Striders go on tour and hit the Relay road

Transcription

1 Volume 13 Issue 8 Newsletter for Desford Striders Running Club August 2012 Striders go on tour and hit the Relay road 012 has seen the Striders branch out 2 and try some new events. It started with the Colworth Marathon Challenge back in June and continued into July with the Rainbows 100 Lap Challenge at Saffron Lane and the 24 Hour Thunder Run at Catton Park in Derbyshire. The Saffron Lane event was held on the evening of Friday 13th and was the fourth year that the event has been staged and the first time our club was involved. Its main purpose is to raise funds for a very deserving charity and is organised by David Muddimer of Roadhoggs. Gary Grimsley secured a place for the Striders and we joined 8 other clubs, consisting of 20 runners per team. The idea was to run m laps in the allotted time, which should have averaged out at 5 laps each. As it turned out Paddy Crowe was only able to manage a single lap, but it was very pleasing to see him in a Striders vest, something not seen for sometime. And judging by his face afterwards, it could be a while before we see it again! Hopefully not! As it turned out we managed to fit our 100 laps in even though we were a little way behind the second from last club and achieved it in a way which the event has probably not seen before. Being the last cub on the track and still having four runners left, they completed their final laps together to great applause from the assembled supporters. More pictures are on page 10. I will ask for the results to go on the website. Desford Striders Thunderers: Anne Robertson, Lee Barber, Ali Ide, Garry Birch, Garry Grimsley, Paul Goddard, Julie Messenger and Graham Hobbs Lee Barber, Paul Carnegie, Tabitha Foley and Steve Bailey bring home the Striders at the Rainbow Challenge to the cheers on the crowd. The 24 Hour Thunder Run was held over the last weekend of July and consisted of runners completing as many 10K laps of a cross-country course as possible in a 24 hour period. The event started at midday on Saturday and had teams of 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 runners taking the challenge on, as well as singles runners known as solos. They were amazing men and women who just kept going for whole 24 hours, on their own. Astonishing! We weren t quite that ambitious and took 8 Striders along and what a fantastic time we had! Ali Ide has written a wonderful account of the weekend and you can chortle your way through it, starting on page 4. I ve put my own thoughts plus the boring facts after Ali s article. Just remains to say thanks to all the Striders who took part in both events and made them so special. Looking forward to 2013 s already!

2 Page 2 Kate, Lisa and Pete all win first their first Strider road ti- he back end of the LRRL season has produced three new road champions T for the Striders in the guise of Kate Beaumont, Lisa Dixon and Pete Marvin. The first to clinch her title was Kate Beaumont who was the first senior lady home at the Huncote 5. She thereby gained a large enough lead over her closest rival, Sarah Cottrell, to be crowned Senior Ladies Champion with two races still to go. However Sarah still has something to run for as she, Cat Perkins and Emily Newton are still in contention for the second and third spots. Pete Marvin Whilst Kate cemented her win running at Huncote, Lisa and Pete s wins were sealed at the Hermitage 10K even thought they didn t run themselves. Prior to the Hermitage race the only person that had a mathematical chance of overtaking Lisa was Ruth Evans who is having a very good season and has yet to miss a league race. With a 12 point deficit to make up over two races (that was as long as Lisa didn t run) Ruth needed to be second lady vet. home for the club at the penultimate race. As it Male Seniors Pts Pete Marvin 16 Sean Byrne 12 Sam Goddard 4 Neil Ackland 3 turned out she was fourth and can t now catch Lisa, which gives her a first title with the club. A fine reward for a season s work which has seen her running extremely well. Pete Marvin has added the 2012 Senior men s road title to the cross-country award he won in Richard Greenlees /09. Again he didn't run the latest Male Vets. race but because no other senior man ran he too has an unassailable lead going into the Phoenix 10 next month. Second placed Sean Byrne can draw level on points, but because Pete has already run two more races than Sean and would therefore take the title. Anyone that has seen Pete race will know that he is a pretty competitive customer