BIGGLESWADE   ATHLETIC   CLUB

Newsletter : AUGUST 2003

News   |   Race Listings   |   Results   |   Contacts             Old News   |   Club Website


News and events for August 2003:

Coaches Required

Club 10 Mile and 10Km Championship Races

Summer Training Runs
Blunham, Tues 12 August

Le Touquet Weekend 4-6 July - report

Bruder Grimm 80km. Germany
6th-8th June

Ken Prior:   Why I love running


Leagues, Series, and Other Events

New Members

News from other clubs

Forthcoming Coaching Courses

Clubmark Scheme

Looking after yourself - Fartlek

Dorset Doddle 17th August 2003

NEWS   FOR   YOUNG   ATHLETES


 
The background colour is currently set to an approximation to "gold", which is part of the club colours.   Do you like it, or would you prefer something more subtle? - please let me know what you think - davidhindle@msn.com

 

 

Coaches Required

Ken, David , Mark and Steve are overstretched.   We desparately require some parents, grand-parents or athletes to help.   There is a level one coaching course in Bedford in September (the Club will pay the costs) so PLEASE volunteer now.

 

 

Club 10 Mile and 10Km Championship Races

This year's Club 10 Mile and 10 Km Club Championship races will once again be held in conjunction with the Swineshead 10 Mile (Sunday 14th September) and Standalone Letchworth 10Km (Sunday 5th October) races.   See Neil for race entry forms.   The club championship results are based on an age-graded system to give us more "mature" runners the opportunity to win the coveted Club Trophies.   For those who find 10 miles too far at present, the Swineshead event includes a 4 Mile Fun Run.   It also has a BBQ and Bar after the event, so why not come along and enjoy the post-race atmosphere.

 

 

Monthly Summer Training Runs - Blunham, Tues 12 August

Meet at the Horseshoes PH at 7.00pm.   Contact Andy Bruce or Nigel for more details.

 

 

Le Touquet Weekend 4-6 July - report by Gavin Elliott

Early July saw runners and support team head across the water for a long weekend into France on their tour bus to compete in the Le Touquet 10km and 20km road races.   Staying in the French town of Boulogne the smell was more fish than garlic, but all found the eating and drinking establishments very obliging.   The races were on Saturday afternoon which gave all club members time to top up their tans and go for a swim and marvel at the two story carousel in Le Touquet (known locally as Paris by the sea).

As the day wore on the temperature rose into the 30's and it was soon time for the competitors to take on lots of water and head to the start, followed by their Union-Jack-emblazoned flag-waving support team.   The course was beautiful, making its way along avenues of pine trees and out to the coast and back (with members of the support team popping up at every possible moment shouting and unfolding their flags making some corners of the race look more like "last night at the proms" than a road race.)   Shade was hard to find but due to their excellent preparation all finished well.

Saturday night turned into party night as the younger members turned into "Athletes of Mass Distraction" and headed into town.   A lovely early morning run along the beach kicked off Sunday morning with the rest of the day spent sight seeing around Boulogne old town, before heading back to catch the ferry from Calais.

A great weekend was had by young and old alike and we hope this will be the first of many "European Tours".  Thanks must go to Nigel and Stuart for organising this year's trip.   Well done lads- never has so much been owed to so few.   All athletes posted excellent times and did their club and country proud.   Jan Forrester was third lady home in her category, and won a 30 Euro Prize for her efforts (for other details see results).   Thanks also to the large contingent of Maidenhead supporters who cheered Biggleswade's runners as well as their own.

 

 

Bruder Grimm 80km, Germany, 6th-8th June

Three club runners and their wives visited our running friends in Germany, to participate in the gruelling Bruder Grimm 5-stage, 80km event.   It turned out to be a very hot and eventful weekend.   Nigel Bush was the first to pull out after just 5 miles of the first stage, suffering the effects of a Virus.   Stuart Galloway managed to complete two stages before retiring for similar reasons, and the intense heat.   Stuart finished at the local Doctor's surgery on a saline drip.   Meanwhile Ken Prior was battling on in the 35°C conditions.

