Biggleswade AC June 2008

You can find these and other training events in the training section of the Club website

3rd Jun Lonely Pines loop
10th Jun Everton Loop, UP Donkey Hill!
Also, Graham Bufton session:
1/2/3/4/3/2/1 minutes hard on grass near stadium - walk/jog recovery
17th Jun Speedwork with coach Zoe
24th Jun AWAY DAY - Grafham lead by Mark/Cassie (and picnic)
see note below

1st Jul Black Barn
8th Jul Hills are fun - "honest"
15th Jul Annual 1hr BAC Track run (Organised by Ken + Gav) 7.10pm-8.10pm
22nd Jul Speedwork with coach Zoe (Doug Anderson pre race strides) & Lucozade Visit
29th Jul Blunham Loop

5th Aug Route 51
12th Aug AWAY DAY - Rowney Warren lead by Gav
19th Aug Donkey Hill
26th Aug Speedwork with coach Zoe & Lucozade Visit

2nd Sep AWAY DAY - Cockayne Hatley lead by Nigel

*** you may need a track pass or to pay for a day pass when doing Speed or Track work

Thursday evenings will usually be "General Running", dictated by the race calendar, and are tailored on the night to the participants needs. Runners are usually split into ability groups to ensure everyone has a good run.

If anyone would like to organise an AWAY DAY in your village or town in 2008, or a run on your favourite training route, please let Gavin or one of the committee know.

Note: Grafham Away Day - Tuesday 24th June
Due to car park restrictions for this years Grafham Away Day we can not park next to the reservoir. Please park in Perry Village and meet outside the pub at 7pm. Information regarding the planned picnic for after the run will appear on the forum nearer the time. Thank you for your cooperation.

Leagues, Series, and Other Events

Round Norfolk Relay 20/21 Sep
By the time you see this newsletter, the closing date for RNR questionnaires and race fee to be given back to Gavin (3rd June) will have passed. This date is set in stone and can not be amended. Even support crew wishing to help must have filled out a questionnaire (only athletes wishing to run need to pay the race fee).

St Neots Half Marathon 16 Nov Sunday 16th November seems ages away but the very very popular St Neots Half Marathon is filling up fast. Enter now to avoid disappointment,

Southern Womens League
All dates are on Saturdays in 2008

28 Jun	Northgate Stadium, Ipswich
26 Jul	Mile End Stadium
30 Aug	Braintree Leisure Centre

Southern Mens League
All dates are on Saturdays in 2008
We are in Division 4, which currently has 11 teams

7 Jun	Cambridge	host Cambridge (5 teams)
28 Jun	St Ives	host Hunts AC (6 teams)
12 Jul	Luton	host Luton (5 teams)
2 Aug	Ridlins (Stevenage)	host Biggleswade (5 teams)

National Junior Athletic League
All dates are on Sundays in 2008

29th June,	27th July
7th Sep - Promotion matchs
14th Sep - Finals

Eastern Young Athletes League
All dates are on Sundays in 2008

8th June,	29th June,	13th July,	3rd Aug
14th Sept (Finals)

UK Women Athletes League
The 4 dates in 2008 are on Saturdays

Some International Events in 2008

Sat 14 June	Race Walk Grand Prix	Leamington Spa
Tue 8 to Sun 13 Jul	World Juniors	Poland
Wed 23 Jul to Sun 3 Aug	Euro Masters
Fri 15 to Sun 24 Aug	Olympics	China
Sat 6 to Wed 17 Sep	Para Olympics	China
Sat 13 to Sun 14 Sep	World Athletics	Germany

Some Domestic Events in 2008

Sat 14 to Sun 15 Jun	GB Masters	Ashford
Sat 14 to Sun 15 Jun	Sen/U20 SEAA Champs
Sat 21 to Sun 22 Jun	AAA U23/20 Champs
Fri 11 to Sun 13 Jul	Olympic Trials	Birmingham
Sat 26 to Sun 27 Jul	London Grand Prix	Crystal Palace
Sun 10 Aug	Hibbard (Eastern Inter-Counties)	Essex
Sun 24 Aug	SEAA Intercounties (U15/20)
Sat 30 Aug	U20 Inter-territories
Sun 31 Aug	British Grand Prix	Gateshead

David Brown - International Judge

On Sunday June 1st, David Brown will be officiating at the International Games at Bedford. This is the first time David will have officiated in an International meeting - which incorporates the U23 European championships for Belgium, Holland and Norway. There are many current GB athletes competing as well. Is the first time any member of Biggleswade AC has officiated in an International meeting ? David is also on the list to officiate in 2 other Internationals this year (July and August) and is on the reserve list of 2 others (Aug and Sept).

