New Faces and Old Faves As Season Proper Kicks-off

Aldershot F&D Relays, inc. Men’s SEAA 6-Stage and Women’s 4-Stage Championships, Rushmoor Arena, 20/21 September 2014

We all enjoyed intriguing fare on Mount Rushmoor’s fabled slopes. At one stage that iconic image of Cary Grant hanging onto Eva Marie Saint’s paw in North by Northwest on the other Mount Rushmore sprang to mind as the men got themselves into a real pickle.

The men’s team were in a similar quandary to this at quarter-past-4 on Sunday afternoon

More on that later, but first came the women, as nine bold Belles came to race. We kicked off with Mel to see if she could improve on last year’s 23rd on opening leg. Could she ever, as 10 spots were advanced, and it all bodes very well for the season ahead. In the B’s was new find from Lyon, Celine Duraffourd, a research scientist at St. Thomas’s hospital. CD ran a clinical race, as she refused to get freaked out by Hester going off like the clappers for the C’s. It took a few minutes for our order to be made sensible, but parity was eventually restored, and well done to both.

Next up the always valued party of Kerimack, running by feel as her eyesight is poor and she competes lens-free. The slopes on some downhill parts of the circuit are now in dire repair and we’re just happy Keri got round without falling down a pothole. For the B’s Genia had perhaps her best ever run for the Belles as she targets some big Tri’s.

We certainly didn’t intend to hurl Catherine into our A team this soon (i.e. her debut), but our hand was forced by a key late drop-out. Ms. Lovegrove has the heart of a lion, but that doesn’t mean she was ready to be sharing air-time with the likes of Gorecka, Twell and Judd… but she will, just give her time. Young Lea Virchow was yet another debutante, running bravely with the remnants of a virus to keep the B’s going.

So to the denouement and how wonderful to see Fee back in business. Fast forward 8 hours and she was less steady on her feet, but here was the lean, mean killing machine that we know and love. Raking stride back in place after a long injury lay-off and duffing up Keri by a single tick. A few minutes back saw the other Fiona anchoring us with a typically pugnacious romp.

Teams: 1 Aldershot, Farnham & Dist AC 50:48; 2 Bedford & County AC 53:43; 3 Aldershot, Farnham & Dist AC ‘B’ 54:04… 16 Belgrave H 58:03… 41 Belgrave H ‘B’ 63:07. 68 teams started, 61 finished.

Belgrave: A: M Wilkins (13) 13:46; K Mackenzie (14) 14:27; C Lovegrove (19) 15:24; F Maycock (16) 14:26. B: C Duraffourd (54) 15:32; G Marek (53) 15:45; L Virchow (50) 16:19; F Maddocks (47) 15:31. C: H Barsham-Rolfe 16:25.

Fastest: 1 E Gorecka (AFD) 12:35; 2= L Partridge/S Twell (AFD) 12:39

Right, what could the boys do? The mission was keep our powder dry for the National and then explode into life up in SP. Qualification of top 25 was put into the hands of a team with an average age of 39.5 and some 300,000 miles of running in the bank. Experienced yes, but you could almost hear us creaking in the field.

It made sense to let Paskar off the leash early and have a real blow-out. Mike and the TM had a small wager with PO that he couldn’t win opening leg. PO nodded grimly, accepted the bet, and stated a ‘wait and see’ tactic for quarter-of-an-hour and then make his move some half a mile from home. Not a bit of it! At 2k he drifted to the front, and at half-way he glanced back to see a pack far too large for his liking. On came the after-burners and three yards became 10 seconds in 500 yards. Quite incredible.

The rest of the run was hang-on-time as TVH’s Aaden ran lock-step 60 yards back, but a superb leg concluded, shades of Goolab (although of course in its shade), to set off new man Gus Upton with multiple snipers taking aim. His debut to club athletics saw him reel off a 4:30 first 1500, that’s 18:00 pace. Mother Nature shook her head and handed him a time some 90 seconds slower as penance, but what guts, fighting spirit, and yes, potential.

Under 40 minutes later supervet Mike and the skipper had dispensed with their chores with very fine runs, but it couldn’t be ignored that we were sliding down the leaderboard quite steadily, and surely Knut, just into his 54th year would have to pay some tax too. He ran as admirably as ever, but 23rd was now our lot, and we had a mere two spots to spare as the TM, carousing at the previous night’s Belgrave awards till the early hours, suddenly became very sober very fast. With multiple plane tickets and hotel rooms booked for the National, the ‘Pillar’s run was not swift or attractive, but it did at least stop the bleeding. Sutton Park here we come!

Thanks to all who participated in a splendid and encouraging set of races.

Teams: 1 Aldershot F&D AC 1:50:57; 2 Serpentine RC 1:52:00; 3 Kent AC AC 1:52:21; … 23 Belgrave H 1:58:58; … 85 teams started, 72 finished.

Belgrave: P Owor (1) 18:04; G Upton (8) 19:29, M Trees M50 (14) 19:49; R Maddams (17) 20:06; K Hegvold M50 (23) 21:13; W Cockerell M40 (23) 20:14.

Fastest: 1 S Overall (Blackheath) 17:47; 2 J McDonnell (Luton) 17:52; 3 A Maud (Clapham) 17:57