News update sent to members 3.11.11

267 days to London Olympics.

5 months,18 days, 20 min, 17 sec ( as I type) to London Marathon.

The Clubs two tickets for the London Marathon were drawn from  9 eager members ( the Rejects! ) last night and went to Sue and Emma . Pete managed to take about 5 minutes over reading out the lucky names just like they do on the tele. Very dramatic.

The Junior Schools Cross Country event on Tuesday was a tremendous opportunity to see our Juniors running well for their Schools. Congratulations to Hannah,Holly,Evie,Beccy in Yrs 3/4  Danni,Louise, Molly,Neve and Eleanor in yrs 5/6 Christian in Yrs 3/4 and Sam,Luke and Charlie in Yrs 5/6. Anyone I've missed, apologies, please let me know. The next event is not until January so our club training sessions will be important for all school Team members.
Some of our Club members receiving certificates and competing well.

Sunday 6th Nov Ilminster 10k. Several members running.

Sunday 6th Nov Club run from All Saints Hall at 9 am for anyone not at Ilminster.

Saturday 12th Nov. James is organising a practice run over most of  the Full Monty Cute  10 mile  Course. Meet at Prince of Wales Pub on Ham Hill starting at 10.30 am  prompt.Expect a 2 hour run. Race entries are now full.

The Club is hoping to organise a big fund raising cross country event on Dec 11th on the North Moor with races for all age groups. To raise funds for the Somerton Cub Scouts who are in need of some help.There will be events for Under 11 / 13 / 15 / and seniors. For our Juniors this will be a big opportunity to keep their running up to scratch.Entries will be £1.50 for Juniors and £2 for Seniors. More info to follow.

Don't forget to make your recommendations to Pete for Club awards at the AGM.

Curry Rivel 400 m time trial and Fun Run

This mornings event went off very well except that we had not properly advertised it. The result as was expected really was that a small number of runners were able to join us.
Nevertheless I judged the occasion as a success as far as Langport Runners were concerned.
The route length was nearer to 440 m which must be taken into account with the times recorded.
Here are the results for this very first use of this grass track which I intend to repeat over the next few months.

Name	Address	Age	Best time
Ed Pratt	Curry Rivel	15	1 min  18sec
Jacob Holland	Langport	14	1 min 24 sec
Harriet Holland	Langport	13	1 min 38 sec
David German	Curry Rivel	Vet	1 min 56 sec
Tina Geary	Curry Rivel	Vet	2min 22 sec

Marathon de Sables. Conclusion.

Well its all over now for another 12 months. It was the first time I have followed the event because we had one of our members taking part of course. The party is still to come when Nicky gets back home.
Having read her sobering email after stage 4, the long trek of 82 km through the night, which was graphic in its account of  her blister problem, she still manged to complete the next marathon stage and the final 18 km stage 6, all within the regulation time limits.
An amazing triumph of mind over matter.

When I have got over the weeks events we must look forward to Mel's attempt at her first marathon in London.
and Pete is training hard for his Forces March in May.

Marathon de Sables. Latest news

This has been a sensational ,drama filled week for us supporters and web cam watchers as the 800 plus competitors have forced themselves over 5 stages of the 150 mile race in the desert.
Our local hero Nicky Chrascina has fround it very tough indeed and managed to continue despite serious blisters.
She is just 10 minutes away from starting the last stage of 18 km after walking and running since last Sunday for 61 hrs 19 minutes. She is currently placed  742  out of 811 still in the race. 38 have dropped out. Considering the demands of being self sufficient for the whole time and the difficult conditions, its remarkable that so many are still there. At least having eaten all their food by now their packs are much lighter  so that will be a relief.
As usual you can get up to date info from the race web site:
http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/26mds/roadbook/uk_26mds_roadbook_6.php

The leaders who are starting an hour after the slower competitors will be racing over this relatively short stage so should be on the web cam from about 10 am local time  ( 11 am UK) perhaps earlier!

Here is a photo of Nicky finishing  at the end of the 80 km stage (taken from the computer screen)

Marathon de Sables. Latest news

Stage 4 completed at 09.26.59. I was a long way out on my ET! It must have been tough.What happens next?

Marathon de Sables. Latest news

Stage 4.
Pushing on through the night Nicky reached CP 6 at 06.20 this morning. 10km to go to the end of this stage. How do the organisers cope with this situation . There are a large number of competitors even slower than Nicky and they are all committed to finish!
If you go to the race web site click here: 
(http://www.darbaroud.com/webcam/26mds_webcam_index.php)

You can see the view out through the stage finishing arch looking back down the track. ETA for Nicky must be about 8 to 8.30am! That's 9 to 9. 30 UK time)  The last part of the stage looks relatively level but how tired can you get but still push on?
There is another stage still to tackle!

