Race Recap Well done to all Chasers racing last weekend. Big shout out to those representing at the Athletics Meet at Lee Valley where a combined Highgate/Chasers Team came second. Also props to the chasers who raced in Hackney and in Battersea. I hope everyone wore sunscreen and doesn’t have vest tan marks. AGM Annual General Meeting is next Monday the 29th of May upstairs at the Pineapple. Beginners Graduation Parkrun followed by Parkrun/Pond/Pastry This Saturday the 28th of May the current beginners group are graduating after their 8 week course by running the Hampstead Heath Parkrun. Please come and cheer their achievement. After the parkrun there will be swimming at the not so heated mixed pond followed by a pastry at Karma Bread Athletics – Parliament Hill The next athletics fixture is at Parliament Hill on the 9th of June. Click here to sign up Summer League This year’s Summer League kicks off at Headstone Manor. There will be five mile race followed by a picnic and relay races. Entry is free and wearing your chaser vest is recommended. There is no need to sign up Finsbury Park 5,000’s On the 1st of July there will be a series of 5,000 metre races at Finsbury Park Track. It looks like a decent Chaser contingent will be in attendance. Sign up here Chester and Hackney Half - Jennifer So, running and me and not exactly been friends over the last 6 months pretty much been ill not stop for 6 months cold after cold and lots of anxiety issues so I decided the sensible thing would be enter two half marathons back to back. First up was Chester my home town. Nice course undulating country lanes my usual idea of heaven for a course. However the running gods were not kind and I massively suffered from hay fever all the way round grrr. On to the next one Hackney even though I been running for 6 years now I have never run Hackney Half. So learning from my mistakes I dosed myself up with hay fever meds and arrived an hour before race time to what was the longest toilet queue ever. There was no chance of safety wee. I started off strong loved the atmosphere so much music and people lining the street but realised at mile 6 the heat was getting to me. I didn’t have a melt down after last week and just turned my watch on wrist so I couldn’t see the time and just repeated to my smile with every mile. I may of been slow for me but I really enjoyed it. Reflecting back on the race with a cool beer afterwards as made me re-establish running goals for the next year. I want to simply enjoy running. It may be at a slower pace but at least it will be with a smile.  Roll on to the summer season. Saturday 21st May - Sri Chinmoy 10k - Battersea Park - Lydia I’d been training for this race for about 10 weeks. I ran too far and too fast on many occasions, but had largely stuck to the schedule. I had done everything I could so that I had no excuses by race day. I drank cucumber water with chia seeds for peak hydration in the heat, swapped red wine for beetroot juice.  We gathered at the start line and because there was a big puddle in the way, they encouraged us to start slightly further forward. A sea of club vests and sharp legs surged as the whistle blew. I managed to stop myself going out too fast, but my breathing was off - was it the pollen? My heart rate was sky high and although I found a good rhythm, I couldn’t keep up the pace. I let myself get distracted by people around me. I found my excuses.  You can always find excuses. But these become things to learn from, take into training and just go again. What’s imperative is that you find a way to make the best of it. You have volunteered to be here, and if it doesn’t go as you hoped, you will only be upset because you care. With a warm Chaser presence in support, and fellow Chasers to cheer on, it was still a lovely way to spend a morning. Congratulations to Rahul Mohindra on a new 10k PB! Sunday 22nd May - Southern Athletics - Lee Valley - Lydia I jogged up to the Lee Valley Athletics Track intending to enjoy watching from the sidelines. I didn’t know that Janine and Sarah have strange, sirenesque powers that mean before you know it, you’ve got a club vest on and you’re waiting for the start gun to go. After the previous day’s confusing performance in the 10k, blasting out a 200m sprint was just what I needed. Of course I was 5 or 6 seconds behind the actual sprinters, and for various reasons had even ended up in the A race. I’ve never used starting blocks before so while the other women crouched, primed for power, I stood in my soft Hokas, ready to just run for my life.  The sun beat down on the track relentlessly. A man ran the 5000m barefoot, and I wondered if he was running fast just to keep his feet off the hot track. Rachel Rosenthal and I became Highgate Harriers for a short spell in the 4x100m relay, and it would be easier to list the races Dan Biagi didn’t run (and fast), than the ones he did. Nick Johnson slotted into the men’s relay even though he - like me - was not intending to run at all. There was a lovely team spirit amongst ourselves and with Highgate Harriers. I can’t wait to see what the next fixture at Parliament Hill brings. Calendar Here's whats happening over the next few weeks other than our usual Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday runs. You can find our full calendar on the website. 12/06/2022 Athletics Fixture 2 - Parliament Hill! Join - deadline 2022-06-09 19/06/2022 Summer League | Headstone Manor (Provisional) 30/05/2022 Annual General Meeting 28/05/2022 Run swim bun! Join 28/05/2022 Liverpool Street to Paddington- 6 miles easy pace Run (997 of 1000 left) 26/05/2022 Track Thursday Sign Up here 19:20 Results If you want to upload a photo or your results are missing, log in to our website and update your picture and Power of 10 ID. Essar Chester Half Marathon (Chester), 15/05/2022 HM Mike Hurford 88:55 (88:48), 206 (3) [82.70%]   Frances Alcock 2:08:58 (2:05:40), 1820 (512, -) [51.88%] NEW PB   Jennifer Moore 2:11:30 (2:08:54), 1951 (581, -) [50.71%] Parkrun 21/05/2022 Ally Pally Mike Hurford 21:20, 13 (1) [76.72%]   Stephanie Mercier 29:11, 110 [50.94%] Barking Dawn Curtis 34:35, 114 [45.06%] Burgess Janine Makaronidis 19:22, 27 (2, 1) [76.42%] Canons Park Meryl Walker 38:42, 104 [47.33%] Dishley, Loughborough Elizabeth Aryeetey 26:16, 76 (-, 1) [71.45%] Finsbury Park Rebecca Taylor 24:32, 100 [65.22%] Gladstone Abdul Salam 26:08, 128 [54.78%] Hackney Marshes Christopher Leslie 20:48, 32 [62.42%]   Nick Herbert 28:41, 186 [45.26%] Hampstead Heath Ben Bond 24:44, 84 [53.64%]   Emily Morgan 24:57, 90 [59.19%]   Yan (Patrick) Li 25:33, 100 [58.64%]   Gary Homewood 27:23, 155 [56.91%] Harrogate Simon Fitzmaurice 19:38, 8 [67.23%] Highbury Fields Henry Woodward 16:56, 1 (1) [76.67%] NEW PB   Lauren Longhurst 19:19, 20 (1, 1) [76.79%]   Matt Brand 22:19, 69 [59.45%]   Fiona Russell 22:47, 83 (-, 1) [74.98%]   Lizzy Muggeridge 40:36, 310 [39.82%] Hunstanton Promenade Sophie Fenner 26:53, 16 [54.93%] NEW PB Royal Tunbridge Wells David Nelson 25:31, 76 [52.97%] Wanstead Flats Juliette Westbrook 29:02, 116 [50.86%]   Andy Davies 29:02, 117 [44.78%] Wormwood Scrubs John H Grigg 54:09, 91 (1) [47.25%] ABS Chicken Run (Central London ), 21/05/2022 5K Jamie Parish 00:20:24 (00:20:24), 2 [63.64%] Links Send your stories to newsletter@chaser.me.uk. 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