27th December 2023
Festive Greetings, Road Runners!
I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, whatever you got up to. If you were able to come along to Barking parkrun Christmas parkrun, you will have witnessed our biggest-ever turnout: 391 participants! I know lots of parkruns get more than that every week, but for little old Barking, it was a big deal. There is another opportunity for a bonus parkrun at Valentines Park on New Year’s Day, probably with the now-traditional brunch in the Great Spoon of Ilford afterwards. Hope to see you there.
December Committee Minutes
A big “thank you” to Dee Spencer-Perkins for taking the minutes of the December Committee meeting, the last meeting of the year and also her last official duty as Club Secretary. I’ve said it before, but she has done an amazing job with making sense of our ramblings in the meetings, not least because she isn’t a runner herself.
Here are the minutes of the December Committee meeting.
Athletics in the News
Irish athlete Ciara Mageean had a good Christmas. On Friday 22 December, she was named as the BCC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year and was also announced as Joint Athlete of the Year by Athletics Ireland. Then, on Saturday 23 December, she broke the women’s world parkrun record.
The 31-year-old clocked 15:13 at the Victoria Park course in Belfast, breaking the previous record by 12 seconds. She was helped to her time by boyfriend Thomas Moran, who must be pretty nippy too; Mageean finished third overall in the event.
Of course, every parkrun course is different, and some aren’t professionally measured, so we are not necessarily comparing like with like – if anyone has run the Victoria Park parkrun, let me know if it is an easy or tough course! But, either way, it is a splendid achievement and bodes well for Mageean in 2024.
Also in action last weekend was 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman, who finished first in the Bushy Park parkrun in 14:52 – more than a minute ahead of the rest of the field, and equalling the Barking parkrun record set by Paul Martelletti on 25 December 2017.
After Joseph Grange achieved a Personal Best of 15:14 at Barking a few weeks ago, I fully expect him to come back one Christmas and beat the course record!
Back by Popular Demand – The Virtual Handicap!
You asked for it (well, some of you did), so you’ve got it. The 2024 Virtual Winter Handicap seven-race competition is back, starting on 6 January. Run 5k on the course of your choice, anytime between Saturday and Midnight the following Friday, then post proof of your time on WhatsApp. It is fine to use your parkrun time. Dennis will use your handicap from the summer competition, or calculate a handicap for you based on parkrun times. The handicap is applied to your time, so that everyone- fast or slow – is on a level playing field and has an equal chance to win. The winner of each race is the person with the fastest time after the handicap is applied. There will then be virtual handicaps every other week until 30 March-5 April. The final result is based on the best five of seven results. Just for fun, no prizes or trophies, just the kudos.
A Look Ahead for 2024
Sorry to wish the year away, but when the current South Essex Cross Country League (SECCL) and Chingford League competitions end, it will be the start of the road racing season. For BRR, that means:
The Grand Prix Competition – an internal Club competition, this year consisting of eight races, of distances ranging from five miles to half marathon. The races chosen are usually in the East London or South/Mid-Essex area.
As is now traditional, the first race in the 2024 competition will be the Brentwood Half on 24 March; perfect timing for anyone doing the London Marathon or any of the other spring marathons. Sign up now at https://www.brentwoodhalf.org/. Other races will be decided as dates are announced.
The East London fiVes Interclub Series (ELVIS) – a chance to compete against other clubs in the East London areas, in a series of eight races of five kilometres or five miles. The races are all arranged by the participating clubs, with individual and team prizes up for grabs. But we also hold our own, internal, ELVIS competition. There is usually a meeting around February/March time, when the dates for the series are agreed.
The Summer handicap competition, in Barking Park, seven races on a Thursday evening between May and August (dates TBC, depending on other fixtures).
There be trophies (Arrr, Jim Lad!) for all of these competitions. Full details can be found in the Club Rules on the Club website. There is no pressure to take part but it is great fun to run with and/or support your clubmates, and having a race to work towards is good motivation to stick to your training schedule and maintain your fitness.
BRR Race Report
Greg is having a well-earned rest this week so, apologies, the only race that I’m aware of is the one that I took part in: the Boxing Day Crown to Crown 5k at Westley Heights Country Park. For those who have never done the Crown to Crown, it is so-called because it starts and finishes behind what used to be called The Crown Public House (it’s now a Miller and Carter, but ‘Miller and Carter to Miller and Carter’ doesn’t sound as good). Following the rain on Christmas Day, some parts of the course were muddy and slippery, particularly the final hill up to the finish line. As the course is out-and-back, those of us who were taking it easy – i.e. slower – had the pleasure of seeing the fast guys and girls fly past us on the way back before we had even reached the halfway point. Colin Jones was the first finisher for BRR, in 23:39. Nikki Cranmer was next in 32:30, followed by Alison Fryatt in 35:17 and Dawn Curtis in 37:02. The next Crown to Crown race will be on Good Friday.
Barking parkrunners – 23 December
Barking – Joseph Grange 15:43, Owen Wainhouse 21:22, Mark New 23:56, John Whan 24:59, Louise Chappell 27:46, Jason Li 27:55, Andy Hillier 28:07, Rob Courtier 28:21, Dawn Curtis 32:21, George Hiller 32:48, Nikki Cranmer 33:27, Joyce Golder 33:39, Les Jay 35:33, Alan Murphy 56:22.
