RACE REPORTS 2018
Not a race I’ve ever thought of doing before, but a good friend asked if I fancied it so I thought why not. Starting at the Standedge Tunnel entrance in Marsden, runners are directed mostly off-road up & over the tunnel to the other end at Diggle. The route is about 4.5 miles long - provided you don’t go wrong.
The day itself was beautiful,. There was another event on at the Marsden end, a yoga festival, so there were lots of different stalls to have a look at before starting the race. It was also Yanks Weekend in Saddleworth, so there was plenty to see & do upon finishing. The race started at approximately 11am as the nose of the barge entered the tunnel. I was told before the race that the barge actually takes at least 2 hours to get through, so even walking you could beat it…
Tom McGuinness took an early lead, with me tailing him. After the 1st bit of climbing he missed a turn, of course I naturally followed as did 3 or 4 others. What an error. As we had dropped down a hill we now had another hill to ascend & as we were only 1K in, the field hadn’t spread massively, so when we got back on course I must have been about 20th. To make it worse we then had to cross 3 stiles in quick succession, which we couldn’t leap as people were queuing to get over them. At this point I thought that was it, I was never going to medal or even get in the top 10. Tom & I kept overtaking more & more runners. Eventually, approaching 5K, I stopped overtaking people. I knew that Tom was ahead (naturally) & started to wonder how many more. At this point the race is all downhill so I let my legs carry me as fast as they would allow.
As I passed through the last gate & onto Boat Lane I knew the end wasn’t too far. I darted down until I got to the Diggle Hotel & gave it everything as I ran round to the canal & the finish. Unbelievably, I found that there was only Tom there, so despite the mess up & covering an extra little climb I’d managed to finish 2nd. I was presented with a medal which doubles up as a bottle opener, a great duel use. We also got to see the Lancaster fly over as we enjoyed a pint at the Diggle Hotel. A great morning out.
This race is well worth doing & tickets are on sale
already for next year. I would recommend signing up now, as all the 'early bird'
tickets have already gone & the event sells out every year. There's a free pint &
chip butty at the end! [Jarrod Gritt]
After the last few weeks of hot weather, the days leading up to Riverside suggested it was cooling down a bit, which for many of us was probably very welcome. However, come race day the sun started to shine again & the humidity rose. Whilst it would normally make for a lovely day, the prospect of running 10 miles in it seemed a little daunting.
Most RRRs were on the coach, as per normal with an 'away' race. I myself wasn’t, however I imagine there were plenty of shenanigans, but as the saying goes ‘what goes on tour stays on tour’.
I arrived early but was soon greeted by the coachful of RRRs. As usual we put out the most runners in the race (34). I was also told, having not done this race before, that the route had changed from previous years, making it much flatter, following two out-&-back stretches. I find this format is quite motivating as on the 'back' leg you get a lot of support from those on the 'out' & having such a big team of runners only enhances this.
On the 1st (shorter) leg Rob James quickly slotted in behind the race leader while I hung back a little, keeping my own pace. For the first couple of miles I overtook about 5 or 6 runners & could still see the lead cyclist, with about 7 runners ahead of me. After completing the 1st out-&-back loop I crossed the bridge to start the 2nd, longer loop. I could see that I was slowly gaining on the runner in front of me & knew that I could reel him in. For the next mile or so I slowly gained on him, until eventually I caught up with him. At this point I had no idea which position I was in as the path was much more winding. Just as I had caught the runner ahead of me I saw the lead runner on his return leg. That couldn’t be right, I knew the turnaround point was at about 7.5 miles. I knew he was fast, but surely he couldn’t have that much distance on me, especially as I couldn’t see Rob approaching with him? Then I realised he was jogging with little pace & had dropped out.
After starting to open a gap on the runner I had just passed, a marshal informed me that I was now in 5th place. As I reached the turnaround point I was starting to feel the heat & in my head I was starting to think I wouldn’t make it back. Luckily on the return I had a stream of runners coming in the opposite direction. Supportive words from many RRRs really helped me to keep my head in it. For the last 2 miles or so it was really tough, as the shade disappeared & the sun was beating down. As I was approaching the path leading to the bridge, around a kilometre from the end, I passed June Allingan & just behind her Angela Rogowskyj. At his point I felt in bits, but with a final few motivational words & a quick glance at my watch I knew the finish line was close. The runner ahead of me seemed to stay exactly the same distance away all along the return leg. I paid no attention to who was behind me, as I knew if there was someone close it would put me off. I tried to quicken my pace just in case there was someone approaching. As I crossed the bridge Simon Howard was there to clap everyone in just 200m or so from the finish. As I crossed the line I had never been more grateful for a bottle of water.
Rob had won the race & in doing so set a course record of 56:30 as the 1st winner on the new course, one that is well deserved. I was just over 2 minutes behind in 58:52, which given the heat I was happy with. Next home was father-to-be Shane Reading (3rd MV40) in 1:04:24. This clinched an RRR team victory in a close battle with Preston Harriers.
There was a similarly close battle between Dave Peart (2nd MV50, 1:05:11) & Mick Wildbore (1:05:12) which must have made an exciting race for the pair. In the ladies race Janet Jobey continued her fine form to finish 2nd lady & 1st FV45 (1:14:43), with this victory confirming her as the 2018 RRR Ladies Champion with 6 races yet to come.
As ever we had some notable age category performances, including Rob Nixon (2nd MV60, 1:13:19), Teresa Hollins (1st FV60, 1:25:47), Gail Shaw (3rd FV50, 1:31:10) & of course our president June Allingan (1st FV75, 2:05:02) a fantastic achievement! Rob even got a spot prize for 'best beard'.
All the other RRR finishers: Angela Rogowskyj (2:06:43), Sally
Crewe (1:56:04), Martina Naismith (1:43:16), Claire Timms (1:39:13), Elaine
Whitehead (1:36:02), Jillian Heywood (1:35:36), Jill Hickson (1:34:48), Chris
Nicholson (1:34:14), Phil Austin (1:28:54), John Fay (1:28:30), Martin Jones (1:27:21),
Helen Radcliffe (1:24:26), Elliott Stone (1:23:06), Vikki Smith (1:22:38),
Jason Keast (1:21:17), Steve Goddard (1:19:40), Nick Mallon (1:19:24), David
Crewe (1:15:35), Dave Hall (1:11:46), Robert Kellett (1:11:04), Bernard Goodwin
(1:09:56), David Emanuel (1:08:44), Carl O’Callaghan (1:08:35) & Ian Dale
(1:08:08).
Next up, the inaugural Hopwood Trot! [Jarrod Gritt]
Grab yourself a brew - this is quite a long race report!
The last weekend in July saw the Ultra Tour of the Lake District, which has 2 races – The Lakeland 100 (which is actually 105 miles) & The Lakeland 50 (which is exactly 50). This was my 3rd attempt at the latter race & I was hoping to get somewhere between my previous 2 attempts with time - but races of this length are more about finishing than setting any PBs.
The recent glorious weather, that had been in the UK since early June, saw plenty of questions on Facebook asking whether we really needed to carry everything on the lengthy kit list. The weather gods were definitely observing these Facebook pages, but more of that later!
Arriving in Coniston just after lunchtime on Friday allowed plenty of time to pitch my tent & get through the kit check, which for this race is very thorough. This may seem fussy, but runners are self-sufficient for the whole event with the exception of checkpoints & the marshals obviously knew what was coming over the weekend! The rest of Friday was spent chilling in the glorious sunshine in a variety of Coniston pubs (no alcohol, which is quite an achievement!) & lounging outside my tent enjoying the weather. It would have been perfect, except for the little outing I was about to undertake.
I didn’t even need to look out of the tent on Saturday morning to check the weather, as the battering it had taken during the night told me what I'd find. The Lakeland 50 finishes at Coniston, so after a bacon butty for breakfast I hopped on the bus to Dalemain estate. I just couldn’t believe I was in 4 or 5 layers trying to keep warm & keep my race kit dry. However after arriving at Dalemain the rain started to ease off, so maybe the forecast was wrong.
I actually started the race wearing just a T-shirt - but not for long. After completing the short loop of the estate, the race starts for real & heads for Pooley Bridge at the far end of Ullswater. It then climbs out of the village & heads up towards the old Roman road alongside the lake. The rain became so torrential on this climb that my waterproof coat had to come out & it never went away for the rest of the race. Once the short climb is completed there is a great section which is fairly flat & runnable, although this is probably helped by only having completed about 7 or 8 miles at this point. I reached the 1st checkpoint (CP) in a very similar time to last year but feeling quite strong. On previous ultras I feel I have spent too much time in CPs, so I had decided pre-race to go for less CP-faffing. So straight in & out, although I made sure I had full water bottles, as the next CP is nearly 10 miles away & it's quite a tough leg. I bumped into a great friend of mine from Swansea, who I met on Snowdonia Marathon a few years ago - we keep meeting on events like this, although this was her first Lakeland 50.
The next section is the climb up Fusedale, a never-ending ascent which takes runners to the highest point of the race. It’s one of those routes that just goes on & on & on…This was where the pre-race questions about kit requirements were answered. About halfway up there is a ruin of a building & before reaching it not only were we having torrential rain, but the weather gods also sent fierce winds & hailstones. I sheltered in the building for a couple of minutes to put on an extra base layer & waterproof trousers. In fact, to show how the weather compared to previous races, these trousers have never been worn previously & have just sat in the bottom of my pack!
After finally reaching the top of Fusedale the route goes across High Kop & Low Kop before dropping to Haweswater. Then the runners take the lengthy technical track along the side of Haweswater, which was proving quite slippy with the weather of the last few hours. At least by now the hailstones had stopped, but there was still plenty of rain. A couple of miles before the CP there were some huge crashes of thunder & lightning was clearly visible looking towards Mardale Head where the CP was based. I was quite relieved to have run without poles, as I wouldn’t imagine they mix well with lightning, but at least I was at a lower point of the race at this point.
