CH-CH Avon hosted the Children's Forest Relay on Sat 5th May. The warm weather all April finally broke up this week and it was overcast and drizzly in the morning, but cleared slightly for the relay. In the forest there was no rain or wind . With several helpers this year ,Victor's team had the course marked in good time . CHCH Avon members and parents turned up in big numbers, so all the jobs were quickly filled. Timekeepers reported cold hands, and finish area valets noticed that many parents had triple knotted their kids laces . For the course marshals it was a bit warmer in the forest, and there was good opportunity to watch the runners .
The younger kids did one lap each, in teams of three. The older kids did 2 laps each, amounting to 3 kms. These older kids (up to age 19 ) featured some strong runners and a lot of them were in CHCH Avon singlets . Remarkable how rapidly some of the boys are growing that they seem unrecognisable after not having seen them for a while. Sean Eustace was fastest , but Matt Dryden got very close and several of the others weren't far off . Margot continued her strong form to be fastest female by a minute. Laura Smith showed her speed over the shorter distance ,with a slightly faster time than Lydia. They were in the same team and won comfortably .
The relay was a demonstration event for World Athletics Day
"Our event has been selected by Athletics New Zealand to represent NZ in this world wide celebration of Athletics.I will have some nice goodies to hand out to those who impress."(Race Director)
The goodies mentioned were leftover chocolate bars and T-shirts .
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Sunday 6th May saw the second Lincoln running of the New -Balance 15 km race (formerly Rossendale Wines ) .Several CHA runners were there amongst the crowd of about 400 .Iain , Robyn and I went out to Lincoln and found the place quite easily .Weather was overcast and cool with a fresh breeze from the N/East. Of course we were far too early and waited for the 10 am start time by chatting to other runners. Good to see Greg and Diane (colleagues from my work department) who ran 15 kms. The start was orderly with plenty of room across the road. Iain took off at a brisk pace which I eventually decided was too quick .Iain carried on to record a good 1.03.52 . I'd had ' wellness issues' during the week , and had to stop running at 5km. Robyn Perkins ran past and told me to at least jog it. I got started again and tried to catch her ,but she put on the pace and moved through the field to finish in 1.05 . She said this was a pace she normally runs 5 km races in .
Further ahead of all of us was Andrew Reese/Jones in his first distance race since a foot injury . Andrew only ran in trainers, but was fast enough to get first 40-49 , earning a generous performance prize . Andrew's sense of humour was fully restored too as he listed the runners who had done "no work " in his group !
The course was two roughly rectangular laps with the start and finish lines about 300m apart. There was a good tail wind in places with a corresponding head wind in others (most noticeable in the last 3 kms )
Prizegiving was prompt and very entertaining . A lot of spotprizes went begging as many winners weren't there to collect.I got a finish line spot prize of a nice grey Dryfit running top . My companions said I shouldn't have got it because I didn't finish the race : but I did finish the race (check the Results) .
Sue Johnson and Lutz Beckert were in the field too, but not in club singlets, so were inconspicuous. John Hinton had a good day in the 7.5km walk.
The elite field had good runners with Sam Wreford (46 mins ) , Blair McWhirter , Nic Rennie and Dave Ridley on show. Nickie McFadzien (53 mins) , Kelly Hurring and Alex Williams recorded good times in the Women's field .
Andrew R/J - 54.29 (1st vet 40)
Iain Chinnery - 63.52 ( 7th Vet 50 )
Robyn Perkins - 65.51 ( 5th VW 40 )
Mike v.d.Colk - 67. 39
Lutz Beckert - 73.28
Sue Johnson - 84. 58 (6th VW 50 )
John Hinton - 60.00.56 ( 7.5 km , 9th overall walker from 42 )
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Reliable reports have been received that Paul Robinson led the Wednesday night club run as promised. It was said that Paul covered the distance but looked considerably less fit than during his heady days of 2.41 marathons . Paul will be eligible for veteran status in four years : )
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I recommend this site for the swimmers in the club.Chris F put us onto it . You cant get better advice on swimming technique for free:
Swimsmooth
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"Memorabilia collectors have struck at QEII. (This is quite separate from Ben Lucas's legitimate Parafed fund-raising venture of selling off small pieces of the main QEII mondo track). I had a phone call from Gerald Price - the groundsman at QEII - telling me that some unscrupulous characters must have scaled the fence over the weekend and cut out the track sections containing the painted-on lane numbers at the finish line of the No.2 track. If anybody in the athletic community hears through the grapevine who might be behind this (or notices one or more of the cut-out track sections appearing anywhere) could they please get back to me.
