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Fred Hughes 10 Mile, St Albans - Sunday 22 January I have never done this 10 miler before hosted by St Albans Striders, so did not know what to expect, however the course did use some of the 10k route, which i still have nightmares of, some may remember me swimming part of the course some years ago after falling into a large hole and gaining a new look and a large gash in my knee, i was a laughing stock. I was keen to put things right and have a go at getting my 5th PB on the spin, a big ask it turned out. I seem to have hit some form lately which is surprising considering i have only just returned back to running following a long season in Triathlon and returned during the off season. As a triathlete the training is split 3 ways (swim, bike, run) so we never have the time to focus on any one discipline. Anyhow myself and 5 other Flyers made the start on a dry but windy morning. After a very tight and narrow start with 706 runners fighting for space we soon hit open country lanes, the course turned out to be very lumpy never a flat or straight bit of road, i had thought if i wanted a PB i was going to have to push all the way and keep my foot in the entire 10 miles. Coming into the last 200 yards i said to myself i could not have tried any harder, if someone had a blow torch up my bum i could not have gone faster on that day and that course, and hoped it was enough. Happy to say it was 2 mins off my PB, job done. All the flyers having good runs too and had strong finishes, well done lads and thanks for the company. Martin Beare 1.07.56 |
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It was great to be back in my home town running on old familiar roads from my youth. If only I still had the speed from those past days! Although I enjoyed my run, on the day I just did not have the energy in the legs and as consequence struggled on the hills over this challenging, undulating course. (Terry recons its tougher than at Leighton although I would challenge him on that). My time was a PW as realistically I was looking for around 1.14/1.15. The race is run over rural roads to the South of St Albans around Chiswell Green and out to Bedmond passing the Hollybush pub on three occasions - I can assure you that on that 3rd time, as I plodded up the hill through 8 miles, I was seriously tempted to pop in !! I knew after the first climb approaching 1 mile that it was going to be a struggle. Jeremy Lewis went past me but I dug in and managed to keep him in my sights and by 3 1/2 miles not only had I caught him but went past him. However, all that did was to see Jeremy go up a gear and he kicked past me to again open up a 20/30 yard lead. I went through 5 miles in 38.03. My fifth mile was a disaster - the shoe with my chip on had loosened my lace and eventually I had to stop and re-tie. Unfortunately, in my rush to undo the lace I just got it into a knot! I must have lost around 20-30 seconds and any chance of catching Jeremy was now gone. In fact it took me a full mile and a half to catch back the runners who had subsequently gone past me. After the long climb up to 6 miles (Bedmond) we turned for home and as we went over the M1 motorway at around 7 miles I could see Jeremy in the far distance some 400 + yards now ahead. Through 8 (7-43) and then 9 miles (7-51) I was running tired and runners were now starting to come pass me but I was determined to at least give it everything over that final mile (7-04) and finish in a disappointing 1.16.07. Martin was looking for a PB which I believe he managed. Martin is running really well at the moment and I know he was well pleased with his race on the day. It was also an excellent run from Jeremy that saw him home in just over 1.14 - I've promised Jeremy a closer race at Sandy!! One consolation was that with 5 Flyers running I did at least get some Grand Prix points. Dave Stanley |
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2012 Grand Prix Tables after this event
Note: Last years detailed scores on the GPrix pages will be replaced by the new leagues at the end of January. |
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Sir Sefton Brancker XC, RAF Halton - Wednesday 18 January
It is a few years since I last represented the Civil Service so it was a great pleasure to receive the call to race at RAF Halton.
The Sir Sefton Brancker match has a long tradition and sees a Civil Service rep team pitch up against the RAF with the added spice of Police and Fire Service also involved. Each team consists of 10 senior and 6 veteran athletes with 6 and 4 to score on a 10K, 2-lap course. This was my first call-up as a vet.
The few days leading up to the race had been exceedingly cold which meant that the ground was hard as nails. Thankfully a mild spell with rain arrived over night to warm things up and soften the ground a treat; I was rather looking forwards to this one.
The start was predictably frantic as athletes jockeyed for position and settled into their stride. After that it was a blur of parkland with some twists, turns and logs to clear through the woods. A strong run saw me finish in 34th place for 36:13, and 11th vet.
Some classy athletes competed and the RAF piped the Civil Service by just 4 points.
