BRJ Run and Tri Committee 2015/2016

Transcription

1 BRJ Run and Tri Committee 2015/2016

2 David Newton Club Chairman Being at university in the sixties was a bit of a distraction. It is a great privilege to serve as Club Chairman this year. This is my third year as a member of BRJ and I have loved becoming part of such a friendly and supportive club. I have always liked to run. As a wee boy running was part of play, rushing about on pretend horses being cowboys. But when it came to running races at school I got nervous and by the time I got started, the race was over. I was not a sprinter. Growing up in football daft Scotland and having more enthusiasm than skill on the pitch, I was left to my own devices at PE. When the school needed to find a cross country team they noticed I could run quite well. I won School and County Championship trophies. I had found my sport. Teaching in a residential school, mostly in a secure unit, I took every opportunity to get the children out of doors and active. I found my enthusiasm for running again and began to try to follow a training plan. Visiting a local running club was a disaster, I was largely ignored and after a mile I was left behind, and lost. However I persevered and ran my first marathon in The following year I ran the first London Marathon in just over 3 hours. I managed to get my time under 3 hours before I was forced to give up with a chronic knee injury. I kept fit by cycling, and doing lots of exercise. A few years ago I took some tentative steps in my running shoes and found I could run without hurting too much. My job with a children s charity involved lot of travelling so I would often run around industrial estates next to my budget hotel just to get some miles done. Retirement meant I could become a full time athlete but also take part in club activities. Compared to my first experience of a running club, the BRJ were so welcoming. I was worried about being too slow, but found we were all at I find real pleasure in trying to help others develop their ability as runners different ages and stages of running development. So with the help and encouragement of my BRJ mates, I returned to run the London Marathon again after 35 years. BRJ have supported my interest in running by providing me with the opportunity to train as a coach. Of course I do not want to miss the chance to compete in a triathlon as well. I find real pleasure in trying to help others develop their ability as runners. Assisting beginners to running is a responsibility I enjoy and find very rewarding.

3 I am aware of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes in a club like ours. I am keen to make a contribution. Andy Matson has a vision for the club, and I hope to follow his inspired leadership towards a firm foundation of coaching and expertise. I will always be keen to hear your ideas and opinions, and hope to be available and accessible to members who run, cycle and swim.

4 Alan Hannibal Club Captain Hello everyone I'm Alan. I live in Huntingdon and first started running back in 1980, I felt the need to be fitter and having always enjoyed cross country at school felt this would be my ideal sport. Originally only running for fun I entered my first race in 1984 which was the Huntingdon Mini Marathon. From then the races become more regular, and in 1988 I was approached by Sam Burrows who was looking to start a running club in Huntingdon, and as it was based at the BRJ social club at the time we used the name. I have now been running for 36 years, and have been with the BRJ Running club since it was formed in 1988, I have run many distances over the years, taking part in about 10 London Marathons, of which five were sub 3 hours, with a best time of 2 Hrs 49 Mins in But my favourite distance has always been Half Marathons and have completed over 150 over the years with a best time of 1 Hr 16 mins 24 sec. (I did manage a time of 1 Hr 22 mins at the age of 49 just before my ankle op). I have been club captain for the last 24 years and have always a regular at the club on Monday s, Tuesdays and Thursdays since the club started. I was also Membership Secretary for around 15 years,which included the big changeover when affiliation to England athletics was introduced and membership cards allocated. I have now been running for 36 years, and have been with the BRJ Running club since it was formed in 1988 Over the years I have come back from various injuries...snapped knee ligaments, and two ankle operations, the last one 7 years ago I had 3 screws put in my ankle to repair a stress fracture, and also more recently a double fracture of the pelvis. I was advised after this to only run distances up to 10k, but have since run 4 London Marathons and 2 Brighton Marathons all be it at a steadier pace, but I still love my running.and now also have my eldest daughter Cheryl running marathons as well, and 2 Granddaughters running in the Junior section. I also really enjoy cycling and over the last seven years have taken part in many 100 mile sportives, including doing the Tour of Britain routes at Stoke on Trent. In 2012 I challenged myself to completing two 90 mile sportive events on the same day and a ten mile race at Swineshead the following day, all in aid of the MacMillan Cancer charity. Then in 2013 Cycled from Lands End to John O Groats.

5 The BRJ running club has always been envied by other local clubs for our social and friendly nature, and I look forward to see this continue with our new committee, and ensure all BRJ running nights are for all at the club to come and enjoy.

