Fellow Harriers, how much sun can you take? I expect a good number of you have been enjoying holidays either at home or abroad ... or possibly both - taking a well-earned break and recharging the batteries. For those members that perform well in the heat - I'm sure you will have been revelling in the unseasonally high temperatures this summer. I can honestly say that I am positively looking forward to the cross country season and the less clement weather that is associated with it!

One of the real highlights of the past month or so was Tim Traynor's excellent second place in the 5K Torchlight Run held at Seafair in Seattle - a performance that places Tim second in the UK U17 men's 5K Road rankings. This follows on from Robert Bowles' gold medal winning performance as part of the GB youth team in the European Triathlon Championships held at Rijeka in Croatia at the beginning of July. The full results can be viewed here.

Don't forget to buy your tickets for the club's 25th Anniversary Dinner which is due to take place on Friday 6th October at Lains Barn. It should be a great evening. I hope you will be able to join us in celebrating this club landmark.

As ever, I wish you all a successful campaign be it racing, training or both. Don't forget to send in those articles, as well!

I noticed I got the results of the third round of the Mota-vation series confused in the last News Update. This has now been rectified. Apologies to all those concerned.

Following the small problem of the demise of my broadband provider in the last month you will have noticed that the News Update has been moved to a new location coinciding with the club's website. In doing so I have taken the opportunity to carry out a series of consistency checks throughout the News Update archive, which have resolved issues to do with links.

Hopefully, the News Update will now be perceived as a less frustrating resource. I would appreciate any comments you may have as well as any suggestions for improvements you may wish to put forward.

I would like to take the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to our most recent recruits to the White Horse Harriers Athletics Club. On the seniors front the lady's ranks have increased with the arrival of Hannah Fox (Senior) and Jan McCabe (Vet 35). While our junior girls ranks have been swelled with the addition of Rosie Jackson, Erinn Bradley, Josie Harrison, Jodie O'Donnell and Emily Whatley. Drew Bradley, Jonathan Clinker, Matt Edkins, Ryan Liquorish, Samuel Liquorish and Liam Wills are the new recruits to the junior boy's section.

All have joined the club over the past few months and it is particularly encouraging to see the growth of the junior section. I hope you all enjoy your involvement with our club and We look forward to seeing you all at the club training sessions and future events.

The 25th Anniversary Dinner is to take place at Lains Barn on Friday 6 October. You should all have received a flyer promoting the dinner with the next Bite-Sized Harrier along with more information about the arrangements as another reminder. Tickets can still be purchased from any of the committee members in person or, if you prefer, you can contact Gareth Smith by telephone (01235 767538) or by email. I look forward to seeing you all there for what is sure to be a memorable occasion.

The club's Annual General Meeting is to be held in the Dixon Suite at Old Mill Hall, Grove from 7:00pm on Friday 20 October. Gareth Smith, our chairman, will be presiding as usual along with the rest of the committee members. Drinks and nibbles will be provided and there will be plenty of opportunity for you to raise any issues you may have or, indeed, make any suggestions or recommendations. There will also be an opportunity to browse through and borrow from the club's library - you never know you might come across something really helpful. The members of the committee look forward to meeting you on the evening.

The club's cross country championship races have now been finalised, so please make sure you check the latest updated fixture list. The club championship races are all marked in bold type.

There are now new websites for both the Oxford Mail League and the Wessex League, to which you can directly refer in order to ensure you have the latest available information about the fixtures and rules.

Finally, it would be helpful to everyone concerned if you could contact Paul Jégou by email as soon as possible in advance and advise him which races you will be planning to run in so he can allocate numbers accordingly.

I've still only had five responses so far regarding this event - from Lucia Singer, Jeremy Smeddle, Terry Coakley, Dave Wright and me! Is anyone else interested in participating in this team event? If so, could they please contact me? That way I can gauge whether or not there is sufficient interest to raise a team.

This team event was held on Sunday 15 January this year. Unfortunately I was efficient enough in getting round to finding out if the Harriers could put together a team for this event. The organiser's response date was 20 December 2005 so we were not able to participate in this year's event. However, I would like to ascertain if there is enough interest within the club to raise a team for next year. It is a closed event limited to about 10 local teams invited to each bring 5-12 runners to compete (- only one team per club is allowed). Teams wishing to compete for the trophy must have at least one lady finisher. The point score for each runner is simply the finishing position. Team scores are the sum of the five best placed finishers but to include at least one lady. The lowest team score wins! There are no entry fees. Full changing/showering facilities are provided. Drinks are provided at half-way. The course is described as well-signed and well-marshalled, undulating but not over hilly! Refreshments are available in the heated hall after the race. If you would interested in participating in this team event next year please email me so that I can ensure we get a team entered for next year's event.