26th SULTAN MARATHON DES SABLES

From the officicial web site you can see some of the action from each stage in videos . The one shown here is from Stage 3, 38km. Nicky's time was 10 hrs 34 min. Nicky is now well into Stage 4 but going quite slow to start but there is 51 miles to cover. She went through check point one at about 12.17 local time.

They are shown under "Medias" in the top bar of the home page.

Click on this link.
26th SULTAN MARATHON DES SABLES: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Marathon de Sables.Stage Two. Latest news

Nicky has completed two stages and seems to be getting the hang of all that running on sand dunes etc. Here’s a note to help you get info on Nicky’s progress. Alf is putting notes on Nicky’s Facebook page as well.

MDS advice note.

Click here for Nicky's charity link. Nowzad Dogs. 

(http://www.nowzad.com/2007/01/nowzad-dogs-video-slide-show/)

 

 

Click here (http://www.darbaroud.com/) to go to the official MDS web site.

At the top of the page is a union jack flag. Click on the flag to get English language on the page.

There are three boxes. “Write to a competitor.”, if you click here it will open an email box.  You might need to scroll down to find the box.

Where it says “number” use the drop down sign at the right of the line and scroll down for number 702.  You will find Nicky’s name click on the name and it will insert the name in the email box.

Write in your name and move down to add your email address.

Add a subject of your choice and just type in your message of highly motivational thoughts. I.e., enjoying your holiday on the beach!?

Check and click send.

You should get a message saying it’s on its way.

I guess Nicky should see it Tuesday evening if you send it early Tuesday.

Don’t expect a reply because there only 15 computer terminals and 844 competitors!

On the same web site page you will see "Posy". Click here and you will get a list of competitors and information about their progress. Start time, time at three check points and stage finish time. Try to get it in English. Remember Nicky's number is 702

You can search around for the web cam which only works each day when the first runner arrives at the finish. It should continue till all are in but tonight Monday it appeared to go faulty just as Nicky was due at the finish. You have to work out how long Nicky is going to take on a stage in order to be looking at the right time. Not easy.

There is a competitor tracking system which Alf has got working and I will be trying it Tuesday.

That’s a lot to take in but it should be worth trying it to see this amazing race happening day by day. There a\re great photos as well.

Nicky's MDS - Day 1

Alf's report on facebook.
Click on the link to go to facebook


Nicky's MDS - Day 1

Nicky's MDS - Day 1

Posted by Alf.

Hi Facebook land,I now understand how James Cracknel’s other half feels. Nick’s always on my mind, from todays route map I can imagine her, crossing those dunes, enduring the heat, thirst, weight of the back pack & looking out for Check Points 1 & 2, then eventually Base Camp2 . Though I know she has put in all the miles, is mentally strong & determined, we are willing her on all the way.I hope she is looking after her feet, pacing herself well enough to take in the beauty of the desert & bring back lots of stunning images.Been watching Nick’s progress & webcam all day, got no work done, but it’s been worth it, unreal, so exciting. Saw Kerry & Jill having their photo taken on the finishing line & Nick 10 mins later (16.48.20) 7hrs 48mins, I’ve asked her to slow down at next finish line to ensure the webcam sees her number & give us all a big smile & a wave. They all looked really good at the end of stage 1, so proud of Nicky, bet she could murder a cold beer, well water will have to do for now, so I’ll have one for her instead.Till tomorrow, Alfie

Nicky Chrascina

Day 1 completed . Stage one 33km in 7 hrs 48 min. Time at race site is 17.49 an hour behind UK. A good start.


Nicky Chrascina

26th SULTAN MARATHON DES SABLES

26th SULTAN MARATHON DES SABLES

Here is some of the advanced information about the 2011 race. It sounds pretty daunting.
Click on the link above to see the Web site entry.
The weather seems to be wrming up a bit!

Nicky's MDS (2)

 Found a way to keep this Blog up to date with MDS news.
In the message below Al is Nicky's husband made to sat at home whilst Nicky is away enjoying herself?!!
Al is manning the race HQ in Long Sutton, Somerset.


Nicky's MDS (2):

"Hi all, Al standing in for my mad wife for the next week to 10 days, so I have been allocated the task of keeping you all informed as best I can, in reality I only get the same info as you guys but am under the threat of a thousand cuts if I don't search it out and relay it all in facebook world!

