29644 Red and black 04 autumn 2018

Up the hill www.hernehillharriers.org

2018 AUTUMN & WINTER ISSUE RED&BLACK
MAGAZINE
Why did the by
runner catch
a cold? Herne Hill Harriers is a community athletics club that
believes in diversity & is open to all.
Does speed work?
bgerCTdemoheaubetunraCdettrer–woytsihlsle
#Sportivation
Parkrun &
the NHS

Ironwoman The Tooting
Commonwealth

Games

1

Sunday long run trees watch quiet
eyes of deep time
Katie Kedward i’m a flit
a dot
dirt rocks roots and trees but part sublime
autumn sun glints through leaves
as I run
feet tap light heart and soul seep free
heart pumps dark for what is “nature”
I weave if not everything
I climb including
I bound me
and dart

2

MORE THAN JUST A 3
SPORTS CLUB

From youth to masters’ level, it’s been an extraordinary season for
Herne Hill Harriers. There are stories in these pages of new, emerging
talent through to ability which has fully matured and is now standing
on top of the world. They are captivating enough. But there’s another story
of achievement hidden between all the exhilarating performances which is
an achievement of the club as a whole and what it represents.

If you believed all the prevailing cynicism and despondent clichés
about the human condition a community athletics club like Herne Hill
Harriers wouldn’t exist. Selfish, fearful, thoughtless, materialists who take
the easiest path to personal gratification? Hardly. The ethos and practice
of a club like ours seems to contradict the caricature of a world gripped
by an increasingly harsh politics. We’re defined by voluntary, unpaid
effort, by diversity and an open, welcoming invitation for all to participate.
Join one of our training groups and yes, you’ll find people who are
intensely competitive and focused on achievement, but you’ll also find an
extraordinary degree of solidarity, care and mindfulness between athletes
and coaches. It’s a togetherness born of mutual striving, but also a shared
understanding and respect for the fact that the effort and struggle we pour
into our sport has many, and sometime complex motivations, all important.
Several of this edition’s articles explore what makes us take part.

People will go to great lengths to help and watch-out for each other
through competition, injury and the daily tribulations that we all face. It is
a community that chooses to be together, supports itself, works incredibly
hard to do a range of things well and that offers no financial gain. We may
only be a small sports club and, as individuals, fall prey to some of the
same temptations as anyone (latest, shiny, go 5% faster trainers anyone?)
but in the way the we organise, integrate and engage, as a demonstration of
human potential in the face of forces tearing at the fabric of society, we are
also a small island of hope.

Andrew Simms

RED & BLACK MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL | Andrew Simms | Email: [email protected] | Twitter: @Andrewsimms_UK
DESIGN, LAYOUT AND PRINT | Glen Keegan | Words & Pictures Ltd | 8 Stoney Lane, London SE19 3BD | www.wordsandpictures.co.uk | 020 8653 5203

PEOPLE

A little

STRENGTH

goes a long way

Mohammed Ismail writes about the importance of weight training for middle
and long-distance runners, and especially for Masters athletes

For those interested in evidence-based and finishing speed for an out-right 200m or 400m race
scientific research there is plenty available that is was the same as his equivalent finishing speed of say
easy to find, but here I am going to describe my 3000m or 5k’. Well, a bit of regular weight training may
own experiences and what has worked me, including go a long-way for my friend if he could consider it.
the materials and methods I have used for the best part
of the past twenty years. The impact of weight training
Back in the summer of 2012, not at the Olympics,
My school work-experience was spent as a gym
instructor, which I believe instigated my love for weight but in the July of that year, I ran races from 400m
training. I think I joined the Tooting track gym in to an ultra-distance, which demonstrated the impact
1996/97 season for an annual membership of £72, that strength training has on my fairly quick recovery,
and this gym has remained the centre stage of my gym without compromising my speed in the shorter
workouts. My personal bests in the squat and bench distances. You can see below results from some of the
press were actually set in Nerja, near Malaga, during races I took part in without focusing on any particular
warm weather training, but the crafting was certainly distance, though from January to April of that year my
done in the Tooting gym. training was geared towards the London Marathon, with
an average weekly mileage of 76miles. So even with
As some of you may know, I enjoy racing from the higher mileage, weight training can compensate for
800m to the full marathon, and even beyond on rare some of your speed workouts.
occasions. This range of middle to long-distance racing • 3 rd of July – track mile race in 4.40
requires a solid base and continuous strength training, • 4th of July – 800m in 2.03
which can be done on your easy or recovery days, but I • 7 th of July - 30.1miles, Summer Enigma ultra in 3
prefer to do mine after track sessions or after long-runs.
These workouts help me avoid injuries (as well as heal hours 22 minutes (2.49 for the marathon point),
injuries), assist my recovery as well as help me develop probably worth 3.10, if not for the heavy rain and
power and maintain that fast finish! obstacle course (8 x 5.6k loops) – ask Glen Keegan
(the club former marathon addict – Editor’s note)
Only few days before Andrew Simms suggested • 8 th of July – 5m race in 29mins, with 5.05 opening
that I write something for the club magazine, I had mile.
an interesting conversation with a club mate from • 1 0th July track session of 600m repeats, in low 1.40s
Serpentine RC, who said something like, ‘his top speed/

4

“focus on the main muscle groups PEOPLE

like quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, 5

calf muscle, core, back and arms”

and couple 1.38/39, which is probably why I remember this
session well.
• 14th July -1500m in 4.15
• 21st July - 400m in 56secs

Why I weight train
One of the main reasons for my continuous weight training

is to maintain and not to lose what I already have, so it is a
matter of ensuring consistency before acquiring new skills
or speed. Weight training can also give you confidence and
mental strength. However, if you want to see improvement in
your performance you must be prepared to put in 2-3 sessions
a week depending on your cycle of training. It is important to
keep things simple, if you are new to weight training or don’t
have access to coaches. It is also important to focus on the
main muscle groups like quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, calf
muscle, core, back and arms.

An example of typical all year session
I don’t usually do a specific warm-up for my gym sessions,

as I often do them right after track workouts or after a long
run, when I am already warm. That said, jogging for 5 minutes
followed by a few stretches may be useful if you opt for doing
sessions of only weights. For lower body exercises, I tend to do
3-5 sets and 10-15 reps, whilst for my upper body exercises I
do the same number of sets, but keep the reps to 8-12. I also
like to keep the recovery between reps to 30-60 secs, and up
to 2 minutes between sets.

I feel this helps me to prepare for the shorter recoveries
required for interval training. In 30-60 mins session, I may
do the following in no particular order, but it helps to switch
between upper and lower body to aid recovery and keep a
good rhythm throughout. Please take care if you have history of
joint problems and do extra warm-up or lessen the weight load,
remembering that appropriate weight loads are a very personal
matter and will differ greatly between people. You have to find
what is right for you.

Mohammed’s weights session
1. Half squats 20-35kg,
2. Hamstring curls and knee extensions 20-35kg
3. S tanding shoulder press with free weights, with dumbbells
4. Lounges with dumbbells
5. C alf raisers with weight, 4-5 sets, and 20-25 reps probably

with quarter of your body weight as an extra resistance.

Snack the
planet better

Herne Hill’s Damien Wilson shows a flare for flavour and innovation, with a mission to
feed the running world, and beyond, with his all new Remashed snack…

What struck me was the amount of waste or Steve. I also make spent grain flour, and through a
associated with the brewing industry, and in fledgling partnership with a local baker, I am figuring
particular the ‘spent grain’, or brewers grain, out what other delicious snacks can be made – not just
being discarded as commercial waste or given mainly for athletes but for ‘normal’ people too.
to sus scrofa domesticus (that’ll be domestic pigs and
your bacon if you’re a meat eater – probably best not to One of the great things about brewer’s grain is that it
get me started on this subject). is an ecological and sustainable source of nutrition – it
has roughly the same profile as almonds and more than
With the rapidly expanding London craft brewing three times the dietary fibre of oats. It’s also a lot more
scene - over 90 independent breweries at the last interesting eating an apricot and cocoa nibs granola
count - an increasing amount of grain is being bar, than porridge (unless you’re Scottish and douse it
produced – about 250 million tonnes a year throughout with whiskey).
the UK. As an environmentalist, food enthusiastic and
very average runner, I decided to investigate how I Then there’s nothing left
could turn, this so called, ‘spent grain’ into a delicious By introducing this grain into our food system,
snack for athletes of all shapes and sizes – even for
cyclists and sprinters. breweries could reduce the amount that ends up in
waste streams. This conserves time and money. You
Getting mashed may be thinking this sounds great, but what about
You may be wondering exactly what spent grain is – the packaging – well, I’ve got that covered by using
compostable wrappers and labels. The whole model,
which leads me to the geeky part. On brew day, grains from products to packing strives to be sustainable. It’s
are combined with hot water to convert the grain’s like doing a 10 or 15 x 400m session – at the end there
starch to fermentable sugars in a process called the is nothing left.
mash.
The world is facing some difficult challenges,
Water is heated to a specific temperature and stirred particularly global climate change, an increasing
with the grains. After the mash, the liquid sugars are population and food shortages. Remashed focuses on
separated from the grain. This is where Remashed health and the environment, and particularly reducing
enters, taking brewers grain from a couple of different food waste. Remashed is a small scale start-up at the
south London breweries and reusing them to make moment, but if enough middle distance runners start
delicious granola bars – perfect for eating after a Herne to buy my products, then who knows, like in athletics,
Hill Harriers’ interval session inspired by coaches Geoff success may be just around the next bend.

6

COMMON VIEW

We run through and around Tooting Common every week,
skipping passed and around it’s trees, but how much do we
take in? Here are two landscape sketches of the Common from
Annes Stevens, and two slightly slightly freaky trees (do you
know where they are on the Common?) from your tree freak
editor, Andrew Simms …

7

LEARNING

Does
speed work?

Mark White looks at the latest science comparing gut-busting
interval training with the fine art of the steady run…

We all think we know what on these factors of interval training consumption at various speeds
speedwork is for. It makes compared to continuous steady including overall aerobic capacity
us faster. There are running. One study in particular and their running mechanics such
different types of session depending considered running mechanics as as stride length and ground contact
on the training objective which an additional factor, the first to do time. The runners doing the steady
can be summed up as long reps so giving a more comprehensive running did not improve their speed
for speed endurance and short view of the changes that take place at all and nor did their running
reps for speed development. You in response to training. mechanics change very much.
may have read about, or heard, What stood out was their improved
coaches talking about working on The Spanish researchers led by running economy which means
different energy systems depending Fernando Gonzalez-Mohino took that for a given speed they needed
on the session. That’s all true but 11 runners of moderate ability less oxygen. In other words, they
little is made of the other benefit and divided them into two groups became more efficient.
of speedwork, which is to make us with the first group doing three
more efficient. interval sessions a week and the This gain in efficiency couldn’t be
second group doing three steady put down to physiological changes
When we run and increase our runs per week. The training alone because it varied depending
pace our muscles demand more programme lasted for six weeks on running speed. It was most
and more oxygen, but there is only and was progressive such that the pronounced around the speed of their
so much oxygen our bodies can distance run or the number of reps steady running pace indicating the
deliver to the muscles, and a limit completed increased each week. nervous system may be playing an
to how much they can process. The interval training group did 10- important role. The nervous system
This defines our aerobic capacity, 15 x 1 min, 5-10 x 2 mins and 3-8 could have become more proficient
sometimes referred to as VO2max. x 3 mins each week. The steady- at coordinating the movements of
But if our bodies can become more running group were restricted in the limbs, but if it did so the effect
efficient then for the same amount their volume so their work level was quite subtle. There were only
of oxygen we can cover more matched that of the interval group, very slight changes in stride length,
ground and run faster. Scientists starting with runs of 20 mins and ground contact times and stride rate,
refer to this as running economy. building up to around 40 mins. but of those the greatest changes took
place at close to the training speed.
Running economy is known to be The runners were tested Alternatively, the nervous system
an important factor in endurance before and afterwards to find out could have got better at synchronising
performance alongside aerobic whether the programme had an the firing patterns of muscle fibres
capacity. Recently a number of effect on their maximum aerobic within the muscle itself.
studies have looked at the effects speed (roughly 3K pace), oxygen

