John Taylor foundation

World Championships 6th September 2009
I would like to thank the John Taylor fund for supporting me with my preparations for the world mountain championships in Italy.
This was the first year that the race has been run as a championship and also the first time the countries have combined to run as a Great Britain team and therefore it was important for me to run well at the championships.
After the Europeans in June I felt a little disappointed with my run as felt I had more to give at the end of the race and this was partly due to not being able to look at the course properly previously to the race as we only arrived one day before the uphill only event.
Therefore I felt that with a little more preparation and the chance to look at the course properly I would be able to plan my race better for the world championships. With the support of the fund I was able to fly out several days before the event and adjust to the surroundings.

My race went well and more or less to plan as I finished within the top 10 in 7th place and we claimed the silver team medal. This was a massive improvement from my 30th position the year before. Having now made the transition from a junior to senior I am now part of a very strong British team and hope that over the next few years I will also be able to win an individual medal. The support from the John Taylor fund has helped to motivate me and shown that with good preparation what I am capable of at a world standard.

Adam Grice, Sep 2009

I thought you would be pleased to know I came 2nd in the Commonwealth Mountain Running Championships this Sunday just gone!
It was an up and down course; 3 laps of Latrigg on home turf in Keswick. Having had my 1st week of Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement for my 4th year of Medicine I was a little apprehensive or how I might fair as I was absolutely drained from the week. On my warm on the day though I felt good!
We set off and I was very conservative but felt good. I started to pass people on the first climb and found myself in the top 10 in a chasing pack with 3 of my England team mates whilst the eventual Kenyan winner was well ahead...then came the descent! I started charging and passed 5 athletes to find myself in 5th. There was another small climb then before a very steep and technical descent, I charged again and overtook the Kenyan athlete Kipkosgei Wilson Chemweno by the bottom.
It was then a bit of fast running before we climbed again. The Kenyan runner being considerably faster on the flat having run 7.39, 28:36, 1:02:40 for 3k, 10k and 1/2 marathon respectfully, overtook me on the 2nd climb. I gritted my teeth and dug in knowing I would have to work hard to keep the gap small before I could charge again on the descents. He had a consistent 17s lead before I overtook by the last part of the descent....same story again though, he got away on the ascent.
The last lap was about making my legs burn. I dug deep and climbed Latrigg flooding with lactic. Could I catch him before the top of the ascent, as I was catching him as he tired but it was the descent where I overtook. I had the last descent now which took me all the way to the bridge of the finish, this was 300m of steep downhill running, I gave it everything and I took 20 seconds out of him! We had 800m of flat running for the finish...another day, another race it could have been another story but I gave it everything my jelly legs had left and it wasn't enough to hold of the naturally fluent Kenyan. Missing out by a mere 17 seconds over 13km of 700m of ascent and 700m of descent was a feeling of mixed emotions.

I came 2nd and felt overwhelmed but at the same time gutted, frustrated and hungry for more. The consolation to the silver was that the England team won the team event so I got a gold and a silver medal!
Since then I have been enjoying my time delivering babies on my new placement and feel a sense of full life satisfaction. I hope to continue my athletic endeavours whilst I progress my career as a future doctor...watch this space!
Thanks for everything!

Sarah Tunstall, 2009

Smarna Gora

This was the final of the grand prix series and I had competed here the previous year so was familiar with the course and terrain. It had been raining in the days leading up to the race, making the underfoot conditions quite slippery as the race is mainly run on forest paths. It is a great race and although an 'uphill' only race it also involves quite a lot of descent. I finished 7th which I was pleased with as it was a minute quicker than the previous year. It also meant that I secured 7th place overall in the Grand Prix Series. Again, I was happy with this standing for my first attempt at the series. Overall I feel that I have learned a great deal from competing in the races. It gave me great experience of the continental style racing that you just can't replicate on the English 'fell' scene. It no doubt helped my result in the Europeans as competing in the Grand Prix's increases your awareness of the competition and allows you to gauge your race on familiar opposition, which is often hard if you are going into championships with only domestic experience. I'm extremely grateful to the John Taylor Foundation for the help I received in allowing me to contest the series and I look forward to a future season when I can spend the summer focusing on improving on my 7th position.