After stage 3, our English-born host, Peter Farnworth, retired with severe heat exhaustion and was taken to hospital by ambulance.   Just 1/2 mile from the hospital, the ambulance was involved in a serious road accident that left Peter with bruised ribs and badly shaken.   Meanwhile, Ken ground out the final two stages to finish the race in 7 hour 7 minutes - a commendable effort in the gruelling conditions.   Well done Ken.   And they say that running is good for you!

(Read on for Ken's own view of running...)

 

 

Ken Prior:   Why I love running

One of my earliest memories was watching Gordon Pirie and Vladamir Kuts race over 6 miles on TV (black and white , naturally).   Kuts would repeatedly surge away only to be run down again by Pirie.   This went on until one or the other could hang on no longer.   These gladiatorial epics fascinated me and I was hooked.   I ran everywhere: to the shops, round the school playing fields, circuits of our small suburban garden and I was still only seven.   Sprinting left me cold (largely because I was useless) and it was not until my secondary school that any kind of distance running was catered for.   I joined the cross-country team as soon as I could and eventually left school as 1 mile, steeplechase and cross-country champion.

Then for some reason I stopped, for 10 years.   I played other sports and eventually the volleyball team that I played for took to organising running sessions to improve fitness.   One run was enough to rekindle the passion and I soon gave up all other sports to run as much as I could.   I ran the inaugural London Marathon in 1981 and completed about 50 marathons in total and about a dozen ultra marathons (including five South Downs 80 milers, three 12 hour races and one and a half (!) London to Brighton races) before a knee surgeon told me that my running days were over (what did he know ?)

I stay off the roads now and have cut my running by more than half but the thought of not running at all is not something that I could contemplate.   Runners are nice people and I want to be around them.   Most of my best friends are runners.   That said, I now get enormous satisfaction from seeing the juniors derive fun, fitness and confidence from athletics and hope that I may have made some small contribution to set them on a lifestyle that might give them half as much fun as it has given me.

 

 

Leagues, Series, and Other Events

 

 

New Members

Welcome to the following athletes who have recently been elected members of the Club:
 Eden Cumberbatch, a junior who lives in Biggleswade
 Jorden, Connor, Chloe, and Kieran Best, who are all juniors and live in Shefford
 Helen Slaymaker, a senior who lives in Biggleswade
 Debbie Knott, a senior and a coach, Debbie lives in Luton and joins us first-claim for track and field.
With the very best wishes of the Committee to all of you and good luck in your training!

 

 

News from other clubs

New Club Secretaries:

  • Watford Joggers - Heather Mitchell, 41 The Crescent, Abbots Langley, Herts WD5 0DR
  • Yaxley Runners & Joggers - Gary Thurgood, Field View, Bridgehill Road, Peterbororough, Cambs PE6 7SA

     

     

    Forthcoming Coaching Courses

     Level 1 Course  Peterborough  Sun 21st Sept
     Level 2 Course  Kings Lynn  Sat 18th and Sun 19th Oct
     Level 2 Course  Ipswich  Sat 25th and Sun 26th Oct
     Children in Athletics  Kings Lynn  Sun 9th Nov

     

     

    Clubmark Scheme

    All the preparatory work has now been completed; workshops have been attended, processes and procedures written, methods and controls put into place, and a self-audit undertaken.   The completed documentation has been handed over to the Active Sports partnership.   They will review the file and then pass it on to Sport England for final assessment.   It has been confirmed that we are the first Athletic Club in the whole of the UK to have made a submission for Clubmark Accreditation so if we receive the certification it will be a real feather in our caps.   We shall, of course, keep you posted as to progress.

     

     

    Looking after yourself - Fartlek

    What about a bit of Fartlek?   Fartlek is the Swedish word for "speed-play" and it has been used as a training and coaching tool in athletics since the 1950s.   Basically Fartlek involves variable pace running over a variety of terrains: the duration and the speed is down to you.   The emphasis however must be on running for significant periods at a pace faster than your normal training and racing paces.   Each hard effort is followed by a recovery stage when the pace is reduced to a point where breathing and pulse rate return to, or near, resting rate, after which the next hard effort follows.

    The fast runs can be determined either by time or distance.   For example you may decide to run hard for 800m or for 3 minutes - you decide.   Similarly you decide the length and nature of the recovery period: you may choose to jog or even walk) for 400m (or less; or more) or for 2, 3 or 4 minutes.   Or you may prefer static recovery, where you simply do a number of mobility exercises until you feel ready to run again.

