Elvet Striders

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Glasgow-Edinburgh Double Marathon, 6th March

56M

Clare van den Bos

"Keep the canal on your right and you'll be fine."

Started off, cold and nervous, in a park in Glasgow. The hooter went and I set off near the back. Which is where I stayed.

I decided to do the 25 mins run/ 5 mins walk thing, and I pretty much stuck to that the whole way round. I ate and drank something during every 5 min bit and I also made sure I crouched right down to stretch my legs a bit. Having a routine meant that I could run for 10 minutes and then spend the next 15 planning what to eat :-) Food is always the way to get me to do things ...

salted nuts/ pretzels/ sweeties/ sandwiches/ muffins/ chocolate (that one was a mistake) about 300 Kcal an hour. water/ OJ/ nuun (but hardly any nuun as it is pure Juice of Ming) drinking mostly when thirsty.

That all might seem a bit OTT but I knew it was going to take me rather a long time and wanted not to fall over ...

Most of this route is stunning. Especially after Falkirk. The landscape opens up and the views of the snow-covered hills. And close by, the trees and the birds and the ducks ice skating and oh, a rat Raspberry! I ran through beautiful beech woods and along bits that felt like country paths. And all pretty much on my own, which was a nice feeling, mostly.

Sometimes I listened to music, but not a lot. The stillness and birdsong was lovely to hear and when I was running through the scary skanky bits I wanted to be able to hear ...

First HM was great. Good pacing/ hydration/ still with some of the field. CP 1 and Phil saves me from being poisoned by gluten and off I trot.

I spend the next two and a bit hours to CP2 leapfrogging with a couple who have matching kit and a guy who just can't face me being in front of him ... (I leave him at CP3 :-) )

CP2 is the Falkirk Wheel. A bit disappointing that it's not going round. Pick up stuff from my drop bag and take too much water. My backpack is too heavy for the next half hour until I realise that I don't have to carry water for the next 5 hours and ditch half of it :-) Through two scary tunnels which I didn't like.

CP3 where apparently I impress the marshall by looking all fresh. Silly woman!

And this is where things get tough. I'd let go of my timings so I hadn't really eaten/ drank/ walked properly. And it felt like there was a heck of a long way to go, still, even though I'd already run further than I ever had before. I had a patch where it felt like I was running at full effort and yet was struggling to make 13 min/ miling.

So I had a little weep. And reminded myself that I didn't have anything to prove to anyone, that I was doing this because I wanted to. Then I took good advice and focussed on getting to CP4, texting ahead really to say that no-one needed to put themselves out waiting for me as I was going to be slow, and possibly even pulled off the course.

Oh, and the sunset was breathtaking. Dark reds right across the sky and as I turned a corner there it was, perfectly reflected in the canal. Made the whole thing worthwhile.

Got to CP4 and a text saying that not only was a friend from fetch waiting for me at CP5, but she'd sent her lovely husband out to meet me :-) That really lifted me.

A runner passed me and reminded me that it was actually dark and hadn't I better put my headtorch on? So I did and that made a huge difference, especially when I remembered that I could angle the torch rather than having to move my head ...

Through splashy mud and stuff and CP5. The marshall asks "Are you number 6?" and titters politely at my "Who is number 1?" joke. She says it's only 7.5 miles to the finish.

Suddenly it feels like I might actually finish. Which is an odd, lightening feeling.

Just as well, because from this point the difference between the walking and the running paces is purely academic as my leg is causing me so much pain and everything else is just tired. And suddenly I'm starving. Need chips. Spend the next hour fantasizing about chips and Daniel Craig, or chips on Daniel Craig ...

3 miles to go. A wise runner once said "Any fool can run 3 miles." Well not this one. I can hobble it, and that'll have to do. The last mile takes me over 22 minutes, even though I'm pushing as hard as I can. Lots of helpful texts, one very annoying ring tone. (James Bond theme - that's where the whole Daniel Craig stuff started)

I approach the finish and all I can see is 2 marshals :-( Is that it? NO! Round the corner and OH! OH! (I'm still teary thinking about it!) There's a huge crowd of people (who've come out of the party especially) waiting and cheering and Anna's made me a finishing line to cross and there's Phil, waiting with a gin just for me :-) :-) I fall over the line and into a hug. I can't believe it's over.