8

LEARNING

This shows that the improvement “If you’re a seasoned runner the
in efficiency is speed-specific. main benefit of interval training
If you want to set a new PB you
need to put in a fair amount of comes from improvements in
training at your target PB pace so running economy”
the nervous system can learn to
optimise muscle firing patterns and at the original slower speeds they of fast interval work with longer
coordinate movement with greater would have used less oxygen. Ergo, recoveries (e.g. 1:1 work to recovery
proficiency. they had become more efficient. ratio) as being beneficial for running
The stronger leg muscles needed economy and form whilst longer
What about the runners doing less oxygen and with the same level intervals with proportionately short
the interval training? They of effort the runners went faster. recoveries are best for boosting
achieved an impressive increase aerobic capacity.
in speed, raising their maximum But what about all that work
aerobic speed from an average of at close to maximum heart Steady running can produce
5:44 miling to 5:19 miling. This rate? Why didn’t that improve improvements in efficiency as
improvement appeared to be mostly VO2max? Aerobic capacity is not can interval training which also
due to the runners lengthening all it’s cracked up to be. There develops speed by developing
their stride: for 3K pace it went from are many examples of runners strength and power for a longer
1.49 m to 1.58 m. They also spent with lower VO2max putting in stride. But it won’t necessarily
significantly less time on the ground faster performances than their develop your aerobic capacity.
which helped boost their stride competitors with higher VO2max. Pushing yourself to the limit in an
rate from 187 to 192 strides per Other factors come into play interval session may not elicit the
minute. So not only was each stride like lactate threshold and, you aerobic gains you were hoping
quicker, it also took them further. guessed it, running economy. In for, particularly in shorter, faster
This requires stronger legs which fact, runners’ VO2max tends to intervals. In fact, pushing too hard
is not just about individual muscle level off after a few years of hard could be counterproductive in
fibres getting stronger but in the training but improvements can terms of running economy if your
nervous system synchronising their still come from gains in lactate form deteriorates. The gains come
activation and coordinating all the threshold and running economy. from better coordinated movement
relevant muscles. Paula Radcliffe became world patterns and more efficient muscle
class and a world record holder recruitment, so stay relaxed and
You may expect all those intervals despite her VO2max slipping back maintain good form.
would do a terrific job of boosting a little. Her improvements came
the runners’ aerobic capacity, from a ferocious training regime You still have to push and work
VO2max, but there was almost no which developed her running hard but you need to know where
change. In fact, if anything their economy. the limits lie. Perhaps we should
VO2max declined very slightly. take a leaf out of Eliud Kipchoge’s
Their oxygen consumption looked If you’re a seasoned runner the book, who according to reports
like it hadn’t changed but the main benefit of interval training from Sweat Elite, would not max
speeds chosen were defined by comes from improvements in himself out in training but would
percentages of what was a new, running economy. Less experienced always appear to have that little bit
faster maximal aerobic speed. The runners or those who haven’t left. Perhaps that is what helped
test speeds were actually higher trained consistently or sufficiently him develop what must have been
than before yet they were using hard would still boost their aerobic phenomenal running economy to
the same amount of oxygen. This capacity. Jack Daniels’ popular help him smash the marathon world
implies that had they been tested book highlights the importance record.

9

PEOPLE

Taking aim

Herne Hill’s gifted, multi-eventing young, 15 year old athlete, Memphis Ayoade,
sets his targets and then runs them down, one by one…

Winter training combined event at Lea Valley. Then, in my first event
When I first heard about ‘winter training’ I was told I won by quite a margin, in a time of 7.48s, and in
the next I finished fourth, clocking 7.49, the whole
it was tough. I thought, ‘tough? I’m tougher’, how hard experience was good.
could it really be? I was curious because I wanted to
learn more and overcome the challenge. The outdoor season begins
I have only been doing athletics for 7 months, but
To begin with my coach, Anthony Mayhew, introduced after the hard winter training and the indoor season I
me and the rest of the group to basic routines like hill was feeling confident and optimistic and hoping the
runs, and laps of the park. Mentally it wasn’t hard, but training would pay off.
physically it was challenging because my body wasn’t My outdoor season began at the Tooting track with
in the shape to run, so I was struggling to begin with. In a high jump of 1.70m, which I wasn’t happy with, but
the next few weeks the work rate increased, challenging approaching the 200m I had a feeling I was going to
and pushing us. run a personal best and I did in 23.75s.
As it was a new season I decided to write down some
Day by day, week by week, I gradually got mentally targets to aim for, as a reminder to stay focused and
and physically stronger so I was able to increase the to see what sort of potential I might have. They were:
intensity, and every time I trained, I was running through high jump - current PB -1.80m / target 1.90m; 200m -
cramps and niggles as well as the mud and rain. current PB - 23.75s / target 22.9s; 400m, having never
run one before, so a target of sub 52s.
Indoor debut The next event was the Herne Hill Harriers club open
I was soon competing indoor for the first time at the meeting in March. I look forward to these but was
disappointed apart from setting a PB in the 100m of
SEAA Championships in January, and decided to enter 12.02.
the high jump. I was keen on competing indoor, but But next in April was our international meeting
nothing went right. My run up was off and I just could at Viterbo in Italy. I came 3rd in the high jump and
not execute. My coach and I took stock and prepared equalled my personal best then of 1.80m. In the relay
for the London indoor games and entered the 200m I the 300m leg and overhauled the first and second
and High jump. This time my high jump improved and placed runners 10 and 20 metres ahead of me for our
my final attempt was 1.75m and I was starting to like team to win the heat. To keep on track with my targets
my new run up. In the 200m I ran what was then a I put in extra work on off days to stay fit or benefit my
personal best of 23.82 seconds. form.
A week after Italy I was competing at the Kinnaird
Next came the Indoor Nationals held at the English Sward Trophy Competition at Kings Meadow and ran
institute of sport in Sheffield. Going into competition
I was having mixed emotions. Optimistic? Yes. But, I
didn’t know what to expect because I had never run
a 60m race competitively other than during a 2 day

10

Memphis, standing in the centre, 11
with the Herne Hill youth relay squad

PEOPLE

a personal best of 23.30s in the 200m, which left me
buzzing with excitement.

After my first ever pentathlon, in Essex, in which I
took home the silver medal, I won another first for me,
a 400m in 54.4s, running from lane eight keeping the
other runners behind me the whole way.

The targets tumble opportunity always a honour to represent HHH.’
Then it was time for the next Herne Hill open meeting Although I was injured going into the competition, Mr
Knight asked me if I would like to fulfil the role of team
in May, in which I matched my high jump best, and Captain, saying it was okay if I needed time to think
with a flying home straight in the 200m hit my target of about it. But I didn’t need time, I said yes I would like to
the season by running 22.98s. I was happy, but not as be the team Captain. It was a privilege being able to be
much as I expected, because deep down I knew I could the youngest Captain and youngest competitor.
go faster, but said to myself that I have had to work and
pray hard to get this far. Next, at the South East Schools I ran another best in
the 400m of 51.4, and set several bests in the throwing
At the Surrey County Championships I set a personal events. Then came the next club open meeting and I
best of 1.85m on my last jump of the day, just missing a wanted to become the 200m champion. It was the only
medal on count-back. Then came another best, in only race I entered.
my second 400m, with a time of 52.25 in the heats.
In the final I went one step further finishing third with At the start line I was hungry and motivated, and one
a new best of 51.84s. Another target achieved. I felt of the youngest in the race but it didn’t put me off or
humble, grateful and blessed to see what the future my change my game plan. I came off the bend in line with
hold. all my opponents, but then I think my 400m speed
endurance kicked- in. I crossed the line first with a new
A few days later Steve Knight told me I would be best of 22.7s, my chest with joy, praised the Lord and
representing the club at a Southern Athletics League shook all my opponents’ hands.
Competition. I said, ‘Thank you Mr Knight for the
At the Under 17 Southern 8 Counties match I got
selected for the 400m and felt confident. Two hundred
metres into the race into the race I still felt strong so
pushed earlier than normal. I started to tire with no one
to push but won in a new personal best time off 51.16s.
It’s been a good season. Now, back to that winter
training, and those hills.

12

PEOPLE

Back on Common ground
with eyes on a prize

Red & Black catches up with Herne Hill’s Katie Snowden and it’s all change in
preparation for major championships in 2019

R&B: What were you hoping for last season? for World Champs in Doha. I also hope to revise
Katie: I was hoping to make the team for the European my personal bests over both 800m and 1500m.
I have now relocated back home to London
Champs even though I recognised that this after a number of years living and training in
would be a tall order with the very high standard Loughborough, so I am looking forward to a
of 1500m running at the moment in the UK. I change in my setup and having a different
also wanted to consolidate the leap forward I’d training environment.
made last year and improve my personal bests, It will also be very nice to see more of the Herne
as well as gaining more experience racing at a Hill group who are always so supportive, and I
high level. look forward to racing for the club this winter in
R&B: How do you think it went? some of the XC relays and Surrey League.
Katie: I was pleased with the start of the year as
I was a British indoor silver medallist and
Commonwealth finalist, however, overall I think
the summer was disappointing. I finished 4th
for the second year running at British Champs,
resulting in not making the team for Euros.
I also just missed out on personal bests over
both 800m and 1500m, which was a bit
surprising when training had gone well, but
sometimes these things happen. I did however
consistently run faster times on average
compared to last year, particularly over 800m
where I ran three of my quickest times ever,
fractionally outside my PB, and off little speed
work, so that is a positive and hopefully a sign
that I will make good progress next year, and
the training has not been wasted.
I was also really pleased to finish 4th at the
Birmingham Diamond League running a good
PB over 1km in a quality field.
R&B: What are you aiming for next year?
Katie: N ext year my main aims for the outdoor season
will be to medal at British Champs and qualify

13

PEOPLE

Who runs the

world?

Herne Hill’s Geoff Jerwood reports on his best season yet as a coach,
in which senior women athletes in particular have hit the heights…

When I was asked to write ‘a few lines’ behalf of Georgie Grgec, even if she may not
on my favourite performances of the have fully realised until a few minutes before her
summer from among the athletes race, when I told her the pace that was being set
associated with me and with our training group, by the male athlete I’d asked her to stick with,
it was impossible to narrow down to just one or for as long as either he, or she, could maintain
two, so I went for more, while still being very it. This was Fast Friday, a highly recommended
selective. These are in chronological order rather night of 5000m races at the unlikely venue of
than by rank. But, I may get splinters from this Walthamstow. It was a hot evening in late June,
fence I am sitting on… but Georgie is from New Zealand, so there
was no problem, and I reckoned a substantial
Over the first weekend in June was my personal best was possible. It turned out a HHH
superstar Aussie, wannabee Olympian, Chloe club women’s record, was also up for grabs, one
Tighe. Remote coaching can bear fruit even previously held by another of my athletes Stacey
from one side of the world to the other, and my Ward. Georgie was on pace until the 4th km,
guidance of Chloe to an Australian Championship drifted a tad but then rallied superbly to finish in
1500m bronze medal and an HHH club women’s 16.18.89 to set a new mark by around a second
3000m record in February and March, were (sorry Stace!).
followed by an outstanding and lucrative victory
– 6,000 Aussie dollars – in the highly prestigious Into August and another night of 5000m races,
Leonora Golden Gift Elite road mile race. This but this time it was with much cooler and wetter
was for me our best so far, and to beat a double weather at Milton Keynes. I was delighted to see
Olympian athlete and race favourite Madeline Stacey’s return, after having missed the whole of
Hills with a beautifully timed finish, was as much 2017 injured and then spent 6 months or more
a testimony to the self-belief I was able to transfer of marathon training, which regardless of results
to Chloe as to the key sessions transmitted via had the effect of restoring good running volume.
Facebook Messenger. For the record, Chloe We figured we didn’t have enough speed work
clocked 4.39.90 for a win by a margin of 0.61 of or track races to challenge Georgie’s new record,
a second, but the time was unimportant, this was but I was nevertheless looking for a good quality
a significant race win. run in what was a strong women’s only field. It
was windy as well as wet and Stacey attacked
At the end of June came an effort from another to the extent that she covered the first 3000m
Antipodean born woman, and one I targeted on