and I m sure he will be pleased with this win. Second placed Sean has already secured second place with his three races and three wins, but third place is still up for grabs, a position currently help by Sam Goddard. Lisa Dixon The men s vets. title was looking a certainty for Graham Hobbs as he had run every race, whilst Duncan Percy had missed the Bosworth 10K. However with Graham missing the Huncote 5, Duncan was able to cut Graham s lead in the chase for the crown. The result means that Graham can t afford to miss the final race of the season. Female Vets. Pts Lisa Dixon 48 Ruth Evans 40 Laura Rossi 36 Mhairi Billington 25 Pam Lord 18 Anne Robertson 16 Jill Sharpe 15 Sara Mazuryk 13 Sara Baker 12 Marie Hobbs 8 June Morris 7 Jane Davies 7 Sarah Smith 7 Karen Marfleet 5 Nicola Glover 4 Lesley Gill 1 Ann Vesty 1 Whilst these two are just trying to decide what order the top two places are, Dave Playford is looking favourite for third spot as his closest rival is Gary Grimsley who is thirteen points behind. We also need to recognise the achievements of Gary Grimsley, Paul Carnegie, Nigel Trotman and Ruth Evans, who with just the one event to go are the only Striders still in with a chance of achieving a 100% record. Kate Beaumont Female Snrs. Pts Kate Beaumont 22 Sarah Cottrell 14 Cat Perkins 13 Emily Newton 11 Sandi Punia 5 Jo Green 4 Ali Ide 4 Charlotte Turner 4 Liz Cave 4 Tabitha Foley 4 Pts Graham Hobbs 148 Duncan Percy 136 Dave Playford 108 Gary Grimsley 97 Mark Foley 95 Paul Faver 91 Paul Carnegie 78 Andrew Cole 70 Nigel Trotman 67 Lee Barber 67 Henry Long 64 Brian Moran 59 Paul Bradshaw 58 Andrew Hurd 56 Paul Goddard 46 Francis Breen 45 Mark Dixon 45 Phil Lord 43 John Shade 42 Steve Morris 36 Mark Goodrich 35 Chris Minto 30 Steve Bailey 27 Clive Coulson 27 Richard Billington 19 Malc Hill 15 Steve Hibben 11 Gavin Roberts 11 Garry Birch 11

3 Page 3 Leicestershire Road Running League. Since the last newsletter we ve had two league races the Huncote 5 and the Hermitage 10K. I wasn t at the first race so can t comment on conditions, atmosphere etc. etc. and can only provide the Striders results. Nigel looking remarkably good considering he drove from Bristol for the Hermitage 10K Hermitage 10K LRRL Pos Time Graham Hobbs 48 40:59 Duncan Percy 72 43:28 Brian Moran 98 45:45 Phil Lord :16 Paul Bradshaw :32 David Playford :43 Paul Carnegie :27 Gary Grimsley :27 Nigel Trotman :45 Cat Perkins 58 53:59 Sarah Cottrell 60 54:03 Emily Newton 65 54:36 Laura Rossi 69 55:07 Jill Sharpe 71 55:53 Pam Lord 78 57:53 Gavin Roberts :00 Ruth Evans 83 59:03 Karen Marfleet 96 1:03:20 Steve Morris 180 1:03:41 June Morris 99 1:05:54 I was however at the Hermitage 10K but you ll be relieved to hear that I m not going to give you my usual waffle about who finished where. Phew! What a relief I hear you say! However I will say that the 20 Striders there were ale to enjoy a revised course, but still had to compete against a few testing hills. Whilst all Strider deserve a mention I will single out one individual and that is Nigel Trotman. He travelled all the way from Bristol on the morning of the race to ensure he ran. Well done Nigel! Excellent commitment and rewarded with the award of a bottle of wine. As well as the Huncote results those for the Hermitage are here for your enjoyment. I m still trying to track down some league tables as I ve not seen any since the Swithland 6. If anybody knows of the existence of any up-to-date ones, please let me know where they are. Phoenix 10M Date: Sun 2nd September Venue: Countesthorpe Coll, Winchester Rd, C thope. Time: a.m. Dist: 10M Cost: 8; EOD 2 extra. Sorry there are no pictures in this month s edition from the last two league races. The file that Pam and Phil put on-line is already pretty larger with pictures from the two relays. Including the league races may make it more difficult to up -load. However you can find loads through the club s website, thanks to the fabulous Ruth Carnegie. Check them out! Leicestershire Road Huncote 5 LRRL Pos Time Duncan Percy 78 32:56 Pete Marvin 87 33:38 Phil Lord :09 Lisa Dixon 23 37:13 Paul Bradshaw :45 Kate Beaumont 32 38:04 Mark Foley :21 Clive Coulson :53 Henry Long :17 Dave Playford :21 John Shade :27 Paul Carnegie :46 Gary Grimsley :46 Catrin Perkins 62 40:57 Nigel Trotman :28 Laura Rossi 69 41:28 Mark Goodrich :36 Ruth Evans 82 42:49 Jill Sharp 92 43:51 Pam Lord 99 44:50 Karen Marfleet :56 Steve Morris :09 Sandi Punia :29 Lesley Gill :38 Steve Hibben 257 1:05:17 Running League 2012 LRRL fixtures Final race 2 Sep John Fraser 10M (For individual entry