - 5.36.8.

MISCELLANY

. Liza's conundrum from newsletter no. 12 related, of course, to another of Rupert Chesmore's ultra events - this time the Compton Downland 40 miler. Lisa Darroch raced the 20 miler on the same day, being a mere one lap event compared to Rupert's two laps. Rupert has another little jaunt planned for the summer of which more in due course.

. the club's successful ladies team had their photograph published in the Wilts & Glos Standard recently, respendent in woolly hats and gloves and clutching numerous team & individual trophies.

. David Edelsten's cunning plan to dominate the road racing scene in Florida has been brought to a halt. Following victory in the V60 category in a race last year news spread rapidly that he was back trophy hunting again on 17 April. Not for him the appeal of the mass fun run at London - he was after tangible rewards. So with coach Boo by his side he decamped to his Florida base for some last minute preparation for the Heritage Harbor 10k. Alas it was not to be and although he ran 49.48, V60 victory was snatched from him and he returned to dear old Blighty bereft of rewards.

. the only hiccup at the Roman Trail race at Chedworth in April appeared during the prizegiving. The team prizes consisted of residual bottles of wine from the club's 2004 summer party to celebrate winning the Oxford League. One of the bottles was only half full which was rather embarrassing (thankfully there was a spare to hand out). The newsletter editor, who hosted said party, would like it to be known that, contrary to popular belief, he doesn't have a problem and that this was purely an unfortunate error. In fact he is rather proud of the fact that the bottles survived (almost) intact for such a long period.

David Wright: wrights@tesco.net or 01285 641224