Month: November 2017

British & Irish Masters Cross Country International

To gain selection to represent England is truly an honour. I was especially happy this year to receive my selection letter as I wasn’t confident that I had posted enough good races. Having run well in the Counties in January I thought 2017 might be a good year however injuries and timing of races meant things didn’t quite go to plan.

I travelled to Derry on the Friday before the race taking a lot of waterproof kit, which as it turned out was not needed. On race day the weather was good, dry and not too cold. However, walking the course before you could see it was very boggy in places from the previous week’s rainfall. read more

Gareth Bird Investigates: Herbert’s Hole

Herbert’s Hole Challenge 2017

by Gareth Bird

What an odd name for an event – ‘Herbert’s Hole Challenge’. It’s actually named after a place and lane named Herbert’s Hole between Great Missenden and Chesham.

Sunday 19 November was a good day for a multi terrain 10km. It had rained so there would be thick slippery mud and the temperature was comfortably low. Luckily for me, Jason Newland from On the Run (Aylesbury) was also running so he picked me up on route.  You may see Jason at some of the Chiltern League events which he enters as a guest. Make him welcome as he’s a fast V40 and would fit in well at LBAC! read more

The Vets Leading the Way

Mahamed Mahamed walked in to the tent to collect his number and was met by Pete Mackrell, full of excitement following his brief chat with race favourite Andy Vernon. “Here’s your number, good luck. Andy Vernon’s over there, reckon you can beat him?” was Pete’s short jokey conversation with the shy Southampton AC athlete who just smiled and walked away. A couple of hours later and that same quiet runner stormed around the six mile course at Teardrop Lakes in 29:18 to take victory and push Vernon down to third. When you consider that Elliot – who has broken most of our club records recently – was nearly three minutes behind, this is a whole different level of running! read more

If Noise is a Drug then New York is Full of Addicts

New York Marathon

by Kassia Gardner

SO. MUCH. NOISE. Not today though. Today in Central Park, New York, the roar has gone and there is just the low rumble of distance traffic, a city ambience punctuated by the low ‘whoop, whoop’ of emergency vehicles – NYC emergency vehicles don’t make a ‘nee naw’ sound like they do in the UK but anyway I digress. Let me take you back 48 hours to the NYC Marathon.

Kas in trouble with the locals!

I hadn’t slept well since arriving in NYC on Thursday, the cacophony of noise from irritating garbage, emergency vehicle sirens, and construction noise coming in through the open window meant for a restless night’s sleep, of course we could have shut the window but then the room would get too hot, or we could have put the air con on, but even that was loud. read more

Feeling a bit “non-league” in Mansfield

English Cross Country Relays

by Sam Dear

The English Cross Country Relays has been staged in Mansfield since 1989 and LBAC were last there in 2010 and 20011, however on both of these occasions one member of the team had somehow forgotten to put their timing chip on and so the team was disqualified, much to the annoyance of those who wore their chip! Andy must have been one who was left with a DQ next to his name as I got an almost daily reminder to wear my chip in the week leading up to event.

The relays are part of the build up to the trials at the end November to get into the GB team for the European Cross Country  Championships and so there was definitely some talent around quite often has some GB athletes that you may recognise. read more

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