HH July 2014 1

THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 257, July 2014

Editor: Sue Francis

Contents, features, reports, results

• Thursday night schedules for July and August

• Correspondence received

• Race results: Chiltern Chase – Dave and Richard are among the category winners; Man vs Horse –

Philomena enjoys a tough race in Wales; Whitchurch 5K – Sue recommends a nice local event; Ridgeway

Relay – Richard reports on an excellent team day out; Boundary Run & Walk – 43 competitors complete the

route in the rain; Austrian Ironman – Ryan breaks the 12-hour mark at his first attempt; Cowman Half

Ironman – Rich completes the distance despite being low on ‘fuel’

• Handicap Race – A win for Aaron, a course record, and Mo takes the Championship lead

• Webmaster’s article – Mo features: RUNULTRA website; hydration and performance; and forthcoming races

of interest

• Thanks to Philomena, Richard, Mo and Gerry (Morris) for this month’s contributions to articles and photos

• Copy date for next Harriers Herald – 30th July

Thursday night schedule for July Thurs 3

rd Run with Didcot Runners

Thurs 10th Tom to lead

Thurs 17th Philomena to lead

Thurs 24th Lucy to lead

Thurs 31st Martin to lead

Thursday night schedule for August Thurs 7

th Richard D to lead

Thurs 14th Handicap Race

Thurs 21st Colin to lead run with Team Kennet

Thurs 28th Sue to lead

Correspondence received

Sender Subject matter Action Running 4 Women Windsor 10K (27-09-14) Events Diary & Notice

board

SEAA SEAA AGM (07-09-14) File

Right: Compton Harriers new Ironman - Ryan

(see page 4)

HH July 2014 2

Race results and reports

Chiltern Chase, 7th

June Two Harriers did well in this multi-terrain 10K from the picturesque village of Ewelme. Dave A had a good run

to finish 32nd

(3rd

MV50) in 43:39, while Richard D was 67th (1

st MV60) in 46:39. The race was won by Tegid

Jones (Witney RR) in 35:47.

Man vs Horse, Llanwrtyd Wells, mid Wales, 14th

June Philomena

Sus and I, with Graham, Belinda and Peter Aked from Reading Road Runners, did this race on a beautiful sunny

day.

The story goes that the race began in June 1980 following a chat over a pint (or three) in the back bar of Neuadd

Arms Hotel in Llanwrtyd Wells. The then Landlord overheard two men discussing the relative merits of men and

horses running over mountainous terrain. He thought this would be a great opportunity to promote Llanwrtyd

Wells and improve business at his hotel and decided to put it to the test. And so began Green Events and its first,

longest standing and now internationally acclaimed event, The Man versus Horse ‘Marathon’. The course is

slightly shorter than a traditional marathon at a reported 24 miles, and is over some rather rough but very beautiful

terrain. It took 25 years before a man finally beat a horse. Huw Lobb won in 2hrs and 5mins beating the fastest

horse by 2 minutes. Having done the course I can assure you that this is a fantastic time to finish the course in!

The jackpot had reached £25,000!

The escalating jackpot for a runner who beats the first horse and rider is now set at £500 and will increase by £500

per year until it is won. So even more incentive to take part!

The race can also be run as a relay team, with 3 stages each being about 8 miles, and transport laid on from the

changeover points. It’s all very friendly and relaxed, with a carnival atmosphere in this little town (reportedly the

smallest town in the UK! and famous for unusual events such as this one and The World Bog Snorkelling

Championships!). There is live music and full-on hooley on the Saturday night after the event.

Lovely free pasta on the Friday night before and free food after the race all included in the entry price of just £25!

We drove over on the Friday afternoon, which took about 3 hours.

Just to entice you a bit more have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVawpDUQC_0

I can’t recommend the race highly enough and I think it would be a great ‘Harriers Away’ event like the Grizzly

or Isle of Wight (not that I have been to either!).

Whitchurch 5K, 22nd

June Sue

The event previously-named ‘Toad Hall 5K & 10K’ returned this year, with a different format and altered routes,

as the Whitchurch 5K and 10K. This local event is certainly one to be recommended. The routes were still very

scenic (but a bit less hilly) with a mixture of country roads, wooded tracks and grassy footpaths, the organisation

slick, and the event has a very family-friendly atmosphere with children’s races and homemade cakes on the

village green. The 10K is the main race, attracting 146 runners (winners Tom Whateley 35:53, and Heidi Price

46:30), but I opted for the 5K (a good move considering it was such a hot morning), with a field of just 32. There

was a good race at the front as 14-year-old Eddie Steveni pushed 21-year-old Kieran Tatum all the way, Kieran

eventually winning in 18:59. I was 4th overall and 1

st lady in 20:53.

