Southern Tales - January 30, 2005

Well, it was an absorbing day at the Southerns in many ways, and Bedford and Thames slugged out a fine duel.  Although my dream of a medal for Belgrave didn’t come true, we might have come fourth were it not for our liberal sprinklings of dnf’s.  But I must start by paying the humblest of thanks to Kev, Hassan and Mal for giving it a whirl: they all started with niggles and short on background, and could so easily have stayed away.

My returns at Parly Hill are almost metronomic in their decay.  I don’t recall feeling so bamboozled and hapless at trying to conquer something since my attempts at mastering the Rubik Cube in the summer of 1980.  The Belgrave and Thames skippers did have an epic battle to savour though – albeit somewhat removed from the business end.  Although if I could just clear up one thing, Dave: you know when I said: “you’re a miserable ba*****, and I hate you,” about a mile from the finish?  What of course I meant was: “I say old chap, you’re running the downhill sections with zest and verve today!”

A blurb I wrote in my training diary on July 15, 1999, will forever haunt me: “met a marathoner at the track called Huw [Lobb] today.  We did an enormous session and I just outran him.”  Well I ain’t done much “outrunning” since!!  Although, ironically the only race I’ve ever beaten Huw in was at Parly Hill - in 2000.  Me 103rd, Huw 117th.  Since that day, Huw has just got better and better, and is an inspiration to all his training pals.  His run yesterday was simply devastating, and we all eagerly anticipate what “the man who beat the horse” will do next.

A very warm welcome to the Belgrave limelight to the two Johns.  John Clark raised many eyebrows with his strong and brave turn; and John Charles was a revelation.  What a great find – and terrific breakthrough: man-of-the-match, of course.  I’ll leave it to the team manager to fill in the gaps on this lad’s running background and history, but let us all hope that yesterday saw the first sighting of a key Belgrave “A-team” man for many years to come. 

Is this "for the good of the game?"

Thanks to all the supporters yesterday for coming along.  It was another memorable, bittersweet, but as ever rewarding day on the Heath.  I may never get it right there, but I’ll never stop having a bash.  To me, the monster that is Parly Hill is pure sport.  In closing, spare a thought for the poor athletes of Woodford Green, whose £140’s worth of entries got lost in the post, and were forbidden to compete, despite their desperate pleas and attempts to get the SEAA to see reason, in the preceding weeks.  It’s the first time Woodford have missed the Southerns since 1920, and I saw a couple of their dedicated female athletes yesterday night, who were quite heart-broken.  One wonders whether such a hardline stance – Woodford have been told they must miss the National too - is truly “for the good of the game.”