ByPeter Booth

March Newsletter

Read the March Newsletter to find out why El P is gracing the front cover and for reports on members’ battles with the elements on road and fell, as well as all the usual features, results and fixtures. Just click on the link. March Newsletter 2015

ByAdrienne Olszewska

March comes in like a lion

Well, it’s March already. The first lambs are in the field, daffodils are sprouting, and spring is on the way. This week you have been on the roads, the trails, the fells, cross country courses as well as orienteering, adventure racing and awards ceremonies!

Pendle Primary Schools Cross Country Championship – 26th February

The Pendle Primary Schools Cross Country Championship for Year 5/6 pupils – took place at Alkincoats on February 26th. Clayton Junior member, Grace Root, came 9th. Well done Grace!

Red Rose Cross Country League Presentation Night

Clayton Juniors at the Red Rose Cross Country League Presentation Night

Congratulations to our brilliant juniors who received awards at the Red Rose Cross Country League Presentation Night. Jackson McKay took away a huge trophy that was well deserved for an excellent cross country season!

Jackson McKay with his trophy.

Stanley Park 10K – 28th February

In much better conditions than last weeks Great North West Half Marathon, six of our club members travelled over to Blackpool to take part in this race on Saturday and there were some great performances. Junior runner, Jordan McDonald, finished in 6th place overall in a great time of 37:39 closely followed by fellow junior runner, George Pier who finished in 10th place overall in a time of 38:49.

Jordan McDonald at the Stanley Park 10K. Picture by Christopher Holdsworth

Chasing the two juniors, Jon Hanson came in 11th place just a few seconds behind George. He said; “The race was great. Well organized and a good conditions for running. Will be running it again later in the year for hopefully another PB. Jordan and George had a fantastic run”

Jason Pier and our sole lady runner, Sarah Angelone, also grabbed new PBs so well done to them.

Sarah Angelone at the Stanley Park 10K

Sarah said, “Great event….fantastic marshal as we came back to the track cheering and high fiving all the runners. Got a bit side tracked watching the ducks on the pond in parts so time dropped off but then remembered John’s ‘have a word’ comment and got back in the zone!” Adam Hamer returns to racing after a break to travel down under and finished a shade over the hour mark. Well done everyone!

Pos	Name	Category	Time
6	Jordan McDonald	M	00:37:39
10	George Pier	M	00:38:49
11	Jon Hanson	M	00:38:59
54	Jason Pier	MV45	00:44:34
79	Sarah Angelone	F	00:46:50
269	Adam Hamer	M	01:04:11

Full Results

Midgley Moor Fell Race – 28th February

This race is described as a challenging race involving route choice on paths and heather moor. It is a 5 mile race with 1250ft of climbing.

Five Clayton ladies and one gent took part among 191 runners. Back after injury, Nat Harrison reported; “It was hard, Great turn out. Tough underfoot, lots of bushes, heather, bracken whatever you call it! Good weather, great cake, fab company.”

Nat Harrison at the Midgley Moor Fell Race. Photo by Woodentops.org.uk

Despite this report, Nat went on to be second counter in the womens team who were place equal third with Saddleworth Harriers and Wharfedale Harriers. Vicky Heys, first Clayton Harrier finisher, agreed that it was hard underfoot but with a great atmosphere and company cheers.

Vicky Heys at the Midgley Moor Fell Race. Photo by Woodentops.org.uk

Irene Roche reported; “Yes, this oap was trailing behind the young Clayton fillies,but apart from queues at a couple of stiles early on, a good challenging course with a bit of everything. One male only from Clayton, Bob Hirst.”

Pos	Name	Category	Time
113	Vicky Heys	FV40	00:58:18
124	Natalie Harrison	F	00:59:02
137	Irene Roche	FV50	01:00:48
147	Linda Lord	FV60	01:02:35
148	Angela Shian	F	01:02:38
167	Robert Hirst	MV60	01:07:53

Full Results

PFO Orienteering Spring Series – Nick of Pendle – 28th February

The Nick O’Pendle is characterised by wide open vistas and lots of contours, so when the weather held and the cloud lifted, fast winning times were guaranteed. The courses through the wide open spaces were a mix of easy lines and invisible pin points. Most relished the physical challenge and enjoyed the day.

Mark Nutter and Colin Woolford both took part in the technical Brown course. Mark finished in 6th place in a time of 108:29:00 and Colin came in 9th place in a time of 144:40:00. Colin Woolford reported good conditions, but tough going seeing Pendle from some very different angles. Out again the following day, Colin also took part in the Haglofs Open5 adventure race in the Yorkshire Dales.

Junior Member Christopher Brown finished in 1st place in the yellow event in a time of 18:42 and then went on to take part in the Orange event as well.

Full Results

High Cup Fell Race 2015 – 28th February

This is a 9.3 mile fell race with 1509ft of climbing. No results as yet and not known if any of our members took part. I have a suspicion that some of you did, I just haven’t tracked you down yet! Will update when I find anything out.

Trotters 5

Clayton Vet Ron Chappell was our sole representative at this 5 mile trail race organised by Burnden Road Runners.

Ron Chappell at the Trotters 5 Trail Race. Photo by Michelle Navesey

Full Results

Harden Trail Race – 1st March

The Harden Trail Race is described as a 6 mile race through the beautiful woods and undulating trails of Bingley St Ives estate. The Junior race is a 2mile shorter option for any age.

Julie Toman was our sole representative in the senior race. She said, “It was a tough 6 mile trail race, definitely one to put in your diary. Loved it and the homemade cakes after! Lots of prizes too. A great event!” Managing to avoid a full body mudslide in this event, Julie was awarded the ‘brightest head gear’ special prize!

Julie Toman at the Harden Trail Race with the prizewinning headgear! Photo by the woodentops.org.uk

Juniors Curtis and Briony Holt took part in the junior 2 mile race and were 1st boy and 1st girl. Well done the two of you. Briony said, “It was a hard course but a good one for the younger age group. There were ‘special prizes’ at the end as well as overall winners prizes. It was boggy underfoot with a few ditches now and again but overall it was an interesting course.”

Team Holt. Curtis and Briony Holt winners at the Harden Trail Race. Photo by woodentops.org.uk

Results

Haweswater Half Marathon – 1st March

The Haweswater Half follows an out and back course from Bampton Village (9 miles S of Penrith, 4 miles W of Shap) and passes along the shores of Haweswater in a remote and dramatic mountain valley. The hilly course offers an exhilarating run in unique surroundings.

Tanya Bunkham was waving the Clayton flag as our sole competitor in this event. She finished in a time of 01:54 and reported conditions as very hilly and windy, tough going.

Full Results

Stanley Park 10k Day 2 – 1st March

Three club members took part in the second 10k of the weekend at Stanley Park in Blackpool. 295 runners took part in the second event of the weekend. There were strong performances for all three. A top twenty finish for Matthew Duckworth and first age category finishes for Stephen Biscombe and Alan Clarkson. Well done all of you!

Pos	Name	Category	Time
19	Matthew Duckworth	M	00:40:06
31	Stephen Biscombe	V60	00:42:10
37	Alan Clarkson	V55	00:43:09

Full Results

Parkrun roundup

Well done to all of our parkrunners. You’ve been out and about in a range of locations. Nine of our juniors took part in the Burnley event this weekend so well done to all of them, especially Thomas Bradley for his 10th place finish and Liberty Thompson for a new PB. Jonathon Pye and Jacob Watson both finished strongly in the top ten as usual and Colin Shuttleworth and John Hartley both had top five finishes at Thetford and Pendle parkruns.

Brockwell parkrun, Herne Hill – A total of 254 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
96	Katy THOMPSON	00:24:32
101	George THOMPSON	00:24:39

Worsley Woods parkrun – A total of 131 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
25	Nerina GILL	00:25:25

Burnley parkrun – A total of 212 runners took part

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
5	Jonathan PYE	00:18:05
6	Jacob WATSON	00:18:08
10	Thomas BRADLEY	00:20:44
14	Sean CLARE	00:21:07
15	Matthew DUCKWORTH	00:21:14
23	Alan CLARKSON	00:21:56
26	Stephen WHITE	00:22:31
36	Martin BRADY	00:23:14
37	Dexta THOMPSON	00:23:16
42	David Ian SCOTT	00:23:31
64	Adam STEVENSON	00:25:14
75	Donna SCOTT	00:26:05
81	Lee MOORE	00:26:24
84	John WILCOCK	00:26:30
83	Annabel WILCOCK	00:26:30
88	Nick ROSCOE	00:26:33
92	Liberty THOMPSON	00:26:40
99	Jackie KERSHAW	00:27:03
104	Ron CHAPPELL	00:27:16
112	Sophie ASHWORTH	00:27:52
120	Stuart BARKER	00:28:56
133	Diane ORRELL	00:29:35
152	Nicola KAY	00:30:47
172	Kady THOMPSON	00:33:42
179	Milly MACCABE	00:35:17
205	Kathleen GARNETT	00:39:07

Dewsbury parkrun – A total of 86 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
85	Robin PRICE	00:39:46

Thetford parkrun – A total of 212 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
3	Colin SHUTTLEWORTH	00:19:07

Pendle parkrun – A total of 51 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
4	John HARTLEY	00:21:22
37	Molly HESKETH	00:31:36
41	James BALDWIN	00:32:19
45	Christine LEATHLEY	00:33:57

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge – A total of 120 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
76	Eileen JONES	00:31:47

Coming up

Stan Bradshaw Pendle Round 7th March. Pre-entries now taken up to 5pm on 5th March and EOD available. If any club members want to volunteer, you can contact Mike Eddleston on 07951 424780 or use contact form.

