Annual General Meeting - 34 Striders and 33 Spiders attended. Highlights are on this page and there will be more details in the next issue.

Committee - Survived unimpeached - new junior ministerial appointments were Tim and Gary to support Jon with the Grand Prix events and Tim to support Bob with the Newsletter.

Subscriptions for Sept 98 to Aug 99 - Renewals are £6 to Danny.

Training • Tuesday has now reverted to the Winter Schedule - 1^st Tuesday in month is 400m session on Otley Road, 2^nd is fartlek, 3^rd is mile reps on High Ashes and 4^th is hills on Church Lane. All at 18:45 from Leo's.

• Thursday may move back to Scott Hall, but will continue for the time being from Leo's at 18:45 - check with Kathy Kaiser (269-4820).
• Sunday continues at 09:15 from Smithy Mills - contact Gary Shipley (294-1726) or Paul Furness (269-8231) for details.

W.Yorks XC - See back page for dates - £3 to Paul or Sylvia covers all 4 races.

Calderdale Way Relay - is on Sunday Dec 13 - contact Paul F or Geoff.

Christmas Meal - Friday December 18 at Leo's - a hot and cold buffet - £8 per person. Contact Steve O to book your place(s) - by 30^th November if possible.

Leeds Country Way - The Vets' and Wimmin's Teams both retained their runners-up shields/cups. The vets team were 9^th overall, and the "A" team 10^th - the difference being just 20 seconds! Thanks in particular to (a) the three team captains and (b) the last minute substitutes. Full report in the next issue.

Grand Prix (from Bob)

Harewood Chase 10k - In the Ladies' race, Sylvia finished 6^th overall and 1^st O/50 (41:17), and Carole Schofield 9^th overall (41:37). We had no third counter, as Carole Towler was still "U/A" (50:14). In the Mens' race, Steve Webb had a good result 11^th (34:34), Tim Towler ran 38:28, Bob J 40:59, G.W. 42:20, and George Little also running U/A (45:36).

Harrogate 10k - Roy Flesher took the 100pts with 37:18, Tim Towler not far behind (37:33), a big gap to BobJ (40:49), Carole 2^nd LV35 (41:09), Dick (41:28), BobW (42:43), and Max 1^st MV70 (44:44), George Little (46:22).

Hyde Park 5k - Steve Webb running a road race? - not really, because this race was entirely on tarmacced footpaths inside Hyde Park. Steve was 19^th (17:19), Tim (18:38), KathyK 3^rd wumin 1^st vet (19:19), BobJ (19:27), BobW 1^st MV55 (21:18), Lyn (21:44)

Mileta 10 - Tim 30^th 63:39, KathyK 3^rd F 1^st F45 67:41, BobW 73:07

Autumn Handicap - was won by John Hallas. Fastest times were Gary Shipley 34:16, Steve Webb 36:30 and Harry Bates 37:15. 20 ran.

Current Placings (as at 16^th Sept, i.e. including Autumn Handicap)

• 8 races or more (best 8) : Roy 796, Tim 793, KathyK 789, BobJ 774, Liz 770, BobW 769, Dick 765, Eric 763, Max 742, PaulWhite 737
• 7 races : SteveW 698, Eric 678, Ian 668, Carole 646, Geoff 643
• 6 races : Tony H 572, AlanW 564
• 5 races : Peter 466
• 4 races : Ronnie 393, Howard 383, GeorgeD 378, Sylvia 377

As reported in the previous VS News, Penny won the O-45 category at the Eccup 3-day event. This was her first ever age-group win, and she was reported to be "dead chuffed".

Kathy Kaiser was 2^nd at the Burnsall 10.

The Wimmin's Team finished 7^th at the West Yorks Road Relays at Wakefield. Kathy K got them off to an excellent start, finishing 4^th, only one place behind Laura Woffenden. Liz, Sylvia and Carole completed the team.

Other Wimmin's news is "scattered" through the Newsletter.

Coach's Column - Maximum Pulse Rate (from Bob(!))

Max is on holiday (attempting another 24-hour race in Portland USA), but left me with a table of pulse rate calculations.

