Hares news ► 2009

16 November 2009: Hadleigh Hares at the velodrome

Thirty Hadleigh Hares (and friends) visited the Manchester Velodrome over the weekend of the 14th / 15th November to watch some high class racing and to try the track for themselves. On Saturday evening the Hares joined 10,000 other excited spectators at Revolutions 25 - a night of high octane racing featuring many current and future UK and International stars. A great night was had by all with some excellent racing whetting the Hares appetites for the taster session the following day. Excitement was tempered however when several Hares looked over the edge of the track and saw the almost sheer drop of about 10m upon which they were expected to cycle the following day.

Several Hares admitted over breakfast on Sunday that they had had little sleep and were terrified of the coached taster session to come at lunchtime, and with good reason. The walls of the velodrome are steeper than a black run and the bikes that are used are single fixed gear with no brakes. This means that a cyclist cannot free wheel and has to pedal at all times or faces being thrown off the bike. Cyclist are clipped into the pedals, so quickly removing the feet from the pedals in case of emergency is also not an option. After the coaches introduction to the bikes and the track there were several pale, nervous looking faces amongst the Hares as they began to wobble slowly around the track. True to form however, the Hares got into the swing of things very quickly and were soon rising up the banking and swooping down at speeds of over 30 miles per hour. After 20 minutes, most athletes had managed to reach the top of the banking and were confident they could be the next Chris Hoy or Victoria Pendleton.

After 30 minutes, obviously recognising potential new talent for the 2012 Olympics, the coach decided to test the Hares sprint abilities with a timed flying start 250m sprint. This allowed one lap to build up speed from the top of the banking, followed by a timed lap of lung bursting extreme pain as the athlete attempted to round the track in the fastest time possible. All Hares were up for the challenge - no one wanted to spurn the chance of being the fastest Hare alive on two wheels, and no one wanted to embarrass themselves in front of an expectant crowd of partners and family. Whilst no one received a tap on the shoulder after the event, the Hares acquitted themselves well - no one fell off and all athletes managed to complete the course. With only half a second separating the first 8 competitors it was a very close event. Leading the pack with the fastest time was Tim Bowman with a magnificent 17.85 seconds. Fastest female was Marianne Aitken with a time of 21.31 seconds. The other results are shown in the table below. To put the times in perspective, a new British U16 record was set at the races the previous night for the same event and the new record holder clocked a slightly faster time than the Hares of 11.30 seconds. With some way to go, the Hares vowed to get closer to the elites on their next visit.

Male 250m sprint results

Pos  Name               Time
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1    Tim Bowman         17.85
2    Matt Shotbolt      17.97
3    Karl Purdy         18.06 
4    John Baker         18.13
5    Matt Gant          18.15
6    Neil Crisp         18.21
7    Doug Grimwade      18.28
8    Mark Chisnall      18.37
9    John Chisnall      18.84
10   Steve Bowen        19.10
11   Martin Alabone     19.25
12   Chris Dye          19.97
13   Randall Dawson     20.38
14   Bob Vanhinsberg    21.16
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Female 250m sprint results

Pos  Name               Time
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1    Marianne Aitken    21.31
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20 October 2009: Hadleigh Hares 25th Anniversary Night

It is fair to say that all past, present and future Hares owe a great debt of gratitude to the founders of our club. Back in the spring of 1984 Robert Carr and a small group of fellow enthusiasts (Roger Sweatman, Gary Scott, Julian Allen and Julie Green) held a meeting at East House about starting a running club. Mr. Carr was elected Chairman and the rest, as they say, is history! From those humble beginnings the Hares have multiplied and we now have approx 100 senior members and 46 juniors.

Over the years the club has introduced the ever popular Hadleigh 10 road race - now a key part of the local race scene and the Hadleigh Cross Country race - an important event in the 53-12 Cross Country league. Always, looking to expand whilst serving the local community, in recent years the club have also introduced a junior section and a thriving triathlon section.

The club’s success is the result of many volunteers working tirelessly over the years and we are eternally grateful for all the hard work they have put in.

4 September 2009: Hadleigh Hares Athletic Club Awards Night

Well done to all those who turned out to support the annual club awards night held on Friday 4th September This year’s event was held incorporating a fun 2k run in which our junior hares competed. The night was great success enjoyed by members & their families. Senior Awards as follows:

Most improved beginner (Monday)       Debbie Stewart
Most improved lady (Tuesday)          Helen Norman
Most improved athlete (Club night)    Corinna Hussey
Cross country champion                Debbie Stewart
Road race champion                    Brian Airlie
Hadleigh Hare of the Year             Trudy Avis

Congratulations to all!