fees, check race details.) We have some social events coming up. The next one being the skittles night on 7th September at the Coach and Horses, Field Head, Markfield. Kick off or chuck off (?) at 7.30 p.m. Sarah Cottrell asks that if you want to go to get 8 to her by Thursday 23rd August (at the club run) or her (mrs.cottrell@hotmail.co.uk) to be put on the list. She will then make arrangements with you to get your money to her. The 8 includes room hire and a slap up nosh. If you want to have a quick look at the facilities, go to: Other bashes on the horizon are: 18th Oct - Curry night 14th Dec - Striders Christmas do Disco/buffet/presentations at SiD Presentation Do Hopefully I ll have a few details for you within the next couple of months. However one thing I am aware of it that the cross-country and road race trophies will be handed out at the Christmas Do and if they winners and runnersup want to receive their awards they have to attend. Future newsletters will list those people.

4 Page 4 How to survive the 24Hr Thunder Run. After reading this excellent article from Ali Ide I realised just how little I laugh out loud nowadays. Hopefully you will too as you read her marvellous and very self-deprecating account of hers and her fellow Striders splendid weekend surviving the 24Hr Thunder Run. Thunder Run 2012 was held on 28 th & 29 th July 2012, at Catton Park, Derbyshire. There are three things relevant to running at Catton Park; firstly it is beautiful, secondly it is hilly, and thirdly it is incredibly difficult to find because there are no signposts. After a detour to a dog agility event, a sojourn apparently enjoyed by many, I arrived at Catton Park just after 4pm on Friday. As I toured the park marvelling at the enormous cross country horse jumps and volume of raggedy running club flags I was struck by the number of runners already running round the course and professional canvas villages springing up around the site; clearly people were taking this VERY seriously. I eventually tipped up at the Desford Striders pitch of Campsite B to be greeted by Graham & Gary G who were looking at a half-pitched tent and drinking beer. I had come to the right place. Midday on Saturday and Paul Goddard start the Striders off on the 24hR Thunder Run...he s in the middle, to the left of the nose of no The next two hours were spent putting up tents, blowing up airbeds and umm drinking beer. We were joined by Ann, Garry B, Jules and Lee, the latter arriving complete with borrowed wigwam and a branch of Threshers in his car boot. Our collected registration packs were found to contain leaflets and deodorant (ladies) and shower gel (gents), and our souvenir t-shirts were a chirpy orange. As more and more runners arrived we marvelled at how everybody was going to cram in, especially as the larger groups were cordoning off areas of their own and turning lone campers away as before, this Thundering was obviously a very serious business. Or else the cordoning brigade are just miserable About 8pm everybody thundered down to the start/finish/ showers/food stands/giant television screen area to watch the Olympic opening ceremony with (literally) thousands of other likeminded folk sitting on camping chairs. The whole event made for the ultimate I remember where I was... tale which befitted the Olympics and as we all stood for the National Anthem, debated who would light the torch and marvelled ooo at Her Majesty s parachuting skills, I was struck for the umpteenth time how something as mundane as doggedly taking up jogging four years previously, could lead to so many randomly awesome experiences. As Italy entered the arena for the Welcoming the Athletes proceedings I surrendered and retired to my tent. At 8am the next morning the excitement and nerves could be felt across the park; routine tasks such as attaching our numbers to our vests (Garry B), fixing chips to our laces (me) and choosing trainers (Garry B again) presented a challenge. But the arrival of eighth Strider Paul provided a welcome distraction, as did the 11am briefing involving a complicated explanation of wrist bands and telling us when they were going to service the toilets (all highly necessary). The 12noon start came round all too soon, and following a series of crowd-wide Mexican waves the claxon sounded and we were off! Paul led the charge for the Striders and no sooner was he out of sight then we trekked smartly The crowds gather to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games prior to the weekend s running. Camp Striders.the calm before the storm!