Almost as soon as I finish everything starts hurting. Even my hair hurts.

Then gin and champagne and trying to get changed in the toilets and a very green risotto (and watching everyone else eat garlic bread and pizza) and a taxi to the Hotel From Hell ...

It's in an Edinburgh town house... 10 steps up to the door. I check in and the bloke says "your rooms in the next house up." Pick up bags. Down the steps, up the steps to the next house, up two flights of stairs, find he's given me the wrong key. Consider going to sleep on the landing. Down two flights of stairs, down the steps, up the steps, get the key, down the steps, up the steps, up two flights of stairs, take 5 minutes getting into the shower and bed.

I could get to like this long running malarky. And I'd like to try it somewhere less, well, flat.

55 miles, 12 hours 41(ish) :-)

Haweswater Half Marathon, Bampton, 7th March

13M

Denise Mason

I should have known I was in for a good day from the moment I woke up. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky and the air was really cold and crisp. I picked up Jane and Alan and we headed off to the lakes. We got there nice and early to collect our numbers and bumped in to George and Barry. Jane and I discussed our race strategies whilst walking to the start line. Given that the course is described as 'undulating' and we had heard so many tales of how hard the course was supposed to be, we decided to run it steady and treat it more as a training run. (My goal this year was always to crack 2 hrs at Redcar in June and Jane was just using it as a training run for the VLM.)

We set off fairly fast, looping around the village for the first mile before starting to climb one of the many hills on the course! Worryingly I felt my hip flexor strain on the first hill, but I took the advice of Neil (physio) and lent forward more and contracted my stomach muscles. It didn't ease the pain as such but it certainly prevented it from getting any worse. The course continued with long inclines and I was surprised to find I was overtaking quite a few people. The scenery was awesome. Snowcapped hills around the Haweswater Reservoir were a welcome distraction! From miles 4 to 6 we were pretty much running down what felt like a steep descent and all I could think of was that we had to run back up it shortly which was pretty soul destroying. At 6 miles we turned back on ourselves and begin the long slog uphill. Jane really took off and for a couple of miles I was digging deep telling myself not to stop and walk. I kept looking at my watch in disbelief seeing 8:50 minute miles/ 9 minutes miles and I honestly wondered how long I could keep this up for. At the 11 mile marker I glanced down and saw 1hr 40 on the watch and from then on in it was game on! George caught up with me and we ran the last couple of miles together which spurred me on. The last mile was mostly downhill and the hips were really feeling it, but I could hear the crowds cheering so I knew the finish line was coming, plus I knew I was in for PB so I pushed myself onwards. I really can't believe that I finished in 1hr 58 mins 45 secs! It may not seem fast to some but I never dreamt I would come anywhere near that time. I've knocked 15mins off my PB and I'm delighted.

Results

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Pos	Time
1	Dominic Raby	Chorley Harriers	M	1	1:14:07
46	Karen Bridge	Eden Runners	F40	1	1:26:21
214	Graham Daglish		M50	28	1:42:37
342	Alan Smith		M60	8	1:52:09
393	Jane Ives		F40	40	1:56:09
412	Denise Mason		F	58	1:58:45
414	George Nicholson		M60	14	1:59:02

517 finishers.

Snake Lane 10, Pocklington, 28th February

10M

Alan Smith

I thought that 10 miles would be a fairly easy distance to run ( compared to a half marathon, that is). I was wrong! The last couple of miles seemed to go on for ever.

At the back of my mind, I thought that it was a fairly flat course. Wrong again! At around 9 miles, there is a long slow hill, which I had forgotten about. It is amazing what tricks the memory can play ( memory? - what is that?) The mind seems blank out the hard bits. I last ran this race two years ago and had no recollection of the final hill! In the distance I could see a Church, a long way away, which I thought was probably some where near the finish ( which it was.) As I was running up this last hill, I pulled away from a few runners who had been playing cat and mouse with me up to then and I did not see them again.

