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
The Yorkshire Dales Three Peaks 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action
The Yorkshire Dales Three Peaks Fell Race 2014
‘The next couple of miles were very muddy, gloopy and sticky underfoot, a few people were slipping over on their trail shoes, though I was fine in my fell shoes… just’
Heavens Above !
I parked up at Horton on Friday night with constant rain. The forecast all week was for a front to pass by and I was praying it would blow over before 10.30am Saturday . In the field Friday night was Mick Dobson, Dave Motley and a few other Harriers braving the weather. Saturday morning came and it was still raining – we went up to register, had porridge and a brew. Soon plenty of runners were milling around all looking up to the sky and praying!
Alleluia! At 10.30am the rain stopped and the race began. I had Mick Dobson as my marker though he soon pulled away so I followed Ken Taylor to the Pen.y.ghent Trig. Coming off the summit the wind was going to be with us up to Whernside so I was running with my vest to keep cool. There were lots of Clayton-le-Moors Harrier supporters at the shooting gate – Mark, Andy, Paul to name a few. The next couple of miles were very muddy, gloopy and sticky underfoot, a few people were slipping over on their trail shoes, though I was fine in my fell shoes… just.
Approaching Ribblehead I gave Sean Claire encouragement, as Clayton-le-Moors Harries supporters gave me the same at the checkpoint. It really spurs you on! Up to Whernside now and the ground was soggy and cold. There was a clayton vest in the distance and gradually passed Avril Duckworth (though she did stick with me).
On the summit the wind was wild but was soon was off down the track to Hill Inn for more drinks,food and more words of wisdom from lots of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers supporters. Last hill now so head down and feet onwards towards Ingleborough. On the way up I caught Ryan Wilkinson who had a leg injury (He finished thankfully).
Approaching Ingleborough there were lots more Harrier supporters giving encouragement and jelly babes and I managed to catch Mick Dobson on the trig, though he scampered off and never caught him! The legs were shot now so I was trying to keep my place down past Sulber Nick. I passed runners who had cramped up or had gone off too fast (been there before) It’s a fine line on how fast you go 1st half of the race.
The finish was coming up and felt I OK for once and ran like the clappers to the finish, what a relief the first thoughts were never again… But you foolishly forget your feelings and foolishly enter the next years race! The finish field was full of supporters and you have a banter with your friends and supporters .
At the Presentation Jon Sharples was presented with a prize for 21 races, Wendy Dodds for 30 races and Avril got her V50 prize. Thanks go out to all the spectators and marshals for their support and foolishly I will be there next year for the 61st Three Peaks race.
Race Snippets
Ricky Lightfoot won in 02.53
Victoria Wilkinson was the1st lady 3.21 (16 minutes ahead of the next lady ).
Spencer Riley was the first Harrier in 3.40
Avril Duckworth was first clayton lady in 4.10 and was 1st V50 which was outstanding. I will nominate her for run of the month!
Dave Scott was the first V70 in his 47th race
Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Team Placements
Men were 6th
Women were 6th
V40 were 5th
V50 were 3rd
Thanks To Ivan Wigham for this weeks race report!
A list of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers finishing times can be found below. A full list of results can be found here.
