Making our mark

Well you have certainly been making your mark this week from call ups to Team GB to mass attendance at races.  There have been Great Hill Races, trail races, road racing in parks and by the sea as well as competitive fell racing at Sedburgh.  Roll on long summer evenings and plenty of racing!

TEAM GB CALL UP FOR CHRIS HOLDSWORTH

Our Clayton colleague Christopher Holdsworth has been selected to run for the Great Britain senior men’s team at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, to be held at Premana, Italy in August. This is fantastic news, not just for Chris, but for the whole club, and should be a great inspiration to our junior athletes. International vests, particularly GB vests don’t come round every day, and this selection is just reward for a great winter’s training and some outstanding racing put in by Chris this year.

Chris Holdsworth at the 3 Peaks Race. Photo by Andy Jackson

Well done Chris: the whole club is really proud of you, and we will be with you all the way to Italy.

TUESDAY 2 MAY

GEOFF DOGGATT MEMORIAL 5K

Julia Rushton and Ron Chappell took part in this midweek 5K race. Julia was 43^rd with a time of 23:26 and Ron Chappell was 65^th with a time of 29:28. A total of 66 runners took part.

Full Results

WEDNESDAY 3 MAY

ASTLEY PARK TRAIL SERIES

Jonathan Pye was our sole runner in the first race of this popular series organised by Chorley AC. He finished in 10^th place with a time of 27:00

Full Results

ASTLEY PARK JUNIOR TRAIL SERIES

Fifteen juniors took part in the junior race which is also one of the summer series of races. Lennon Jackson was our first finisher storming into 17^th place with a time of 05:33 with Robbie Smedley snapping at his heels in 18^th. Ella Dorrington was our first girl in 40^th and with a time of 6:07 with Sophie Ashworth chasing her tail in 41^st. Some excellent midweek running from our juniors.

Full Results

SATURDAY 6 MAY

CHORLEY DUATHLON

Helana White took part in the Chorley duathlon (Run – Bike – Run) at Astley Park.  The weather was very different to the trail races earlier in the week with very blustery conditions. The wind was blowing against the competitors on the uphill bike section which did not bode well for Helana but she pulled it out of the bag and had a cracking race!

She came in 4th on the run and then only lost 2 places in the bike section; she was delighted with that as she had expected to lose a lot more places in this section. She ran hard to close the gaps and get 6th in the T2 class. She was not too long behind the winner which means lots of points as time from the winner is how points are worked out in this league.

SUNDAY 7 MAY

BEAVERBROOKS BLACKPOOL 10K

Fantastic running all round and a shout out for Team Stevenson over the tannoy at the 2017 Beaverbrooks Blackpool 10K race. There was a new PB for Adam, Keira ditched her pacemaker dad and nipped in under the hour in her first ever 10K race and Lucy, taking a break from GCSE studying, finished in a comfortable 67 minutes.

Team Stevenson in action at Beaverbrooks’ Blackpool 10K. Photos by Deborah Stevenson

Good enough to earn fish and chips and a trip to the arcades.

AWAITING RESULTS

BLACKSTICKS BLUE 10K

Jacob Watson and Stephen Biscomb travelled to … to take part in the Blacksticks Blue 10K race. Jacob was 5^th in the race with a time of 37 minutes dead and Stephen was 33^rd in 44:15. A total of 146 runners took part.

Report from Jacob Watson

I’m not sure why, but for some reason I favour a challenging, hilly road race over a flat course. My favourite event on the race calendar is definitely Hendon Brook and I’d have to say that, in terms of challenge, this race is its little brother. Much like Hendon Brook, this race takes you over picturesque and hilly country roads and also similarly, being mainly flat, Blacksticks’ first mile does a good job of filling you with a false sense of security.

Jacob Watson at the Blacksticks Blue race.

The next 2 miles however proved very tough, taking any speed I may have otherwise had out of my legs for the sheer downhills in the latter stages. From the off, I decided to set off at what I believed to be a conservative pace in order to save my energy for the climbs to come. I started off in 6th place and things remained that way for the first 2 miles. During the main climb in mile 3 I managed to take 5th but couldn’t close the gap between me and Trawden’s Stephen Hall who was running well in 4th.

Stephen Biscomb at the Blacksticks Blue 10K

Full Results

GREAT HAMELDON HILL RACE

Senior Race

It was a beautiful day as huge turnout of 75 Clayton-le-Moors Harriers lined up for this year’s Great Hameldon Hill Race.

