Going the extra mile

ByAdrienne Olszewska

Going the extra mile

What a week! There have been some amazing efforts from our members as they took part in the Pendle Hill 22 for 22 challenge with plenty more of you turning up to support and join in along the way.  There’s also been plenty of action with some great performances and success in the Inter-Counties competition.

PENDLE HILL 22 FOR THE 22

The terrorist attack at the MEN Arena left 22 dead and 119 injured. Many of our club members have felt the impact of this atrocity and thankfully our junior member who was there escaped unhurt. A charity event to raise money for the We Love MCR Emergency Fund and Red Cross was launched.

6 runners, Garry Wilkinson, Matt Perry, Dave Motley, Dave Bagot, Ryan Wilkinson, Lee Smith and Paul Hesketh would run up and down Pendle Hill 22 times making a total of over 80 miles of running with around 22,000 feet of climbing over 3 days.

The 22 for 22 Challenge. Photo by David Belshaw

The 22 for 22 Challenge. Photo by David Belshaw

Support came in thick and fast from members of Clayton Harriers, other local running clubs and local businesses.

Report From Garry Wilkinson

Well 4 out of 5 of us beat the mountain.22 Summit climbs from the Pendle Inn Barley taking in 84 miles and 23,500 feet of ascent/descent. Starting out on Friday at 4pm and finishing Sunday at 4pm.

Claggy conditions during the 22 for 22 challenge.

Claggy conditions during the 22 for 22 challenge.

We wish to thank the Pendle Inn, Barley Village for letting us host the event there and all our sponsors and supporters. Some came to run a few and some just one.

Clayton runners supporting the challenge. Photo by David Belshaw

Clayton runners supporting the challenge. Photo by David Belshaw

Others just came to show their support, feed us and take in the incredible camaraderie these guys produced. We have raised close to £5000 and our original target was a thousand.

You can still donate on www.justgiving.com/WeHeartMCR22

We just can’t thank you enough

Report From Dave Motley

Well I managed to complete the challenge of running up/down Pendle Hill 22 times this weekend and I’m not broken, although my legs are a little sore.

We love MCR

One last time. Photo by David Belshaw

During the challenge 4 of us completed the full 22 reps resulting in us running 83.5mile and climbing 23,359ft!! I’ve just checked and this is the equivalent of running from Everest base camp to the summit and back down twice (and a tiny bit more) over the weekend. Unfortunately Man 5, Ryan Wilkinson had to pull out after really struggling with a knee injury with 5 reps to go, but he has already vowed to finish the challenge when he’s fixed, so watch this space.

We had some real low times between us over the weekend with awful weather on Saturday and personally the 1st two legs on Sunday where I couldn’t keep food down (not drink related). But the support we received over the weekend from our families, friends and the running community was amazing.

We have managed to raise over 4k so far and once we’ve counted the buckets and got the last bits of sponsorship hope to be over the 5k mark. You can still sponsor us on the below link. Thanks for all your support, it means a lot to me and the rest of the lads.

TUESDAY 6 MAY

PADDY’S POLE

The weather conditions at the Preston Harriers` organised Paddys Pole fell race were very challenging this year. A very strong westerly wind howled across the fells making progress very difficult at times for the runners and the wind had brought down some tree branches in the lanes near Chipping. The race starts and finishes near Fell Foot and is 3.7 miles , with 1102 feet of climbing. It heads out under Parlick, crosses Blindhurst Fell to Fair Snape Fell (Paddys Pole) and returns with a fast descent to the finish off Parlick. The first three runners were together for the majority of the race and Matt Perry won in 31.06, just two seconds ahead of Sam Harrison of Bowland. They both descended from Parlick at a furious pace as the lead kept changing hands.

Sarah Helliwell was our first lady finisher and Karin Goss was 1st FV60. First place was awarded to both our Men’s and Ladies’ teams.