Stephen Hartley
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3 Counties XC @ Wootton - Sunday 15 January |
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An early end to the three Counties League this year, after a hectic autumn just one post-Christmas fixture. So, on to Wootton's fixture in Northampton. There was quite a trek from race HQ to the start, ideal for a good warm-up. The start was made a bit different to previous years to try and stretch out the field before we hit the congested climb through the woods. It was off fast and a surprise to see Phil Holland passing me from the back, shouldn't he be at the front? As we hit the woods there wasn't much choice but to go with the pace of those around. The path got narrower as it turned left at the top of the park. The sun hadn't got to the path and it was quite treacherous in places. The marshals did a good job of warning us of the worst places but I still nearly lost it on a downhill corner, then did exactly the same on the second lap. After a late shoe change (which explained the start from the back) Phil Holland finished a strong third place as first Flyer home. We had 31 finishers with a couple of injuries, Laura took a tumble and Martin Godin tweaking a calf muscle. So, the final positions are 6th men's team, 7th ladies team and 6th overall for the season. Well done to all who have raced for the club this season, lots of first time racers who hopefully enjoyed the team spirit of the cross country and also the tea and cakes at the end!
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Happy New Year & All that End of Season Stuff
Yes! It's that time of year again. Don't the years roll by and it is time to tidy up the few remaining events. The Marathon Championship is contested over the calendar year and awarded for the best performances over the distance. Over the year, 77 marathons were completed by Club members and I am sure there are a few more that Paul Barton has sneaked in and a few over distance.
Me and my big mouth - Paul has just reported another 25 marathons for 2011. The final results are:-
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Club Marathon Champions |
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The Grand Prix Leagues also are concluded at the end of the year. The tables have now been finalised, pending any late results, and are available here. Well done to the 5 winners:- Paul Farmer, James Handley, George Arbuckle, Shaun Kirtley & Nicky Cronin. It's good to see some of the newer members making their presence felt. Generally speaking all the leagues were closely contested, despite George's final surge, picking up large numbers of bonus points after the bumping process hade ceased. Kingfishers was particularly close with Nicky just edging out Sarah Johnson on the head-to-head count back.
I have now produced the new leagues for the 2012 season. The reordering process involved taking into account certain results that did not contribute to last year's position such as our 3 events and any events new members may have participated in before joining the club. Hopefully this has produced a balanced and competitive set of leagues reflecting previous performances. Any major anomalies show sort themselves out using the bumping rules. If fact this has already moved Theresa Jackson up 2 leagues due to her performance in County XC Champs. So the current state is far from final.
I will continue to display them on this page in the same format until the end of January, by which time we should have a better idea regarding people not renewing their membership and hence not taking part in the GP series. It will also give you time to look at last year's leagues in more detail, should you wish to. I will not sort the individual leagues into point order until they become more stable. I have tried to accommodate everyone who has recorded a result over the last 12 months. If your name does not appear, fear not, you haven't been forgotten and will be placed in a league when you first complete a GP event.
I have also been updating my annual Age Related calculations and the updated table can be found here.
Phil Bierton
Stansted Stagger - Monday 2 January
We had superb weather for this 25 mile jaunt around nothern Essex - so a great start to 2012.
The route went from Stansted Mountfitchet to the edge of Saffron Walden & back - with some wide open views. And not too much of the famous Essex mud!
I was very happy with my time of 5 hours 41 mins.
David Sedgley
Wymondham 10K - Sunday 1 January
Visiting my mum up in Norfolk at this time of year means either running Ely New Years Eve 10k on the way up or the Wymondham 10k on New years day itself - once we did both.
This year though we settled for just the later race. Two very, very late nights not to mention a few celebratory drinks - oh and only just returning to running didnąt put us in our prime!
The race starts in a narrow lane and if your after a time you need to be up the front to avoid the jam of people. An open country run, undulating and subject to any passing howling gale. In places you could probably see the runners spread out in front for the better part of a kilometer.
We had decide to run together and started towards the back of the field. We chatted as we ran and enjoyed slowly catching and passing those runners that took off too fast. Loads of marshalls, at least 2 at every junction and all very much still in the festive spirit. It being a holiday it also attracted many friends and supporters, the few houses we passed also had their owners out to cheers us on.
A very pleasant way to start the New Year and back in time for a massive lunch. Time was slower than the last time we ran this (about 3 years ago) but 2 races in a week and after such a long time not running its still encouraging. First road race in a very long time (2 years for me!).
