The Vegetarian Cycling & Athletic Club
(Established 1888)

July 2010

Veggies at Wycombe

As in previous years we saw a good turn out at the Wycombe Half Marathon and 10k on July 18th with Nicola Hatch, Mary Davis, Caroline Chapman, Keith Hammond and Peter Simpson running the Half and Sharon Hammond running the 10k. Keith was first VCAC home with 1:28:38 36/987. Sharon was pleased to get in under the hour for the 10k. Conditions were good with a cool but dry morning. Joined by a couple of Vegan Runners there were a total of 9 runners flying the meat free flag.

Elsewhere Nik Windle enjoyed similarly good conditions to ride the Anthony Maynard Sportive 110k for which he was pleased to get a bronze standard for his 4:38.

Earlier in July James Cheseldine continued his succession of excellent results with a PB of 37:59 28/450 at the Frampton 10k. 

The VCAC Tri team are in need of a 10k runner to complete the team for the Leeds Relay Tri on 12th September, please let Steve Coote know if you like a go at this.

Midlands Sprint Tri Series

Congratulations to VCAC Steve Wigglesworth who has won his age group in the Midlands Sprint Triathlon Series.

Steve reports:

"I completed the 3rd from 3 of the Midlands Sprint Series races on Sunday and won my age (1/44), 8/357 overall. The venue was the Dave Lloyd fitness centre and the race route is set in pretty Lincolnshire countryside. The race is known for its hard start to the bike. There’s an optically undetectable gradual rise in the opening two miles that makes you feel like you are not being rewarded for your effort and then, just as you are at your lowest mental ebb, the road rounds a corner and goes up a cliff. I’ve done it five times now and it gets harder every year. Competitors quite literally get off and push and this year I passed a guy going up the hill who fluffed his gears and literally fell over sideways. He’s probably still there.

To make things more interesting, it was also bending the trees and it took a lot of concentration to keep the bike in a straight line. One section was a banging headwind for about 3 miles; some of the people I passed were crying.

The other two races in the series were the Woodhall Spa sprint on 9/5 and the Southwell sprint on 30/5. Luckily I won my age in those too (1/52 and 1/48) and was respectively 7/485, 13/481 overall.

I won the series in my age group and finished top 10 overall."

Roast Veg

With temperatures reaching 30 degrees centigrade and not a lot in the way of a breeze members were not at their best on the last Sunday of June. Steve Coote suffered in the heat at the Platt Fields 10k, a multi-lap race. Even the earlier 9:30 start didn't spare Ade Gibbon and Nik Windle who soon realised the Thame 10k may well be flat but has next to no shade. Peter Simpson didn't let a bit of sunshine put him off his long run but took advantage of woods, a lake and Milton Keynes generous supply of underpasses to keep cool.

There has been some good running on (slightly) cooler days though with James Cheseldine coming 13th of 130 runners, 30:52, at the Mallards Pike 5 and 17th of 180, 42:44, at the Devils Chimney Chase (almost) 10k which has a profile like an upside down wok. Peter was particularly pleased to finish the Milton Keynes 10k, a grand prix event, 107th of 379 without a repeat of the calf injury the event left him with last year.

Members will be running the High Wycombe 10k and Half Marathon on July 18th, still time to get an entry in.  There will be another meet-up at the Bearbrook 10k on 8th August.  If you let Peter know you plan to be there he can look out for you.

Nik's training for the Anthony Maynard Sportive on 18th July is sort of on target with the Avon Valley Cycleway and Poor Student Perm Audaxes recently completed with minimum cafe time.  On-line entries for this close 11th July.

On a sad note we have to report the death of two senior vegetarians.  Long time vegan member Ivor Kemp passed away recently, Ivor ran for the club regularly in the 1980s and 90s and was also an active campaigner.  Vegetarian Reg Holmes died in June aged 97.  Reg and his wife ran a cyclist cafe where the Lancashire branch of the VCAC used to meet and where members Dave Keeler and Peter Duncan stayed when riding the Mersey 24 hr.  More on Reg here.

June 2010

Well Done Stuart!

Member Stuart Crispin has completed the full series of Endurance Life Coastal Trail marathons coming 1st out of those that finished all 7 marathons (8th if you include those slackers that didn't do them all).

The marathons took place in Dorset, Gower, Portland, South Devon, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Exmoor. Beautiful I'm sure but there could not have been many flat bits! Meanwhile Stuart found the energy to run the London Marathon and the Atacama Desert Race.

Cool shorts Stuart!

A Good Tri

Following on from wining his age group and placing 7th overall at Woodhall Steve Wigglesworth has continued producing good results. At Southwell sprint tri Steve won his age group and was 13th of 481 overall despite a personal worst swim thanks to a clumsy swimmer sharing his lane. At the British Sprint Triathlon Championships as Emberton Country Park first weekend of June Steve came 7th in the 45-49 age category against some pretty serious competition, his PB for this course.

Steve Coote overcame a sore throat, a postponed start and an obstinate small chain ring to finish well in the Chorlton X Tri on 12th June - read his account in the Event Reports section. Jon Zigmond finished the Bala Middle Distance Triathlon this weekend with a time of 5hr 44m.

