Kennett Cup this Saturday 7th July at QE2 grounds. South Island Cross Country Championship titles will be up for grabs .It's not too late to enter this as it's run by CHCH Avon and the organiser will take entries right up to Friday evening (but preferably sooner please ).Click this link to reach the Entry Form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dEMtWmMyWGdvLXgyYTFJSkpDQnNYblE6MQ
Remember to wear your Reggo number in the races.
Contact John Gamblin if you can help setting up or officiating or deconstructing afterwards.
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Invitation from University Club :
" Subject: John Connor Memorial Handicap Club Race 2012 - Saturday, 14th July
click link to enter .
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dGhWSS1yV1YtajVuUHZzSVNQc0RXS0E6MQ
You are invited to the JOHN CONNOR CROSS-COUNTRY HANDICAP RACES John Connor XC is an annual University of Canterbury Athletics Club Handicap Race which has traditionally been run around the Ilam Oval and the banks of the Okeover Stream Like last year it will be held at BURNSIDE PARK. This year we envisage the start finish area being near the parking at the Avonhead Road side of the park. WHEN: Saturday 14th July RACE TIMES: 2.15pm- Race Briefing 2.30pm- Junior Handicap Race over 2km 2.50pm- Senior Handicap Race over 4km YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE REGISTERED TO RUN THIS SO BRING YOUR FRIENDS and FAMILY.It is pretty low key and the handicap means you never know who the dark horse will be to burgle the win and steal the glory!! It is also a handy short sharpening race leading up to Canterbury Cross Country. "
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Club Annual General meeting was held last week at the new time of 7 pm , which brought a few people out of their burrows on a night where both heaters weren't really making it , comfort-wise. But it was a jolly meeting and went for over an hour and a half .We inducted a new Life member : Victor . After a glowing summary of Vic's 22 year service to the club from his mentor John Gamblin , the nineteen people present had no problem bringing in a 75 % 'for' vote . I can certainly concur with that result as I know Victor to be a very able Treasurer and Selector , a handy veteran (in his day ) and a general all- round asset to the club. As treasurer Vic will probably have mixed views on his new status ( Life members do not have to pay subs ! ) .
A surprise visitor to the meeting was Rob Holland (another Life member ) who is back in Christchurch, after ten years away , doing some earthquake related work.Rob gave some background to the history of Patrons and Vice Patrons before John Gamblin's remit to 'do away ' with the posts was voted on.The meeting decided to remove the Vice Patrons but to keep the Patron role , with the undertaking that we try to devolve more duties upon them during the year.
John Ingles gave a detailed account of how the recent sewerage pump problems had cost us so much to repair (~ $6000) and must be commended for the matter of fact way he covered the potentially off-putting details - not a single "ewww" was heard , or screwed-up face seen. Leon Blanchet added some background to the story as he recalls the original installation of the system .Basically a pumping system was needed because the clubrooms are at a lower level to the school's collection point .Leon said there was also an alarm tied in to the system to let us know if the pump was experiencing problems ; but this was powered by some old style dry cells which had probably long gone dead. The meeting passed no motions on this item ( probably enough had already been over the years : )
Wellington Half Marathon 24th June ( by Iain Chinnery )
" Mike and I had decided months ago that the Wellington half would make a change from the Christchurch race (the Wellington waterfront is more scenic than the back of Christchurch Airport).
So, we caught a flight from the not-very-scenic Christchurch Airport at lunchtime Saturday, with a forecast of gale Northerlies in Wellington. The forecast was right and I did not enjoy the last 5 minutes approaching the airport. In the city centre, even locals considered it windy and it was difficult to walk upwind. We figured that if it was like that for the race, we would go out at world record pace and be unable to get back.
However, the weather changed in the night and race day dawned cool, damp and almost calm. We had a short walk to the start at the Westpac Stadium, where we were impressed to find the Club President there to cheer on the two CHAV members – thank you John! Despite Mike’s attempt to hide my racing flats (he obviously remembered Rod Dixon’s distress in the 1976 Olympics), we were warmed up and on the start line with 1500 others in plenty of time. The whole event is based at the stadium and starts on the concourse right in front of the gates. We headed off into a fairly gentle southerly and made our way along the quayside roads to Oriental Bay. I didn’t know where Mike was, as we got separated in the crowd at the start, but I settled into a reasonably comfortable pace, surrounded by people I didn’t know.