Another quick stop at the next CP, although I was happy to remove my waterproof pants & allow my legs to breathe (not my best decision!). Then I started the huge climb up Gatescarth, which is an uphill mile on a winding path with about 1,500 feet of climb. I was really happy with my performance at this time & knew I was about 20 minutes quicker than last year at this point. My legs were feeling good, even though I was just under halfway. The route then drops a similar descent but is still tricky as the terrain is quite technical, so I didn’t want to push down the hill too quickly. I was surprised about halfway down to bump into a friend of mine supporting - on long routes a familiar face is extremely welcome.
Eventually I reached the checkpoint at Kentmere (27 miles) where I refulled with pasta, so this was a slightly longer rest. The route then continues to Ambleside, although it tends to use the hilliest route possible. This is one of the highlights of the race as there are so many people around giving runners encouragement. Unfortunately, running down the final hill into Ambleside I felt a twinge in my knee which by the time I left the CP was quite painful. I realised at this point that there was no way I was going to be able to continue running, but this is where ultra runners have a totally different mindset. I focused on the T-shirt & medal. There was no way I was becoming a DNF statistic, so I decided even though it would be slow, I would walk the rest of the race. It was only 16 miles!
By the time I reached the next CP at Chapel Stile I was feeling rather wiped out, but I had taken strong painkillers & kept on moving. The rain was torrential again & it was extremely windy, but every step was a step nearer Coniston. As I worked my way past Blea Tarn I encountered a 100 runner coming towards me - he had fallen asleep & was lost. I navigated him through the next section, as it is quite tricky and technical, plus it was dark at this point. I didn’t want him to miss the unmanned CP, as that result in disqualification, but after getting him there I left him & continued with my race.
I reached the final CP at Tilberthwaite feeling shattered but knowing I could finish. At this point there are only just over 3.5 miles to go, but this includes a technical climb so I was still expecting it to take a couple of hours. By this point my knee pain was agonising but the end was in sight. In a bizarre way I really enjoyed this section as I navigated over the Coniston fells in pitch darkness & at no point did I feel lost! After negotiating the fells I walked down to the road past the Coppermines & hobbled home to finish in 16 hours 55 minutes, a full 44 minutes quicker than last year. Ideally I'd wanted a sub-16 hour finish, but considering the problems with my knee I was absolutely delighted with sub-17. I will be certainly returning in 2019 as long as I can negotiate the tricky entry process - the race usually fills in about 5 minutes.
Given the conditions I would definitely put this down as the toughest race I’ve done & with the unbelievable scenery it still ranks in my mind as the best ultra around. It isn’t just the awesome views but the whole organisation of the event, from checkpoints to the whole weekend, is 2nd to none.
If anybody wants to join me next year,
entry opens at 9.00am on Saturday 1st September (and inevitably closes very soon afterwards). [Simon Howard]
INGLEBOROUGH FELL RACE - 21st JULY 2018
The Run the Moors Grand Prix mixes up the races chosen each year, just like our own club championship & they are spoilt for choice given that 'fell' describes high ground covering the Pennines, Peak District, Lake District & Yorkshire Dales, with dozens of races throughout the season. The Ingleborough 11K was not included last year & this race was a first for Jason, Neil, Barry & I. Also, I think, for Rob who had brought family in tow - literally, as they had rocked up in the family caravan.
The race starts in the middle of the sports field, as a featured event on the day of Ingleton’s Village Gala. Neil was strong-armed into paying an admission as well as his race fee, whilst the rest of us unwittingly bunked in. The race goes up through the main street of the village & after 400 meters turns right off the road onto the public footpath, up to the summit of Ingleborough - the 2nd-highest mountain in the Dales at 723m (2,372ft) & one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The top of the mountain is unusual as it resembles a cone with its top sliced off. "Best mountain to be rescued from, as the helicopter can land on it!" joked Barry.
You climb from the get-go & even the race leaders have to walk for the greater part of the ascent. The route resembles less a path but rather a steeply-inclined dry river bed with irregular, sharp, & overhanging energy-sapping rocks to negotiate. About 40 minutes into the race we middling runners had to give way to a landslide of the fastest runners coming back down at speed, following different trajectories both on & either side of the path. I got a bit fed up of having to constantly break what rhythm I had to give way to these runners not making eye-contact or acknowledging me. I saw Rob & Barry go past me, but missed Neil. I crossed paths with Jason nearer the summit on a ledge above me, looking down to where he was going to put his feet next.
Providing you had some life left in your legs & were able to summon up a degree of recklessness, the descent was a blast, with the proviso that it did seem to be a further distance coming back than the outward section. I think that by hurtling down the steep bits you felt you had covered more ground on the horizontal than you actually had. At the finish you go straight down a steep embankment back into the field & the continuing gala.
Our finishing times: Rob James (4th place, 51:02); Barry Greaves (1st V60, 66:27); Neil Brock (74:12), Jason Keast (77:34) & Gary Smith (85:19)
"Where’s my medal?" exclaimed Bernadette as she swerved my embrace at the end of this half marathon & headed for the motley huddle of tents & the pile of medals being handed out by a girl that had missed the pre-race briefing to smile & congratulate the runners. The tables in the tent weren’t exactly groaning under the weight of much else to give out to the finishers - just some Freddo chocolate bars that probably were bought cheap (short-dated?). It was one of those events I’m afraid where most of the expense had been spared by the organisers.
After missing the online entry deadline ("You had one
thing to do!"), I had then failed to get to the cashpoint, so we parked up on the
other side of Fairhaven Lake & walked the long way round, not knowing if they
would take plastic or not. The guy in the trailer was able to do this using his
phone, but he couldn’t offer any change to two others who wanted to pay cash, with
the unhelpful advice for them to find a cashpoint - the nearest of which was 2
miles away in the town centre. So dear RRR readers, advice is not to leave
paying for a race until the last minute, which I know a lot of you don’t.
Nobody else from the club had said they were going to this event, so just when Bernadette & I had started our umpteenth conversation about how hot it was going to be, we were surprised to see Neil Brock sprinting past us doing his 'warm up' (for a half marathon on one of the hottest days of the year!). He was shouted to stop & come back for the obligatory photo of the 3 of us.
The route involves a lap of the park, out to the end of the road, then back along same & onto the promenade to & beyond the windmill, before turning around & doing the circuit again. It is certainly the flattest course I have raced on. You could have put a marble down on any part of it & it wouldn’t have rolled anywhere. I got ahead of the 2-hour pacer but shouldn’t have reassured the Rochdale Tri guy with me - whose fastest time to date at this distance was 1:58 - that he was going to 'smash it', as the pacer soon accelerated & went past us both. Neil later said that the 1:30 pacer had also had to speed up, leaving behind the runners that had been with him. They had been using the course distance signs for reference & some had evidently been put up in the wrong place.
Going around the 2nd time, you had to dodge the day-trippers who’d finally managed to find
a space to park their cars & were now wandering along the promenade, not
having a clue that there was a half-marathon in progress.
Our finishing times: Neil Brock 1:31:55, Bernadette Ball 2:30:22, Gary Smith 2:03:50.
Although Neil had been warned that on-the-day entrants wouldn’t get a medal, Bernadette did get hers. Hell have no fury like a woman deprived of her race bling!
OK, I have been a bit mealy-mouthed with this report, but I think that for £20 (£25 on the day) the organisers could have spent a bit more on the runners. [Gary Smith]
THE ROYTON TRAIL - 12th JULY 2018
Well some things don’t change - there’s Race Director Bryan's Oakleys pushed up on top of his head, Race Director hi-viz on & megaphone in hand, whilst the other Brian was safely ensconced in his usual place in the tap room. But something was different, as the start was moved back up the slope from the motorway bridge to outside the pub itself. David Emanuel explained to me that this put the race start in the same place as the race HQ to simplify administration & communication, plus "you avoid the mad dash round the 1st corner". "A 'mad dash' for the 1st corner," I mused: There are 2 running planets & I’m from the one that doesn’t do a 'mad dash' to the 1st corner.
There were 70 RRRs in the regulation green & yellow, which was down on previous years, but as this number is more than most running clubs’ full membership we still had other runners looking on in awe as the clan was brought together for the club photo call. That photo shows that the club membership is indeed a moving feast as we had several making The Royton Trail their 1st-ever RRR championship race: Warren Siddall (47:31), Mark Phelan (47:45), Matthew Fitton (48:41) & Nikki Forster (1:05:37). For some other RRRs - Ray Williams (48:54), George Meynall (53:41), Peter Boulton (57:34) & Joanne Webb (1:01:46) - it was a 1st club race of the year, while Phil Austin (53:04) was completing his 10th club race. They all joined over 240 runners keen to tackle the country lanes & woodland paths in the under-threat green belt of land between Oldham & Rochdale. The recent very hot & dry weather had completely rid the course of any puddles & mud, but had turned slightly cooler this evening, making for more ideal running conditions.
Once again Rob James blazed a trail home to cross the finish line 1st in 31:34, almost a minute clear of Michael Mannings of Oldham & Royton Harriers. Rob thus regained the title he won in 2016. A hard-fought women’s race was won by Kay Welsby of Rochdale Harriers. The men’s team prize - awarded to the club with the 3 best-placed runners - saw Royton’s Rob James, Jarrod Gritt (33:39) & Michael Wildbore (35:48) narrowly beat the top Salford Harriers trio, reversing last year’s result & giving us victory for the 1st time since 2015. Rochdale Harriers claimed the women’s team award for the first time, breaking a long-running streak by RRR.
Last year Ray Williams sprinted past me at the finish & this year we were once again seemingly joined at the hip running down the final straight back to the pub. Thinking that I had edged it over Ray, Tony Kane (48:48) sprinted past me on the other side – if you’re old enough to remember Wacky Races, it was just like that! Next year I may risk a glance over both the left & right shoulder for that final 100m 'mad dash'!
If you stayed for the presentation you’d have seen the Salford trio surround Bryan like Colombian footballers, questioning how they lost the male team prize, you’d have wondered what Prestwich AC runners had been smokin’ when their runners came up for their prizes & you’d have seen RRR ex-President David Phillips (50:58) collect a well-earned 1st MV70 prize.