Thanks
Alan Tucker"
Thanks
Alan Tucker"
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NEXT SATURDAY 12 MAY - CHAV OPEN HANDICAP CROSS COUNTRY - BURNSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
In an open handicap race we estimate a time for you and then start you off at different times with the slower runners starting first and the faster runners starting last. Anyone who can run faster than we estimate has a chance to win the race.
Please bring a plate of something nice to eat for a shared afternoon tea at the end of racing.
Meeting: - 1:45pm at CHAV Clubrooms, Burnside High School, Greers Rd.
Race Distances & Start Times:
Grade 10 and Under - 2km - 2:10pm
Grades 11 to 14 - 3km - 2:30pm
Grades 14 to 17 - 4km - 2:50pm
Grades 18 and above and non-registered club members are welcome, but please email us (Junior Committee) to request a handicap (or you'll have to start with the speedsters off the back mark).
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Lutz has sent this article.
Joggers Live Longer, Possibly Happier, Lives
Lutz has sent this article.
Joggers Live Longer, Possibly Happier, Lives
whether these benefits accrue to competitive runners who flog themselves for 4 to 10 hours per week is another question -mv
By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage TodayPublished: May 04, 2012Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Action Points
· This study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.· This substudy of the Copenhagen City Heart Study with more than 35 years follow-up found that jogging was associated with an increase of 6.2 years in lifespan for men and 5.6 years for women compared with non-joggers.· Note that the amount of jogging required to achieve this improved survival was modest -- between 1 and 2.5 hours per week divided into two or three sessions at a self-described slow to average pace.DUBLIN -- For those who diligently lace up their running shoes and brave the elements to jog at least an hour a week, there is a very real reward -- an average of six more years of life, Danish researchers found.Jogging was associated with a 44% reduction in the relative risk of death over 35 years compared with deaths among non-joggers, according to Peter Schnohr, MD, chief cardiologist from the Copenhagen City Heart Study.And the benefit was observed for both men and women.That reduction translated into an "age-adjusted survival benefit of 6.2 yearsAnd that longer life is often a happier life, he said, since joggers reported an overall sense of well-being."This is definitely good news, especially for those who have questioned whether simply jogging could be beneficial," said Ian Graham, MD, of Dublin's Trinity College, who co-chaired the program committee for the meeting."The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health," Schnohr said in a prepared statement. "We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits."Moreover, even elderly people can add years to life by jogging. "A 70-year-old will benefit and I think the benefit may be even greater for older people," Schnohr said in an interview.In this analysis the optimum benefit was realized for those who jogged at a slow-to-average pace between an hour and two and half hours done in two to three sessions over the course of a week.The key, Schnohr said, appears to be moderation, much like the benefit observed with alcohol.The jogging benefit is just the latest in a long list of studies from Schnohr and colleagues -- more than 750 papers -- mined from the 19,329 participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which is a prospective cardiovascular population study begun in 1976.When the study began, participants ranged in age from 20 to 79.All participants underwent examinations over 2-year time frames beginning in 1976, 1981, 1991, and finally in 2001. In addition to assessments of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, and BMI, patients were also asked about smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and income.The 1,878 participants in the jogging substudy (1,116 men) were also asked about jogging frequency and pace.The researchers tracked the data using a personal identification number in the Danish Central Register. The authors compared deaths in joggers to deaths among non-joggers from the main study cohort.During 35 years of follow-up there were 122 deaths among joggers versus 10,158 deaths among non-joggers.Primary source: European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation
Source reference:
Schnohr P "Jogging -- healthy or hazard symposium: Assessing prognosis: a glimpse of the future" EuroPRevent 2012.
