December Newsletter 2014 Here is the latest of The Harrier, complete with a report on the Tour of Pendle by yours truly, plus all the usual features. Most important: a plea for help with junior training sessions. Please volunteer if you can – they’re the future!
Dave Motley leads Christopher Holdsworth at the 2014 Tour of Pendle. Photo Copyright Andy Holden
Busy week this week with recognition and awards for some of our junior members, tough fell racing, road running glory, cross country action and park run triumphs! The accolades and successes are tinged with sadness on hearing of the loss of a great friend to the club, Pete Hartley.
Tour of Pendle – start of the race. Neil Hardiman and Ryan Wilkinson visible – photo by David Belshaw
This tough, local race attracted a large turnout of club members. On the day conditions were a just a little claggy up on the top.
Chris Holdsworth in the clag at the first passing of the trig point.
Fell captain, Dave Motley shared these thoughts on the race.
Tour of Pendle – Fell Captain, Dave Motley at the crest of the last climb
“Another year, another hard slog at the Tour Of Pendle, misty conditions giving team Clayton a home advantage. My race went well, setting off steady and trying to work through the field almost giving Mr Holdsworth a fright on the last descent, although his tarmac speed allowed him to beat me. Great to see so many from Team Clayton and another fantastic Tour Of Pendle.”
Ladies Fell Captain, Jean Brown, at the finish
Considering the distance and the clash with the Tour of Pendle, Team Clayton saw a good turn out at the Midlancs fixture at Barrow. The men had more than enough runners for a qualifying team as did the ladies.
Mid Lancs XC at Barrow. Carl Helliwell. Photograph courtesy of Tickhiller Photography
http://www.tickhillerphotographic.co.uk/
With a flat fast course and an abundance of cheering for those waiting or having already run, it was a successful afternoon all round for Team Clayton. Many thanks to all for making the journey as each runner counts in these Midlancs races.
Clayton Ladies at Mid Lancs Cross Country in Barrow. L-R Julia Rushton, Helen Burnett, Irene Roche, Sarah Helliwell
Some brilliant results were gained today by Clayton juniors at Barrow in Furness for the Mid Lancs Cross Country. Briony Holt came 1st and Curtis Holt came 15 th. Adam and Beth Quinn ran too and both had fantastic races. Well done everyone.
Briony Holt at the Mid Lancs Cross Country in Barrow
Award winning Juniors
Our junior members have been enjoying plenty of success and recognition this week.
Ellie Root ran in the Regional Finals of the English Schools XC cup in Stockton-on-Tees, her team (Skipton Girls High School) qualified for the finals in Newquay at the end of the month. Ellie came 14th but didn’t feel like she had a good run. However, yesterday she ran in the Harrogate and Craven XC qualifiers in Knaresborough and came 2nd with a really strong performance.
Clayton junior Ellie Root competing in the English Schools Cross Country Cup
That’s not all, Ellie Root also took part in the NW Junior Triathlon Series. Ellie finished 7th overall & received her certificate from GB athlete Katie Hewison last night at the awards ceremony at Lancashire Manor Hotel. Ellie competed throughout the year in her Clayton vest, registered under the club name. Well done Ellie!
NW Junior Triathlon Series (T3) awards night at Lancashire Manor Hotel
Briony Holt was honoured and awarded for her outstanding performances over the year. She attended the BOFRA presentation evening at the Stirk House Hotel in Gisburn and collected the Under 14 Girls award after competing in 9 of the qualifying races. She was also presented with the most outstanding junior award.
BOFRA Champion Briony Holt
And finally, congratulations to junior member, Jordan McDonald for an outstanding run at the Burnley parkrun where he came first.
It’s a real pleasure to see our junior members enjoying such successes and recognition and it is well deserved. They are a credit to the club and the junior coaching team. The future is bright! (and orange, of course)
A cohort of 8 Harriers took part in the Preston 10 mile road race. 431 runners took part in this event.
Michael Hogan had this to report;
“This morning’s race was held in near perfect conditions. It’s a good fast two lap course. Richard Stevenson was holding the 1st Clayton home position until 8 mile, and then Old Boy, Kevin James Davies, came through to lead the road crew home. New boy Jon Hanson had a good run for his first 10 mile effort with a fime just over 64 mins. This boy has talent waiting to be released. With myself, Steve Biscomb, Alan Clarkson, Brian Wildman and Ron Chappell making up a solid Clayton outing, it was a good day out for the Clayton road crew. Go at 10 K pace and hope you last for 10 miles!”
| Position | Name | Cat | Time |
| 30 | Kevin Davies | MV50 | 01:00:58 |
| 32 | Richard Stevenson | M | 01:01:16 |
| 55 | Jon Hanson | M | 01:04:20 |
| 71 | Michael Hogan | MV45 | 01:06:11 |
| 108 | Stephen Biscomb | MV61 | 01:09:22 |
| 143 | Alan Clarkson | MV55 | 01:11:08 |
| 197 | Brian Wildman | MV45 | 01:15:54 |
| 346 | Ron Chappell | MV65 | 01:29:25 |
Known for it’s 10k personal best potential, the Leeds Abbey Dash 2014 did not disappoint. The race was won by Andrew Butchart of Central AC who finished in 29 minutes and 17 seconds. The first female was Steph Twell of Aldershot who finished in 32 minutes and 30 seconds. There were 9524 finishers.
Well done to Johnny McKenna who was 160th with a chip time of 32:59 in an incredibly fast race over in Leeds.
Two of our members went to Southport to take part in the 5k and 10k races
10K Results: 179 Kevin O’Brien M60 57:47 (216 runners took part)
5K Results: 11 Martin Brady M50 22:34 (34 runners took part)
Well done Kevin and Martin!
A couple of our members were spotted in the results of this race which covers 5.5 miles on a scenic course above Morecambe Bay and the Kent Estuary. By all accounts it was a dry day with clear views all round. 140 runners took part.
22nd Alan Life MV45 42:23
115th Carol Life W45 56:25
Parkrun News
Another great week for club members at various parkrun events this week. From Cheltenham to Newby Bridge, you have been hitting personal bests all over the place! In particular, well done to Jordan McDonald, Jacob Watson and Jonathon Pye for the top three spots at the Burnley parkrun this week. Also congratulations to Jacob Watson, Bryan Searby, Jack McGuire and Eileen Jones on your latest personal best times.
Burnley parkrun (175 Runners)
| Position | Name | Time | |
| 1 | Jordan McDonald | 17:55 | |
| 2 | Jacob Watson | 18:02 | New PB! |
| 3 | Jonathon Pye | 18:12 | |
| 21 | Gordon Barrett | 21:04 | |
| 32 | Martin Brady | 23:07 | |
| 36 | Amanda Duffy | 23:44 | |
| 64 | Robert Hirst | 26:02 | |
| 69 | Ron Chappell | 26:21 | |
| 81 | Julie Toman | 27:21 | |
| 106 | Adam Hamer | 28:35 | |
| 118 | Jack McGuire | 29:23 | New PB! |
| 128 | Nicola Kay | 30:06 | |
| 163 | Harry Manning | 36:05 |
Cheltenham parkrun (363 Runners)
| Position | Name | Time | |
| 15 | Alex Cran | 20:02 | First timer! |
Heaton parkrun (409 Runners)
| Position | Name | Time | |
| 194 | Bryan Searby | 26:13 | New PB! |
Pendle parkrun (37 Runners)
| Position | Name | Time | |
| 4 | John Hartley | 21:18 | |
| 17 | Barry Mitchell | 26:34 | |
| 28 | Christine Jennifer Egerton | 32:36 |
Fell Foot parkrun (178 Runners)
| Position | Name | Time | |
| 121 | Eileen Jones | 30:21 | New PB! |
We’d like to extend a warm welcome to our latest members; Joanne Bennett, Clare Wilson and Darren Rushton to the seniors, as well as Leon Wichester to the juniors. I hope to be reporting on your running achievements soon!
Just released. The list of races in next year’s grand prix
List of Races in next year’s Grand Prix
It is with great sadness that we report that a great friend of many Clayton Harriers, Pete Hartley, passed away at the weekend. After a motor vehicle accident ended his running career with Rossendale Harriers, Pete turned to taking photographs of races in the mountain scenery that he loved. He had an amazing eye for a photograph, and had the knack of giving the viewer a great impression of what it was like to be there. Many’s the time his grinning face would appear as you ran along a trod, miles from anywhere. His wonderful photos appeared in a wide range of publications, especially The Fellrunner.
Pete Hartley
When seven Harriers (plus two supporters) took part in the 2005 Everest Marathon, Pete was the official photographer for the event. The ten of us had a marvellous time, with Pete the life and soul of the party, especially in Kathmandou, a city he had visited before. He captured the whole event in pictures and gave us all a collection of photos on our return – a treasured record of a fantastic three-week trip.
With his outgoing personality and cheerful demeanour, along with his marvellous photos, Pete brought a smile to the face of a huge number of people. He will be greatly missed. Our condolences go to Denise and all Pete’s family.
And Finally…
If you want to run at the Mid Lancs League fixture in Liverpool and haven’t pre-registered, you can contact the team captains Irene Roche or Ian Greenwood for information on how to enter on the day. This information will also be available on the Team Clayton Facebook page and on the Cross Country pages on this site.
London Marathon. We have been allocated 4 places for the VLM. I already have 3 requests from members with rejection letters so they are in. That leaves 1 place available for another club member. If anyone would like this place please contact John Wilcock. We will allow a week so that word can get around, after which a name will be drawn from the hat. John can be contacted on 07970 828167 or john.wilcock@cardium.co.uk
“Excellent team performance from Team Clayton at the first Mid Lancs XC fixture from the Men, Women, and Junior teams, this is just the first step towards our goal of putting Clayton-le-Moors Harriers back in the top flight where we belong. Please continue to support the Club throughout the season, everyone on the start line counts.”
