East Hull Harriers October Newsletter 2013 AGM Announcements After serving has President for the last couple of years Paul Andrew has decided to stand down. On behalf of the Club I’d like to thank Paul for all his hard work especially with the Club Refurbishment. If Paul had not been involved, and with his contacts we may never have got the grant. A Message from the new President Welcome to another year in the life of East Hull Harriers & AC, still going strong after 120 years. I would like to thank all those who were present at the AGM when I was elected to take over from Paul Andrews at the helm of the club. During the coming season I will ‘celebrate’ 30 years as a Harrier so feel I have a good understanding of what goes on here! As I said at the AGM, Paul will be a tough act to follow but I’ll do my best and will be looking to the support of the membership, as will your captains and vice-captains as they work hard to ensure we are well represented at the major championships. Please ensure you wear the red vest with pride so people know who we are, join the Facebook page and contribute your articles to the Newsletter. We can’t all win races but we can all do our bit for the club in so many ways, so if you have any ideas for races/social/admin/club improvements/ etc contact me, Julie, Paul, Neil or any committee member as we are only too willing to listen to new ideas. One day I’ll get round to writing a profile (as I keep promising Kelvin) but for now this is all from me. Enjoy your running Richard Alsop - President, EHH & AC 1 Club History Revisited Part 2 Further to investigations into the clubhouse whereabouts it is now possible to confirm the location as Holme Oak Farm Sutton during the period of early 1930’s to the 1950’s. Avril Smith wife of the late George Smith, (who was an East Hull Harrier in the 60’s to the 80’s) is actually the Granddaughter of John William Hakeney who leased the land to the Harriers in the early 1930’s. The Clubhouse was one that the runners built and erected themselves at a cost of £26 on the Farm land of the Hakeney’s. The Clubhouse was completed and first used on the opening of the season 1934. It was supposed to have some sort of bathing area i.e. the old bath tub type. Avril seems to recall that someone named Green always remained behind after the runners had gone for a run, so the bath was filled and warmed for their return. Then as I stated in the last newsletter the club moved to the Paddock in the 1950’s, this occurred when Vice President Dick Dobson and a team of volunteers dismantled the building and rebuilt it at the Paddock. The picture shows Ethel Hakeney sat on what may have been part of the old Oak Tree outside the Clubhouse. View behind is what is now Howdale Road Estate. (The Clubhouse itself seen in the right hand side was the same one that was moved in the 50’s East Hull Harriers benefactor with his family circa 1930. Picture shows John and Martha with children:Left to Right George, Ernest (back), Ethel (Front) and Edith. 2 Into the 50’s President in the early 50’s appears to be a Mr Wilkinson who in 1959 decided to retire owing to ill health, he was succeeded by G C Watson who after a short term in charge decided not to stand for re-election. This is where former secretary and Vice President G H Stone was elected to the role of Club President. The Club then changed it’s name for a second time adding on Athletic Club this occurred in the 1965/6 season. The Major as he was known, was still around until the late 60’s but not as President he gave an after dinner speech in 1968 celebrating East Hull Harriers and AC 75 years existence starting with the saying “The Thin Red Line”. Major G H Stone was born approx. 1897 and a Hull Daily Mail Obituary has him passing away in 1969 age 72. Top Left to right:- Unknown ,Mrs Stone, Major George H Stone, Avril Beaumont, Ted Beaumont, Ted’s Brother. Middle Left :-Mrs Ken Hurry, Bottom three :- Unknown, George Smith and Avril Smith. Photo was taken at what appears to be an East Hull Harrier dinner sometime during the 1960’s. 3 Major George Henry Stone is proving to be a very elusive character, he was born in the year of 1897 and registered in Sculcoates Hull. ( There is a strong possibility that he joined the Royal Marines and took part in the 1st World War, (not entirely proven as yet). He married in 1922 to Emily and as we know he came to East Hull Harriers in the early 50’s and stayed around 15 years. George died on November 20th 1969. Articles from the HULL DAILY MAIL Nov 20th 1969 4 Major Stone Half Marathon 2013 (Richard Alsop) It was another