14

PEOPLE

close to her season’s best, and was excitingly than Fiona, adding to the degree of difficulty.
lying 6th with 5 laps remaining. As with Georgie, We had prepared well and I had unshakeable
during the 4th km some time was lost, but a
strong finish brought home what I felt was a very belief, a conviction that said if Fiona was on
gratifying 16.30.39 in 9th place, beating several the start line for her final, feeling good enough
women who were faster on paper. to go, and then executed a strong first lap and
kept pushing, not even her 2.09 opponent would
One week later there was a very busy Saturday. live with her, and so it proved. What I didn’t
I went to the Birmingham Diamond League anticipate, however, was a victory margin of three
meet to support Katie Snowden, during a period clear seconds. I admit to being a little surprised
when she was running sessions with some at how evenly paced her race was run, with a first
of our group, having left her previous base In lap just inside 65 seconds, and second lap only
Loughborough to move home to London. Katie just outside 65.
produced probably her best race of a quite
difficult summer, and in a high-level race against As with Chloe earlier in the year, it was
international opposition. Katie was in the mix extremely satisfying to see such a big
throughout the race and placed an excellent 4th improvement on the rest of the season’s times
in a new HHH club women’s record of 2.35.54, – 1.6 seconds up on her next fastest - happen
defeating some good athletes, including finishing on the day when it mattered the most, and
ahead of one who had made the GB team for the when the performance was planned for. The
European 1500m. phrases ‘World Champion Athlete’, and ‘World
Champion Coach’ had a lovely ring to them after
On the same day in Manchester, two of Katie’s the enormity of it all sank in. The quality of our
new temporary Tooting training mates, Andrew preparation was further highlighted by the rest of
Clarke and Andrew Warburton, found themselves the week in Malaga, as Fiona went on to place a
in the same BMC Grand Prix 1500m race as close 4th in her 400m final, recording personal
Mike Cummings, who, like Katie, was a founder bests in both semi-final (58.46) and final
member of our group back in 2011. It was the (58.22), and then an exceptional 1500m silver
usual tough, strength-in-depth C race. Mike medal in 4.37.44, which like her 800m time, was
placed 8th and Andrew Clarke was just ahead of the second quickest of her life over the distance
Andrew Warburton in 11th and 12th respectively, and with a very fast finish that she pulled out of
but here times were of the essence, as Mike a hat.
was just a tenth of a second outside his PB with
3.53.99, while the two Andrews pushed each I shall of course praise all of the athletes I
other to person bests of 3.57.17 and 3.58.12, coach, advise, or who train in our group. Sarah
which left me ruing not attempting to get from Grover is another who has made great progress
Birmingham to Manchester to witness a top race. this summer in her first year with me, especially
her 1500m time, and she also has a great
Then came Malaga in September and the attitude to her training and racing. And, it was
World Masters Championship where my athlete, very exciting to see another founder member
Fiona de Mauny (see Fiona’s account in this of our group who now trains elsewhere, Lewis
edition), was targeting at least a medal, with Lloyd, run an excellent 1500m PB of 3.43.87 at
a good chance of gold in the W35 800m. a BMC race at Watford, with a very positive run.
Although Fiona herself turned 35 in February, I could go on, but I’m already probably delaying
her strongest opponent was also her youngest – a the magazine publication and taking up far more
Spanish local who was quite literally as young as space than I should, so I shall stop here with
you can be for these championships, her birthday massive thanks to every single athlete with whom
having been on the day the competition had I have the privilege to be associated for the most
kicked off, a woman with a faster season’s best satisfying year so far as a collective unit.

15

CROAUCNHDN-UOPTES

COACH’S NOTES

Herne Hill’s coaches pick out performances from a glittering

season that impressed them for many different reasons…

STEVE KNIGHT WAYNE VINTON

So many things have My highlight has been
been pleasing since the another injury rehabilitation
last edition of Red&Black. story this season. My highlights
My training group has been include the extraordinary efforts
so tremendously supportive of one I witnessed from Charlotte Alexander
another. They have worked so hard each week to achieve her goal of competing at the European
and an amazing number have been rewarded U18 Championships this Summer. Charlotte had
with personal bests across the summer months. been too young at 15 years old to compete at the
One of our number, Lara Langston, won a Commonwealth U18 Championships in 2017 so
medal in a Great Britain vest competing in an Gyor was her major goal. Hampered by a foot
International Duathlon. Our faster ladies continue injury sustained at the National Road Relays,
to improve and have raced for the club over the she missed four months running and did not
summer on a regular basis. Our numbers on a return to track training until early April. Charlotte
Tuesday have averaged over 30, which means we who is very academic, had the added burden
must be doing something right at the introductory of a dozen GCSE’s to contend with, leaving her
and club level of training. This is an exciting time disappointed with early racing. However, she was
– I anticipate some quantum leaps forward for flying in training by late May and once her exams
those who complete a full winter of training and were completed, Charlotte set a new 1500m
racing. PB in winning Surrey Schools. She went to the
National U20 3000m Championships needing to
Away from my training group, I was delighted both beat the UKA qualifying time and her major
with the willingness of Memphis Ayoade (read rivals, whom she had not raced during 2018 in
about Memphis’s season in his own words in a ‘winner takes all’ race. Charlotte delivered at
this edition) and Joyce Kalombo to accept the Bedford, racing away from all her main rivals
captaincy for the ladies’ and the men’s Southern in the last 800m to finish 4th as an U17, easily
Athletics League team. They proved invaluable inside the qualifying time and not far behind
in terms of generating energy on the days of her personal best. On the basis of her Bedford
competition. Their contribution can only expand performance, Charlotte was selected to represent
as they grow into the roles. Team GB at the U18 European Championships.
She was one of only 16 women across all events.

16

COACH NOTES

STEVE BOSELY ANTHONY SOALLA BELL

Winning our division and My nomination for thrower of
gaining promotion in the Youth the year is Kai Broadbent in the
Development League this summer U15 Boys Shot Putt. His record
has been my highlight of the this year included winning: the
summer. Going into the season I wasn’t SEAA Indoor Champs, the London
sure how strong our U13 / 15 boys and girls Games, the Surrey Indoor Champs, the Hercules
team would be, but we had two wins and two Wimbledon Young Athletes Meeting, the Surrey
third places to win the division, which means Outdoor Champs, the London Schools Champs,
next summer we will be competing against the and he was fifth at the ESAA English Schools’
top teams in the country - a superb effort from Champs, fifth at the England Athletics U15 / U17
the athletes, coaches and officials involved with Champs, and third at the South of England AA
the team, especially as the matches were so U15 / U17 Champs.
close that every point was crucial.

GLEN KEEGAN

The highlight of my season was
not of one our athletes winning
medals in a major competition,
but rather an example of week after
week of hard work producing results.
When Laura Miles started training with us on a
Tuesday evening she could not stay in contact
with the back of the pack. I see lots of runners
in this situation give up, and we don't see them
at the track again. But Laura persevered, and
slowly improved, and my highlight was when, two
weeks ago, she led the pack out for a rep and no
one passed her . . .

17

PEOPLE

There will be mud...

Katie Kedward on the great cross country debate reveals that 60 percent of
Herne Hill athletes favour equalising cross country distances for
men and women with 25 percent opposed

As the leaves turn ever browner and the spurred fruity debates on Facebook groups such
ground gets mushier, runners up and as ‘I Was Or Am A Runner’. Those in favour of
down the country are hurriedly locating equalisation feel the structure of cross country
mud-encrusted spikes ahead of their first cross needs to reflect the 21st century values of
country matches of the winter season. Whilst equality and empowering women – especially in
some aspects of cross country seem not have order to signal to younger generations that the
changed for aeons (elbow battles at the starting women’s race is not just the “side event”.
gun, stern officials with clipboards, the incline
of Parliament Hill), over recent years there has Those who take issue with equalisation are
been an increasing number of voices protesting not necessarily in disagreement with such
about the continued inequality between sentiments, but instead are questioning from a
the distances run by men and women. The more nuanced perspective. Some have pointed
difference can vary across the country: Surrey out that men and women run 8 km /12 km
women run 8km at the county championships and 6km / 8km in roughly equal times, thereby
compared to the men’s 12km, whilst at the already showing an equality of sorts in terms of
Southern championships the difference in effort raced. Others question the assumption that
distance is almost double, 8km for women and the women’s race should be increased instead
15km for men. of decreasing the men’s. Under the current
women’s distances, both marathoners and milers
Yet equalisation of the race distances has are fair game for the win – why take away that
proved itself to be a contentious issue, and has excitement the argument goes?

Photo – Chris de Mauny

18

PEOPLE

I decided to put the question to “I believe that women are more than capable of
Herne Hill Harriers’ community of running the same cross country distance as men. The
runners to get a better sense of Red
and Black thoughts on the matter. In fact that marathon distances and track events are
response to my online survey (in which equal for men and women suggests that there is no
28 participated, equal numbers of reason why women wouldn’t be able to race the same
men and women), 60 percent were in distance in cross country. Perhaps the main overriding
favour for equalisation, with 25 percent issue is that not all women will want to race further
against and 15 percent undecided. distances, and this would reduce the numbers racing.”
Assuming distances were to be
equalised, the most popular solution Ella Newton
chosen by HHH runners was for men
to run a bit less and women to run a “I’m definitely for keeping the distance as it is, as I
bit more, with the new equal distance think the current distance brings together middle-
‘meeting in the middle’. The second distance and long-distance runners perfectly for a
preferred solution was to bring back a well-matched battle. A longer course would, in my
long course and a short course option
for both men and women. opinion, bias longer-distance athletes too much.”
Stacey Ward
With both the IAAF World XC
Championships and the UK Inter- “Athletics is often behind the times and the disparity
Counties already having equalised in distances feels like a relic. There is parity on the
distances to 10km for both men
and women (from 12km and 8km track and the road; perhaps it's time for cross country
respectively), it certainly looks like the to catch up. But of course it should be up to those
move towards equalisation of some
sort is well underway. As a runner who competing in these events to decide, and the last thing
much prefers to run two laps of the red female athletes need, are patronising male voices
oval, I guess I shall just have to put my piping up and telling them how long their
trainers on and get some more hilly, races should be.”
muddy miles under my belt… wish Andrew Clarke
me luck!
“Fact: women are far suited to longer distances than
men. I think men and women need to run in the same
XC races. This would improve endurance and quality
for both. How are we to compete with the best in the

world if we do not challenge ourselves?”
Sarah Allen

19

PEOPLE

The great cross

country debate

Fiona de Mauny gives the perspective of a middle distance runner

Ido not believe that there is any imperative gone. Having raced cross country events from
to change women’s cross-country races to two miles to five miles in my recent career, it is
match the distances run by the men unless the evident that at the farther end of the spectrum,
women involved actually want to. There are two it is suddenly the road runners who dominate,
main reasons: ‘further must be better’ and ‘what whereas at the shorter end (in the three to four
the men are doing must be better’ in my opinion mile range), both track and road athletes appear
are fallacies. I also think it is wrong for league or to be able to compete.
race organisers to increase the distance against
the wishes of their participants (or without Again from my personal perspective, if all races
asking) simply because they have some notion were to increase in length, my ability to compete,
that they should force equality where it may not to really race, rather than just participate, would
be desired. effectively be gone. I, and I suspect many like
me, would likely seek alternative winter racing
The further the better? such as the indoor track season. In my opinion
Cross country is the winter racing that brings this would harm the spectacle and damage the
intensity of racing for those who remain with
athletes from both a track and road background cross country. Such an effect is obviously not
together. It is a common ‘winter training’ focus for limited to women. However, with the men, it
both types of runner. One of the best things about appears that the distance where the disparity
cross country racing is that marathon runners between track and road athletes becomes
and 800m runners can race against each other, apparent is further, presumably in part because
bringing different strengths to bear, and working it takes men less time to run a given distance,
on their comparative weaknesses. I come from and therefore the middle distance athletes can
the 800m end of the spectrum, and therefore compete with the long distance athletes for
from my perspective, the shorter the better. greater distances than is the case for women,
but also because the depth of competition at
My personal experience has taught me that the ‘sharp’ end is greater so the disparity is
the 5 mile races we have in the second half of less evident to the observer. Of course, there
the Surrey League season are at the very limit, if is also no imperative for all races in a series
not somewhat past it, of my ability to ‘race’ the (e.g. leagues or the Cross Challenge) to be the
distance. Whilst having others for company during same distance - a variety over the season may
what effectively becomes a training run helps make for greater competition and this could be
lighten the load, the interest and excitement is