Summer Series 2015. The Summer Series consists of six Tuesday evening races for members of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers and Trawden AC only. In addition to the usual prizes, in each race prizes are given for the closest pre-race predicted time to the actual time. No watches allowed during each race! A runner’s best four races count for overall series prizes. Full Details

Presentation Night. Tickets are going fast, over 70 tickets sold already, so don’t miss out on your opportunity to attend the ultimate awards ceremony of the year! James Hickey will be at JR’s training on Tuesday selling tickets or you can contact Marie Greenwood to buy a ticket.

ByAdrienne Olszewska

There’s no such thing as bad weather…

Only soft people! As tough as ever, a bit of weather can’t stop our hardy members getting out and about, competing in all kinds of events; day and night, sometimes sporting bin bags, sometimes braving it out in just a club vest and shorts.

Mr Sparkle’s Dark ‘Un – 20^th February 2015

Three intrepid Clayton Harriers fired up their head torches and took part in this night-time race around Darwen Moors and Tockholes. 72 runners lined up for a couple of stiff climbs, open moorland, lots of mud and a dash down to the finish.

Colin Woolford, Julia Rushton and Nerina Gill at Mr Sparkle’s Dark ‘Un. Photo courtesy of Fellephant

Report by Nerina Gill

“ I seriously questioned my sanity heading out in sleet, dark and 3 degrees. In a tee-shirt and shorts. I was called “brave” at the start. That’s one word for it. But the start is sheltered, and there’s a long climb, so I was plenty warm enough by the time we reached the moors. Thoroughly enjoyed the mad, muddy dash through the boggy puddles, and then the helter skelter pelt down Stepback, which was half path, half streambed. I could hear Julia’s footsteps behind me on the run down to the finish, but I couldn’t see a thing ahead, except my head torch reflected back in the stinging hail. The chip butty and cider in front of the fire in the pub afterwards made the ten minutes changing into dry clothes in the car all worthwhile. Great night.”

Pos	Name	Time	Cat
53	Colin Woolford	00:51:15	M
62	Nerina Gill	00:56:40	F40
63	Julia Rushton	00:56:55	F50

Full Results

English National Cross Country Championships – 21^st February

There were records galore achieved at the English National Cross Country Championships, held at Parliament Hill, London on Saturday 21^st February. 5283 runners finished across the 10 Races. On a day that was very wet and muddy underfoot, the conditions were cool but dry with some sunshine but neither of these put the athletes off.

Well done to Sue Allen and Christine Leathley, who travelled down to London to represent the club.

Full Results

Standish Hall Trail Race – 21^st February

The course is completely off road on bridle paths and woodland trail and is approximately 10K. Well done to Clayton Lady, Julie Toman who finished in 01:03:28, having survived what she described as a full body mudslide during the race, leaving her caked in mud and the muddiest finisher of the day.

Well done Julie, great grit and determination!

Full Results

Bleasedale Circle Fell Race – 21^st February

Report by Irene Roche

Irene Roche and Vicky Heys rocking the windswept look after the Bleasdale Circle Fell Race

“On arrival at Bleasedale with Vicky Heys, who persuaded me to give the race a go, the weather was looking undecided. Was it going to rain, hail or hold on to fine for the time required? It was certainly cold though – evident as most of us “warmed up” prior to the race by drinking tea and coffee in the village hall. What a good atmosphere though, so laid back and no urgency to leave the hall and warm up before the race. Prepared for a cold and windy run, many kept to wearing running jackets, some with sleeves whilst the hardiest braved just their club vests. We definitely needed the wind proof jackets!

The race itself I thoroughly enjoyed, flagged all the way round so no worries about maps. After a good plunge through muddy fields, breathless climbing up hills and much needed practice to steer down the slopes I arrived at the finish. Clayton ladies won the team prize, counting in Vicky, me and Linda. It was good to see Pete Booth competing after around eighteen months of nursing an injury. Well done Pete!

I’m glad I did the race and intend to do more fell races this year.“

Position	Name	Cat	Time
41	Peter Booth	MV60	00:48:42
60	Kieran Carr	MV70	00:51:26
72	Rickard Moore	MV50	00:54:02
75	Andrew Dugdale	MV50	00:54:09
76	Vicky Heys	FV40	00:54:17
94	Peter Dugdale	MV50	00:59:02
96	Irene Roche	FV50	00:59:23
97	Stephen Fish	MV60	00:59:35
99	Mark Taylor	M	00:59:46
101	Linda Lord	FV60	00:59:53
113	George Thompson	MV60	01:02:45
119	Robert Hirst	MV60	01:05:10
120	Doug Munroe	MV60	01:06:16
123	Karin Goss	FV60	01:10:09

Full Results

Great North West Half Marathon – 22^nd February 2015

Nine Clayton-le-Moors Harriers braved wild conditions to take part in the Great North West Half Marathon in Blackpool.

Lynsey Birtwistle reported; “One word brutal! It was quite nice running along the front sheltered and the wind behind you, but when you turned the corner to come back there was a slight incline and the wind was full pelt in your face and hail too! I felt like crying! It was a tough day weather-wise but well-organised and great to see some Clayton support at the finish line!

Lynsey Birtwistle at the Great North West Half Marathon in Blackpool. Photo by Bryan Searby

Alex Cran reported; “Well myself Paul, grandad Kev and Russ managed to get our hands on some bin bags at the start. What a God-send. The weather as you headed south was foul, foul, foul. I thought at the start I’d take the bin bag off after a couple of miles but we all kept them on for the whole race!

Binbag running attire -it’s the future! Maybe we should get some tangerine ones.

It was a confusing first few miles as you ran past the first mile marker, then the third then the second. But I got my head around it and set off with Paul for a steady run. It was bearable along the lower prom but the upper was awful. I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold. The last couple of miles were the coldest I can remember in a race. But it’s done and the hot chocolate in Costa afterwards was nectar from the Gods!”

Andy Quinn reported; “It was pretty cold, but I think this actually made me run faster for the last 5k because I just wanted to get the race over with. Managed a PB too so well pleased.”

Andy Quinn at the Great North West Half Marathon in Blackpool. Photo by Bryan Searby

Pos	Name	Time	Cat
46	Russell Clarke	01:26:29	M
70	Paul Hesketh	01:28:10	MV50
71	Alexander Cran	01:28:17	MV40
129	Michael Hogan	01:33:54	MV45
155	Alan Clarkson	01:36:04	MV55
307	Andy Quinn	01:43:41	MV40
502	Lynsey Birtwistle	01:51:30	FV35
719	Leanne Cottam	01:59:46	F
1094	Nicola Kay	02:24:11	F

Full Results

Loughrigg-Silver Howe Race – 22^nd February

Report by Andrew Firth

This is an early season classic fell race in the Lake District that starts from the back of Millans Park in Ambleside, climbs Loughrigg, down the back to cross the road, and up to Silver Howe which overlooks Grasmere. It then returns via the same route, climbing back to the summit of Loughrigg and back to the park via a sneaky checkpoint at Lily Tarn. The organiser (Jon Broxup of Kendal AC) clearly likes to keep the race low key since it isn’t usually advertised via FRA calender, or indeed Kendal AC’s website. People tend to find out via word of mouth, however this year the date was eventually revealed on the FRA forum which probably accounts for why there were probably double last years 40 or so that did the race.

I decided it would be a good idea to make a weekend of it and booked a B&B in Ambleside for Sat night. Myself and Dinah enjoyed an excellent walk on Saturday afternoon – up Loughrigg (a sneaky reccy of the early part of the race) down to Grasmere via the lakeside path returning to Ambleside via the “coffin route” to Rydal Hall. The weather on Saturday was excellent with brilliant sunshine but a cold breeze.

The B&B did the best breakfast that I’ve had for a long time, although it was weighing heavily on my stomach when we lined up on the start line for the safety briefing. The pre-race kit was very important because the weather had changed dramatically from the previous day with sleet at town level and quite a strong wind. Amazingly, two runners were attempting to run without waterproof leggings – both were immediately DSQ. No kit check was necessary for me since I was wearing all of it with my vest with number on the outside of my cag so the marshalls could see it easily.

I set off in my rightful place at the back and decided to pace myself to try to keep running up the early steep track. I managed to keep plodding away and for the first time ran all the way to the gate to the fell, although I cant say it was particularly fast. The only other Clayton runner was super vet, Jack Holt, although by this stage he was well out of sight up front. As we climbed it was clear the the sleety rain in Ambleside had changed to proper snow, and, with the strong wind, I was very glad I had opted to wear full cover from the off. Despite the fact that there were footprints in the snow to be followed, people were deviating from the optimum route on the way to Loughrigg summit and I managed to make up a few places with my route knowledge from previous races and the reccy the previous day.

I could have done with a pair of skis for the run down the back of Loughrigg to the road, but even so caught a few more runners on the descent. When we crossed the road there were several cars having difficulty in the 2/3 inches of snow – the road is a steep link between Langdale and Grasmere – but I would not have even thought of attempting it in the conditions.

The run out to Silver Howe is quite difficult terrain at the best of times – but now with heavy snow and mist the only option was to either get the compass out and navigate, or follow previous footsteps and hope that the snow didn’t cover them!! Again a few runners in front made the wrong choices (clearly runners were trying different lines) and I once again gained a few places by the time I reached the summit. At last we turned to return and I enjoyed the run back to the road – no runners in sight to aim at, but I could still follow the footsteps in the snow but also making sure it was what I considered to be the best line.

