Dumfries Running Club Monthly Bulletin April 2014
Club Kit
If you need any kit, contact Sue remember to qualify for club events e.g. Grand Prix/Cross Country etc, you need to wear club colours either vest/tee-shirt/crop top (if you are lady at least!). Once again there is a £5 discount off the first item of kit you buy in the year.
Club Website/Photo Gallery
The clubs website is an excellent tool for the club and it continues to attract new members and to promote our club and the events we organise. A great of interest in a photo gallery has been expressed, however our website isn’t particularly suited to this and we have agreed to set-up a separate gallery. This will be linked to the club website and will be managed by Sue. It will be available to club members only and will be password protected. We are aware that some runners may not want their photos displayed on a gallery so if you would like to opt out, please email Sue at .
Dates for the diary
Thursday 1st May – Club Handicap Run
As the racing season is coming into full swing, this gives members a chance to test out their training and see what their form is like. It is also perfect for newer members to run in a friendly environment and see how they fare. With the Holywood Stroll not too far away, this gives us a chance to familiarise ourselves with part of the route. (Mind you I think some of us could run it with our eyes shut now) As always, please arrive in plenty of time, no later than 645pm at the start or 630pm at Nunholm.
Sunday 11th May – Women’s 10k – Glasgow
We have 16 names down for the bus to this event and this should make for a great day out for the DRC ladies. Mike is booking the bus and will publish details on the forum, so keep your eye on the website. Good luck to you all and remember to save a bit for the Holywood Stroll on Tuesday 13th
Tuesday 13th May – 3rd Grand Prix Race - Holywood Stroll
This friendly event is once again brought to you by Sandy Shankland (with a lot of help from Linda and their team of helpers). Most of us will have run this before, however for anyone new to this event, please be assured that it is an ideal chance to test yourself whether you are looking for a time or as a rookie racer. Whilst there is a competitive edge to this race, there are also plenty of people at all levels so no-one should feel put off.
As always Sandyis looking for helpers on the night to Marshall/Time keep etc. Please contact Sandy on club nights or via email to volunteer your services if you aren’t planning to
For those running, entry is on the night from 6:15pm at Nunholm, with the race starting approx half a mile from Nunholm at 7pm. To ease traffic and parking congestion can members aim to be there early and try and park away from Nunholm?
Saturday 24th May – 4th Grand Prix Race - Kirkcudbright Half Marathon (plus 11k Beaches Run)
A local and friendly race organised by KirkcudbrightAcademy. If the conditions on the day are right, then this can be a very quick course. It takes you through Kirkcudbright and out the estuary before climbing up to Tynholm. After a couple of short hills in Tynholm it is downhill/flat all the way back.
There is a decent range of activities on the day to keep spectators/kids amused and plenty of refreshments at the finish. DRC have fared well in recent years with Dave P and Jo Z winning the race last year, can we repeat this again this year?...
There’s a shorter option in the 11k race which starts at the same time as the Half and gives runners a chance to support those in the Half after they have finished their run. There is also a kid’s fun-run on the day so fun for all the family!
Full Details at:
Grand Prix Update
The second race in the series was at the Longtown 10 and 19 members took on the hilly route on the country roads near Longtown. There was afamiliar look to the results with Steven and Jo first back for the club. Richard and Sian were second with Kev Mc and local lass Sue coming home third from the club.
With Marathon times a plenty, the table is very interested particularly on the men’s vet 40 category. Kev C leads the way with Kev Mc and Graeme close behind. The Vet 50 is led bySandy followed by Steve B with Steve M snapping at his heels. Peter H ran well again to remain the front runner in the new V60 category. Stephen S remains the over-all leader and in current form will take a bit of catching
On the ladies side, Jo’s marathon time along with Longtown result keeps her ahead of Sian, with Ali G making up the top 3 thanks to herm sub 4 hour London effort Newcomer Linda Oates heads up her age category as does Margaret Laurie.
So it’s all to play for as we head towards Holywood and Kirkcudbright!
Other updates:
Moffat run has been confirmed as Tues 15th July and not the 8th July as we had thought previously.
Gallovidian 10k has come to an end this year and will be missed from the local race scene. It has been replaced by the Doonhamer 10k to be run on Sunday 31st August. The race starts/finishes in DockPark and has potential to be a crowd puller as it takes runners along the banks of the River, crossing the various bridges on the way. We are hoping to get a bit more detail on the race and route before deciding whether to retain this as a GP event or find an alternative. I’m sure many of us will be there to support our friends and neighbours at the Harriers either way
Charity
Carrying on from last year initiative, the club will be donating money to charity throughout the year. This is a great way for us to help others who are needier than ourselves. The committee have agreed to spend 5 lots of £200 throughout 2014. This initiative will be reviewed throughout the year and if the club financial situation changes then may be reviewed.
What we need are nominations and suggestions for who should receive these donations. Ideally we would like to see ideas for charities that are in some way connected to the club and/or our events or members. For example the Sea Cadets who assist with the Marshalling of the Half Marathon.
Other Expenditure Initiatives
Please have a wee think and send through any ideas you have for this year so as we can give it consideration.
Notable Performances/Highlights from this month:
It’s been another great month out there for DRC members. The clubs strength in depth is really apparent just now across many disciplines whether it be hills/trails/roads/marathons/ultras; we have been to them all and done ourselves proud Running as a whole appears to be booming in Dumfries and Galloway and this bodes well for the club and our neighbouring clubs around the region. On top of that we had a social run in the form of the Treasure Hunt and provided some entertainment to kids and adults in DockPark!
The GP event at Longtown has been covered and it was great to here of another victory for DRC’s Jo Z! Onwards to Carluke and it was the Tom Scott RR which had been chosen as the Scottish and West Districts 10 mile championship as-well. Lisa F ran well on the hills and in the wind to win the race taking several prizes home. I almost lost count but overall Scottish plus Female 40 Scottish gold’s, same for the West Districts, overall Gold and also 2nd team prize. Just reward for some very hard training! Sian and Linda made up the team and Linda also claimed an age group silver On the same day we had several runners in London and some highlights were Kev running another sub 3 hour marathon (pb was on until an unscheduled toilet break!) Also Ali cruised in well below the 4 hour mark. Possibly the biggest surprise was Davy Burns making him self heard over the massive crowds. It’s great to hear a familiar voice when the going is getting tough. (David continues on the road to recovery). The day previous and we had several runners up and down Screel in good time. Jo and Craig were amongst the prizes at this one. Les has been up and down a few hills and Mo and Sue have flown the flag a few times with Jacob making an appearance as-well. A lot of hard training came together for Jo at the Highland fling were she won the race and in a great time. Jo was joined in this 53 mile torture trail over the hills by Jacob and Craig. (Why do you do this to your-selves guys??) In the relay event DRC had Jo N and Gemma who seem to have enjoyed the experience.
Last but Not Least
I here Mo Khan has got engaged to Lucy, congratulations to you both
See you all at Holywood!!
Happy running