We have been passed on some leaflets promoting a couple of running weekends due to take place over the weekends of 24-26 November 2006 and 26-28 January 2007 organised by Purple Patch Running Limited, a company based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. The booking form can be downloaded here where you can find out more details about the itinerary of these weekends.

The weekends are described as consisting of spectacular organised countryside runs and first class running advice in the beautiful surroundings of the Brecon Beacons. If you need to find out further information the organisers can be contacted by email or by telephone on 01628 474953 or 07860 650579.

The Headington 10km road race is the ninth event of the Oxfordshire AA Grand Prix series. The course is described as flat and rural (- whatever that may mean!!) - ideal for a p.b. near Worminghall, Buckinghamshire (6 miles east of Oxford). Please note that there is an entry limit of 600 competitors for this race. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Headington Road Runners Website for more information, where an entry form can be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£7.00 Attached; £9.00 Unattached. On the day registrations will cost £1.00 extra.

If anyone has any personal experiences relating to this event, I'm sure our members would appreciate hearing about them.

This is the eighth race in the White Horse Harriers 2006 club road race championship series, as well as incorporating the Oxon County AA 10 Mile Championship and being an Oxon Road Race Grand Prix event. Please note the event has an entry limit of 350 competitors. The course is described as a rural undulating one-lap course through picturesque Cotswold villages. The start is at Foxburrow Lane approximately 500m from the School. The race finishes back at the school. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Witney Roadrunners webpage for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£6.00 Attached; £8.00 Unattached. On the day registrations will be charged £1.00 extra.
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of postal entries is Monday 4 September 2006.

This is also an event in which I took part last year. I really enjoyed this event which was well-organised and marshalled not to mention friendly.

The Woodstock 12 is the eleventh event of the Oxfordshire AA Grand Prix series. The course is described as traffic-free and on private roads within the grounds of Blenheim Palace. The course comprises three undulating laps of approximately 4 miles, with one main hill at 1, 5 & 9 miles. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Woodstock Harriers webpage for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£6.00 Attached; £8.00 Unattached. On the day registrations will be charged £10.00.
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of postal entries is tba.

Again, this is an event I took part in last year. It is a great venue, well-organised and marshalled not to mention friendly. As a rule I generally don't like multi-lap courses but this one I don't mind at all. It was one of the most enjoyable races I took part in last year.

The Longworth 10km is the eleventh event of the Oxfordshire AA Grand Prix series. The course is described as multi-terrain, mainly on tracks or footpaths, much of it being close to the Thames. Longworth is 6 miles west of Abingdon, just off the A420. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Longworth Runners webpage for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£6.00 Attached; £7.00 Unattached; £2.50 3km Fun Run. On the day registrations will be charged £10.00.
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of postal entries is tba.

If anyone has any personal experience of this event, I'm sure our members would appreciate hearing about them.

If anyone can provide any more information on this race or has an entry form I could look at I would be grateful. I seem to remember seeing an entry form last season's event at some point but so far this year I've been unable to unearth any information about the race. Also, if anyone has any personal experiences relating to this event, I'm sure our members would appreciate hearing about them.

The Clarendon Half-Marathon and Marathon are definitely not road races. The course is described as demanding but scenic as it wends its way along the ancient trackway from Winchester to Salisbury. The Half-Marathon competitors start from Broughton halfway along the marathon route. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Clarendon Marathon website for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
Half-Marathon: £13.00 Attached; £14.00 Unattached. Marathon: £16.00 Attached; £17.00 Unattached. On the day registrations will be charged £2.00 extra.
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of postal entries is tba.

I entered the half-marathon event last year. I found it to be a well-organised and marshalled, not to mention friendly, event. If you enjoy running on the Ridgeway you'll love this race! The terrain is demanding but the scenery and the course are spellbinding. This was definitely my favourite race of last year, particularly as I recorded a personal best for the half-marathon as well.

The Hanney 5 is the penultimate event of the club's road race championship as well as being included in the County Championships and the Oxfordshire AA Grand Prix series. The race is held over a rural course which is a well-marshalled, easy-to-follow single lap of five miles finishing on the sports field behind the village hall. It is a flat course and a good opportunity to pick up a good time. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Hanney 5 webpage for more information and you can download the entry form here.

Entry Fees:
£6.00 Attached; £8.00 Unattached. On the day registrations will be charged £1.00 extra.
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of postal entries is tba.

This is my local race - start being at the bottom of the road, so there's no excuses for me missing this one is there! . It is a great venue, well-organised and marshalled not to mention friendly. As a rule I generally don't like multi-lap courses but this one I don't mind at all. It was one of the most enjoyable races I took part in last year.