5 Page 5 Garry on his first of three laps. Julie get a cheer from her fellow Striders. over the camp, through our tents and up to the first trail out of the first woods. From this vantage point we could cheer Paul and any subsequent Striders on before Graham and/or Garry galloped after them to take photos. It is fair to say that some runners trotted gamely out of the woods like it was all a walk in the (very posh) park while some appeared over the hill, like the hat-over-the-cliff scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but generally speaking it was all going well. Paul returned to camp some 1/2hr later, much fun having been had, then Garry was off. He retuned to report happily that the course would make a great cross country course. Jules and Gary G went in that order followed by Graham, then myself, then Ann, to be anchored home by Lee. It went without saying that Graham would be round the course like a greyhound out of a trap, so as soon as he had sprinted comfortably past our viewing point the time had come to start slurping water, finding my shoes and going for the all-important pre-race wee. I arrived at the changeover pen 20mins early and found it mostly inhabited by slow nervous runners like myself who s goal was to lurch round without Dying Or Bringing Embarrassment and Shame on their team (DOBES). There were some serious pros at the front who were chuntering about their zillion previous laps and PBs but they were best left to it so I kept well away. It was noted that when a runner came in to hand over to these pro runners it was all very brisk with barely a word exchanged, Gary with a fine backdrop of blue skies. but when a DOBES runner came back there were congratulations, squealing and handshaking, and generally a greater impression that they were enjoying themselves; 3 cheers for DOBESs everywhere! Thankfully Graham came in in a tiny group thereby avoiding clambering and confusion so I wriggled my way to the front of the pen and stuck out my arm, and in a flash a 70s style sweaty wrist band was flicked on my wrist and I was running down the lane to join the course. It is a time honoured rule that if you are a woman and people are watching you run, it is polite to hold your stomach in, stick your boobs out and try to make your hair swing a bit; I like to think that I made valiant efforts at all these things until a) I realised that it was blisteringly hot and b) they hadn t been joking about the cross country course; a road run with trees this was not. To my shame I walked a bit in the first woods because the track was almost vertical and the bloke in front of me was walking, so that made it ok. I popped out Indie -style at the top, smiled and swung my hair at the lovely Striders who greeted me and kept going. I pursued a curiously topless Garry who was taking the photos, went down a merciful hill and past some horse jumps, through some more woods (sweet, sweet shade!), then along a deceptively long track to a hilly field that it was PERFECTLY acceptable to walk up and right Graham comes in to hand over to Ali

6 Page 6 down into a woody trail. This woody trail marked the end of the warm up phase and the start of the hardcore Girl Runner Dies and is Eaten by Bear at Thunder Run phase; there were more hills, tree roots, branches, mud and loads of seemingly endless white tape marking the weaving route that made you dizzy if you stared at it too hard. Counteracting this faux survival lark was the fact that everyone was very friendly, people looked out for each other and we were all in it together. Most people Thunder in teams but some were in ones or twos so it was etiquette to give them a special cheer if you saw them (even if they were going past you and clearly didn t need your breathless sentiments), and just after 6km there was a drinks station which provided welcome rehydration and kind words from the providers. The course was peppered with large yellow boards imparting trivia about the event and Adidas & Continental products (Continental make shoe soles and Jessica Ennis wears them who knew?) and all the separate segments had descriptions of what was to come so there was plenty to read. Before long I was trotting down a hill towards the sound of cheering and Olympic commentary which meant I must be on my way home right? Wrong! By a cruel twist of course design, it was required to drag yourself past the furthest field of campers, including the Hinckley contingent, all sitting on chairs having barbeques before a hair pin bend past more spectators and conquering a final mountain before the last descent to the finish. At the top of the mountain one turned left to run down a gentle slope which gradually got steeper as you turned another corner and saw the much longed for inflatable start/finish line. The huge advantage to this was that you were propelled towards the finish by force of gravity so that even the most exhausted athlete