Category Archives: Thornbury Running Club

Members, Results, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

race report w/e 31st July

On Olympic ‘Super Saturday’ almost no eyes were on the Mundy playing fields, but all the same, TRC managed to secure a 1-2-3 in the Thornbury parkrun.   (Don’t worry, this report won’t take nouns such as medal and podium and mangle them into verbs.)

Last week Nick Williams cheered on from the sidelines, but this week he laced up his trail shoes and showed us all how it is done.  Thornbury parkrun, with its hills and sharp descents, is ideal for Nick, combining, as he does, the poise and balance of Nureyev with the stride-length of Nijinsky.   Nick was over a minute ahead of the next runner, and recorded a hugely impressive sub-18 time.   Ben Bohane was second in 19 mins flat, with Paul Harrod in third, even if he wasn’t in the same post-code when Nick crossed the line.

Conditions were particularly muggy, which might explain a surprising lack of PBs.  However special mention to Julie Jolley for a debut run at the Mundy’s in 24:36, just a second behind 15 yr-old Laura Evans, (daughter of George), who was the first junior to finish.  Romeo Maddelena also ran a first Thornbury parkrun in 25:13, while the rapidly-improving Roger Glew ran 24:50 – just outside his PB, but now well over a 60% age-graded score which is the benchmark for a serious runner.
At Stonehouse, Nick Landridge ran 21:34, and yet again managed an 80% plus age-graded score.   As a reminder, parkrun UK state that any score above 80% puts the runner in ‘national class level’, meaning they would rank alongside the very best runners for their age and gender anywhere in the country.
Down in sunny Teighmouth Alan Gatling ran a wonderful 21:01, which gave him an age-graded score of over 70%.   Parkrun regards that as ‘regional class’ so an indication of just how good Alan’s run was.   Henry Orna was allowed an hour off daddy duty, and made the most of it, racing round Lydney in 20:41.  Mark West and Andrew Darton went all the way to Tamar Trails, and finished 16th and 17th respectively, while Thomas Darton was top junior in 8th place overall with a time of 20:40.
Given how many dedicated ultra-runners we have in the club, it takes a rare feat of endurance to raise the collective eyebrow.  However Steve Wiltshire, plus his father, decided to run 24 hours non-stop in the Conti Thunder Run, which is an almost unfathomable amount of time to be on your feet.   The organisers picked a closed loop to do the run, which added to the psychological and mental stress, but on the plus side made the parking easier.  Sadly an injury meant Steve couldn’t complete the full 24 hours, but he still kept going for 12 hours plus, which is something very few people will ever have the inclination to attempt.
Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C Monday 2nd August

Four important dates for your Diary in this week’s Bulletin

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Thursday Club Night Leaders
• 7 min – Paul Harrod
• 8 min – Kevin Wood & Ashleigh
• 9 min – Jerry Clothier
• 10 min – Steve Dimond
• 12 min(5k) – Carol Mosses
• Walking – Val James

1. Summer Social
Wow what a turn out! Great to see so many people last Thursday running and staying on for a drink. Thanks to Chris Pritchard for organising the ‘Run & Rehydrate’ at Olveston Sports & Social Club. A really great success.

2. Mob Match vs Chepstow 17th August
As many of you will have seen from WhatsApp messages I have been gauging interest in a Mob Match vs Chepstow. Pleased to say you showed a lot of interest so I have said “yes” to Chepstow. Tuesday 17th August 18:30 briefing for 19:00 start. Officially measured 5 miles course and chip timing, more details to follow. Recent winning times on the course – men 27:54 and 33:29 women. Anyone fancy trying to set a record? As we are using chip timing we need to know who is running please to allocate chips. The club is covering the cost of your chip. You win a mob match by having LOTS of runners, as EVERYONE counts towards the team total. We are currently 3-1 down in the series so your club needs you! There is NO limit to how many runners we can have.
Please use this link to put your name down for the Mob Match: Mob Match Join in

3. parkrun of the Month – Berkeley Green 28th August.
Thank you to everyone who turned out to support parkrun and the club @ Thornbury last Saturday, fabulous turnout. The next parkrun of the month will be Berkeley Green on Saturday 28th August. See you ALL there.

4. Inside or Out? From 2nd September
Thanks to all those who have already completed the poll about meeting inside (TLC Dance Studio) or outside (TLC car park) in the future on a Thursday night. We are asking your opinion about where to meet with any changes happening from 2nd September. It is a personal preference and your comfort with returning to going inside with a large group of people. Please complete the poll using the link by Thursday 5th August. Thank you. Poll: Inside or Outside?

5. Tytherington Tough 10k Test Event – Sunday 19th September
We are hoping to run a tester event on Sunday 19th September at 10.30 for the whole club to run the course. Whilst this is a closed Club event we will require about 10 Marshals out on the course. To add further spice to the event we will make it this year’s ‘Steve Jones Memorial Trophy Event’ for the outright winner. This is also a chance to set the course record.

6. Pete Mainstone Challenge Events
• 29th August – Severn Bridge 10k
• 5th September Woodchester

7. Club Nights
Please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms please see:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/#symptoms

01/08/21

Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Bulletin for W/C Monday 26th July

Thursday Club Night Leaders (Meeting at Olveston Sports & Social Club – NOT meeting at TLC this Thursday only … see below)
• 7 min – Rob Watkins
• 8 min – Lizzie Williams
• 9 min – Chris Pritchard
• 10 min – Emma Pritchard
• 12 min(5k) – Carol Mosses
• Walking – Val James

1. Summer Social – Thursday 29th July
Chris Pritchard has arranged for all groups to meet at Olveston Sport and Social Club (NOT Thornbury Leisure Centre) on Thursday 29th July at 7:00 pm for ‘Run & Rehydration’. Leaders will be aiming to get back for 8pm for a much needed and well deserved refreshment in the bar. The committee has agreed to put money behind the bar to cover your first drink.
There is a car park there and the Sports club have said we can also park by the pitch on the grass off the main road. The club is located at: 14 Alveston Rd, Old Down, Bristol BS32 4PJ.

