Help support Dan !

http://www.justgiving.com/danreason

On the 31st of May I will be running the Edinburgh Marathon in aid of charity. Please support me by giving whatever you can spare. Every contribution will be massively appreciated. recieived contributions will go towards purchasing much needed medical equipment throughout the Pennine Acute NHS Hospital Trusts.

Think of it this way, you are paying to ensure I spend half a day displaying a variety of differing shades of facial pallor and the following weeks walking oddly and constantly moaning.
That must be worth a couple a quid.

Many, many thanks.

Dan Reason.

This Weeks Poll

Thank you to all 31 of you who took time out to answer Garry Baines question about 'What is your favourite race distance'

41% voted 10km, 29% 1/2 Marathon, 16% 5km and 3% Marathon

Take note Garry for next years fixtures.

This weeks question comes from Bob Stevens, please take a few seconds to vote.

Duathlon Training - Monday 6th April

Bob is planning a training session next Monday 6th April at Leigh Harriers for people doing or thinking of doing Duathlons.

It will be 3 sets of 8 laps of the track running then a 15 minute bike ride down the bypass.

See bike route - http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2687038

Obviously if you are not up for 3 laps you can just do what you can.

See Bob for any more info.

Weekend Snippets

A few runners racing this weekend, great to see Steve Foster back in a blue vest at Wilmslow !

Coniston 14:

Malc Collins Chip Time 1:36:38 Overall Position 108th Field 1474 runners

Liverpool 1/2 marathon:

Steve Eldridge Chip Time 1:34:56 Overall Position 415th Field 3496 runners

Wilmslow 1/2 marathon:

Simon Ford Chip Time 1:18:52 Over Position 94th
Steve Foster Chip Time 1:32;03 Overall Position 406th
Joanne Iborra Chip Time 1:34:06 Overall Position 497th Field 3905 runners

Vera Hurst 5km

Two A&T runners braved the busy M62 on a Wednesday night to travel to Littleborough, Rochdale to compete in one of Andy O Sullivan's many charity races the Vera Hurst 5km.

In a competitive field of 243 runners Paul Mannion clocked 17 Min's 17 to finish 18th and Arnold Melling 18 Min's 40 to finish 41st and 1st Vet 60, both showing that Coach Moran's sessions are bringing on those vital seconds of improvement.

http://www.ukresults.net/2009/verahirst.html

Meeting this Sunday 29th March - By Pete Mulleady

We have our monthly meeting this Sunday, 29/3. With no expenses spared we have arranged a talk by Peter Riley and Stuart Stokes. Peter is one of the best road runners in the UK and has been regularly selected for the GB marathon team. He also runs for Leigh. Stuart is a GB steeplechase international, he’s also done some fell races! The talk is due to start at 7.30. I’m sure it will be very interesting so please come along if you can.

Haigh Hall Relays - Written by Garry Baines

We managed to put out 2 teams for the Haigh Hall Relays on Saturday.
Almost 50 teams entered the event on what turned out to be a chilly day, certainly for the runners competing in the 3rd and 4th legs.
Gary Atherton got the ‘A’ team off to a cracking start and beat some well known individuals from the local running scene with his time of 25’10”. Mike Reason ran first for the ‘B’Team and, still regaining his fitness after injury, crossed the line in 27’ 51”, which I believe surpassed his time from 2008.
Next for the ‘A’Team was John Foulds. Reliable as ever, John got round in 25’49” which served as a good warm –up for his ½ marathon the following day – more of that later. Jayne Shea was next off for the ‘B’ Team and produced a gutsy performance on this tough course to record 33’ 44”.
Terry Gardiner managed to warm himself up sufficiently to produce another sterling run of 26’24” for the ‘A’s and Michaela Shaw, getting colder by the second as she waited on the starting line, found enough energy to pull back some time for the ‘B’ team with 29’ 42”.
Last for the ‘A’ Team was Dan Reason and Dan showed the benefit of his recent marathon training with a time of 27’11” as the ‘A’ Team finished in 33rd place.
The ‘B’Team unveiled the Invisible Man to run their last leg. After running unnoticed along the 3.75mile wooded route, the Invisible Man managed to keep his identity concealed as he passed the finishing line, thus ensuring the time-keepers were unable to record an official time for him. Rumour has it he ran the course around 27’40” and this would have left the ‘B’team in 44th place. However officially the ‘B’team were not placed as it was assumed they were a 3-man team.
This was not the end of the weekend’s activities for some of the participants. Dan Reason and the Invisible Man ran home along a scenic 10.5mile route back to Tyldesley.
Meanwhile John Foulds competed the following day in the Ironbridge ½ marathon near Telford and from a field of 660 runners, finished in a creditable 98th position with a time of 1hr 36mins and 41secs.