Rick & Karen Hollingsworth
Taupo Harrier January 2012 - Sunday 1 January
As at the start of 2011 the Taupo Harrier Club, with Sport Waikato, planned their first meeting of the New Year to take place mid-morning on the 1st January with a run in Spa Thermal Park measuring 2012 metres. In 2011 the weather gods really were in a good mood and ensured a beautiful morning however for this year someone, somewhere must have upset the said “Weather Gods” and the day broke with torrential rain. Despite the dreadful conditions at 9am Club President and Captain, Noel Bennett and Austin Hutcheon respectively, set off wearing all the wet weather protection they could muster and set out the course – the gear must have been good as only their feet got wet.
The course was ready by 9:45am but no one appeared in the car park so Noel and Austin reckoned that they would have to run round the course all on their own just to prove that exercise can be taken in what could have passed for a paddi field. However minutes later cars appeared and by the appointed start time about 25 people had gathered; these included Rebecca from Bedford in the UK, one very young runner dressed for the occasion in his wet-suit, a mini fire-man on his bike plus several other people of all ages with several of them totally unknown to the Harriers – hopefully the start of a good relationship. Rebecca felt right at home with the wet start to the day but did lament the lack of mud usually found on UK cross country courses. Rebecca described the event as a good-fun event that demonstrated the Taupo Harriers commitment to family running – great to see so many youngsters and runners of all abilities taking part.
As normal the kids shot off whilst the ancients grunted into gear and gave chase and all were astounded that the rain had stopped, in fact as the race progressed the weather got better and better and by the time the event was over the sun was almost shining. There were no official times taken but Noel, third placed, reckoned he was close to his time last year of a bit over 9 minutes, Isabel was only 30 seconds slower and Austin 40 seconds slower – in the conditions, where bow-waves were actually seen on some sections of the course, these times were pretty good. Runners soon picked up the course markers and all retired to continue other activities feeling really good with themselves for making the effort. Hopefully all those that ran will keep up the effort and get back out again soon – the Harrier programme can be found on www.taupoharriers.com and it will not be long till the Harriers’ Starlight 5k series starts. All runners and walkers are welcome to come along to join the Harriers and finally our UK visitor offered thanks to all running volunteers throughout the world who take the time and effort to make things happen.
Austin Hutcheon
Anyway a cracking little informal gathering of Taupo Harriers on new years day for a 2012 metre cross country run - only 25 of us turned out due to the torrential rain that has engulfed most of the north island these last few days....... a challenging route with plenty of hills and water but hey no mud! didn't disgrace the flyers too much, came in the top ten and I think I was 2nd lady! my only official event in about 3 weeks so you can guarantee i'll be making up for lost time when I get back
oh and time.... hardly worth starting the watch for - 10.14
Rebecca Fleckney
Ely 10K - Saturday 31 December
For me this has been an important and busy year in Triathlon Highlighting in last months World Champoinships in Las Vegas, but i have dipped my toe in a few standalone running races as training runs.
As my triathlon season ended in November the plan was to rest until new year in readiness for training for 2012 season in Triathlon. As i am a greedy bar steward i could not resist the opportunity of running the bedford half and got a PB sub 1.30,. then a week ago my mate Craig Halsey offered me a race number for Ely 10k, how could i refuse, this was a stocking filler for me.
I crossed the line in 40.05 i was gutted 5 seconds from that golden sub 40, however it was a PB for me, the 2nd PB in a month. A good way to end what has been a good year for me, iam also delighted to say all injury free for the 4th year in a row. I enter the 2012 season in my 50th year and new age category so exciting times ahead.
Further more i am happy and delighted to re join the AFF for the 2012 season to assist my running within Triathlon and to spend more time with the best bunch of friends i call my second family.
Martin Beare
Waterside 5 Miles, Buckden - Saturday 31 December
A good well organised race starting at the marina by the River Ouse at Buckden, just off the A1.
Flat road course, good scenery with about 250 athletes, the most being from Bedford Harriers, a perfect race for the end of the year. I went off like a hare, lost time at 3 to 4 miles but finished well. I looked and felt like an athlete, unlike my finishing crawl at the Portsmouth Marathon.
Print out at the end with all of your details was brilliant, totally different to the Boxing Day 3 miler at Whitley Bay where all I got was a Christmas pud, no time or finishing position but 700 in the race. They like their runnning up North!!!
