Jeremy Dale

County Champs + Westbury Wipeout + South Glos Trials + B & W Open

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Just to remind everyone the closing date for the Avon County Championships, to be held at Yate on 13/05/17,  is tomorrow 06/05/17 on line, so if you have not entered yet please do so before close of play tomorrow!!!

Another event on the horizon is the Westbury Wipe out, all the entry details etc. are on the Wesbury Harriers web site web site.

The South Glos Schools trials are being held at Yate on Wednesdays 24th May from 16.00-18.00 hrs make sure your school has sorted entries out for you, don’t get over looked!

For those who have not managed to get a time/distance/height on to Power of 10 yet, don’t forget the Bristol and West open on Tuesday evening 23rd May, this is your opportunity to get a PB and some much needed competition!

 

BSTECH

The Westbury Wipeout ! 2015

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Westbury Harriers   proudly present

The  Westbury
Wipeout ! 2015

Monday 6th July 2015.  Blaise Castle Estate, Henbury, Bristol

Entries from 6.00pm until 7:15pm

The  Westbury Wipeout is a challenging multi terrain adventure run for juniors age 8 to 15, taking them on a tour of the woods, streams and hills of the Blaise Castle Estate. The event is 3k long (2k for 8 and 9 year-olds), and includes a long downhill section, some scrambling up banks and slopes, and plenty of splashing through water and across mud, rocks, roots and steps. The course is only lightly marked. Survivors will have to overcome the ‘Decent of Doom’, ‘Shark Lagoon’, ‘Ditch of Destruction’, ‘Crocs Leap’, ‘Hills of Torment’, ‘Trolls Bridge’ and ‘Scramble of Hope’….. See Survivors ‘Route Map’ inside for location of challenges.

As a fun run, the event will not be timed. The emphasis is on adventure, challenge and fun. Participants are advised that, once they start, the only way out is on their own two feet ! All participants will receive a T shirt printed especially for the event.  Please read the ‘Instructions for Participants’ and ‘Be Water Aware’ health advice card before entering the event.

Run registration / assembly point – Westbury Harriers’ club house (adjacent to the main car park and playground) at Blaise Castle. Warm up starts at 7:15pm. The run starts at 7:30pm. Please arrive in plenty of time to be able to register and warm up.

Entries in advance via the runbritain website (see link below) – £6:00. Entries will also be taken on the day £8:00 from 6.00pm, subject to a strict race limit of 300 entrants.

Under UK Athletics Rules, Licence No. Subject to Permit. Minimum age 8. Maximum age 15. Due to the nature of the terrain, the event is unsuitable for wheelchair users.

For further information phone Philip Court 07775 663 210 (please leave a message) or see www.westburyharriers.co.uk

runbritain website – www.runbritain.com

TrustFord Westbury Wipeout 2015 – Instructions for Participants

Welcome to Blaise Castle for the Westbury Wipeout.

What Happens, When

  • All ages: Please meet at 7:15pm in front of the club house for a general ‘warm-up’.
  • At the end of the warm-up, we will take you straight to the correct start for your age.
  • The run for ages 10 upwards starts first (‘Start A’), at about 7:30.
  • The route takes the runners past the assembled 8 and 9 year-olds (‘Start B’). As soon as the older runners have gone by, the younger ages start.
  • As well as starting at a different place, the younger ages (8 – 9) take a short cut, so they do 2k (instead of 3k which the main run does): at the bottom of the long downhill (‘Descent of Doom’) you come out into a meadow.  At the end of this the younger runners turn left, and take a ‘short cut’ (points 6 to 11 on the map).  The main run goes straight on.
  • Please pin (using four safety pins …. one in each corner) your race number to the FRONT of your tee shirt / vest and ensure it remains in place throughout the entire race. If it falls off keep your race number with you. No number at the end of the race means no race finish position and no medal.