Pos Name Cat Time
1 Matt Perry M 00:31:06
8 Peter Coates M40 00:34:12
12 Carl Helliwell M40 00:34:49
13 Chris Snell M 00:35:10
25 Andrew Orr M40 00:38:54
29 Sean Clare M50 00:39:27
31 Mark Nutter M50 00:40:25
38 David Moynihan M50 00:41:51
48 Wayne McIntosh M 00:44:36
49 David Naylor M60 00:45:23
51 Colin Woolford M40 00:45:42
53 Andrew Dugdale M50 00:47:55
55 Stephen Fish M60 00:48:54
56 Sarah Helliwell F 00:49:15
60 Joanne Perry F 00:51:32
67 Karin Goss F60 00:57:38

Full Results

WEDNESDAY 7 MAY

ASTLEY PARK TRAIL SERIES

Seven junior runners took part in the second race of this year’s Astley Park trail series. Lennon Jackson was our first finisher in 17th place and Sophie Ashworth was our first girl.

Pos    Name    Cat    CatPos    Time   
17 Lennon Jackson M17 (013/033) 00:05:37
22 Matthew Jackson M17 (016/033) 00:05:43
36 Sophie Ashworth F17 (014/034) 00:06:02
37 Helana White F17 (015/034) 00:06:04
54 Luke Guest M17 (025/033) 00:06:22
61 Imogen Ferguson F17 (024/034) 00:06:30
82 Jake O’Dowd M17 (030/033) 00:07:02

Full Results

SENIOR RACE

Jonathan Pye and David Moynihan took part in the senior race. Jonathan was our first finisher in 13th place overall and David was 44th

Pos    Name    Cat    CatPos    Time   
13 Jonathan Pye MS (004/022) 00:27:46
44 David Moynihan M50 (008/030) 00:30:33

Full Results

BLENCATHRA FELL RACE

Report from James Williamson

The 2017 Blencathra fell race started with the race organiser reading a quote from the great Alfred Wainwright – a request made by the family of Stephen Owen who tragically passed away whilst competing in Loughrigg fell race earlier this year. A poignant reminder of how precious life is and a moment to reflect. A short silence followed by a round of applause in his memory was a fitting way to pay tribute to a fellow runner who died doing what we all love.Blencathra - James Williamson by Stephen White

I’ve been looking forward to this race all year, a real classic Lakeland fell race starting from Mungrisdale taking you over the summit of Bowscale fell, Blencathra and Souther Fell. At 7.5 miles and just shy of 3000ft climb, this is a pretty runnable race (once the 1st climb is out of the way) & affords some stunning views of the surrounding Peaks and Lakes. It wasn’t difficult to get motivated for this, given that Blencathra is my favourite mountain & for me this is by far the best race on the calendar both in terms of value & race route.

The windy conditions this year made it much more difficult compared to the glorious sunshine last season…… although we fell lucky as the relentless rain over the 2 days had halted for a few hours!

3 Clayton vests turned out amongst a strong field for this one – me, Neil & Barbara.

I set off well, felt good on the initial climb up towards Bowscale fell & settled in to a nice rhythm, the run off between Bowscale and the foot of Blencathra is nice & fast and i was able to gain a few places, however I may have overcooked it as the climb up to Blencathra summit felt laboured. I was relieved to reach the top as the fast start and wind resistance really took it out of me. From this point there is a long run off to Souther Fell and back to the finish – nice & fast running that allowed me to regain the places i lost on the climb. A very steep descent down to a small river crossing was energy sapping but I had just enough in the tank to outsprint 2 chaps as I approached the line. Great runs also from Neil & Barbara. Ben Mounsey of CVFR took the win ahead of Steven Hebblethwaite & Martin Mikkelson-Barron. Not the best season so far for me, a mixed bag of results of late, plenty of positives to take but also plenty of areas to work & improve on.

I can’t recommend this race enough!

THURSDAY 8 JUNE

BRONTE 5

Richard Briscoe was our sole runner in this race. He finished in 35th place.

Pos    Name    Cat    Time   
35 Richard Briscoe M35 00:34:46

Full Results

EAST LANCS PRIMARY SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY

Report from Rachael White

The East Lancs Schools final saw several Clayton Juniors take part for their towns. Selected as the best 25 Girls and 25 Boys from each of the 5 school regions including Burnley, Rossendale & Blackburn after local Town XC races had taken place. This year the final was held at Marl Pitts, so even before the heavens opened, you knew there would be mud, mud and more mud.