The Abingdon Marathon is the final event of the club's road race championship as well as being included in the County Championships and the Oxfordshire AA Grand Prix series. The course follows the same route as the last four years, and is run on the road over a flat course that takes in both Abingdon and the rural areas around the town. It starts at Tilsley Park Athletics Track, touches the edge of Radley village to the east, and after passing through the town, it goes southwards through Drayton, Milton, Sutton Courtenay, and on to Culham, where it crosses the River Thames. Runners will then return to the town once more before going west through the local villages of Cothill and Shippon. The race returns to Tilsley Park for the finishing line. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Abingdon Marathon webpage for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£18.00 Attached; £20.00 Unattached. Please note: there are no entries on the day.
Please also note that the entry limit of 1,000 has already been reached and entires have been closed.

If any of you read my report on last year's you will know that this is a well-supported local race. The course is flat and conducive to fast times - I ran best time for the marathon there last year. The organisation and marshalling were excellent and I really enjoyed finishing a race in front of the stadium grandstand at Tilsley Park - a real morale raiser at the end of a long hard race!

The Eynsham 10k road race is the final County Championship and the Oxfordshire AA Grand Prix series event of the season. The course is basically two-laps starting at the end of a lane backing not far from the school taking you out on a loop that includes a section of path beside the A40 and back into the through the town finishing on the playing fields behind the school. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Maylarch website for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£8.00 Attached; £10.00 Unattached; £1.50 Fun Run (1 mile).
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of postal entries is 19th November 2006.

This is another of the races I ran in last year. It was well-organised and marshalled, though my abiding memory is of the bitter weather and the interesting little turn and climb that catches you tou towards the end! It is a reasonable course being pretty flat, so there is an opportunity to run a good time.

Please also note that there are entry forms for the following races posted on the club's notice board at Wantage Leisure Centre:

This race is run by Cirencester Athletics Club and is described as: A course run on traffic-free roads through scenic parkland by kind permission of the Earl Bathurst. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Cirencester Athletics Club webpage for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£5.00 per person (affiliated); £7.00 per person (unaffiliated). On the day registrations will be charged £2.00.

This race is run by the Rotary Club of Henley Bridge and is described as: A 13.1 mile course, through Henley, alongside the scenic River Thames and through Chiltern Beech woods on road and hard surfaces except for one mile of grassed riverside footpath. If you are interested in taking part in this event a copy of the entry form is posted on the club's notice board at Wantage Leisure Centre.

Entry Fees:
£12.50 per person. On the day registrations will be charged £20.00.

This race is run by Tring Running Club and is described as: A challenging trail run over a scenic route mainly on footpaths and bridleways with stunning Chiltern views. Starting on the outskirts of Tring, the course gradually ascends into the Ashridge Forest, past the Bridgewater Monument, continues to Pitstone Hill and returns along a section of the famous Ridgeway Path to Tring. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Tring Running Club webpage for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£6.00 per person (affiliated); £8.00 per person (unaffiliated). On the day registrations will be charged £10.00.
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of entries is 30 September 2006.

This race is run by Fairlands Valley Spartans Running Club and is described as: Starting a short distance from the running track. The route will be on traffic free cycle ways and will consist of two laps. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Fairlands Valley Spartans Running Club webpage for more information where the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£10.00 per person (affiliated); £12.00 per person (unaffiliated). On the day registrations will be charged £10.00.
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of entries is 30 September 2006.

This race is run by the Brathay Hall Trust of Ambleside and is described as: The most scenic marathon route and one of the most challenging courses in the UK. The anti-clockwise route passes through Hawkshead, Newby Bridge, Bowness-on Windermere and Ambleside starting and finishing at Brathay Hall the route around Windermere is exactly 26.2 miles - the required distance for recognition as a full marathon course. If you are interested in taking part in this event you can click the link to the Brathay webpage for more information on the history of the race and the route. There the entry form can also be downloaded.

Entry Fees:
£23.00 per person (affiliated); £25.00 per person (unaffiliated).
Please note that the closing date for the receipt of entries is tbc.

If I have missed any of your results and you would like them to appear in the News Update please email me and I will include them in the next issue. Better still, if you find the urge to write something about your experiences in the event I would welcome any contributions.

Number of finishers - >2,700

An excellent run whilst on holiday in Seattle has boosted Tim Traynor's to number 2 in the UK 5K U17 road rankings.

The current U17 UK 5K road rankings can be accessed by clicking on the link here.

Congratulations on a fine performance, Tim. Keep up the hard work and it is sure to pay dividends!

Number of finishers - 248

Jason Cooke was the only White Horse Harrier representative in round 4 of the Mota-vation series held at Chipping Norton. He finished a creditable 16th, though I'm sure he won't be pleased at being beaten by Vasily Zverev in particular!