Ian Greenwood (Mens Cross Country Captain)
There were two major cross country events going on for club members this weekend.
Firstly, the British Masters Cross Country Relays in Derby with three teams entered. Two ladies’ teams and a men’s team
Irene Roche (Ladies Captain) reported; “Had a brilliant day in Derby at the Masters Cross Country Championships with the Clayton ladies. Success and enjoyment are the words to describe Team Clayton’s trip to Derby on Saturday 25th. Whilst bronze was awarded to our LV55 team, Christine Leathley, Jean Knightley and Irene Roche, our LV45 team comprising of Anna Kelly, Barbara Savage and Julia Rushton gained 9th place amongst many teams of tough competition.
L-R: Irene Roche, Christine Leathley, Jean Knightley
The course was of neat dry grass consisting of one or two short hilly bits with a short visit through woodland. Two laps of this then brought each runner to the finish line. It was brilliant! Compared to many of our usual XC venues it was bit like running round someone’s very large back garden!
L-R: Barbara Savage, Anna Kelly and Julia Rushton
Next year we hope to arrive with more teams (hoping it doesn’t clash with our league runs). Thank you and well done girls!
Garry Wilkinson reported; “Many thanks to Paul Shackleton for organising this. Great to see him holding onto Bronze on the 5th, and anchor leg, in the British Masters XC in Derby today. Massive team effort from the ‘boys’. 5 x 3.1 km relay legs. We won a bronze medal in the 45-54 age cat and there’s only one of us under 50. That’s an average of 5 min 45sec per mile /average age 51 on grass”
Leg 1 Andy Stubbs 10:58
Leg 2 Mark Aspinall 11:24
Leg 3 Ian Greenwood 11:54
Leg 4 Garry Wilkinson 11:34
Leg 5 Paul Shackleton 11:47 Team Captain
L-R: Andy Stubbs, Mark Aspinall, Ian Greenwood, Garry Wilkinson, Paul Shackleton and mascot
Secondly, the Mid Lancs Cross Country League kicked off at Hyndburn at Wilson’s Playing Fields in Clayton-le-Moors. There was a huge turnout of 71 club members across the races, 30 junior members and 41 seniors.
12 juniors took part in the Under 11 races, some of them competing in cross country racing for the first time, and there were solid performances all round. Jackson McKay had a great run finishing in 3rd place in his race. It’s great to see such enthusiasm in our youngest members and the future looks positive. A credit to the junior coaching team!
Clayton junior girls at the Mid Lancs Cross Country fixture
Girls U-11 Results (70 Runners)
13 – Ella Dorrington 9:20
35 – Roanna Holdsworth 10:06
50 – Keira Stevenson 10:34
60 – Kady Thompson 12:50
Boys U-11 Results (66 Runners)
3 – Jackson McKay 7:41
15 – Dexta Thompson 8:42
39 – Cobi Doyle 9:24
43 – Finlay Stubbs 9:42
57 – Jack Skelly 10:35
62 – Finan Holdsworth 11:07
66 – Matthew Astley 12:53
8 juniors took part in the under 13 races with a particularly strong performance from the girls team finishing in 2nd place. The boys team finished in 9th place.
U-13 Girls Results (51 Runners)
2 – Briony Holt 10:04
8 – Eleanor Root 10:41
13 – Millie Stubbs 11:10
31 – Liberty Thompson 12:03
41 – Natasha Olszewska 13:08
Girls team 2nd place (53 Pts) Briony Holt | Eleanor Root | Millie Stubbs | Liberty Thompson
Boys U-13 Results (56 Runners)
22 – Adam Quinn 13:24
49 – Adam Stevenson 16:00
51 – Isaac Wilkinson 16:11
Boys team 9th place (118 pts) Adam Quinn | Adam Stevenson | Isaac Wilkinson
7 juniors took part in the under 15 races. Only 2 girls meant no team placing there, but a strong boys team finished in 4th place.
Girls U-15 Results (22 Runners)
8 – Alice Pier 13:29
22 – Lucy Stevenson 19:32
Boys U-15 Results (41 Runners)
14 – Curtis Holt 16:33
18 – Thomas Bradley 16:29
24 – Ryan Clarke 17:16
34 – Alexander Townrow 18:03
38 – Simon Wilshaw 19:32
Boys Team 4th place (55pts) Curtis Holt | Thomas Bradley | Ryan Clarke
Only 2 juniors competed in the under 17 races. Bethany Quinn ran well finishing 9th in her class with a time of 20:53, and Jordan McDonald finishing 6th in a strong field of runners with a time of 22:24. Well done!
Jordan McDonald in the Mid Lancs Cross Country U-17 race
Senior Ladies
We had 11 ladies running in the senior ladies race with the over 35 team finishing in 2nd place. Some great performances from the ladies team even with a number of ladies away running in the British Masters Relays.
Ladies Individual Results (166 Runners)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 9 | Candice Heys | L35 | 25:11 |
| 45 | Vicky Heys | L35 | 28:40 |
| 49 | Fabienne Richmond | L35 | 28:59 |
| 50 | Angela Shian | L35 | 29:00 |
| 82 | Sarah Helliwell | L | 30:48 |
| 95 | Dawn Richardson | L45 | 31:20 |
| 102 | Sarah Whittaker | L35 | 32:02 |
| 114 | Helen Burnett | L35 | 32:58 |
| 135 | Adrienne Olszewska | L45 | 36:13 |
| 154 | Susan Allen | L45 | 40:43 |
| 162 | Sophie McIntosh | L | 42:44 |
Clayton Ladies in action at the Mid Lancs Cross Country
Ladies Team Results
Clayton-le-Moors – 9th place (95pts) Candice Heys | Vicky Heys | Fabienne Richmond
Clayton-le-Moors “B” – 22nd place (211 pts) Angela Shian | Sarah Helliwell | Dawn Richardson
Over 35s Team – 2nd Place (41pts) Candice Heys | Vicky Heys | Fabienne Richmond
Over 35s Team “B” – 11th place (115pts) Angela Shian | Dawn Richardson | Sarah Whittaker
Over 45s Team – 9th place (107pts) Dawn Richardson | Adrienne Olszewska | Susan Allen
Senior Men
An excellent turn out of 31 Harriers took part in the men’s race, including George Pier in the U-20 category. First man in was Chris Holdsworth who finished in 17th place with a time of 37:34. The men’s teams finished strongly with a fantastic 1st place for the V60 Mens team. Well done chaps!
A great run from Chris Holdsworth.
Mens Individual Results (296 Runners)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 17 | Christopher Holdsworth | M | 37:34 |
| 52 | Lee Smith | M | 41:06 |
| 57 | Carl Helliwell | M | 41:06 |
| 59 | Dave Motley | M | 41:14 |
| 71 | Richard Stevenson | M | 42:00 |
| 87 | Andrew Orr | MV40 | 42:59 |
| 92 | Michael O’Donnell | MV40 | 43:02 |
| 102 | George Pier | U20 | 43:28 |
| 108 | Alex Cran | MV40 | 43:43 |
| 116 | John Roche | MV50 | 44:10 |
| 122 | Michael Hogan | MV40 | 44:29 |
| 136 | Sean Clare | MV40 | 45:12 |
| 138 | Breton Holdsworth | MV40 | 45:16 |
| 167 | John Wilcock | MV50 | 47:00 |
| 192 | Peter Booth MV60 | MV60 | 47:55 |
| 193 | Jeffrey Pickup | MV60 | 47:56 |
| 213 | Richard Briscoe | M | 50:04 |
| 217 | Andrew Howarth | MV50 | 50:14 |
| 221 | David McCallum | MV60 | 50:47 |
| 224 | James Hickie | MV50 | 51:01 |
| 227 | Stephen White | MV50 | 51:14 |
| 229 | M Thistlethwaite | MV60 | 51:31 |
| 230 | Paul Wale | MV40 | 51:42 |
| 241 | Martin Brady | MV50 | 63:00 |
| 271 | Robert Hirst | MV60 | 57:50 |
| 272 | David Burnett | MV40 | 58:02 |
| 279 | Stuart Hartley | MV50 | 59:55 |
| 280 | Ted Orrell | MV70 | 1:00:09 |
| 288 | Adam Hamer | M | 1:01:06 |
| 292 | Richard Lawson | MV70 | 1:07:06 |
| 296 | Jack McGuire | MV50 | 1:17:32 |
Clayton Harrier, John Wilcock, storming up the muddy slope
Men’s Team Results
Clayton-le-Moors – 8th place (310pts) C Holdsworth | L Smith | C Helliwell | D Motley | R Stevenson | A Orr
Clayton-le-Moors “B” – 15th place (617pts) M O’Donnell | G Pier | A Cran | J Roche | M Hogan | S Clare
Vets Over 40s – 8th place (161pts) A Orr | M O’Donnell | A Cran | J Roche
Vets Over 40s Team “B” – 14th place (267pts) M Hogan | S Clare | B Holdsworth | J Wilcock
Vets Over 50s – 7th place (78pts) J Roche | J Wilcock | H Booth
Vets Over 50s Team “B” – 14th place (143pts) J Pickup | A Howarth | D McCallum
Vets Over 60s – 1st place (22pts) P Booth | J Pickup | D McCallum
Vets Over 60s Team “B” – 4th place (49pts) M Thistlethwaite | R Hirst | T Orrell
Great Whernside Fell Race – 25th October
9 of our club members took part in this classic fell race. Linda Lord finished 1st Lady Vet 60.
