Other News – Page 21 – Clayton-le-Moors Harriers

Pennine Lancashire 10k & The Rest Of The Weekend’s Action

Pennine Lancashire 10k

‘Wherever you were on the winding roads though, there was always a group of people cheering you on as the residents of Burnley came out in full force to support the runners’

The sun rose on another morning as runners assembled once again in the heart of Burnley. Not only in the heart but also in the heat as at the start line, many were glancing up nervously, water in hand, correctly guessing that it was going to be a very warm Pennine Lancashire 10k. Clearly a day for running with a fridge attached to your back.

Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

The route, which takes in a surprising amount of Burnley, is a tricky one, with plenty of uphill and downhill. The initial burst through the Town Centre gives way to a gradual incline to Queen’s Park before weaving round to Rowley Lake. Journeying up one side the course lands you at the top of Brunshaw with a welcome downhill stretch into the leafy surroundings of Towneley Park with a final 2K back past Turf Moor to finish where you started. Wherever you were on the winding roads though, there was always a group of people cheering you on as the residents of Burnley came out in full force to support the runners.

Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

After a quick start the front pack began to spread out, with it being obvious that Matt Lalor and Christopher Holdsworth were vying for first position. With no last-minute arrivals from Salford (for those of us who remember last year) to spoil the party, Matt, who came second last year, ran a superb race, clinching victory with a time of 34 minutes dead. However, for Clayton, all the plaudits must go to Christopher, who came in second with a time of 35:13. Not only did Chris clinch silver, he also knocked 5 minutes off his time last year. It was an excellent run and Chris should be proud of a super performance.

Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

Not to be undone, other Harriers were out in full force. Following Chris there were some great performances from Terry O’Leary (39:06), Jordan McDonald (39:44) with myself (Jonathan Pye) not far behind on 40:42, not to mention Steve Bicsomb who just snuck into the top 50.

Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

Richard Briscoe, Kenan Eti and Alan Clarkson also put in strong performances to round off a good day for the club with the orange stripe flashing regularly in the morning sunshine. Four Ladies also had a good showing with Jackie Kershaw leading home the ladies in 54:24. Amanda Duffy followed next in 56:51, with Marion Wilkinson and Sophie McIntosh following in 59:24 and 1:04:22

Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

The event itself is gaining popularity; the hushed whispers that over 2500 people might be turning out was a bit of an exaggeration but the overall attendance 1660 people shows that The Pennine 10k is very much here to stay.

Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

The future’s bright…

Thanks to Jonathan Pye for this weeks race report! Full results here.

The Rest Of The Weekends Action

Lots of results this week.. Only seven days after taking on the 2014 Hendon Brook, Johnny McKenna raced at another half marathon – this time Freckleton. Carrying on his excellent result from last week, he finished the race in 01:17:11 and achieved 6th place. Roger Brewster also competed, finishing in a brilliant time of 01:29:36.

There was three soloists this week. Of course, there is the one man band Breton Holdsworth, this time taking on the 3 Lakes Classic Race. The next runner was Stephen Breckell, racing at The Great Hill Fell Race in Brinscall. Lastly, Richard Stevenson ventured over the border to compete at the Wales Trail Marathon 2014. It was well worth the travel as Richard finished 63rd out of over 300 runners, in a time of 04:13:03. At The Great Hill Fell Race, Stephen finished as the 3rd VM60 with a time of 00:51:23, whilst Breton increased on last weeks rankings by one place, finishing 6th in the multi-terrain 15 mile race.

David Bagot had a storming race over at Buckden Pike Fell Race, finishing as the 1st Clayton-le-Moors Harrier in 00:47:34. Ian Robinson also had a brilliant race finishing as the 2nd MV60 and in 00:48:48. Nigel Weaver and Mark Taylor were next across the finish line, in 00:48:57 and 00:52:12. Andrew and Peter Dugdale brought in the men in 00:52:31 and 00:57:41. For the ladies, Linda Bostock completed the race as the 2nd LV50 in 00:56:05, whilst Nichola Horsfall was the 3rd LV50 in 01:02:23.

The short and sharp Brown Wardle Fell Race took place this weekend. Rick Moore finished in 7th and as 2nd V50 in 00:22:55. The second Harrier across the finish was Stephen Fish, who also finished 2nd in his age category, with a time of 00:24:14. As the only lady entrant, Yvonne Wickham fought for her gender’s corner, finishing in under the 30 minute mark at 00:29:29.

Three Clayton-le-Moors Harriers competed at the Timothy Taylor’s Tom Tittiman Fell Race. Alan Life continued his strong run of form, finishing 20th overall. Geoff Smith was next to complete the route in 00:42:54, and Geoff Laycock finished in 00:46:15. The three Harriers also managed to finish at the 5th mens team. Well done!

There were some terrific performances from the ladies over at Reservoir Bogs this weekend. Not only did Vicky Heys finish as the 1st Clayton-le-Moors Lady, she finished 1st in her age category as well as the 1st Harrier overall! She was followed by Angela Shian, following through the finish just 2 seconds behind in 01:32:08. Adrienne Olszewska also had a cracking run, scraping in under the 2 hour mark at 01:59:52. This time, Geoff Smith fights alone in his genders corner, completing the race in 45th position and 01:33:26.

There was also a Junior Reservior Bogs Race, where there were some fantastic performances! 18 juniors turned up in total, which once again is an outstanding turnout.

Some stand out performances were:

– Finlay Stubbs setting a new course record and finishing in 1st in the U8 race

– Jackson McKay finishing in 4th for the U10’s race

– Millie Stubbs finishing as the 1st girl and 2nd overall for the U12’s race

– Ryan Clarke was the 1st boy, whilst Alice Pier was the 1st girl in the u14’s category

– Beth Quinn finished the course in 39:26 in the U16’s category

– George Pier finished in 33:03 in the U18’s category

Sorry I can’t mention you all! All your times were spectacularly fast. Keep up the good work!

Lastly, congratulations to Katy Thompson on completing her Joss Naylor challenge in 16:13:00, well inside her allowed time of 18 hours. Well done Katy!

Well done again to everyone who ran this weekend. Next weeks race report will be from Candice Heys, detailing our exploits at the Witton Park Relays. See you all there!!

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RIP Ken Heaton

Ken Heaton (right)

Clayton-le-Moors Harriers are sad to learn of the passing of former member and 24h Lakeland Record holder Ken Heaton. Service will be held at Burnley Crematorium this Wednesday on the 25th, 11.20am

Ken Heaton (left)

ByChristopher Holdsworth

Holcombe 2 Towers Fell Race 2014 – Midweek Race Results

Holcombe 2 Towers Fell Race Results – 11th June 2014

Six Claton-le-Moors Harriers made the midweek trip to the Holcombe 2 Towers Fell Race. Russell Clarke finished the race just outside the 40 minute mark, leading the Harriers home in 22nd place. Ivan Whigham finished as the 2nd Clayton-le-Moors Harrier and was also the 3rd MV50 around the course.

