Colworth Str1ders
News
Title: Battle Of Northampton Challenge
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 28/01/2012 Based around Barnes Meadow Interchange at Northampton. This event was a small field ~80. There were two start times, 09:00 for those expecting 5hrs+, and 10:00 for the quicker folks. Most of the participants were 100 marathon club regulars. The route for this event was mostly tarmac paths or grass. I would imagine this course surface would be good in any weather, as the grass is along a high bank. It started at Image gym, then up the west side of the A45/A428 roundabout then 5 circuits including a loop around a Flood reservoir and under the A45 to Midsummer meadow car park for water/refreshment stop and then back. After the 5th loop, return to the gym. The weather on the day was cloudy/sunny and cold (6°C), gentle south westerly wind. There was only the one water stop, which was passed on each lap, and a few marshalls on critical junctions. Due to interpretations of the route, a little extra was added on, following a meandering tarmac path rather than cutting directly across grass, on the first lap. Total distance was therefore 28.1 miles, for the early starters. And the Battle of Northampton? Apparently it took place on Midsummer Meadow in 1460. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Northampton_(1460). My result: A rather limp 5:09, well I limped a few miles around 18-20, with a knee pain, which improved by the end, after easing off a bit. Hey-ho, job done, another one ticked off and ready, if not quite fit, for the next one! |
Title: Enigma Winter Run
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 02/01/2012 Based at Caldecotte Lake at Milton Keynes. Enigma events are usually small field 40-60, and sell out incredibly quickly. Check http://www.enigmarunning.co.uk/events.shtml for future events. Most of the participants are 100 marathon club regulars, on this occasion including a new world record holder, Traviss Wilcox. See http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/2012_news/traviss_willcox_marathon_records.html. The route for this event was mostly tarmac paths or lightly gravelled surface. I would imagine this course surface would be good in any weather. It included a small loop, followed by 7 laps of Caldecotte Lake. The weather on the day was sunny and cold (6°C), but a biting south westerly wind, which made the long side of the lake very uncomfortable. There was one water stop, which was passed on each lap, where bottled water was available, and you could also leave your own food/drink at this stop. Next to the stop was a pub, with toilets. My result: 48th place in 4:59:40, not the PB I was aiming for - shows how fickle the old legs can be. However, I won't grumble at a sub-5, nor a top 50th placing! |
Title: Marathon report for Broadmeadow marathon
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 11th December 2011 Event was two marathons, 10th December was race (50 entrants), 11th was "relaxed fun run" (30 entrants). Course was not marked, and no map. Written instructions, only available on the day, so no chance to familiarise with the route. The course was different from the 10th, so even the "two in two"-ers were of no assistance! Instructions were fairly good, with very few inaccuracies or ambiguities. Roughly two circular loops like a figure of 8, with base in the crossover. Mostly off-road, trail, footpaths, canal towpaths, byways, grass fields with a few roads. Surface very good, with the odd muddy patch. A few hills, and a few bridges. The scenery was fairly good, with good views over Warwickshire near some monument on the top of one hill. Went past Mary Ardens house and near Anne Hathaways cottage. 5 checkpoints, with water, squash and cakes and sandwiches. Free parking, Food and drinks afterwards, free Santa suit, optional dress which no-one did because of the heavy persistent rain which was forecast. Rain eventually arrived at 2pm, 10 minutes after I finished. Very good event, would recommend. Time: A probably predictable, 5:35, but within a few minutes of someone completing his 500th marathon, indicating the slowness of a course with instructions. |
Title: Marathon report for Shillington Shuffle (27miles)
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 13/11/2011 LWDA event, so mostly walkers but 80-ish runners did the marathon. Course was not marked, and no map, but written instructions were available for download in advance. Extremely good instructions. Roughly circular route, mostly off-road, trail, footpaths, byways, some gravel tracks with a few roads. Surface very good, with the odd slippy patch, but it had been dry for a few weeks, I would imagine it being very muddy in a normal rainy autumn. A few steep hills, reducing most runners to a walk. The scenery is great, with good views over mid-Bedfordshire. 4 checkpoints, with water, squash and cakes and sandwiches. No cups for the drinks so, in common with many LDWA events, take a mug. Free parking, Food and drinks afterwards, not bad for £5. Very good, but tough event, would recommend. Time: A dismal, but probably predictable, 5:41, but within a few minutes of a 500 marathon veteran and a 810 marathon veteran, indicating the toughness of the day. |
Title: Cambridge Half Marathon is back!