I find it difficult to remember a race as my mind seems to go blank when I am running. You may ask, how is that possible, how can it go any blanker than it is already? The miles seem to slip by without me remembering much about them, apart from the hill at the end. The morning was cold and there was a cold wind some of the time.

Have you ever thought why the Snake Lane 10 is so called? The answer is fairly obvious as at one point the road snakes backwards and forwards and you have a good view of all the runners ahead of you, which is quite depressing. Apart from this part of the route and that hill it is an uneventful course with no real land marks, that I can remember.

When I got to the race, I was directed to park in a school playground which was a good 5 minute jog to the Rugby Club to use the facilities, which in turn is about another 5 minutes to the start, but I got there in time.

After the race I met Mike Abbotts (that is his surname according to the results list), who used to be a member of the Striders and had a brief chat with him. He is now a member of Beverley AC and finished just ahead of me. Unfortunately, I did not see any other Striders, although Barrie Evans and Christine also took part. I hope that the results still count as part of the Grand Prix as I was the first Strider home (which makes a change!).

Results

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Pos	Time
1	Stephen Hepples	Newham & Essex Beagles	M		0:53:00
33	Melisa Neal	March AC	F	1	1:01:02
345	Alan Smith		MV60	15	1:19:35
425	Barrie Evans		MV60	20	1:24:11
630	Christine Farnworth		FV55	13	1:42:57

666 finishers.

Commondale Clart, NYM, 28th February

6M/1000'

Nigel Heppell

Unlike yesterday I judged my travelling time just right for my first attempt at this race and arrived at reception in the pub for 10mins warm-up in front of the open fire before the rather brutal start steeply uphill on road for a fairly simple anti-clockwise circuit of Skelderskew Moor.

I say simple; it would have been if you could get your feet out of the special kind of sticky clag that passes for a track/trail in these parts. I guess the clue is in the title; the average depth of mud must have been 6" and when you consider the odd bits of road and some reasonable track surface you can work out for yourself what the rest was like; a bit like one gut-busting continuous hop-skip-and-jump; suffice it to say that even though the temperature peaked at 2°C in a nithering north-easterly I still managed to work up a sweat.

Don't be deluded by the 5.5miles and 600ft climb listed on the race map, the 6miles and 1000' featuring on the Esk Valley website has got to be nearer the mark.

Winner's presentation in the pub was up to Dave Parry's usual standard - generous quantities of wine and lager on offer though, sadly, none for me! It was nice to see two younger lads competing in their first ever fell race and really enjoying it - quote "that was SO much better than road racing" - what more can I say?
 

Ganghoferlauf, Leutasch, Austria, 28th February

25km Classic

Colin Blackburn

Another month, another ski race. Well, this year at least. After the Pustertaler last month the Ganghoferlauf will be my third and final race of the 2009/10 season. This year is the 40th anniversary of this Austrian race. To commemorate this event there is a 50km classic race in addition to the usual 25km classic and 20km and 42km freestyle races. All four races are on one day, Saturday being reserved for a whole raft of junior races. So with only one race on offer I decide not to be stupid and enter the sensible 25km instead of the value for money 50km. The course entry fee of €37 includes a free bumbag with insulated drinks bottle worth over €50 so ignoring the flight and accommodation costs it wasn't a bad deal.

I arrived in Seefeld, with regular running and skiing partner Chris, two days early to get in a bit of practice. Unlike the Scotland we had left behind Seefeld was positively balmy with temperatures above zero and slightly slushy old snow. On the first morning we walked into Seefeld and asked for waxing advice at a ski shop. We were advised to buy some no-wax skis at €400 as waxing was hopeless. We went for the cheaper option that day and skated—no grip wax needed! Seefeld had some nice woodland trails with some very nice trail-side cafes, though the hills were a little hard for my skating ability. We grabbed lunch at Seewaldalm and then a little later stopped for a coffee at the Wildmoosalm. The first was good but a little normal, the second was positively weird. It was packed with a real mix of people, skiers, walkers and people who looked like they'd been trapped there all their lives. The roof dripped with football scarves from just about every European club, arranged in a rainbow of colours. Every now and then an emergency Strudel trolley passed around the packed room with a blue light flashing and siren sounding. The Strudel was good too!

