Nottingham Office Turns Out in Force at Robin Hood Half

Over a dozen Shoosmiths employees took part in the Robin Hood Festival of Running in September.

The majority of runners from the firm were involved in the Cooper Parry Corporate challenge, a run in relay format, where teams of five follow the same course as the Experian Robin Hood Half Marathon with each team member running around 2.5 miles before handing over the 'baton'.

Other, perhaps more foolhardy individuals, completed the half marathon taking in the sights of Nottingham over a hilly 13.1 miles.

But one man stands out for, whilst these comparative lightweights peeled off left towards the finish, Martin Larkman, a solicitor in the Corporate Department, turned right to face the gruelling second half of his 26.2 miles.

I for one, had been home, showered and had a very fulfilling cheeseburger in my local by the time the marathon runners arrived back at the Victoria Embankment for the finish so I tip my hat to those courageous enough to go the extra mile (and the extra 12.1 after that).

That said, everyone who took part should be congratulated for donning their running shoes, taking part and raising a substantial sum for charity and thanks should also be proferred to those that braved less than ideal conditions to cheer them on. Well done everyone.

The Kinabalu Challenge 2009

BMF Kinabalu Itinerary February 2009 - Find out about the event
The Kinabalu Diary - Read about February 2007's challenge
Hydraholics Take Over the Asylum! - A competitors 'unabridged' view
Charity Fundraising for the Challenge
Payment for the challenge

The Kinabalu Challenge from 20th - 28th February 2009

The Kinabalu Challenge is a 10 day trip to the jungles of Borneo where teams of 4 compete in a series of challenges including mountain biking, running, white water rafting, bamboo rafting, kayaking and racing up Mt Kinabalu the highest mountain in south East Asia.
Competitors will be trained in the essential jungle skills by our experienced guides before the challenge starts and will then have to use these skills to their best effect while competing.
The Kinabalu Challenge is tough especially when done in 35 degree temperatures and 95% humidity, it is however not just for the super humans amongst us, with decent training prior to the event almost anyone can complete the challenge, though the fitter you are the more you will enjoy it.
Please note that you do not need to sign up as an entire group of 4. Many sign up as individuals and are put in to groups. We will group you to the best of our ability with others of a similar fitness level and attitude to the event.

Read more about the challege on the Kinabalu Page

Kinabalu Information Evening:
On Wednesday 3 September we will be doing another information talk on the upcoming Kinabalu Challenge in Borneo at Hyde Park. This is a great way to find out more about this amazing event. The presentation will take place straight after the later class at 8.30pm. We be at the Lido, on the Serpentine, Hyde Park W2 2UH (which is right next to the Diana memorial and the BMF Hyde Park meeting point). Everyone is welcome. Please pass this on to anyone else who may be interested.

SAAB Salomon - Trail Marathon - June 2009

SOUTH DOWNS MARATHON & RELAY
UNITED KINGDOM
JUNE 2009

What can you expect?
The Saab Salomon South Downs Marathon events have quickly become classics with the unique choice of demanding full marathon, a relay marathon for teams of 4 or a more or a more relaxed 5km trail run for all the family.
Where will the trail take you?
The route along the western section of the South Downs into Queen Elizabeth Country Park for the finish is superb with a varied mix of woodland trails and open vistas across green pastures as far as the eye can see.
We are going to move the start location to Slindon (near Chichester) on the dip slope of the Downs and run up to the South Downs way through forest trails and the Monarch Way, and will introduce timing splits at the relay change-overs so that full marathon runners can analyse their performance and each relay runner will get a split for their stage.
The programme
The biggest change is to have a split start for the full marathon. We will split the start into waves (based on predicted times) as follows:
09.00 Slower marathoners

09.30 Relay Start

10.00 Faster Marathoners

There will be an event closing time at 4pm with cut off times at the second and third relay change over spots when marshals will be stood down and the course signs collected (runners can continue to the finish at there own risk following the standard South Downs Way Marked signs).
There will be bottled water available at 7 places on the course and SiS Electroyle drinks at 2 stations.
Locations & Directions
Start - is a new location at Slindon College, Slindon, South Downs Marathon - Slindon College, start direction map
Finish – as before in the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park off the A3

