Oct/Nov/Dec Newsletter

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Egbert Lewis
5 years ago
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1 Welcome to our quarterly newsletter about our running club, here in Paphos. It includes information about the races we ve participated in, our results, any general information about us and what preparations we re doing for upcoming races. Races: 16th October, 10Km Road Race, Statos-Agios Photios Village: This race was well supported by the club and the following members took part, Christine Bell, Gerry Brant, Sue Cordrey, David Dowd, Graham Garner, Linda Hesketh, Lee Hinton, David Leader, Angela McGill, Mark Pead, Peter Portnoi, Claire Rinkes, Leslie Slater, Catherine and John Tonks, also Barry Walton. Several trophies were won by the following:- David Dowd st in age group, Angela McGill st in age group, Claire Rinkes nd in age group Gerry Brant rd in age group, Sue Cordrey nd in age group, Christine Bell rd in age group and Barry Walton 70+ 3rd in age group.

The club provided a mini bus which was greatly appreciated, another great day out was had by all runners and supporters The La Sportiva Mountain Running Series 2016: To be included in the ranking,

2 The club provided a mini bus which was greatly appreciated, another great day out was had by all runners and supporters The La Sportiva Mountain Running Series 2016: To be included in the ranking, runners need to successfully complete 4 of the 6 races. Angela, Anthi, Christine and Simon managed to meet this requirement, although, other PRC members did run in some of the trail races. The following 3 trail races finished the series for th October, Macheras Forest Run: This was the 4th trail of the series; the 23Km route went through scenic mountain landscapes. As usual it was another tough trail race. Angela, Anthi, David, Gerry and Simon took part. There was something to do with bananas, Gerry? 6th November, Papoutsa Peak Race: The 14Km route was a tough, but beautiful scenic trail, which was technically difficult. Angela, Anthi, Christine, David, Karen, Mark, Nic, Peter, Simon and Janet ran in this event. All PRC members were successful, but it wasn t everyone s cup of tea.

11th December, Stavrovouni Trail Race: This was a brute of a race, probably the toughest race of the series, with some crazy climbing, (1000m over a 10Km course).

3 11th December, Stavrovouni Trail Race: This was a brute of a race, probably the toughest race of the series, with some crazy climbing, (1000m over a 10Km course). Well done to Anthi, Christine and Simon for getting trophies and for David and Gerry who also completed the race. La Sportiva Mountain Running Series: Ranking, Men Simon - 2nd. Ranking, Female Angela - 4th, Anthi - 5th and Christine - 6th 24th 27th November, Cyprus International 4 Day Challenge Running Event: This is probably one of the most popular events in Cyprus and PRC members, both those living in Cyprus and from UK like to compete. This year Alan, Andy, Anthi, Gerry, Karen, Mark, Peter and Simon participated. Some very respectable results were achieved by all those who took part. Well done!

4 Members who took part in this event want to say a special thank you to everyone who turned out to support them. 27th November, Cyprus Aphrodite Half Marathon: Immediately following on from the last race of the challenge was the Aphrodite Half Marathon. Runners from 21 nations as far afield as USA and Australia, plus a large contingent of expats and visitors from the UK competed in warm, sunny conditions. Angela, Catherine, Christine, Claire, David Dowd, Fiona, Lee, Linda, Margaret and Janet all finished the race. There were several trophies won by PRC members, but very impressive was David who was the M65 winner (1:34:05), finishing in the top 40 places. A massive well done. No wonder that he is known as, speedy Dave. Other winners were: Claire won 1st in age group Janet won 1st in age group Angela won 2nd in age group Fiona won 2nd in age group Margaret won 3rd in age group Well done everyone.

Once again, PRC members came to support the runners; these included those individuals who had completed their last race in the 4 Day

Seriously though, they were there at the finish cheering us in. This was very much appreciated.

The race was organised by Cyprus Trail Runners and commenced at Alaminos and finished at Meneou Tourist Kiosk.

5 Once again, PRC members came to support the runners; these included those individuals who had completed their last race in the 4 Day Challenge. They stayed on taking photographs down by the harbour, while having a welldeserved breakfast. Seriously though, they were there at the finish cheering us in. This was very much appreciated. 18th December, Cyprus Coastal Trail, Half Marathon: Gerry decided to run this Half Marathon as part of his 50th Birthday challenge. The race was organised by Cyprus Trail Runners and commenced at Alaminos and finished at Meneou Tourist Kiosk. The route was on coastal tracks and across sandy beaches. Due to the recent heavy rain, the route was very muddy and difficult. The runners also had to endure a head wind for the entire length. Anthi and Mark accompanied Gerry on his quest. Linda and