Steve W rode well at the Clifton CC 13 mile TT in April coming 6th overall (photo).

There has been some good running from VCAC members as well over the past few weeks. Jim Cheseldine finished the Westonbirt 10k 18th of 670 runners, this race takes place in an arboretum - where better! Max d'Ayala came 8th in the Brandon Half Marathon with a time of 1hr 23m, his first race since early March.

Peter Simpson completed the hilly Weedon 10k in just under 44m. Steve W ran the 'hot and sultry' Asken 10k coming 69th of 457.  Jeff Adams and Andy Harper ran the Southend Half this weekend, Jeff finished in 1hr 29m 70th of 1511.

Meanwhile there's been lots of other VCAC activity going on, just some examples.  Nicola Hatch, Glen and Caroline Chapman ran the St Albans Half Marathon. Mary Davis completed the 10k Thames Run. Nik Windle ran the Otmoor Half and the Ewelme 10k.

Club Kit

Club kit is available to members from VCAC Clothing Secretary Peter Simpson or from our on-line shop at Impsport (members can contact Peter for the password). Worthwhile discounts are available for mixed bulk purchases and the club is trying to put an order together for some cycling and multi-sport kit before the end of June, contact Peter or see the Yahoo group for details.

The current stock list is available here.

May 2010

Summer has arrived - Nik Windle

Nik Windle wore winter running gear to fend off the cold wind and rain during his not so fast Neolithic Marathon on the first Sunday of May. It was still chilly and breezy the 2nd weekend but this didn't stop Jim Cheseldine running the Tewkesbury Half in 1:29:18, 89th out of 1200 runners. Jim was pleased to have broken the 90 minute barrier. Keith Hammond completed the Halstead Marathon despite having only had a couple of weeks to recover since his London PB.

Nik thought it still too nippy for shorts but enjoyed a pretty ride round the New Forest Excursion Audax, which completed his current Randonneur Round the Year. His eighth in total.

When Peter Simpson, Mary Davis and Nik met up for the Prestwood 10km on the 3rd Sunday in May things had warmed up enough to be just right for running. Peter had put his ankle injury behind him and came in first VCAC with a time of 43:22, 21st of 236 runners, on this pleasant but not very flat course (photo).

Dominic Burford took full advantage of the sunshine to enjoy riding The Dean 300km Audax Perm. This ride is run as an AUK calendar event in March and sometimes offers atrocious weather to riders on their first 300 of the year - this approach sounds much more fun.

Steve Wigglesworth continues to place highly in triathlon despite being plagued with a nagging back and quad injury. His latest effort saw him rewarded with an overall 7th place at the Woodhall Sprint Tri in early May.

The VCAC committee bought and distributed a few sweatbands in VCAC colours to see what members thought, these were well received and will hopefully be made available for purchase soon to give members the opportunity to get the veggie message across when wearing the full kit is not appropriate. Photos of members have been spotted in both The Vegetarian and The Vegan magazines - more good publicity for us.

As the 4th weekend of May approaches things have warmed up considerably - my outdoor thermometer reads 26 degrees centigrade. Good luck to those competing and participating in events this weekend, and don't forget to keep drinking the water and put on the sun cream!

London calling - Nik Windle

Nine VCAC members completed the London marathon. Keith Hammond, John Morris, Graham Beck, Gert Cowling, Glenn Chapman, Ade Gibbon, Jeff Adams, Stuart Crispin and Richard Shelley. John was the first member to finish with an impressive time of 2:56. Stuart had run the hilly Cornwall Coastal Trail Series marathon the previous day to make sure he was properly warmed up! Do read the report Keith submitted of his PB run in the website report section. Members were also out offering welcome support at water stations and at the finish. Well done all!

Elsewhere in April Paul Horne ran a hot and windy Bungay Black Dog Marathon, and suffered for it afterwards. Peter Simpson, Sharon and Keith Hammond ran the Flitwick 10k - Peter's run being spoilt by a flare up of an ankle injury he had hoped was over. Steve Wigglesworth came in an impressive 27th of 337 runners in the Retford Half, only his second ever half marathon. VCAC multi-sports are off to a flying start with Steve Wigglesworth finishing 2nd of 35 MV40-49 at the Hunston Sprint Triathlon. Jon Zigmond and Steve both raced at the Stokesley Duathlon. Jon is preparing for his first proper race of the season in the Bala Middle Distance tri in July. Back in march, member Graham White cycled for over 10 hours for charity - on a turbo trainer. That must have been a hefty challenge for both mind and body, Graham.

April 2010

Run up to Easter - Nik Windle

VCAC members have been getting in the miles over the last few weeks with on and off-road race distances up to marathon and beyond. Some good placings including Jim Cheseldine 99th of 2400 in the Forest of Dean Half; Richard Shelley 7/205 at the Tenbridge Ten and Stuart Crispin 17/117 in the Coastal Trail Series Marathon in Pembrokeshire

Three members ran the Oakley 20 miler, with Jeff Adams first VCAC in with 2:22:23. Rod Paris had an energetic Easter, running both the Guernsey 10k on Good Friday and the Guernsey Half Marathon on Easter Monday. Steve Coote escorted his veggie dog Len round the 6k Kielder CaniX, a rather adventurous course with switchback paths and fallen trees to contend with.

