Meet the Buzzards – Sam Dear

Meet the Buzzards

Find out a little bit about your new Club Captain in Meet the Buzzards

Name?

Sam Dear

Age?

34

Where were you born?

Luton & Dunstable Hospital

Tell me something about you:

Born and bred in Bedfordshire, I have a season ticket for Luton Town Football Club (a valid reason for why I miss some Chiltern League fixtures!), a Physical Geography degree from University of Sheffield and definitely enjoy a rest day. My girlfriend Jo probably has to take some credit for some of my good race times as I need to work hard to be faster than her! read more

Thirty Trips and Counting

The rain was lashing the car as we overtook some bedraggled cyclists after cresting a hill in the middle of the island. It was early on a November Saturday afternoon and we hadn’t come to Lanzarote for British weather! As we headed back towards the coast, the rain eased and finally ceased almost at the moment we got our first view of Club La Santa sitting adjacent to the lagoon in solitary splendour.

Our family of four, together with four ladies from LBAC, a small MKAC family and a random Irishman were the final arrivals in our 32 strong group that had gone to “Grotty” for holiday with a bit of running included. It was the 30th time that LBAC had trip for the event and remarkably there are still a few going who were there in 1990 for the second International Challenge. As you would expect, much has changed in the intervening years, but the atmosphere remains pretty similar. read more

Get Dirrrty!

Eastern Athletics XC and British & Irish Masters’ International XC

by Pete Mackrell

Last Saturday was evidently a day for dirty running. Close to home, 10 members completed the Dirt Half whilst further away, 10 more were competing in cross country. Of those, a hardy bunch of eight men and one girl made the trip over to Keysoe to participate in the Eastern Athletics Cross Country Championship.

The Eastern Athletic Association is a curious thing; it consists of the geographically diverse counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. It organises various events including an annual cross-country championship which dates back to 1937 (for the men, women have been included from 1992!). It used to be a high-profile event and it has some high-profile former winners, however in recent years it has fallen from grace somewhat, participation has dropped and some years it wasn’t held at all. This seems a shame, although perhaps it’s inevitable with so many events on the calendar. read more

Dunstable Downs Challenge 1/2 Marathon

By Matthew Brooks

There I was chilling out on the beach when this email appears in my inbox from James B, ‘I am jogging the Dunstable Downs Challenge…just for training. Gonna be at an easy pace’. Well, they say there’s one born every minute and the sun must have got to my head as I found myself signing up less than 3 weeks before race day not having done any 1/2 marathon training, only to be told afterwards, ‘Did I mention that I can’t map read?’ (It’s a self-navigating route) Doubt and regret were creeping in. read more

Going off-road

Going Off-Road

by Susan Johnson

After several off-road training runs with Tuesday’s B&I group I decided to look for a race that would have at least some off-road element.  On Sunday I ran the Stopsley Trail Race, a 5 mile trail with a 10 mile option too. I was joined by James and Sara Lowe, both also B&I runners.  The race is organised by Stopsley Striders, starting and finishing at the Inspire Sports Centre (and what a stunning facility that is!).

The race starts in the leisure centre grounds with a loop that then takes you out onto a country lane.  Just after a mile the route turns onto a farm track running along the edge of wheat fields. read more

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