Facilities
Toilets, baggage tent, refreshments at the finish
Prizes and price of entering
Entry fee for the Full Marathon includes: bus to the start, baggage transfer from start to finish, race t-shirt, race finishers medal, prizes for first 10 Men & Women, First masters 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60+, Chip timing, Goody bag.
Entry fee for the Relay includes: Finishers medal x 4, Prizes for first 3 teams Male & Female, first Masters teams Male & Female (mixed teams will count as male teams for the results and prizes), chip timing, Goody bag.
Relay teams are responsible for all transportation of runners and baggage to change over points.
First Aid
There will be Level 2 first aid supplied by Thames Valley Ambulance Services. Who will have first aiders, ambulances and a quad on route.
Kit
Have you got the right gear for your race? Check out our Kit section to find out what Salomon recommend.
GALLERY
Click onto the GALLERY button to view photos of the event.

SAAB Salomon Turbo X - 23rd Nov 2008

What is it?
"The sand course, hills and swamps were quite special. Will I be back......you bet, not going to miss a single Turbo X race now!" - Runner's World Forum 19th May 08

"Brilliant race. Better than Hellrunner. Best course marking I have ever come across. Was on my own for a while and never had a doubt I was on the right path. Excellent goody bag - technical t-shirt in all sizes… Loved the winding paths through the woods... Lovely friendly atmosphere. Can't wait for the next one." - Runner's World Forum 19th May 08

"Best race I’ve done this year... fun and really filthy" - Runner's World Forum 20th May 08

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE ?

Saab Salomon has a brand new Trail Running Series for 2008 and TURBO X will be the grittiest and messiest of them all! Set to push your stamina, agility and perseverance to the limit, you'll wade through watery wildness, working your body till it burns as you clamber through mud, marsh, sand and bog and charge your way through the roughest off road track you can imagine!

Where?

The entrance to the track to the car park is off Oakhanger Road just past the Louisberg Barracks in Station Road on the B3002 in Bordon, Hampshire. The B3002 crosses the A325 Farnham Road and the race will be signed from the traffic lights by the Fire Station. Follow the track to the parking area.

Organising Office

Basingstoke

Organising Office Coordinators

Samantha Woodward 08700 86[6334]
Andrew Patterson 08700 86[6466]

Catch 'shoo' later

Reading Half Marathon 2008

On Sunday 2nd March 2008, 48 runners from various offices took to the streets of Reading in an attempt to complete the Reading Half Marathon 2008. We were running in aid of Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital, and with everyone having gained a significant amount of sponsorship pledges, we were not going to be easily defeated! A rather loud firework marked the start of the race at 10:05am, and we were off. All of us at different levels of fitness, but all with the same goal, to complete the course. Family members, partners and friends all crowded into the Madjeski Stadium, the home of Reading FC and the finish line for the event, to support their families and provide a much needed cheer to bring us over the line. The weather was not too bad for the day, with light winds and dry weather. The support all around the course was fantastic as always, with people turning out to cheer everyone on. Shoomsiths runners started to come in from about 1 hour 30 minutes, and as far as I know, everyone was back in by about 2 hours 30 minutes. A much needed pasta lunch was then provided, and enjoyed by all. Everyone agreed that it was a great event and people have already pledged to run again next year. Monday morning came, and there were a few aching limbs, painful ankles and sore hips, but apart from that, we all feel really proud to have completed the race. Roll on Reading Half Marathon 2009! Ian Nobbs

Coming Soon to a Swimming Pool near you... the first ever Shoo-wimathon

Following the success of the Running Shoos Treadmill Marathon swimmers from across the Shoosmiths' offices are being invited to take to the water in order to raise money for charity. The aim - to swim the Channel (well sort of!)