Linda Lord at the Great Whernside Fell Race – photo courtesy of Woodentops
Individual Results (157 Runners)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 76 | Ivan Whigham | MV50 | 00:42:22 |
| 85 | Peter Browning | MV50 | 00:43:33 |
| 93 | Mark Nutter | MV50 | 00:44:33 |
| 94 | Ian Robinson | MV50 | 00:44:36 |
| 111 | Richard Bellaries | MV60 | 00:46:34 |
| 113 | Rick Moore | MV50 | 00:47:07 |
| 115 | Andrew Dugdale | MV50 | 00:47:19 |
| 118 | Peter Dugdale | MV50 | 00:47:34 |
| 121 | Andrew Firth | MV50 | 00:47:48 |
| 136 | Linda Lord | FV60 | 00:49:29 |
Montane Trail 26 at Rivington – 26th October
Nicholas Olszewski and Tim Piggot took Harriers took part in this popular trail marathon.
Report from Nicholas Olszewski
This event has a lot of nostalgia for me as it’s my old stomping ground from the early 80’s when I lived in Bolton and ran for Horwich RMI.
The route takes you through the Chinese gardens of Rivington Pike, around the beacon and up to Winter Hill, dropping down into Belmont. Next is Delph Reservoir at Egerton before the long slog over to Darwen Tower, which seems to go on forever, partly due to the fact that you get a glimpse of it early on and it doesn’t seem to get any nearer.
Once you get Darwen Tower out of the way the climbing and bog is behind you, all that’s left is a little road work through Withnell and Brinscal before trails heading back to Rivington & Blackrod School, running alongside the reservoirs at Anglezarke.
Chuffed with my time and performance this year, knocked an hour of last years’ time, which I think was achieved by my increased running mileage and cycling, I’ll be back next year to try and break the 4 hour barrier; I was just over this year by about 8 minutes.
Individual Results (148 Finishers)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 25 | Nicholas Olszewski | MV50 | 04:08:21 |
| 69 | Tim Piggott | M | 04:46:44 |
Tandle Hill Trail Race – 26th October
A couple of Harriers took part in this event. Tandle Hill is a famous landmark in Rochdale that is known for its amazing views of the Pennines and surrounding areas. The race has all the features people love about trail running. Country Lanes, woodland running, grassy trails and paths, undulations, amazing views and scenery and a very fast, long, downhill finish. 5.8 miles , 573 ft of climbing
Individual Results (87 Runners)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 10 | Jon Hanson | M | 40:45 |
| 67 | Stephen Fish | M | 55:25 |
Bronte Way Race – 26th October
There were 9 Harriers taking part in this race with a number of them racing for the second time this weekend. There’s just no stopping some people!
New member, Julie Toman was the only Clayton lady running in this race. She has come a long way in a short time; from her first park run 12 months ago to running tough local trail and fell races. Well done Julie!
Ian Greenwood, racing for the second time this weekend – photo courtesy of Woodentops
Individual Results (158 Runners)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 16 | David Naughton | MV50 | 01:03:26 |
| 20 | Ian Greenwood | MV50 | 01:04:46 |
| 32 | Sean Clare | MV45 | 01:07:17 |
| 40 | Ivan Whigham | MV50 | 01:08:25 |
| 41 | Chris Funnell | MV45 | 01:08:28 |
| 47 | Andy Bradley | MV45 | 01:09:10 |
| 92 | Mark Nutter | MV50 | 01:20:55 |
| 104 | Jeff Hignett | MV35 | 1:20:55 |
| 150 | Julie Toman | FV45 | 1:36:35 |
OMM – The Original Mountain Marathon
Founded in 1968 the OMM is the originator of the 2 day mountain marathon type event and is for teams of 2, carrying all clothing, equipment, tent, sleeping bag, food for 36 hours, navigating one’s own route and including an overnight camp. There are 7 different classes, (the course distances quoted are over 2 days) the longest being the Elite which is literally 2 consecutive marathon length days or thereabouts and with c2,500m of ascent over 2 days.
Class A – Wendy Dodds with Sarah Rowell 18th place with a time of 13:18:44
Long Score – 12th place Jean Brown and Mike Wallis with a time of 12:47:43
Snowdonia Marathon – 25th October
A demanding and spectacular marathon route, encircling Snowdon, Wales’ and England’s highest peak. Two Harriers took part and finished strongly in what is considered to be one of the most difficult road marathons.
Individual Results (1709 Runners)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 390 | Simon Halliday | M40 | 3:48:20 |
| 331 | Paul Thompson | M40 | 3:43:41 |
Accrington 10k
A modest turnout of 14 Clayton-le-Moors Harriers for this event. Again some of the competitors had raced the day before, like I said you just can’t hold back a Harrier! Well done to Johnny McKenna (McCann) who finished in 3rd place and well done to Claire Vincent who was the 3rd Lady finisher.
Steve Biscomb also ran, finishing in around 42:30 but is missing from the results.
Individual Results (337 Runners)
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 3 | Jonny McKenna | M | 34:47 |
| 15 | Phil Hall | MV50 | 38:06 |
| 17 | Richard Stevenson | M | 38:38 |
| 40 | Nick Roscoe | MV45 | 42:01 |
| 49 | Claire Vincent | F | 42:49 |
| 68 | Richard Anslop | M | 44:41 |
| 69 | Alan Clarkson | MV55 | 44:45 |
| 93 | Alison Dugdale | FV45 | 46:19 |
| 113 | Brian Wildman | MV45 | 47:24 |
| 128 | Martin Brady | MV50 | 48:16 |
| 155 | Julia Rushton | FV50 | 49:37 |
| 180 | Amanda Duffy | FV35 | 51:49 |
| 206 | Jackie Kershaw | FV40 | 53:37 |
| 218 | Robert Hirst | MV60 | 54:14 |
Parkrun News
The parkrun movement continues to go from strength to strength, with new locations joining in the fun on a regular basis. Club members Katy and George Thompson were lucky enough to be a part of the inaugural Fell Foot parkrun last Saturday and here is their report.
George and I were going up to the Joss Naylor Dinner in Wasdale so decided to set off early and take in the new Parkrun at Fell Foot, Newby Bridge. One of the first people we saw as we arrived was Eileen Jones, former Clayton Ladies Fell Captain. She was with her sister Sheila, who has done most of her 205 Parkruns at Heaton Park.
Eileen had helped set up the Newby Bridge Parkrun and said the organisers were hoping for a small field for their first event. But they’d reckoned without the enthusiasm of dedicated Parkrunners! Of the 247 runners who turned up, four had completed over 200 Parkruns and another eight had 100 shirts. Just under half were first time Park runners.
The run starts on the grass near Windermere then goes out and does a loop round a meadow, comes back along the Lakeside with a short sharp hill back up to the start, then once more round the meadow. It was a lovely scenic route with the autumn colours on the surrounding hills. So if you’re ever in the Lakes on a Saturday morning it’s well worth a visit. The usual car park fees at Fell Foot are suspended until after the parkrun if you put a barcode in your car.
Parkrun Roundup
Well done to all of our parkrunners. Many of you went on to run one or, in some cases, 2 other events over the weekend. Congratulations to Susan Burns for her first lady position in the Burnley parkrun!
Heaton Parkrun – 416 Runners
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 113 | George Thompson | 24:18 |
| 140 | Katy Thompson | 25:06 |
| 181 | Bryan Searby | 26:17 |
Burnley Parkrun – 172 Runners
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 3 | Jonathon Pye | 18:23 |
| 4 | Jacob Watson | 18:36 |
| 5 | Kevin Davies | 18:40 |
| 6 | Terry O’Leary | 19:05 |
| 10 | Susan Burns | 20:25 |
| 13 | Stephen Ainsworth | 20:50 |
| 21 | Donna Riley | 22:07 |
| 35 | Martin Brady | 23:42 |
| 60 | Donna Scott | 25:21 |
| 88 | Annabel Wilcock | 27:44 |
| 89 | John Wilcock | 27:44 |
| 90 | Stuart Barker | 27:45 |
| 102 | Julie Toman | 28:27 |
| 126 | Mike Holden | 30:12 |
| 160 | Harry Manning | 36:13 |
Pendle Parkrun – 40 Runners
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 6 | John Hartley | 20:59 |
| 16 | Robert Hirst | 24:27 |
With near perfect conditions, a whopping 52 club members took part in the races spanning the age ranges from under 11s to over 60s. The weather was fantastic. Bright, sunny and no wind to fight against – also very little mud which might not have pleased everyone! The course was flat and level, making for a fast and hard run for many. Lots of exciting finishes to see that were heartily cheered on by our orange-clad members.
Clayton-le-Moors Harrier John Roche battling for the finish.
Neither Carl nor I knew what to expect at Leigh Sports Village; however one thing we had been guaranteed was pain, and lots of it! Before I carry on I will say a little bit about us. We are Sarah and Carl Helliwell and both started running in December after we realised that time is not your own once you have a child. We had soon realised we couldn’t cycle as much; however putting on a pair of trainers was a more viable option and a bit more bang for your buck!
Sarah
It was a large field with the women and juniors as we gathered together in the afternoon sun. The Clayton ladies were giving each other words of encouragement and before we knew it the gun was fired. I’d been warned it was fast, but nothing prepared me for how quick everyone went. Slightly different from the fell races I’d been doing. I will be honest here; I’m more of a plodder than a sprinter! I could see Candice, Nat and Angela all making quick starts with Irene and Vicky not far behind them. I told myself to ignore them and to try and stick to my own race. The first 2 laps around the field were filled with encouragement from the crowd and the other Clayton supporters. The race then headed off the field through the trees onto a trail. I started to feel more settled and kept encouraging myself to keep my pace going. We cut off the trail and back through the trees into a bit more rough stuff, before heading back towards the playing field again and the words of encouragement from the crowds and Clayton support.
