Vegan Runners Cross Country Season: Victors, Veterans and Virgins …
Date: 2010-02-10
Winter is another busy period for several members who enjoy cross country. Vegan Runners of all abilities and ambitions have taken part in races large and small over the last few weeks. Peter Simpson reports on the South of England XC Champs held on the 30th January 2010. Beside his own well-paced race, Peter reports on Vannessa Hudson’s battle with road shoes and the mud, and a well-placed Colin Braybrook (a vegan runner competing under the St Albans Striders banner). Neil Ford marks his come-back with a victory in the Berwick Cross Country, which was ‘somewhere between four and five miles’. A winter-loving Clare Coombes has been mud-running through the cross country season, sporting her club vest, finally breaking the top 100 places.
The SEAA XC Champs were back at their regular venue this year at Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath, London where the English National Champs took place in February 2009. Given weather conditions in December & January, the course could have been potentially more difficult under foot but still a great challenge for all participants with hills a plenty. In fact I estimate that there were about 25 hills with only a significant breather for about the last kilometre of each lap. The Women's 8K Race Vanessa Hudson took a leap into the unknown, her previous off-road experience mainly being on say Clapham Common or in dry summer conditions. Turning up in her road shoes, I feared for Vanessa's well-being, imagining that she would be regularly slipping over on the mud (at least a soft landing!). The women's race was over 8K rather than the 15K for men which I always assume is due to the limited daylight with various junior races before the senior events in the afternoon. Starting off behind the Lido on good ground, Vanessa was looking & feeling confident but that was just before the long ascent of Parliament Hill where due to non-participants crossing the course, it became very muddy and was a sign of things to come. Reaching the top, runners started a 2-lap course consisting of small & large laps. Getting ready for my event less than an hour later, I did not manage to see the runners as they approached the end of their first lap. There was a tented area for the clubs who wanted a secure area & meeting point for their runners. It had become very muddy here also near the top of Parliament Hill. Later after my race, I heard from Vanessa that she miraculously managed to stay upright throughout the race and run continuously (a major achievement I thought!) but considered pulling out especially with the opportunity after the first lap. Vanessa bravely managed to continue and thought she was close to being the last runner in a competitive field but as it turned out, there were still 15 other female runners behind Vanessa as she finished in 53 minutes. Vanessa also felt she was a bad example of a vegan so removed her vest, still suitably covered but not for the weather conditions. The temperature was something like 2-3C with frozen patches in the shady areas and there had been a light snowfall overnight. Vanessa was obviously very cold at the finish and with the support of Marco, her baggage handler she was able to quickly get changed and visit the comfort of the warm park cafe nearby where they cater for vegans. The Men's 15K Race I have been a regular competitor in this event since 1997 including visits to Devon (twice), Norfolk and last year Hillingdon (Middlesex) so, obviously enjoy the tough challenges of cross country, assuming any stream crossings are not to deep. This winter I had missed training for most of November and December so was not approaching this event with any thoughts of a good time or position. Even on a good day, the competition is tough and I am usually well down the field. Fortunately as I waited for Vanessa in the park cafe I did not spend time getting cold supporting the other races. Taking precautions I wore VRUK's running top over the vest, gloves and hat. Just before the women's race we met member Colin Braybrook who was running for St Albans Striders, his local club. The start line as usual had its individual pen numbers where clubs were assigned to line-up, giving the fastest members of each club the opportunity for a good start. I was quite content to stand at the rear, still only a matter of a few metres from the line. Off we went, taking easy I thought but as we gradually approached the summit of Parliament Hill, the going was tougher than I expected and relieved to get to the top. After a short recovery going downhill we were soon confronted by the worst of the conditions even before we could begin climbing again. The climb was not particular notable, it was just that we were still trying to recover from the first hill and lift our legs out of the deep mud, a triple whammy! Things could and to be positive will only get better I thought, especially as I know the course well. Given my lack of training, recovery after each hill was slow but once I settled down, I appeared to be holding my position, certainly not at the back as the course doubled back in places. At the back of the course there was the familiar slippery section where runners had to run across a gradient and at any moment I thought I could fall over. Managed to survive that on each of three occasions only to be confronted by the difficult ditch and the sharp climb, standard practice! Towards the end of the second lap, as expected we were overtaken by the impressive leaders and about 15 or more of them by the start of my third lap. On the last lap, I seemed to be growing in confidence and having paced it well seemed to be moving up the field. The cold conditions and dropping temperature towards the end of the afternoon had its impact facially, feeling numb. Finished the last kilometre or so well helped by the downhill section (off Parliament Hill ridge) despite being very muddy. It was only on finishing and trying to take off the chip that I realised how tired I was feeling and found it difficult to speak normally when I met Colin Braybrook due to the impact of the cold conditions. Colin had another impressive performance finishing nearly 20 minutes ahead of me in 1 hour 1 minute, 193 / 806 as compared to my 672nd. It was then back to the tented area and hopefully retrieve my personal belongings and get to the relative warmth of the lido to get cleaned up, etc. Vanessa & Marco were waiting in the car park patiently given the long queue for the still warm showers where in the recent past they soon went cold for the later finishers. We found a nearby cafe to continue the day's reflections. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Neil Ford won the Berwick XC race on Sunday 31st January 2010. It was the first time he’d been racing fit since a car crash in 1992 , he was obviously very pleased at how it went. It was also his first chance to wear the Vegan Runners vest, despite being a member of VC&AC and then Vegan Runners for about 7-8 years. His time was 27.42 over the four and bit miles course, and there were 135 runners behind him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clare had a gloriously muddy cross country on Stafford Common: “Managed to break the top 100, by coming 100th with a VERY slow 43.56 for the 8K from hell. Loved every minute of it. Did think that hypothermia was on its way after standing around to cheer on my fellow club mates as they came in and I seem to have injured my foot! I have been doing quite a few cross country races in the region, all in my first claim club vest. We completed the Notts County Champs at Berry Hill on 23rd Jan. I was 22nd with a time of 38.50, rumour has it this was also 8K! I also did the final North Midlands league race at Wollaton Park on 16th January. I was 35th with a time of 27.29. I think this one was around 6K.â€
Story by: John Bateson
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VRUK blog - latest news
http://veganrunnersuk.blogspot.com/
Vegan running shoe guide - as featured in "Vegan" Summer 2011
http://www.veganrunners.org.uk/articles/vegan_running_shoes_and_trainers_1398.html
Club Training and Meetups
The monthly London meet up and training run has a base at Regent's Park from The Hub sports facility & cafe in the north of the park. Members, supporters, or indeed anyone who would like to try out our sessions are more than welcome. Attendance at the January & March 2012 sessions were 8 & 7 runners respectively.
