The October Member of the Month award is presented to Rob Peck.

On 7 November 2014, Rob had a stroke aged only 41. Subsequent tests found that he had a 13mm hole in his heart, resulting in an operation in June 2015. Having been a track runner in his youth, after he had recovered from these two major events he decided he wanted to get back into running.

Starting with a few parkruns, he entered the Wyvern 10k in 2016. It was there that he was introduced to various members of Hedge End Running Club and decided to join us.

Since then, his running has gone from strength to strength. He ran the Southampton Half Marathon in April this year, sacrificing his own race to have fun with other club members (some selfies may have been taken) and helping one struggling member to get over the finish line.

He then decided to run the Bournemouth Marathon in October in aid of the Stroke Association who helped him when he was ill, completing it in a very respectable 4 hours and 49 minutes.

This year, Rob has demonstrated all the values the club stands for and more - to push yourself to achieve time and distance targets you did not think possible, and to have fun whilst you are at it.
​
Congratulations Rob - a very well deserved winner.

Race number 3 in the 2017/18 Hampshire Cross Country League season moves on to Popham Airfield near Basingstoke on Saturday the 2nd of December 2017.

As always, the U20/Senior/Vets Women's race starts at 13.35 and the U20/Senior/Vets Men's race starts at 14.30.

Directions on how to get there and the event information are as follows:
Sat Nav destination - Postcode: SO21 3BD (Note: This postcode covers a large area so follow the directions given below as you approach the airfield.)
OS Grid Reference: SU529439

Directions from Winchester (M3 J9)
Take the A34 northbound. Turn right on the A303 eastbound towards Basingstoke (Bullington Cross). Discount one very small road on the left (to Norton), continue to the second main exit marked with countdown boards, signed Micheldever Station and Overton. Drop down the slip road, and at the end go straight on as as if rejoining the A303 towards Basingstoke (this requires a little wiggle right and left) but the slip road is now signposted Popham Airfield. You will see the brick and iron gates of the airfield on the left, just 100 metres before rejoining the A303.
When entering the airfield vehicles should bear left to the course, following the signs. Parking will be arranged on a large area of hardstanding at the top end of the Airfield and there will be marshals to organise this.

Portaloos have been hired in and will be situated near the Start / Finish Area.

Course maps can be downloaded. The running surface is mainly good grassland although there are some rougher areas. Although not steep, there are some long uphill sections on each lap.

Refreshments will be available from an outlet brought in by the owners of the Airfield.

Please note a very good relationship has been formed with the owners of the Airfield and to make sure that this is maintained please do not to stray onto the Air Strip. PLEASE DO NOT GO ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WOODEN FENCE AWAY FROM THE RUNNING AREA.

Also do not stray farther into the Woods as these belong to another Land Owner and are out of bounds.

PLEASE NOTE: A condition of us having use of the Airfield is that all dogs must be on a lead at all times.

The area previously used as the Tented Area is now enclosed by a high fence and is a Drone Training area. The new Tented area will be in the middle of the course but away from the Model Plane Flying area which must not be crossed.

Please make sure you drive carefully on leaving via the one way system out of the Airfield and rejoining the A303. Also when leaving the Car Park, please give way to traffic leaving the Aerodrome Buildings coming from the left.

Hoping you have a good day!
Ian Byett
Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC

"A fun morning at Queen Elizabeth Country Park"... said Jenna, who was in the Club's Ladies A Team... unfortunately all on her own. Well done to Jenna and the rest of the guys that tackled the hills and the mud of QECP.

The next SCCL race is on Sunday the 10th of December at the Bourne Wood... hopefully we can get a few more ladies along for this one.  

The Hedgie Results for QECP are as follows....
Women:
178 - Jenna Shergold
Men:
  64 - Mark Smallwood
115 - Keith Spiers
132 - Charlie Cooper
143 - Stephen Kivlochan
149 - Nathon Palmer
168 - Kevin Blann
​185 - Chris Brooks
241 - Ian Bowers
247 - Ian Pierce
307 - Rob Jones
327 - Martyn Judd

The Men's team were 16th, the Women's team (aka Jenna) were 24th, and overall the Club was placed 19th. 

The Hedgie results are as follows...

Women: 
  60 (16) - Claire Powell
116 (54) - Melanie Ford
145 (73) - Lauren Udall
154 - Elizabeth Butler-Meadows

Men: 
​  69 (10) - Peter o'Donnell
128 - Will Baggs
214 (86) - Steve Whitehead
248 (113) - Tim Ford
278 - Jesse Butler-Meadows
​

The September Member of the Month award is presented to Keith Diaper.

For those of you who aren’t aware (where have you been?!), Keith set himself the challenge of completing 52 middle distance triathlons over 26 consecutive weekends between April 2017 and September 2017. To put that into perspective, that’s a half marathon every Saturday and Sunday for six months, but having swum 1.2 miles and cycled 56 miles immediately before each one. I can’t begin to imagine the grit and determination required to even consider this challenge, let alone see it through to completion.

Although his triathlon challenged finished on 24th September, Keith was straight back running again in the Pieces of Eight race and the Great South Run in October, without a single complaint about fatigue or stiffness.

An incredible achievement Keith, many congratulations and we look forward to seeing you back at training again soon!

Do Cross Country races get any better than this? 
Perfect weather conditions... clear blue skies, plenty of sunshine, a nice chill in the air, no wind
Perfect course... in the New Forest, plenty of mud and water, some challenging hills, lovely views
Perfect atmosphere... great Hedgie camaraderie, lots of friends on the other teams, a good turn-out
Perfect hosts... excellent organisation, superb marshals, fantastic cakes (free!)

A Sunday morning excursion to the New Forest for the third round of the CC6 Cross Country League saw the Men's first team of 4 finish in 4th place overall and the Ladies first team of 3 finish in 6th place.

Well done to all the competitors and spectators that came along to support the Club. The Hedgie individual results are as follows.... 

In a change to how we have done the Club Championships in the past, the club will run one Club Championship per year at one distance.

The distance will be 10K and the chosen race will be Eastleigh. This will remain the same for future years until decided otherwise. This race has been chosen as the distance is achievable for most people and has traditionally been a well attended race.

The 2018 Eastleigh 10K is on Sunday the 18th of March, starting at 9.00am.

As Eastleigh is starting to fill up, suggest you get your entry in quick. It is also an HRRL league race.

Entry/Details here http://www.runningmania.co.uk/hendy-ford-10k/

More details about prize categories will be announced nearer the time but we are aiming to change the system to make it more inclusive for all abilities.