Happy Birthday this week to Ena Akpata, Ben Bellisario, Phillip Crout, Charlotte Johnston, Alessa Lewis, Phillipa Lowe, Phoebe Music, Amelia Onyems and Ray Powell
SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS CORONAVIRUS STATEMENT, UPDATED 24 MARCH– The following is a joint statement by SBH and Saracens SBH Coronavirus Statement 24.03.20 Rev A
CURRENT UPDATE ON UPCOMING FIXTURES – The following fixtures have now been Cancelled
London Inter Club Challenge due to take place on Saturday 18 April
Middlesex Young Athletes League due to take place on Saturday 18 April and Saturday 23 May
UK Youth Development League due to take place on Sunday 19 April, Sunday 24 May, Sunday 21 June, Sunday 26 July and Sunday 6 September
National Athletic League due to take place on Sunday 3 May and 14 June
Eastern Young Athletics League due to take place on Sunday 3 May and Sunday 31 May
Veterans League due to take place on Monday 4 May
BUCS due to take place on Friday 8 May to Sunday 10 May
Hertfordshire County Championships due to take place on Saturday 9 May and Sunday 10 May
Loughborough International due to take place on Sunday 17 May
Middlesex County Championships due to take place on Saturday 30 May and Sunday 31 May
World U20 Championships due to take place from Tuesday 7 July to Sunday 12 July
English Schools Championships due to take place on Friday 10 July and Saturday 11 July
European U18 Championships due to take place from Thursday 16 July to Sunday 19 July
Olympic Games due to take place from Friday 31 July to Sunday 9 August
Virgin London Marathon and Mini Marathon due to take place on Sunday 26 April has been Postponed, and is rescheduled to take place on Sunday 4 October
MULLER BRITISH ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS – Since the current pandemic resulted in significant changes to the competition calendar, British Athletics have been in constant communication with our partners at European Athletics, World Athletics and the Wanda Diamond League to coordinate the remaining schedule of athletics events in 2020, prioritising the safety and health of our sport and spectators at all times.
At this moment in time, we are still working on the basis that all British Athletics events – Müller British Athletics Championships Manchester, Müller Anniversary Games London & Müller Grand Prix Gateshead – will be going ahead although we will continue to adhere to all government advice and guidelines to ensure the safety of those involved.
In coordination with the World Athletics Global Calendar Unit, we have now finalised discussions for a new National Championships weekend alongside other federations. As a result, should there be an opportunity to recommence competition during this outdoor season, the Muller British Athletics Championships will be rescheduled from its original date of 20/21st June to 8/9th August 2020, with the venue remaining as the Manchester Regional Arena.
THE FOLLOWING SBH DOCUMENTS/INFORMATION CAN EITHER BE VIEWED, DOWNLOADED OR PRINTED
SBH 2020 Summer Fixture Card Front Sheet – Summer 2020 Fixture Card Front Sheet Final Issue 12-02-20
SBH 2020 Summer Fixture Card Fixtures, Updated 17-03-20 Showing Cancelled & Postponed Fixtures – Summer 2020 Fixture Card – Updated 17-03-20 Showing Cancelled & Postponed Fixtures
Track and Field Team Managers Details – http://sbharriers.co.uk/athletics/track-field/team-managers/
Road Running Team Managers Details – http://sbharriers.co.uk/athletics/road-running/team-managers/
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION OF INTEREST CAN BE FOUND ON THE SBH HOME PAGE BY USING THIS LINK, THEN SELECT THE LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW – http://sbharriers.co.uk/
Allianz Park Membership, which gives SBH members 10% discount on entry to the Allianz Park stadium – Membership details and Form can be either printed or downloaded
Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Club Hoody, information on how to purchase one, please go to the bottom of this Newsletter
SBH MIDWEEK JUMPS CLUB AT ALLIANZ PARK – Currently Suspended. POLE VAULTERS REQUIRED FOR 2020 – Currently Suspended. STEEPLECHASE TRAINING AT ALLIANZ PARK – Currently Suspended.