Telfes

This was probably my best race over the series. I had been working more on my strength since the Europeans, as the next target was the uphill only World Trophy. The race was in early aug and I travelled out with Vic Wilkinson. Unfortunately Telfes is not the easiest place to get to and after much deliberation we flew to bergamo, Italy and drove north to Austria. On a map this looked as good as any other route but we did not account for the volume of traffic around Lake Garda on the first weekend in Aug!! After a very long journey we arrived only the evening before, attended the pasta party then we were up early for a 9.30am race start. Although not the best preparation I ran well, tracking Anna Frost from NZ up the first climb. Towards half way she had pulled out on me about 50m but I was pleased with how much stronger I was than the previous uphill only races in the latter stages. I just held off Pavla Matyasova for 5th position. Then a quick recovery on the summit before dashing back to Bergamo…a whirl wind trip but worth it!

Chris Nash, August 2009

Thank you very much for the grant and T shirt that you sent to me. The British Squad Tour / training camp in Scotland was brilliant. We trained on some amazing technical areas and had access to really great coaches. Our accomodation was great at Lagganlia and we were well fed. Each day we trained hard and visited different areas, with the longest journey being to the intricate sand dunes at Culbin for contour work. I feel I learnt a great deal and got so much from the week. In addition to training we also had various races and I was pleased to come first in the Middle distance race where I won by over a minute. I should get a formal report from this training camp in the next few weeks which will show me my strengths and areas to work on over theis autumn.
Since applying for the grant for the summer tour I have also now been selected for the Junior Inter-Regional competition in Northern Ireland where I will be representing the North West and the Junior Home International competition on Anglesey where I will run for England. Hopefully I can put all the lessons from this summer into action and do well in these races.

Heather Timmins, 2009

I am writing to thank you and the trustees for the grant that I have received, I have used the money to purchase essential kit for the forthcoming summer season.

Jim Patterson, 2009

Absolutely delighted to receive this grant. Very much appreciated by myself and N.I.M.R.A. Will send photos and report in due course. This grant will make a difference to our small association.

Peter Matthews, January 2009

I would firstly like to show my great appreciation and thanks for the very generous grant I received from the John Taylor Foundation. I feel this will go a long way to ensuring that my performances continue to improve at their current rate, if not faster and hence I will be able to achieve some of my goals for 2009. Of the money I received, I have spent just under half of it so far, and intend to make the money go as far as possible. I have invested in a new pair of Adistar Cushion trainers. After a series of tests in Spring last year, it was established that these are the best trainers I can wear, to try and keep my shin problems at bay. The only down side to these trainers are that, at £90 they are not cheap. I have also spent a small amount of the money on seeing a specialist sports masseur, Mark Aspin, in order to help get rid of a minor shin injury I have picked up over December. I am finally seeing a lower leg specialist on the 29th Jan, to hopefully put a stop to the shin problems I have battled with for the last two years.
Luckily when I am back in Loughborough, where I am in my first year of a BSc in Human Biology, I am able to benefit from free treatment for any injuries or niggles, which inevitably flare up from such an intense training programme. Moving my studies and training to Loughborough in September has been successful so far. I achieved one of my best cross country performances to date in the Gateshead International XC and am getting fitter and fitter all the time under the guidance of George Gandy. This culminated in my selection for the North of England, for the very recent Cardiff X Challenge (pictured).
Over the coming months I aim to perform well in the National and BUCS Cross Country Championships. My longer term goals for 2009 are to run pb’s on the track (800m-3k) and to step up to senior international level on the Mountains. Once again many thanks to the John Taylor Foundation for their help and support, and I will keep you updated on my progress in the coming months.

