All posts by Arthur Renshaw

Members, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C 28/02/22  

Thursday Club Night Leaders

  • 7 min – tba
  • 8 min – Kevin Wood
  • 9 min – Hugh McPherson
  • 10 min – Steve Dimond
  • 12 min(5k) – Jim Williams
  • Walking – Val James

Meeting inside TLC @ 18:50 for brief announcements or straight to the car park for runs starting at 19:00. Tea, squash, water & biscuits available after the run in the ‘Fitness Studio’, located downstairs under the spin studio for those who are prepared to be on the Tea Rota.

Tea Rota on a Thursday

  • 3rd March : Chris Foley
  • 10th March : Jo Emerson
  • 17th March : Roger Glew
  • 24th March : Hugh McPherson

******************************************************

  1. Diary Dates
  • March 5th – Glos League XC round 3 – Old Down Country Park.
  • March 6th – Swimarathon (spaces still available – see Arthur Renshaw)
  • March 12th – parkrun of Month – Rogiet
  • March 27th – Mob match v Bitton  4.5 miles (see below)
  • March 30th – Introduction Course for new runners week 1
  • March 31st  â€“ TRC AGM 20:30 Fitness Studio in TLC
  • March – Membership Renewal prior to April 1st
  • April 5th – EA Run & Coach #3 – Training for a 5k pb (more info soon)
  • April 7th – Run & Rehydrate #1 – Thornbury Cricket Club (see below)
  • May 8th – Coaching with Shane Benzie
  • May 20th – TRC Annual Party & Awards Night (tickets available next week)
  • May 22nd – Sunday 09.00 Tester for the new ‘Thornbury 10k’ (members only)
  • July 2nd – Cotswold Way Relay (details to follow soon)
  • July 14th – TRCs very own ‘Thornbury 10k’ (time to marshal)
  • Aug 11th – Mob Match vs Chepstow
2.    How To Get Running, Improve Performance and Stay Injury Free

Friday 18th February 19.00- 21.00. Free event with Thornbury Clinic at the Leisure Centre. Sign up for free here..  https://tinyurl.com/yanw4evb

  1. Swimarathon – Sunday 6th March 17.15

Fairly desperate to get another 10 people to join in next Sunday – We usually have 3 teams of 6 but so far we only have 8 people signed up! Please let me know if you would like to join in – Arthur Renshaw 07810 30025

  1. Call for Club Charity Nominations 2022-23

Each year Thornbury Running Club adopts a charity to support and part of the monies made from the club’s three events is donated to this charity. We ask members to please nominate a charity they would like the club to support for 2022-23. If you wish to nominate a charity please submit details here -> Nomination  by 11th March. A list of nominated charities will then we sent out for everyone to vote. The winning charity will be announced at the AGM.

  1. TRC Annual Party & Awards Night – May 20th Thornbury Golf Club

Come along for an evening of celebration, laughter, dancing and yummy food! Tickets for the evening are at the subsidised price of £16 per person for both Club members and guests. We cannot wait to see you all there. Ticket price includes: your first drink, sumptuous BBQ, Celebration cake and a disco. Purchase ticket/s for yourself and guest here: Annual Party & Awards Night Payments should be made directly to the club bank account.  If you have any questions please email: thornburyrc@yahoo.com

  1. Club AGM

The Club AGM is on Thursday 31st March 20:30 in the Fitness Studio Thornbury Leisure Centre. If you have any items you would like to raise please send to secretary@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk If you would like to volunteer to be on the committee please send your name to chairman@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk by 28th March and any questions to captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1. Unique Coaching Opportunity – Sunday 8th May 10:00 – 17:00

I have arranged a unique opportunity to be coached by one of the UK’s leading athletics coaches, Shane Benzie, and author of ‘The Lost Art of Running’. Shane is described as a running-technique-analyst coach and movement guru. To find out more about Shane visit www.runningreborn.com This is a whole days coaching for just 20 people and will consist of video analysis and group discussion on specific aspects of movement. Everyone takes away a copy of their video and a personal action plan. There is then a follow up webinar, about 30 days later, to review outcomes. The Club is heavily subsidising this event, as an investment in building the Club, and the cost is just £50 per person. If you would like to attend please sign up here -> Coaching Opportunity and please read the instructions in the link. If you have any questions please contact captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1. Membership Renewal 2022-23

We will be asking you very soon to please renew your Club membership, as the Club year ends 31st March. The great news is, once again, there is no increase in membership fees for 2022-23. The membership fees are outstanding value, about 50p per week for over 100 sessions a year, plus EA subsidy, XC subsidy, Run & Rehydrate drinks, Party, Xmas chilli, CWR etc. To renew the Club’s EA affiliation the committee are being asked to complete a questionnaire about codes of conduct, inclusivity, health & safety, privacy etc. As a result we have updated our T&Cs and we need you to complete a membership application to accept these T&C please. We will sent out the link asap and we would appreciate prompt payment please, especially for those wishing to have individual EA membership subsidy, as we need to inform and pay EA.

  1. Return to the Track – Tuesday 8th March

I am delighted to say the Club’s Tuesday coaching session will be returning to WISE track (Filton) from March 8th.We will meet there twice per month on 2nd & 4th Tuesday from 7:30pm – 8:30 pm (if there are 5 Tuesdays in a month we will still only meet twice). Both Aztec & TLC groups will share the track (along with UWE) and work as two sub-groups. Anyone wishing to move between groups can then do it easily. The even better news is that the club is funding this 100%. The only payment will be car parking. I am also working on a plan to get parking passes, more about that later. Please look out for announcements in the Aztec and TLC WhatsApp coaching groups. If you are not in these groups and wish to be added please contact captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1. parkrun of Month March – 12th March                                                                                                      

Fantastic turnout at the Feb parkrun of the month. 19 of the 65 runners were from TRC and 8 of the top 10! Proposing Rogiet parkrun for March 12th, to avoid XC. Rogiet is about 19 miles from TLC or 30 mins drive https://www.parkrun.org.uk/rogiet/

  1. Mob Match – Sunday March 27th

Terrific! 35 people now signed up, be great to get to 40+. Match starts and finishes at Bitton Railway Station and the route is along the cycle path, distance 4.5 miles. Starting at 18:00 (to avoid too many cyclists) on Sunday 27th March. Please sign up now -> Put me on the team The match is chip timed, the club is covering the cost of your chip. Everyone who takes part scores points for the team, so the more runners we have the more points we score. Bitton are making this a family friendly social event with food afterwards and rumours of an ice cream van. Please sign up, thank you.