On the Saturday we decided we really did have to test our waxing and so prepped the skis with the ultra-sticky klister in an attempt to get some grip on the wet snow. We had planned a trip from Seefeld to Leutasch via some very picturesque trails. It turned out to be a beautiful day and we were getting grip on the hills. At lunch we stopped at Ropfer Stub'm which has spectacular views across the relatively snow-free lowlands of the Tirolean mountains. Well, I say stopped. I sort of crashed into the cafe as the arrival slope was a little, er, interesting. Luckily my crash was just out of view of the crowded terrace. Ordering Spinatnudels I found lunch was two tennis-ball-sized lumps of dough and spinach, very filling and very nice despite their appearance. After lunch we pushed on the Leutasch taking in the final 8km or so or the 25km course for practice.

The day of the race dawned and we took breakfast early, Frau Warner had left out a flask of coffee and some bread the night before. After getting our stuff together we walked down to the bus station only to discover the 0824 didn't run on a Sunday! Luckily the taxi rank was just a few yards away and all the taxis had roof-racks designed for skis so all was not lost, bar €15! Once we got to Leutasch we tested our waxing and touched up the skis a little before heading to the changing rooms. The 25km and 50km races started at the same time which meant a few hundred people in the start lanes. I tucked in behind someone who looked like they might go at least as fast as me—overtaking at this stage isn't something I have an aptitude for. Luckily I was far enough back to avoid an enormous pile-up on the first bend. Chris on the other hand had to take evasive action but survived with no damage to him or his poles.

After the first long climb of the race there were a couple of great descents. The second shorter climb promised even more. While heading up this climb I met a young guy skating along with broken poles in his hands. He'd managed to break them 30 minutes in to the race, he had been in 15th place, his race was over but he was philosophical about it. For me it was a yo-yoing sort of race. I'd pass people on the ups, they'd pass me on the downs. When I got to the next summit of the race I looked down the very steep descent to see a paramedic crew waiting at the bottom complete with skidoo and stretcher trailer. I think they were anticipating accidents. Luckily I saved them having to spring into action for me by negotiating the slope perfectly if not at the highest speed.

The rest of the race was fairly uneventful and I held my position till near the end. As I started to flag a couple of people passed including one old guy in period ski gear: britches, long socks, etc. Anyone entering this anniversary race got their money refunded if they did it in period costume with older skis. As I approached the finish I just had to make sure I went into the finish loop and didn't accidentally started a second 25km lap as the 50km competitors had to do. On the final bend I had the old guy in my sights and started to double pole. Unfortunately my double pole sprint finish isn't a patch on that of Petter Northug and I finish a second or so behind. He tapped my pole lightly with his to acknowledge my effort, shaking hands with poles is difficult if not dangerous!

The included post-race meal really hit the spot and we hung around to watch a bit of the presentation. There was a special prize given to a guy who'd done all forty races, unfortunately he then fell down the stairs off the stage. I hope he recovers to take part in the 41st. We then headed back on the bus (yes they do run in the afternoons!) to Seefeld and watched the mighty Petter Northug win the gold medal in the 50km classic at Vancouver. He finished his 50km faster than I managed my 25km, I've got a long way to go yet!

Results

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Pos	Time
1	Thomas Ruppaner	Fischer Racing Team	M		1:07.00,2
46	Chris Dibben	London Nordic	MV40	17/33	1:34.12,0
91	Colin Blackburn	Tyneside Loipers	MV40	24/33	2:08.55,2

124 finishers.

High Cup Nick Fell Race, Dufton, 27th February

9M/1500'

Shaun Roberts

I'd heard great things about this race, so as for the first time it didn't clash with a Harrier League fixture, I thought it was time to give it a go. Nigel and Dougie also came over the Pennines, and as is becoming traditional, we had the discussion as to whether to wear a Helly or not - I was for, Dougie against - but we were both happy with our choices in the end, so there you go. Bit of a long drag to start with, but after a while we had a nice undulating stretch that took us over to the east and the approach into the High Cup valley itself. Up and over a 'shoulder' and there it was - a superb view of High Cup Gill opened up before us - quite magical - and we descended into the valley. Very boggy section here until the boulder field at the head of the valley - we could forget running for a while and just had to scramble over large rocks. Then deep snow, that the organiser, Morgan Donnelly had helpfully cut steps into earlier. Brilliant open views down the valley from here:

