45 replies to this topic

[Jogger]

On 31st Dec 2010 I set a new year's resolution that I would hand over the management of CoolRunning to someone (or something) else (refer here). I started CoolRunning with a mate in 1997 and he moved overseas in 2000. By about 2003 I decided I didn't want to keep managing CR by myself and I guess I have tried a few options out but it has taken me this long to get something sorted (I am an ultrarunner so have a lot of patience).

For those who were at the CoolRunning drinks in Sydney the other night you will know that I announced that Craig "Bellthorpe" would be organising CR from here onwards. He is a good bloke and has been helping out in an ever increasing way for the last couple of years. In fact he pretty much has been running it all for the last year by himself (with the great help of course from Janis the gear person).

It is pretty clear that he is the right person and I am just grateful that he is keen to be involved - I guess the last couple of years has been a good test and he has passed with flying colours.

He aims to keep the site pretty much as is, but as its a website and the web changes then CoolRunning will change from time to time, hopefully in a consistent way that we have been evolving into.

The only main difference is that we won't have a managing committee as such, Craig will run it by himself, but I will let him best explain how that will work - like a benevolent dictator, I think. There is no need to change the Admins and Moderators of the forums as we don't see any changes in that arena. We still very much want CoolRunning to be by grassroots runners for grassroots runners, sounds like a cliche but websites like this are quite a rarity these days. In the words of Caballo Blanco from the Born to Run book, "Running isn't about making people buy stuff, Running should be free, man" - that's the way I ran the site and that's how we'd like it to continue.

I expect that I will still hang around in some kind of handover capacity for a while yet and as I am pretty much a lifetime runner (first marathon 27 years ago) I will still contribute an old fart's views & opinions.

Many thanks for the great support that everyone has given me, particulary all the people that have helped me out the last few years!

Welcome Bellthorpe!

(looks like I made the new year's resolution with just day's to spare - w00t !)

[Tuttle]

Kevin,
Many thanks for all your hard work over the years.  You've made an amazing contribution to the Australian running scene & you've well and truly earned a break.
Craig has big shoes to fill, but I'm sure he'll do a fine job.
Cheers,
Chris

[Mick]

Thanks heaps Kev for all the effort you have put in over the years.

I know CR has helped me, not only in my running, but to make many new friends.

See you on the trail some time ...

[TynoMite]

Jogger, on 18 December 2011 - 02:01 PM, said:

like a benevolent dictator, I think.

Benevolent?
Is this some different Bellthorpe?  

[rohan]

Tuttle, on 18 December 2011 - 02:08 PM, said:

Craig has big shoes to fill, but I'm sure he'll do a fine job.

He's been trotting around in the shoes for a while now.  Over the last 18 months all my dealings with CR on a behind-the-scenes basis have been dealt with by Craig Bellthorpe.

Thankyou very much Kev for being the driving force for so many years.  Can understand why you wanted to step away though.  Don't disappear from the forums.

TynoMite, on 18 December 2011 - 02:37 PM, said:

Benevolent?
Is this some different Bellthorpe?  

Big amount of benevolence in taking on the job I reckon.

I hope it doesn't cramp his style on the forums too much.

[Tuttle]

rohan, on 18 December 2011 - 03:07 PM, said:

I hope it doesn't cramp his style on the forums too much.

Chiropractors beware!

[Spud]

Thanks Kevin, you are the 'Gordy Ainsleigh' of running websites in this country.
What a massive effort to keep it rumbling along for so long. Must admit I don't frequent the boards as much as I used to but
am very grateful you kicked this one off. I'm sure CR is in good hands with Bellthorpe.

Cheers

[Jimboy]

Thank you,Kevin,for the wonderful job you have done over many years,not just with CR.
Welcome to Bellthorpe,I enjoy his inputs,hope the responsibility does not mute his style.

[theturtle]

I am relatively new to Coolrunning, a year or so. It's an amazing place and has made a big impact on my running, and this has flowed through to my family and friends.