It was now time for the big lap as we headed back into the trees and made our way towards the park and the lake. It was here that Jean passed me and I tried to keep with her for as long as possible. I think I managed about a minute before she started to slowly tap away from me, with my legs not responding. What you do not realise is how much the race snakes around and how much of the route is hidden. It twists and turns around trees and bushes whilst covering a variety of surfaces from grass, trail, bridges and not too much mud!
Cross country first timer Sarah Helliwell at the finish line
As the runners started to cross over I could see the front runners returning with Candice up there, making a fantastic return to cross country and the first Clayton lady over the line in 21.53. I knew I would be out on the course for a lot longer! I held my own around the big lap and started to close down on a couple of runners. I passed them just before we crossed the bridge back past the sports complex. As I entered the last section I knew I had to give it my all as I made my way back to the finish line and the cheers of supporters. I managed to pick my pace up as I turned the corner and was relieved when I crossed the line with a little feeling of sickness creeping up. The Clayton ladies were all waiting at the finish line congratulating each other and telling tales of feeling sick and how much saliva we had covered ourselves with. There was one comment stating that “cross country is not a sport for the glamourous…”
I am glad that Irene talked me into doing the cross country, as I feel it has given me a new challenge after the Pendle Burnley Grand Prix series. I am looking forward to some more pain and sickness in a couple of weeks’ time!
It was now the turn of the men!
Over to Carl who was given no choice of doing cross country as I gave his name to Irene as well, I thought if I am doing it, so can he…
Carl
I’ll be honest from the start, I am not the most organised person in the world. I thought I was pretty much sorted for this event; arriving 2 hours before my race and checking out the course the night before/early morning on the internet. My usual tactic has been to ask someone what is going on a few minutes before a race, so as not to worry myself too much. I don’t like to waste precious energy worrying!
As I lined up for my first ever cross country I had in my little head what I thought the route was. Two small laps and two big laps on a powerful and flat course (I don’t like the flat; I like hills and have always done well on the bike with them.) Therefore this race was my worst nightmare, flat, wrong course in my head and 6 miles of it. One thing I did know was that I had to run my own race and hang onto a pace that was uncomfortable for as long as possible. This has been my tactic since I started racing in May; go as hard as I can for as long as I can before I feel like I am towing a caravan back across the finishing line. Unfortunately this feeling occurred a lot sooner than I anticipated which was just after lap 1 of what I though was the small lap! It was only when I heard the bell and asked a marshal after lap 2, that I realised the course was not what I expected!
Cross country first timer Carl Helliwell towing his caravan over the finish line!
Not knowing the course was probably a good thing as I felt it helped me to calm down and slowly tap away and pull back runners during lap 2 & 3. I noticed there was a lull from other runners around me, which gave me confidence that I was not the only one suffering. After half a lap of getting my head together and ‘star gazing’ moments I started to dig in deep. The last mile I was well and truly hitched up with my ‘caravan’ as I towed it back to the finish line and the cheer of Clayton supporters. I felt like I had given my all and was totally spent as I crossed the finish line. I loved it and I cannot wait for the next one! I’m not going to prepare this time; I’m just going to ask someone on the start line…
A massive well done to everyone who competed in both the juniors and seniors
We both really enjoyed the event. We couldn’t believe how well organised and big it was. The amount of runners, the team spirit and the crowds and encouragement that everyone gives each other is brilliant. Cross country has a real family feel to it especially with the variety of races from U11’s to seniors. Our little girl Eva, loved the day out and was kept busy with all the young Clayton junior girls and harassing Motley junior. We are both looking forward to the next race at Wilsons playing fields.
Hope to see you there! Sarah & Carl
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 3 | Jackson McKay | 9:47 |
| 20 | Dexta Thomson | 10:37 |
Under 11 Girls Team 8th Place with 93 points (13 Teams)
Ella Dorrington / Emma Jeffers / Keira Stevenson
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 13 | Ella Dorrington-Levy | 9:03 |
| 40 | Emma Jeffers | 9:53 |
| 42 | Keira Stevenson | 9:54 |
| 75 | Eloise Clegg | 10:42 |
| 86 | Rachel Stevenson | 11:35 |
| 89 | Lydia Wood | 11:44 |
| 91 | Millie MacCube | 11:53 |
Under 13 Boys Team 9th Place with 118 points (10 Teams)
Adam Quinn / Adam Stevenson / Daniel Bradley
Under 13s Boys Team. L-R Daniel Bradley, Adam Quinn, Adam Stevenson
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 29 | Adam Quinn | 10:54 |
| 42 | Adam Stevenson | 11:48 |
| 53 | Daniel Bradley | 14:04 |
Under 13 Boys Team 4th Place with 44 points (8 Teams)
Briony Holt / Eleanor Root / Millie Stubbs
Under 13 Girls team. L-R Briony Holt, Liberty Thompson, Millie Stubbs, Eleanor Root, Natasha Olszewska
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 4 | Briony Holt | 10:08 |
| 19 | Eleanor Root | 10:54 |
| 21 | Millie Stubbs | 11:02 |
| 40 | Natasha Olszewska | 12:02 |
| 47 | Liberty Thompson | 12:39 |
Under 13 Boys Team 6th Place with 62 points (7 Teams)
Curtis Holt / Ryan Clarke / Thomas Bradley
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 15 | Curtis Holt | 14:55 |
| 22 | Ryan Clarke | 15:26 |
| 25 | Thomas Bradley | 15:38 |
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 17 | Alice Pier | 17:27 |
| 41 | Lucy Stevenson | 24:11 |
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 3 | Jordan McDonald | 19:41 |
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 18 | Bethany Quinn | 28:39 |
Ladies Race incorporating Under 17s, Under 20s and Senior Men. Jordan McDonald and Bethany Quinn visible.
Ladies Team 6th Place with 72 points (16 Teams)
Candice Heys / Vicky Heys / Angela Shian
Vet Ladies Team 2nd Place with 34 points (14 Teams)
Candice Heys / Vicky Heys / Angela Shian
Angela Shian at the Red Rose Cross Country Race
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos |
Time |
| 5 | Candice Heys | LV35 | 1 | 21:53 |
| 33 | Vicky Heys | LV40 | 4 | 24:58 |
| 36 | Angela Shian | LV35 | 7 | 25:05 |
| 38 | Natelle Harrison | L | 37 | 25:06 |
| 51 | Irene Roche | LV55 | 2 | 25:41 |
| 61 | Julia Rushton | LV50 | 5 | 26:09 |
| 66 | Jean Knightley | LV55 | 4 | 26:13 |
| 85 | Sarah Helliwell | L | 85 | 27:41 |
| 103 | Helen Burnett | LV40 | 18 | 29:05 |
| 117 | Adrienne Olszewska | LV45 | 14 | 31:03 |
| 134 | Susan Allen | L50 | 14 | 36:30 |
Mens Team 9th Place with 378 points (18 Teams)
Lee Smith / Mark Aspinall / Andy Armstrong / David Motley / Carl Helliwell / George Pier
Vet Mens Team 7th Place with 144 points (16 Teams)
Mark Aspinall / Andy Armstrong / John Roche / Malc Christie
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time |
| 43 | Lee Smith | M | 41:51 | |
| 44 | Mark Aspinall | MV50 | 3 | 41:59 |
| 50 | Andrew Armstrong | MV40 | 7 | 42:25 |
| 54 | David Motley | M | 43:05 | |
| 92 | Carl Helliwell | M | 45:03 | |
| 101 | George Pier | M | 45:57 | |
| 103 | John Roche | MV55 | 3 | 46:04 |
| 113 | Malc Christie | MV50 | 11 | 46:48 |
| 122 | Richard Briscoe | M | 47:20 | |
| 138 | John Wilcock | MV50 | 15 | 48:27 |
| 142 | RyanWilkinson | M | 49:06 | |
| 148 | Peter Booth | MV60 | 1 | 49:20 |
| 150 | Geoff Pickup | MV60 | 2 | 49:29 |
| 170 | Andy Quinn | MV40 | 32 | 50:40 |
| 186 | Stephen White | MV55 | 10 | 51:58 |
| 202 | Martin Brady | MV50 | 27 | 53:27 |
| 210 | Peter Thompson | MV50 | 29 | 54:15 |
Just one club member took part in this event, Terry O’Leary who finished in 7th place with a time of 37:53 in a field of 89 runners. Well done Terry.
Well done Breton Holdsworth for a fantastic run at the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon finishing in 29th place with a chip time of 02:48:06!
Breton Holdsworth brightening up the murky landscape at the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon
Eleven Clayton Harriers members took part in this classic, lakeland fell race.Neil Hardiman was the first Clayton Harrier to finish.
The race started in poor visibility and intermittent rain but finished in bright sunshine. For the first time in many years Langdale & Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team, supported by Coniston and Kendal, had to be called out (3 times) for injuries. Two had to be airlifted to hospital in Whitehaven.
First of the 375 runners starting was Rhys Finlay-Robinson of Dark Peak in 2 hours 16 minutes, outsprinting George Crayston of Borrowdale. Jim Davies of Borrowdale, a Vet 45, was third. Leading local men were Matt Reedy of Ambleside 7th, Kieran Hodgson of Helm Hill 10th, Adam Perry of Helm Hill 11th and Stuart Dickson of Ambleside 19th. Borrowdale were first team.
