Leighton Fun Runners

LEIGHTON FUN RUNNERS

CLUB EVENTS Last Updated: 16 January 2010

This page brings information about past club events (non-racing) and planned dates for future social events. If any events take your fancy, please watch out for an invitation e-mail which will be sent out in advance.

2010 - EVENTS BEING PLANNED

11 February Comedy night at LB Theatre

13 March Chinese Meal

Bowling Night

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PREVIOUS EVENTS IN 2010

5th January 2010 - Club Mystery Christmas Run

Now becoming a regular Christmas challenge, a running treasure hunt was held that weaved around the streets of Leighton. Armed with torches, pens, and a map, teams jogged around the course, with the final leg involving solving clues and drinking in the Sun public house. This year the unusual snow and ice forced the event to move to January, and just to keep it festive, more snow fell on the participants, making a very soggy mess of most of the quiz sheets. Congratulations to Gary Reid, Jim Buttleman and Brian Snowdon for an almost perfect score on questions related to the Beatles songs.. Congratulations also to the other prize winners. Thanks to everyone - a total of 10 teams of twos and threes, who entered into the spirit of the quiz, especially when they found out the answers! Photos of some of the "quizzers" have been loaded into the online photo "room"

PREVIOUS EVENTS IN 2009

26th December 2009 - Christmas Drinks

On Boxing day, Leighton Buzzard Athletic Club normally organise a 6 mile race which many of our members enter. This year, the ice was too dangerous to allow the event to take place. instead a quick adjournment to Stockgrove park, for another jog around the snow and ice gave an opportunity to run off a few of the extra calories eaten the day before. Thanks to LBAC for organising.

24th December 2009 - Christmas Jolly Jog

A new event for our calendar - a jog around Stockgrove park, followed by warm mince pies, a Christmas Chocolate log and several glasses of hot mulled wine. This was a perfect finish to a very sociable event, which combined with the snow on the ground to create a perfect Christmas scene. Photos of some of the "jolly joggers" have been loaded into the online photo "room". Thanks to Jo Parker, Ian Mulry and whoever provided the Christmas Chocolate log for sorting out the victuals.

17th December 2009 - Christmas Drinks

The annual celebration of Christmas took place at the British Legion Bossard Hall . As a bonus, the committee decided to provide sandwiches and nibbles which helped to soak up the alcohol. This is the annual opportunity to meet up with other runners and their partners and celebrate the happy season with a few drinks! Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

19th October 2009 - Brains of Leighton Linslade Quiz
Despite the fewer teams (2 instead of 4), there were very impressive performances (Jo Parker, Brian Snowdon, Hilary Fox and partner) were 1 point behind second place out of 42 teams - brilliant1 The other team (Martin Walker, Rob Callaghan and their wives) were several points behind around 15th. A lovely meal and the chance of raffle, tombola and spot prizes contributed to the fun. Just ask what is a "speckledecker?"

15th September 2009 - Evening at Sweatshop
What an attraction!! Just a little bit of running which turned out to be 4 miles or so, followed by talks and a chance to shop at an extra discount in Sweatshop. Too good to resist, with over 20 members turning up for the run, the talks on nutrition and common injuries. Many were seen leaving the shop clutching new purchases - jackets seemed popular, probably for the likely cooler nights. Thanks to Andy Hully for organising - and to Sweatshop for such a good night.

22nd August 2009 - Run and barbeque, Alpaca Farm
A rare and welcomed sunny day greeted the runners at the start of this event, though only 4 people could be persuaded to run - perhaps the lure of the food and the alpacas was too much. Anyway, the barbeque started after all runners were freshened up, and for all you animal lovers, no the alpacas were not on the menu! Instead, the usual burgers and bangers, also accompanied by chicken skewers and a delicious Caesar salad. With attendees bringing their own drink, the evening proceeded smoothly and onto the games section - a cunning test to see who was still sober. Many thanks to Jo Parker (for use of the farm), Tracy Gravestock (for the Barbeque equipment) and Pam O'Connell (for the excellent and copious food). Photos on the photo web.