I dont think I could have been encouraged enough to have completed my first and second marathons without the support and shared wisdom from coolrunning.

Mate, take a rest and rest easy knowing you have done something really special and have left a wonderful legacy.....the Coolrunning site and the culture of the site. Always supportive and encourageing independant of your skills, experience or gifts in running.

Cheers

Mark, Dubbo

[walshy2]

thanks Kevin for getting such a great site up and keeping it going

[vat]

Tuttle, on 18 December 2011 - 02:08 PM, said:

Kevin,
Many thanks for all your hard work over the years.  You've made an amazing contribution to the Australian running scene & you've well and truly earned a break.
Craig has big shoes to fill, but I'm sure he'll do a fine job.
Cheers,
Chris

Yeah, Chris pretty much covered it right there.

[undercover brother]

Through CR Kevin has enriched many runner's lives.
No doubt Bellthorpe will continue on in this spirit.

[slowmo]

Thanks very much for all that you've done Kevin - much appreciated.

slowmo

[AndyP]

Well done and thanks, Kev.

Commiserations, Bellthorpe.

[nite_time_runner]

Thanks heaps Kev and good luck Bellthorpe!!!

[buzzlightyear]

Picture says a thousand word!

here it is - Two happy people. From one wonderful individual to another

Attached Files

•  clip_image002.jpg   32.88K   211 downloads

[Bellthorpe]

Well, this deal was a little while in the making, but as you can see from the photo, we've shaken hands on it, signed a beer-stained sheet of paper, and it's happened.

I cannot pay tribute enough to Kevin, who has made CoolRunning the best running site in the world today. From humble beginnings, it's the premier 'go to' site for runners, be they beginners, plodders, state/country/world record holders. Sprint or ultra, fun run or marathon, they're all here, making up a community that I value more each time I meet more of the members.

It's no wonder Kevin has wanted to hand it on for some time. It became all consuming for a while, and cut into family and personal time. There is a fair amount of behind the scenes work, and Kevin and I both pay tribute to the administrators, moderators and other staff who help keep this ship afloat.

You won't see any major changes. There are few items on the to do list, with the wiki near the top. This was always meant to be a site for runners by runners, and the wiki was an important aspect of that. Due to software issues that's no longer the case, but the way is now clear for that to work again. And it will.

This is probably a good time for y'all to add anything you want to a wish list. No promises, and there will always be competing priorities. But it's always important to know what the constituency think is important (and what's not).

Cheers,

Craig the Benevolent.

[Whippet gal]

Thanks Kevin for all your work on CR, and your commitment to making it a fantastic resource for runners as well as a social community. I know I owe CR a lot - not only for the advice and encouragement I've received over the years, but also because of the people I've met through the site.

Thanks also to Bellthorpe for carrying the CR baton on. All the best with it.

[sfGnome]

From Kevin the Marvellous to Craig the Benevolent. Looks like we continue in the best of hands!

[vat]

I should say, after my rather flippant earlier post (kinda didn't want to turn into a maudlin goodbye thing), that I do owe Coolrunning and Kevin a huge debt.  It was from here I got tips for my first race at the SMH Half in 2002, met so many people I'm proud to call friends and been able to share a fantastic journey.  As for Kev himself, I have so many great memories - the Berowra Fat Ass (and wandering lost in the bush for half an hour), coming back from a Six Foot Track training run with Dawn and others in the Nimbus with the girls prattling on in the third row.

I know at a personal level that CR and Kev have been profoundly positive influences on me at a personal level, learning much about myself in the process and achieve things nigh on unthinkable a few years prior.  To Kev - thank you, I'm sure that many like me have been motivated and driven as a result of the work you have done here - and to Craig - you "get" it, the CR thing.  It's good to see it stay "in house".

We're in good hands here.