Well Nick arrived safe & well, all this week she has been complaining 'my legs, calves and all sorts of other places ache, pleeeease Alfie will you give me a quick massage' so I do the right thing (whilst watching the football) and give Nick a 40 second massage (effort she calls it). Well it obviously worked 'cos all the aches and pains have disappeared (I have clearly been conned) and this evening she is languishing in a 5 star hotel, relaxing by the pool in 26 degree sunshine with ice cream and a SOFT drink, yes you did read correctly, finally off the alcohol with one day to go!

However reality kicks in tomorrow, they have a 4 hour drive into the desert to their acclimatisation camp, where they do all the registration stuff, jettison all their surplus kit, (Nick has packed & re-packed about 10 times), say goodbye to their suitcases and the last contact with any kind of luxury.

Well that's about it for tonight. I think Nicky is about the most focused and strong minded person we all know, but I also know she is really looking forward to our motivational e-mails, these are passed on to all the masochistic competitors after each stage (via the MDS web site).

Cheers for now

Al

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

MDS adventure starts from Ouarzazate in Morocco

Tried to find a map of the route but no luck so far. Perhaps they keep it a secret!
Competitors fly to the town of Ouarzazate which is south of the Atlas Mountains on the edge of the desert.
This info from Wiki.

Ouarzazate is located in Morocco

Nicky flies out on Thursday.

MDS and James Cracknell

I was browsing through the Telegraph magazine in a quiet moment after lunch on Saturday and started reading about James Cracknell and his amazing challenges. I knew about his rowing triumphs with Steve Redgrave but didn't know about his entry to the MDS in 2010.

Here's a picture from the Telegraph article;

I looked up his own official web site and found a reference to his MDS Blog and here is an extract. You can see the whole piece by clicking here.


As events go it wasn’t the longest I’ve done but some of the days were as hard as I’ve ever had in sport. I decided to enter the MDS whilst sat in a tent 100m from the South Pole as the race doctor assessed the blisters I’d intelligently let turn to ulcers and another visitor to the pole stuck his head in the tent and said “Call those blisters - you should do the Marathon des Sables”.
I wanted to prove to myself that I could look after my body day after day whilst racing. Knowing blisters are my Achilles Heel or if I’m honest one of my many Achilles Heels I set about making sure I had a strategy to deal with them but more importantly not to avoid them in the first place. I hardened my feet over six weeks with surgical spirit and worked with various taping methods on training runs but more importantly worked on sorting out my gaiters to make sure no sand entered my shoes in the first place.


He ends his MDS Blog with this summary.

Crossing the line wasn’t the celebratory process I was envisaging instead there was the frustration of not being able to run flat out because of the leg and a painstaking wait to see if I’d held onto 12th.

After six days running I’d made it by two minutes. I’m as proud of that achievement as anything else I’ve achieved in sport. It turns out I had broken a bone in my foot – the fifth metatarsal – at least I feel like a proper sportsman now. I’m sure the doctors guessed it was broken but stuck out in the desert there was nothing they could about it and I wasn’t going to stop. Goes to show that what you don’t know won’t bother you.

Our running heroes

Great cover picture of Nicky in our local paper Western Gazette 10th March
Front Page

More details on page 12!


18 days to go and I'm getting nervous and I'm not running!

Dont forget Mel with 35 days to go to the London Marathon,

and Pete who still has 73 days.
**********************************************************************
Just sent this message as an email to all Club members.

Charity running update.

See http://langportrunnersextreme.blogspot.com/ more information about our three hero's.

With apologies for everyone else who is missing out on the press coverage and doing great things in training and racing!

Please buy this weeks Western Gazette. Nicky and Langport Runners are on the Front Page!!! And on page 12 for the story behind the headlines.
Only 17 days to go before flying to Morocco and preparing to run across the Sahara Desert. We should be able to see daily reports on Nicky's progress and we will be sending email messages of encouragement which will get to Nicky at the end of each day.

Mel has 35 days to go before the start of the London Marathon, which I'm sure is going very quickly now. Mel uses Fetch to record her training and you can see it at this web address: http://www.fetcheveryone.com/userprofile.php?id=44997 If that doesn't work go to Fetch for Everyone, home page, people near you and click on "nevienais". I see that Mel completed her 18 miler training run at the end of Feb and has been completing good monthly mileage totals this year. That looks pretty good to me.