All children taking part did brilliantly in such horrendous rain, whilst the Clayton kids and other club runners are used to it, I did feel sorry for the non-club runners who looked a little shocked when they finished the course.The Girls went first, on the 2.5K route that followed similar to the normal X-Country route and ended up on the track for the final 300m. – Helana White won for Burnley with a commanding lead over second place girl. The boys followed, with great positions for Robbie Smedley (4th) and Mathew Jackson (12th).

NO AVAILABLE RESULTS

KETTLEWELL ANNIVERSARY FELL RACE

Report from Luke Turner

Still not really sure what happened to my legs in that race, but they felt incredible!! First race I’ve ever done where they’ve felt good and I’ve been in control and able to push as and where I want and feel strong all the way round. 5 mile and 1800ft of climb and came home in 7th against some incredible fell runners. Had a blinder of a run. Could even see Ted mason who won it in my sights all the way round! I’ve only been following a proper training plan for two weeks now, just went on regular jogs before that with the odd race. Just wait till next year. Over the moon with that.

Pos Name Cat Time
7 Luke Turner MSen 42.38
57 Andrew Dugdale M55 56.24
63 Paul Dugdale M60 57.31
64 Jack Dugdale MSen 58.23

Full Results

WALSH TWO LADS FELL RACE

Stephen Fish was running solo in this fell race where he finished in 133rd place.

Pos    Name    Cat    CatPos    Time   
133 Stephen Fish M60 (007/009) 00:55:10

Full Results

SATURDAY 10 JUNE

Five Clayton juniors took part in the FRA championship/ inter counties race at the Rossendale 50th Anniversary race.

Report from Tina Hines Holt

it was a brilliant day at Cowpe UK inter counties/FRA fell race despite the weather. It lashed it down just in time for the U17s race and continued into the U19s. It was wet, slippery and had at least 3 big hills to climb. Well done to everyone who ran this difficult course on an awful day.

Briony loved this course but not so much Curtis who has mainly concentrated on the track, and this is only his 2nd fell race in about 3yrs. Briony came 2nd girl in U17s and 1st Lancashire counter and Curtis came 14th boy and 2nd Lancashire counter. After a challenging season Briony managed to secure 3rd place in the FRA overall.

U13 RACE

Pos Name Cat Time
19 Christopher Brown U13B 00:14:59
31 Jenson Bentham U13B 00:15:53

U15 RACE

Pos Name Cat Time
8 Jackson McKay U15B 00:20:51

U17 RACE

Briony Holt in the U17 race. Photo by Woodentops

Briony Holt in the U17 race. Photo by Woodentops

Pos Name Cat Time
24 Briony Holt (2nd Girl) U17G 00:35:19

U19 RACE

Curtis Holt in the U19 Race. Photo by Woodentops

Curtis Holt in the U19 Race. Photo by Woodentops

Pos Name Cat Time
23 Curtis Holt U19B 00:52:48

WEETS FELL RACE

Another big turnout despite the grim weather on the day. Danny Collinge took the win in under 40 minutes.Weets Danny Reece Lawrence was 1st MU18 and Jeff Pickup was 1st MV65. Our first lady was Elizabeth Mullan in 76th place. Anita Jones was 1st W60 and Karin Goss was 1st W65