On the cycling front, Steve Wigglesworth was frustrated by 3 consecutive DNSs on planned time trials - ice, flooding and illness taking turns to spoil his plans. Nik Windle and Dominic Burford continue to RRTY, first chance this year to ride in shorts and sunglasses for some of us. Noel Molland and Steve Coote organised/went on social rides in their areas. Look out on the Yahoo group if you fancy meeting up with other VCACs for a bike ride.

The beast that is the VCAC tri team put a tentative toe in the water, before deciding it hadn't warmed up quite enough yet, and retreated to it's den to plan for later in the year. At least one VCAC team for the Leeds Triathlon on the 12/9 looks like a goer. More in the next newsletter.

Looking at the Events Diary, I count eight members planning to run the London Marathon on the 25th April. Hope the training is going well folks - run well.

March 2010

A Good Start to 2010 - Nik Windle

Vegetarian Cycling and Athletic Club runners have had a busy start to 2010 with members participating in a variety of events on and off road. Here are just a few.

The worst of the snow melted just in time for Steve Coote to complete The Hebden, a 22mile LDWA event. Peter Simpson competed in the South of England XC Championships in January and the National XC Championships in February. Jim Cheseldine placed well in both the Mayhill Massacre, achieving 1:06:45 - 38/435 - and the Castle Combe 10k - 7/160. Paul Horne finished the Great East Run 20k at Bungay, falling sleet and snow kept him a little cooler than he would have wished. Steve Wigglesworth came out of winter hibernation to take overall third at the rearranged Hit the Trail 5 at the end of January.

There has already been a good crop of half marathons with several members running at Watford, Wokingham, Milton Keynes and Berkhampstead. Personal Bests at Milton Keynes for both Manuel Corriente 1:26:42 and Keith Hammond 1:25:52, gave positions of of 152 and 139 respectively.

On the cycling front Audax riders Dominic Burford and Nik Windle continue with their Randonneur Round the Year challenges, both managing to ride a 200k brevet in January despite a concession by the organiser allowing 2 February rides instead due to all that snow, Noel Molland, our new cycling secretary, is working to promote social cycling amongst members to complement competitive and endurance cycling.

The VCAC&AC Events Diary is looking healthy and predicts more activity this year with members planning to participate in a variety of events including Duathlon and Triathlon; running races of an assortment of distances from 10k to marathon, and less run of the mill sports such as Swimtrek and CaniX - which involves the human trying to keep pace with their four-legged team mate.

Jan 2010

A New Decade and some challenging weather to start the year off. Details of the races and other club activities to follow soon.

Dec 2009

In readiness for the new year, the updated membership form has been uploaded along with the club's diary. In addition a photo of some of the club kit for anyone thinking of spending some of their Christmas money on some smart new gear.

Nov 2009

A photo for Manuel Corriente has been added from his Abingdon marathon run where he achieved a time of 3:13.

The club members results from the previous 3 months are now uploaded to the results page, this includes a two section running results section for the quarter and times for the standard race distances.

The latest events diary is now added.

The club AGM is to take place in Milton Keynes at 12:00 on the 15th of November, the agenda is now available from the club if any member has not yet received a copy.

Oct 2009

Club members diary has been updated with all the latest news

Don't forget the VCAC&AC AGM in Milton Keynes is approaching.

More photos added to the site.

Woverhampton marathon results - Robert Mottram-Jones 43rd overall 3.17 & Gert Cowling 1st V60 in 4:31

Sept 2009

Latest update includes the new club race diary and photos from the Robin Hood event in Nottingham, where Keith ran 3:14, Andy 3:45 in the marathon and Peter 1.33 and Sharon 2:25 in the half.

At the Milton Keynes Half Marathon on 26 July we possibly had our strongest team together in 2009. Keith Hammond once again led the team home in a personal best of 1.27.58 followed by Gideon Stanley 1.29.49, Manuel Corriente 1.31.24, Peter Simpson 1.34.22, Andy Jordan 1.36.51, Nik Windle 1.52.21 and Sharon Hammond 2.22.22.

Returning to the Bearbrook 10K (near Aylesbury) on 9 August where the club had 11 running in 2008 for one of our 120th anniversary events, we had a further good turnout in ideal "summer" conditions: Keith Hammond 39.28, Peter Simpson 41.29, Ade Gibbon 45.58, Mary Davis 52.59, Sharon Hammond 1.02.54 & John Munson 1.13.38 (V70).

The Burnham Beeches Half Marathon on 23 August is also a popular event for members and running in humid conditions this year were: Ade Gibbon 1.45.34, Nik Windle 1.57.54, Simon Cope 2.02.11 and Scott Baillie 2.13.50 and our team position 20th.

Photos from the Wycombe half have also been added to the site.

Aug 2009

A couple of new photos uploaded from the Milton Keynes half marathon, and featuring Manuel, Gideon, Andy, Keith, Peter, Nik & Sharon