  1. EA Run & Coach #3 – Training for a 5K PB 5th April

Our third EA Run & Coach session with Kerry Newell, ‘Training for a 5K PB’, is on Tuesday 5th April at Chantry Playing Fields, Thornbury. There are a 5 steps. Step #1 – Use the April parkrun of the month (2nd April at Chipping Sodbury) to set a current benchmark time. Step #2 – Set yourself a goal e.g. reduce by X seconds or minutes; get to a target time; get to a % age adjusted. Step #3 – attend the session on 5th April and build a plan. Step #4 – 8 week plan to progress to your target. Step #5 – rerun the parkrun and enjoy the result!

  1. Run & Rehydrate #1 – April 7th

First ‘Run & Rehydrate’ of 2022 on April 7th from Thornbury Cricket Club (top of Thornbury hill). A chance to welcome in the new club year. Normal groups runs followed by drinks. First drinks are paid for by the club. We will also be presenting our Club charity, Made a Mark, with a cheque for £1,200 from Riverbank Rollick. For anyone driving there is additional parking behind The Ship

  1. March 5th – Glos league XC round 3 – Old Down 5th March

Last round of the league is a local event at Old Down on Saturday 5th March. Entries close 3 days before the race. https://www.entrycentral.com/glosleague3 If you are not running you might like to support the club runners.

  1. Graphic Designer?

Is anyone in the club a Graphic Designer or has a partner who is? I am in need of some help please on a small club related project. If you are able to help please contact captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

16.   Club Nights – Last Updated 25/02/22
The government is removing remaining domestic restrictions in England. There are still steps you can take to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus. We would ask you please to not attend club session if you have any COVID symptoms. For the latest list of COVID symptoms:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms

27/02/22

Members, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C 21/02/22

Thursday Club Night Leaders

  •  7 min – Mark West
  • 8 min – Hannah Hamilton
  • 9 min – tba
  • 10 min – Emma Pritchard
  • 12 min(5k) – Carol Mosses
  • Walking – Val James

Meeting inside TLC at 18:50 for brief announcements or straight to the car park for runs starting at 19:00. Tea & squash available after the run in the large room downstairs under the spin studio for those who are prepared to be on the tea rota.

Tea Rota on a Thursday

  • 24th Feb : Mark Windeatt
  • 3rd Mar : Chris Foley
  • 10th Mar : Jo Emerson
  • 17th Mar : Roger Glew

******************************************************

  1. Diary Dates
  • Feb 27th – Pete Mainstone Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k
  • March 5th – Glos League XC round 3 – Old Down Country Park.
  • March 6th – Swimarathon (spaces still available – see Arthur Renshaw)
  • March 12th – parkrun of the month – Rogiet (over the Bridge in Wales)
  • March tbc  â€“ TRC AGM
  • March 27th – Mob match v Bitton  4.5 miles (see below)
  • March 30th – Introduction Course for New Runners week 1
  • March – Membership Renewal prior to April 1st
  • April 5th – EA Run & Coach #3 – Training for a 5k pb (more info soon)
  • April 7th – Run & Rehydrate #1 – Thornbury Cricket Club (see below)
  • May 20th â€“ TRC Annual Party & Awards Night (tickets available from end of Feb)
  • June tbc – Sunday 09.00 Tester for the new ‘Thornbury 10k’ (members only)
  • July 14th – TRCs very own ‘Thornbury 10k’ (time to marshal)
  • July 2nd – Cotswold Way Relay (details to follow soon)
2.    How To Get Running, Improve Performance and Stay Injury Free

Friday 18th March 19.00- 21.00. Free event with Thornbury Clinic at the Leisure Centre. (wrong date in last week’s bulletin!)   Sign up for free here..  https://tinyurl.com/yanw4evb

  1.   parkrun of Month March – 12th March

Fantastic turnout at the Feb parkrun of the month. 19 of the 65 runners were from TRC and 8 of the top 10! Proposing Rogiet parkrun for March 12th, to avoid XC. Rogiet is about 19 miles from TLC or 30 mins drive https://www.parkrun.org.uk/rogiet/

  1.   March 5th – Glos league XC round 3 – Old Down 5th March

Last round of the league is a local event at Old Down on Saturday 5th March. Entries close 3 days before the race. https://www.entrycentral.com/glosleague3 If you are not running you might like to support the club runners.

  1.   Swimarathon – Sunday March 6th

To field our usual three teams of 6 we still need 10 more Members to put their names forward. Send your name to Arthur Renshaw  chairman@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1.   Mob Match – Sunday March 27th

Great start with 27 people already signed up, be great to get to 40+. Match starts and finishes at Bitton Railway Station and the route is along the cycle path, distance 4.5 miles. Starting at 18:00 (to avoid too many cyclists) on Sunday 27th March. Please sign up now -> Put me on the team The match is chip timed, the club is covering the cost of your chip. Everyone who takes part scores points for the team, so the more runners we have the more points we score. Bitton are making this a family friendly social event with food afterwards and rumours of an ice cream van. Please sign up, thank you.

  1.   EA Run & Coach #3 – Training for a 5K PB 5th April

Our third EA Run & Coach session with Kerry Newell, entitled ‘Training for a 5K PB’, is on Tuesday 5th April. More details about the session to follow soon.