As you may know, the Channel is 21 miles / 32 km wide (give or take) which equates to 32,000 metres or 1,333 lengths of a 24 metre pool. The idea is not for everyone to swim 21 miles, but to divvy up the lengths among those who want to take part.

And again it's a race, not just against the clock but against all the other Shoosmiths' offices.

Further information will follow but, in the meantime, if you have any queries or suggestions please contact your local Running Shoos Coordinator.

Gwynneth Tan - Can ( A Very New Hellrunner ! )

It was the morning of the Hell Runner run. My stomach churned from the prospect of completing a course on military training ground. Andrew Patterson’s soothing words to me 8 weeks back of “of course you can train in 8 weeks, there is plenty of time to get fit enough” no longer seemed so reassuring. I was part of a motley crew of 5 from the Running Shoos team waiting for breakfast in the Little Chef. There we strategically planned our run, surrounded by tables of sinewy seasoned runners from running clubs. We were a hockey player (kerri woodrow), a free diver (arnaud palu), a smoker (regis mosseron) and a frazzled mummy (me) and we were looking to our part-time marathon runner (eamonn haughian) for last minute direction and guidance. Our aim was simple: run as a team; to finish the run, and not to come last!

It took us an hour to drive a mile to the parking area from the A3. We fought our way against the tide of over a thousand runners who had started the race and ran half a mile to the Running Shoos tent to pick up our entrant numbers and clips.

The sky was blue and the sun warm, and the rolling hills and woodland of Longmoor military camp provided us with stunning scenery. Our strategy of walking up the inclines and running down on the other side worked well as we started to catch up with everyone else. When we reached the drinks station at halfway point after fifty minutes, the course and our competition were a lot less daunting, and we congratulated ourselves by high-fives; there had been lots of hills, but the ground was dry and the whites of our clothes were still pristine.

At the point where I thought we might be coming into the home-stretch, I even suggested increasing our pace. And then we hit the ‘Bogs of Doom’. [400] yards of freezing-cold black, stagnant, foul-smelling bog full of mud, massive branch roots and rock. I very nearly fell face first into the bog taking with me the unsuspecting runner in front of me. After the ‘Bogs of Doom’ came a chest-deep river and more steep hills. We stunk and our legs felt like lead from the shock of the cold water, but somehow we found our rhythm again until we reached the mile-long ‘Hills of Hell’, made up of never-ending sand dunes.

Yet the feeling of crossing the finish line can only be described as euphoria; the sense of achievement huge. The course had been challenging but fantastic fun, and running as a team had given us many laughs. Would I do it again? Without question!

Hellrunner Down South 2007 SlideShow

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Hellrunner Down South 2007

They did it!!!!! Crazy Crazy People!!

On a fine Sunday morning over 1800 runners ventured along the A3 to the Longmoor Army camp looking for a hellish time ... and they found one.

The Saab Salomon Hellrunner was back at Longmoor and the surrounding hills, heaths and bogs for the 4th time and it was more popular then ever. Word is getting around that Hellrunners brand of off-road adventure running is the muckiest fun you can have in a pair of XA Pros and the race had a full entry with runners coming from all over the country and many large groups travelling from distant running clubs, including 17 from our very own ‘Running Shoos’.

Some racers who had completed the harsh HH Adventure Race the previous week were back for more.
There were a few problems getting everyone in and past the security gate, with a queue back onto the A3 and a slightly delayed start a necessity. But this was not going to stop those die hards from Milton Keynes from catching up with the already left pack!!

Inside the camp there was a buzz of activity as everyone got ready to race and some took a look a the large area of nearby sand dunes and the taped section of route known as the ‘Hills of Hell’. The soft ground and hill reps were warning of what was to come but the weather this year had been drier than in the past and one large area of bog had been drained … but another had been found!

Once everyone was ready coloured smoke flares signalled the start, one on the back of the quad bike leading the way, and the race was on. Chris Smith lead the way in the early stages, but Rob Jebb of the Saab Salomon Adventure Running team was only a few paces back and later took control of the race. The first 9 miles of the course (approx 11.5 in total) was relatively faster going and the leaders kept a good 5 minute mile pace.