By the road crossing I had caught the runner in front and managed to pull away from him on the climb back to Loughrigg summit. The marshalls had sensibly descended approx 300 metres from the summit to to shelter next to a wall – but they insisted that we still climb to the summit, advising that it was in any event the quickest way to Lily tarn. At the summit I caught sight of another runner in front (everyone was very spread out by this stage) which proved a useful target to aim at on the descent, which was even more tricky since the snow was now deeper and covering up little rocks on the path. I managed to follow the right footprints back to Lily tarn – but the O punch for marking our numbers must have been covered in snow because I couldnt find it. The final descent was excellent and even though I felt I had run better that the previous year, I crossed the line in 2 hours 2 minutes, some 7 minutes down on previous years.

I have to say that running in these conditions, whilst challenging, is really rewarding and it’s races like this that stick in the memory because you have been battling the elements as well as the course. I’m really appreciative that the organiser was happy to go ahead in the conditions in these heath and safety conscious times. Indeed I made a special point of thanking all the marshals and the organiser at the end. I can throughly recommend this race – if anybody decides to do it next year then if you are struggling to find out when it is then contact Jon Broxap at Pete Blands. It’s highly unlikely that the results will be published anywhere on the web – I still cant find last years, but I estimate that I was about 10/12 place from the back in a field of maybe 80.

Sedburgh School Fell Race – 22^nd February

Congratulations to junior member Briony Holt for her win at the Sedburgh School fell race on a very cold, sleety and dismal day. She no doubt brightened up the field in her signature odd socks. There’s just no stopping her.

Briony Holt at the Sedburgh School Fell Race

Results not yet available

Ilkley Moor Fell Race – 22^nd February

Four Senior Clayton-le-Moors Harriers and one Junior took part in the Ilkley Moor Fell Race, which is described as a hard winter fell race with some steep, slippery, and rocky descents. 216 runners lined up at the start.

Tim Edwards, first Clayton finisher at the Ilkley Moor Fell Race. Photo by woodentops

Junior member, Christopher Brown, had a great race finishing in 4th place in the U-10s race in a field of 58 runners. Well done Christopher!

Clayton Junior, Christopher Brown, at the Ilkley Moor Fell Race. photo by Woodentops

Pos	Name	Time	Cat
38	Tim Edwards	00:47:17	M40
97	Chris Funnell	00:54:57	M40
124	Richard Briscoe	No time given	M
137	Jean Brown	No time given	W40
179	Colin Woolford	No time given	W40

Full Results

The Terry Nortley 10 Mile Multi Terrain Race – 22^nd February

185 runners took part in this race. Well done to Stephen Biscomb, our sole representative in this race, for his 1^st V60 result. He finished in 49^th place overall in a time of 01:16:35

Full Results

Peeler’s Hike – 22^nd February

Adrienne Olszewska took part in this low-key event organised by Bury District Scouts and one of the many LDWA challenge events. The route is a choice of 23 or 15 miles from Bury District Scout HQ via Elton Reservoir, Affetside, Peel Tower, Holcombe Moor, Helmshore, Irwell Vale, Summerseat and Burrs country park. A great event to get those longer distance off-road miles in. Not really a race, more of a personal challenge as you rarely see any published results for these events. They remain popular with runners as they can be tough as well as interesting routes. Didn’t spot any other Clayton folk on the day but a number of runners from Trawden AC club took part.

The weather took a definite turn for the worse and on reaching Peel Tower in a bit of blizzard I was tempted to opt for the short route and head back to base, however, not wanting to cop out, I headed out across the moors into what amounted to a whiteout! I was glad of the company of some friends from Skelmersdale Boundary Harriers and Parbold Pink Panthers as together we managed to cross the snowy, boggy moors relatively quickly, if a bit frozen by the time we made it down to Helmshore.

After that it’s a low-level trot back to Bury alongside the East Lancs Railway and the River Irwell on some of the muddiest footpaths in the universe! All in all a great route and highly recommended.

Trailblazer 12 Charity Challenge – 22^nd February

Summarised report from John Lloyd

100 miles in 12 hours on a 5k trail circuit. With a good amount of sponsorship we were raring to go. Various Club members from Clayton-le-Moors Harriers and Trawden AC had showed their support in the morning and early afternoon. When the weather turned into snow and horizontal winds the support was amazing. Whether its running a lap or standing on a bridge clapping nearby, every soul there was a huge boost to the team. At the half way point we were way in front of schedule. The course was in great condition and was running well. Then the weather took a change for the worse, I think it says so much about the team of people I was with that it actually galvanised them. There was no moaning, just suggestions of how we get through, what were the best tactics. The last few miles were tough, but I was lifted by the second wave of support we got.

Parkrun roundup

It’s been a great week for our junior parkrunners with 4 of them earning brand new PBs at the Burnley event. Well done to Sophie Ashworth, Lennon Jackson, Annabel Wilcock, and Rachel Stevenson. Not to be outdone by the youngsters V70 Val Lawson also pulled a new PB out of the bag at the Burnley parkrun. Must be something in the water! Jonathon Pye did a bit of parkrun tourism and came in third at the Penrith event. Paul Hesketh and John Hartley both finished in the top ten at Pendle. Running legend Ron Hill was parkrunning at Marple and fell running stalwart, Wendy Dodds was 6^th lady finisher at Fell Foot. Well done to all of our parkrunners

Brueton parkrun – A total of 293 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
11	Paul SHACKLETON	00:19:07

Marple parkrun – A total of 137 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
116	Ron HILL	00:32:18

Burnley parkrun – A total of 207 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
5	Jacob WATSON	00:18:13
7	Jordan MCDONALD	00:18:41
10	Matthew DUCKWORTH	00:19:33
14	Stephen AINSWORTH	00:20:40
20	Mark NUTTER	00:21:28
21	Alan CLARKSON	00:21:31
48	Sophie ASHWORTH	00:23:29	New PB!
49	Martin BRADY	00:23:31
56	Lennon JACKSON	00:24:00	New PB!
86	Annabel WILCOCK	00:26:30	New PB!
87	John WILCOCK	00:26:31
88	Adam STEVENSON	00:26:32
91	Ron CHAPPELL	00:26:37
94	Keira STEVENSON	00:26:45
96	Yvonne WICKHAM	00:26:53
100	Richard LAWSON	00:27:09
118	Jackie KERSHAW	00:28:08
130	Stuart BARKER	00:29:21
136	Heidi KEWIN	00:29:33
141	Lucy STEVENSON	00:30:15
143	Rachel STEVENSON	00:30:21	New PB!
144	Richard STEVENSON	00:30:22
153	Elouise Sylkie PEMBERTON	00:30:58
188	Valerie LAWSON	00:37:07	New PB!
194	Milly MACCABE	00:39:01

Dewsbury parkrun – A total of 95 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
93	Robin PRICE	00:37:10

Penrith parkrun – A total of 122 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
3	Jonathan PYE	00:18:43

Pendle parkrun – A total of 56 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
3	Paul HESKETH	00:20:59
4	John HARTLEY	00:21:07
36	Christine Jennifer EGERTON	00:31:07
50	Molly HESKETH	00:38:16

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge – A total of 144 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
35	Wendy DODDS	00:24:19
99	Eileen JONES	00:30:56

Other News

Congratulations to David Scott who is the January Senior Runner of the Month for his three great category wins in the month.

Don’t forget to get your tickets for the Annual Presentation Evening. Tickets are going fast and it’s shaping up to be a great night out! James Hickie will be at Tuesday Training this week so don’t forget your cash/cheque!

And finally…

Don’t forget it’s Tangerine Training Night on Tuesday 24th February. The future’s bright at Clayton-le-Moors Harriers, and to celebrate the plan is to turn up wearing a tangerine hoodie or something similar in bright orange. It would also be a fantastic milestone to break the attendance record set at 60 people. Go on… you know you want to!

ByAdrienne Olszewska

50 Shades of Mud

In amongst the romance of Valentine’s Day weekend, our members have been getting downright dirty! Muddy shoes, cross country fixtures, tackling Hills and Mountains in England, Ireland and Scotland. It’s definitely been 50 Shades of Mud for our adventurous club members!

Mid Lancs League Cross Country – Blackpool

A superb turn out of over 50 Clayton-le-Moors Harriers ranging in age from the under 10s right up to V70 made for an action-packed fixture.

The juniors were out in force with some brilliant performances right across the age groups. Sophie Ashworth finished in 10th place in the U-11 girls race with good runs from her team mates. Dexta Thompson ran well finishing in 14th place closely followed by Christopher Brown, with solid performances from their fellow U-11 boys.

Our superb U-13 girls team didn’t fail to impress with Briony Holt winnning first place. Strong runs from her fellow team mates placed their team in 3rd position for this fixture.

Alice Pier was our sole U-15 girl, and our U-15 boys team earned 3rd place in the fixture. Curtis Holt ran well finishing in 8th place in the group.

Our U-17 runners Jordan McDonald and Bethany Quinn also ran well both finishing 4th in their age group.

George Pier ran in the Senior Men Race and was the 5th Clayton male finisher making him a counter in the team placings.

Well done to all of our juniors for putting in such a great effort for the team!