Senior Results:

1 Russell Clarke M 00:40:17

2 Ivan Whigham MV50 00:41:51

3 Mark Nutter MV50 00:42:55

4 Mark Taylor M 00:46:08

5 Andrew Dugdale MV50 00:47:48

6 Peter Dugdale MV55 00:51:31

*Clayton-le-Moors Harriers are going to begin writing up short reports on midweek races from henceforth. We will try to feature every race that doesn’t make it to the weekend report. Should you notice a race be missed off the website, please contact the media manager to notify him of his ignorance immediately. If you also have any photography of our runners at any races, he’d be very happy if you could send them into him too. Thank you!*

ByChristopher Holdsworth

Worsthorne 5 Mile Trail Race 2014 – Midweek Race Results

Worsthorne 5 Mile Trail Race 2014

The 2014 Summer Series began with Christopher Holdsworth claiming 1st place over Joshua Boyle of Hyndburn AC, whilst Jordan McDonald also made great strides by finishing as the 2nd Clayton-Le-Moors Harrier across the Finish. Alison Dugdale finished as the first Harrier lady around the 1000ft climb course.

In the junior race Ryan Clarke finished in 1st place, closely followed by Eleanor Root in 2nd and Millie Stubbs in 3rd.

Senior Results:

1 Christopher Holdsworth M 00:36:08

2 Jordan McDonald J16 00:39:29

3 Richard Stevenson M 00:40:24

4 Paul Hesketh V40 00:41:22

5 Ivan Whigham V50 00:43:51

6 Tom Bradley J13 00:44:31

7 Nick Olszewski V50 00:45:23

8 Mark Wightman V50 00:46:21

9 Kenan Eti J15 00:46:57

10 George Pier J16 00:47:55

11 Alison Dugdale FV40 00:48:04

12 Andrew Howarth V50 00:48:17

13 Martin Brady V50 00:49:51

14 David Scott V70 00:51:26

15 Steve Bury V50 00:52:30

16 Colin Woolford M 00:54:03

17 Michael Frost V50 00:58:17

18 Geoff Laycock V60 00:58:55

Junior Results:

1 Ryan Clarke 00:18:55

2 Eleanor Root 00:19:42

3 Millie Stubbs 00:20:05

4 Simon Wilshaw 00:20:12

5 Alice Pier 00:20:24

6 Adam Quinn 00:20:47

7 Harry Mason 00:21:16

8 Adam Stevenson 00:21:57

9 Daniel Bradley 00:23:06

10 Zac Jordan 00:25:07

ByChristopher Holdsworth

Ennerdale Fell Race 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Ennerdale Fell Race 2014

‘Within half an hour however the mood at registration was very different – the sky had darkened, clouds thickened and thunder was forecast…’

Arriving early at the race after staying over at nearby Lamplugh campsite, I met up with Ryan Belshaw and Spencer Riley and we had a wander along to check out the start and get some photos of the lake. At this point the skies were clear and the mountains surrounding the lake looked a very enticing challenge, we could understand exactly why this was regarded as a Lakeland classic. Within half an hour however the mood at registration was very different – the sky had darkened, clouds thickened and thunder was forecast.

This left the race organiser with little option but to change the route, and so within half an hour of this being announced, a new route had been mapped out and runners crowded round to edit where the new checkpoints were on their maps. This seemed the sensible decision, although initially many were disappointed, especially as many hours had been spent recce’ing the route and training for the climbs, as this English and British Championship counter was a significant date in many a runner’s season.

Thanks to Racing Snakes for the photo.

Before long we were underway.The pace was very fast along the flat gravel path that took us around the bottom edge of Ennerdale lake and it seemed some runners had let some of the disgruntled murmurings such as ‘this is a trail race’ and ‘its flat’ go to their head. I hung back and paced my first mile alongside Neil Hardiman, who had wisely pointed out at the start that the route still involved around 20 miles and a significant chunk of climbs.

Instead of climbing Great Borne and along the ridges that surrounded Ennerdale, we were took on gradual climb over Floutern Pass and dropped down into the next valley. We then had a long flat section that took us alongside Crummock Water and Buttermere. We then climbed over Scarth Gap Pass, before dropping back into the Ennerdale Valley by Black Sail Hut.

Thanks to Racing Snakes for the photo.

The route immediately took us on another gradual climb before circling below Great Gable and Kirk Fell. We then headed on a steep decent back down to the foot of the valley and after dibbing in at checkpoint 7, manned by the legendary Joss Naylor, we were left with a long flat run back to the finish. I made good pace and managed to stick to a 6.30-7 minute mile pace as I gradually reeled in other competitors.

We then circled left around the lake, on a very tricky path. The concentration required to not to trip distracted me from my tiring legs, and glancing up every now and then I could see I was closing in on Ryan Belshaw. I pushed on hoping to claim my first victory over Ryan, and despite catching the majority of the runners in the pack just behind him, Ryan’s strength and power won through as he pulled away again in the final mile.

Unfortunately I haven’t seen the race results yet although Spencer Riley was the first Clayton-le-Moors Harrier back, followed by Ryan Belshaw and then myself, with Neil Hardiman and Jean Brown not far behind. Jean did manage to secure the 2nd LV45, Whilst Wendy Dodds finished as the 1st LV60. Katy Thomson also had a great performance, managing to finish as the 2nd LV60. At the finish line there were many comments on how tough the changed route was and although it had less than a third of the climbing of the original route and was slightly shorter, the large amount of runable sections had created a fast paced race and meant many runners had pushed hard all the way round.

At the finish the rain was powering down and it now definitely seemed right to do have done an alternative route, that had still provided some stunning Lake District views and challenging running.

Thanks to David Bagot for this weeks race report! Full Ennerdale Fell Race 2014 results found through the link.

The Rest of the Weekends Action

Another Saturday 2 o’clock start brought us midway through the Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix calendar, with a massive twenty two Clayton-le-Moors Harriers attending Weets Fell Race 2014. Conditions were torrential before the race, though it marginally brightened up once the race got underway.

Thanks to Andy Holden for the photo.

The race was tough, but it brought out a lot of impressive performances from our runners, with Christopher Holdsworth securing 2nd place ahead of 3rd placed Harrogate Harrier Chris Miller. Tom Brewster was the next through with another mighty performance finishing in 7th – and even managing to pip fell captain Dave Motley! Who also had a solid effort, finishing in 10th and as the 3rd Clayton-le-Moors Harrier through the finish. Elsewhere in the race, Jeffery Pickup managed to collect the 1st V60 prize, whilst Ron Chappell came through as the second V65.

