Category Archives: Uncategorized

Members, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

TRC Weekly Bulletin – w/c 19th June 2023

 

Thursday Club Night Leaders

22nd June : Walking – Val / 5k – Nigel H / 10 min – Chris P / 9 min – Ellen P / 8 min – Mel W / 7 min – Peter C

29th June : No Groups required as it is the Thornbury 10k night.

6th  July : Severnside suite not available. Meet in top car park as normal at 7pm. Group Leaders to be advised

Tea Rota                                                      

22/06 : Lorna Chambers / 29/06 : No tea – Thornbury 10k / 06/07 : No Tea – Severnside suite not available / 13/07 : Paul Saville

As usual we need a few more volunteers to do tea. Should inly have to do Tea once per year. Please let Arthur Renshaw know if you would be prepared to be added to the Tea rota.

                       ———————————————————–

  Reminders

  1. Cotswold Way Relay (Sat 1st July)
    We now have 2 ‘settled’ teams (Quickthorn & Hawthorn) in the Cotswold Way Relay (103 miles, 10 stage, off-road race through the Cotswolds from Chipping Campden to Bath). Any issues check the CWR2023 What’s App group or speak to Judy Mills or the CWR Captains Jo Plumbley and Rob Watkins.

 

  1. Thornbury 10k (Thursday 29th June)

Thanks to the 50 of you who have volunteered to help on our 10k. We are 90% full with over 350 runners registered. It would be useful to get one more volunteer to cover any changes or drop-outs. All details were sent out last Thursday. If you haven’t got the e-mail with all the details then please contact Arthur Renshaw rensh1@hotmail.co.uk  No meeting at the Leisure Centre so if you are not helping then come down and cheer people on at the Finish in Oldbury.

Any other questions please contact Race Director Ros – rosinacatering@blueyonder.co.uk

 

  1. Bristol Running Show (Sunday 16th July)
    We have a stand at the Bristol Running Show on Sunday 16th July at the Bristol Aerospace Welfare Association (BAWA) Leisure Centre on Southmead Rd, Filton. With your help we will use this to promote club membership and our race series. We have 2 vacancies for people @ 12:30 – 14:30. If you are able to help please let Kevin Wood know . If you want to attend free tickets available from Bristol Running Show.com Facebook: Bristol Running Show Instagram: @bristol_running_show

 

  1. The steady Tuesday night run is back for the summer. 7pm top car park at the Leisure Centre. Usually off-road and 5k-10k. Distance, route & pace depending on who turns up.

 

  1. Tintern Trot – Thursday 6th July 2023

Our friends at Chepstow RC are promoting the Tintern Trot on a Thursday night in July. It is hilly!

You can enter at https://www.fabian4.co.uk/default.aspx?EventID=3412.

Details of race at https://sites.google.com/site/chepstowharriersrunningclub/open-races/tintern-trot

You can view your Tintern Trot entry details using:

https://www.fabian4.co.uk/amend2/entry2.aspx?EventID=3120&Sec=a3ff8671-df78-4479-b080-56a113c84c11

 

  1. Five Mile ‘Age Grader’– Sunday 23rd July 2023

This unusual event is very local to Thornbury. An officially measured and very flat course around the hamlet of Shepperdine with overall positions and prizes based on age-adjusted times and not actual times.

You can enter at https://www.fabian4.co.uk/default.aspx?EventID=3430.

Details of race at https://sites.google.com/site/roguerunsevents/home/our-events/age-grader

Start List https://www.fabian4.co.uk/start/list.aspx?EventID=3430

 

  1. Parkrun of the month
July 1st Severn Bridge   https://www.parkrun.org.uk/severnbridge/
August 5th Berkeley Green   https://www.parkrun.org.uk/berkeleygreen/
Sept 2nd Thornbury   https://www.parkrun.org.uk/thornbury/

 

  1. Basic First Aid & CPR for runners (September)

It is about time we revisited what to do when you are out running and someone nearby collapses. Clare Watt is going to organise an evening session in September so you all know how to do CPR and give basic first aid. More details to follow.

 

  1. Running through a field of cows – we all do it.

In 2020-21 11 walkers were killed by cows and 31 people sustained non-fatal injuries. Cows do appear to be getting more aggressive and a lengthy article in this week’s Sunday Times explains why cows attack and what to do if you find yourself in this situation. For more read on …. www.killercows.co.uk

 

18/06/23

Uncategorized

TRC Bulletin – two weeks from 19th December 2022

Thursday Club Night Leaders

22/12 : Normal Club Night : Walking – Val / 12 min – Amel / 10 min – Hugh / 9 min – Jim W / 8 min – tba / 7 min – Nick

29/12 : Leisure Centre closed. Meet in Car Park : Walking – Val / 12 min – Caron / 10 min – Arthur / 9 min – Ashleigh / 8 min – Kevin W / 7 min – Ben

Tea Rota                                                      

22/12 – Jerry Clothier 29/12 – Leisure Centre closed  5/1/23 – Nigel Hale 12/1/23 Amel.

