Juniors – January Newsletter
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Pete’s Northern Excursion
by Pete Mackrell
During my trip up north for Christmas, I decided to have a break from eating and drinking to do a 10k race. The race in question was the Ribble Valley 10k, in the town of Clitheroe about 10 miles north of Burnley. For reasons that I can't quite fathom, this race in a small town (population of under 15,000) has become an important fixture on the Northern running scene, to the extent it is a North of England Championship. This tends to ensure a very strong field and over 1000 entrants. In 2011 there were eight men below 30 minutes, almost unheard of for a domestic 10k race.
MK Winter Half Marathon
It would seem that a remarkable thing happened on Sunday. When you get a whole load of people out running an event there are often lots of good performances, but there's usually one or two shockers where the people concerned are somewhat disappointed with their run. I am not aware however, that any of the 17 people who raced the 13.1 miles around MK on Sunday weren't happy with their efforts.
It was certainly a chilly morning, with the mercury hovering around the 5o marker with a bit of westerly breeze coming in too, however, the cloudy skies made it feel much warmer than the parkrun the day before at the same location. It was one of those days where you really didn't want to run in just the basics, but if you were brave enough it was fine.
Buzzard Athletes Represent Beds/England
LBAC is a small club with limited facilities and therefore it’s particularly noteworthy when athletes gain county or national selection. Various club athletes have recently achieved such recognition and their achievements are detailed below. Congratulations to each of you, be proud of your achievements.
County Badges
Each year, Beds AAA (Bedfordshire Amateur Athletics Association) awards county badges to athletes that have been selected to represent the county on at least two occasions over two or more seasons. In recent years, badges have been awarded to Jordan Clay, Billy Mead, Brian Foulger and Rebecca Davis.
For 2014, two further LBAC athletes have received county badges:
Shea Minty – receives his badge having represented the county in the 1500m in the 2013 Southern Inter-Counties, and at cross country in the 2013-14 National Inter-Counties, where he was a very creditable 61st out of 301 finishers.
Sarah Plummer receives her badge having represented the county three times in cross country over the last two seasons, emphasising her great consistency over the period. The events she was selected for were the National Inter-Counties in 2012-13 and both the Southern and National events in 2013-14.
Southern Inter-Counties Selection
On Saturday 13th December, the 2014 Southern Inter-Counties are being held at Oxford, and we are pleased to report that two LBAC athletes have been selected for Bedfordshire, with a third on the reserve list:
Dominic Grimshaw has been in great form in the Chiltern League U11 races this season and this has been recognised with him being selected to compete at the older U13 age group. All being well, this could be the first of many county selections for Dom.
Ellie Rabbitts has been selected to compete for the U13 girls, a recognition of her consistent finishes in the Chiltern League over the last year.
Sadie Towell has been selected on the reserve list for the U13 girls. Selection would be a deserved reward for someone that competes regularly for the club.
We wish them all well.
Masters Home Countries Cross Country
Last, but by no means least, Gail Duckworth travelled to Nottingham on 22nd November to represent England in the Masters Home Countries Cross Country International. This prestigious event sees masters athletes selected to represent their home country in this annual England vs Scotland vs Wales vs Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland fixture – it is the pinnacle for most Masters endurance athletes.
Gail has been a world champion, set British records, and been selected for the Home Countries previously. However after experiencing serious injury problems in recent years, most of us are surprised to see her running at all, never mind at national standard! This is great testament to Gail’s ability and dedication, and we’re proud to have her as Club President.
Gail was the third English scorer in the race, finishing 9th out of 19 competitors in the 55 to 59 age group, which helped England secure silver medals behind the Republic of Ireland. Despite this brilliant achievement, Gail will probably tell you that she still isn’t back to full fitness!
Luton Chiltern League
The forecast for blue skies was spot on for the 3rd Chiltern league XC event at Luton. The lack of cloud overnight brought temperatures tumbling though and our first runners out today were breaking the ground and softening it up for the rest of us.
A fantastic turnout of juniors all turned up on time to walk the course and get ready. The under 11 girls and boys got us off to a great start with the gap closing between the clubs fastest and less fast runners. It was great to see Inkie Parkinson back after an absence at XC since Oxford 2013. She had a good race and cemented a fine performance of the U11 girls with a great battle going on between Julia Bell & Sophie Hawes. A little bit ahead, Millie Hawes and Zara Brooks continue their competitive challenge while closing the gap on Niquole Carter, caught out today with the technical course of narrow paths preventing her passing people she usually beats, the frustration on her face said it all.