Rosemere Duatlon - Written by Craig Bradbury

This event last year turned into a disaster when the bike leg became like Wacky Races,as some signs had been put the wrong way and others had mischievously been turned the wrong way!!. However twelve months down the line and the Organisers certainly got their act together as everything was spot on this time.Our only complaint was the strong winds making life very hard on the bike.In spite of this both Bob and I were delighted with our times and positions----although there was an amazing coincidence with bike times.



Bob 25th Run 1 22.03 Bike 43.21 Run 2 23.38
1.29.02

Craig 16th Run 1 19.55 Bike 43.21 Run 2 21.21

1.24.41

This weeks poll !

Thank you to the 23 voters who answered Peter Mulleady's question about where should this years club trip be located.

52% of you said Benidorm , 21% Calvia, Majorca, 13% a UK seaside resort and 4% Snowdon.

So it looks like i'll be defending my World Go Karts Championship for a 3rd time, we will be listening to Alan Webb's many Karaoke classics for a 3rd time and a certain someone who will remain anonymous go missing in the early hours for a 3rd time....groovy baby !!!

This week's question is by our Road Captain Garry Baines, please have a go.

Club Secretary Resignation.

The club would like to announce the resignation of Terry Hughes as Club Secretary.

We would like to thank Terry for all his hard work over the years and respect his decision.

Terry will still be training and racing for the club.

If anyone is interested in taking over the role as Club Secretary please speak to a committee member for more details, according to the constitution the role is defined as ....

Club Secretary : To deal with all Club correspondence, conveying appropriate information to members and committee.

Liver Hill Fell Race - Tuesday 31st March by John Foulds

It's the first club fell race of the year.
If you haven't done any fell races before, give this one a try - it's an easy one to start with!

You never know, you might even enjoy it.

6.45pm start at Marl Pits Sports Centre, Rossendale.
5 miles with just 800m of ascent.
Entry is free.

If anyone is going, or interested in going, and wants any more information please contact me on 01942 260173 or email triathlonchamp@aol.com

John Foulds
Fell Captain

'All's well that ends well' - Mid Lancs Update by Mark Riches

The official team results are out & it appears that we have got promoted after all – see below

Division 4 B Li BWF Le H Bb Total Best 4
Horwich RMI Harriers 10 10 0 10 10 10 50 40 GOLD P
Southport Waterloo AC B 0 9 9 8 0 9 35 35 SILVER P
Astley & Tyldesley RR 6 8 10 9 8 6 47 35 P
Accrington RR 5 0 0 6 9 7 27 27
Accrington RR "B" 3 0 0 4 4 5 16 16
Red Rose R.R. 4 0 0 5 6 0 15 15
Barrow & Furness Striders "B" 0 0 0 7 0 8 15 15
Wigan Phoenix B 7 0 0 0 7 0 14 14
Horwich RMI Harriers "B" 8 0 0 0 5 0 13 13
Rossendale Harriers 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 9
Chorley AC "B" 2 0 0 2 0 4 8 8
Lytham St Annes RR "B" 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 3
Eden Runners 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pendle AC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Blackburn Harriers B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Normally only the first 2 teams get promoted but as 3 teams were relegated from Division 3 (Kendal, Lancaster & Morecambe B & Chorley B scored ‘nil points’) we are promoted along with Horwich & Southport Waterloo B

Gin Pit 5 & 2 Mile Fun Run

All,

We are now taking entries for both races.

