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April 2012
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Town & Gown 10k
Despite some pretty horrendous conditions for today's Town & Gown 10k in Cambridge, flippers would have been more appropriate than running shoes for much of it, we had some great performances by Jonathan Escalante-Phillips, 1st in 36:04 and Matt slater 3rd in 37:07. Yours truly was a somewhat frozen and waterlogged 5th in 37:25. Also braving the elements were Robert Conquest, Dan Bayles and C&C newcomer, Rose Eichenberger. Unfortunately the results don't list the runners by team at the moment, so please feel free to add yourself if you ran for C&C.
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Ras y Trên (Race the Train)
If you have never heard of Race the Train before, the idea of the event is to race a steam train cross-country, up and down hills, across fields, through forests, and over streams. Tickets are available on the steam train for friends and family so that they may: offer up shouts of encouragement as the train rattles by, and take photos as you face-plant into a cow pat. There a number of distances (3.5 miles, 5.5 miles, 10 km, 14 miles) you can chose to race the train over, each constituting a separate individual race. The event is held in Tywyn, mid-Wales, and this year takes place on Saturday 18th August, 2012.
A number of C&C runners have competed in this event in the past, and there is a group of us interested in competing in the event this year. The plan so far is to camp near, or in Tywyn. An expedition up the local mountain Cadair Idris is also planned for the day after the race. I have created a thread in the forum for this event, so if interested, please look there for more details and get involved.
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Club night tonight!
Just a reminder that it is Club Night after training tonight... whether you are coming to training or just hobbling up to see us for a marathon debrief, we'd love to see as many of you there as possible! From around 8:15PM
Caz
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Gentle out and back to Coton
If you fancy a recovery run, the Women's group is going to do an out and back to Coton this evening. Leaving from the track at 7pm
Becky
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London Marathon
It is fitting that in this Olympic year that a grand weekend in London was dominated by two great British institutions; the London Marathon and moaning about how they got the weather forecast wrong again. A day that promised much in terms of shivering spectators and happy runners turned to shirt-sleeve weather and sweaty toil as the showers stayed away and the sun frazzled the C&C marathoners. But our guys and girls are made of stern stuff, as the full results show.
First C&C Diarmuid Ó Séaghdha's 2:37 was quite stunning, and carried him to 118th place in as strong a field as you'll see anywhere. Hot on Diarmuid's heels was Charlie Wartnaby, aiming to beat his 2:42:38 PB, and recording another 2:42:38! 260th for Charlie. Another jaw-dropping effort came from Victoria Knight, who ducked under 3 hours for a magnificent 56th place in the mass-starters, and no less brilliant was Kim Masson - 3:09 and sixth in the V45s. Marginal disappointment maybe for our gang of speed merchants targeting 3 hours - Andrew Shields, Paul Makowski, Giulio Cinque and Al Pritchard missed out by a smidge; happier, and deservedly so, with a first-ever sub-3:15 was Katie Sherwood, just ahead of the also-PBing Christoph Schwiening (3:15), Tracey Patmore and Madeline Boardman (two 3:17s). Katie Samuelson somehow managed yet another 26.2 in a quick 3:21.
Giacomo Capetti's and Caz Pritchard's class took them to sub-3:30 even on a difficult day, and there were eye-catchingly great runs by Carmel McEniery (3:30 and another 'never again') and Andrea Martinelli (3:33). Jalanie D'Alessandro's battling 3:58 rounded off the sub-4's, but Rich Lyle and Graham Handley (a pair of 4:05s) just missed out. Other heroic 4-and-a-bits came from Mike DiFranco, Caroline Archer, Hazel Turton, Deb Carter and Jen Richardson.
It's a hell of a day and an unimaginably painful one at times, but each and every member of our squad dug deep and came up with something truly special. Well done, you legends, well done.
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Spare coach ticket to London
Last minute rearrangements mean that I have a spare coach ticket for London (VLM) - Sunday, 22nd April leaving the Trumpington Park & Ride at 5:57 AM. Free to a good home: cjs30@cam.ac.uk
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Worcester Half
Nice one Julian Hardyman - a half-marathon PB of 1:38 at Worcester!
