Arrows Running News - May 2024

Details

Category: Club Schedule

Published: Wednesday, 01 May 2024 00:00

May News

Well, another month has gone by - where did April go? We're just so thankful that the evenings are now lighter and occasionally mild enough to just wear a T-shirt.

Membership Renewal

Can we kindly ask that if you have not renewed your membership you do so ASAP. This would greatly help with our admin as well as with our review of budgets for the year.

Another fun month of running and many achievements as always. Please see below under section 1, the highlights of the month. But for now, some announcements:

Club 5k / Social

We will return to the Club 5k / Social on Tuesday 21st May. Please aim to arrive at St Gs for 6:45 pm ready for a 7:00 pm start. We will run from St Gs to the summer route along the Nickey Line before returning to St Gs for refreshments.

Herts 10k

We have received confirmation that this event will take place on Sunday 6th of October.

Welfare

As a Club, we take the welfare of our members seriously. If there is a welfare question that you would like to raise then please refer to the Arrows website and submit the request form. or send an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our Welfare Officers are Djerk Geurts and Anita White.  

We would like to highlight that if anyone is struggling with the membership fees on renewal, a case can be made to the Welfare team for consideration for assistance. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or use the welfare request form on this site.

Lastly

If you have achieved anything during the month, please do let a committee member know, or post on our FB page, and it will be included in our monthly publication.

We look forward to seeing more of you in 2024 at one of the events we run as a Club - we've made a start putting a schedule together with the standard runs - and will put the club league events, etc on soon.

All the best, Sharon & Speirsy.

For now, this issue contains:

1. What's been going on?
2. What's coming up?
3. This Month's Club Timetable
4. General Notices and Reminders

As ever, please do join the Facebook group as we may have missed something and post updates about any proposed Parkrun tourism or other festive events.

1. What's been going on

Highlights for April were:

• Congratulations to everyone who ran in the London Marathon. Great running, with great results. Thanks also to the support team who were in their normal place by Blackfriars cheering the Arrows as they passed mile 24. Results were:
  
  Ian Bryson - 2.53.40
  Rosie Coupe - 5.03.10
  Louise Crosby - 4.30.18
  Jennifer Finlay - 3.45.33
  David Green - 3.40.02
  Nick Herbert - 3.03.38
  Dean Murley - 2.58.37
  James Pickett - 2.47.49
  Claire Price - 3.38.56
  Sam Walker - 6.08.16
  
  Dean was the recipient of the Arrows ballot place and he wrote "it was a privilege and an honour to be the Arrows ballot representative at the London Marathon today. I wanted to do it justice and I gave it my all. Thanks for the place and the support over the past few months and today on the course".
  
  
• We also had three runners who did the virtual Marathon. Congratulations to Graham Harper, Martin Petersen and David White. David chose to run the actual Marathon course the night before and ran it backwards (in a different direction, rather than looking over his shoulder for 26.2 miles). In his words: "Well, that was interesting. Mad, fun and a little stupid!! Who would not want to run the London Marathon in reverse starting at midnight?".
  
  
• Not content with running in London, Ian Bryson ran the Boston Marathon in a time of 3.06. The temperature on the day was unusually hot at 23 degrees, which Ian found hard due to his training in rainy and cold Blighty. Nevertheless, a brilliant result.
  
  
• Audrey Zilliox ran the Brighton Marathon in a PB time of 3.43.22. This was despite Storm Kathleen raging whilst she ran.
  
  
• Julie Horrocks, Sharon Neely, Claire Watts and Sharon Stanley ran the Regency 10k in Leamington Spa. Highly recommended, it's a varied course starting in the town and then out to a country park/golf course for about 4k of undulating trail with great views, then back into the town.
  
  
• parkrun tourism took place at Linford Wood. A lovely single lap on paths with the second half through the woods - and there were lots of bluebells to be seen. Coffee after in the Ora Cafe with cake courtesy of a local runner completing his 250th parkrun and 50th volunteering.
  
  
• As always there has been great representation at parkrun. The award for furthest from Harpenden goes to Jillian and David Russell who have spent the month in Australia. Hot on their heels were Johanna and Mark Woodcock who ran at Big Bay in South Africa. Mark Pattison also ran at East Coast Park in Singapore.
  
  Congratulations to David Russell on 150 parkruns, Daniel Palmer 100, Rhona McKee 150 and Stephen McKee 300. Fantastic achievements especially when you consider Rhona and Stephen have 198 and 157 volunteer credits respectively.

2. What's coming up

A number of things to take note of for the coming months!

1. Track nights – First Tuesday of the month, we are back at Stockwood Park on Tuesday 7th of May.
   
   Please aim to arrive for 6.45 pm for a prompt start at 7 pm.

2. Arrows Marathon weekend – Will take place in 2024 in Salzburg. Dates are 10th – 13th of May. See FB page (Salzburg marathon weekend) for more information if you are interested. This is a fun weekend, please speak to anyone who has been before if you’d like more information.

3. Mid Week Road Race League (MWRRL), Stevenage. – Wednesday 15th of May.
   

4. parkrun tourism – Saturday 18th of May. Julie will post something shortly on Facebook.

5. Wheathampstead 10k – Sunday 19th of May.

6. Brian Yates will be celebrating a milestone birthday this year and as a Club, we plan to celebrate this with a social event. This is also the date for the Wheathampstead 10k so we will plan something post this. Watch this space for further details. – Sunday 19th of May.
   
   
7. Club 5k / Social – Tuesday 21st of May.
   
   
8. WMRRL, Royston – Tuesday 4th of June (Was Thursday 6th and now replaces Stockwood track night).
   
   
9. Oval run, Fun Run and 5-mile race – Saturday 8th of June.
   
   The 1-mile Fun Run will start at 9:30 and the main race at 10:30 am. Sharon Neeley would love to see you forfeit a parkrun to run, or perhaps help at this race and visit the 'best cafe in Harpenden' for post-run refreshments. Please do let This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. know if you can help.
   
