For someone who has been involved with the club for 25 years it is difficult to get across the feeling that was had last Saturday after the results were published for the final Chiltern League cross-country of the 2010/11 season.

We are a small club, with around fifty active senior members and something similar on the junior front and compete in a league with some clubs that have in excess of 400 senior members. In the past we have had some great acheivements both as teams and individuals (they are listed on the cross-country page) but this season we had just one individual triumph, yet gained our highest ever position in the league and once more hosted the best fixture.

The reason for this is the fantastic team attitude that is developing in the club, at training, at races and certainly at social events. Everyone is made to feel welcome and valued and on Saturday almost everyone went out of their way to contribute. We had nearly forty runners out on the course and none of them had to do any marshal duties because 25 others had given up their Saturday afternoon (and morning in some cases) to help out. We had everyone dusting off wellies. Former members, vice presidents, injured members, parents of juniors, parents of seniors and some who give up their time every year help out our little club.

For the majority of the last five to ten years there has been one or two people each season who have competed in all five Chiltern Leagues. It's quite a big commitment to make sure you've got them all in your diary, avoid illness, injury, family challenges and the uninviting winter weather to run them all, yet this year we had eleven members who did exactly that. Particular thanks and congratulations should therefore go to Mathilde Sammons, Jake Irvine, Jordan Clay, Charlie and Billy Mead, Amy Inchley, Tom Inchley, Mark Field, Nick Clay and Pete Mackrell for making each trip around each course. The fact that this is split between six seniors and five juniors also says a lot. It should also be mentioned that only bad traffic at Watford prevented Jane Sauer from being on this list too.

However, this league is five different team events nothing should be taken away from the nine people who did four races, the fourteen who did three or the twenty-five who did one or two as every single point counts and each extra person gives a better atmosphere for everyone. Fifty-nine different people coming out to represent the club shows how far we have come in the last two years. So congratulations to everyone involved and bring on next year.

There are a great number of photo's now in the gallery from Saturday, and thanks to Mark Sammons for taking them all year. If you want to read the report on the actual running just click below!

Last Wednesday saw the annual running of the Beds county schools cross-country at Ampthill Park. LBAC had a number of runners representing South Beds in the race which also includes the best runners from Luton, Mid Beds & North Beds too.

In the U12 boys race, Jamie Stancombe put in a storming performance to finish in 7^th place as the first South Beds runner. Patrick Clay also finished strongly in 21^st and was fourth home for the district. In the U14 girls Alison Gosbee and Beth Tippite finished just a few seconds apart in 32^nd and 33^rd respectively. read more

A first hand account of warren’s Gloucester marathon “Proving that People perform better when they enjoy what they do.

I recently ran the Gloucester marathon, which was a hastily arranged replacement following the cancellation of Luton. I spent 3 months training for Luton and I didn't want this to go to waste.

Given that my training was designed for me peak in early December and the fact that Xmas fell between Luton and Gloucester I didn't feel as well prepared for this marathon as I have previously. Therefore I decided to rethink my race strategy and before I embarked on the race I set myself some different goals. I have not particularly enjoyed the 3 previous marathons I have run and I have fallen short of my ultimate aim, which is to finish in under 3.5 hours. Rather than aim for a PB, I decided to go for 2 very different goals. The first was to enjoy the race and the second was to try to run as close to a negative split as possible. read more

Three LBAC members took on the hills of the Watford on Sunday morning. With the weather set at a comfortable ten degrees, but with a bit of a breeze to work against it was reasonable conditions to take on the tough course.

Club captain Tom May feasted on a whole Werthers Original for breakfast, but it didn't stop him heading off for a fast start down the slope in Cassiobury Park which he knows well from Chiltern Leagues down the years. Having decided to go for a steady start and pick up the pace, Amy Inchley covered the first mile in 7.30, about a minute quicker than planned! Amelia Wallace was running on home turf, having been brought up in Watford and was therefore much more sensible over a route she knows only too well. read more

Twenty people made it out to Parsons Close for the first of two February Stag Trophy races. On a mild, but windy night there were a large mix of performances with four PB's but also a few coming back from a small running sabbatical over the last couple of months.

On the night, Amy Inchley smashed her PB to take the 25 points available for first home in 17.45 with Craig Nelson and Dan Webb chasing her home to also record PB's of 14.51 and 16.40 respectively. Andy Inchley ran the fastest time of the season so far to take fourth in 13.41, with Fred Watt just behind in 16.22. Current leader, Steve Orlando was scuppered a little by Dave's harsh handicapping after his rapid improvement, but still ran his fourth consecutive PB to pick up twenty points. read more