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THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 294, August 2017 Editor: Sue Francis

Contents, features, reports, results   

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Thursday night schedules for August and September Race results and reports – Tadley 10K; Dinton 10K; Compton Relay; Race to the Stones Webmaster’s article – Mo features some dangers of running in the countryside (hypothermia, tick bites, animal attacks, poisonous plants) with links to useful websites; and a list of local and interesting races for the late summer and autumn months Thanks to Tim and Mo for this month’s contributions

Thursday night schedule for August Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs

3rd 10th 17th 24th 31st

Meena to lead Handicap Race Darren to lead Pete O to lead Run & pub meal with Didcot Runners & Harwell Harriers (details to follow)

Thursday night schedule for September Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs

7th 14th 21st 28th

Richard D to lead Mo to lead Handicap Race Martin to lead

Race Results and Reports Tadley 10K, 9th July Terry clocked 47:48, 53rd out of 264 competitors.

Dinton 10K, 13th July Vince finished in 43:16, marginally slower than the time he set in June’s race. He was 22nd out of 217 finishers.

Compton Relay, 13th July Sue Compton Harriers’ Relay was a great success, thanks to all the competitors and helpers. After the race, everyone enjoyed a lovely barbecue, thanks to East Ilsley Swan. This year we had 16 teams, including runners from Compton Harriers, Newbury Runners, Harwell Harriers, Didcot Runners, and Newbury AC. It was great to have such a good turn-out of competitors and spectators, and decent weather. My system of handicapping worked fairly well: if it was perfect, all teams should have finished together at 57:30 on overall watch time, so it was good that eleven teams finished between 55:30 and 59:30, making for an exciting race.

But there are always a few ‘dark horses’ who run a lot faster than anticipated, or a few unexpected lastminute team changes that throw the handicapping system!

The teams set off over a spread of 16.5 minutes. At the end of Leg 1, ‘NR E’ led the field, ahead of ‘High 5’ and ‘HH A’. On Leg 2, ‘NR E’ extended their lead, with ‘HH C’ moving into 2nd place, and ‘HH A’ holding 3rd spot. ‘NR E’ maintained their lead on Leg 3, as ‘HH C’ kept 2nd place, and ‘HH B’ moved into 3rd. On Leg 4, ‘HH C’ took the lead and won the race with a 2.5-minute margin. ‘NR F’ and ‘NR D’ took 2nd and 3rd HH August 2017

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places respectively. The remaining teams finished over the following 5 minutes, with some exciting sprint finishes. The friendly rivalry between Compton Harriers ‘Old Girls’ and ‘Old Boys’ teams was rekindled.

But, once again, the Old Boys spoiled the party (!), as Darren ran hard on leg 4 and just passed Kirsty in the final run-in.

The battle to record the evening’s fastest actual team time was very close, with two teams breaking 41:00.

‘NR D’ recorded 40:45, with The Pacemakers (which included Compton Harriers’ own Ryan and Mike) clocking 40:59. The evening’s fastest lap time was set by Graham Stent (‘NR D’, 8:57, a men’s lap record), ahead of Barry Regan (‘NR F’, 9:09) while the excellent performance of fastest lady, Jess Franklin (NAC), saw her run the 3rd fastest time of the evening overall (9:11, a ladies lap record) just ahead of 3rd fastest man Joe Hoskins (‘NR C’, 9:12). Sue (CH ‘Old Girls’) was 2nd fastest lady (10:15), ahead of Chloe Blair (NAC) who clocked 10:29 on Leg 1, then 10:35 on Leg 4.

Many thanks to my great team of helpers, without whom it would not be possible to stage the Relay: Mo for race results and photos, Jan and Dick for time-keeping, John, Mavis, Kyle and Martin for marshalling, and Helen our first-aider. Full results, along with all of Mo’s photos of the evening can be found at: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/WebPlus/Relay.html

Baton hand-over for The Old Girls; Colin takes over from Ben for the Musketeers; The Pacemakers receive their team prize at Ilsley Swan as everyone enjoys the barbecue

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Race to the Stones, 15th July Tim 09:30? Is that really the start time? Rather late for a race where you expect to end up running in the dark!

