Christmas Pudding Dash 5

Who's in this one then?  Had to miss out last year due to the dreaded PF injury, the bain of most runners.  Will be there in some zany attire, red tights, santa hat etc.

Anyone else?

Comments

  • Going to make the effort to wear something christmassy.
  • How easy is it to get there? I live in Eastbourne and would love to join the race but don't drive...
  • Hi Clair

    I'm not sure what the bus situation is for Ashburnham Place but it is about a three mile taxi ride from the station. I'm sure though, that if you managed to reach Ashburnham we could get you a ride back to the station.

    We're off to Ashburnham shortly to check the course - we'll let you know in due course. At the moment the forecast for tomorrow is good - sunny and cold; so at the moment there is no reason to suggest that there will be problems tomorrow.
  • Hi Martin, Thanks for the reply and hopefully I'll see you tomorrow!
  • I thought it worth letting you have an update on plans for tomorrow's race in view of the snow that has hit the region over the last few hours.At the moment, we're in Hastings and the sun is shining, there's no snow on the roads and the pavements - and everything is moving OK. It is though perishingly cold!! We have been monitoring the weather on a regular basis since Monday and so far the forecast has proved pretty much spot on. The forecast for the next 24 hours is for a few light snow flurries here and there but from tonight onwards no snow - and tomorrow is scheduled to be sunny and cold. So our view is that everything will be OK for tomorrow - so carry on dusting down your Father and Mother Christmas outfits and prepare to race.We will post any updates on this forum.We will be checking the course shortly - and then, unless anything serious or untoward happens and assuming the weather is as per forecast then we will go ahead. Obviously runner and spectator safety is paramount and we will not compromise on safety - if we consider conditions dangerous we'll act accordingly. If you have not received a number or race instructions it is either because your entry was received over the last few days or they have gone astray in the post. Either way we will issue you with a number tomorrow if you pop along to the Help Desk.We will still be taking entries on the day - but last year we had almost a hundred turned up on the day and the start had to be delayed - so please tell any friends that they will be made most welcome but an early arrival would be appreciated.If anybody needs further information, by all means email or call (see below for contact details) - we'll be up and about early tomorrow, so happy to take your calls.Finally we're aware that weather and traffic are particularly bad along the A21 in Kent. We know this because our special Father Christmas medals are stuck there!! So, just a warning - you may have to put up with Christmas Pud, Mince Pies and Mulled Wine tomorrow and medals may have to be posted if they don't arrive with us today.We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.Kind regardsMartin and Cathy BurkeNice Work01797 230999Today for enquiries - use 01424 447858; Mobile for tomorrow morning 07802 603180.www.nice-work.org.uk
  • The roads at Ashburnham Place have been cleared and gritted - so the venue is in near-perfect condition.

     Course update to follow.

  • We have now carried out an inspection of both the venue and the course.Our view remains that the race can take place so long as you can get here and as long as you are sensible! We are aware that some parts of Kent and Sussex still have quite a bit of snow - but so long as we don't get any more snow of any real substance we should be OK. There is one part of the course over a hump back bridge and a stretch of track that has a light covering of snow, which may, of course, freeze. We will endeavour to clear the bridge and grit it - but the track will just need to be tackled with care - but so will the rest of the course.We will continue to do as much as we can to keep you informed - so keep checking the Forum. If the race is in any doubt we will post a message here - if there's nothing there then you can assume that all is OK.Just one word of warning though - mobile phone reception can be dodgy sometimes in the area - so if you try and it switches through to a message service, it is NOT because we've switched off!!Finally, if there's anybody in the Hailsham area who is able to collect our medals and pins from the Courier's depot tomorrow morning and bring them along then we will reward them handsomely!! If not, if as many of you as possible could bring pins that would be helpful!!Weather. Traffic. Couriers. String 'em all up we say!!
  • hank you to everybody who joined us for the 4th Christmas Pudding Dash yesterday. Always a pleasant event, the race is intended as a bit of festive fun for those who are keen enough to brave the elements!! And we do appreciate those who made the effort with appropriate dress - always a pleasure to see Mother and Father Christmas, the Fairy with the Skanky Tights and, of course the nun with bad habits!!

    This year any profit after race expenses will be donated to the Sussex Autistic Community Trust.

    It was a bit of a roller coaster ride in the 24 hours leading up to the race and the weather and the Gods did conspire against us. As always our priority was to put on a race that was safe, secure and enjoyable for particpants and spectators and I think we managed to do it. Our decision to change the course so that it was run in a clockwise direction seemed to help ease the potential problems with running downhill on potentially slippy tarmac; and our decision to take out a small section of the course on each lap due to ice on the stretch of road was unfortunate but absolutely justified - the Head Groundsman proving this by falling over twice as he inspected it!! Unfortunately it did mean that the race was around half a mile or so under distance - but the nature of this race is such that a precise distance isn't such an issue. That said we will look to restore the race to full distance next year.

    You may be aware that we had tracked down our shipment of Father Christmas medals and pins to the City Link courier depot in Hailsham. We had secured the agreement of City Link's Head Office for the medals to be released; we had spoken with the manager at the Hailsham depot and we had a willing volunteer call round to collect them - but a jobsworth decided he couldn't be bothered looking for the parcel and refused to hand over the goods. This is the second time we have had problems with this company and it is just so irritating. However, thanks to Jackie Patching, Elizabeth Taylor and Helen Tickner for their assistance. Thanks too to Sue Hall, from Hastings Runners and Albert Kemp of Wadhurst Runners for an emergency supply of pins. We did have a small stock of Christmas medals and so managed to make sure that all the youngsters who took part received their medal and a number of finishers also received a medal. We have a note of a number of runners who would like a medal and we will send a small supply to each of the clubs who were represented - if you were a finisher and would like a medal, just drop us an email and we'll mail one to you.

    We offer our congratulations to those who won prizes - especially our race winners Adam Clarke from Hastings AC and Lara Bromilow from Milton Keynes AC.

    If you have any comments about the race or its organisation, please don't hesitate to let us know - and if you think the race was good enough to deserve a rating, please register your opinion on http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/ratingsall.asp?en=50246&year=2009&ugn=5864&sp=&v=2

    Thank you to the staff at Ashburnham Place for their hard work on the day and our partners at Podplus and Diligence Media and Marketing for their support and sponsorship.

    The results are now available on our website - www.nice-work.org.uk click on the results section.
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