wrc

Club Runs - May

Club Runs in May/June are all from the Rugby Club, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00pm. Watch this space for last-minute changes!!

FLORA LONDON MARATHON

FLORA LONDON MARATHON - April 18TH

I was once told that running a marathon was easy, the difficult bit was the long hard slog of the training you had to do. So as I boarded the early (actually the very early) train to London with Steve Russell, Andy Watts and half the Sale Sharks supporters club, I felt pretty confident about the race the following day. I’d trained for longer, I’d run further and faster and shed a bit of weight (it’s amazing what a bit of public humiliation in Tony’s shop can do). The omens were looking good.

Saturday was spent doing the last few formalities like signing on and collecting all the pre-race essentials and goodies (still not sure what the kitchen cleaning fluid was all about). The weather was kind, the sun was shining and there was a general good feel factor from the three of us. So much so we ventured off for the usual pre-race pasta session. Steve had us walking round Soho for a good half hour trying to find some restaurant (or so he claimed) before we spotted some Italian/French restaurant just off Leicester Square. Later on Mr Russell was seen entering and leaving the toilets of the local pub with a rather strange and suspicious man purporting to be a FLM runner, mmm.

Sunday, ah yes. The sun had given way to rain - horizontal, wet and cold. Breakfast, which was promised at 7:00, didn’t happen. After a dish of cereals and a prolonged argument with the hotel staff we left for the start. Greenwich common was wet, all the tents were full and we were feeling a little miserable. We bade farewell to Andy who had very handily got himself allocated to the Green start. Steve and I went in search of shelter. Steve has an eye for these sort of things and very quickly found a warm if slightly damp and rather full tent to get changed in.

We didn’t want to leave but leave we did. As we lined up in our pen along with the rest, Steve and I looked resplendent in our matching black bin bag liners (mine was a superior little number with Macclesfield BC on the front). A search of the pen failed to spot Andy P. Too late to check whether he’d made it or not as the gun fired and we were off. London is big, very big, so big that it has three official starts. But even that fails to prevent you having to weave in and out of people at the start.

At 3 miles the two main start groups join and not surprisingly there is a certain amount of banter between the two. The resulting influx of runners meant that I lost sight of Steve. However all was not lost as but a handful of metres in front was an Indian squaw, resplendent in jacket, short (very short) skirt and feather. Ha ha I thought here’s a good excuse to latch onto a good pace. Over the course of the next six miles I tagged along, only momentarily being distracted by a Runner’s World pacer asking me if I knew a guy from Wilmslow who was running the race and worked for Shell – how weird was that! Heading towards Tower Bridge I lost sight of my squaw, and despondence set in. But my spirits were lifted shortly after as Tower Bridge came into view. It really does make you sit up and notice (wrong metaphor I know but you get the picture).

Crossing half way in a little over 1:36, I was still on schedule for a good time. I felt good and pressed on. It was at this stage that the course enters a loop through Docklands and the route out joins the route back to the finish. The good news is that you get to see the elite runners from a few feet away and realise how quick they are going. The bad news is that you realise that their race is nearly finished and you’re just over halfway. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, it did. The rain which had eased, suddenly decided to come back with a vengeance. For twenty minutes it rained and I got cold. The road filled with puddles and me and my fellow runners began splashing around. Canary Wharf was a temporary sanctuary as not only did it offer a brief respite from the weather but the noise and sight of the crowd was very uplifting.

Around mile 18 I saw a familiar sight – a Wilmslow running vest (it was wrapped around Andy Penney and not discarded in the gutter!). Finally someone to talk to. However such was the speed differential that it took over a mile to catch him. After a quick chat Andy ‘suggested’ I ought to go on as he was beginning to feel the strain. Not far along the road and further inspiration followed when I heard someone shout ‘Wilmslow’ and then my name. I looked up and there was Ned offering support and a cheery face. Buoyed by this and the fact that now I was on mile 19, it was my turn to be running towards the finish and looking at the crowd of runners passing the half way mark. Not much to this marathon lark I thought.

Then suddenly it happened. Around the 20 mile mark I hit the wall. Going past Tower Bridge for a second time was not nearly so much fun. The cobbles were slippy and hard on the feet, the legs begun to hurt and the finish line seemed such a long way off. Mark Wrigley’s words came flooding back to me, ‘at twenty miles you’re only half way round’ – how true. It’s at times like these that you have to dig in hard and think of all the training you’ve put in over the previous months. A couple of miles later and a few swigs of that wonderful lucozade sport stuff (didn’t see Jonny Wilkinson handing out my drink) and I was running along the embankment. Despite the weather, the crowds were as vociferous as ever with every vantage point taken. Looking up I saw Big Ben dead ahead and I knew I was inside the final mile. The spring had returned to my legs, my arms began pumping, my head cleared and my spirits soared. Turning into the Mall and being cheered on by so many people is certainly an experience that’s hard to beat, you can’t fail to be moved by it.

After crossing the line I collected the t shirt, medal and yet another goody bag, swapped stories with the other finishers and met up with Andy W who was the first Wilmslow runner home and Steve who clocked a PB for the course. We didn’t see Andy P cross the line but rumour had it he finished just behind Nell McAndrew! Nice run Andy, first marathon, cracking time. Congratulations to Yvonne who was the first (and only) Wilmslow lady home in a sub 5 hour time – maybe that will inspire a few more to pick up the baton for next year.

Finally on the train home after a swift Guinness and munching my way through the contents of the goody bag, I had time to reflect on what had happened. I set out with two goals, first to set a PB and second to enjoy the race. The months of training, all those sessions running through the airport tunnels and long Sunday runs to Macc and back, the friendly advice of many club members and all those carbo’s consumed allowed me to achieve both. In the end, it’s true what they say that you reap from what you sow.