Adam Grice, December 2008

I would like to thank the JTF for the contribution to my last altitude training trip in August and I think you will agree I benefited dramatically with a fantastic Great North Run performance showing what my ability may be over the Marathon in future.

Rosie Stuart, November 2008

Many thanks for the grant and t-shirt you sent me, it will come in extremely useful for some new running kit. I will shortly sent a report about the British and Irish fell running championships and also the upcoming cross country season. I will also send a photo of me wearing the JTF t-shirt at my first XC race. Thanks again!

Matthew Clowes, November 2008

Thankyou for the funding and t-shirt it will really help with my runnuning career. I will be sure to try and raise funds in the recent future for the foundation.

Nick Swinburn, June 2008

Thanks again for the grant, it made a big difference to my training and has helped a lot.
I have attached a photo of me in the JTF tee-shirt along with Ricky Lightfoot.
The photo is from the recent Trofeo Vanoni race in Morbegno.

Sarah Tunstall, May 2008

I have just arrived back from Switzerland after a great weekend at the second Mountain Running Grand Prix.
The first one - Grand Ballon 01.05.08 was a 2nd level GP and I had just come out of XC training so I was pleased to finish 3rd behind Martina Strahl and Vic Wilkinson.
Saturday's race was a bit tougher with steeper ascents on the 10k climb from Saillion to Ovranaz. However, after a quick start I lead the British challenge until approx half way then the lack of uphill only work started to show and unfortunately I got caught by Vic + Anne Buckley on the steeper ascents but was still happy to finish 4th (again Martina ran away from us from the start!)
Unfortunately the next GP is the week before the European trial so I am going to concentrate on the trial then return to the GP's for the next one in Austria on Aug 3rd. Depending how the Euro trial goes the focus will then be on uphill only work so a LOT of trips down to Skiddaw will be planned! I enclose a couple of pics with my faithful John Taylor Tshirt on (the one with shorts is Ovrannaz, the one where I look frozen is Grand Ballon, as is the presentation pic!) Before leaving Switzerland yesterday we had an amazing morning out in the hills above the Rhone Valley walking/running to recover and I would just like to thank the foundation and reiterate how grateful I am of all the support that makes competing in these events a lot easier.

Adam Grice, April 2008

The World Student Cross Country Championships took place on Sunday 6th April in Mauquenchy, France....
This trip was a great experience for me and served as an additional learning curve to previous international competitions I have competed in. I would like to express my strong appreciation and thanks to the John Taylor Foundation for supporting me in this event. I have learnt to better deal with the unpredicatability that tends to occur on international trips and hopefully this will contribute to my future international performances. Attaining a World Championship Medal was a great achievement and being given the oppurtunity to be able to compete in this compeition with a fantastic team was very inspiring. I hope to conitnue my improvement and peform better through constant determination and hard training. I have high aims in the sport and the extra support that I have received goes a long way to helping me reach my aims. Full report MS Word doc

here.

Laura Park, January 2008

... a big thank you for the recent donation of money and voucher from the John Taylor Foundation. It is very much appreciated and I have used it to help finance my very hectic and successful period of March. It began with victory in the Under 17 National Cross country Championships at Alton Towers, followed in quick succession with Intermediate Gold in the Schools Cross Country Championships in Liverpool and Gold in the Under 20 UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships at Nottingham. This race also doubled up as a trial race for Great Britain to compete in the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, for which I was selected and competed in last weekend. It was the highlight of my short career so far and I came 17th (2nd European) and have another 3 years in the same age group. As you can see the money has been put to good use and I will use the voucher to get some new running shoes and clothing. Once again a big thank you and keep up the good work.

Adam Bateson, 2007

Adam was awarded a voucher, and spent ito on trainers, a Helly top, and thermal gloves for cold weather training - "in a recent national fell race at the Wrekin I came 10th ... which is higher than any of my previous year's positions ....". Read Adam's full report here.