  1.   Run & Rehydrate #1 – April 7th

First ‘Run & Rehydrate’ of 2022 on April 7th from Thornbury Cricket Club (top of Thornbury hill). A chance to welcome in the new club year. Normal groups runs followed by drinks. First drinks are paid for by the club. We will also be presenting our Club charity, Made a Mark, with a cheque for £1,200 from Riverbank Rollick. For anyone driving there is additional parking behind The Ship

  1.   Ultra Ultra!

Inspired by the Barkley Marathons in the US, see the excellent documentary on Amazon Prime, Gloucester is set to have its own Berkeley Marathons https://www.theberkeleymarathons.co.uk/ Paul who is organising it is a keen Riverbank Rollick runner and member of Dursley. He is offering 10% to local club members off the £95 entry fee (given as a refund). Entries are limited to 65 and Paul would like to see local club runners taking part. The cut off is 24 hours so you don’t need to run all 5 marathons! Think I might just spectate this one! Event launch video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASFFwvTE_lQ

  1.   Free 19th March? – Free Place + Free T-shirt

Anyone able to help marshal at the 20 & Half Fission event on 19th March? https://runabc.co.uk/berkeley-2020 They are offering a free place for the Severn Bridge 10k or Half marathon, or two freebies for their other races, as well as an event t-shirt. Contact rogueruns.volunteers@gmail.com

  1.  Graphic Designer?

Is anyone in the club a Graphic Designer or has a partner who is? I am in need of some help please on a small club related project. If you are able to help please contact captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1.  Carole Bishop

It is with sadness that we have to announce that long time TRC Member Carole Bishop passed away peacefully early today after a long illness. Carole was 78 and she had many years successfully competing in races at all distances including her favourite the Beachy Head Marathon. Carole was still running sub 60 min 10k’s well into her sixties. On behalf of all TRC Members who remember Carole we send our condolences to her husband Graham.

  1.   Club Nights – Last Updated 04/01/22

Please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms If you have tested positive for COVID please follow Government guidelines regarding isolation and do not attend the Club. Once your isolation period is completed we would kindly ask you to take a lateral flow test which returns a negative result before attending Club.

20/2/22

Cross Country, Members, Results

Cross-Country, Dursley Dozen and parkrun round-up.

Surprisingly there are very few Hallmark Valentine’s Day cards featuring two sweaty runners adorned in lycra locking eyes across a Parkrun start line.   “Your pace, or mine?”

Yet something was obviously in the air at the Mundys to encourage such a wonderful turnout from TRC for our ‘parkrun of the month’.    Maybe it was the thought of the pink-frosted heart-shaped treats that made a welcome refuelling alternative to the medjool dates?  

Yet again the Duracell Bunny in human form, Ben Bohane, was first across the line in a time of 19:43, now taking him above Nick Williams as the runner with the most first finishes at this race.  I ask again: does Ben ever have a bad run?    (Spoiler alert, possibly in Dursley).   It then got a bit ridiculous, as TRC runners filled almost all the rest of the top 10 male finishers, with Asten Haynes, Nathan Darkin, Alan Gatling, Paul Thomas, Sean Leadbetter, Tom Usherwood and Andrew Darton following Ben home. (Not literally).   Julia Jolley was the first Thornbury woman runner, and a very impressive third overall.   Catherine Dack was sixth overall, and ran a new course PB in 27:53.   To do so in this weather, and underfoot conditions, is a sign of significant improvement.

Highlights from the previous two weeks’ parkruns included:  Ben Bohane winning both Thornbury on the 29th January, and then Berkeley Green the following Saturday.   TRC’s London Marathon record holder, and late 90s Milk Tray Man, George Evans, continued to impress with a brilliant new Mundy’s PB of 19:38.   At Chipping Sodbury on the 29th, Taryn Roberts was fourth woman in 20:44, and James Harrod fourth male in 16:34.    On the 5th Feb, Clare Watt was, yet again, first woman at Thornbury.   TRC’s growing strength in depth amongst the male team was reinforced by top 10 finishes at the same event for Adam Frontczak, Jonathan Hall, Moray Sloan, Tom Usherwood and Henry Orna.

Feb 13th was the second round of the Gloucestershire Cross Country league.   Sadly the team was significantly weaker than usual, with the clash with the Dursley Dozen, and a few Covid absences, meaning we didn’t really have a chance of recording a meaningful score as a team.   It was a foul day in Cheltenham, with 25mph winds and incessant rain.  By the time the men ran at the end of the day the entire course had a slippery sheen of mud.

James Harrod was the outstanding male runner of the day.   He ended up running almost the entire race on his own, not quite able to bridge the gap to two runners ahead of him, but still strong enough to hold off the runners behind.   He finished in 9th place, in 38:19, although on this occasion he had to cede the U20 race to a very talented junior from Birchfield Harriers who was 13 seconds ahead of him.    Andy Wilson is moving up the ranks in these races, and now pacing his efforts to perfection.   He was an excellent 41st place in 41:46

George Evans is also improving with each cross country race, after his stunning season on the roads.   He was 65th in 44:25.  Jim Godden was next in 45:53, and he managed to secure a top 5 age-category position.   Henry Orna was 85th in 47:04.

Sadly our ladies’ team was even more depleted than the men’s.  However we were encouraged to see 17 year old Laura Evans, daughter of George, make her debut.  In what was a very tough event, and far further than any school race she’d run, Laura came a magnificent 9th in her age category, and finished in 38:25.   She is fortunate to have inherited her father’s exceptional athletic abilities, and even more fortunate that she got her beauty and brains from her mother!   (Sorry George, couldn’t resist that one!)

However, first woman home for Thornbury was Laura Orna.   She ran a very impressive 34:16, to be 8th in category and just inside the top 50 overall.   Carol Mosses also demonstrated her improving form, and was delighted to finish well inside the hour mark.