Thanks to Andy Holden for the photo.

Over in Yorkshire, five Harriers took to the Penyghent Fell Race 2014. Mark Nutter lead the way, finishing in 01:02:59. Club mascot Richard Briscoe also had a fantastic race, coming through the finish as the second Harrier, in a time of 01:04:16. The third harrier to conquer the mountain was Mark Taylor in 01:11:36. Rounding off the day were Andre and Peter Dugdale in 77th and 87th respectively.

At the Morecambe 10k 2014 race, Michael Hogan represented Clayton-le-Moors Harriers achieving an excellent result, finishing the course in 00:41:16. Another sole representative of the Harrier flag, a man who often attends 10k races, was Stephen Biscomb at the Fleetwood Rotary 2014 10k. Once again he put in an excellent shift on the road, finishing the race in 9th place with a time of 00:42:13.

Don’t forget to attend our training sessions to improve those times! Senior training times can be found here, whilst junior training times can be found here. See you all there!

Racing Snakes Photography: www.racingsnakes.com

Andy Holden Photography: www.flickr.com/photos/wharfee

ByChristopher Holdsworth

Kelbrook Fell Race 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Kelbrook Fell Race 2014

‘The early leaders were not the Grand Prix leaders, but John LLoyd and junior Jordan McDonald of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers. They held this lead until numpty here got giddy and went full steam ahead. I was eventually joined by the two Grand Prix table toppers, Jimmy Craig and Marc Hartley, where we stayed in our pack up the windy road towards the first descent before we tackled the summit’

Spending the week mulling over my last minute defeat to Tom Brewster at the Burnley Boys 10k had me in the sort of mood almost every runner finds themselves in. Toys were thrown so far my crib was but a distant blur. I was in quite the foul mood… ‘I don’t enjoy these Burnley & Pendle Grand Prix Races’ I half heartedly muttered under my breath to ~~everyone~~ anyone willing to listen. ‘They’re just too predictable’ I whined, ‘I shan’t be doing anymore!’

After a 20 minute sulk, I pulled it together and dragged myself to the Kelbrook Fell Race 2014.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

I arrived to the usual Grand Prix faces. My head was down, warm ups short and steady as I focussed on the race ahead. The runners gathered at the start line, all eager to get the race underway. A quick introduction to the health and safety, followed by a 3,2,1 got us all on our way, up the track and onto our first climb.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

The early leaders were not the Grand Prix regulars, but John Loyd and junior Jordan McDonald of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers. They held this lead until numpty here got giddy and went full steam ahead. I was eventually joined by the two Grand Prix table toppers, Jimmy Craig and Marc Hartley, where we stayed in our pack up the windy road towards the first descent before we tackled the summit.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

The first descent brought us to a stream, where Jimmy first took 1st position. This was short lived before Marc and I rejoined the forefront of the race. A sharp hill brought us back on ourselves where I was able to take a glimpse of the following heard. My Grand Prix nemesis Tom Brewster had shortened the gap between the front 3 and was steadily closing in. Jordan, while no longer at the front, was still putting in a monumental effort and keeping up in the second pack.

I knew I had to up my game, if ‘road’ is Tom’s thing, then ‘fell’, or at least ‘hills’ was surely mine..

As we hit the crevice before the notorious Kelbrook ‘hands on knees’ climb, I was confident that I could keep up with the two either side of me. ‘They’re just road runners’ I thought, ‘I’ve definitely got them here’.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

Nope. The usual gusto that greets me when my legs arrive at a hill were not there that day. So I walked. Luckily, I think pride got the better of the other two and they attempted to run the whole hill. This at times had me walking quicker than they could run.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

It mattered not – although we all arrived at the summit at the same time, they’re speed was my undoing. A race back to the finish allowed Jimmy Craig to finish over a minute in front, whereas I finished in 00:22:29. They’re won’t be any tantrums this week however, as I managed to finish over a minute in front of 4th placed Andy Buttery.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

I’m happy with my race, but there really were some brilliant efforts from Clayton-le-Moors Harriers throughout. To say Tom doesn’t usually race on fells, he had a stalwart effort that any ‘fell’ runner would be proud of, finishing in 6th with a time of 00:23:44. Alan Life also had a brilliant race, narrowly missing out on a top 10 position in 11th. Garry Wilkinson, who was recently quoted as saying ‘I think this is my bow with the seniors’ proved that there was still life in the old dog yet. He finished in 18th with an excellent time of 00:24:50.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

The performance of the day has to go to Jordan McDonald though. Not only did he finish as the first U18, he also bested over 100 seniors, finishing just over the 25 minute mark in 00:25:12.

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

This weeks Race Report was by Christopher Holdsworth, full results found here.

The Rest of the Weekends Action

One of the other big races of the weekend brings us to Duddon Valley 2014, where eight Clayton-le-Moors Harriers competed. First around the course was David Naughton, speeding to the finish in 03:34:00. Next through the finish line was Mick Dobson in 04:04:32, closely followed by Ivan Whigam in 04:11:29. There was also great runs from Ralph Baines in 77th, John Russius in 83rd, Andrew Firth in 97th and David Nalor in 101st. Well done men!

Over at Edenfield, another eight Harriers competed in this fell race, with David Naughton racing once again. This time he finished as the 2nd Clayton-le-Moors Harrier, in a time of 00:54:40. This was narrowly behind the 1st Harrier home, Geoffrey Gough in 00:54:24. Mark Taylor was next through the finish in 01:05:03, who was then followed home by Andrew Dugdale and Stephen Fish for the men. There were also two ladies who had excellent races. Linda Bostock and Nichola Jane Horsfall put in brilliant performances, finishing in 01:09:27 and 01:13:28 respectively.

Competing at The Lakeland Trails in Stavely, Breton Holdsworth took on the 17km Kentmere Trail Race. Getting miles in the tank was more of a priority for Breton, though he still put in an excellent effort finishing in 11th with a time of 01:21:14.

Another solo Harrier ran at the BOFRA Coniston race, this time in the form of junior Briony Holt. Not only did she finish as the 1st girl, she managed a 4th placed finish overall! Brilliant effort!

Over in Preston, the inaugural Crazy Cow 10k took place. Three Clayton-le-Moors Harriers attended the race on a very hot Sunday Morning. Christopher Holdsworth managed to scoop 1st place, winning in 00:35:07 – a new PB for him. Another PB breaker was Clayton-le-Moors new boy Adam Hamer, in his first 10k for the club, finishing with a brilliant time of 00:59:26. Another great performance by Sophie McIntosh finishing the course in 01:05:59, rounded of a great weekend of results for Clayton-le-Moors Harriers!

Don’t forget to get involved with our training sessions.Visit our training section to find out all the details for the next coming months.

