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Results 2011

Ilford AC 10 Mile Cross Country, Hainault Forest - Saturday 31st December 2011

131 finishers.

Just thought I would send you some results from todays 10 mile XC race in
Hainault Forest and a few of my comments.

I only decided to enter this race at about 10pm last night in a sudden fit of
bravado, mainly fuelled by some very nice wine !! A surprisingly mild day
greeted us at the start of this 10 mile XC in Hainault. The course comprised 3
laps with the start being in the familiar field opposite the 2 Brewers pub and
we were greeted with very slippery and thick mud as we entered the
forest. There was then a fairly long downhill section which took us right out
of the forest and into some fields which included a long path of mud, mud
and more mud and some deep puddles thrown in for good measure. We then re-
entered the forest and started a hard uphill section that eventually took us
back to the starting field. We all agreed that this was a tough challenge and
were all covered in mud by the end !

Happy New Year to all !! Regards, Paul Thompson.

parkrun # 33 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 31st December 2011

46 finishers.
Another good turnout on a course which needed trail shoes instead of flats.
Very muddy and wet made the going difficult. Patrick and Mark headed the field.
1st parkrun for Roberto. Back to normal next week with some off our equipment
locked away at the centre over the holidays.

parkrun # 11 - Gunpowder Park 5km - Saturday 31st December 2011

41 finishers.

parkrun # 94 - Greenwich 5km - Saturday 31st December 2011

100 finishers.

Down to South London this week, for this long-established event in Avery Hill
Park. The course consisted of three laps on a mix of paths and grass. There was
a long incline on a path for 600m towards the end of the lap, while on the
grass, the ground was a little wet underfoot, but never slippery. An iPad on a
tripod at the end of the lap displayed the clock, while out on the course there
were obvious posts to guide us in the right direction, and therefore no need
for marshalls.

2011 MARATHON Age Related Times - As at 31st December 2011

Age grading is a way of putting all race participants on a level playing
field, regardless of age or gender. Age-graded scores let you compare your race
times to those of different runners, as well as to the standard for your age
and
gender.
Age-graded scores have been categorized into these broad
achievement levels:
100% = Approximate World Record Level
Over 90% =
World
Class
Over 80% = National Class
Over 70% = Regional Class
Over 60% =
Local Class





Top 3 Age Graded ELR Marathon Runners in 2011, Manjit Bedi, Ciaran
Canavan and Danny Lee.

Serpentine - Last Friday of the month 5km - 30th December 2011

Queen's Head Canter 5km - Tuesday 27th December 2011

Magda (Fen) and I ran the Queen's Head Canter today with two of our friends who
live near Belper. We thought it was a hilly out and back road race but our
friends considered it a short run with some inclines. Guess it's all relative
and if you run in the Peak district all the time it probably seemed fairly flat.

Anyway, the tale of the tape is as follows:

Rob - 22:56 94th place
Magda (and Fen) - 28:35 152nd place
164 ran.

Not great performances but we enjoyed a really pleasant run in mild
temperatures. Neither of us has run for months (aside from my one attendance at
an ELR wednesday night) so we weren't expecting great things.

Happy new year

Rob

Witham Boxing Day 5m - Monday 26th December 2011

This event was called off on Boxing Day last year and re-scheduled for last
May (Not the Boxing Day 5). I ran it in May in warm sunshine and got a PB.
I ran it again on Boxing Day (still in nice sunny conditions) and came in
reasonably close to (but not as good as) as my previous time. The weather
conditions were almost perfect for the run. Running into the wind for the
uphill section at mile 2 was a bit of a challenge - but then it wasn't much
of a hill. The last part was mostly downhill, with hardly a breeze.
My son, who won the Under 18 trophy at the May event, came second in his
age group this year, in 28.57. I was not far behind as usual..........(a
mere 15 minutes, and 173 runners between us).

Time 44.22. Place 188 /275

Hope you had a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Sheila

Chiang Mai Half Marathon, Thailand - Sunday 25th December 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

182 finishers. Tom was the 8th Man over 50 finishing in 64th place in 2.01.04.

parkrun #26 - Riddlesdown 5km - Saturday 24th December 2011

parkrun # 10 - Gunpowder Park 5km - Saturday 24th December 2011

42 finishers. Matt makes his parkrun debut.

parkrun # 45 - Valentines Park 5km - Saturday 24th December 2011

66 finishers.

parkrun #32 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 24th December 2011

47 finishers.

parkrun #3 - Ally Pally 5km - Saturday 24th December 2011

6 finishers.

After parking carefully next to the palace itself, I walked around the park for
a while thinking there was no event this week, until I spotted a group of
marshalls down a slope. The course consisted of a stretch along a path leading
to a two-lap circuit and finished with the same stretch back again. I should
have brought trail shoes as the course was mainly hills, mud and puddles, with
one of the hills being short but almost heartbreaking. There was a maximum of
10 runners this week. Technically, I came 2nd. The winner did 20:23, and
remembered his trail shoes, but forgot his barcode.

West Ham Park - Tessa Sanderson Foundation - 5km series (Race 7) - Sunday 18th December 2011

From Mohammed My time was 20:05, which is a new course PB for me. It's
the second time I've hit a course PB this series, the previous course PB set at
race no. 5 (20:18).

My PB overall is 20:02, set at Valentine's Park Run no. 10 in April this
year, and I ran that with the hamstring injury! My New Year's resolution
...to go sub-20.




Mohammed in action during a previous race.

parkrun #6 - Highbury Fields 5km - Saturday 17th December 2011

22 finishers.





Derek: I visited Highbury Fields near Highbury Corner for this newish
parkrun on a frosty morning. The course consisted of five and a bit laps on
paths, finishing on the grass. There was a moderate slope up one side of the
park, and an equal slope downwards on the other side. It was easy to lap other
runners, plus the park was busy with civilians going about their business.

parkrun # 31 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 17th December 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

28 finishers. Good runs from all on a very frosty and chilly morning, though
Miguel had no barcode. Frank was there taking pics with Carlton and Don
volunteering.



Dan, Mark and Thomas after the race.

Christmas Party - The George, Wanstead - Wednesday 15th December 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Sunday Cross Country League - Race 3 - Watford - Sunday 11th December 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

265 finishers (173 men, 92 ladies)




Pictured before the race are Terry, Thomas, Mick, Richard, Doug, Paul, Derek
and Don.


This was the course familiar to many of us in Cassiobury Park, Watford. It
consists of 800m up and down in the park, a section on tarmac across a bridge,
a long gradual climb followed by a sharp downhill into the forest, two
undulating laps, then the uphill back out of the forest leading to the first
bit in reverse, with the runners finishing on a long downhill. It was harder
than the previous Sunday League race at Trent Park and about the same level of
difficulty and distance (5.5 miles) as the Essex Vets the previous week.

There was some confusion at the start when the leaders ran too far up the park.
Shortly afterwards, a marshall was barking at us to stay within an avenue of
trees, as many of us had prematurely jumped onto the tarmac path. In the
forest, conditions called for trail shoes as we shot down hills which were rich
with wet leaves though there were rarely puddles.

Thomas produced another stellar performance, sprinting past two runners as he
came off the bridge, only to lose position when he realised this was not the
finish and there was still 800m to go. Derek finished in virtually the same
time and position as last year, while Paul ran well slightly ahead of Richard
and Doug. Mick was nursing a back injury, got off to a slow start, and finished
a long way below his best though he admitted to feeling better towards the end.
Don was brought home by another variation of "One Don Bennett" and shortly
behind him was Terry who completed the men's team of eight. Frank and Jim were
present as ever with refreshments. So the men have managed to field a full team
for the first three races of the league, but unfortunately there were no ladies
this month.




Don and Terry in full flow heading for the race finish!

West Ham Park - Tessa Sanderson Foundation - 5km series (Race 6) - Sunday 11th December 2011

39 finishers.

Bedford Harriers Half Marathon - Sunday 11th December 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

1523 finishers.




Pictured wearing their Bedford Harriers cagoules are a happy looking
Grant,Geoff, Richard, Patrick Brown, Suzanne, Rita, Andrea and Dan after the
race. Missing from the photo is Patrick Farren.


Grant's Race Report. On Sunday 11th December 2011 nine ELR members and
Patrick Brown's wife Julie made the trip to Bedford for the last half marathon
of 2011 for the unofficial ELR winter half marathon championship. I was looking
forward to this race as it is my favourite half marathon at present and once
again I wasn’t disappointed. The hosts Bedford Harriers organise everything
with
the minimum amount of fuss. The race start at a school in Wooton has no parking
facilities so two car parks are provided close to the A421 and runners are
transferred by bus to the start. Timing chips are collected on the day with no
delay and runners can shelter from the cold in the warm sports hall before the
race start where hot drinks and food are available before and after the race.


The course was the same as last year (no need to change) with a tour around
villages of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire with runners finishing back in
Wooton having approached from the other direction. A pleasant run on a hilly
course as my fellow ELR members will testify! Fortunately for the time of year
the weather was ok with only light drizzle for a few minutes but there was a
head wind against at times which made things tough on the uphill sections. All
nine members ran well with pb's for Geoff with the assistance of Suzanne his
devoted wife who accompanied/dragged him around, Andrea, yours truly and
Patrick
Brown who improved his pb by about 14 minutes with a great run of 1.23, a
superb
run considering the course and conditions, must have been because the lovely
Mrs
Brown who travelled with us and was waiting for him at the finish!

Patrick Farren and I finished close together and he finished well up in his new
age category(?), Rita had a season's best and had the same time as Richard and
Dan Spinks had an excellent run to be second ELR runner home. I think everyone
enjoyed the day out and hopefully we will have more runners next year for this
excellent event with perhaps a mini-bus to transport us to the race next time.

parkrun # 43 - Valentines Park 5km - 10th December 2011

44 finishers.

parkrun # 30 - Wanstead Flats 5km - 10th December 2011

34 finishers. Dan and Carlton were on marshalling duties, while Richard made
his debut at this event.

parkrun # 8 - Gunpowder Park 5km - 10th December 2011

25 finishers.




Derek pictured at a recent race.

Derek: I thought I'd diversify from Wanstead Flats this week and came to
Gunpowder Park where we started the Sunday run last week. The course was a two-
and-a-bit lap affair on the gravel path round the park, starting at a bench. It
was nearly all flat apart from a slight incline towards the start of
the lap. It was a cold and frosty morning, but the sun made an appearance and
was low in the sky. I came 2nd, but the winner did 18:37 and was out of
reach after the first 800m, so for me it was pretty much a lone run.

West Ham Park - Tessa Sanderson Foundation 5km Winter Series (Event 5) - Sunday 4th December 2011

Dan comes 2nd in 19.26 and moves up to 6th with 19pts in the Men 31 - 40
category. Mohammed mantains his 1st place and 40pts in the same category with
another faster time.

Singapore Marathon - Sunday 4th December 2011

Tom Woods:- My prayers for rain were not answered , had to make my own
at each water station , any attempt at getting a good time (by my standards ha
ha) were dashed at 35km when the tail end of the half marathoners merged with
the full marathoners for the remainder of the race.

The Grim Challenge, 8 miles, Aldershot. - Saturday 3rd December 2011

2655 finishers. Course description, this really sells it This land is
used to test Army vehicles so expect it to be interesting! You will reach a
long hill shortly after the start before descending again eventually reaching a
water filled ravine. You will run on over puddle-strewn paths before having to
crawl under camouflage netting.
You'll eventually reach some man-made mounds before arriving at and running
through some rather large puddles. Expect to get very wet! You'll run on to the
fast vehicle driving circuit where it is rocky underfoot. This brings you to
some more large areas of water and the finish area.

Essex Vets Cross Country Championships - Chigwell Row - Saturday 3rd December 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

84 finishers in Ladies' V35

88 finishers in Men's V40

110 finishers in Men's V50

The Vets' Championships took place as in previous years at Chigwell Row in
Hainault. This is a two-lap course of about 5.5 miles, starting off in the
further field, taking us up and down through the forest, then back up again on
two tough hills culminating in some twists and turns on a level surface.
Conditions were considerably easier than last year, when the ground was snowy.
There were three points when runners needed to hurdle fallen tree boughs, the
first of which was at least a foot off the ground and needed to be handled with
care! Jim Bird and Frank were on site to take photos and assist with tea and
coffee.