Most publications state that the way to calculate your theoretical maximum pulse rate is 220 minus your age in years. This is a reasonable rule of thumb but many of you will have proved this wrong e.g. I often reach 180 in training and I'm a few years older than 40. Max has found a little table which, by taking race performances at certain distances, (a) enables a much better estimate of your maximum and (b) enables you to estimate your pulse rate for any other distance

So if you run (at full effort) a 5k with a sustained peak pulse rate of 175, your theoretical max pulse is 175*100/92 = 190, and your target sustained peak for a marathon would be 190*82/100 = 156. If you would like more information, ask Max to include this in his next Coach's Column.

As reported in the previous VS News, the 1999 World Veterans' Championships will be at Gateshead from July 29 to August 8. We now have a full schedule of events, one which came over the Internet, and the other in traditional paper form.

The two events that will be of most interest to Striders are the 10km cross-country on July 29 and the marathon on August 8. The dates are the same for men and women - it is not stated whether the marathon will be a mixed race or two separate races - we do know it is a 2-lap course based from Gateshead Stadium and taking in a couple of miles (twice) of the Great North Run route. The cross-country is based from Maiden Castle at Chester-le-Street, which is where the "Safeway" races will be held this November.

To be eligible to enter, you need to be a member of the Northern Vets, whose membership secretary is J.H.Linley at Riversdale Cottage, Fforde-y-Felin, Treuddyn, Mold, CH7 4BD. More details in next VS News.

Showers - There is still no progress on Leos' lottery application for the major extension to the Clubhouse.

... is the title of a leaflet outlining the recommendations of a review which has taken place over the last six months following the declaration of insolvency of the British Athletics Federation. The review has focussed not only on the creation of a new UK body "Athletics UK", but also on the structure needed throughout the sport to support all athletes.

Several Striders went to a presentation in Leeds a few months ago, and the main structure is unchanged. There will be a UK Coordination Board which will have three Policy and Support Teams:

• "Performance" - for the 1500-2000 top performers in the UK
• "Competition" - for the various UK, national and regional championships
• "Development" - for the 500,000 grass-roots participants.

From the presentation we were led to believe that each PST would be financially independent; "Performance" funded from sponsorship and lottery money, "Development" funded from Government grants particularly for training and coaching facilities for young athletes, and "Competition" we're not sure.

Clubs and individual athletes will be members of "Athletics UK", and will be able to take advantage of the facilities of the three PSTs as appropriate. It is still unclear where road-running clubs and road races fit in within the scheme of things. There would appear to be little change i.e we are left to get on with it!

But at least there is an organisation and framework in place, without which there would be less likelihood of sponsorship/funding for athletics in general, and the chance that the regional organisations which give race permits, arrange insurance etc, would fold.

Each Club has been asked to send in a postal vote before the end of September, which is effectively a vote of confidence in Dave Moorcroft and his team.

Correction to August VS News (from Bob)

Max's comment that George was the fastest veteran Strider over a marathon was corrected for us by Steve O, who, when 40, recorded two sub 2:30 performances. The first was at Majorca, where he was 1^st vet overall at the Spanish Vets' Championship, the second at Malta where he, Paul Briscoe and Steve Thirkell all finished within seconds of each other, and all recorded 2:29.

Television News (from Bob)

"This is Comrades, Max" (Comrades 1998 - part 2 - from Max)

Comrades 1998 - getting to the finish - by Max Jones  

Club Ronhill - Ian Place is a member of Club Ronhill. For £15 membership per year, you get a free pair of tracksters or other choice of running kit, quarterly magazine, half price entry to Ronhill/Isostar/NewBalance race series, etc. Seems good value! For more details, see Ian, or phone Club Ronhill on 01226 741741.

Running in Foreign Parts (from Geoff)

After a hard training week in Wales, Sylvia and G.W. entered the Plas-y-Dwr (or something close to that) 5k road race. This is a village gala event and until recently had been a 6 mile fell race. This 'easy' road race was intended to attract more competitors - there were around 160 taking part.

The course started outside the gala field and climbed steadily for more that 11/2 miles. Both of the V.S. representatives went off at a fast pace and found the previous week of training in the mid-Wales hills had taken some of the spring out of their step. Nevertheless the dynamic duo finished well-placed with G.W. 4^th man !! and Sylvia 1^st wumin and 7^th overall!! Sylvia won £10.

The next day this intrepid pair turned out for the Highwayman Hike 25 which started from Orrell RUFC and toured the hills and dales of Central Lancs. This was all off road and required navigation on what turned out to be a maze of footpaths. This caused the V.S. pair to be out nearly an hour longer than expected - but, no matter, this was intended mainly as a training run. And Sylvia was 1^st wumin.