20

considered for women and / or for men, if either What do the athletes think?
were in favour. Those of us that come from a Therefore, the question should probably be
track background are well aware that longer
is certainly not always better. In fact, the most asked of the women competing, whether the
exciting races are often the shortest ones. distance should be kept as it is, made longer or
made shorter. This should not be with reference
The men must be right? to what the men are doing because, how is that
Surely, in a perfect, non-biased world, even relevant? Likewise, the men could be asked
the same questions. And the majority of answers
the distance run by men and women, if not may be wildly different, or may be the same,
competing in the same race, would be whatever between the men’s and women’s responses.
the field of athletes choose. In Surrey, this Then league and race directors are at liberty
is actually the case, because the men’s and to choose. I understand this is effectively what
women’s leagues are administered separately. has happened at, for example, the Met League,
The men run around 5miles for all races, whilst who are coming under enormous criticism, but
for the women, the first two races are slightly who t ook a vote from club reps at their AGM
shorter at around 4miles. I am told this is (who were to take a poll from their teams) on
because when it was proposed historically that whether to increase distances. Contrast this
distances could be increased in line with the with the UK Athletics - County Athletics Union
Championship distance, the feedback to team allegedly putting pressure on county associations
managers was that many of their athletes would to change their distances. No pressure should
like to retain the shorter races: a compromise be brought to bear: associations should canvass
was struck. My first observation is that the their members and decide their own way forward
overwhelming appeal amongst those striving for on the basis of that. Both the Met League’s vote
‘equality’ appears to be, ‘why can’t the women and the results of the English Cross Country
run as far as the men’? The assumption that since Association survey, show that there may be
the men are doing it, the women should be doing majority views amongst certain female racers for
it, is so far contrary to the very nature of gender retaining the existing distances. Of course if in
equality that it makes my head hurt. Equality some leagues the participants wish to change,
demands women can choose for themselves, not that is entirely up to them but where they do not,
that they should follow what the men do. it should not be forced upon them.

21

LEARNING

Why did the
runner catch

a cold?

And other bad jokes

Oranges are good and space travel is bad, Jack Dickenson
gets to grips with the snivelling reality of winter training

If you go down to Tooting Common at some relevant to us on the Common?
time between 7:15 and 8pm on a winter Tuesday, Intense exercise is a physical stress. This goes
chances are you’ll hear a range of sounds.
Amongst them will be the noise of 20 odd pairs without saying – the pain alone is testimony to
of feet pounding the path, tired lungs sucking in this. It makes sense, therefore, that our bodies
air, and of course the ubiquitous sound of Geoff treat it as such. So, like any stress, our bodies
Jerwood’s whistle. You might also hear a few have developed a response to it, and it is this
coughs and sniffles in between reps as runners response which leaves us more open to attack by
savour their few seconds of rest. viruses and bacteria.

The sound of snivelling runners is what drew Amongst the myriad benefits of exercise, one
the attention of David Nieman, scientist, very bonus is that moderate effort can exert an anti-
handy 2:37 marathoner and flu-sufferer. Having inflammatory effect, thought to have evolved as
fallen ill in the midst of his training regime, a sort of cleansing mechanism to remove any
Nieman set up a pioneering study within the low level inflammation. Generally this is a good
1987 LA Marathon, starting years of research into thing, since inflammation, particularly the chronic
how training affects our immune systems. Two variety, is a component of many pathological
thousand runners seemed to prove him right, processes.
as 13 percent of them fell ill in the week after
the race, compared to 2 percent of the general However, inflammation is also sometimes
population. But how, and why, is this study required, because it brings the white blood
cells and nutrients that we need to repair injury
and defend against infection. Therefore, when

22

we repeatedly push our bodies to the limit, this LEARNING
suppression can leave us vulnerable. It can
happen either acutely, following particularly 23
intense cardiovascular exertion such as a
marathon (as Nieman showed in LA), or more
long term during a sustained hard training period.

The main way this is mediated is through the
action of molecules called cytokines, which
basically send signals to other cells and affect
their behaviour. One of them, interleukin 6, is
produced during exercise, and not only switches
off inflammatory cytokines and promotes anti-
inflammatory ones, but also stimulates the release
of a hormone called cortisol. Known as the ‘stress
hormone’, it’s the natural form of the medication
hydrocortisone and generally helps us respond to
stress.

It does this by raising our blood sugar, aiding
metabolism and suppressing the immune system.
The longer and more intense a workout, the more
interleukin 6 produced. Effects of this include
suppression of neutrophils, our main pathogen-
eating cells, along with a decrease in the amount
of antibodies in our saliva and a reduction in
protection in the airways. Unsurprisingly, this
is ideal for the many bacteria and viruses we
encounter – with fewer defences, they can
colonise and cause the symptoms we know all too
well: runny nose, sneezing, coughing and so on.

Practically, what does this mean? The benefits
of exercise far outweigh this negatives, and it’s
probably a fairly high level of exertion which is
needed to cause problems. Since we know the
cause, we can avoid any issues by fairly simple
stuff. Immune problems are compounded by
improper nutrition and psychological stress (sorry
for all you working in the city), so it’s important
to eat a balanced diet, keep stress to a minimum
and get enough sleep. Orange segments’ curative
powers have also been proven – a study focused
on the Comrades ultramarathon showed that
vitamin C can reduce post-race infection risk.
Since immunosuppression can also result from
heart attacks, trauma, burns and space travel,
probably try and avoid these in your marathon
build up too!.

24

FEATURE

The First Tooting

Commonwealth Games

Julia Wedmore wonders how she ended-up helping to establish a new landmark event
that included competitively running backwards round a tree…

“Sure, I’ll help organise a summer social,” I of the speedier events. And the vets among us brought
casually agreed, forgetting that the editor of their vintage kit out of nowhere and outdid themselves
this magazine doesn’t do things by halves. on the catwalk. But athlete of the match must go to
Next thing I know I’m in a packed pub after training Helena Corbin who frankly embarrassed the boys with
where everyone is watching the World Cup quarter both her running and pint downing abilities in the beer
finals. But we had no time for football. We had an and chocolate milk mile.
important meeting to dream up events for the first ever
Tooting Commonwealth Games. (It took me several The closing ceremony of the Tooting Commonwealth
weeks to work out the quite simple pun in the title...) Games was, of course, held in the Rose and Crown.
There was a full debrief of events, and subsequent
The excuse for the social was the 70th anniversary of shredding of our applications to become guide runners,
London’s 1948 ‘Austerity Olympics’, not that the Herne after some interesting teamwork in the running blind
Hill middle distance groups need a special reason to be event. We know where our strengths lie, and so got on
competitive. with some crucial training for next year’s beer mile. All
traditions begin somewhere and it felt like we had just
First up, the backwards running race. Katie Kedward’s created a new one.
unorthodox running style (which I can only assume
was modelled on a baby giraffe she once saw running Commonwealth Games medallists: Running backwards round a tree - Katie Kedward,
backwards) clinched the victory, after a controversial Tug-of-peace - Simon Messenger, On Ya Head - Natasha Lodge, Beer & chocolate milk
disqualification for course boundary infringement at the mile - Helena Corbin, Best retro sports attire - Dan Hallam, Battle of the quads - Glen
finish line left a leading, male middle distance runner Keegan, Running blind - Gavern Newsum & Matt Cartwright , Quoits - Simon Messenger,
out of a medal and ‘gutted’. Yes, the games may have The Austerity Race - Matt Cartwright
been meant to be fun, but we had bespoke medals up
for grabs, so athletes were going to have to play by the
rules. And, to help ensure that, the organising committee
(aka Andrew Simms & Julia Wedmore) appointed the
most rules-based man it knew, former club coach Mark
White, to both award medals and oversee proper track
craft.

The parched ground of Tooting Common was fittingly
reminiscent of the cinder tracks that athletes in 1948
would have been used to. Although we had hot sun and
they famously trudged through deluges of rain – images
of a pain wracked and mud splattered Emil Zatopek
became synonymous with the event. So a special
commendation goes to Dan Hallam, who needed some
post-race medical attention after he mistook the dry
ground for desert-like softness, and ran barefoot in one

25

PEOPLE

Dash for the
border

Pippa Messenger provides a picture guide to everything that running with
Herne Hill has given her, before sprinting out of Brexit Britain

Brighton Marathon - one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but the Racing at the track with other Harriers cheering me (and vice versa)
camaraderie of teammates cheering from the side and within the race, around each lap
and crossing the finish line with my training partner, was unforgettable

Helen’s Hen Run - some of the most fun I’ve ever had running and Parkrun takeover pacing duties - the number of people who approached us
definitely the most I’ve laughed whilst running and thanked us for helping was lovely

26

PEOPLE

The benefits to your running that joining a club can have are well documented, from the structured training
provided by a coach, to the group effect (how is it easier to run fast in a group than on your own) and the
opportunity to race in different environments.
But these, controversially perhaps, are not the main reason why I joined Herne Hill Harriers and not the main
reason why I keep coming back week after week. My main reason for joining, and what has kept me coming back
is friendship: the chance to make friends and to see those friends whilst doing something that I enjoy. Herne Hill
Harriers has been the conduit for me to making some of my best friends in London.

And they have provided me with so many more benefits to my running than the mundane. Whether or not you
could say they are iconic I’ll list them iconically…

When things aren’t going as right as you might want they provide encouragement and a listening ear
whether it’s a running, work or personal related issue.

They provide hilarious stories that distract from the difficulty of a hard session or a long training run.

They provide solidarity when the weather is awful and you know you have to run in the sleet, wind
and freezing temperatures or come with you for those horrible early morning runs when you are not a
morning person.

They provide new running routes, which may then take you on a run longer than you have ever run
before but they do this because they have confidence in your abilities, more than you might have.

They provide tea and cake at the end of a long run when you’ve just run further or faster than you’ve
ever run before and check to make sure you get home ok after said long run means your legs are all
wobbly.

They encourage you to race, partly in solidarity, but also because they know it’s ‘fun’/good for you!

They can give you advice, as with the many people in the club there is always someone who has done
it before (whether it is an injury issue, a race or training or nutrition)

They provide so much laughter and joy through shared experiences

Some provide targets to achieve, whilst others chase you from behind to keep you pushing that bit
harder and even the confidence that you can achieve more.

Many are inspirational such as those that have run through pregnancy (and are yet still faster than me),
many have overcome injuries, others achieve massive personal goals and some have performed at the
top levels of sport and shown what hard work (and perhaps more talent than I possess) brings.

Unfortunately September 2018 brought about the end of my Herne Hill running career (at least for now), as we
move to the foreign lands (well, we take the Eurostar two hours away from London) of cheese and wine that is
Paris. The Harriers have given me friends who share my love of running and put up with my rubbish chat, as well
as gifting me so many lovely memories, and I am very sorry to leave them behind as we move, but hopefully they
will be friends for life!