Jayne, Susannah and Mary after the race!

The Ladies' race was run at the same time as the Men's V50 race, at 11am. ELR
fielded three ladies, one less than required for a team, but no V50 men. The
winner in the Ladies' race finished in 34:19. The Men's V40 race was at midday
and ELR fielded five runners. Springfield Striders, Ilford and Colchester
Harriers were the top three teams, while ELR finished in 13th place out of 14.

Oddly, there were more V50 men competing overall than V40 men and the winner of
the V50 category finished in a faster time (32:04) than the winner of the V40
category (32:20).

parkrun # 29 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 3rd December 2011

33 finishers. Congratulations to Derek Wright on becoming the Parkrunner
of the month for November. This week Derek was doing the timing before heading
to Chigwell for the cross country. Derek has run Wanstead Flats 22 times (plus
one without barcode) and helped out volunteering four times. Louisa did
a course pb knocking 47 seconds off her debut run in Wk 27, the only pb due to
a muddy and wet course. Tom Thompson ran 25.46 in his 1st parkrun. The winner
forgot his barcode, but his time was around 16:25, just outside the course
record. He professed that his pb on the track is 13:52, so for him this was
just a gentle jog!

Florence Marathon - Sunday 27th November 2011

6,932 finishers. Well done to sisters, Nicola and Angela on their run in
Florence.




Angela and Nicola in a previous race this summer.

Chingford League - Race 4 - Alexandra Palace 7.5km - Saturday 26th November 2011

Don reports: I went along as Team Captain to sort out the numbers, but
as
we were short decided to run. Was last at Ally Pally about 20 odd years ago as
a
spectator and should have stayed that way this time as well. The course was
three
laps of a large lap and a small lap. The large lap was mainly on grass, a few
paths and not very muddy. The smaller lap was a climb up a very steep hill
towards
Alexandra Palace. Conditions were good enough for just ordinary footwear. I
managed about 1.5 laps and as I began climbing the hill for the second time,
common sense overtook me and I dnf (did not flaming) want to be here. Excellent
runs from the other three did us proud. But Ally Pally will remain a bad idea
for
me for now. 214 finishers. 149 men & 65 ladies.

parkrun # 28 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 26th November 2011

27 finishers. Derek: Don was race director and Carlton was handing out
the finishing chips. The runners had to work a bit harder this week as there
was a strong headwind along the home straight. Don: As Wanstead Flats
parkrun reached its 1,000th finisher, we had two more long term runners of the
event join us. Welcome Mark and David Wyatt to East London Runners. Their many
runs have really boosted our club list total. Mark took the opportunity to win
for the third time. Sarah's extensive training boosted her pb time by over 1.40
from 26.17 to 24.29.

Serpentine - Last Friday of the month 5km - Friday 25th November 2011

232 finishers. Slight improvement on pb for both Andrew and Grant in tough
conditions with a strong headwind.

Brighton 10km - Sunday 20th November 2011

Chelmsford AC 10km - Sunday 20th November 2011

329 finishers.

West Ham Park - Tessa Sanderson Foundation 5km Winter Series - Race 4 - Sunday 20th November 2011

52 finishers. Mohammed continues his Winter Series coming 5th and once again
improves his time on all the previous races. He moves to 1st place in the Men
31 - 40 category.

The Dirt Half Challenge 2011, Leighton Buzzard - Sunday 20th November 2011

Well done to Sarah in her latest half marathon race.

Sunday Cross Country League - Race 2 - Trent Park, Cockfosters - 20th November 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

311 finishers (207 men, 104 ladies)







It was a foggy start to the day at Wanstead Leisure Centre and by the time we
had driven to North London the mists were still clinging to the field where the
second race of the Sunday League was set to begin. We were in slightly
apprehensive mood, as we had not been at this venue for two years and the
course was different from last time. A map pinned to a tree indicated that the
race was to be a little over five miles long, consisting of a straight stretch
into some woods, two anti-clockwise laps, and then a return stretch back to the
finish. After an awkward section on road surface, which threw us as most of us
were wearing trail shoes, it was a relief to have a long downhill at the start
of the lap in the forest, though there were mutterings the first time round
that this was the easy bit, so what price would we be paying for it later on?
It turned out that the rest of the lap was undulating, but not crippling, with
the most challenging climb being at the end - the hill was tough but not enough
to break our hearts, and here Jim Bird and Frank were waiting for us and offered
support. All of us professed to have enjoyed the course and most of us know
that it could have been much much harder (cf Royston).

As last time, the men did themselves proud by fielding ten runners, the first
eight scoring for us. Thomas continued his impressive record by finishing in
7th place in under 30 minutes.






Thomas about to cross the finish line!
Mark and Andrew also finished in the top few dozen. The ladies fielded three
runners, the two Ja(y)nes running together slightly behind Val. Hopefully, word
will spread and there will be a full team of five ladies at the next race at
Watford in December.



Mark
Boulton, Andrew Baxter and Thomas Grimes after the end of the race.

parkrun # 27 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 19th November 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

27 finishers. ELR were well represented in the top few runners, Thomas
finishing in 2nd place only four seconds behind the winner. Dan was on
marshalling duties at the lamppost and Frank was in attendance taking
photographs. Don was in charge again this week as race director. Derek
completed a 3rd lap of the course as tailrunner and sign-collector, but as the
last runner finished in a time of 28:49, there was no one slow enough to chase.

West Ham Park - Tessa Sanderson Foundation Winter Series 5km - Race 3 - Sunday 13th November 2011

60 finishers. The East London Runners contingent grew to 4 this week with four
in the top eight finishers. James came first this week, while Dan ran 10
seconds faster than his previous day's parkrun to finish 2nd. Thomas came 5th,
while Mohammed ran 21.55 getting quicker each week to complete his 3rd of 3
races to move up to 2nd overall. James is currently 3rd overall in the men 31 -
40 category.

Bexhill Poppy Half Marathon - Sunday 13th November 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

559 finishers. Also a special mention for Paul Lewis from East End Road
Runners and Wanstead Flats parkrun finishing in 64th place in 1.36.25.



Mark Boulton and Andrew Baxter on the Bexhill sea front in the sun!


Andrew's report.
Well organised event hosted by Bexhill Runners. The 4 lap course on seafront
might not be to everybody's liking but is almost completely flat so, in theory,
should lend itself to fast times. Lots of opportunities to cheer each other on
around the course and we needed them as the race progressed and the sea-breeze
made for increasingly hard going on much of the prom.

Great running from Mark and Sarah but bad day at the office for me - got cramp
with a mile to go and had to stop to stretch it out/walk it off, losing about
four minutes (on previous lap times) in the process.

One other result from me which may explain the cramp ... got roped into running
for Departmental team at the Civil Service National X Country Championships
last
Wednesday. I tried to take it relatively easy with one eye on Sunday's half,
but
was still a tough opener to my x-country season - 3 X 2 mile laps up, down and
around Parliament Hill. Finished in 47th place (42.24).

parkrun # 39 - Valentines Park 5km - Saturday 12th November 2011

68 finishers.

parkrun # 26 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 12th November 2011

36 finishers. As usual, there were a few runners without barcodes. The event
was richly marshalled by ELR faces this week, with Carlton at the lamppost,
Sarah at the start of the "roller coaster" by the dry pond and George at the 90
degree turning at the end of the path after the lamppost. Thomas won, Don ran,
thereby taking a break from director duties, Dan did a course pb by three
seconds, Derek did a pw due to a rasping cough and Jayne was there with family
as a regular.This week she remembered her barcode and moved up to 3rd place in
the Points Table. The female course record was smashed by over three minutes
by Alex Gounelas, who came in second in 18:51 and ran for Eton Manor at some of
the Elvis races this year. Watch out Karen Levison!

Stevenage Half Marathon - Sunday 6th November 2011

Good run by Richard as he starts his Marathon training!

Fergus AC 5km Road Race, Lissycasey. - Sunday 6th November 2011

90 finishers.


Yeah I got a PB of 24.22 at my Great Uncles Race and it was a bit hilly, I've
attached the results. I actually just pipped the woman who got the same time as
me but I think because i wasn't a local they placed me after her. I'll get her
next year!
Sarah

Billericay 10km - Sunday 6th November 2011

Sheila reports:-This weeks race report:
This is one of my favourite races. This is the third time I've run it (1st
time in pouring rain) and this is my best time to date. The race is
limited to 750 runners (655 recorded as running this year) and it's always
full in advance. This was the first year of chip timing. It's a well
organised race, with the runners lead out to the start in groups according
to estimated times. I kept a fast pace (for me) throughout the race,
running with Michael close behind from the half way point. I couldn't hold
it to the end though and Michael overtook me about 400 metres from the end.
Still managed to come home in under 56 minutes, a mere 19 minutes behind my
17 year old son, who came in 13th overall (in just under 37 minutes)!

West Ham Park - Tessa Sanderson Foundation 5km Winter Series Race 2 - Sunday 6th November 2011

68 finishers. Good runs from James and Mohammed in the 2nd run of the Winter
Series of the West Ham Park 5km runs. James came 2nd in 19.02 with Mohammed
improving his time from last week's 1st race. Good News Sharon jogged
round, numberless but patiently recovering slowly from her achilles injury.
Hope you're back running with us soon Sharon.

parkrun # 25 - Wanstead Flats 5km - Saturday 5th November 2011

Don reports 48 finishers. Ground was a bit muddy & wet underfoot with
the amount of rain we had in the 48 hours before the run. Thomas won in a time
of 17.57 and Dan cracked 20 minutes with his 3rd pb in 3 weeks. Missed out once
again on breaking the 50 mark with 6 runners without barcodes. They included
Aaron Williams who came 2nd in about 18.20 and Jayne. My first race as full
race director with Carlton on numbers and Thomas doing the back-marking and
taking the course signs down. Don was also awarded the monthly prize of a
voucher for a pair of trainers from Sweatshop, in recognition of his services
as a volunteer and now Race Director.

Chingford League 3 - Redbridge Cycle Circuit 5km - Tuesday 1st November 2011

Nearly a full men's team this time round with five men running, but no ladies.
Patrick's brother Euan ran as a guest and came in 11th in 17.44. Thomas and
Patrick added to their points total after three events. East London Runners
Team finished 7th of 10 teams. 127 men and 55 ladies competed.

National Lottery Dublin Marathon - Monday 31st October 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Ciaran Canavan 10k-00:32:08 half-01:22:53 30k-02:07:42
Peter Hatley 10k-00:45:31 half-01:50:15 30k-02:51:41
Sarah Burns10k-00:50:31 half-02:07:25 30k-03:17:44



Ciaran in action during the race.
Ciaran's Race Report.

This Halloween, Bank Holiday Monday 31st October I returned to the Emerald
Isle
for the National Lottery Dublin Marathon. Being my 3rd attempt at the Marathon
distance, I was sure the time was right for me to achieve the sub 3 hour goal
that had so far eluded me, though having run London twice, I knew anything
could
go wrong. I was under no illusions that taking on this challenge was going to
be
easy, but my goal was set, the race, flights and hotel booked. Dublin 2011,
'here I come'.

On race morning, I received my early morning alarm call from the hotel 'Good
morning, you have requested an alarm call' said the recorded voice, 'we hope
you
have a really nice day!' If only the computer knew what was in store I thought
to myself. I got up straight away, and after a long hot shower to warm the
blood, down to breakfast, where it seemed everyone was already up, dressed in
shorts and trainers, scraping at the dregs of the porridge from the breakfast
buffet. I had my turn, and then returned to my room to pick up my race bag, and
made my way from the hotel to the start, a little under 2 miles away.

Conditions were perfect for running. Cool, but not too cool. A little breezy,
but not too breezy. overcast, (with rain forecast) but dry for now. I dropped
off my bag, found my start zone, had a brief warm up, and made my way towards
the front of the zone. The race was to be set off in 3 waves, with my zone,
the
Orange start being the first at 9:50.

Upon starting, it seemed to me as though the pace was slow, as waited for my
Garmin to bleep with my 1km time. When it did bleep, to my horror it read 3:15!
Despite trying to slow down, the second and third kms continued to pass to
quick. A mistake that was to take its toll later in the race. Shortly after the
3rd km, I managed to settle into a pace that was in keeping with my target. The
gates To Phoenix Park were a welcome sight, where the race continued for more
kilometres than I had expected, exiting the park around the 14th km point!

