Bramley Newspaper Articles

The right kind of clothing…

The weather in January and February can be tough for outdoor sports like running and cycling but the well-known phrase “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”, is absolutely true. Like many other keen sportspeople, Southwell Running Club members have been layering up, adding their hi-vis and torches and heading out for their training sessions each week. You might have seen us completing interval circuits and hill reps on your local streets and wondered what kind of nutcases are out and about in the cold rain, wind and snow! Actually we are a very friendly bunch and we welcome all to come along and join in our any of our sessions whatever the weather – just don’t forget to add those layers.

We are once again including our ‘back to/new to running’ development group in our sessions. This group is designed for those who wish to take a gentler route into running slightly longer distances. The group will help runners to steadily build up from running about 2.5 miles to 4 or 5 miles over the next few months. The sessions would also suit runners who have completed a couch to 5k course and are now looking to further develop their running. If you are interested, please email southwellrc@hotmail.com or meet us in the car park near the Leisure Centre at 6.45pm on a Tuesday evening

In other news, a number of members took part in the North Midlands Cross Country League with both the men’s and women’s vets teams finishing 9th in the series. Steven Tomlinson and Pam Dutton completed all four races with Pam coming first in her age category and Steven Tomlinson fifth in his.

Ruby Runner

www.southwellrunningclub.org

Awards and successes.

Members of Southwell Running Club recently celebrated a successful year of running at their annual Awards Evening and Christmas dinner.

The club’s awards recognise both running success and outstanding contributions to different aspects of club life. This year the winner of the Ladies’ Grand Prix award was Carol Hayward with Izzy Pass as Runner Up. The Grand Prix Men’s Winner was Bill Lee with Simon Hughes as Runner Up. The club’s Runner’s Runner Award, which is voted for by club members went to Ben Parker for his outstanding support of all runners and his commitment to the club. The Outstanding Achievement Award went to Katherine Hall for her recent North Atlantic Coast Challenge and Ironman events.

The Mary Cochran Award, which is presented to a club member who has overcome adversity to carry on running, went to StevenTomlinson. The Cregg Cup, which is awarded to a club member who has made an outstanding contribution to cross country running went to Pam Dutton and finally this year’s Chairman’s Award to Stewart Lenton, for both his participation in numerous club events and his improved times. The annual draw for the club’s London Marathon Place was also held at the awards evening and Carol Hayward was successful in gaining the place, which returns to its pre-Covid date in April 2023.

The club held its annual Halam Hat chase just before Christmas and the winner this year was new member Alan Davidson. The Hat Chase has a tradition of members getting lost on the course and this year was no exception with Izzy Pass, Steven Tomlinson and Carol Hayward all finding themselves navigationally challenged on the route.

Five members of the club braved the icy December weather to participate in the Keyworth Turkey Trot half marathon. Katy Simpson and Penny Durance both finished first in their age groups. Finally Pam Dutton took part in the Wild Deer duathlon at Sherwood Pines and came first in her age group in a time of 1:25:41.

Southwell Running Club members would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year - come and join us on a Tuesday or Thursday eve or Saturday morning.

Ruby Runner

www.southwellrunningclub.org

Bringing the Running Year to an End

Southwell Running Club members recently gathered in Norwell to compete in the final Grand Prix race of the season. The undulating, two lap route around the village countryside is always a club favourite and nicely rounds off the running year. Members are waiting with bated breath to see who will win the club Grand Prix trophies this year.

Prizes will be awarded at the club Christmas meal and presentation evening following the annual Halam Hat Chase where the slowest runner sets off first wearing a Christmas hat pursued by ever faster runners attempting to catch them up and claim the hat before crossing the finish line victorious.

Further afield, club member Adam Carney finished 3rd in the 45-49 age category in the Hyrox World Series of Fitness Racing. 5,000 participants competed at the London Excel Centre completing eight x 1 km runs, each followed by a different physical challenge. These included dragging a weighted sled 50 metres, completing 100 metres weighted walking lunges, a 1 km ski and a 1 km row. Adam finished in the overall top 100, which qualifies him for the Hyrox World Championships next May.

Finally, Carol Hayward recently completed the Florence Marathon, which follows a winding route around the city centre past many famous landmarks such as the Basilica di Santa Croce, Il Doumo and Fortezza de Basso and also crosses a number of bridges along the Arno River.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and welcome you all to join us in the New Year at our club sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Ruby Runner

www.southwellrunningclub.org

London – Cornwall - Chicago

Members of Southwell Running Club definitely like to explore their options when it comes to choices for races. The London Marathon is a popular choice for many runners but entry via the main ballot is almost impossible so having gained a very good time on Milton Keynes marathon last year, Ben Parker entered the London Good for Age ballot and secured a place.

Following months of training, Ben arrived at the start line on good form. With perfect running conditions and the cheering crowds Ben had a great time running the marathon finishing in 3:23:10. Club members Andy Thorne and Richard Whitehead also completed the marathon. Paralympian Richard is a double amputee who runs with prosthetic legs and frequently sets world records for double amputee athletes. He completed this year’s London marathon in a time of 3:48:20 while Andy finished in 3:58:53.

Taking a trip further southwest, Kat Hall took on the Atlantic Coast Challenge with friend Karen Nix, to raise funds for the John Eastwood Hospice. Participants run, walk or crawl a total of 78.6 miles over 3 days along some of the wildest coastlines in Britain beginning in Padstow and finishing at Land’s End.

Finally, Carol Hayward decided to travel overseas for her marathon adventure. Gaining a Good for Age place for the Chicago marathon led to months of gruelling training but Carol arrived at the start line feeling strong and ready for the challenge. The windy city can have unpredictable weather but the day dawned bright, clear and cool with perfect race conditions. The flat course combined with amazing crowd support allowed Carol to achieve a 13-minute marathon PB in a time of 4:28:01.

If you are planning on running a marathon and need support for your training, join us on Tuesday/Thursday evenings or Saturday mornings.

www.southwellrunningclub.org.

Ruby Runner

Members of Southwell Running Club were very sad to hear of the death of long-term club member George Pass. George joined the club many years ago when he moved to Southwell and was an active participant in many club events achieving impressive personal times. He was particularly fond of running with the Saturday group often leading the runs from Caunton around the surrounding countryside. He took on the role of club treasurer for many years and, following this, diligently and professionally checked the annual accounts for the club. In more recent years, George set up and organised the Southwell Swine race, which took place for several years. His greatest contribution however was arranging the Notts AAA Summer league at Hexgreave Hall - one of the most popular and well organised races in the series, gaining glowing tributes from many running clubs across the county.

George was a friendly, approachable guy who was extremely reliable and would always take the time to chat to anyone, especially new members. He was an incredibly well respected club member who will be sadly missed by us all.

We send our thoughts and prayers to George’s wife Sharon and their family.

Ruby Runner