2. Inside or Out?
We have now been meeting in the TLC car park for approximately 12 months. As things are beginning to open up we need to decide if we want to start meeting inside again. TLC have offered us the Dance Studio. This is twice the size of the Filnore room we used to use, has opening fire doors for ventilation and air conditioning. We would need to comply with TLC rules regarding the wearing of face masks.
We are asking your opinion now with any changes happening from Thursday 2nd September. It is a personal preference and your comfort with returning to going inside with a large group of people. Please complete the poll using the link by Thursday 5th August. Poll: Inside or Out poll

3. Tytherington 10k – Sunday 17th October (to be confirmed)
We are continuing to forge ahead with this event and the route will be officially measured soon. How can you help?
– We are looking for an event name. Current suggestion is ‘Tytherington Tough 10k’ any other alliterations or ideas welcome.
– We plan to hold a tester event, probably a Thursday in September, for the whole club to run the course. To add further spice to the run we will make it this years ‘Steve Jones Memorial Trophy Event’ for the outright winner.
– Marshalling on the day please. Events are a vital source of club income and this course will need heavy marshalling. More to come nearer the time.

4. Pete Mainstone Challenge Events
• 29th August – Severn Bridge 10k
• 5th September Woodchester

5. Club Nights
As some of you will have seen from this week’s EA newsletter. “There is no legal requirement for clubs, facilities, coaches or competition providers to collect data for test and trace or to display a QR code” So we will no longer be displaying the QR or using the test & trace app.

“There is an emphasis on personal responsibility for reducing risk. Clubs and competition providers should give clear guidance that individuals should not turn up to an athletics or running environment (club, coached or competition) if displaying symptoms of COVID-19.”

So please don’t attend if you have any COVID symptoms or are self-isolating. For the latest list of COVID symptoms please see:Covid Symptoms List

24/07/21

Members, News, Results, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Newsletter for W/C Monday 12th July – the Cotswold Way Relay edition

Please continue to use the track & trace App hopefully for the last time ever this week Tuesday T&T and Thursday T&T

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Thursday Club Night Leaders
• 7 min – Paul Harrod
• 8 min – Jo Emerson
• 9 min – Hugh McPherson
• 10 min – Jim Williams
• 12 min(5k) – Nigel Hale
• Walking – Val James

• Cotswold Way Full Race Report – Paul Harrod
The star performers in Thornbury Running Club’s Cotswold Way Relay teams did not even get to run. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Judy Mills and Rob Watkins for assembling the teams, and dealing with a voluminous amount of admin and pre-race information. In Rob’s case, he had the mighty challenge of finding ten men over the age of 40 who were fit and available at the same time. He then had to pull out himself due to a garden football injury, (no sniggering at the back, most of us have been there!), and keep finding other substitutes right up until the eve of the race. To add insult to injury, Ian Evans, who kindly stepped in at the last minute to cover leg 4, then got pinged by NHS track and trace and had to isolate at home. Nothing he, or anyone else, could do about it. Judy put together TRC’s two other teams; was the main contact with the race organisers, and even found time on the day of a family wedding to come along and cheer her team mates!

Race day began at 5am, when Laura Orna (Quickthorn), Mike Bennewitz (Hawthorn) and Paul Harrod (Thorn in the side) headed up the M5 for the 7am start of leg one from Chipping Camden. Laura was the standout runner on this leg, completing the gruelling stage well inside her 2-hour target, and a fantastic top 4 finish in the women’s race. Paul Harrod ran along in a small group at the back of the first wave of leading runners, and was feeling comfortable up to Broadway Tower. He then watched in dismay as his companions hurtled down the trails like frisky mountain goats, while his way of getting down the hill was more akin to Bambi with a niggly Achilles. Still, he dragged himself to the finish in 14th place, and with quads resembling smashed avocados. Mike Bennewitz put his encyclopaedic knowledge of the route to good use, and paced himself to a strong finish just outside 2hrs 30 mins and the second place finish in his age category.

Leg 2 started in the drizzle, and made the periods of sharp descent even trickier to navigate. That didn’t seem to affect TRC runners, on what was arguably the best collective effort of the race. Ben Bohane, making his debut in the event, must have flown up those hills, as he mixed it with some highly experienced club runners and recorded an outstanding sixth place finish. Jo Plumbley continued her recent rich vein of form, and was the fifth female runner, and a clear winner in her age category. If the weather had been better she might have challenged her own, all-time, TRC record for that leg set five years ago. Jim Godden hasn’t been able to train as much as he would wish, but still proved the old adage that form is temporary, but class is permanent. He managed to finish in 16th place, as well as third in his age category: a highly creditable performance.

Leg 3 is one of the shorter ones, but that just means the runners race faster. Collete Jackson recorded one of Team Hawthorn’s best results of the day, finishing in an amazing top 10 position in the overall women’s race, and a fine 2nd place in her age category. Jay Mosley (Thorn in the Side) and Jeremy Clothier (Quickthorn) ran strong races, and the gap between TRC’s two top teams was just 25 minutes.

