Mob Vs South London Harriers
Ranelagh… assemble!!
Third time’s a charm they say, so come one, come all - there’s another job ahead for our Ranelagh mob. With two victories so far in the bag, it’s time for us to leave the comforts of home and head over to Farthing Downs to face our friendly rivals South London Harriers on Saturday 7 March.
All are welcome and greatly encouraged to take part in the 104th running of our second oldest running rivalries. Our mob matches are for everyone (over 20 years old) - and the more starters we have, the better our chance of victory and the better our hopes of extending our 6-mob streak.
We will need Every. Single. One. of you. Last year we hosted and 38 South London Harriers ‘irrepressibles’ came in full maroon & white glory to face off against our mob. Thankfully we prevailed, as this race report shows and narrowed the score slightly, but make no mistake, they will definitely be ready for us.
So even if a hard race doesn’t fit in with your training plans, join in as a training run – it’s the number of bodies on the starting line that’s the important thing. But don’t just take it from us, here are some words of encouragement from those that came before us…
“…. our next match is against the… South London Harriers. Historically SLH have ‘shaded’ these matches with an impressive 70 wins to Ranelagh’s total of 18 and won last year’s race comfortably when a minimal 17 Ranelagh Harriers made the trip south.
In case you missed the note in the previous newsletters on what a ‘mob match’ is, here’s a brief recap: consisting of about 80-100 runners and covering a distance of 7.5 miles, these races are not as daunting as they sound. They are more like a ‘good run in the countryside’, or an extended version of the Saturday morning time trials. This is perfect for anyone who has run a 10k and wants to step up to either 10 miles or a half-marathon.
There is no fee to enter and it’s perfectly acceptable to use it as a training run if you don’t feel like racing. Everyone on the start line contributes to the scoring so the more Harriers in attendance the better our chances are. This race was first run in 1909, so come along and represent Ranelagh in a historical race against a famous London club on a scenic course!”
Niall O’Connor. E-NEWS # 295, Dec 2008
So let’s come together for a ‘good run in the country side‘, in support of our club and for a chance to chant our Club Cry:
Hobble Gobble
Razzle Dazzle
Zis Boom Bah
Ranelagh Ranelagh
Rah Rah Rah
RACE INFO
Registration: South London Harriers Clubhouse @ 194 Brighton Rd, Coulsdon CR5 2NF. Please arrive in plenty of time to register. Changing facilities, toilets and showers are available.
Trains: Coulsdon Town (10 mins walk) and Coulsdon South (15 mins walk). Trains operate regularly from Clapham Junction.
Parking: For the clubhouse, paid parking available at Lion Green Road Car Park, Lion Green Rd, Coulsdon CR5 2NL. There is no parking on the main road. For the course, paid parking available 1 mile from the start at Farthing Downs Car Park, Ditches Lane, Coulsdon CR5 1DA.
Race start: 2:30pm. Tea, coffee and cakes will be available to buy whilst results are being calculated back at the clubhouse.