6 Gilles Corby Club Secretary I started running in my mid-twenties once I realised I could enjoy more of Fontainebleau forest instead of having a leisurely walk. The length of my runs increased as I became more confident and I regularly got lost in the forest among deer and wild boar. Running was a hobby rather than a competitive pursuit that allowed me to enjoy nature and the country side of the various places where I lived until Jez Bottley convinced me to run the Exhibition fun run. Next thing I know I was registered in the Great North Run, and I ran my first half-marathon with the memorable thought at the 10 mile mark : never again!. After 3 half-marathons I started toying with the idea that I should run 42kms whilst I was still 42. Making decisions based on a marketing slogan is a debatable idea but this led to the conclusion I should join a running club. Seeing BRJ runners overtake me during the Peterborough half (I later found out they were Tony Hucklesby and Docky) sealed the deal and I joined BRJ in October I registered for the Rome marathon early 2007 and with the good advice from John Wright, Lucy Moore and Alan Hannibal among others I completed my first marathon, then the Shakespeare, then Mablethorpe all this in 6 months. I ran my first halfmarathon with the memorable thought at the 10 mile mark : never again! Running one marathon was always a mad idea, so after running a few I considered another mad idea: triathlons. To get in shape before running I had started going to the swimming pool and basically taught myself to swim long distance, which allowed me to do the swim bit in a couple of relay events. So all I needed to do a sprint triathlon was a road bike and in 2008 I was a triathlete then I started doing standard distance. I was really excited when Andy Matson set up the triathlon section, this gave me the opportunity to train and achieve half-decent results. Since 2006 I have basically free-loaded on BRJ and it is now time to give back to a club that has given me so much. I hope my contribution will meet your expectations.

7 Stan Cragg Treasurer M a r a t h o n. Additionally, in I w a s taking a sports coaching course a t B r u n e l U n i v e r s i t y a t Uxbridge, however, during this time I suffered a major back injury and had to stop running for eight years. I got the "Running Bug" after watching Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonse win the first London Marathon in At the time I had a hangover and was lying in a sleeping bag on the floor of a friend s house. I started running shortly after and my first race was the Huntingdon Half marathon in I then joined Nene Valley Harriers and during 1986 set my PBs at all distances between 5 miles and Half I also enjoy cycling and have done the London to Cambridge and the Norwich 50 on quite a few occasions I returned to running in 1994 and had 10 good years until I was diagnosed with brain tumour in After surgery and radiotherapy I decided to join the BRJ road runners and would run the London Marathon in which I did, in a time of 4hrs 12 minutes. I also enjoy cycling and have done the London to Cambridge and the Norwich 50 on quite a few occasions together with other sportives and on one occasion in 2009 came off the bike breaking my clavicle and pelvis. I made my second come back by joining the beginners running group in I have been the Press Officer, the Club Fundraiser and now the Treasurer!

8 Andy Ellams Joint Training Coordinator My running story began in 2010, when upon purchasing a pair of pretty coloured shoes that I discovered would sync data to my phone; I embarked on a journey that has so far taken me to distances all the way up to a marathon, 24 hour events such as Thunder Run and the Round Norfolk Relay and a Spartan sprint obstacle course. Originally from Staffordshire, in my younger days I did not do a lot of distance running, just the occasional sprint on a football field, or to catch the last no 9 bus! On a spring day in April 2013, I discovered that there was a free 5k run on a Saturday morning in Huntingdon; I therefore popped along and met many others who recommended BRJ as possibly the best club around! Parkrun has also played a big part in my running development, and the fact that it was started by a BRJ member and continues to be supported by others is a great sign! The first time I ran with the club, I didn t feel like I was new at all! As soon enough I was chatting away to some friendly members and before long the run had finished! At that point I knew it was definitely worthwhile running with a group of likeminded individuals (I wonder if anyone has coined the term Jog Heads yet?) I therefore popped along and met many others who recommended BRJ as possibly the best club around! After attending more club events and in particular the Wednesday night track sessions, I decided that I would like to get involved with coaching and I am now a UKA qualified Coaching Assistant. The track sessions form an important part of the clubs training schedule and they regularly get very good feedback, I still enjoy taking part in the sessions when possible, but it s also great to see so many members reap the benefits as part of their plans. I am starting to get more involved with road cycling now, and would love to enter a sportive and maybe a duathlon or two and who knows I may even attempt a triathlon at some point! But I m sure I can always count on the advice from my new friends for wherever my journey takes me in the future!

