Christchurch Avon Athletic Club Inc.: January 4th 2012- Update.

Happy new year to all readers near and far.
Quite a bit of news : Track results, upcoming events and miscellaneous observations etc.

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here are some highlights from the Lovelock Track meet down at Timaru on Jan 7th .This was a well attended meeting for the mid Canty clubs.

Laura Smith - 1.02 - 400m

- 2.20 - 800m

- 4.32 - L.J

Alex Manton - 55.48 -400m

- 4.56 - 1500m

Dave Catherwood - 2.01.6 - 800m

Scotty Bridgman - 57.89 - 400m

- 5.07 - 1500m

Matty Dryden - 2.06 .32 -800 m

- 9 min 30 - 3000m

Lydia Marshall - 10 min 36 - 3000m

Sabine Keenan - 14.13 - 100m
- 2.31 - 800m

Natalie Dryden - 16.08 -100m
- 2.34 - 800 m

Kate Meynell - 13.69 - 100m
- 3.31.6 -800m

Katie Shaw - 14.48 -100 m

- 29.72 -200m
Georgia Sherlock - 2.47 -800m
Chris Stark - 12.46 -100m
- 25.42- 200m
Jacob Reese /Jones - 12.84 - 100m
- 25.42 - 200m
- 2.26 -800m

The settled weather seems to have arrived . Hope it keeps going on Tuesday evenings because there are eight weeks of evening races approaching .The usual Hagley 5km series will run from Jan 3rd for 5 weeks to be followed by three more club hosted ones .The Hagley races begin at 5.45 pm for registered runners and will cost you $5. The HQ is now near the bowling greens .

The final Tuesday evening event will be a 10 km Road Race on Feb 28 th at 6.30 pm .

Shoe Clinic Cashmere Downs Twilight 10km Road race (formerly the Rovers 10km) to be held on Tuesday, 28^th February.
This NEW event is being hosted by the Canterbury Cross Country and Road Committee.
All the details (including course Map and entry Form) are in the link below. Entries can be made online at www.enteronline.co.nz

SHOE CLINIC CASHMERE DOWNS TWILGHT 10km ROAD RACE

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Track users will switch from Burnside to Rawhiti on Jan 14 th . The New Brighton home track has been preened for competition. Note that it only has six lanes .
Apparently there is a high quality grass track available on the University fields off Ilam rd. I have this on Iain C's authority.
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Remember the Lovelock Classic Race meeting down at Timaru on Sat Jan 7th.You need to pre-register by Jan 3rd. Here is a link to the programme. LOVELOCKLINK
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Dont forget the Buller Marathon /Half Marathon in early Feb. Everyone should have a go at this event for it's scenic course , fastish times and after function .It's almost always guaranteed to be a hot day after the event.
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City to Surf this year will be on Sunday March 25 .The traditional course is unavailable . I think it will start at Pioneer Stadium and finish only 6 km later somewhere else . I prefer the the 12 km distance -what's wrong with an out and back course ?
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Shoe Clinic Avalanche Peak Challenge

Arthurs Pass

Saturday 18^th February 2012

The Shoe Clinic Avalanche Peak Challenge is a true mountain run in every sense.

With razor-backed ridges, snow-capped peaks and huge scree slopes, the 25k run or tramp across the northern tip of the Southern Alps is a challenge not to be missed.

But don't take our word for it... Experience the Avalanche Peak Challenge yourself...

Entries are now open on-line at www.avalanchepeak.co.nz

For more information check out the website.

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Note : The Rapaki track is still open(sort of ) for use after the recent quakes.There is a sign on the first gate saying "Track Closed" , however , further along, there is signage advising to be alert and stay away if in fear of rockfalls .The Council has also dismantled the two lookout seats , so there is no excuse not to run all the way to the top now. They must have been worried about boulders damaging the native timber planks .

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Race 2 results here -Hagley 5 km race 2

Asics /Shoe Clinic 5km race No 1 (Jan 3 rd ...2012)

As expected a fresh (read 'cold' ) Nor' Easter came up during the day for the first Hagley 5 km race. The new race HQ over by the bowling green provided some shelter from it though.The new HQ was a great idea and even a triumphal finish arch was in place . Of course this new finish line required all the old km marks to be reset .And it has to be said that this detail wasn't quite perfected : in fact none of the marks seemed accurate and the whole course was too long .Some reports put it at 5.4 km, but a more realistic estimate was about 130 m extra distance .( The 1 km and 4 km marks were way off ).