27

COLUMN

The London Running Diary of Sven Fartlek, visiting Scandinavian athlete

Skogstokig

SVEN Sven surfs the trend for running wild and free in the rough earth. I have come to love this place
FARTLEK nature where I do not read books, or wørry about the world
or other people’s opinions, where the only context I
I run from the Bedfjörd towards Tøøting Commön, have to fit into is my size 13 barefoot trainers. Söuth
see the mountains of Streåthamfjällen in the Løndon is some kind of paradise.
distance, tripping through tree roots and striding
across the barren plateau towards the great lake, But øddly I cannot relax. Passing Lidofjord are
where occasional, lonely men in camouflage camp strange seal like creatures who emerge from the
and dangle string into the water. water to run as I do, then mount machines that
allow them to go even faster. In the twilight other
The sun is overhead and everything seems tribes of fluorescent clad runners emerge and run
quite simple in this wilderness. I have no hunger, backwards and forwards as if they are not sure
the temperature is økay and at this time of year which direction they should be going. Once a week
the more dangerous beasts are still sleeping or in the mørning hundreds more suddenly appear
preparing for hibernation. But still I have no peace. to run three times in a sort of circle, as if engaged
I run down Chestnütless valley and have the urge in some unexplained pagan ritual to ward off evil.
to climb one of the mighty trees, but they are gone. And a strange, invisible god that calls itself Thămes
Instead I must pick my way through the herds of Wåter is randomly digging-up and fencing-in the
small døgs, hurdling the little rööfdogs that now very earth over which I run. I fear for my beloved
roam wild, unleashed by settlers generations ago Tøøting Commön, look to the cloud-dappled skies
from the now abandoned hamlet of Hjĕrne Hjill. for guidance, and run back towards the longhouse
on Bedfjørd Hjill.
Here I find my peace, there is only the sound of
lost lime green tundra birds in flight and the distant
wail of the ïjs kreme văn as it comes and goes over

28

Striding COLUMN
out…
#Sportivation
Sarah Allen has a quick word of
advice on why runners need strides Highlights from the social media
account of the interweb’s leading
What is a stride? source of sports-based motivational
A stride is a one hundred metre acceleration. popular philosophy

A runner starts with a jog and increases to 95 #When the going gets tough, things do actually get
percent of their maximum speed. They then harder
gradually slow to a stop. One stride takes about
20-30 seconds. #Seize the day even though time is a malleable,
abstract concept not prone to holding like a relay
Generally, you will see Herne Hill runners baton
taking their strides around two laps of the track
after an initial, slow warm-up jog. Typically, on a #If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, or intend to
Tuesday four sets of strides would be run with a ask lots of annoying last minute questions
recovery jog of 100m between each effort.
#You’ve got this! (unless you left it on the kitchen
When to stride? table before leaving home)
You should always do strides before a track or
#Runderful! – how you’re supposed to feel after
grass session or a race. Strides prepare the body training
to run faster. They serve as a transition from
warm-up to sustained hard running and help to #Chunderful! – how you actually feel after training
prevent injury.
#Runch – what you feel coming up after your last
Why to stride? rep
Strides loosen up the body after a warm-up,
#The real purpose of running isn’t to win a race,
which is especially important for the older runner but to test the limits of the human heart (within
and for beginners who are learning how to run in reasonable reach of a working defibrillator)
a biomechanically efficient way.
#It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s
whether you get up (and if anyone is watching
when you get your own back)

#Good is not good when better is worse than best
but excellence is normal when hard is average
and winning means being beyond second

29

PEOPLE

IRONWOMAN
Sue Swaine finds herself with more than enough reasons to
push herself to do unreasonable things

July 29th, the Outlaw Triathlon, Holme warm weather riding. And for the next 8 months
Pierrepont, Nottingham. A mere 2.4 mile everything I did was with this race in mind.
lake swim, 112 mile cycle, topped off with a Completing the Brighton marathon in April made
marathon 26.2 mile run. me question whether it was really possible. I
definitely had ‘the fear’ – being genuinely scared
Why? To tick it off, do one once, the next step I wouldn’t finish, which meant I dare not miss
beyond half ironman. Also, to see if I could do it, a training session either. I also had doubts; I’ve
how far can I push myself. To be able to train for suffered loads of injuries over the last 5 years,
as long and hard as I could with a specific target. could my body hold up to the training? Would I
The structure of training. I might be good at it (I even make the start line?
also might be terrible).
So after months of training, long rides and long
Training started on the 1st January, arriving runs in scorching temperatures, the day arrived...
in sunny and windy Lanzarote for a week of

30

“I definitely PEOPLE

had ‘the fear’” could not cope with telling myself I had 26miles
to run. The first goal was to get around the first
with gales and drizzle, later to become driving lap of the lake, take on a caffeine gel, wave to
rain. No bother, at least it’s not 30 degrees. mum and dad and look like I’m okay. Then it was
But, at race briefing the day before, the tents get to half way without stopping. Tick. A 1 hour
are being secured with additional ropes and the 40 half marathon. Oops, I’m going to pay for this.
swim course is changed to avoid the choppiest From mile 14 onwards I allowed a few metres
parts of the lake. Yet, on race day morning the walking at every aid station. Again, the support
nerves were surprisingly calm. I was ready for was fantastic all around the course, including
this and just wanted to get racing. I’d done the from other athletes.
hard graft and was injury free.
It really started to hurt with about 8 miles to go.
The swim start was more brutal than I had But I knew I could do it by then so behind the
even anticipated with around 1,400 competitors pain and grimacing I could still manage a smile.
all starting together. But after some elbowing, And I was passing people, lots of people, they
and feet in faces for the first few hundred metres, were suffering more than me. I’m not sorry to
I managed to find clear water and settle into my admit - that felt good.
pace. With the course now 3 laps with a run
across the pier between each lap it flew by and I At around 22miles I saw Father Christmas.
exited the water as 2nd woman in 55 minute 11 I must be delirious. I hope I can still finish, I
seconds. should probably take on some sugar. On the last
lap of the lake, there he is again, this time playing
One of the unusual things about Outlaw was ‘I wish it could be Christmas everyday’ on his
the ‘strippers’ in the first transition...there were ghetto blaster. Another athlete comments that it’s
volunteers helping to strip off our wetsuits. only July and I realise I’m not imagining it. And I
Interesting. only had 2 miles to go.

So wetsuit stripped, arm-warmers on (why The finish came as it always does. No other
didn’t I put on a waterproof jacket?), heading race finish has ever compared to this one.
out onto the bike course, it was soon clear this Not just the end of a really long day but the
wasn’t going to be a fast riding day. Slippy wet accumulation of 8 months of training, hours
roads, head winds, cross winds, toilet stops (yes, and hours of swim-bike-run. Going home early
multiple)... and forcing down soggy bites of Cliff on nights out, early mornings on weekends and
bars (other energy bars are available), when before work, eating, eating and more eating
not feeling in the slightest bit like eating. There (alright it wasn’t all bad).
were great aid stations with amazingly cheerful
yet soaked volunteers from local triathon clubs, I finished with a marathon time of 3hr33, 2nd
and surprise, pop-up fans. Thanks to Sam and fastest female run of the day. My overall finishing
Bec, I had THE best supporters on the course time was 10hrs 54mins - under my 11 hour
(#smileyface). target. In 4th place and 2nd in my age group.

Towards the end of the bike ride I remember Post- ironman I underestimated how long
getting nervous... Had I gone too hard, I hadn’t recovery would take. The muscle soreness
taken on enough fuel, what if my running legs subsided within a few days, the neck chafing
just wouldn’t work, what if my hamstring hurt healed in a week, but the hunger, fatigue and
etc etc. I eased back a bit in the last 10 miles the constant tiredness lasted much longer. It
prepping for the run leg. was weird not to have a target to train for, weird
to have some spare time and no self-imposed
After 6hrs18 on the bike I returned to the ‘curfew’. In the build-up I said it would be my first
second transition in 10th place. A quick change and last. Now, I’m open-minded and although
and dry feet, and now the moment of truth. I’ve not entered another, it’s a possibility.
Amazing, yes, wahey...the legs can run!
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I broke the run down into sections. Mentally I

PEOPLE

When ONE discipline

is not enough

Lara Langston ponders on the strange rise of the Triathlon

The official hollers at us from the shoreline; a growing pile of lycra next to an ever-rotating
“move back behind the start line”. We washing machine and training on legs that are
all paddle back behind the invisible line about to file a motion for divorce from your
marked out between two buoys. Seventy women body. We have our low points. For me, it’s the
surround me, 1000m of churned up jellyfish occasional brutal open water swims where you
between us and the marina ramp exit. The wind feel like you might drown and the pre-race
blows the buoy over and it lands on two of the nerves that make me question why I keep signing
women on my left, my wetsuit is rubbing my up.
neck, my foot has just gone through something
that certainly felt like a jellyfish and my goggles So why do we do it, and why do we keep going
are steaming up so I can’t see. But on the start back? Here are just a few of the reasons that
line of a triathlon, you embrace it all. come to mind:

Invented in the early 1970’s, triathlon came The challenge: “Can I actually do this?” The
into being as an alternative to the intensity of variety of triathlon distances and events means
track racing in San Diego. The sport was featured that you can challenge yourself however your
in the 2000 Sydney Olympics; a nod towards see fit. Sue Swaine recently completed her first
expanding recognition and popularity. In fact, long-distance triathlon (3800m swim, 180km
triathlon is allegedly one of the quickest sports to bike, marathon distance run) and you can read
graduate to Olympic status from origin. Ranging her first-hand account in this magazine – the
from the lung busting sprint distance to the draw for her? Entering an event that she wasn’t
tough endurance distance ‘Ironman’ triathlons, actually sure she could finish and testing her
the continuous race consisting of swim-bike- run limits and boundaries. Triathlons can be quite
and two transitions is undoubtedly gripping. brutally unforgiving, but they teach you a lot
The growing popularity of triathlon has also about perseverance and dedication.
seen the introduction of a multitude of other
multisport events; duathlon (run-bike-run), The process: This year, after racing in
aquathlon (swim-run), Swimrun (swim-run-swim- Denmark, I realised that whilst I like racing, I love
run-and a bit more swim-run in a wetsuit and the process more and all of the social elements
trainers), aquabike (swim-bike)... arguably there’s of triathlon. Training for three disciplines has
something for everyone. resulted in membership of three local clubs and
exposure to so many different types of events
From the point of view of Herne Hill Harriers and racing that I would never otherwise have
who also consider ourselves to be triathletes, had. If I’d known about the friendships that I
we repeatedly sign up year after year. Triathlon would have forged through the clubs on the
certainty has its ‘good, bad and ugly’ moments. track, in muddy fields, on two wheels or at the
The bad and the ugly? The sport often involves end of the pool, I would have started triathlons
a serious questioning of sanity at some points, sooner. It took my partner a year of persuasion to
get me to try Herne Hill as part of my training. I

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definitely regret letting that stop me from joining the social element, or the camaraderie and
sooner. competition with those racing around you as
you push onto the final leg, there is something
In turn, I admit that I have had to learn to be quite addictive about them. Herne Hill Harriers
patient with competing in triathlons. Whilst we support a diverse array of multi-sport athletes,
move forward in one discipline, we might go reflective of the different options, lengths, and
backwards in another for a while, and no amount combinations under the multi-sport banner.
of cake will get our legs spinning any faster uphill
as our 10k running times come down. But it If I could pick one reason for dabbling in multi-
makes hitting those shorter-term goals all the sport, it would be linked to reflecting on the
more rewarding. chances I have had to race events I would never
have done without setting myself a challenge,
Breaking training down into smaller races is and the people I have met through them. Track,
also refreshing. It’s no secret there is a significant XC, Time Trials on the bike and open water
amount of faff, cost, kit and technology in races would not have happened without joining
triathlon. Showing up to a muddy field in the the clubs I train with, week in and week out. I
middle of winter with a pair of spikes is refreshing would probably still have been plodding up and
and simple. It’s the same with taking part in the down in the pool, staring at the black line on the
Rosenheim League, or the Southern Athletics bottom of the pool, without deciding to take the
League. Triathlon is best when engaging with plunge.
club life. Regular races as part of the process
keep you focused, mix up the training and allow 33
you to be fully immersed in the club, particularly
by pulling on the black and red vest. By their
nature triathlons can arguably be a little isolating
if going it alone.

