QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Wooler are more like a drinking club with a running problem. Harry
Porteous, 27 February 2005.

Classic.

WOOLER CROSS COUNTRY

The results for Sundays race at Wooler can be found HERE.

Well done to Anne Hay for finishing twice!!

LETTER FROM AMERICA.

Hi Guys,

This is Keith Mills writing you from America. We will be here until July
and then it will be back to Sunny Dunbar. We have had some fun weather,
at one point we were in 24 inches of snow!
Enjoyed the website will keep checking it for updates!
Keep running,
Keith & Mariella

It’s a triple for Menzies

Round five of the Borders District Cross Country series was held at Norham on Sunday 30 January 2005. With two races to go Colin Menzies all but sealed the series victory, by winning his third race in a row. The Norham course lived up to everyone’s expectations with a challenging route requiring runners to not only negotiate the numerous stream crossings but to be sure of foot when it came to the tricky down hill sections. A number of athletes came to grieve, including Stuart Hay the Dunbar Running Club President, on one particularly difficult decent, however Stuart picked himself up and kept going to the end to take 24th overall place and 8th male vet. Iain Rowland continues to record some impressive results by finishing in 3rd place overall but was again thwarted in his age group by taking 2nd place in the male 40+ category. With just two races to go Iain needs to work hard to score that elusive age group win. Ian Sills ran a steady race to take 9th overall and 5th senior male. Competition in this age group is hoting up with a number of athletes in a position to take a podium place in the overall competition. Grant Noble was three places behind Sills in the race and took 6th place in the male vet category. Ross Comb, on study leave from University, ran a strong race to be placed 21st with Stuart Hay, despite his fall finishing just 3 places behind. Anne Hay continues to be the quickest Dunbar Lady runner finishing in 40th place and 2nd in her age group female over 40 years. John Landells was 46th overall with Joe Bourhill 51st and leading his 65 + age group both in Sundays race and for the series. Karen Page finished in 55th place overall and was 2nd senior lady runner. Two more good results should see Karen move up the leader board. Clarissa Berry was 60th and 4th female vet with Amanda Thorntonsmith 64th. Other Dunbar runners included Mark James who finished in 5th place and Kevin Thorntonsmith in 70th position. HELP runners again enjoyed the experience of competing in this series. Sandy Wallace was 15th overall and Paddy McDonald 42nd.

In the junior race the star of the team is Lauren Smedley who has not only won all five races in her 12/13 age group but has secured an overall victory for the series. In Sundays race Liam Barcley was the first Dunbar runner to finish in 9th place. Lauren Peffers hot from the Deaf Olympics found the conditions a total contrast from the track in Australia but maintained her domination of the 14/15 age group by finishing in 12th place overall and 1st in her age group. One more win in her age group should secure overall first position. Megan Gaffney was 28th at Norham and 3rd 12/13 year old. Anna Dobson finished in 30th place and was 1st female under 11 year old and leads her age group for the series. Nicola Craig was 35th overall and 4th 12/13 year old and is currently lying in 2nd overall position in her age group. Abigail Twist was 37th on Sunday and 4th under 11 year old. Eve Baillie was placed in 39th position and 5th in her age group, 12/13 year olds. HELP`s Lisa Menzies continues to be her clubs sole junior representative and finished 31st and 4th 14/15 year old

HANDICAP

Last night saw the running of February's 5km handicap race.

Another large field proved that this is a popular event.

Dougie Denholm in his first appearance at the event walked away with
the trophy for first over the line. At least he will walk away with
the trophy when last month's winner, Ian S brings it back.

Stuart's start to the race was slightly held up by the arrival of
Sandy Wallace from HELP running towards the runners and starter on the
Hallhill track, running past them and saying "I wont stop Im just out
a run". Cynics may think that this was a spying trip to try and check
out the competition.

Everybody's times were (in no particular order)

Clarissa 23.13
Karen 22.13
Anne 21.41
Lauren 21.02
Stuart 18.51
Grant 17.48
Ian S 17.25
Dougie J 26.22
Derek 26.35
Dougie D 22.43

NORHAM

The results of Sundays 5th round of the Winter Cross Country Series, held at Norham, can be found HERE (you will need Adobe to read this file). The results also show the standings after the fifth round.

Well done to everyone who stayed upright during the race.