WHAT A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE – It was PHOEBE MUSIC 12th birthday on Wednesday and CARL told me that we didn’t have many ingredients in, but we did find some fondant icing in the back of a cupboard so made an SBH Cake to celebrate (not my best, but popping to Tesco no longer an option so it was a bit make do and mend!) We are all looking forward to a time when training and competing can resume and send our best to everyone at the club.
MANY THANKS TO – SIMON KEENE and TOM MCNAB for their contribution to this week’s Newsletter.
SBH SENIOR WOMEN 1998 TO 2002 – Last week there were some typing errors, also I have been talking to SIMON and we found some of the missing results. This is link which shows the full Senior Women SBH results updated from last week for the 1998 to 2002 Cross Country and Road Relays –
In those years the team competed in 32 Southern or National Championships, of those they won 17 Championships, were 2nd in 5 and 3rd in 5 others, 4 others outside the top 3, finally 1 result to be found. Of those LUCY ELIOTT competed in 17 of the 26 Championships, amazing, there are still 3 results to find which will show each runner (They are the Southen 4 Stage 1998, 2000 and 2001).
BOB BROWN ULTRA DISTANCE RUNNER – Born in Bushey, Herts, and during the early 1990’s he joined Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers. At that time, I remember running with him in the Metropolitan League and as far as I can remember was a good club athlete. Also at the same his identical twin sisters Susan and Allison were also members, they progressed up through the younger age-groups to become reasonably good runners. It was around 1993-94 that the family moved to Australia.
Apparently, BOB came back and settled in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall, to become a primary school teacher. He had started to run marathon’s, and found his niche as an Ultra Distance runner.
In 1995, running as a complete unknown, BOB finished second in the World Triple Ironman Championships in France, which consisted of a 7.2-mile swim, 336-mile cycle and 78-mile run. He has also competed in the world’s longest and toughest triathlon – the World Deca-Ironman Championships in Monterrey, Mexico. Competitors had to swim 24 miles, cycle 1,120 miles and run 262 miles.
BOB at the age of 35, competed and won the “Run Across America” which is a 3100-mile race, the race started on 12 June 2004 to 21 August 2004 (71 Days) average daily mileage of 43.4 miles (69.8km). Prior to this he finished 7th in the 2001 Trans-Australia Footrace in which he ran 50 miles per day for 65 days in the middle of the Australian summer (The heat was 50c at times).
The race started from Huntingdon Beach, just south of Los Angeles, after leaving LA they were battling temperatures of 43.5C as they crossed the Mojave Desert, then on to Las Vegas, up through the Rockies to 10,000 feet, down to Denver, Colorado then through the Great Plains, Indianapolis, and then finishing in New York.
After day 46. It has taken BOB just over 318 hours to run 1,917 miles (3,086 kilometres), giving him a lead of nearly 34 hours over Frenchman LUC DUMONT ST PRIEST in second place. After day 58 BOB the lone UK runner in the international field, is 47 hours ahead of second place Frenchman ST PRIEST. But the best moment has to be when on day 68 he was running along in the middle of nowhere when I heard a barking noise. I turned around to see 2 familiar people with dog masks on. It was my sister SUSAN and bro-in-law ROSS. After flying home to Australia, a month previously they had decided to surprise me by flying out again for the finish. And they did!
Bob sponsor Cornish firm GINSTERS were shipping supplies to him on a regular basis. Weight-wise “I am down to 8st 10lb – I haven’t been that weight since I was 14,” and was consuming 10,000 calories a day. He went through five pairs of trainers, and towards the finish his toes were clearly visible through his training shoes.
TOM MCNAB – Last week I published TOM’S article on the ‘1906 Intercalated Olympics Games’ follows. TOM, a physical educationist, was National Athletics Coach from 1963 to 1978. His 5 Star Award Scheme reached 60 million children.