Whilst there are quite a few running couples in the club, we run our separate ways when the race starts, with the faster partner only running alongside the slower if either injured or just not feeling it that day. It was great therefore to see Angela (1:12:48) & Stephen Rogowskyj (1:12:49) run into the finish funnel together, just as they had done at the Rochdale 10K the week before. Fab! Well done to both of you!
No matter where competitors finished in the race, there were enough tasty sandwiches laid on for everyone to enjoy with their post-race refreshment in the Tandle Hill Tavern afterwards.
Finally, let’s put on record a big thank you for those that responded to Mary Freer’s plea for volunteers, covering roles such as course marking, lead bike, tail bike, tail runner, marshal coordinator, marshal, registration team, finish official, water station, post-race catering, etc, etc (takes some organising doesn’t it?) & who were willing to watch Love Island on catch-up later on.
Amongst many positive comments, this from runner Mick Harwood was typical: "I found it tough going, but in a very good way, it felt like a real community thing. Everyone was buzzing and very smiley. I’m glad that I made the effort!".
All the RRR finishers: Stephen Rogowskyj (1:12:49), Angela Rogowskyj (1:12:48), Hulya Whittaker (1:05:57), Nikki Forster (1:05:37), Joanne Webb (1:01:46), Karen Stuttard (1:01:42), Judith Bradley (1:01:37), Neil Bradley (1:01:31), Bernadette Ball (1:01:04), Sally Crewe (59:44), Claire Timms (59:41), Mike Keating (59:26), Amanda Richardson (59:16), Dave Bardsley (58:19), Stephen Jones (57:49), Peter Boulton (57:34), Martina Naismith (57:02), Elaine Whitehead (56:18), Jillian Heywood (54:29), George Meynell (53:41), Phil Austin (53:04), Teresa Hollins (51:14), David Phillips (50:58), Gary Marshall (50:37), Paul Cooke (50:11), Leonie Glynn (49:48), Helen Radcliffe (49:46), Ray Williams (48:54), Gary Smith (48:51), Anthony Kane (48:48), Matthew Fitton (48:41), Vikki Smith (48:27), John Fay (47:50), Mark Phelan (47:45), Andrew Chadwick (47:40), Warren Siddall (47:31), Nicholas Mallon (47:15), Adam Farrell (46:57), Stewart Jones (46:36), Ronnie Quinn (46:21), Val Kilburn (46:19), David Freer (45:33), Bernard Cassidy (45:11), Stephen Goddard (44:31), Mark Heaney (44:17), Jason Keast (43:47), Alex Critcher (43:38), Garry Bower (43:23), Robert Nixon (42:55), Paul Ashton (42:07), Robert Kellett (42:03), Matt Kilburn (41:21), David Crewe (40:50), Ian Dale (40:34), Eamonn Nolan (40:33), David Emanuel (40:23), Darren Ogden (40:20), Elliot Stone (40:03), Bernie Goodwin (39:36), Dave Peart (39:09), Carl O'Callaghan (38:44), Neil Brock (38:28), Martin Thompson (37:36), Richard Cummins (37:32), Michael Fleming (36:57), Shane Reading (36:17), Rob Battye (36:03), Michael Wildbore (35:48), Jarrod Gritt (33:39) & Rob James (31:34).
So, here’s looking forward to the next year’s The Royton Trail. Let’s hope the scenery doesn’t change, I’d rather dodge potholes & run between hedges & fields than on new tarmac through a housing estate! [Gary Smith]
“Have you started that report yet?”
“No.” (rolls eyes).
“Well you’d better get a wriggle on then!”
"OK." (rolls eyes again).
It was game, set & match last Tuesday at Springfield Park (“I wouldn’t bother with any Wimbledon analogies.” - Dave E.). Rochdale 10k was the 9th race in the 2018 club championship season & some more crafty runners will be making tactical choices about their races from now on, as any lower point scores than your best 9 are henceforth discarded.
Even before the start of the race, Jill ‘Tommy Smith’ Hickson was putting the boot in, raking her studs down the back of my leg whilst saying, “That’s what you get for not mentioning my PB in the last report, I’ll ‘ave you.” OK - at Colshaw Hall Jill ran 52:11 yo take 33 seconds off her PB. Well done! Better still put the shin-pads on though...
Race numbers were down this year, 142 compared to 280 last year, as many wanted to watch England send Sweden flat-packing. Comparing the times of some of our galacticos to last year the heat had a slowing effect on individual times, with only Neil ‘he has pace, power & technique’ Brock (42:00) and Matt ‘he always gives 110%’ Kershaw (44:30) coming in at a faster time, although Carl ‘he’s got two good feet’ O’Callaghan came close (41:52). This is discounting, of course, the fact that Golden Boot contender Rob ‘he’s a top, top player’ Nixon (45:54), went faster & in his 25th club race to boot. This race also gave Carl his 50th cap for the club. Shane ‘on his day he’s unplayable’ Reading (38:42) came away with 1st MV40 prize as the 1st MV40 was 3rd overall. Andy ‘always puts a shift in’ Chadwick (50:35) could have got the kerb yellow-carded for a nasty (non-fishing) tackle, but he kept his feet & seems to have made a full recovery from saying that he’s not fully fit.
The women’s team came through a hard, bruising encounter with Diane ‘over the moon’ Allingan (54:26) getting the player’s player award for 1st FV55, whilst June (1:13:39) must have been as sick as a parrot not to get a prize for finishing 1st FV70.
We are now 9 races into the club season with 8 remaining, so it’s a season of two halves with the clock ticking down & everything to run for. We’re got a home game next with The Royton Trail on Thursday 12th. It could all go to a head-to-head record penalty shoot-out. ("OK, that’s enough football clichés." - Dave E). Final mention to the stalwart that always puts his club 1st, Dave ‘gifted playmaker’ Emanuel (42:21) ("OK just that one.") - it’s all a matter of owning the process Dave.
"Have you finished it yet?"
"Yes. Have you brushed your hair, it’s looking a bit Messi?’
"Gareth Southgate wouldn’t say that, he’s a gentleman."
(rolls eyes)
The last weekend in June - by the end the first Sunday in July - saw the 1st attempt by an RRR team to complete the Endure 24 race at Bramham Park, between Leeds & York. The race was a 5-mile loop of the park which needed completing as many times as possible in the 24 hours between midday Saturday & midday Sunday. We were extremely lucky as a club to have won a free team entry, but the event was so well-received that most of the team want to return in 2019. Also included in the cost (or free entry in our case) were 2 nights camping on the site, so half of the team went up on Friday & set up camp. The weather was absolutely fantastic with brilliant sunshine, although the temperatures during the event made it quite challenging at times.
The team set up camp on the Friday evening & in true RRR fashion, a brilliant time was had by all. Various different containers were used as wine glasses! However, as said in all reports after coach trips, what happens on the bus stays on the bus; so unless you were there, what happens on the field stays on the field...but we did have to hydrate as we were about to embark on a tough 24-hour challenge.
Saturday morning saw a team meeting where plans were put in place. We had a Plan A & Plan B to start with, as we were unsure whether Rob Nixon & Andy Chadwick were going to make it on time, so we set up a running order for a 6-person team & an 8-person team. This gave us an idea of roughly when our first laps would be, to allow the correct nutrition & hydration plans. Rob & Andy arrived about an hour before the start, which was a relief to myself as team captain as I was going out 1st on the 6 person plan but 5th on the 8 person plan, so at least I knew when I was going to run. Also, we were all quite relieved to be running with a full team, as laps in the extreme heat were going to be tough.
Mark Rigby had the honour of starting off the team. As we waited we were amazed at the pace, with the 1st few teams lapping in under 30 minutes, but Mark did a fantastic job to complete his 1st lap in 37 minutes. Janet Jobey set off on the next lap & completed it in 40 minutes, before our later arrivals Rob & Andy completed their laps in 38 & 46 minutes respectively. I then completed my lap in 45 minutes, the conditions great for hayfever sufferers with grass & tree pollen combined with chalky paths. Michael Pickering then completed his first lap in 38 minutes, with Alex Critcher running round in 40 minutes before Stewart Jones brought the team round with everyone having run a lap with a time of 41 minutes. Our plan was to try to keep the order the same, to have a rough idea of when we were running. There were a couple of mad laps as the sun started to set, as due to the race rules you had to wear a headtorch after 8pm but due to the low height of the sun you also needed sunglasses!
The lap was an interesting route & would make a fabulous 5 mile race, but it becomes a different challenge when knowing you are repeating this loop time & time again. The park appeared flat from the campsite but there were a few killer hills & each lap had an ascent of about 300 feet. The event is billed as 'Glastonbury for Runners' & there was a brilliant atmosphere as you completed each lap by running through an arch before a lung-busting climb up to pass on the 'baton' (which was actually a wristband).
All our plans seemed to be going perfectly until shortly after midnight, when we were standing near the start/finish area & could hear Janet shouting for the next runner. At first we were rather concerned as we thought the shouting was a recurrence of her ankle injury, but luckily nothing like that. As a result I then set off on an interesting lap, as I was running about 2-3 hours earlier than expected so set off on a lap in the dark without nutrition or hydration. Fortunately, there is a feed station about halfway round so I managed to hydrate there. The team were brilliant while I ran this unexpected lap, as they juggled the order round. Running this lap I had various plans in my head & didn’t even know if I was going back round again. I was fairly relieved to see Rob there so we could reorganise the running order. The night runs were the highlight of the event for most of us, with the experience of running through the woods in the dark. Some may say we were delirious by this point & we’re all a bit strange! All sorts of messages were left on the table at the campsite, about order of runners & who you had to wake up next. Luckily the garden cane I had brought for the club flag was never needed as a prod to wake anybody up! There was a grumpy moment when I tried juggling the order round about 6am in the morning but it was only due to lack of sleep!