Off and running again, now through deep snow at the top of the crag - followed by an exhilarating run down the valley side, on an unpredictable mix of snow, mud and rock. Near the bottom I saw my wife, and we shouted a few pleasantries at each other - but soon after I heard her talking to someone else, and guessed Nigel had caught me up on the descent (as had quite a few others to be honest), so I put a bit of a shift on over the last section through grassy fields to get to the finish in Dufton. Sure enough, Nigel wasn't far behind, and Dougie came in soon afterwards. Soup and a roll in the village hall went down very well.

The organiser introduced the results by making some very gracious remarks about runners at the back of the field - he said never mind the hundred or so runners in the front - they should remember that there were sixty million or so people in the country who couldn't imagine doing this sort of thing - a comment that could apply to nearly all running races, methinks.

A great race, and Dougie's managed to get some superb photos on the way round, link below ...

Results

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Pos	Time
1	Chris Steele	Borrowdale	M		1:04:18
102	Shaun Roberts		MV50		1:33:26
107	Nigel Heppell		MV50		1:34:47
129	Dougie Nisbet		MV40		1:44:26

145 finishers.

English National XC Championships, Leeds, 27th February

Mudman & Mudwoman

Your Club was represented at the national cross country championships on Saturday by six brave souls:

• David Gibson
• Fiona Shenton
• Geoff Davis
• Jan Young
• Mike Bennett
• Susan Davis

The course in Roundhay Park Leeds was hilly and muddy, just as you would expect in a national championship. The hills were long and steep and the mud was very sticky and smelly. Nonetheless, every Strider had a great time and felt privileged to be there and able to compete against fellow runners from Folkstone to Liverpool. The sight of 500 senior women and 1300 senior men racing up a muddy hill was truely impressive - hope to see many more of you there next year - it really is a great experience a must for every runners' CV.

Results

Men

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Time
1	Andy Vernon	Aldershot Farnham & District AC		38:01
880	David Gibson			54:19
1010	Mike Bennett			56:27
1098	Geoff Davis			58:09

1328 finishers.

Women

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Time
1	Stephanie Twell	Aldershot Farnham & District AC		27:52
264	Fiona Shenton			37:18
394	Susan Davis			40:54
408	Jan Young			41:25

543 finishers.

Belvoir Challenge, Grantham, 27th February

26M

Dave Robson

This is a popular event and it was full about a month ago - 1200 participants with probably about 400 runners and 800 walkers. There are two routes, the 16m and the 26m. Its very similar to a LDWA event, but its a bit more expensive as all proceeds go to the local school which is the start and end point.

It was a tad muddy today. Last year the conditions were pretty dry. This year there was lots and lots of mud. Some of it was so bad that even when it was flat I couldn't run on it - it was just squelchy and I would be ankle deep in the stuff. Sometimes I would come out of a ploughed field and my shoes would feel twice as heavy as the normally do. There was also plenty of stiles to stretch your legs.

I liked it. Some beautiful villages and Belvoir Castle looked impressive again. It was a new route this year and we got a better view this time. Some of course was used last year, but in the opposite direction. Not too many hills and none of them were particularly big, but the mud made them hard to get up.

The checkpoints were well stocked and the meal at the end was as great as it was last year - soup, pudding, tea and flapjack. Its the twentieth year they have run this event and the organisation is like clockwork. A good run and I am pleased to got round. I was over 30min slower than last year with 5hr 8min, but it felt a totally different event this year.

Durham Tri Club Duathlon, High Shincliffe, 21st February

Run 2M, Bike 11M, Run 2M

Alan Smith

The January Duathlon had to be postponed due to adverse weather conditions and was rearranged for the end of January, but that had to be cancelled for the same reason. This February event was my first duathlon, although about 10 years ago I did a run and cycle race only at Meadowfield without the final run. I drove by car in the dark round part of the route a few weeks ago but took a wrong turn as I did not realise that part of the route doubled back. I then cycled the bike route the week before the race with no problems.