Finally, Sunday also saw the Dursley Dozen, and the atrocious weather conditions made what is already a brutal race into a real test of mental and physical endurance.   So huge congratulations to all the TRC runners who took part, and especially so to those who got to place a sodden trail shoe on their respective podiums.   Or should that be podia?

Taryn Roberts recorded a brilliant fourth place overall, and completed the gruelling 12 miles in 1 hr and 49 minutes.    Anything under two hours on that route is very impressive.   Hannah Hamilton was not far off that mark, and came 13th overall in 2hrs and 4 minutes.    Clare Watt was third TRC woman, in 2hrs 11 mins, and was 2nd in her age category.   Emma Barnes (2hrs 27) and Sarah Newnes (2hrs and 32 min) completed the line up.

The Hobbs family are running royalty in these parts, with all three adult children competing at a high level in distance running and triathlons.   Yet their dad Dave is also an incredible runner, and seems to thrive on the trails in particular.   Dave was first TRC runner home, in 1hr 39 mins, 10th overall, and the clear winner in his age category.  Performance of the week I would suggest!

You know you’ve run well if you’re ever ahead of Dylan Roberts.   Even if Dave was stronger on the day, Dylan still performed very well, and was 19th overall in 1hr 42 mins.   Ben Bohane was next, and surely the sub-20 parkrun the day before explains the slightly slower time of 1hr 47.   Peter Cable ran 1hr 53; Ian Evans 2hrs 5mins and Garry Slater 2hrs 49mins.

Members, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C 14/02/22

Thursday Club Night Leaders

  • 7 min – Rob Watkins
  • 8 min – Lizzie Williams
  • 9 min – Chris Pritchard
  • 10 min – Ellen Perrett & Arthur Renshaw
  • 12 min(5k) – Kathy Willott
  • Walking – tba

Now meeting inside TLC in the Dance Studio at 18:50, for those who feel comfortable inside, for brief announcements so we can still start the run at 19:00 from the car park. For those not comfortable please continue to meet in the car park for a 19:00 run start. After the run the room will be open and tea & squash will be available again for those who are prepared to be on the tea rota.

Tea Rota on a Thursday

  • 17th Feb : Mark Windeatt
  • 24th Feb : Amel Dobson
  • 3rd Mar : Chris Foley
  • 10th Mar : Jo Emerson

For those doing tea please get there by 18.50 with a litre of milk. Val will have set you up and the urn will be on so you just have to make the tea and squash for the returning runners. While everyone is out please look after the room with any left kit/car keys etc.

******************************************************

  1. Diary Dates
  • Feb 27th – Pete Mainstone Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k
  • March 5th – Glos League XC round 3 – Old Down Country Park.
  • March 6th – Swimarathon (we need 10 more Swimmers – see Arthur Renshaw)
  • March tbc  â€“ TRC AGM
  • March 27th – Mob match v Bitton  4.5 miles (see below)
  • March 30th – Introduction Course for Beginners week 1
  • March – Membership Renewal prior to April 1st
  • April 5th – EA Run & Coach #3 – Training for a 5k pb (more info soon)
  • April 7th – Run & Rehydrate #1 – Thornbury Cricket Club (see below)
  • May 20th â€“ TRC Annual Party & Awards Night (tickets available soon)
  • June tbc – Sunday 09.00 Tester for the new ‘Thornbury 10k’ (members only)
  • July 14th – TRCs very own ‘Thornbury 10k’ (time to marshal)
  • July 2nd – Cotswold Way Relay (details to follow soon)

   2.   How to get running, Improve Performance and stay Injury Free (A free session with Thornbury Clinic open to all)

Friday 18th February 19.00- 21.00. Free event with Thornbury Clinic at the Leisure Centre.

Sign up for free here..  https://tinyurl.com/yanw4evb

  1. Mob Match – Sunday March 27th

Sunday 27th March starting and finishing at Bitton Railway Station at 18:00 (to avoid too many cyclists) and running along the cycle path, distance 4.5 miles Please sign up now -> Put me on the team Chip timed, the club is covering the cost of your chip. Everyone who takes part scores points for the team, so the more runners we have the more points we score. Bitton are making this a family friendly social event with food afterwards and rumours of an ice cream van. Please sign up, thank you.

  1. EA Run & Coach #3 – Training for a 5K PB 5th April

Our third EA Run & Coach session with Kerry Newell is entitled ‘Training for a 5K PB’ is on Tuesday 5th April. More details about the session to follow soon.

  1. Run & Rehydrate #1 – April 7th

Run & Rehydrate of 2022 on April 7th from Thornbury Cricket Club (top of Thornbury hill). A chance to welcome in the new club year! Normal groups Thursday night club run followed by drinks. First drinks are paid for by the club. We will also be presenting our Club charity, Made a Mark, with a cheque for £1,200 from Rollick profits. For anyone driving there is additional parking behind The Ship

  1. Club Snood

Anyone who marshalled the Riverbank Rollick should by now have received their free “thank you” snood. If you have not please see Jo. We have a few left so if you would like to buy a snood they are £1.50 available from Carol kit@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk. 

  1. Congratulations

Congratulation to Hannah Hamilton who has just passed her EA Coaching Qualification. Well done Hannah!

  1. Mainstone Challenge – 27th February

ONLY ONE events to go in the 2021-22 Pete Mainstone Challenge 27th February – Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k (Pete’s personal pick!). Challenge positions along with full results can be found:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/results-2021/

  1. Club Nights – Last Updated 04/01/22

Please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms      If you have tested positive for COVID please follow Government guidelines regarding isolation and do not attend the Club. Once your isolation period is completed we would kindly ask you to take a lateral flow test which returns a negative result before attending Club. Thank you.

