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Viking Way Ultra

As I received the details about two club members, Pat Robbins and Andy Horsley who had recently completed a 147 mile event, I remember thinking that was a hellish long way to cycle and felt that they had done very well, but as I read on I soon realised that there were no bikes involved.  This was a 147 mile non-stop endurance running event.  I was now in total respect over such an amazing achievement.

The event in question was the ‘Viking Way Ultra’.  The Viking Way Ultra is a new extreme non-stop 147 mile ultra-marathon that starts in the shadow of the Humber Bridge.

The route then winds its way through beautiful historic countryside across the Lincolnshire Wolds and down towards the finish at Oakham near the banks of Rutland Water.

It is named the Viking Way because of the strong influence of Viking settlements and Viking trade routes in the east of England.

Both Pat and Andy endured long days, lonely nights, countless fields of sticky mud and welcome cups of tea at the check points.

Pat Robbins came in joint first in a time of 29hrs 22mins, with Andy Horsley coming in 7^th in 39hrs 45mins after getting lost a couple of times, falling down a cattle grid and then having to race hard the last 10k to make the cut off time.  Only 7 out of the starting 28 finished!

A fantastic achievement by both I’m sure anybody would agree.  Well done fellas, you should be feeling very proud if not a little tired!

North Dorset Villages Marathon and Relay

Described as ‘A picturesque race along country lanes through the villages of Hinton St Mary, Marnhull, Stalbridge, Todber, Stour Row, Margaret Marsh, West Orchard, Farrington, Child Okeford and Hammoon’.

This year club member Chris Lee ran the anchor leg for a group of 4, running as ‘Team J.P.Morgan’ in the Relay.  They finished in an amazing 1^st and also re-set the course record time of 2hrs 41mins 41secs, narrowly beating teams from South West Road Runners and Poole Runners.

Andy Horsley competed in the more traditional solo marathon, running a swift 3hrs 30mins 06secs and looking fresh as a daisy afterwards, considering only a few weekends before he was dragging himself through the muddy fields of the Viking Way Ultra!

Well done to all that have run in these two events.  A great achievement on many levels.

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Speak of London 2012 and most people would say that you were speaking of the up and coming Olympics, however for 6 club members this would most probably mean the Virgin London Marathon.

Sunday 22^nd April saw the 32^nd London Marathon with over 37,500 people taking part.  On the lead up to the weekend the weather was looking very doubtful, with driving showers and cold winds, however to the delight of the many taking part the morning of the race was a bright clear one.  Our 6 fearless club members made their way to their respective start points.  One club member arrived at the start with minutes to spare as the 2012 race got under way!

Congratulations to all 6 who not only completed the course but also achieved some fantastic times.  Well done to you all.

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Paris Marathon

On Sunday, April 15th 2012, some 40,000 runners from around the world lined up to compete against each other, themselves and the elements, in the 36th annual Paris Marathon. The chilling temperatures and unforgiving wind was no match for three of our hardened club members.  A massive well done to Mike Utton,  Mark Hoare, Michelle Cartwright and Stuart Squires.

Mike Utton 03:08:13

Mark Hoare 03:47:00

Michelle Cartwright 04:06:10

Stuart Squires 04:08:00

Words of jubilation echoed out as they crossed the finish line and reports of ‘Oh la la’ also being expressed!

Edinburgh Rock n Roll Half Marathon

Stepping in time with the music was club member Noirin Burke who took part in the Edinburgh Rock n Roll Half Marathon.  A race with a slight difference with a different rock band playing at every mile.

Noirin completed the course in 01:31:25 (a PB), coming 163^rd overall, having particularly enjoying the beats of the Red Hot Chili Pipers which put a spring in her step and a smile to her face.

Noirin commented “I was delighted with my result and can only think that  those 16 x 400m intervals of a Thursday evening must have worked their magic!”

Great work Noirin, well done.