Terry Gardiner will collect money and give out race numbers at training on Tuesday/Thursday's.

Anyone wishing to pre-enter this way will save themselves £1.00 or you can simply just enter of the day at club house.

All finishers will win themselves either a Adidas or Reebok water bottle worth £3.99 in the 5 miler or a medal in the fun run.

Kids are very welcome in the fun run.

Both races attract a mixture of all abilities so no one will feel out of place.

Click on this link for more details - http://astleyrunners.blogspot.com/2008/01/gin-pit-5.html

For any further information please email me or speak to either Terry Gardiner, Craig Bradbury or Bob Stevens.

Haigh Hall Relays - By Garry Baines

Peter Mulleady has had to drop out of the relays on Saturday because of his injured knee.

The final teams now look like this.

Team1
Paul Bohannon
Kevin Wright
John Foulds
Gary Atherton

Team2
Michaela Shaw
Jayne Shea
Dan Reason
Garry Baines

IF ANYONE CAN'T MAKE IT PLEASE TELL ME NOW! This will give me time to call up any possible reserves. Last year we had people running 2 legs - we don't want that again.I suggest we meet at Gin Pit at 12.30p.m. I need 2 volunteer drivers - Dan and I are going to run home from Haigh Hall afterwards so you'll have to discount us. Please let me know who is prepared to drive.Thanks and see you on Saturday,Garry

Mid Lancs Cross Country - Promotion ruling by Mark Riches

Further to my earlier posting, I have now had a reply from the Mid Lancs cross-country organizer, which is reproduced below:
“Hello Mark
It's been a pleasure to have you in the League. After a busy day yesterday, I have had more time today to assess the results. As you rightly say Astley and Southport B are both on 35 points and 2 wins each (Burnley and Hyndburn don't count because SW weren't present). So Astley won Blackpool 10/9 and Leyland 9/8 and Southport B won Liverpool 9/8 and Blackburn 9/6. We then move to the points on the day in the overall totals of the positions (you need to look back to the full results from each event).

These go Astley (B 747), L 560, B 304, L 484, (H 587), B 662 = 2010

Southport B (B -), L 521, B 385, L 515, (H -), B 440 = 1861

So I'm sorry to tell you that Southport B get promotion. It's hard when Astley & Tyldesley did so well and took such an active part in the Mid Lancs League this year but it is a big league and as such tends to favour the bigger clubs. I have enjoyed seeing your club's very visible presence at every event and I hope to see you next season and perhaps then you'll get the benefit of your efforts in future.
Best wishes
Dawn”

So close yet so far & to make matters worse there is nothing for coming 3rd
Yet we seem to have raised the Club’s profile & with Horwich & Southport promoted maybe we can win Division 4 next year!

Parbold Duathlon - Written by Craig Bradbury

On a perfect sunny morning we made the short trip up to Parbold.Whilst driving down Parbold Hill we were met by traffic signs"drive in low gear" great to see when you have to cycle up it 3 times!Anyway we set off in good spirits.on the first run( a 2 lap undulating course) I could already feel the previous day,s Cross Country in my legs!!.Bob looked strong,obviously benefiting from his Tuesday night "4 killer hills session".There's method in his madness as he insists on taking us down Millers Lane and back up!!.
Onto the bikes-this is just one long slog but we got through it.....just!.As we hit the 2nd run that's when the jelly legs kicked in.Only after about a mile and a half do you feel like your legs are your own again,but all in all it was a good morning's work by both of us.
Bob knocked over 2 minutes off last year's time which more than made up for his bitter disappointment that,unlike the Winter Duathlon,there was no cakes at the end!!!All Bob's hard training is certainly paying off, showing that he has no intention of swapping his bike shoes for his slippers just yet!!.I also improved by a few minutes on last year.
Next week we head off to Garstang for Rosemere Duathlon( for a good cause -cancer Charity).I know that there are a few of you thinking of doing it, so come on- the more the merrier and normal service should be resumed regarding after race sandwiches and cakes!!!(it's a typical Village Hall Welcome).