    The structure of such a session is entirely up to you but it is important to ensure that such sessions are not dominated by recovery periods with the hard efforts being too few in number or too short in duration.   Hard effort must make up more than 50% of the total distance covered and every session should include at least one run of 800m or more at greater than race pace.   Fartlek requires quite a bit of effort and resolve on the part of the athlete - try it and see what results you obtain.

     

     

    Dorset Doddle Sunday 17th August 2003

    If there are any members who fancy a 32 mile walk/jog/run along the Dorset Coastal path from Weymouth and Swanage, they are welcome to join the 6 members who are already entered. It's a great weekend.

     

     

      NEWS   FOR   YOUNG   ATHLETES

      For information on track and field events,
      contact your coach or David Brown, Track and Field Manager (01767 600094)

     

    • News   |   Race Listings   |   Results   |   Contacts             Old News   |   Club Website

     

    RACE   LISTINGS

    If you have transport problems, and need transport/lift to an event,
    please contact the Team Manager
     
     T 
    =   targetted race  
     
     
    Sat  2 Aug    Southern Mens League, Tonbridge
    Sun  3 Aug   Wellingborough 5 at 11:00am
        Harlow 10 (and 5k and 3k) at 11:00am
    Wed  6 Aug   Watford Open Series at 7:00pm
    Fri  8 Aug   Blisworth Friday 5 at 7:30pm
    Sat  9 Aug     Southern Womens League, Cambridge
    Sun 10 Aug   Eastern Champs Norwich
    Sat   9 Aug &
    Sun 10 Aug         		  AAA U17/15 Championships, Sheffield
    Biggleswade have 3 athletes who have qualified: Rachel Baust (U17 Women 300 M), Lauren Ambrose (U15 Girls High Jump - Lauren came 2nd in the High Jump in 2002), and Kay Brown in the U15 Girls 75 M Hurdles. Anybody wishing to support them contact a coach for more information.
    Wed 13 Aug   South of England AAA Championships, Battersea Park:
    Senior Men's 10000 M
    Fri 15 Aug   Crafts Plus Cranfield 5, Cranfield University, at 7:30pm
    Sun 17 Aug   Dorset Doddle, Weymouth, 32 miles
        Burnham Beeches Half-Marathon, Farnham Common, 10:00am
    Wed 20 Aug   Watford Open Series at 7:00pm
    Sun 24 Aug   Wardown Park 5k, Luton, at 11:00am
    Mon 25 Aug   Peterborough Open, August Bank Holiday
    Sun 31 Aug    Luton 10k and 3k, Vauxhall Sports Ground, at 10:30am
        South of England AAA Championships, Watford:
    Senior and U20 Womens Steeplechase  
     

     
    Wed  3 Sep   Watford Open Series at 7:00pm
    Sat  6 Sep    Southern Womens League, Southend
    Sun  7 Sep   Hibberd/Peterhouse/Bemax Trophy Bury St Edmunds
        Watford Open Series at 11:00am
        Carol Haslam 10k, Leighton Buzzard , multi-terrain, at 11:00am
        Garden City 10, Welwyn Garden City, at 11:00am
    Sun 14 Sep  T  Swineshead 10 at 11.30am (Club Championship)
    Wed 17 Sep   Watford Open Series at 7:00pm
    Sun 21 Sep   New Forest Marathon and Half, New Milton, at 11:00am
    Sat 27 Sep   High Peak 40 Mile Challenge, Buxton
    Sun 28 Sep   Eastern Combined Events Champs Peterborough.
        Ampthill Cross Country Trophy, Ampthill Park, Jun.4k/Sen 8k, at 10:30am
        Saffron Walden 10k at 10:30am  
     

     
    Sun 5 Oct  T  Standalone 10k, Letchworth (Club Championship)
        Biddenham 10k River Run at 11:00am
    Sun 19 Oct    Abingdon Marathon, Tilsey Park, at 09:00am
    Sat 25 Oct   Beachy Head Marathon, Eastbourne, at 9:00am  
     

     
    Sun 7 Dec   Luton Marathon and Relay at 10:00am
    Sun 14 Dec   Great Barford Half Marathon at 11:00am  
     

     

     

     

    News   |   Race Listings   |   Results   |   Contacts             Old News   |   Club Website

     

    RESULTS
    compiled by
    David Brown, Nigel Bush, Damien Pitts, Ken Prior, and Neil Gregory

      A full list of Club Records and Best Performances is available from David Brown.     If you believe you have a new record contact David (01767 600094) with a validated result.

