Yes, still here. This rarity, a blog from Wrighty, is dedicated to a Ranelagh chum David Rowe. Not only does he openly admit to reading my efforts but he has a trigger on his system every time that the blog is updated. Wow! DR is a serial blogger himself as well as being an excellent photographer - the two go well together - so I should flag up his site for avid blog spotters: http://rowerunning.co.uk/ His musings from last year's Hawaii Ironman (Kona Diaries) are definitely worth scanning, especially for any others who, in DR's words,
'move across to the dark side of triathlon'.
Including school fixtures, of which there were many, I've been racing in Richmond Park for 45 years now, yet I've never seen it as wet as it was for the last of this season's mob matches against old rivals Blackheath Harriers. Add in gale force winds, which at least conspired to blow the rain clouds away and avoid further topping-up, and conditions were tough in the extreme. With a turnout of 75 we well and truly thrashed the Heathens for our first hat-trick of wins against them since 1923.
After another difficult winter for me, not helped by a tooth abscess necessitating root canal work, I was just glad to be able to run round at a half decent pace on the first half of each lap, before the aforementioned winds and puddles, that were more like sink-holes, dictated survival rather than competitive running was the name of the game. Was pleased to beat Chris Owens for the first time this winter, albeit afterwards the 2013 V60 World Triathlon Champion said that he's currently training hard but doing little running.
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My only Wynne Cup victory, unlikely though it seems at this early stage of SLH mob 1982.
Other Ranelagh: Riley, Harvey, Currie, Forrest, Hedger, McLachlan, Wise, Peace
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Ranelagh has had an excellent season: the men finished sixth in the highly competitive Surrey XC League Div 1; the women won promotion back to Div 1 and the club won three out of four mob matches, only losing very narrowly (one runner would have made the difference) to Orion Harriers. A lot of credit has to go to the new club captain Phil Killingley - an appropriate winner against Blackheath and therefore Ranelagh club champion (the prestigious Wynne Cup) - and his team for instilling a great team spirit. Not only are numbers turning out to the mobs but there's also an enthusiasm pervading the start line mass and support for fellow runners finishing down the field. Members are turning out because they want to not because they've been press-ganged into running. Wonderful to see.