Adam Grice, 2007

...I ended up coming 5th in the event which was way beyond what I had expected .. Thank you so much for supporting me through this training period I benefited greatly from it hence my result!

Holly Williams

I would like to say a very big thank you for the money you have sent me. It is much needed and appreciated.
Since getting in touch with you and then becoming injured I have recently been discharged from my physio and I'm once again training.
I will go to one of the shops to use my voucher as soon as I can skag a lift from my parents!
Thank you again, you are making a difference to young people like myself and enabling us to keep trying to run well.

Chris Doyle

.. thank you for the generous donation from the John Taylor Foundation towards my trip to represent England at the WMRT in New Zealand. After the long journey, about 31 hours, I was very tired, and instead of improving I seemed to feel worse for several days.
Leading up to the trip, training was going well and I was feeling fit, but my team mate, Alistair flew in from Japan and had a cold, so by race day I felt quite ill, and as you not doubt already know I under performed and finished in 38th position, having expected to finish in the top ten.
Once again I would like to thank you for your donation, as without it this trip may not have been possible.

Rachael Thompson

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your sponsorship, helping me to compete for England in New Zealand.
I achieved 7th position, a little disappointed as I was hoping for the top five; never the less it has been a learning curve for the future. The team just missed out on the medals with 4th place, the other England counters gaining 12th and 22nd position.
The course started with a fast, sharp climb with numerous narrow ledges, followed by a very sandy descent, proving almost impossible to stride out. I felt it was a little on the short side, but one can't have everything!
espite the challenge and position, the experience will be unforgettable and has provided me with more determination and focus on future events not only in fell/mountain running but also track, cross-country and road.
The trip has been a fantastic achievement personally, one which I will always remember and am proud and grateful for being able to take part in such a wonderful experience. Once again thank you.

Jason McGonigle

Thanks to the contribution from the John Taylor Foundation I was able to fly out to New Zealand to compete in the World Mountain Running Trophy representing England. I finished in 29th Position and was pleased with this as I have another two years to go. The experience and knowledge gained from the trip will never be forgotten.

Elinor Kirk

Thank you very much for your support which helped me compete in the World Mountain Running Trophy for New Zealand. The whole event was a wonderful experience and I have learnt a lot about the spirit of mountain runners and the attitude and dedication of world class athletes.
The whole event started and finished in the city of Wellington with the difficult bit being the ascent of Mount Victoria the slopes of which come right down to the Wellington seafront. The picture shows me coming into the finishing straight.
In future years the opportunity will surely arise for me to do sponsored charity runs and I hope at that time to repay the goodwill that you have shown me.

Mark Davies

... I travelled to New Zealand with the Welsh Athletics Team, and competed in the Junior Men's event in the 21st World Mountain Running Trophy. The event was held on Mount Victoria, Wellington and involved a 9.1km race over a steep, difficult course, with a total climb of 620m and also a descent of 620m. Although I am not a specialist mountain runner like many of the competitors, I crossed the line in 45th Position, in a respectable time of 45mins and 15 seconds.
The trip was very interesting and helped me to increase my international experience and to meet athletes from many other countries.

Emma Stuart

Latest ... I've just got back from Ireland where I took Gold in the U18 British and Irish Championship. The England team won gold in every category, teams and individual! I was really pleased with my run, most probably my best performance of the season. I wish I'd felt like that in New Zealand! I hope you like the attached photograph.
Thanks again for your support, Emma

Earlier reports ... Thought you might like this pic of us all out in New Zealand. I had an amazing time though was slightly disappointed with my finishing position of 22nd. However there was only about a minute between 6th and 22nd so perhaps it wasnt too bad! I am now looking forward to going out to Ireland next weekend for the home countries where I am hoping for a win. Hope I've recovered from the jetlag though! Thanks once again for your support and I'll let you know how I come on in Ireland. Bye for now, Emma.