This week features his 5 Star Award Scheme which is a unique program to help children, regardless of ability to achieve competence in athletics, improve sports performance and increase general fitness to promote a healthy lifestyle. The Coach for the five star award scheme is our own CLAIRE SPURWAY who in 2019 became the World, European and British Masters 60m Champion.
Link to TOM’S feature – Tom Mcnab PE Five Star article. April 2019 published also link to the 5 Star Award Scheme website – https://www.fivestarathletics.co.uk/
ATHLETES WITH TOKYO 2020 STANDARDS TO REMAIN QUALIFIED FOR 2021 – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently. All athletes to have already achieved the entry standard for their event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will remain qualified for the postponed Games now taking place in 2021, World Athletics president SEB COE has confirmed.
In a letter to the athletics community, COE added that the world governing body’s review of the Olympic qualification system would be expedited, with any changes to the process to be announced as soon as possible “so athletes know where they stand”. This includes the development of “a clear and fair process” for remaining athletes to qualify for the Games, which had been due to take place from July 24 to August 9 but are now scheduled to be held before the end of the summer next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Last week all sports agreed to the International Olympic Committee’s proposal that all athletes currently qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will remain qualified for next year’s event,” COE wrote. “In athletics the primary qualification avenue is by meeting the entry standards set out in March 2019. “Once those places are allocated, the remaining athletes are drawn from the world ranking list. “As of today, all athletes who have met the entry standards for their event will remain qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. This is approximately 50% of the places. What is important now is that we develop a clear and fair process for the remaining athletes to qualify, given many events have been postponed. “We will work with our Athletes’ Commission, our Council and the IOC to do this. We are also looking at how we can preserve an outdoor competition season this year with a series of one-day meetings on each continent that may begin as late as August and run to early October, so our athletes can get back in to competition as quickly as possible when it is safe to do so.”
On Friday it was confirmed that further to the postponement of the first three meetings of the 2020 Diamond League season, scheduled for Qatar and China, the May meetings in Stockholm (May 24), Naples/Rome (May 28) and Rabat (May 31) will also be rescheduled. In his letter, Coe added that the current time can now be used to innovate and consider things such as “weekend festivals of running, jumping and throwing” and for reorganising the global calendar of events. “In sport we have a unique opportunity not to tip toe around things and tweak at the edges,” he wrote. “We have the chance to think bigger, to rip up the blueprints and banish the ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it’ mentality. “Ironically, I believe social distancing will actually bring us closer together as a community and sport can sit right at the centre. The situation the world finds itself in today is a huge wake up call for all of us – as human beings, as businesses and as sport. We should capitalise on this and work out new ways of delivering events, create and plan new events that embrace the many as well as the few. “We can use this time to innovate and extend our sport across the year. Rather than just focusing on one-day meetings and one-day road races at one end of the spectrum and 10-day extravaganzas at the other end, we should look at weekend festivals of running, jumping and throwing that take advantage of the Southern and Northern Hemisphere seasons. We should work with governments to re-establish sport in schools, rebuild club structures, incentivise people to exercise and get fit (I rather fancy more people are exercising this week – doing 15-minute exercise routines in their homes or going out for a daily walk – than they have probably done in the last month). This should and could be the new normal. We don’t have to do things the same way.” He continued: “The world will not be the same after this pandemic. It will be different and that could be a good thing. Going back to core human values, back to basics of what is important, redefining our purpose, is something we can all do on a human, business and sporting scale. “We have heard a lot in the past week from governments, health care professionals, Prime Ministers and Presidents about social distancing and we are all practising it. But as I said at the beginning, although we may be separated physically during this period, my instinct is that ultimately this will draw us closer together, not further apart.”
The full letter can be found here.
TOKYO 2020 KNOCK-ON EFFECTS – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently, written by JASON HENDERSON.
How will moving the Olympics to next year affect athletics? AW’s editor looks at some of the repercussions
Most agree postponing the Tokyo Games to 2021 is the right move. With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the planet, many feel it is the only move and the only surprise is that the IOC did not act sooner.