9 Mel Fowler Social Secretary I have been a member of BRJ since 2009 when I joined what was then the 'Monday Fun Runners' with the full intention of being a 'social runner'! Inevitably since then I have found myself entering various r a c e s a n d events ranging I am a proud from frostbites & member of BRJ, I 10ks to GER, feel the club H e l l r u n n e r, supports runners of Thunderun and somehow in the all abilities last 3 years I have completed 4 marathons! I am a proud member of BRJ, I feel the club supports runners of all abilities to challenge themselves in whatever ventures, however crazy, (in whatever fancy dress) we may choose to face. This will be my 3rd year as your Social Secretary after a years break and I hope to bring you many more successful social events whilst of course we have fun with our running.

10 Chirag Godhania Joint Training Coordinator I got into this running lark around 3 years ago after taking on a work charity run (The British 10k in London). After catching the bug the next step was to keep my training up (which was strictly treadmill running at the time) and to join a club so that I could join like minded individuals who would push me to the next step. To say that I haven t looked back is an understatement! I can count the number of times I ve got back onto a treadmill on one hand. Whilst I haven t entered as many races as I d have liked, I really enjoy the social nature of our weekly training calendar including the Tuesday and Thursday runs, meeting and nurturing our newer members. This is why it was a no brainer to train up as a UKA Coach and give something back to the club, as I say, I may not have entered as many races as I d have liked, however, seeing club members that I ve helped mentor on the track achieve their goals and PB s more than makes up for it! Many of you will know me from the track, and I feel that the coaching element will fit in nicely with enhancing our training activities as a club, not to mention having a rapport with my co-coordinator Andy Ellams and the current BRJ chairman David Newton from our activities on Track. We have a great set of likeminded committee members who aim to serve you well. I really enjoy the social nature of our weekly training calendar In summary, becoming Training Coordinator in conjunction with a Track Coach caps off a year of further involvement within the club, not to mention running my 1st Frostbite races, all of which any member can aspire to doing, just come and have a chat. As training coordinator I aim to listen, assist and develop your training requirements, feel free to drop me/us an . Or even better, come and see me at the track, if you can t make me out from the picture, I ll be the one finding any excuse to blow my whistle! All the Personal Bests!

11 Mike Gullis Results Coordinator p r o u d e s t e v e r running moment was achieving a "Gun" finish time of 2:43:00 in the 1994 London Marathon. My job relocated from Central London to RAF Wyton in 1997 and I joined the BRJ club in I have been responsible for compiling the club's Race Results since 2006, and since 2008 have managed the Annual Running Like many people I got the "Running Bug" after watching the first London Marathon on TV from my armchair back in I was so inspired I immediately started training, but did not secure a place until 1986 in which I achieved a time of 3:03:03. I was told I had the potential to run sub-3 hours so joined my local running club, Cambridge Harriers in South London. My preferred events have always been over the longer distances and the marathon in particular. To date, I have completed 30 marathons within the UK and Overseas, 12 of which were sub 3- h o u r s. M y My proudest ever running moment was achieving a "Gun" finish time of 2:43:00 in the 1994 London Marathon Championships. In 2012 I took over as the Frostbite Co-ordinator, but retired" from that post in Various injuries, coupled with a long term posting to Bristol, prevented me from regular running for nearly 3 years, but my aim has been to return to a more regular running regime and ultimately complete a Triathlon. There is still someway to go on that front although I am enjoying the Club's Open Water Swimming sessions and have acquired a road racing bike for the BRJ Duathlon so I can now practice this fun discipline during the various rides organised by the club.

12 Jo Loosley Joint Fundraising Officer I have been married for 10 years to Paul and have 3 children, Chloé 14yrs, Ellie 9yrs and James 6yrs. I worked in the NHS for 13yrs and after being made redundant 3yrs ago I decided to become a Teaching Assistant. I have been working in Hartford Junior School for 2 years, I have also been the schools PTA Chair for the p a s t 4 y e a r s, helping them raise t h o u s a n d s o f pounds by putting on different events throughout the year. Chloé & Ellie joined the BRJ Juniors in January 2015, after doing parkrun almost every week for the last 12 months. Due to injury I do not run at present, but am hoping that by the end of 2015 I will be able to put my running shoes back on and start again. The BRJ Junior Coaches have helped my Daughters so much in the last 5 months that I thought I would put something into the club myself The BRJ Junior Coaches have helped my Daughters so much in the last 5 months that i thought i would put something into the club myself, so when i found out they were looking for help fundraising I thought I could use the skills I already have and help them where needed.