U-11 Girls – 52 runners

Pos	Name	Time
10	Sophie Ashworth	08:46
23	Roanna Holdsworth	09:43
47	Kady Thompson	11:30
50	Millie MacCabe	12:46

U-11 Boys – 49 runners

Pos	Name	Time
14	Dexta Thompson	08:17
19	Christopher Brown	08:46
27	Finley Stubbs	08:59
47	Finan Holdsworth	10:47

U-13 Girls – 37 runners

Briony Holt finishing in first place in the U-13 girls race

Pos	Name	Time
1	Briony Holt	09:29
11	Eleanor Root	10:16
17	Millie Stubbs	10:37
24	Liberty Thompson	11:09

Team Placing – 3^rd B Holt | E Root | M Stubbs

U-15 Girls – 14 runners

Pos	Name	Time
5	Alice Pier	12:12

U-15 Boys – 21 runners

Pos	Name	Time
8	Curtis Holt	15:02
14	Thomas Bradley	16:01
18	Simon Wilshaw	16:52

Team Placing – 3^rd C Holt | T Bradley | S Wilshaw

Clayton Juniors Bethany Quinn and Simon Wilshaw at the Mid Lancs Cross Country

U-17 Women

Pos	Name	Time
4	Bethany Quinn	20:21

U-17 Men

Pos	Name	Time
4	Jordan McDonald	22:23

Senior Ladies – 142 runners

Lots of new faces at this fixture although rumour has it some of them only made it by the skin of their teeth due to navigation errors on the way to Blackpool! Thanks goodness they all made it though!

Clayton Ladies out in force at the Mid Lancs Cross Country fixture in Blackpool.

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
47	Jean Brown	L45	28:33
59	Jean Knightley	L55	29:35
60	Julia Rushton	L45	26:36
61	Joanne Bennett	L45	29:40
62	Elizabeth Mullan	L35	29:45
65	Sarah Angelone	L	29:54
73	Dawn Richardson	L45	30:23
80	Sarah Whittaker	L35	30:51
89	Helen Burnett	L35	31:49
100	Sarah Helliwell	L	32:55
106	Rachel Todd	L35	34:05
108	Michelle Butschok	L35	34:18
119	Nicola Kay	L	36:21
134	Christine Leathley	L65	40:40
135	Susan Allen	L45	41:23

Team Placings:

Team ‘A’ – 18^th J Brown | J Knightley | J Rushton
Team ‘B ‘- 19^th J Bennett | E Mullan | S Angelone

Vet Over 35 Team Placing

Team ‘A’ – 8^th J Brown | J Knightley | J Rushton
Team ‘B’ – 12^th J Bennett | D Richardson | C Leathley

Vet Over 45 Team Placing

Team ‘A’ – 3^rd J Brown | J Knightley | J Rushton
Team’B’ – 9^th J Bennett | D Richardson | C Leathley

Senior Men – 198 runners

Again lots of new faces and representation across all the age ranges. Tom Brewster was the first Clayton man, finishing in 23rd place, closely followed by Bret Holdsworth. There were a couple of impressive debuts from Jacob Watson and Jonathon Pye. Congratulations to our Vet 60s team for their 1st place and well done to David Scott and Ted Orrell for 1st and 2nd V70 respectively.

Senior Men’s Race – Richard Stevenson, Jonathon Pye, Jacob Watson and George Pier

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
23	Tom Brewster	M	36:23
25	Breton Holdsworth	V40	36:27
44	Jacob Watson	M	38:13
45	Kevin Davies	V50	38:16
48	George Pier	U20	38:30
58	Dave Motley	M	39:07
68	Richard Stevenson	M	39:49
73	Carl Helliwell	M	40:16
82	Jonathon Pye	M	40:58
91	Alex Cran	V40	41:32
96	Michael Hogan	V40	41:50
129	John Wilcock	V50	43:50
138	Peter Booth	V60	45:09
142	Andy Quinn	V40	45:13
145	Jeffrey Pickup	V60	45:18
159	Peter Browning	V50	47:07
162	David Scott	V70	47:31
170	Dugald McCallum	V60	48:42
190	Ted Orrell	V70	54:04
195	Robert Hirst	V60	57:00

Team Placings

Vet Over 40 Team Placings

Vet Over 50 Team Placings

Team ‘A’ – 3^rd K Davies | J Wilcock | P Booth
Team ‘B’ – 8^th J Pickup | P Browning | D Scott

Vet Over 60 Team Placings

1^st – P Booth | J Pickup | D Scott

Full Results

Late Results – Sidney & Andy’s Birthday 5k 7 February

A 5k trail/reservoir race in Rochdale. Well done to our 3 club members who were all first in their respective age categories.

Pos	Name	Cat	Club	Time
34	Yvonne Wickham	FV50	Clayton le Moors Harriers	29.08
37	J. McGuire	MV55	Clayton le Moors Harriers	30.17
38	R. Hill	MV75	Clayton le Moors Harriers	31.43

Full Results

Valentines Day 10K – 14 & 15 February

Two races one on each day. Just one Clayton-le-Moors Harrier spotted in the results and that was Alan Clarkson. He came 36th in a field of 127 runners in a time of 43:47 on the Sunday race day.

Full Results

Anglezarke Amble 14 February

A handful of club members took part in this LDWA organised event. You can choose between a 16 or 24 mile route around the West Pennine Moors, taking in Rivington Pike, Winter Hill and Great Hill; the longer route extending to Entwistle and Darwen Tower.

We started from the Village Hall in Rivington, and began the steep climb up to Rivington Pike with a slight respite before climbing again to the TV mast station at the top of Winter Hill. A fast and furious descent down followed before heading up and across the boggy moors to Entwistle. Resisting the urge to stop at the Strawberry Duck pub (and it was very tempting!) we continued climbing gradually to cross the A666 and head back across the moors to Darwen Tower. It was very murky and seemed to go on forever. Visibility was very poor and it was a shock to suddenly see the famous tower looming out of the mist. The murk continued all the way down into Tockholes just before the final big climb up Great Hill.

Adrienne Olszewska almost at the top of Great Hill on the Anglezarke Amble

Feeling a bit weary now, I was grateful to be dragged up by Nick Olszewski and before too long it was down to White Coppice. It’s a steady trot back to Rivington from here alongside the lovely Anglezarke Reservoir.

This event is organised by associate club member Stan Bradshaw (not he of the eponymous race but same name!) and he had this to say;

“There were 107 runners entered along with 267 walkers. As for Clayton members (I’m a geriatric associate member these days) I only know the ones who did the longer fell races back in the late 70’s to the early 90’s. I know Wendy Dodds, of course, and I recognised your Clayton hat and top. Other than that there was one very illustrious Clayton lady from the past taking part and that was Anne-Marie Grindley. She was doing the event with her friend, wife of ex Clayton member Harry Ball. They were being supported en route by Anne-Marie’s husband, the highly regarded in the Harriers, Will Grindley and Harry. Anne-Marie was only the second lady to complete the Bob Graham Round. We would be pleased to see you again next year along with a few more fellow Claytoners.”

Ivan Whigham also took part as well as Nicholas Olszewski and Adrienne Olszewska.

Parbold Hill Race 14 February

A classic race. Approx 6.75 miles Multi Terrain. Just one member at this race. V70 John Francis who finished in a time of 01:29:40.

Full Results

Windy Hill Fell Race – 14 February

Windy Hill Fell Race is a fast fell race run on good visible paths, rolling hills and has one memorable climb. All this takes place on the Pennine moors where the views of Hollingworth Lake and landmarks further afield are stunning. The route takes on the Old Roman Road at Blackstone Hedge, passes Windy Hill and descends quickly to finish where it started at the back of Hollingworth Lake (Rakewood).

This was a great race for Christopher Holdsworth who fininished in 4th place with a time of 59:06 bettering his 37th place in last year’s race by just shy of 10 minutes. A brilliant result. Here’s his report;

“Having got lost in this race in 2014, I had a 12-month long grudge to rectify last years mistakes. Having said that, an injury set back in the previous weeks wasn’t great preparation, though I thoroughly enjoyed the race last year and didn’t want to miss out.

The weather and conditions underfoot were much worse this year than the previous, which made it a difficult race over the tops. It was made all the more treacherous in my attempts to keep up with Calder Vally’s Ben Mounsey, who well and truly schooled us all.
Weary lungs and legs meant I couldn’t hold on to 3rd place, relinquishing it after the 7 mile marker – though at least no extra miles this year! “

Christopher Holdsworth at the Windy Hill Fell Race. Photo by www.woodentops.org.uk

Also putting in some great performances were Neil Hardiman, Ryan Wilkinson and Michael O’Donnell.

Neil Hardiman and Ryan Wilkinson at the Windy Hill Fell Race. Photo by www.woodentops.org.uk

Michael O’Donnell at the Windy Hill Fell Race. Photo by www.woodentops.org.uk

Our sole lady competitor was Barbara Savage who finished in a time of 1:31:06

Barbara Savage at the Windy Hill Fell Race. Photo by www.woodentops.org.uk

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
4	Chistopher Holdsworth	M	00:59:06
18	Neil Hardiman	M45	01:06:04
29	Ryan Wilkinson	M	01:08:02
48	Michael O’Donnell	M40	01:11:19
181	Barbara Savage	F50	01:31:06

Full Results

Run Mount Juliet – 14 February

Cross country captain, Irene Roche, was away and had to miss the mid lancs cross country fixture. She still managed to race along with John Roche, Vicky Heys and Angela Shian. They all took part in the Run Mount Juliet 10K in Ireland in a field of 389. Irene described the race as; “Lovely scenery, course hilly – quite similar to the Blackburn Winter Warmer”

Well done all of you

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
9	John Roche	M50	41:33
36	Vicky Heys	F40	47:29
41	Irene Roche	F50	47:40
81	Angela Shian	F	50:58

Full Results

Calder Vale Muddy Shoes Race 15 February

Described as an off road run, walk or crawl with a choice of 5 or 11 mile routes mainly on tracks and fields with a promise of lots of mud.

Jason Pier, George Pier, Andy Bradley and Gary Moore at the Muddy Shoes Race.