Results:
Andy Watts 3:10:16 2010th
Steve Smith 3:11:50 2157th
Steve Russell 3:14:16 2457th
Andy Penney 3:18:01 2830th
Yvonne Brown 4:45:10 24436th

Steve Smith

Fobbed Off

Keen readers of the newsletter will recall Stephen Feber’s (he re-appeared for training on Tuesday) piece about Professor Rob Coombs inability to come to terms with the technology of the gate between Styal Mill and Norcliffe Chapel. Simon Fenton has also had problems there. Having joined a breakaway group taking the (shorter) top path from the club he was left behind by the rest of his ‘friends’.

The main Sunday group found Simon alone, meandering aimlessly in the field next to the gate. Apparently he runs with the key to his precious hairdresser’s car in hand. As, in haste, he closed the gate in pursuit of his ‘friends’ the key took flight. Ten minutes of random searching by ten athletes failed to find the fob. Professor Coombs then organised a systematic combing of the area but without success. Lawyer Rob Dunkley, who by now had almost recovered from running up the Mill hill, then staged a re-enactment using a stone as the substitute for the fob. This was partly successful as we managed to find the stone, but sadly not the fob.

Simon returned to the search on Sunday afternoon and Tony allowed an interruption of the following Tuesday’s training but to no avail.

Headline courtesy of Pete Nelson.

Fixtures - List at May

Thu. May 27 Lyme Park Orienteering , 6:45pm.
Fri. May 28 Dunham Massey 5k, 7:15pm

Thu. June 3 Tittesworth , 7:30pm
Thu. June 10 Bowden 5k, 7:15pm
Thu. June 24 Warrington 10k
Thu. July 8 Stanley Arms
Thu. July 15 Sale 5k, Wythenshawe Park, 7:15

Sun. July 11 Blackpool 10k
Thu. July 29 Shuttlingsloe, 7:30pm

Thu. Aug 12 Rudyard Lake, 7:15pm
Sun. Aug 22 Birchwood 10k

Sun Sept 12 Gawsworth 10k+
Sun Sept 19 Meerbrook 15k road race

Sun. Oct 3 Macclesfield Half
Sun. Oct 17 Chester Zoo 10k

Sat. Nov 6 Langley 7

Races in bold form part of Club Summer Series, best four positions to count.
Tony

Mike Halman - May

Mike Halman finished 3rd. in the Y.M.C.A. 5 mile on Saturday April 24th . Won the Whitley 10k the following day and then was first Wilmslow runner in the Christleton 5k in a new club 5k record.

Cheshire Grand Prix

· Wilmslow Men lead the Grand Prix after five of the eight events. 1st. at Helsby, 3rd. at Alsager, 1st. at Wilmslow, Chester and Christleton
· The Ladies are also in first place; 2nd. at Helsby, 2nd. at Alsager, 1st. at Wilmslow and Chester and 2nd. at Christleton.

Christleton 5k

· Mike Halman was first Wilmslow runner in a new club 5k record.
· Kate Ayres was first lady.
· The Men were first in the Cheshire Grand Prix; Tom, Nick, Stuart Parrott, Ray and Mick were our other counters.
· The strength in depth and improvement in Group 1 and 2 was again underlined with Ian Smallwood, Tony and Gavin Mendham outside the places.
· The Ladies finished second the other counters being Jane, Kate Sutton and Amanda.
· Angela and Leanne completed the Ladies team.

Chester Spring 5

Upton, Tuesday 6th. April
9oC

· Darren Dunn was first Wilmslow runner home.
· Mike Halman (6sec.) and Tom McGaff (11sec.) were just behind Darren.
· Nick Bishop was a mere 31 secs. further back.
· Kate Ayres was first Wilmslow lady.
· PBs by Amanda Hynes, Leanne Ayres, Angela Lee, Sally Maddock, Jane Clarke, Mike Halman and Ian Ashcroft.
· The Chester Five was the fourth race in the Cheshire Grand Prix.
· Wilmslow Men scored another first; Jim Pendrill and Ray Noble were our 5th. and 6th. counters
· Wilmslow’s strength in depth was emphasised by Graham Taylor, Mick Fairs and Tony Hulme taking their places amongst the ‘also rans’.
· The Ladies were also first; Jane Clarke, Kate Sutton, and Amanda Hynes were the three other counters.

13 Darren Dunn 27:19
16 Mike Halman 27:25
18 Tom McGaff 27:30
26 Nick Bishop 28:01
38 Jim Pendrill 29:00
54 Ray Noble 29:42
61 Graham Taylor 29:58
86 Mick Fairs 30:41
91 Tony Hulme 31:09
133 Kate Ayres 33:12
157 Jane Clarke 34:05
180 Ian Ashcroft 34:54
227 Kate Sutton 37:04
241 Amanda Hynes 37:55
249 Leanne Ayres 38:29
262 Angela Lee 39:38
266 Sally Maddock 39:50
267 Trevor Faulkner 39:52
294 Ron Reed 42;28
310 Ken Smart 44:33
340 finishers

Tom 3rd V45, Mick Fairs 1st V55, Tony 3rd V55, Kate Ayres 1st L40, Jane Clarke 3rd L35, Leanne Ayres 3rd L<20, Trevor 1st V60, Ron 2nd V70.
Results couretsey of Trevor.

Newsletters Jan-May 2004

Copies of our Newsletters from January to May 2004 are available here. (Note - the 'Word' versions (.Doc) are generally smaller and quicker to down-load than the 'pdf' versions, if you use Microsoft Word).

May 2004 Word pdf
April 2004 Word (can't seem to convert this to pdf - sorry!)
February 2004 Word pdf
January 2004 Word pdf