Well done to all the 10 Striders who completed the first half marathon (Race #4) of the League!  That was tough but I think that everyone enjoyed the splendid views from the top of Chidden Hill 😄  Sorry about Speltham Hill- on reflection, the longer but less steep climb up Rushmere Lane out of Hambledon woud have been kinder in those temperatures!

Congratulations to Mel Hunt and Paul Welch now clear leaders in the ladies’ and men’s competition respectively. The latest results, based on entries received on Sunday evening are now available in the VSL Results link.  Any late entries will appear in my next update.

The next race of the series,Route 5 (in the current fortnight) is the second 10 – miler of the series.  It is essentially the familiar Denmead 10k again with the outer loop extended to take in the Bat and Ball pub, the outskirts of Clanfield and Hinton Daubney Manor.  Undulating, but no really nasty hills in my opinion but I look forward to your feedback!

This route is described in the link to Route 5.  As for Route 4, I have upgraded the document to include screenshots of various important junctions along the route to minimise the risk of getting lost. 

REMINDER:  Full details of the competition are given by following the links to VSL Rules and VSL Routes.

  HAPPY RUNNING 🏃‍♀️ 🏃

“Thanks to all of you that turned up on Wednesday evening for our first “all together” training session and well done to all of you that took part in the Summer XC and Lakeside series. “

Clare delivered a number of important announcements which everyone is encouraged to read by following the link Club Announcements or visiting the Club Announcements page under “Info” on the navigation bar. Clare will be updating the announcements on both Facebook and the website at regular intervals after Wednesday training sessions so please visit the page frequently to check for the latest information, particularly if you are not a Facebook follower!

As of Monday 19 July, most restrictions in England relating to COVID-19 will be eased. Whilst this is good news as it allows the club to train together, we still need to be aware that Covid-19 is still present and we must take care to prevent its spread getting out of control. Please take some time to read the latest guidelines from our Governing Body England Athletics.”

https://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/news/guidance-update-2021

So, from Wednesday, 21st July onwards we will all be meeting again in Kidmore Lane  car park – not in the COVID secure areas 1 – 3 as in previous weeks.

The following links give:  the Full Summer Training Programme for the rest of the summer, Monday Schedules and Wednesday Schedules respectively. 

On behalf of all Denmead Striders we would like to extend our very best wishes and congratulations to you on reaching your 90^th birthday last Friday (25^th June).

Fellow founder member, Gerard Beauvoisin (“Titch “) and former Strider Nuala presented Charlie with an appropriate “Then and Now” memento to mark the occasion annotated with his familiar “C’mon Striders” expression of encouragement to be heard at most races as his runners approached the finish line.

A big thank you to Gerard and Nuala for making this presentation on behalf of the Striders.

Charlie Burton founded the club 32 years ago along with a small number of enthusiastic runners in the Denmead/Waterlooville area. From modest beginnings, Charlie has seen the club grow both in size (but not too large) and amazing athletic achievemens to the friendly organisation we all know and love today. As you know he still keeps an active interest in our activities and knows what everybody is up to!   Thank you Charlie for founding the club; you have been an inspiration for us all and will be for future generations.

Many, many Happy Returns to come from us all😄

Our Illustrious editor has published the June edition of Stride and Tested. Read all all the latest news by clicking on the link.

Don’t forget that if you have any items which would be of interest to other club member to report and would like to see your name in print, Clare will be delighted to receive your contributions for future editions..

(as a virtual reincarnation. at least 🙂

Not quite the real thing but, in the absence of any HRRL or SCCL races this year, we thought that members might welcome the opportunity for some motivation together with a bit of fun with friendly rivalry by participation in a  “Virtual Striders’ League (VSL)” competition.  This will be held over the summer months (31st May – 19th September inclusive) along similar lines to the usual competition with the same scoring system to that used in previous years based on age and performance.  It will also provide a good opportunity to get back into “racing mode” in preparation for the resumption of the HRRL season currently scheduled to start with the Overton 5 m on 5 th September – see the HRRL webpage.

The competion will consist of eight virtual races – two each of a 5k, 10k, 10 miles and Half Marathon.

Full details of the competition are given by following the links to VSL Rules and VSL Routes.  The first event will be a 5k (essentially the familiar Summer Handicap course) to be held during the fortnight 31st May – 13th June 2021.  All paid up members are encouraged to participate, so don’t be shy, give it  a go 🙂

If anyone has any queries or requires clarification on the rules or routes or pointing out mistakes (for which I take full responsibility!) please feel free to contact Graham. I look forward to receiving your times over the coming weeks!

PS I will acknowledge receipt of all your results so if you haven’t heard from me within a day or so of sending me your times please get in touch. Emails do have a nasty habit of disappearing into the ether!

This is a gentle reminder to all members that your annual subscriptions were due on 1st January.  As Clare stated in her ealier post, the club recognises that this year you have not had the full benefit of club training sessions so the committee have decided that,for 2021 ONLY,  anyone who was a paid up member in 2020 that wishes to renew their membership will be able to claim it at a reduced rate of £20.

We encourage members to pay by BACS since  we are not currently meeting face to face.  Subscriptions can be paid directly to the club sort code 40-45-26 account number 51233475 (Please don’t forget to  put your name as a reference). However, anyone that does need to pay by cash please contact Julia via email to find out the best way to arrange.

A big thank you to all members who have already paid!

England Athletics (EA) have recently issued guidelines and advice to the whole running community on how to stay active at home in these difficult and uncertain times. Reading is highly recommended

Links to the relevant web pages will be found on the  “Useful Links” tab which has been added under “Info” on the navigation bar.  In the first instance, links to England Athletics (EA) and Hampshire Road Race League (HRRL) have been added.  More will follow in due course.