April 2010 newsletter

• Committee news
• Cape Kidnappers Team Challenge Dec 2009
• Staples Rodway Cape Challenge Dec 2009
• A Cape Kidnappers Stroll
• Injuries
• Triple Peaks Challenge 2010
• Blood Donations
• Is the Exercise Cool-Down Really Necessary ?
• Saint Patrick's Day
• Granny's Apple Cake
• A Smile

From your Editor (by Gerard van de Ven)

Welcome to the first issue of your 2010 Run Walk Hawke’s Bay newsletter. On getting this newsletter together I had to look up something in one of our previous ones and that reminded me that we started all this now 5 years ago. May 2005 was the first newsletter in this new series. And it has been at lot of fun, hard work from time to time, but mostly fun to get together and see that it really was appreciated by so many of you.

This is the 15th newsletter since then (we had 3 each year, except for 2008, when we had only 2), and there have been a lot of changes. Not so much in types of articles in there: there is a variety of stories, but still mostly about events that we as members participate in. No, the biggest change is you. Indeed. What has changed is that I had to write a significant portion of the articles in the beginning, but you have all come to the party over time and are writing more and more. And that is really good.

This issue could be the first one where I have not written any article at all. What I am particularly pleased about this time is the contribution from our Hastings members. And a big thanks to Dale Dudman for getting this of the ground. It is really fantastic to see this happening.

Reading the articles in this number did make me wonder though if I am a member of a running/walking club or of extreme athletes. The Cape Kidnappers Challenge especially reads like a bit of a torture tour, only to end of course with an “already looking forward to next year’s event”. Well good on you. I think I would like to sleep on it a bit.

We have new committees in both branches, including two new club captains and also a new club president. All three have written to you in their new role. Be sure to read their words.
I would like to thank all committee members for being willing to take on their tasks and wish you a lot of leadership this year.

We also have a couple of articles from “Race Walking Contact magazine”, one about donating blood close to a race date and one about cool downs. I wish you a lot of fun reading this new newsletter.