After the succession of heatwaves that we have had since May, and with temperatures still above average and drought conditions continuing, it seems hard to grasp that the autumn equinox is almost upon us (23rd September, if you’re interested). With the days getting shorter and cooler (relatively) it means that MABAC reverts from the midweek evening runs of the summer months to the more traditional Sunday morning events.
This year, for the September run we had a new venue, or at least new for anyone who has been running with the Puffers for less than ten years, as I have been told that once upon a time, before I became a Puffer, it was the venue for Epsom Oddballs’ runs before they moved to Nonsuch Park.
The September run has also usually seen a big fall off in the overall turnout after those of the summer. Last year, for example, it was less than half what it had been at Wimbledon the month before. This year, whether because of the novelty of the location, its proximity to some of the big clubs, the organisers (Chessington Unity, the newest members of MABAC but judging by today’s turnout with a very large membership) or just coincidence, we saw the biggest turnout of the year to date for a Sunday run, with just shy of 300 runners and walkers turning out.
Although our own numbers were some way short of our record Puffer turnout at Wimbledon last month, one of the great features of the Puffers this season has been the consistently high turnouts we have achieved, enabling us to field full teams of ladies and men at all events. It has shown in the results and Sunday was no exception. Collectively we scored 323 points on the day, evenly split between the genders, and placing us in the middle of the points scored on the day (Does this make the Puffers the model MABAC club?).
The consensus on the course seems to have been positive overall although it is narrow in parts, with a lot of hard surfaces and many unleashed dogs wandering around. And Chessington Unity must be complimented on their marshalling which was first class – the friendliest marshals I have ever encountered!
To the results. First Puffer home, as at Wimbledon, was Dylan Lewis, 9th overall and maintaining both his and his family’s fine tradition in MABAC. Just three places behind him came David Ebert, who has been ever present this season, turning in consistently fine results. After David came Mitesh Mistry running in only his second MABAC but looking very much at home with a confident performance. Following Mitesh it was the turn of the ladies, Paula Holmes leading the way. Paula had run in the Sydney marathon just three weeks earlier and mere mortals might have been expected to be recovering from the flight home, if not the run, but in true Puffer spirit Paula turned out and turned in another fine performance. Just as creditable, but for different reasons, were the runs of Katie Wiggins and Katy Gibson, our next two ladies home, with Katie just edging Katy by a matter of seconds. Katie is yet to regain full fitness after a long absence, while it was Katy’s first MABAC since pulling a foot muscle in May. She arrived only intending to run one lap but adrenalin or competitive spirit took over and her position of 15th lady overall belied her lack of training.
Alfie Day and Ian Holmes were our next two finishers, Alfie holding Ian off by just a few seconds at the finish. They were the last of our ‘extra-points scoring’ men. Vicki Francis was our next runner home, the time gap between her and Esme Holmes being even closer than that between Alfie and Ian. They in turn made our five ‘extra-points ladies,’ the ladies’ complement being rounded out by Barbara Roussouw. All six ladies were in the top 44 of a ladies’ field of 116 runners, a superb team performance.
Rounding out our runners were Chris Dean, putting in a steady performance in his first run for us – welcome Chris, we hope to see you again – Laurence Flavell, Roger Clark and George James. Special credit must be given to Roger who, like Katy Gibson, arrived only intending to run one lap. But like Katy he turned in a fine performance, finishing in under 50 minutes. And mention must also be made of Chris Nash and Rob Lewis, our walkers. Well done all.
As for the standings, with just two races left, there is still everything to run for. We remain 5th overall but just 70 points behind Runnymede and 119 behind Wimbledon in 3rd place, so good results in the remaining runs could still change everything. Next up is Nonsuch Park on 18th October, a course where Puffers have traditionally done well, followed by Wisley on 15th November – ‘our’ run and the season finale. So, please mark your diaries, come along and better still bring some friends. We will need lots of help at Wisley from non-runners too, more on that in a later message.
Add comment
Comments