BobRun 1 21.58 Bike 1.05.32 Run2 23.02 Overall 1.50.04 70th.

Craig Run 1 1.20.36 Bike 1.05.52 Run 2 21.36 Overall 1.48.06 65th.

This weeks poll !

Thank you to all 33 voters who took part is this weeks poll.

The poll showed that over 75% of you view the blog once a day or more and even more concerning was that a 1/3 of you admitted to being self confessed 'blogoholics'

I'm afraid there is no cure but maybe a week in the priory may help !!

Seriously thanks for the positive response.

Anyone wishing to put a question forward on the blog can, just email your question and 5 possible answers and if its clean and interesting i will post it.

This week's question is by our Chairman Peter Mulleady, please take part.

Current Road Standings after Trimpell 20

PREMIERSHIP - male

Simon Ford 88
Shaun Moran 57
Troy Topping 57
Paul Mannion 54
Steve Coleman 53
Mark Riches 52
Kevin Wright 45
Gary Stevens 36
Craig Bradbury 35
Scott Christey 27
Arnold Melling 25
Paul Bohannon 21
Peter Mulleady 20

CHAMPIONSHIP - male
Paul Jackson 75
Alan Webb 63
John Foulds 43
Mark Ruscoe 41
Terry Gardiner 33
Paul Butler 26
Craig Little 26
Garry Baines 22
Steve Eldridge 17
Gary Atherton 13
Robert Stevens 12
Steve Foster 7

DIVISION 1 - male
Dan Reason 40
Dave Pritchard 31
Mike Newell 23
Mike Reason 21
Ray Taylor 20
Ian Hamilton 14
Paul Basnett 13
Mark Cheetham10
Mark Crowley 6
Matthew Crompton 4
Kisson Doctor 3

Male Vets Over 40

Paul Jackson 75
Alan Webb 63
Shaun Moran 57
Troy Topping 57
Steve Coleman 53
Mark Riches 52
John Foulds 43
Terry Gardiner 33
Dave Pritchard 31
Scott Christey 27
Paul Butler 26
Arnold Melling 25
Garry Baines 22
Ray Taylor 20
Peter Mulleady 20
Ian Hamilton 14
Paul Basnett 13
Robert Stevens 12
Mark Cheetham 10
Steve Foster 7
Mark Crowley 6

PREMIERSHIP - female

Mary Anne Tracey Aguera 60
Joanne Iborra 30
Brenda Wane 29
Michaela Shaw 28

CHAMPIONSHIP - female

Michelle Fairclough 83
Carole Baines 54
Jayne Shea 54
Jodie Wagstaffe 29
Vanessa Thomson 25
Eva Tuer 24

DIVISION 1 -female

Sonia Gadsby 25

Female Vets Over 35

Carole Baines
Brenda Wane
Sonia Gadsby
Eva Tuer

Trimpell 20 Race Report - Written by Garry Baines

12 Astley & Tyldesley Road Runners participated in the Trimpell 20 mile race at Morecambe on Sunday. The race is intended as a prequel to the London Marathon in April.
Simon Ford was first home for A&T and finished 31st overall in a field of almost 500 runners. His time of 2hrs 8mins and 15secs was outstanding.
Steve Coleman, in his element at this distance, followed closely behind with 2hrs 11mins and 40secs and Paul Jackson showed that a sub 3hr marathon in London is not out of the question, as the next A&T runner across the line.
Alan Webb continues to improve with every race with Craig Little and Joanne Iborra following closely in his footsteps, all around the 2hr 30min mark.
John Foulds turned in another solid performance and mention must be made of Dan Reason, Mike Newell, Michelle Fairclough, Jayne Shea and Dave Pritchard, all of whom were competing at this distance for the first time.
Thank you to all the participants. I hope you enjoyed it!

X-Country Roll of Honour

A big THANK YOU to everyone who competed on the country this year, spread the word & lets get even more next year!

