(scroll down for the latest events covered)
Despite having my hopes for good things in my 2018 racing dashed at the end of the season, and after a 2017 season taken away by injury, I was still optimistic for 2019.
I was reluctant to make big plans for the year, however, and I was right not to do so. This has probably been my most painful, illness and injury-racked, disappointing year of my Masters Athletics career. When it went, it went well, but after a succession of "on-off, on-off" adjustments to my diary, I bowed to the inevitable in July, and simply abandoned all further plans for the year.
(The photo above was kindly sent to me by my friend and fellow masters athlete, Peter Davey. It's the first strides of that fateful British Masters 100 metres final in August 2018. That's me in the middle. It's there as a reminder to me about making plans!)
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SCVAC Indoor Championships, Lee Valley,
Sunday 10 February 2019
These Championships were once again the scene of my return to racing after injury! I was second in the 200 metres, but beaten by a guest athlete, so got the gold. Not long after, I ran a very pleasing 60 metres, winning by a big margin in a fast time. What's more, I went home with two gold medals and no injuries!
I chose not to take my camera to the event, as it would have been a distraction from my priority, which was to get my race head working again. However, Craig Beecham took some excellent photos. These are at https://www.mpd.photography/-/galleries/sports/athletics and include a few other events Craig has photographed.
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UK Masters Inter Area Match, Lee Valley,
Sunday 24 February 2019
From my perspective, this was rather a lack-lustre day's activity. I messed up my 60 metres start and could only get a third place - albeit in a faster time than my race two weeks previously. We also fielded an under-strength relay squad for another third place.
I did, however, get a set of pretty good photos in the gaps between my events. I missed a lot, of course, but you try it some time, eh?
There are 229 photos in my gallery.
Click here for the photos.
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British Masters Indoor Championships 2019, Lee Valley,
Saturday 9 March and Sunday 10 March 2019
No complaints from me about this weekend. I went hoping to make the M60 60 metres final and race without injury. To my surprise, I qualified from the heats as the fastest athlete, winning my heat in my fastest 60 metres time for a while! I didn't quite hold that glory for the final, but finished third in a close race. I only made the B final for Sunday's 200 metres, but won it, and finished 4th overall on the times between the A and B finals. Nice end to my short indoor season this year.
I stuck to my promise to leave the camera very much alone when preparing for and waiting for my races. It was tough. As a result, I have no photos of the hurdles or the 60 metres on the Saturday morning, and very little of the 200 metres on Sunday morning, nor of other events that were going on at that time. Nevertheless, I was quick enough back into camera action to shoot the race immediately following mine!
There's pretty good coverage of most of the rest of the action indoors other than that.
Click here for Saturday's photos.
Click here for Sunday's photos.
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World Masters Indoor Championships, Torun, Poland
Late March 2019 - An apology
I didn't enter the World Masters Indoors in Torun. Pertly, the reason was that I had photographic work elsewhere in the days immediately prior to the Championships, so I chose not to attend.
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SCVAC Championships 2019, Abingdon
Saturday 25 May 2019
It's a wonder that I took any photographs at all at this year's SCVAC championships. Ten days before the event, I had suffered a recurrence of back trouble that has plagued me for over 30 years, off and on. I nearly didn't travel to Abingdon, and when I did, I spent more than an hour trying to talk myself out of competing. In the end, I failed to do that, and came home with two gold medals! The photos here were all taken before I began warming up. I was too busy later to take any more.
Click here for the photos.
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UK Masters Inter Area Match, Coventry,
Saturday 6 June 2019
A lack-lustre event, held at a new venue that sadly failed to breathe life into an old format which has perhaps out-lived its place on the annual calendar. I raced at this meeting, but I didn't take any photographs.
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British Masters Championships 2019, Birmingham,
Saturday 10 August and Sunday 11 August
If you've been following the ups and downs of my running health this year, it won't surprise you to learn that I didn't make it to Birmingham, either as an athlete or as a photographer. You can read the latest on my late July blog, here.
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European Masters Championships, Lido di Jesolo, Italy,
September 2019
Following on from the entry above, you'll understand why I will also have no photos from this year's European Masters Championships.
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