The course follows an out-and-back route along the waterfront, which gave a headwind for most of the first half and a tail wind on the return (and yet I took longer coming back!). Outside a café by a marina in Evans Bay we got another cheer from John both times we went past. At the halfway point, just past the airport, when we did a U-turn, I finally saw Mike about a minute or so behind me and realised how many people were in the race. The return was not too bad, although the last 10km took me 2 minutes longer than the first 10km, and I was relieved to see the markers counting down the distance. In the last 500m the course goes up a ramp onto the concourse, which is a rather cruel trick, and then at the top of this the finish is in sight about 300m away. I thought I should stride out a bit here but I am not sure that I did. I was pleased to be able to stop but also fairly pleased with the time. Along the way, I had looked at runners near me, and passing me, and thought “He looks as though he could be over 60, I wonder if he is!” It turned out that one who passed me was, along with a couple I never saw. Then I turned to wait for Mike – a little longer than I had expected, as he had found the return half a bit rough (you will have to ask him if he walked at all, as I was not there to see).
Finishers are sent through a line of people handing out gifts (drink, banana, towel etc) and as I left this, I was greeted by Martin Cole, a former CHAV clubmate known to many of us. He assured me that he had cheered me as I approached the finish but I was oblivious to such things by that stage.
One of the many good things about this event is the provision of ample, very good showers and, after using these, we sat out in the sunshine (yes, with hat and jacket!) in the stand and admired the magnificent stadium. It made me want to watch a big sporting event there, with its Coliseum style appearance.
The three of us then went off for lunch by the waterfront and back later for prizegiving , even though we didn’t win anything. After this, Martin took us back to his house for afternoon tea and then to the airport. It was good to see him again and give him a bit of cheek.
So, it was an enjoyable weekend at an event that I would certainly recommend – good course, well-organised, great atmosphere and (this year) decent weather.
For the record: I did 1:34:53 for 4th in the M60-69 grade; Mike did 1:40:05 for 26th in the M50-59.
Iain Chinnery
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ed's note -I'd agree with everything Iain has said . It was good to get away from damaged Christchurch and visit a city with a vibrant center. Wellington is an exciting place. Would also recommend the Downtown Backpackers for an economic central place to stay. We had dinner , played some pool and watched the All Blacks in the bar. Marty treated us grandly after the race with a visit to his house and a tiki tour of the city and some of his running trails . Oh and I did walk a few times in the second half of the race (not in this picture though ).
in results from the recent Gold Coast Half Marathon Rodger Ward was 8th placed 55-59 yr old with 1.30 .41.Andrea Ward ran the 10 km in 1.14.40
Rodger close to the finish of his Half Marathon. A plug for marathon.photos.com where you can buy good quality photos from lots of races.
in results from the recent Gold Coast Half Marathon Rodger Ward was 8th placed 55-59 yr old with 1.30 .41.Andrea Ward ran the 10 km in 1.14.40
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Robyn Perkins is doing every race she can find at the moment and it's fair to say she's ' on fire ' .Free entry to the " Tane's Forest " race came her way via a spot prize John Hinton won. John couldn't use it and gifted to anyone in the club : Robyn was the only taker. Here is her race report , and a photo of her looking fit and focussed.
" Escape from Tane's Forest - a 25k trail race
It was a chilled out group which gathered at the OK Corrall at 8am on the last Sunday in June. Very chilled. The ground was white and solid with frost. It had been -2 when I had left home.
All competitors had to show their compulsory gear - thermal layer, gloves, hat, jacket, emergency blanket and a whistle. Most of us were wearing all the extra items, plus extra layers. I think it was the first time I had ever warmed up wearing my down jacket.
With 15 minutes before the start it was time to strip down. I took off my merino leggings, my very snugly jacket and my merino thermal layer. Some went in my drop bag, the top went into my backpack. I gambled on it warming up. I was wearing just shorts, merino tee with armies, gloves and beanie. Damn it was cold.
We set off and it was straight into a hill. A long slow climb, steadily winding around the hillside. I settled into an easy rhythm. I might have had illusions about goal times and places but I needed to see how my body felt after Thursday's effort first. On Thursday I had run 50k along the Abel Tasman track - as you do!