As daylight broke, one or two runners were starting to struggle with injuries, heat & fatigue, so we hatched a plan to utilise the whole of the 24 hours. The way it all panned out, myself, Janet, Stewart & Mark ran an unofficial 6th lap with Alex so we could complete the last lap as a team. This showed how mad we had become running for 24 hours. The rules were that you could run the last 200 metres as a team if you took your chip off but we decided we’d do the whole lap. What’s 5 miles between friends? The last lap was a marvellous experience, even though we adopted more of a walk/run strategy as hills seemed like mountains & we could praise the unbelievable solo runners.
The whole event was a marvellous experience, making a few new RRR members of the 'ultra club'. The organisation was
fantastic, with marshals there all night, with showers & food available throughout - as a team we couldn’t recommend the event more.
Talking of the team...this was a fantastic debut at endurance team running as we came home in 9th place in the 'mixed large team' category, out of 83 teams. Including our unofficial last laps, we ran as a team an amazing 190 miles during the 24 hours.
KINDER TROG FELL RACE - 24th JUNE 2018
Kinder: sub-classification of a geological term.
Trog: a blending of the words trudge & slog (sic).
Neither Jason or myself had done this long fell race before & perhaps
it was a good thing that we were a couple of innocents, as this was hard. You
will become fatigued & you could easily take a wrong turn. It was a hot,
but more importantly it was a cloudless day, so seeing where you had to go &
using navigation skills took a back seat to just toughing it out. Last year the
weather was ‘claggy’ & I would not have liked to have been constantly
checking the way forward.
The race starts from the scout hut in the picturesque & seemingly un-wrecked village of Hayfield in the High Peak of Derbyshire, hidden alongside the bypass road. After climbing out of the village, the circular route takes in the different highpoint landmarks.
There are several problems that can affect you running such a
long distance on the moors. First, you become footsore - your toes &
balls of your feet (that’s ‘balls of your feet’, Bernadette) become very
tender, the flagged paths become uncomfortable to run on & you end up doing
little baby steps on the later downhill stages when you can no longer go full
pelt. Secondly, you start to fight the onset of cramp; more than once I was stood stock
still on a steep slope waiting for the cramp to subside. Also, it helps if the guy in front of you
knows the route when you don’t; he didn’t & we went all the way down to the
bottom of a hillside field before turning to see the runners that were behind us going across the top of the same field. I had to go diagonally back up
through 2-foot-high grass. Mercifully
that field was adjacent to the village & the finish was close by.
So glad to
just get back & it was more like 15 miles than the 16 advertised. Jason had experienced
similar cramping problems half-way round, but after getting slowly back to
the truck we eased up. Those gambling ads say that when the fun stops,
STOP! Fell running is great fun but sometimes…nah, it’s still great fun, you
just have to keep going when your body is starting to hurt. [Gary Smith]
Well I arrived at the finish with it looking like a field hospital. Janet Jobey (46:42) was sat down, leg outstretched having damaged her foot & you could see she was running in pain from her photo at the line. Shame, as the last time I saw her she was bouncing home from Thursday’s training, but she still managed to post a great time. Meanwhile Gail Shaw (54:31) bravely carried on after tripping & falling heavily on the cobbles on the approach to the finish. Gail is a regular at Thursday’s club training & has quietly been running very consistently & improving her times. She was comforted by her running buddy Martina Naismith (1:00:49), back in an RRR vest herself after coming back from injury. Both Gail & Jill Hickson (52:11) have me in their sights I think, after seeing them both come in close behind me - Jill no doubt running with renewed energy after her RRR Cup win 24 hours earlier.
Jillian Heywood (57:47), Elaine Whitehead (57:52) & Emma Bower (59:41) all went under one hour. Amanda Richardson (1:00:01) & Sarah Butler (1:00:08) came agonisingly close to beating that same bloomin’ hour, while Sally Crewe (1:03:13) - not wanting to be a running widow to Dave this year - will surely go under an hour for 10K soon enough. My post-race analysis with Bernadette (1:01:40) about her going outside the hour ended abruptly when she cheerfully informed me that she had stopped to take a pic of Jodrell Bank. "When the Premiership guys stop to take a selfie then you can!"
Further up the field, Val Kilburn (49:35) & Vikki Smith (49:42) in the vanguard of our lady’s contingent moved ahead of me in smart formation.
Judith Bradley is in her 2nd season with the club & is, as she told me, running for the fun of it - which of course is what we should all be doing. One person who does precisely that is our President & doyenne of the club June, who came barrelling across the line in 1:15:11 with a big wide smile. June’s cheerfulness needs no recovery period & she triumphed as our one age category winner. Well done to all our brilliant lady runners!
Elsewhere it was a matter of taking care of business as club runners strived to go faster than they did last week at Tatton. This being the Cheshire Plains, although not completely flat, the inclines on the route shouldn’t have troubled too many. Ronnie Quinn (47:48) & Steve Goddard (47:51) buddied up to use my gravitational pull to accelerate past me in the same way those space probes do (yeah, right). I overheard Ronnie ask Steve if he was OK, but Ronnie’s shepherding of a fellow RRR round a course doesn’t extend to the finish in a club race & he edged Steve out by just 3 seconds.
Congratulations to Rob James, who came 2nd in a race that had over 1,000 runners. Rob seems to prepare for his road races by competing & winning fell races, as he had done the Holcombe 2 Towers (4 miles & over 1300 feet of climb!) only the Wednesday before. Rob Nixon ran a now inevitable course PB. It will be a crumb of comfort to the others in Rob’s group that he must surely plateau out eventually – mustn’t he, shouldn’t he?
Noteworthy milestones included Chris Nicholson (55:56) running his 25th club race, with Neil & Judith Bradley (1:04:48 & 1:06:06 respectively) both completing their 10th. Another milestone of sorts – that’s milestone not millstone - saw Phil Austin (1:00:48) competing in a club vest for the first time this year.
All RRR finishers: June Allingan (1:15:11), Judith Bradley
(1:06:06), Neil Bradley (1:04:48), Sally Crewe (1:03:13), Dave Bardsley
(1:02:11), Bernadette Ball (1:01:40), Martina Naismith (1:00:49), Phil Austin
(1:00:48), Sarah Butler (1:00:08), Amanda Richardson (1:00:01), Emma Bower
(59:41), Elaine Whitehead (57:52), Jillian Heywood (57:47), Chris Nicholson
(55:56), Gail Shaw (54:31), Jillian Hickson (52:11), Tom Giles (52:08), Gary
Smith (51:04), John Fay (50:51), Ian Giles (50:17), Vikki Smith (49:42), Val
Kilburn (49:35), Steve Goddard (47:51), Ronnie Quinn (47:48), Nick Mallon
(46:50), Janet Jobey (46:42), Matt Kershaw (46:25), Garry Bower (46:15), Alex
Critcher (45:21), Andy Schofield (45:07), Robert Nixon (44:24), David Crewe
(44:24), Ian Dale (42:48), Matthew Kilburn (42:32), Carl O'Callaghan (41:51),
David Emanuel (41:19), Elliot Stone (41:09), David Ellis (40:54), Bernie
Goodwin (40:46), Dave Peart (38:54), Shane Reading (38:01), Jarrod Gritt
(36:17) & Rob James (34:00).
So another great showing by the club in 2 races on the spin, which prompted the race organiser to praise our "enormous turnout" over the PA. And it’s not over yet, no sir. Next up is the Rochdale 10k on July 3rd & this one is on our doorstep! [Gary Smith]
TATTON 10K - 10th JUNE 2018
"It’ll be no’but a cock’s stride". Bernadette sometimes comes out with her Yorkshire mum’s idioms. Well OK, it’s 10K & not 10 miles, on what is an only-slightly-extended undulating parkrun-like track through the lush grounds of Tatton Park, but we all had the air conditioning on - or windows down if you were in a less fancy motor - on the way in. Whatever your heat tolerance the morning was going to be warm.
The race was in the club calendar for the for the 2nd consecutive year & the 7th race in this year's championship, so all the club training nights, parkruns, RRR cup matches, gym work & Strava miles should now be paying dividends. The course runs along the ground’s main access road, with several diversionary loops off it. I felt I was in a massive human game of ‘snake’, with the tail following the head along its body as runners ran the same path in opposite directions. So it was easy to see how far my fellow RRRs were ahead of me.
A highlight of the day came after the race, as Bernard Goodwin was congratulated on his 200th appearance in a club vest & received a bottle of champagne from President Bryan Lawton to mark this marvellous personal milestone. If you look at the Roll of Honour you'll see that Bernard has joined a very exclusive club - which at the moment only has him in it! A big collective well done from all of us.
With a decent medal, water & ice tea drinks (which Mike Keating & I agreed was ‘orrible, but Bernadette liked), a health chew bar that you could pretend was like chocolate & a flapjack, 8 out of 10 RRRs who expressed a preference said the race was an enjoyable one. Plus we run more than enough times in the cold and wet, don’t we?
All the RRR finishing times: Jarrod Gritt (37:01), Rob Battye (37:27), Shane Reading (37:43), Michael Fleming (39:11), Dave Peart (39:48), Neil Brock (40:11), David Ellis (40:43), Bernie Goodwin (40:53), David Emanuel (40:57), Elliot Stone (41:21), Matthew Kilburn (42:50), Matt Kershaw (43:56), David Crewe (44:16), Janet Jobey (44:42), Robert Nixon (44:45), Alex Critcher (45:12), Bryan Lawton (45:20), Jason Keast (45:57), Garry Bower (46:37), Ronnie Quinn (47:15), Nicholas Mallon (47:18), Stephen Goddard (47:40), Val Kilburn (48:42), Adam Farrell (49:10), Paul Cooke (49:26), John Fay (50:45), Gary Smith (51:16), Gary Marshall (51:54), Gail Shaw (55:00), Lynda Brookes (57:36), Elaine Whitehead (59:37), Mike Keating (1:00:43), Bernadette Ball (1:01:21), Sarah Butler (1:01:45), Emma Bower (1:03:23), Dave Watt (1:03:35) & Sally Crewe (1:04:29).