could spring in with a smile and a boinging stride. I plonked the band on Ann s wrist, gasped out a good luck (and probably dripped sweat on her), then lurched out of the way to be greeted by Lee and Jules with enthusiastic well dones and the like which had never been more appreciated! Job Done (for now), and we went to cheer for Ann I do not say this lightly but it is heartfelt; you genuinely have not lived until you have done night time cross country running! I don t mean Thursday night At SIDS being lead by Francis when we all know the Julie sets off for just as the light starts to fade. Anne follows the course back through campsite B. A sense of humour was very prevalent amongst some of the runners..just look at Paul s running style!!!! Oh! And that blokes hair! way really; I mean running in a wilderness on an unfamiliar course, with a fear of hidden tree roots, in the early hours, wearing a dodgy head torch and with the awareness that if you fall and break your neck you will have to return the orange t-shirt and move running clubs. The experience was enhanced further by the strains of an open-air tribute concert coming from an unknown location within ear shot and pumping out rock anthems. My second leg was just after 1.30am on the Sunday and it was the best thing I have ever done EVER in my life. My time was not the best ever, far from it, but I did learn that a hill is only a hill if you can see the top and you can t see the top at night, and that my own personal superhero is the Birmingham lad I was with when we worked out that we couldn t see where to go next because we had somehow got ourselves the wrong side of a rope and were about to drop off the edge of the world. The course seemed completely different under cover of darkness leading to a healthy sense of panic fuelled by somebody periodically asking are we going the right way, I don t remember this bit? then a turned corner and sudden view of head torches would make everything alright again. I could probably have lived without returning to my tent (via Ann s to deposit her jumper it was now necessary to pass

7 Page 7 clothing and the wrist band at handover) to eat cereal bars really quickly in the cat position (knees bent under self, elbows on floor) before getting into my sleeping bag feeling the unpleasant combo of cold and clammy as there was no time to wash, but needs must because there was only a 3hour window for sleep before the final go in the early morning. Zzzzz went the tired but very happy Strider There isn t a lot to say about the last leg; there had been discussion in the camp before departure that two Striders (step forward Graham and Lee) would get a fourth go round, and possibly Garry if people were quick enough. My job was to get round and ideally not take up too much of the rest of the team s time. The exhaustion from the whole experience was counteracted by the beautiful crisp clean morning, the bowl of muesli eaten before I went, and the knowledge that this was the last time round and I could queue for a shower at the end. It all went by freakishly quickly, but I was clearly on my uppers because as I was marching briskly (or so I thought) up the last mountain a very nice girl approached/ caught me up and stated in a reassuring voice it s ok concentrate on your breathing, in and then out, then kept me Lee brings the Striders home after over 24 hours of continuous running by the team.. company all the way down the hill to the last corner. It s come to something when people you don t know think you lack basic motor skills! Whoever the girl was; I salute her. To my surprise (and joy) Garry and Lee were at the finish to greet me with the tuneful words you re too early we expected you in 10minutes!, and my work was done. The rest of the Thunder Run passed in a fatigued haze of cheering, clapping and gradually breaking camp as the drizzle finally caught us up. I never did get the shower, but I had a wash in Jules s washing up bowl in the wigwam and a bacon sandwich. Graham and Lee ran their fourth legs as though it was their first, and we learned that all the runners got medals which was a pleasant surprise. The dying stages of the event were an emotional affair; a runner could start right up until 11:59:59 so there were people coming in well after noon; teams were holding hands to come over the line as one, several solo runners staggered home to be greeted and embraced by the organiser, and 2 ½ thousand stiffening and grubby runners were wandering about desperate for their homes and beds but not wanting to leave because then it would be over. The eight of us have pledged to Thunder again next year, and as teams can be up to eight people, single sexed or mixed, it really does mean the more the merrier for as many Striders as possible to come and enter as multiple teams. My three legs were the slowest recorded by the Striders, but I tried my very hardest and The majority of the