It was in Phoenix Park where the first chip mats ware located at the 5 mile
marker. According to the results website this was the 10km point. An Irish 10k
it would seem, being in fact 8k. I was confused, and hoped this wasn't to be a
signal of 'Irish miles' to come.

Not knowing the Dublin area well, mentally I kept trying to imagine where I
would be at on the same point on the London marathon route. Mile 6 = Greenwich.
12.5 = Tower Bridge. 20 = ELR water station, etc.

Upon reaching the half way point, all was well! Half split was 1:22:53, and i
was feeling good? It was shortly after that I had my first real low, however I
managed to hook in with a group of runners I'd been around and close too from
the start, and my low turned to a high. Things seemed to be going great again.
The whole second half of the race continued along these lines, highs, followed
by lows, followed by highs to be followed by lows again. By the time I reached
36km, with 6 to go, it seemed the lows lasted longer than the highs. By now my
pace had slowed. A combination of starting too quickly, and not considering the
challenge of the hills en route. I began to doubt if I could keep enough pace
to
go sub 3!

All my pre-rehearsed mantras seemed pointless, but I recited them anyway,
trying
to pass the remaining minutes as 6k to go changed to 5, then 4, then 3, then 2,
then 1. The final km seemed to last forever, and every turn disappointed me
when
it didn't offer up the first sight of the finishing gantry. When it did
eventually come, it was a heavenly sight. The end was nigh, and I was near my
own wits end. Upon crossing the finishing line, it took all the strength I had
left to keep walking through the finishers zone, but my pain was not over yet.
Mother nature had a final surprise for me yet, as cramp struck in both calfs at
once!

Thanks to the wonderful St Johns Ambulance staff, and the physio team in
getting
me up and moving again! For both the right and wrong reasons, the Dublin
Marathon 2011 will truly be a race I'll never forget! I gave it everything I
had, and came home with a new PB, having smashed the 3 hour target! National
Lottery Dublin Marathon 2011 - the hardest race of my life.

Many thanks to all my fellow ELR runners for your wonderful words of support,
without which, yesterday's achievement would have been all the more impossible.




Race over and medal collected.

West Ham Park - Tessa Sanderson Foundation 5km Winter Series Race 1 - Sunday 30th October 2011

46 finishers. The return of the West Ham Park 5km Winter series saw Mohammed
finish in 22.40.

BUPA Great South Run (10 miles) - Portsmouth - Sunday 30th October 2011

Good Evening,from Mark Boulton

Quick report from today's race:

The alarm went off at 5.45am and upon getting to the Tube Station to find it
closed until 7.00am (Coach from Victoria was leaving at 7.30am) I did question
why I decided to run the Great South Run in Southsea. Anyway, I made it
Southsea in plenty of time to join the Portaloo queue and make my way to the
start line amongst the 24,000 fellow runners. The start was organised according
to predicted finish times so I was in the Orange wave and had the pleasure of
starting with the Elite Males. Dame Ellen MacArthur started us just before 11am
and I was feeling fresh having rested since Wednesday's club run. I think that
led me to starting a bit quick and I got caught up with with the early frenetic
pace. I went through 5k and tried to settle down and the Portsmouth locals were
out in force cheering us on. The course was one loop around Portsmouth, taking
in some historic sites. It was a fairly flat course which contributed to some
fast times. I found the last two miles pretty tough going as a combination of
the fast start and the 2 mile slog to the finish along the sea front into the
howling wind which left me hanging on at the end. I was pleased to finish in
01:01:41 which was a new PB and there was a great atmosphhere between runners
at the end and some congratulations from Brendan Foster. I collected my medal
and goodie bag and made my way back to the coach for the slow journey out of
Portsmouth. Just settling down now to watch the highlights on ITV4.....

My Splits: 5k: 00:18:17 10k: 00:37:10 15k 00:57:23

parkrun # 121 - Roundshaw Downs - Saturday 29th October 2011

84 finishers.

parkrun # 37 - Valentines Park - Saturday 29th October 2011

54 finishers.

parkrun # 24 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 29th October 2011

43 finishers.

Carlton was handing out the chips at the finish, Sarah was logging the
barcodes, and Derek was tailrunner, which involved running the course as normal
and then running a lap again behind the last runner and collecting up the
signs. East London Runners became the first club to have over 100 finishers at
this event. And quite apt that the 100th was Derek who has done
18 of the 24 events, plus 2 volunteer sessions as well. George Georgiou
Just letting you know the following: Wanstead Flats 29/10/2011, time=20.57.
Which is a course pb of 47 seconds and just 5 seconds off an overall pb.

Sunday Cross Country League - Race 1 - Cheshunt - Sunday 23rd October 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

ELR were back at Cheshunt for the first race of this season's Sunday league.
It was the course we have come to know and love, consisting of three fairly
hilly laps, at about the same level of difficulty as the Orion Forest 5. It
was beautiful weather for it, and the ground was firm underneath, and never
wet. Doubtless due to the fine autumn weather, there were over 300 runners
competing, many of whom went round in road shoes. By the first half of the
third lap, we could feel the sun baking down on the back of our necks as we
pushed up the two long hills.






Mark, Patrick and Jayne were Sunday league newbies, while Paul and Frank were
new to the event. Some of the regulars remarked on being overtaken by the
winners in their second lap. The men fielded 11 runners, three more than the
required number for a team. The ladies' team consisted of Jayne and the onus
falls on her to rally support from ELR ladies for the next race at Trent Park
in November. Thanks also to Jim Bird for taking photos.

Great Birmingham Run - 13.1 miles - Sunday 23rd October 2011

Well done to Mohammed on his half-marathon debut.





Mohammed's Race Report. Most ELRs will already be aware that this was my
first ever Half Marathon, having never run more than 10km in a race before,
this
was a big step-up for me. Birmingham already had a HM in place for three years
sponsored by EDF, but it was poorly organised (according to feedback on
Runner's
World). It is now sponsored by BUPA, and is part of their series, which
includes
the world famous Great North Run.

There were 15,000 runners participating in this event separated into wave
colours, with me being in the orange wave just behind the elite club runners
and some guy called Haile Gebrselassie (you may have heard of him). I
managed to watch him running past on the double-back route, with a Kenyan
athlete keeping him company.

The most scenic part of the route is definitely around the village of
Bourneville, very picturesque. The route is mostly flat with some long but
gentle inclines, but most of the the inclines are cruelly placed in the last
4 miles. I'm far from fully fit, but I kept to my promise of never stopping
or walking in a race despite seeing others being beaten by the inclines.
There was very good support along the route, I had my name shouted several
times telling me to go on, always feels good!

I felt tired only after 3 miles, felt okay at the 10-mile point, but the
inclines eventually took their toll on my legs. I felt like I was running on
two sticks of jelly and my feet kept crashing into my ankles. By the end of
the race, I realised that I'd cut my ankles badly enough that the blood had
soaked through my socks and had stained the sides of my white trainers.
Needless to say, my train journey home was slow and painful, I actually
missed my first train because I couldn't walk quickly enough to the station!

Doing a HM was a good experience but I'm in no hurry to do another one! I'm
taking a break for 4 months, but I will still join you guys and gals when I
can on the Wednesday club runs as well as doing the West Ham Park winter run
series to gradually get fit again.

parkrun #24 - Hampstead Heath - Saturday 22nd October 2011

72 finishers.





Patrick's first run at this venue as he now lives in north-west
London. A hard hilly challenging course was his opinion.

parkrun # 23 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 22nd October 2011

Perfect conditions for the parkrun as shown by the fact that 21 of the 37
finishers did a course PB. Sarah Burns achieved a 5k pb of 25:02, but
unfortunately was running without barcode. Don continued in training as race
director.

Well done to all. To Mark and Derek especially who's been trying for ages to
break 20 minutes, and to Dan and Jayne for their improvements. Even Frank
narrowly missed out by five seconds. On the club front we hope to become the
1st club to break 100 runs on the Club list next week, as we're now on
98. Who will be the 100th ELR finisher?

Toronto Marathon - Sunday 16th October 2011

Manjit's splits: 10km: 40:55; 21.1.km: 1:28:06; 30km: 2:10:33; 35km: 2:36:57;
40km: 3:12:03.






Manjit completed 30k at 2hr 10min after which the jet lag and time difference
from England had taken its toll and he slowed down to complete the rest of the
12k by jogging/running. Fauja Singh, aged 100, whom many of us met at the Sikh
Relay Marathon, finished in 8:25:16.

Maidstone Half Marathon 2011 - Sunday 16th October 2011

606 runners. Sarah's quote I got a pb for my half marathon at the
weekend and I wasn't really trying. How does that work?

Clapham Common 5km Series - Race 6 of 6 - Sunday 16th October 2011

109 finishers.Don reports:- Congratulations to Mohammed on winning the
2011 Series.





His positions & times were: Race 1 - 9th 20.49, Race 2 - 11th 21.10, Race 3 -
6th 20.22, Race 4 - 8th 21.33, Race 5 - 13th 23.40, Race 6 - 23rd 24.14.
As you can see, injuries later in the season hampered his times, but he held
on to win the season. Good Luck in your first Half Marathon next week, but then
take some time to recover. Well done!!

From Mohammed. My Prizes for winning the Series are as follows.

Complimentary entry into the entire Clapham Common 5k Series 2012, that is 6
races at a value of £90.

Long Sleeved 1/4 zip top, Performance Shorts, Performance Vest, 1 RunBreeze
skull cap, 1 pair of Recovery compression socks, 2 pairs of RunBreeze socks.

No trophy, but I can't complain. Byeeeee!

Jill Oliver 10km, Lee Valley - Sunday 16th October 2011

129 finishers.

Yes at last someone else found a race that Sheila was running.
Sheila Kennedy reports:-






Second home for East London Runners (only 11 - 12 min behind George!).
Time 55.02 (If I read the clock correctly at end). Official time not up
yet. Did this one last in 2008 in 54.05 (my best time for 10k) so this race
has good pb potential. Nice run along tow paths and finishing on the
running track at Lee Valley Athletic stadium.

Ware 10 mile - Sunday 16th October 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

326 finishers.

Mark Boulton reports:-






A chilly, misty Sunday morning took me back to the scene of my 1st organised
race 12 months ago in Ware, Hertfordshire. I finished last year in 1:16:57
which prompted me to join a running club and the rest as they say is history.
The morning began with me collecting my race number and chip timer, and then
take part in the warm up led by BBC commentator Stuart Storey. A friendly race
with a few club runners braving the chilly start in club vests. The route was a
two lap course which included towpaths along the River Lea, bridalpaths, local
roads and around sportsfields. As the mist cleared and the sun broke through,
it made for a stunning morning's race. A slightly undulating course which was
very well marshalled and local residents came out to lend their support. The
finish included a lap of the football field with a commentator announcing your
name as the crowd cheered you home. I finished in a new personal best of
1:03:17 which was 13 minutes quicker than last year (The benefits of a year
with you lovely lot) and received a nice technical t-shirt and a lucozade.
A well organised, friendly race with a challenging course, I think it is my
favourite race.

Cardiff Half Marathon - Sunday 16th October 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

5,885 finishers.

Helen's Race Review.






Last year’s Cardiff Half Marathon (just before
Darren and I joined ELR) was memorable for many reasons – most notably the last
minute diversion of the route which led to the course being 193m short overall,
but also the lack of organisation/runner’s common sense at the start. This
coupled with paths that were was too narrow to cope with 10,000+ runners lead
to
something of an obstacle course for the first 4 miles. However, the race
itself
was actually very enjoyable; scenic with lots of supporters out on the City
streets, a flat course but not a boring one and some lovely sunny weather.

