TRING RUNNING CLUB      run the best of the Chilterns

Road maps revive an old story ...... the club was formed after one of the early London marathons, and so it's not too surprising that, in the early years particularly, road running was the major club activity.

Well, in our club, like the sport in general, there has been a move towards more off-road running. Having said that, the club is usually well represented in the local road races, the pick of which locally are the Berkhamsted half marathon and the Watford Half Marathon amongst others.

Also, there is a club championship every year. To qualify, you have to complete four races over at least different three distances. Your times are then used to calculate a score which is a percentage of some notional 'better than world best' by someone of your age. This sounds complicated but has the advantage that you can run a race slightly slower than the previous year but, because you are a year older, actually get a better percentage score! All good fun!

You and me we sweat and strain, bodies all aching and racked with pain ......a marathon is about as far as an 'ordinary' runner can be expected to run, and many in the club run maybe one or two marathons a year. The most popular tend to be the London (no surprise there) and the Beachy Head, the cross-country marathon formerly known as the Seven Sisters. But a few club members take their marathons a bit more seriously! Indeed, in 2003 three of this group (a.k.a. 'nutters' or 'headbangers') ran the Beachy Head marathon on Saturday, drove to North Wales to race in the Snowdonia marathon on Sunday, then flew over to Ireland to complete the Dublin marathon on Monday! For those in the know, both Beachy Head and Snowdonia are very tough marathons, and so running a third was quite an achievement. So, whether your ambition is to run one marathon or a hundred, you'll find good company to help and encourage you on your way!