Congratulations to the first 3 in each category, you will each get a trophy at the presentation on Sunday 29/03/09

The Roll of Honour this year is as follows:

Under 40 men

1) Simon
2) Mark Ruscoe
3) Craig B

Over 40 men

1) Troy
2) Mark Riches
3) Peter M

Under 35 women

1) Mary-Anne
2) Jodie
3) Michaela

Over 35 women

1) Brenda
2) Marjorie
3) Eva

There will also be a special award to the 4 people who completed all 10 Club races - Jodie, Brenda, Mark Ruscoe & Alan W

Well done everyone

Cheers

Mark

Mid Lancs X-Country Witton Park, Blackburn 14/03/09

Everyone was a little more nervous than usual as the men’s Division 4 promotion battle was riding on this one along with 2nd place in the under 40 men’s Club Champs. The latter was between Mark Ruscoe & Craig Bradbury, who both had 167 points going into this final race

Neither of the above would be decided until after the woman’s race. Brenda Wane was aiming to maintain her 100% record (9 club races & 9 maximum points in the over 35 women’s Club Champs.) She was also reminded that last time she ran at Witton Park she actually missed the start & set off 200m after everyone else. This time she was at the start in plenty of time & had another great run making it maximum points in all 10 Club races. Another lady who has done all the Club races Jodie Wagstaff was rewarded with maximum points in the Club Champs under 35 woman’s category. Marjorie Leigh also had a good run well inside 33 minutes on this very difficult course

Then it was the turn of the men & after a bout of head-counting by both A&T and Southport Waterloo AC, Mark Ruscoe set off fast pursued by the other 6 A&T men. It took me (Mark Riches) more than 3 laps of the 4 lap course to finally catch & overtake a very tired Mark, who managed to hang on to beat the fast finishing Craig. Coach Shaun Moran was next followed by Gary Stevens who was making his first Mid Lancs appearance of the year having previously done a couple of Red Rose races earlier in the season. Gary managed to lose his shoe & a few places while he retrieved it but despite this he had a very good run. Steve Eldridge, who went one better as this was his first x-country race of the season, was next followed by Alan who was using this as a warm-up for the Trimpell 20 the following day

The ‘jury is still out’ on Division 4 promotion, we & Southport Waterloo AC B have the same points & have won 2 each of our ‘head-to-heads’ so I have asked the organizer for a decision – watch this space

Ultrafit St.Annes 10

On a busy weekend of racing just 3 A&T runners travelled to St.Annes for the 10 miler.

Shaun Moran after his stroll around Witton Park in the X-Country yesterday produced a brilliant 60 Min's 09 secs to finish 15th overall and 2nd V45.

Michaela Shaw just edged out Ray Taylor in a close battle with Michaela clocking 1.18.53 to finish 10th in her category with Ray 1.19.22.

Click for results http://www.ukresults.net/latest/stannes.html

Blackburn X-Country - Sat 14th March

All

We are meeting at Atherton train station at 12:30 on Saturday if you need a lift or want to travel in convoy to Blackburn.

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon ! okay watching Man Utd Vs Liverpool having a few beers is more appealing than running a big muddy hill (3 times) but come on we need people racing to get us promotion !!!!

Gary.

Andy Burnham MP accepts our offer !

Great news that Andy Burnham MP the Culture and Sports secretary has accepted our offer to be our 'guest of honour' at the April Gin Pit 5.

Andy will help with the presentation and hopefully take part in the race.

I consider this a major achievement for the club as Mr Burnham is now one of the UK's top MP's and is obviously a busy man so its great he can spare some time for us.

Trimpell 20 - By Mike Newall

I was wondering if we would all meet up before the Trimpell 20 on sunday? I was thinking Atherton station at 9.15am to give us enough time to get there and pick up our numbers.