Pos    Name    Cat    Time   
1 Danny Collinge M 00:39:24
8 Jordan McDonald M 00:42:40
13 Chris Snell M 00:45:01
21 George Pier M 00:47:43
23 Michael O’Donnell M40 00:47:52
29 Paul Hesketh M50 00:48:34
34 Sean Clare M50 00:49:19
38 Andrew Orr M45 00:49:55
40 John Roche M55 00:50:09
46 Gareth Berry M40 00:51:10
48 Daniel Plant M 00:51:23
49 David Moynihan M50 00:51:27
51 Craig Nicholls M40 00:51:36
52 Michael Clarke M40 00:51:39
54 John Wilcock M50 00:51:49
63 David Naughton M55 00:53:03
64 Andy Bradley M50 00:53:06
66 Mick Hughes M40 00:53:40
72 Jeffrey Pickup M65 00:54:34
73 Robert Morrison M40 00:56:03
74 James Dunderdale M 00:56:17
75 Stephen Ainsworth M60 00:56:22
76 Elizabeth Mullan W 00:56:24
80 Cassandra Smedley W35 00:56:36
81 Reece Lawrence MU18 00:57:17
82 Adam Stephenson M 00:57:25
87 Chris Lawrence M50 00:58:48
88 Stuart Proctor M 00:59:01
105 Colin Woolford M40 01:01:42
107 Irene Roche W55 01:01:53
109 Andrew Dugdale M55 01:02:12
112 Carl Carey M45 01:03:06
113 Nerina Gill W45 01:03:08
115 Peter Dugdale M60 01:04:20
118 Jane Ryan W40 01:04:38
119 Donna Scott W50 01:05:21
121 Andrew Webster M45 01:06:51
122 Lucy Scott W 01:08:00
123 Lisa Ellis W35 01:08:01
125 Ian Hargreaves M50 01:09:39
131 Julia Rushton W50 01:10:56
134 Bethany Quinn W 01:11:42
135 Mark Knowles M40 01:12:46
136 Janine Pollard W45 01:13:56
137 Michelle Butschok W40 01:14:01
140 Deborah Greenwood W45 01:14:23
147 Karin Goss W65 01:18:04
149 Julia Taylor W55 01:20:39
150 Judith Carey W 01:22:46
151 Jack McGuire M60 01:29:08
152 Anita Jones W60 01:32:37

Full Results

WEETS JUNIOR RACES

U9S RACE

Weets U7

Charlie Plant helping her little brother in the U7s race. Photo by David Belshaw

A trio of our youngest runners took part in the U9s race. Charlie Plant was our first finisher in 5th place overall. Emily Johnson was our next finisher in 6th place and Olly Plant was 7th. In a dramatic finish redolent of the Brownlee Brothers, young Olly took a tumble a few yards short of the finish line and his big sister Charlie ran back for him, picked him up and held his hand all the way to the finish line.

Pos    Name    Cat Time   
5 Charlie Plant U9G 3:55
6 Emily Johnson U9G 4:24
7 Olly Plant U9B 5:01

U11S RACE

Weets U11

Fraser Anforth and Ellisia Smedley in the U11s Race. Photo by David Belshaw

Some great running from our U11s as they raced in grim conditions. Charlie Barnes was our first finisher in 4th place. Ellisia Smedley was our first Clayton girl with a really strong run.

Pos    Name    Cat Time   
4 Charlie Barnes U11B 3:37
5 Guy Whalley U11B 3:39
10 Toby Birtwistle U9B 3:51
16 Fraser Anforth U11B 4:12
17 Ellisia Smedley U11G 4:16
20 Emily Nicholls U11G 4:27
22 Joni Higgins U11G 5:07

U13S RACE

Weets U13

The start of the U13 race. Photo by David Belshaw

Robbie Smedley took lead from the start and finished in first place. Harry Cole battled hard with Elliot Phillips of Barlick but had to settle for 3rd.

Pos    Name    Cat Time   
1 Robbie Smedley U13B 2:47
3 Harry Cole U13B 2:55
12 Luke Guest U13B 3:33
14 Jake Anforth U13B 3:38

U15s RACE

Weets U15

Start of the U15 race. Photo by David Belshaw

Mirroring the U13s Joshua Hall had a decisive lead to take the win with Michael Stevens battling Barlick’s Jack Villiers but having to settle for 3rd place. Sophie Ashworth had a really strong run to finish as first girl in 8th place overall. Some great running from our older juniors.

Pos    Name    Cat Time   
1 Joshua Hall U17B 3:43
3 Michael Stevens U15B 3:55
5 Adam Stevenson U15B 4:21
6 William Nicholls U15B 4:27
8 Sophie Ashworth U15G 4:33
9 Natasha Olszewska U15G 5:21
10 Keira Stevenson U15G 5:39
11 Bronia Olszewska U15G 5:52
12 Jake O’Dowd U15B 5:59

Full Results

SUNDAY 11 JUNE

BOLTON HILL HALF MARATON

Geoff Smith was our only representative at this half marathon event. He finished in 29th place with a time of 02:03:07. A total of 118 runners took part.