Jason Pier reports:

“Myself and George Pier along with Andy Bradley and good friend of Clayton, Gary Moore, took part in the Calder Vale Muddy Shoes 11 mile race run over trails and farmland. Running in teams of two and armed with a race map George and Andy soon got away with the lead group on the steady climb up onto the farmland with Jason and Gary not too far behind. Not content with the 11 miles George and Andy along with the leaders decided to take a wrong turn which resulted in them going more than a mile out of their way. A real shame really because without the detour they’d have been amongst the first few to finish. They put in a great effort to make up for lost time, catching and overtaking Jason and Gary in the last mile. This is a great event suitable for all abilities. You get the lot, mud, pie and peas, mud, medal and goody bag oh and more mud. Can certainly recommend this race.”

Well done guys sounds like good muddy fun!

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
24	George Pier	M	01:34:45
26	Andrew Bradley	MV45	01:35:01
30	Jason Pier	MV45	01:35:47

Full Results

Carnethy 5 – 15th February

Jack Holt was our sole representative at this Scottish race. The race starts near Silverburn village, 10 miles SW of Edinburgh in Scotland. The course is approximately six miles with 2500 feet of ascent, covering five tops in the Pentland Hills to be run in the following sequence: Scald Law (1899′), South Black Hill (1840′), East Kip (1750′), West Kip (1806′), and returning via the Howe (900′) to Carnethy (1890′) – starting and finishing at the Old Kirk Road (900′).

Jack Holt at the Carnethy 5. Photo by Cammy Scott

515 runners took part in this event and Jack Holt finished in 182nd place with at time of 01:11:10. He was 2nd V60 male.

Full Results

parkrun roundup

Lots of PBs for our members this week with some excellent runs from our junior members at the Burnley parkrun. Jackson McKay came in 10th place with a new PB of exactly 20 minutes. His younger brother, Joshua also had a great run and new PB. Well done to the Jackson brothers and all of our parkrunners.

Bolton parkrun – A total of 298 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
298	Julia RUSHTON	00:48:30

Burnley parkrun – A total of 236 runners took part.

Annabel Wilcock earning a new PB at Burnley parkrun

Position	Position	parkrunner	Run Time
8	Matthew DUCKWORTH	00:19:58
10	Jackson MCKAY	00:20:00	New PB!
16	Stephen AINSWORTH	00:21:06
26	Alan CLARKSON	00:22:04
28	Adam STEVENSON	00:22:14	New PB!
29	Richard STEVENSON	00:22:14
31	Stephen WHITE	00:22:27
50	Martin BRADY	00:23:47
69	Andrew TAYLOR	00:25:05
72	Donna SCOTT	00:25:19
94	Annabel WILCOCK	00:26:31	New PB!
95	John WILCOCK	00:26:31
97	Elouise Sylkie PEMBERTON	00:26:37	New PB!
101	Ron CHAPPELL	00:26:49
111	Jackie KERSHAW	00:27:21
117	Joshua MCKAY	00:27:34	New PB!
130	Lucy STEVENSON	00:28:13
131	Julie TOMAN	00:28:14
135	Christine Jennifer EGERTON	00:28:42
136	Richard LAWSON	00:28:43
138	Stuart BARKER	00:28:53
146	Bianca BENNETT	00:29:24	New PB!
156	Jack MCGUIRE	00:30:09
184	Rachel STEVENSON	00:31:54
212	Kathleen GARNETT	00:35:14	New PB!
229	Valerie LAWSON	00:38:24

Pendle parkrun – A total of 55 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
2	Paul BRANNON	00:20:46
3	John HARTLEY	00:20:58
6	Susan BURNS	00:21:55
17	Barry MITCHELL	00:24:56	New PB!
47	Paul HESKETH	00:37:29

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge – A total of 129 runners took part

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
82	Eileen JONES	00:30:55

ByAdrienne Olszewska

Wadsworth Trog, Winter Warmer 10k and the rest of the week’s action

You’ve been trogging in Yorkshire, ripping along in Licolnshire, orienteering, cross country running and foggy winter road racing. Vets, seniors, juniors and lots of new faces all getting stuck in and representing their club with gusto. Just another busy weekend for Team Clayton.

The Rauceby Ripper – Saturday 7 February

The Rauceby Ripper is an 8½ ~ 9 mile (approximately) multi-terrain course, over trail, edges of fields and some road sections. Starting within the grounds of Rauceby Hall, Lincolnshire and finishing in South Rauceby near to the Village Hall. The route takes competitors over public and private land and through one of the most beautiful estates in the County.

Breton Holdsworth leading the way at the Rauceby Ripper

Breton Holdsworth was our sole representative at this event which he won. Again! He said; “1st place at the Rauceby Ripper and kept my title. It was a slightly longer course this year. Unbelievable mud in places very sticky and heavy. Brilliant, loved it, led from the start.”

Full Results

The Wadsworth Trog – Saturday 7 February

A classic,long route to start the season. 19.25 miles (31km) with a climb of 3650ft (1110m). 9 Harriers took part; 8 men and 1 lady.

Nick Roscoe and John Wilcock at the Wadsworth Trog

Paul Hesketh was the first of our men, finishing in 21st position just over the 3 hour mark with a time of 3:03:10. Not far behind him were Andrew Armstrong and Martin Terry. Nicholas Olszewski came in at the 3:30 mark and the rest (Nigel Hodson, John Wilcock and Nicholas Roscoe) trogged in together a short while after. Our sole lady, Vicky Heys finished just over the 4 hour mark having valiantly helped coax her injured race buddy around the course.

Full Results

Lancashire Schools Cross Country Championships, Witton Park – Saturday 7 February

Our juniors continue to perform outstandingly, with many of our junior members representing Blackburn, Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle School teams at the Lancashire Schools Cross Country Championships. It was near perfect conditions; sunny, no frost and not a sniff of wind.

Boys Events

Tom Bradley finished in 18th place in the Junior Boys race and was first counter in the 7th place Burnley team. Curtis Holt, Ryan Clark, and Alexander Townrow all ran in the Inter Boys race for Pendle, Burnley and Blackburn respectively. Curtis and Ryan both counters for their team places.

Girls Events

Our excellent U-13 girls team were out in force representing a cross section of East Lancashire teams in the Year 7, Junior and Inter Girls races.

In the Year 7 girls race, Millie Stubbs had a great run finishing in 10th place, Liberty Thompson finished 19th and Natasha Olszewska finished in 65th place. Millie was second counter in the 2nd place Hyndburn team, and Liberty was first counter in the Burnley Team. Well done girls!

Liberty Thompson representing Burnley Schools but still sporting her tangerine bow.

Fellow U-13 teammate, Briony Holt, was running in the Junior Girls race. She ran really well in a tough field finishing in 3rd place and first counter for the 7th place Pendle Team. Another fine performance from Briony.

Alice Pier finished in 14th place in the Senior Girls race but no team placing as there were not enough counters.

Results not yet available online.

PFO Spring Intro Series – Witton Park

Witton Park was the 3rd in the Pendle Forest Orienteers’ Intro Series. The wide open spaces of Witton made much of the navigation easy, except when delving into the surrounding woodland. There were a range of courses on offer to suit everyone from complete beginners to experienced orienteers.

Three club members and one junior took part in this event. Colin Woolford was 5th in the Green course. In the Orange course, Junior member Christopher Brown was second and Adrienne Olszewska was third. Mark Nutter was first on the tough Green Technical course.

Full Results

Next event is at Nick O’Pendle on 28th February.

King Henry VIII Cross Country – 4 February

Ellie Root ran in the King Henry VIII’s XC in Coventry which is a national event where schools enter a team of four girls or six boys to complete a 2.3-mile relay course. 504 girls and boys took part. In her team of 4 Ellie, who was one of the youngest competitors in the field, ran the 1st leg and secured the fastest team time of 16.06 over 3.6k. It was a muddy, undulating course-spikes not allowed but Ellie enjoyed the experience and put all her Clayton training to good use.

Well done Ellie

Winter Warmer 10K – Sunday 8 February

The Winter Warmer 10K is a scenic course which starts and finishes on the athletics track at Witton Park and takes in the stunning scenery over Pleasington. However, the stunning scenery wasn’t much in evidence on the day due to thick fog throughout the morning making it more of a February Fogger! This was no deterrent to our hardy club members of course, and there was a fabulous turnout of 46 members at this event ranging in ages from 5 years old to over 70! 31 members took part in the 10K and 15 juniors took part in the 2k.

This race is the first race in our annual club road championship so it was great to see so many faces new and old getting stuck in.

Junior Race

We had a good turnout of juniors for this race with some of them having taken part in the Lancashire Schools Cross Country the day before. There were 239 runners overall. We had 5 top twenty finishers and some fine performances.

Jackson McKay first Clayton Junior and first in his age group

Jackson McKay had a great race finishing in 8th place and first in his age category. Liberty Thompson was first finisher in her age group closely followed by Natasha Olszewska.

L-R Natasha Olszewska, Keira Stevenson, Liberty Thompson and Lucy Stevenson

Team Stevenson were out in force and all four of them beat their times from last year’s race. “Fast” Alice Pier was our first girl home, third girl finisher in the race and thirteenth finisher overall in the race. Sophie Ashcroft put in a fantastic run finishing sixth girl and nineteenth overall. Imogen Ferguson ran her first race for the club and had a great time. Let’s hope it’s the first of many.

New Junior Member Imogen Ferguson in her first club race.

There were solid performances from Dexta Thompson, Joshua McKay, Kady Thompson and Millie MacCabe. Another well done to our youngest member in the race, Emily Johnson, for an excellent first race – she put in a very assured performance for her age.