How Nigel Bush celebrated his 60th birthday in Cape Wrath

Back in 2001 I read about a new running challenge to be held in Cape Wrath in Scotland, consisting of a week long series of races of varying difficulty and terrain. I decided that I would do it one day! Then last year, Chris Clarke suggested we do it. I couldn't get the time off work, but Stuart accompanied Chris to the week long event, and they both came home enthused by the challenge and the local community. I therefore decided to put it off no longer, and when I saw that my 60th Birthday coincided with the 2008 event, I entered straight away and started to plan the week with Chris. What better way to spend your 60th birthday than running in stunning mountainous scenery with a load of running nutters, whilst enjoying the superb local community spirit!

Chris and I left Bedfordshire on Sat 10th May and headed north. After a brief stopover in Edinburgh to meet up with my son Peter and his wife, we headed north once more for our overnight stop in Kinross. On Sunday morning we hit the road again and once we passed Inverness I was in new territory. The100 mile journey across Sutherland to Durness was a shear delight, with no traffic, and numerous stops to take photos of the mountains and quiet lochs. We finally arrived in Durness (our base for the week) at about 3pm. Our first mission was to find our B&B lady Heather, who was working at the local "Cocoa Mountain" chocolate factory. Needless to say this was the first of many visits to sample their large cups of hot chocolate - essential nourishment when you are running every day! As per normal in these parts of Scotland, Heather said "let yourself in to the B&B, it is never locked, and make yourselves at home".

We awoke on Monday morning to bright sunshine and blue skies, which continued throughout the week - who says it always rains in Scotland? On our arrival at the Challenge HQ (the local village hall) Chris introduced me to the event organizers and all the returning runners. It is a feature of this unique event that about 70% of the runners return every year. Chris and I decided to run the 10K race, as my very limited training meant a Half-Marathon was not a good idea on day one. We were bussed out to the race start along the beautiful shore of Loch Eribol, and then the gun went. Chris and I ran together for most of the way, but over the final 2 miles I could feel my competitive instincts returning after an absence of 4 months with injury, and I just managed to hold off Chris at the finish. He was not pleased!

On Monday afternoon we joined the local Ranger, Donald, for a nature walk to Faraid Head (arranged by the Challenge committee) to watch Puffins, and this proved to be a very informative and spectacular walk.

Tuesday morning once again dawned bright and sunny, and after our obligatory breakfast of traditional Scottish porridge, we set off for the Hill race. I was not looking forward to this, and Chris duly got his own back by finishing about a minute in front of me. In the afternoon we decided to travel the 25 miles by car to Loch Hope and climb the most northerly Munro (over 3000ft) on the UK mainland - Ben Hope. This was a fantastic climb, with stupendous views south to the huge Sutherland mountains, and north to the coastline, with good views of Tongue, the Orkneys and the decommissioned Dounreay Power station. One surprising view on the summit was the sight of a climber, laying outside his tent in just his shorts, quietly reading and sunbathing! On the way down we were both wondering whether the extra exertion of the climb was going to affect our efforts in the race the next day. In the evening, a Pub Quiz was organized for the runners and locals, and our team of 5 (including some very intelligent RAF personnel) managed a creditable 5th place out of 23 teams.

Wednesday morning was the BIG day for me (my 60th) and I could not have had a more enjoyable run. The Round Durness 8.4 mile race had a bit of everything .... undulating roads leading to the Kyle of Durness, testing moorland tracks, the 9-hole golf course, Balnakiel beach and sand dunes, then back to Durness and the fantastic support from the local school children, and the final 1 in 4 climb to the finish. My plan was to keep Chris in sight all the way, and I just managed to keep the pressure on him. We finished 24 seconds apart and both were very happy with our efforts. In the afternoon a trip was arranged to visit a local sheep farm where we were treated to the hand shearing of a large ram, and a sheep dog trial demonstration. But this was not the end of an eventful day. In the evening about 60 runners and 20 locals gathered in the Village Hall for 90 "non-stop" minutes of Scottish Country Dancing practice, ready for the Ceilidh on Saturday. I went to bed exhausted, after a few drams to celebrate my birthday.

