Moustaches, medals and more mud!

Another mudbath this week. After a rainy and wintry week it was a decidedly chilly and mucky affair at the Red Rose fixture in Bolton. There have been top five placings at the Todmorden 5k, FRA medals for the ladies and a first place at the MoRun event in Liverpool for Chris Holdsworth. Not to mention the roads and fells you’ve been hitting this week.

Thursday 19 November

Todmorden Park Winter 5k Series – Race 2

This was the second race of the series organised by Cannonball Events. A fast paced, 3 lap course around Todmorden Park. Five club members took part.  Daniel Balshaw finished in third place with Jacob Watson following in fourth. Elouise Pemberton was our sole lady runner along with team mates Ian Hargreaves and Paul Walsh

Full Results

Saturday 21 November

FRA Presentation & Badge Bar Blast

Congratulations to our fell running ladies for taking Bronze in the British Team LV40 Championship. Team members included Jean Brown, Wendy Dodds, Linda Lord, Katy Thompson and Barbara Savage. Individual medals were also awarded to Linda Lord and Wendy Dodds.

Bronze Medallists LV40 Team. L-R Jean Brown, LInda Lord, Katy Thompson and Wendy Dodds. Photo by Garry Wilkinson

There was also a one-off race on the afternoon of the FRA Do which is to be held at The Daffodil Hotel in Grasmere in 2015. 7 miles 2100ft (11km 700m) – The course runs up to Loughrigg summit then to Silver How summit and back the same way.

Harriers V Cyclists

A clear but cold day didn’t put people off and a record field of 280 runners and riders set off on the 5.5 mile circuit. Persistent rain for the past two weeks meant the ground was very wet and water-logged but overnight freezing temperatures and snow meant the ground was hard in certain summit locations so the debate raged as to whether the runners or the cyclists would win overall.

In the event with the first 9 to finish all being runners it became clear that the Harriers would win overall.

We had one Harrier, Jonny McKenna, and one cyclist, Paul Hesketh.  Jonny had a fantastic run finishing in 8^th place ahead of the first of the cyclists.

Jonny McKenna at the Harriers v Cyclists race. Photo by the Woodentops

Paul Hesketh was 91^st place over and 17^th cyclist. Well done to both of them in what looked like a tough event but great fun!

Paul Hesketh at the Harriers v Cyclists race. Photo by the Woodentops

Full Results

MoRun – Liverpool

Well done Christopher Holdsworth who was first in this charity 10K in Liverpool. Representing the Clayton Ladies was Sophie McIntosh.

Movember Runners Sophie McIntosh and Christopher Holdsworth

Full Results

Red Rose Cross Country – Bolton

Another great turnout of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers on an extremely cold and chilly day at Leverhulme Park in Bolton.

Ryan Clarke warming up with the aid of Vimto

Our junior members were out in force and put in some great performances despite the near freezing conditions.  There were top ten finishes for Dexta Thompson and Ella Dorrington in the U11 races, Jackson McKay in the U13s, Briony Holt in the U15s, Curtis Holt and Alice Pier in the U17s, and George Pier in the U20s.

U11 Boys

Team Position 4^th (D Thompson | F Stubbs | J Bentham)

U11 Girls

Team Position 9^th (E Dorrington | H White | M Maccabe)

U13 Boys

Team Position 6^th (J McKay | A Stevenson | L Jackson)

U13 Girls

Team Position 6^th (L Thompson | M Stubbs | C Bentham)

U15 Girls

U17 Men

Team Position 2^nd (C Holt | S Wilshaw | R Clarke)

U17 Women

U20 Men

U20 Women

Senior Women

The muddy and wintry conditions did not deter our hardy ladies who put in a determined performance to finish 6^th place for both the senior and vet teams. Helena Leathley was our first lady finisher with Orlaith O’Mahony  our second.  Irene Roche was our third lady and first vet lady finisher. Great to see Bianca Bennett getting stuck in after a recent trip to the warmer climes of Australia – bit of a shock to the system I should think!

Clayton Ladies unfazed by the freezing conditions and mud! Photo courtesy of Irene Roche

Team Position 6^th (H Leathley | Otlaithe O’Mahony| I Roche)

Vets Team 6^th (I Roche | V Heys | A Shian )

Senior Men

George Pier was our first man over the finish. Richard Stevenson was our second man and first vet man over the line. Again some strong and competitive running despite the bitter temperatures on the day.

Team Position 7^th (G Pier| R Stevenson| C Helliwell| M Duckworth| C Snell| A Orr)

Vets Team 6^th (R Stevenson| C Helliwell| A Orr | M Clarke)

 Full Results

Sunday 22 November

Arnside Knott FR

Chris Snell and Wendy Dodds took part in this cenic course above Morecambe Bay and the Kent Estuary. Its a 5.5 mile race with 919ft of climb.

Report from Chris Snell

The race was held in Silverdale, North Lancashire. The weather was perfect and the countryside beautiful. I set off at a good pace and attempted to keep close to the front pack on the first climb out of Hollins Farm. I lost a couple of places as I turned my ankle on a rock but got going again. the terrain levelled out through the woodlands and  I soon whizzed past a couple of ‘Borrowdale’ runners on a slippery limestone descent in my new ‘sticky’ fell shoes. The track turned into a flat road so  I set a good pace (knowing I had a steep climb in front of me).

Chris Snell at the Arnside Knott Fell Race.

Through a couple of (annoying) swing gates and up the steep climb to the trig point at the top of Arnside Knott. Made slightly easier with lots of cheers from passing ramblers and my family up for the day to watch. Back down from the trig as fast as I could over loose rocks and limestone. The annoying swing gates worked in my favour as my running opponent ‘Helm Hill’ just in front of me got stuck! and I caught and passed him. I set a good pace again on the tarmac through New Barns Bay and back into the woods, I managed to catch a group of 3 lads and overtook them on the descent back into Hollins Farm, Silverdale. The cake and beer was well deserved for the 160 runners.

Full Results

Chorley Fire 10K

Described by the organisers as a great country route around the local villages of Euxton and Astley Vilage. This is an undulating two lap course on very quiet roads.

Stephen Hall and Kevin O’Brien took part with Stephen finishing in 21^st place overall with a time of 38:49 and Kevin O’ Brien was 349^th with a time of 1:01:53. 409 runners took part.

Full Results

Parkrun roundup

Bolton parkrun – A total of 202 runners took part.

Burnley parkrun – A total of 192 runners took part.

Dewsbury parkrun – A total of 91 runners took part.
(fault with timings – all runners listed as 59:59)

Heaton parkrun – A total of 433 runners took part

Pendle parkrun – A total of 43 runners took part.

South Manchester Junior parkrun – A total of 48 runners took part.

Western Springs parkrun – A total of 95 runners took part.

Inaugural run in Auckland

Witton parkrun – A total of 95 runners took part.

Zoë