| 146 | David Bagot | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MU25 | Three Peaks | 03:54:00 |
| 147 | Gary Balmer | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | |
| 148 | Martin Brady | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | |
| 149 | Alex Braysford | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 04:39:37 |
| 150 | Richard Briscoe | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | 05:35:40 |
| 151 | Dominic Carr | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 04:19:14 |
| 152 | Sean Clare | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 04:17:20 |
| 153 | Ian Connell | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | |
| 154 | Mick Dobson | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 04:07:15 |
| 155 | Andrew Dugdale | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | |
| 156 | Simon Halliday | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 03:51:50 |
| 157 | Neil Hardiman | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 04:03:42 |
| 158 | Paul Hesketh | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 03:52:34 |
| 159 | Nigel Hodson | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 04:33:11 |
| 160 | David Hogan | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | |
| 161 | Brian Horrocks | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | 04:03:08 |
| 162 | David Horrocks | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | 04:30:16 |
| 163 | Matthew Law | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MU25 | Three Peaks | |
| 164 | Dave Motley | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | 03:43:51 |
| 165 | David Naughton | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | |
| 166 | Robin Nicolson | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | |
| 167 | Andrew Orr | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 03:55:03 |
| 168 | Matt Perry | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | 04:03:25 |
| 169 | Spencer Riley | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 03:40:58 |
| 170 | John Rusius | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | 04:57:05 |
| 171 | David Scott | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV70 | Three Peaks | 05:19:09 |
| 172 | Jon Sharples | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | 04:22:30 |
| 173 | Adam Shaw | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | 04:51:54 |
| 174 | Lee Smith | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | 04:08:04 |
| 175 | Simon Stansfield | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | |
| 176 | Mark Taylor | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | |
| 177 | Paul Wale | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 05:12:48 |
| 178 | Ivan Whigham | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV50 | Three Peaks | 04:08:28 |
| 179 | Garry Wilkinson | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | 03:53:57 |
| 180 | Ryan Wilkinson | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | 04:11:45 |
| 181 | Neil David Worswick | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | MV40 | Three Peaks | |
| 584 | Ryan Belshaw | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | M | Three Peaks | 03:49:38 |
| 875 | Marion Dixon | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | FV40 | Three Peaks | 04:33:41 |
| 876 | Wendy Dodds | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | FV60 | Three Peaks | 04:49:05 |
| 877 | Avril Duckworth | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | FV50 | Three Peaks | 04:10:08 |
| 878 | Nichola Horsfall | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | FV50 | Three Peaks | |
| 879 | Lisa Richardson | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | FV40 | Three Peaks | |
| 880 | Barbara Savage | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | FV50 | Three Peaks | 04:50:51 |
| 881 | Katy Thompson | Clayton-le-Moors Harriers | FV60 | Three Peaks | 05:39:08 |
The Rest of the Weekends Action
On a weekend where news from the Three Peaks dominates our media channels, it is important not to forget the hard work our other Harriers are putting in elsewhere. Captain fantastic Tom Brewster is a primary example, demonstrating his ever growing presence at the front of the pack at the Wray Scarecrow 10k. Finishing almost a minute ahead of 2nd place, he finished 1st with an impressive time of 00:35:49. A superb effort for a hilly course.
Another top performer this weekend was Breton Holdsworth, who contested this years St George’s Day 10k in Langdale, Cumbria. Finishing 5th in a strong field of competitors, he managed a personal best time of 00:35:48 standing him in good stead for a jam packed summer of races (presumably away from Lancashire).
The ever present 10k specialist Steve Biscomb competed at the Radcliffe 10 MT in Manchester, along with Martin Brady. Both once again had excellent runs posting times of 00:43:55 and 00:49:30 respectively. Well done men!
Andy Armstrong and Jamie Baldwin both competed at The Fellsman 2014. We are currently waiting to hear how they did in this ultra marathon across the Yorkshire Dales. Results to follow soon!
Well done to all who ran this weekend. Club spirit couldn’t be higher and with plenty more big races over the next few weeks, let’s keep this morale going! Next weekend has two big races in the form of The Coniston Fell Race and The Great Hameldon Hill Race, which is a Clayton-le-Moors run event. Come and show your support and cheer on our Ladies and Men!
The Weekends Action
The Weekends Action
Apologies for the lateness of this weeks weekend report, we’ve just been waiting on results to come through from Rivington Pike. The report should be with us soon and will be combined with this post in due course.
So! Without further adieu, on to the rest of the weekends action…
Our solo fell runner this week comes in the form a VF60 Eileen Jones. Although finishing last at the Loughrigg Fell Race, she put in a tremendous effort to finish in under the hour mark with a time of 00:59:07. Tough as it is to come through in the final position, she showed excellent determination and showed the rest of us up for not getting out there with here. Well done Eileen!
It is true that Clayton-le-Moors Harriers produce some hardy runners, unafraid of stepping up to any and all races, even if it means going it alone. Let me introduce you to our sole trail runner of the week, Martin Brady! As another Harrier showing us the way, he also had an excellent run finishing in a time of 00:51:33 at this years Guiseley Gallop MT Trail Race.