ByChristopher Holdsworth

BMAF Road Relays 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

BMAF Road Relays 2014

‘Old Michael took the early spoils and took advantage of the first climb and fast flat section to pull out the early lead on his namesake. However, for a change young Michael seemed to have his ‘mature head on’ and just kept a sensible distance behind’

Brilliant sunshine and some very well toned runners greeted us as we arrived at Birmingham for the road relays. I must admit to some trepidation in the week preceding the event, worrying that we would make fools of ourselves in front of the best in the country. But coach Roche put my mind at rest and I quickly got myself in the right frame of mind for the race.

These races are always fun and this did not disappoint. From the moment we all met at the Dunkenhalgh for the trip down the banter started, particularly from Mickey Hogan who seemed to have it in for me. All in good spirit though.

After John had asked for the 100th time ‘Are we nearly there yet dad’ we arrived at Sutton Park. Some of the events had already got underway so we quickly unpacked the pavilion and set ourselves up opposite Salford so we could have a bit of banter during the day.

We watched the women show us how it was meant to be done and very quickly our start time approached. John was a true captain and even polished my head to help me go faster.

First up were the two Michael’s. Motor mouth himself Michael O’Donnell running for the V35 team and Mickey Hogan running for the V45 team. This was always going to be a hard fought battle and did not disappoint. Old Michael took the early spoils and took advantage of the first climb and fast flat section to pull out the early lead on his namesake. However, for a change young Michael seemed to have his ‘mature head on’ and just kept a sensible distance behind. There is a nice little uphill finish on this course and the young man took advantage of this to pull away and come in with a very respectable time of 18:37 with Mr.Hogan just behind in 18:53.

I was 2nd up for the V35 and was surprised to see Forest coming in quite so quickly and I had quite a battle with the organisers to get out to the start line. John Wilcock was chomping at the bit on the start line behind me. In my usual style I put too much effort into the first climb so had to try and regroup myself on the flat section. When I came to the turn-around I saw John behind me so knew I had to try and up the pace. I was hurting by the final climb but running past the Clayton-le-Moors masses on the finishing straight encouraged me and I managed to finish in a time of 18:36 (sorry Forest). John came in close behind me in a time of 19:34.

Leg 3 saw Nick Roscoe running for the V35 against Gary ‘Wilki’ Wilkinson running for the V45. Nick ran a strong leg to keep off the evergreen Wilki, with a time of 19:49. Gary, with yet another performance defying his years ran 18:50 to put the old men just 15 seconds behind the youths.

It was time for the last leg of the V45 race, with still another 3 to go for the V35. Up for the V35 was our brummie Paul ‘Shack’ Shackleton. This was a rare experience for Shack as this race was virtually on his doorstep compared to his usual trek to Lancashire. Running for the V35 was David Hogan sporting his streamline beard.

Shack had the run of the day finishing in 18:09 to take the honors for the V45 over the V35. Well done the old men who finished in 24th place in their category! David ran a strong leg in a time of 21:41, a real gutsy performance from him.

Whilst the V45’s could tuck into their double cheeseburgers there were still two more legs for the V35’s. Paul Wale had the honors and took over from Hoggie. Like David, Paul ran his heart out. I think it is always more difficult for the later runners than the early runners but Paul still ran a strong leg in 21:29.

Last up was the captain himself Mr. Roche. Despite carrying his aches and pains John ran a strong leg in 20:23 to bring the V35 team home in 33rd place. John had said to me at the start of the week we would be somewhere near 30th overall. I didn’t believe him thinking there was no way we would get anywhere near that. But am happy to be proved wrong.

Overall winners were Altrincham & District AC, followed by Les Croupiers and Salford Harriers. The V45 category was won by Leicester Corithanian with Salford second and Thames Hare & hounds in third. Mickey Hogan summed the day up when he said it was fantastic. We had a really good team spirit with some fun thrown in, which is what running in a club is all about. Everyone gave 100% and more. Its days like this that make you really proud and happy to run for a club like Clayton-le-Moors Harriers. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you for making it a memorable day. I personally can’t wait for the next event.

Thanks to Alex Cran for this weeks race report!

The Rest of the Weekends Action

The weekends events started with the 100th Burnley Parkrun, attended by Clayton-le-Moors Harriers very own Ron Hill. On a perfect morning of sunshine, the performances certainly reflected it with PB’s being broken in all directions. Exemplary to this fact were Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Christopher Holdsworth and Tom Brewster. After a gruelling battle for first place, Christopher Holdsworth managed to emerge victorious in his first ever win for the club. Both men pushed each other more than they knew, as when they finished, they realised that they’d both smashed their previous Burnley Parkrun PB’s. Jordan McDonald also had a brilliant run, pushing for a top 3 finish with a time of 18:04. An amazing turn out of 54 Harriers in total took to the Towneley based 5k, with with debutants Adam Hamer, Adrienne Olszewska and Natasha Olzewska all making their bow for the club. However, the star of the day goes to 10 year old Jackson McKay for his outstanding time of 20:57. Well done to all that ran!

Over at the Farfield Horseshoe, over 3000ft was climbed in the 9 mile race, which was attended by twelve Clayton-le-Moors Harriers. David Nuttall was the first Harrier back with an excellent time of 01:35:15. Next through the finish line was Neil Hardiman, finishing in 40th overall. There was also great runs from Ivan Whigam, Dominic Carr and Kieran Carr, rounding off a great day at the Farfield Horshoe 2014.

On Sunday 18th of May, three Clayton-le-Moors Harriers made the trip to Worden Park 10k. As the first Clayton round, Richard Stevenson had a storming run finishing in 11th over all in a time of 00:39:22. Next through the finish is the ever reliable road 10k runner Steve Biscomb, who finished in a time of 00:42:52. The third harrier round the scorching course was Alan Clarkson, finishing in a time of 00:44:44.

Well done to all that ran this weekend, there were great runs from many!

ByChristopher Holdsworth

Calderdale Way Relays 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Calderdale Way Relay 2014

‘My only goal was to keep up with Spencer, a goal which was becoming a little unattainable towards the ruins overlooked by Stoodly Pike. He announced ‘I’m ‘avin one of these lads, the rest is up to you…’

As leg 1s cars pulled into The Ram Inn car park, each occupants gaze was met with the same knowing look. What were we doing at 6am in the morning outside a sodding pub – It could only mean one thing… It’s relay time!

With the members of leg 1 all cursing the captain for choosing us to take the fall for the 8am start, in reality, we were all excited by the race ahead. Arriving at the venue brought us the news that Russell had chosen not to bring his Clayton-le-Moors Harriers top, instead he rummaged through Lee’s Sports Wears ©, modelling his latest range in baseball gloves and helmets. Once bum bags were fixed, supplements supped, we were out on the start line ready to begin.