25th July 2009 - Crystal Palace Grand Prix Athletics
Those who went to see how the top athletes perform saw some famous names and international stars. The weather was relatively kind and some great performances were on show. Thanks to Pam O'Connell for organising the tickets. Photos on the photo web.

19th July 2009 - Club Duathlon
This year, the weather was decidedly autumnal - it absolutely threw it down. In fact, there was so much rainfall, the scorer was unable to keep his pen and watch dry enough to record the times of the bike leg. A guest appearance by Scott Wiseman who managed the race in under 29 minutes and having finished the bike and run legs in under 60 minutes stayed to cheer on all the other competitors. The 5m mile race on foot was won by Jim Buttleman with Tam Quinn and Martin Addrison also featuring on the podium. Congratulations go to all participants who endured the wind and rain and many thanks to the helpers - Trevor Hart, Ian Mulry and Brian Snowdon - who manned marshal points and timed the events (well, just the run race). Finally, despite having the back brake locked on, Karrie managed to complete the course to possibly the biggest cheer (as she was between the spectators and the opportunity for drinks and a warm-up!).

14th May 2009 - Barnstormers Comedy Night
Light relief in the form of several stand up comedians entertained a motley collection of club members and their partners. Having prime seats in the second row (with the first row empty) meant that Chris Taylor was able to help with the entertainment, being the butt of several jokes. Thanks to Anne Hully for organising the tickets.

29th April 2009 - Annual General Meeting and Presentation Night
The Annual General meeting was combined with the club Presentation Night and held at the Bossard Centre with a good turnout of 35 members. The night included a review of the successful year, presentation of the annual awards for club races (including cross country, the club championship, 5 and 10 mile handicap races and the club Biathlon), and election of next year's committee. The clubman Award went to Karen Kirwan with Angela Kerr and Paul Hills picking up the Runners of the Year Prizes. This year saw the Paul Dimmock Cross Country award won by 12 members attending all races in the series, undeterred by the mud, hills and cold weather. The full list of award winners for the year were Martin Addrison, Pete Bolton, Jim Buttleman, Mike Clark, Paul Douglas, Bob Dunham, Helen Dunham, Steve Harrison, Trevor Hart, Barbara Hills, Paul Hills, Andy Hully, Anne Hully, Kevin Kemp, Angela Kerr, Karen Kirwan, Georgi Lee, Robert Manning, Matt Mitchell, Ian Mulry, Gary Reid, Donna Savic, Dionne Smedley, Hazel Stiles and Simon Warner. Thanks to Bob Dunham for all his excellent and efficient organisation of the event and the awards. Check here for the award winners and a few photos.

9th April 2009 - Theatre Trip

A return to Milton Keynes Theatre to see a production of Boeing Boeing, a comedy based upon a man having 3 girlfriends, each working on different airlines. The performance included well known faces from television, with a wonderful "Mrs Overall" impersonation. Opinions were shared and aired over mid break drinks. Thanks to Bob Dunham for organising the event.

21st March 2009 - Ten Pin Bowling

A return to Milton Keynes Xscape welcomed the 12 members who turned up to show their bowling skills. It was apparent fairly quickly that several bowlers needed the help of the bumpers - and one who did not! Great fun for all, especially with drinking permitted right by the bowling. Well done to all, and thanks to Clive Daniels for organising.

PREVIOUS EVENTS IN 2008

23rd December 2008 - Club Mystery Christmas Run

Now becoming a regular Christmas challenge, a running treasure hunt was held that weaved around the streets of Leighton. Armed with torches, pens, and a map, teams jogged around the course, with the final leg involving solving clues and drinking in the club house. This year the added challenge of was that the clues were in new locations - and some had moved a lamppost away.. Congratulations to Steve Harrison and Chris Taylor for applying their brains and getting to think like our weird captain, who set the questions, based on a TV Comedy theme. Congratulations also to the other prize winners. Thanks to everyone - a total of 10 teams of twos and threes, who entered into the spirit of the quiz, especially when they found out the answers! Photos of some of the "quizzers" have been loaded into the online photo "room".