6 Christine decided to run the 8Km race, to enable them to be at the finish to cheer them in. Prize giving was held at the beach pub afterwards and Christine was presented with the, Inspiration of the Year 2016, award by Cyprus Trail Runners. Celebrating Gerry s and Christine s success with cake, bubbly and balloons, provided by Anthi. A good time was had by all! Finally, I cannot finish this section without mentioning Simon s trail run, not strictly a race, but we all felt it was as tough as doing a race. Simon organised and led a group of willing PRC runners on a 20Km run in Troodos, which started and finished at the Trout Farm and Restaurant, near Pano Platres. The weather was good, the runners were willing and the scenery was amazing, but and there is a big but, we ran or tried to run up hill and it never seemed to end. When Simon was asked by many how far, when do we get to run downhill, the reply was, just another Km, ha!! However, the experience was an enjoyable one, sure Alan Lovejoy would agree! The meal at the end of approximately 5 hours of running was well deserved. Thankyou Simon, when s the next one? We finished the year with the clubs fancy dress run. The venue and 5Km run was the same as last year and everyone joined in with the usual Christmas spirit. Members who took part were wearing some outlandish costumes they d either made especially for the event or acquired from some other reputable establishment. Members and guests had an excellent meal at the Costa Rica Taverna.

7 Careful Simon, Geraldine fancies you! A motley bunch, wouldn t you say!

8 Gerry s Half Marathons Half Century Challenge.continued: Gerry says, his last 3 Half Marathons this year have thankfully all been in Cyprus. October s race was in an area relatively unknown to him on the eastern side of the Troodos Mountains. The Macheras Forest was organised by La Sportiva and mainly consisted of cross country tracks. His favourite part was climbing a very steep hill and discovering a large bunch of bananas at the top. Three PRC runners ran alongside him all the way, except Simon who ran ahead and claimed 4th place overall. Another highlight was running above a river gorge for about 5Km. November s race was of course the Cyprus 4 Day Challenge, which several PRC members took part in. As he had run the Aphrodite Half Marathon for the previous 3 years, it was time for him to step-up and enter the challenge. What a Fantastic event! The support from the rest of Paphos Running Club throughout was amazing, every start and finish point, club members were there to encourage you to greater efforts. Of course we reciprocated when most of the remaining club members entered the Aphrodite Half Marathon. The 4 Day Challenge entry fee was his birthday present from Anita!!! For Gerry s final Half Marathon in December, he had a problem. There were no races in Cyprus, initially, and most of the flights off the island had been suspended for the winter. He looked at entering the Red Sea Half Marathon in Jordan but the flights were extortionate! So then he saw a possibility of doing a Half Marathon in Pisa, but there were no direct flights. Finally, he decided to arrange my own run from Aphrodite Rock to Paphos Fort, but luckily, Simon and Angela told him that Cyprus Trail Runners were going to do an extra race, a Half Marathon on the 18th December. Bingo!! Gerry states, the day was very cold and 5 brave souls from PRC met at 7.30 (ish) at Peter Mortons for the journey to Larnaca. We were bussed to the start of the race and ran beside the sea going towards Larnaca airport for 21Km. Some of the run was along the beach itself, interesting when a wave came in to the shore. It was an enjoyable run which could have been great if the weather wasn t so coooold! The Christmas hats came in very handy. Finally, A big thankyou to all the support from PRC, especially Anthi and David Leader who bought the cake and bubbly for the end of this race, my last Half Marathon! Next year Watch this Space? What a great challenge Gerry, congratulations from all members of PRC.

9 Update from Gloucester: Firstly, it s freezing!! We are certainly missing the lovely Cyprus weather. Kiran is finding it hard to find the enthusiasm to go out and run in the cold, in the dark, in the wet. The running club he has joined don t seem to take notice of the weather. They stand around in the pouring rain after a run, chatting. Kiran, on the other hand, runs faster than Mo Farrah to the car, jumps in and says, This weather is terrible. I ve omitted one world from that sentence! Kiran ran the Dublin Marathon. As he approached the finish line his knee was swollen. After, he told me someone pushed into him, and he fell up a curb hurting his ankle and knee, but he said he wasn t going to give up. He had a month of running and has said he isn t doing any more long runs. Hmmm I ve heard that one before. Kiran s joined a Rock Choir, which he really loves. The choir sang at the Cheltenham Christmas market. Gemma and I went to watch. Kiran s dad was in Day Care as his Dementia has worsened. It was a lovely concert. After, we were walking along the high street and the Mayor came and shook Kiran s hand and said she really enjoyed the choir singing. He was well chuffed. Kiran regularly checks into PRC Facebook page and keeps an eye on what you are all doing. We are looking forward to seeing you all in Cyprus in the latter part of Joyce and Kiran. David Leader s Farewell Message: Dear Running Friends, It has been a pleasure getting to know so many of you over the last 5 months. From meeting Sue on my first time and running with John and Mark who were so friendly. I ve really enjoyed chatting and running with Dave, who has given me lots of tips. I will take away with me some great memories. The beautiful Sunday runs, Simon s Troodos Trail. All the races and the 4 Day Challenge. A big thankyou to Angela and Anthi for driving around and giving up a lot of your time; also to all the club supporters who came to watch. Had a nice bit of competition with Gerry and also for his company in Stavrovouni, where Christine truly proved she is Queen of the mountain runs. Sorry not to mention everyone as I think I would go on for ever. I ve had a wonderful time being a little part of Paphos Running Club and hope our paths will cross again. Best Wishes to you all. David L.