[Horrie]

Thanks Kev for sharing your passion of grass roots running with us. Like Vat, I learnt a lot in my early running days from here and have made a lot of good friends and a few enemies along the way. I can say unequivocally that I wouldn't be half the runner I am today without this site. Now it is time for Kev to spend more time with family and running.

Bellthorpe, I know we are in good hands as you share that same passion.

[42junkie]

Thanks Kevin. Coolrunning has made a huge difference to my running life and also to my time with Ultramag.

Best of luck Craig.

[Whippet Man]

I always find it amazing how CR has shaped so many lives. For the better. What a fantastic legacy you have created Kev and I am sure Bellthorpe will keep that going.

Next new year resolution should include some feeding of that rat.

[SlowManiac]

Also have to add my thanks - CR started me off on an amazing journey that was totally unexpected. I never thought in a million years I would be a runner, let alone do some of the races I have done.

Also, Kevin has organised some brilliant Fat Ass runs, hopefully we'll see some more of those!

[Ultraphil]

Kev,

Well done on the great work you have done with Coolrunning over the years. You also taught me some lessons about the finer points of the internet a few years ago!...but thats in the past!      Im sure Belthorpe will continue the fine tradition!

[Martin Dugdale]

Thanks Kevin and welcome Bellthorpe
as others have said, this site has changed my life for the better

[Huff]

Thanks Kev,
this site has been the main reason i am still motivated and running today some 4 years after getting back into it.

[mgi11a]

Kev, a big thanks for all you have done, and a big thanks for CR.
Through CR I have met so many fantastic people, without it there is no way I would have walked up to a bunch of random strangers at a race and introduced my self, then start chatting like long lost pals.
What you have created is indeed something special.

Cheers

mgilla

All the best BT with the new roll.

[run2work]

Thanks Kev and Bellthorpe for what you have done, doing and will do for this place for runners to discuss the many and varied aspects of our sport.

For me it has added the community dimension to my running when that aspect was waxing and waning in Dubbo.

Thanks again.

r2w

[greydove]

Many thanks from me as well, Kev. Coolrunning is a rare forum in not condoning swearing, belittling and other such rubbish, but instead encouraging mutual support. Its a pleasure (or a compulsion?) to open each day for an information top-up.

Without Coolrunning I would surely have been injured through ignorance, & given up.
Of course without Coolrunning I might have more time to be out running!!!

Anyway, you've done a fantastic job, and I wish you well in your new freedom.

Bellthorpe, thank you for taking up the yoke, and judging by your posts I am confident you will wear it well.

greydove

[FakePlasticTrees]

You look away for little while and what happens... somebody else is running the chicken coop. Good to hear that Kev is finally getting to break from the site and have a well deserved rest. Though from what I understand Kevin doesn't really know how to rest. Bellthorpe, best of luck and hope things run smoothly for you and I guess us.

[ratdog]

Well what can be said?

Kevin well done for starting this wonderfully welcoming site and developing it into what it is today, A vibrant knowledgeable community of like minded people. Thanks for your years of work to get it to this stage and be proud of this achievement.

Bellthorpe,
thanks for taking the mantle and Im sure you will continue the service for years to come.  

Thanks to you both for bringing together strangers who become friends.

Edited by ratdog, 21 December 2011 - 11:12 PM.

[TFive]

Thanks Kevin. Welcome Bellthorpe .

[Anne Victor]

Kevin, thank you for the huge contribution that you have made to the running community over such a long period of time. I know that we all appreciate it very much. Congratulations on finally being able to implement a good succession plan.

Bellthorpe, I know that you have worked very hard over many months on this seamless transition and that CR will continue to be a great success. I'm sure all the chiropractors will be feeling very reassured by your change of moniker (Craig the Benevolent) too.  
Kind regards,
AV

[shark]

Kev - well done and sincere thanks

Bellthorpe - thanks for taking it on

s

[twosheds]

Thanks for your enormous contribution kev and i cant think of a better successor
twosheds

[FlyingFossil]

Can someone ask Bellthorpe if he'd like to take over the NZ site as well  

[SpartaJen]

Thank you Kevin for all that you have done for the site over the years. I'm so pleased that you have now finally handed it over & get on with your plans.