Only a week to wait for another club championship 10K, this one at Colshaw Hall. It could be another warm one! [Gary Smith]
BERNADETTE FLYNN VBCU COWM RESERVOIR 5K - 29th MAY 2018
When I was asked to write this report, I thought I would be able to tell you all that Bernadette has won her battle against cancer & that this race was a celebration of that victory. Unfortunately at 1pm on the day of the race, we sat in the Victoria Breast Care Unit at Oldham Hospital - in the same room we sat in on the 4th July last year when we were told she had triple negative inflammatory breast cancer - to be told that after all the chemo, radiotherapy & the mastectomy that the cancer has returned. Devastated doesn’t do justice to how we were both feeling. B has won the battle once & now it’s Round 2. With all the support of her family & friends, plus the RRR family, she will face this one & beat it again to end the war.
There was a full body CT scan booked for B at the X-Ray unit at Oldham Hospital for 6:20 & we thought that was it, there was no way we were going to make the race that was being run in B’s name & raising funds for the Victoria Unit. But B so wanted to be there & as soon as she was called from the waiting room (early at about 6:10, nice refreshing change to get called in early for an appointment) she asked how long it would take & explained about the race. They told her 10 minutes & she shouted to Tansy & I, who were in the waiting room as she walked back past, that she’d be just 10 minutes & she was. I must thank Tansy at this point for her love & support, she has become a valued friend to the pair of us over the last 11 months & brings a calmness to both of us when we are stressed. She seems to have a 6th sense & calls just when we are in need without us even speaking to her.
As we left the hospital I double-checked B wanted to go to the race & also if she minded if I ran it. She wanted both, so a desperate phone call to Jill Heywood to ask Andy O’Sullivan to postpone the start for 15 minutes was followed by a mad dash home to get changed (I don’t think Superman could have changed as quickly as I did). Then it was straight back out the door, pulling up outside the Cock & Magpie at 7:05pm just in time for me to grab my number from Jill & use the climb up the hill to the start as a warm-up, giving B 10 minutes to walk up to set us all off on our way. As I walked in to the crowd at the start I have to admit all your kind wishes gave me a huge lump in my throat & I got reaffirmation that I belong to the best running club around. You truly are my 2nd family & you have all helped me to stay strong & positive for B, I don’t think I could cope without you all.
Before I get to the race results I just want to mention how the monies you’ve helped to raise - in excess of £750 - will be spent. When B & I 1st went to the unit for her 1st dose of chemo the nurses explained that the heat pad that they put on her arm to bring up her veins was paid for out of the nurse’s own pockets. They didn’t need to say anything further, I had already decided that they would never have to do that again & set about with B to raise as much money as we could for the unit. They also told us that they didn’t have towels so that the ladies who were using the cold caps could dry their hair afterwards, there was also no entertainment in the rooms & they said they wished they had digital radios. Since that 1st visit B & I, along with very many friends, have raised in excess of £4,000 - hopefully when tonight’s funds are added we will be pushing past the £5,000 mark. The monies have so far gone to pay for the heat pads, towels, a digital radio in each treatment room, a fridge for storing drugs & a unit like the cold cap, but this one is for gloves to try to protect the nerve endings in the ladies’ finger tips that some of the chemo drugs damage. All the extra monies raised will ensure that those amazing nurses never have to dip in their own pockets again to give the care these ladies deserve as they battle this awful disease.
A quick mention for a couple of groups who are not members, yet we live in hope that they do eventually join our ranks. 1st the Royton RunTogether Improvers Group, who I have the immense pleasure of leading each Monday. I started with them back in January & they are now becoming seasoned 5K runners - you had better watch out because when they graduate in August at 10K they are going to be quickly moving up through the groups within the club. Secondly the Oldham Up & Running Social Group, who used this race for their 1st away night. This is an excellent group & if you fancy a nice gentle 5K on a Tuesday evening at 7pm pop along to the shop on Huddersfield Road & join in, you can always loop if you want an bit extra.
So onto the results. Of the 165 runners, 63 were from RRR, making up just under 40% of the field & our biggest turn out of the year so far. Out front leading us all home were the usual suspects, Rob James winning the race in 16:44 with Jarrod Gritt taking 2nd in 17:04, very impressive running from both.
There were 7 RRRs in the top 10 & 14 in the top 20, a very strong showing. Our ladies were led home by Janet Jobey, who was 3rd female & 1st FV45 in 21:28 (thanks for trying to drag me around Janet).
We had some age category winners too, who need to be commended on their impressive performances: Shane Reading (1st MV40, 18:06), Elliot Stone (1st MV45, 19:25 - becoming a habit now Elliot), Alan Bodell (1st MV55, 19:36 - 1st club race of the year too), Rob Nixon (1st MV60, 22:07) & Ronnie Quinn (1st MV65, 23:07 - so good to see Ronnie back from injury, won’t be long before I’m back in his slipstream).
Other notable mentions need to go to Steve Goddard (23:16), Dave Bardsley (28:22), Bernie Allen (29:19) & Hulya Whittaker (33:59) who all made their RRR debuts. Welcome all of you to the family! Well done also to Gary Marshall (23:32) who reached the 10-race milestone & several other runners making their 1st club race appearance of the year - Liz Phillips-Rennie (29:22), James Wright (29:53), Karen Stuttard (29:58) & Emma Kennedy (40:26). We also need to mention Lee Higgingbottom who finally succumbed to his calf injury, bringing his amazing sequence of 43 consecutive club races to an end. Get fit soon Lee & get back on it. Some way off Shane still, but there’s the target for us mortals to aim at for 2nd place in the consecutive races list.
All the rest of the RRR finishers: Angela Rogowskyj (34:28), Mary Freer (34:06), Judith Bradley (32:42), Stephen Rogowskyj (31:39), Emma Bower (29:58), Sharon Dracup (29:44), Jillian Heywood (29:40), Neil Bradley (29:35), Sarah Butler (29:29), Susan Heaney (29:11), Sally Crewe (28:38), Mike Keating (28:31), Elaine Whitehead (28:24), Stephen Jones (28:19), Amanda Richardson (28:00), Claire Timms (27:52), Rochelle Evans + Bump (26:56), Jill Hickson (26:36), Dave Watt (25:26), Tony Kane (24:47), Gary Smith (24:44), Simon Howard (23:55), Andrew Chadwick (23:31), John Fay (23:12), Chris Nicholson (22:58), Dave Freer (22:52), Jason Keast (22:46), Mark Heaney (22:39), Adam Farrell (22:33), Nicholas Mallon (21:51), Alex Critcher (21:35), Garry Bower (21:31), Bernard Cassidy (21:15), Bryan Lawton (20:57), Robert Kellett (20:49), David McBride (20:34), David Crewe (20:25), Ian Dale (20:01), David Emanuel (19:59), Dave Hall (19:55), Matt Kershaw (19:46), Darren Ogden (19:35), Bernie Goodwin (19:30), Martin Thompson (18:54), Michael Wildbore (18:20), Michael Fleming (18:09).
That just leaves me to say thank you all for supporting this race on behalf of Bernadette & myself on what was a very difficult day. Every one of you made us feel loved & supported. Royton Road Runners YOU ROCK! [Garry Bower]
LIVERPOOL ROCK'N'ROLL HALF MARATHON - 20th MAY 2018
We picked up the lean, keen running machine that is Rob
Nixon & set off for Liverpool early doors on a sunny & what was to become increasingly warm Sunday morning. This is a mass participation event that, as
well as club runners, attracts many social running groups, casual runners & people who for some reason like running with their partners. Amongst all the charity vests with motivational slogans, one lady’s said "I’m out of puff and don’t give a chat"
which made me smile.
You are allocated a pen according to the date you registered - earlier entrants closer to the start - but Bernadette, Rob, Neil Bradley & I stayed together in one of the rearmost. This is a mistake if you intend to get any sort of time, as you must work your way through a phalanx (or is it flange?) of people who, incredibly, just seem to be running for pleasure. Neil was in his home city for the weekend & as a die-hard Liverpool FC supporter was obviously loving being back. His Judith was further ahead in another pen.
Rob is now so confident in his running that he zoomed away
from me within the first 50 metres, moving around the others as if on a
hoverboard. There was my problem. Not fast enough to get amongst the more purposeful
runners, I had to cope with entrants walking the route, forming a very
democratic line from one side of the road to the other, 1 who checked me by cutting
diagonally, without looking, across to a water station, 1 who nearly took
my eye out, shooting their hand up to high-5 a bystander & avoiding the
takers of selfies & those that felt the need to chat/text whilst ambulating.
[Bernadette: "Anything else you can moan about?"].
Anyway, the course unwound & if you’ve done it once you know where you are going. The same bands were in the same places as last time. Neil & Judith did the Vegas Rock'n'Roll last November & Neil said that the Elvis performer had been phenomenal. I did try to keep up with runners going past me but don’t currently have the ‘Mo’ in my mojo. I was down 10 minutes on last year’s time but couldn’t use the warmer weather as an excuse, for a quietly-pleased Rob greeted me at the finish to reveal that he had gone 9 minutes faster than his 2017 time. Astonishing!
Bernadette did well, just 4 minutes over last year’s time & the only pain she had was me lamenting that the medal & tee weren’t quite up to snuff as last year [Bernadette: "He never stops!"].
So we took our pints, included with the entry fee (no red wine alternative I’m afraid), & sat on the grass enjoying the sun in front of the Arena concourse for a short while before setting off back to the car. Rob has been a vegetarian for a few years – from this year a vegan - & is teetotal. but he reckons the real boost to his running has come from no longer eating bread. Food for thought. Here’s a few more: I enjoy spamming my kid’s inbox with photos & updates of my running exploits - although my son won’t get up on a Saturday morning to do a parkrun he was sufficiently impressed with the medal bling to enter a half himself. So, you can nudge people - even your own kids - into starting their own running journey. Meanwhile in the Ladies, the bald girl at the mirror next to Bernadette said, "Silver-lining of having chemo is you can stay cool in the heat". So I shouldn’t even think of criticising & be more tolerant of the dawdlers that want to have fun, raise money & stop to listen & dance to the music. You run your own way at your own pace. Always.