Youngest Clayton Junior, Emily Johnson, encouraged by junior coach (and grandma) Marion Wilkinson

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
8	Jackson McKay	M10	07:36
13	Alice Pier	F14	08:06
16	Dexta Thompson	M9	08:15
19	Sophie Ashworth	F11	08:33
20	Adam Stevenson	M12	08:34
29	Liberty Tompson	F12	09:09
35	Natasha Olszewska	F12	09:31
46	Imogen Ferguson	F9	10:02
48	Joshua McKay	M7	10:07
54	Keira Stevenson	F10	10:18
63	Lucy Stevenson	F13	10:48
98	Rachel Stephenson	F8	11:52
145	Kady Thompson	F8	13:05
158	Millie MacCabe	F8	13:35
222	Emily Johnson	F5	16:01

Full Junior Results

Senior 10K Race

Youngest Harrier Ryan Clarke alongside oldest Harrier David Scott. Martin Brady and Andy Quinn also visible

Four of our junior members were able to take part in the senior race; Jordan McDonald, George Pier, Ryan Clarke and Bethany Quinn. All four of them put in fantastic performances; a top twenty finish for Jordan and good times for George and Ryan. Bethany said, “Really enjoyed the course and a great atmosphere all the way around. Surprised myself and ran better than anticipated for my first 10k. I’m sure there will be more to come!”

There were also some good results for our vet runners.1st F55 for Irene Roche, 1st M70 for David Scott , 2nd M55 for John Hartley, 2nd M60 for Stephen Biscomb, 3rd F45 for Nerina Gill, 3rd F50 for Julia Rushton.

Road Captain, Tom Brewster, had a great race finishing in fifth place and Jacob Watson wasn’t far behind him finishing in 9th place.

Road Captain Tom Brewster at the start of the Winter Warmer 10k

Tom Brewster’s Report

“With the Blackburn Winter Warmer being the first fixture in the club’s Road Championship I felt this would be a fitting “comeback” race after spending 7 months away from competitive racing due to injury – as road captain I was pleased to see a healthy number of road enthusiasts turn out despite the chilly conditions; 31 Clayton Harriers in total with the Women outnumbering Men 18 to 13!

After a steady warm-up I joined the 477 other runners on the start line in the freezing fog, willing the clock to count down to the race start quicker so we could head off and attempt to generate some heat! Just after 11am we were off, starting with two laps round the Witton Park track and then out onto the road, facing the monster first climb I tried to think less about the runners I was passing and more about my pacing to make sure I had something to keep me going on the long slog after the hill.

As the terrain levelled off I was surprised to find myself battling for 5^thplace, after such a long period of injury I wasn’t expecting to be anywhere near the front of the pack so dug deep and resolved not to allow the chasing pack, including Trawden AC’s “Quick Nick” Gaskell to get too close.

All the way on top of the course I had a fantastic to-and-fro battle, regularly switching places with Lee Parrington (unattached) and on the run along the river he had just managed to edge me by 10 seconds or so; with him still within reach as we came into the park itself I steeled myself, feeling strong and given some words of encouragement by Garry Wilkinson was able to pull out a sprint finish, claim back 5^th place in 35:33 which left me very happy with my result and with what hopefully is a return to form.

Making my way back to the entrance of the running track to cheer on the incoming runners I realised the freezing fog had still not abated, stood there in just a vest and shorts made me envious of those sporting the newest Club fashion item, colour co-ordinated hats!

Overall a fantastic event, brilliant to see so many Clayton Harriers out at a local race and to see so many reaping the benefits of a hard winter of training”

Nat Harrison was the first Clayton Lady, finishing in 127th place and 8th lady overall in the race. Well done Nat, great to see you recovered from injury and flying round! Here’s her report:

“So the 10k winter warmer began twice round Witton park athletics track followed by the steepest incline that seemed never ending up Buncer Lane. The fog kept a chill in the air as the country lanes seemed to level out. Runners seemed to speed up at this point and lots of descents meant it was all about speed! One more incline around mile four seemed to slow people down before a trail run back through the park. Footballers, dog walkers and cyclists cheered us on as the 400metre sign came into sight. One final spurt along a quarter of the race track saw the race to close. And thank goodness !”

Natalie Harrison sprinting towards the finish

We had a number of ladies running in the Clayton Vest for the first time today and here’s what some of them had to say:

Resplendent Clayton Ladies. L-R Sarah Angelone, Adrienne Olszewska, Natalie Harrison, Michelle Butschok, Helen Burnett, Amanda Duffy, Rachel Todd and Leanne Cottam

Sharon Wilson – “I fell over, thought I wouldn’t be able to carry on but I did it and even managed to overtake the people that overtook me – best feeling ever. It was my first Race as a Clayton-le-Moors Harrier and it felt great being part of a team. Couldn’t be in a better team, thanks for all the support.”

Leanne Cottam – “It was a very challenging course and I was nearly sick a couple of times on them hills. But, it was a great atmosphere and I loved everyone shouting “Come on Clayton”. I am enjoying being part of a great team. xxx”

Nerina Gill – “Great race today! Wasn’t sure about running in freezing fog in a vest and shorts, but was glad I did, cos my buff came off as I left the track! Third time doing the Winter Warmer, but first race as a Clayton Harrier. It was my best time on this course by over three minutes, and only my second 10k under 50, so I was very happy with that. All thanks to Julia Rushton pushing me all the way”

Stephanie Hawke – ” Great atmosphere, enthusiastic race marshals, gruelling hills, and loads of “Come on Clayton” encouragement. Finished to samba beats with frost in my hair. PB to boot!”

Pos	Forename	Surname	Cat	ChipTime
5	Thomas	Brewster	MS	00:35:32
9	Jake	Watson	MS	00:36:53
16	Jordan	McDonald	MJ	00:38:33
30	George	Pier	MJ	00:40:16
31	John	Hartley	M55	00:40:20
53	Ryan	Clarke	MJ	00:42:18
64	Chris	Funnell	M45	00:43:06
68	Andy	Bradley	M45	00:43:10
78	Stephen	Biscomb	M60	00:43:51
97	Andy	Quinn	M40	00:45:07
127	Natalie	Harrison	FS	00:46:40
146	Martin	Brady	M50	00:47:45
149	Irene	Roche	F55	00:47:47
166	David	Scott	M70	00:48:43
175	Sarah	Angelone	FS	00:48:47
196	Julia	Rushton	F50	00:49:47
197	Nerina	Gill	F45	00:49:49
206	Amanda	Duffy	F35	00:50:48
225	Bryan	Searby	M40	00:51:59
226	Tanya	Bunkham	FS	00:51:40
235	Stephanie	Hawke	F35	00:52:34
247	Bethany	Quinn	FJ	00:53:23
251	Helen	Burnett	F40	00:53:30
255	Jackie	Kershaw	F40	00:53:34
261	Leanne	Cottam	FS	00:54:08
270	Rachel	Todd	F40	00:54:46
275	Elouise Sylkie	Pemberton	FS	00:54:52
294	Adrienne	Olszewska	F45	00:56:09
310	Michelle	Butschok	F40	00:56:52
375	Nicola	Kay	FS	01:01:48
455	Sharon	Wilson	F35	01:13:20

Parkrun roundup

Well done to all of our parkrunners this weekend. A paced event at Burnley led to a number of PBs for our club members. Congratulations to Jonathon Pye for a first place as well as a new PB. Congratulations to Richard Stevenson who also earned a first place and PB at the Pendle parkrun.

Bolton parkrun – a total of 335 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
335	Julia RUSHTON	00:47:50	Sweeper

Burnley parkrun a total of 197 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
1	Jonathan PYE	00:17:45	New PB!
12	Susan BURNS	00:20:06	New PB!
14	Stephen AINSWORTH	00:20:28	New PB!
26	Alan CLARKSON	00:21:42
31	Kieron MITCHELL	00:22:01
33	Andy QUINN	00:22:15
47	Martin BRADY	00:22:59
60	Simon WILSHAW	00:23:48
69	Andrew TAYLOR	00:24:39	New PB!
71	Richard LAWSON	00:24:42
91	Lennon JACKSON	00:26:06	First Timer!
94	Sophie ASHWORTH	00:26:16
97	Ron CHAPPELL	00:26:38
100	Robert HIRST	00:26:44
114	Julie TOMAN	00:27:42
124	Stuart BARKER	00:28:51
145	Elouise Sylkie PEMBERTON	00:30:47
185	Valerie LAWSON	00:39:34

Pendle parkrun – a total of 47 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
1	Richard STEVENSON	00:20:06	New PB!
2	John HARTLEY	00:20:48
29	Christine Jennifer EGERTON	00:30:35
37	Christine LEATHLEY	00:33:42

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge – a total of 139 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
91	Eileen JONES	00:30:43

Club Road Championship

Well done to everyone who took part in the Winter Warmer 10K. This was the first race of our Club Road Championship and the standings have been updated accordingly.

Road Championship Standings

Coming up

Mid Lancs Cross Country Fixtures

There are just two Mid Lancs XC races to go and we are hoping for an “all out” presence at both venues. Particularly for Blackpool, as it’s the last available XC if members have chosen to support the fell champs at the time of the Lancaster race. The ladies team behind us are only one point shy to catch up so it’s vital we rally up support from club members to take part in any the remaining races and help us gain promotion to division one.

It’s not too late to join in and run for your club! You can contact Our Cross Country Captain, Irene Roche, for more information.

Information about the remaining fixtures can be found in the link below.

Mid Lancs XC Information

Tangerine Training Night – Tuesday 24th February 6.30pm

The future’s bright at Clayton Le Moors Harriers and to celebrate the plan is to turn up wearing a tangerine hoodie or something similar in bright orange. It would also be a fantastic milestone to break the attendance record set at 60 people.

Tangerine Training Night Flyer

Club Presentation Night – 21st March

Don’t forget to get yourself a ticket to the hottest awards night of the year. Our annual presentation night will definitely be THE place to be.