Injury prevention: Perhaps one of the most
common responses. We have all been there.
Training is going well but something gives. The
benefit of three disciplines is the option to cross
train and being able to pick and choose training
sessions dependent on what suits at a particular
time. Non-weight bearing sports like swimming
are an instant ‘go to’ when something isn’t happy.
Mixing three disciplines not only helps injury
prevention, but it also helps avoid burn out with
training. If you don’t feel like cycling, it’s easy
to swap training days and head out for a run
instead or vice versa.

Race Day: Watching three disciplines come
together is an awesome feeling (albeit this doesn’t
always happen). When it does though, it makes all
the training worthwhile. And when disappointment
comes knocking – just like running events that
don’t go to plan - you learn to take the positives
from the negatives and move forward.

It’s easy to see why triathlon has risen in
popularity. Whether it’s the variety, the challenge,

COLUMN

Parkrun & the NHS
– mutual cause for

celebration?

They’re free at the point of use, good for your health and, contrary to mainstream
economic models, succeed to a very large degree because of the goodwill of those
involved, Jack Dickenson writes about the twin wonders of Parkrun and the NHS

Just a normal Saturday morning on Tooting Common: the love for the service and all it stands for. All in all,
birds tweeting, trees wafting in the summer breeze, dogs it was an amazing and fitting celebration of a unique
scampering around. Suddenly, as the clock strikes 9, the institution.
reverie is broken by a storm of runners – first a couple,
then the chasing pack of 10, then ever more people However, that celebration should be more than
streaming past – over 600 in all. just one way. As of April 2018, there have been
34,259,260 completed runs, a figure that will keep
A big national race? County Championships? No, just steadily increasing as Parkrun continues to expand.
the usual goings on at Parkrun, in a scene replicated This amounts to 166,738,961 km, or alternatively,
hundreds of times over around not only the country to the moon and back 433 times. These are frankly
but the world. The social phenomenon that is Parkrun, incredible numbers, but what is more incredible is the
which began in 2004 in Bushy Park, now spans 1451 demographic of those running them.
different venues, from Russia to Australia, Swaziland
to Malaysia. Almost 4.5 million people are signed up, A 2013 study of 7,308 parkrunners found that over
but those running on this day had an express purpose: a quarter of those registering described themselves
to celebrate the 70th birthday of the National Health as ‘non-runners’, with a further 26 percent calling
Service. themselves ‘occasional runners’. Almost half of those
non-runners were overweight or obese, over half were
In a campaign led by Dame Kelly Holmes, Parkrun female, and 61 percent were middle-aged or older
teamed up with the NHS to put on NHS themed adults. In other words, Parkrun had succeeded in
Parkruns across the country, celebrating the service’s targeting those groups who traditionally are the hardest
momentous milestone. At Tooting, our university to reach in terms of promoting positive activity.
athletics club coordinated a huge turnout of runners
from not only university staff & students but also hospital One of the biggest barriers to physical activity is
staff, joining forces with my club, the Herne Hill Harriers, socioeconomic status. Obesity as medically defined is
to provide pacers. not equally distributed among the population – over 10
percent more women in the lowest quintile of income
Blue and white balloons festooned the ‘world’s longest are obese compared to the highest. Gyms, which
finishing tunnel’ (according to event director Mark appear the obvious way of losing weight, are often
Shotton) as runners, kitted out in snazzy surgical caps simply unaffordable for those in lower socioeconomic
we provided, ran, jogged or walked their way 3 times groups, and the area in which one lives can strongly
round the mile loop. There was a real party atmosphere, dictate levels of activity – would you rather go for a run
with NHS staff filling the volunteer roster and spreading at night in a leafy town in Surrey or in Barking, London’s

34

poorest borough? Parkrun, on the other hand, is freely the government today, I am sure it would be lauded as
accessible and open to anyone, regardless of income a triumph – indeed, I’m surprised the Health Secretary
or status. hasn’t tried to take credit for it yet. The NHS, and also
society in general, need Parkrun more than ever, not
As Professor Chris Owen of St George’s, University just to target our waistlines but also to bring us together
of London explains, UK Government recommendations in a celebration of our communities. The only troubles
suggest that we should carry out at least 150 minutes that Parkrun has faced in its boom have been with
per week of moderate intensity activity in adulthood some overzealous councils objecting to the use of their
and 60 minutes per day in childhood. However, only park, and trying to charge runners. Well, the tiny cost of
2/3rds of men and just over half of women, and a fifth repairing a few possible potholes is far outweighed by
of boys and fewer girls reach these recommendations. the money the NHS saves in treating obesity, diabetes
Levels of physical activity are lower in the UK compared and hypertension, to name but a few conditions.
to elsewhere in Europe, and there is no evidence to
suggest that physical levels are improving. The solution, it seems, is simple: nationalise it. I’m
only half joking: by ploughing government money into
In a 2015 Cochrane review of community interventions Parkrun, access to free exercise would be ever more
promoting physical activity, Baker et al found that expanded into the groups and communities who are
‘community wide interventions are very difficult to most in need of it. Junior Parkruns could be widened to
undertake, and it appears that they usually fail to after-school clubs, and Parkrun could even introduce a
provide a measurable benefit in physical activity for a shorter version aimed at those for whom 5k is too far.
population.’ The supposed 2012 Olympic legacy, that GPs would be able to directly refer patients to Parkrun
‘Inspire a Generation’ message that was omnipresent (as some are already doing), with dedicated staff for
throughout the games, failed miserably. In short, helping them to start.
schemes to increase activity tend not to work. In light
of this, Professor Owen says “Given the associations It is the natural big brother to the NHS’ excellent
between physical activity and health, there is a clear Couch to 5k scheme, and what better setting for
need to promote strategies to increase physical activity graduates’ first 5k than the welcoming, all inclusive
levels across all ages. Government physical activity environment of Parkrun? Of course, the minute Parkrun
recommendations provide an intangible goal for many, is politicised it would become a pawn in the same way
whereas parkruns could provide an equitable treatment the NHS has, but it seems too valuable a resource to
accessible to all.” not make the most of. So, many happy returns NHS, but
equally, thanks very much Parkrun.
Parkrun could, and indeed for some already does
provide the elusive universal public health intervention (A version of this article first appeared online on the
to increase physical activity. If it were to be launched by Guardian’s website)

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PEOPLE

On top of the
WORLD

After successes at British and European level, Fiona de Mauny had one peak left to
climb, here she writes about the clamber up and what it looked like from the top

The people of Malaga could be forgiven for on the final two days, also allowing me, if necessary, a
being a little bit grumpy. With the Costa del place in the relay teams. Entering all three had really
Sol’s famous sunshine largely hidden behind been a contingency, with the 800m/400m double the
autumnal cloud banks, and temperatures thankfully main plan, but with the 1500m as a backup event,
dropping back down into the 20s (though with a because we knew the 400m preliminaries and 800m
punishing humidity), arguably, the summer holiday final were due to take place on the same day, but not in
season is finished. what order... In the end (and having seen the entry lists!)
And yet, their metro and sports facilities are overrun we decided to race all three, so long as I was still able to,
by energetic, scantily clad, often rather sweaty which made for a busy week of racing.
foreigners with blue lanyards around their necks. With a
whopping 8,000 individual entrants, hosting the World I struggle with nerves. I always have. The higher the
Masters Championships is no small deal. Yet, even with expectation, the worse the fear. The 800m was always
foreboding mutterings about the atmosphere suffering going to be the highest pressure; my best chance of a
from spreading the competition over four separate stadia medal. I was second quickest this year on paper, but
and the last minute removal of Wifi and (gasp) live- some way off the leader. As is so often the case, we
streaming facilities due to “unforeseen circumstances”, were relying on training results and the taper effect,
it would be difficult to describe these championships as rather than recent race results, to predict my current
anything but a success. form. Others in the field were not far behind, certainly
For the most part, the atmosphere was electric: the not in comparison to my apparent racing form.
stadia were all within minutes of a station on the brand
new metro, with athletes and fans more than happy to ‘Run the kicks out of them’
make the short, cheap hop between stadia to watch Relatively straightforward qualification from the heats
their team-mates compete. Better by far to spread the
competition around than be racing late into the night was driven by huge adrenaline. The fastest racers were
with no-one there to watch. in the other heats, and their kicks were intimidating.
The strategy of “run the kicks out of them” that had
Nerves, expectation and fear worked so well in Madrid (at the European Masters
For my part, the schedule was perfect - all my events Championships) was again employed: but this time,
without the luxury of knowing I could run faster than the
falling in a single week with the most important event, rest of the field, should I be able to do so, I had to hold
the 800m, first, followed by the 400m, and the 1500m a little in reserve in case I was caught.

I had no idea where the others were after taking the

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lead at 200. I was expecting to be overtaken at any in time for the semi-final, and the atmosphere in the
moment. Driving down the home straight, I was running stadium on finals day (apparently none the worse for
scared. I didn’t truly believe I was safe until the last the spread of competition) was enough to generate the
10m. The overwhelming sensation on finishing was necessary adrenaline, though without the pressure of
relief, which gradually turned to excitement when it hit expectation, the mix of excitement to fear was much
me what I had just done. I’d become a World Champion! more towards the excitement end. They say 4th is
It sounds amazing. the worst place to finish… but I was OK with it. I
outperformed my rank and ran two new PBs - sure, it
It was difficult, after the 800m, to refocus for the would have been nice to be a couple of tenths faster
400m preliminaries and beyond. Not just because of the and nabbed the bronze, but I was content with knowing
excitement, but also the sense of “job done”, especially I had given it everything, with every stride. I couldn’t
in the fairly safe knowledge that the same outcome was have done any more.
unlikely for the remaining events. Even the sweet carrot
of potential PBs, especially in the 400m, wasn’t enough There was no problem generating that helpful kick of
to centre and refocus me, at least, not in time for the adrenaline for the 1500m, an event I struggle with, as
400m preliminary the same evening. the fear returned. Heavy, stiff legs and a heat involving
a steady wind up to a fast final lap - which felt incredibly
Finding something extra hard - were enough to send me into the familiar pre-
Thoughtlessness over nutrition (which had been 1500m state of terror.

so strict), forgetting to pin on numbers, warming up A simple plan
too early, things were a bit chaotic, and those, sadly On the final morning, when the famous sun finally
necessary, race nerves were non-existent. Luckily, I
still managed to run a smooth and relatively fast race to made its appearance, my coach, Geoff, found me
qualify comfortably, but, as 8th ranked athlete on paper, sitting in the shade of one of the main stadium lobbies,
I would need to find something else in the semi-final the trying to break the code on a locker padlock that I
next day. had somehow accidentally changed. The therapeutic,
repetitive tick of the barrels as they turned may have
Fortunately, the nerves, and hence the focus, returned

38

“I struggle with nerves. I always have. The PEOPLE
higher the expectation, the worse the fear.”

made me appear calm, but I was terrified of making it Days when it comes together
round those 3 ¾ laps, and trying not to relive every bad Then onto the real fun: in true league match style,
1500m race I’ve ever had.
the relays. Scratch teams at least in this age group, no
The plan was simple enough: stay at the front but pressure and a proper party atmosphere in the stadium
don’t lead, and cover any moves. Two laps in, and with some superb soundtrack choices. A “Herne Hill
none of the big names were yet showing: I realised they Harriers and friends” hard core of Geoff, Tom, Gary
were playing into my hands, and was almost surprised and Lisa ably backed up by the crowds of GB team
to reach the bell still feeling strong. Somehow getting supporters and athletes completed the effect and what
boxed in on the back straight, I was unable to respond fun everyone had.
as two broke away, and I figured I was racing for bronze,
and tried to be patient. Reflecting on the week now, I can hardly believe what
I achieved. The weather and atmosphere undoubtedly
But when a gap opened at 150m to go, the played a part. The wonderful support from the crowd,
momentum of my kick carried me past 2nd place as complete strangers who happened to share a metro stop
well, and I knew I had silver. The sense of disbelief and (“Hi” to my new Canadian friends!), other competitors and
exaltation as I crossed that line can hardly be put into athletes in other age groups was immense, and played a
words. It is definitely a weak event for me, and I had not huge part. Though nothing could have been achieved of
expected a medal, just wanting to run well and perhaps course without Geoff as coach, Chris playing “mother” as
snag a PB. No PB this time, but infinitely better: a well as husband, and support from home, in particular
renewed confidence that I can, sometimes, put together Steph Mitchell, responding to blow-by-blow updates with
a good 1500m race, and even finish with a kick. My enthusiasm and calm logic. And it’s not just “on the day”
only regret from the 1500m races is that I couldn’t support, but the friendship, rivalry and enthusiasm of my
watch my fellow Herne Hill athlete Simon Coombes race: training group, without which I would undoubtedly not
I was in the call room. But I know he had a cracking have been anywhere near the standard I am at this year.
run, even should it have fallen short of his incredibly I’m already looking forward to the next year of training and
high expectations. racing with the might of Herne Hill Harriers.