13/02/22

Events, Members, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C 06/02/22  

Thursday Club Night Leaders

  • 7 min – Nick Williams
  • 8 min – Kevin Cundy
  • 9 min – Jeremy Clothier
  • 10 min – Steve Dimond
  • 12 min(5k) – Amel Dobson
  • Walking – tba

From next Thursday 10th February, for those who feel comfortable, we will start meeting inside again in the Dance Studio in the Leisure Centre at 18.50 for any brief announcements then outside in the car park for a 19.00 run start. After the run the room will be open and tea & squash will be available again for those who are prepared to be on the tea rota. If you don’t want to go inside the Leisure Centre and are not interested in tea then carry-on meeting in the car park for 19.00 run start.

  • Thursday 10th Feb Tea Rota: Helen Renshaw

******************************************************

  1. Diary Dates
  • Feb 12th – ‘parkrun of the Month’ at Thornbury
  • Feb 13th –  Glos League XC round 2 – Pittville Park, Cheltenham (no entries on the day)
  • Feb 21st – TRC Committee Meeting
  • Feb 27th – Pete Mainstone Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k
  • March 5th – Glos League XC round 3 – Old Down Country Park.
  • March 6th – Swimarathon (spaces still available – see Arthur Renshaw)
  • March tbc  â€“ TRC AGM
  • March 27th – Mob match v Bitton  4.5 miles (see below)
  • March – Membership Renewal prior to April 1st
  • April 5th – EA Run & Coach #3 – Training for a 5k pb (more info soon)
  • April 7th – Run & Rehydrate #1 – Thornbury Cricket Club (see below)
  • May 20th â€“ TRC Annual Party & Awards Night
  • June tbc – Sunday am Tester for the new ‘Thornbury 10k’ (members only)
  • July 14th – TRCs very own ‘Thornbury 10k’ (time to marshal)
  • July 2nd – Cotswold Way Relay (details to follow soon)
  1. Mob Match – Sunday March 27th

It’s now time for call to arms for the mob match! Everyone who takes part scores points for the team and points mean prizes. So, the more runners we have the more points we score. We narrowly lost to Chepstow last time and 2 more runners would have made a huge difference. Walkers are welcome, as they will score points too. The route is now approx. 4.5 miles along the Bitton to Bath cycle path and will be chip timed. The event is on Sunday 27th March starting at 18:00 (so the cycle path will be quieter). Bitton are making this a family friendly social event with food afterwards and rumours of an ice cream van. As we are using chip timing we need to know who is running to allocate chips. The club is covering the cost of your chip. Please sign up now -> Put me on the team

I will be going on a recce of the route with the Bitton Captain Andy on Sunday 6th Feb at 10:00 if anyone wants to join me.

  1. Beginners Needed

I plan to start the next 9 week beginners course on Wednesday 30th  March at  6:45. If you have any friends, neighbours, relatives or work colleagues you think might like to come along please ask them to e-mail beginners@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1. Run & Rehydrate #1 – April 7th

First Run & Rehydrate of 2022 on April 7th from Thornbury Cricket Club (top of Thornbury hill). A chance to welcome in the new club year! Normal groups Thursday night club run followed by drinks. First drinks are paid for by the club.

  1. Annual Social Event & Awards – May 20th

20th May is the date for the Club’s Annual Party & Awards night at Thornbury Golf Club. We will be giving out a whole host of Club awards that evening. All tickets will be at a subsidised price as we would like everyone and their partners to be there. Please put the date in your diary.

  1. Club VLM Place

All those who entered the London Marathon ballot for 2022 should know their fate in February. If you get rejected don’t give up hope! The club has a VLM place to give to a deserving member. To be considered you need to send a copy of your rejection e-mail/letter to the club secretary secretary@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk within 2 weeks of the date to be considered for the club place. For all the rules and full process please see point 8 ‘Allocation of Club Place in London Marathon’ https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/about/committee-2/constitution/

  1. Mainstone Challenge – 27th February

ONLY ONE events to go in the 2021-22 Pete Mainstone Challenge 27th February – Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k (Pete’s personal pick!). Challenge positions along with full results can be found:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/results-2021/

  1. Club Nights – Last Updated 04/01/22

Please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms   If you have tested positive for COVID please follow Government guidelines regarding isolation and do not attend the Club. Once your isolation period is completed we would kindly ask you to take a lateral flow test which returns a negative result before attending Club.

05/02/22

Events, Members, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C 31/01/22  

Thursday Club Night Leaders

  • 7 min – Jim Godden
  • 8 min – Kevin Wood
  • 9 min – Mike Bennewitz
  • 10 min – Emma Pritchard
  • 12 min(5k) – Jim Wiliams
  • Walking – tba

Note the markings in the upper car park have been refreshed with the Group minutes/mile numbers. Please congregate in your designated areas prior to your Thursday night run. This makes it easier for the Leaders.

******************************************************

  1. Diary Dates
  • Feb 12th – ‘parkrun of the Month’ at Thornbury
  • Feb 13th –  Glos League XC round 2 – Pittville Park, Cheltenham (pre-booked entries only via Entry Central)
  • Feb 27th–Pete Mainstone Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k
  • March 6th – Swimarathon
  • March tbc  â€“ TRC AGM
  • March 27th – Mob match v Bitton
  • March – Membership Renewal prior to April 1st
  • May 20th – TRC Annual Party & Awards Night
  • June tbc (Sunday am) – Tester for the new  ‘Thornbury 10k’ (club members only)
  • July 14th – TRCs very own new ‘Thornbury 10k’ (time to marshal)
  • July 2nd – Cotswold Way Relay (details to follow soon)
  1. Doynton Horrible Hard Half

Paul’s excellent Race Report gave a blow by blow account of the event and I would like to highlight and recognise the enormity of the achievements. TRC had 19 entries and 18 finishers in a field of 418 runners. 11 of the TRC runners finished in the top 10 of their category, 5 of which were in the top 3 – Nick Williams, Sean Leadbeater, Ben Bohane, Rob Watkins & Hannah Hamilton. A superb effort. Bitton will be quaking in their shoes thinking about the mob match on 27th March!

