Dumfries Running Club (Bi) Monthly Bulletin September/October 2014

Apologies for the lack of a Monthly Bulletin in Septemeber…too many other commitmments, new job etc, you know how it goes sometimes. Anyway I have tried to combine 2 into 1 so here we go.

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.

Half Marathon Round Up

It seems a distant memory now; however the Dumfries Half Marathon was held on the 21st Sept on a new route designed to start and finish at the Dumfries and Galloway College. Whilst this meant a new slighter tougher route, it did make the logistics of organising the race and participating easier too. Mark Johnston took care of most of the pre-race preparations (with a little help along the way) and having previously assisted Danny he made the transition appear seamless. Mark and I will continue with the race organisation next year and would like to thank everyone who helped leading up to and on the day. We are determined to build on this year’s event and have secured the race as next year’s West District Championship event so this should help publicise the race and boost entries

Dates for the diary

Thursday 6th November – Club Handicap

It’s the penultimate handicap race off the year and we will be on trying a new route which will be an out and back on the cycle path near Nunholm. This will allow people to stay warm before the start. This route is completely flat and should be quick so get down and test yourself against the clock.

Sunday 16th November – Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile Road Race

Due to the Drumlanrig being cancelled we have added Brampton to Carlisle which I’m sure will be popular with members. There will be a bus for this event and a wee stop on the way home for a beer or other drink of your choice. This one is mainly flat and if conditions are right can be a quick course…many a pb has been set on this course. Mike is asking for names for the bus so post on the forum or FB to book a space. Entry available through this link . Entry on the day is usually possible as-well. This should be a good day of running with the final positions on the GP to be decided.

Thursday 27th November – Club AGM

It’s that time of year again and the annual AGM is looming so please make time to pop down to Nunholm and hear what the committee has to report for the year and also to add your views and ask any questions etc. There will be a small buffet supplied on the night so if you are straight from work to club run then meeting you have half a chance of not starving!!

Grand Prix Update

We have had two events recently at Lowther 10k in Penrith and Derwentwater 10 mile race. There have been a few changes to the tables and the prizes are almost settled. Marathons to be declared and run may affect final positions as will the last race at Brampton. Leading the way all year on the ladies has been Lisa with Sian not far behind. The third spot is in Amy’s hands just now with Lisa, Linda, and Margaret all set to scoop an age group prize. On the men’s side, Stevie has it in the bag with yours truly and Richard trailing –not for the first time – his wake. Graeme is all but secure in V40 prize, with Tosh looking closely at Sandy’s marathon plans….if you guys finish equal, I will need to get the rule book dusted off Peter Hill has a firm grip on his age group prize as-well. Full tables are on the website.

Notable Performances/Highlights from this recently

There’s been a lot happening in the ranks of DRC just recently. The website reports are coming in thick and fast keeping Doug and Jo busy with Steve M keeping the sports pages of the local paper full as-well!

It’s been a great two months of running.

The two handicaps have saw Kev McQ fastest in Sept 18:16 and not to be out-done Graeme C then ran 18:15 in October. The leader board is very close with two events to go and Fiona leads the way with Steve M and Les in 2nd and 3rd. There will be a steward’s enquiry if you finish first Les.  The DRC hillbillies (Mo, Craig, Seb and Ranjit) showed no fear taking on Ben Nevis, however it was perhaps on Merrick when Craig really showed his strength on the hills finishing 8th just in front of Terry with Kerry continuing to challenge herself finishing in a very respectable time. Jo Z has appeared on Euro-sport finishing 3rd in the Yorkshire Marathon in the build up to winning a silver medal at the world 50k championships!! A bit closer to home and Lisa F has picked up an age category win in the Stirling 10k which doubled as the Scottish 10k championship. In the eagerly anticipated head-to-head at Great Scottish Half, Jo came out on top with Lisa suffering a bit on the day….yes we are in good company. Kev C made a rare appearance at this race and gave us all something to think about with a solid 80 min run Its been a busy marathon period particularly for the ladies with a few men getting in on the act too. Susan G, Karen R (debut) and Paularan at Amsterdam as did Craigand Andy Reed; Vicky ran in the heat at Mallorca; Joyce H joined Jo at the Yorkshire event; whilst Ali, Jo and Helen all seemed to enjoy Loch Ness. In amongst that lot, Ian L ran another quick 5k in 17:06 giving him a very respectable age grade in the Parkrun series. It’s a busy wee club with people running all over the country and even further afield!

Last but Not Least

There has been a focus group set-up to look at training nights with a particular focus on Tuesdays and Thursdays were numbers aren’t as consistent as we see on Mondays. This group has been trying different ideas and this appears on the whole to be going down well. There is also an email out with a survey monkey link so take a few minutes to complete if you haven’t already done so.

Hopefully that’s a decent round up…see you at Brampton if not before!

Happy Running