10 January, February, March. Upcoming Races: 22nd January, Pervolia Half Marathon and 5Km Race. The races are organised by Pericles Demetriou Running Club and they both start and finish at the village square. The Half Marathon commences at 8am and there is a 3 hour cut-off. The cost is 15 Euros for the Half and 5 Euros for the 5Km. Register only at 5th March, Logicom Cyprus Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and 5Km Fun Run. Paphos. The event is dedicated to the memory of the legendary Cypriot Marathon runner Stelios Kyriakides. Register on-line for all 4 races, guaranteed registration closes 15th January th March, OPAP Limassol Marathon, Half Marathon, 10Km and 5Km Races. All races start and finish in Limassol. Start time 7am. Register on-line. Cyprus Trail Runners will be organising The Akamas Blossom Race. Date to be determined with Bryan and Chris. Bi-monthly meeting Date, Time and venue of the next meeting to be determined. Handicap The Club Handicap is a series of 5 races, run twice, over 10 months giving 10 races in total. Participants are awarded points depending on their individual performance. Then each participant s best 6 results are counted towards their final position in the League Table. If you don t want to compete in every event, you don t have to, although by doing so, gives you the maximum chance to win. The races are: Name your own time Beat the clock Pace control Staggered start Handicapper s choice We have now completed all of the races of the 2016 Handicap series. All members and especially visitors are most welcome to join in these races. The races start from the Corallia Beach Hotel at Coral Bay at around 08.00am the first Saturday of every month. The results of the Handicap will be announced at the Presentation Evening on the 14th January 2017.

11 Top Tip The Top Tip was presented by Mark Pead at the October meeting and it addressed water/hydration, run/relaxation and the end of the run stretching. Water/Hydration Some of us forget or think we don t need it Don t wait until you are thirsty to re-hydrate Little and often Water Bottles, I try not to run with these. There is so much written evidence that they are not good for your running. The average bottle weighs 2lbs at the start of a run, this throws all your weight and centre balance off. You do not work your arms as you should. Grip the bottle so you are tense in your hand, arm, shoulder and neck. For the new thing of strapping your water bottle to your hand with a Buff (that s a broken wrist or worse). Please try a small back pack, bum bag, waist belt; these are all far better for central balance. Run/Relaxation This applies to all of us Stay relaxed as possible. Not every run is a race Drop your shoulders, don t run like a tortoise pumping iron Wriggle your fingers, relaxes arms and shoulders Wriggle your toes, relaxes calves How many times have we watched on TV a run or race of Elite runners and whoever is commentating always says look how relaxed he/she looks. If you are not relaxed, slow down, then learn to go fast, but at a more relaxed rate. The more we learn to relax the further and the faster we will run. The end of the Run Stretching Yet another thing we are all guilty of not doing enough of. So I am not going to go on about it. I have printed you all a page out of one of my books that shows us all the Basic Recommended Stretches, we should be doing at the end of the run. Lastly, we can all lose our incentive/motivation, or just like in my case I woke up one morning and did not want to run any more. I lost the love for it, which then leads to weight gain and unfitness even depression. So when I moved to Cyprus and joined PRC, I couldn t run 5Km, now things are starting to get better and I am enjoying running again. I can only

put that down to all of you and your club. I would like to thank you all for getting me back on track and I now love my running. I still have a way to go, so touch wood I will be around for a while.

12 put that down to all of you and your club. I would like to thank you all for getting me back on track and I now love my running. I still have a way to go, so touch wood I will be around for a while. Troodos Paphos Running Club Website: Facebook: Contact: John Tonks Contact: Catherine Tonks

Jan / Feb / Mar Newsletter

Jan / Feb / Mar Newsletter Welcome to our quarterly newsletter about our running club, here in Paphos. It includes information about the races we ve participated in, our results, any general information about us and what preparations