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

The sound of a whistle brought the race to a start, signalling a mass sprint up the embankment. The noise in the air ceased, deafness dropped and the only sound to be heard was the rustle of race numbers complimenting the passing flow of the river. Once we ushered ourselves around the early bend, the pairs from each club began to filter into the bottleneck through the woods. Only being able to achieve the same speed as the runner ahead gave the 10 mile leg a nice and steady introduction, from which we were able to build on. Reaching the field at the top of the trail was where Spencer and I began to deploy our game plan. Take it easy, real ‘em in, move on to the next. The pairs began to fall behind with only a few remaining ahead, with one in particular becoming the source for our own particular personal battle.

Having only recce’d the leg once, we were still a little unsure as to which route was correct. Not wanting to rely on the runners behind, Spencer made it our objective to stay with the runners from Tring. Eventually we caught up with them on our decent through Ripponden where the back and forth battle begun. Having just been fed a glucose sweet or two, I was on a sugar enduced high. I’m not quite sure if I sprinted the next few hills or teleported. Once we’d passed Ripponden, Spencer and I hit our stride up the continuous road to the moorland. Steadily, we began to gain a comfortable lead on the boys from Tring.

Again, navigation issues arose which allowed for our competition to retake the lead. We were around 7 miles in and my energy was now spent. My only goal was to keep up with Spencer, a goal which was becoming a little unattainable towards the ruins overlooked by Stoodly Pike. He announced ‘I’m ‘avin one of these lads, the rest is up to you’. Not wanting to be the disappointment that would take Spencer’s trademark smile, I pushed on through the hip pains and kept my place just in front of the other lagging Tring member.

All of a sudden it hit me, we had only half a mile to go and we were neck and neck. Adrenaline the like I had never felt before kicked in and I stormed past all three runners, tackling one of the most treacherous and slippy path ways I’d ever experienced. The danger didn’t matter, broken ankles didn’t matter – After this 7 mile solitary battle, we simply had to prevail. At one point I even managed to cuff my hand on barbed wire, taking my glove clean off. That glove was good and gone, I was in the zone and I wasn’t stopping for anything.

Photo Courtesy of Garry Wilkinson

Thankfully, Spencer retrieved my glove straight away, reminding me after that I might have needed it for an end of race kit check. My legs now not working properly meant I could no longer turn around bends. This made it very difficult when there was s-bend after s-bend. However, Spencer’s ‘gentle’ roar for me to go in the right direction made me do exactly that. In the end, we managed to finish our leg in 01:18:17, less than a minute and a half behind 3^rd placed Barlick.

We were greeted well by the Clayton-le-Moors welcome party. The air was warm yet the monsoon-esque weather set in. Here, we sent Dave Motley and Andrew Stubbs on their way…

‘9am and Me & Mr Stubbs are waiting for the A team to finish their leg, would they be in 1st, 2nd, 3rd? had they got lost? The suspense is all too much. Warm ups continue in the lashing rain and the leg 1 boys come through in 4th. We set off hard up the hill to the reservoir hoping to chase down or make some time up on 3rd place, but that soon went out of the window when we took a wrong turn and ended up just off course probably losing 1min or so. Next we had a strong climb up and over Stoodley Pike with me taking advantage of the descent knowing full well that Mr Stubbs flat speed would allow him to catch up.

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

Twists & turns through the farms, into Todmorden centre, over the train tracks and back up the hill before the long descent into the sports centre. Overall the leg went well; however I ran 4mins slower than last year with the combination of wrong turns (ensure recce next time), slight injury problems and poor boggy condition under foot possibly to blame. We came back in 4th but lost a few minutes on 3rd’ – Dave Motley

Photo Courtesy of Ryan Wilkinson

Losing ground on 3^rd meant Clayton-le-Moors Harriers would have to focus their efforts on solidating 4^th place. It was over to Garry Wilkinson and Jacob Boyle on the 3^rd leg…

‘Jacob and I set off in forth place with a chasing gap of seven and a half minutes to third. Although the young pretender Jacob (32 years his junior) forced the early pace my experience showed as we ran quicker than the 2nd and 3rd team and gained 7th fastest leg of the day. I Think this was my swan song with the seniors … but what a way to finish. Cheers Jacob’ – Garry Wilkinson

Photo Courtesy of Ryan Wilkinson

With Jacob and Garry making good pace, it was a swift hand over to Tom Brewster and Ryan Belshaw for the 4^th leg…

We set off on leg 4 in high spirits having handed off from Garry and Jacob in 4th place, after a mile or so the mood sobered as we came to terms with the task ahead of us; 10miles of boggy moor and heavy rain showers to contend with while attempting to chase down 3rd place Barlick Fell runners and keeping 5th place Todmorden far enough behind so as not to worry us!

The relentless climbing strength of the ex-marine Ryan coupled with the flat-terrain speed of Road Captain Tom proved to be a good mix as we matched each other along the entire route, maintaining 4th place after the gruelling hilly leg. Elation at the end of the leg momentarily turned to concern as blood was discovered on Toms vest, however this swiftly turned to amusement when it was revealed to be caused by improper lubrication of certain areas of the chest’ – Tom Brewster

Photo Courtesy of Ryan Wilkinson

Things were getting quite tense now. Lungs burning, nipples raw; we were on for a pivotal battle with Todmorden. Paul Shackleton and David Walker took the reigns in leg 5…

‘It was cold, wet and bleak at Wainstalls and we didn’t want to get out of the car. One of the lads said ‘you wouldn’t want to live up here would you’. No. Barlick fell runners came and went and about ten minutes later we were off in 4th place with me still wearing my jacket (You feel the cold more at my age) and with about ninety seconds lead on Todmorden Harriers and Calder Valley’s B team. We set off steadily; we didn’t have much choice as we slopped through the first couple of miles. Tod’ and CV closed in but I don’t like being passed in a relay and neither does David. We dug in and on the climbs pulled away, only to be caught again on the better ground.

With a mile to go Calder Valley dropped back and at a busy road crossing with half a mile to go Tod’ got away. We didn’t exactly do ‘Stop, Look and Listen’ but we didn’t want to get run over either and the Tod’ lads got a few yards advantage which they kept to the finish. We handed over in 5th place. 60.22, 8th fastest on the leg. Somewhere in first few miles, my car key fell out of my bumbag, which almost spoiled a great day, but not quite’ – Paul Shackleton

Hearts were now in mouths. With Todmorden now leading the way, it was up to our speedy duo Breton Holdsworth and Jonny McKenna to save the day in leg 6. The race was on…

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

After what seemed like forever stood there dithering in my vest, we were off chasing down Todmorden Harriers A team who had a very slight lead, we soon caught them in the woods and over took them, then Jonny took a nice sliding dive on a right hander over a bridge. Exactly the same place that Matt Lalor slipped on the same leg with me last year (I’m becoming a bit of an omen)

We were still in front and opening up a comfortable lead, then we came to a road crossing where we lost some ground waiting for an opening in the traffic. Not to worry we shot off again still in the lead, upon where we came out onto the road in Bailiff Bridge, out of nowhere Todmorden Harriers appeared on our shoulders, which then spurred us on again up the hill onto Birkhouse lane as we followed it round (as per CWR instructions) the Todmorden Harriers duo then appeared right on our shoulders again, via an unmade track? As most people know I’m not bitter about shortcuts, not that I’m accusing anyone of course. We were still keeping the lead by this point and after we turned into the field past the bungalow we didn’t see them again until, Boom they were right behind us on the canal path going through Brighouse.