Pos    Name    Cat    Time   
29 Geoff Smith MV40 02:03:27

Full Results

HAWKSWICK DASH

Report from Andrew Holt

Short, steep, fast and fun this was the 3rd BOFRA race for me this season. The Hawkswick Dash is a 1.3mile loop up and around a 200m ridge then straight back down into the picturesque village of Kettlewell.  A strong breeze blew us up most of the steady-runnable ascent, with a 50m hands and feet grassy scramble to the top, a gentle single-track over a couple of fences then pick a line straight down into the village of hHwkswick for the best decent in the series. Following a dreadful start, no doubt tinkering with my watch, I passed several runners up the hill and onto the top. For reasons unknown I gate vaulted the fence along the top, and no doubt looked a right idiot doing so, then a reasonable descent, passing but also getting passed on the way down. 15 minutes of lung burning fun for £4, in a well organised, fun, traditional fell race.
AWAITING RESULTS

HOWTOWN FR

Wendy Dodds was our only runner in this Lake District Fell Race. She finished in 35th place and 1st  WV60. A total of 65 runners took part.

Howton - Wendy Dodds _ Stephen White

Pos Runner Category Time
35 Wendy Dodds WV60 3.12.16

Full Results

PARKRUN ROUNDUP

Blackpool parkrun – A total of 104 runners took part.

Pos  parkrunner  Time  Age Cat  Note 
25 Philip NAYLOR 23:44 VM35-39 New PB!

Burnley parkrun – A total of 256 runners took part.

Pos  parkrunner  Time  Age Cat  Note 
2 Matthew DUCKWORTH 18:33 SM25-29
3 Jonathan PYE 19:08 SM25-29
6 Kevin DAVIES 19:55 VM55-59
8 Simon WILSHAW 20:43 JM15-17
9 Lennon JACKSON 20:49 JM11-14
20 Alison DUGDALE 21:53 VW45-49
30 Wayne MCINTOSH 23:22 VM35-39
44 Michelle ABBOTT 24:28 VW35-39
55 Caitlin WELSH 25:09 JW15-17
64 Imogen FERGUSON 25:20 JW11-14
90 Richard LAWSON 26:31 VM75-79
100 Tony PILLING 26:50 VM50-54
111 Melanie HIRST 27:29 VW40-44
138 Evan WELSH 28:34 JM11-14
141 Bethany WHEATCROFT 28:52 JW11-14
142 Darcey HIRST 29:00 JW10
170 Christine Jennifer EGERTON 30:39 VW65-69
176 Rachel STEVENSON 30:57 JW11-14
198 Stuart BARKER 31:37 VM50-54
200 Lucy STEVENSON 31:41 JW15-17
205 Helen HARRISON 32:00 VW45-49
207 Robert HIRST 32:10 VM65-69
208 Ron CHAPPELL 32:24 VM65-69
214 Christine LEATHLEY 32:52 VW65-69

Burnley junior parkrun – A total of 87 runners took part.

Pos   parkrunner   Time   Age Cat   Note  
1 Michael STEVENS 07:13 JM11-14 New PB!
3 Matthew JACKSON 07:36 JM11-14 New PB!
13 Imogen FERGUSON 08:54 JW11-14
14 Guy WHALLEY 09:13 JM10 First Timer!

Cuerden Valley parkrun – A total of 122 runners took part.

Pos  parkrunner  Time  Age Cat  Note 
50 Paul THOMPSON 27:29 VM45-49

Pendle parkrun – A total of 67 runners took part.

Pos  parkrunner  Time  Age Cat  Note 
16 Martin BRADY 24:11 VM55-59
34 Eleanor Betty ROOT 27:36 JW15-17
56 Yvonne WICKHAM 32:49 VW50-54

Witton parkrun – A total of 89 runners took part.

Pos  parkrunner  Time  Age Cat  Note 
9 Alan LIFE 23:17 VM50-54 First Timer!
17 Vicky HEYS 25:35 VW45-49
29 Carol LIFE 28:06 VW50-54 First Timer!

 

About the author

Adrienne Olszewska