successful 24hr Thunder Run Striders 2012! somebody has to be slowest so I don t take it personally. If all runners could run like Paula Radcliffe and Sebastian Coe then they would not be special, and if no other runners ran because they felt inferior then they would have nobody to be faster than. As Mr Hobbs said (or thereabouts) following the National Championships at Parliament Hill; It was a running event; we are runners, we ran! Hoorah to that! Many thanks to Ali, hopefully you were chuckling as much as I did and if it doesn t tell you that anybody can give these events a go and get you interested, then I don t know what will! Well done Ali. Right, back to me and the more mundane bits, i.e. results etc, because hopefully I m not the only nerd in the club who is interested in placings and times etc? Am I? There were 188 counting teams in our category and we were 60th! Completing 26 laps in a 24:41:44. It was a great event and the team spirit was wonderful. Here s to more teams next year! Lap Lap Lap Lap no. Time no. Time no. Time no. Time Paul Goddard 1 51: : :04:35 Gary Birch 2 56: : :04:06 Julie Messenger 3 57: : :43 Gary Grimsley 4 56: :00: :05 Graham Hobbs 5 45: : : :01 Ali Ide 6 1:10: :14: :14: :29 Anne Roberston 7 56: :01: :05 Lee Barber 8 47: : :28

8 Page 8 Four days, four races and lots of hills! My sincere thanks to Brian Moran for providing his first article for The NewStrider, in which he introduces us to an event worth pencilling into next year s calendar? M ost of you will probably wonder about the stranger who you occasionally see at a winter league race running in my faded Striders vest. I don t exactly live on the doorstep so I don t do many of the summer races, many of which are mid-week, but I do enjoy the winter races. I thought that I would let you know about a series of races that I did earlier in the year. For a few years now I have seen the Tour of the Derwent Valley series advertised but never had the opportunity to go. This is a series of 4 races road races of 4 or 5 miles over the spring bank holiday weekend in Derbyshire. This year things fell into place and I decided to give it a try. The first race was at Duffield on Friday evening for 4 miles and consisted of a flat lap around the village and then what the organiser described as a gentle climb before turning back over the same route. The climb didn t seem that gentle to me, lasting a mile or more. I was aware of the races to come so I tried not to go too hard but when you get going that plan can go out of the window. People at the finish were talking about the hill at the final race of the series and saying that this one did not compare. That looks like one of those hills behind Brian! The second race was at Wirksworth on Saturday afternoon. The race was part of a range of things, street market, etc, that coincided with the Well Dressing celebration. The race was just over 4 miles and started in the centre of the town with a fast down hill start before a sharp climb up a farm track, to the top of the surrounding hills. It then continued along local roads to finish back in the town. The climb was quite tough after the exertion the previous night. Third in the series was on Sunday morning at Milford and was a 5 mile race with, surprise, surprise, a climb for about 3 miles before looping round to finish along the main road. However the main feature was the weather, with rain the whole day. Think of the Jubilee River Pageant, which was on the same day, but with proper northern rain. The exertion was beginning to take its toll but pacing myself I got through without too much distress. The constant rain also put an end to any thoughts of site seeing in the area, one of the selling points to my wife when convincing her that spending the bank holiday watching me run was a good idea. To the final 4 mile race on Monday morning at Rowsley which started along a flat country lane before hitting the hill. This was around a 1 in 7 climb and seemed to go on for ever and when you thought it was over there was dip followed by another steep ascent. The consolation was a fast finish but not before a nasty little hill which lead back to the country lane. Looking at the results later, this was my best race relative to other people, which either showed my stamina and recovery or meant that I hadn t been trying hard enough in the previous races. The whole thing is organised by David Denton. A visit to his web site, runningwithdavid.com, will show that he organises lots of races in the area throughout the year, including duathlon of which the bike leg is, I imagine, a test of bravery and brakes as much as stamina and endurance. In spite of that I m thinking of entering an event later in the year. He also does a lot of charity work was rewarded by being allocated an Olympic torch relay leg. He is now holding a raffle to win the torch and is using the proceeds for his school charity project in India.