warm, sunny day for the ‘Major Stone’ this year . The weather forecasters got it right and the conditions once again were great for the marshalls and officials although slightly warm for the runners. That didn’t deter Phill Taylor of Bridlington RR, who overturned the results of the past two years and beat Steve Bateson into second place. Phill set a new PB of 72:26 in the process, for which he is to be congratulated. Several other runners also had good runs and there were pleasing times for both men and ladies. We had competitors ranging in age from 19 to 73, a delightful chap by the name of Dave Onion who every year turns our race into a short break by staying in Bridlington and regularly competes in more Half Marathons than anyone I have met for a long time. So for the statisticians among you, we had 239 starters of which 235 finished including 80 ladies which was very pleasing. This is up by 50 on last year, continuing the pattern and establishing the Major Stone as a firm fixture on the race calendar for early September. To that end, after watching the enthralling Great North Run the following week and feeling grateful the bad weather had not hit the Major Stone, I was (to put it politely) ’disappointed’ when I saw that next year’s GNR is on 7th September or as I like to refer to it ’Major Stone day’. It still needs to be discussed further at Committee but my current opinion is that we should go head to head with our Geordie friends and sell our race as the smaller, friendly alternative – and it is a much better course! If anyone has any strong views either way, feel free to contact me with your opinions. We once again received a number of positive comments (as well as noting further improvements I feel can be made), which bodes well for the future, and I hope to put the Major Stone firmly in everyone’s diary for that weekend in September. The T-shirts were similarly popular and if you didn’t run we have very limited stocks (Medium only) available to buy from the clubhouse. Thanks are due, as always, to the many volunteers marshalling, on drinks stations, piloting, registration and all the many other jobs which are required to ensure the race goes smoothly. I won’t mention them all as it would take too long and I might upset someone by forgetting them, but Mike Vinegrad once again organised this side of the race in his role as Clerk of the Course extremely well, everyone complimenting the standard of marshalling and general smooth execution. Our thanks are also given to Andy Lyons (Humber Runner) for his continuing sponsorship, Barrie Kitching with his sports massage service and to Lockington Village Hall committee for welcoming us once more to their village. Richard Alsop Race Director – Major Stone Half Marathon 5 Lockington Start and runners round the course. 6 Burton Pidsea 10k 22/9/13 On another fine and sunny day where runners said it was rather warm , 120 completed the Burton Pidsea 10k. Although the lowest turn out for a few years the race was enjoyed by all that ran. Organisation was spot on with refreshments, well catered for in the village hall. Steve Bateson took revenge on Phill Taylor but both still filled the first two places with Matty Hayes back in third. Bev Jackson was the Ladies winner. 7 Across the Nation - your club needs you! (Helen Horrobin) Each year there are a series of races that have the prefix ‘National’ – albeit cross country, relay, championships, whatever. Immediately, the word National might put some of you off. I’ve heard whispers from both changing rooms, the men and the women, that ‘I’m not national standard’ or ‘what if I’m last? Let me offer you some reassurance – there isn’t a national standard and you won’t be last. The ‘Nationals’ as they are affectionately known are simply a chance to challenge clubs against each other, often club runners who might never ordinarily meet, generally over short, mainly cross country routes. Yes, there are some very good runners there, often we are blessed to be able to run with Olympians (which other events can you say that about!), but the rest of the field are no different to the people who make up your average 10K – people like you. If you are part of a team then you will put yourself under pressure, you might even PB, but one thing you wont do is let anyone down. You are in the team – that means the team qualifies. Without you, there are not enough runners, and no-ones efforts count. And more importantly, with advanced commitment from you, we’ll get a bus together, or organise a car share, and it’s a lovely day out with your EHH chums. So please, don’t