Just a normal summer of athletics

So then, after a very busy summer it is now time to collect thoughts and move to the ‘winter season’ with other work and to re-invigorate the regular work.

The GB trials for the World Championships and the Muller Anniversary Games came quickly one after another and, to be honest, were over in a flash. Some great work by the main organisers made my work so much easier than normal.  The new generation of GB athletes are now coming through after a few years of getting to know what goes on at major events.  Some will be around for a good while and look forward to seeing them in future Olympics and World Championships.

The IPC World Championships was a long ten days. When I long, I mean LONG!

Worked with some good people and volunteers ( who did a sterling job) but the thing that made it a long day for me and Cav, the Photo Manager was the presentations!

Good things about the medal ceremonies was that they were in a public place – the Hero zone or Fan zone.  This led to lots more people coming to see some of the best athletes in the IPC world getting their hard earned medals.

The bad news was that we had to manage the photographers during these times.  Did I say that these were given out during the ‘down time’ IE in between track sessions. The upshot was that both me and Cav got about one hour a day when we were not ‘on call’.   The last Saturday saw a massive three-hour presentations slot. All that said it was a great experience and the uniforms were something to behold!

 Couple of days back home and the back to London for the Prudential Ride London.

Now in its fifth year and always comes up with the goods. As well as the usual jobs of making sure the cameras get in the right place to get the best out of the elite and celebs who are around over the weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing some old ‘Celeb friends’ including Martin Johnson, Lemar, Colin Jarvis, the delightful Laura Wright, and Ben Foster to name a few.

Andre Burton did the usual in breaking some world records for the crowds and the ‘free cycle’ saw wave upon wave of cycles going around the sights of London without a car in sight. Great organisation by London marathon Events.

Back home for a day and catch up on ‘regular work’ and then it was back for the marathon as part of the IAAF World Championships. The day before I was at trackside to help out with the cameras and the last Usain Bolt track run.  That WAS fun!

The marathon was unusual as it started at tower bridge – half way point for London marathon and very near the regular hotel we use in April.

Some good racing from both Men and Women and the medals were given out nearby at London Tower.  Shame they didn’t use more of the natural surroundings as it is a great place for iconic pictures but never mind.

Few days of R&R then to the final meeting of the season – Birmingham GP. Last track race for Mo Farah and we all knew we had to be on our toes to make sure this worked for all the people who needed it to work. Enough to say all was happy and it was a great way to finish off a great, if very busy, summer of athletics.

Once again, I am in forever grateful  to my friends with cameras who make my life hell during these events – wouldn’t have it any other way!

Due to popular demand, or is it that I need somewhere to put these photos….

As you probably know I have a nice job as part of the great media team at Virgin Money London Marathon.  This year was a fabulous year – as they all seems to be, and some of my ‘nice photography friends’ like to get me in various poses of working my magic so they get a decent shot.

Some of these are very nice – some not so, but my thanks to all the photographers and subjects that make the week long build up and the after race atmosphere. This is what makes it the best marathon in the world.

All the photos here were taken by one of the following.  All great at their job and a pleasure to work with.

Alan D West    http://www.alandwestphoto.co.uk/

Gary Mitchell   http://www.garymitchellphoto.com/

Bob Martin   www.bobmartin.com

Neil Turner    neilturnerphotographer.co.uk/about-me/

Drew Smith      http://www.drewsmithphotography.co.uk/

Andy Barnes   www.andybarnesphotographer.co.uk/

Kieth Larby photos     akphotos.co.uk/index.html

Get involved with the C2c in a day – even if you can’t do 140 miles

Get involved with the C2c in a day – even if you can’t do 140 miles

DATE Sunday June 11

PLACE Rookhope or Stanley – mid afternoon start

Riders from across the region will be taking part in the new venture for 2017. An organised Coast to Coast in a day.

Not for the faint hearted but family and social riders can get on board with the event by adding to the group as they go!

Ed Tutty, who is organising the day cycle ride on Sunday 11 June, is looking for social riders to give the ‘140 milers’ some support in the last stages of the ride from Whitehaven to Roker:

“We will be starting on the west coast at about 6am and the 14 or so riders will set off with around 12 hours in the saddle ahead of them. What I, and the riders, are after is local riders to get with them towards the end of the route – just where they need some encouragement.”

