After the rush and excitement of all our returning events in August, would it be possible to sustain that into September? Well, it was! The month was dominated by our 40th anniversary celebration and the Windsor running weekend encompassing the Women’s 10k and the Windsor Half.
40th anniversary bash
Huge thanks go to Sarah Holland and her committee for organising a memorable night to celebrate 40 years of Dashers, dashing! A collection of newspaper cuttings and memorabilia allowed us to meander back through the years and hopefully ‘jogged’ a few memories for people. There wasn’t an item of lycra in sight with everyone dressing to impress and for one night only the exercise of choice took place on the dance floor and not a running track.
Windsor Running Weekend
When you have a running weekend right on your doorstep, it's inevitable that Dashers will be well represented and so it was with the Women’s 10k. A special mention for Catherine Foster who lined up next to Jo Pavey at the start line and finished in 9th place overall in a time of 45:03 and as ever Cat was smiling all the way round!
The following day was the Windsor Half marathon and again the club was well-represented. Special mentions are due to to Rob Foster, Robert Baylis and Chris Ellis giving us 3 Dashers in the men’s top 10 and Chloe Scotchbrook coming home in 9th in the ladies race
The Berlin Marathon was the same day as the Windsor Half and Dashers was represented by Birgit Cunningham who finished in a brilliant time of 3:46:45
Earlier in the month, the club had a great turnout for Beat the Boat. The weather was beautiful and 286 people tried to beat the boat. Not only did Dashers show themselves as ever to be a club that loves to volunteer but we also showed that we are a club that loves to compete. Rob Baylis came in second overall in a time of 35:26 followed closely by Chris Bradfield, Chris Hunt and Chris Fox giving us 4 finishers in the top 11. Katie Knowles was second lady home coming in 15th place overall in a time of 40:48.
Very, very special mentions go to all our mini Dashers who took part in the Children’s Mile race - Dashers as a running club has a bright future ahead!
Finally, to end the month we had our monthly 5k time trial on Tuesday 28 September. As we walked / ran up to the meeting point at Park Street the weather was dry, not too warm - decent running weather. Turnout was fairly low with only 14 runners but this wasn’t surprising considering we are in the middle of marathon season. As soon as the runners set off, the heavens opened and the rain was bouncing off the pavements. Congratulations to those 14 hardy runners who put in great times despite the weather.
Looking forward to hearing all your marathon stories next month.