As drastic as it is, it has happened before. The 1916 Olympics were due to take place in Berlin before being cancelled after World War I broke out. Tokyo, coincidentally, was set to stage the 1940 Olympics, too, before World War II led to firstly Helsinki being awarded those 1940 Games followed by London as host city for a 1944 Games that was eventually held in 1948.
Tokyo right now is hardly alone either when it comes to being cancelled or postponed this spring and summer. The ever-growing athletics casualty list currently includes world championships for indoor athletics (in Nanjing), half-marathon (Gydnia), under-20 athletes (Nairobi) and masters (Toronto), plus London and Boston marathons.
The Tokyo Games is the biggest domino of all, though. So, what are the consequences of the event being delayed by a year?
Scaled down Games
There have been attempts to streamline the Olympics in recent years with fewer costs involved and moving the event to 2021 could help accelerate this trend. Everything from the lavish opening and closing ceremonies through to the number of athletes who are able to take part could be throttled back in size to make it more manageable and cheaper.
Finding a date in the calendar
There has been talk of holding the Olympics next spring although athletes might struggle to find events to qualify. Also, can you imagine the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing and World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst effectively acting as warm-up meetings?
The Commonwealth Games has been held in recent years in Australia in March 2006 and April 2018 but the Olympics is a different proposition entirely.
What about the Worlds?
Oregon is set to stage the World Athletics Championships on August 6-15 next year but looks poised to move to 2022. After this, the next edition of the event is due to be in Budapest in 2023, but shifting Oregon to 2022 will knock the biennial championships out of sync.
The Olympics, too, will be knocked out of its usual four-yearly rhythm. IOC president THOMAS BACH described the situation as “a huge jigsaw puzzle” and this is putting it mildly.
Don’t forget the Commonwealths
If the World Athletics Championships in Oregon are bumped on to 2022 it will potentially clash with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which is set to take place from July 27 to August 7 that year.
Top athletes could be torn between doing the Commonwealth Games or World Athletics Championships. Not surprisingly, the Birmingham 2022 organisers have already voiced concerns about a possible clash.
One of World Athletics’ priority areas during SEB COE’S presidency is to try to sort out the messy and, at times, illogical fixtures calendar. The global governing body seemed to be getting somewhere lately but the postponement of Tokyo and the huge ripple effects means they have a whole new problem to wrestle with. To add to the problems, the Olympics and Commonwealth Games involve a number of other sports too such as swimming, cycling and gymnastics.
European Champs 2020
Paris is tentatively set to stage the European Athletics Championships from August 26-30. Until a few days ago this looked like being a post-Tokyo bonus event for Olympians and a good target for athletes who did not qualify for the Olympics.
Now, however, it could be the focal point of the athletics summer for many of the world’s leading athletes. This is assuming it goes ahead, of course.
Athletes affected
If the Olympics are only delayed by one year, then maybe it will not be a big deal for many. But what about athletes who might be in the form of their life in 2020 but who lose form next winter, maybe due to injury, and are never the same again? They will be the ‘Olympic medallists who never were’.
Ever heard of HAROLD DAVIS, for example? Nicknamed the California Comet, he equalled JESSE OWEN’S world 100m record in 1941 and was the world’s No.1 sprinter in the 1940s. Yet he did not have a global stage to perform on due to World War II.
Hopefully the class of 2020 will be luckier and the Tokyo Games will “only” be delayed by a year.
OLYMPIC ROAD EVENTS STILL SET FOR SAPPORO – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently. IOC confirms competition schedule remains in place for the delayed Games, including holding the marathons and race walks outside of Tokyo
Next year’s Olympic marathon and race walk events are still set to take place in Sapporo, with the 2020 competition schedule due to remain in place for the delayed Games. It was announced in October that the athletics road races would not be held in the host city of Tokyo and would instead be moved 800km north to Sapporo, the host city of the 1972 Winter Olympics, due to heat concerns. At the time, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said the move would mean “significantly lower temperatures for the athletes”. During a media teleconference held on Thursday, IOC sports director Kit McConnell confirmed that the intention was still to hold the marathon and race walk events outside of Tokyo as originally planned.