That all changed dramatically on leg 4. Thorn in the Side had no runner, due to Ian’s last minute ‘track and trace’ exclusion, and so the team had to accept a penalty time of 2hrs 45 minutes. We will never know, but had Ian run to form, then it is likely that TRC’s male veterans team would have finished in fourth place overall in the MV40+ competition. As it was they had to settle for 7th. So an opportunity for team Quickthorn to make up some time. And there is literally no one better than Nick Williams. He’d be likely to win any club race on the flat, but throw in vertiginous climbs and drops, and he is different gravy! Nick finished in 1hr 28 mins and 23 secs; third place in a highly competitive senior men’s race; beat Rob Cowland’s 2016 all-time club record for the stage, and ran at an average pace of just over 7 mins per mile. Performance of the day, without doubt. This huge swing in the battle between Quickthorn and Thorn in the Side racketed up the pressure on the remaining runners. (Not that any of them were aware of this at the time, but it hopefully adds a little bit of post-hoc excitement to this report).

Leg 5 saw Henry Orna (‘fresh’ from being woken up at 4.20am by his children who had got up to say goodbye to their mum as she left for leg 1) take back some time for Thorn in the Side, and finish in an excellent top 20 position in the senior men’s race, and 7th in the over 40s race. Race of the day must have been between Kevin Cundy and Clare Watt. For almost 12 arduous miles from Cranham Corner to Ebley Mill they duelled it out, neither giving an inch, until they were eventually separated at the finish by a mere three seconds. Well, either that, or they had a really nice sociable run together. But I prefer the idea of the dramatic head-to-head!

Leg 6 saw the indefatigable Phil Blackburn rip up the trails, on route to recording a fantastic time of 1hr 13mins. In the contest between Thorn in the Side and Quickthorn, it was largely ‘as you were’ as Richard Jackson and Ian Hoffman both ran very impressive sub-90 min times on one of the few legs that has more climbing than descending. It should also be noted that while most of us would have spent Sunday morning hobbling around nursing tight hamstrings, Phil pitched up at the Gloucester 10k and ran it in just over 38 minutes!

Leg 7 saw father and daughter, club captain Kevin Wood, and Emma Pritchard, run together. Emma wasn’t feeling at all well, so it is great testimony to her, and of course to dad Kevin who accompanied her the whole way round, that she completed the run in a more than respectable time. Thank you to Emma for being so determined to ensure team Hawthorn had a full roster of runners. TRC legend Martyn Green (who still holds two club all-time stage records) produced yet another top performance to come 14th overall, and was a run-away winner in his age category (that I won’t stipulate, but suffice to say he looks far too young to be part of).

Leg 8 is arguably the toughest one of the entire Cotswold Way – one of the longest, net uphill, and with seemingly no flat sections at all. So huge credit to Sarah Newnes, Moray Sloan and Ben Foss for taking it on. Sarah was first in her age category, Moray second in his, and Ben snuck into the top 20 overall for the leg to tighten the race between Quickthorn and Thorn in the Side still further.

Lizzie Williams hasn’t had much chance to race over the past couple of years – having the small matter of twin boys to focus on. Yet she must have done a bit of training (and/or she is just naturally gifted) as she and Melanie Wilson paced each other round to finish together in an amazing 1hr 23 mins, both taking third place in their respective, highly competitive, age categories. Jim Williams ran a very strong race himself, and must have done so with a calculator, because his finishing time meant that going into the final leg, after fully 15 hours of racing, Quickthorn and Thorn in the Side were less than 5 minutes apart.

And so to the final leg. With Julia Jolley as Sally Gunnell, chasing Paul Thomas as Kris Akabusi, to see who would get to brandish their metaphorical batons in the shadow of Bath Abbey and bring home the TRC bragging rights for another year. In the end, the final leg saw three first-class performances from TRC – close contenders with leg 2 for the best collective performance of the day. Ros Rowland run with Julia and they both finished this tough leg together, well inside an hour and a half. Ros showing her ultra and trail running pedigree to win her age category. Paul Thomas was obviously completely oblivious to the fact that all of Thorn in the Side’s hope were riding on his shoulders, but they needn’t have worried, as Paul always goes full gas in races, and he stormed to a top 15 position on the leg, and a win in his age category by a country mile.

For the record, Thorn in the Side completed the race in 16 hr 14mins, closely followed by Quickthorn in 16 hrs 30, and Hawthorn in 18hrs 42.

However, despite my feeble attempts to generate some drama over the team event, that is not why we ran it. The Cotswold Way Relay is like no other race. The team spirit is second to none; you get to traverse some of the most stunning scenery in the country; you test your limits in a way no training run in the BS35 postcode could ever replicate. You cross the line and say ‘never again’ but by Sunday evening you’re checking out the stage maps and plotting which leg you’ll try the following year. If you have yet to experience the delights of the Cotswold Way Relay, then please join one of our intrepid teams on the first Saturday of July 2022!

• parkrun – Saturday 24th July
Looks like parkrun is finally going to return on Saturday 24th July. It would be great to see as many TRC members as possible running, and a cross section of the club to welcome this event back to Thornbury. Club T shirts at the ready!

• Tytherington 10k
To replace the (Sundayshill) Thornbury 10k, which was scheduled for July, we are planning to organise a hilly 10k around Tytherington and Cromhall from Tytherington Football Club on 17th October 2021. This is still subject to local approvals and a Licence so we cannot formally announce yet. The Thornbury 10k has been a popular event over the years and Thornbury Rugby Club excellent hosts. The route does have challenges e.g. starting on open roads, getting competitors from the rugby club to the start, growing volumes of traffic and a new housing estate on the course. The Tytherington course avoids all these issues.

• Ironman UK, Bolton – Impressive results for Taryn & Dylan Roberts
On a very difficult and hilly course around Bolton last weekend Taryn & Dylan had fantastic results with both going under 12 hours and in the top 15% of the 900 strong field.