9 Page 9 Ratby, Burroughs Lane Aug 13 Sep 10 Bradgate, Outside Post Office Jul 23 Aug 20 Sep 17 Thornton Reservoir Car Park Jul 30 Aug 27 Sep 24 MONDAY NIGHT OFF ROAD RUNNING The Monday night off-road runs are proving as popular as ever and you can join this merry band and take advantage of the lighter evenings for an enjoyable run.. Our thanks to Marie and David Playford for sorting out the schedule. As with last year there are five venues and distances range from 5 to 9 miles. So a little something for everyone. These runs will start every Monday at 6.30pm. Please come along there will be plenty of re-grouping stops so noone will get left behind! Any questions, please give Marie and David a ring on either (M) or (D). Desford SID Car Park Aug 06 Huncote Leisure Centre Sep 03 Tuesday Night Running Thursday Night Club Running All distances are approximate and could be out Date Name Dist Name Dist Round New/Verdon 9.5 Newbold Verdon 6 + Old Race Route Newbold Heath 8.5 Botcheston Figure of 8 + Mallory Park 6.2 Figure of Thornton 8/10 Botcheston Thurlaston + Earl Shilton 10 Thurlaston Old Race route 7.4 Old race route Thurlaston 8.3 Thurlaston Thornton 8/10 Botcheston Round N. Verdon 7 Newbold Verdon Old Race route 7.4 Old race route Botcheston + Lap Desford 7 Botcheston Kirkby Mallory + Track 7.5 Kirby Mallory Round Desford 5/7 Round Desford 5 Back to winter running Got anything for the newsletter? Articles, photos, etc?? Please forward to: Graham Hobbs dsrc.inform@gmail.com Or 146 Kirkby Road, Barwell, LE9 8FS September s newsletter deadline: 10th September See the club s facebook page for chat, information and pictures of running events. Can t make the Thursday Night club run? What about Tuesday evening? The club can offer two sessions on this night. Quality Session: I just happened to hear the other day that this hasn t happened for some little time. If it starts up again, could somebody let me know please? The Co-op Run: Unless anybody can correct me, I believe two groups are run from the Co-op in Desford at 6.30 p.m. One is of a slow/steady pace, with the other being slightly quicker. Sean Tebbutt is the man to speak to for further details. Why not give either one a go or alternate between the two? Can somebody who runs on Tuesdays drop me a line to conform that the above is correct please? Round Leicester Relay Calling all Striders If you are remotely interested in taking part on Sun 9th Sept then please get in touch as soon as possible. Due to an organised cycling event we are losing a fair number of normally guaranteed Round Leicester participants. So if you come forward looking for a place quick enough, I m pretty certain you ll get a place, as long as we have enough for two teams. And please don t be put off if you re new to the club or think too your slow, just have a read of Ali Ide s account of the Thunder Run and hopefully this will encourage you to give it a go.

10 Page 10 s mentioned on the front page this was another excellent event A thoroughly enjoyed by those taking part. I just wanted to say a few thank yous. To Marie Hobbs for looking after the running order and taking money. Tor Ruth Carnegie for taking photos; for the parents of Paul Bradshaw for coming along to support him and Sandi Punia s family for their support too. Sandi needed all the support she could get poo lass! She was so nervous before the start and was constantly asking how it was all supposed to work out. Anyway, hopefully she enjoyed herself and the only requirements were to turn up, run and enjoy! On this page are a few more pictures, selected for no particular reason at all and I m sorry I can t include one of everybody. As usual you can see all the photos taken through the club s website. And can I suggest you take a look, there are some cracking shots, especially of one of Mrs. Morris handover with Gavin (she ll kill me know for pointing those out!) Left: Explaining the intricacies of the baton change to Sandi. Paul Bradshaw hands over to a determined looking Gavin Roberts. Whereas Tabitha and Steve preferred a more sedate hand over. They all count! Pete Marvin came thundering in to pass the baton to Steve Morris. Right: By jove she s got it! Paul Carnegie passes on to Sandi Punia. We even had the opportunity to blood some new young talent!

