STRAGGLERS DEBUT AT MIDDLESEX COUNTY CHAMPS.

Following the club's recent affiliation to Middlesex County (for the benefit of members who don't qualify for Surrey), some Stragglers ran at the Middlesex Masters Cross Country Championships on 1st March.

Competing against less familiar clubs like Highgate, Harrow, Hillingdon, Ealing and Thames Valley Harriers (hosts), all our runners were well up in the field. Steve Sandham was in the medals as 2nd V60.

Weather conditions were good - a cool but sunny day. The 8k course, was 2 laps which, whilst flat, was extremely muddy and therefore challenging.

A good start to our participation in,Middlesex races.

19th Neil Browning 31:46

41st Malcolm Fletcher 34:28

46th Steve Sandham 35:34

Nearly twice as many runners turned out as for the November trial run, which was very encouraging to see. A total of 48 runners took the start, with 47 finishing. All went well, except for a couple of issues at the finish, with a non-competing runner crossing the finish line and another runner not collecting their token (which took Trevor Ford and myself a while to sort out afterwards - many thanks, Trevor!) but we eventually got the results sorted to satisfaction. My thanks to all who offered assistance on the night!

I will look at ways to streamline pre- and post-run registration as, with everyone both arriving and finishing within a five-minute window, quite a queue developed both before and after the run. For May, i'm considering inviting people who intend to take part in the Handicap to email their current parkrun time in advance; i can then inform them of their handicap time by return, so they don't need to queue up and register on the night – they simply confirm their arrival. Also, if volunteer numbers permit, i will have more than one registration point after the run (depending on the number of runners that take part). Please note: These are just thoughts at the moment.

On the night, the first runner across the line was Ray Cockle with a run time of 23m 38s. Graham Brook was again the fastest runner of the night, with a time of 17m 16s, while Jo Hillier was fastest lady with a time of 21m 35s.

Full Results are listed here.

Regards,

Ian 

Here's all the news for February. Visit the News and Events > Stragmag page to download.

The Stragglers Ladies finished off a great Surrey League Cross-Country season at Lloyd Park (Croydon) on Saturday. They finished 9th in the first division out of 15 teams so easily stay in division one for next year.

Report by Steve Sandham

The Stragglers men had an amazing performance in the final race of the Surrey Cross Country League at Lloyd Park, Croydon on Saturday the 8th Feb. The team performed brilliantly under the worst possible conditions underfoot.

The Richmond Half Marathon is now full and not accepting any new entries. If anyone has a place and can no longer run it, there are some Stragglers who would be keen to accept a number and do the necessary transfer.

First on the list of those requiring a number is Chris Walmsley. Please reply to him direct:

"Team members, due to the popular demand for the Richmond Half Marathon the 4th May 2014 the event was full by the time I attempted to register for the event. If anyone has entered and unfortunately is not able to attend the event I would be very grateful to have the opportunity to transfer numbers to enable me to compete in the event." This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If there are any more people with numbers to transfer, you can contact Steve Sandham who will assist you in finding a customer. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are once again entering 2 Stragglers teams for the Welsh Castles Relay, a men's team and a ladies team.

Entries are now open, and if you would like to take part please send your name and £20 entry fee to Steve Sandham This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Preferred payment is by bank transfer (please contact Steve for account details), or alternatively you can pay cash.

This year the official team-wear when not racing is the Stragglers short sleeved or long sleeved T shirt (now available from Sweatshop. Please note, men's sizes tend to be larger than normal so try before you buy).

If you haven't experienced a Welsh Castles weekend before, it's arguably the best event the club takes part in.

Click Read More to learn more about what to expect.

10 Stragglers men and 3 Stragglers ladies competed at the South of England Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill on Saturday. Conditions, as usual, were appalling!

Click here for a video of the Men's event.

Results:

1 49.47 Richard Goodman, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers

73 56.58 Paul Lowe

425 67.26 Jonathan Davies

433 67.33 Roy Reeder

540 70.22 Matt Briddon

570 71.22 Neil Browning

762 77.35 Tiago Ramos

817 79.42 Steve Sandham

833 80.29 Malcolm Fletcher

917 86.41 Joby Thomas

925 87.35 Malcolm Davies

1 30.39 Jess Andrews, Aldershot F&D

49 35.19 Sarah Kinsella

101 37.05 Sarah Winter

382 49.16 Linda Chase

Well done to all our Stragglers, great job!

Full results here:

http://seaa.org.uk/results/cross-country.html

Please can all wishing to attend each day contact England Athletics mentor, Nick Anderson on:

Tel 07725 148344 Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The days below will once again form part of the ongoing support from The Virgin London Marathon and England Athletics at the St Mary's University College EPACC and coaches and athletes are invited to attend the workshops delivered on:

Workshop One - Sunday 6th October 2013

9.45am Meet in Lecture Room G7
10am Discussion on:
Winter programme, Planning, Goal setting, Periodisation
10.45am Long Threshold reps in Bushy Park for athletes. Coaches to help supervise...
12 Noon Lunch
12.45pm Charlie Peddlar - Planning & Physiological testing best practice
1.30pm Drills & Dynamic warm up practical & and how to periodise this season
2.45 Final Questions and workshop closes

Workshop Two - Sunday 17th November 2013

9.45am Meet in Lecture Room G7
10.15am Practical long XC rep session Bushy Park (12 athletes to be field tested)
12 Noon Lunch
12.45pm Functional stability practical workshops & injury prevention.
2.30pm General conditioning & training questions (using X training in the mix)
2.45pm Final questions & workshop closes

Workshop Three - Sunday December 1st 2013

9.45am Meet in Lecture Room G7
10.15am Sports Physcology "Performing Under Pressure"12.45pm
12 Noon Lunch
Elite Athlete Interview "Performing under the spotlight"
1.30pm Interval session on the track using distraction or performance strategies from the morning. (12 athletes to be field tested)
2.45pm Final questions & workshop closes

Workshop Four - Sunday 19th January 2014

"Preparing for a Spring Marathon"
9.45am Meet in Lecture Room 7
10.15am How to train for a marathon and the key elements
12 Noon Marathon specific interval & threshold session using the track & road
1pm Lunch
1.30pm "Elite athlete interview - a few top tips!"
2pm The taper & race day strategy
2.45pm Final questions and workshop closes

Workshop Five - Sunday 2nd March 2014

9.45am Meet in Lecture Room 7
10.15am The winter - spring/summer transition for a middle distance track athlete
11.15am Nutrition "how to fuel that performance"
12 Noon Lunch
12.45pm Athlete & coach interview
1.30pm Interval session on the track for event groups
2.45pm Final questions and workshop closes

Workshop Six - Sunday 30th March 2014

9.45am Meet in Lecture Room 7
10.15am Drills & Speed/ running technique with a top Sprints Coach (TBA)
11.45am Early lunch or snacks
12.15pm Better running technique " a few further thoughts"
1pm Afternoon workshops & sessions for:
Middle distance, Steeplechase, Race walking, Endurance wheelchair (Christine Benning POC)
3pm Middle distance & steeplechase workshop closes
4pm Race walking & endurance wheelchair workshops close