The ladies were led home by Judith Jepson in 2 hours 44 minutes, with Nicky Spinks 2nd – both of Dark Peak and both Vet 45s. Dark Peak were first team. Few locals turned out but Sally Ward from Sedbergh was 8th and Wendy Dodds, running for Clayton was first Vet 60.
Neil Hardiman on the descent of the Pike of Blisco. Photo courtesy of Andy Jackson
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 44 | Neil Hardiman | MV45 | 02:42:42 |
| 139 | Ivan Whigham | MV50 | 03:02:54 |
| 160 | Ralph Baines | MV45 | 03:10:22 |
| 196 | David Naughton | MV50 | 03:17:32 |
| 197 | Peter Browning | MV55 | 03:17:38 |
| 213 | Andrew Firth | MV55 | 03:21:33 |
| 215 | Wendy Dodds | LV60 | 03:21:44 |
| 228 | Alex Braysford | MV40 | 03:28:03 |
| 254 | John Rusius | MV60 | 03:33:04 |
| 264 | Nigel Hodson | MV45 | 03:35:34 |
| 308 | Peter Dugdale | MV55 | 03:51:46 |
Spotted a couple of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers in this event. It’s a 5 mile trail run organised by Astley and Tyldesley Road Runners. Well done Peter Butterworth and Julie Toman!
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 43 | Peter Butterworth | MV60 | 32:53 |
| 176 | Julie Toman | FV45 | 45:11 |
Withins Skyline – Sunday 12th October
Well done to everyone who took part in this event out on the wild and misty moors near Haworth. Congratulations to Briony Holt who was first u12, first girl overall and 4th overall. She also beat the course record for both u12 and u14.
Spot the Clayton-le-Moors Harrier in the middle of the pack – Photo courtesy of Kath Grundy
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 43 | David Bagot | M | 00:52:45 |
| 57 | Brian Horrocks | MV50 | 00:54:20 |
| 85 | Chris Funnell | MV40 | 00:56:13 |
| 164 | Richard Briscoe | M | 01:02:19 |
| 208 | Robert Hirst | MV60 | 01:09:19 |
| 210 | Katy Thompson | FV60 | 01:09:38 |
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 4 | Briony Holt | F U12 | 06:39 |
| 16 | Chris Brown | M U10 | 07:19 |
Well done to the five Clayton-le-Moors Harriers that took part in this event. This two lap course uses the same beautiful route in the park as the Stanley Park 10k earlier in the year. Starting and finishing on the running track the route follows the well maintained pathways around the park.
Clayton Harriers at the Autumn Breaker 10k in Blackpool. L-R Stephen Biscomb, Marion Wilkinson, Jackie Kershaw, Brian Wildman, Bryan Searby
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
| 28 | Stephen Biscomb | MV60 | 00:41:10 |
| 73 | Brian Wildman | MV45 | 00:45:42 |
| 164 | Jackie Kershaw | FV40 | 00:52:21 |
| 205 | Marion Wilkinsn | FV65 | 00:55:25 |
| 225 | Bryan Searby | MV40 | 00:56:40 |
Parkrun Roundup
Parkrun has been celebrating 10 years of success and growth recently, and our club members are always popping up at park runs here, there and everywhere. This week we have a win, a couple of PBs, and a first timer to applaud!
| Pos | Gender Pos | Name | Time | Cat | Other |
| PENNINGTON FLASH parkrun– 180 Runners | |||||
| 36 | 34 | Martin Brady | 00:24:14 | MV50-54 | First Timer at this location |
| BURNLEY parkrun – 169 Runners | |||||
| 1 | 1 | Jonathon Pye | 00:18:08 | SM25-29 | New PB! |
| 2 | 2 | Jacob Watson | 00:18:15 | SM30-34 | New PB! |
| 6 | 6 | Nick Roscoe | 00:20:27 | VM45-49 | |
| 11 | 11 | Stephen Ainsworth | 00:21:36 | VM55-59 | |
| 22 | 21 | David Ian Scott | 00:22:58 | VM70-74 | |
| 80 | 22 | Annabel Wilcock | 00:27:39 | JW1-14 | |
| 81 | 59 | John Wilcock | 00:27:40 | VM50-54 | |
| 148 | 90 | Jack Skelly | 00:36:09 | JM10 | |
| 149 | 59 | Natalie Harrison | 00:36:09 | SW30-34 | First Timer! |
| 169 | 98 | Robert Hirst | 00:42:34 | VM60-64 | |
| DEWSBURY parkrun – 83 Runners | |||||
| 69 | 40 | Robin Price | 00:33:02 | VM70-74 | |
| HEREFORD parkrun – 120 Runners | |||||
| 3 | 3 | Paul Shackleton | 00:18:07 | VM50-54 | Inaugural Hereford parkrun |
| PENDLE parkrun – 71 Runners | |||||
| 10 | 10 | John Hartley | 00:20:50 | VM55-59 | |
| 24 | 3 | Dawn Terry | 00:25:01 | VW50-54 | |
I thought this was going to be a quiet week with just a couple of write ups to pass along but how wrong I was! It’s been an action-packed week with lots of great results for our club members in a wide range of races and events.
70 teams competed and 4 teams were fielded by Clayton-le-Moors Harriers
Leg 1 Round Up from Breton Holdsworth
After a couple of changes my Leg 1 partner was finally confirmed as the excellent young Jordon McDonald. We travelled up to Patterdale together and once dawn broke we could see how nasty the weather was looking and only 7 degrees. A cracking introduction to the Lakes for Jordan! The race this year started from the playing fields again, and I had been warned to get a good start as it turns to single track on the climb, basically we started at a sprint and got onto the trail within the top ten.
Clayton Harriers Jordan McDonald and Breton Holdsworth at the Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay
After climbing for what seemed like forever, we managed to overtake a few though also lost a couple of places. We then had “that” downhill, impressively we pretty much stayed on our feet on the way down and didn’t lose any more places. Then we hit the track into the finish where we put on another sprint which according to my gps was 4.52 minute mile pace for 0.7 miles and brought us in 8th just 1 second behind 7th place.
Leg 2 Round up from Chris Holdsworth
I have raced a few times at relays over the course of the last year. Each time I’d either been on leg 1 or the last leg so I had a renewed excitement for this year’s Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay. Myself and leg 2 partner, Matt Perry, awaited the pairing of Breton and Jordan McDonald at the end of leg 1. The skies had begun to open up as we started our warm up with fellow leg 2 runners Lee Smith and Ryan Wilkinson. We had decided to keep our coats on until the last minute – little did we know that it would come sooner than we’d thought!
Breton and Jordan had a storming run, surprising us by coming in at 8th place. Hurriedly, we removed our jackets and the hand over to Matt set us on our way. As we were ahead of Barlick, it was my aim to keep as close to them as possible. We steadily ran our way back up the track knowing that we had 3000ft to climb.
I was feeling good and was eager to overtake a few more teams as the undulating paths made their way to the foot of the first mammoth climb. At this point, Barlick had edged their way back ahead – a development which made it my priority to keep as close to Matt Lalor and Stephen Chew as possible. The poor relay partner that I am, I had left it to Matt to recce the leg and thus navigate the route. (I knew he was reliable from our time racing Stan Bradshaw against one another. Had it not been for him, I’d still be wandering up Pendle somewhere!)
Our roles complimented each other well, I pushed on up the hill whilst he kept me grounded and directed me well. Once we made our way to the summit, Barlick had disappeared into the clag ahead, leaving us to tussle with a couple of other teams. Stubbed toes and difficult descents down the scree was a tough test for our endurance shortly after the first checkpoint, but we slowly began to track down more teams. One of which was the re-emergence of Stephen Chew on the rock climbing ahead. Literal rock climbing by the way… I stood staring at a rock for at least 15 seconds, wondering how on earth Matt had gotten up it.
Once the rocks were climbed, we again lost Barlick to the clag, which in turn made us lose sense of the correct path. After a couple minutes of deliberation and a conversation with a walker in the fog, it was only when a herd of runners broke through the mist behind us that we were confident to take the path ahead and dib into the second check point.
From here it was all mostly descent, which was my least favourite part of the course. An attempt to speedily bypass the pack of runners had me slip on a rock and go hurtling swiftly to the jagged stones below; a theme that would continue as we jostled for positions down the final descent. Four times I fell flat on my back due to slippy rocks underfoot and at this point I was relying on Matt to drag me back home. Bruised and battered, we made it back to the end of leg 2/start of leg 3 having lost 4 places in 01:15:45, handing over the dibber to Garry Wilkinson and Jacob Boyle to begin their climb up Red Scree.
Really enjoyed this leg (the uphill parts over the downhill parts) Having enjoyed leg 1 last year and leg 2 this year it would seem there is a theme emerging! I look forward to leg 3 next year…
Leg 3 Round Up from Michael O’Donnell (Forrest)
The Very long way – Andy & I set off very fresh & made a decent time to CP 1 -top of Red Screes. I know the route, no bother, but then came our big mistake. Andy was running really well. I used the dibber, he set straight off a different way to where I was going to go. I presumed he was trying to short cut it as there had been talk of it with Gaz (Wilkinson) so I didn’t say anything when I should have shouted him back, to the safe way Gaz had shown me on a reccy last year.
To cut a long story short we ran to a point where we could see Ambleside & then were extremely lost for about 10 minutes. I am just very grateful to Andy for being able to navigate well with a map & compass when he saw a quarry which was on the map. Our time to CP1 was good, I’d have thought CP2 to the finish was good too . CP1-CP2 was probably the slowest of the day.