Dylan was 93rd overall in 11.39.12 and 21st in his age category (M30-34). His splits were : Swim 1.09.16; Bike 6.36.47; Marathon 3.44.01

Taryn was 7th female to finish and first in her Age Category(F30-34) by almost an hour in front of the 2nd in 11.58.23. Taryn’s splits were : Swim 1.10.23; Bike 6.57.57 ; Marathon 3.39.50 – 4 minutes in front of her brother

10/07/21

Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Newsletter for W/C Monday 5th July

Next Government update will be on Monday 19 July. No change to the current Tuesday and Thursday night’s arrangements. Please continue to use the track & trace App which has been updated to include an extra question this week. Tuesday T&T and Thursday T&T Link can also be found on the club home page. If you forget you can do it after the session.

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1. Weekly Diary

Tuesday Lunchtime: 12.30 from TLC Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Tuesday Coaching Night: 19:00 TLC – Kevin Wood / 19.30 Aztec –Nick Williams

Thursday Lunchtime: 12.30 from TLC Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Thursday Club Night: 19.00 TLC Car Park
• 7 min – Mark West
• 8 min – Alan Gatling
• 9 min – Emma Pritchard
• 10 min – Steve Dimond
• 12 min(5k) – Carol Mosses
• Walking – Val James

Sunday Long Runs: 8:30 Scout hut (car park) near Manorbrook School. See Mike Bennewitz

2. Running for Robert – Message from Nigel & Nikki
Caron & Nigel’s son, Robert, is currently undergoing treatment for Leukaemia in the Bristol Royal Infirmary. In order to raise money for the charity Bristol Marrow, Nigel Hale and Nikki Foss are running the Nottingham half marathon in September. Please support by making a contribution via the Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/running4robert
So far they have already raised £1,275. Thank you on behalf of Caron, Nigel & Nikki.

3. Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 – Outright Time Winners added
(Happy 70th Birthday to Pete for Saturday 3rd July)
Two further trophies added to the Pete Mainstone Challenge: Outright time Female max points score and Outright time Male max points score. We now have four trophies: Outright and age adjusted max points score trophies for female and male.
Next events in the Pete Mainstone challenge are 29th August Severn Bridge 10k and 5th September at Woodchester. Please enter to score points.
All details on the Club website: https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/fixtures-2017/

4. Cotswold Way Relay results
Despite Met Office weather warnings and countless last minute Team changes TRC did manage to get all 3 Teams to the finish in Bath on Saturday. Provisional results indicate that of the 100 Teams entered our 3 Teams finished in 22nd, 27th and 75th places.
Thorn in the Side: 22nd. 6th Vets Team (out of 15) 16.14.25
Quickthorn: 27th. 10th Mixed Team (out of 54) 16.30.21
Hawthorn: 75th. 35th Mixed Team (out of 54) 18.42.20
Well done everyone who ran and a special thank you to Judy Mills for organising and turning up to support despite having to go to a Wedding.

5. Next Beginner’s Course
If you have friends, neighbours or work colleagues interested the next ‘Intro to Running’ course is starting 28th July for 9 week to 22nd September 6:45pm every Wednesday. Please ask them to contact beginners@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk for more info or to sign up.

6. 12×12
Local Ben Burch is running 6km loops around Olveston from 07:00 to 19:00 starting each loop from Olveston & Tockington Tennnis Club on 25th July. To register go to : https://www.allegr.org/blogs/events/july . There is 25% discount code for TRC members TRC25

7. Tick Watch
Spoke to (Dr) Lizzie she says “Late spring / early summer is the usual time they are lurking (i.e. now!)”. Please be aware of tick bites and always do a quick leg check as you cool down to check for bites. For further info see: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

04/07/21

Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Newsletter for W/C Monday 28th June

In this week’s Newsletter we have:
• Weekly Diary
• Running for Robert
• Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 – Next Event
• Man Still Down – Cotswold Way Relay
• Race Report – Chippenham 10k
• Ladies Lead
• Next Beginner’s Course
• Thornbury 10k
• Tick Watch
• Coming Up Next Week ….

Step 4 on the Government’s Road Map out of the Covid restrictions has been delayed 4 weeks until 19 July. No change to the current Tuesday and Thursday night’s arrangements. We still need to complete track & trace app on Thursday & Tuesday Thurs T&T Tues T&T Link can also be found on the club home page. If you forget you can do it after the run.
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1. Weekly Diary

Tuesday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Tuesday Coaching Night: 7:00 TLC – Kevin Wood / 7:30 Aztec –Nick Williams

Thursday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Thursday Club Night:
• 7 min – Paul Harrod
• 8 min – Kevin Wood
• 9 min – Hugh McPherson
• 10 min – Emma Pritchard
• 12 min (5k) – Nigel Hale
• Walking – Val James

Sunday Long Runs: 8:30 Scout hut (car park) near Manorbrook School. See Mike Bennewitz

2. Running for Robert – Message from Nigel & Nikki
Caron & Nigel’s son, Robert, is currently undergoing treatment for Leukaemia in the Bristol Royal Infirmary. In order to raise money for the charity Bristol Marrow, Nigel Hale and Nikki Foss are running the Nottingham half marathon in September. The charity Bristol Marrow is a group of Bristol students volunteers who do work to support the Anthony Nolan Trust: http://www.bris.ac.uk/depts/union/marrow/qa.htm
Please support Nikki & Nigel by making a contribution via the Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/running4robert
So far they have already raised £990. Thank you on behalf of Caron, Nigel & Nikki.

3. Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 – Next Event
Next events in the Pete Mainstone challenge are 29th August Severn Bridge 10k and 5th September at Woodchester. Please enter to score points.
All details on the Club website:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/fixtures-2017/

4. Man Still Down – Cotswold Way Relay
With one week to go the club’s male vets team is still short of ONE team member. If you are able to take his place that would be really greatly appreciated by the team and the club (they might buy you a beer!). It really is a fabulous event and free to club members, what’s to lose? Please contact Rob Watkins rob@lodgefarmtrees.co.uk or Judy Mills judy.mills@live.co.uk . For details about the event take a look at https://cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk/

5. Race Report – Chippenham 10k
A late evening, mid-week race in Chippenham meant only 5 TRC runners bagged the points in race 2 of the Pete Mainstone challenge. However those electing not to race missed a treat. A beautiful summer’s evening; a meticulously organised race by the good folks at DB Max, and a challenging, undulating, multi-terrain 10k race, starting and finishing on the grass at Monkton park.
Jo Emerson was the sole female TRC runner, but once again she mixed it with the very best in the region, finishing in a fantastic 4th place in her age category in a time of 46:46. She not only recorded a 10k PB, but also a 5k PB on route! To do so on that course is testimony to how well Jo’s training is going. Congratulations!

In the men’s race, Jonathan Hall ran a strong, even-paced effort, to finish in 47:14. Nick Langridge finished in 44.48 and was once again the first placed M60 runner – highly impressive as always, but especially so in a race that attracted some of the region’s top vet athletes. Towards the front of the race Paul Harrod tried in vain to keep pace with Phil Blackburn, whose usual training route takes him over the steep hills of Horton. As such Phil glided up the shallower climbs of Chippenham and stormed to an outstanding 10k PB in a time of 38:41, and 24th place overall. Paul followed behind in 39:06, (27th place), and narrowly missed out on a top 10 M40 finish after losing out in a sprint finish. (When I say ‘sprint finish’, in reality the other guy just de-accelerated less).

A highly enjoyable outing for those members who made the trip. Stage 3 of the Pete Mainstone challenge is the Severn Bridge 10k on Sunday 29th August.
(Take a look at https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/results-2021/ for the current PM Challenge league table … tight at the top)

6. Ladies Lead
I am pleased to say that Ashleigh Ferris and Hannah Hamilton will both be starting their EA Leaders course in July. With Carol & Emma completing their leaders course recently the ladies are certainly leading the way.

7. Next Beginner’s Course
If you have friends, neighbours or work colleagues interested the next ‘Intro to Running’ course is starting 28th July for 9 week to 22nd September 6:45pm every Wednesday. Please ask them to contact beginners@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk for more info or to sign up.

8. Thornbury 10k
The extension to COVID restrictions has made organising the planned July Thornbury 10k unworkable. To comply with social distancing we would need to have a wave start, which is very difficult on an open public road and the distance from the rugby club to the start line. We are also unable to have chip to chip timing, as we cannot put a sensitive start mat on a public road to be driven over by passing cars. Hence the event is not going to happen this year.
However we are currently working on holding a road 10k event in October. More details to follow once we have check the venue and potential route.

9. Tick Watch
With many of us enjoying running off road and through the long grass please be aware of tick bites. Always do a quick leg check as you cool down to check for bites. For further info see: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

Coming Up Next Week
• Animal Antics

Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Newsletter for W/C Monday 21st June

In this week’s Newsletter we have:

• Weekly Diary
• Thank You from Rotary
• Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 – New Events Added
• TRC Social Events
• Parkrun latest
• Man Down – Cotswold Relay
• Next Beginner’s Course
• Coming Up Next Week ….

Step 4 on the Government’s Road Map out of the Covid restrictions has been delayed 4 weeks until 19 July. Due to the current increase in the infection rate across the UK the current restrictions will remain in place. No change to the current Tuesday and Thursday night’s arrangements. We still need to complete track & trace app on Thursday & Tuesday Tuesday T&T Thursday T&T Link can also be found on the club home page. If you forget you can do it after the run.

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1. Weekly Diary

TRC Committee Meeting : Monday 21st June. 20.00 on Zoom.

Tuesday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Tuesday Coaching Night: 7:00 TLC – Kevin Wood / 7:30 Aztec –Nick Williams

Thursday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Thursday Club Night:
• 7 min – Rob Watkins
• 8 min – Lizzie Williams
• 9 min – Mike Bennewitz
• 10 min – Hugh McPherson
• 12 (5k) – Caron Hale
• Walking – Val James

Sunday Long Runs: 8:30 Scout hut (car park) near Manorbrook School. See Mike Bennewitz

2. Thank You from Rotary
A message from Mark Wilkinson of Thornbury Rotary Club, who we supported through the recent Club 10k. “I wanted to thank you all for supporting the Thornbury Rotary Walkathon. It was wonderful to see so many people taking up the challenge and in doing so helping to raise money for local charities and good causes. The running total of donations stands at £8,250 but with sponsorship still coming and gift aid we might just get to £10,000. That would be fantastic for an event in its first year. Thank you for being a part of this and for your efforts in getting a team together and getting sponsorship.”
We have raised £225.93 in support of the Rotary Walkathon in aid of Jigsaw Thornbury from the Club 10k. Well done to those who ran and donated.

3. Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 – New Events Added
Two new events for the challenge have now been added and ready for you to sign up:
• 27th November – Having a Mare (Bath Racecourse off road)
• 19th December – Chippenham Shortest Day 10k

We will also be adding a final event in Jan / Feb tba. Still 5 points for each event entered with DNF = 5 and DNS = 0, best 3 results count. Get entering. All details on the Club website:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/fixtures-2017/

4. TRC Social Events
The social side of the club is very important, and something we have been prevented from doing for the past 18 months. We are planning ahead and thinking positively with Chris (Pritchard) volunteering to be Club Social Secretary at the last committee meeting. Chris has a number of ideas he is currently working on, more news to follow.