As a result we were back this year to attempt a full 13.1 miles around
Cardiff.
This is a big City race with 15,000 entrants with the start/finish and race
village centred in Cardiff Bay. We awoke to a grey drizzly Sunday morning but
luckily on arrival in Cardiff the clouds started to break, leading to another
lovely sunny day with just enough of a cool breeze to keep you refreshed.
This year we had colour coded race numbers based upon our expected finishing
times which guided us to the appropriate starting pens. Whilst this was good
for us, the pens only went as far as sub-1:45 and everyone else started en-
masse
(so I suspect things were somewhat more congested further back in the field).
Also this year, the race had a new route. This was designed to cut out the
narrow city streets and park that were used last year. Instead we used some
wider roads to loop around the city centre, before an out-and-back section on a
dual carriageway, then to the marina in Penarth, across the barrage and back to
the Bay for the finish. The course was mainly flat, although the new route did
incorporate a few unexpected slopes. The dual carriageway section meant that
the route wasn’t as scenic as last year but it did mean that it could
accommodate the big field of runners. Once again the route (apart from the
dual
carriageway bit) was lined with lots of supporters. There were four drinks
stations along the course, all serving water from bottles and one (at about 5.5
miles) also serving energy drinks.
I had a strange preparation to this race, suffering from a cold and cough the
previous weekend meant that when I tried to run on Monday I managed a total of
2km before literally spluttering to a halt. Things gradually improved
throughout the week but I had definitely ‘tapered’ a bit more severely than I
usually would before a half-marathon. However, it appears that this did me
some good. I finished in a new PB of 1:38:15, a time I was very pleased with
as
I have been aiming for sub-1:40 for a while! Darren was a little bit
disappointed with his race but he’s been working too hard lately so hasn’t
managed to stick to a proper training regime. We’re now looking forward to
putting in the miles and hopefully improving some more ahead of the London
Marathon next year.

Chingford League 2 - Trent Park 9km XC - Saturday 15th October 2011

193 runners, 138 men, 55 ladies. New member Thomas Grimes made the lone trip to
Trent Park to do the 2nd race in the Chingford League series. He did well,
coming in 13th in 28.08 and scoring 13pts.The next race will be a repeat of the
5km run at Redbridge Cycle Circuit on Tuesday 1st November at 8pm.

parkrun # 35 - Valentines Park - Saturday 15th October 2011

66 finishers.

parkrun # 22 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 15th October 2011

39 finishers. A sunny morning. Don was in training as Race Director, Derek
was on marshalling duties at the lamppost, Thomas Grimes was doing the course
clear-up and Jayne was scanning the barcodes.

Petts Wood 10km - Sunday 9th October 2011

Mohammed Aklaqul-Ambea report:-

My result for the Petts Wood 10K is 52:00 dead with a position of 255 out of
654 runners. The winning man came in at 35:22 who won this race two years
ago as well, setting a then new course record. The current course record
stands at 34:12 (41:03 for women). It's the third year in succession that
I've done this race, my previous results are below;

2011 - 52:00 (255th position)

2010 - 54:03 (296th position)

2009 - 57:08 (380th position)

This is definitely in my top three favourite 10K races, the course is varied
in incline, surface and scenery, and is very well-marshalled. The residents
of Petts Wood come out in force to support the race and cheer on the
runners. I'd recommend it to other ELRs. There is a team prize up for grabs
at this event, I think we should get a team for next year's event if
possible. I intend to do this race again in 2012 and hope to be inside the
top 50 finishers, I was embarassed to be overtaken by a guy in an inflatable
suit somewhere in the forest section! The race felt hard this year and my
photo at the finish is terrible ...well actually the photo's good, I look
terrible.

Great Eastern Run Half Marathon, Peterborough - Sunday 9th October 2011

A pb for new member Steven, who puts his time improvement down to his
additional Wednesday club night runs.

Herts 10km - Harpenden - Sunday 9th October 2011

Sheila: I was tempted by this write-up in Runners World on this
race. "Voted number 36 in the top 50 runs in the country by Runners World in
only its second year" (but I think it's second year was 2007). Nice day for a
run. I headed off from home in torrential rain which had cleared by the time I
got to Harpenden. Cloudy and not too hot for race itself. Well organised, with
pens according to starting time. Multi terrain run along bridleways through
wooded areas and a small bit of residential, past houses that I aspire to.
Quite narrow lane for the first mile or so (my excuse this week), which then
opened out, giving a very nice view of the file of runners (most in the white T
shirts of the race) spread out in front (only 1,000 or so of them). Nice touch
at the end where, after short queue at event timing tent, my number was typed
in for me, and I was given my time slip with gun time, chip time and place in
the race. This was followed shortly afterwards by a text to my mobile
congratulating me (by name) for finishing and giving my gun time. Quite
impressive (alas my time was less so).

Gun time 59.52, chip time 58.20 (22 sec improvement on last week, still just
under 4 minutes down on my pb). Position 1123 / 2006

Chester Marathon - Sunday 9th October 2011

Grant:






I travelled up to Chester on 8th October for my second marathon
(first train doesn't arrive in time on a Sunday from London) and stayed
overnight in a small b&b (Cheltenham Lodge) before the race on Sunday. This was
my first "trip" away involving an overnight stay before a race but my concerns
were unfounded. I found somewhere to eat in Chester at the Slug and Lettuce
soon after I arrived, although the Italian restaurants were full, and then I
relaxed in the hotel overnight enjoying a good night's sleep before a laid back
walk down to the race course at 8am after the kind hotelier provided me with
some granary bread and bananas for my usual pre-race breakfast.

The race had a totally different feel to London. I believe there were around
four thousand entrants, about 10% of the London entries and therefore things
could be kept relatively personal with about 10 helpers on secure bag
collection which went like clockwork before and after the race as well as
plenty of portaloo toilets on the racecourse close to the start. The start was
on grass on the racecourse and you were asked to enter a pen for your
approximate time which was respected by most as the race had a lot of club
runners and a lower percentage of fun runners than you would usually see in a
big city marathon. The grass start could have been interesting with wet weather
but it was dry on the morning of the race and after about half a mile the route
took you onto the streets of Chester for a few miles before going out into the
country, through lots of villages, across the Welsh border for a few miles and
then back through some different villages until you reached Chester coming from
a different direction. The route was largely flat but there were decent hills
at one and 16 miles and then a nasty hill at mile 24 as you reached the
outskirts of Chester which was not well appreciated by yours truly! There were
more sheep and cows than people for large parts of the route, starkly in
contrast to London but the locals turned out in force and gave you a lift as
you ran through the villages, shouting your name which the organisers had put
on everyone's race number, simple but clever I thought. Drinks stations were
excellent with water every three miles and energy drinks every six miles and
all the drinks were in bottles which I much prefer to cups. With the relatively
small field there were no problems with pace with plenty of room around from
the start but there was always company from other runners if you wanted a chat.

I was pleased with how the race went, the weather was better than London but
still quite warm and a stiff breeze against at times hindered runners to an
extent. I was on course for around 3.40 until mile 22 when I began to tire a
little and slowed down especially at mile 24 but I was happy to beat my London
time by about 22 minutes to come in under 3.45, 650th and 153rd in my age
category. Perhaps with a slight adjustment to my training I might go a little
faster but I remain of the view that you need to run about 5/6 marathons to
understand what is required and a steady pace throughout is the key. So
hopefully onwards to London, MK or Paris in the spring depending on the club
ballot. I have my eye on trying a different marathon next Autumn but let's get
the spring marathon out of the way first!

Conway ratings

Race overall, 8 out of 10

P.B potential 8 out of 10

Crowd rating 5 out of 10 due to rural nature of route.

Venue, 9 out of 10, Chester is a lovely place to visit and easy to get around.

Overall cost of trip including race entry, just over £100.

Royal Parks Half Marathon - Sunday 9th October 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

11,480 finishers.
Don reports First time I've done this run and my first half for over two
years. The day didn't have the greatest start when I arrived at the station to
find it closed for works. Meaning I had to catch a bus to Stratford, putting my
journey 30 minutes behind from the off. Due to a few injury problems during the
Essex Way and Elvis 6 at Dagenham my training had been hit hard. I was hoping
for around 2.10 and was alright till about 8 miles when the fact that I hadn't
taken any water before the race meant I was quite dehydrated. The last three
miles were a mix of walking and jogging until I saw 800m to go and said I
wasn't going to go over 2.20 and sprinted for the line to finish in 2.19.41.(
My worst time ever). An enjoyable run which I will have to improve on sometime
in the future. Met up with some ex-workmates of mine from various Waitrose
branches, some whom I hadn't seen for many years which was very enjoyable.

Carlton D'Souza reports





Having been disappointed about not being able to run in this event for the
previous 2 years due to an injury, I was really looking forward to
participating in it this year. This race met and exceeded all expectations: An
extremely well organised and planned race from the date of registration until
race day. The day started of quite miserable; wet, overcast, and threatening
heavy rain. Thankfully, when the race began it was near perfect weather
conditions for many runners: cool, dry and not too breezy. Having not run in
such a large field of runners for some time, I was quickly reminded of the buzz
of running in a big event when, even on boarding the tube I caught sight and
chatted to several other runners travelling to the event. The course was mainly
flat, passing through some of London's best parks and past many of central
London's main iconic sights- an absolutely glorious course that was very
uplifting, even for a day dreamer like myself. The course was well signposted
and marshalled, with regular water/lucazade stations and good support from
spectators, especially at many of the mile markers in the parks. Timing
utilised the IPICO Sports shoe tag/chip timing device. All finishers were given
a novel medal, made of recaptured wood- very apt given that it was the Royal
Parks Foundation Half Marathon. It was great to have the support of Mark
Boultons' jeers of support near the beginning and also towards the end of the
race, and also to see Ciaran, Jamie and Tom en route. I was sorry not to have
been able to meet up with Tara and Don.

High Points: A well organised event running past some of London's best
iconic scenery + Good quality running shirt and loads of freebies at the end.

Low Points: None significant to mention, given the good organisation and
the fact that we were running through one of the most scenic city's in the
world.

Ciaran Canavan reports






Having Declared 2011 as my year of Half Marathons, Into October, and now it was
time for my 3rd and final Half Marathon. The Royal Parks Half in London
really ‘bills’ itself as London's Most Iconic run, taking in the famous
landmarks of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Eye,
Admiralty Arch and the Mall, as well as running through many of London's Royal
Parks at the peak of the Autumn colours.
This event has been going for 4 years now, and I returned in 2011 to run this
for my 3rd time (having missed the first year in 2008).

I have to say, that this really has become a favourite event of mine. One that
I look forward too for a number of reasons. I love running past the landmarks,
and through the beautiful Royal Parks, but somehow this event seems to be
bigger and better than just these things. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Maybe it’s the organisation that runs like clockwork, from the secure baggage
drop, the plenitude of toilets, the food and fitness festival, and the prompt
start, or maybe it’s simply running through London Town’s traffic free streets,
but I just love it. Having said this, I have never been on form when I have run
it. In 2009 I had sore knees, in 2010 I had shin splints, and this year, The
week before the race, my training gave way to night sweats, a sore throat and a
chesty cough. Unable to clear my throat, and after a visit to my GP, (no
antibiotic because the infection had not spread into my chest) I was cautiously
advised not to run. Not what I wanted to hear, and definitely not ideal the
week before the race.
As race day drew closer, Each morning I felt a little better, but I was
still not right. The cough mixture I had bought from Boots was not doing its
thing. Saturday 08th October – the day before race day, after a visit to
another pharmacist, and a different cough mixture, I was still unsure if I
would be able to run in the morning. When Sunday morning came, I felt
significantly better, with much less mucus, and a clearer chest. I had prepared
my running gear the night before, so I put it on, and after a quick breakfast
of porridge and a Berrocca, I made my way into town for the race.

Still in two minds about whether I could run, I did not make my decision until
I got to the start, where I decided I would begin, and see how I got on. Being
in the Green zone, I was in the second pen. Upon the hooter signifying the race
was underway, my pen was controlled forward slowly, and held at the start line
for an additional 30 seconds before being allowed to cross the start, and begin
our race. My plan was to take it easy, and see how I felt after 1K, and take it
from there. At the 1K point, my Garmin bleeped. 3:39. 9 seconds behind target,
and I wasn’t feeling as fresh as I’d hoped, but I was feeling OK. Now I knew
what my race plan would be, and that was to forget my target of sub 1:15, and
simply try to stick to the pace, and enjoy the race.

Starting in pen 2 had its advantages, as I was un-dubitably one of the fastest
runners in the pen, and in no time found myself weaving through the slower
runners from the orange zone who had started first. As I ran, I simply aimed to
stick to my revised pace, and I found in doing so, I continued pip runners in
front one by one.