    English Schools Athletic Association Championships 

    Representing Bedfordshire, Lauren Ambrose was the sole competitor from Biggleswade.   Lauren has qualified in the High Jump and despite being in the lower year of the age group finished on the podium in 4th place equalling her personal best of 1.65M, the winner jumping 1.71 M

    Eastern Young Athletes League  - Last fixture at Thurrock
    Full results for this fixture aren't available at moment, but we finished last with a very depleted team.   It got off to a bad start when most of the team got caught up in a very bad accident on the M25, delaying our arrival by an hour and the start of the meeting by 30 minutes.   Things looked up when Jorden Best easily won the U13 boys hurdles, but wins were difficult to come by and we were grateful to Frankie Birch (discus), Chris Moore (100m, 200m), and Rachel Baust (800m, 300m) for a few more.   Personal Bests included Sammy Freeman (javelin) and Rachel Baust (800m).   There were some other positives to take from the day, particularly the number of youngsters competing for us for the first time, including the Bests (Kieran, Jorden, Conner and Chloe), and Eden Cumberbatch who looked disconsolate after two no-throws in the discus, only to take second place with her final attempt.   As always we were last, not because we were not good enough but because we had too many gaps in the team.   We do have the talent, we just have to get them to compete.

    Dunstable 10km   22nd June
    211 runners
     Arthur Mitchell  96th  46m 48s  12th V55
     Colin Harries  107th  47m 52s  15th V55

    Le Touquet 10km & 20km Races   5th July 2003
    There were 778 runners in the 10km and 391 runners in the 20km
    See also     Gavin Elliot's report
     10 Km  Damien Pitts  223rd  43m 43s  
     20 Km  Nigel Bush  172nd  1h 36m 1s  21st V50
       Stuart Galloway  197th  1h 38m 11s  25th V50
       Jan Forrester  274th  1h 44m 19s  3rd V50 15th lady overall

    Allnet University 5k  11th July
     Damien Pitts  79th out of 376  19m 19s    (PB)

    Milton Keynes 10k  8th July
     Karen Worrall  42m 43s,  5th LV35
     Jan Forrester  48m 59s,  5th LV50

    Market Harborough 5 
     Karen Worrall  32m 46s,  3rd LV35

    South Midlands Evening League 
    Overall for the League both Karen and Jan completed five qualifying races and both ended up in third position in their respective age catagories.   A superb result for BAC ladies.
     Karen Worrall  6th lady overall  3rd LV35
     Jan Forrester  26th lady overall  3rd LV50

    Fairlands Valley Challenge   21st July
    Jan Forrester comleted the 18.3miles off road course in 3 hours 19 minutes.

    Everton Fun Day 5k   28th June
     Ken Prior  3rd  19m 03s  
     Nick Gilbert  4th  19m 28s  1st junior male
     Martin Turpin  13th  22m 34s  
     Colin Harries  15th  22m 48s  
     Melanie Truett  18th  28m 19s  3rd lady
     Andy Bruce  23rd  31m 15s  
     Stephanie Bruce  22nd  31m 14s  

    Aston 5  6th July
     Neil Gregory  32m 32s
     Colin Harries  39m 07s
     Martin Turpin  39m 30s
     Zoe Dawson  47m 05s
     Melanie Truett  48m 22s

    Bedford Race For Life 5k  15th June
     Zoe Dawson  25m 17s
     Joe Bruce  31m 32s
     Deborah Fisher  33m 07s
     Danny Bruce  37m 58s
    followed by walkers Anne Elliott and Sophie Overy 58m 57s.