Thank you from Pauline Stuart
Absolutely thrilled to receive cheque for £200 yesterday towards Emma's trip to New Zealand. She had a brilliant time and did not want to return home! Her position was perhaps a little disappointing but time wise I think she ran well. They were all quite close together over what was a very fast course. The money really makes a big difference to us so thanks once again. Emma and Rosie are running in Ireland next week, they will let you know how they come on.
Best wishes
Pauline.

Hi,
I can't believe June is here already and it is still raining, at least I've been able to make excellent use of the new kit I bought with your help. Many, many thanks. I would have been drenched otherwise!
I was a bit disappointed not to make the team for Italy (I'm reserve)- these 13 year olds are just getting too fast, as no doubt the senior women found at the Bunny runs! I could have done with another lap!
At the 1st English championship race at Pendle I was suffering from a virus and was disappointed to finish 2nd. At the next 2 races though I came 1st U/18 and 1st U/20 as well which I was really pleased with.
I'll have a go at the World Trophy trial course in July although I guess it will be very hard to finish in the 1st 3.
Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved in the JTF for all your help. It is much appreciated.
Bye for now
Emma.

Niall Gould

Latest ... Just a little note to let you know how Niall went on in Ireland at the weekend. He had a good run and came in 3rd!! He wasn't too happy about the accommodation but he has had a good sleep last night and is having a rest tonight.
Thank you again for your support.
Wendy (Niall's mum)

Mary Wilkinson

Having just returned from the World Mountain Running Trophy in New Zealand I would like to take this opportunity to thank the JTF for the very generous support you provided to help me support my involvement in this event. The contribution was very gratefully received and really helped to reduce the personal financial burden I had to make. Thank you all very much.
The whole trip was an amazing experience and the competition proved very successful for me individually. I was extremely pleased to finish 4th out of 70 of the best mountain runners in the world at my first attempt. A result I could only have dreamt about before the event and provides a real motivation to train even harder and build on this achievement in the future.
Once again I would like to show my appreciation for your help and support.
Mary
PS full report Adobe PDF doc

here.

Alistair Brownlee

I just wanted to thank you for the grant the Foundation gave me to go to the World Trophy. The race didn't go as well as I had hoped and I came 27th but I enjoyed the experience a lot. I am most grateful for your support and it has given me a determination to do better next time. Full report MS Word doc

here

Dionne Allen

Thank you from Dionne Allen
I would to thank the John Taylor Foundation for their funding towards my trip to the World Mountain Trophy. I finished 12th I am really pleased with this as I have another 3 years in this age group plenty of time to improve. I really enjoyed the trip to New Zealand and learned a lot from the experience. I will write a report and send some photos.
Once again THANK YOU
Dionne Allen

A thank you from Blue Haywood

Thank you for the money, it will come in useful for fell running as all the races are so far away from us. When I got the money I went and bought a thermal top because sometimes I've been cold when running a race, like at the top of Latrigg.
I wore my new top to the High Riggs last weekend and I came 2nd girl in the U14. Although I came 2nd I was still pleased as I was over a minute faster that last year and I beat Rosie Stuart who beat me last year.
I went to Ilkley Moor this weekend to try out the Susa trials race course. Hopefully I will do well in the actual race next week, I will try my hardest, I love running at Ilkley.

Race Report, Susa Trials

I am just writing to tell you about the Susa trails at Ilkley Moor on Sunday. We got to Ilkley Moor at 10am and the course was lovely and dry but half an hour before the race it started pouring with rain. I stood on the starting line in my vest and shorts and before I ran I was drenched and it was still raining when we started.
I got boxed in at the start, so I had to catch up. I did but the time I was leading I was exhausted so I had to drop back. I was now coming 5th, I had to catch up, I made up for it. I then overtook: Amy McGivern, Dionne Allen, Rosie Stuart and I still had aura Park to catch up. Going up the steep accent I caught Laura up I then had to jog on the spot behind her. At the top Laura walked on the flat bit so I overtook her, I stayed in front all the way around the loop and halfway down the decent it started to get rocky. I began to get scared and she was right on my shoulder, she overtook me with about 300m to go. In the end I finished 2nd by 19 secs.
I am now going to Italy on the 24th June, which is really exciting.