We managed to catch a few teams on the way back but it was definitely a very steep learning curve. Please learn from our mistake. Better to stick to the safe route choice if conditions are bad & always voice your opinion no matter how senior your partner is, which was my mistake.
Leg 4 Round Up from Dave Motley
We took over from Garry & Jacob and started quick along the track, we quickly climbed up to Hart Crag passing one of our competitors easily. The more we climbed the worse visibility got, to the point where visibility was down to 5 metres. Not knowing the leg due to a last minute leg change within the team I put my entire trust in Dave Nuttall, who because of the conditions, wanted to follow the main footpath to Hart Crag rather than traverse diagonally over the fell, this decision worked out and we hit Hart Crag with ease.
At Hart Crag we had a choice of 3 or 4 different ‘trods’ and Dave was a little unsure, however a quick compass bearing and we were off to Fairfield. The track seemed to become wider and running became good, I opened up but unfortunately Dave N couldn’t follow, I suspect this was down to the last remnants of a bad cold. He wanted to drop out Friday Night but battled through due to me not knowing the leg. We reached Fairfied and then onto St Sunday Crag via Gavel Pike, Dave was a little unsure so again compass at the ready and a passing Bowland team helped us reach the final descent. Unfortunately ‘team Bowland’ just got away from us on the descent and we finished overall in 13th, same as 2013.
Back at the show field, Bacon Butties and beer commenced with the usual banter. This went onto to the evening as 8 of us went on the ‘Wilky Beer Bus tour’ celebrating Lee Smith’s birthday via pubs at Ambleside, Long Preston, Barnoldswick & Whalley.
As Captain I would like to say a massive Thank You, firstly to Dave Nuttall for running when recovering from Man flu and then to the rest of the team for some outstanding performances, most notably from Jordan Mcdonald. It’s an absolute pleasure to Captain and represent this club with a bunch of fantastic lads….CHEERS!!!!!!
Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Team A finished 13th with a total time of 04:19:56
| Leg | Runners | Time |
| 1 | Breton Holdsworth / Jordan McDonald | 00:40:27 |
| 2 | Chris Holdsworth / Matt Perry | 01:15:45 |
| 3 | Jacob Boyle / Garry Wilkinson | 01:00:05 |
| 4 | Dave Motley / Dave Nuttall | 01:23:39 |
Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Team B finished 46th with a total time of 05:23:35
| Leg | Runners | Time |
| 1 | Dave Bagot / Jon Hanson | 00:46:50 |
| 2 | Lee Smith / Ryan Wilkinson | 01:34:16 |
| 3 | Michael O’Donnell / Andy Orr | 01:38:37 |
| 4 | Neil Hardiman / Ryan Belshaw | 01:23:52 |
Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Ladies finished 63rd with a total time of 05:46:23
| Leg | Runners | Time |
| 1 | Katy Thompson / Jean Brown | 00:56:50 |
| 2 | Anna Kelly / Avril Duckworth | 01:35:46 |
| 3 | Lisa Richardson / Marion Dixon | 01:27:12 |
| 4 | Wendy Dodds / Alison Dugdale | 01:46:35 |
Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Team Z finished 65th with a total time of 05:55:11
| Leg | Runners | Time |
| 1 | Andrew Howarth / Robert W Mitchell | 00:53:15 |
| 2 | Mark Nutter / Peter Booth | 01:35:31 |
| 3 | Andrew Firth / Richard Bellaries | 01:46:17 |
| 4 | Ivan Whigham / Ralph Baines | 01:40:08 |
Well done to junior members Briony Holt, Millie Stubbs and Isaac Wilkinson who took part in this event. It is a huge credit to our junior section to have members competing at this level. Briony Holt finished 2nd in the Year 8/9 Girls category with a time of 00:25:39, Millie Stubbs finished 14th in the Year 7 Girls category with a time of 00:19:08, and Isaac Wilkinson finished 20th in the Year 7 Boys category.
Race Report by Andrew Holt
Briony was really excited to be able to enter this event as an individual. It was to be held locally, and we were able to recce the route along with her fellow clubmate, Millie Stubbs. We followed the route given on the map. This wasn’t your classic fell route, but it was more than challenging with rocky steep paths and a long ascent onto and around the moor. It felt long and other people we saw also reccy-ing the route were surprised at how difficult this route was.
On the day, the weather was near perfect for spectating, a little warm for running maybe but the ground was dry and grippy underfoot, which made up for the cool rain. The sun came out later for the older runners, making the run even harder.
Millie Stubbs
Millie Stubbs was up first in the year 7 group. She finished an impressive 14th girl, showing both her talent and determination as she has only run a handful of fell races this year.
Briony Holt
The year 8-9 group ran next, Briony’s group. I could see the runners start around the field and, what seemed like an eternity later, the first runner appeared. The field was already spread out considerably.
Briony was second girl, her plan to stay behind Esme Davies (FRA under 14 English champion) for as long as she could obviously hadn’t worked. She was in front of Katie Atkinson however by several meters,but twice this season Katie has caught up with Briony on the downhill section. Briony passed me several minutes later on the downhill section and was now several places in front of Katie. She was pushing very hard and looked strong and, barring a mishap, was on for a podium finish.
To Millie’s and Curtis’s encouragement Briony entered the sports field on her own, and in her own, mildly disappointed words managed a “little bit of a sprint”. She finished an amazing 13th place overall and second girl behind Esme Davies. This was one place higher than we expected, and is an amazing achievement.
World silver medal mountain sky runner (a marathon distance up the side of a mountain!) Emma Clayton was around the field all day and kindly handed out the medals, encouraged the children and came across as a proper good egg, and put the finishing touch to a very well organised yet challenging day for all the runners involved.
Medal-winning sky mountain runner Emma Clayton with Briony Holt
All in all a wonderful day, and fair reward for all the hard work and training put in throughout the season. Special mention to Curtis too for his U16 win at Thieveley pike on Saturday, and of course to Marion, Jason, Andy, Sam and Brad for their coaching and support throughout the year
It was a perfect day for this race. Fine, cool and not too much wind as 243 runners lined up at the start. There was a superb showing from the club with an impressive 31 members taking part. It was an equally impressive finish with club members taking 1st and 2nd places, with a further 3 members finishing in the top ten! Well done!
Clayton-le-Moors Harriers out in force at the Burnley Fire 10k
Race Report from Irene Roche
The start of the race has a very fast section for a couple of kilometres before a gradual climb up past Towneley Park. This is followed with a long descent down through Walk Mill, the legs are nicely warmed up before the challenge of running a very steep Mount Lane followed by a further climb up to the top of Higher Red Lees. After passing the Kettledrum it is steady running through Pike Hill with a fast down hill from the Ridge to the finish.
Team Clayton certainly shone brightly today. Another year and another great finish in first place for Jonny McKenna with a time of 35.11. Following in second place came Andy Stubbs also claiming the first V45 prize. Team Clayton took the spot light in claiming six places overall out of the first eleven in the race and also with the number of our lads who took part. An excellent achievement!
Now for the ladies. Again, pleasing to see a good turn out for Team Clayton “on the road”. Anne-Marie brought the ladies home in the excellent time of 46.04, whilst I managed to claim the 2nd Team Clayton lady (and receiving a huge box of toiletries for 1st LV55), Jean Knightly followed behind achieving a personal PB for the course. Well done Jean! And…more celebrations with the arrival of Rachel Todd at the finishing line. A new 10K PB for her – and what a course to achieve it on. Well done Rachel! And… with Jackie finishing in great style (currently ranked first for the Clayton Ladies Palladium points) and Marion achieving first LV65 in the race, the continuing improvement of our relatively new Clayton Ladies (Helen, Adrienne and Nicola) a very successful day out for all our Ladies.
On final note, the inspiration of the day was spotting Kitty Garnett on her way to the finish. Kitty’s smile is so contagious, so much so that I insisted on capturing her on camera. After all, she had achieved first LV75! An inspiration to us all on how to keep on racing and enjoying the sport. Well done Kitty!
Clayton-le-Moors Harrier Kitty Garnett at the Burnley Fire 10k
| Pos | Time | Name | Cat |
| 1 | 00:35:11 | Johnny McKenna | M |
| 2 | 00:36:13 | Andrew Stubbs | MV45 |
| 4 | 00:37:28 | Jacob Watson | M |
| 5 | 00:37:49 | Terry O’Leary | M |
| 8 | 00:38:24 | Jonathon Pye | M |
| 11 | 00:38:51 | Russell Clarke | M |
| 24 | 00:40:59 | Sean Clare | MV45 |
| 33 | 00:41:51 | George Pier | M |
| 41 | 00:42:34 | Stephen Biscomb | MV60 |
| 46 | 00:43:06 | Alan Clarkson | MV55 |
| 53 | 00:44:25 | Richard Briscoe | M |
| 55 | 00:44:38 | Stephen Ainsworth | MV55 |
| 58 | 00:45:03 | Stephen White | MV55 |
| 65 | 00:46:04 | Ann-Marie Thornley | FV40 |
| 66 | 00:46:05 | Paul Burke | MV55 |
| 78 | 00:47:18 | Brian Wildman | MV45 |
| 79 | 00:47:26 | Irene Roche | FV55 |
| 83 | 00:47:36 | Martin Brady | MV50 |
| 84 | 00:47:38 | Martin Griffin | MV50 |
| 100 | 00:50:06 | Jean Knightley | FV55 |
| 119 | 00:51:36 | Rachel Todd | FV40 |
| 125 | 00:51:54 | Robert Hirst | MV60 |
| 128 | 00:52:07 | Jackie Kershaw | FV40 |
| 132 | 00:52:34 | Helen Burnett | FV40 |
| 159 | 00:55:27 | Ron Chappell | MV65 |
| 160 | 00:55:39 | Stuart Barker | MV45 |
| 163 | 00:56:03 | Marion Wilkinson | FV65 |
| 173 | 00:56:30 | Adrienne Olszewska | FV45 |
| 175 | 00:56:41 | Adam Hamer | M |
| 218 | 01:03:46 | Nicola Kay | F |
| 243 | 01:17:49 | Kitty Garnett | FV75 |
Three Clayton-le-Moors Harrier ladies entered.
| Overall Pos | Time | Name | Cat |
| 42 | 01:26:20 | Vicky Heys | FV40 |
| 51 | 01:29:45 | Angela Shian | FV40 |
| 57 | 01:32:30 | Natalie Harrison | FV50 |
Race overview from Vicky Heys; this was a tough 8 mile course starting on a incline from a field. I came 3rd lady overall and 1stV40, then Angela came in and then Natalie. There was some very “friendly” weather – rain, hail and wind but will certainly do it again.