Mince Pie Run Wotton-Under-Edge (reminder)

The traditional pre-Xmas Mince Pie run on Sunday 18th December meeting in the Chippings car park in Wotton GL12 7BD. Christmas outfits encouraged.

  1. The ‘Fast & Furious’ Group. Starting at 08.00 for about 3 hours Led by Rob Watkins.
  2. The Ros & Jo Group. Starting early – 07.00-ish. Intending doing 16 miles. Led by Ros & Jo. A version of Traditional Route
  3. The ‘cut down Traditional Route’ Group. Starting at 08.30. About 10 miles Led by Moray Sloan
  4. The ‘Hilly & Muddy’ Group. Starting at 08.45. about 7-8 miles. Led by Arthur Renshaw
  5. The ‘Steady Run’ Group. Starting at 09.30 5-6 miles with a few hills. Led by Jim Williams
  6. The ‘More Leisurely’ Group. Starting at 09.30. Walking group dogs allowed. Led by Judy Mills

Expect next Bulletin early January.

Good luck to all those doing the re-arranged Westonbirt 10k on New Years Eve

Best Wishes to all for Christmas and New Year

16/12/22

Members, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

Club Weekly Bulletin w/c 18/09 – Big Diary update

Thursday Club Night Leaders

Walking – Val / 5k – Amel / 10 min – Steve / 9 min – Hugh / 8 min – Hannah / 7 min – Paul

All runs now require hi-viz and head torches please.

Tea Rota                                                      

22/9 – Jonathan Hall / 29/9 – Jerry Clothier / 6/10 – Arthur Renshaw / 13/10 – Steve Dimond

What’s On …

  1. Gloucester League Cross Country
    Hannah & Jim G have kindly agreed to be XC Captains again this season. All communications about XC will be in the ‘TRC Cross Country’ WhatsApp group. Not sure if you are in the group? If you didn’t see the message sent Tues 13/9, then you are not in the group. Like to be added to the group? Contact Hannah, Jim G or Kevin W. A full list of XC races and a picture of Lorna is here: https://www.athletics4u.co.uk/cross-country/

2. Leaders
We need more leaders please. We have some long term injuries and leaders changing groups which means we have 3 leaders for the 7 min group, 4 for 8 min, 4 for 9 min, 7 for 10 min and 4 for 12 min. So every group, except 10 min, needs 1 or 2 more leaders to cover for injury, illness, family, work etc. If we don’t get more leaders coming forward we will have to combine groups if we have a leader shortage. If you would like more info, no commitment or obligation, please speak to Kevin W captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1. Olveston Fun Run
    This is a great local community event on Sunday 9th October in support of Olveston School with a 5k off road run and a 1k run for younger children. It would be terrific to see a good turnout from the club in club kit. Entry available

18/09/22

Members, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

Club Weekly Bulletin w/c 11/09 – No Emmanuel

Thursday Club Night Leaders

Walking – Val / 5k – Carol Mosses / 10 min – Jim Williams / 9 min – combined with 8’s/ 8 min – Lizzie / 7 min – Rob

Tea Rota                                                      

15/9 – Run & Rehydrate / 22/9 – Jonathan Hall / 29/9 – Jerry Clothier / 6/10 – Arthur Renshaw / 13/10 – Steve Dimond

What’s On …

  1. Oldbury 10 Mile – Sunday 18/9

We are so nearly there, we need a couple of people to act as reserves please sign up here, thank you.  A list of volunteers is shown here if you are not sure if you have volunteered! All volunteers will by now received two e-mails from Arthur with instructions. Arthur would like to have a marshals briefing on Thurs 15/9 at about 8:30 after the Club run at the Run & Rehydrate in Rockhampton please.

We do have a LOT of capacity for more runners so please help increase entries by telling anyone and everyone you know, word of mouth is very powerful. Thank you.

Any Oldbury 10 Mile last minute issues please contact Ros Rowland (07743 257 838) or Arthur Renshaw (07810 300 025)

  1. Run & Pizza

The next Run & rehydrate (run, drink & eat pizza) is on Thursday 15th September at Rockhampton OLD cricket pavilion. (The Common, Rockhamptopn OLD Cricket Pavillion, Lower Stone Road, Rockhampton, GL13 9DX). Please put the date in your diary.

