Author: Andy

Schoolboy error of the century

I’m not even sure I should be writing this report as I made the cardinal sin of booking a race on 17 September. I’ll clearly never make this schoolboy error again but since I decided to make the best of a bad job I thought I’d write it up.

On the back of my fun in Lanzarote in November I responded to one of my friends, new to running, who decided he wanted to do his first half marathon. On the back of my runner’s high, whilst at Club La Santa, I booked up and paid for the Simply Health Bristol Half Marathon 17 September 2017. You can imagine Andy’s face when I came back into the sports bar and told him what I’d done. However by that time £40 and been spent and I knew I’d have to spend the next few months getting earache from Andy for booking a race on the most important day of the year. read more

Breaking the 15 minute barrier

I’ve done it; I’ve broken 15 minutes for 5k!  I ran a huge personal best and took the Leighton Buzzard AC record too.

Quite a few people have asked me if it’s something I’ve always dreamed of, but in all honesty until about 3 months ago I didn’t even think it would be possible.  That all really changed when I finished 83rd at the National Cross Country Championships and beat a lot of very good runners.

A couple of months later I did the London Marathon, but people I beat went straight to the track and laid down some very good times.  Mates from Bedford Alex Bellew (now of Leeds City) and Josh Lunn have had superb summers and have both cracked 14:xx twice which really made me believe I could do it too if I put the work in. read more

ECCA President

Today was the English Cross-Country Association’s annual open meeting. The ECCA is fairly important in the world of athletics in England  and is responsible for:

  • Organising and managing all English national cross country championships.
  • Selecting athletes to represent England in cross country competition and managing those teams.
  • Promoting and supporting the development of cross country running.

They also confirm a new president or the year. This is an honourary title given to people who have contributed hugely to the sport over a number of years.

The new president only took up running in his late 30’s after entering the 1983 London marathon a subsequently New York in the same year. Despite tennis being his main sport in those days, a house move meant that he left his long-time tennis club. The following year he joined a small local athletics club with two of his sons, and almost immediately took on the fledgling junior section which included them and he oversaw this for a number of years. read more

28 Years in the Making

By Andy Inchley

In 1989, before the Leighton bypass was built and when I was just a scrawny 13 year old, dad dragged me out of bed on Boxing day to go and do the Christmas handicap. The 5.6 mile race may well have been the furthest I’d ever run at that time and the handicapper (probably Geoff Roe) had me down to run 39 minutes. I actually ran 37:22 which earned me fourth place on the day, with Pat Neilan taking the title. There were 26 club members taking part that day and that is just about the closest I have come to winning the elusive Langmay trophy in a further 20 attempts. That is until this year!! read more

Oakley 20 – 2017

By Kate Johnson

Oakley 20 is not my favourite race by a long shot, but I wanted to do another 20 mile race in the run up to London. It was on the right weekend for me, 3 weeks out and 4 weeks after my last 20 miler at MK.

The last time I ran this race it was 2014 and I was preparing for my first Marathon. I struggled to cover the distance and finished in 3:59:57, the marshals were trying to take me out of the race from about 17 miles, as they thought I wouldn’t finish. All in all a pretty soul destroying experience. read more

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