The worst bit was the very raw patch on my neck. Both sides were very chafed from my Camelbak rubbing along my necklace chain for six hours on Thursday. They were about the size of a matchbox. I found if I held my drink tube it kept the pack off the rawness but still allowed me to swing my arms almost fully.
By the way, we are still climbing. It was not arduous, just a constant gradient. Mostly through forest or scrub. I was getting warm and chose to take off my gloves and hat. I did this while running!
At about 6k the short course runners turned right and we long haulers turned sharp left. Straight up. No chance in hell of running. Everyone power walked. It was 20mins of up. Steep steep up.
We arrived at one of the many access roads for fire and water and traversed that for about 500m.
Then we went into the bush. It was much tougher underfoot but so beautiful. Thick beech. Very soft surface with the added thrills of mud, ice, snow, and the constant roots. This was real trail running. By the way, we are still climbing.
I had passed a few people and caught some others. We were quite friendly, introducing ourselves. I was able to keep up with them going up but when we started to go down, I dropped back. My dodgy knees like a bit more certainty underfoot.
I have no idea of the distance. I can't remember. It seems so long ago and it was only this morning!
But then we popped out onto a 4WD track. It was wide, it was relatively smooth, and it was a steady decline. I love this sort of running and I channelled my inner skier, aimed the body downhill and let gravity do all the work. I was flying. I am pretty sure my stride length was a couple of metres.
In no time I caught the group ahead. There were three men and another woman. We are about halfway through the race and we stuck together until the end. I was happy to let the woman (Tina from Wellington) keep the lead. We were making good time and all was going well.
We came back to the checkpoint where we had gone up. This time we went down. Straight down. Damn it was steep and slippery. I gave up channelling my inner skier and went for Buzz Lightyear. There was a lot of falling with style.
It must have been 2k like this but then suddenly there was another woman behind us. I have no idea where she came from but I was not keen to have her pass me. I thought Tina and I were the first two women. I found out about 20minutes later that Fleur Lattimore, a Coast to Coast competitor was in the lead.
We got to the bottom and had to go past the finish to do a 6k loop around the Waimarama Sanctuary. It was beautiful. It was tough. It was technical. At times the track was only a foot wide. We crossed a river about four or five times. We went up. And up some more.
Soon it was Tina, Chris (from Nelson) and me. We had lost the other woman. My Garmin was ticking off kilometres but still we seemed to be heading away from the finish. I had been warned this was a brutal loop. Tina asked if I wanted to pass her. I said, no way. She had done all the work and I was happy for her to take the finish ahead of me. I added that if she was a guy then I would have had no qualms about pipping him at the post.
I might add this was the furtherest Tina had ever run before.
She was so grateful and from then on we became a very supportive team keeping each other going. Because going is what we were still doing, and still going up. Finally we reached the downhill. It was 2hours 51minutes since we had started. Our last marshall said there was 10 minutes to go. The three of us wanted to break 3 hours. We hammered it as much as we could but we were back into this very steep narrow goat track down. A lot more Buzz going on. How I didn't injure myself is a goddamn miracle because I was taking massive risks leaping and bounding down places old ladies should take a lot more care.
This was starting to remind me of a piece of string. Where was the bloody end? My Garmin had clicked off 25k ages ago. But then we were down and into frozen grass. 100m and we shot under that finish chute. Tina was about a second ahead of me.
The time was 3.01. I could not have given it any more. My tee shirt was totally soaked from sweat yet there was still thick frost on the ground. My Garmin measured 27k.
Now I am fed, watered, showered and dressed in clean clothes. Soon I will walk the 3k into town for the prize giving / dinner function. I was worried that I would have no one to sit with but I have my new friends.
Final results were 3rd woman overall, 2nd in age group."
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Robyn Perkins is doing every race she can find at the moment and it's fair to say she's ' on fire ' .Free entry to the " Tane's Forest " race came her way via a spot prize John Hinton won. John couldn't use it and gifted to anyone in the club : Robyn was the only taker. Here is her race report , and a photo of her looking fit and focussed.
" Escape from Tane's Forest - a 25k trail race
It was a chilled out group which gathered at the OK Corrall at 8am on the last Sunday in June. Very chilled. The ground was white and solid with frost. It had been -2 when I had left home.