  1. Introduction to Running Course

We have enough interest and people registered to run the next Introduction to Running Course. If you know anyone interested please ask them to contact Carol Mosses beginners@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk The course is 9  weeks from Wednesdays from Oct 5th to Nov 30th at 6:45pm from TLC car park.

  1. Emmanuel Kipruto Bundotich

Full Message from Paul –  Sadly Emmanuel’s visa application has been rejected. Despite the fact that we offered proof of paid airline tickets – out, and return – plus the letter of invitation from TRC; the elite entry to the Bristol Half; proof of where he would stay in the UK, and a letter of recommendation from Athletics Kenya, his application was rejected. We tried hard to understand why this was.    The British Embassy ignored all emails.   There is a hotline to call, but they will only speak to the applicant, i.e. Emmanuel, and in order to speak to someone on the phone you have to type in a credit card and pay 70p per minute.   He does not have a credit card of course.   99% of Kenyans do not. We found a UK guy in Iten willing to dial in and pass the phone over to Emmanuel, only we were told there was no right of appeal, and a new visa application, costing another £180, and another speculative 12 hour round-trip to Nairobi, would be needed.   Others advised that unless Emmanuel had a UK bank account, or family in the country, or a professional contract, there was essentially zero chance of success. So with great reluctance, we have had to cancel his trip.   I find it so dis-spiriting that he could not take up the single chance in his lifetime to do something we, far, far, far, lesser athletes take for granted.  What must his two little boys think when all they hear is that the UK government won’t allow their dad to visit a place they were told was their friend?  So-called ‘global Britain’ is only open to those who are rich it would appear.    Plus ca change. Thank you to all TRC members who expressed an interest in meeting with Emmanuel, training with him, even hosting him in their home.   Thank you to the club committee, and especially Kevin, who made such great efforts themselves to promote and coordinate the trip. I am just sorry that it has all come to nothing.

  1. Gloucester League Cross Country

Summer is over and thoughts are turning to Cross Country! Here are the Glos League fixtures for 2022/3 to put in your Diary.

  1. Sat 5th Nov Cirencester Park
  2. Sat or Sun 10/11 December
  3. Sun 19th Feb
  4. Sun 5th March Cotswold Farm Park

11/09/22

Members, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

Club Weekly Bulletin w/c 22/08 – Discount Offer

Thursday Club Night Leaders

Walking – Val / 5k – Jim W / 10 min – Ellen / 9 min – Mike / 8 min – Lizzie / 7 min – Rob

Tea Rota                                                      

25/8 – Karen Carr / 01/9 –  Lorna Chambers / 8/9 – Mark Rogers / 15/9 Arthur Renshaw

What’s On …

  • August 28th – Severn Bridge 10k (PMC race #4)
  • September 3rd – parkrun of the month Clevedon Salthouse Fields
  • September 15th  â€“ Run & rehydrate (+ Pizza)
  • September 18th – Oldbury 10 Miles
  • September 20th – ‘Kenyan Tuesday Night Coaching’ session venue tbc
  • September 21st – ‘Drill, Stretches & Core Session’ + ‘Running in Kenya’ with Emmanuel, Callum Jones & Paul – venue Old Down Pavillion
  • October 1st – parkrun of the month Somerdale Pavilion
  • October 9th – Olveston School Run
  • October 23rd – Stroud Half (PMC race #5)
  •  

1. Oldbury 10 Mile – Sunday 18th Sept 

The good news is that, following a review of marshalling, the number of marshals needed has been reduced from 61 to 49. The bad news is we only have 13 so far. Please sign up ASAP here, thank you. We have 84 entrants so far and we need 172 to break even. We have directly contacted all local clubs, used FB, paid FB ads, Instagram, posters …. Please help by telling anyone and everyone you know, as word of mouth is very powerful. Thank you.

2. Going up!

If you thought Thornbury parkrun was undulating, or going up Thornbury Hill the limit of human endurance, spare a thought for the following club member about to embark on a whole new level of running:

Anyone following Nick William’s Strava will have seen he has been going up rather a lot. That’s because he is about to take on the UTMB OCC. This is a prestigious international event over 55km, through 3 countries and with 3,000 meters+ of elevation gain.

Meanwhile, Ros & Jo are tackling the Trans Alpine Run, an eight-day journey across the Alps over 290 kilometres and 17,320 m of positive vertical (vs. 15,730 m of cumulative descent). They are also raising monies for MS via JustGiving  Good luck to Jo, Ros & Nick.

  1. Discount Offer

We are collaborating with running underwear and sock brand Runderwear who are giving club members a 15% when you order and quote NICKW15. This offer is available until midnight 31st August 2022, so get shopping. You will receive 15% off all full-priced items on the Runderwear website by entering the unique code NICKW15 at the checkout where it says “add discount code”. This is what Nick will be wearing when he runs UTMB OCC.