5. Parkrun is coming back
Great news. More than 500 parkrun events now have full landowner permission, which was critical for parkrun to be able to return. Following the PMs deferral of step 4 the new start date for parkrun in England is 24th July. Put the date in your diary for a mass club turnout please at Thornbury parkrun.

6. Man Down – Cotswold Relay
One of the club’s male vets team members for the Cotswold Relay has a suspected stress fracture and has had to withdraw. If you are able to take his place that would be great. It would also be good insurance to have a few more reserves. Please contact Judy Mills judy.mills@live.co.uk for info. For details about the event take a look at https://cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk/

7. Next Beginner’s Course
If you have friends, neighbours or work colleagues interested the next ‘Intro to Running’ course is starting 28th July for 9 weeks to 22nd September 6:45pm every Wednesday. Please ask them to contact beginners@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk for more info or to sign up.

Coming Up Next Week
• Thornbury 10k Update

Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Newsletter for W/C Monday 14th June

In this week’s Newsletter we have:

• Weekly Diary
• Pete Mainstone Challenge – Donation
• Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 – New Events Added
• TRC Social
• Cotswold Way Relay Latest
• Congratulations
• Race Report – Pete Mainstone Challenge
• Thornbury 10k update
• Coming Up Next Week ….

We still need to complete track & trace app on Thursday & Tuesday Thurs T&T Tues T&T Link can also be found on the club home page. If you forget you can do it after the run.

Step 4 on the Government’s Road Map out of the Covid restrictions will be known this week. It was originally scheduled that all restrictions will be lifted from Mon 21st June. Due to the current increase in the infection rate across the UK this full release looks unlikely. We shall all know more this week.
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1. Weekly Diary

Tuesday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Tuesday Coaching Night: 7:00 TLC – Kevin Wood / 7:30 Aztec –Nick Williams

Thursday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. See Ros

Thursday Club Night:
• 7 min – Nick Langridge
• 8 min – Kevin Cundy
• 9 min – Jerry Clothier
• 10 min – Steve Dimond
• 12 (5k) – Carol Mosses
• Walking – Val James

Sunday Long Runs: 8:30 Scout hut (car park) near Manorbrook School. See Mike Bennewitz

2. Pete Mainstone Challenge – Donations
We have raised £225.93 in support of the Rotary Walkathon in aid of Jigsaw Thornbury from the Club 10k. Well done to those who ran and donated.

3. Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 – New Events Added
The 2020-21 Pete Mainstone Challenge is up and running with the first event now completed. The Bluebell Blunder was cancelled so we have added 2 new events:
• 27th November – Having a Mare (Bath Racecourse off road)
• 19th December – Chippenham Shortest Day 10k

We will also be adding a final event in Jan / Feb tba. Still 5 points for each event entered with DNF = 5 and DNS = 0, best 3 results count. Get entering. All details on the Club website:
https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/fixtures-2017/

4. TRC Social
The social side of the club is very important, and something we have been prevented from doing for the past 18 months. We are planning ahead and thinking positively with Chris (Pritchard) volunteering to be Club Social Secretary at the last committee meeting. Whilst still only just summer, Christmas does seem a long way away. However when booking event venues it does require a lot of forward planning. We will be running a poll shortly to get your views on holding a Xmas Dinner Dance in Jan versus a Club Year End Dinner dance in March / April.

5. Cotswold Way Relay – Latest
Great news, we now have only ONE* space left to fill on the CWR. It would also be good insurance to have a few reserves. Please contact Judy Mills judy.mills@live.co.uk.

If you are in a team please check the event website https://cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk/ as start times have changed from those originally given. Please also see the ‘Cotswold Way 2021’ WhatsApp group for info on team numbers etc.

(* The Club is paying the full entry fee for both EA & non-EA members, as this is a Club event. You do have to be a fully paid member of TRC, otherwise this could invalidate our entry leading to disqualification.)

6. Congratulations
Congratulations to three people. Nick Williams has recently passed his UKA coaching qualification (CiRF) and Carol Mosses and Emma Pritchard have both just received their leader UKA qualification (LiRF). Thank you to all three for putting in the time to take courses, which have been disrupted over the past year.
If you would like to know more about becoming a run group leader please contact captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk.

7. Race Report – Pete Mainstone Challenge – Paul Harrod
The first race of the inaugural Pete Mainstone challenge took place over an expertly-crafted 10k course that took in the full heights and depths of Thornbury town. Who knew Thornbury was so hilly? Well, probably everyone, but racing 10k on a hot late May evening was a stark reminder. In recognition of his stalwart service to TRC, the annual club race series has been named after him. Pete then had the additional honour of getting to stand in an industrial estate with a clipboard for an hour and a half recording the results. He was ably assisted by Ashleigh Ferris who seemed to think that running an ultra-marathon just four days previously entitled her to an evening off racing!

The fastest runner on the day was Sean Leadbeater who led the ‘7 min group’ from the start and recorded a stunning time of 37 mins and 59 secs: a time that would be at least two minutes quicker on a pan-flat course. However any thoughts that he must surely win overall were not to be. The age-graded algorithm decreed that TRC legend Nick Langridge was once again the clear winner with an overall rank of 77% plus – again worth at least 80%, if not more, on a flat course. There’s a reason why Nick holds the all-time club 10m and marathon records – he was a fantastic runner then, and he still is today. Special mention must go to Garry Slater who was the second place runner, and top MV50 with an age-graded score of just under 75%.