On Easter Friday, two big races took place which were Caldervale Country 10 and Salford 10k. Firstly, at the Garstang based 10 mile race two Clayton-le-Moors Harriers took to competing were Brian Wildman and Robert Hirst. Contending against 169 other runners, all must have been eager to get back for Good Friday beverages as there were some speedy times on show, with our duo posting times of 01:17:09 and 01:54:36. Over in Salford, there was another solo Harrier on show! This time it was road runner Steve Biscomb in an outstanding time of 00:40:26, who also managed to smash his PB!
So that’s three solo runners this week. Where are we all hiding this easter?! If you’re struggling to find races, fixtures can be found here. If you have any questions you can direct them to our Facebook or Twitter pages where we will be happy to help!
Elsewhere, at the Anniversary Waltz three Clayton-le-Moors Harriers competed over this very tough race. Wendy Dodds was the first harrier back across the finish, coming in at the century mark and a time of 02:19:02. Next back was Marion Dixon in 133rd, followed by David Naylor in 166th. Great efforts all round!
On Easter Monday, Cannonball’s Hollingworth Lake 5k took place with no less than 7 Harriers! That’s where you’ve all been, laying in wait for this speedy 5k! These were, in order of how they finished, Steve Biscomb, Kenan Eti, Alan Clarkson, Beth Quin, Alice Pier, Jackie Kershaw and Marion Wilkinson. Everyone had pulled out top performances here, especially by our talented and promising youth. Well done to all who ran.
Remember that it’s the Three Peaks this weekend, we wish all the Harriers competing the best of luck! I’ll be there sweeping so make sure to avoid me, though I’ll be bringing my camera so be sure to pose for pictures. See you all there!
Coledale Horseshoe 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action
Coldale Horseshoe 2014 – ‘The View From The Back’
‘Jogging up to race registration from the campsite, the first Clayton-le-Moors Harrier I bumped into was Richard Briscoe – the first thing he asked me was “Have you done this race before, is it hard?” to which the only response is ‘have you ever done an easy fell race Richard?’
The second race in the Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Fell running championships is a proper fell race in real fell running terrain in the Lake District. The Coledale Horseshoe is an 8.5 miles and 3002 ft of climbing in a classic Lake District setting. Whilst I have only done this race seven or eight times (in the 30 years or so that I have been involved in this crazy sport) it certainly is one of my favourite races given the terrain and natural horseshoe the race follows – and in particular the finish is all downhill!!
I’m always keen to make a weekend of fell running in the Lakes, and this weekend is no exception – an excuse for a weekend away in the caravan at the excellent campsite at Braithwaite (heated floor in the showerblock – brilliant at this time of year). On Friday night before the race I bumped into Gaz Wilkinson who had spent the week in a log cabin on the campsite with family .We reminisced about Coledale races of the past – Gaz did the race in the late eighties and gave the local Lakes lads a good spanking. I remember turning up in 1993 for what was in those days a mid summer evening race – a Borrowdale runner spotted my Clayton-le-Moors Harrier vest before the race and came over with the winners trophy for the Ennerdale race. He asked me to pass it on to Lee Thompson (an amazing Harrier of the past) who had won the Ennerdale race the previous weekend, but the trophy hadn’t been returned – thats the closest I’ve ever been to holding a winners prize!
On the morning of the race the weather was a bit overcast with the forecast for rain and high winds (with significant buffeting on the tops) at around the time of the race start – boy were they right. Jogging up to race registration from the campsite the first Clayton-le-Moors Harrier I bumped into was Richard Briscoe – the first thing he asked me was ‘Have you done this race before, is it hard?’ to which the only response is ‘have you ever done an easy fell race Richard?’
At registration, it was good to see a number of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers nervously looking at the race map and instructions and looking up into the mist wondering what the day had to offer. I know it is difficult to encourage our members to venture beyond East Lancashire, but there was a good number of Harriers up for the challenge of a proper fell race. My running has deteriorated over the last few years, and I knew that today was going to be difficult and probably the slowest I’d ever done on this course. Accordingly as I took my place on the start line I made my way to the back of the field and set off slowly hoping to make my mark on the steep climbs and in particular the descents. All of a sudden we were off and the orange and black hoops of my club mates sped off into the distance as I struggled with the first incline on my least favourite surface, the tarmac of the run out to the fell. The steps onto the fell brought everyone around me to a welcome walk (as far as I was concerned) and the atmosphere was very jolly as people took the time to have a bit of a conversation during the breather – I’m sure it was very different at the sharp end!!