With the first 6 Miles of this race taking in the iconic landmarks through
central London, runners then find a welcome return to Hyde Park just before the
6 mile marker, and a return to the DEEP crowds and a support. The whole of the
2nd half of this race takes cleaver route through Hyde park and Kensington
Gardens, before returning runners to the Start/Finish area on South Carriage
Drive. The Finish gantry was a welcome sight as I approached, with little left
in the legs, and certainly no sprint finish. Crossing the Line in 1:17:56, not
a PB, but I was delighted to complete this race given my ‘man flu’ over the
preceding days. I was astounded to finally discover that my chip time placed me
10th out of 12,500 runners.

parkrun # 21 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 8th October 2011

39 finishers.
Don reports Course pb from Patrick while Derek missed equalling his
course pb by one second. Jayne was running with hubby Paul except he beat her
by nearly 40 seconds. I was just taking it easy before the Royal Parks half
marathon tomorrow. I got to do the announcements at the start in training for
my Race Director bit, then played about a bit on the new system for downloading
the results. A few people dropped out after one lap and some more had no
barcodes, so we're still trying to reach that elusive 50 mark. Welcome
to Thomas Grimes who has now joined us at East London Runners and winner of
Week 21.

Guess Your Time Run - Wednesday 5th October 2011

Run took place on the 28th September. Results announced a week later.
40 runners Winner - Katherine Harris 0.02 seconds away
2nd John White.

Chingford League 1 - Redbridge Cycle Circuit 5km - Tuesday 4th October 2011

Don reports :- After the efforts of the Elvis series the first race of
the newly joined Chingford League was a quiet affair. The course involved a
small lap and two larger laps of the cycle circuit including four times up Hog
Hill. First in was Patrick Brown in 14th position. Also running was Patrick
Farren and new member Ryan Levart. The Ladies all finished close together with
Andrea coming in first for ELR with Rita and Suzanne close behind. I was
spectating with Aaron Williams who had looked forward to the series but was
under the weather and couldn't run. The winning time was 16.07 in a highly
competitive run with Orion and Trent park in big attendance.Congratulations
to Patrick Brown and Suzanne Bench on being the first East London Runners to
score points in the Chingford League Points are explained on Cross
Country Information page

Northants 10k - Sunday 2nd October 2011

1540 finishers.

Andrew: Really well organised race, on closed roads in and around the
centre of Northampton, starting and finishing at Sixfields Stadium, home of
Northampton Town FC. Course has the odd gentle climb or two but would have
definite PB potential on a cooler day - thankfully the organisers had put on
three water stations which, on the face of it, would have seemed a bit
excessive for an October 10k but were much needed on the day. Good atmosphere
in town with a few bands and pockets of spectators dotted around the course and
the post race organisation even stretched to the provision of touch screen
monitors to look up and print individual race results at the entry of race
number.

Jersey Marathon - Sunday 2nd October 2011

352 finishers.

George: This was only my second marathon attempt. I quite fancied this
for the beautiful scenery. There were two main events, one was a relay team
event and the other was the individual marathon. Both were run simultaneously.
When I discovered after the race, that there were around 500+ participating
in the marathon and only 352 eventual finishers I wasn't surprised at all.
It was an absolutely scorching day from the very start. The course had
welcome shady areas as we ran into higher village settings, but there was
plenty of sun beating down on the runners as temperatures were easily around
32 degrees out of the shade. Before I left, I had some really good advice from
many guys from ELR on how to tackle this. Around mile 20 i felt really good. I
was there in around three hours. But then the trouble started. Although it was
a nice downhill finish, along with a nice flat run along the coastline, it was
just too hot! I had on my hat, loads of sunblock, plenty of water all the way,
even the thoughtful locals were handing out ice packs. The best thing was to
stop a few times for recovery. There were runners continuously going past
me, thankfully most of them were from the relay race, so it wasn't too
demoralising. Eventually I got to the final half mile. Cheering crowds.
There was nobody near me, the applause was all for me, so i had to sprint to
the line! I did just that, then promptly collapsed with agonising cramp and
heat exhaustion. The paramedics took me into the tent for an hour, doing
regular checks and some massage. I was fine, no worries. The poor guy next
to me went straight to A&E. Hope he's ok. My finish time was 4 hours 12
minutes and 25 seconds. 192nd placed finisher from 352 which had completed
the course. No sub 4:00, but I was truly glad that I had finished.
This event is only in its sixth year and is getting more entries each year.
If anyone is thinking of doing a marathon in the future, I thoroughly
recomend this one for its lovely surroundings and hospitality.

Standalone 10k - Letchworth - Sunday 2nd October 2011

1062 finishers.

Sheila: Booked this race a few months ago as it sounded good. Organised
by North Herts Road Runners, field of 1000+, starting from Standalone Farm in
Letchworth. Unseasonal high temperature for this October run. (My usual
excuse). Well organised, chip and number collection on the day (for all 1000+
which went without a hitch). Starter places depending on expected finishing
time (I went to the last one). Good marshalling on route. Only a couple of hills
(no excuse there then). Very much a road race. I was expecting a bit more
running on farm tracks given the starting point. Several of the roads were
closed for the race but there were still a few impatient drivers and several
cars travelling alongside runners on a road marked Access only. Minor
hitches with water stations - I'm not sure they were really set up for 1000
runners. Nice technical T shirt at finish.
Overall a good race but not sure it was worth the hour up the A1M.
Time - 59.54 (rapid sprint to finish as I saw 1 hour approaching)
Chip time - 58.42

parkrun # 33 - Valentines Park - Saturday 1st October 2011

57 finishers. Matthew improves his pb from 2 weeks ago.

parkrun # 117 - Roundshaw Downs - Saturday 1st October 2011

95 finishers. Darren celebrates his London Marathon place by getting a course
pb faster than Helen's pb time (22.53) last week. They are both doing London
next year. Let battle commence!!

parkrun # 20 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 1st October 2011

42 finishers. Marshalls and volunteers galore this week, Don was on numbers.
Regular runs from Derek and Jayne. But Daniel comes back after a 12 week break
with a course pb.

Serpentine End of Month 5km - Friday 30th September 2011

Saffron Walden 10k - Sunday 25th September 2011

209 Finishers. Despite a heavy fall during the race Patrick finished in a very
good time.

Run to the Beat Half Marathon - Sunday September 25th 2011

Good runs from Dave and Tara on a very hot day!

Folkestone Rotary Half Marathon - Sunday 25th September 2011

Copped Hall 5 Mile - Sunday 25th September 2011

126 Finishers. Great run and time by Carinne and winning the prize for First
Lady!

Elvis 7 - Valentines Park 5km - Sunday 25th September 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

180 finishers - 36 East London Runners (12 Ladies and 24 Men)
Individual rankings :- Ladies Team - From 2 ladies completing the series
last year to 8 this year. Karen retained her title as the Ladies won 7 of 7
events. In the age sections we had 2nd & 3rd in the senior event, 1st, 2nd &
3rd in the Vet 35 category and 1st in the Vet 55 section. Men's Team
We had 16 men compared to last year's 8 complete the series. There were 6 men
in the top 9 in the senior category and 4 in the top 9 for the vet 40 category.
Michael Wilson finished 3rd in the Vet 50 group. Boding well for next year was
the fact that 6 more men (Mark, Carlton, Patrick, Jamie, Roger and Dave K)
completed 4 events and missed out on qualifying for the final results.

Video Footage by "Carry On Running" available on YouTube:
target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKaOkW5kxpM">Start
target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGv-Lybie8I">Finish Part
1
target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MzdxNTOip4">Finish Part
2


ELVIS 7 – Karen’s Report.

Another great turn out on a beautiful sunny late September morning for the
final race of the series, 36 runners from East London Runners comprising 12
ladies and 24 men – a fantastic representation of what our club has become. A
slightly altered course from the regular route, a flat and fast 2 lapper with
most people bettering their times of last year. The men’s team once again
whitewashed the opposition with Brendan finishing second, followed by good
performances behind from Ciaran 7th, Mark 11th , who smashed his pb by 28
seconds, Patrick 15th, James 19th, Andrew 20th , Danny 21st and Manjit Singh
in 23rd and a great first appearance from Shahib who finished strongly
followed by Dave Pereira returning from a long injury lay off only 1 second
behind. The women faired just as well with me working hard, first to catch
Grant who had the cheek to be ahead of me for almost the first mile and then to
catch Sam Browne who I narrowly went on to beat (although he is getting too
close for comfort now)! Thanks Grant and Sam as this helped me to a season’s
best and overall winner of the ladies race. I was followed in by Ava who ran
another great race and was 2nd lady overall and closing the gap with a new pb
was Andrea Waller who was 8th overall and first vet 35 on the day – well done
(you run so much better without a hangover)! Jo, Grant’s friend from work who
has run three races for us was our 4th lady home and made up our winning team
on the day and gave us 7 wins out of 7 in the team event. Further strong
performances from Helen, Rachel, Trish and Mary O’Brien gave us 8 finishers in
the top 20.






Thanks to everyone that competed yesterday, men and women as we certainly
showed we are a dominant force in East London. Once again the warm down was
not complete without the mandatory press ups and plank work – although it was
noted that not all took part!!

After the race day presentations were complete the prizes were also presented
for the overall categories of the ELVIS series with East London taking the
lions’ share. We took both men’s and women’s team events (previously dominated
by Ilford in both), with myself and Brendan winning overall individual
categories, Ciaran narrowly winning a hard fought second overall in the mens,
Helen coming third overall in the ladies, Ava 1st Vet 35 and Mary O taking 1st
Vet 55.

On behalf of myself and Grant, team captains, we would like to thank everyone
who ran, supported and marshalled along the way. You all contributed in our
great achievement in this series and have helped the club go from strength to
strength. Not in my 21 years of being a member of this club have I witnessed
such togetherness and camaraderie amongst our runners – it’s great to be a part
of and long may it continue.

The day was finished off with about 26 members meeting at the George for a well
deserved drink and for all those not present I think Ciaran probably had your
share!!!



Grant said.
Approximate team results for yesterday. Low score is best - Mens, East London
Runners 96, Ilford 267,(victory margin 171!) Barking 274, Dagenham 306, Eton
Manor 415, Havering 500, Orion incomplete team. Ladies, ELR 14 !(KAREN 1,AVA 2,
JO 5, ANDREA 6), Ilford 59, Dagenham 11O, Eton Manor 144, Barking and Orion
incomplete. Ladies finished first in all 7 races. Men first in 6 and 2nd at
orion but a landslide victory in both genders. Well done to all our 72 runners
and supporters in the series, marshalls yesterday and the club committee. Lets
try and make it a 100 different runners in the next series in 2012.





ELR Team Captains Grant and Karen proudly show off the Team trophies!

parkrun # 116 - Roundshaw Downs - Saturday 24th September 2011

69 finishers at this course nr Purley Way,Croydon.

parkrun #19 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 24th September 2011

46 finishers.

A pleasant morning at the start of autumn. This week Don was on duty at the
lamppost.

Farnham Half Marathon - Sunday 18th September 2011

490 finishers. Sarah provides this weeks racing tip.

If you're going through a feed station and want to cool yourself down by pouring
a drink over your head, make sure they're giving out water and not orange
squash.

Clapham Common 5km series - Sunday 18th September 2011

Just to inform you that my result at the Clapham Common 5K has now been
published, I finished in 23:40.

It is a slow time for me, but I still have the injury to my right hamstring
muscles and my left knee. I think I've exacerbated the knee injury, as I had
a nasty tumble going round a corner and landing on the left knee with only
750m to go. I had a kind gentleman amongst the spectators help me up to my
feet and get going again. It felt strange to have to reduce myself to just
gently jogging around, as opposed to running. I haven't done any running
since the same event in early July and I've piled on a few pounds. I still
have two more races to complete in October before taking a break from racing
for 3 - 4 months to allow my body to heal up. Any advice from ELRs on
healing hamstring muscles will be greatly appreciated.




Mohammed in a previous Race.

The Credit Suisse Beckton Park Challenge 10km - Sunday 18th September 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

111 finishers.






Mark and Andrew in action and after the race!

The Great North Run - Newcastle - Sunday 18th September 2011

Ciaran in a previous race.