It was then neck and neck all the way through the next couple of miles of climbing, which to be fair if I could’ve matched Jonny we would have been able to open up another comfortable lead. They started to pull away once we hit the tarmac, though I was pretty confident we would be able to drag some distance back. For people that aren’t accustomed to this leg, we had just spent the last couple of miles gaining just over 500ft of elevation, which then means the next mile and a half was nearly 500ft of descent down tarmac and cobbles which fairly trashed my quads resulting in jelly legs for the final flat. We still had them in our sites going along the canal and then back onto the final stretch along the road to the finish line. We put in another couple of pushes but ran out of ground (if only we had a few more miles) So we started the leg in 5th overall and finished in 5th overall just gutted we couldn’t secure 4th’ – Breton Holdsworth

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Holdsworth

And so, 4^th place wasn’t to be. Unfortunately the underdog story goes to Todmorden for their plucky effort to turn around a 15 minute deficit. Nevertheless, the effort shown from all runners across the 6 legs was monumental.

Just as it was for team 2 and the ladies. Clayton-le-Moors B finished brilliantly with an improved position on last year. Coming 26th overall, the day started with the duo of Lee Smith and Russell Clarke. Although they managed a half time extra lap, they finished their leg with a respectable time of 01:37:03. Next up were Michael O’Donnell and Paul Wale for leg 2. Quick of the blocks, they also had a fine run with a time of 01:22:00. They passed the baton to promising young superstars Jordan McDonald and George Pier. They achieved an excellent time of 00:45:44, well done boys! On the 4th leg was the top pairing of David Bagot and Neil Hardiman. Their run lasted for only 01:22:54 before they passed on to John Wilcock and Adam Shaw in the 5th leg. They managed a storming 18th position for their leg, handing over to 6th in a time of 01:06:15. The last leg consisted of the battlers Dominic Car and Richard Briscoe, bringing us home in 26th posting a time of 01:21:32, rounding of an excellent day for Clayton-le-Moors B.

But we didn’t stop there…

Our ladies were out in force too, and boy did they deliver! They managed a 61st placed finish over all and they started the day with Captain Jean Brown and Barbara Savage. They got us off to a solid start with a time of 01:52:39. They transferred the racing duties to Vicky Heys and Angela Shian, who managed a brilliant time of 01:30:24. A superb effort for this notoriously hilly leg. On the 3rd leg was Julia Rushton and Linda Lord, keeping us steady recording a time of 00:56:40. The baton was passed on to Alison Dugdale and Anna Kelly for the 4th leg. Racing home in 01:33:02, they handed over to Lisa Richardson and Rebecca Rawcliffe for the penultimate leg. Their leg ended in 01:24:45 where they handed over to Lorraine Slater and Nic McNamara for the final leg. The ladies wrapped up the day in 09:00:51 with the final duo posting a time of 01:43:21. Brilliant stuff!!

I think it is safe to say that the day can be perfectly summed up in this final shot. Take it away, Richard and Dom!

Race report by Christopher Holdsworth, with contributions from Dave Motley, Garry Wilkinson, Tom Brewster, Paul Shackleton and Breton Holdsworth. Thanks for your help! Full results can be found here.

The Rest of the Weekends Action

You’ve had a lot to read so far, 2400 words in fact.. ‘it’s a bloody essay!’ I hear you cry. I know, I’m deeply sorry. Readjust, take a break and we’ll get through this together..

Firstly! Friday night saw the second race in the Burnley & Pendle Grand Prix Calendar. The race was Pinhaw, and it happened to feature two heavy weights of the running world turn up in Tom and Mark Addison. With first and second place out of contention, the race was on for 3rd place. Sadly, a Harrier couldn’t claim it and it fell to Barlick runner Jimmy Craig. We did however manage to secure team prize through 4th place Christopher Holdsworth, 6th placed Matt Perry and 7th placed Andrew Stubbs. There were thirty of us competing overall, well done team!

On Saturday, Jean Brown decided to warm up for the Calderdale Way Relays by tackling the monster Buttermere Fell Race. I find my self writing about Jean often, as the fell captain is always out and about. No matter how many times I see here name, she still manages to surprise me with another outstanding time. She tamed the beast in just over the 2 hour mark, finishing in 45th place. I’d like to also congratulate former Clayton-le-Moors Harrier Wayne McIntosh for also having a good crack at this race. Well done both of you!

For a change of pace, we had Clayton-le-Moor Harriers compete in a 10k road race. Overall there were six Harriers competing at Blacksticks, with Dave Nuttall the first round finishing in 7th. Micheal Hogan finished in 27th, whilst Steve Biscomb finished in 33rd. There was also stellar efforts from Alan Clarkson, Brian Wildman and Ron Chappel.

Lastly, I was sent in this report from Sam Root, reporting on the Deva Junior Aquathlon Race..

‘On Sunday 27th April, Eleanor Root traveled to Christleton near Chester to compete in the Deva Junior Aquathlon. There was a mixed field of 41 competitors taking part in the Tristars 3 category. After a solid swim and transition Eleanor put in a strong performance during the run and claimed an overall position of 15th, taking 9th place in the girl’s competition. Not to be outdone, younger sister Grace competed in the Blackpool Junior Triathlon on Sunday 11th April in the Supersrpint category. Again, Grace had a solid swim then gave a strong performance on the bike and really came into her own on the run. In a mixed race of 12 competitors Grace came 4th overall but managed to get 1st place girl’- Sam Root

Thanks Sam and well done Grace! If I have missed any results I do apologise. Between racing, meetings, work and compiling the reports I’ve had little time this week. If I have missed any results out, please email me here and I’ll add them quick sharp!!

This weekend see’s Ron Hill make an appearance at the 100th Park Run, so please come and join us and run in the early morning sun!

