Issue No. 71 December 2007 - January 2008 Page 24
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YAXLEY RUNNERS Would you believe it, Christmas is upon us once again, and we'll all soon be getting used to putting 2008 when we write the date. This past 12 months have been a great year for Yaxley Runners as we've built on the phenomenal growth in numbers we enjoyed in 2006 and continued to attract new members. The huge legion of new members we attracted in the run-up to the Great Eastern Run last year have all enjoyed remarkable progress with their running, with Dana Cooper, who, rather impressively, completed the London Marathon just a few months after running for the first time, worthy of particular mention. This year has also seen the bright yellow Yaxley vest out in force at numerous races in the Peterborough area (it always seems a lot anyway, maybe we're just very hard to miss!), and club members have also been displaying our colours across Europe, with both the Paris and Dublin marathons popular with our runners. The recent Dublin marathon was a particular success, with nine Yaxley members taking part, including our two Nicolas, Fyfe and Hurst-Brown, who were both completing their first race over 26.2 miles. Karl Mills led home the men from Yaxley, while Carry Murphy and Chantelle Swart crossed the finish line hand-in-hand to be the first women home. Printing deadlines meant I was unable to report on the success of the Great Eastern Run, which captured the city's imagination in October. For the second year running, we enjoyed a huge turnout, with more than 40 Yaxley Runners completing the half marathon around the streets of Peterborough. With many members running the event last year, it was a great opportunity to see how much people have improved, and Sally Valentine-Anderson managed to knock a quite remarkable 20 minutes off her time. It was just the latest in a series of excellent runs from Sally, who picked up our Runner of the Bi-Month award as reward for her hard work. While it may not always be pleasant thanks to the biting winds, snow and rain, winter's a busy time for runners, with the ever-popular Frostbite Friendly League continuing at various venues around the Peterborough area, as well as the start of the cross-country season. Winter also means Christmas though, and the club will be celebrating the festive season at our annual party at the Three Horseshoes pub in the village. One of the main benefits of running regularly is that you can pretty much eat as much as you want without putting on too much weight, so if you think you've overdone the Christmas pud this year and need to get a bit fitter, why not give running a go? The club meets every Monday at the Hampton Hargate Sports Facility in Hargate Way, at 6.30pm. You'll be assured of a warm welcome, and don't worry; we look after beginners and don't leave them behind while everybody else sprints off! Have a great Christmas and a happy New Year. Duncan Jackson, 07742 293276 |