Jayne said. I really enjoyed the BUPA Great North Run and would
recommend it as a great half marathon. The atmosphere was fantastic and must
admit when I was in the crowd waiting to start and the Red Arrows flew over, it
did bring a tear to my eye, I felt quite emotional. The crowd were great and I
love the accent. 2 hours 7 mins (not a pb), but was really pleased with my time
as I didn't really stick to a training schedule, just run 3 times a week and
did a couple of 10 mile runs and I felt great when I see mile 12 and got a
spurt on to the finishing line (I think those 5k park runs must have helped!!).
We stayed in a great pub called the Cumberland Arms (my husband was in heaven,
15 different Real Ales to try) so all in all a great weekend in
Newcastle.




Jayne in action during ELVIS 6!

Tree-athlon 5km - Battersea Park - Saturday 17th September 2011

parkrun # 31 - Valentines Park - Saturday 17th September 2011

54 finishers.

parkrun #18 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 17th September 2011

35 finishers. A close finish in the Ladies race with the first 3 ladies
finishing within 18 seconds of each other.Andrea in 1st place beating previous
weeks winner Fiona and Suzanne getting a course pb to finish 3rd. Mark Boulton
helped with the marshalling.

London Duathlon - Sunday 11th September 2011

10 km run, 20 km cycle ride and 5 km run.

The 2011 London Duathlon was held once again in the stunning location of
Richmond Park, London. Competitors benefitted from racing on closed roads as
the
race was held on the only day that Richmond Park closes to vehicles.

Richmond Park is the largest open space in London covering almost 1,000
hectares
(2,500 acres), and is home to a huge array of wildlife, including hundreds of
deer.

Wroclaw Marathon, Poland - Sunday 11th September 2011

How things can go wrong, by the Heppels, Rob and Magda!

We had an absolute nightmare today. Didn't arrive at the start line until
35 mins after the race had started due to car probs (word of advice - if
you borrow a car from someone, ask what fuel it takes. Diesel cars don't
run on petrol). Anyway, despite the officials saying we couldn't run, and
refusing to give us race numbers or t-shirts (understandable given we were
so late) we decided to run anyway. Took us quite a while to catch up the
back markers but eventually we did.

Had a pretty miserable race as we were tired, stressed and the weather was
extremely hot with minimal shade/breeze (in the 30's apparently - whatever
that means).

Ran with Magda through the race as she was having some serious problems
with stomach issues. Lack of training and the heat, combined with the fact
that some water stations had no water, finally took their toll and Magda
had to drop out at the km 32 mark (mile 20) - her first DNF !!

I continued on and finally finished the race but as said, have no official
time to show for the effort, just the time on my my GPS (which was nothing
to write home about.)

Anyway, in case you checked the race website, that is why neither of us
show on the results. A little disappointing but at least I got to complete
the course.

Rob

Experian Robin Hood Marathon, Nottingham - Sunday 11th September 2011

1405 finishers.

Chippenham Half Marathon - Sunday 11th September 2011

1,465 finishers.




Helen's report - This was my second outing at the Chippenham Half
Marathon, tying in a race that ranks well in the Runner’s World reviews with a
visit to some friends who live in the town. With the race starting at 9:30am we
stayed overnight with Darren’s parents in South Wales so that we could have a
slightly more relaxed start to the day.

The race HQ is based at a local school where a large field provides parking
spaces, with ample toilets, bag drop, changing and refreshment facilities a few
minutes walk away. The start is on the street, adjacent to the Chippenham Town
FC car park. Here there are markers displaying expected finishing times so that
you have an idea of where to stand and unlike some races I’ve taken part in,
most of the participants are realistic about this. The course itself takes in
the town centre and surrounding housing for the first couple of miles before
heading out into the countryside and neighbouring villages. It is
predominantly
flat however, mile 11 and mile 12 is a long, slow, uphill drag (into a strong
headwind today!) leading up to the final half mile or so which is downhill. The
race finishes back at the HQ, with the last 200m on grass.

Support along the route is really good, both from the marshalls and from the
local people (even once outside the town itself) and although majority of roads
aren’t closed, local people know all about the event and so are respectful to
the runners. Finishing in 1:40:03, I was the 30th of 548 females and I improved
on my time from last year by 2 minutes and 15 seconds. So, even though I just
missed out on beating 1:40, I was pretty pleased. My husband Darren was a bit
disappointed with his time but our preparation for this event has been far from
ideal with a hectic last couple of months for us with the wedding and house
move etc. We’re hoping that after today’s event we’re now in good shape for
Cardiff Half next month, my favourite race from last year.

Elvis 6 - Dagenham 88 Runners 5-ish (5.5 miles) - Sunday 11th September 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

96 finishers. 27 East London Runners - 20 men and 7 ladies.






Video Footage by "Carry On Running" available on:
target="_blank"href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CARRYONRUNNINGAGAIN#p/a/u/0/j_q
AwPqpjbQ">YouTube

Prize winners from 5-ish.
Men 1st Brendan O'Grady, 2nd Ciaran Canavan, 1st Men's
team Team of 3 - Brendan, Ciaran and Mark Boulton.
Ladies 1st

Marathon du Medoc - Saturday 10th September 2011

7354 finishers.

Looks like Jimmy and Carol stopped to sample the wines and food and Tricia
didn't!

Still can't see what appeal this Marathon had for Jimmy! Will he wear his
fancy dress outfit to The George, Wanstead on Sunday 25th September 2011 at
7.30pm?

Jimmy's race report: On Thursday 8th of September I boarded the Euro
star for a leisurely trip to Bordeaux in France. I had the good fortune along
with seven & half thousand other entrants to have secured a place for the
fabled “Marathon du Medoc” or wine marathon.

Over the years I had occasionally seen runners wearing the famous trade mark
finishers T shirt depicting a drunken runner zig zagging along whilst holding a
bottle of wine.

Over the weekend some of the most prestigious vineyards in the Bordeaux region
would be opening their doors to the public for a festival of wine; this would
involve gourmet eating and drinking under marquee tents in the grounds of
historic chateaux, mini carnivals, music from an assortment of bands, a night
street party and fire works on the quayside of the town Pauillac.

Almost forgot… on the Saturday there was a small marathon to do. Following the
wine theme, there were twenty-one wine tasting stops with snacks as well. For
the last five kilometres, the food and wine stops were more gastronomic:
oysters, ham from Bayonne, barbequed steak, cheese and an ice cream for the
last kilometre to the finish. If you were still hungry and thirsty, at the
finish there was a giant marquee tent set up with over 50,000 snacks, canapés,
fruit etc., and more importantly for the rehydration process bottles of coke,
free beer and jugs of wine.

Friday afternoon I travelled the 44 miles from Bordeaux to Pauillac, a small
town on the Gironde estuary, right in the heart of Bordeaux’s vineyard region.
There were 62 Grande Cru (a regional classification for wine of the highest
level) chateaux in the vicinity. The next day, 33 of them would be open
offering free wine tasting for the more discerning runners. I was looking
forward to tasting a few glasses of posh plonk at the Chateaux Lafite
Rothschild and Chateaux Mouton Rothschild.

At the marathon village in Pauillac, I teamed up with ELR runner Patricia
O’Neill to pick up my number and a meal bracelet for a pasta meal in a local
Chateau. Unfortunately I missed another ELR runner Carol Palskowski and her
husband who had a long journey back to their hotel.

The marathon expo (exhibition) had the usual tents and stalls selling sports
gear, gels etc. However an important part of the Marathon du Medoc was that it
embraced the carnival theme of the weekend therefore 90% of the runners wore
fancy dress. Each year there is a different theme. The previous year had been
comic book heroes; this year it was “Animals”. Stalls were selling furry animal
hats and all in one animal suits - fine if you were an extra for Dom Jolly’s
Trigger Happy TV or doing a marathon on a chilly day. The forecast for the
race the next day was in excess of 30C. My fancy dress attire was a bit of a
cop out; a Muppets T-shirt of the drummer “Animal” and an orange flame head wig.
At 5.30pm, I caught a coach from Pauillac to the remote Chateau Castera near
the village of Saint-Germain d’Esteuil. The pasta meal called “Soiree Mille-
Pates” kicked off at 6.30pm. Lines of tables were set up with snacks, different
bottles of white wine, cordials and bottles of the liqueur Crème de Cassis.
There were quite a few Brits, like myself enjoying the wine, the picturesque
gardens of the Chateau Castera and listening to the jazz band.

After an hour or so and a few glasses of white wine, I was starting to wander
when the bowls of pasta would arrive. Someone then pointed out this was merely
an aperitif before the main meal that was due to start in 20 minutes. Only one
thing to do, make a couple of refreshing “Kias” by mixing white wine and the
black current liqueur Cassis. However one ELR runner preferred to drink the
liqueur neat.

At 8.30pm every body piled down to a giant marquee tent for the sit down meal.
What a knees up!! For the first course giant bowls of salmon pasta were served
with bottles of Chateau Bourbou Medoc 2009. By the time the second course of
lasagne and another bottle of wine arrived, a lot of the diners were up on the
dance floor boogying to a group playing 80’s hits.

A rather bizarre looking bald headed compere with a large black plastic spider
stuck to his head and dressed as a hotel Bellboy was doing the rounds of tables
interviewing people with his microphone.

After another bottle of wine and goats cheese had been served, the music was
stopped and everybody herded outside to watch fireworks. Back to the marquee,
more wine and a raspberry Bavarois cream dessert was served up like a bird
nest; chocolate eggs with ………spaghetti??

Unfortunately at 11.00pm, the festivities had come to a close so I had to hop
on a coach for the two hour-long journey back to the hotel in Bordeaux.

Saturday morning had an early start. At 6.30am a little bleary eyed - again
back on the coach to travel back to Pauillac for the race start. 8.20am arrived
at the coach car park in Pauillac. Everywhere in the car park was awash with
fancy dress animal runners. Friesian cows seemed the most popular option
however by one of the coaches there was a large flock of Japanese Geese.

With just an under an hour to kill, I joined the throng of runners. The bald
compere still with a plastic spider stuck to his head was in his element on
stage interviewing some of the more unusual fancy dress runners.

At 9.00am we were entertained by a bunch of performers on stilts who combined
their act with some acrobats. Also watching the show was a local runner who had
completed every race since its inception in 1984. This year he was dressed as
Jesus carrying a cross advertising his 27th marathon.

Not long after two French Air Force jets had roared overhead a couple of times,
the race soon kicked off.

I had no particular race plan, no PB today, try and get around the course under
seven hours so as not to miss out on a race T- shirt and the finishers’ goody
bag. I was curious to know how many bottles of wine the race winners would take
home. The prize for the first male and female runners was their weight in wine.

The race lived up to its reputation of being a convivial and party like
carnival event. At the later stages there was a bit of carnage with a few
trashed runners throwing up on the side of the road and an ambulance being
called out for someone who had collided with a cyclist.

Along with the wine tasting stops, there were loads of bands along the route,
playing a variety of music. I had to do a double take (or was it wine DTs)
whilst jogging along; passed a Dolly Parton belting out county & western in
French?!!

The course was mainly flat with a few undulating bits weaving it way through
vineyard after vineyard after...etc. When we came across bemused spectators
there were encouraging shouts of “Allez, Allez!!”, Bon Courage!!” and “Bravo”
whilst kids jostled on the side line to do high five with the runners.

After three miles I started to overheat so I had to stuff my wig in a rucksack.
Everybody else seemed to have the same idea - animal suits were being packed
away and animal hats and bunny ears were being jettisoned along the course.

The next 10 miles were a bit of struggle. The excesses of the night before
were catching up with me. Despite regularly dousing my head with water I was
still over heating. At the Chateau Pontet – Carnet drinks station I had to stop
for 15 minutes to cool down with a water bottle shower. Two miles later my
spirits picked up arriving at the famous Chateau Lafite Rothschild.

At 23 miles, I was feeling good so it was time to put the wig back on again,
however I had now reached the most arduous part of the race. Five gourmet food
and drink stops to the finish. The high lights of these stops were drinking
Rothschild 2010 Mouton Cadet Rose - swilling back six oysters and a sexy lady
in a bunny suit feeding me grilled steak pieces and red wine ….. what more
could a runner ask for??

One Kilometre to the finish and someone stuffed an ice cream in my hand......
brilliant!

Oh well I hadn’t won my weight in wine however all finishers still received a
race medal, wicking race shirt, a bottle of wine in a wooden presentation box,
a sort of duffle / rucksack and a large heavy duty plastic beaker. After
leaving the finishers area, it soon became apparent what the beaker was for…a
large finisher’s marquee tent had been set up where you could help yourself to
jugs of wine, beer and snacks.

parkrun # 17 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 10th September 2011

38 finishers.