ByPeter Booth

May Newsletter

Here is the link to the latest newsletter. This month’s edition has (most of) the answers to April’s picture quiz, along with another photograph of Clayton members of yesteryear – so old that even Don Barton & El P will struggle to remember them! On a more serious note there is an obituary for Harry Hartley and fond memories of Walt Wilkinson who died 15 years ago. Plus race reports, results, fixtures & news. May Newsletter 2014

ByChristopher Holdsworth

Pendle Fell Race 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Pendle Seniors Fell Race 2014, Saturday 5th April

‘I had unrealistically hoped of running the majority of this climb, as I had finally succeeding at doing this in a training session exactly 3 weeks ago. I had previously never thought that this was possible…’

I arrived promptly to get parked and registered after pre race warnings from the race organisers that it was likely to be busy due to the mass of people gathering in the village of Barley for the first race of the 2014 English Championships. My warm up was timed perfectly with catching the leader of the ladies race, Victoria Wilkinson of Bingley Harriers, who had a healthy lead over her competitors as she headed left off the track as part of a changed route which meant instead of the mile long fast finish, runners were sent up a final short climb around the woods next to Lower Ogden reservoir to finish in the field behind the water works. The first Clayton lady to pass me as I continued jogging along the track was Jean Brown who put in a great effort finishing 34^th in a time of 46.03. She was followed by:

69^th Wendy Dodds 50.25

85^th Alison Dugdale 53.21

105^th Linda Lord 55.54

113^th Katy Thompson 58.56

118^th Nichola Horsfall 59.52

133^rd Karin Goss 1.03.48

I returned from my warm up to a packed and buzzing start line, full of eager runner’s ready get on their way. After upping my mileage over the past few months in preparation for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, I felt confident of being able to run hard around the 4.5ish mile course, although I was wary to save a little in the legs for final short climb just before the finish. The new race route meant that as well as English Championship points, the leading runners had added motivation of a record being up for grabs, after the previous record of 29.44 had remained unbroken since it was set back in 1984 by Jack Maitland.

We were soon set off on our way, and everyone seemed to have the same idea of making a fast start and not getting boxed in along the track and despite my best efforts I still made a slower start than I would have liked. The first mile quickly passed and after making up quite a few places along the track, we turned right and began the 1^st of 2 climbs up Pendle Hill. This climb was fairly gradual but I still struggled to get momentum going and despite losing a few places, I was spurred on by trying to stop the Clayton vest of Paul Shackleton from disappearing out eye shot into the clag that covered the top of Pendle

At the top of the climb we turned off just before the trig down a fast decent back to the foot of Pendle Hill. We then turned left just before the steps and were faced with the notorious ‘Big End’ climb up the face of Pendle Hill. I set off running the climb and gained a few places back that I had lost on the decent. I had unrealistically hoped of running the majority of this climb, as I had finally succeeding at doing this in a training session exactly 3 weeks ago. I had previously never thought this was possible but was spurred into giving it a go after been given a motivational training talk from Clayton legend Geoff Gough back at the British Fell Relays in Wales whose statement of ‘whatever you can walk, you can run” still sticks in my head when doing hill training. However I hadn’t made such a fast racing start in my training session and so soon tired on the climb, and reverted to trying to keep up a fast walk as the lactic acid burned in my legs.

The climb eventually ended and we were greeted by a large crowd who cheered us on towards the trig where we turned left and headed back down the 1^st climb. I lost a few places on this tricky decent but was kept pushing swapping places a couple of times with Clayton’s Paul Shackleton. Before we knew it we were back on the road, feeling far less fresh than before. I held my position on the flat before turning left up the final short climb. This was a real killer and I had no energy to try and cling onto the couple of runners who went past. We then turned right and passed through a few very muddy fields, before entering the final field behind the water works, where we looped around the edge before crossing the finish.

The race was superbly organised and marshalled, and there was a great turnout of supporters who provided welcome encouragement on the fell. The runners at the front put on a fantastic spectacle, with constant interchanging of positions around the route and only just over 3 minutes separating the top 10 runners. This year’s race winner was Tom Addison of Helm Hill Runners, who led home an extremely fast field in a time of 32.55. He was closely followed by Rob Hope (Pudsey and Bramley), Simon Bailey (Mercia) and Tom Adams (Ilkley) who were all less than a minute behind. The first Vet 40 was Morgan Donnelly (Borrowdale) in 5^th place, closely followed by Rob Jebb (Bingley). Youngster James Hall showed tremendous potential finishing 7^th ahead of Rhys Findlay Robinson (Dark Peak) and Tim Ellis (Calder Valley), with Bingley’s Ian Holmes rounding off the top 10.

Leading home the Clayton pack was Spencer Riley who despite his focus on long distance training for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, was still able to put in a great effort and sneak into the top 50 with a time of 38.00. He was closely followed by the ever improving Chris Holdsworth who finished 67^th with a time of 38.53. Rounding off the top 3 for Clayton was Matt Perry who was 71^st in a time of 39.09. There were some fantastic efforts made by the many Clayton representatives, with the 2013 Pendle Aggregate Trophy winner, Peter Dugdale epitomising the true Clayton spirit completing the race the day after flying back from South Africa. The other Clayton results included:

49^th Spencer Riley 38.00

67^th Chris Holdsworth 38.53

71^st Matt Perry 39.09

113^th Andrew Stubbs 41.35

129^th David Bagot 42.15

134^th Paul Shackleton 42:26

158^th Geoff Gough 43:22

162^nd Brian Horrocks 43:29

182^nd Jack Holt 44:53

192^nd Dominic Carr 45.18

196^th Richard Briscoe 45:22

198^th Mick Dobson 45:40

233^rd Mark Nutter 47:47

241^st Peter Browning 48:34

242^nd Kieran Carr 48:38

245^th Mark Taylor 49:34

271^st Dugald McCallum 51:00

274^th Andrew Dugdale 51.14

284^th Ian Connell 52:21

301^st Peter Dugdale 53:49

307^th Andrew Firth 54.39

324^th Stephen Fish 58.10

Thanks to David Bagot for this weeks race report!

Pendle Junior Fell Races, Barley, Sunday 6th April.

‘As we walked up the field to the starting area we knew the juniors were in for a tough day with conditions under foot quite bad. The juniors got together into their age groups and set off to inspect their race routes with many returning looking like they’d already raced’

Another fantastic effort from our juniors at the Pendle Junior Fell Races with 22 brave boys and girls taking part. Welcome to Joshua McKay who was making his Clayton debut. Special mention has to go to Briony Holt, Harry Mason, Jordan McDonald and Jacob Boyle for securing top 3 positions in the Lancashire Championships.

We arrived around midday to overcast sky’s and a cool breeze but nothing compared to what was install for the older juniors in the later races. In recent year’s at the Pendle races we’ve had sunny blue sky’s, snow and today heavy rain showers with much of Pendle Hill hidden in the clouds. As we walked up the field to the starting area we knew the juniors were in for a tough day with conditions under foot quite bad. The juniors got together into their age groups and set off to inspect their race routes with many returning looking like they’d already raced.