There were a few of the club’s top female runners missing, but even with a full roster they’d have struggled to beat Jo Emerson who had both the quickest time and the best age-graded score. She narrowly beat Julia Jolley in second place and Jessica Harison in third. In total 33 TRC members took part. The staggered start in ‘waves’ meant that some of the faster groups could still exchange strangled, breathless greetings to team mates on the way past. It also meant that assuming the first runners went the correct way, there was always someone ahead to follow. Special thanks to Paul Thomas for walking the course in reverse and cheering us on, and Kevin Cundy for standing at the point of the course near Crossways school that was the trickiest to navigate.

Full result can be found at: https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/results-2021/

8. Thornbury 10k
We will know this week if we can go ahead on Thursday 15th July or not. If we can then we will need help from a lot of TRC Members as we only will have 4 weeks to set everything up.

Coming Up Next Week
• Parkrun latest update

13/06/21

Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Newsletter for W/C Monday 7th June

In this week’s Newsletter we have:

• Weekly Diary
• Pete Mainstone Challenge – Club 10k Update
• Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 New Events Added
• Cotswold Way Latest
• Race Report – Paul vs Devil’s Lite
• Where it all Begins
• Parkrun 26/6
• Thornbury 10k
• Can it be true?
• Coming Up Next Week ….

We still need to complete track & trace app on Thursday & Tuesday Thursday T&T Tuesday T&T Link can also be found on the club home page. If you forget you can do it after the run.

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1. Weekly Diary
Tuesday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. Contact Ros on 07743 257838

Tuesday Coaching Night: 7:00 TLC – to join the WhatsApp group contact Kevin Wood 0796 6634237 / 7:30 Aztec – to join the WhatsApp group contact Nick Williams 07745 133524

Thursday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. Contact Ros on 07743 257838

Thursday Club Night: Please send your name and which WhatsApp group you would like to be added to by contacting Kevin Wood 07966 634237:
• 7 min – Mark West
• 8 min – Alan Gatling
• 9 min –Hugh McPherson
• 10 min – Steve Dimond
• 12 (5k) – Nigel Hale
• Walking – Val James

Sunday Long Runs: 8:30 Scout hut (car park) near Manorbrook School. Contact Mike Bennewitz 07790 491304 to join the WhatsApp group.

2. Pete Mainstone Challenge – Club 10k Update
A few people were doing the 10k route before the cut off of 6th June, please submitting your time & distance, to captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk asap. Once the event is closed we can publish all the results and the PM Challenge ‘Leader Board’.
Thank you to the 21 people who have already donated. At the time of writing the newsletter we have raised £190.93 in support of the Rotary Walkathon in aid of Jigsaw Thornbury. Please can anyone else wishing to donate make their donation to the Virgin Giving page by 6th June: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/ThornburyRunningClub We suggest each participant makes a minimum £5 payment voluntary contribution, thank you.

3. Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 New Events Added
The 2020-21 Pete Mainstone Challenge is up and running with the first event now completed. The Bluebell Blunder was cancelled so we have added 2 new events:
• 27th November – Having a Mare (Bath Racecourse off road)
• 19th December – Chippenham Shortest Day 10k
We will also be adding a final event in Jan / Feb tba.
Still 5 points for each event entered with DNF = 5 and DNS = 0, best 3 results count.
All details on the Club website: https://www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk/racing/members-results/rr-champs-results-2010-2/fixtures-2017/

4. Cotswold Way Relay Latest
We continue to be in need of runners for the CWR please. 3 more runners, 3 reserves and 1 volunteer please. If you would like to apply to join a team, be a reserve or volunteer, please contact Judy Mills judy.mills@live.co.uk. The Cotswold Way Relay is a 103 miles, 10 stages race off road race through beautiful Cotswold landscape from Chipping Campden to Bath on 3rd July https://cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk/
The Club is paying the full entry fee for both EA & non-EA members, as this is a Club event. However you do have to be a fully paid member of TRC, otherwise this could invalidate our entry leading to disqualification.

5. Race Report – Paul vs Devil’s Lite
Paul Thomas has been inspiring many TRC members with his dedicated training schedule, and rapidly improving performances. Forget the ‘Thornbury elephant’ – Paul’s epic training runs mean his Strava art looks more like a painting by Escher. Paul’s diligent training routine paid off in spectacular fashion as he finished in 18th place in his first ever ultra run, the ‘Devil’s Lite’ 50km trail run. This was out of a starting field of over 200 dedicated distance runners, many of whom (sorry Paul!) were less than half his age. The recent weather made the trails far more of a challenge than would usually be expected at this time of year, plus there was the small matter of some 1500m plus of climbing to do. Despite that Paul’s average 5km pace was a shade over 30 minutes. Try doing a hilly parkrun at that speed ten times in a row without stopping! Congratulations to Paul for adding to TRC’s recent roster of hugely impressive ultra run performances.

6. Where it all Begins
By the time you read this 8 more beginners will have completed their ‘graduation 5k’ from the TRC Intro to Running course. Thank you to all those who helped support this – Mark (West), Carol, Natalie, Laura, Chris P, Emma P & Hugh. Feedback has been great: “Just wanted to say I’m really enjoying the group. Everyone is so friendly and we’ve been given so much motivation and support. It’s fantastic. Thanks so much to you and all the team.”
If you know someone who would be interested in attending a future ‘Intro to Running’ course please ask them contact beginners@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk and complete Introductory Running Course Interest.

7. parkrun 26/6/21
As you all know parkrun resumption has been delayed until 26th June, with an update due on 11th June, due to the insufficient event permissions being granted. By 28th May 66% of the land owners have now said “yes”, 33% “processing” and 1% “no reply”. Provided things go ahead on 26th June it would be great to see a big turnout from TRC at the Thornbury event. Dust off your Club shirt ready!