A big thanks
to Susan Heaney & Garry Bower, who gave over their numbers to Bernadette & I because they couldn’t run. [Gary Smith]
All the other RRR finishers: Richard Cummins (19:10), Bernie Goodwin (19:14), Elliot Stone (19:29), Paul Ashton (19:30), Carl O'Callaghan (19:31), Ian Dale (19:36), David Emanuel (19:41), Matthew Kilburn (20:13), Dave Hall (20:19), Robert Kellett (20:28), David Crewe (20:42), Eamonn Nolan (20:43), Bryan Lawton (20:45), Garry Bower (21:40), Jason Keast (22:20), Simon Howard (23:05), Andrew Chadwick (23:19), Paul Cooke (23:43), Kevin Heenan (23:48), Gary Smith (24:22), Martin Jones (24:29), Dave Watt (24:58), Gail Shaw (25:36), Lisa Cummins (27:50), Martina Naismith (27:57), Amanda Richardson (28:03), Stephen Jones (28:35), Sarah Butler (29:03), Bernadette Ball (29:58) & Ian Giles (30:13).
Just one more race to go in the series (apart from the free final 'handicap' race on 30th May for those who qualify by running 3 times or more). Hope to see a similarly strong RRR turnout next week! [David Emanuel]
MARKET DRAYTON 10K - 13th MAY 2018
Martina, Jill & I set off to Market Drayton on a sunny Sunday morning. We were met on the motorway by Martin Jones & Rob Nixon, who apparently had been trying to attract our attention for some miles, but we were busy chatting as ladies do. They eventually got noticed by driving behind us & flashing their lights, which elicited a comment along the lines of “Who are you flashing your lights at, it’s a 50mph limit!”, for us then to realise who it was.
We all arrived safely at the venue & collected our race t-shirts, where we also met up with fellow RRR participants Angela & Stephen Rogowskyj & Garry Bower.
The run starts with a lap around the edge of a school field, then out onto the roads of Market Drayton. The course is slightly undulating around the residential areas surrounding the town centre, with an uphill climb into the town centre, then back out towards the school, finishing on the school field. The run was well supported along the route where 1 or 2 spectators sprayed the runners with hosepipes to help with the heat.
All the RRR finishers: Rob Nixon (44:25, another course PB), Garry Bower (49:07), Martin Jones (52:36), Gail Shaw (53:55), Jill Hickson (55:11), Martina Naismith (59:44), Angela Rogowskyj (1:13:14, also a course PB) & Stephen Rogowskyj (1:13:14).
COINERS FELL RACE - 7th MAY 2018
The 3rd race in the ‘Run the Moors’ series was
the first fell run together for Jason, Neil & myself this season. They
had however done the Yorkshire Three Peaks in April - a blue riband fell event with
sponsored teams, national running champions & tough qualifying criteria to
enter. Neil is pretty much semi-pro himself these days & had good reason to
be pleased with finishing a truly punishing course. Jason, good-humoured as
ever, told me his tale of feeling great for the first stage, less good on the
second, & at the start of the third knew he had too much time to make up so put
himself in at the checkpoint & onto the ‘bus of shame’ back to the start.
Anyway, onto this race on a hot Bank Holiday Monday & a
steep sloping field in Mytholmroyd (a town name that needs some effort to
enunciate, so it’s some relief that the race name proper is ‘Coiners’) where Calder
Valley Fell Runners have devised a varied route, properly marshaled & flagged, taking in some fine
scenery. We were joined by Barry, Ian
& Jill with Rob materialising before us - once again - just before the start.
We were advised that the track was drying out but still boggy in parts. No kidding! It was like crossing Middle Earth’s Dead Marshes on the tops & through the forest. The first stage is over a stile & then a steep traverse up through the wood, which I enjoyed, as everyone bunches up, comes to a stop, waits their turn & then pretty much moves at the same pace as if you are climbing the stairs at home. Break over, we had to start running & it’s the usual mix of sheep trails, cart tracks, reed beds, flagged paths & general ‘rough land’ all the way to a hairpin turn at Stoodley Pike, coming round in a big circle. The last mile is a descent with a great final plunge down the hill where ‘Greaves came to grief’, taking a massive tumble but surviving to win his age category.
RRR finishing times: Rob James (7th overall in 53:01), Neil Brock (1:07:22), Barry Greaves
(V60 winner in 1:08:10), Ian Dale (1:09:18), Jason Keast (1:15:06), Gary Smith (1:23:04) & Jill Heywood (1:49:57).
Congratulations to Jill for waving the flag as our sole female fell runner! [Gary Smith]
It was always a bit of a risk, scheduling back-to-back club championship races; given the fact that there are 4 opportunities to run at Hollingworth Lake this month I wasn't expecting many to turn out on Wednesday. But of course this is RRR! Our 29 finishers for the 1st of these 2 5Ks was actually 1 more than the previous week & 22 of those were back racing the following day.
Amongst those doubling-up, as I predicted in last week's race report, was Rochelle Evans (plus bump), somehow running more than half a minute quicker on the Hollingworth Lake course. The intrepid trio of Jason Keast, Gary Smith & Neil Brock went one step further & started the week with the Coiners Fell Race on Bank Holiday Monday (that's an additional 6.7 miles with 968 feet of climb). Pride of place, however, goes to Jill Heywood - not only did she complete all of these races but she made it a remarkable 4 in 5 days by adding the Oldham 7K on Sunday. As if that's not enough, she somehow managed to set a new all-time 5K PB in the process, with some handy pacing support from Rochelle.
The reason that we were squeezing in 2 races in 2 days, of course, was because this particular Cowm race is very special to RRR. It’s now 9 years since Ian Casey, one of our most popular members, collapsed & died whilst taking part in the Gloucester Marathon. Andy O'Sullivan kindly puts on this race in his memory each year & it will be always be an integral part of the club championship. It was great to see 61 RRRs on the start line - almost two-thirds of the field of 100 - & there were more of our members out on the course marshaling, supporting & taking photos.
At Hollingworth Lake several of our runners (Bernadette Ball, Sue Heaney, Amanda Richardson, Vikki Smith, Mark Heaney, Robert 'Mr PB' Nixon & Neil Brock), were just edged into 2nd place in their respective age categories. That left Gail Shaw as the only RRR to pick up an individual prize, 1st FV50 for the 2nd successive week. Our ladies team of Vikki Smith, Helen Radcliffe & Leonie Glynn did however claim a comprehensive victory, their combined time a full 5 minutes better than 2nd-placed Trawden AC.
It was a different story at Cowm, where our numbers helped ensure that we dominated the prize-giving. Janet Jobey (1st FV45) & Rob James both finished 3rd in the overall standings, with Rob getting away from 4th-placed Jarrod Gritt on the 2nd lap of the reservoir, while June Allingan (FV70), Claire Timms (FV40), Teresa Hollins (FV60), Ronnie Quinn (MV65), Val Kilburn (FV50), Robert Nixon (MV60), Dave Hall (1st MV55) & Elliot Stone (1st MV45) all won their age group award. It won't surprise you to hear that Robert Nixon set yet another PB in the process...
All the Hollingworth Lake RRR finishers: Shane Reading (18:50), Darren Ogden (19:31), Neil Brock (19:34), David Emanuel (19:55), Brian Moore (20:05), Ian Dale (20:20), Robert Nixon (21:35), Alex Critcher (21:38), Garry Bower (22:07), Mark Heaney (22:09), Eamonn Nolan (22:21), Jason Keast (22:35), Vikki Smith (23:29), Paul Cooke (23:37), Helen Radcliffe (23:50), Gary Smith (24:07), Leonie Glynn (24:33), Lee Higginbottom (24:37), Dave Watt (25:30), Gail Shaw (26:16), Rochelle Evans (26:28), Jillian Heywood (26:39), Amanda Richardson (28:31), Stephen Jones (29:05), Sarah Butler (29:36), Susan Heaney (29:49), Bernadette Ball (30:12), Judith Bradley (32:43) & Neil Bradley (32:44).
I haven't written a race report for a while, with Elliot doing all the heavy lifting, so I'm a bit out of practice. What's the big story here? It can't be the new PB for the course achieved by Rob Nixon (3rd MV60 in 22:04), as he's setting one of those pretty much every time he laces up his running shoes; it might be the chaos before the start, with junior rugby players' parents already occupying much of the limited parking space before any runners had arrived...but frustrating as it was for some, writing about car parking problems is just a bit dull. Then I saw Rochelle Evans approaching the finish...
I was quite surprised to see Rochelle with a race number in her hand before the start. I knew that she was continuing to run through her pregnancy, but didn't expect to see her lining up for a race. Yet her only concern seemed to be that she might need to acquire a new vest, as she was struggling to get the current one over her growing 'bump'. That same bump came to her aid at the end of the race, however. Rochelle & Jill Heywood were side-by-side along the pot-holed road all the way to the finish line, to the extent that they were given exactly the same time - but Rochelle claimed victory as her chipped race number, attached to the bump, was 1st across the timing mat.
(Jill did actually finish ahead on chip timing, 27:00 to Rochelle's 27:03, but I'm not letting the facts get in the way of a good story).
Although numbers were a bit lower than we've seen for the Littleborough 5Ks in previous years (just 28 RRRs in a field of 146), we were still strong enough for our '2nd string' to claim 3rd place in the men's team rankings, thanks to a fine RRR debut from Darren Ogden (19:55) alongside Matt Kershaw (20:26) & me (19:51).
All the other RRR finishers: Sarah Butler (29:56), Stephen Jones (29:28), Jenny O'Callaghan (29:24), Amanda Richardson (2nd FV50, 28:46), Martina Naismith (28:45), Sally Crewe (28:35), Mike Keating (another welcome debutant in RRR colours, 28:34), Dave Watt (25:42), Ian Giles (24:34), Gary Marshall (24:15), Steve Shaw (22:45), Nick Mallon (22:32), Garry Bower (21:52), Alex Critcher (21:44), Bernie Cassidy (2nd MV55, 21:24), Rob Kellett (20:49) & Dave Crewe (20:43). Excellent running all round!