Pete hasn't had much publicity for his 5 marathons in 5 days for the Forces March event on the 25th May. 73 days to go. That date is very significant as it is the anniversary of the sad loss of HMS Coventry , a type 42 destroyer , on the same day in 1982. Pete was a member of the crew.

All three are raising funds for charities related to armed conflict and through press coverage we hope to help them get as much support as possible. If possible please pass on this information. Links to their charities are shown on our Blog; http://langportrunnersextreme.blogspot.com/

Our running heroes

First Nicky.

And Mel. (Mel is obviously standing in the middle of the picture)

And Pete at our AGM in Feb.

Adventure running

If you want something different how about this one:

Our running heroes

All three of our heroes were running with us tonight in our weekly club session.
 I have no plans to cover such a distance so found it a bit easier running round Town with Nicky. Absolute speed is not a priority on the MDS but ability to run uphill with a 20lb pack on your back and training for an hour or more three times a week is Nicky's choice. Given a 20lb handicap I could keep up for 50 minutes and headed in to get a cuppa. Nicky just kept on running to do her programmed 60 minutes and returned fresh as a daisy. The other two just did 6 or 7 miles a bit fast by the look of them when they returned.
My achievement was a modest 4.25 in around 50 minutes with a couple of stops for a chat!

Pete's Run press release 01.03.11

Sorry about the photos not transferring but will try to get them in later .

PRESS RELEASE

LOCAL MAN TO UNDERTAKE 5 MARATHONS IN 5 DAYS

FOR PROJECT 65 — THE VETERANS CHARITY

Peter Jones, from Langport, has decided to take part in a 132.5 mile super challenge in aid of Project 65 — The Veterans Charity.

He will be taking part in THE FORCES MARCH 2011, one of the UK’s toughest challenge events which was created to unite civilians with personnel from the military and emergency services to raise vital funds for the care and support of UK armed forces heroes and forces families. THE FORCES MARCH retraces the route taken by men of the newly formed 6th  Airborne Division on a now legendary training march from Devon to Wiltshire in 1942.

Running or walking, Pete Jones will cover at least 26.2 miles a day on five consecutive days starting in llfracombe, North Devon on Wednesday 25th  May and will finish at The Forces Festival in Bulford, Wiltshire on Sunday 29th May. Entry details and additional information can be found at  www.forcesmarch.org.uk

I spent over 29 happy years in the Royal Navy during which time I served in the Falklands on HMS Coventry, also in support of Bosnia and the gulf conflicts. I feel this is a very worthwhile cause and seeing what the men and women of the services do today makes me very humble and proud, anything I can do to support their sacrifices is very much in my mind. Please if you can assist “ you can sponsor me at http://www.justgiving.com/Peter-Jones6 ”.

 

INSERT PHOTO HERE

ENDS

For further information or an interview with Peter Jones:

Please contact:

·           Pete on 01458251486 or 01823652513 or email suepete@sky.com

·           Danny Greeno,          Chief    Executive        of         Project 65        on        07595  186838            or            email

danny@project65.net

Notes to Editors:

About Peter Jones

I am a 57 year old male ex serviceman. Left the RN in 1998 having served 29 years.

The forces march starts on the 25^th May 2011 which is the 29^th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Coventry, which I was serving on at the time and lost a few good friends.

This is my opportunity to give something to those Falklands veterans as well as those from all other conflicts including those of today. I feel strongly that the support our service personnel of today are getting and the awards they get do not match the sacrifices they are making. Anything I can do to help is a mere pittance to the good life the forces gave me. I only have a small circle of friends and I need to raise at least £1000 so if you can put in a small article I would appreciate it.

I currently run with Langport Runners and have run over thirty marathons in the last seven years. I organize the local Langport Runners races with a team of helpers as well as organizing the training for the junior section of the club.

About Project 65

ProjeCT 65 — The Veterans Charity is a military charity which was founded in 2008 to raise funds for the care and support of wounded armed forces personnel.

Our aims are simple:

·           To raise the profile and funding of major organisations that provide the vital care and support for those affected during the service of their country

·           To promote the efficiency of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces

·           To support our armed forces veterans and families of the armed forces community

Every pound raised by ProjeCT 65 — The Veterans Charity will make a difference to the amount of money we can provide for our chosen beneficiaries and will enable them to continue providing the vital care and support they give to individuals and families affected by injury or trauma as a result of service in the UK armed forces. These do not just include the current and recent conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan but also Kosovo, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Borneo, Aden, Korea and of course WWII.

More information about the charity and how you can help or get involved can be found at www.project65.net