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PEOPLE

It’s been
promotional

Steve Bosley reports on Herne Hill’s successful season and trip to the Club Connect
relays at the Olympic Stadium, a curtain raiser for the Anniversary Games

We had a superb day at the Olympic Stadium However delight turned to despair when it was
when five of our teams ran in the Club Connect announced we had been disqualified. I went to the track
relays in the hour before the Anniversary referee at the side of the track to enquire where the
Games. It’s always an eagerly anticipated date in the infringement had occurred, and was told that the third
calendar, and is definitely one of UK Athletics’ better leg had started outside the takeover zone. We appealed
initiatives, giving young athletes the opportunity to against this decision and after an hour of discussions we
compete in front of a big crowd in a famous stadium. were re-instated to ensure that our win and our record
stood intact
This summer we had teams ranked highly over 4x
100m in U13 boys and girls, U15 boys and girls and We came second in the U13 girls race where our team
U17 women’s, and all were selected for the relays. of Neveah Ricketts, Anna Roughton, Gabriella Enrico
Teams are chosen from the top ranked clubs in the and Sapphire Haley ran their fastest time of the summer
South of England, so the standard is exceptionally with 52.79 - at the time of writing only two club teams
high, on a renowned fast track. Of course anything have bettered this year.
can happen in relays, and we had never won a Club
Connect relay, before but this was probably our best Our boys teams both came fourth - in the U13 boys
opportunity. race our team of David Oteng-Ntim, Matthew Opuko,
Dwayne Francis and Dante Clarke ran 50.59, just
Before the relays our athletes were inspired to meet ourside the club record, in a race in which the top
Kristal Awuah in the warm up area - a club mate who four recorded the four fastest times in the country this
has reached a high level - who was preparing for summer, whilst our under 15 boys team of Oliver Hector,
her own 4 x 100m in the Great Britain B team at the Ryan Kingsbury, Kai Broadbent and Noah Ojumo were
Anniversary Games themselves. fourth in 45.61s, again in an exceptionally fast race in
which the winners Shaftesbury Barnet broke the UK age
The relays weren’t without drama, with our under group best.
15 girls team of Shania McGrath, Natalia Webb, Niyah
Costley and Je’nae James, shattering the club record Our under 17 womens team of Micheala Pottinger,
and recording one of the fastest times ever in the age Chira Hussey, Michaela Mensah & Cara Russell were
group, in a superb 48.93s. Behind them the Reading eighth of nine in 49.95 to complete our teams, and then
and Havering teams also set club records. The race we were able to sit back and enjoy the athletics including
itself went really well with slick changeovers and Je’nae seeing Kristel running in the senior 4 x 100m relay to
storming down the home straight with the other clubs complete a memorable day.
unable to catch her.

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They’re going up on a coach everyone stays all day. This was another
Herne Hill’s youth teams in the under 13 and under exceptionally closely contested match, with Croydon
in the lead for much of the afternoon and with us
15 age groups, both boys and girls will be competing in challenging along with all other clubs. The result went
the top tier in 2019 writes Steve Bosley right down to the final events and this time we finished
third only 17 points behind winners Crawley with
Herne Hill won promotion in the highly competitive Croydon second. After two matches we lead the division
Youth Development League Lower for under 13 & 15 but it was exceptionally close.
boys and girls, and next season will be competing in
the highest division with a chance of competing at the For match three we travelled to the City of Portsmouth
national finals. with what looked like another well balanced team
including some important new additions. We contested
Going into the first match the division looked as the lead for much of the afternoon and appeared to
competitive as ever, with City of Portsmouth & Windsor have won the match but weren’t allocated our full quota
Slough Eton & Hounslow having come down from the of ‘officials points’ due to a technicality, and came third
Premier Division, despite featuring well and being very to the host club with Croydon second. It was frustrating
strong in technical events. And there were our old local for everyone not to get the result we wanted but
adversaries, Croydon, who we are always close to, and indicates how important it is to have as many officials as
promoted clubs Crawley, who had a good all round possible in order to gain maximum points.
team, and Chiltern Harriers, who had won titles in the
National cross country championships earlier this year. So we went into the final match in July needing to
get a really strong result to win promotion. Looking at
As we travelled to match one in April our team looked the league table we had to beat City of Portsmouth or
quite strong on paper, but we had some gaps and we Croydon to guarantee going up. In effect we put in our
didn’t know the strength of the other clubs. We were best performance of the season to win by 43 points and
competitive from the opening events and there was an ensure we won the division, as well as getting promoted.
encouraging willingness to be flexible from athletes, On the day, every area of the team performed superbly
which was to last throughout the summer, and enabled and showed the spirit in the team to cover our weaker
us to pick up points even if we didn’t have specialists in events as well as winning a large number. Again the
those events. match was close but in the final hour we shot clear as
City of Portsmouth faded, leaving us and Croydon to be
We picked up good points on the track but also on promoted
the field, and by halfway we were in contention in
a very close match, where the lead changed points I have deliberately not mentioned any individual
several times. We enjoyed an especially strong final athletes in this report, as more than anything it was a
hour with some strong field results and some very good superb team performance and everyone was deserving
performances in the relays, and when the final results of praise and thanks for performing so consistently
came through we had a superb result in coming equal and to such a high quality. Now we can look forward
first with City of Portsmouth. A promotion campaign was to taking on the top clubs in the country: Reading,
beginning to boil. Blackheath & Bromley, Tonbridge, Havering as well as
Croydon & ourselves, Bring them on!
Match two in May was at home, and home fixtures
are often more difficult with athletes arriving and
disappearing at different times, whereas when travelling

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Because you
enjoy it?

In Jonny Muir’s new book, The Mountains are Calling: Running in the High Places of
Scotland, he describes the evolution of the sport of hill running from its wild origins in
the 11th century Highlands to a modern-day equivalent that remains rooted in tradition
and eschews commercialism. The book also follows Jonny’s own journey in tackling
Ramsay’s Round, a 60-mile, 23-Munro loop in the Lochaber mountains that must be

completed within 24 hours. In the extract published here, Jonny describes his first
encounter with the English 24-hour equivalent, the Bob Graham Round.

“The hour was approaching midnight as stupendous mountain. Threlkeld waited for her, as one
the car swept westwards along the A66. day it would wait for me. We looked again to where
Headlights momentarily illuminated a road Blencathra should be, seeking the starry glare of a head
sign: THRELKELD. We had entered the realm of the Bob torch. The car bucked. The window wipers thrummed
Graham Round. Wiping condensation from the windows, from side to side in a frantic, thrashing action. We looked
we looked out and up, peering into a heaving maelstrom. again. Nothing.
The darkness was vast and perpetual; Blencathra was
engaged in battle with a furious monster. There were four of us: Robin Sanderson and his wife
Shayda, Duncan Steen and me. What would Joss Naylor
Someone was up there though. Someone, somewhere. – whose valley we would steal into tomorrow – have
A fell runner. The woman had left the traditional starting made of us: an IT specialist, a tax consultant, an energy
point of the Moot Hall in Keswick four hours earlier. She consultant and an English teacher, driving 300 miles
would have paced nervously through the alleyways of in Friday night traffic from London, fuelled by a tray of
Keswick; she would have climbed the stony slopes of Marks and Spencer sandwiches? Duncan and I would
Skiddaw, the fourth highest ground in England, where share a tent, pitched on liquid ground in a Borrowdale
the wind would have sought to whirl her away; she campsite in the early hours. A little over a year later, this
would have paused at the summit, checking her watch, then-stranger, who I first encountered on the forecourt
making a mental note of the split; she would have of a Chiswick petrol station, would stand by my side
dropped into a boggy trough before rising again to Great on the summit of Robinson, the last hill on a clockwise
Calva, reassured by a line of old fence posts that lead Bob Graham, gesturing manically to the south and east,
the way to the cairn; she would have forded the surging bellowing into the wind: ‘Look at these hills; you own
River Caldew and with water slopping in her shoes them.’
started the long ascent of Blencathra.
Joined by Adam Stirk, an IT project manager, and
About now, she should be descending that Andy Higgins, a mechanical engineer, in the watery light

42

PEOPLE

43

PEOPLE “Having entered a circle of fascination,
I could not extricate myself, even if I wanted to.

Enjoyment – or lack of it – was not the point”