Then came a series of bogs, finishing with the deep channel of the ‘Bog of Doom’ and the ‘Hills of Hell’.

For the majority just getting round was the challenge, and perhaps the most memorable moments were in the ‘Bog of Doom’. This was in a narrow dip, almost a ditch and as runners piled in the mud got deeper and deeper, to the extent some were almost swimming in it! Even so there were relatively few mishaps, and amazingly only 12 DNF’s from over 1800 starters.

The full results are on www.hellrunner.co.uk and photos of all competitors will be on the sleepmonsters site in due course just use the race number below to search.

Running Shoos Entrants and Results are:

Raceahead Event Services
Hellrunner - Hell Down South
Race# Forename Surname Cat Pos Gun Time Pos Chip Time
3851 Paul Passey 534 01:43:45 766 01:41:24
3850 Andrew Allen 587 01:47:03 879 01:44:42
3834 Chris Jibb 591 01:47:23 892 01:45:05
3844 Iain Larkins 757 01:55:24 1200 01:53:06
3840 Thomas Smith 858 02:02:47 1405 01:58:51
3838 Jeremy Ellis 859 02:02:51 1407 02:00:33
3836 Debra Pothecary 157 02:02:51 1408 02:00:33
3852 Mike Farmer 9 02:07:08 1530 02:04:54
3843 Eamonn Haughian 918 02:08:20 1558 02:02:01
3841 Arnaud Palu 256 02:11:26 1611 02:05:06
3847 Tan Gwynneth 111 02:12:45 1635 02:06:27
3845 Kerri Woodrow 224 02:14:04 1648 02:07:45
3846 Regis Mosseron 946 02:15:32 1666 02:09:13
3853 Kunal Spratt 956 02:17:16 1683 02:14:58
3835 Clare Lord 236 02:18:50 1698 02:16:32
3837 Dominique Nahab 237 02:18:50 1699 02:16:31
3833 Andrew Patterson 962 02:18:50 1700 02:16:33

Individual office recollections to follow!!!

For a slideshow of more photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/18575117@N02/show/

Reading Half Marathon - Sun 2nd Mar 2008

SUNDAY 2ND MARCH 2008


Dear All
Shoosmiths will once again be taking part in the Reading Half Marathon and we need YOU!

If you have never run thirteen yards before, let alone thirteen miles, never fear because there’s plenty of time to get into shape and help Shoosmiths raise serious amounts of cash for a deserving cause.

Last year’s runners (myself included!) did an amazing job raising funds for the Brain Tumour UK. This year, we hope to be able to provide another charity with your hard earned sponsor money, to be confirmed at a later date. Shoosmiths will pay your entry fee for the race, on the understanding that runners will raise approximately 4 times the entry fee (so at least £100.00 each if you can). This means that if we have 40 runners this year, as we did last year, we will raise at least £4000.00 for charity!

As in past years, you can arrive at the fantastic Royal Suite prior to running to have a hot drink and bacon sandwich, and also drop off your bags, safe in the knowledge they will be looked after. You will also have an opportunity to rest your weary bones after the finishing line with some refreshments in the Suite. Families and friends are all very welcome to come along and lend you their support on the day. Next year, the marathon takes place on Sunday 2nd March 2008.

Would you be kind enough to let me know if you are interested in running for Shoosmiths. If so, please let me have your date of birth and the age you will be on the day of the race. This information should be with me by no later than Friday 9th November 2007. Be advised that entrance forms will be submitted on Monday 12th November 2007 and no further applications will be accepted after this date. Please be aware that all runners entering do so at their own risk as it is your own responsibility to ensure you are fit enough to run. As with previous years, if you enter and then do not run, we will be asking you to re-imburse the entrance fee. Further details will be sent later once I have an idea of provisional numbers.

Best regards and get running!

Ian Nobbs

Litigation Manager

08700 868745 direct dial