  1. Club VLM Place

All those who entered the London Marathon ballot for 2022 should know their fate in February. If you get rejected don’t give up hope! The club has a VLM place to give to a deserving member. To be considered you need to send a copy of your rejection e-mail/letter to the club secretary secretary@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk within 2 weeks of the date to be considered for the club place. For all the rules and full process please see point 8 ‘Allocation of Club Place in London Marathon’ https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/about/committee-2/constitution/

  1. Return of the Swimarathon  March 6th 17:15-18:15                                

We currently have 6 people signed up  for the Rotary Club Swimathon taking place 6th March 17:15 – 18:15. Preliminary Closing date for Club entries is 30th January please submit your details: https://forms.gle/eFkyoDFL5FWTMt2t5 The event is open to teams of up to 6 people swimming in relay, each able to swim at least 25 metres and who, between them, are able to swim for 55 minutes. This is a sponsored event, for Made a Mark, and we are therefore asking each swimmer to donate £10 each (i.e. £60 per team).

  1. parkrun of Month – 12th February Thornbury

Next parkrun of the month is February 12th at Thornbury is a Valentines Special brought to you by Race Director Ashleigh. Please can you make sure that your parkrun profile includes ‘Thornbury RC’. Without this information Mel [Lloyd] cannot track you for the parkrun awards. Log into www.parkrun.com/signin/ using parkrun ID & password -> Groups -. Add ‘

  1. Annual Social Event & Awards – May 20th

20th May is the date for the Club’s Annual Party & Awards night at Thornbury Golf Club. We will be giving out a whole host of Club awards that evening. All tickets will be at a subsidised price as we would like everyone and their partners to be there. Please put the date in your diary. Thanks

  1. Mainstone Challenge – 27th February

ONLY ONE events to go in the 2021-22 Pete Mainstone Challenge 27th February – Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k (Pete’s personal pick!). Challenge positions along with full results can be found:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/results-2021/

  1. Club Nights – Last Updated 04/01/22

Please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms   If you have tested positive for COVID please follow Government guidelines regarding isolation and do not attend the Club. Once your isolation period is completed we would kindly ask you to take a lateral flow test which returns a negative result before attending Club.

30/01/22

Events, Results, Riverbank Rollick, Thornbury Running Club

The Race Director’s review of the 2022 Riverbank Rollick

After 2021’s ‘virtual Rollick’, Sunday 16th January saw the radiant return of the infamous but highly regarded TRC Riverbank Rollick. For the most sadistic or masochistic amongst us the weather may have been a little too kind on the runners but some good rainfall in the preceding weeks meant that conditions underfoot were still enjoyably challenging. There were a few changes necessitated by covid precautions but even without copious quantities of coffee and cake, the essence of the Rollick was well and truly evident. A fantastic on the day turn out meant we had nearly 300 runners on the start line (and luckily a similar number of finishers) and almost all were applauding our cheerful army of Marshalls and the joy of being back out on the familiar trails. 

Amongst the merry finishers were some impressive TRC racers – all of whom dual hatted and carried out their marshalling or car parking duties before stripping off high vis tabards to emerge as fully fledged athletes just in time for the start.  It was fabulous to see a TRC man in the top 3 with Sean Leadbeater coming in 2nd in a time of 1.07.09. 1st senior lady across the line and 4th overall female was our own Taryn Roberts (1.16.31) , Julia Jolley (1.37.30) was also an impressive 4th in her category and 2nd claim Ali Vaz (1.26.20) was 4th FV40 – many congratulations to all.

As always however, the success of the event lies in the fantastic efforts of the vast army of TRC club members who pulled together once again to ensure the best experience for the participants . Over 90 Marshalls and helpers stood out in the cold to cheer and guide the runners round the course and look after them before and after the trails. Without exception the feedback from the runners was fantastic. I have no idea when our Rollick Marshalls started dressing up but I know it now makes our race one of the most memorable around and Mr Blobby is now as much part of the rollick as the riverbank itself. This year we had even inspired the runners to join in the fun and amongst a variety of outfits we saw our first crocodile and bag of French-fries making it around the course. The cheeriness and humour of the Marshalls was praised by so many on the day and since then in e-mails and postings on more media platforms than I even have access to!

So to all who helped out in any capacity at all a massive thank you – you truly made our first race in over a year a great success, enhancing the reputation of TRC and most importantly leaving 300 runners with big smiles, happy memories and very muddy legs.

Se you next year 🙂

Jo Emerson – Race Director.

Events, January, Members, News, Results, Thornbury Running Club

Doynton ‘Hard’ Half-Marathon race report

Not many people wake up on a Sunday morning in January, see slate-grey skies and frost on the ground, and decide to run a half-marathon through freezing rivers, steep escarpments and rutted farm tracks.

Yet TRC has more than its fair share of committed off-roaders, for whom the Doyton ‘Hard’ half-marathon is an inked-in fixture in the calendar, rather than cruel and unusual punishment to flee from.

Thornbury’s men definitely had the A-team out, and they were rewarded with a quite brilliant team victory, defeating even the mighty Bristol and West on cumulative time.   Nick Williams was the first runner home, in 5th place overall, in a fantastic 1hr 36 mins.  That would be an excellent half-marathon time on the road, so it beggars belief that he could cross that terrain at that pace.

Sean Leadbetter was the next runner home, in sixth place, just two and half minutes behind Nick, in 1hr 38:43.  Bear in mind that this was just seven days after Sean celebrated a magnificent second place in the Riverbank Rollick.   That effort must have told in the final few miles, so to come so close to Nick is a sign of how much Sean is improving as a runner for all terrains.  He must have a fantastic coach – and he does; it’s Nick!