The fields in both races were a bit modest - probably because a lot of people were still out of town . There were about 55 in the registered race . A surprise to see former CHCH Avon runner Mike Smith on the start line in his old Garden City strip. Always a good runner Mike was fit and finished second (16.39) to Vajin Armstrong. Another person wearing an old GC singlet was Denis who claimed he'd just fished it out of the drawer without looking. chyeah.

Rodger blasted out the blocks looking to post a phenomenal time but was soon seen catching his breath on the side of the track. He was doing a 1km time trial; but the 1 km mark was all wrong so it was a wasted effort. Rodger eventually rejoined the run.

I tracked Iain Chinnery for 3 kms but when I heard the inaccurate 3 km split , I peeled off because I thought I was feeling bad enough to be going faster than that .I rejoined the race when Denis and Rodger went past. Hence the poor time .Iain went on to post about 20.20 (corrected).

Our fastest vet runner would have been Andrew R/J in 18.02. Rich Seigne got there too late, but scored second place in the fun run in a time that would have won the vets (approx 17.30). Ants Rogal didnt look to be racing at full power yet .Nick Merrett came bounding up cheerily claiming he didnt know the race was on . yeah. Nick's putting on muscle in the legs so, maybe his coach is making him run more than once a week .

Matt Dryden was somewhere in there too .Matt is one of the keenest competitors around . Dont over -race Matt .

Another dedicated trainer is Courteney Ruske who apparently walked both races and is looking fast and strong .She actually got tenth place in the Sen Womens run !(30.05)

Results- 5km race No 1 results

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Miscellaneous Athletics news.

1- This article shows how easily sportspeople can get in trouble with unintentional drug ingestion.

Timaru rally driver Chris West has been cleared to race again after serving a four-month retrospective suspension for unintentionally breaking the sport's anti-doping rules.

The former national champion was caught out after consuming a sports drink on a mountainbike ride prior to Rally New Zealand.

He returned a positive test for methylhexaneamine after a routine urine sample at the event.

West faced a Motorsport New Zealand Anti-Doping Tribunal late in October after returning a low reading for the controlled substance, commonly found in sports supplements.

The test found seven parts per million of methylhexaneamine in West's system.

The tribunal's final decision stated they "accepted the stimulant had been taken entirely unintentionally, with no intent to enhance his performance" but also found West still had a responsibility for what entered his body, so he could not escape without suspension under the "no-fault" clause.

2- The latest diet fad is Blackcurrant powder .Athletes all over the world are trialling it. Dr John Hellemens is even endorsing it's use .The makers (Suejon Berryfruits) claim it improves blood flow and speeds up recovery from muscle soreness . Also claimed is improved vision and "assists arthritis" (whatever that means )

3 - Canterbury will be hosting the NRR in 2013 and 2015. In future National Road relays there will be a O/60 team category .This will be a six person team which will run the same course as the Junior runners . This could influence CHCH Avon's selections as we have a few reasonable 60 year olds . Watch this space for a CHA O/60 'dream team ' :

1-Denis

2- John Ingles

3-John Palmer

4-Iain Chinnery

5-Anne Kennedy

6-John Gibson

(Res- Graeme Horrell ,Rob Archibald , Bob Perry, Vic Sykes, Ian Brownie )

4- Akaroa Relay modification.To speed up the last finishers a new practice may be adopted next year.it is proposed that for the slowest teams , their Lap 6 runner can set off before their Lap 5 runner has completed the lap.This will ensure a less dispersed field, in turn allowing the prizegiving to get under way sooner .

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The final Track meeting of 2011 on Burnside field was December 17th .Here are some CHA results from then.
note : the grass was longish and track a bit rough.

Georgia Surie (15)- 4.71 m - Long jump

- 13.9 - 100m

Margot Gibson (17) - 30.6 - 200m

-64.82 - 400m

Brodie Thomas (15 ) -13.27 - 100m

-60.69 - 400m

Jack Fifield (15) -25.8 - 200m

Nick Merrett ( 19) - 9.28 - 3000m

Matt Dryden (16 ) - 9.49 - 3000m

Dan Coats (15) - 10.09 - 3000m

Iain Chinnery (V60 ) -20.48 - 5000m

Mike V.d. Colk (V55 ) - 21.01 - 5000m