   
10. June Rowlands also has a milestone birthday. We will celebrate this with a social event post-Club 5k. Watch this space for further details. – Tuesday 25th of June.
    
    
11. The Stevenage Marathon only comes around once every 10 years. There is also a Half Marathon for those who prefer that distance. The date is 20th of October 2024, and you can register now so don’t miss out and register ASAP if you are interested.

Please feel free to suggest impromptu socials post-event or even attempt a pub visit post-run - which has proven successful in these past months.

Arrows Club League

After the unfortunate cancellation of the Royston XC race, we have no league races until May.

Mark Pattison has very kindly put together a list of several of the races, highlighting which are now open to enter so please see below an update on the year’s remaining races:

• 15th May – MWRRL Stevenage
• 19th May – Wheathampstead 10k – entries open here.
• 4th June – MWRRL Royston (was 6th!)
• 9th June – St Albans Half Marathon – entries open here.
• 19th June – MWRRL Harlow
• 27th June – MWRRL Trent Park
• 7th July – Ware 10k – entries open here (NOT the 10 mile!)
• 10th July – MWRRL Welwyn (mob match)
• 4th September – Hatfield 5k series Race 2 – entries open here.
• 6th October - Herts 10k
• 24th November – Hatfield 5m – entries open here.
• 29th December – Buntingford Year End 10m
• Dates TBC
  • October / November / December – various XC races

No registration is needed for WMRRL or XC races. And don’t forget to use the ATW discount code where applicable.

As always full details of the club league can be found here on this site.

3. Club timetable for May

As ever, a combination and variety of running is available. We're trying to offer 4m, 5m, hills and/or speed sessions. Is there any interest in a shorter 5km run? Please let us know. All combinations rely on RunLeaders taking care of existing, new and potential joiners to Arrows. If you don't feel you have the confidence or skills to do this... we'll help. Please let us know.

REMEMBER

1. As the nights can still be dark, remember to wear high viz and head torches (don’t forget to charge them up).

2. Any new members - please pre-register on RunTogether, this will help the admin to register you just at the start of each run.

Start times:

St G's club runs: 7:15 arrival for 7:30 departure.
Track: start at 7:00

Track Nights at Stockwood

Please aim to arrive by 6:45 pm for a prompt start at 7 pm.

4. General Notices

Free t-shirt for RunLeaders

We've distributed a few and got a few more on order - but we're always on the lookout for more run leaders to share the load of helping people out with their runs.

If you're good with a route or two and would like to lead runs for Arrows, please let us know! We are always looking for more people to join our core team, either as occasional helpers or as regular run-leaders. All you need is confidence and we'll give you more of that and some of the knowledge to keep everyone safe - it's not onerous and a lot of it is common sense.

If you're interested in leading please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and ask for more info.

Kit Shop: The club shop can be found here:

https://www.iprosports.co.uk/club-zone/harpenden-arrows/

The range of available kit includes club vests and t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, caps, beanies, and a new line of colourful hi-viz t-shirts bearing the club logo.

All kit can be personalised with names or messages on the front, back or both – so no more melting your t-shirt trying to iron on wonky letters (or was that just me)?

If you would like to see or try on any of the kit samples, please come along to our monthly 5km, Kit and Cake night, and speak to our kit secretary, Rowland Hughes. (email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

10% OFF SPORTSSHOES.COM - May code

If you haven't found what you want from the Arrows online kit shop, we have secured a 10% discount code specifically for Arrows, plus there's free shipping for orders of £30 or more from www.sportsshoes.com.

This is redeemed via a unique discount code, which is changed monthly.

Please do not share the code with non-members. Any Arrows in receipt of the code must not share it on social media or any public websites.

This month's code valid for July 2023 has been sent by email to paid-up members. 

Active Training World 10% off race entry with the code ....

(Sent by email to all paid-up Arrows Members)

We have some exciting news for you - Arrows have obtained a 10% discount for members on all ATW races. Why not use it for entering the Hatfield 5-mile event this November? Fast, flat and local race with PB potential. (Webmaster - and Arrows League points too!)

Just enter the code at the checkout to obtain your 10% Arrows discount. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS FOR ATW ORGANISED EVENTS (there will be a big banner on the site when an ATW event. Please do try to avoid confusion as occasionally ATW provide the booking system/support and the 10% fee is not available on these occasions).

Please do not share the code with non-members. Any Arrows in receipt of the code must not share it on social media or any public websites.

Can you marshal for an ATW event?

Earn £20 and free race entry, or £10 per hour, in exchange for marshalling at ATW events. 

If you're interested in marshalling, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

#JustTurnUp - St George's runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays

If you want to attend any of our regular run groups at St George's, please #JustTurnUp on the night. No pre-booking is required for our regular runs from St George's. 

We will also always adapt any run groups to those that turn up on the night, or if possible form additional groups to suit varied paces. Nobody will be left behind and we operate a *looping policy if we happen to have a wide pace range in the group.

*That means that faster runners are asked to loop back to keep the group together.

Safety reminder for Arrows Club 5km events

Please note, for the safety of all members when participating in the Club 5km event, the following advice applies:

No headphones. For your own safety and to ensure you can hear instructions from marshals and cars on the road, headphones are not permitted whilst taking part in any club activity. If you are seen wearing headphones during the Club 5km event, you may be disqualified!

Wear high visibility clothing and/or your Arrows vest - this makes it easy to see you running on the dark roads.

Stay safe everyone, and stay well!

Thank you for supporting your club. If you have concerns or suggestions please get in touch.

Harpenden Arrows Running Club

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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