  1. Thornbury 10k Feedback

Thank you to all those who took the time to send feedback about the Thornbury 10k so we can adapt and improve for year 2. A few of the changes being made:

  • Do away with the ‘Lead Marshal’ listed on the marshals list, this was confusing people. The document will be reformatted.
  • Change the format of the ‘Marshal Instructions’ to provide more info and clearer graphics (you will see the new format when you volunteer for Oldbury 10m)
  • Changes to the route including start / finish on the Sailing Club road to avoid the out & back; run the route in the reverse direction.
  • Better signage and free standing lights

20/08/22

 

 

 

Events, News, Results, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

Thornbury vs Chepstow mob match report

Generations of Chepstow children have gazed out across the shimmering Severn and wondered who was so rich and famous that they got to live in that Big White House?  The Mayor of Thornbury?  Arthur Renshaw?

So there was palpable excitement from our Mob Match opponents, Chepstow Harriers, as they turned out in force, excited by the opportunity to see this landmark abode for themselves.  Hopefully they weren’t too disappointed to discover it was a decommissioned nuclear power-plant.   Still, they must be warmly congratulated for turning out in such fantastic numbers for an away fixture in August.  Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, and owner of Thornbury Castle, must be rolling in his substantial grave.  Although his efforts to keep the Welsh at bay have been somewhat undermined in recent decades by the M4 and M48 bridges.   

With the mercury still above 30 degrees at 7pm there was a suggestion that the Mob Match be resolved over games of petanque at the Anchor, washed down with ice-cold sauvignon blanc.  Instead after a very cursory ‘warm up’ we found ourselves assembling for a 5km dash along the Mad Max-esque bleached-blonde banks of the Severn, to the consternation and utter bewilderment of the slow-strolling dog-walkers.

Any thoughts that the run out into the headwind would be a cagey and tactical affair were immediately dispelled by Nick Williams charging off at 5 min 45 mile pace.  Andy Wilson’s usual race tactic is to run himself to the point of utter exhaustion, and then accelerate. He was the only other runner willing and/or able to pick up Nick’s gauntlet, and Andy pushed his team mate all the way to the finish line.   Nick a deserved winner of the 3 mile race in 16 mins and 56 seconds, with Andy a fine second place just five seconds behind.

Phil Blackburn has taken a well-earned holiday following the end of the football season, so was maybe not quite at his sharpest, although I wonder what would have happened if he’d gone with the leaders.   He still picked his way through the field to finish in 4th place overall, just behind the lead Chepstow runner, in 17 mins 15 seconds. Conner Vidal-Cocker is a relatively recent recruit to the TRC stable, but he already looks like a thoroughbred champion in waiting.  He paced his effort to perfection, pulling away from a cohort of Chepstownians, to finish in 5th, in 17:29.  Paul Harrod, who was a human parasol for a group of runners on the out-leg, also finished strongly in 17:47 to finish 7th.   At this early stage TRC were well out in the lead of the men’s and overall race.

Unfortunately at this point Chepstow’s weight of numbers started to tell, and they stacked the positions from 8th to 30th with just a handful of TRC runners bucking the trend.   That is not to say there were not some excellent individual performances within that mix.  Jim Godden ran a fantastic 19:32; Ash Blackmore ran 20:28, while George Evans in 20:32 and Asten Haynes, 20:49, are both recovering from injury, and should be heartily thanked for turning out to bag us some points despite both knowing they’d be far further up the tow-path if fully fit.

It takes a special athlete to beat the top TRC female runners, and so we should congratulate the brilliant Katherine Matthews who won the ladies race, and was 8th overall, in 18 minutes flat.  Such was the quality of performance from Chepstow’s leading ladies that Avon 10k road champion Lucie Wilson had to settle for 4th place, in a still fabulous time of 19:28.   Club road race champion Ali Vaz was second TRC lady, and 6th overall, in 20 mins exactly.  Jo Plumbley was brilliantly consistent as always to come home next for TRC in 21:34, just 10 seconds or so ahead of Natalie Bennett who had to sprint to the line to hold off a trio of fast-finishing Harriers.   Julia Jolley in 23:33 and  Ashleigh Ferris in 24 minutes exactly made up our top 6.   Despite these wonderful efforts Chepstow won the overall ladies competition pretty decisively.

Apologies that there is not the space to mention everyone who ran.  It was, without exception, a tremendous achievement to run in that heat and to score points for our team.  Even if a few sun-sapped and heat-addled later finishers mistook the picnic table set up 50 yards up the path for the finish line. Inevitably Chepstow’s numerical advantage meant they won the match, but our senior men definitely had the edge at the top-end of the field.   Perhaps we need to annex Berkeley to boost our numbers for future matches?
  