Rookhope is about 90 miles into the route and has an ideal area where good cyclists can join the peloton for the last 50 miles or so to Roker.  More social cyclists can join in about 30 miles from the coast at Stanley / Consett area using the C2C route as a guided.

“We are looking to encourage cyclist to join us at our ‘rest areas’ on this side of the Pennines before the last big effort to get to Roker. Commemorative T-shirt at the end, along with a nice goodie bag, Water stop, insurance and emergency help along the way are included in the cost.  Most of all you can encourage and help along the ‘140 milers*’ with their quest to do the whole thing in a day!”

This will cost £25 and there are discounts for under 16 and groups.

For more information on this part of the event, please contact Ed Tutty on info@etcomm.co.uk or see the Durham Big Ride Facebook page.

Coast 2 Coast ina day - things to know

C2C in a day – what you get

GETTING THERE

We will pick up from various points in the north east.  I would think these will be ‘on route’ as far as we can make them.  Suggestions are:

Sunderland, Chester le Street, Houghton, Durham City, Neville’s Cross then onto Whitehaven, to arrive mid / late afternoon.

This is a ‘first draft’ of route so it can be tweaked to accommodate riders if there is enough call.

Once in Whitehaven, support vans and transport will be unloaded at the B&B near to the start of the C2C.

These B&B’s are to checked out before the event, more detailed information on them will come soon.

We intend to start at 6.00am on Sunday the 11 June so all riders need to be prepared for this.  If you intend to make your own way there we will be using the ‘overnight stay’ riders as the leads in the start.

One of the support vehicles will take in your personal bag (one only please).

There will be basic food and drink with us but if you like to have your own, we are happy to take them for you in addition to our bag

We will provide basic feed station items: bananas, energy bars, water but we advise to bring your own as your body is used to them.

ON ROUTE

We will have one support vehicle ‘going ahead’ to set up the feed station and one to the back to help with any breakdown / issues riders have along route.

On this, we would advise that you bring your own cycle repair equipment. Again we will have basics but you know what you may need.

We expect the route to take around 12 hours complete, rest stops will be scouted beforehand to break up the ride to make it as comfortable as possible.

LAST PART OF THE ROUTE

The last part – Consett / Stanley area, we will be joined by other riders who will be offering support and companionship for the final stretch.

There will also be other ‘supporters’ around the Chester – le -Street area and a final group (of disabled riders) meeting us at the national Glass Centre.

We expect to stop at the NGC and re-group to have a ‘peloton’ to cruise the last couple of miles to the official end of the C2C at Roker.

If there are some of the ‘140 milers’ wanting to beat the 12 hours / or last years’ time, more than happy for them to go off and we can meet up on the top road to travel down to the Marriott Hotel on the Seaburn front.

THE FINISH

As we write, we are still in negotiations with sport massages to offer a service FOC to you at the end of the ride.  This will be in the Marriott Hotel

Along with that, there will be a quality commemorative shirt for all the 140 milers as well as other goodies.

FOR YOUR SUPPORTERS

As some of you will be from out of town, We are arranging that when your supporters come to collect you from Sunderland, that they come down to the sea front a little earlier and enjoy the area.

To that end, we are hoping to get a voucher list for them that will give discount in some of the eateries and pubs along the Seafront – from Roker to Seaburn.

There is ample parking down Seaburn and we would expect that we would be all finished by 7.pm

THE PRICE

Travel to Whitehaven on the Saturday – with cycles  £35
Accommodation Place TBC                                   approx. £35
Support / commemorative shirts / end food etc.             £75

TOTAL cost £145

* Please note

All of this information is subject to change but we will ensure that we do all we can to make this as easy as we can for the riders

What you need to do now

If you are ready to commit to the day please send an email saying that you would like to put down a deposit of £50 to

info@durhambigride.co.uk - please do not comment on this blog

This will send you an invoice for £50 that you can pay via PayPal

Well, what are you waiting for?

Mo set for Anniversary Games 5000m

On Saturday 23rd July, double Olympic, world and European champion Mo Farah will headline Super Saturday at the Müller Anniversary Games as he competes in his first 5000m race at the Olympic Stadium since winning gold there at London 2012.