Race report: Good turnout from ELR. Good runs from Sam
and Derek at the top end of the field. First parkruns from Rachel and Frank.
Rachel was second lady while husband Jamie and son Luca watched. Frank's first
parkrun on his way back from his knee op. Jayne got a new course pb by five
seconds.

Officials: Don was timer with Carlton and Mohammed on marshalling
duties.

Derek: I had a chat with Paul Lewis, the organiser, and it turns out
that on the way back down to the lamppost, we are supposed to be cutting across
to the left rather than going round the lamppost. It has been a bit awkward to
make that sharp 90 degree turn, especially if there are puddles. So hopefully
this will cut a few seconds off our times for each lap.

LGN Inter Advertising 5k - 8th September 2011

390 Finishers

Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Half Marathon - Glasgow - Sunday 4th September 2011

Fantastic time and placing for Manjit. Well done also to Andrea in her home
town
race!

8473 Finishers in the Half Marathon.





Manjit running in the Barking 5k the previous Monday.

Middlesex & Open 10k - Victoria Park - Sunday 4th September 2011

Another great run and personal best 10k time for Mark!




Mark in action during the recent Barking 5k, ELVIS race.

Essex Way Relay - Sunday 4th September 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Disappointing in that ELR was unable to field a full team on Sunday owing to
holidays, injuries, late call offs and travel problems.

Edward's race report.
Everyone who managed to run had a good time on Sunday, participating in the
Essex Way event. Starting at 8am prompt, the first two runners of Aaron and
Caiomhe finished really well, despite a small mid-course diversion by Caiomhe
and the group she was running with [I’d cleared the fallen tree the leader was
using as a marker].






Aaron Williams and Caiomhe O'Reilly running through Toot Hill during the
first leg of the Essex Way Team Relay event.


Grant and Sarah accomplished the second leg, and impressively kept going to
complete the third leg as well (a total of nearly 20 miles), as a very
effective
marathon training effort; meanwhile Derek and Jayne also ran the third leg,
just
missing the start of the fourth by David and Trish who only just squeaked in to
start with the others.







Grant Conway and Sarah Burns just after the start of Stage 2, running
through Chipping Ongar heading for Good Easter 9.5 miles away!



Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, Mike and Ramesh couldn’t get back to
their start in time, which meant that Ramesh didn’t get to do a run, as he had
to get back home; sorry Ramesh, next time! Mike however re-organised to do the
following leg instead, with Don and Roger, Don ‘choosing’ to fall over in the
slippery final mile, before getting washed clean by the torrential rain that
then passed over. Richard Mainwaring ran solidly to complete the longest leg of
the course, 11.2 miles, mostly in the rain; he’d managed to park outside a good
pub, though, so was able to restore his spirits there. Edward finished the last
leg ELR was able to do this year, due to a few late drop outs, rather damp and
scarcely able to believe that so many kissing gates could be fitted into 8
miles. Many thanks to Roger for going well out of his way to pick Edward up and
drop him back to the start of his leg.

As normal, everyone who ran enjoyed the camaraderie and scenery; we just need
to
find a couple of people for the last two legs, at the same time next year; the
first Sunday in September 2012.


Dave Knight said. Just thought I'd drop a line and say thanks to Edward
for organising the run on Sunday.

It was an experience. I was

Regents Park Summer Series - Race 6 of 6 - Sunday 4th September 2011

580 finishers.


Patrick and George in action during the recent ELVIS race.

Kent Coastal Half Marathon, Margate - Sunday 4th September 2011

249 finishers.

The Vitruvian Half Ironman, Rutland Water - Saturday 3rd September 2011

754 finishers.


Patrick Farren - 1,900m Swim - 0:38:55, 85km Cycle - 3:07:26, 21k run
- 1:55:23




Patrick in action at a recent ELVIS race.


Rob Heppell - 1,900m Swim - 1:01:42, 85km Cycle - 3:18:27, 21km Run -
1:51:20

Rob said - Great conditions but a very tough race. Patrick and I bumped
into each other in transition and headed to the start together. Once the
whistle blew to start the swim he powered off and I didn't see him again until
we passed each other on the run. We then caught up at the finish and compared
experiences.

We both found it hard going but were pleased with our times.

parkrun # 16 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 3rd September 2011

30 finishers.



Derek was our only runner this week finishing 9th in 20.47.
Volunteers this week included Jayne Browne handing out finishing chips before
her Essex Way run next day and Carlton and Arno on marshalling duties.

parkrun # 29 - Valentines Park - Saturday 3rd September 2011

55 finishers . Another good run from George to finish 4th with his wife Christina making her parkrun debut to finish 54th in 39.13.

ELVIS 5 - Barking 5km, Eastbrookend Country Park - Monday 29th August 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

148 finishers.112 from Elvis clubs.

32 East London Runners - 9 Ladies and 23 Men. 28 Havering, 24 Dagenham, 14
Ilford, 10 Eton Manor, 3 Orion and 1 Barking Road Runner.

Video Footage by "Carry On Running" available on YouTube:

Part 1
, Part 2

Photos by "Carry On Running" available on Flickr running/sets/72157627549382730/">here




Most of the ELR team prior to the race. The others got lost on their
warmup run but made the race start!.


Grant's report - On Bank Holiday Monday 32 ELR members made their way to
the wilds of Eastbrookend Park, Dagenham for the 5th race in the ELVIS series,
the Barking 5k which was moved to a new venue due to renovation works at
Barking/Mayesbrook parks. A number of ELR members were familiar with the course
having competed in the Dagenham 5 mileish which is run there in September (and
shall be again on 11th Sept 2011 for ELVIS 6). The course cannot be considered
as plum pb territory with a few tight turns, gravel paths and grass in various
sections, however this didn’t stop two of our men achieving pb's which was an
added bonus. Although the 32 ELR runners were all there in good time around a
dozen had some difficulty when they got lost at the back end of the park during
a warm up and had to make haste in order to get back to the start in time for
the race. Yours truly along with Jo and Helen were only able to get back one
minute before the start and therefore are missing from the team photo!

Owing to the ELR excellent turnout which once again was the highest of the
ELVIS
Clubs the men and ladies dominated the race to say the least. Unfortunately we
are without the official Elvis standings at present but even by the roughest
calculation ELR ARE CLEAR WINNERS IN BOTH CATEGORIES. I estimate the men have
achieved their highest winning margin by approximately 100 points from Dagenham
(Barking did not field a team in their home event as they were marshalling etc)
being led home by the double Irish espresso combination of Brendan and Ciaran
who finished in 2nd and 3rd respectively, Brendan dipping under 16.45 to be
clear in second and Ciaran achieving yet another pb this year. Just behind was
Mark Boulton with a PB and his best ELVIS finishing position in 6th place,
followed by Mr consistent Manji Bedi, Andrew Baxter. Manjit Singh fresh from
leading the ELR team to victory in the relay marathon the day before was the
6th
ELR man home but due to rules requiring 3 veterans in the first six to score
our
scoring was completed by one of our super Scottish married duo Danny Lee. Danny
finished in 18th ensuring all our men's scoring runners were in the top 20, a
magnificent achievement with a total points score of 55 approximately.
Following
our front runners our remaining men all ran well with Don improving his 5k time
for the year, John White making his ELVIS debut for the year, nearly 20 of our
men in the top 50 in the field and ALL our men beating other scorers from ELVIS
teams to help the team increase its lead. We were fortunate to have another
married couple Jamie and Rachel Coombs running for ELR as well. It would be
nice
to have Darren and Helen along with the Heppel's to make it four married
couples
competing at the same time!


Our ladies repeated their feat of finishing first in every race in the series
with ladies captain Karen leading us home as first lady, followed by the other
member of our Scottish married duo Ava who was first lady vet (again!) in third
place overall in the ladies race, followed by my work colleague Jo O'Sullivan
in
her second ELVIS race for the club and Helen who has scored for the team in all
five races, the last two after long commutes from Purley, Croydon, great
commitment to the cause. Helen finished in 8th place in the ladies section to
ensure all our scoring ladies were in the top 10! I calculate the ladies score
to be 19 which is a record low for the ELVIS series since it started. Andrea
was
next with a top ten finish and again all our ladies beat scoring ladies from
other teams to increase our winning margin. Hopefully our ladies can complete 7
first places by winning the last two races. There are some ladies away for the
next race and we still need good turnouts on 11th and 25th September so please
run if you can ladies.


Well done to everyone, including Frank taking the photos, Louise, Sharon,
Lance,
Jim Bird, Christina and Suzanne's daughter looking after young Luca, on what
turned out to be an extremely successful and enjoyable Bank Holiday trip to
Dagenham for ELR.
Hopefully we will see you all on 11th September for the Dagenham 5'ish.




ELR prizewinners Karen Levison and Ava Lee after the race.

Sikh Relay Marathon - Sunday 28th August 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Derek receives the baton from Patrick Brown and Ramesh takes over from Dave
Knight.


This is an annual event involving the Sikh community and local running clubs.
It consists of a course measuring 2.022km which is run by a team 21 times to
constitute the marathon distance of 42.2km. The stretch down Woodford Avenue,
which measures 800m, and the uphill on Roding Lane South are familiar to ELR
members, albeit from dark Wednesday evenings rather than a bright Sunday
morning. The start and finish of each lap were at the grassy verge opposite
Roding Hospital.

There were five or six serious teams taking part, plus other teams who were
enjoying it as a fun morning out. ELR fielded two teams, one comprising five
men, the other five men and a lady (Suzanne). There was a danger that the six-
person team would only consist of four runners, thereby making it one short of
the required minimum, until Dave and Ramesh turned up shortly after the race
had started to sighs of relief all round. Both Barking RR and Ilford AC were
missing this year - perhaps they were saving themselves for the Elvis 5k the
following day. This was a plus in that our five-man team secured an easy first
place, having come second in the previous two years. It was a minus in that
the course was sparsely populated by runners (though there were lots of parents
and children walking), thereby making the experience a little lonely as there
was no one much to chase.

Nevertheless, Derek hopped on his bike to accompany Manjit Singh up the final
hill to the finish where he was egged on to a course record by the cheering
crowd of runners and spectators.






Manjit Singh in full flow after Manjit Bedi's race leg. Carlton starting his
race leg after receiving the baton from Jamie.

The six-person team worked hard but was beaten into fourth place by two Sikh
teams who went by the name of Singh. We remarked that even with multiple
runners, we were still miles off a top time for a marathon.

A trio of veteran Sikh runners, including Fauja Singh, aged 100, awarded the
trophies and hungry runners scoffed bananas, sandwiches and scented tea.

parkrun # 28 - Valentines Park - Saturday 27th August 2011

54 finishers.Great run from Karen in her 1st parkrun coming back from injury in 5th place overall and 1st Lady finisher.

parkrun # 15 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 27th August 2011

24 finishers.

Don reports: Well done to Mark on winning his first ever race with a
course pb and to Derek and Jayne on a course with plenty of puddles due to
heavy rain. A low attendance on a bank holiday weekend. Thanks due to
Suzanne on the safety bike, Carlton doing the timing and Arno and myself on
marshalling duty.

Hayle 5km Beach Run - Wednesday 24th August 2011

Andrew's report. 5th race of the DAN 5k series took place on the beach,
the course was a straight out and back run along the beach (3 miles of golden
sands on St Ives Bay). Tough going for the first mile or so on very soft sand
and I regretted not going with the bare foot option that many runners had opted
for (inlcuding the winner). Thankfully the turn back to the start took us on to
firmer sand but into a quite strong headwind. Tried to tuck in behind a couple
of local runners but legs felt very heavy and I couldn't keep with them - one
too many pasties,a local ale or two and a lack of long miles over the last 10
days all taking their toll.

All in all very good fun. Race was well organised by Hayle Runners, and, as with
last week, I was made very welcome by the local club runners with lots of
questions about ELR when they saw my vest -. See you all at Barking 5k on Monday
- hoping the going will be easier than these two races!

Burnham Beeches Half Marathon - Sunday 21st August 2011

Pride 10k, Victoria Park - Saturday 20th August 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

832 finishers.


 


Ciaran and Rachel in action during the race!

Ciaran's Race Report
Racing on a Saturday Morning is not my strong point! Friday is curry and beer
night, and this Friday was no exception, though, I did take it a little easier
on the beer, and avoided the spicier curry!