Rosie Stuart

Latest update ... It's now the end of my season and I finished 2nd in the U14's English championship behind Blue and won the British Championship over in Ireland last weekend. I had a really good run over a very fast course which I didn't think was going to suit me with Amy McGivern chasing me all the way. All the team ran really well with lots of gold medals.
I'm looking forward to running in the U16's next year with the races being a little longer and hopefully there will be a lot of us competing. Thanks very much for your grant, it was a great help and I stayed drier this year!

Earlier news ... I'm now half way through my season and your grant has really helped me fulfil my ambitions so far. I have just been selected for the England team after running in the trial race at ilkley. I set off too fast and paid for it on the long flat part in the middle but managed to hold on for 5th to earn myself a place in Italy. At the 1st English championship race at Pendle I came 2nd behind Blue. I ran ok but suffered with a painful stitch and lost a minute or so on the flat run in. At the next race at Wrekin I ran better holding on to 2nd behind Blue after being chased down the road by Amy McGivern. The 3rd race was on home ground at my uncle's house in St John's in the Vale. A fellow Cumbrian Laura Park ran an amazing race to win by nearly a minute from Blue and finish 2nd in the boys race, with Blue 2nd and me 3rd. Overall I'm now lying 2nd in the championship and aiming to stay there although I guess Laura has other ideas!
Your grant has enabled me to travel more this year including to the English schools in Norwich were I stayed overnight, and also to train in comfort with new Walshes, thermals and a brilliant lightweight waterproof which I have needed a lot this year. Although I am not that fast at x country I ran a lot better than last year, winning the county championships, 3rd in the county schools, 5th in the North east inter counties and 64th in the English schools.
I am now looking forward to running well in Italy, I hope it has a really steep hill in the race. I will let you know how we all do. Many thanks to everyone for helping me get this far.
Love from Rosie.
PS. I've just knocked 21 seconds off my 1500m time from last summer today - 5.11 to come 2nd in the county schools.

Thank you from Pauline Stuart

Many thanks for Emma & Rosie's tee-shirts - they wore then in last weeks X country races in Keswick (and won!). Ken said that you rang to say they'd both been awarded a grant, which is brilliant news - Many, many thanks.

James Kevan

James Kevan is a promising young runner from Horwich RMI. Here are reports from some of his recent races ...

Wrekin race results. 10/4/05
I had a brilliant start in race however, I kept a fast pace for much too long and couldn't keep it up. I finished 6th U18. I was very disappointed with this result and hope to make a massive improvement for the next Championship race.

British College x-country finial 11/4/05
I started the race and was in about 40th position. I slowly moved up the field throughout the race where on the 3rd lap of 3, I was in 9th position. About 1000 metres before the finish I moved into 8th position where I stayed until about 30 metres to the finish line then I moved back down to 9th. I was the 1st North West runner back and we finished 3rd as a team. I was very pleased with my performance as last year I finished 33rd.

Chorley Park 5k 22/4/05
I started the race at a reasonable pace keeping up with the leading group. I had a really good race, keeping an even pace throughout the race. I stayed in the top 10 throughout the race. I finished the race in 9th position, and was 2nd Horwich H back. I was extremely pleased with this race as I broke my course time by 51 seconds, with a finishing time of 17:23. Photo right.

AAA 5k Horwich 26/06/05
Finished 65th overall, 5th JM. I am very pleased with this result as this was the very first road race I have done. I completed the course in 16.30. I feel that I could have performed better during the middle and end of the race if I hadn't set off so fast for the start.