HH July 2014 3

Ridgeway Relay, 15th

June Richard D

We were fortunate that, after the severe thunderstorm on the Friday night, Sunday June 15th dawned dry for the

running of the relay. Whilst overcast for most of the day, running conditions were almost ideal, with a light

backing breeze and only a short spell of light rain in the early morning. Unlike many previous years it was also

not too windy or cold at the top of Ivinghoe Beacon waiting for the start, or too hot in the later afternoon stages.

47 runners, representing some 25 clubs, together with a small contingent of Compton Harrier supporters, arrived

at Ivinghoe Beacon for the start of the relay at 07.30 in the morning. Ryan Morris, first stage runner this year, set

off near the head of the field. Running a steady stage Ryan was amongst the early leaders, but avoided going

severely off course as the leading two runners did, finishing the tough first stage in Wendover in 9th place. Ryan

handed over to Sue Francis, giving her some handily placed runners to chase down.

Sue moved through the field and another strong finish saw her improve the club position to 6th place. Sue handed

over to me at Whiteleaf outside Princes Risborough.

Despite being overtaken in the first 400m by a runner from Witney who ran the fastest time for this stage, I

eventually settled down, running this undulating 3rd

stage for the first time in the relay, and encouraged at several

points by several Harriers, handed over to Debbie Bishop at Lewknor in 11th place for the relatively short but

tough stage up to Swyncombe Church. As she did last year, Debbie made the trip down from Birmingham

worthwhile and pushed on strongly over the final hill, fending off a runner on the way, maintaining 11th place to

hand over to Mike Sheridan for the long 5th stage down to South Stoke.

Mike, despite a small inadvertent diversion on the Huntercombe golf course, ran a strong stage on the tricky

downhill section along Grim’s Ditch to the Thames, and then alongside the river to South Stoke, handing over to

Martin Fray in 13th place outside South Stoke school at 12.49, safely under the 13.00 cut-off time.

Martin, surprising on the way the passing Sus and Meena on their way home from running in Wales, ran strongly,

despite feeling the effects of a sore Achilles, on the long stage through Goring and the long uphill section to the

top of the Downs by West Ilsley. Terry Bartholomew took over from Martin in 13th place on Bury Down, 8

minutes after the mass start had left. Running competitively for the Club for the first time after his recent injury

Terry did well to overtake several mass start runners and finish the stage in an overall position of 14th, passing

over to Lucy Gettins at Sparsholt Firs. Lucy also managed to roll in a few slower runners from the mass start to

keep her going on the 8th stage past White Horse Hill to Charlbury Hill, where she handed over to Jonathan

Phillips in 17th place.

Jonathan, like last year fresh off the plane from San Francisco, showed little signs of jet lag on the tough and long

9th stage up to Barbury Castle, and he did well to finish the stage in 18

th place. Tom Munt, starting in the second

mass start of the day at 17.45, and encouraged by a mass of supporters at the start at Barbury Castle and outside

Manton Stables, ran a fantastic stage, easily the fastest runner of those at the mass start, and brought the team

home in a very creditable 16th place just after 18.45, in an overall time of 11:22.18. This was our best result for

several years.

The team of supporters and 8 members of the team who made it to the finish line duly celebrated together with a

well-earned meal in Hungerford before returning home.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in the relay, Dick, Sue, Mo, Martin and Lucy for their ferrying of

team members and cars, and the many supporters of this event. Let’s look forward to another enjoyable event in

2015.

Editor’s note: And many thanks to Richard for his efficient organisation of our team, ensuring that everyone was

in the right place at the right time, we all finished our stages without getting lost or injured, and we all enjoyed a

nice team meal afterwards.

See next page for a selection of Mo’s Ridgeway Relay photos

HH July 2014 4

Austrian Ironman, 29th

June Ryan has just completed his first Ironman, a lifetime dream. Ryan has been training hard at the three disciplines

for over 18 months. Last week, Ryan, and his wife Gerry, flew to Austria. On Sunday, Ryan tackled his toughest

ever challenge. Not only did he complete the Ironman, he cracked the 12-hour mark with a fantastic 11:52. Ryan

posted on Facebook: “We’ve had such a memorable time out here and don't want to come back. Race itself was

mad. Started swim and it was like I was having the crap kicked out of me but still good fun. The bike was great,

so much beautiful scenery took my mind off the miles. The run wasn't my best but I set myself a target of 12

hours and ended up with 11:52 - well happy”. While all this was going on, Gerry was volunteering from 5 am

until Ryan finished, sorting baggage and marshalling. Below are photos of Ryan in action, and his well-deserved

medal.

HH July 2014 5

Boundary Run & Walk, 26th

June Sue

Well done and thanks to all participants and helpers at last week’s Boundary Run & Walk. It was an excellent

turn-out, despite the rain which started just as the runners were gathering. The Boundary Run was first held in

1975 and, although there have been some variations in the route, the event has taken place every year since that

time (the walk was introduced in the early 1990’s), so this was the 40th anniversary of the event. One person has

taken part in virtually every Boundary Run since 1975. Dick first won the event in 1977 and won it a further 19

times between then and 2005.

