NMAC September Newsletter from Phil Lee Chair of NMAC
Watching the Olympics, you couldn’t help but be inspired by the performances of the competitors in their sports. All those years of sacrifice and dedication being rewarded by personal bests, highest finishes and even medals must have been so rewarding.
For Keely, so early in her career to be so successful, you can’t help but wonder what more she can achieve in the future. It was lovely to see all the members of her club sitting in the clubroom, supporting her during the final. NMAC had held their T&F Championships at the track earlier in the year and those of you who had made the trip to the club room would have seen the walls covered with pictures of successful club members. They now have another to add to the display.
It was also great to see Katarina finally get an Olympic medal after all the disappointments and injuries she had suffered over the years. She gave it her best shot and achieved some PB’s in her disciplines which is all you can ask of any athlete.
I mention these athletes as they are from the NMAC area. One wonders what they will be doing athletically when they are 35. It would be lovely if they would continue as it would certainly benefit our T&F team in the EMAA Inter Club T&F Challenge.
It was also interesting to see the medals table each day and the importance given to the gold medal over silver and bronze. Surely ALL medals should be important rather than devalue the importance of the medal gained by someone who finishes second or third. As it was GB and NI finished in 7th place in the medals table and yet won enough medals to put us 3rd overall behind USA and China. When you consider the size of their populations in comparison to GB then this is a truly amazing achievement and one of which our country should be proud of.
NMAC will have their own Olympics on September 7th when they take on all the other EMAA Area clubs in the Track and Field Challenge at Corby. It is a slightly longer journey than when we were at Nuneaton these past few years so let us hope those in the early events have left enough time to get there. The A14, although a dual carriageway is often slow as HGVs, on their way to the docks on the east coast, struggle to overtake each other, leading to queues of impatient motorists trying to get by. You have been warned!
NMAC are very grateful to Paul Barlow for organising the team and to all those athletes who have agreed to compete on behalf of NMAC . Thank you all so much and good luck to you all.
The BMAF ½ Marathon Championships are being held at Dumfries on September 15th. Closing date is 8th September so you haven’t long to enter.
EMAA International Cross Country Trials are being run at Crewe on September 28th. If you want to be considered for selection enter the trials but also send in a paper copy of your running achievements. Again it is an event not far to travel for some of you.
BMAF Marathon Championships are at Chester on 6th October but closing date is 29th September so get your entries in at this relevantly close event.
All details and links are on our website.
The NMAC 10 mile Championships are being held in conjunction with the Preston 10 Mile on 17th November with a closing date on the 14th November. Follow the link on the website.
So lots of races for you to think about.
As the nights draw in, remember if you are running at night, wear something bright and reflective. Take care.
Phil Lee Chair