Greensand Ridge Relay, 27 June
Local pride was at stake in this year's Greensand Ridge Relay, with three Biggleswade AC teams taking part. The three teams are best described as 'ancient', 'youthful' and 'steady', which generally sums up the type of runners who belong to Biggleswade Athletic Club.
The Greensand Ridge Relay (GRR) is held annually in late June, and for anyone wishing to plan an early summer BBQ, look out for the GRR weekend because it is always hot and sunny - and this year did not disappoint with temperatures reaching 25C with very high humidity. For the 32 teams taking part in the relay, this meant taking on board plenty of fluids before they ran, and for the 16 intrepid runners who decided to tackle the full distance of 34 miles as a solo challenge, it was just a question of survival in the soaring temperatures.
The relay starts in Linslade, just south of Leighton Buzzard, and it follows the Greensand Ridge Walk long distance footpath all the way to the race finish in Northill, conveniently situated next to the Crown public house where runners can immediately re-hydrate. The race is made up of 6 legs of between 5 and 8 miles, and each runner has to navigate the route as there are no marshals, and the GRW signs are not always visible when running at speed - a problem that beset one of the 'ancient' runners.
Competition between the Biggleswade 'Old Gits' team (ancient) and the 'Fast & Furious' team (youthful) was intense from the start just after midday. Each runner, depending on their age and gender, is given a target time for their relay leg, and their aim is to meet or beat their target time. The 'Old Gits' team (average age 55) consisting of club chairman Nigel Bush, newcomer Steve West, Ian Skerratt, Ray Dowse, Roger Wadeley and Derek Litchfield were determined to finish in front of the Fast & Furious youngsters. Every Old Git runner beat his target time in supreme style, and they were heading for a podium finish, before 58 year old marathon superstar Ian Skerratt's failing eyesight let him down. Running a 3 hour marathon around the streets of London or Amsterdam is no problem for this evergreen runner, but following the small green GRW signs along overgrown country paths is. So an expected gain of 13 minutes on the tough 8 mile leg from Woburn to Millbrook turned into a 5 second deficit as Ian took an unplanned 2 mile diversion near the M1 motorway. But the team still did superbly to finish in a total time of 4h 27m 56s and 9th place overall.
Biggleswade's Fast and Furious 'mixed' team of Rob Morgan, Natalie Darlow, Damien Pitts, Robin Wynde, Julie Sutton and Juliet Naylor were hot on the heels of the Old Gits from the start. Robin didn't know he was running until 48 hours before the event and so he ran fantastically well to navigate his way along the tough route from Millbrook to Deadman's Hill. The three lady team members had exceptional runs, gaining a total of 8 minutes against their target times, with leading club lady Juliet have a storming last leg from Deadman's Cross to Northill, finishing alongside her running companion Rocky the spaniel. Their overall time of 4h 28m 55s, and 10th position, meant that the Old Gits team had pipped them by a mere 59 seconds and therefore have club bragging rights for another 12 months. But the Fast & Furious team's time was quick enough to give them 2nd place in the mixed team (male and female) category. A great result for the Biggleswade 'youngsters'.
Not to be outdone by their speedy club mates, the Biggleswade AC 'Slow & Steady' team were determined not to make any navigational errors, and as part of their careful preparation, many of them had recied their legs more than once in the weeks leading up to the event. Julia Mackay led them off from Linslade before handing over to club treasurer Mark Stead at Stockgrove Park. Determined runs by John Kenyon and Steve Rotchell kept them on target, and Julie Dowse handed over to last leg runner Jon Balaam for the final push to the finish line. No navigational errors were made, and the team completed the whole course in a magnificent 5h 36m 25s and 26th place overall.
After one or two re-hydrating celebratory drinks in the Crown at Northill, all team members agreed that planning for next year's event should start immediately, with a new pair of running specs for Ian being top of the list!
The Seniors Tuesday Night Programme
You can find these and other training events in the training section of the Club website