This year, 43 people and one dog completed the route by running, walking, or a mixture of both. It was good to

have participants from Compton Harriers, the two Institute sites, Merck, Didcot Runners, Team Kennet, Newbury

Runners, Newbury AC, Headington Roadrunners, Oxford AC, the Downs School, and local villages. The

underfoot conditions on the second half of the course were as tough as they have ever been – uneven, rutted and

slippery – so there were no course records set this year.

Simon was the fastest walker for the 5th successive year, once again breaking 1:40 despite having to retrace his

steps in the wood after realising he’d dropped his car key. The first lady walker (2nd

overall) was Claire Powers.

In the Run, last year’s runner-up, Tom Munt, was this year’s winner with a 90-second winning margin. In 2nd

place overall was Newbury’s Jess Franklin (1st lady) who had a good race with Kingsley Harding and Rebecca

Campbell, all three finishing within 7 seconds of each other with fast sub-57:30 times.

Many thanks to all those Harriers, family and friends who helped to make the evening a success: Gillian for

providing refreshments at the drinks station; Jan for her expert time-keeping; Tom, assistant time-keeper who also

had the important job of issuing bar tokens; Mo for spending 10+ hours strimming overgrown footpaths, and for

taking race-day photos; Martin, Lucy and Dick for route-marking and signage; Simon and Nick for making and

preparing the new walkers’ trophies.

Full results, along with more of Mo’s photos of the evening, can be found on the Club’s website.

Simon led the walk from start

to finish Sue was first Harrier to finish

the Run Dick leads a rival at half way

HH July 2014 6

Cowman Half Ironman, 29th

June Rich completed the Cowman Half Ironman (1.9K open swim, 92K bike, 21K run) at Emberton Country Park. He

got round in 5:23:47 on only a bowl of cornflakes, cup of coffee, and a gel.

Handicap Race

Sue

June’s Handicap Race took place on a nice evening. The course was in good nick, with the exception of the hill,

where the path was obscured by long grass. Nevertheless several runners recorded PBs or season’s best

performances. Aaron gathered speed on the downhill section, and took the lead when he passed Mo 200m from

the finish. His winning time was a personal best performance. Behind Aaron, the runners finished thick and fast.

Mo held off Richard D to take second place, both running season’s best times. Sue and Mark both established

new PBs, with Mark’s time being (I think) a course record.

Well done Aaron, and thanks to Jan and Tom for timing. There will be no Handicap Race in July. The next race

is scheduled for Thursday 14th August, and will be around the same route.

Finish

Position

Position on

handicap Name Start time Finish time Actual time

Handicap

Beaten?

1 1 Aaron 4:56 15:15 10:20 -0:44

2 2 Mo 0:30 15:28 14:58 -0:32

3 3 Richard D 5:21 15:31 10:10 -0:29

4 4 Colin 5:01 15:37 10:36 -0:23

5 5 Sue 6:29 15:42 9:13 -0:18

6 6 Mark 7:03 15:43 8:40 -0:17

7 7 Jonathan 6:02 15:49 9:47 -0:11

8 8 Dick 5:21 16:05 10:44 +0:05

9 9 Mags 1:30 16:18 14:48 +0:18

Handicap Championship: Mo’s high scores in the last two races have moved him to the top of the points table, three points clear of Colin

and Sue, at this halfway point in the championship.

Race points Pos. Name

Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Total of

best 5

1 Mo 2 6 12 10 - - - - 30

2= Colin 4 8 7 8 - - - - 27

2= Sue 5 9 6 7 - - - - 27

4 Aaron 6 - 8 12 - - - - 26

5 Richard D 4 - 12 9 - - - - 25

6 Martin 9 12 3 - - - - - 24

7 Jonathan 7 10 - 5 - - - - 22

8 Lucy 8 7 5 - - - - - 20

9= Dick - 5 4 4 - - - - 13

9= Mags 10 - - 3 - - - - 13

11 Dave 12 - - - - - - - 12

12 Philomena - - 9 - - - - - 9

13 Mark - - 1 6 - - - - 7

14= Jacqueline 1 - - - - - - - 1

14= George - 1 - - - - - - 1

HH July 2014 7

Website update… http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo

The Compton Village Fete is the first event listed on this month’s Events Calendar as Compton Harriers will be

organising the children’s races through Martin and Lucy. During the race prize awards ceremony, we have also

arranged to present our charity donations, arising from the surplus funds of the Downland Challenge in April. So

if you have nothing better to do, why not come along to support the event and enjoy a pleasant afternoon out?

