Photograph Quiz:
Photo no. 72:- What event are these runners about to race? When? Where? …. And the result? And what was special about the starter?
Dear Blog,
A little bit of a ramble today Blog, perhaps I will explain why, when I have finished, always assuming I can remember to do that. My memory these days? Age I suppose? Now what was I saying, Blog? Oh yes, a ramble. Yesterday was the annual Coventry Godiva 5 mile New Year Road Race around the Warwick University campus. Except that it wasn’t on New Year’s Day, but it was 5 miles!!! The race starts at 11:00am with a 1 mile loop and then two loops of 2 miles, the tarmac terrain being fairly flat which is an advantage, but some of the paths are twisting, and are also slippery from fallen wet leaves, which is a disadvantage!!!! Two years ago course was slippery because of an overnight frost. There was a field of nearly 200 runners this year with the usual wide ability range. Incorporated in the 5 mile road race, was a five-mile race walk; it seems a great pity that with the lack of race walks, that more walkers do not take advantage of this race. It is especially surprising, as prizes are given for the walking race as well as the main running event. Which does mean that the few walkers who do take part, pick up a very easily won prize award. I set this race up five or six years ago to fill a gap in the local calendar, the idea being that it was a bit special and unusual because it actually was on New Year's Day with all the advantages and disadvantageous due to that particular date. Of course athletes wanting to run a fast time would limit their intake of the New Year Eve’s spirits, other would regard the date as an extra challenge!!! I got the impression that it was very not very popular with the officials, having to drag themselves out of bed much earlier than they might otherwise have done on New Year’s morning just so they could hang over a draughty corner watching athletes through bleary eyes . When I gave up organising my club’s races, one of the first actions of the new committee did was to switch the race away from January 1st, thereby pleasing most of officials most of the times but losing sight of the original raison d’etre for the race’s existence! It was believed that the number of entries would swell. I always used to try to give awards to all athletes who pre-entered the race, whether it be a T-shirt or some other token. I think unattached athletes in particular, getting some form of recognition of having taken part over what must be a considerable challenge to them, is important. An unattached athlete, Blog, is one not belonging to an affiliated athletics club. The new race organising committee had a different philosophy form me and run the race as just another five-mile road race with no special attraction whether it be the day of the race i.e. New Year's Day or by giving an award. I think for a small club like Godiva, this is particularly unfortunate, when you consider that every Saturday in the local War Memorial Park a ‘Parkrun’ takes place over 5 km with entry on the day and an entry fee of nothing. To attract an unattached runner to a local club race and charge £10 for the privilege if they don't enter before race day, is not really the best procedure to increase entries, especially when you consider the economic circumstances and the general state of the economy these days. As I said, I was marshalling. I was marshalling at the far end of the course, down by the lakes. If you didn't know Blog, Warwick University is built on the very edge of the City of Coventry in the countryside. It has used the natural terrain of a gently sloping campus to create a series of lakes, nature reserves, and pleasant public footpaths cutting through the campus. Surely one of the most attractive campuses in the country???? When I was a kid, a Sunday out was to walk in the grounds and around the lake of Nottingham University. A very popular activity. A very popular destination for locals. Warwick University should share their beautiful campus with the locals. The citizens of Coventry do not knoiw this jem exists!!! The weather on Monday was a little chilly but ideal for racing. Where I was stationed at about the 2 miles point of the race, [and the four mile point], the runners passed me twice. While I was waiting for them to appear for the first time three swans flew overhead preparing to land on the surface of one of the lakes. The noise of their flight is incredibly loud. Two swans landed on the water, not so much landing on the water as crashing into the surface. Most ungainly and undignified for such a splendid bird.The third is one aborted at the last minute and flew off, further down the stream, presumably to one of the other lakes. Despite having acres and acres of protective cover around the campus and around the lakes in which to build a secluded nest, each year, a pair of swans nest just across the road from the University Security Office alongside one of the busy roads that serve the University. They prefer to camp with their nest in an exposed spot, for all the passing students and all the passing traffic to see them clearly. The University puts stakes and fencing around the nesting site each year, but invariably one of their eggs seems to go missing. Last year they raised two chicks. Just before the first runners arrived, an old couple came along the pathway where I was standing, feeding bread to the mallards and moorhens. Huge numbers of both birds and a few coots were following the couple as they progress along the path throwing bread onto the water as they progressed. I have never noticed before, but this year there seems to be no Canada geese over wintering on the campus, perhaps I’ve missed them. Not really possible with the mess they inevitably create. Certainly in the summer they are a real pain, blocking not only the parths you try to trudge along but also the grass verges, and some of the pitches; and the open spaces around the lakes where I try to do my efforts, leaving their calling cards as they move onto slightly different grazing areas. Interestingly, a couple of years ago, the University security people complained to the running club committee that some of our youngsters, while returning from a training session, were chasing the Canada geese and upsetting them. It is interesting Blog, because that same year, the University authorities were criticised in the local press for trying to control the number of Canada geese on site, by smashing their eggs in their nests and replacing them, by infertile eggs. I bet the geese were chuffed to bits about that?! A clear case of double standards!
The men's race was won in just over under 25 minutes. I suppose I must be getting old Blog, because I still cannot reconcile myself to the times recorded these days in five-mile road races and for that matter 10 mile road races. I do believe that the standards of road racing in this country are so poor because roadrunners can win races and very modest times and pick up prizes. Nothing wrong with that, except by winning races, they must think that they are quite able athletes. The many races in which they can place during the course of a year must be indicative of their ability, but the incentive to train harder and run faster is removed if success can be gained fairly easily.
I also see in the broadsheets that Frank Horwill died two days ago. If you didn't know Blog, Horwill was a founder member of the British Milers Club, B.M.C. The aim of the club in the early days of the 60s was specifically to raise the standard of middle distance running and racing in this country. One way this was done was by paying travelling expenses to the athletes to compete in a particular race on condition that, when they got to the track, lots would be drawn to elect three people to take the pace and drag the field through the laps at a predetermined pace. Straws were drawn before the race started, and the fortunate, or unfortunate depending on your point of view, who drew the short straws were allocated the time they were expected to pass a particular point in the race. Horwill was something of an eccentric who never tried to appear to be an eccentric unlike many people who adopt that mantle. My wife and was invited to take part in a half mile race one year at Hendon, north London. Because we didn't really know where we were going, and because our minivan was none too reliable, we set off in good time. In very good time. We found the track very easily; so easily in fact that no one was around, the place was totally deserted so we had plenty of time to kill before the meeting started. We sat on the outside of the track having some sandwiches, still with no other person in sight. Remember in those days, tracks were very rarely fenced in, and were just another facility in the parkland. While we were munching away at our lunch, across the park towards the top bend, traipsed a gentlemen in a scruffy long mackintosh, despite the nice warm sunny day, clutching a battered old black leather briefcase. He wandered over to the track, jumped the surrounding rail and was heading towards the small stadium when he suddenly veered towards the shot putt circle. Someone must have been at the track earlier in the morning and left half a dozen shots by the circle in readiness for that event when the competition started. Horwill, fo it was he, put down his briefcase, lifted one of the shots and putted it out of the circle. It must have flown through the air and landed all of two from the edge of the circle. He repeated this process with the other five shots, non-travelling more than a couple of metres. When finished, he lifted his briefcase, and proceeded to walk towards the changing rooms as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do; oh yes, there are some shots, haven’t thrown a shot for hours, must have a go….. I assume that tributes will be accorded him in the forthcoming days in the athletic press.
Colin
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