Two weeks later, the Spiders pair were in Scotland at Dunfermline Park for the start of the Two Bridges Race. The route ran 10 miles to Kincardine Bridge over the narrow part of the Firth of Forth and then headed eastwards for 21 miles to the Forth Bridge. After about 2 miles on the Forth Bridge, the finish came in a further 21/2 miles at Rosyth Civil Service Sports Club - a total of 351/4 miles.

The weather was cloudy when the race started. G.W. and Sylvia both went off at 7 min mile pace with G.W. crossing the first bridge about 11/2 mins before Sylvia. The favourite for the race, Simon Pride, went off at 6 min mile pace and was already long gone. Sylvia was renewing rivalry with Kendra White who set a brisk pace and was first wumin over the bridge.

By now there was some hot sunshine. After crossing the bridge, G.W. decided on a more conservative pace and slowed down to a jog with the intention of finishing at a sprint and catching S.Pride on the line. He was soon passed by Sylvia who was about 2 minutes adrift of Ms.White. That was the last G.W. saw of Sylvia until the finish for, as the 15 mile mark approached, our hero found his legs were feeling a little cramped; the pace slowed to a struggle. 20 miles and leg problems continued while the day got hotter. 2hrs 40mins to 20 miles - could things get worse? Yes they could. The marathon in 3hrs 56mins and 91/2 miles still to go!

Swallowing sachets of gooey stuff every 5 miles seemed to revive cramping legs and so after the 31 mile aid station, G.W. picked up the pace for the last 4 miles to finish in the outstandingly average time of 5hrs 44mins. Sylvia had arrived nearly an hour earlier in 4hrs 48mins and was 1^st wumin after overhauling Kendra White just before the marathon (she finished in 5hrs 5mins). G.W. failed to catch Simon Pride who had finished in a little over 31/2 hours.

This race has a good international element, with runners from Australia, America and South Africa participating. The hot weather ensured that around 30 of the 114 starters did not finish. But finish or not, everyone enjoyed the meal at the Sports Club in the evening.

This race is very well organised with plenty of time for the runners to relax and socialise both before and after the event. However, a long section of the route is along the 'A' road, so you have to put up with plenty of traffic heading to the Forth Bridge.

From the Editor: You may be wondering why this is in the "International Section" of VS News? The explanation: Previous to these exploits, Sylvia had run the Grantham Canal 33 mile trail race, and finished 2^nd wumin in 4:22 only 7 minutes behind world ultramarathon age-group record holder Eleanor Robinson. On the basis of her performances at these two ultra races, Sylvia has again been selected for the Great Britain Team for the World 100km Championships in October this year. It's in Japan - she's been before - but on a different course - in fact on a different island - so there will be different scenery to view for the 8-9 hours that she will be on the road!

Race Report Weeton Fell Race 4 (really 51/2) (from Geoff)

Advertised as the Almscliff Crags Race, this was a disappointment to all true fell runners because the turn-round was at the foot of the crags.

Liz had her usual good run and was 1^st wumin with Kendra White of Mandale 2^nd and Sylvia 3^rd. Both G.W. and Sylvia made route errors on the tricky - not well marked - course. Tony F and Bob W both spidered well and enjoyed the run.

All competitors returned safely to the Gala Field despite the best efforts of the motorists on the 'A' road. The marshal at this point was working overtime practising his hand-signals - or rather giving a demonstration of a windmill in a force 9 gale. Liz won £10.

Wharfedale Triple T - 10-12 July 1998 (from Steve Webb)

I am always on the look out for interesting races so the entry form for this event, which held out the prospect of a multi terrain 'festival of running' in glorious Wharfedale, caught my eye. The event was being staged for the third time by Bingley Harriers and was based in a field in Kettlewell. The menu consisted of three races of varying distance in three days, all counting towards an overall Grand Prix. The 'Triple T' in the title was allegedly the mixture of tarmac, trails and tussocks which the runners would experience - or would it prove to be tendinitis, tumbles and trauma?

Activities began on Friday evening with an "uphill only" road race of 4 km. It started in the village centre and followed the road signposted to Coverdale (with a 25% gradient warning!), finishing 950 feet above the village where the road hit the open fell. In fact it wasn't all uphill; after an initial steep pull up out of Kettlewell we lost a bit of height before hitting an alpine style hairpin bend which heralded an unrelenting climb to the finish. It was difficult to judge the right pace for this course. I probably started slightly too fast and after 1/2 mile found my arms and shoulders had almost locked solid - was I having a heart attack?