As for Bellthorpe, I have the absolute pleasure of dealing with him for my own business. CoolRunning is now in exceptional hands.

[Bellthorpe]

FlyingFossil, on 23 December 2011 - 07:54 AM, said:

Can someone ask Bellthorpe if he'd like to take over the NZ site as well  

I was rather thinking that Transitions might be a better takeover target ...

[thomo]

Bellthorpe, on 23 December 2011 - 08:43 PM, said:

I was rather thinking that Transitions might be a better takeover target ...

I would reconsider that one.

P.S The owner hasn't considering any offers previously.

[Bellthorpe]

Well it all depends on how much she offers me ...

[Peterhorse]

i hope BT can do something about the subscription cost :-)

thanks Kevin for doing such a fantastic job... CR is still one of 2-3 sites i check almost every day.

hats off to anyone that gives their time to make this site what it is... you're very generous people!!

cheers

PH

[David C]

Kevin, thanks for all that you have done for the running community - both with coolrunning and the 6FT.

David

[DoggieDoctor]

Just another of the many who can thank CR for the knowledge base that it has brought to me. I have learnt so much from all the wonderful people here. I was only casually interested in what was involved in training for a marathon when I googled CR. I had just run a 15 km fun run, longest distance ever, when someone suggested doing GC HM. Well I thought I might try that but got my first ever running injury on the way. Turned to CR for a diagnosis. Since then I have on separate occasions had MRIs, nerve conduction studies, physio, chiro (I just had to try it BT) spent up big on shoes, socks, bandages, lotions, nurofen etc have run 5marathons, numerous HMs and I blame it all on CR and Kevs idea for a website. If Kevin hadn't produced this little time waster, I'd still be an overweight couch potato. So thank you Kevin. Your hardwork and forethought is very much appreciated.

[Owly]

In 2003 I hated running.  

In late 2003 I found myself mysteriously running to the gym (I blame my poor time-management) and then I found myself running home from the gym... then I cancelled the gym membership and shuffled around the streets instead.  I met a guy who was an exercise specialist for a weight loss company I was working for and I asked him for advice about running programs.  He suggested cool running.  I looked, freaked out... it's a whole other language!  and then didn't look again till 2004 when I decided on an IMPOSSIBLE goal.  To RUN the City2Surf.  In June 2004 I joined CR and posted my first question about training programs and was answered by Sparkie (among others) with some unintelligible goobledigook about intervals, fartlek, thresholds and other such nonsense.  Bit by bit I started to learn the language from people on this site.

In March 2005 I attended my first CR drinks night at the James Squire and I met LuckyLegs, JenRuns (aka SpartaJen), Sparkie, Mister G, Vat (formerly known as Vatman) Horrie, Blue Dog, Bernie G and many others who I'd chatted to online.  I'm pretty sure I also met Kevin there.  It was a bit like meeting royalty.

I met Bellthorpe at Gold Coast marathon that same year I think.  BT had always been kind to me despite my unfortunate habit of attending a chiropractor and hilarious on the message boards.

Without CR I would not be still running.  I know that for sure and for certain.  Without CR I would not have made so many wonderful friends and accomplished more than I thought I could... more even than running City2Surf!  LOL

Kevin I know how ready you were to hand over and I believe Craig will do a great job.  Congratulations to both of you and although I don't visit the boards like I used too (due to that other pesky time-waster - Facebook) I still value this site highly and recommend it to novice and experienced runners alike.

[Twopennys]

Thanks Kevin - I've been a CR fringe-dweller for a long time. I've never had anything but deep respect for the work Kevin has done for no other reward than the knowledge of the assistance the site has provided to others and the legacy he has created. Few people on this planet toil for such rewards alone.

Cheers, 2P