Seb Hillard, Niamh Hillard and Alex Adams, photographed at the track on 8th October. Photos are courtesy of Dave Worrall. Please read below about how this photo shoot came about.
After a week off last week, due mainly to a lack of things to write about, this week’s newsletter has a few bits and bobs to report on.
There is news of five of our juniors competing at Sutton Coldfield, where all of them achieved PBs.
There’s a report from Emily Adams on her first duathlon and Maria Haslam competed in a gruelling XC race in the Lake District. Cross Country….remember that ?
I’ve included details of the current World Masters Virtual Challenge and there are the provisional final results and league tables for this year’s Shakespeare Races.
There’s also the story behind the stunning photos of Alex Adams and Niamh and Seb Hillard that are featured above and below.
Despite the ongoing restrictions, it’s been wonderful to enjoy Wednesday club night’s again. Taking part last Wednesday I realised it was almost 7 months since my last Wednesday night social run and it was wonderful to be back.
Also back this weekend, is the first of this season’s Tempo Winter Series Races. It will obviously take more than a worldwide pandemic to stop Team Tempo putting on these gruelling and well organised monthly challenges.
Good luck to all of you who are competing. Needless to say it’s sold out, with no entries on the day.
Tonight at the track, many of our junior endurance runners will be taking part in time trials for the Magic Mile, so expect this month’s results to look somewhat different by the end of the night.
Isn’t it wonderful to be part of a club that, despite restrictions, manages to give so many of us ample opportunity to improve our physical and mental wellbeing while mixing with friendly and like minded people, all of this while adhering to the strict conditions laid down by the various powers that be.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Best Wishes
David Jones.
An Appeal.
I mentioned above that the reason there wasn’t a newsletter last week was due to a shortage of things to write about.
It seems likely that in the next few months there will continue to be a shortage of competitive events happening, although the likes of Tempo Events, with their Winter Series races, show what is possible when innovative organisers are involved.
I’m sure that there will also be several smaller competitions/races taking place.
This newsletter absolutely relies on input from members letting me know what they are competing in. So if you do have any upcoming events please, please let me know how you get on.
Equally, it would be wonderful to hear from any of you on what you have been up to, from an athletics perspective, during lockdown and maybe how the club has helped you or your children cope both mentally and physically during these unprecedented times.
Quite a few members very kindly submitted reports earlier in the lockdown explaining what they had been up to. Almost without exception they mentioned how the club had helped them cope by enabling them to continue with their various athletic pursuits.
I know from personal experience that still being able to take part in athletics, as a member of this club, has helped me immeasurably during this current crisis.
I have one or two ideas for future newsletters and I’ve had promises from a few members saying they will write something for the newsletter
At the risk of sounding corny
Your Newsletter Needs You !
David Jones
Alex McMillan.
Royal Sutton Coldfield AC Open Competition.
Report – David Jones.
Five junior club members competed in this event, with all of them achieving PBs, which was just reward for their hard work in training during these difficult times.
In a competitive 75m race, with just half a second separating the first 5 runners, U13 Leon Egan recorded a time of 11.7 seconds.
Sam Plumb, who has improved greatly during lockdown, won his 1200m heat by 3 seconds, with a time of 4:15.2
In the 800ms, Annie Silvers and Josh Harrison built on their impressive progress this year by finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively in their heat. Annie ran a time of 2:40.7 – a 6 second PB, while Josh improved his personal best time by 4 seconds, with a time of 2:45.3.
In the javelin, Alex McMillan improved his personal best by some 8 cms. His throw of 27.62 puts him in a very impressive 18th place in this year’s UK rankings for his age. I’m guessing he must have inherited some of his mum’s throwing genes !
Emily Adams.
Cotswold Sprint Duathlon – Sudeley Castle.
Report – Emily Adams.
So I decided I would do a duathlon!! How silly!! A week after a marathon too!!
The early start time of 8am was due to the fact we were sent off in alphabetical order! Umm love the fact that my name is Adams!
I was given the number 1 and was first to start this 2020 Covid friendly Tough Runner duathlon!
2 x 2.5k Undulating wet, soggy laps of sheep fields and muddy roads meant only one thing! Race flats! Doh! I really should have taken more notice of the course.
After slipping my way round the first run I entered transition, helmet helmet helmet is all I could hear as it had been drummed into me. I wasn’t allowed to touch anything until my helmet was on!!
Job one done, I had some fuel, then went off to do my 10 mile bike, leaving Transition to the bike mount start was a long track along the side of Sudeley Castle. Running a pebble track in cleats is an interesting style of running.
I finally mounted my bike and off we go, the course led you through Winchcombe, out towards Toddington and back again.
Once back in the grounds of the castle I dismounted the bike and ooo my legs were no longer attached to my body.
I wobbled my way down the track trying to get my legs to work but they were more like jelly!
Into transition and back out on the run! Well my legs were not having any of it. They cramped up and really wouldn’t go anywhere, I took it steady just to ensure I could finish.
I did, I had a fab time, and I can now add a duathlon to my list of achievements. Big thanks to Karl and Karen Harris who got up extra early to come and support.
I finished in 185th place out of 354 finishers and I was 35th female finisher. My time of 1:35.36 enabled me to finish 7th in my age category.
The Wilson Run.
Maria Haslam competed in a gruelling XC race in the Lake District on 10th October.
She commented that “It was BRUTAL!! Thank goodness for the scenery because I’d still be limping across the fell if I hadn’t had that motivation to keep going.
The last 3 miles were like walking on air- back on the road after 5 miles of boggy hills, ferocious wind and actual rock climbing… I could have done with ropes in some parts!!!”
World Masters Virtual Challenge.
14th August to 1st November.
For those Masters and Vets T&F members who have been missing the cut and thrust of T&F fixtures, World Masters are running another of their virtual challenges. Although the end date is 1st November, you can submit retrospective results going back to 14th August
Back in July the club was contacted by local photographer Dave Worrall asking if he could take action photos of some of our athletes. A couple of Thursdays ago he came down to the track and took the stunning images of Alex Adams and Niamh and Seb Hillard.
His initial email is printed below
Hello,
I am a professional photographer and I am currently working on a project to showcase people in Coventry and Warwickshire and their involvement in sport.
The idea is for me to take an ‘action portrait’, and for the subject to give a brief outline of their involvement in sport and, maybe, something about their life away from sport. (It’s not exclusively about elite athletes, I’m interested in coaches, youngsters, older players – anyone involved in sport really).
The project is at the early stages, but here is a link to a photo and story of a boxer I met up with recently:
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