Wednesday 24 October 2007

Brrrr

The nights - and mornings - are certainly a tad chillier than a few weeks ago. Perfect weather, of course, for those brisk, bracing training runs.

Thoughts at this time of year also turn to Spring, with many people gearing up their training with a view to taking part in the London Marathon in April. The last date for entries has now passed and it's a tense wait for the results of that ballot. If London isn't for you then Paris is another option - and in a shameless plug, there will be a trip going to the French capital from East Sussex and you can find out more here. If Paris is for you then you need to hurry because the event is likley to be full within the next couple of weeks.

The weekend just gone saw a solitary Waddie take part in the Maidstone Half Marathon. Peter Burfoot made up for a lack of Waddie quantity with a run of real Waddie quality - finishing the challenging race in 1.37.07.

A little further afield, Cathy Burke had a great run in the Amsterdam Half Marathon, finishing in 2.01.24.

Don't forget there are two great events in Sussex this weekend with the (in)famous Beachy Head Marathon on Saturday and then, on Sunday, a return to Grand Prix fixtures with the Barns Green Half Marathon.

Wednesday 17 October 2007

Waddies in trophy-fest!!

A good turnout of Waddies on Sunday for the Beckley 10K - and my, didn't we do well?

Mike Pain was top of the tree in this challenging race, finishing a magnificent 6th in a time of 40.03 - a time good enough to secure the Male Vet 1 prize. There were also category wins for Albert Kemp, Sam Craven and Lynn Hayes, with Lynn also finishing 3rd overall.

Honourable mentions go to Peter Burfoot and Barry Gilbert who both finished 2nd in their vet categories. Sam Craven also picked up a trophy for 1st local lady home - with Nyree securing a half share, with hubbie Peter, of the 1st Hubbie and Wife.

Full results from Wadhurst participants:

6th 40.03 Mike Pain
22nd 43:41 Peter Burfoot
38th 46:12 Lynn Hayes
48th 48:08 Shane Last
53rd 48:37 Albert Kemp
61st 50:34 Sam Craven
62nd 50:34 Nyree Thomson
75th 51:55 Barry Gilbert
179th 1:09:05 Janet Drake


Thursday 11 October 2007

So now we know ...

Not sure if you saw the story in the newspapers today about trainers.

Apparently experts have now confirmed that there's no difference between the shoes that cost £40-£45 and those that cost £75-£80. The inference is that the higher priced shoes are over=priced and that you pay for the brand rather than anything practical.

Blimee - the next thing we know, scientists will tell us how they believe that bears poo in the woods.

Green Flash anybody?

Don't forget the Beckley 10K this Sunday - free beer, fruit and cakes for all finishers. And you're OK to run it in pumps.

Tuesday 9 October 2007

My, how busy we've been

WebEd has been extremely busy running his global empire over the last three weeks - so here's a series of updates on what's been happening at the club and beyond, togther with some important news on forthcoming events.

There's also an update on forthcoming events and an update of the Sussex Grand Prix standings.

Grand prix Update

As the Men lose their number 1 spot in the league tables, the Ladies step up to the plate and ensure that the club remain in 3rd place overall.

Just a few races remain in this year's competition - so do try and make your points count.

Coming up soon:

Barns Green Half - October 28th
Phoenix Road Races - November 11th
Brighton 10K - November 18th
Crowborough 10K - December 2nd

Christmas Party

Just a reminder that the Christmas Party has been booked at the Grey Lady in Tunbridge Wells for Friday Decmber 7th. The cost is £30 per head to include a three course meal, music and dancing.

Please can you confirm to Cathy (cathy@nice-work.org.uk) whether or not you wish to attend as soon as possible as numbers need to be confirmed within the next couple of weeks. We are currently holding thirty places but this can be increased if demand is higher. A menu is attached and Cathy would be grateful if you could let her know your preferred choice at the same time.

Lewes Downland 10 and 5, Ashford 10K

It was back to Grand prix action on Sunday with the running of the Lewes Downland 10, supported by a five mile race.

Another fine perfromance from Mike Pain saw him make the top 30.

Full results:

27th 1:08:41 PAIN, Michael
73th 1:17:02 NEWBERRY, Daniel
120th 1:24:11 HAYES, Linda
122nd 1:24:21 KEMP, Albert
187th 1:37:19 GATES, Anthony
200th 1:43:32 JONES, David
211th 1:47:33 BURKE, Catherine
217th 1:50:06 PETROVIC, Charlotte
224th 1:59:38 DRAKE, Janet

Hannah Bates finished 23rd in the 5 mile race in a time of 36.52.

Peter Burfoot and Martin Burke flew the Wadhurst flag in Kent, taking part in the Ashford 10K. Peter finishing 76th out of a field of 700 plus in a time of 42.15 - just a few seconds off his personal best. Martin ran 59.24.

Berlin Marathon

Peter Burfoot continued his globetrotting with his Wadhurst vest when he took part in the Berlin Marathon a couple of weeks ago.

Here's his report:

"I had a great time, with the Express by Holiday Inn in the Stresemannstrasse serving us well. It was within walking distance of the start and about 10 mins walk from 2 Underground stations and 3 mins from the bus stop and S Bahn.