All competitors had to show their compulsory gear - thermal layer, gloves, hat, jacket, emergency blanket and a whistle. Most of us were wearing all the extra items, plus extra layers. I think it was the first time I had ever warmed up wearing my down jacket.
With 15 minutes before the start it was time to strip down. I took off my merino leggings, my very snugly jacket and my merino thermal layer. Some went in my drop bag, the top went into my backpack. I gambled on it warming up. I was wearing just shorts, merino tee with armies, gloves and beanie. Damn it was cold.
We set off and it was straight into a hill. A long slow climb, steadily winding around the hillside. I settled into an easy rhythm. I might have had illusions about goal times and places but I needed to see how my body felt after Thursday's effort first. On Thursday I had run 50k along the Abel Tasman track - as you do!
The worst bit was the very raw patch on my neck. Both sides were very chafed from my Camelbak rubbing along my necklace chain for six hours on Thursday. They were about the size of a matchbox. I found if I held my drink tube it kept the pack off the rawness but still allowed me to swing my arms almost fully.
By the way, we are still climbing. It was not arduous, just a constant gradient. Mostly through forest or scrub. I was getting warm and chose to take off my gloves and hat. I did this while running!
At about 6k the short course runners turned right and we long haulers turned sharp left. Straight up. No chance in hell of running. Everyone power walked. It was 20mins of up. Steep steep up.
We arrived at one of the many access roads for fire and water and traversed that for about 500m.
Then we went into the bush. It was much tougher underfoot but so beautiful. Thick beech. Very soft surface with the added thrills of mud, ice, snow, and the constant roots. This was real trail running. By the way, we are still climbing.
I had passed a few people and caught some others. We were quite friendly, introducing ourselves. I was able to keep up with them going up but when we started to go down, I dropped back. My dodgy knees like a bit more certainty underfoot.
I have no idea of the distance. I can't remember. It seems so long ago and it was only this morning!
But then we popped out onto a 4WD track. It was wide, it was relatively smooth, and it was a steady decline. I love this sort of running and I channelled my inner skier, aimed the body downhill and let gravity do all the work. I was flying. I am pretty sure my stride length was a couple of metres.
In no time I caught the group ahead. There were three men and another woman. We are about halfway through the race and we stuck together until the end. I was happy to let the woman (Tina from Wellington) keep the lead. We were making good time and all was going well.
We came back to the checkpoint where we had gone up. This time we went down. Straight down. Damn it was steep and slippery. I gave up channelling my inner skier and went for Buzz Lightyear. There was a lot of falling with style.
It must have been 2k like this but then suddenly there was another woman behind us. I have no idea where she came from but I was not keen to have her pass me. I thought Tina and I were the first two women. I found out about 20minutes later that Fleur Lattimore, a Coast to Coast competitor was in the lead.
We got to the bottom and had to go past the finish to do a 6k loop around the Waimarama Sanctuary. It was beautiful. It was tough. It was technical. At times the track was only a foot wide. We crossed a river about four or five times. We went up. And up some more.
Soon it was Tina, Chris (from Nelson) and me. We had lost the other woman. My Garmin was ticking off kilometres but still we seemed to be heading away from the finish. I had been warned this was a brutal loop. Tina asked if I wanted to pass her. I said, no way. She had done all the work and I was happy for her to take the finish ahead of me. I added that if she was a guy then I would have had no qualms about pipping him at the post.
I might add this was the furtherest Tina had ever run before.
She was so grateful and from then on we became a very supportive team keeping each other going. Because going is what we were still doing, and still going up. Finally we reached the downhill. It was 2hours 51minutes since we had started. Our last marshall said there was 10 minutes to go. The three of us wanted to break 3 hours. We hammered it as much as we could but we were back into this very steep narrow goat track down. A lot more Buzz going on. How I didn't injure myself is a goddamn miracle because I was taking massive risks leaping and bounding down places old ladies should take a lot more care.
This was starting to remind me of a piece of string. Where was the bloody end? My Garmin had clicked off 25k ages ago. But then we were down and into frozen grass. 100m and we shot under that finish chute. Tina was about a second ahead of me.
The time was 3.01. I could not have given it any more. My tee shirt was totally soaked from sweat yet there was still thick frost on the ground. My Garmin measured 27k.