Well done to the 3 Clayton-le-Moors Harriers that took part in this event, now established as a trail classic the Rivington Trail Half Marathon goes from strength to strength attracting a wide cross section of runners from good club athletes to charity runners taking more than 2 1/2hrs to complete the challenging route.
| Pos | Time | Name | Cat |
| 21 | 01:30:15 | Ian Greenwood | MV50 |
| 83 | 01:42:41 | Andy Bradley | MV45 |
| 180 | 01:55:44 | Jason Pier | MV40 |
Another good turn out for Clayton-le-Moors Harriers at this popular local event.
L-R: Alex Cran, Kevin Davis, Adam Hamer, Chris Holdsworth, Sophie McIntosh. Picture courtesy of Chris Holdsworth
| Pos | Time | Name | Cat |
| 3 | 00:34:54 | Christopher Holdsworth | M |
| 14 | 00:38:43 | Kevin Davies | MV50 |
| 22 | 00:39:14 | Russell Clarke | M |
| 30 | 00:40:08 | Alex Cran | MV40 |
| 41 | 00:41:08 | Michael Hogan | MV45 |
| 71 | 00:43:31 | Stephen Biscomb | MV60 |
| 294 | 00:52:07 | Peter Costello | MV55 |
| 517 | 00:58:00 | Brian Searby | MV40 |
| 594 | 01:00:03 | Adam Hamer | M |
| 560 | 01:02:13 | Kevin O’Brien | MV70 |
| 810 | 01:07:25 | Sophie McIntosh | F |
The October Harrier is here with two Runs of the Month (or should that be Run of the Months?), two months of results & a double dose of Covering Old Ground. Details of the new committee and results of the track 5K are in, along with Winter Training venues. Thanks to Katy T, there are all the fixtures up to the end of the year, including details of the Red Rose and Mid Lancs Cross Country Leagues. There is also an account of Katy’s Joss Naylor Challenge. All the info a club member needs! October Newsletter 2014 
I push up the hill and the guys are shouting like mad “come on Jon they shout sprint finish, push” this gives me that final burst I need and over the line
Hi all I will start this report by introducing myself and giving a little background into how I came to be a runner. My names Jon Hanson I’m originally a Barrowford Lad but I now live in Rawtenstall.
I have been involved in running on and off for the last 3 years ever since my CEO asked me to do the great north run with him and a group one xmas do, gently explaining that I have put a few pounds on and it’s a good way for us to get in shape. He was right as I was starting to look for the next pant size up and the decision to run was not a hard one. So began my running. I gave up immediately after the run and regretted it so kept trying to get back into it. I remembered the feeling running gave me and how better I performed in life when fit and feeling health. This year I was determined to join a club but wanted to get myself back in shape first. I trained for the summer Blackpool 10k with a plan to join a club straight after the run. I completed the run and looked for club to join. Clayton came recommended by a couple of friends, I was told it was a competitive club and would suit my competitive nature well. After seeing the results sheets from Blackpool and the Clayton names on the sheet my decision was made and I contacted Michael Hogan who told me to get myself down to training on a Monday evening. Had a great time that evening, the lads put me through my paces and I’ve never looked back. It’s not the first time I’ve said “best decision I’ve made for a long time”
John Hanson
Now to this weekend’s relay race – The Bloke report
I woke in the morning and as usual, and is becoming my pre-race ritual tucked into my porridge and bananas, pondering on the day I had ahead of me. It was unusual for me not to be nervous and I felt calm and relaxed, had my race plan firm in my mind and the preplanning and preparation must have gone some way into keeping the nerves down.
Dave Motley picked me up and we were on our way with a nice quick journey to Warrington. Immediately on our arrival we bumped into the Ladies team and had a quick chat before race registration. All was going well, the weather was good and wind conditions were in our favour too. Soon enough we meet the rest of the guys and that’s when my nerves kick in. I smiled to myself, here we go and sure enough the toilets visits are soon to follow.
We made our camp and have a quick jog round the course, I am taking note of the slight incline on the way out and keeping that in mind as it’s a 2 lap leg, before we know it we’re back at camp and its race time. First out was Christopher Holdsworth who ran a very impressive 20.46, I look at Christopher who comes back to where we are based, he looks tired and the realisation of relay running for the team sets in. Next out is Dave Motley who also puts a great team effort in with 23.41. Half way through Dave’s run Alex Cran disappears to get into position, this increases my heart beat as it’s my turn next and I want to make sure I give it my all. We watch Alex come round from his first lap and now it’s time for me to get in position. ( Alex also ran an excellent race and came in with a time of 23.56.
I go down to the pen and jostle my way through to find a position I can see the runners coming up to finish the second lap, I think to myself “I’m glad we’re in the orange striped tops” makes our runners easier to see and helps to ensure you step up to the start position in time. I see Alex turn the corner and jump to get to the start.
Alex crossed the line and I’m off. I know the pace I want and try to maintain a 6 min mile. Start feels good and I maintain a steady pace. I see Dave and Christopher warming down on the first half and they give me some words of encouragement. I’m feeling a bit to steady and increase the pace. I’ve now got myself into a spot and I’m going well, a guy in front is pacing me well and helping me maintain my pace. I keep a watchful eye on him and try my best not to let him get away.
Nearing the end of the first lap and it’s nice to get some words of encouragement from the lady’s team and see my old school friend Candice Heys there cheering me on. I give a wave and push on to start the steady incline. By now the guy in front is pulling away and I put some more effort in to push through and catch up, I was happy to see a consistent time from my watch with the first two miles within a second of each other, but now in the third mile I can feel myself tiring and I’m having to really control my breathing which is rapidly getting out of control, I take some deep breaths which helps to calm me down a little and I’m ready for the final push. I’ve lost some time on the third lap but this makes me knuckle down and get my pace back, coming into the gravel track I know the end is near and I start to push again, turn the corner and the Girls are there again cheering and a very welcome sight as this is the start of the last straight to the finish line. I push up the hill and the guys are shouting like mad “come on Jon they shout sprint finish, push” this gives me that final burst I need and over the line I go in 23.33.
I re-join the group to watch the final guys go out. Jonathan Pye was after me and he ran a very impressive 22.59 and finished with an impressive burst of speed. David Bagot followed and again put in a massive effort and came in at 23.41.
We all regroup and have a team photo and then down to the Lady’s to have a photo with them. Great end to a fantastic day.
John Hanson, Jonathon Pye, Alex Cran, Dave Motley, David Bagot & Chris Holdsworth.
These relays are a fantastic event and a great day out with your fellow team mates; I would recommend them to anybody who is thinking about entering one of them. Full results can be found here.
Thank you to John Hanson for this race report.
Now for the ladies by Candice Heys
Well done again to our ladies team, we came 52nd out of 68 teams in the Northern 4 stage relays at the weekend with Trawden in 51st and Stockport Leeds Lincoln and Kendal coming 1st to 4th . We had good weather it was fine dry and not to hot although a little muggy . Angela Shian ran our leg 1 getting us off to a good start then Rebecca Rawcliffe ran leg 2 doing a good job moving us up 9 positions , followed by Jean Knightley who accelerated past 4 competitors to hand over to Irene Roche who ran like a little rocket to pull another 5 places back for us . We all had a fun day watching the action of the many runners there and cheering each other on . It was nice to be cheering on our men’s team as well and we were all supported enthusiastically by fellow local clubs such as Trawden, Barnoldswick and Accrington , so we enjoyed the atmosphere enormously and of course supported them back , everyone came away from the event feeling it had been a success .
It was quite a big day for me I ran leg 1 of our incomplete B team and got round without excessive knee pain so 12months and 3 weeks of being out I am now back in and hope to progress from the mark I put down on that leg. So that I can run for the club again soon roll on XC. Also roll on next year when I hope we will return to Birchwood with team CLEM again , it is a good venue , 2 lap flat fast course where spectating is easy ,parking is great and getting there off the motorway network is simple. my only negative would be there are not enough toilets to support the number of entrants but I showed my girls a polite , reasonable and logical way to get in that last minute wee and we all ran rather comfortably – lol. Thanks again ladies who ran , those who offered to run and then couldn’t and those who helped me rally the troops and thanks to our club for supporting our entry. Ladies results can be found here.
David Bagot, Chris Holdsworth, Jonathon Pye, Alex Cran, John Hanson, Dave Motley, Angela Shian, Rebecca Rawcliffe, Irene Roche, Candice Heys, Jean Knightley
Now for the rest of the weekends action starting with the Pendle Memorial Race.
Can you name all the above Clayton members from the original erection of the memorial cairn?
A fell Race to celebrate the lives of two Clayton runners who sadly passed away doing the sport they loved, Alan Heywood and Judith Taylor. Unfortunately both lost their life pursuing the challenges they loved.