With so many people running (over 1,000 doing the 100km in one day and the same number again doing the same distance with an overnight stop), waves of runners are set off every 15 minutes between 07:30 and 09:30.

So, having been allocated with the last possible start time, race morning was much more relaxed than is normal, even allowing for driving to the start north of Watlington. As a sea mist rolled in, I set off with the 200 others in my wave hoping to make it to Avebury stone circle. Spirits were high, with everyone jolly and chatting as we loped along the first miles. I soon got chatting to a Yorkshireman who was on his first Ultra.

Clearly a fast marathoner, he wanted to get into ultras. I was surprised how many people seemed to have chosen this, a 100km race, as their first ultra. One lady had done her first marathon this spring, was doing the Race to the Stones as her first ultra and had already booked onto a 117-mile race across Devon from coast to coast. She’s keen!

Following the Ridgeway for almost all the route, the event was very well organised with great drink and food stations every 6 miles. However, I obviously wasn’t making best use of these, and by about 25 miles I was feeling low on energy and the legs were feeling like they’d had enough. At the halfway point, I decided to take a decent break to try to get some pasta down. Despite adding 40 minutes to my race time, the break made all the difference. I felt an (almost) new man when I got back out on the course. The legs still felt tired, but the body and mind were refreshed. During the second half of the race, I really learnt that whatever the legs felt like, so long as the mind was strong enough, I could tell my legs to keep going. Late on in an ultra, I often find myself walking more than I should, but during the Race to the Stones I finally broke through the mental barrier to enable myself to keep pushing; not fast, but fast enough to keep the momentum up.

At the start, I’d assumed that I would be running sufficiently far in the dark to warrant a decent torch, so I carried my heavy Petzl Ultra headtorch, all 350 grammes of it. However, with only 10km to go on summiting Barbury Castle at about 8:45pm, I had a chance of getting to the stone circle at Avebury before dark. The most frustrating part of the race is the last km or so. On reaching the stone circle, you get a photo taken by the stones and then you have to run back the way you came and then across a couple of fields to get to the actual finish. However, running the last km in the dark, I was pretty happy to see the finish tunnel and… a chair!

Tim finished in a time of 12:38:52, which placed him an excellent 179th out of 963 finishers. The race winners were Benjamin Poiraton (7:52:58) and Sarah Hill 9:23:10. The last finisher crossed the line in 32:23.

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Tim nearing the Race to the Stones finish

Website update‌ http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo Links of interest this month: My article below is about hypothermia and how to deal with the condition should a runner be caught out by injury or exhaustion. For a more detailed explanation together with a very informative chart on the various stages of hypothermia and suggested responses, follow this link http://everythingoutdoors.co.uk/hypothermia-facts-causes-treatment/ . A general hypothermia guide pamphlet can also be downloaded from the site.

The site itself http://everythingoutdoors.co.uk is well worth checking out as it is managed by a committee member of The Fell Running Association and covers a wide range of outdoor activities, events and courses.

On another subject, after recently hearing about a former Harrier's encounter with a 'tick', it reminded me that runners can be at risk of being bitten particularly when running through woodland, heathland, moorland, long grass, forests and urban parks. Ticks can carry a range of diseases so, if bitten, there is a risk of contracting one, such as the more serious Lyme Disease. General medical advice is to remove the tick asap.

For more information on the disease, how to remove a tick, and what action to take if you do happen to be unlucky, have a look at this site http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/ . There is also a section showing images of the various rashes over the body that can occur following an infected tick bite. A very informative leaflet can also be downloaded at http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2017/05/LDA-P2-v2-A4.pdf .

Finally, as we run more in the countryside at this time of year, it is worth being aware of the dangers as well as enjoying the benefits. With this in mind, you can pick up all the information and learn more about adders, deer and cows, hairy caterpillars (oak processionary moth), ticks, bees, wasps and hornets, horseflies, dangerous/ poisonous plants (e.g. giant hogweed, parsnip plant), stinging nettles, thorns and general safety advice by following this link; http://enjoythecountryside.com .