English fell championship, Settle Hills 03/07/05
I had a very good run, start well and finished well. I finished 5th, which means I am now 5th in the championship. Ran the whole course well accept for the descent. I lost a lot of time as I descended much to slowly.

Astley Village 4mile, 06/07/05
Finished 18th overall, 1st JM in a time of 22.30.
I am very pleased with this result. I felt I preformed very well in this race keeping a steady pace throughout. I have learnt not to set off as fast after the AAA 5k.

Haigh hall 5mile, 13/07/05
Very good run, only 14 seconds slower than the previous Haigh hall race. I finished 4th overall, 2nd JM in a time of 27.44

Horwich jubilee 4mile, 20/07/05
Set off much to fast, my legs were dead after 2 miles, I finished 22nd overall, 3rd JM.
Although I set off to fast I still think I preformed very well as this has been a much bigger competitive field than my pervious races.

Uphill English Championships, 24/07/05
My best result ever!!!
1ST IN THE UPHILL ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP. New course record of 11.29. I broke it by 10 seconds. I was 18 seconds ahead of second place.
I had a really good race, I paced the start very well and kicked about 1k in to the race leaving me with 1.5k left to stay ahead of everyone. Felt really good, I was extremely pleased with my timing and pace throughout the race. English champion at last.
Link

John Heneghan

Extract (full report Adobe PDF doc

here):
Sunday morning bought with it rain. Having been assured that the course would be fine to race in flats the majority of people set of with these on there feet. After leaving good tracks after about five kilometres of racing I began to regret this decision, although most people seemed to be in the same boat, with people slipping and sliding around. The course was a tough one, and although mainly uphill did have some small technical descents, on which I generally made good ground on people (more as a result of there bad descending than good descending from me). The last kilometre was a nightmare, involving approximately 350m of climb at altitude which left me gasping for breath and with burning quads, but allowed me to overtake quite a few other runners and bought me in 37th. I was slightly disappointed with this result, having wished to finish in the top 30 somewhere, although I think this was probably due to my start being too steady.
Although slightly disappointed the race was a fantastic, and slightly humbling, experience running against some of the very best mountain runners in Europe, and was definitely worth the effort of getting there. The experience of running in such a stunning environment has given me a definite desire to want to travel to these European races again.
As I mentioned previously I found the weekend to be an excellent experience and I am extremely gratefully to the John Taylor Foundation for helping me to take part.
Many thanks
John Heneghan

Natalie White

2004 report

Having arrived back from Italy, I have had time to sit down and think about the whole experience.
The last time I spoke to John, we both had won the Thurlston Chase Fell Race. I asked him is he was running the World Trophy Trial for the uphill race in Innsbruck. He said he wasn't going to be doing them, as he said to be able to run and uphill race & compete at a good level in the Championships, you had to either be out in Europe and running the mountains all the time or to go out and try and acclimatise. So this is what I decided to try and do.
After running the Challenge Stellina in Susa, Italy, 2 weeks before the World Trophy, in which I ran a good race taking 4 mins 40 off last year's race time.
In the next week that followed, I think here is where my training went wrong. I left Susa on the Monday after the race on the Sunday and headed up to Sestriere, which lies at 2000m. But as I was feeling good, I decided to keep on training hard, but thinking back I should have takrn things easier and let my body recover after the race. I left Sestriere on the 1st September to Sauze d'Oulx & met up with the team on the 2nd Sept.
The day of the race, Saturday 4th September, was the hottest day of the year so far, with the temperature in the high 90's. I wasn't really prepared for the weather to be so hot, as the weather has not been too good when I was out there. The race started at 12.30 and the temp was getting even hotter. Once the race started it soon became apparent that there was nothing in my legs, but as the race went on the heat got more intense and I felt like dropping out, but I hadn't come all this way to drop out of this importance race.
I have now learnt form this valuable experience and it has changed my way of thinking about these types of races and hopefully anything that I have learnt from this experience, I can use for future training and racing.
I have also completed 4 of the 6 WMRA Grand Prix races this year in Molten, Italy, Susa, Italy, Bergen, Germany and Smarna Gora, Slovenia, where I accomplished my target of a top 10 placing, finishing 9th lady.
I really enjoyed travelling to all the races; they were very good, enjoyable but tough races and I am hoping to complete the Grand Prix series next year.
Once again I would like to thank the John Taylor Foundation fund for supporting me.