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Iain asks that anyone entering the Wellington Half Marathon in June consider filling in the Teams section . It wont cost any extra and will give the Club a chance at the Teams title. Just write 'Christchurch Avon ' . Iain says he knows three of us will be up there , so that only requires one more to form a team.
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Club Captain Rodger Ward is starting a regular Wednesday evening run : 5.45 pm from under the clocktower in the car park of the Harewood Tavern.
It will start Wednesday, April 4 and carry on all year if numbers build .
envisage the format to be a casual jog down to Nunweek Park, a couple of easy laps, jog back and
maybe a beer.
Later on in the season we would look at doing some intervals, fartlek (speedplay) or drills.
Regards,
Rodger
Try to support this as often as your schedule and other commitments allow.
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2011-2012
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS DINNER
FRIDAY 25 MAY 2012
6.30PM
CASHMERE CLUB
50 COLOMBO STREET
CASHMERE
AWARD CATEGORIES
THROWER OF THE YEAR
SPRINTER OF THE YEAR
HURDLER OF THE YEAR
JUMPER OF THE YEAR
COMBINED EVENT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
MIDDLE DISTANCE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
DISTANCE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
WALKER OF THE YEAR
CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR
ROAD RUNNER OF THE YEAR
COACH OF THE YEAR
PRICE :- $30.00 per person
(Drinks additional)
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM:-
Andrew Reese email: HYPERLINK "mailto:anreese@xtra.co.nz" anreese@xtra.co.nz Ph: 3323884
Avril Davies email: HYPERLINK "mailto:avriljackways@hotmail.com" avriljackways@hotmail.com
Ph: 3831370
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At the last AGM in December 2011 there was discussion generated by John Gamblin . As not many people attend AGMs and because the matter was interesting I summarised it from my point of view. This is a bit of a rant and not properly edited yet , but contains some valid observations .These are my opinions , not those of the club.
John suggested that we target a few of the St Martins 5 km races as opportunities to recruit new members .Possibly print some leaflets listing our activities and other vital stats .This was seen as a good idea but speaking as the club's frontman for some years I know the first question prospective new runners ask : It is " When are your training runs ?" . I always have to answer : "Errrrr... we dont have all that many actually ". And that's the last you hear from them . You see, a lot of the public want to join a club in the belief that they can just come along and anonymously slot in with this huge group of people out training , and perhaps glean a bit of info on how to run a faster half marathon or such .The reality is that we haven't had a dedicated regular Club run for about six years. People think that clubs have paid organisers with unlimited time , energy and enthusiasm who are out every day and night leading graded packs of prospects.They just want to tag along to any one of these whenever it suits them.The reality is that the people who run this club are just runners themselves , short of time and energy , who hold down full time jobs , have families and other commitments, but have somehow ended up doing jobs for the club , making it possible for others to run .
NEW BRIGHTON OLYMPIC ATHLETIC CLUB INC.
proudly presents the
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RAWHITI ROAD RACES &
5KM FUN RUN
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Saturday 26 May 2012, from 9:50 am
New Brighton Olympic Clubrooms,
Keyes Road, New Brighton, Christchurch
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Entries
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Entries may be made via http://www.enteronline.co.nz/index.cfm?page=EventDetails&id=4819%20 until Tuesday 22 May.
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Club Entries
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Clubs affiliated to Athletics Canterbury may email entries for their club members (First Name, Last Name, Sex, Grade and Registration No.) to nb.races@xtra.co.nz. Payment may be made by post to NBOL Athletic Club, 119a Barrington St, Somerfield, Christchurch 8024 with cheque payable to “New Brighton Olympic Athletic Club” or via internet banking to SBS Bank account “03-1355-0461724-00”. Entries close Tuesday 22 May.
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Late Entries
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Late entries may be made via http://www.enteronline.co.nz/ until 9:30 pm Friday 25 May (late fee of $5 applies). Late entries may also be made at the venue until 9:30 am Saturday 26 May (late fee of $10 applies).