Hypothermia - Symptoms & Actions: As several members of our club regularly run ultra-distances, covering fells and other big climbs, it would seem a good idea to cover one of the main concerns of sustaining injury when exposed to the elements and miles away from habitation. The concern is that of hypothermia. The condition is caused by a drop in the body's core temperature and, without immediate action, it can rapidly progress to mild or severe hypothermia and an emergency trip to hospital!

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Runners generate excess heat even in cold weather but, if running is suddenly curtailed through injury or tiredness and if the weather is cold, wet and windy, there will be a rapid loss of body heat which could lead to hypothermia. The risk of hypothermia will also be increased if blood sugar levels are low, which may well be the case on longer distance runs. Even on a mild day, a tired, wet runner can be at risk of hypothermia.

Recognising the Symptoms Early signs of hypothermia include a progressive reduction in the ability to take decisions and a gradual reduction in consciousness. The deterioration can be very quick, which is why it is essential that any affected runners are treated as soon as possible. o o

o

Mild hypothermia Shivering; Cold, pale skin; Blue lips; Pale, white hands and feet; Lethargic.

Moderate hypothermia Violent shivering; Slurs words; Lack of co-ordination; Confused; Change of personality; Difficulty with easy tasks; Odd behaviour such as removing clothing.

Severe hypothermia Shivering stops; Cold, pale skin; Blue lips; Unconscious, unresponsive; Rigid muscles; Shallow breathing; Very weak pulse.

Actions Notifying Race Organisers and getting help is essential; other actions will depend upon the state of the casualty. o Attract other runners' attention by using the whistle which generally must be carried in ultra-type events. o Eat sweet food, drink warm drinks, but avoid coffee or alcohol. o Change wet clothes for dry if possible and get well insulated from prevailing weather conditions. o Look for suitable shelter from the elements. o Stay awake.

Oct

Sept

August

Events of Interest – see Website Training & Events Calendar for full details: Sat, 05: Sun, 06: Fri, 11: Sat, 12: Sun, 13: Sat, 19: Sun, 20: Sat, 26: Sun, 27: Mon, 28: Sun, 10: Fri, 15: Sat, 16: Sun, 17: Sat, 23: Sun, 24: Sun, 01: Sun, 08: Sun, 15: Sun, 22: Sat, 28: Sun, 29:

Round Reading Ultra Marathon Hooky 6 • 09:30 Bearbrook 10K Sturminster • 10:30 Sturminster Newton ½Mthn & 5k Oxford Ultra 66 10:00 Thames Meander Mthn & ½ Mthn 09:30 Burnham Beeches ½ Mthn & 10K • Run Dorney 5k, 10k & ½ Mthn • Salisbury 54321 Trail Runs 14:05 Race the Train (Main Race, ~14 miles) Lulworthcastle 10k • 09:00 Run-for-champagne Berkshire 10k run & 5k walk • 10:00 Epsom Downs 5k and 10k Liverpool - Leeds 130 mile Canal Race • Ridgeway Challenge 86 Miles Ridgeway Challenge 86 Miles • 09:30 Headington 5 • 11:00 Englefield Run 10K Harwell ½ Mthn • 2nd Reading Mile Festival Reading,Palmer Park 08:30 47th Chiltern Mthn • 09:30 Chippenham ½ Mthn • Henley 10k •10:30 Pangbourne 10k •11:00 Earthtrust 10k IOW Fell Race Series IOW Fell Race Series • 09:00 Chiltern Wonderland 50 IOW Fell Race Series • 10:00 Cotswold Classic 10miles • Marlborough Temple Trail ½Mthn & Tiny Temple 5 Miler 10:00 Ridgeway Run 5 & 10 mile trail Swallowfield 10K+3K & Duathlon 08:00 North Downs Way Ultra (30miles) • 9:00 Reading O2O 10k/3k/1k • Blenheim Palace ½ Mthn, 10k & 2k 09:30 The Yorkshire Marathon • Oxford ½ Mthn • 11:00 RARE 5k & 10k 12:30 Windsor Autumn - ½ Mthn Abingdon Marathon • 10:30 Exmoor Stagger & Stumble Beachy Head Marathon & 10K The Stickler (10.1 miles)

... don't forget, if you want to search for more events, especially those further afield, just follow our page link for other sources: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/linkindex.htm#Event Finder:

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