Great Notley – Emma Paisley 28:27.
Northala Fields – Rory Burr 23:25.
Queenstown – Tom Brennan 22:53, Belinda Riches 24:50.
Storeys Field – Sunny Bulchandani 25:10.
Valentines – Kevin Wotton 26:46, Andrew Gwilliam 47:25.
Christmas Day parkrunners (Barking only)
It was not just the biggest turn-out for a Christmas parkrun at Barking, but the biggest Barking parkrun turn-out full-stop. We had 391 finishers, including the two tailwalkers. The BRR (first and second claim) finishers were as follows:
Joseph Grange 20:08; Paul Grange 20:10; Craig Chappell 22:07; Rory Burr 23:24; Mark New 24:03; Nehal Patel 25:46; Rosie Fforde 26:20; Martin O’Toole 28:12; Stuart Burr 28:20; James Lowndes 28:44; Louise Chappell 28:57; Emma Paisley 29:00; Dennis Spencer-Perkins 29:46; Trevor Cooper 29:47; Rob Courtier 29:49; Cristina Cooper 29:59; Nikki Cranmer 33:13; Les Jay 35:26; Micky Ball 48:10; Andrew Gwilliam 51:01; Alam Murphy 1:04:56.
BRR Diary – December/January
Download the TeamUp app onto your phone, then enter the calendar key for Barking Road Runners when asked: ks67p21gt8p5gzdo66 to see all BRR’s agreed fixtures for the year.
9.00am, Thursday 28 December – road run. Meeting at the Barking Park car park entered via South Park Drive. A run of up to 10 miles (seven miles on the road and the last three on the parkrun course).
10.30am, Saturday 30 December – Ilford AC 10 miles XC. The Plain, Chigwell Row, Lambourne Rd (opposite Millers Lane) postcode IG7 6ET. A tough three-lap cross-country race through Hainault Forest. Good practice if you are doing the Benfleet 15. Like the Newman Hilly but with knobs on. Entries on the day £10 affiliated/£12 non-affiliated.
10.00am, Sunday 31 December – SECCL XC03: Hadleigh (hosted by Leigh-on-Sea Striders). Yes, it is the wet one! After doing this cross-country race, you will well and truly deserve your New Year’s Eve celebrations! Normal routine, £3 entrance fee for BRR members, pay on the day or directly into the BRR bank account. Make sure you wear a club vest or t-shirt, and TAKE A CHANGE OF SHOES AND SOCKS!!!
7.00pm, Tuesday 2 January – Speed development. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. The first track session of the new year. If you want to improve your speed in 2024, or just make your normal runs feel easier, this is the place to be!
w/c 6 January – Virtual Handicap 01.
10.00am, Sunday 14 January – Internal cross-country race, Eastbrookend Country Park – a chance for those who volunteered at the official Chingford League Eastbrookend race to earn points towards the Club’s internal 2023-24 Chingford League competition.
w/c 20 January – Virtual Handicap 02
11.00am, Saturday 20 January – Chingford League, Epping Forest. Details TBC.
10.00am, Sunday 21 January – Benfleet 15. Hadleigh Country Park. A 15-mile race on mud, trails, and road. To say it is not for the faint-hearted is a serious understatement. Waiting list only (oh, damn, did I fail to enter in time? What a shame!). Some of us may go along to cheer on our clubmates and have a bit of a run by ourselves.
7.00pm, Friday 26 January – Club Curry Night. Curry Mahal, 27 Goresbrook Road, Dagenham, RM9 6UX. We’ll do a list of attendees nearer the time.
10.00am, Sunday 28 January – SECCL XC04. Parsonage Farm. This is a new race in the SECCL competition. More details nearer the time.
Cracker Corner
I bought my nephew three socks for Christmas. His mum told me in the past year he’d grown an extra foot.
What did the snowman say when Santa offered him a hot chocolate? No thanks, they just go straight through me.
What does a chocolate Santa say? Co-co-co!
What’s even better than a reindeer pulling a sleigh? A chocolate moose.
Boom! Boom!
Quote of the Week
“Forever is composed of nows”.
Emily Dickinson
American Poet
And finally…
The Guangdong Dongpo Paper Co. in China has introduced a new incentive scheme for employees. Workers who achieve a minimum of 100k monthly will qualify for an annual bonus equivalent to 130 percent of their monthly salary. Those covering at least 50k per month will receive a bonus equivalent to one month’s salary.
The approximately 100 company employees will have their physical activity tracked through an app. Failure to meet the specified targets will lead to a reduction in bonuses. Those covering less than 40k (25 miles) will receive only 60 percent of their total annual bonus. Those who manage only 20k per month get only 30 percent.
Company Chairman Lin Zhiyong, a dedicated fitness enthusiast, dreamed up the incentive programme after spending more than three years trying to get his employees to exercise more. In a bid to encourage consistent participation, employees logging 50k for six consecutive months will be rewarded with a new pair of running shoes. If only I could persuade my employer to introduce a scheme like this…
Happy Running
Alison
Chair, BRR