Mike

Latest Road Champs League

Standings after Roddlesworth Roller (2 races)

Next Race is the Trimpell 20 on Sunday 15th March

PREMIERSHIP - male

Simon Ford 58
Shaun Moran 57
Troy Topping 57
Paul Mannion 54
Mark Riches 52
Kevin Wright 45
Gary Stevens 36
Craig Bradbury 35
Scott Christey 27
Arnold Melling 25
Steve Coleman 24
Paul Bohannon 21
Peter Mulleady 20

CHAMPIONSHIP - male
Paul Jackson 47
Mark Ruscoe 41
Alan Webb 36
Terry Gardiner 33
Paul Butler 26
Garry Baines 22
John Foulds 18
Steve Eldridge 17
Gary Atherton 13
Robert Stevens 12
Steve Foster 7

DIVISION 1 - male

Mike Reason 21
Ray Taylor 20
Dan Reason 16
Ian Hamilton 19
Paul Basnett 13
Mark Cheetham 10
Dave Pritchard 9
Mark Crowley 6
Matthew Crompton 4
Kisson Doctor 3

PREMIERSHIP - female

Mary Anne Tracey Aguera 60
Brenda Wane 29
Michaela Shaw 28

CHAMPIONSHIP - female

Carole Baines 54
Michelle Fairclough 54
Jodie Wagstaffe 29
Jayne Shea 26
Vanessa Thomson 25
Eva Tuer 24

DIVISION 1 -female

Sonia Gadsby 25

Exclusive news - Chan out of plaster !

Hello Gary, Good to hear from you mate. Well I been injured before of course but lugging that Pot around was really something else. It brings other issues too like I have had to adjust my diet to eat sparrow size portions of rabbit food and balancing on one leg in the shower. The Pot came off yesterday (9th) and they gave me a removable plastic cast just for walking or weight bearing for 3 weeks... I can take it off at night and in the shower (Hurr-bloody-ray) etc. He seemed pleased with the progress made in 4 weeks. Get this! he told me ... "Mr Chan you're still about 6 weeks away from playing competitive football" .... Brilliant I thought ... I couldn't do that before!! ... Not sure who he had me mixed up with ...Beckham perhaps???.... Tevez maybe .. I turned to Esmerelda and smiled! He told me 3 weeks before I can do any jogging!! Now seeing as I have left leg muscles like Robocop and my right is like a storks right leg, I think 3 weeks is pretty optimistic... unless I find a 'race around in little circles whilst swearing- 10k and family fun run' I will be working very hard to get back. Give my best to everyone mate especially the Marathon runners in London,Edinburgh, Blackpool and Loch thingymadoodah in Scotland and see you all soon(er than you think) Pete

BUPA Great Manchester Run - Free Places

We have been offered 7 free places in this years BUPA Great Manchester 10km on Sunday 17th May.

The sting in the tail is you have to be a pacemaker.

You have the option of a 40,45,50,55,60,65 or 70 pacemaker and must hold up a sign all the way round.

For your troubles you will get a free number, shorts and vest.

If you are interested please let any of the committee members know.

Volunteers so far...

40 mins - Steve Colman

45 mins - Vacant

50 mins - Terry Gardiner

55 mins - Michelle Fairclough

60 mins - Jayne Shea

65 mins - Paul Basnett

This weeks poll

We asked 'Why did you join Astley & Tyldesley Road Runners' ?

Results showed

45% 'To keep fit'

25% 'To train for competition'

12% 'Its my local club'

6% 'Word of mouth' and 'the social side'

3% Other !

Thanks to all 31 of you who voted and please have a go on this weeks poll

Witton Park X-Country - Saturday 14th March

All

The last race in the Club Champs is this Saturday 14/3 at Witton Park Blackburn
Ladies race starts at 2 pm & the men’s race starts at 2.30 pm
This is a Mid Lancs fixture & we need at least 6 men to race to give us a fighting chance of promotion to Division 3
It’s the best 4 from 6 so Horwich have already won Division 4 but we can finish 2nd & get promoted as long as we beat Southport & Waterloo AC B team. They have only scored in 3 out of the 5 races so far & our record against them is 2:1

Their A team is in Division 1 so for their B team to score they need to field 12 men (1st 6 count to A team)
Directions on the website www.midlancs.org.uk