Phil Clarke
Pirton Boxing Day Run - Monday 26 December
This year i had decided to give up my usual boxing day dip in Brogborough lake in favour of a cheeky little 3.2 mile blast round some feilds in Pirton, Herts,
11 Flyers took up the challenge on what turned out to be a very mild sunny morning if a trifle windy (there yha go again "food" i hear you cry). This race for me is not my thing as its way to short and my heart rate goes off the scale however i know its good for you and a good training tool, it was also an ideal opportunity to touch base with fellow flyers and get rid of the guilt of eating to much xmas day.
i was rewarded with my efforts to finish 12th overall.
Martin Beare
Having had a series of injuries, a collision with a German Snowboarder and a general inclination to ride my bike during the summer, itąs been a while since I had pinned a number on and settled on the start line.
Pirton is a great race - not too long, not too far away, usually beer as a memento and a great excuse to escape the in-laws.
Karen & I met up with fellow Flyers before the start. Santa rode off on his bike to be chased by the juniors and the walkers set off too.
The race consisted of 2 laps of the playing field before running on a footpath across a field followed by a slow incline along a field edge. Then a turnaround point and the descent back via a bridleway to the playing field and a last lap.
Placing myself towards the rear of the field (I was under no illusions of my
abilities) I enjoyed steady progress through the back half of the field until the turnaround. I thought the descent was going to be easier and to be able to recover! I held on as best I could but was passed by a few although I was still moving through the field.I caught Mike just as we re-entered the playing field and we ran together to the finish. I had forgotten how hard it is to run - even this badly!
Great event though and some great times - especially pleased for Martin who is reaping the rewards of the long months of (triathlon) training and events.
We now hope to be able to stay injury free and to start to put regular appearances in on Tuesday nights as we prepare for a spring marathon.
Richard Hollingsworth
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3 Counties XC League, Stopsley - 18 December |
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The conditions were the major talking point for this race. As we were getting ready in the HQ a heavy snowfall started outside. It was already frosty and icy, so this was going to be a very interesting race! It's probably just as well that the start is 5 minutes away from the HQ, as that forced a warm-up on the way over. The snow was coming down quite hard and the club hoodies that Becs organised really came into their own keeping us warm before the start. The snow lifted as we got ready for the start and then started coming down in really big flakes just as we set off. The first downhill was very slippery, a detour into the long grass found a bit more grip for a fast descent. Although a bit icy in places the course was not too bad, it was still possible to keep up the pace so long as you were careful which bit of the path you chose. So, on to the results. Before mentioning any running heroics the star of the day was undoubtedly Helen Dodds who braved the elements for over an hour while we all ran and she waited for us to finish and give in our numbers. It's a lot colder standing still than it is running - many thanks Helen. Phil Holland was back in form leading the Flyers home in 3rd place. Andy Bierton had looked like he didn't fancy it at the start but came home in a strong 11th place. Right behind Andy was Max Dillon, scoring valuable points for the club and fresh from being first Flyer home in the Beds Half last week. For the ladies we had Sally Marsh, Jo Aatkar and Caroline Gilby as our lady scorers. We had a few less runners than last time but 31 Flyers on a snowy, frosty, icy morning is still a fantastic turnout. The next and last race in the series is on 15th January in Delapre Park, Northampton. Jeremy Bell |
Portsmouth Marathon - Sunday 18 December
For my final marathon of the year, I headed off down south with 8 other fellow flyers running the race and various partners and supporters, for what was meant to be a fast and flat course. We had all booked into various Premier Inns, although me and the other cheapskates managed to pick the one that looked like servants quarters for the proper hotel. Still, an enjoyable meal was had on Saturday night over looking the harbour and the Spinnaker tower, whilst winding Shaun up as he was doing his first marathon. To be fair, the lad coped well although he couldn't quite square George and Richard's beer consumption. A decent nights sleep led to a cold, but windless clear morning. The race itself was an out and back course, with large parts along the sea front. We had decided to split into a few groups, with me and George setting off with 3.25 ish in mind, Richard leading a posse aiming for 3.40ish, Niki trying to match her PB time from last year a little behind and Annie a bit further back. As always Paul Barton was there doing his own thing.
We set off at a steady 7.50 pace and were bang on target, until mile 3-4, when we ran onto shingle on the beach followed by a mile or so of bottle neck trail running, which was muddy and with lots of puddles.