'5K month' continues next week, with the 2nd race in this series on Wednesday followed immediately by the Ian Casey event on Thursday. Newer members may not be aware that the latter race is put on for us each year by Andy O'Sullivan - with proceeds to heart charities - in memory of Ian, a popular RRR who died 9 years ago (can it really be that long?) whilst taking part in the Gloucester Marathon. For those of us who knew Ian this is one of the most important events of the year, so will obviously take priority - but I reckon most of us can cope with a couple of consecutive 5Ks; I bet Rochelle can... [David Emanuel]
RON HILL ACCRINGTON 10K - 22nd APRIL 2018
A chat in the café post-parkrun at Alexandra Park brought up the topic of this race. Jill Hickson was running it due to her commitment to her other club's championship (North West Finance Professionals) & I fancied also having a go too. So I promptly entered, completely forgetting that it was London Marathon Day & thus I'd miss my normal position on the sofa trying to spot RRRs & other people I know.
Ian, who ran it last year, told me it was uphill for a couple of miles, then flat & downhill all the way home. I think he stretched the truth a little bit - let’s try uphill for 4 miles & then downhill all the way home. Judge for yourself:
At bang on 9:30am we set off - as soon as we did the heavens opened & we were all soaked by the end of mile 1. I had decided to try something new & used one of my RRR buffs as a wristband, covering my watch to try to run on feel. For the 1st mile Adam & I ran together but then he dropped back, I think he did too much celebrating at Wembley the night before! I fully expected him to catch & pass me on the numerous hills over the next 3 miles & was surprised when he didn’t.
Turns out it was Nick Mallon who was chasing me down & had we not had a very steep downhill in mile 6 I think he might just have got ahead, but pulling out a 6:24 mile at the end was just what the race gods ordered to get me across the line as 1st RRR home in 47:47 (92nd position). Not sure if covering the watch worked or not, as this is about average for me, but I will give it another go in the future.
Nick followed me home in 99th place in 48:27 (he’s getting quicker, watch out Group 3!), then Adam Stirling looking like he had been shot (remember, if it’s looking like rain boys, we need to protect those nips) in 50:21 (124th). Next RRR home was Martin Jones in 52:42 (162nd), followed by Ian Giles in 53:33 (171st). Ian is currently training for Edinburgh Marathon with his son Tom & had run 19 miles the day before - very impressive. Our other financial professional & 1st female RRR Jill Hickson was next to finish in 53:48 (174th). Niparun Nessa completed our finishers with a bigger than normal smile on her face in 1:04:25 (308th). I'm not sure if the smile was because she enjoyed the race or that she knew we’d be going for brunch afterwards; pretty sure it was the latter.
A great race this one & I wouldn’t be complaining if it were to make the RRR Championship list next year. It is normally earlier than April but was postponed due to the bad weather we had in March. [Garry Bower]
CALDER VALE COUNTRY 10 MILER - 30th MARCH 2018
"What we gonna do?"
"I don’t know, what do you wanna do?"
"I don’t know, what d’you wanna do?"
Bernadette & I sounded like the vultures off Jungle Book thinking about this Good Friday. We checked for runs over the holiday & as the Salford 10K & Hale 5K were both full, we booked on the Calder Vale 10 miler. We all know Calderdale & there is Calderstones in Liverpool, but I had never heard of this place. Even Google Maps had to think for a bit.
Calder is a Celtic word that means 'from a stony river'. Anyway, the village is just inside the Forest of Bowland & it’s like finding human habitation in the Lost World, a tiny hamlet on both sides of a deep v-shaped wooded valley. After Bernadette & I had played Top Trumps for forgotten kit - gloves & club vest (doh!) - we picked up our numbers in a village hall that hadn’t changed since Ronnie Quinn was in the cubs.
The race set off alongside the village’s cenotaph & this run is a toughie. A look at the race profile will show that you run progressively uphill most of the way - but remembering Alex Critcher’s comment at the start of the Wrexham Half that "you need the uphills so as to catch the downhills", there were some steepish descents. My legs, however, wanted to turn back before the 2nd mile & my lungs wanted to join them. It’s always a bad sign when runners go past & then pointedly check their watches just in front of you like they’re not even in their red zone yet. But it’s a good buzz at the end when you are running down to a finish that you can see below you. Bernadette was pleased with her time, being very unsure that she had the stamina to complete the course after suffering from a persistent virus.
The big surprise was the medal, which was as big as a drinks
coaster, attractively designed & not without some heft to it. There were pie
'n' peas, hot drinks & a great choice of cakes back at the hall, as the locals
maximised their revenue-raising opportunity from these incomers. I could
easily envisage fellow RRRs chilling there at the end of the race. Where else would anyone
need to rush off to on a Good Friday?
So a challenging but rewarding away day run & only £12 for affiliated runners.
"Well what are we gonna do tomorrow?"
"Now don’t start that
again!"
[Gary Smith]
DENTDALE RUN - 10th MARCH 2018
Now in its 34th year, the breathtaking scenery of the Dentdale Run attracts runners from far & wide. With RRR being attracted to that sort of thing, not to mention to any village with its own brewery, it is a well-established fixture in the RRR championship. The ‘secret’ Yorkshire dale of Dent, nestled in the Howgills right on the Cumbria/ Yorkshire border, always offers RRR a hearty welcome. Maybe one year they’ll even hire a pub band that can play a decent tune.
The 14.2 mile, figure-of-8 course literally goes up & down the dale (& some hills), out one side of the small village of Dent & back in the other. The scenery is outstanding & the course is tough. Whoever 1st said the last mile is the hardest had probably run the race at some point.
The run was ‘sold out’ & over 400 finished the long race, including 39 RRRs. Paul Cooke (2:09:25) was the standout achiever, completing his 50th club race. This makes him the 38th current member of the prestigious ’50 Club’ & earns him the equally impressive gold-embossed 50 Club polo shirt.
In the main event, Jarrod Gritt (1:26:50) claimed full championship points again & finished a very creditable 7th overall. He was followed home by Shane Reading (1:31:25) who also finished 2nd in the MV40 category. In the MV50 grouping Dave Peart (1:33:01), who is preparing for both the Manchester & London marathons in April (2 weeks apart!) claimed 2nd and 21st overall. This leading trio just missed out on the men's team prize, by less than a minute.
In the ladies race Janet Jobey (1:49:04) grabbed maximum points & finished 3rd in the FV45s. Well done also to Claire Timms (2:30:02) who amongst many setting new PBs for this course managed to knock a remarkable 11 minutes off her previous time.
For those on the coach you might have failed to notice, if you had your eyes & ears closed all the way home, that in the ‘fun run’ shorter 7 mile race there was a magnificent men's team victory for Andy Schofield (17th, 59:36), Steve Shaw (19th, 1:00:53) & Adam Farrell (28th, 1:03:55) - Adam picking up a prize in only his 2nd race as an RRR. There were some people who said the prize of 3 bottles of wine went quicker than the lads ran the race, but as Steve so rightly said, "Jealousy is a terrible thing."
All the other RRR finishers(in the 14.2 mile race): Robert Fairbanks (1:36:23), Richard Cummins (1:38:40), Carl O'Callaghan (1:38:43), Neil Brock (1:39:29), Ian Dale (1:41:57), David Emanuel (1:42:28), Elliot Stone (1:43:47), Bernard Goodwin (1:47:03), Valerie Kilburn (1:57:53), Vikki Smith (1:59:10), Howard Dracup (1:59:23), Gary Smith (1:59:30), Robert Nixon (2:00:47), Garry Bower (2:01:28), Alex Critcher (2:01:37), Helen Radcliffe (2:05:22), Jason Keast (2:06:59), Teresa Hollins (3rd FV60, 2:15:20), Andy Chadwick (2:16:02), Jillian Heywood (2:19:06), Simon Howard (2:20:47), Lisa Cummins (2:21:27), Ian Giles (2:30:57), Tom Giles (2:30:57), Lee Higginbottom (2:33:24), Martina Naismith (2:36:29), Jenny O'Callaghan (2:37:03), Bernadette Ball (2:39:27), Sarah Butler (2:53:15), Charlotte Chadwick (2:53:18), Natalie Yates-Bolton (2:53:18), June Allingan (1st FV70, 2:56:10) & Mary Freer (2:56:11).
The next club race will be the 1st of the Hollingworth Lake 5K series in May. 5K – now doesn’t that sound like a lovely distance! [Elliot Stone]
It might have been the fact that we were running in a different country, but the impressive start to the year made at Dewsbury was continued in Wales. The conditions were near-perfect & the course, apart from a dodgy start around an industrial estate, was near-perfect too. 13.1 miles of scenic Welsh countryside in beautiful winter sunshine made running a pleasure for 57 RRRs (more than we've ever had in a Club Championship half marathon, with the exception of Oldham) & the accompanying times backed this up.
Once again, it was a personal best (PB) bonanza & then some. Jenny O’Callaghan (2:11:08) managed to knock off over 8 minutes off her previous best. In the men’s section, Robert Nixon (1:42:20) beat his by over 4 minutes. Even your press officer (1:28:08) succeeded in slicing 90 seconds off his former PB, which was set over 6 years ago. There is life in the old dog yet!
Aside from these great times, in the main race Jarrod Gritt was reinforcing the marker he laid down at Dewsbury by finishing in an astonishing time of 1:14:48. This resulted in him finishing 20th overall, 5th Senior Male, which in a field of 1800 runners is mightily impressive. Following him home was Shane Reading (1:19:32) in 59th place, completing his 81st consecutive club race.
Janet Jobey (1:36:11) maintained her fine start to the season & cemented her place as the woman to beat in this year’s championship by claiming 44th position in the female race, 4th in the FV45 group. Joint best position of the day went to Eileen Ingham (2:08:29), who finished 3rd in the FV65 category, & Teresa Hollins (1:53:05, 3rd FV60).
In the RRR Roll of Honour both Michael Fleming (1:24:31) & Rob Battye (1:25:57) joined the esteemed ‘25 Club', confirming that running is indeed a bug that is very hard to shake off. Andrew Chadwick (1:50:40) joined the ‘10 Club' too, marking himself down into posterity.