On the day itself, I cycled from home to the start, so had a bit of a warm up. The event involves a 3 km run, an 18km bike ride and a 3km run. We were not sure if the race would go ahead as the morning started off very frosty and there was ice on part of the running route. It was only when I got to registration (fee £3) that we knew that it was going ahead.

I was asked to give the time of a recent race which I had done, so I gave my time for the Brass Monkey in York last month. This was used to calculate my handicap, as a result of which I started off in the first group of two and was given number 1. The next group started off 3 minutes later. At the end of the first run, I was still in the lead and it was only after several miles cycling that a few cyclists started to overtake me.

I cycled as fast as I could, but not fast enough. One of the cyclists caught me up and we cycled along together for a short distance and had a chat, but then he pulled away and 2 other cyclists went past as did a few others later on. Shaun was also competing but I did not see him after the start until he came in running strong at the finish.

My thighs were aching a bit (more of a burning sensation) towards the end of the bike ride as I approached High Shincliffe, which was the only steep hill on the route, the others being more gradual. I actually caught a cyclist up at the top of the hill, just before the finish.

The hardest part was running after cycling, but there was a transition area which was where I parked my bike before and after the cycle ride. Because it was icy, we had to walk round the transition area with our bikes before setting off running, which helped a bit. On the bonus side, when I was running after the cycling, I ran past one of the faster cyclists who had overtaken me on the bike ride, which felt good.

My bike is a hybrid, but if you want to achieve a good time on the bike ride you need to use a road/racing bike. I did not take any wrong turns on the run or on the cycle ride. After the race I then cycled home with Dave Shipman who had come to observe.

I was slightly disappointed with my overall time, as although only a few cyclists over took me (they had started after me) my time was fairly slow, but I am pleased to say that I was not the last. There were 31 starters, but only 30 finished. However, on checking my handicap time, I see that I was fifth.

A very enjoyable morning, well worth doing. The next club Duathlon is on 21 March. I have also entered for the City of Durham Duathlon on 18 April, which involves a 5km run, a 25km bike ride, a 5km run and a lot more hill work. [Link on right, under "Coming soon". Ed.]

Results

Pos	Name	Run 1+T1	Bike+T2	Run 2	Total
1	Gary Grounds	11:38	34:42	10:50	0:57:10
5	Hilary ROSS	14:03	37:57	12:43	1:04:43
11	Shaun ROBERTS	13:30	41:31	13:08	1:08:09
26	Alan SMITH	16:15	49:15	15:30	1:21:00

30 finishers.

Harrier League, Temple Park, South Shields, 20th February

Mudman & Mudwoman

Twenty two Striders represented their club at Saturday's X/C at Temple Park, South Shields. They enjoyed a bright if chilly day and coped well with a fairly muddy course. The twelve women were led home again by Nina with Fiona completing the fastest time by a Strider. All the women ran their hearts out and there were many improved performances among our newer runners. The provisional results show the team finishing 10th on the day.

The ten determined men were running without three regular 'counters' and so finished 3rd in Division 3 on the day. However, we still keep our promotion spot in 2nd place for the season so far. Once again Phil Sanderson had a blistering run putting in the fifth fastest time of the day, being the fastest Veteran runner and leading home the Striders' team. Debutant Joe Thornhill had a good run and should be back with us next season.

There is a gap now of five weeks before the final fixture at Prudhoe on 27th March. It will be crucial for Striders to have their biggest and best teams out at that fixture if we are to realise our promotion and top ten dreams. See you all there.

Results

Men

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Time
1	REED, Nathan	Sunderland Harriers		34:34
37	SANDERSON, Phil			* 37:29
82	GIBSON, David			38:46
187	ROBERTS, Shaun			41:45
190	DAVIS, Geoff			41:55
206	WHITE, Conrad			42:27
212	METSON, John			42:55
227	HEPPLE, Nigel			43:54
273	THORNHILL, Joe			47:24
294	ROBSON, Dave			49:46
303	ROBSON, Alister			51:12

* Fast pack

315 finishers. Men's team 3rd, Division 3.