A huge thank you to Kevin Wood, and his family, and all those who organised this brilliant event.   Thank you to the marshals, and especially to Carol Mosses.   She was the sole person at the kissing gate, and not only coped with a wave of runners hurtling through the tiny gap in the gate, but even had time to set up a temporary traffic-light system to give priority to the faster-returning runners.   Which also meant that our Chepstow guests got a taste of the authentic Thornbury experience.  Thank you to the Chepstow captain for organising the chip-timing; that really enhanced the race, and meant we got the results accurately and promptly.   There was a warm and convivial atmosphere between the teams as we refreshed ourselves in the gardens of the Anchor pub by the light of the Sturgeon moon.  The Harriers returned home in triumph to Chepstow – or ‘transfluvial Thornbury’ as the estate agents call it in a bid to boost house prices.  But the best result of the night was the growing consensus that this fixture is now going to be a regular event in our club calendars.

Members, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

Club Weekly Bulletin w/c 25/7 – Emmanuel Kipruto Bundotich

Thursday Club Night Leaders

Walking – Val / 12 min – Nigel / 10 min – tbc / 9 min – Hugh / 8 min – Hannah / 7 min – Nick

Tea Rota                                                      

28/7 Carol M – 4/8 / Malcolm Carr / 11/8 – Mob Match /18/8 – Natalie Bennett

What’s On …

  1. Mob Match 11/8

The mob match vs Chepstow will be the club night run on 11/8. This is a home match (Oldbury) over a distance (5k) good for everyone in the Club. We need your details please for the chip timing (and so I order enough cakes!). Details here. Please enter here. Run followed by (free) cakes and a beer (not free) at The Anchor, what’s not to like! 30 people signed up so far … we need a whole lot more please.

  1. Emmanuel Kipruto Bundotich

When Paul & James were in Iten, Kenya  recently they met and trained with Emmanuel. The plan is for him to spend a week with us in September and to attempt to break the twelve year old Oldbury Power 10 miles record of 50min.19sec. His 10k time is 28:22 at altitude! Here is an outline plan for how he will spend his time with us, more details to follow:

  • Thursday 15/9 – Emmanuel runs & chats with 8 min group (Run & Rehydrate Night)
  • Sunday 18/9 – Oldbury Power 10 mile race
  • Tuesday 20/9 – Leads ‘Kenyan Tuesday Night Coaching’ session- venue tbc
  • Wednesday 21/9 – ‘Drill, Stretches & Core Session’ + ‘Running in Kenya’ with Emmanuel & Paul – venue tba
  • Thursday 22nd – Emmanuel runs & chats with 7 min group
  • Sunday 25th – Bristol half Marathon

He will also be available for 1:1 coaching during this week. The above is all subject to him getting final visa approval which we have helped him with.

  1. Thornbury 10k

Thanks to those who took the time to give constructive feedback regarding the Thornbury 10k. This was the first real volume test of the course and we learned a lot from it. We discussed this at the committee meeting on Thursday and we are going to make a number of changes resulting from this. We now turn our attention to the Oldbury Power 10 miles 18/9, more details soon.

  1. Races?

So far I have only received two responses to this request. The idea was to get people to give you support by knowing what events you had entered. If you have entered London Marathon, Great North Run, Bristol Half or Bath Half please let me know so we can compile a list of Club runners for everyone to track on the day. Please send to captain@thornburyrunningclub.co.uk

  1. Pete Mainstone Challenge Update

The next event is 28/8 – Severn Bridge 10k. After 3 events in the 2022-23 Pete Mainstone Challenge Paul Saville is leading the Men’s outright table. The next four places (Phil Blackburn, Ben Bohane, Paul Harrod and Simon Pinnington) are separated by 5 points. In the Men’s age adjusted Paul is still in first place followed by Nick Langridge and Simon Pinnington. Only two ladies in the competition, so far, with Hannah in 1st place followed by Lizzie. All results and next event

23/07/22

Events, News, Results, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

Hogweed Trot – Pete Mainstone Challenge, race 2

Round 2 of this year’s Pete Mainstone Challenge took place in Yate – the only town in South Gloucestershire that simultaneously rhymes with ‘great’ and ‘party’ depending on how posh your accent is.

The Hogweed Trot is another impeccably organised local event that doubles as the Avon County 10k road Championships, and attracts a commensurately high-calibre roster of runners.

The organisers again claim it is a ‘pan-flat’ course – (is there a conspiracy amongst the race directors?) – but the roads are as rolling as the stir-fry wok at a hall of residence’s communal kitchen. However it takes place on quiet country roads on the edge of the town, with the final mile a gentle downhill to the finish on a cyclepath.