    Southern Mens League 
    With one match still to go Biggleswade are 5th in the table with 13pts (Peterborough 16pts, Medway & Maidstone 15pts, West Norfolk 14pts, Loughton 13pts).   In the final match Peterborough, West Norfolk and Loughton are competing against each other, Biggleswade are against hosts Tonbridge, Watford and Braintree.   Three clubs are automatically promoted.   Biggleswade AC need to get that 3rd place on 2nd August!!!
    29th June at Sutcliffe Park
    Opposition from League leaders Peterborough, hosts Swale, and Dacorum & Tring.   Biggleswade were 3rd with 99.5 points
     Hammer  3rd  Roy Steven  9.41 M  
     Javelin  4th  Roy Steven  19.92 M  
     Shot  4th  David Brown  6.94 M  
     Discus  4th  Roy Steven  12.15 M  
     Long Jump (A)  3rd  Zac Morrison  5.59 M  
     High Jump (A)  2nd  Zac Morrison  1.65 M  
     High Jump (B)  3rd  David Brown  1.45 M  
     Pole Vault  2nd  David Brown    
     Triple Jump (A)  4th  David Brown  9.32 M  
     Triple Jump (B)  4th  Chris Drinkwater  8.96 M  
     200 M (A)  1st  Zac Morrison  23.8 secs  
     200 M (B)  3rd  Ross Cockcroft  25.8 secs  
     1500 M (A)  2nd  Chris Drinkwater  4.41.9 mins  
     1500 M (B)  2nd  Damien Pitts  5.13.6 mins  
     4 x 100 M relay  3rd  Biggleswade  51.2 secs  
     3000 M S/C  2nd  David Brown  13.19.2 mins  
     4 x 400 M relay  2nd  Biggleswade  5.00.4 mins  
     400 M Hurdles  2nd  David Brown  69.1 secs  
     100 M (A)  1st  Zac Morrison  11.6 secs  
     100 M (B)  4th  Ross Cockcroft  12.8 secs  
     800 M (A)  3rd  Chris Drinkwater  2.16.1 mins  PB
     800 M (B)  2nd  David Brown  2.17.4 mins  
     5000 M (A)  2nd  Damien Pitts  17.49.4 mins  
     5000 M (B)  2nd  Roy Steven  18.41.7 mins  
     400 M  4th  David Brown  59.8 secs  
    12th July at Corydon
    For the first time in many years Biggleswade got below 50 seconds in the 4 x 100m relay.   Biggleswade came 1st with 131 points against Herne Hill Harriers, London Athletic Club, and Lewes.
     400 M Hurdles  1st  David Brown  72.6 secs  
     100 M (A)  1st  Zac Morrison  11.7 secs  
     100 M (B)  2nd  Ross Cockcroft  13.1 secs  
     800 M (A)  2nd  David Brown  2.15.3 mins  
     800 M (B)  2nd  James Drinkwater  2.22.3 mins  
     5000 M (A)  2nd  Roy Steven  18.22.4 mins  
     5000 M (B)  2nd  Ken Prior  19.35.6 mins  
     400 M (A)  2nd  David Brown  58.9 secs  
     400 M (B)  2nd  Mark Harris  65.1 secs  
     110 M Hurdles  2nd  David Brown  23.4 secs  
     200 M (A)  1st  Zac Morrison  23.6 secs  
     200 M (B)  2nd  Ross Cockcroft  26.7 secs  
     1500 M (A)  2nd  James Drinkwater  4.53.3 mins  
     1500 M (B)  1st  Roy Steven  5.07.6 mins  
     1500 M  N/S  Jonathan Drinkwater  5.  
     4 x 100 M relay  1st  Biggleswade  49.9 secs  
     3000 M S/C (A)  3rd  David Brown  12.40.3 mins  PB
     3000 M S/C (B)  2nd  Roy Steven  13.43.6 mins  
     4 x 400 M relay  2nd  Biggleswade  4.07.1 mins  
     Long Jump (A)  2nd  Zac Morrison  5.65 M  
     Long Jump (B)  3rd  David Brown  3.95 M  
     High Jump (A)  1st  Zac Morrison  1.75 M  
     High Jump (B)  1st  David Brown  1.30 M  
     Pole Vault  1st  David Brown    
     Triple Jump (A)  3rd  David Brown  9.11 M  
     Triple Jump (B)  3rd  Ken Prior  8.15 M  
     Shot  4th  David Brown  6.73 M  
     Javelin (A)  3rd  Zac Morrison  25.53 M  
     Javelin (B)  2nd  Ken Prior  20.61 M  
     Hammer (A)  3rd  Ken Prior  13.98 M  
     Hammer (B)  1st  Roy Steven  11.31 M  
     Discus (A)  3rd  Mark Harris  20.86 M  
     Discus (B)  2nd  Ken Prior  15.15 M  