Water Health Advice Notice

For Your Safety

  • Please read the ‘Be Water Aware’ health advice card, as you will be running along a stream for some sections of the course.
  • If you have any cuts, please make sure that they are covered by a waterproof plaster / dressing.
  • Our marshals will be wearing bright yellow jackets. They will show you the way, and help you if you have a problem.  Please don’t talk to anyone not wearing a yellow jacket.
  • If you are hurt or tired out and can’t go any further, go to a marshal in a yellow jacket and wait with them. Please don’t try to find your way back on your own.
  • Some of our runners will be running with you to help as well. They will be wearing running bibs.
  • Please remember that this is a Fun Run, not a race. When you start running, don’t go too fast!  We want everyone to finish.
  • Go slowly on the long downhill (‘Descent of Doom’) – it may be slippery!
  • Watch out for tree roots all the way along the run. There will be some rocks too under the water.  And look out for slippery bits (including dog poo)!
  • There are some steep scrambles on the run. Please take care that you don’t slip and fall down on other runners.  If you think it is too difficult, ask one of our helpers to help.
  • There may be people along the paths who are not involved in the run. Please look out and don’t run into them!
  • If there is a hold-up (e.g. at a bridge), please be patient. Don’t forget, this is a fun run, not a race.

We hope you have a great run.

Westbury Wipeout 2015 – Joint Advert and Entry Form

 

Jeremy Dale

English Schools Cross Country News

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Lesley had kept me informed during the afternoon and the headline seemed to be that Westbury and Yate athletes had had a very good day, with several finishing the first fifty – always a good measure in an event as big as English Schools.

A number of athletes suffered from the mass start, picking up spike injuries, none of which held them back at all. This included the boy who discovered that his leg was covered in blood when he finished and needed seven stitches. Unusually, there were facilities on hand for stitches to be done on site, without the need for carrying anyone off to hospital.

Lesley noted that as well as the normal first aid cover, there was a mountain rescue team on hand! And this indicated the kind of course that athletes were faced with. She herself took the sensible decision NOT to walk the course with the senior girls.

In the under-15 girls race a fascinating story unfolded as the girls came in. Ellie Hobbs finished in fourteenth place – in itself a noteworthy achievement. But then look at the results around her. The 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th finishers all clocked 11:54; the 13th girl clocked 11:55, and Ellie clocked 11:56. So a bit like the Battle of Waterloo – a damn close-run thing. The first eight in the race get picked for England; nine and ten are reserves.

So Ellie was just two seconds off an international vest. And she has another year in that age group.

Her sister, Hannah finished 25th, Ellie Leather 63rd and Rosie Allen 99th (after falling at the start). To say that Pat Gallagher was over the moon is putting it mildly.

Aidan Noble was the best Avon finisher in the boys’ races, coming home in 32nd – continuing his good form this winter.

So no trophies for Avon this year – but some really good Westbury and Yate performances.
Stuart
Jeremy Dale

Schools cross country

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It’s that time of year again, when what’s left of the Avon Schools AA committee swing into action to put out teams for the South West Championships and then English Schools.

Normally there would be the Avon championships when each race would end with letters being given out to top finishing athletes so that Lesley and her team could make selections and send out invitations to compete for the county. Except the Avon championships were cancelled. This was because the BGS games field where it was going to be held is really suffering under the weather and their groundsman couldn’t face the damage that would be done by over 300 young athletes and their parents.

The selection of the Avon team has been done – on the basis of the area championships and Power of Ten. Now letters have to be sent out to all the selected athletes – a job which Lesley always does.

But she didn’t have any of their addresses!!!!

Imagine the chaos on our dining table as she searches her records, emails and phones and generally badgers anyone she can think of to come up with 80+ addresses. As I write, there are still nine who could live anywhere. Schools are understandably a bit nervous about giving out students’ information, but most have bitten the bullet and told her what she needed to know.

One school, which had better remain anonymous, instead of answering Lesley’s questions, sent back a question about why someone completely different hadn’t been selected. Well – guess what? – she just wasn’t good enough.