Links of interest this month The following link will take you to RUNULTRA which lists and provides details of ultra events all around the

world. http://www.runultra.co.uk/find-events.aspx .

Webmaster’s article this month: Hydration & Performance

Now the warmer weather of summer is here, hydration becomes a little more important in order to maintain

performance, so my article this month will give you some pointers to help you get it right.

� Pre-exercise: As performance is affected by the level of hydration, it is essential to start your run or race fully

hydrated. As a rough guide, you should aim to take in half a litre (about a pint) of fluid approximately 2 hours

before you start your run and another 150ml (¼ pint) of fluid just before you run.

� During exercise: Current health guidelines recommend drinking anything from 300ml to 800ml of fluids per

hour during exercise, depending on the intensity and temperature. The upper end of that scale is almost certainly

more than you need so you will need to try different approaches to hydration in your training to establish a

strategy that works for you. 150 ml every 15 minutes works well for most situations.

� Post-exercise: Replacing fluid after a run is just as important. For every kilogram of bodyweight you lose,

you need to drink 1½ litres (about 3 pints) of fluid. You should try to drink around 500ml (1 pint) in the first 30

minutes after your run then keep drinking small amounts every 5 to 10 minutes until you have reached your target.

� Over-hydrating: Although your body has a finely-tuned thirst mechanism that lets you know when you need

to drink, you should also take care not to drink too much. Excessive consumption can bring on Hyponatraemia

(low blood sodium) which will cause bloating and nausea and in extreme cases it can lead to brain seizure and

death! Getting your intake right for ultra events is therefore very important.

Women are most at risk of developing Hyponatraemia as generally they are smaller and less muscular, so they

tend to sweat less and therefore need to drink less. An average woman needs to drink up to 30 per cent less than

an average man to ensure blood doesn't become diluted and so lowering sodium to a dangerous level.

Anyone running for more than four hours should be guided by thirst, but should also avoid drinking large amounts

of water and instead make use of sports drinks that contain sodium. You should also take extra care if you are

using drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen as they impair the body's ability to excrete water and therefore increase

the risk of developing Hyponatraemia.

� Hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic drinks

A hypotonic drink is more dilute than your body fluids (i.e. there are fewer particles – sugars / electrolytes - per

100ml), which means that it can be absorbed faster than plain water. For example squash diluted at least 1:8 with

water or one part fruit juice diluted with three parts water.

Isotonic means it is the same concentration (i.e. the same number of particles per 100ml) as your body fluids – it

is therefore absorbed as fast as or faster than water. These drinks provide an ideal compromise between

rehydration and refuelling. For example Isostar, Lucozade Sport or fruit juice diluted half and half with water or

squash diluted 1:4 with water.

Hypertonic drinks, such as cola, lemonade or neat fruit juice, are more concentrated than body fluids, and will be

absorbed more slowly than plain water. Hypertonic drinks slow down the rate at which the stomach empties and

therefore reduce the speed of fluid replacement. These are better post-run drinks that offer a higher dose of energy

with the fluid.

HH July 2014 8

A few forthcoming Events of Interest – see Website Events Calendar for more details:

Sat, Jul 5 Compton Village Fete – Children’s Races Sun, Jul 6 Didcot 5

Tadley 10k Sun, Jul 13 New Forest 10 mile Sun, Jul 20 Abingdon (Summer) 10K Grant & Stone Wycombe 10K & ½ Mthn The Great Bustard 5 Mile Sun, Jul 27 Down Tow Up Flow ½ Mthn Wed, Jul 30 Woodland 5 - Race 3 (Crowthorne) Back in a Flash 5K Race 3

Sun, Aug 3 Horseless Steeplechase & XC Challenge Sun, Aug 10 5-4-3-2-1 Trail Marathon Roundway Rampage - 7.2miles MT Sun, Aug 17 Burnham Beeches Half Marathon Cheddar Gorge 10km & 5km Sat, Aug 23 Ridgeway Challenge Sun, Aug 24 Pewsey Vale ½ Mthn Severn Bridge Half Marathon

Englefield 10k Sun, Aug 31 Headington 5 Mile THE BEAST Sun, Sep 7 Maidenhead Half Marathon Sun, Sep 14 Pangbourne 10k Multi-terrain Sun, Sep 21 Farnham Pilgrim Mthn + ½ Mthn Sat, Sep 27 Windsor 10K (Women) Sun, Sep 28 The Barnstaple Mthn & ½ Mthn Sun, Oct 5 Basingstoke Half Marathon Reading O2O 10k Sun, Oct 19 Frieth Hilly 5k and 10k Tadley 10 Mile Sat, Oct 25 Beachy Head Marathon & 10k Sun, Oct 26 Fairoaks Five & Ten (Miles) Sun, Dec 7, Tadley Xmas X-C 5.2 Mile