Mark

Roddlesworth Roller - Written by Garry Baines

It was cold, it was windy, it was sleeting, it was uphill, it was downhill, it WAS HELL!
Apparently, judging by the times, some of us rather liked it though. Pete Mulleady’s knee didn’t.
30 runners started but Peter’s dodgy knee decided after ½ mile that one hill was enough and went on strike.
Again A&T runners accounted for over 10% of the field and we were good enough to occupy 4 of the first 15 positions which gave us 2nd overall in the Men’s category, narrowly missing out to Blackburn Harriers.
Simon Ford led the way with a superb time of 36’44”. Paul Mannion showed he is nearly back to peak fitness to finish 2nd amongst the A&T runners with 37’ 07”, just eclipsing Troy Topping’s effort by 7 seconds.
Shaun Moran finished behind Troy by a similar margin but took the 2nd spot in the V45 category.
Mark Riches ran as consistently as ever and these first 5 results prove that the race for the Premiership is going to be exciting this season.
Arnold Melling made his 2nd debut on his return to the club and promptly waltzed home with the V60 category first prize.
Mary Anne proved that her performance at Lostock was no fluke as she crossed the line to take 3rd Lady overall - without Paul- getting stronger all the time.
Several other runners turned in solid efforts and there were two Reasons to be cheerful -Dan and Mike to be precise – with Dan getting the better of his brother on this occasion. This duel will be worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.
Distraught at the absence of running partners at Gin Pit on Sunday morning, Ian ‘Bacon Mon’ Hamilton decided he might as well do the Roddlesworth Roller, only to find half the club had surprisingly already thought of the same idea upon his arrival. His time of 45’ 13” was notable given his recent injury.
Jodie Wagstaffe’s cross country races over the winter have put her in good stead as she recorded a time of 46’ 36” on a course ideally suited for her. More of the same Jodie please especially in the CLGP!
Mark Cheetham turned up at Bob’s group for the first time on Tuesday and for some strange masochistic reason decided on Saturday he would make his debut the following day. A tougher race he will not find on the circuit. His time of 51’ 42” shows he will be a strong competitor in the Division 1 championship as his fitness improves.
Finally Sonia Gadsby kept to the task well and cheered on by a good proportion of the members, managed a smile (or was it a grimace) as she crossed the line.

Full results - http://www.ukresults.net/2009/roller.html

Weekend Snippets

Its was great to see our newest recruit Arnold Melling representing A&T at the Alexandra 5km in Manchester. Arnold ducked under 19 Min's to finish a very respectable 31st in 18 mins 52.

Paul Mannion clocked 18.03 still coming back from injury to finish 19th.

The Standish Trail Race was not enough for regular racer John Foulds who did his 2nd race of the weekend at the Cloud Nine Hill Race in Congleton, Cheshire.

John finished 193rd in a time of 1hr 19 mins

Roddlesworth Roller - Meeting Time by Garry Baines

For those wishing to travel in convoy to the Roddlesworth Roller on Sunday, I suggest we meet at Atherton Train Station at 9.30a.m.

For those travelling alone the best way to the start of the race is to drive up Belmont Road util you reach the Hare & Hounds at Abbey Village.

Help for Heroes - By Paul Jackson

I was granted a club place to run in the London Marathon this year. I am taking the opportunity to raise vital funds for Help For Heroes, the wounded soldier's charity. Help For Heroes provide support and rehabilitation for our soldiers who are physically or mentally wounded during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. As an ex-soldier myself who was never involved in any war, I am very grateful for the work being done by our Armed Forces, who are doing numerous tours of duty in very hostile conditions, many of whom are horrifically injured. I appreciate the 'credit crunch' is hitting everyone hard, but any donation, no matter how small would be gratefully received and will go a long way towards helping Help For Heroes to continue their fantastic work, helping our wounded soldiers. You can sponsor me directly on www.justgiving.com/jacko2009 or I will pass a sponsor form around both groups. Any further information regarding how they spend monies received can be found on their website. Many thanks, Paul Jackson

Monthly Club Meeting Minutes - 01/03/09 - Written by Peter Mulleady

A&T Meeting 1/3/09

Attendees - Bob Stevens, Shaun Moran, Mark Riches, Peter Mulleady, Garry Baines, Alan Webb, Brenda Wane, Terry Gardiner, Craig Bradbury, John Foulds, Gary Stevens, Mark Ruscoe, Kevin Wright, Craig Little

Started the meeting with Committee members ambitions for the year.