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RAWHITI ROAD RACES 2012
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Venue
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New Brighton Olympic Clubrooms, Keyes Road, New Brighton, Christchurch
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Events
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Start Time
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Event
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Age Group
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StandardEntry Fee
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ANZ Reg’dEntry Fee
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9:50 am
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5 km Road Race
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Open
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$15
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$5
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10:00 am
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5 km Fun Run
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Open
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$5
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$5
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10:10 am
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3.2 km Road Race
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13-16 yrs
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$8
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$3
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10:25 am
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1.6 km Cross-Country
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7-12 yrs
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$7
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$2
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Race Numbers
Participants in the Fun Run should check-in to have their hand stamped. Athletics Canterbury registered athletes should wear their Registration Number. All others should check-in to collect a Race Number and wear it in a prominent position on the front of their clothing.
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RAWHITI ROAD RACES 2012 ENTRY FORM
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First Name:
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Sex:
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Last Name:
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Date of Birth:
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Address:
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Email:
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Telephone:
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Cell Phone:
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ANZ Club:
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Reg’d No:
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School:
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Event:
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FEE ENCLOSED:
|
$
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DECLARATION: (Must be signed)
I enter at my own risk and agree to event conditions and give my permission to the organisers and associates to use event information and photos for promotional purposes. In the unlikely situation that the event is cancelled due to any “Act of God” or any circumstance beyond the control of the organisers, my entry fee shall be non refundable. I hereby release the event organisers, their officers, directors, volunteers, employees, sponsors or any other party associated with the event of any liability financial or otherwise which may arise whether or not by negligence, from any direct or indirect loss, injury or death which may be sustained by me or any other party directly associated with me, from my own intended or actual participation in this event and its related activities.
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Signature:
Iif 18 yrs
or over)
|
Signature of Parent or Caregiver:
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At the last AGM in December 2011 there was discussion generated by John Gamblin . As not many people attend AGMs and because the matter was interesting I summarised it from my point of view. This is a bit of a rant and not properly edited yet , but contains some valid observations .These are my opinions , not those of the club.
"We had an unusually long Half AGM on Tuesday evening . It went from 8 pm to 10.10 pm largely because of some ideas brought forward by John Gamblin. Amongst the challenging questions he raised were "How many people here actually check out the club blog ?" (ie this blog ) .There were only 13 people present and I think just six said they had .John himself said he was too busy to check it out but believed that he would more often if the writer (me ) sent out an email to members every time a new update was available. I rebutted that given all the other stuff I send out to them , any more might be regarded as spam. Being the Secretary and sole selector I author quite a lot of emails . Seeing two or three items in the inbox from one person can cause people to turn off or give inferior attention. Additionally , when you draw attention to a piece of writing there is an expectation that the contents be exciting or extraordinary in some way .I can say that blog updates are seldom that : I learned long ago that the only way to generate excitement is to be controversial or libellous - both of which can lead to injured feelings and remonstration. So nowadays it's straight reportage of past events , lists of upcoming races and the occasional comment piece on items of interest. Most people would check my link and say "what's he drawing my attention to that for ? ".Recent checks of blog stats have shown that an average of 50 views are being recorded for the updates , so there is definitely an interest and awareness out there.I should point out that each time I edit a blog entry it gets shown as a new 'view ' .
But John's major thrust was to generate discussion ( "light a fire under us ") about revitalising the sport in general, and in CHCH Avon in particular .His contention was that the growing emphasis on Under Seven Children is choking the older grades .He wants to institute a new focus on 12- 23 year olds with special grade categories for this group in major events .There was considerable agreement with this stance .....He said that our club was becoming merely a vehicle for a group of disconnected people to line up and race, with very little social cohesion or united vision . There was some disagreement with this .He thought that we should hold a free dinner for all registered members to brainstorm and express their ideas and expectations of what they wanted from their club.This idea received mixed reception.The President thought it was good in principle but John Gibson observed that dinners are not often successful forums for cohesive discussion .Victor was opposed to a mass freebie . I gave some thought to the assertion that we are becoming a soul-less lot; and reflecting on the past year as selector of our teams, I've seen a different picture. I can remember at least three good gatherings at pubs after races where at least ten of us enjoyed drinks and chips and good natured post-race crap session. John was at each of these and enjoyed himself as much as anyone. I also recall some of the relays we did , and observing the team interractions before and after laps, I was in no doubt that our runners were solidly connected to the event and the other people there .I also recall a year of emailing lots of different club members and finding them all responsive, witty and caring people . I recall the number of times I've been offered lifts and had beers bought for me . People are always willing to offer their cars for trips away .We encourage each other's efforts .So I disagree with the assertion .The only thing wrong, perhaps, is that there aren't four times the current numbers of runners partaking of all these positives. There are so many activities available out there now -particularly for young people.The days when Arthur Lydiard could recruit bored auckland boys to his group, and the only food you could buy on a weekend was fish'n'chips or a Stevie's square pie , are long gone (thank goodness).