Soon enough we were into the real grind of the climb up Grisedale Pike. The climb took me the best part of an hour, hard climb to start, followed by a ridge run then a gradually steepening climb up into the mist. I felt like I was gaining a bit on the runners in front of me as the climb steepened, heart rate was pumping and I was giving it everything. I was passing a few but as I approached the summit of Grisedale Pike I looked over my shoulder and realised that Katy Thompson was right on my shoulder – where the hell did she come from!? That was the kick up the backside that I needed and I resolved to give it everything I had on the descent to Coledale Hause to get away. However, cresting Grisedale Pike took us straight into the teeth of the gale that was blowing very strong – it was a struggle to get a good rhythm going, and the wind almost brought me to a standstill on several occasions.
Eventually we got down to Coledale Hause (still in very thick mist) – I felt like I was running on my own at this stage – couldn’t see the runners in front and was scared to look behind in case Katy was still hanging on. But at least we were out of the worst of the wind. It was at this point that I made the basic error of not putting my cag on – during the descent it was raining, not too heavily but enough to wet all my kit and base layer. I know the route well so didn’t need map and compass, as I started the climb of Crag Hill suddenly I could see a group of runners ahead – they looked like they didn’t really know the route and may have gone off course. I climbed quite strongly and quickly past a few (including a clayton lady whose name I don’t know). As we climbed we went back into the wind which picked up pace. The route at this point was quite hairy – it was hands and knees on steep rocky broken ground with scree mixed in. Added to which there were crags to our left (which thankfully you couldn’t see because of the mist) and all the time I was worried about being blown over the edge. As we topped out towards the top of Crag Hill we met the full force of the wind which went right through me and chilled me to the core through my wet base layer. It was too late at this stage to even consider getting my cag out because I was afraid it would blow away before I could get it over my head. Thankfully we were only on the top for a short period, and whilst the initial part of the descent was difficult suffering with cold I soon warmed up once out of the worst of the wind.
The next part of the race plays to my strengths, mainly downhill and I really started getting into my stride as we followed the flags off Sail through the heather. Picking up places all the way I made my way to the rocky track that eventually takes walkers to the Newlands Pass. The race however bears left to Barrow – here there are two choices of route. I always take the higher path and traverse to Barrow Door, and today I was surprised to see so many runners taking ‘my line’, since normally the majority of runners take the lower path ,which involves a bit more climb. I was even more surprised to see the runners in front of me continue up to Stile End – I did call back the nearest runner, but I think I benefited by at least 20 places by the finish. Barrow for me is always a test to keep running and I was reasonably pleased with my effort. The descent though was brilliant from my point of view – I have recce’d the descent on many occasions during my stays at Scott Gate Campsite. Thankfully this year they didn’t flag the descent so I was able to take my line down through the bracken direct to the gate. This cut off the corner and I believe it gained me another 7/8 places at least. I crossed the finish line feeling strong after 2hrs 2 mins – some 6 minutes slower than my last attempt in 2012. It’s fair to say that at the end it felt like a real achievement just to have completed the race today. Talking to people afterwards I got the impression that I wasn’t alone feeling that way.
I’m sure the results will be out shortly, but I did manage to establish that the first Clayton runner back was Vet Garry Wilkinson in just under and hour and a half, closely followed by young Dave Bagot with an excellent run just over 1.30 Not sure what happened in the ladies race but there was a good turnout of Harrier Ladies. Great to see so many Clayton-le-Moors Harriers so far North and hopefully we can include classic Lakes races in the Championship in the future.
On a final note I think it is entirely appropriate to thank the marshals on this one – very difficult conditions and even with full kit I wouldn’t have liked to spend a couple of hours on top of Grizedale Pike, Crag Hill or Sail – Well done Ellenborough!
Thanks to Andrew Firth for this weeks race report!
The Rest of the Weekends Action
Five Clayton-le-Moors Harriers took to the biggest ran in the UK this weekend, competing at the London Marathon 2014. Jonny McKenna, Michael Hogan, Martin Ritson, Collin Shuttleworth and Alexander Cran all made the trip down to the capital to contend with the countries best over the 26.2 mile course. Jonny put in a monstrous effort to finish his marathon among the uproarious London crowd in 02:42:20. Furthermore, he managed to finish in at 262nd out of over 39,000 runners! Matching this feat, Anthony Gotts had a momentous Marathon coming in at 31st overall and breaking the 2 hour mark, whilst also being widely spotted on national television coverage! Well done Jonny, Anthony and to all Clayton-le-Moors Harriers who ventured down. Great efforts all round! Full results found here.