Now I am fed, watered, showered and dressed in clean clothes. Soon I will walk the 3k into town for the prize giving / dinner function. I was worried that I would have no one to sit with but I have my new friends.
Final results were 3rd woman overall, 2nd in age group."
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The Anglican Block relay was held on Sat 23 rd in blustery warm nor west winds . It was a new course in response to last year's short one. Only problem was they made it too long this year .This made a mockery of the Selector's 5 km time estimates for the runners. Never mind , none of our teams was DQ'd for being too fast .
The Vet Women had a good result (3rd place, on time ) with Robyn and Jane scoring 4th and 5th fastest MW times of the day. Matt D and Tannock got 1st and 4th fastest Junior Men's times with Matt being 5th fastest runner of the whole event.
Most of our teams weren't at full strength, hence our results weren't all that good ; but the underage races saw our overall performance go up in the the COTY calculations .
New male vets Evans and Dave T are on the improve and John Gamblin showed a return to form after a lengthy injury lay-off. There was a ' Richard Merritt ' running for another club - surely not our Richie was it ? (ran pretty well too).
And here's a cheer for Anne Kennedy who still gets selected for the ChCh Avon V/Women's team and makes a solid contribution for someone who's been a veteran for a while .
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A message from Marilyn Morrison
Most of our teams weren't at full strength, hence our results weren't all that good ; but the underage races saw our overall performance go up in the the COTY calculations .
New male vets Evans and Dave T are on the improve and John Gamblin showed a return to form after a lengthy injury lay-off. There was a ' Richard Merritt ' running for another club - surely not our Richie was it ? (ran pretty well too).
And here's a cheer for Anne Kennedy who still gets selected for the ChCh Avon V/Women's team and makes a solid contribution for someone who's been a veteran for a while .
The Club of the Year competition result was
1st – Christchurch Avon
2nd – Sumner
3rd – Papanui Toc H
The combined results after three events
1st – Christchurch Avon on 76 points
2nd– Sumner on 66 points
3rd – University of Canterbury on 64 points.
The next race in the Club of the Year competition is the South Island Cross Country Championship / Kennett Cup cross country on 7th July – see you there.
" Club Connect 2012 Registrations Close in 7 days (Friday 6 July) – Register now
It’s just five weeks until the Athletics New Zealand Club Conference, Club Connect 2012 on 3 – 5 August. A reminder that your club needs to register for the conference by Friday 6 July. That’s just 3 days away.
A registration form can be found on the Club Connect 2012 Web page . The conference programme is shaping up nicely and there will be a very interesting and useful line-up of topics and speakers. We encourage your club to be there!
As part of the Club Connect Conference, there will be a Conference Dinner on the Saturday night. We’re opening it up to anyone in Hamilton for theAthletics NZ Cross Country Champs and any other Athletics supporters. This was a very popular and enjoyable occasion at last year’s conference in Christchurch and we have lined up another very entertaining guest speaker in Eric Rush for this year’s Conference. Not only is Eric a NZ Seven’s Legend, he is also a successful business owner and qualified barrister, and he’s got some very amusing stories to tell. Tickets are just $50 for a quality buffet dinner and a most enjoyable evening. Ticket numbers are limited, so it will be a good idea to get in early. If you are attending the Conference, you still need to order your dinner tickets. A Dinner Booking Form can be found HERE. If you cannot download the form please reply to this email, requesting a Dinner Booking Form.
Kind Regards"
Brett Addison (Ath NZ)
A message from Marilyn Morrison
" Hi All Chav families,
Fiona has left today for her month-long trip to Europe to take part in this year's NZ Athletics development tour.
It's such a fantastic opportunity for her and is a just reward for her great performances this season and many years of hard training.
These chances don't come along often and always come with a considerable cost.
Our family is so grateful to the Chav families who supported Fiona by buying tickets for her raffle or by giving her some very generous financial donations :)
She managed overall to raise just over $3,500 for her trip -an incredible amount in such a short time and it was humbling to see how many people from all walks of life wanted to help her reach her goal!
The raffle prize-winners were:
1st. Ross Martin
2nd. Lauren Beckett
3rd. Bronwyn Simpson
I will keep you up to date with her progress in Europe,
Thanks once again,
Marilyn and Fiona Morrison"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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