Shaun Moran – Like to see 15 runners from the club break the 40 minute mark for 10K. To win 3 out of the 4 of the Grand Prix championships (thinks Horwich will be too strong in the open).

Garry Baines – As many members as possible racing for the club. Support and encourage newer members to race and publicize their success.

Mark Riches – Try and get more new runners trying cross country and following coach Moran’s lead (great strength training for road running). Probably enter all 3 leagues again next season and pick the favourite races for the championships.

John Foulds – Get more members trying fell races. Liver Hill would be a good one to try, easier than the cross country race there (Marl Pits). Championship races are basically the same as last year with a couple of new ones thrown in.

Gary Stevens – Try and increase numbers in the Gin Pit races. Jayne Shea is writing to all schools in the area to try and encourage participation in the fun runs. 210 is our record for a race and we want to beat that.

Bob Stevens – Currently at 85 members, already a record, and could well be at 120 by the end of the year. A few subs due in.

Peter Mulleady – To try to help the club run smoothly and build on the considerable success we have had so far. To look into the potential for facilities (possibly lit running track) at Gin Pit and what funding we could obtain.

Other issues.

Juniors – Committee agreed that we will take juniors from age 15. Garry Baines has put in a considerable amount of work and everything is now set up.

Lady Captain – The role is To liaise with all Lady members to ensure they are getting the most out of their running. To work with the race Captains and encourage Lady members to race where appropriate. Brenda Wane has volunteered to take on this role. On behalf of the committee and the club I would like to wish Brenda every success in the role and I’m sure she will give it 100% as she always does.

Coaching courses – Coaches and assistant coaches to look at what courses are available and let the committee know what they would like to take.

Peter Riley/Stewart Stokes talk – Aiming to have this at the next meeting 29/3/09.

Cross country awards – at next meeting 29/3/09.

Club Library – Plan is for members to list on the website what books they’re happy to lend to other members. Idea is for books about running, fitness, endurance etc.

Three Peaks – Our next assault on this challenge (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon in 24hrs) will be the weekend of the 20 & 21/6/09. If you are interested let me know. If you want to know what it’s like speak to Steve W, Steve F, Alan W, Sue H, Mandy, Ray or myself.

Gin Pit Race – Next race is 5th April. Be good to see plenty of our new members give it a go. We will also have free membership for the first unattached runner (male and female) home.

Beat the credit crunch – an A&T investment syndicate is being set up by (Sir) Alan Webb (Stanford). It seems you put in a pound or 2 each week and at the end of the year get thousands! I think the idea is that the money is pooled and each week a different person picks something to bet on, which could be anything. Speak to Alan for details (before he jets off to Antigua).

Next meeting 29/3/09

3 Peaks Challenge - by Peter Mulleady

We are planning another assault on the 3 Peaks challenge (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon in 24hrs) this year. It will be on the weekend of the 20th and 21st June to maximize the light. If you’re interested let me know. Full training and guidance will be given by expert instructors! Well at the navigation course I did last year I managed 15K on the 10K race test so I reckon I’m 50% better than average! If you do it I can pretty much guarantee you’ll never forget it.

Lostock 6 Pictures

You can now see the pictures from last weeks Lostock 6, click the following link on Steve Bateson's website, http://www.runningpix.co.uk/Roadpics/Lostock6-0910D/index.htm

Curry Night

32 turned out for the Curry Night at the Far Pavilion with some of our new members sampling the A&T social side for the first time.

The food was fantastic and the Cobra even better !

Thanks to Sharon Adair for organising the night.