The British athletics legend has targeted this as the crucial final event before he flies to Rio de Janeiro looking to defend his Olympic title. Farah said: “This will be my final race before the Rio Olympics and I want to give my home fans a day to remember!” 

The Müller Anniversary Games incorporates two world class athletics events - the IAAF London Diamond League and the IPC Grand Prix Final - the last major events before the Olympic and Paralympic Games commence in Brazil this summer.

Olympic and world heptathlon champion and global icon Jennica Ennis-Hill is also set to compete on Super Saturday. She tackles the long jump and will look to build on an impressive performance in Ratingen, Germany, where she recently won the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge with a score of 6733.

MILLIONTH FINISHER NAMED AS RECORD NUMBER APPLY FOR 2017 - LONDON MARATHON

Had a number of requests about ‘my time at London marathon’ and thought this – the release about the 1millionth finisher was an appropriate time to put a few snaps up that shows the work (hard, hard work) that goes into getting people to look good for the cameras.

Many thanks to all the snappers down there who sent good (and bad) pictures for me - most of them I couldn’t really put up on site, and I look forward to seeing most of you in the coming year at various athletic events and other such like places.

The millionth finisher to cross the line in the London Marathon is 39-year-old Shannon Foudy from Hemel Hempstead, who was running her first marathon on Sunday 24 April.

 Shannon ran to raise money for the Luton & Dunstable Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that saved the life of her daughter. In January 2010,

 Shannon, a serving police officer who works as a schools and youth engagement sergeant in Barnet, said: “I knew about the #oneinamillion campaign and it’s unbelievable that I am the millionth finisher. I ran to say thank you to the Luton & Dunstable NICU and it is the most
worthwhile thing I have ever done.

 Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: “Shannon epitomises the spirit of the London Marathon. She was a novice runner inspired to take on the challenge of 26.2 miles for a very personal cause and it’s wonderful she is our millionth finisher.”

 Shannon was presented with her unique #oneinamillion t-shirt and also receives a guaranteed place for the 2017 event.

 A record number of 253,930 UK applicants had registered for a ballot place in the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon when the application system closed on Friday 6 May. This is more than 6,000 up from the previous record of 247,069 applications for the 2016 event.

 Just under 56% of the applications for 2017 were from people who have never run a marathon and more than 43% of the total applicants were women (also a record).

 “These numbers reflect the huge success of the 36th London Marathon on 24 April,” said Brasher. “One of our goals is to inspire people to take up sport and more than 142,000 people have been inspired to apply to run a marathon for the first time in 2017.

Nice to see that one of the best events in the world is still pulling in the applications.  I look forward to seeing lots of my friends next year down on St. Katherine’s Dock.

Again thanks to Eileen Jacus and Gary Mitchell photo for these ones on the blog and I apologies if I haven’t credited you and you see you photo here.

Take Care

Ed

Virgin Money London Marathon - runners stories

The Virgin Money London Marathon is the world's largest one-day fundraising event and more than 75 per cent of the 37,000+ runners on Sunday 24 April will be raising money for charity, adding to the incredible total of £770+ million raised in the first 35 years of the event.

 

Here are some of their stories: 

 

London-based Orin Lewis (OBE) will be running in memory of his son Daniel De-Gale who in 1999, aged six, was the first black individual in the UK to receive a life-saving stem cell bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. Daniel beat the leukaemia but died in 2008 from multiple organ failure. Orin is hoping to raise £20,000 for the charity African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT), the charity he and his wife Beverley founded 20 years ago. 

 

Running in memory of her daughter Pennie, is Natasha Greenway from Caerphilly in Wales. Pennie was in cardiac arrest when she was born in July 2015 and despite the best efforts of the medical team, Natasha and her husband had to make the heart-breaking decision to turn off the life support machines. Now, Natasha and her sister-in-law Emma will run to raise money for the charity The Lullaby Trust, which has supported their family through their loss. 