8. Thornbury 10k
Hold the date, Thursday 15th July, for the Thornbury 10k. As this is a club event, and a major source of income to the club, we would like to ask that everyone makes themselves available to marshal the 10k event please. We are currently looking at the start logistics, and hence number of runners we can accommodate, before announcing more details. If we have to start in waves will probably mean we need more marshals.

9. Can it be true?
Why a long bath is almost as good for you as a long run. Researchers have discovered that prolonged immersion in a piping hot bath has many of the same medical benefits as aerobic exercise. Take a look: Hot Tub Health Kick

Coming Up Next Week
• Pete Mainstone Challenge – Race Report & Results

Members, News, Thornbury Running Club

TRC Newsletter for W/C Monday 31st May

In this week’s Newsletter we have:

• Weekly Diary
• Pete Mainstone Challenge – Club 10k Update
• Ultra Impressive – Race Reports
• Cotswold Way Latest
• Thornbury 10k
• Coming Up Next Week ….

We still need to complete track & trace app on Thursday & Tuesday Thursday T&T & Tuesday T&T Link can also be found on the club home page. If you forget you can do it after the run.

During the summer groups will be going off road for all or part of the Thursday night runs. Please wear appropriate footwear e.g. trail shoes. If you have questions about the route, please contact the leader.

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1. Weekly Diary

Tuesday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. Contact Ros on 07743 257838

Tuesday Coaching Night: 7:00 TLC – to join the WhatsApp group contact Kevin Wood 0796 6634237 / 7:30 Aztec – to join the WhatsApp group contact Nick Williams 07745 133524

Thursday Lunchtime: 12.30 from Leisure Centre Car park. Usually about 5k. Contact Ros on 07743 257838

Thursday Club Night: Please send your name and which WhatsApp group you would like to be added to by contacting Kevin Wood 07966 634237:

• 7 min – Paul Harrod
• 8 min – Kevin Wood ** Depending on conditions we may meet in Tockington for an off road. I will send a WhatsApp to the ‘8 min group’ on Thursday morning latest. Please register with the group if you want to be updated. **
• 9 min – Chris Pritchard
• 10 min – Arthur Renshaw
• 12 min (5k) – Hugh McPherson
• Walking – Val James

Sunday Long Runs: 8:30 Scout hut (car park) near Manorbrook School. Contact Mike Bennewitz 07790 491304 to join the WhatsApp group.

2. Pete Mainstone Challenge – Club 10k Update

Thursday 27th May saw the 2021-22 Pete Mainstone Challenge get off and running with the Club 10k.
Thank you to Steve Dimond for the route (Thornbury ‘2 Peaks’); to Ashleigh, Jerry & Pete for capturing all the times and to Nick Langridge who is doing the results service. 30 people ran on a warm and still night, and a few more plan to run by the close date of 6th June (Please submitting your results, time & distance, to captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk). Once the event is closed we can publish all the results. Thank you to everyone who took, or is taking, part. At the time of writing the newsletter we had raised £145.93 in support of the Rotary Walkathon in aid of Jigsaw Thornbury. Thank you to the 18 people who have donated so far, please can we ask everyone else who participated to consider a donation please. We suggest each participant makes a minimum £5 payment voluntary contribution, to make this easy please use the Virgin Giving page: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/ThornburyRunningClub

3. Ultra Impressive – Race Report ~ Paul Harrod
Whenever a race profile contains three ‘aid stations’ with prominent red crosses, and an elevation map with more ups and downs then the FTSE 100, you know you are in for a tough race.
However this did not dampen the enthusiasm of Ashleigh Ferris to take on her first ever 50km run: the daunting sounding UltraX Spring Trail Series. Despite the ferocious wind and frequent downpours, she finished in a highly impressive 15th place in her age category, in a time of 6hrs and 14 mins, and just outside the first 100 finishers in the entire race. The joyful series of pictures posted on Strava suggest she still had plenty of energy to celebrate her magnificent achievement afterwards!
Ultra regulars Ros Rowland and Jo Emerson also both did the UltraX Spring Trail both coming top of their age categories.– Ros was 1st FV50 in the 50km event in 6.26.50 just 12 minutes behind Ashleigh and Jo was 1st Fv40 in the hilly Half Marathon in 2.31.29

Slightly closer to home, Laura Orna took on the Bristol Epic Three Peaks race, starting in Pensford, and stormed round the 16.5 mile course in 2 hours and 44 mins. She finished in an incredible third place overall ,and second senior female. It is tough enough walking up those three peaks, (Knowle Hill, Maes Knowle and Blackberry Hill), let alone running them, and the challenging weather conditions on Saturday make Laura’s achievement all the more significant.
Finally, Laura Newell ran the Westonbirt Arboretum 10k, in what must have been very tough underfoot conditions, in a time just outside 1 hour. A very good result for a tough trail run in these unusually wet conditions!

4. Cotswold Way Latest
Still spaces available for this club classic, 3 more runners, 3 reserves and 1 volunteer please. If you would like to apply to join a team, be a reserve or volunteer, please contact Judy Mills judy.mills@live.co.uk. The Cotswold Way Relay is a 103 miles, 10 stages race off road race through beautiful Cotswold landscape from Chipping Campden to Bath on 3rd July https://cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk/

The Club is paying the full entry fee for both EA & non-EA members, as this is a Club event. However you do have to be a fully paid member of TRC, otherwise this could invalidate our entry leading to disqualification.

5. Thornbury 10k
We have agreement from Thornbury Rugby Club to use their facilities for our 10k annual club event on Thursday 15th July. We are currently looking at the start logistics, and hence number of runners we can accommodate, before announcing more details. Mark your calendar, more details to follow.

Coming Up Next Week
• Pete Mainstone Challenge 2021-22 New Events Added