John suggested that we target a few of the St Martins 5 km races as opportunities to recruit new members .Possibly print some leaflets listing our activities and other vital stats .This was seen as a good idea but speaking as the club's frontman for some years I know the first question prospective new runners ask : It is " When are your training runs ?" . I always have to answer : "Errrrr... we dont have all that many actually ". And that's the last you hear from them . You see, a lot of the public want to join a club in the belief that they can just come along and anonymously slot in with this huge group of people out training , and perhaps glean a bit of info on how to run a faster half marathon or such .The reality is that we haven't had a dedicated regular Club run for about six years. People think that clubs have paid organisers with unlimited time , energy and enthusiasm who are out every day and night leading graded packs of prospects.They just want to tag along to any one of these whenever it suits them.The reality is that the people who run this club are just runners themselves , short of time and energy , who hold down full time jobs , have families and other commitments, but have somehow ended up doing jobs for the club , making it possible for others to run .
Why did I join CHCH Avon ? Well , I was running quite well at the time (1999) and thought I could get into some relay teams with the good CHA vets and maybe get my name in the paper .Also to experience club running and take part in the races which membership opened up .I had no intention of becoming involved in Club Admin. I didnt even know how clubs were administered .I soon became aware of it by being asked to come and help with setting up courses etc, and from there I learned that Vic G and John G were heavily involved in running the club and were moderately disdainful of anyone not pulling their weight .It was to earn their regard , and also a genuine desire to assist them, that led me to take office .Once in, you can't easily get out .
Let's examine utopian scenarios . If we could have things the way we wanted , what would we wish for ? Nationally ? Regionally ? and within our club ? It would be nice if we had a membership of about four times it's current number . It would be nice to have strong Mens , Womens , Juniors and Veteran sections . Also a joggers section, led by enthusiastic persons ,semi autonomous from the competitive runners. It would be good if we had a number of 'star' runners in our ranks . And our coffers would be replete because instead of Athletics NZ being funded by us , we would be funded by them ! SPARC would fund the sport generously at a National level because NZ would have a stable of world class athletes : marathoners , middle distance ,sprinters and T&F (one or two of whom would be CHCH Avon members ). Our club would be one of the strongest (preferably THE strongest ) in Canterbury. We would be able to hire several top class coaches, and also a professional secretary to manage all the dry administrative matters ...
How likely is any of the above to occur? It can be said that we are presently one of the strongest clubs in Canterbury but apart from boosting our total membership , none of it is likely to happen .A new cadre of people took over Athletics NZ amid some fanfare about how they were going to "reclaim the sport" and tap into "funding streams " ; their new motto being "we're tired of waiting " . In the 3 years since, all I have noticed is that they have done a lot of legal work on the constitution, held a fairly glitzy AGM in CHCH last year and the only new funding stream seems to consist of levying Centres more subscriptions via the RME system.To help us raise more money they have obligingly suggested imaginative strategies .There are only so many sausage sizzles you can hold .