The weekend started off with the Expo at the Berlin Trade Fair where you attend to registration. The expo is a lot bigger than London but has a slighly different emphasis as manufacturers stands mix with those for sports retailers and the organisers of countless other marathons. Also it caters for the in-line skaters whose marathon takes place on the Saturday.

On the Saturday morning we went on the traditional Breakfast Run, a slow jog from the Charlottenburg Palace. As you line up (assuming that you do not arrive as they are already setting off) there is time to marvel at the nearby palace. You run slowly to the Olmpic Stadium where you finish on the track inside the stadium. As you leave up the steps you instantly recognise the Arena where Hitler gave his famous rousing speech.

The Marathon started off at 9.00 am, with my body clock still on 8.00am and ahead of me lay a flat course around the whole of Berlin taking in the sights from East and West.

The following are some statistics from my run:-

Overall position: 5,563 out of 32,533 Finishers
Male position: 5,283 out of 26,034 Male Finishers
Class Rank 401 out of 2,817
Timing ... 3:28:53

At 8.00 pm there was a free party for participants in the FritzClub am Postbahnhof and at 11.00pm the winners of the race were presented on stage. A video was shown of the race and the warehouse type rock venue reverberated to the sounds while the runners danced the night away."


Peter proudly displays his Berlin medal in front of his unlocked cell door.

Confirmation of the new world record set by Haille Gebrselassie. Mind you, according to the sign in the car window, is there a chance that his performance was wind assisted?

Route du Vin, Luxembourg

For the second year there was a wadhurst Runners presence in this prestigious half marathon run along the banks of the Moselle on the Luxembourg/German border.

On a blistering hot day, the 30 or so Kenyans were obviously a tad more comfortable than a couple of pale sun-starved Waddies. The winner trotting round in an astonishing 1 hour and 10 seconds!! For anybody looking for a half marathon pb though, this is a must-do race with a flat out and back course along the river through the picturesque valley. No medal for finishers - but a bottle of the local Cremant wine somehow made up for it!

Cathy Burke finished the course in 2.10.00; Martin took his time to enjoy the views and finished in 2.23.00.


The Only opportunity for WebEd to secure a podium finish!

Bexhill 10K

The third race in the Bexhill Three Little Pigs series was a 10K along the seafront and Mike Pain once again led the small Waddies contingent home in 39.21.

The full results for Waddies:

15th Mike Pain 39:21
47th Albert Kemp 45:17
194th Maria Parkinson 1:06:02

The Firle Beacon 20k Trail Run

A report from Peter Burfoot on the Firle Beacon 20K Trail Run:

"The Firle Beacon 20k Trail Run was the most enjoyable race I have had for a long time. The race started at Firle Place and soon found a track, the old coach road, at the foot of the Downs towards Alfriston. We then turned right and wound our way up a very steep hill, where I was more concerned about being hit by debris from the neighbouring clay pigeon shoot than the hill which was getting progessively steeper. Although only just over 7km into the race at this point I passed one lady runner who was already walking. When we reached the top there was a right turn and we still had a way to climb, but at a more gentle gradient, following, in reverse direction, the route of the Seaford Half Marathon. On this stretch I was overtaken by two runners before we went over the top of Bostal Hill at around 180m, and reached the 1st drinks station at 10km.

There followed a further climb to Firle Beacon, the highest point at 217m, with views over Newhaven Harbour on one side and over towards the High Weald on the other. The undulating pattern continued along the top along with a stiff breeze, heading at an angle, which kept me cool.

After the 13k drinks station I sped up and took the first of the 2 overtakers with ease. The next was 100m or so ahead and I had him in my sights.

At Red Lion Pond we turned round a marshall and with the wind behind and starting to heat up, I slowed slightly on the uphill gradient as I met the runners heading towards the turn point, but I was on a roll.

I had noticed my next target stopping at the drinks stations when he had his water and was able to reduce his lead as I took my water on the run. By this time I was at the top of the very steep road which runs down from Firle Beacon to Firle.

I nailed the downhill section and closed on and overtook my last target, just over 1km from the end, and made it stick.

I was very pleased with the race and result."

Peter finished 9th in a time of 1.41.08.

Rye Summer Classic

The final of the three race Rye Summer Classic Series was held on Friday 14th September and we managed three waddies in the top 30. So congratulations to Michael Pain, David Burfoot (both recording sub 20 minute runs) and Peter Burfoot for cracking performances.

The race was notable for a stunning run bu Tom Owens from Halesowen whose 14.58 winning time knocked almost three minutes of the course record and whose time was one of the top 30 times recorded at the distance anywhere in the country this year.

Albert Kemp won the Male Vet 5 prize and Lynn Hayes won the Lady Vet 3 trophy. Both Mike Pain and Janet Drake finished second in their age categories.

The full results were:

13th Michael Pain 18:48
20th David Burfoot 19:27
29th Peter Burfoot 20:12
41st Lynn Hayes 21:25
52nd Albert Kemp 23:17
64th Andrew Pain 24:05
106th Janet Drake 29:07
107th Shane Last 29:29

Hove Prom 5

Another great turnout at the Hove Prom on 16th September saw seven Waddies register points - the results were:

111 Shane Last 38.41
119 Tony Gates 39.08
121 Helen Heary 39.17
132 Dave Jones 41.12
151 Bonita Backhouse 43.21
160 Cathy Burke 45.05
174 Janet Drake 50.43

Well done to all concerned!