Saturday morning started well. Warm, but not too hot, overcast and a forecast
for rain about 11am. Perfect conditions for racing! I Drove the short drive to
Victoria Park, and arrived well in advance of the 11am start, to ensure plenty
of time for a good proper warm up and to 'get into the zone'! The plan was sub
36. I knew I could do it, as I had run sub 36 in the 1st 10K of the Hackney
Marshes Half Marathon a few weeks back, but was I rested enough? I had given
myself no taper, and was coming off the back of a long and hard training week!

On warmimg up, the clouds broke, not with rain, but with hot August sunshine.
My legs felt heavy and I couldnt get into the zone. What a nightmare! I was
sure today was not going to be my day.

The course for this 10K takes in 3 laps of Victoria Park of about 3k each, plus
a little extra stretch at the beginning to make up the additional 1Km. With the
start in the shade, under a leafy canopy, It was a pleasure to discover that
about 2/3 of the course was sheltered from the sun by the beautiful 'leaf full'
trees that line most of the paths round Victoria Park.

My plan was simply to run my own race. Stick with my Garmin, and keep to my own
plan. I was helped along with cheers from 3 different supporters who had
wonderfully managed to locate themselves at 3 different points on the course,
meaning 9 cheering points on this 3 lap course.

I'm glad to say the demons dropped out of my head during the first lap, when,
to my surprise, I realised I was keeping pace, and enjoying the race. 3:26 for
my 1st km, followed by 3:28, and 3:31. That was 5 seconds banked, to be inside
35 minutes. I had no choice, but to change my goal, and to give the rest of the
race all the 'wellie' I had. Completing the second lap in a simular time to the
first, the speed, warmth, and revised target began to take their toll, and this
showed in the final lap. Slowing down a little, I clocked 3:38 for the 8th km,
but I knew now I was on the home straight. By now, on the 3rd lap, I knew every
twist and turn, and I let my auto pilot kick in. 9k passed, 400m to go, last
turn, 200m to go, come on, sprint, finish in sight, onto the grass for the
finish, and done! Gun Time 35:08, Chip Time 35:05! Well ahead of my initial sub
36 target, so delighted with the result.

Home, shower, then the most important event of the day, Pub & Lunch to
celebrate!

Well done to Rachel too!

Maxifuel Supersprint Triathlon , Dorney Lake - Saturday 20th August 2011

From Suzanne Bench

Overall time 48.58

Swim (400m) 11.19
Bike (12k) 22.28
Run (2.5k) 11.42


Race report:
This was my first triathlon and as many of you will know I was very anxious
about the swim! However, I really enjoyed it and finished 35th out of 70
competitors, a result I was very happy with as I was convinced I was going
to be last!! It was a great day-weather perfect and lots of really nice
people. The venue is really good-well organised and a lovely setting - I
would recommend it.

parkrun # 54 - Grovelands, Enfield - Saturday 20th August 2011

80 finishers.

From George Georgiou I thought I'd try a different parkrun this week.
The Grovelands course in Southgate, Enfield is a 3 lap course. I would say that
its 50% slight downhill and 50% going distinctly uphill. Very little running on
purely flat and its all on run pathways. Quite tough really and not a p.b
course, a good challenge though.

parkrun # 27 - Valentines Park - Saturday 20th August 2011

47 finishers.

Mikesh who joined us on Wednesday does his first parkrun in 26.56.

parkrun # 14 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 20th August 2011

29 finishers.

A warm morning. Sarah was on the safety bike, Carlton was giving out the
finishing chips and Don was scanning the bar codes.

Cape Cornwall 5km - Wednesday 16th August 2011

Postcard from Cornwall

From: Andrew Baxter ran the Cape Cornwall 5k on Weds night.

Finishing time of 24.28 (15th place) says all you need to know about the course
- challenging to say the least.

Very rough, undulating, trail on the coast path around Cape Cornwall. The views
along the cliff tops would have been stunning if I could have risked looking up
from the path - had to watch every footstep and even then I had a hard fall
about 1k from home. Great fun but very very hard work - knees are still aching
48 hours later. Organised by Mounts Bay Harriers, the race is the 4th in the
Duchy Athletic Network 5k. Number 5 is on the beach next week - so hope to send
you results of a slightly faster run.

Stroke Association 15km, Finsbury Park. - Sunday 14th August 2012

parkrun # 13 - Wanstead Flats - Saturday 13th August 2011

21 finishers.

Don reports:- Our lowest turnout yet mainly because of
holidays. Derek ran to finish in 3rd place. I was hoping to run but lack of
officials meant I was on timekeeper duty.

parkrun # 26 - Valentines Park - Saturday 13th August 2011

51 finishers. A new course pb for Mark in 18.19.

ITU London TRIATHLON - Olympic Distance - Sunday 7th August 2011

Swim 37:48

Bike 1:11:14

Run 43:32




Thomas ploughing through the mud during this year's Benfleet 15!

UFDANCE RUNNERS QUEST HALF MARATHON HACKNEY MARSHES, LONDON E9 - Sunday 7th August 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Awaiting full results.

  height="250"src="http://www.eastlondonrunners.org.uk/photos/events/598/aar.jpg">

Carlton, Ciaran and Patrick before the race and Peter crossing the finish
line.


Carlton's report

Initially, I was slightly reticent about participating in this half marathon
when, only after registering I realised it comprised 6 laps! However, the day
started off well as I was greeted by an ELR Blade Feather that I saw waving in
the foreground, and that Ciaran had kindly sorted it out. It was a boost to see
other club runners congregate at this meeting point, including Peter, Patrick
Farren and Ciaran (albeit at the expense of none of us being able to
participate
in the previous days Elvis run). The weather turned out to be ideal; bright and
sunny, but not too hot and with a slight cooling breeze. As there was a
relatively small field of circa 362 odd runners, there was a pleasant close-
knit
atmosphere, with a steel-band playing in the background. The course was
entirely
off-road, flat, meandering through open and shaded areas, and paths next to the
canal. There were numerous friendly marshals who cheered us on, and who quickly
looked up our race number, only to call our name out as by way of further
encouragement. Overall, a well organised fun run, and an excellent way to spend
a Sunday morning.

High point: On my 4th lap, as my mind switched off and I began to day
dream whilst Talking Heads ‘Road to Nowhere’ belted out on shuffle for the
second time through my headphones, I caught sight of Ciaran running along side
me and I thought ‘gosh I must be going better than I thought!’.

Low point: When reality soon kicked in, and I realised Ciaran was
actually lapping me, as indeed I had predicted!

Finishers:
Men 160
Women 91

ELVIS 4 - Orion Forest 5 - Race 3 - Saturday 6th August 2011

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

211 Finishers.


Video Footage by "Carry On Running" available on YouTube:

Start
, Into Woods

Photos by "Carry On Running" available on Flickr running/sets/72157627376116316/">here

126 Men & 85 Ladies (140 Elvis club runners) - 31 East London Runners, 34
Orion, 18 Dagenham, 17 Havering, 12 Ilford, 12 Eton Manor, 8 Barking.Team
results and overall rankings after 4 events See ELVIS 2011 page.




Most of the ELR Team prior to the race.


Race report
Saturday morning saw another great turnout of East London Runners totalling 31
running plus a support team of Karen, Rachel with son Luca in tow, Frank, Jim
and Ciaran attend the latest instalment in the ELVIS GRAND PRIX Race series,
the
Orion 5 mile Summer Race in Epping Forest.

Finishing in 13th place overall and first to finish for ELR was Manjit Bedi
closely followed home by Patrick, Mark, Manjit Singh with Danny and Derek
completing the points scoring for the Men's Team. Early indications are that
we were second in the Mens Team event behind a very strong Orion Team but
remain in the lead overall with 4 of the 7 ELVIS races completed.



Patrick Brown and Manjit Bedi relax after the race.


With Karen unable to run through injury Ava Lee was once again our leading Lady
runner with new member Joanne and Helen and Andrea Waller, now a Vet, all
scoring points in the Ladies event. Special thanks to Helen for running in all
the events to date and especially as she has now moved home outside London but
made the effort to travel up early on Saturday morning to participate.
Again
the Ladies Team were first in the ELVIS Team event and continue to lead the
overall ELVIS Ladies League.

ELR Elvis Captains Karen and Grant led the team, well most of them, in the post
race core exercises as can be seen in this photo.




Ava Lee and Lucy Jarvis seem unimpressed with their team mates efforts at
press-ups and the plank!


Photographs were taken and supplied by Ciaran and Frank of ELR and John Hanlon
of Orion Harriers!

Thanks also go to all our other runners who by finishing pushed the scores of
the other competing teams behind the score of East London Runners.




Sisters Nicola and Angela after the race. Don and Richard stroll
back
after the race.

Fell Race - Osmotherley & District, Yorkshire - 5.83m - Saturday 6th August 2011

Rob pictured during one of his Ultra Races


Rob's race report.This afternoon I competed in my first Fell Race at the
Osmotherley & District Horticultural & Agricultural Society Annual Show, a
typical local agricultural show held in the lovely village of Thimbleby on the
edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. The race started at just past 2pm amid
torrential rain, strong winds, thunder and lightning. There were around 31
hardy
souls who braved the elements and were rewarded with a beautiful run, part of
the route being on private land only available to the public during the annual
fell race.

As an introduction to fell running it couldn't have been better - the first
half
being a real lung buster and the second half a quad thrash, all of the route
being well-marked with plastic tape. I was a little apprehensive initially that
I would get lost on the moors in the very limited visibility and almost decided
not to enter. As it was there was nothing to worry about. The route started on
tarmac for the first mile or so before heading straight up to the top of the
hill on mixed trail for a couple of miles, made even tougher as the wind and
rain were at their strongest and straight into your face. The continuing
thunder
and lightning were sufficiently worrying that no-one was hanging about at the
trig point, turning quickly for a mad dash down the hill. Half-way down the
route turned off onto steeply sloping heather moorland eventually finishing on
steep grass fields and then straight through the farm and into the show ground.
The race was advertised as 5 1/2 miles with 1,000ft of climb. My wrist GPS
measured it at just over 6 miles but that could have been due to the heavy
cloud
cover which may have interrupted the GPS signal.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day and thought I ran well, pushing hard on the uphill
and then running like a maniac on the down. Managed to find a hidden hole in
the
heather on the way down and twisted my ankle but kept upright and ploughed on
down the hill, passing two more runners before hitting my "stride" on the grass
and charging in to the finish line. Placed 10th overall with a
time around 50 mins but will need to wait for the official results.

Great race made more fun by the conditions, which never let up from beginning
to
end. Finished saturated, muddy and happy. Will definitely not be my only fell
race.

Virgin Active London Triathlon - Sunday 31st July 2011

Sarah Burns Unofficially finished the London triathlon after being hit
in the nose lots on the swim in 2hrs 39mins. Man it was hot!

Darren Speedy Completed the Virgin London Triathlon in 2:56:13. Pretty
chuffed with that for a first attempt at Olympic distance. 1500m Swim, 38.7km
Bike, 9.8km Run.

Thomas Whitney I know East London Runners can live without my triathlon
results but I feel compelled to let you know - 1.5k Swim was: 38:49 - 40k Bike:
1:00:04 -10k run: 46:13. Total time including transitions was: 2:34:09 - a new
pb!!! Was pretty amazed I got a pb because I've been unable to train properly
owing to the now infamous toenail incident two months ago (never cycle wearing
sandals) - incidentally the ..too much information... the very morning
of the triathlon so I was pretty extra apprehensive of that omen. It's my 4th
time doing this triathlon so I'm pretty accustomed to what I needed to do -
slightly different route for me this time owing to being in the over 35
category now and having to wait until the afternoon to do it. This meant a 10k
in the blazing Sunday sun - excellent to spectate but a killer to run in. All
in all a fabulous local race well worth doing if only to overcome the common
fear of swimming in sewage. Afternoon was topped off with a pleasant bike ride
home in my sandals (oops). Roll on this weekend's ITU London Triathlon in Hyde
Park. That was my race report by the way - hopefully I'll be along tomorrow
night to say hello.

Rob Heppell Here's my results from Sunday's London Tri (Olympic
distance) Total time 2:52:04 (50:47 / 1:07:19 / 46:38) Place 962 of 1397 (open)