Women

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Time
1	MOONEY, Jane	Morpeth Harriers & AC		27:02
35	MASON, Nina			30:03
41	GODDARD, Debra			30:25
55	DAVIS, Susan			31:14
63	YOUNG, Jan			31:48
65	BARLOW, Stephanie			31:50
67	SHENTON, Fiona			* 31:59
73	TOMLINS, Zoe			32:36
85	DYKES, Kirsty			33:36
89	PROCTOR, Angela			34:05
91	COPLEY, Jennifer			34:12
98	PORTER, Joanne			35:31
100	TARN, Lindsay			35:45

* Fast pack

112 finishers. Women's Team 10th.

Fairmile Fell Race, Howgill, Sedbergh, 14th February

Geoff Watson

The Fairmile fell race is another race in the Kendal winter league. This is a series of races from January to April based around the Southern Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. The races are generally between 4-5 miles and see entries from 50-100 runners. The Fairmile race is in a quiet part of the Lune valley on the Howgill fells on the opposite side to the busy M6. It takes in enroute two peaks, Linghaw and Fell Head at 623 metres. From here you can take in views of The Calf (676m) which is the highest Howgill peak to the east, or to the west, the lakeland ranges. The route is straight up and then straight down, so there is no let up on the legs!

The KWL races are quite short but have a very friendly atmosphere and races for juniors to seniors. If you are tempted to do one then Cautley Spout (7th March) is a tough but rewarding one. A more gentle cross country race in the series is the Sedbergh race (28th Feb).

Editor's note: the more astute reader will have noticed that Geoff's completely failed to mention how he got on in this one. You'll have to draw your own conclusions ...

Harrier League, Wrekenton, 13th February

Mudman & Mudwoman

Mudman & Mudwoman were unable to make it to Wrekenton but were very pleased to see that the teams did themselves proud.

The Women had their best result of the season finishing eighth on the day which also puts them in eighth place for the season. No less than 13 Striders women ran with Nina leading the team home again followed closely by Rebecca Pannell making her HL debut.

The Men continued their push for promotion finishing second team in Division 3 on the day and maintaining second place for the season. Phil Sanderson, running from the fast pack, led the team of 11 men home.

However, we need to maintain this momentum next Saturday (20/02) at Temple Park South Shields if Striders are going to have a season to remember and celebrate. Hope to see as many as possible of you there.

Jan adds:

Far from wrecks, we had some good runs at Wrekenton. Mudman and partner would have been proud:

• both mens' and womens' teams had runners to spare
• vocal support was provided by Lindsay, Andy G and Phil O. much appreciated
• Phil and Will demonstrated effortless hill running from the fast pack
• cakes were in plentiful supply
• Valentine was celebrated by Geoff DCH, but we forgive his club choice anyway, when he brings home bakes topped with chocolate Valentine hearts
• Becky on her debut had promising run as 2nd counter
• and Lyndsay declared she prefered the courses with challenging inclines.

See you all at South Shields Sat 20th Feb.

 

 

Results

Men

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Time
1	GARBUTT, Daniel	Durham City Harriers		33:32
50	SANDERSON, Phil			* 40:02
117	GIBSON, David			41:59
164	HORSLEY, Will			* 43:47
183	BENNETT, Michael			44:27
201	ROBERTS, Shaun			45:30
210	METSON, John			46:15
236	HEPPLE, Nigel			48:15
254	THOMPSON, Andrew			49:53
262	NESBIT, Dougie			50:32
288	ROBSON, Dave			54:10
305	BROOKS, Peter			60:23

* Fast pack

309 finishers. Men's team 2nd, Division 3.

Women

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	Time
1	MOONEY, Jane	Morpeth Harriers & AC		28:14
37	MASON, Nina			32:44
41	PANNELL, Rebecca			33:05
57	BARLOW, Stephanie			33:49
58	YOUNG, Jan			33:51
62	GODDARD, Debra			33:59
63	LAYTON, Roz			34:04
72	TOMLINS, Zoe			34:39
87	DYKES, Kirsty			36:39
90	COPLEY, Jennifer			37:20
92	BRADLEY, Jean			37:34
93	PROCTOR, Angela			37:47
94	TARN, Lindsay			38:01
101	BOS, Clare Van Den			40:26

110 finishers. Women's Team 8th.