Tickets are available now from Marie Greenwood 01254 237485 or email mgreenwood1969@outlook.com

ByAdrienne Olszewska

It’s oh so quiet

It’s oh so quiet, it oh so still. You’re all alone, and so peaceful until… you dig a bit deeper and find that, as always, our members are out and about! This weekend may have been short on events but you still managed to take part in some fell racing, some orienteering, some parkrunning, learning navigational skills, and quite a bit of reccying and training for upcoming events, such as the Winter Warmer 10K, the Fellsman and the Haworth Hobble. You are a busy bunch!

Pendle Forest Orienteers – Spring Series

Billington Woods and Sunnybank – Saturday 31^st January

The weather turned out to be far better than predicted, with no fresh snow, no icy roads and temperatures above forecast, which rendered all areas very wet and boggy. This is quite a small area (on average 500m x 1.5k), though steep in places, so legs were short with much doubling back to achieve length. By all accounts everyone enjoyed the challenge, especially competitors on the Technical course (brown, blue and selected black features) who lamented the lack of paths and green features. Some interesting mistakes were reported.

One leg 12 to 13 on Technical was a stinker! Competitors were confronted with a steep uphill leg through a tightly packed gorse thicket of unknown extent.

Three of our club members took part. Junior member Christopher Brown took part in the Orange course finishing in 7^th place overall in a mix of junior and senior orienteers. Colin Woolford came second in the light green course in a time of 62:28. Mark Nutter was 7^th in the technical course. Well done to everyone that took part.

Full Results

Birkrigg Common Fell Races – Sunday 1^st February

Birkrigg Common, nr Ulverston. This race is one for the speed merchants. It’s short, firm under foot and relatively flat. The race starts with a stampede across the common and a brief, runnable climb up to the prehistoric stone circle on top of the hill. A gradual descent gives you the chance to increase your stride length and feel the wind in your hair. Then it’s the long haul back up to the top and back down again, around, over the top, and the finish is in sight. Watch out for some epic battles on the descent. A real treat for spectators here with spectacular views across Morecambe Bay.

We are awaiting results for this race but I understand that junior members Briony and Curtis Holt both took part in the junior races. Curtis finished in 6^th or 7^th place in the U-17s and Briony came 2^nd in the U-14s race. They report good weather conditions, if a bit chilly at times.

Wendy Dodds and Jean Brown took part in the seniors race.

Results to follow

Club competitions

Cross Country Palladium

In the Cross Country Palladium Competition members receive points for competing in any cross country race held in the UK in the period 1st September 2014 to 7th March 2015.

Vicky Heys is currently leading the ladies competition. Will she retain the lead? It’s all still to run for with Angela Shian and Sarah Helliwell not too far behind!

Carl Helliwell has a comfortable lead in the mens competition after putting in great performances at 9 events. Will he keep this advantage ahead over the remaining fixtures?

Current Standings are Here

Senior Runner of the Month

Congratulations to John Hartley for his great category win at the Ribble Valley 10K.
John wins a free treatment at Physiofusion.

Parkrun roundup

Well done to all of our parkrunners. One or two PBs and some top ten finishes for our members this week.

Bolton parkrun – A total of 268 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
71	Julia RUSHTON	00:24:50

Burnley parkrun – A total of 172 runners took part.

Spanning the generations, Emily Johnson (age 5) helping the older Clayton Harrier get the miles in for the 10k Winter Warmer at Burnley parkrun

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
3	Jonathan PYE	00:18:17
4	Jacob WATSON	00:18:33
9	Sean CLARE	00:20:07
17	Stephen AINSWORTH	00:21:27
19	John WILCOCK	00:21:39
43	Angela SHIAN	00:24:11
46	Dawn TERRY	00:24:24
67	Donna SCOTT	00:26:01
72	Robert HIRST	00:26:30
88	Elouise Sylkie PEMBERTON	00:27:27
93	Ron CHAPPELL	00:27:58
101	Keira STEVENSON	00:28:22
102	Julie TOMAN	00:28:26
114	Lucy STEVENSON	00:29:31
126	Stuart BARKER	00:31:19
134	Rachel STEVENSON	00:32:34
148	Adam STEVENSON	00:36:09

Pendle parkrun – A total of 63 runners took part.

Position	Parkrunner	Run Time
2	John HARTLEY	00:22:04
7	Susan BURNS	00:22:50
19	Barry MITCHELL	00:25:28
23	Martin BRADY	00:26:23
56	Christine LEATHLEY	00:36:33

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge – A total of 135 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
93	Eileen JONES	00:31:35

Your Club Needs You!

Mid Lancs Cross Country

Calling all Ladies and Men! To secure promotion from Division 2 for both our Senior Ladies and Senior Men’s teams we need you at Blackpool Mid Lancs XC on Saturday 14th February!!

The Senior Ladies are currently 2nd with 3rd placed Lytham just one point behind. In the Senior Men’s Division 2 Blackburn are likely to achieve 1st overall, so we need to make sure of 2nd.

Only the top two teams in each division get promoted. The best four fixtures count, and as the last Mid Lancs on 7th March is on the same day as Flower Scar we need to get our promotions in the bag at Blackpool!

Volunteering

Do you know that Clayton Harriers will organise at least 10 running events this year, including the British Hill and Fell Relay Championships? Our Race Promotions Coordinator, Mike Eddleston, is appealling for all Clayton members to ease the pressure on our race organisers by committing to help at a minimum of one club event per year.

If you are interested, take a look at this months Newsletter for details of how to go about volunteering.

DOnt’t Forget

To get your tckets for the event of the year, our club Presentation Night, on 21st March

Tickets are available now from Marie Greenwood 01254 237485 or email mgreenwood1969@outlook.com

ByPeter Booth

February Newsletter

Do you know that Clayton Harriers will organise at least 10 running events this year, including the UK Hill and Fell Relays? The major feature of this month’s edition is an appeal from our Race Promotions Coordinator, Mike Eddleston for all Clayton members to ease the pressure on our race organisers by committing to help at a minimum of one club event per year. In addition to all the usual features, there is an account of a ‘wrinkly’ outing and a picture quiz. Download your copy here. February Newsletter 2015

Our unstoppable U-13 girls. L-R Ellie Root, Liberty Thompson, Millie Stubbs, Briony Holt

ByAdrienne Olszewska

Blake’s Heaven, That’s Lyth and the East Lancs Hospice 10k

Sad News

Sadly, two long-standing club members have passed away recently.

John Amos
Richard Lawson writes; our members will be sad to hear of the death of John Amos in Pendleside Hospice. Born in Gt Baddow in Essex in 1938, John saw the light and came north working as an administrator in DHSS centres in Lancashire and Yorkshire. John joined Clayton-le-Moors Harriers in 1978 in time for the cross country season. He competed regularly in all disciplines to a high standard until 2007 and was a member of the M60 team competing at Tredegar House nr Newport in the national vets’ relays. He came with us to the Guernsey Easter Runs in 2007 completing the four races in four days.

John Amos 1938 – 2015

You couldn’t get a nicer guy. John faced his illness with the utmost bravery and cheerfulness and still attended club events both athletic and social He was a valued member of our Wrinkly group and will be missed by us all. He has had the loving support of his wife, Sonya, and two children, Joanne and Melvyn and their families, and our thoughts are with them.

John’s funeral is at 11am on Thursday 29th January at Skipton Crematorium

Tom Targett
Members will also be saddened to hear that another of our members, Tom Targett, has also passed away.

Tom’s funeral is at 10.30am on Tuesday 27^th January at St Joseph’s Church, Accrington

Blake’s Heaven – Saturday 24^th January

Fell Captain, Dave Motley, took part in the Blake’s Heaven fell race. The race distance is 7.05Km (4.4m) with 446m (1,463ft) of ascent.

He reported;

This race starts in the little village of Lamplugh which is situated in the Northern Lake District. With the 2.5hr drive in mind we decided to make a weekend of it and visited relatives in Cockermouth. I arrived in Lamplugh with 30mins to register and warm up, and then we were off. A quick start over a field then straight onto forestry tracks and the start of a long gradual climb to checkpoint 1. If I’m honest I found the climb tough with the recent Coach Roche speed sessions still in my legs and I got to checkpoint 1 just outside the top 10.

Fell Captain Dave Motley at the Blake’s Heaven Fell Race. Picture by www.granddayoutphotography.co.uk

As soon as the climb had finished, we were straight onto a steep grassy climb to the summit of Blake Fell which was concealed in the mist, quickly around the marshalled pile of stones and then off the summit. This is where things changed for me as I had lost the group of runners in front and found myself alone and not knowing the route. I made the decision to jump straight over the nearest stile and I headed down the fell only to find I’d taken the wrong route and taken another 2 runners with me. We quickly realised the error of our ways when we noticed a line of runners 300-400m to the left of us. Back on track and onto the long run off Blake Fell back to the finish. I think I managed Top 20 but I am waiting for full results. I thought this was a cracking little race and I’ll be returning for more in 2016, next time checking the map and making sure I go the right way.

Awaiting full results

East Lancashire Hospice 10k – Sunday 25^th January

Junior Race

The formidable “Team Stevenson” aka Keira, Adam, Rachel and Lucy, took part in the 1K event and made the pages of the local press to boot. Well done to all of them.

The Formidable “Team Stevenson” at the East Lancs Hospice 1K race

Senior Race

Postponed after a weekend of extreme weather, the East Lancs Hospice 10k was blessed with much better conditions. Dry, cool and no wind; a recipe for success and PBs if ever there was one.