Ringwood Triathlon

With the winter leaves being brushed away and the daylight hours extending, we are well and truly entering Triathlon season, and what better way to brush off the cob webs and dig out the Tri suits and enter the Ringwood Triathlon.  This is exactly what 17 club members did.

With a chill to the morning air our 17 intrepid club members exited one by one from the door to the swimming pool as they headed for their bikes to enjoy a scenic route that took them through the winding lanes of the New Forest.

For some, this was their first triathlon event.  For others a first at this distance, and for those more seasoned a chance to brush up on racing skills and put the winter training to test.

Well done to you all, a great race all round, with some fantastic results.

Many other members lined the route at various points to cheer along those taking part.  Speaking with Nigel Coleman after the race he quoted, “ I recognised a number of Zoom members along the route, and it was a great lift if only for a few brief moments as we passed the friendly faces, which helped us on our way through what felt like a challenging bike and run”.

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Zoom member helps make history!

Zoom club member John Griffiths was one of the lucky ones out of 43,000 applicants to be picked to take part in the National Lottery Olympic park run  on Saturday 31^st March at the New Olympic Stadium.  5000 people from all over the UK were selected to take part in the 5 mile run that followed a course all around the Olympic park, finishing in the newly built Olympic Stadium. At the finish John quoted ‘It’s all about the experience.  It has been great to see the new Olympic park and the roar of the crowd that greeted the runners as we came into the stadium was just amazing and something that I will never forget’.  John completed the course in a time of 36mins 29secs making him 762^nd, and the 1^st Zoom member to cross the line in the Olympic stadium.  Hopefully over the years we may well see other Zoom members crossing that very same line!  Well done John.

Bournemouth Bay run (10k & Half Marathon)

Sunday 1^st April may well have been April’s fool day, but there was no messing about as 28 club members lined up for this year’s Bournemouth Bay run.  With 4 members taking part in the 10k and the remaining doing the Half marathon the in-house competition was going to be good.

The 10k runners set off first with a large number of club members cheering them off to a good start.  Well done to all 4 who ran a great race, and to club member Katrina Yerbury who secured a podium place coming 3^rd Female.  Great running guys, well done.

Shortly after the 10k race had got under way the jostling for position in the start line up was easing as the Half marathon runners set off.  For some this was their first go at this distance and for others a chance to have a go at gaining a new PB.  Well done to all 24 members who competed and a fantastic result that all were under the 2 hour mark.  Most probably credit and a big thank you to the club’s run coach Tim Fairbrother for his winter training plan.

I would also like to thank the many club members that weren’t racing that day but still turned out to support all those that did.  Cheers to you all, and Thank you.

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This past weekend wasn’t the turn of Peter Rabbit, Roger Rabbit or even the White Rabbit from Alice in wonderland.  It did however see the annual Ringwood Rabbit Run, which offers an exhilarating 5k or 10k trail run through the beautiful surrounds of the New Forest.  Less her bunny ears and fluffy tail, club member Katrina Yerbury ‘hopped’ to the challenge and completed the 10k course in a fantastic time of 46mins 33secs giving her an a amazing 5^th  overall female place.  I could say that Katrina ‘Pulled that one out of the hat!’ but will only go as far to say, Well done on a such a great effort and great race.

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Cast your mind back a week or so and you may well remember the weather that we had that Sunday morning.  The date in question was Sunday 4^th March.  Cold winds swept in from the North accompanied with a good thick band of rain!

This weekend was also the John Austin Half Marathon as I shout a massive ‘Well Done’ to club members Stewart Lucas, Helen Wright and Dave Crichton, who threw caution to the wind and replaced rain macs for trainers (although at times I understand that trainers also got lost in the boggy bits!).

This off road trail half marathon would have been beautiful on a fine day, but the rain, wind and cold made it a more challenging event with lakes of mud and slippery hills to negotiate.

Despite all this over 385 people took up the challenge and did a great job in raising funds for the John Austin charity cause, and best of all…….survived!

Well done and I hope the trainers have now come up looking clean.