11 Page 11 W ith just four races of this year s Handicap Trophy competition Duncan Percy is sitting proudly at the top of the table. Having run in all four races so far, Duncan has managed to accumulate steady points and currently has a 20 point lead over the second placed runner, Paul Bradshaw, who has in fact made an absolutely stunning start to these series of races. Whilst he has run one less than Duncan he has in fact picked up maximum points in all three events, his latest triumphs coming at the Huncote 5 and Hermitage 10K. This has given him 150 points out of a possible 150 and Handicap Table his winning margins suggest that he is a very After 4 races Pts Percy, Duncan 170 good bet for the title, so Bradshaw, Paul 150 long as he maintains his current excellent form. Morris, Steve 147 Carnegie, Paul 144 Playford, David 141 Sharpe, Jill 139 Beaumont, Kate 134 Perkins, Cat 127 Trotman, Nigel 123 Evans, Ruth 122 Grimsley, Gary 122 Hobbs, Graham 121 Cottrell, Sarah 115 Rossi, Laura 114 Hurd, Andrew 97 Long, Henry 97 Marvin, Pete 97 Marfleet, Karen 96 Lord, Phil 93 Moran, Brian 92 Roberts, Gavin 88 Foley, Mark 74 Shade, John 70 Baker, Sarah 65 Mazuryk, Sarah 65 Bailey, Steven 64 Morris, June 63 Lord, Pam 62 Breen, Francis 61 Foley, Tabitha 50 Smith, Sarah 49 Byrne, Sean 47 Minto, Chris 45 Gill, Lesley 44 Newton, Emily 44 Robertson, Anne 44 Barber, Lee 42 Punia, Sandi 41 Coulson, Clive 40 Dixon, Lisa 39 Billington, Mhairi 38 Goddard, Sam 34 Hibben, Steve 27 Goddard, Paul 26 Duncan sets early pace but is Bradders is the one to beat? Another runner showing god form and improved times is Karen Marfleet. In the last two races she has picked up third place on both occasions behind Pete Marvin and Jill Sharpe respectively. If she can managed to attend the races then she will be one to watch. The league table is here for you to ponder over Duncan Percy current leader on the Handicap Trophy series. and see where you currently are sitting. Don t forget that there are six more races to races to go and anything can happen. If the high flyers are unable to make a race or two, then that could allow you to make up ground or go ahead of them, so don t give up hope yet. Only people like me with unrealistic handicap times can give up the ghost :-) Talking of which, my thanks to Chris Minto, Frances Breen and Richard McBean for all their hard effort in getting the results out. Left: The one to beat? Paul Bradshaw heads to another win at the Hermitage 10K. Handicap Trophy Fixtures 23rd Aug 2nd Sep 16th Sep 30th Sep TBC TBC Huncote Handicap Results Combined Time Pts. Bradshaw, Paul 49:50 50 Marvin, Peter 54:28 49 Marfleet, Karen 54:46 48 Perkins, Catrin 55:07 47 Lord, Phil 55:29 46 Sharpe, Jill 55:31 45 Gill, Lesley 55:48 44 Beaumont, Kate 55:59 43 Percy, Duncan 56:16 42 Punia, Sandi 56:19 41 Coulson, Clive 56:23 40 Dixon, Lisa 56:23 39 Rossi, Laura 56:28 38 Long, Henry 56:47 37 Evans, Ruth 56:59 36 Carnegie, Paul 57:01 35 Foley, Mark 57:06 34 Shade, John 57:07 33 Morris, Steve 57:39 32 Playford, David 58:31 31 Trotman, Nigel 58:33 30 Lord, Pam 59:00 29 Grimsley, Gary 59:06 28 Hibben, Steve 1:09:27 27 Hermitage Handicap Results Combined Time Pts. Bradshaw, Paul 1:03:53 50 Sharpe, Jill 1:10:43 49 Marfleet, Karen 1:10:55 48 Lord, Phil 1:11:22 47 Moran, Brian 1:11:27 46 Perkins, Cat 1:11:55 45 Newton, Emily 1:12:32 44 Percy, Duncan 1:12:48 43 Roberts, Gavin 1:12:48 42 Hobbs, Graham 1:12:54 41 Cottrell, Sarah 1:13:01 40 Morris, Steve 1:13:20 39 Carnegie, Paul 1:13:59 38 Rossi, Laura 1:14:05 37 Morris, June 1:14:31 36 Playford, David 1:14:51 35 Trotman, Nigel 1:15:19 34 Lord, Pam 1:15:49 33 Grimsley,Gary 1:16:34 32 Evans, Ruth 1:16:59 31 Thu Club run (1/4 marathon route) John Fraser 10M Sun run (Merry Lees) Sun run (Merry Lees) First xc race Second xc race