A full list of the Chipping Norton Mota-vation race results can be accessed by clicking on the link here.

I'm sure Jason will be aiming to improve on this performance creditable though it was. Despite that, it is still good to see the White Horse Harriers being represented in local races!

Number of finishers - 33

Another fine performance by Robert Bowles confirms his position amongst the country's leading junior elite triathletes. Jonathan Brownlee won the individual gold medal in the European Triathlon Championships in the youth category the preivious month.

A full list of the Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon results can be accessed by clicking on the link here.

Congratulations, Robert, on a fine performance.

Number of finishers - 276

The seventh round of the club's Road Race Championship held at Hook Norton in fine weather saw Jason Cooke finish in 4th place and extend his overall lead in the men's championship standings. Dene Stringfellow (82nd) and Dave Knopp (116th) were the remaining Harrier male finishers. With nobody to challenge her Ros Knopp took home maximum points and has consequently overhauled Sheila Bailey in the lady's title race.

A full list of the Hooky 6 results can be accessed by clicking on the link here.

Well done to all those who took part - Jason, in particular, for a fine run!

Number of finishers - 319

A strong performance by Richard Thevenon saw him home in 39th place as first White Horse Harrier. Pascal Malone followed Richard across the line in 119th place and Jenny Pearson, our sole female representative, completed the course in 215th place well under the two hour mark. Having seen the course profile in Richard's report this was a great effort by our runners.

A full list of the Vale of Pewsey Half Marathon results can be accessed by clicking on the link here.

Congratulations to everyone who took part - a great effort on a tough course!

Number of finishers - 248

The final round of the 2006 Mota-vation series held at Oxford saw Jason Cooke home in 10th position followed by Mike Smith in 113th. In the event overall this performance placed Jason 6th overall in the Senior Men's final standings - a strong effort all things considered.

A full list of the Oxford Mota-vation race results can be accessed by clicking on the link here.

For the current standings in the club's 2006 road race championships please click on the link here. If you find any errors or are aware of any omissions please do not hesitate to let me know and I will update the tables accordingly - corroborative evidence will, of course, be required as usual!

For the latest news on the 2006 Oxfordshire Grand Prix Series please click on the link for Round 9 here. This report is produced by Will Atkinson, the Oxon AA Road Race Secretary, for the benefit of all the athletics clubs in the county. Up-to-date results are also available.

For the up-to-date list of the road race events scheduled to be part of the club's road race championships in 2006 please click on the link here.

For the up-to-date list of the Oxfordshire road race events scheduled to be held in 2006 please click on the link here.

This section provides links to reports written by members describing their experiences in a particular race. This month is a thin on the ground owing to the holidays. Hopefully things will improve for the next News Update. What we do have is the finalised report from the Ridgeway Relay which now includes the thoughts and experiences of all our team members! Please keep those articles and reports coming, they are the items that provide most of the interest aside from the results. I'm sure there are members out there with anecdotes and experiences other members would appreciate the opportunity to read about. So don't be shy, put it down on paper and I'll pick it up or send me an email!

I hope these reports will help to encourage other members to participate in the various events as well as share their own experiences.

Aspirations At Pewsey by Richard Thevenon

All For A Pint! by Dene Stringfellow

I would again like to invite all members who keep a running diary to submit their monthly diary extracts for inclusion in the coming issues of the White Horse Harrier News Update. In previous issues diary excerpts from Jeremy Smeddle, Frances Briscoe, Lucia Singer and Owain Bristow have provided us all with insights into their training regimes. I, personally, have enjoyed reading about how others approach their training and preparation for races. Come on, there must be others out there who have some training anecdotes to share with us!

If you keep a diary and would be interested in submitting your monthly diary extract please email me - I'm sure other members would be interested to read about your anecdotes and experiences! As I warned in last month's News Update, if you are really lucky you'll get a month's training diary from me - and believe me it won't be like anything else you've read! So if nothing better comes along you'll expect to read my new training regime!

Once again no comments have been received this month. Maybe I've just sent you all to sleep - so how about sending something in to generate some dialogue! Any thoughts, comments or feedback on any aspect of this News Update or athletics in general would be great. So, come on, it doesn't take more than a few minutes to tap something out and send it in!

If you would like to read any of the previous editions of the White Horse Harriers News Update please click here.

If you would like to subscribe to the news update or have been missed off the list please forward an email to the address used to distribute this news update with just the word 'subscribe' in the body of the message.
Likewise, if you would prefer not to receive this news update send an email to the address used to distribute this news update with just the word 'unsubscribe' in the body of the message.
I hope you have found this first issue of the Harrier News Update of interest and please don't forget any contributions are very welcome.

Dene Stringfellow

Road Race Secretary

White Horse Harriers