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The Heartbreaker Run Festival 2012

Certainly not one for the faint hearted as the name suggests, and a great race to get stuck into to get the heart thumping in your chest.  This off road, trail run festival encourages people of all different abilities with a race for a range of run disciplines.  With the choice of either the 10k, the 14 mile or the full marathon, it certainly ticks all the boxes for variety.  Each of the races takes competitors out into the New Forest to take on some interesting undulations.  The further you go, the more undulations you encounter!  Well done to the following club members in their respective races: Paolo De Luca, Andrew Downton, Keith Mahon, Chris Booth, John Griffiths and Darren Spreadbury.

The Heartbreak Half (177 Competed – Best time 01:29:45)

The Heartbreak Marathon (92 Competed – Best time 03:11:02)

The Lytchett 10.

Last weekend, 19^th Feb, club member Keith Mahon took on the Lytchett 10 which also doubled up as the 10 mile Dorset County Championships.  Keith ran a fantastic race and completed in 1hr 03min 45s which ranked him 1^st in his age group and 22^nd overall.  Great running Keith, well done.

As the season starts to get underway we should get see many more fantastic results be it from new club runners to those that are more seasoned.  Whatever your race, Good Luck.

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Taking part in sport is all about achieving something.  That achievement may well be a life time ambition, or achieving a personal goal. As we continue in our sport that achievement may be a new personal best or a new discipline.  Either way it’s those achievements that push us and keep us involved in a sport that we grow to enjoy.  One really good way to continue that success is to join a club and this is exactly what Monique Miller and Leanne Crozier did.

With new membership in hand they joined in with other Zoom members in doing regular club training sessions and with this additional training headed off to Portsmouth on the 12^th Feb to put it all into practice and complete the Portsmouth Half Marathon.

This well attended event took competitors along the seafront with a back drop of the Solent and the Isle of Wight to help them along.

Monique Miller completed in a fantastic time of 1hr 41mins making her 20^th female.  Leanne Crozier completed in an equally fantastic time of 1hr 50mins and was 47^th female.

Chatting to the two ladies after the race they gave me this comment:

‘It was an interesting run across multiple terrains including mud, sand, seaweed and ice in a temperature of 1 degree. Quite tough on the calves that’s for sure!’

For Monique this was her first half marathon, and she was over the moon with her times and for the fact that she had also raised £245 for her chosen charity; ‘Julia’s House’

Great work ladies, and a fantastic achievement.  What’s the next goal?

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Well done to club members Tom Pritchard and John Griffiths for completing the Bramley 10 & 20 miler at the weekend.

Weather conditions were on the chilly side to begin with and saw many a runner hanging onto their jumpers and tops to retain the last of any heat right up to the gun going off to signal the start of the race.

The 10 mile race saw Tom Pritchard come 137^th (out of 466) in a great time of 1hr 15m 38s as his ongoing training continues and builds toward his Ironman 70.3 event. In a quick chat with Tom at the finish he said ‘I was very happy with my run.  I kept the pace constant all the way round which was my main aim.  The only thing I would do different next time, would be to drop off my kit bag earlier and not have to rush to get to the start!!”

Also as part of a training plan, John Griffiths was running the 20 miler and completed it in a time of 2hr 46m 37s making him 404^th out of 740.  John is training for the London Marathon and in doing so is raising funds for the ‘Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance’.  You can show your support for his campaign and donate by going to:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnGriffiths73

Well done to you both and keep up the good work.

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Zoom members aren’t known for hiding away during the cold weather and are out training and racing all throughout the year.  This time praise goes to club member Stewart Lucus, who took the quick 35 minute journey up to Romsey to take part in the Romsey 5 mile road race.  Taking part in the near flat race across a mix of tarmac and gravel tracks, Stewart achieved a fantastic PB making a time of 38 mins 33 secs.  Great work Stewart and nice to see that your run training sessions with the club are seeing you achieve new PB’s.  Keep up the good work.