of morning, we went for a run, first over a mountain pass or an IT consultant or an English teacher in the chaos
apparently haunted by a thirteenth century ghost named of a Lakeland storm? It was, in hindsight, an unwitting
Bjorn, before sweeping downhill to the single-track road examination – one that we would all just about pass.
that punctures Wasdale. We came to a halt by a rickety
wooden gate. ‘This is it,’ Andy said knowingly. There was no requirement to proceed to Kirk Fell or
Great Gable that day. We could have changed course at
‘It’ was the start of a path to the top of Yewbarrow, Black Sail Pass, retreating to the safety of valley floors
rising some 500 metres above our heads. Yewbarrow is at Ennerdale or Wasdale. What would have made us
a middle-sized Lakeland fell, overshadowed by illustrious descend? A broken leg? Hypothermia? Concussion?
neighbours, Great Gable and Scafell Pike. Yet in the Being cold, tired or disorientated were unsatisfactory
context of the Bob Graham, Yewbarrow is an appalling excuses. Choosing what appears to be the logical or
proposition. Put yourself in the shoes of an aspirant. You sensible option is not the prerogative of a contender
have run continuously for 12 hours, probably through seeking to accomplish the Bob Graham within 24
part of the night, possibly in incessant rain, over 30 hours. Ironically, the psychologically easier solution is
peaks, including the nine highest summits in England, to continue the set course. That is when you know you
covering 40 miles, when you are faced with Yewbarrow are obsessed: when the chronic fear of failure overrules
– the third longest and one of the steepest ascents of the urgency of common sense. So we stuck to the plan:
the round. Attempts founder here for good reason. The running the entirety of the ten miles of the fourth leg,
fell had claimed another victim that morning: the woman however horrible it was.
we had hoped to see descending Blencathra. Somehow,
she had made it this far. My teeth chattered as we ran in a line down Green
Gable. My hands, bare and wet, were blue-white. I
We went up, first to Yewbarrow, then to wonderfully- clapped them together, then created a cup, blowing
named places like Steeple and Pillar, with rain starting hot air into the barrels created by my curled fingers,
to fall as we reached the pinnacle of the latter. Weather creating momentary relief. Once over Grey Knotts, the
in the Lake District has a knack of accelerating in final summit, the land fell sharply. Ahead, the air cleared
seriousness with alarming alacrity. A fine day can for a moment, revealing a shiny coil of the Honister road
evolve into an abominable one with merciless speed. pass, only for the mist to slam its door. Seconds later, we
And so it did. Light rain became heavy rain; heavy rain punched through the clag. The world had come back to
became hail. Visibility of miles was curtailed to a few us. Honister lay beneath our feet.
yards. By the time I located a waterproof jacket and
turned it from inside-out while it flapped madly in the We traipsed into the shelter of the mine museum that
wind, I was soaked. The spare kit – hat, gloves, thermal occupies the pass. Someone unearthed a collection of
top – contained in my rucksack was also rapidly gaining coins, enough to pay for a mug of tomato soup between
moisture. Such was my fell running naivety, the notion of the five of us. Still shuddering, I found the gents and
placing these in a waterproof bag had not occurred. stood slumped by the hand dryer, repeatedly pressing
the button to start the air, before Andy came to tell me
Over Pillar and on the long descent to Black Sail Pass, we had to run a further four miles to the campsite.
I began to shiver in a way I knew would only worsen. I
was a featherweight then as now and the cold seemed Many years later, my wife and I would debate the
to tear at my core, making every step a small agony. We purpose of doing anything: watching television, going to
passed a walker going up, swaying in the wind. ‘It’s gone work, running in the hills. ‘Because you enjoy it; there
a little bit wrong, hasn’t it?’ he yelled. I sensed panic in must be an element of fun,’ was her argument.
the group. We had stopped eating and drinking; hunch
and hope had replaced rationality. In our haste, we ‘I don’t enjoy everything I do,’ was my retort. That
overshot the summit of Kirk Fell. We looked back forlornly, exchange summarised my feelings on the Bob Graham.
instantly dismissing the prospect of returning, and Having entered a circle of fascination, I could not
blundered on towards Great Gable. We had very quickly extricate myself, even if I wanted to. Enjoyment – or
become imposters. What use was a mechanical engineer lack of it – was not the point; the Bob Graham had quite
unexpectedly become imprinted in my consciousness.
The calling demanded an answer.”

44

REVIEW

Running
and

Freedom

Gavern Newsum trawls the online platforms in an almost vain search for intelligent
films about running and, hidden among tales of people running to and away
from crime scenes, he finds a blinder…

They say we are in the ‘Golden age of television.’ runners of all levels. Changes linked to the pioneering
There’s a proliferation of content and platforms. work of athletes Kathrine Switzer and Steve
Yet not every niche interest is being served. Prefontaine are well documented. But another angle is
There’s a dearth of running related documentaries. A provided by Fred Thamini, the creator of the influential
hopeful search on Amazon Prime using the word ‘Run’, running magazine Spiridon, and Fred Lebow, pivotal
revealed a promising and daunting 5019 thumbnails. race director of the New York Marathon for 23 years.
But, over 5,000 of those involve dramatic depictions The latter has his own 2008 documentary, which is
of someone running from the law or running from also available on Amazon Prime, ‘Run for Your Life’
those breaking the law. (not to be confused with a cheap horror of the same
name, from earlier this year).
Very rarely is anyone running from a chasing pack in
vest and shorts. Whilst I have all the time in the world Free to Run, however, mainly focusses on some of
for Robert De Niro and friends in ‘Midnight Run’, I was the key moments and movements in the latter half
instead soon absorbed in the 2016 documentary ‘Free of the 20th century. There’s an impressive roll call of
to Run’. The title refers to a time when there were less archive interviews and footage, which is revealing and
opportunities to run competitively; especially if you insightful. Don’t be put off by the fashions of the day,
were a woman. the occasional French subtitle or the grainy black and
white footage of the 1928 Olympics. Because it was
Through four key trail blazers and their entwined here that the story really begins. In the 800 metres
stories we are guided through knock-on effects for

45

REVIEW

race we witness a woman fall over as she dipped for 2,000- 10,000 metres with a 2 year unbeaten streak.
the line; just as many men and women have done He was more than just fast though, he was a rebel and
since. Despite the existence of that footage, it was a performer, who put it all out there on and off the
conspiratorially misreported that of the 11 runners, track. A star that burnt with a ferocity; he campaigned
5 collapsed and 5 didn’t finish. This led to doctors tirelessly for athlete’s rights. People connected with his
claiming that women were not physiologically suited charisma and outspokenness so he was dubbed the
to running and should refrain. It set back women’s ‘People’s Champion’. At least the likes of Mohammed
running by decades. Ali were getting well paid for their sporting greatness,
Prefontaine was scraping by, living in a trailer.
We later learn that even in the early 1980s, 1500m
was the longest distance the IAAF would sanction for In 1975 it was looking unlikely he could afford to
a women’s race. There were actually no rules against go to the 1976 Olympic Games. Until a small Oregon
women competing in the Boston marathon but it was based company with just 15 employees would hear
considered so unlikely that anyone would challenge Steve say how “Running doesn’t pay your bills.” So in
this unspoken rule. But in the 61st running of the exchange for PR, the emerging Sportswear Company,
race, change was set in motion with the first female Nike, supported him and his ambitions. ‘Pre’ wasn’t
to compete in, let alone complete a marathon. Listed just concerned with lining his Nikey pockets, he
as the gender neutral, KW Switzer, her achievement wanted more competition and hosted events ‘for
caused all the more notoriety in 1967 because the athletes by athletes’. Frustrated by the rules of the
Race Director tried physically to wrestle her off the national athletics body, he set up the first ever athletic
road. Surprisingly, she would later become good circuit that would feature international athletes like
friends with Jock Semple, but his anger at the time the Finns. His tragic car crash at the age of just 24
was palpable. The images raised awareness, sparked made everyone re-assess what was important. It came
debate and gave Switzer ample opportunities to back to the freedom to run and, “Being able to make
both spread her message and form a life plan. In a living doing what you love to do,” as his biographer
Switzerland, women couldn’t vote so when invited to Tom Jordan notes in this film.
run incognito in another all male race, she would be
making a big statement. Having the most famous person in track and field
taking a stand would also go on to inspire road
Her actions caught the attention of Spiridon runners. The marathon was also going through changes
magazine creator Noel Thamini. The International and athletes wanted prize money for their appearances
magazine campaigned for the rights of all runners and wins – in other words, pay for their honest
but in particular for women. They had a mystical, work - which would break IAAF rules about athletes
‘back to nature’ ethos for sport. They were a symbol remaining as amateurs. Anyone training for hours a
of opposition to the sporting establishment and all day, sometimes twice a day, is dedicated enough to
its prohibitive rulings to clubs and individuals. Their be classed as a professional. Fred Lebow recognised
slogan “Run with us” inspired a T shirt and a loyal this and in common with other marathons of the late
following. Each edition was eagerly anticipated (and 1970s, lured the best athletes with under-the-table
you can’t help but draw some parallels with our own payments. Odd to think that authorities would make
Red & Black magazine…). Times have changed and it as hard as possible for the best sporting talent to
athletics is more open to all than ever before. But even make a living and enter international contests. So
in this issue, there is an active debate about equality Lebow initially denied this to protect athletes. But
in cross country running. when he admitted to paying big prize money in his
book, ‘Inside The World Of Big Time Marathoning’,
Lots of us will have heard of the ‘Prefontaine Classic’ the Mayor of New York insisted that for every dollar of
in Eugene, Oregon, where the elite go to run a fast 10k prize money, a dollar should be given back to the city.
race. Whilst most know it’s named after the runner, For anyone familiar with 1970s New York, the millions
Steve Prefontaine, I assumed it was purely because of of dollars was a much needed and welcome windfall.
his raw speed. At 21 he held all US track records from

46

REVIEW

The marathon route itself incorporated the 5 boroughs stadium with Switzer about to wrap up the coverage
to give all New Yorkers a sense of ownership, pride & on the ABC commentary team when Gaby Andersen
hope. People lined the streets and were inspired to run staggered into the stadium. Severely dehydrated, she
for fitness and fun. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to weaved all over the track to eventually collapse over
say Lebow sparked a rejuvenation in New York’s morale the line. Switzer feared a media backlash reminiscent
and wellbeing with a ripple effect around the USA. of 1928. But following a swift recovery & a sense of
perspective, the recent progress for equality was not
New York was not the first marathon but it was on undone. As Switzer’s husband would later comment,
a journey to be the biggest with sponsorship and TV women now also had won the right to be exhausted
money. The Expo, sponsorship and innovations in publically. Switzer was a phenomenal runner, coming
timing and organisation would lay down the model for 2nd at Boston & winning New York. Now 71 in age,
marathons to pop up in cities all round the world in & 41 marathons later, Switzer toed the start line at
the1980s & 90s. Some quirky rituals such as coffee London for the first time this spring; still very much an
& doughnuts on the start line might seem incongruous activist to empower women. Most recently via her non-
in a sporting event, and have stayed an ‘NYC thing’. profit ‘261 Fearless’ movement; aptly named after the
If you’ve paid the exorbitant entrance fee you might Boston Bib number that Semple tried to rip from her.
be more inclined to try and enjoy it as a memorable
moment. Lebow brought others into his vision like Fred Lebow never had Switzer’s athletic abilities but
the Pied Piper, putting on additional events such as it didn’t stop him running 69 marathons around the
racing with your dog or running backwards. (Anyone world, with his last being in ‘celebration’ of his 60th
who witnessed this summer’s inaugural Tooting birthday on his beloved New York course in 1992.
Commonwealth games - see this issue, it was racing Having been diagnosed with brain cancer, he showed
backwards round a tree - will know it’s quite a hard the same dogged determination to shuffle round as
but fun event!). he had done in the corridors of the hospital. Even
at the end, there is that defiance to do the most life
Despite all the progress made in New York & affirming thing, to keep moving to prove you are here
similarly around the world, there were still prejudices & alive. Spiridon magazine ended when running lost its
towards women & consequently still relatively few innocence & big business overtook it.
women in these mass participation events. With
Switzer as a key spokesperson, Avon organised a The storm that battered the east coast of America,
series of women only events around the world. Their the week before the 2012 New York marathon
circuit even extended to the 3rd world. Given that highlighted an uneasy conflict between the devastated
every participant received a medal, a T Shirt & some locals, the runners & the organisers. The mayor &
form of Avon gift, it was empowering & it was felt it organisers insisted the show must go on & it would be
inspired a fearlessness that could be life changing. a positive boost to the city. But it seemed financially
The 3rd annual Avon women’s marathon event was motivated & much needed resources like generators
held in London, in 1980, (incidentally, 1 year prior to could have been powering homes. The public backlash
the first London marathon). Cannily this was where finally led to its cancellation 40 hours before the start
the IAAF headquarters were located & they were able & forced the mainly affluent running community to
to recommend the inclusion of a Women’s Marathon confront itself. There have of course been many other
to the IOC. This was to become reality for the LA events that have rocked the running world, not least
games of 1984, as the representation of 27 countries the Boston Marathon bombing the following year. This
surpassed the IOC’s requirements for a new Olympic was omitted from Free To Run but had Spiridon still
event. Cut to the race itself & a triumphant victory been in existence it would have noted an attack on our
for Joan Benoit & indeed for all women. At the risk of way of life has not deterred but unified. Those that are
hyperbole Switzer compared it to women getting the able, should be thankful they can get out there & run,
right to vote. to enjoy our surroundings; however slowly they move
by.…
The adulation was still being soaked up in the

47

At the Herne Hill Harriers
AGM, Great Britain World
Junior Championship
double bronze medallist
Kristal Awuah was
awarded Honours
Membership of the club
she has represented
with proud loyalty and
distinction since the age
of 11 in recognition of
her achievements and
her rapid and seemingly
inexorable move towards
senior world class.

Front cover photo: Kristal Awuah
with her well-earned medals

www.hernehillharriers.org