Raising our membership is possible, but would be difficult .Realistically, we aren't all that accommodating to joggers and casual runners. I know that these sort of people want training groups to motivate them .But real runners are a little bit intolerant of unmotivated people .Sure, we'll do a few slow runs with someone for a while , but ultimately they have to light their own fire .All the regular members of CHCH Avon are busy working people and have enough trouble fitting in their own training let alone helping others do theirs. So we're not really a social running club : we 're a competitive running club.This isnt to say that we dont welcome slower runners - we do - and we're happy to include slower runners in teams. Veterans, also , still enjoy running but cant be expected to perform at their heyday level . So our candidate pool of prospects will be self- motivated runners who are good at, and enjoy competing .How many such people are there out there ? well if you look at all the unaffiliated names in the CHCH Marathon or New Balance 15 km it's clear that there are quite a lot of runners out there who would fit the bill. Why dont they join clubs ? Well, a lot of them are single event runners ie they train for one event , do it , and sink back into civilian life . To be a year round runner takes dedication and sacrifice and there arent all that many prepared, or able, to do it . Dedicated runners are also somewhat skilled at running - they have to be to avoid injuries and to stay fresh .Single event runners are often on the brink of breakdown before their race and are thankful to stop after it's over.
A lot of recreational runners are novelty driven -they like to follow events around the country .It has to be said that there are many well organised, big participation events provided outside of Athletics NZ. Big city marathons and numerous off -roaders fall into this category, and a keen runner could occupy themself year round by doing these events and many do .Why would you join a club?
What exactly does club membership offer to new arrivals ? The benefits are mainly geared for competitive athletes . At a basic level, club membership offers entry into a nationwide collection of road , cross country and track races that aren't available to the general public .Annual subscriptions are not expensive compared to other sports.... Looking back over the last few years my recollection is that the new people who have joined us were already quite fit and ready to hit the ground running (so to speak) .There have also been a few parents of Juniors who have joined because they were going to be at the events anyway so decided to run a season with their offspring. One or two very good runners have joined us via this path.Occasionally an ex -member signs up for a year to recapture old glory .Sometimes a friend of a member joins up .Sometimes someone from another part of the country (or overseas) needs a club to join ,and occasionally a defector from another club is looking for a new singlet to run in. The most exciting feeder group is the young runners coming out of Marilyn's junior club . These teenagers make up the bulk of our so called Senior teams nowadays .The only problem is when they get a bit older and might be doing their best running , outside life ,travel and education draw them away.
One thing I would like to see is more application of technology to our sport . People like to see some innovation or gimmick once in a while.We pioneered the Easy-up tent revolution and John Ingles thought of the big prints on the sides .These caught a lot of attention, and still look great. Getting shoe chip technology into our races was a great move .GPS watches have put information at our fingertips. Shoe technology is improving all the time (or perhaps the designs are changing all the time -the shoes seem to wear out like they always did) .Running apparel is miles ahead of what we had twenty years ago : new fabrics , colors and designs with shorts and tops with zippers and pockets and Walkman capable etc etc.
Let's examine utopian scenarios . If we could have things the way we wanted , what would we wish for ? Nationally ? Regionally ? and within our club ? It would be nice if we had a membership of about four times it's current number . It would be nice to have strong Mens , Womens , Juniors and Veteran sections . Also a joggers section, led by enthusiastic persons ,semi autonomous from the competitive runners. It would be good if we had a number of 'star' runners in our ranks . And our coffers would be replete because instead of Athletics NZ being funded by us , we would be funded by them ! SPARC would fund the sport generously at a National level because NZ would have a stable of world class athletes : marathoners , middle distance ,sprinters and T&F (one or two of whom would be CHCH Avon members ). Our club would be one of the strongest (preferably THE strongest ) in Canterbury. We would be able to hire several top class coaches, and also a professional secretary to manage all the dry administrative matters ...
How likely is any of the above to occur? It can be said that we are presently one of the strongest clubs in Canterbury but apart from boosting our total membership , none of it is likely to happen .A new cadre of people took over Athletics NZ amid some fanfare about how they were going to "reclaim the sport" and tap into "funding streams " ; their new motto being "we're tired of waiting " . In the 3 years since, all I have noticed is that they have done a lot of legal work on the constitution, held a fairly glitzy AGM in CHCH last year and the only new funding stream seems to consist of levying Centres more subscriptions via the RME system.To help us raise more money they have obligingly suggested imaginative strategies .There are only so many sausage sizzles you can hold .