Andy Wilson is TRC’s Jason Kenny – no matter how fantastic his own performance is, all anyone wants to talk about is how amazing his wife is! I’ll come to Andy’s run in a moment, but first we must acknowledge Lucie Wilson, who ran a course record 40:20, to win her race and take the coveted county champion crown. Lucie is only an occasional runner with TRC – as she competes at a high level at netball – but after this stunning run we hope she might nail her colours firmly to TRC’s mast, and come and win a lot more races with us cheering her on. Mainly from some distance behind!

Hannah Hamilton also had a wonderful race, and finished in 5th place in 43:39. Strava suggests this was a 10k PB, but whatever it was, Hannah is racing well, with consistency, and is hopefully taking a lot of encouragement from that.

We had a strong turnout from Thornbury’s male runners. Phil Blackburn paced his effort to perfection, holding back slightly over the first 5k before marauding through the field to clinch a 10th place finish in a new PB of 36:51. The exciting thing for Phil, and for the club, is that he’s still going to get faster for at least a few more years, assuming he can maintain his obvious enthusiasm for, and dedication to, his training.

Andy Wilson set off as usual like a Diamond League pace-maker on a caffeine buzz. If his run last Sunday at the TRC championships was mesmeric, this effort was merely sensational. It’s possible the effort of six days earlier caught up with him a fraction, as he couldn’t hold off Phil on this occasion, but he still finished in 12th place overall in 37:09.

Paul Harrod was the next TRC male runner in 37:54, in 16th place, even though his chip-timer didn’t register. DB Max aren’t accepting his proffered explanation that his sprint-finish exceeded the maximum conceivable speed, so it is possible that the 10p metal chip was just a dud. Simon Pinnington had another marvellous run, and went inside 39 minutes with an excellent 38:46. The age-graded scores still need to be fed into Mel Lloyd’s SuperComputer, but it seems probable that Simon will score very highly in the overall PMC competition.

George Evans just missed out, yet again, on a sub 40 min 10k; clearly his in-demand work as a Samba and Salsa instructor might be taking the edge off his finishing speed. But he still produced another fine performance to finish in 40:14. George was just ahead of Asten Haynes in 40:21. Asten is another runner who is going to go under 40 minutes very soon, and he has another opportunity in the Bradley Stoke 10k later this week.

Tom Usherwood was next home in 44:29. I have a hunch that is a 10k PB for Tom, but either way he is running extremely well at the moment. Nick Langridge, who is as ever-green as the perkiest pine, ran 44:38, to take his inevitable, if still well-earned, victory in the V70 category. Chris Foley was second V70, and just missed out on a sub-50 run, with a highly creditible 50:43. Arthur Renshaw completed the TRC septuagenarian champagne trio, with 56:14. Paul Saville ran 46:43 and David Flemington 65:42 to complete this strong team performance from TRC’s men.

Members, News, Results, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

TRC 10k championships – and recent race round-up

If Arthur Renshaw ever invites you for dinner on Shrove Tuesday, you might want to think twice before accepting.

At the pre-race briefing for the Club 10k championships, Arthur assured us that most of the course was “pan flat” – which makes you question how much heat his kitchen utensils would transfer to the pancake batter!

In fact, the course did get flatter as it went on – and in my view Arthur and the TRC committee have found a fantastic route to relaunch the Thornbury 10k in July.    It begins with seriously steep climbs and descents out of Oldbury; on into the tiny hamlet of Cowhill (although I bet the estate agents still call it Oldbury-on-Severn); followed by bumpy bits in and around Kington, before a final two-mile loop on the outskirts of Oldbury that takes you back into the heart of the village for the finish.  It is a test of race strategy, as well as endurance, and it should certainly be possible to run a negative split if you can avoid the temptation to run too hard on those opening climbs.

A huge thank you to the volunteer marshals who made sure the event ran smoothly, and will help refine the plan ahead of the race later in the summer when we expect up to 200 runners to take part.

It was a warm and sunny Sunday morning, even by 8.30am when the first runners arrived at the Anchor Inn, where the race would start and finish.   You don’t normally see that many scantily-clad people congregating at a pub so early in the morning unless you’re about to board a flight to Malaga.   The Anchor management kindly let us use the outdoor toilets, and given the high percentage of middle-aged men taking part that was a mercy.

Jack and Rory Williams were there to check out the course on which they intend to win the 2038 edition of the race.   They enthusiastically rang their cow bells as we set off, and were still shaking them with undimmed enthusiasm an hour or so later when the final runner came home.  It gave the opening climb something of an Alpe D’Huez vibe, but fortunately their mum, Lizzie, had confiscated the orange smoke flares.