But that is not all.   Just 15 seconds behind Sean, and in 7th place overall, was Ben Bohane.   Ben never seems to have a bad run: from parkruns to marathons he performs with incredible consistency.  His finishing time sealed the team competition.   Ben must have a brilliant coach – and, spoiler alert – it’s also Nick!

However, that is still not all.   Behind our triumphant triumvirate, TRC’s men continued to score highly in the remaining competitions.   Rob Watkins isn’t the sort of guy who turns up for mere parkruns, or those commercial road 10ks where they give you jelly babies en route, and doughnuts at the end.   Rob’s in his element on the slippery scrambles and the sapping silt and sludge, and he reminded us that he remains one of the club’s very best runners, by storming to the finish in 1hr 47mins, 17th overall, and second in his age category.   The male V50 team was completed by Jim Godden (1hr 51) and Paul Thomas (1hr 59) and they too were clear winners in their team category.

Congratulations to the remaining TRC male runners.   It really is a significant achievement to get round that beast of a course, and they did so in some excellent times.   Ian Evans, Chris Foley, Chris Pritchard and Kev Cundy were all within 25 mins of each other, while Hugh McPherson and Arthur Renshaw both managed top-20 finishes in their distinguished age categories.

On balance, TRC’s women have had the better of the men in recent major events, and even though they were behind the men on this occasion, it was only by a fraction.   Our top team of Hannah Hamilton, Jo Plumbley and Melanie Wilson finished second overall in the team competition, losing out to Bitton by less than five minutes.   Had Taryn swapped her camera for her trail shoes I suspect the outcome would have been different!

Hannah was ninth overall, in a time just outside two hours.   It is a fantastic achievement to get in the top 10 in a race of that quality.   Jo and Mel were 20th and 21st respectively (although with much higher placings in age category) and barely 10 mins behind Hannah.  Ros Rowland (2hrs 12), Sarah Newnes in 2 hrs 36, and Sonya Bryson in 2hr 45 were the remaining TRC runners, and they capped off another great overall performance from the team.

Cross country, the Rollick and the Doynton Half have meant fewer TRC runners have turned out for parkruns this month.  However it is worth noting a handful of highlights.

Tom Usherwood has recorded consecutive top-10 finishes at the Thornbury parkrun.   Last Saturday he ran 22:24.  Simon Pinnington has been busy: he won the Wotton parkrun on the 15th January, and was just a second above the 20 min barrier, which is very good for such a muddy, hilly course.   The following week Simon ran at the newest addition to the parkrun roster – the super-fast course on the Weston-super-Mare prom – and finished 9th in 19:05.  Simon is another TRC runner honing in on the ‘national standard’ 80% age-graded score.   On Severn Bridge, Jon Welsh knocked a full 40 seconds off his course PB, and finished in 24:30.

Events, Members, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C 24/01/22  

Thursday Club Night Leaders

  • 7 min – Mark West
  • 8 min – Kevin Wood
  • 9 min – Hugh McPherson
  • 10 min – Emma Pritchard
  • 12 min(5k) – Carol Mosses
  • Walking – tba

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  1. Riverbank Rollick

A big THANK YOU to everyone involved in organising and supporting the Riverbank Rollick. For those not on Facebook or Instagram the feedback has been excellent:

  • “Thank you for such a wonderful route and a fantastically organised event. The marshals were amazing and really supportive, makes all the difference”
  • “Many thanks for the excellent organisation and brilliant marshals”
  • “Great event, fab marshals”
  • “Huge thanks to all involved but especially to the amazing marshals”
  • “.. shout out for the volunteers who are just fab. So full of enthusiasm even for people like me at the back”
  • “Great marshals, Mr Blobby, pirates and even a priest in the graveyard!”
  • “The race organisers gave out beautiful buff instead of a medal. I love it.”

Two links that might interest you:

A special mention to TRC’s own Sean Leadbeater who finished 2nd in 1:07:09, which is sub 7min/mile over a very demanding course. Well done Sean.

The Club’s next event is the ‘Thornbury 10k’ on Thursday evening July 14th. We plan to run a tester for Club members only in June, watch this space.  Ros Rowland is the Race Director for this event and she is looking for people to join her team and help organise. If interested please contact Ros rosinacatering@blueyonder.co.uk

  1. TLC Meeting Room & Tea Rota

A reminder from last week. We have decided to keep the meeting room for before and after the run, but suspend tea for the time being. Hopefully as we move from the Governments plan B to plan A more people will feel comfortable to return to the meeting room. Remember the room is available before the run to keep dry / warm, chat and store stuff. All we ask is that you please be in the car park by 7:00pm ready to run. Check out the spacious room if you have not taken a look already.

  1. Return of the Swimarathon  March 6th 17:15-18:15                                

The Rotary Club Swimarathon which the Club has actively supported for many years is back. The event is open to teams of up to 6 people swimming in relay, each able to swim at least 25 metres and who, between them, are able to swim for 55 minutes. Please note this is a sponsored event and we are therefore asking each swimmer to donate £10 (i.e. £60 per team). So far we have 5 people signed up. This year Rotary are supporting the same charity as the club, Made a Mark. If you would like to take part and are available 5:15 – 6:15pm Sunday 6th March, please submit your details: https://forms.gle/eFkyoDFL5FWTMt2t5  by 30th January

  1. Mob Match vs Bitton – 27th March

Mob match vs Bitton on Sunday 27th March is going to be a 10k. The draft route, which I will recce with Bitton Captain soon is https://www.strava.com/routes/2913849754260676728 In a mob match every runners counts towards the final score. More runners = more points! Please put the date in your diary, we will be collecting names soon.

  1. parkrun of Month – 12th February Thornbury

parkrun of the month on February 12th at Thornbury is a Valentines Special organised by Race Director Ashleigh. Please can you make sure that your parkrun profile includes ‘Thornbury RC’. Without this Mel cannot track you for the parkrun awards. Log into www.parkrun.com/signin/ using parkrun ID & password -> Groups -. Add ‘Thornbury RC’. Thanks.

