It's that time of year again! Please get your entry in for the 2023 Bedford and County Christmas Handicap which takes place on Sunday 17th December at 10:30 a.m.

To enter, contact Tony Forrest:

• Text or WhatsApp: 07769 707651,
• EMAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Registration before the race and prize-giving after the race will both take place in the Sports Hall at Bedford International Athletics Stadium.  Please enter soon so that Tony can suitably handicap you.

As well as being a lot of fun, the Handicap is run in memory of late club stalwart, Pete Dancer. Pete made a huge contribution to the club over many years, including as an athlete and a coach. There is no entry fee as such, but please make a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer UK charity in memory of Pete if you intend to run. To do this, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/bedford-and-county-ac-1701624065886?newPage=true - please give generously.

There will be some refreshments and prizes after the race.  The overall winner takes home the Pete Dancer Memorial trophy, and there are also prizes for the fastest man and woman, the best fancy dress, and of course the much sought-after wooden spoons for the last man and woman to finish.  Rumour has it that the Chairman and Treasurer may be battling for these!

The Christmas Handicap poster mentions bringing a wrapped prize with you, but you no longer have to do this as the donation to Pancreatic Cancer UK replaces that requirement.

Please note that all entrants must be 15 or over (this requirement may be waived in certain circumstances).

It's that time of year again! Please get your entry in for the 2023 Bedford and County Christmas Handicap which takes place on Sunday 17th December at 10:30 a.m.

To enter, contact Tony Forrest:

• Text or WhatsApp: 07769 707651,
• EMAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Registration before the race and prize-giving after the race will both take place in the Sports Hall at Bedford International Athletics Stadium.  Please enter soon so that Tony can suitably handicap you.

As well as being a lot of fun, the Handicap is run in memory of late club stalwart, Pete Dancer. Pete made a huge contribution to the club over many years, including as an athlete and a coach. There is no entry fee as such, but please make a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer UK charity in memory of Pete if you intend to run. To do this, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/bedford-and-county-ac-1701624065886?newPage=true - please give generously.

There will be some refreshments and prizes after the race.  The overall winner takes home the Pete Dancer Memorial trophy, and there are also prizes for the fastest man and woman, the best fancy dress, and of course the much sought-after wooden spoons for the last man and woman to finish.  Rumour has it that the Chairman and Treasurer may be battling for these!

The Christmas Handicap poster mentions bringing a wrapped prize with you, but you no longer have to do this as the donation to Pancreatic Cancer UK replaces that requirement.

Please note that all entrants must be 15 or over (this requirement may be waived in certain circumstances).

Congratulations to Howard Darbon, who won the Contribution to Wheelchair Racing award at England Athletics’ East Region Volunteer Award evening.
The citation for the award explains how Howard initially came up with the idea for a wheelchair racing section at Bedford and County after a wheelchair charity race at the stadium, and then inaugurated the section with two coaches and one athlete in 2018.  The wheelchair racing group now has 8 athletes - all with racing chairs- and a storage shed, and last year Howard obtained further funding for two professional wheelchair racing chairs.

Sprinter Jasmine Wilkins, presently studying at Birmingham University, has been selected to represent her uni at the prestigious Ivy League series of competitions in America next April.

The trip will involve at least two competitions spread over a two week period, the trip also includes a few days for sight seeing in New York and Boston and visits to the Ivy League Universities.

This selection is all most unprecedented for a fresher student in her first semester.

Congratulations to Bob Kingman, who set a new M50 Club record for the Pole Vault on 23rd September at the Biggleswade Open in Sandy.  Bob's new mark is 3.90 metres.

Congratulations to Ed Blythman, who set a  PB of 31:13 whilst finishing an excellent fifth in the Brighton 10k on Sunday 19th November.

Congratulations to Noah Campion, who has been selected to run for the England Under 20 Cross-Country team in Seville, Spain on 12th November.  Good luck for the Race Noah!

Congratulations to Will Macgee who has broken two M55 club records recently running 11.94 seconds for the 100m at the Newham Open meeting on 3rd September and 24.8 seconds for the 200m at the European Masters Championships in Pescara on 13th September.

Congratulations to the following who have broken club records recently:

• Tenny James: M65 300m Hurdles (51.1 secs, 9th September, EMAC Final, Cambridge)
• Tenny James: M65 100m Hurdles (16.04 secs, 28 September, European Masters Championships, Pescara, Italy).
• Edith Caux: W65 200m (32.17 secs, 27th May, Lee Valley).
• Chloe Kingman: U15 Girls Pole Vault (2.62 metres, 26th August, England U15 Championships, Birmingham).
• Mia Flynn: U13 Girls Discus (26.34 metres, 23rd September, Biggleswade Open, Sandy).

Congratulations to Tennyson James, who won the M65 100m Hurdles gold Medal at the European Masters Championships in Pescara on 29th September in 16.23 seconds.  Tenny also won Gold in the M/W65 mixed relay, and Edith Caux won Silver in the W65 relay for France.  Roy Chambers, who competes 2^nd Claim for Bedford as a master and for our NAL team came 6^th in the M35 Javelin.

The Eastern AA Cross Country Championships are taking place on 18th November at Horseheath Course near Cambridge, and the Eastern AA would love to see you there.

There are races for Under 13s, Under 15s, Under 17s, Under 20s, and Seniors/Masters.  And there are team as well as individual competitions.  The event also incorporates the Eastern AA Inter-County Competition (contact your respective County for selection) and the Eastern Masters (EMAC) championships.

The Eastern AA was created 1933 and now includes the geographical county areas of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, & Suffolk.  For more information and entry, please follow the link to the Eastern AA website: https://easternaa.com

Congratulation to Tenny James, who won silver in the M65 200m at the European Masters Championships in Pescara, Italy, this week, and a Bronze in the M65 400m.  Congratulations also to Alex Sczhweicki, who won silver in the M75 Cross Country.