Rory and Jack already knew their dad was awesome, but Nick reminded the rest of the club of that fact, with a stunning run in 35:44, which I am told is the best 10k time by a TRC male runner in nearly a decade.  Nick could go at least a minute quicker on a properly flat course!

Nick led from the gun, and had already put about 10 seconds on the second place runner by the time we passed Oldbury parish church.   Before the start, I predicted the finishing order of the runners would be the same as at the top of that first climb.  But like driving to the very edge of Almondsbury village, it ain’t Over till it’s Over. 

Andy Wilson was second up the hill, motoring to his usual fast start, but showed how much his endurance levels have improved to hold on to that position, despite the quality of the runners behind him, and finish in 37:07.  Andy’s best run in TRC colours so far I’d suggest.

Phil Blackburn deployed a different strategy and was much more circumspect up the opening hills, and he was the only runner to come through the field, moving from 5th to 3rd, to record an excellent time of 37:22.   Sean Leadbetter did struggle slightly in the closing miles, but that’s all relative.   He was still fourth in 38 mins flat.   Ben Bohane continued his remarkable run of results with 38:11 in fifth place, although like Paul Harrod (39:02; 6th), is possibly at his best on the flatter road routes, and/or evening events.  Both were notably down on their Berkeley 10k PBs.

George Evans has the most elegant and efficient upright running style – honed by bounding hurdles topped with champagne coupes set out by his butler at his Kington estate.  George pulled away from Asten Haynes in the final mile to finish in 40:25, with Asten a mere 19 seconds behind.   Paul Thomas (42:11) and Pete Cable (44:05) completed the male top 10.

Ali Vaz was an equally emphatic winner of the women’s race, and also finished inside the overall top 10.   Ali ran a brilliant race and completed the tough course in 42:15.   Jo Plumbley – just a week after finishing another gruelling ultra – managed to outsprint Hannah Hamilton, and pip her by 44:50 to 44:54.   

Nikki Foss ran her overall 10k PB, which is a magnificent achievement.  She ran 51:54, and I am sure there is much more to come, as she has fractionally more time to devote to training now the demands of motherhood are merely relentless as opposed to all-consuming!  Congratulations to junior runner Abbey Bonnet for coming in 5th place in the women’s race in a fabulous time of 53:40, and for making sure her dad, Danny, didn’t get lost or get into mischief on the way round.

As the TRC committee decided that this would be a straight shoot-out for the club championship, there isn’t space to list all the results.  However please check out the website to see the full standings.  Many of the other performances were just as impressive on an age-graded basis, but we weren’t recording those on this occasion.

Finally, a brief roundup of some of highlights during the previous fortnight.

Ros, Jo and Natalie – the 3 Amigas – ran the 40 mile Stroud Ultra together.  Literally, ran it together, as they paced each other round to finish at the same time, in 9 hours and 54 minutes.   All very civilised, and each of them got medals in their age categories; in Ros and Jo’s cases it was gold!

Ben Bohane ran his first ever ultra, in Pembrokeshire – a race that attracted a high quality field from across the UK, and he only went and finished 6th!   Stunning run, for a guy I’m running out of superlatives for.  Well, I ran out of them a while ago, but just hope you’ll forgive the etymological recycling.

Mark West ran one of the best marathon races in recent TRC history, with an excellent 3hrs and 8 mins.   At the other end of the scale, Phil Blackburn was the first TRC member to race in a county 1500m track championship for quite some time.  In his first attempt at the distance since he was school, Phil bravely tracked the leaders for the first few laps, and while he inevitably had to descend into the pain cave over the last 400m, he still finished in a brilliant 4 mins and 33 seconds.   I am sure he can improve on that, and I’d also like to challenge Andy Wilson to try one too!

Highlights from the parkruns include, 14th May, a first place at Lydney for Dylan Roberts in 18:08, (followed by a second at Berkeley Green the following week). and a 19:06 PB at Severn Bridge for Simon Pinnington. 

On the 21st May, Jo Webster ran her 104th parkrun – which is a great achievement – and completed the Thornbury run in 26:34.    Catherine Dack was fourth women at Wotton (sounds like a Shakespeare play) in a new PB of 26:29, while at Severn Bridge, Richard Jackson equalled his course PB of 21:31, but given the windy conditions I estimate that to be a real terms decrease of 15 seconds.

Members, News, Results, Thornbury Running Club, Uncategorized

Berkeley 10k and parkrun of the month race report

On Sunday, several TRC members had the privilege of improving their running technique under the expert eye of coach Shane Benzie.   However the early proof of that pudding was to be tasted the following evening, as they lined up for the Berkeley 10k, the first event in this year’s Pete Mainstone Challenge.