Thursday morning's race consisted of running "about" 3 miles along Balnakiel Beach and sand dunes, without a watch, and trying to finish as close to your predicted time as possible. Needless to say, Chris had a distinct advantage as he had taken part the previous year. But he was still not good enough to beat the winner who finished within 10 seconds of his predicted time! On a beautiful sunny Thursday evening, we returned to Balnakiel Beach for the BBQ, and everyone enjoyed the stunning sunset, camp fire and Spooky Walk in the ancient graveyard.

Friday was a rest day, so Chris and I decided to visit the famous Cape Wrath lighthouse, which also enabled us to familiarize ourselves with Saturday's "marathon" course. To get to the lighthouse, you must first cross the Kyle of Durness in the smallest passenger ferry in Britain - a small open boat that carries 12 people. The ferryman has been operating this trip for over 20 years, so we felt quite safe in his hands. On the far side, a small minibus took us along the 11 mile undulating bumpy road to the lighthouse, designed and built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson. The Cape Wrath peninsula is a quite remarkable area devoid of all habitation. The lighthouse was automated 10 years ago, and the only visitors are hardy tourists and (once a year) the Cape Wrath Challenge Marathoners! The views from this far north westerly tip of the UK mainland were breathtaking.

Saturday's race involved some very complicated logistical challenges for the organizers as there was not only a full marathon to organise, but also 2-man, 3-man and 5-man relays. The Marathon route starts on the "Cape Side" (far side) of the Kyle, and runs out to the lighthouse (11 miles). The runners than retrace their steps back to the ferry (another 11 miles), where the clocks are stopped. Within minutes, the runners are ferried across the Kyle to the Durness side, where the clocks are restarted for the final 4 mile run to the finish in Durness. For those running the full marathon, a 5 to 10 minute stop at 22 miles, and stepping into and out of a rocking boat, is a challenge in itself! Chris and I opted for the 2-man relay. This involved Chris getting the transport at 6am from the Village Hall, ready for the long trip to the lighthouse, which was his starting point. He then ran the 11 miles back to the ferry, crossed the Kyle in the boat, and then ran the final 4 miles to Durness. My start time was not until 8.00am, and once across the Kyle ferry, a group of us (running the 2-man relay) set off up a very steep hill heading for the lighthouse, 11 miles away. As Chris had set off before me, we actually passed each other after I had run 2 miles. The organizers had the job of adding up our individual times later! The route to the lighthouse was very undulating, but the scenery and local wildlife kept the spirits up. Finally, after passing 11 ancient granite mile posts, the lighthouse came into view, and the welcome finish point for me. But this was where the real challenge began! Owing to the very narrow lighthouse road, the limited transport (2 minibuses) and 200 runners of all abilities setting off at different times, there was NO transport back to the ferry for 2 1/2 hours! So we all decided to walk the 11 miles back to the ferry to avoid stiffening up and to support the many runners still completing their challenge. By the time I arrived back in Durness (about 2pm), Chris was showered, changed and had had some food! But this all added to the unique character of the event.

In the evening, the organisers laid on a superb meal (with every delicacy you can imagine including crab and giant prawns), followed by the trophy presentations and finally the ceilidh, which went on until well after midnight. We were both very surprised when our names were read out as winning two beautiful glass bowls for 3rd place in the 2-man relay, and this gave us an ideal excuse to open yet another bottle of wine to celebrate.

The Cape Wrath Challenge is quite unique. The week long set of races offers its own challenge over some very varied and beautiful terrain. But the thing that makes the event so special are the social activities laid on for all the runners, the support given by the local community and the friendliness of the locals. Chris and I have already booked our places for next year. So if anyone else is interested, take a look at their web site www.capewrathchallenge.co.uk for more information. If you follow the link to the photos of this year's event, the pictures will clearly demonstrate the stunning scenery and the enjoyment on everyone's faces.

On Sunday morning, after our final breakfast of porridge and scrambled eggs, we said our goodbyes to Heather (having booked our room for next year) and headed south. Eleven hours later we arrived home to a very flat Bedfordshire.