World Trophy 2003 in Alaska

Thanks from Barry Johnson, England Team Manager ...
On behalf of the FRA international committee and the England team selected for the World Trophy 2003 in Alaska I would like to say a very sincere thank you to the John Taylor Foundation for the support you have given the younger members of the team. Those members are Karrie Hawitt, Katie Ingram, Rachael Thompson, Mark Buckingham, Chris Doyle, Stuart Hunn, Robert Little, Natalie White, Simon Bailey and Andrew Symonds.
As you know, this year the costs of travelling as far afield as Alaska cast into doubt for a while the possibility of even entering a team. It has been an uphill task to put together an affordable package, and your contribution to the young team members has been of the greatest assistance. I am delighted that we have achieved our first goal of participating, and I am very hopeful that our team will do well. We have some very talented runners.
From my contact with John on the occasions I worked with him when he represented England I feel absolutely sure that he would have approved of the excellent work your are doing in supporting young runners in this way.

Thanks again from Barry Johnson ...
I would like to express my thanks, as Team Manager of the England team, which participated in the 2003 World Trophy in Alaska, for the support which the John Taylor Foundation gave to ten members of that team. For the first time since I have been team manager, the cost of taking a team to a World Trophy was so high that for a while it looked as if England would be unable to take part. We did eventually gather money together from a number of sources, but the athletes themselves were still required to make a considerable contribution. The amount was equal for all, and consequently the burden for the younger team members who are mostly students was particularity heavy. The grant, which you gave to them, was of the greatest benefit.
I feel sure that your will be please that Karrie Hawitt won the gold medal in the Junior Women's race, the junior women's team came home with the silver, and the Senior men, two of whom received help from you, also won the silver medal. I think you can feel proud that your grant has contributed to such excellent results, and I know that success in the World Trophy was important to John.
My sincere thanks once again.

Race report by Simon Bailey

This year's World Trophy in Alaska has been my most successful international event out of the thirteen I have competed in. All the top countries were there and we deservedly won the senior team silver medal. I was very surprised to finish in eleventh position, this has now given me the belief that I could, with a few more years and miles, perform at a higher standard in world mountain running. Once again I would like to thank the John Taylor Foundation for the funding and wish the foundation every success for the future.

Thanks from Alaska

A quick note to thank you for your support helping us towards the cost of the trip to Alaska. We have had a great time in Alaska and ran in heavy snowfall on Saturday - Mark 13th, Chris 21st, Stuart H 30th & Rob L 49th. The girls had excellent runs, Karrie 1st, Racheal 8th, Katie 23rd (2nd team). Ladies did well 6th team and men superb 2nd team.
Mark Buckingham, Chris Doyle, Stuart Hunn & Rob Little

This is the junior girls writing from Alaska! We would like to say a huge thank you for the sponsorship money which you kindly donated to us. It has been a fantastic help to all of us, and without this our trip may not have been possible. We have had an amazing time here; the hotel, food and people have been great. To make this trip even more successful, we achieved the silver team medal and to top this off, Karries was crowned the new World Champion!! Thank you so much again, your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Katie Ingram, Racheal Thompson, Karrie Hawitt

We've had a great time over here in the land of big white bears - unfortunately didn't have time to climb this mountain, but will be back one day. Thanks loads for the support.
Andy

Just a note to say thanks again for the support it's been a great experience & success.
Simon

Thanks for the support from the fund, have had a great time and a good race.
Nats

Reports

Chris Nash, Oct 2009

Katie Ingram, Sep 2009