FROM TODAYS HERALD

LAUREN PEFFERS, a 16-year old from Dunbar, has returned to Scotland
with gold and silver medals from the 800 and 1500 metres at the
Deaflympics in Melbourne, and a glowing testimonial suggesting she may
become the first hearing-impaired person to represent Great Britain in
mainstream athletics.
Peffers, a 16-year-old college student of physical education, holds
the European junior records for a deaf person at both distances
(2:14.90 and 4:41.16) just outside the GB qualifying standards for the
World Youth Games, principal event for mainstream athletes of her age
this year.
Stuart Harrison, the UK Deaf Sport development manager, said: "We are
now pushing for more funding from UK Sport."
UK Athletics selectors could not recall a previous deaf athlete in the
GB team, but it would by no means be an international first.
Vyacheslav Skomorokhov, of the Soviet Union, won the 400m hurdles at
the 1969 European Championships despite being completely deaf.
Other achievements among the sensory deprived include Marla Runyon,
first athlete to run in the Paralympics and Olympics, who is blind.
She finished eighth in the Sydney Olympic 1500m final.
Peffers' talent was spotted by Joe Bourhill at a cross-country event
for East Lothian primary schools. "I saw she had something special,"
he said.
For the past two years, she has been coached by Edinburgh guru Bill
Walker, who is also excited by her potential. "This success could do
her the world of good, because she is not always confident. She hangs
back and comes through very fast, and sometimes it costs her races."
Peffers own reward for her Australia success was her first bar of
chocolate after a self-imposed three-month ban.

MENZIES MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW

Colin Menzies, representing Dunbar Running Club, has made it two wins
in the last two Borders District Cross Country races. His first
victory came at Galashiels on the 19th December 2004. He then
repeated this feat by winning the very next race in the series on
Sunday 16 January 2005 at Berwick-Upon-Tweed. This puts Colin in a
very strong position in the overall Senior Adult competition, needing
just one more good finishing position to clinch the overall title.
Other results from the Berwick race include Ian Rowland and Ian Sills
both finished inside the top ten, Rowland 6th and 2nd Adult Veteran
and Sills 8th and 4th Senior Adult. This has given Dunbar Running
Club a combined score of 15 points in the team event and leaves them
comfortably in overall 1st place for the series so far. Stuart Hay
recorded his best finishing position yet by taking 30th place overall
and, in the Adult Veteran category, 6th place. Anne Hay continues to
battle hard in the Ladies 40 + age group finishing in 49th place
overall and 2nd in her age group. In his return cross country season
for a number of years John Landells has made a significant impact on
the overall results for his age group by taking 52nd place and 2nd in
the 60+ category. Karen Page in her first cross country race this
season finished in 60th place overall and 5th in the Senior Ladies
category. Joe Bourhill was one place behind Karen in the overall
results but continues to dominate the 65+ age group having been the
leading athlete in the last two races. Clarissa Berry was again 3rd
in the Ladies Veterans category and 65th in the overall results. Bob
Wilson was 73rd overall and 3rd 65+ runner. This age group is very
competitive with Joe and Bob trading places with two other athletes
for the series winning position. Amanda Thortonsmith took 74th
overall position with husband Kevin just a few places behind in 77th
place. HELP continue to enjoy this series and had two senior runners
competing on Sunday. In his first race in the series, Sandy Wallace
was 26th overall with Paddy McDonald taking 50th place.

In the Junior race Dunbar's younger athletes were again well
represented. Lauren Smedley was 9th overall and 1st female 12/13 age
group. This makes it 4 wins out of 4 races for Lauren in her age
group and she is the only athlete in any of the age groups, Senior or
Junior, to have won all four races so far. Liam Barclay was 15th
overall and 8th male 14/15 year old with Toby Sherwood in 17th place
and just one place behind Liam in the same age group. Anna Dobson was
36th overall and 3rd female under 11 year old, Nicola Craig was 38th
and 5th female 12/13 year old. Abigail Twist and Daisy Sherwood took
40th and 41st overall places with Abigail 6th female under 11 year old
and Daisy 3rd female 14/15 year old. Abigail Bodson was 43rd overall
and 4th in her age group, 14/15 year olds. Lisa Menzies running for
HELP was 29th overall and 2nd female 14/15 year old.

Both adult and children runners train twice a week, on a Tuesday and
Thursday evening at Hallhill Healthy Living Centre, Dunbar. All
abilities and ages are welcome.

CROSS COUNTRY

Results from Sundays round 4 of the Winter Cross Country Series, held at Berwick are now online HERE. This file also has details of overall standing after 4 rounds.

FROM THE BBC

Medal haul grows at Deaflympics

Britain picked up two more medals at the Deaflympics in Melbourne when
Lauren Peffers and Candy Hawkins took silver and bronze in the women's
1500m.
"I am very pleased and very proud for Lauren and Candy," said Craig
Crowley, chairman of UK Deaf Sport.

"I am confident their well-earned results will inspire their fellow GB
athletes to achieve their bests now."