A little closer to home, Clayton-le-Moors veterans were out in force at the Garstang Gallop 10k. Competing in the Lancashire race was Steve Biscomb, Martin Brady, Brian Wildman and Ron Chappel. All had excellent races with Steve leading the way with a brilliant time of 43:06. Another Lancashire 10k road race this weekend was staged at Bolton. This saw a sole Harrier contend in this hilly competition and as another veteran to boot. Kevin O’Brien finished just outside of the hour mark, producing a great time of 01:00:21.
Lastly, it seems the majority of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers had rest days or recce’s elsewhere, as a dwindled number of three competed at the Boulsworth Bog Fell Race this weekend. Nevertheless, they all valiantly bested this beastly fell race in great times. Alan Life was the first Harrier home in a time of 01:01:06. Next round the course was Jeffery Pickup in 01:06:22. Last but most certainly not least was Gary Balmer with a time of 01:09:38.
Well done to all who ran this weekend! Don’t forget that there are plenty of midweek races beginning too! You can view them all here. Good luck!
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 34th in a time of 46.03. She was followed by:
69th Wendy Dodds 50.25
85th Alison Dugdale 53.21
105th Linda Lord 55.54
113th Katy Thompson 58.56
118th Nichola Horsfall 59.52
133rd 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 1st 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 1st 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 5th place, closely followed by Rob Jebb (Bingley). Youngster James Hall showed tremendous potential finishing 7th 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 67th with a time of 38.53. Rounding off the top 3 for Clayton was Matt Perry who was 71st 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:
49th Spencer Riley 38.00
67th Chris Holdsworth 38.53
71st Matt Perry 39.09
113th Andrew Stubbs 41.35
129th David Bagot 42.15
134th Paul Shackleton 42:26
158th Geoff Gough 43:22
162nd Brian Horrocks 43:29
182nd Jack Holt 44:53
192nd Dominic Carr 45.18
196th Richard Briscoe 45:22
198th Mick Dobson 45:40
233rd Mark Nutter 47:47
241st Peter Browning 48:34
242nd Kieran Carr 48:38
245th Mark Taylor 49:34
271st Dugald McCallum 51:00
274th Andrew Dugdale 51.14
284th Ian Connell 52:21
301st Peter Dugdale 53:49
307th Andrew Firth 54.39
324th 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!
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
April Newsletter
In this month’s Harrier Katy Thompson looks back to a traumatic period twenty years ago. Katy has also sent a photograph from 1989. See how many members you can identify 25 years on. On a more up-to-date note, the new club race vest is unveiled, along with venues for summer training and details of the 2014 summer series. Plus…. all the usual results, fixtures and features. Enjoy! April Newsletter 2014
Donard Challenge 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action
Donard Challenge 29/3/14 – First British Championship Race of 2014
Reported distance varied from 8-10km (and probably close to 10km?) with 850m of ascent
‘It was only when finding a group of twenty or so in a huddle on the featureless bit that I got my compass out. At first I thought that there had been an accident or that it was a group of hill walkers as the ghostly silhouettes stood around in a circle ‘chuntering’’
Six veteran Clayton-le-Moors Harrier stalwarts crossed the Irish sea for this event. We arrived by various means, the leisurely having a week’s holiday (Katy T and George-who was reputed to have travelled just to fit in a different Park Race), Jack H combining this with a working visit, Barbara and Neil going the long way round via Holyhead with their ‘mobile’ home, Jean flying out after a busy working week and Wendy flying out for a 24hour appearance.
Jean and Wendy were able to join the Wharfedale ladies in a luxurious apartment, along with two MV60s from Harrogate (interesting night for Wendy, sleeping on a couch in the lounge to find a bare chested man with a duvet wrapped round his middle rapidly leaving the lounge at 6.45 having moved to the couch in the night to avoid his roommate’s snoring, BUT there were two couches! (Perhaps ‘the chase’ was still on during the race but you would need detailed knowledge of the results to find the answer!). Katy and Jack had more up market accommodation to share with their spouses.