A few 'firsts' worth mentioning - Alex Critcher (1:48:20) produced an impressive debut in RRR colours & Amanda Richardson (2:11:33) completed her 1st ever half marathon, while Bernie Goodwin (1:27:23) - closing in on 200 club races - ran for the 1st time as a V50.
After the race & a short trip on the coach, Chester & its Roman walls hosted the large party of RRRs. In Wetherspoons, the world’s longest table was assembled in order for all the food & drink to be swilled down in a hearty manner only matched by pigs around a trough. There were some rumours that a ‘pervert’ had infiltrated the party & had managed to sneak into the women’s changing room earlier on, not once but 4 times. However it seems that the perpetrator was duly named & shamed & might never, ever live the event down!
All the other RRR finishers: Chris Lowe (1:21:19), Robert Fairbanks (1:23:34), Neil Brock (1:25:54), Richard Cummins (1:26:03), Dave Peart (1:28:28), Carl O'Callaghan (1:28:59), David Emanuel (1:29:18), Ian Dale (1:30:24), Brian Moore (1:31:53), David Hall (1:34:11), Andrew Schofield (1:37:18), Stewart Jones (1:38:47), Matt Kershaw (1:39:58), Mark Rigby (1:41:52), Steve Shaw (1:41:59), Valerie Kilburn (1:42:41), Vikki Smith (1:43:41), Gary Smith (1:46:38), Paul Cooke (1:47:18), Howard Dracup (1:47:32), Leonie Glynn (1:48:24), Jason Keast (1:52:48), Helen Radcliffe (1:53:02), Julie Greenwood (1:53:05), Adam Stirling (1:53:15), Tom Giles (1:53:39), Ian Giles (1:54:47), Diane Allingan (1:57:40), Gail Shaw (1:58:11), Simon Howard (2:03:30), Jillian Heywood (2:05:23), Lisa Cummins (2:07:35), Claire Timms (2:09:34), Martina Naismith (2:10:49), Bernadette Ball (2:14:50), Sarah Butler (2:16:10), Lee Higginbottom (2:16:16), Tracey Hall (2:16:39), Charlotte Chadwick (2:16:47), Sharon Dracup (2:22:52), Niparun Nessa (2:23:37), Natalie Yates-Bolton (2:24:07) & June Allingan (2:41:20).
Next stop is Dent, which I'm sure will write its own story. See you there. [Elliot Stone]
To Astley Park for the final race of the 2017-18 season, at arguably the best of all the courses in the league, with all the components of a great cross-country route - lots of mud, a lovely bog, a cold river crossing & a beast of a hill to put a sting in the tail at the end of each lap. Due to an unfortunate motorway incident a couple of our ladies didn’t make the start line. Our only starter was therefore the fantastic Bernadette Ball who finished in 44:56.
The start of the men’s race was very generously delayed by 5 minutes to allow those stuck in traffic to arrive. This unfortunately wasn’t enough for Jason Keast & Neil Brock who subsequently missed the start, but like true heroes they still completed the course.
The race starts on a flat, but muddy field, which then drops into a lovely little bog. After ascending from the bog you reach - with very little pace - what feels like the muddiest little section of the course, which I found took the breath away the most. After cutting across & down into the woodland you have a nicer trail-like path, soft enough for spikes & the development of some good speed. This speed is quickly diminished as you hurdle into a river & must ascend the wet, muddy banking. This again drops back to water, however this time with a small bridge crossing. From here you climb a gentle path which eventually leads out of the woods to the final (killer) part of the lap, the steep ascent to the finish. Although not a very long hill it really burns the legs & requires some strong propulsion from the arms.
During the last lap of the course there was a real race on for 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th. At the beginning of the lap I was neck-&-neck with Michael Mannings of O&R & Craig Jones of Manchester YMCA Harriers, with Joe Hudak of East Cheshire & Tameside AC quite a distance ahead. As we approached the bog I picked up the pace in a bid to open up a gap, but by the time we reached the woodland I was overtaken by both Michael & Craig. On the steady ascent I kept with them both, all 3 of us gaining pace. Joe appeared to be nearing & before too long it was a 4-man battle with positions changing several times. Approaching the final hill & push to the finish line all 4 of us gave all we had to reach to top 1st, it was a real test of character and determination. I knew that the order we reached the top would be the final standings. After coming off 3rd in that battle I pushed as hard as I could to catch Michael & Joe but just missed out, finishing with my legs on fire & nothing else to give. Craig (36:24) fell back a bit on the hill while I finished in 36:17 just behind Michael (36:11) & Joe (36:15) in a tough but enjoyable battle.
Next in for us was Shane Reading (38:58) to complete a great campaign which has seen him claim silver in the male V40 category for the 2nd successive year. Rob Fairbanks (40:14) was our 3rd man to finish & also the only other RRR to complete all 4 races in the series (along with myself & Shane). It is great to see Rob regaining his fitness after injury setbacks that marred last season, I have no doubt this fitness will continue to grow as the season progresses. Michael Fleming (41:03) completed our team for the day & has featured in 3 of our 4 men’s teams during the series.
Other RRR finishers: Jason Keast (1:03:23), Neil Brock
(59:51) - despite their late arrival - Gary Smith (52:32), Paul Wolstenhulme
(49:30), Bryan Lawton (47:31) & Barry Greaves (42:24).
After some very hard-fought battles, the South-East Lancs series ends with me narrowly missing out by 2 points on a podium finish in the senior men’s category & the men’s senior team being pipped for silver by Oldham & Royton by just 3 points. However the team has still walked away with an excellent 3rd place. We narrowly missed out on bronze in the MV40 category, losing out by 2 points to O&R, but Shane Reading showed fantastic form to claim silver in the individual MV40. In the MV50s we had another great success, with our team just edging Manchester YMCA Harriers by a single point for bronze.
This year has been slightly disappointing on the ladies side - numbers have been down & we’ve struggled to make a team in most races. Sophie Wood enjoyed a fine run of form, coming 3rd at Heaton Park, 2nd at Tandle Hill & 1st at both Leigh & Chorley; although the last 2 performances didn't count for RRR we must recognise this achievement & we all wish you success at Salford Harriers. A big well done to those ladies who did compete in one or more races - Bernadette Ball, Chloe Clegg, Rochelle Evans, Susan Heaney, Jillian Heywood, Selina McLean, Martina Naismith & Nefa Nessa.
I hope that next year as a team, both men & women, we can build on this year’s achievements. For those who have never tried cross-country please don’t be scared - yes, it is often cold, wet & muddy, but you will have the full support of the club & despite it all it is a great afternoon out. [Jarrod Gritt]
DEWSBURY 10K - 4th FEBRUARY 2018
It was over the hills to Dewsbury for the 1st race of the 2018 RRR championship. The Yorkshire town hosted the well-organised & well-attended 10K – over 1500 runners entered – that sets the tone for the rest of the season.
The race certainly didn’t disappoint. Lots of RRRs managed to grab personal bests (PBs) even at this early stage of the season, including Bernadette Ball (8th FV60, 61:38), Sharon Dracup (62:58), Jenny O'Callaghan (58:28), Carl O'Callaghan (39:48), Michael Wildbore (37:45) & Michael Fleming (37:43). They were helped by the straightforward route - heading through Batley towards Birstall & back again, the speedy downhill finish provided the platform for some excellent times.
First honours of the season went to Jarrod Gritt (34:50), who finished 33rd in a very strong field. Jarrod began to show his potential last season & has worked hard through the winter months to ensure his progress. By being the first RRR home, he managed to beat Shane Reading (9th V40, 35:34) & last year’s club champion, Rob James (35:42). Both Jarrod and Shane recorded new PBs, emphasising the quality of their runs.
In the women’s race, Janet Jobey (43:49) lived up to her billing as favourite by coming home 1st among the RRR women. This was quite an achievement, coming early in her return from a serious foot injury.
June Allingan (1st FV70, 1:10:58) gained our only prize in any category, proving once again that she is not ready for the quiet life just yet. However there were a number of impressive age category positions in this top-quality field, including Diane Allingan (9th FV55, 51:17), Val Kilburn (8th FV50, 46:34), Ronnie Quinn (6th V65, 45:00), Robert Nixon (5th V60, 43:35) & Chris Lowe (4th V45, 36:25).
Despite the tough competition our men's & women's teams put in commendable performances for 9th & 14th positions respectively.
Big congratulations & a very warm welcome to our ‘first-timers’ Adam Farrell (48:37), Leonie Glyn (48:53) & Sally Crewe (59:37). We’re sure your names will appear in these reports many times in the future.
All the other RRR finishers: Mary Freer (1:10:58), Lee Higginbottom (an injury-plagued 65:01), Tracey Hall (62:04), Sarah Butler (60:37), Martina Naismith (59:43), Elaine Whitehead (57:08), Jillian Heywood (56:26), Amanda Richardson (54:09), Rochelle Evans (54:06), Lisa Cummins (53:23), Gail Shaw (53:19), Jill Hickson (53:04), John Fay (50:59), Tony Kane (50:06), Gary Marshall (49:56), Dave Watt (49:38), Simon Howard (48:45), Chris Nicholson (48:19), Adam Stirling (48:14), David Freer (47:59), Helen Radcliffe (47:56), Gary Smith (47:09), Neil Farrell (46:57), Paul Cooke (46:53), Andy Chadwick (46:44), David Crewe (46:40), Vikki Smith (46:39), Mark Heaney (45:53), Jason Keast (45:14), Garry Bower (45:06), Steve Shaw (44:38), Bryan Lawton (43:58), Stewart Jones (43:56), Matthew Kilburn (43:16), Matt Kershaw (42:32), Bernie Cassidy (42:22), Ian Dale (41:21), David Emanuel (40:44), Elliot Stone (40:32), Dave Peart (39:28), Richard Cummins (38:57), Bernie Goodwin (38:50) & Rob Battye (37:13).
Overall, 62 RRRs completed the race – let’s see if we can keep those numbers up throughout the rest of the season.
The next event is a new one on the calendar, the Village Bakery Wrexham Half Marathon. See you there! [Elliot Stone]
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