Durham Charity 5K, 13th February

Dave Robson

I was up early for the Durham 5K charity run which started a bit earlier this year - 10.00. This made it much easier to do it and the Wrekenton cross country. In the car park I met somebody who had been thinking of joining the club and he is going to come down and give us a try, so that was a good start to the day.

Not many of the students had pre-entered, so registration was a bit busy before 10.00 and we made our way to the start a bit after 10.00 and stood and shivered for a while before getting going.

Different course than in previous years, three laps on a well marked and marshalled course on the Maiden castle side of the river. It was all on grass and as the course had been used for juniors the previous day, it was pretty muddy. It was great and the sudden lashing rainfall in the middle of the race made it feel like a normal winter cross country event, but without any hills ! I had challenged my students to race me, but not too many of them turned out, thirteen I reckon with 9 in front of me and 4 behind, so its not costing me very much for the challenge I set them. Overall they had disappointing numbers at the event (and none in fancy dress this year).

As we passed the finish for the first time, I glanced at my Garmin and it was over 8min and it wasn't a complete lap, but with the cross country coming up, I wasn't going to push it and I finished in 28min. Afterwards I saw it was over 5.5K so I felt a little better ! Alan Purvis and Louise Billcliffe also ran it and enjoyed it. There are no results for this run.

Kielder Grey's Summit Fell Race, 7th February

7M/1300'

Dougie Nisbet

The story goes that after the first test-flight of the Spitfire in 1936 the pilot turned to the designer and said, "Don't change a thing". It crossed my mind to say this to Will today at the Harrier League when we were chatting about the first (and possibly only) running of the Kielder Grey's Summit fell race. Already Will is talking about variations on this route; whether it stays the same or has some new twists and turns, it's got the great raw material that is the Kielder Forest and can't go wrong.

The race suited me just fine and dandy. It started with a brief bit of tarmac, then onto some forest tracks that climbed into the heights of Kielder and warmed us all up before the real fell stuff began. As soon as we veered off-road and hit our first non-running climb I took the opportunity to do a quick costume change. I was overheating again and needed to cool down. The trick is to make sure your bib number isn't safety-pinned to your baselayer, otherwise when the peel off the singlet you find yourself blindly stumbling through the heather with a rather constricted view of the world.

Feeling cooler and comfortable it was soon time to hit the Three Pikes. I'd lost my DFR targets and so started the climb with no interesting blips on the radar to chase. I enjoy a good slog up a fell and often find it's where I make my gains. Sure enough, by the time we crossed the snowline and neared the top, I could see DFR's Dawn Metcalfe who had finished ahead of me at Wansfell, and suddenly I had someone to chase.

At this point the route follows much of the outward course of the Kielder Borderer, except backwards, and I got frequent blasts of back-to-front deja-vu. Stumbling down the descent from the three-pikes I could feel my balance going and made the decision to fall into the snow rather than wham my joints trying to recover. Good move. The snow was scratchy but forgiving. I picked myself up and had another go at catching Dawn. In the race-briefing Will had warned us of the final bridge-crossing was sheet ice and would require us to tip-toe across holding on to the wall. It was around here that I passed Dawn and overtook her in a slightly surreal fashion as we both gingerly crossed the bridge seeking out the scarce traction afforded by the track edges.

I pushed on to the finish and was content to run in without any ostentatious sprinting. Then several things happened at once. The finish seemed to be at the top of a staircase, and half-way up I could see NFR's Terry Hart, who is never far away from me in a fell race. He seemed too far away to catch and I hit the stairs without ambition. Then a voice hollered from above, filled with exasperation, mockery, and accusation, it boomed; "Come on Dougie, SHIFT. YOUR. ARSE!". Looking up I saw the gauntlet-thrower at the top of the stairs was Phil Owen. I decided to do as I was told and sprinted passed Terry on one of the hairpins to the finish and found myself at Kielder Castle. It's not many fell races that can claim to finish at the top of a flight of stairs!

I'm a big fan of Kielder although I'm never sure why. It's a long way to travel to risk being mauled by midges, but it's a great big slab of interesting wild space and it's a great place for fell races.