 

After her own personal battle with a rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer, West Lothian resident Heather Duff will be running to raise money for the charity Cancer Research UK. Now in remission, Heather will be making her London Marathon debut after running the Mini London Marathon in 1999 aged 12. She promised herself that she would one day return to take on the 26.2-mile challenge and will fulfil that promise on 24 April for the charity she credits with saving her life. 

 

Family rivalry will take centre stage when Nicholas Finill runs the London Marathon for the first time alongside his father Chris, one of only 12 'Ever Presents' who have run every London Marathon since its inception in 1981. The last of three siblings to follow in his father's footsteps, Nicholas is running in support of the Orchard Vale Trust, a charity that improves the quality of life for people with learning disabilities and their families.

 

Grace Havard will run the London Marathon two years after a car accident left her in an induced coma. She was left with 28 broken bones, a punctured lung, her liver split in half and part of her bowel removed, and skin grafts on her thighs and arms. Having made a swift and miraculous recovery, Grace has now set her mind to running the iconic course to raise money and awareness for St George's Hospital, where she was cared for in the aftermath of the accident.

 

Every year, the Virgin Money London Marathon press office receives hundreds of moving and inspiring stories from the thousands of runners who are preparing to take on the challenge of running the marathon. One runner taking that challenge to new heights is Ben Smith from Bristol who is not only running a marathon on 24 April but aims to complete 401 marathons in 401 days, across 309 locations in the UK. The London Marathon will be number 237. 

 

Ben is hoping to raise £250,000 for the charities Stonewall and Kidscape in their bid to tackle the issue of bullying in society, particularly in schools. Having suffered from bullying himself, Ben knows the trauma and destruction it can cause after he twice tried to take his own life as a young adult. Now 33, he is hoping that his epic challenge can help others learn that no matter what happens in life, there can be a positive outcome. 

Stanley Ride for all the family

 

Stanley Town Council is putting on a cycle ride for the whole family this spring.

With help of Sustrans and the Durham Big Ride the event will be encouraging all levels of cyclists to dust off their bikes from the garage and get on them to see the great routes that are on the Towns doorstep.

The event, on Sunday May 1, is a way of celebrating the opening of a new link route from the C2C route into Stanley town centre and also the ideal time to see the best of the countryside around the Stanley area. “The event is a great way to mark the refurbishment of the C2C pathway”. Said Joan Nicholson, Chair of Stanley Town Council, “It is a wonderful facility which should be used as much as possible.  Our event will only use a small part that is close to the Town but the route is such a wonderful ‘highway’ to some of the best countryside around.”

She continued, “We want to get people of all ages out on their bikes and use the routes and get a little fitter into the bargain.  It is a ‘win – win’ situation for all concerned.’

For the initial event two routes are planned both starting and finishing in the towns Oakey park: A 20 mile ride to Cox Green, just outside of Sunderland and for the little ones a nice ride to Beamish Museum car park with a little rest before going back to Oakey park.

Gina Clarke, Network Manager from Sustrans welcomes the idea of even more people using the pathways that are already very popular with commuters and leisure cyclists alike:

“Our aim at Sustrans is to encourage everyone to use cleaner, cheaper and healthier ways of getting around. These scenic traffic free paths provide a safe, enjoyable route to the shops, to school or to work for both walkers and cyclists. “Our team work hard to maintain this section of the National Cycle Network from Consett to Washington. We are looking forward to the event bringing new people to the C2C, giving the next generation of cyclists the opportunity to experience the route for themselves.”

Costs to be a part of the first Stanley Family CYCLE are £15 for adults and £7 for under 14 with a family ticket available with all finishers getting a quality T­ shirt and goodie bag.

For more information, please see the facebook site: Stanley Family Cycle.

JESSICA ENNIS-HILL IS CONFIRMED TO COMPETE AT SOLD OUT INDOOR GRAND PRIX

Britain’s current Olympic and world heptathlon champion will continue her countdown to Rio in the 60m hurdles at the world’s number one indoor athletics event

Jessica Ennis-Hill has confirmed that she will compete at the sold out Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix at the 5,000 seat Emirates Arena on Saturday 20 February.

The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix is the world’s number one ranked indoor athletics meeting and will be the best one-day athletics meeting to ever be held in Scotland. It will feature many of the world’s best athletes, including Britain’s other gold medal winners from ‘Super Saturday’ at the London 2012 Olympics, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford.