    Southern Womens League, Mile End  5th July
    Biggleswade were 4th out of 5 clubs
     U15 Girls  75 M Hurdles  1st  Kay Brown  13.0 secs  
       Long Jump  1st  Kay Brown  3.96 M  
       200 M  1st  Kay Brown  30.2  = PB
     Senior  400 M  1st  Rachel Baust  60.8 secs  PB CR

    Great Yarmouth  27th July
    Once again the weather was reasonably kind, with just a short shower
     U11 Girls  Helen Brown  Long Jump  2nd  3.27 M  
         600 M  4th  2.11.9 mins  PB
     U13 Girls  Kayleigh Huckle  800 M  9th  3.02.4 mins  PB (by over 7 secs)
         Long Jump  10th  3.16 M  
     U15 Girls  Tanya Huckle  100 M    14.2 secs  (4th in heat)
         Long Jump  4th  4.34 M  
       Kay Brown  75 M Hurdles  1st  12.2 secs  PB
         200 M  5th  29.5 secs  PB)
         Long Jump  7th  3.67 M  
     U17 Women  Lauren Ambrose  High Jump  1st  1.68 M  PB CR
     U17 Men  Ross Cockcroft  100 M  5th  13.2 secs  
         200 M  5th  26.5 secs  
       James Drinkwater  800 M  1st  2.17.7 mins  
         1500 M  2nd  2.40.4 mins  
       Chris Drinkwater  1500 M  3rd  4.44.2 mins  
         400 M  3rd  62.3 secs  
     Sen/vet men  David Brown  Mile  6th  5.05.4 mins  

     

    News   |   Race Listings   |   Results   |   Contacts             Old News   |   Club Website

    Biggleswade Athletic Club contacts
       
    Chairman:     Nigel Bush nigelbush@hotmail.com
    Tel: 01767 682251
     
    Vice Chairman:     Kevin Ambrose kevin.ambrose@ntlworld.com
    Tel: 01767-225473
     
    Hon Secretary:     Stuart Galloway 8 The Avenue, Sandy, Beds, SG19 1ER
    stuart.galloway@ntlworld.com
    Tel: 01767-223942
     
    Hon Treasurer:     Chris Clarke clarkecd@bigwig.net
    Tel: 01234-216245
     
    Track Secretary:     David Brown david.brown@vauxhall.co.uk
    david.brown@bowneglobal.co.uk
    Tel: 01767 600094
     
    Road Running and
    Cross Country Secret'y:       		  Neil Gregory   neilg@ntlworld.com
    Tel: 01767 314974
     
    Deputy Road and
    Cross Country Secret'y:
          		  Gavin Elliot   gavinanne@btopenworld.com
    Tel: 01767 692381
     
    Youth/Coaching Secretary:     Ken Prior ken.prior@zetnet.co.uk
    Tel: 01767-260592 
     
    Ladies Captain:     Jan Forrester janet.forrester@idnet.co.uk
    Tel: 01462-814468
     
     
    Child
    Protection
    Officers:       		  Lynda Ambrose   and Tel: 01767-225473
      David Hindle davidhindle@msn.com
    Tel: 01767 316479
     
    Web sites     the club http://www.BiggleswadeAC.org.uk/
      latest newsletter http://davidhindle.tripod.com/BAC/lastnews.htm
      previous newsletters http://davidhindle.tripod.com/BAC

    Newsletter Editor:     David Hindle 6 Mallard Walk, Biggleswade, BEDS SG18 8DY
    davidhindle@msn.com
    Tel: 01767 316479

    BIGGLESWADE   ATHLETIC   CLUB

    Newsletter : AUGUST 2003

    News   |   Race Listings   |   Results   |   Contacts             Old News   |   Club Website