The postponed Tokyo 2020 Games will take place a year later than the original dates, with the Olympics set for July 23 to August 8 and the Paralympics now due to be held from August 24 to September 5 in 2021. Olympic athletics action, which had been planned for July 31 to August 9 in 2020, now looks set to take place from July 30 to August 8 in 2021, with the road events likely to still be held on the final four days. “We have really got a fantastic base for the Games planning that obviously was developed around the Games taking place in Tokyo this summer, but remains valid and in place for the Games moving into next summer, in 2021,” said MCCONNELL. “The session schedule and competition schedule across the Games remains in place. Obviously, there may have to ultimately be some adaptations to that, as we work through all of the necessary adjustments. But the competition schedule remains in place and that includes Sapporo.”
He added: “At the moment, the schedule for Sapporo remains the same, including the events to take place there, and the competition schedule.” The Sapporo marathon course published in December (pictured, top) features one loop of roughly half-marathon length and a second smaller loop of approximately 10km that will be run twice. The race walk courses feature 1km and 2km loops for the 20km and 50km distances respectively, along Sapporo Ekimae-dori Avenue. More on the road event courses can be found here.
WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER – It has just been announced that as the World Cross Country Chamionships is in Australia are on 20 March 2021, the Inter Counties in Loughborough will be on 20 February and the National Cross Country Championships will be at Parliament Hill on 6 March. Elsewhere the National Cross Country Relay Championships in Mansfield are on 31 Ocober 2020, European Trials are on 28 November and the European Championships in Dublin on 13 December.
CAN YOU HELP PLEASE – During the period when all competitions are suspended, I will do my upmost in keeping the Newsletter information and other content going.
I would welcome any contributions From Yourselves, any impending marriages, or additions to the family, any running or competing incidents, also past warm weather training/holidays (No Club 24 please).
PARKRUN 5K RESULTS – Currently Suspended
PARKRUN – Can you make sure that you are registered as ‘Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers’, as the link I use to select all results only shows SBH athletes. If anyone is also officiating can you please contact me, and advise me where and when.
UPCOMING SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS FIXTURES AND OTHER FOR THE NEXT 4 WEEKS – Due to the Coronavirus situation, all fixtures until the end of April and part May have been cancelled. We have also been advised that the Lee Valley Athletic Centre fixtures have been cancelled until the End of May
PHOTOGRAPH’S – From time to time we have photographs of our members taken at meetings or presentations which we would like to use both on the website or incorporated within our report to our local newspaper. Can you please let me know if you do NOT want your photograph to be used. Also, I would appreciate if you could send me any photographs, which I can then publish on the website and newsletter.
CLUB EMBROIDERED RED HOODIES – Currently there are now over 500 Hoodies in circulation, this is the link giving details on how you can order your Club Hoody for £35, which includes having your name embroidered on the front Club Hoodies Updated 01-07-19
FACEBOOK – Photographs can be found on the SBH page.
CURRENT DISTRIBUTION OF SHAFTESBURY INFORMATION – Currently I notify members (by email) using “MailChimp”. The reason I changed, was in November 2017 “Gmail” put a limit of 100 addresses that users could send to in a 24-hour period, and currently I send to approximately 850 members each issue.
On seeking technical advice “MailChimp” was recommended as the best way for SBH to go forward. There is one thing you should be aware off is that when you receive an email from me, the footer at the bottom has 4 options, of which one is “Unsubscribe Me From List”. Could I ask you not to select this as if you do you will be automatically removed from my distribution list.
SBH PRIVACY STATEMENT – In becoming a member, SBH will collect certain information about you. Can you please read the attached ‘Privacy Statement’ which contains Information on General Data Protection Regulations – SBH Privacy Statement Final April 2018
ALLIANZ PARK – Main Switchboard telephone number is 0203 675 7250.
CHARGES FOR USING ALLIANZ PARK – Currently the stadium is closed for athletics until the 31 May.
ALAN