From: Llorenc Mila-i-Canals Date: 13/10/2011 For info, Cambridge Half Marathon is back on the 11th March, after 17 years! http://www.onestepbeyond.org.uk/news/cambridge-half-marathon/cambridge-half-marathon-entries-open/ It is capped at 3,000 entries, and 1,000 went in the first 24 hours… |
Title: Marathon Report: Birmingham Canal Canter
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 10/09/2011 LWDA event, so mostly walkers but 50-ish runners did the marathon. Course was not marked, and no map, but written instructions were given. Fairly good instructions but ambiguity in a couple of places. Route followed many rivers, streams and canals, in an almost circular route. Canal canter might sound flat, but canals have two features... Firstly, locks. The route had three "flights of locks". In reality, that means hills. Secondly, junctions. The canal network in Birmingham is like the roads in a housing estate, lots of junctions. And to follow a towpath, this normally means bridges. There are lots of bridges on this marathon, 40-50 of the humpy-ist bridges possible. Oh, and the bridges are mostly paved with bricks, and deliberately laid un-evenly to give good grip in icy weather, so a real trip hazard. The scenery is great for a city centre marathon. Surfaces good, mostly tarmac, but beware mooring pegs and ropes. Towpaths mostly empty, except for a few anglers, and very few cyclists. There is a short stretch called Gas Basin Junction which is a developed area with shopping and restaraunts, so pedestrians and pushchairs to watch out for. 4 checkpoints, with water, squash and cakes and sandwiches. One checkpoint had 8 varieties of cakes, like a cake judging show. Limit intake, or suffer stitch? No cups for the drinks so, in common with many LDWA events, take a mug. Free parking, Food and drinks afterwards, not bad for £10. Very good event, would recommend. Except to anyone who had done an ironman two weeks before... Time: A rather pathetic 5:39, more of a trot than a canter. |
Title: Long Distance Triathlon Results (27 August 2011)
From: Kees Van Malssen Date: 28/08/2011 This weekend good results for several Str1ders at two different long distance triathlons (3.8 km swim; 180 km bike and a marathon) In the Forest of Dean, Richard Beard and Andy Hoddle put down excellent results. http://results.racetectiming.com/Results.aspx?CId=27&RId=186&EId=1 Second page of results Experienced Richard came 21st overall on the course with a tough (hilly) bike ride: 13:01:17 total, (swim 1:14:50, bike 7:10:12 run 4:30:24) Andy Hoddle completed his first full distance: wel done!! 34th place overall in 15:26:28. Swimming still isn't his best (2:08:06) but a decent bike (7:50:09) and a respectable marathon brought him in well in time (5:15:54) At the same moment, in Almere (NL) Kees van Malssen participated in the Open Dutch Championship long distance. http://live.almerehollandtriathlon.nl/UitslagLDTot.html Same distance, different conditions. Particularly the swim was difficult with choppy water (strong winds) with waves well over 50 cm. The wind wasn't helpful on the (flat) bike ride either. Results: 112 overall in 11:16:27 (PB by nearly 20 minutes). Swim (1:26:55), bike (5:31:05) and the marathon in 4:04:29 May the results of Richard, Andy and Kees inspire many to go long too! Cheers Kees - sore legs for one day - van Malssen |
Title: Long Distance Triathlon sponsorship
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 12/08/2011 Some of you may know that I am shortly going to be doing a long distance triathlon. (3.8k swim, 112mile bike, 26.2mile run) I hadn't originally planned to do it for sponsorship, but I'd like to think that my "enjoyment" can be used to raise money for the British Heart Foundation which is a good cause. I've not used one of these new-fangled sponsorship pages before, but they are easy to use for on-line donations, the link is below: I'm supporting British Heart Foundation. The British Heart Foundation is the nations heart charity. Every day they save lives, through pioneering research, providing vital information to help people reduce their own heart health risks, campaigning for change and supporting and caring for heart patients. Charity Registration No 225971 Please go to http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyHoddle to see my fundraising page and sponsor me online. Kind regards Andy Hoddle |