13 Rachel Miller Junior Performance Development Representative Hi, I am Mum to Havana and Louis Miller and have been appointed onto the BRJ committee to look after the junior section. If you have any queries about anything in the junior section, please let me know. This is just a little bit about me. As a child growing up in the depths of South Devon, sport was never easy. I participated in the school netball, hockey and tennis teams but other than that it was very difficult as there were never any clubs easy to get to. My Mum would drive me 45 mins each way just for my swimming lesson once a week! My only running was when my PE teacher came to live with us (she was a friend of my parents) and she would make me run down to the beach and back which was only about 3 miles in total but was very hilly and I hated it!! I had very little confidence as a child and found sport too competitive. I hated the way the other kids would laugh at you when you came last or you missed a goal. School sports day was one of the worst days in the school calendar for me! I am happy to see those days are pretty much gone and there is so much more support for people young and old. I got my first medal and loved the buzz and sense of achievement that it gave me. In 2007 I lost my Dad quite suddenly to cancer so that year to raise money I ran the Race for Life 5k in Stamford it was hard work, both physically and emotionally. I got my first medal and loved the buzz and sense of achievement that it gave me. Since then I have participated in many other Race for Life s with Havana at my side helping me along. I have also done the Shine London night time marathon. For the past 7 years Havana and I have trained in the martial art QiKwanDo and we have reached the ranking of 1 st Dan Black Belt. After watching my husband Ricardo take part in his first Triathlon in Windsor I decided I wanted a piece of that, so in 2010 I took part in the Women s Only Sprint Triathlon at Dorney Lake, followed by the London Triathlon. Last year, with the help of BRJ, I participated in the Windsor Sprint Triathlon which was hard work, then in the autumn I ran my first half marathon in Peterborough! This year I seem to have managed to book myself into 3 half marathons in 4 months not sure how that happened!! I joined BRJ in 2013 mainly to participate in the open water swimming. Ricardo was already a member and there was talk of a junior section starting up for Havana, who was already participating in triathlons. From those first trial sessions back in the summer of 2013, I have watched the juniors go from strength to strength. The support they have for each other is just wonderful to watch and the dedication the coaches put in is second to none. Joining Team BRJ has been fantastic and I, Ricardo and Havana have all made

14 some wonderful friends. Watching Havana compete is a joy as she has so much more confidence and that is all down to great coaching and the support she gets from her teammates. Team BRJ you rock!

15 Annette Newton Welfare Officer year later I ran my first marathon. At times I ve wondered why I do the winter marathon training, running in the snow, ice, rain, hail and of course sometimes beautiful sunny mornings. I enjoy running but it s so much more enjoyable running with the encouragement, companionship and friendship of others, and within BRJ there are always people to run with. I retired 3 years ago and decided to join a running club. I had been running a few miles at weekends and it was with some trepidation that I contacted BRJ. Coming along on that first evening was made much easier by the welcome I received. I have been so impressed by the friendship, enthusiasm and encouragement I ve experienced with BRJ, and witnessed for others. There are so many inspirational people in the club, and so much knowledge and experience. I planned just to come along to club runs but got caught up in all the talk of running, training and preparing for races. Alice took me to the Eye 10K, explained the race, gave me a club T shirt and I ran my first race. It certainly becomes addictive, and a Coming along on that first evening was made much easier by the welcome I received. BRJ is a great club, the commitment to the club is impressive, as is the care and support of each other, and that is why I wanted to help, and became welfare officer. This is still a relatively new role, part of which is to have structures in place to make sure our sports activities are enjoyable and safe for all. Last year we held a development session for the committee and coaches to think about this, and there are guidance documents on the club website from this session. I m keen to be contacted if there are any welfare issues that club members want me to pick up.

16 Alice Noyes Membership Secretary I joined BRJ Run and Tri in 2007, having started running the year before. I signed up in huge trepidation to do the St Ives 10k, and on my way round I was encouraged by Sarah Lou Hall, and that tempted me to come up to the club one night and try it out. Since then, as they say, the rest is history! Back in 2007 I never dreamed of completing a half marathon, let alone a full one, but both of those have now been ticked off the list - and I even plan to do s o m e m o re. I also did my first tri in 2014 and plan to do some more in I have been Membership Secretary for 4 years, a post I really enjoy. As I am often the first contact new members have with the club, my aim is to be responsive, informative and friendly. I never dreamed of completing a half marathon, let alone a full one My primary role is to maintain our membership records, organise renewals and to welcome new members. In addition, I add races and activate new members on the website, and I lead (from the back) the Monday club runs.