The organiser of the NI British championship race and his large band of merry helpers always makes everyone welcome and for the second successive year fed us with home baking after the race. As has often been the case it was a newly designed course, (although previously the Slieve Donard race has been a championship counter), this year having a different approach and departure to and from the summit which proved challenging.
There was a quick few km on forest trails from Donard Park before climbing 200m into the cloud to the forest edge to the first CP. Then it was a steep 160m climb to a minor summit CP at which point compasses were VERY useful to head across a short flat featureless few 100m before the 400m climb to the highest peak in NI taking CARE to watch the compass at all times as visibility was often close to zero. (It was only when finding a group of twenty or so in a huddle on the featureless bit that I got my compass out. At first I thought that there had been an accident or that it was a group of hill walkers as the ghostly silhouettes stood around in a circle ‘chuntering’)
From the summit it was an about turn descending past the subsidiary summit cairn that we passed on the ascent, (at this point, unexpectedly seeing some fast runners ascending it was evident that there had been some interesting ‘route choice). Then it was a rough descent on another compass bearing for almost 2km, (again great care required to avoid dropping into the wrong valley as some did), until hitting the marked route almost before we could see it. This led us safely round the rim of a huge quarry to the final CP. It was then a fast muddy, winding descent through the forest for almost 2km to the finish.
Anyone finishing did well in the ‘interesting’ conditions and the full waterproof cover required for the race was sensible and for some the compulsory emergency food, unusual for a ‘short’ race, might have come in useful (and was generously supplied by the organisers).
The tales from this event will continue all year with at least one person covering 10 miles as a result of a ‘walkabout’. It illustrates the value of navigation when there is no visibility.
Results (full details on www.nimra.org.uk )
Men
1st Allan Bogle 1-05-25 City of Derry AC
2nd Ian Whiteside 1-05-35 Carnethy
3rd Neil Northrop 1-05-57 DPFR
1st U23 (19th place) William Neill 1-11-57 Mercia FR
1st MV40 (10th place) Morgan Donnelly 1-06-33 Borrowdale
1st MV50 (27th place) Stuart Whittle 1-14-06 Carnethy
1st MV60 James Patterson 1-28-59 Newcastle AC
Women
1st Jackie Lee 1-24-14 Eryri Harriers
2nd Emma Gould 1-26-42 Mercia FR
3rd Claire Green 1-27—33 P&B
1st FV40 Mel Price 1-29-31 Mercia FR
1st FV50 Aly Raw 1-36-25 Bingley Harriers
1st FV60 Wendy Dodds 1-30-59 Clayton-le-Moors Harriers
Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Results
All returned with some points in their category (except the two FV60s for whom the rampant sexual discrimination of UKA only provides a category for MV60, despite it being the 30th anniversary of the woman’s Olympic marathon when the fairer sex were considered, for the first time (!) to be able to cope with this challenge, but obviously the older females are still considered to have their limitations!!!) Fortunately our brothers in NI, along with the organisers of British championship races from the other Celtic nations, choose to recognise this category so it can still be a competitive class.
70th & 28th MV40 Neil Hardiman 1-28-38
97th & 5th FV40 Jean Brown 1-34-20
116 & 6th MV60 Jack Holt 1-37-11
198 & 5th FV50 Barbara Savage 1-58-51
216 &4th FV60 Katy Thompson 2-07-21
(and Katy Thompson would have been 2nd FV60 had it not been on tired legs from Edale Skyline 6 days earlier as there were only 62 seconds between 2nd and 4th FV60)
It was great to have Barbara scoring points for our FV40 team, though my brain has difficulty computing team points so we shall have to wait for the team positions (but we may have beaten Ambleside!?).
Where were all the other Clayton-le-Moors Harrier men? Are they tough enough?
Still time to complete 3 counters for the 2014 British championships, remembering Ennerdale is a double counter (ie. Also English championship counter) and entries open 31/3/14
Thanks to Wendy Dodds for this weeks Race Report!