Title: Ironman Switzerland
From: Tony Dadd Date: 11/07/2011 Stuart Warren (Ra66it) completed Ironman Switzerland yesterday in a fantastic time of 11:19:50…splits were 1:17:25 for the 3.8km swim, 5:48:25 for the 180km bike, and a very good 4:08:37 for the marathon…he’s a bit rusty now though…and you wouldn’t want a rusty ra66it… |
Title: Marathon Report
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 07/07/2011 Coniston Lakeland Marathon (Trail Race and Challenge) 3rd July 2011. Both events had the same course; Challenge started 07:00, Trail Race started at 09:00. Course was hilly in places, technical (rocks, climbs, tree roots, boggy bits, river crossing) but scenic. [River crossing was temporary as local council had removed bridge for repairs, not presumed to be a feature for future years] Reasonable water stations, but 18k gap between 2nd and 3rd. No biscuits, but plenty of Kendal mint cake. http://www.lakelandtrails.org/marathon/raceday.htm for more details, map, etc. Very enjoyable, definitely recommended. One warning: Do not stop at peak for 15 seconds to take pictures for other people..... Times: Todd Gouin: 04:42:13 Andy Hoddle: 06:00:09 |
Title: Marathon Report
From: Andy Hoddle Date: 23/06/2011 Marathon report for Leaden Boot (26.2 miles) 22nd May 2011and Baslow Bootbash (approx 28.5miles) 11th June 2011 Both LDWA events were in Peak District, reviewed together for comparison. Leaden Boot went via Alstonefield, Ilam, Calton, Grindon, Ecton, Sheen, Pilsbury, Hartington Alstonefield. It was a very It was a very "technical" course: Altitude change was +1420m / -1420m, so very hilly (Ben Nevis, for comparison, is 1344m). Steep steps around Ilam / Doveholes. When it wasnt uphill or downhill (see picture), there was a 45degree camber, left or right, so very tough on the ankles. It was very wet and very windy. Much of the course was slippy grass, slippy rocks or slippy cowsh!t. Navigation was by written instructions, but you also could copy displayed route onto your own map on the day, no pre-study of route. One of the woodland paths was very rocky and also had low fallen trees across the path at head height. (I saw all except one....and then I saw stars...) There were numerous gates and cattlegrids and 74 stiles of assorted variety and height. (At 10 seconds per stile, that's 12 added minutes) On the positive side, one can easily finish in the top 100, it was cheap (£10), and this included the pie and peas at the end. All in all, a "challenging" experience. ie horrible, never to be repeated. I would only recommend this to people I dont like, or those fixated on PBs as it will easily add 2hours to expected times. Even most hardened fell runners took >5hrs. My time?: 6:56 Baslow Bootbash went via Baslow, Chatsworth, Haddon Hall, Over Haddon, Sheldon, Cressbrook, Foolow, Eyam, Froggat, Calver, Baslow. It was a technical course. Altitude change was +1100m / -1100m, so fairly hilly. Very steep hill after Calver at 23miles, at least 200m high in less than 400m distance. When it wasnt uphill or downhill it was flat, ie no camber. Course was tough, but spectacular views. Navigation was by displayed route which you copied onto your own map on the day, no pre-study of route. I didnt have a compass, but it was fairly sunny, so could navigate. If cloudy, you would need a compass to aid navigation. There were some gates and cattlegrids but only 49 stiles of assorted variety and height. (One "squeeze stile" was up to chest height and a gap of less than 8 inches (20cm) - I wouldnt have got through last year) Again, one can easily finish in the top 100, it was cheap (£10), and this also included the pie and peas at the end. All in all, a "tough" experience. Very scenic and pleasurable, definitely to be repeated, however, dont expect a PB, due to hills and navigation and slight over-length. My time?: 6:29, due to knee pain on descents and "backing off, to take the long term view" |