Raising our membership is possible, but would be difficult .Realistically, we aren't all that accommodating to joggers and casual runners. I know that these sort of people want training groups to motivate them .But real runners are a little bit intolerant of unmotivated people .Sure, we'll do a few slow runs with someone for a while , but ultimately they have to light their own fire .All the regular members of CHCH Avon are busy working people and have enough trouble fitting in their own training let alone helping others do theirs. So we're not really a social running club : we 're a competitive running club.This isnt to say that we dont welcome slower runners - we do - and we're happy to include slower runners in teams. Veterans, also , still enjoy running but cant be expected to perform at their heyday level . So our candidate pool of prospects will be self- motivated runners who are good at, and enjoy competing .How many such people are there out there ? well if you look at all the unaffiliated names in the CHCH Marathon or New Balance 15 km it's clear that there are quite a lot of runners out there who would fit the bill. Why dont they join clubs ? Well, a lot of them are single event runners ie they train for one event , do it , and sink back into civilian life . To be a year round runner takes dedication and sacrifice and there arent all that many prepared, or able, to do it . Dedicated runners are also somewhat skilled at running - they have to be to avoid injuries and to stay fresh .Single event runners are often on the brink of breakdown before their race and are thankful to stop after it's over.
A lot of recreational runners are novelty driven -they like to follow events around the country .It has to be said that there are many well organised, big participation events provided outside of Athletics NZ. Big city marathons and numerous off -roaders fall into this category, and a keen runner could occupy themself year round by doing these events and many do .Why would you join a club?
What exactly does club membership offer to new arrivals ? The benefits are mainly geared for competitive athletes . At a basic level, club membership offers entry into a nationwide collection of road , cross country and track races that aren't available to the general public .Annual subscriptions are not expensive compared to other sports.... Looking back over the last few years my recollection is that the new people who have joined us were already quite fit and ready to hit the ground running (so to speak) .There have also been a few parents of Juniors who have joined because they were going to be at the events anyway so decided to run a season with their offspring. One or two very good runners have joined us via this path.Occasionally an ex -member signs up for a year to recapture old glory .Sometimes a friend of a member joins up .Sometimes someone from another part of the country (or overseas) needs a club to join ,and occasionally a defector from another club is looking for a new singlet to run in. The most exciting feeder group is the young runners coming out of Marilyn's junior club . These teenagers make up the bulk of our so called Senior teams nowadays .The only problem is when they get a bit older and might be doing their best running , outside life ,travel and education draw them away.
One thing I would like to see is more application of technology to our sport . People like to see some innovation or gimmick once in a while.We pioneered the Easy-up tent revolution and John Ingles thought of the big prints on the sides .These caught a lot of attention, and still look great. Getting shoe chip technology into our races was a great move .GPS watches have put information at our fingertips. Shoe technology is improving all the time (or perhaps the designs are changing all the time -the shoes seem to wear out like they always did) .Running apparel is miles ahead of what we had twenty years ago : new fabrics , colors and designs with shorts and tops with zippers and pockets and Walkman capable etc etc.
It is interesting that other sports face challenges too.Bowls is about as far away from real exercise as you could imagine but 90,000 New Zealanders play it in some capacity .Currently a lot of those 90,000 are casual players, but large sections of tournament play and (green time) are swallowed up by a small group of competitive players thrashing out titles in a host of categories (singles , pairs , fours , vets , women , men, juniors) .The only look -in the casual players get at this ,is, as cannon fodder for the pros .The bowls administrators are having to look at re-jigging the traditional structure of their sport to keep the casuals happy .Is there a parallel with athletics ? Our sport is competition -obsessed : having a larger casual than competitive component would be a contradiction in terms. But something could be done to facilitate greater public participation .The introduction of sanctioned races has gone a way toward this, but the number of casual participants hasn't ballooned.. Chris Cox offered a few years ago to manage the Takahe /Akaroa relay . Looking at what he's capable of it would have been interesting to see what he had in mind ; but he wasn't given a chance.Meanwhile, the relay languishes somewhat further each year. Road relays and races are becoming an endangered species - the motorcar is encroaching their habitat .
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