We couldn't pass anyone and lost 1-2 mins on that section alone. The route then took a few twists and turns, with more beach running and one slippy short downhill which almost led to a dunk in a canal. We were surprised to wait until after the 11 mile mark before the leaders came past us on the way back. At the turn I was 3-4 mins off target pace and on the way back I saw the lads running well together only 5 or 6 mins behind. The terrain began to take its toll and cramp started to kick in early. My planned time went out the window and I ended up dropping to plan D. George decided to stay with me as I slowed and struggled in the last 5 to 6 miles in particular. The wind picked up a little and more ups and downs, trail and shingle led to me hobbling over the line having had to walk in various places as the cramp and lack of energy kicked in. The terrain and conditions caused this to become a hard race, as was shown by a slow winning time of 2.51. We all came in a lot slower than we had planned, save George who decided to stay with me when he could have been at least a mile ahead if not more. My time was only one second faster than Luton marathon last month, but in that race I ran it all the way and even had to slow down in places to keep something in the tank for this race. This was a struggle and certainly not a PB course for me at least. Still, big well done to Shaun on a great time in his first marathon and Annie, for knocking a big amount off her previous PB.
We didn't get to do any sight seeing, but did have a great night out with a superb curry to round off a great social weekend away with team formation Flyers. It was really good fun to go away with so many runners and hopefully, we can do the same again next year although in a different race!
Paul Owen
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Bedford Harriers Half Marathon (Club Champs) - 11 December |
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Phew! An immense entry from the club with numerous PBs. A big thanks to Jeremy Bell and the committee for organising the discounted club entry! A great success. There may have been some number swapping so if you have any corrections please email them to results@affrunningclub.org.uk Club champions will be confirmed next week when results are fully there. Worth noting that Ampthill lad, Andrew Inskip, came 3rd in 1.11.48 Andy Atherton |
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And there we were...................After two months of brutal training, both John Metcalf and myself were ready, well John was anyway, me, still a little apprehensive, most of the races I target in one way or another, go completely opposite to what I aim out to achieve. However, this was a little different, huddled together at the start, there was George A, Steve M, Martin B, John M, James H, and myself all after the same time, so pace was the secret and we all kept as one group. We kept together until roughly 4 miles then in was a case of us slowly splitting up, however remaining together was John, James and myself. The pacing was kept the same, the pain was slowly creeping up on us. trying to concentrate, my mind kept drifting, however, knowing the route backwards helped a great deal. I was really just waiting for Cranfield to make my final effort count, this was supposedly where we were going to push the final 3 miles. We all got to Cranfield and it was "who has the legs"!! Fortunately, this time it was me, my adrenaline filled up and I was off, pushed on heavily, no stopping now, had I gone too early? Too late, I was off, in full concentration. Getting to the 10 mile marker, I stopped my watch and re-timed, my object being 3 miles in 20 mins, this was (I knew) a long 3 miles, but after just running 10 miles, 3 seemed like nothing. I held on and kept going, I knew I could do this it was just believing that I could continue at this pace for the last mile. Going from 11 miles to 12 seemed as always like forever, but I was almost there. I could see George in the distance, but I knew I could not catch him. Finally turning the corner for the final straight, "bit" into me as this was uphill but I looked at my watch and knew I did not have to worry, I was fairly positive it was job done. I crawled around the last corner to see the time on the clock 1hr:28.............happy days. At the finish, I turned around and watched the clock and I saw John come around the corner around a min later, we had both done it and mighty pleased! The estimated splits if your interested were: half way point: 44 mins, 10 miles: 1hr:08, then the last 3 miles, 20mins. Something like that anyway Leigh Pilgrim |
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I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable races I have ever taken part in. A PB by 3.5 minutes (including a 19:30 final 5K) certainly helped, but the whole build up to the race, and the race itself, was characterised by what a club like ours should be all about - teamwork. At one point around the 2/3 mile mark, I think there were about 8 Flyers all working together, to keep to our goal early 6:45 pace and make sure we did not overcook things on the toughest part. This was also the case for smaller groups working together as the race progressed and the pace quickened in the second half and I for one would not have achieved the time I did without the help and support of fellow club members. Well done all. And thanks to the Club for offering the reduced price entries, which certainly helped to make this a hugely enjoyable event. Now for a mere marathon at Portsmouth on Sunday....... George Arbuckle |
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Last Updated: Tuesday, 24 January 2012 14:24