During the warm-up there were admiring glances from other club members as we arched our backs and locked our eyes on the horizon, like Kate Winslet on the bow of the Titanic; or cycled our legs under our centre of mass like Roadrunner; or placed our forefingers on our thumbs and drove our elbows back, like a Yoga Master bisecting logs with a tiny saw.

Sorry, maybe you had to be there on Sunday!

Anyway, Shane’s input has already borne fruit, as several members ran their course, or even all-time, 10k PBs.

It’s particularly hard to single out any individual in such an impressive, collective, set of results.  I’m tempted to award it to Hannah Hamilton who ran a fantastic 43.56, and finished 12th in the women’s race – the best overall result by any TRC member.

Yet how can we not applaud Ben Bohane, who, just nine days after racing a ludicrous 34 miles along the Pembrokeshire Coast, pitched up at Berkeley and knocked a full minute of last year’s time to finish in 21st place in 37.05?  That’s 21st in a race that attracts runners from across the region and was won by an outstanding senior athlete who was a former silver medallist in the English schools 3000m.  Yet again one wonders how fast Ben could run if he ever actually tapered for a race!  

So Hannah and Ben were the two stars of the evening, but they were by no means the only ones to produce an outstanding performance.

Not far behind Ben was Phil Blackburn, who will represent the club in the Avon county 1500m championships on Sunday.  Phil proved once again that his endurance level is starting to approach that of his jaw-dropping raw pace, and finished a mere 4 seconds further back in 22nd place.   Paul Harrod ran his 10k PB and finished in 37.22, 27th overall, and third VM45.

When I wrote last week that I felt Simon Pinnington’s form was so good that he could get under 40 minutes at Berkeley, I was intending to pay him a compliment!   This was a rough extrapolation from his recent parkrun performances.  However it shows how bad my maths is, because Simon himself was aiming to go more than a full minute faster!  Hopefully he doesn’t read these reports…  In the end, Simon ran a wonderful PB of 39.02, but such is the measure of his recent improvement, that he was a little disappointed.   He was fifth VM50, and 44th overall.

Asten Haynes narrowly missed out on running sub 40, but only by 10 seconds.  That was a very notable run, and Asten is another club member who is naturally quick, and is now building an aerobic base that means he can be highly competitive in the longer distances.  The same is true of Tom Usherwood who is racing regularly, and with great consistency, and should be delighted with his time of 44.17.

I’ve written this before, but it bears repeating: a quick scan of the results might mean you overlook Nick Langridge’s performance.  He finished in 45.11, and for most of the race looked like he might get under 45 minutes.   That is still a fine run, but to do so while now competing in the VM70 age-grade is truly exceptional.  It goes without saying Nick won his age category race.

Paul Saville finished in 47.33, and sneaked into the top 100 of the men’s race by finishing 99th.  Kevin Wood had a busy weekend – running at the parkrun of the month, and attending Shane’s workshop.  Yet he once again produced a stellar performance to finish in 49.42 and fifth in age category.   Lizzie Williams was just  seconds outside the 50 minute barrier and a highly creditable 30th place overall in the women’s race.  Some of the club’s loyal and long-standing legends completed our line up.  Hugh McPherson 55.44; Arthur Renshaw in 57.10 and Mel Lloyd in 1hr 10.   In all cases they ran strong races and finished inside the top 10 in their age categories, so their results are entirely comparable with many of their younger teammates further up the standings.

The amazing members of Dursley running club put on another wonderful event.   I’m biased – I don’t think anyone organises races better than we do – but Dursley runs us close!  Once again, the good burghers of Berkeley were out on the streets to offer their support.   I’m always amazed how few cars are out and about – it really does feel like it is a closed road event, even though it isn’t!

Last Saturday was ‘parkrun of the month’ and we were back at Severn Bridge.   Sixteen members took part, which is a good number, especially as lots of us wanted to save our legs for Berkeley just two days later.

Andrew Darton was first TRC member, running a course PB of 20.28.   Chris Pritchard is improving noticeably and came home in his PB of 25.01 – so close to a 24 minute something time.   Jonathan Hall, 22.34 and Ashleigh Ferris, 26.26 ran the event for the first time.   

Congratulations to Kev Cundy for completing his 50th parkrun.   Hope he got a cheer from the Chepstownian locals for that achievement, followed by a chorus of boos when it was revealed he came from ‘that Thornbury’.   Kev ran with wife Suzie and let her finish 1 second ahead of him in 29.12.   Who says chivalry is dead?  Finally, the PB machine that is Carol Mosses – the Birkenhead Dibaba – raced to another personal landmark, finishing in 36.56.