  1. Annual Party & Awards Night – May 20th

The Club’s Annual Party & Awards night will be at Thornbury Golf Club on Friday 20th May. We will be giving out a whole host of Club awards that evening. Partners are invited and more details will follow. Be nice to get to the top of the golf course hill without being out of breath and in a sweaty mess! Please put the date in your diary. Thanks.

  1. Cross Country

The next XC event is 13th Feb at Pittville Park Cheltenham. Glos League Round 2. Entry Central is now taking entries. Please refer to the XC WhatsApp group for updates.

  1. Mainstone Challenge – 27th February

ONLY ONE event to go in the 2021-22 Pete Mainstone Challenge 27th February – Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k (Pete’s personal pick!). Challenge positions along with full results can be found:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/results-2021/

  1. Club Nights – Last Updated 04/01/22

Please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms

If you have tested positive for COVID please follow Government guidelines regarding isolation and do not attend the Club. Once your isolation period is completed we would kindly ask you to take a lateral flow test which returns a negative result before attending Club.

22/01/22

 

Events, Members, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C 17/01/22  

Thursday Club Night Leaders

  • 7 min – Rob Watkins
  • 8 min – Hannah Hamilton
  • 9 min – Chris Pritchard
  • 10 min – Steve Dimond
  • 12 min(5k) – Kathy Willott
  • Walking – tba

******************************************************

  1. Club Night meeting room & Tea Rota

As you know we asked for your views on the Thursday night TLC meeting room and post run tea to discuss at the committee meeting on 10/1. We had replies from 15 members and opinions were very diverse. Based on this the committee decided that we will continue with the room, as it was felt that having a place to all meet was an important aspect of being a club. Despite the large cost, approx £1,700 per year equivalent to about 68 memberships, we plan to continue. We know that many people still feel uncomfortable going inside and we hope that the situation will improve and we can all meet together again. On the subject of tea, for many it was a nice to have whilst others were happy to do without or just have water. Being on the tea rota was not popular. So, for the time being at least, we propose to stop offering tea and just provide water. We appreciate some people wanted to use the monies for other things and certain people wanted tea. Listening to everyone and balancing the views we believe this is the right option for now. We can review again as things change. Remember the room is available before the run to keep dry / warm, chat and store stuff. All we ask is to please be in the car park by 7:00pm ready to run. Check out the spacious room if you have not taken a look already.

  1. Cross Country

As you will have seen from Paul’s recent ‘Race Report’ there were some outstanding Club member performances in the Cross Country last weekend across all age groups. Particularly worthy of mention is James Harrod’s results across both XC events so far this year.  At 18 he is competing in the Senior Men’s event, finishing in a top 10 position at both races. Last weekend he was the runaway winner of the under 20’s event. Great effort James! For full details of the Club’s cross country championship please take a look at https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/teams/cross-country/results-2021-22/

  1. Return of the Swimarathon                                                       

March 4th – 6th 2022 sees the return of the popular Rotary Club Swimarathon which the Club has actively supported for many years. We are going with our traditional Sunday 5:15 session. The event is open to teams of up to 6 people swimming in relay, each able to swim at least 25 metres and who, between them, are able to swim for 55 minutes http://www.thornburyrotary.org/swimarathon/ Please note this is a sponsored event and we are therefore asking each swimmer to donate £10 (i.e. £60 per team). This year Rotary are supporting the same charity as the club, Made a Mark. If you would like to take part and are available 5:15 – 6:15pm Sunday 6th March, please submit your details: https://forms.gle/eFkyoDFL5FWTMt2t5 by 30th January.

  1. Mob Match vs Bitton – 27th March

Mob match vs Bitton on Sunday 27th March is going to be a 10k. The draft route, which I will recce with Bitton Captain soon is https://www.strava.com/routes/2913849754260676728 In a mob match every runners counts towards the final score. More runners = more points! Please put the date in your diary, we will be collecting names soon. 

  1. Cotswold Way Challenge – June 2022

Ever fancied having a go at an Ultra? In June there are 3 distances along the Cotswold Way – 25k, 50k and 100k.    Full details can be found on www.ultrachallenge.com   Any TRC Members who sign up in January can get a 50% discount on the entry fee using code: NYCHARITY22       

  1. Annual Social Event & Awards – May 20th

The team organising the Annual Awards Event social (Carol, Emma, Jonathan & Karen) has worked at superfast pace and booked the date and venue! The informal event will be a BBQ at Thornbury Golf Club on Friday 20th May. Partners are invited and more details will follow. Be nice to get to the top of the golf course hill without being out of breath and in a sweaty mess! Please put the date in your diary. 

  1. parkrun of Month – 12th February Thornbury

The next parkrun of the month is on February 12th at Thornbury where there will be a Valentines Special organised by Race Director Ashleigh.

  1. Kit Update

We have just taken delivery of club T-shirts and vests. Anyone wanting a new T or vest we now have all the sizes, so please contact Carol via kit@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk There are two hi-viz bibs available at £5 / each if anyone needs one, please contact Carol. Several people have expressed interest in the TRC hooded zipped jackets. Details of these can be found on the website under ‘Branded Club ‘ https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/about/club-kit/ These items are available directly from Linela and not from Carol.

  1. Mainstone Challenge – 27th February

ONLY ONE events to go in the 2021-22 Pete Mainstone Challenge 27th February – Challenge Finale – Pontypool Park 10k (Pete’s personal pick!). Challenge positions along with full results can be found:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/results-2021/

  1. Club Nights – Last Updated 04/01/22

Please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms   If you have tested positive for COVID please follow Government guidelines regarding isolation and do not attend the Club. Once your isolation period is completed we would kindly ask you to take a lateral flow test which returns a negative result before attending Club. Thank you.

16/01/22