Title: Andy's Ironman update
From: Bronwyn Elliott Date: 07/06/2011 Hi there! Well as you can probably guess this email is not the bearer of good news. Andy managed to finish the bike with just about enough time to do the run but as he was getting changed to go out he was coughing quite a lot and had to be examined by the medic who declared him unfit to continue due to a respiratory infection. Probably made worse by changing the 2 flat tyres in the rain yesterday. Can't believe it; what a nightmare 24hrs.... Anyway Andy is pretty philosophical about it as he couldn't prevent the mechanical problems or ill health. His plan is to do the double on Saturday following a check up and OK from the medical team on Friday (after a few days of recovery) Thanks everyone for your support over these last few days; Andy and I have really appreciated it - me especially as it's been the toughest support race I've ever done. Take care Bronwyn |
Title: Andy Kemp needs a brain transplant
From: Tony Dadd Date: 02/06/2011 For those of you who know him, Andy Kemp is attempting a deca-ironman starting on Friday 3rd June. One ironman per day for 10 days sequentially...after which his brain will be retransplanted back into his skull... Live link is: http://www.enduromanlive.com For details of course etc, the main web-site is: http://enduroman.com Andy says... "Plan is to finish somewhere in the region of 14.5 to 15 hours per day with an over-all target of not exceeding 16 hours in any one day oh and obviously – finishing!" |
Title: Edinburgh Marathon
From: David Sheffield Date: 24/05/2011 Sunday was the big day, however, my knee, which I'd injured on my last training run 2 weeks before, meant that by mile 14 I could no longer run and didn't fancy walking 3 hours and risk causing further damage. A bit disappointed but I'll be back - and if I recover in time, I hope to try again in October. Thank you to everyone who sponsored me - all the money will be put to very good use helping the villagers in Bambouti, Cameroon, care for their orphans. |
Title: Willie comes out
From: Striders Date: 13/05/2011 On Friday, 13th May, Willie Young officially came out as an Englishman and took the following pledge of allegiance. Citizenship Pledge I will give my loyalty to England and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as an English citizen. |
Title: LE JOG
From: Caroline Hall Date: 06/04/2011 On Sunday 24th April, Kelvin Dickinson and Caz Hall (Port Sunlight) will embark on an epic endurance challenge. They are part of a 3-man relay team that will attempt to run from Land’s End to John O’Groats in just 13 days. Their route will cover over 1000 miles, and EACH runner will be required to run at least 26 miles EVERY day until they reach John O’Groats on Friday 6th May. We don’t know if we can do this. And that’s part of the attraction. But we’re also doing this for a local charity that we care about and are raising money for the Wirral Autistic Society. Please visit our fundraising website and help us go that extra mile! http://www.justgiving.com/13-in-13 You can also follow our progress and encourage us: 39 Marathons In 13 Days |
Title: Empire State Building Run-Up
From: Kevin Shelton-Smith Date: 01/02/2011 I ran the Empire State Building Run-Up race this morning. Quite an experience and definitely one for the 'bucket list.' Great cameraderie and warm indoors. Not good weather today and no views from the top once there. I ran in the international invitational heat and climbed the 86 floors, 1050 feet in 13.44 finishing 3rd in my age group. I was beaten by the record holder from DC in 12.31 and a Chinaman from Quebec. The Chinaman looked much younger from behind and we passed each other a couple of times and I encouraged him along not realising he was in my age group. Seeing no-one old ahead I didn't burst up the last few floors to pass him. I got the same time as he did but I'm very happy to have placed just the same. |