The U8’s got us underway with a brilliant run from Finley Stubbs who was 2nd boy (1st M7) with Joshua McKay 12th boy (2nd M6).

In the U10’s Jackson McKay was 6th boy (5th M9) closely followed by Christopher Brown 9th boy (7th M9), Ella Dorrington 12th girl (7th F9), Amelia Dugdale 19th (13th F9), Grace Root 25th girl (8th F8), Eloise Clegg 26th girl (16th F9) and Lydia Wood 39th (23rd F9)

Next up was the U12’s race with Briony Holt taking 3rd girl (2nd F11), Millie Stubbs 15th girl (7th F11), Harry Mason 32nd boy (12th M11), Adam Quinn 37th (14th M11) and Daniel Bradley 44th boy (18th M11).

As the U14’s prepared themselves the weather began to change but we were still hopeful that it would keep fine. The rain began to fall on the way up to Buttock Farm making conditions under foot even worse. This did nothing to put the juniors off with them showing grit and determination. Tom Bradley was 20th boy (14th M13), Alice Pier 19th girl (5th F13) and Eleanor Root 22nd girl (16th F12).

Finally it was the turn of the U16’s and U18’s to brave the conditions, with the U18’s going all the way to the Trig point and back. In the U16’s Jordan McDonald was 11th boy (8th M15), Curtis Holt 20th boy (9th M14) and Beth Quinn 30th girl (10th F15).

A great run from Jacob Boyle saw him finish 6th boy (3rd M17), with George Pier after taking a couple of tumbles on the way finished 17th boy (12th M16).

A truly great effort again from ALL you juniors. Thank you once more to ALL the parents for your continued support and encouragement for the juniors.

Aquathlon, Salt Ayre, Lancaster, Sunday 30th March.

Grace and Eleanor Root participated in their 2nd Aquathlon at Salt Ayre in Lancaster. It was a perfect day and for once the sun was shining. Grace competed in the Supersprint event coming 9th overall and 7th girl out of a mixed field of 15. Big sister Eleanor took part in the Tristar 3 event. She had a good swim leaving the pool in 3rd place but lost a little time in transition dropping her to 5th. She did however manage to pull it back on the run coming 3rd in her wave. Her final position was 24th overall and 12th girl out of a mixed field of 34.

Well done girls.

Thank you to Jason Piers for this weeks race report!

The Rest of the Weekends Action

This week saw a high volume of weekend races taking place. Dave Motley had an emphatic personal triumph at the Greater Manchester Marathon completing the race in the sub 3 hour mark. Read about the culmination of his hard work and efforts, along with other Clayton-le-Moors Harriers, in his captivating race report here.

Roger and Andrea Brewster competed at this years Leamington Regency 10k. They both completed the course in impressive time of 0:39:21 and 1:01:19. Another 10k being contested this weekend was 3 Bridges by Steve Biscomb, Martin Brady and Kevin O’Brien. All had brilliant runs with Steve narrowly missing out on a top 20 finish. Full results found here.

Harriers Richard Stevenson and Kevin Davies played an away game this weekend, competing at the Marathon de Paris. Once again Clayton-le-Moors members proved their mettle on the marathon stage by achieving great times 3.08.49 and 03:27:23 respectively.

Down in Lincoln, Breton Holdsworth had another top 3 placed finish, this time at the Grantham Cup 10k. He finished 2nd overall, posting a time of 00:41:50, over three minutes ahead of 3rd place.

Lastly, Junior member Leon Passco had a tremendous run at Burnley Park Run, setting a new PB in 18:13. As a spectator to his 1st placed victory, his effort and pace was a sight to behold – an exciting future prospect in the ranks!

Well done to everyone who ran this week, many miles were put in over this weekend and a whole lot of effort! Keep up the good work!

ByDave Motley

Fell Captain goes tarmac crazy!!

Today saw the running of what is claimed to be the flattest, so I guess the fastest marathon course in the UK with only 50m elevation over the 26.2 course. For most, the goal is to just get around the 26.2 mile course but for club athletes its all about the time. I suppose this is the main difference between road and fell racing and because of this I think mentally its tougher; to run down Geronimo you just take your brain out and go!

My preparation like most had been a long winter on the tarmac and canal banks of Lancashire, meticulously building my weekly mileage up week-week. Long Sunday runs became the norm going from 13-22 mile over a 12 week period, always looking at my watch. Winter races all planned around preparation; 5 & 10k’s to keep up leg speed and I must say the road training helped me put down a 5kpb in just under 18 minutes. Then Blackpool half marathon for a middle distance run at speed (the wind spoiled that) and finally Trimpell 20 because you’ve got to test the marathon race pace, which I was happy at 2:10 and some seconds, although not shown on the results!

Race day is all about the preparation and the silly poncho to keep you warm on the start line (fell runner goes soft?!?). Preparation consisting of electrolytes, magnesium, protein and plenty of carbs. I think I ate my body weight in pasta in the 48hr leading up to the race!

The race kicked off at 9am with the legend Ron Hill setting off the 10,000 runners. My plan – 6min30’s for as long as I could hold on; I figured I did it for 20 at Trimpell so should be capable of holding it for 26miles? Unfortunately not. It lasted to 13miles! 13-19 mile in 6:50’s then the wall. Your mind wants you to run quick but your body screams at you at every step. My times started to slip: 7:20, 7:40, 7:50 then Paul Hesketh came breezing past me at 20 miles. I knew then it could be over; my mind telling me to keep going, my body just wanting to withdraw into a darkened room. 10k to go 48mins to do it in- surely I could manage that. Mile by mile my times got slower: 7:50; 7:55, 8:00min.Thoughts of the 3hr pacer coming past me any minute. 25miles now and Garry Wilkinson was in the crowd. He could sense I was struggling, running next to me giving me words of encouragement; the 3hr pacer closing in on me….100metrs behind, 90meters, 60meters… Garry screaming at me ‘You can do it Motley…come on!!!’. Finally Old Trafford and the finish line. A finishing time of 2:59:24 running straight into the arms of Mr Cannonball (John Lloyd) who could sense my suffering, making an offering of food, water, silly marathon blanket. Next onto to congratulate Paul Hesketh who had an absolute stormer finishing his marathon in 2:56:15.

Will I continue to run on tarmac, Yes definitely. I feel stronger and better for it and it definitely helps with fell running. Will it be me my main focus, probably not for me the Great British fells are much more fun. Will I do another marathon, not for a long long time, my hat goes off to Clayton marathon men. Good luck to all of you at London.

Out of 10,000 runners the clayton boys finished as follows:

140 – Paul Hesketh – 2:56:15

197 – Dave Motley – 2:59:24

572 – Simon Halliday – 3:15:40

1213 – Nick Roscoe – 3:32:30

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