18th December 2008 - Christmas Drinks

The annual celebration of Christmas took place at the new club house in Bell Close. This is the annual opportunity to meet up with other runners and their partners and celebrate the happy season with a few drinks! Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

3rd November 2008 - Brains of Leighton Linslade Quiz
After trying this event out last year with 3 teams, we managed to find enough volunteers to put forward 4 teams in the event. As we go to press I understand that the teams did not trouble the podium positions, but all had a great time. Thanks to Bob for organising on the day.

16th August 2008 - Archery and Barbeque
For a nice change, members and friends decided to pretend to be like Robin Hood and took part in some friendly shooting with bows and arrows. After safety briefings and instructions on how to fire the arrows, a number of challenges were placed before the participants, including shooting at various targets such as a Knight in shining armour, a deer, a grouse and a "trap" target. After aiming high in the air at the last target like the long bow men of England, everyone adjourned to the warmth of an indoor barbeque. Thanks to Clive and Mike Philliskirk for organising the day.

13th July 2008 - Club Duathlon
This year the numbers of entrants was down a little, perhaps some were still recovering from the excesses of the previous weekend. Despite this, there were some great performances, not least by our guest Scott Wiseman who managed the race and the cycle ride in under 60 minutes. There were 4 teams, 18 runners and 16 cyclists entering the run and bike sections of the club duathlon. The main event was won by Paul Douglas who won for the third year in a row (though well behind the guest!!). Congratulations go to all participants who enjoyed the rare dry weather and many thanks to the helpers - Helen Dunham, Bob Dunham, and Dave Cooper - who manned marshal points and timed the events. After the race, stories were swapped in the local watering hole - the Stag at Mentmore.

5th/6th July 2008 - 25th Anniversary celebrations
The weekend of the 5th & 6th July saw special celebrations of the club's 25th year. First event on Saturday was a 25 mile relay along the Ridgeway and canal. There were lots of runners enjoying the glorious sunshine with several runners taking on the challenge of the entire route - including Jim Buttleman, Steve Harrison and Glyn Raymen. Well done to all runners - both new and old - who took part in the relay. It was wonderful to see so many running in each leg. The last two legs had over 15 runners each, despite only 5 planning to run. Following on in the evening, a hog roast was held to swap tales and enjoy a barbeque. The next morning, a celebratory breakfast jog of around 6 miles was led by Martin with more chances to enjoy the canal and the countryside. The attraction was probably the delicious cooked breakfast that awaited the runners. Thanks to all who helped organise the weekend and prepare the food. Earlier in the week the club moved into new premises for the Tuesday night meeting, namely Bell Close. A selection of photos are available, including a few from the previous weekend's Greensand ridge relay.

16th April 2008 - Annual General Meeting and Presentation Night
The Annual General meeting was combined with the club Presentation Night and held at the Bossard Centre with a good turnout of 32 members. The night included a review of the successful year, presentation of the annual awards for club races (including cross country, the club championship, 5 and 10 mile handicap races and the club Biathlon), and election of next year's committee. The clubman Award went to Gary Reid with Anne Hully and Steve Harrison picking up the Runners of the Year Prizes. This year saw the Paul Dimmock Cross Country award won by 12 members attending all races in the series, undeterred by the mud, hills and cold weather. The full list of award winners for the year were Martin Addrison, Verity Allsopp, Karrie Archer, Jim Buttleman, Mike Clark, Jacquie Cox, Lisa Dethick, Tracy Dodd, Tracy Dodd, Paul Douglas, Stephen Ellerton, Giles Haley, Steve Harrison, Phil Harpin, Barbara Hills, Andy Hully, Anne Hully, Steve Jellis, Andy Powell, Tam Quinn, Glyn Raymen, Gary Reid, Donna Savic, David Stewart, Chris Taylor, Yvette Todd, Martin Walker and Simon Warner. Thanks to Bob Dunham for all his excellent and efficient organisation of the event and the awards. Thanks also to Pete Bolton for the entertaining Golden Boot award, which Paul Douglas managed to win this year thanks to getting more lost than anyone else! Check here for the award winners and a few photos.

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