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London Marathon Post-Race
This year's post-London debrief/grub/booze-fest will once again be at the Chandos pub on St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4ER. It's a short stagger from the finish and meeting area on Horseguards' - just follow the crowds through Admiralty Arch (or up Whitehall) onto Trafalgar Square (the famous one with the sailor on a stick), and you'll see the huge National Portrait Gallery occupying the whole of the far side of the square. Exit Trafalgar Square just to the right of the gallery, and you're almost there - just fork right into St Martin's Lane. Upstairs bar, please (going up stairs is easier than down). Google Maps information is here. Runners, supporters, casual acquaintances and marathon groupies welcome. First runner home gets the drinks in... ;-)
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Cambridge Cambourne 10K
It was a beautiful day for our very own Cambridge Cambourne 10K (if viewed from indoors), and apart from a stiff breeze, running conditions were pretty good. Making the most of it was Sullivan 'Speedster' Smith, who took another brilliant win in 33:03 (chip), beating Bedford's best, Stephen Robinson, by eight seconds. Huge congratulations, Sullivan. Well up to the front of the men's race were David Harrison, an outstanding seventh in 36:21, Istvan Jacso (11th and a PB), Neil Carrington (15th) and Andy Whittle (16th). Awesome, guys. C&C-ers were similarly brilliant at the front of the women's event; second-claimer Ellen Leggate gave race winner Lauren Stewart of WG&EL a battle, and our current elite regulars Katie Sherwood (40:10) and Maddy Boardman (41:20) fought it out for the podium. Cross-country skipper Helen Grant had a strong claim for best C&C performance of the day, finishing sixth in 41:51 and taking victory in the F45 category with a near-82% WAVA.
Elsewhere in the categories, Diana Braverman continues to shine with a second place in the F55s, and we took third places through Peter Haynes in the M50s and Maria Brigtwell at F45. Congrats to all of you. Top-fives were earned by Andrea Martinelli and Carmel McEniery in the F35s and Jane Packman in the F45s. There were heaps of other stirring performances from our 34-strong squad, so check them out in the results section. There were no C&C members in the Fun Run, perplexingly, but definitely quite a few C&C-ers-to-be - well done them and their families.
Running aside (and maybe touching wood!) I think it was probably the most successful Cambourne yet. I don't want to risk missing any names out, so to everyone who put in staggering amounts of work to made it happen, take a bow.
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April Marathons - the alternative approach...
I thought I'd get my excuses for London in early - it will be my fourth marathon of the month, and the other three all took place in the space of one weekend!
On Good Friday I took part in the Bletchley Enigma marathon, seven and a half laps of a tarmac path around Caldecotte Lake near Milton Keynes, in 3 hours 29 minutes.
Easter Saturday saw me take to the trails for the offroad self-navigated Bedford Clanger 'ultra-marathon'. I completed the 28 miles in a more sedate 5 hours 17 minutes, including plenty of stops to read the directions and try not to get lost!
Easter Sunday was the Northampton Festival of Running, another lapped course with 10k, half and full marathon options. Twelve laps of the undulating offroad, twisty-turny trails around the grounds of Delapre Abbey completed the marathon event, on a course that appeared to be designed more for fun than speed! 3 hours and 51 minutes later I'd completed the final race of my weekend.
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Rotterdam Marathon
Mid April can mean only one thing for many intrepid runners and that's got to be the big 26.2. Adam Poole and Dave Yeneralski continued their tour of European Marathons and set off for the Netherlands, managing tidy times of 3.37 and 3.35 respectively. To run a marathon is tough, let alone to race it. Very well done chaps, another one ticked off!
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Newham not 10k
Before you all get too excited at my 33:30 10k yesterday at the Newham 10k, I should point out that there was probably a mistake either measuring or marking out the course. It came up well short on everyone's Garmins, mine showed 6 miles, so I am not taking it as a PB. Pretty annoying to say the least as I actually would have run a PB for 10k if it had been the right length.