shy away thinking that you’re not good enough! The next event is in Mansfield on the 2nd November – we need men for the 4x5km and women for a 3x3km. Speak to Matty or Helen if you want to be part of a team. Fire and Ice 250KM Ultra We’re sure many of you are aware of some of the ultra marathons that exist across the planet, and I know some of you have done some of them! The Marathon de Sables is a popular example of this type of event – running around 250kms over a 6-7 day period, carrying all of your kit (except a tent) with you. Whilst we’ve fancied this challenge, we didn’t fancy the heat, so when we were invited to compete in the Fire and Ice ultra in Iceland at the end of August, we thought it presented the perfect opportunity to push ourselves like never before. Getting the kit together was quite a long and drawn out affair and when we finally came to laying it all out, we almost decided to pull out! There was no way I could get it in the 35l OMM bag that Matty had leant us, in the end having to go for a 45l bag – how on earth were we going to run that far with the equivalent of a small child on my back? After packing, unpacking, repacking, arguing and crying (Helen, not Neil), our bags finally weighed in at around 12.5kgs (without the 1.5l of water that you had to start each day and leave each checkpoint with). It was going to be a long week. We arrived in a town called Akyuri on the Friday night and Saturday dinner began the 7hr drive to the starting point – which was to be at the foot of the biggest glacier in Iceland. On the way we visited ponds of bubbling mood that had a strong smell of sulphur, before leaving the road and hitting the national park which would be our home for a few days. A good nights sleep – despite the howling violent winds – and we were off on our journey 8 north. Across the next 4 days, we ran across rocky roads, alongside glaciers and mountains, over lava fields, through sand dunes, grassy valleys and besides centuries old volcanoes. There was no sign of life for the first four days, either in the wild, or other people in the area we were (other than the odd car passing by – when we got off road, we really were alone). A series of camps followed, sometimes on grass, sometimes sleeping on rocks, and if we were lucky, maybe a small hut in which to boil our water to rehydrate our high calorie light weight dinners, including Chicken Tikka, Oriental Vegetables and Shepherds Pie. Image left – Neil on day three besides ‘the Queen’ mountain With the first four days over (day four was the ‘long day’ – 75k), we had day 5 ‘off’ and went to Myvatn natural baths http://www.jardbodin.is/en/ a 40degree plus pool, heated naturally and beautifully clear. It was lovely to have a shower and enjoy this ‘luxury’, though it was hard work in the café, watching people eat fresh meat and veg – by this point, rehydrated choc chip pudding and cliff bars were rapidly losing their appeal. Image right – an early sunrise over the Queen on the morning of the long day. Day 6 had to be changed because of a severe weather warning. When snow hits in Iceland, it hits big and fast and on day 4, farmers had been bringing in their sheep and taking them to safe ground. Unfortunately the snow was due to hit where we were running, so a new route was quickly and seamlessly devised for the last two days. Day 6 began at Dettifos, the Northern hemisphere’s largest waterfall, and whilst the snow stayed away from us, this was a wet and quite miserable day weather wise. They like to host wind in Iceland, and this was a particularly windy day! A new camp site had to be found last minute, so an hours drive from the end soon saw us all warmed up by the time we arrived, for the first time in days, seeing trees and grass a plenty. The final day should have been just 15k, but a shortening of the previous day bumped it up to 27K – 10K of which were up a mountain into a head wind. But then, 13k was basically down hill, always with the town of Akyuri, our finishing point, in sight. It was wonderful to finish in the town, right next to a giant stage that was being put up for their annual festival. And finally, we could eat proper food – soup and bread at lunch time and then a traditional Icelandic BBQ for tea! https://www.facebook.com/groups/162339058586/#!