17 Mairi Thelwall Joint Fundraising Officer I joined the club in 2010; after I started running again to slim into my wedding dress. I'd always enjoyed running at school and had competed in cross country, 800 & 1500m events but I fell out of good habits when I started at university. I was really nervous about joining a running club and didn't really know what to expect. But like most of you, on meeting the lovely Alice at my first run with the club I knew I'd made the right decision. I never intended to take part in any races, certainly not a marathon, but the enthusiasm of other members meant it wasn't long before I ran that 26 and a bit miles around Brighton in 4hrs 47seconds in I've recently rer e t u r n e d t o running after what felt like a very, very long pregnancy and rediscovered the joy, freedom and health benefits it gives me. It was really tough starting again from scratch but I received a lot of encouragement from passing club members as I began plodding around the park at little more than a quick walk, and after a few months I was able to take part in parkrun again. I'm now fitter than I've ever been and looking forward to smashing some more PBs later this year. I'm now fitter than I've ever been and looking forward to smashing some more PBs later this year I volunteered to share the role of fundraising officer with Jo, as the goal of Living Sport is something I can really endorse and support, having myself recently benefited from the rehabilitative nature of running/sport. I also wanted to give something back to the club.

18 Bren Vaughan Kit Officer When I was young I was the quintessential sporty kid who would spend hours kicking a football against the wall. I competed for both my school and local teams in various sports including football, Gaelic football (sort of a cross between football and rugby), hurling (a very fast and dangerous Irish sport involving large sticks), running (both on track and cross-country) and javelin (badly). I joined BRJ in around March 1998 after deciding I was going to run a half-marathon and a marathon in the October of that year as part of a charity fundraiser. Prior to joining BRJ I spent most of my weekends playing football and had never officially ran more than 10K, so I badly needed help! Luckily BRJ is an amazing club and the guidance, enthusiasm, friendship and fun I encountered not only helped me achieve my goal, but also hooked me on running and BRJ for life. Since then I have done lots of races, helped the club run around the circumference of Norfolk a few times, ran through mud, fire, ice, snow and freezing water in Toughguy, ran across the width of England following Hadrian s Wall in two and a half days, cycled the length of Britain from Land s End to John O Groats in ten days, competed in Triathlons, ran more marathons and even some ultra-marathons. I'm beginning to think maybe BRJ has been a bad influence after all! I m currently training, along with three other BRJ members, to compete in the Ironman Triathlon in Barcelona in October 2015 which will be my biggest challenge yet and one which I am facing with equal measures of anticipation and dread! The thing that makes BRJ amazing is not only the comradeship and fun attitude to sport which is the ethos of the club, but also all the time and effort people put in for free to help keep the club running The thing that makes BRJ amazing is not only the comradeship and fun attitude to sport which is the ethos of the club, but also all the time and effort people put in for free to help keep the club running. As well as being the kit officer I am an English Athletics qualified Assistant Coach for the Juniors, I design the club kit and logos and I also develop and maintain the club's website.

19 Jackie Wren Triathlon Coordinator Hi I'm Jackie Wren (Jax) and I am the BRJ Triathlon Coordinator. I did my first sprint triathlon in 2004 and I intended it to be my only triathlon, just to say I had done one. However, like many I people I know, I somehow became hooked on this fascinating sport and I have been training and competing in them ever since! Like a lot of triathletes I am from a running background and swimming is definitely not my forte but I taught myself to progress from my Women's Institute breast stroke (don't get my hair wet) and I am now able to swim front crawl. I stuck with sprint distance triathlons and my favourite duathlons for many years and never envisaged I would do any longer distance events due to my phobia of open water swimming. However, with the help and support of many wonderful BRJ members who coaxed me around Hinchingbrooke lake on a Friday night, I not only increased my event distance but even managed a 2.4 mile swim in an Ironman event in If I can do that, then anyone can, and I am really looking forward to assisting and encouraging those club members who are already duathletes/ triathletes as well as those who aren't sure if they would like to venture into multi-discipline events. I am a qualified British Triathlon England Local Technical Official (referee) and a level 1 Triathlon Coach and I also enjoy coaching and officiating as well as competing. I'm yet to meet a person who has tried a multidisciplined event and didn't enjoy the buzz and overwhelming sense of achievement! If you aren't sure if a duathlon or triathlon is for you then please feel free to contact me. I'm yet to meet a person who has tried a multi-disciplined event and didn't enjoy the buzz and overwhelming sense of achievement! Like me, I can guarantee whatever your level you will be coming back for more :-) I look forward to working with you all to achieve your multi-discipline goals and aspirations whatever they may be