For the race itself we couldn’t have had better conditions for the 59 competitors, with over 30 from team Clayton competing in this testing 2.8 mile course from the Wellsprings to the memorial cairn and back.
Linda Lord – Photo courtesy of Ryan Wilkinson.
Team Clayton not suprisingly with its representation won the team prize and Chris Holdsworth had another podium finish despite racing in the road relays the day before. The vets categories were also dominated by Clayton Harriers. Race photographer for the day was Adrienne Olszewska and a number of photos can be seen on Adrienne’s or Clayton facebook page.
I think everybody who took part in this race will agree it was a very fitting rememberance for both Alan & Judith.
In the other news we had a really good representation at the Three Shires fell race on Saturday, a classic 12 mile very tough race in the heart of the Lake District with notable performances from Dave Nuttall finishing 18th in a really tough field.
Richard Stevenson was our sole representative at the Ladybower 20, finishing in 3rd place and only taking part to kill a little bit of time whilst his wife Deborah Stevenson of Trawden AC took part in the 50mile version.
In the hilliest half marathon in the country (Langdale Half) we had three representatives with Breton Holdsworth finishing in 9th in a time of 1:25:55, a MASSIVE well done to new member Claire O’rourke who had a really strong run finishing in 57th overall & 3rd lady and Graham Kissack finished in 2hr42.
and finally up at Lancaster Half marathon, Alan Clarkson had a fantastic run posting a time of 1:35 finishing in 15th overall, I think Monday night training is paying of Alan!
Pendleton Race Report
“Back down the fields now and every year I lose at least 3 places on them, it’s fast running – good for cross country & road runners, I look round & see a tall lad in green – No ! Not this year pal…”
I arrived at Pendleton a little late for me, 1.35pm – slight motivational issues but thought nothing “ventured nothing gained – so let’s try my luck”. A decent Clayton-le-Moors turn out & 98 race competitors in total on a surprisingly warm sunny day. A fellow Clayton runner says to me jokingly “Have I come out of retirement” – I’ve been training enough but racing? – hmm not been focused on it – We shall see…
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
We are checked into the starting field by our numbers – new this year & are all chatting mainly about what position we are going to come in the club. I’m expecting to be around 6th or 7th because some fast Clayton lads are running that race a lot more than me. I work on “you’ve got to put it in to get it out”, but I’ve turned up to represent the club so I’m happy enough.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
We all start to line up 3, 2, 1…. we are racing! Around the field behind the Village Hall & I’m nearer the front than I expected to be, wondering if I’ve set off too fast but feel okay as I haven’t ran for two days. I trained from the Sunday to the Wednesday to the point my legs were extremely tired & achy – I figured to run this race well, I need to be really fresh.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
We hit the main street & it’s a slight incline, time to work only being a 5m race. I push myself hard from the start, no taking it steady yet. Having done the race before I am well aware that the hard part is keeping going when it starts to climb steep; that is yet to come. As we go through the gate on to the fields, I’m aware of one or two of my Clayton club mates jostling with me for position, so I push harder and a Dark Peak lady runner, who is really strong & determined, was on my shoulder.
Courtesy of Dave Potter
The first little descent was down Swardean Clough. Through the fern & up the other side, this is where the race starts for me, as it’s keeping going when your legs are telling you “I want to walk”. We are heading up to the road & one of my mates is walking. He’s over-trained – he would usually run me into the ground. I decide to give him some words of encouragement even at the risk of losing a place but I like to play nice so why not?
Courtesy of Dave Potter
We keep climbing, and I’m aware of the Dark Peak Lady runner behind me – she’s not losing ground on me but I won’t let her gain any either – she will have to earn it.
Courtesy of Dave Potter
We cross the road & gets lots of support off other Clayton members watching, but to be honest, I’m just aware of not wanting to walk and get to the top of the hill. The climb drags up & I can see the leaders in front reaching Apronful Hill – the first climb but still know my Dark Peak “friend” is right behind me, my head drops and I make a conscious effort to lift it up again & “dig in”.
Courtesy of Dave Potter
We turn to go down to Ashendean Clough, I should be able to make a gap now between me & Dark Peak but as we cross the Howcroft Brook she’s just behind me.
Courtesy of Richard Taylor
I’m making my way through the fern to find the path up to the climb to the “memorial“ cairn and my new dark peak “friend” puts a few little runs in when I’m walking & comes past me. I’m trying to get my legs moving again & I decide to follow her lead, I’m not letting her beat me quite so easily, so every time she runs I do too.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
I turn at the cairn, take a look to see runners coming up the hill – there is good gap – but I’m aware I always lose a few race places on the way back as it gets faster, but I’ve been doing a Monday night speed session so hope it’s going to pay off. I’m trying to catch the Dark Peak runner as we run down the long descent, which gets steeper down to cross Howcroft Brook again. The gaps closing but not as much as I wanted, but by the time we cross the Brook I know I can get past her with the support of fellow Clayton members as we cross the road.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
As I run past her I give her some encouragement, as she dragged me up to the cairn, & say to her in a few words I don’t mind her beating me but I don’t want anyone else coming past me now. We are running the race in reverse so back down and out of Swardean Clough – this is the moment “my wheels” may not go quick enough. Back down the fields now and every year I lose at least 3 places on them, it’s fast running – good for cross country & road runners, I look round & see a tall lad in green – No ! Not this year pal.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
I dig in. My thought is, “If I’m wanting to slow down so is everyone else” but tell myself “half a mile to go”.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
As I’m about to go through the gate onto the main road I turn round again, the tall runner in the green vest has gained on the Dark Peak runner & as it happens, goes past her, I tell myself quarter of a mile to go and “push, dig” – a little mantra I say to myself over and over when I want to stop as I run down the road, getting nearer to the finish. I try & sprint, daring not to look round as I know the tall lad in green is not far behind me. I turn to the finish, my lungs feel like they want to explode but I’m very happy.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
My race position was much better than expected, and happier still that my Monday evening road speed training paid off and no one came past me on the run back in.
Courtesy of CSHoldsworth Art & Race Photography
Pendleton is a superb short race and I’m very pleased I made the effort to get myself to the start as I knew I would be if I did.
Thanks to Michael O’Donnell for this week’s excellent race report! Full results can be found here.
The Rest of the Weekend’s Action
Plenty of races to discuss this week. We’ll start at The Burnsall Classic Fell Race, where we three Clayton-le-Moors Harriers competed. The first of our runners through the finish had an excellent race. Andrew Robinson completed the fell race in 20:55 and was also the 1st V60 too! The next two men across the finish should also be highly praised, as both of them went on to race at Pendleton a few hours later. Ivan Whigham completed his race in 22:37, whilst Mick Dobson finished home in 22:50. Well done all three men!
Lot’s of Harriers putting in double shifts this weekend! Like Mick and Ivan, Martin Brady also competed at another fell race besides Pendleton. He competed at The Tour of Noorland Moor Fell Race, and completed the second race of his weekend in 51:50. Another Harrier took to Noorland Moors in Chris Funnel, who also had an excellent race finishing in 46:30.
More double duties to discuss yet… Jacob Boyle competed in 2/3 of the fantastic Cannonball Events that were held this weekend. The first of which was the Watergrove Trail Race in Shore, Littleborough. Competing against some of the top runners in the country, he managed to finish in 6th place, in a time of 18:48. The day after, he race at the final Cannonball Event Sheep Fell Over Fell Race, again having a great race, finishing a place higher than the day before in 5th, and in 18:48. Also in this race to compete twice this weekend was Christopher Holdsworth. Also one of the many Harriers to take to the hills of Pendleton, he achieved a 3rd placed finish in 18:02. The 3rd Harrier through the finish, and securing team prize for Clayton-le-Moors Harriers was Garry Wilkinson in 7th and under the 20 minute mark in 19:43. This happened to be Garry’s first win in the V50 category, though he was also the 1st Vet across the finish. Well done!!
In this race, Adam Hamer competed in his first ever fell race. He had a tremendous race, finish not far off his 5k pb (not bad for a hilly course) in 32:05. Expect to see his name cropping up more often on the results for fell races soon! Jack Mcguire put in a stirling effort as always, bringing home the Clayton men in 38:03. Well done everyone!
Sierre-Zinal 2014
‘Throughout the race there was enthusiastic spectator support; brass bands, alpine horns and children offering sponges, drinks and food. We all received medals, certificates and a timely massage at the finish’
A small band of claytoners and friends traveled to Zinal a small village, a typical alpine village, in the Swiss Alps for the famous Sierre-Zinal Mountain race; known as the 5 4000m peaks (views). We caught the 0730 bus down to Sierre for the start at 9:30.This was preceded by 2000 walkers covering the same route starting at 0500 and a junior race (from Chandolin) at 0915.
All 1500 runners set off to the first checkpoint after 5 miles and 4300 ft of continuous climbing. After this checkpoint the course flattened out and the route was on forest roads to Chandolin, the route undulated on mountain paths to top of the course at Nava (alt: 8000 ft) then a short descent to Zinal through forests. Throughout the race there was enthusiastic spectator support; brass bands, alpine horns and children offering sponges, drinks and food. We all received medals, certificates and a timely massage at the finish.
The brand new edition of the Harrier is here! On time! Follow the link to catch up on loads of recent results for junior and seniors. There’s a report from Mike Wallis about the Saunders Mountain Marathon and an update on the Summer Series. Not forgetting all the usual features: Run of the Month, Covering Old Ground, Milestones & Training info.
Ring 18th September in your diary – it’s the club AGM & 5000 metre track race – details on p4. August Newsletter 2014