/FireandIce.ICELAND 9 The Inaugural College Canter Steve Richmond/KW Beverley AC in conjunction with Bishop Burton College staged their first "College Canter", a 7mile race on the equine exercise track at Bishop Burton College. I picked up the leaflet at the Walkington 10K in the summer and thought I would enter as it appeared interesting and "different". Alas, and so it proved to be, reasonably challenging with the route taking us along a roller coaster multi terrain course around the rural agricultural fields of Bishop Burton College. Some of the hills although small were quite testing. A sprinkling of Harriers were there too, namely Kelvin, Shirley Oglesby, Carole Fee and Steve Coates. Conditions were bright and sunny, firm under foot with long grass in places, but very windy, especially in the long stretch at around 2 miles, and later at the same point as we ran the second loop. The run is nearly two circuits of a 3 mile loop followed by a 1.5 mile loop to finish. All in all, a good race, one I feel will feature in the racing calendar for years to come. Sadly as with most inaugural races the turnout was low with 121 entries but only 103 finishers. Steve Pearson from Beverley A C won the race in 43:14 with our own Steve Coates exactly one minute behind in 2nd. Others who ran from EHH:- Kelvin Westerman 58:11 Steve Richmond 59:10 Carole Fee 62:02 Shirley Oglesby 65:02 ( Shirley won the F60 Prize) The facilities were excellent, ample parking, well marshalled, hot showers in the new changing areas and to "top" it all , a couple of bottles of "Wold Top" beer for all finishers. Excellent value for the £8 entrance fee. Vacancy on Committee Following the recent AGM there is a vacancy on the Club’s Committee ( there were two but Dave Borrill has kindly put has name forward). If you are interested in serving for the 2013/14 season please contact a member of committee or Julie Ferguson on [email protected]. Committee meetings are held monthly on either a Tuesday or Thursday after training. Fixture Card The 2013/14 Season Fixture Card is now available from the Clubhouse. Keys for the Clubhouse For insurance purposes If you have a set of keys for the clubhouse please let Julie Ferguson have your name and contact details by either completing the list in the clubhouse or emailing Julie on 10 [email protected]. Subscriptions due 1st October At the recent AGM it was agreed that the subscription rates for the 2013/14 remain the same. Subscriptions are due on 1st October: 18 years & Over Full Time Students 18-21 Under 18 years Senior Citizens* Non Active Members (*After One Year Full Membership) £35.00 £10.00 £10.00 £17.50 £5.00 For each active member £10 of the above rate is paid to England Athletics for athlete registration; this fee is likely to increase in future years. Prompt payment is requested as subscriptions provide valuable income to support the club and its activities. If you joined the Club since 1st March 2013 there will be a reduction to compensate for the full fee paid at the time. Ten members fall into this category and I will adjust my records accordingly but please contact me if you think this applies to you. Payment of subs can be made by cash, cheque (payable to East Hull Harriers & AC) or bank transfer using the details below: EHH Sort Code 05-05-20 EHH Account number 27860336 Reference 'your name subscriptions' e.g. Paul Andrews Subscriptions Amount as defined in the table above It will assist my reconciliation if you also send me an email confirming your payment. If your 2012/13 subs are outstanding please contact me as a matter of urgency as you may not have been re-registered with England Athletics and prompt payment would be appreciated. 11 In special circumstances arrangements can be made for members to pay in instalments; I am happy to discuss this with members on an individual basis and such arrangements will be treated in the strictest of confidence. I can be contacted either by email or phone:[email protected], mobile 07812975850 Paul Nippress Membership Secretary Forthcoming Fixtures Sun Sat Sun Sat Sun Sat Sun 06th Oct 12th Oct 13th Oct 19th Oct 20th Oct 26th Oct 27th Oct Pack Run (J Nicholson) (10:00 am) National Road Relays Wawne to Swine 7.5m (10:00 am) Pack Run Bridlington ½ Marathon Pack Run Haltemprice 10K Leven Sutton Park Wawne Club Bridlington Club Haltemprice Good luck to all doing the Gruesome Twosome on the 12th October. And the Yorkshire Marathon 20th October. There is still time to have a go on Iain Mcgowans challenge in the Yorkshire Marathon. For £1 and guessing the correct time he will finish his first Marathon in, you could win a £100 voucher. He is usually at the Clubhouse on Tuesday and Thursday or Parkrun Saturday, or you can contact him on Facebook. Remember any interesting stories or race reports, Profiles etc please send to me. That’s all for this month Kelvin [email protected] 01482 709578 12