I relaxed slightly on the flatter section, got overtaken by a few people and after re-taking one of the many runners in Bingley vests I had to settle for 5^th place in 18:59. The winner was Gary Devine of Pudsey and Bramley in 17:04. He was about a minute clear of the field but this was to be his only appearance over the weekend. Our ex-club colleague Eugene Doherty had also been tempted into running just the one day and I appeared to be the only Strider in action. Having finished the race up on the moor it seemed quite a long jog back down to the village, but at least on the return journey there was ample opportunity to admire the fine views of Great Whernside and towards Kilnsey.

This was billed as a 20 km "A Medium" fell race requiring navigational skills. A map and compass were included in the list of compulsory equipment, but in practice the 8 checkpoints were located on clear features and there were no major route choice decisions needed between checkpoints. The route took us uphill on a track towards Buckden Pike before contouring across to the finish of the Day 1 race. Over the last few months I have become more confident in my running and have concluded that in this sort of race my best chance of success requires me to 'get stuck in' and, within reason, to try to mix it with the leaders. I know that I'm always going to lose ground to the real fellrunners on steep descents.

So it was that I found myself chasing after the early leader and just before checkpoint 2 I actually hit the front. At this point the route traversed some marshy ground and then headed up and over the shoulder of Great Whernside. This was quite a tough climb and others coped rather better so that as we crested the ridge I was back in 3^rd place. On the steep tussock-infested descent to checkpoint 4 and the even steeper climb back up to the summit of Great Whernside positions continued to be swapped, with me hanging on grimly in the lead group of five. Descending to Caseker Crag the first three began to get away. I also made a big effort here, and with the benefit of an inspired route choice into checkpoint 8 was secure in 4^th place in 86:30.

It chucked it down all morning. Throughout the weekend the event field was available for camping and a marquee housed registration, results, 'Running Bear' sales and Keith's Café. All competitors gravitated to the marquee and sheltered within it as the start time for race 3 approached. This race was a short dash up the limestone scars to the north of Kettlewell, around a couple of cairns, and back to the event field. The distance was about 3 km and the race was presumably an "A very short". I was 4^th in the overall standings, one point behind Andy Hauser of P+B, and my only realistic chance of moving up the rankings was to finish ahead of him in this race.

Initially it seemed that this task was going to be achievable. I got into a very good position on the sprint out through the fields and as we ascended some scree and rock steps it became impossible to run or overtake and the race got strung out in single file. Unfortunately when I got onto the flat plateau my legs appeared to be shot away and it suddenly became a real struggle to pick up the pace. My main rival overtook me at this point so it all hinged on the descent. In the conditions of the day this was akin to running down a flight of stairs whilst being hosed down with a warm power shower. I began to close the gap but slipped on one of the rock steps and lost my balance and my momentum; there was no time to recover and the chance was gone. My running time for race 3 was 14:18.

So in summary this was a most enjoyable and friendly series of races. There were prizes for the first ten in the Grand Prix so I got some reward for my 4^th place. I thought the team prize was a good idea, it seemed to be based on teams comprising one senior, one vet and one lady. Next year I might actually make use of the campsite rather than commuting to Kettlewell each day, and is there a chance of some more Striders coming along to join in the fun?

Size 12 Feet? - Steve has a pair of Brooks "National" cross-country spikes, hardly used, free to a good home. Steve is on 01943-871606.

Fell Championship (Geoff Webster 266-6288)

Three-quarters through the season, the six leading contenders have all been scoring points recently and the only change is that Tony H has overtaken G.W. Liz is well-placed and with a final ascent could be the first wumin to win.

T.Foster 682 S.Webb 592 Liz 514 T.Haygarth 446 G.W. 411 Sylvia 344

A.Tones 191 Ken.K 179 PaulWebo 177 M.Wrench 157 P.Briscoe 127

Lyn 116 Kath.K 111 BobW. 110

Remaining Events

Sun Nov 1 Black Lane Ends 5 - Hare & Hounds Pub, Skipton-Colne road

Sat Nov 7 Shepherds Skyline 6 - Shepherds Rest, Lumbutts, Todmorden

1998 Remaining Events (Jon Willingham 01756-700820)

1999 Grand Prix (Jon or Tim Towler or Gary Shipley)

Other events for January & February in next newsletter