The Rest of the Weekends Action
This weekend saw two significant races take place. Firstly, on Saturday the Heptonstall Fell Race was undertaken by four Clayton-le-Moors Harriers. A superb race was had by V40 Garry Wilkinson finishing 18th and in a time of 2:15:42. David Baggot also had a great race, finishing 33rd overall and 2:22:54. Nigel Hodson also had a great race, finishing in 2:50:02, whilst Marion Dixon crossed the line as the 7th lady! Full results here.
Secondly, the inaugural Ron Hill Accrington 10k took place on a sunny Sunday Morning. Plenty of Harriers made their way to the streets of Accrington for what was a splendid race course. Clayton-le-Moors Harriers managed to secure the time prize through 2nd placed Christopher Holdsworth, 3rd placed Breton Holdsworth and 6th placed Nick Gaskell. We were represented well with an astounding 19 Harriers racing, one of which was Ron Hill himself who managed an excellent time of 00:59:27. Other brilliant performances came from Marion Wilkinson achieving a time of 00:57:08 and securing her categories prize, as well as V70 Ted Orrell who also secured the top prize in his category. Well done to all who ran, making this a special first race for the Ron Hill Accrington 10k, Here’s to many more!
(Keighley 10k results to follow)
Vera Hirst 5k
Last night saw the start of Andy O’Sullivan’s 5k “season”, kicking off with the Vera Hirst 5k situated at Whitworth and incorporating 2 laps of the Cowm reservoir – the fast flat course proved to suit Clayton’s 5k enthusiasts.
Claiming 3rd place and smashing his previous personal best by 23 seconds was Road Captain Tom Brewster, coming home in 16:45 after a hard fought race with “Cannonball” John Lloyd of Calder Valley.
Joined shortly after by top-ten finishing Fell Captain Dave Motley who gained 10 seconds on his previous pb to finish in 17:59 a fantastic effort to dip under 18mins.
Next up was Richard “The Beast” Briscoe who, after some humorous debate with his club-mates decided his previous personal best was 19:00, came home within the top 20 with an excellent 18:45.
Rounding up Team Clayton was Steve Fish, completing the race in 26:11 and also scoring a personal best over 5k.
A massive well done to our athletes on their impressive performances last night, it just goes to show that all that winter training is paying off and we look forward to a successful summer for Team Clayton!
Stanley Park 5 Mile Road Race & The Rest of the Weekends Action
Stanley Park 5 Mile Road Race
‘Once again it was good for the juniors to be part of an event with our senior runners. Thank you for all the support and encouragement’
Another early start for those travelling to Blackpool for the Stanley Park 5 Mile Road Race. Marion had body pump music playing in the car to get us ready. We arrived to blue skies but a cold wind. After a good warm up we were ready to go. Twelve Clayton-le-Moors members ran including four juniors. After a fast start the pace settled down as we ran along the paths of the park.
First Clayton-le-Moors Harrier home was junior member Jordan McDonald, followed by Alan Life who was first Clayton senior to finish. The battle for the third Clayton-le-Moors Harrier to finish was close with Andy Bradley finishing just a head of George Pier, followed by John Wilcock. A very good run from Tom Bradley saw him finish as the next Harrier. First lady to finish was Donna Riley, followed by myself, Jackie Kershaw, Carol Life and Marion Wilkinson, with Kevin O’Brien taking the final Clayton-le-Moors Harriers place.
Once again it was good for the juniors to be part of an event with our senior runners. Thank you for all the support and encouragement.
Thank you to Alice Pier for this weeks race report! Full results here.
The Rest of the Weekends Action
This weekend saw two Clayton-le-Moors Harriers compete at the Wilmslow Half Marathon. Anthony and Donna Scott both also had excellent runs, completing the circuit in 01:51:25 and 01:57:14 respectively.
At the Edale Skyline Fell Race, Andrew Armstrong had a storming race finishing in 03:55:52. John Rusius managed a very respectable time of 04:16:03 while FV60 Katy Thompson managed to scrape under the 5 hour mark to post an excellent time of 04:59:16. Well done! Full results found here.
Four of the Clayton-le-Moors Harrier Men took to the hills of the Calderdale Way this weekend, covering 20 miles of muddy terrain and quaint village track across leg 1 and 2 of the Calderdale Relays. Expect a full race report on our clubs excursion across Yorkshire on the 11th May. Well done to all who ran this weekend!
From left to right: Dave Motley, Paul Hesketh, Spencer Riley, Christopher Holdsworth