Ennis-Hill has a great record in the 60m hurdles in Glasgow, setting a personal best in 2008, a British record of 7.95 in 2010 and then taking victory in 2011.

She said: “I am really looking forward to competing in the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix – this fixture always kick-starts my year.  Training is going well and it will be good to get out there and compete with some great athletes and really test myself.  Olympic year is a big year for all of us and the first competition brings with it trepidation and excitement.”

The Indoor Grand Prix, ranked as the world’s best indoor event in the world for the past ten years, will be held in Glasgow for the first time in 2016 as the city alternates hosting the event with Birmingham up to 2020.

Niels de Vos, Chief Executive of British Athletics, said: “Jessica Ennis-Hill is one of the biggest stars in British sport. The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will provide her with an opportunity to test herself and we wish her every success in Olympic year. She is a winner and a tremendous role-model for athletics and for Britain. The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will again showcase the city’s passion for major athletics events and is a sold-out success.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “We are delighted that Jessica Ennis-Hill will continue her preparations for this year’s Olympic Games at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix, reaffirming Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for events among the world’s most decorated athletes. As well as providing the opportunity to witness Jessica in action, the event will see her fellow Olympic gold medallists, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford, compete alongside a host of world-class athletes, creating an occasion not to be missed.”

For more information visit britishathletics.org and follow @BritAthletics on Twitter.

RECORD BREAKERS DAFNE SCHIPPERS AND DINA ASHER-SMITH SET TO GO HEAD TO HEAD AT GLASGOW

Current European record holder and 200 metre world champion Dafne Schippers will face Britain’s fastest ever woman, Dina Asher-Smith (coach: John Blackie), over 60m at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix on 20 February.

Each athlete has beaten the other once over 60m with both setting their personal bests at last year’s European Indoor Championships in Prague; 7.05 for Schippers and 7.08 for Asher-Smith, the first of five British records she set during 2015.

The Glasgow Grand Prix is the single best day of indoor athletics ever staged in Scotland and can now boast the top sprint head-to-head in European athletics.

The Indoor Grand Prix is consistently ranked as the number one indoor annual event in athletics and is moving to Glasgow for the very first time.

Asher-Smith confirmed that Glasgow will be integral to setting the stage for the rest of the year. She said: “2015 has been a special year for me and I couldn’t be more pleased. Now I’m looking ahead and I am absolutely thrilled to compete with Dafne in the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix. The atmosphere in the Emirates Arena will be amazing and a strong start to 2016 is going to be important for me in my build up to the Olympic Games in Rio.”

She continued: “I think I surprised myself when I realised I beat Kathy Cook’s 200 metre record time of 22.10 earlier this summer. Glasgow Grand Prix now gives me the perfect platform to build on my 2015.”

Dafne Schippers has been one of the stars of global athletics this year culminating in winning Gold in the 200 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. Her 200m winning time of 21.63 seconds broke the 36 year old European record and gave her the title of third fastest woman in history over that distance.

She said: “Clocking 21.63 in the 200 metres in Beijing was a huge win for me. I kept thinking if I pull this off, there’s nothing stopping me from doing this again in Rio. I’m even more committed to putting on an amazing performance, especially in Glasgow where the atmosphere is always electric.”

The Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will be the first major athletics event of an action packed 2016 season and a great opportunity to see world-class talent at such close quarters. With the Olympic Games in Rio just months away, this competition will be an exhilarating start as champion athletes prepare themselves for the summer.

Niels de Vos, Chief Executive of British Athletics said: “The Glasgow Grand Prix will be the best one-day indoor meeting anywhere in the world in 2016. Having Dafne Schippers facing Dina Asher-Smith is the most exciting head-to-head in European sprinting and the Scottish public will be in for a treat.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “The Indoor Grand Prix is one of the gems in the athletics crown, so it is with great excitement that we look forward to welcoming the event to Glasgow in February. In an Olympic year, this event has even greater significance and having Dafne Schippers and Dina Asher-Smith going head-to-head will add to what is always a tremendous atmosphere at the Emirates Arena.”

For tickets to the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix please visit www.britishathletics.org.uk