The next London meetup & training session is scheduled for Sunday 20 May 2012, meet 1030am at the Highgate Harriers track, Hampstead Heath for an off-road / trail session, more details to follow.
The next Birmingham meetup and training session held in Cannon Hill Park, south of the city centre has been scheduled for Sunday 13 May 2012. Meet 11am inside the park at the entrance to the mac building / cafe.
Other local or regional Vegan Runners groups include:
- South Wales VR - meet-up at open events including the Cardiff Parkrun on Saturdays at 9am
- Brighton VR - open events and the Hove Park 5K Parkrun on some Saturdays.
We are also trying to establish VR groups in
- Bristol
- Bath
- Leicester - meets at the Braunstone Park Run, 9am Saturdays
Check the VRUK diary to see if there are any dates for training sessions or event meet-ups. Alternatively, for a free 5K run, we suggest you visit Parkrun to check for a local venue. They are held weekly on Saturdays starting at 9am, you just need to register for a barcode at least a day before your first Parkrun and take a printout along.
For an idea of how recent London training sessions have turned out click here.
If you would like to arrange sessions in a different area of the UK we can publicise it through VRUK and this website. Please contact Peter Simpson on Protected email address.
Summary of 2010 Activities
Depending on the location of members, the club was represented in most regions of the UK sometime during the year. In the Winter season more members were taking part in off-road events or training for Spring marathons otherwise generally road & park races throughout the year. Here we focus on a sample of events where members met either through popularity or locality. Click title to open report.
London Marathon 2010
Eight members of Vegan Runners UK successfully completed the London Marathon, five wearing the club kit. In the photo from the left: Cedric David, Helen Watkinson, Maria Hamilton, Peter Simpson (support), Chloe Vincent & Keith Hammond (Vegetarian C&AC). In the 2009 event we had one of our strongest teams, the highlight being our 4 sub 3-hour runners, this year the focus was on our core members. Some of our runners set large personal bests, others their first marathon or first London event. Congratulations go to all our runners who achieved the following times:
- Colin Braybrook 3:02:41
- Cedric David 3:46:51
- Verna Burgess 3:49:36
- Chloe Vincent 4:04:56
- Helen Watkinson 4:10:36
- Maria Hamilton 4:11:40
- Laurence Klein 5:12:04
- Teressa Longhurst 5:27:05
Anna Finn Reaches 100 Marathons
33 Year old Anna Finn, a maths teacher and member of Vegan Runners UK, has run 100 Marathons. She seems to be the youngest woman to achieve the feat, and is awaiting news from Guinness about the World Record.
Vegan Runners Cross Country Season: Victors, Veterans and Virgins …
Winter is another busy period for several members who enjoy cross country. Vegan Runners of all abilities and ambitions have taken part in races large and small over the last few weeks. Peter Simpson reports on the South of England XC Champs held on the 30th January 2010. Beside his own well-paced race, Peter reports on Vannessa Hudson’s battle with road shoes and the mud, and a well-placed Colin Braybrook (a vegan runner competing under the St Albans Striders banner). Neil Ford marks his come-back with a victory in the Berwick Cross Country, which was ‘somewhere between four and five miles’. A winter-loving Clare Coombes has been mud-running through the cross country season, sporting her club vest, finally breaking the top 100 places.
Club Training Session Report
The London Club Training Session continues to attract a sizable core of members, at the December 2010 session in Kensington Gardens we missed the severe weather, attracting eight runners and was filmed. At the January 2011 session in Regents' Park another seven turned out. The new Birmingham session in January 2011 attracted four members as did the first London session.
Rainforest Foundation 10K, 1/11/09
The Rainforest 10K was chosen as our main event for World Vegan Day and with Vanessa in her new role as Press Secretary we had high hopes of good coverage for veganism and the club. With the experience behind her, Vanessa contacted the national press and the Vegan Society who were leading the media coverage. After last year's turnout of 8 members, the most members of clubs present, a similar number would have been good publicity.
Robin Hood Half & Full Marathon 13/9/09
The Robin Hood events in Nottingham attracted in the region of 10,000 runners this year with approaching 7,000 in the half marathon and 1,400 in the Marathon. Running for Vegan Runners UK we had Mick Morgan from Doncaster, Anna Finn of North London and James Millington of East London. In the half we were represented by Clare Coombes a local and Peter Simpson of Milton Keynes with Vanessa Hudson our support crew and photographer. To view Vanessa's album clickhere. On the eve of the events some members of VRUK & the Vegetarian Cycling & Athletic Club met up at the Alley Cafe-bar for a meal and social.
More General stories.