I did beat some very good competition to get 1st Vet though and got £100 for that and also 16th in a good quality field so at least I am running well, but I don't think it's a race I will be doing again.
(They remeasured the course as 9.6k and have given adjusted times based on that, so they give me a chip time of 34:54, at least that gets me over 90%WAVA, but by my Garmin it would have been 34:43)
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More great performances at Parkrun
Another C&C first for Caroline P in the Milton Park Parkrun on Sat morning. An impressive sharpener for VLM. A Season Best for Neil C also amongst many other fine performances. Well done all.
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Llandudno Easter 5K Promenade Dash
Late news in from the Welsh seaside - a belting third place in 16:28 for Oliver Park and a stonking new PB of 17:29 (and eighth place) for Matthew Applegate at the Llandudno Easter 5K Promenade Dash. Llongyfarchiadau! (please let that not be offensive).
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Colworth Challenge
Hi
This is an absolutely fantastic weekend and challenge which involves racing, eating from the barby, have a pint at the club house bar, camping, with great goodies that are given away over the weekend. Great individual and team prizes.
Dates are out - word of warning the Friday night race fills up fast.
http://colworthstriders.trevolution.org/marathon_challenge_details.php
Every event is off road - if you want any more info on this event just ask.
Tracey
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Cambs AA Road league
Hi All
This may be a league that people might be interested in? NVH are lookingto put forward a ladies team!!!!
Road league fixtures 2012
Thorney 10k - March 25
Eye 10k (inc Cambs AA champs) - May 13th
Crowland Show 12k - June 30th
Thorney 5m (inc Cambs AA champs) - August 12th
NVH Barney 5k (inc Cambs AA champs) - August 15th
Grunty Fen Half marathon (inc Cambs AA champs) - September 9th
Fenland 10m (inc Cambs AA champs) - October 28th
Tracey
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Ashdon Trail 10
A small, but very successful band of C&C runners sampled the inaugural Ashdon Trail 10 on Easter Monday. Many congratulations to John Baslington and Paul Nelson who were 3rd and 4th finishers overall and to Maria Brightwell for a superb win! Simon B, Andy W and Glyn also put in strong runs, so well done all. Any photos of that trophy Maria?
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C&C cinema night?
This film will be showing at the Arts Picturehouse from April 20th... and you thought that Cambridge was a Town of Runners
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Mary Holmes at Parkrun
I think it's worth a mention that Mary Holmes, who ran yesterday's Parkrun in 26:39, gets a WAVA for that of 90.99%, which is top class running. Well done Mary!
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Ashdon Trail 10
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Cambridge & Coleridge & Clogs 2012
We need to get together for a planning meeting for Amsterdam soon. If you're interested in joining a wee jaunt to the land of tulips and Anke, please post here.
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British Elite Duathlon Championship
Those of you with a passing interest in the cycle-sandwich format of racing (run-cycle-run) may be interested to hear that George finished as 3rd female (1st Junior) at the British Elite Duathlon Championships in Loughborough a week ago, earning her a place to represent GB at the European's in Holland at the end of the month. Unfortunately, I can't take any credit for the wonderful performance - but, all of her training partners and coaches at C&C certainly can!
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Diss Duathlon
Multi-event news from the Far East - a superb fifth place for Lisa Stango in the Diss Duathlon. Nice one, Lisa.
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Oakley 20
Well done to the massed C&C squad at Oakley on Sunday. Pretty much all were putting the finishing touches to marathon training rather than racing racing, and everyone seems in fine nick. First C&C over the line was Dad-to-be Paul Makowski in 2:22 (hurrying in case of early news?), and the amazing Katie Sherwood was just a minute behind, taking third in her category (the Youngsters). Paul Jones, Caz Pritchard and "Ultra Katie" Samuelson flew round in about two-and-a-half, and Jalanie D'Alessandro and the PB-ing Carmel McEniery finished strongly in 2:40ish. Maria Brightwell (after a sprint for the starting line), Mike DiFranco, Julie Tapley, Hazel Turton, Deb Carter and Jen Richardson all made a seriously tough course look easy. Legends all.
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