Most of the runners at the Great Hameldon Hill Race. Photo by Adrienne Olszewska

Always popular with our club members, this race is the first in the local Pendle and Burnley Grand Prix series.

Carl Helliwell warming up before the Hameldon Hill Race. Photo by Adrienne Olszewska

Danny Collinge was our first Clayton finisher and 2^nd overall in the race. Jordan McDonald was 1^st MU23, Carl Helliwell was 1^st V40 and Geoff Gough was 1^st V55. With 50 men running in the race we had 15 men’s team in with the ‘A’ team (D Collinge | A Laycock | D Motley) taking 3^rd place.

Runners heading up the first climb. Photo by Adrienne Olszewska

There was a great turnout of women in the race with 25 Clayton Ladies running. Clair Vincent was our first lady home and 5^th lady finisher overall in the race. Jean Knightley was 1^st L55, Anita Jones was 1^st L60 and Karin Goss was 1^st L65. With so many ladies in the race we dominated the team results taking 1^st (C Vincent | D Airey | E Mullan) and 2^nd (C Smedley | T DeCurtis | B Savage) and had 8 complete teams in the event.

Full Results

JUNIOR RACES

Over 30 juniors raced in the first race of this year’s Burnley and Pendle Grand Prix.

Juniors ready to race! Photo by Adrienne Olszewska

U9 RACE

Four of our very youngest runners took part in the U9 race. Charlie Plant was our first finisher in 7^th place overall and 1^st F7 and there was some great running from Ruby Cleaver who was running in her vest for the first time, Emily Johnson and Olly Plant.

Ruby Cleaver delighted with her first official race for Clayton-le-Moors Harriers.

U11 RACE

Harry Cole in the U11 race. Photo by David Belshaw

Changes in the age category rules mean that some of our younger runners took part in the more challenging U11 race despite some of them only being 8 years old on race day. This race took the runners out of the playing field and up and around the Coppice; a big step up from the previous race for a lot of them. However, undaunted our plucky juniors rose to the challenge and put in plenty of gustsy performances. Harry Cole was our first finisher and also the overall winner.Emily Nicholls was our first girl finisher.

U13 RACE

Six juniors ran in the U13 race. Robbie Smedley was our first finisher and 2^nd overall in the race. Helana White was first girl in the race and 6^th place overall.

Imogen Ferguson powering to the finish. Photo by David Belshaw

U15 RACE

Eight juniors ran in the U15 Race. Michael Stevens was our first finisher and 2^nd overall in the race. Ella Dorrrington was our first girl and 2^nd girl overall in the race.

Michael Stevens in the U15 Race. Photo by David Belshaw

U17 RACE

Four of our older junior runners took part in the U17 Race. Nick Hennessey was our first finisher and 2^nd overall in the race. Millie Stubbs was our first girl and also first girl in the race.

Joshua Hall in the U17 Race. Photo by David Belshaw

Full Results

HEATON PARK 10K

Amanda Duffy was our sole runner in the Heaton Park 10K. She finished 33^rd overall, 5th Lady and 2^nd FV35 in a field of 291 runners.

Amanda Reports

What a fantastic day to be racing! The sun was out and I was running in the Heaton Park 10K. The course itself was scenic and hilly, a two-lap course mainly on tarmac with some gravel paths which took you round a lake and then a couple of good climbs up towards Heaton Hall. I managed to place 5th female so very happy with that.

Full Results

SEDBURGH (BOFRA)

Senior Race

U17 RACE

A strong run from Briony Holt gave her 9^th place overall and 1^st girl in the U17 race.

Briony Holt in the U17 race. Photo by Geoff Thompson

U12 RACE

Jenson Bentham was our only runner in the U12 race where he finished 10^th overall.

Jenson Bentham at the BOFRA Sedburgh race.

Full Results

PARKRUN ROUNDUP

Blackpool parkrun – A total of 187 runners took part.

Burnley parkrun – A total of 420 runners took part

Conwy parkrun – A total of 276 runners took part.

Lytham Hall parkrun – A total of 180 runners took part.

Pendle parkrun – A total of 98 runners took part.

Wyre Forest parkrun – A total of 194 runners took part.

York parkrun – A total of 692 runners took part.