15 members including new members Elouise Pemberton, Clare Whittaker, Deborah Greenwood and Stephanie Hawke got stuck in and all came in under the hour. Well done in particular to Elouise and Clare for achieving new personal best times.

First timer Elouise Pemberton at the East Lancashire Hospice 10k

Jacob Watson ran in the front pack throughout the race, finishing in 3^rd place overall and 1^st Clayton counter. Well done Jacob. There were top twenty finishes for Carl Helliwell, John Hartley and David Naughton and not far behind were John Roche and Richard Briscoe. David Scott was first V70.

Jacob Watson who finished 3rd at the East Lancs Hospice 10k

Irene Roche was the first Clayton lady home finishing in 71^st place with a time of 46:31 and was also the first F55. Our new ladies all ran well and look likely to continue improving. Well done to all of you.

Irene Roche, 1st Clayton Lady and 1st F55 at the East Lancs Hospice 10K

Pos	Name	Cat	CatPos	Time
3	Jacob Watson	M	(002/070)	00:36:54
12	Carl Helliwell	M	(006/070)	00:39:17
13	John Hartley	M55	(002/018)	00:39:25
19	David Naughton	M50	(002/017)	00:40:54
22	John Roche	M55	(003/018)	00:40:59
26	Richard Briscoe	M	(012/070)	00:41:35
71	Irene Roche	F55	(001/005)	00:46:31
81	David Scott	M70	(001/001)	00:47:31
106	Clare Wilson	F35	(005/032)	00:49:36
123	Amanda Duffy	F35	(011/032)	00:51:35
136	Stephanie Hawke	F35	(012/032)	00:52:43
141	Sarah Helliwell	F	(008/034)	00:53:05
165	Elouise S Pemberton	F	(009/034)	00:55:03
215	Deborah Greenwood	F45	(016/032)	00:59:18
221	Nicola Kay	F	(017/034)	00:59:50

Full Results

Northern Cross Country Championships – 25^th January

Four club members travelled to Pontefract to take part in the Northern Athletics Cross Country Championships

Mens Results

Pos	Time	Forename	Surname
430	00:52:45	Richard	Briscoe
605	01:00:20	Peter	Browning

Ladies Results

Pos	Time	Forename	Surname
338	0:56:03	Susan	Allen
339	0:56:21	Christine	Leathley

Full Results

Ashurst Beacon Fell Race – Saturday 24^th January

This is a 6 mile race with 950 feet of ascent. Four of our members took part: David Scott, George Thompson, Robert Hirst & John Francis. Well done gents!

Pos	Name	Category	Time
111	David Scott	M70	00:53:37
134	George Thompson	M60	00:57:40
153	Robert Hirst	M60	01:01:22
170	John Francis	M70	01:14:23

Full Results

That’s Lyth – Saturday 24^th January

That’s Lyth is a challenge event organised by the Lakeland Long Distance Walkers Group. Many LDWA challenge events are popular with runners. This event is described as is a superb winter event, encircling the Lyth Valley and visiting Scout Scar, Cunswick Scar and Whitbarrow Scar. The route is 23 Miles with an ascent of 3200 feet.

A select group of our members took part, including; Martin Terry, Nigel Hodson, Wendy Dodds, Katy Thompson.

The weather took a turn for the worse towards the end, so well done to all who took part.

Results yet to be published

Welcome Tavern 10k – Sunday 25^th January

Awaiting results

Tempo 10k Series – Sunday 25^th January

Martin Brady was our sole representative at this Stratford-upon-Avon event and he reports;

I did this race today thinking it would be an easy jog. It ended up being quite a tough slog. The winner normally does between 36 and 37 minutes. This shows it is not flat. It is a series of races called the Tempo Winter 10k in Ilmington Warwickshire. If you are ever in the area when one of these races is being staged have a go – it’s a good tester smile emoticon I measured it as closer to 6.5 miles than 10k.

Full Results

parkrun roundup

Well done to all of our parkrunners. This week saw top ten finishes for our members at the Burnley and Pendle parkruns. There were also 3 New PBs; well done to Wendy Dodds, Stephen Ainsworth and Adam Stevenson.

Leamington parkrun – A total of 407 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
128	Martin BRADY	00:24:03

Bolton parkrun – A total of 333 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
80	Julia RUSHTON	00:24:32
95	Katy THOMPSON	00:25:08

Burnley parkrun – A total of 183 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
2	Tom BREWSTER	00:17:44
3	Jonathan PYE	00:18:15
10	Stephen AINSWORTH	00:20:45
21	Alan CLARKSON	00:22:28
24	Adam STEVENSON	00:22:41
44	Jacob WATSON	00:24:01
66	Richard LAWSON	00:25:17
83	Yvonne WICKHAM	00:26:41
90	Annabel WILCOCK	00:27:23
91	John WILCOCK	00:27:25
100	Ron CHAPPELL	00:28:11
103	Elouise Sylkie PEMBERTON	00:28:33
104	Julie TOMAN	00:28:37
108	Lucy STEVENSON	00:28:49
145	Keira STEVENSON	00:33:31
146	Rachel STEVENSON	00:33:34

Pendle parkrun – A total of 37 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
2	John HARTLEY	00:21:55
19	Dawn TERRY	00:28:57
29	Molly HESKETH	00:32:32

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge – A total of 114 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
41	Wendy DODDS	00:24:19
114	Eileen JONES	00:46:06

Coming up

Entries for the Winter Warmer 10k in Blackburn are filling up fast. This is the first race in the club road championships so let’s have a good turn out. There are also prizes for the 1st Men & Ladies team (4 counters). Lets go get them guys n gals! Don’t miss out if you want to race

Full Details and Online Booking

And finally…

It’s coming soon, the glitziest, most entertaining awards ceremony of the year. I am, of course, talking about the Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Presentation Evening. It will be held in the 1882 Lounge, at Burnley Football Club on Saturday 21^st March. For the first time, there will be junior awards so it would be great to have a full house. Tickets are £13.00 for adults and £5.00 for under 18’s. This includes a hot buffet supper and live music from the Space Bats.

Tickets are available now from Marie Greenwood 01254 237485 or email mgreenwood1969@outlook.com

Alternatively, keep an eye out for chairman, James Hickie at the Tuesday Training session. Tickets are also available at the juniors’ Thursday session. Please ensure you have either a cheque or the exact amount to hand.

ByDave Motley

I’m dreaming of a white………….

Christmas passed with not a sight of the white stuff and then the skies opened this weekend, which in the end caused a little disruption to the racing.

A number of races were cancelled or postponed this weekend including the Podium 5k which attracts a super quick field at its monthly event in Barrowford and the East Lancs Hospice 10k from Great Harwood, this race has been re-arranged for Sunday 25th January.

But there were races that defied the weather with Clayton Harriers as usual out in force. The first race of the weekend the Hebden 22 had a number of our members competing, although technically not a race the popular LDWA event attracts runners from all over the local area with promises of a fantastic route, great organisation and I think your weight in cake, sandwiches and other goodies. In total 156 runners took part in this event with the following members finishing:

30. Paul Hesketh 3:57

34. Neil Hardiman 3:58

94. Wendy Dodds 5:11

141. Adrienne Olszewska 6:32

(L-R – Neil Hardiman & Paul Hesketh)

Sunday Morning came and the prospect of Stanbury Splash, the first Fell club championship race of the year. With the adverse weather conditions and the race organiser making the decision to both shorten the course and announcing that the approach roads to Penistone Quarry were in a poor condition a late announcement was made by club captains myself and Jean Brown to cancel this as a club championship race. This decision was not taken lightly, however we felt the safety of our members was paramount and we did not want anybody to feel they had to drive in those conditions just to get a club championship counter. My apologies again for such a late announcement as I know a number of individuals had already set off to the race and talking of those individuals John Hanson sends this report.

Stanbury Splash…………..

Race day again and my 2^nd fell race since I’ve joined the club. Build up to this race was a little different and everyone’s eyes were on the weather. Personally I’d googled the race ( as every proper geek would) and was so impressed by the look of it that I was doing the race whatever the weather, once my mind is set on something I’m doing it.

The morning of the race came and it had been changed to a shorter 5 mile course, it didn’t matter as I was looking forward to it, so off we go.

On the way over I saw a few club members making their way over and I was glad that I’m not the only one. Sanity check not needed for today.

On arrival the land is covered in snow and the views are amazing, really gave me the buzz for being there and wanting to race. Time to register and have a quick warm up before its time to get to the line. Just before 11:30 we all gather at the bottom of the quarry and get ready to start, I’m stood with Dave Bagot and John Roche. I’m enjoying the atmosphere and also looking forward to getting going just to warm up a little.

Race starts and we are off to a 1 mile climb, fairly boggy but a steady easy climb. I was unfortunate to get stuck behind people on the climb but I kept managing to find a place to overtake as we got further up the hill.

(John Hanson above in the red jacket)

Race continues to get even boggier and one minute you’re on your legs, the next your down to your knees in mud and just about staying upright. Tough going but great fun and let’s face it we all love getting muddy on a fell run. About 2 and half miles in Dave Bagot is still in sight and I feel strong, I just keep pushing through, tapping up the hills and overtaking as often as I can. Then the downhill comes. We all start flying down and people are hitting the deck left right and centre, including myself. We make it to the bottom and then a slight climb up and I manage to overtake a few more on a good section where I could pick some speed up down to the road crossing, we make it past the road but I can’t just get in front of the next guy and before I know it we are at the finish line.

A fantastic race which had me smiling all day.

(Still smiling……..L-R Natalie Harrison, Vicky Heyes, Angela Shian)

31. Dave Bagot 40:34

59. Jon Hanson 42:43

97. John Roche 44:54

99. Chris Funnell 44:57

110.John Wilcock 45:27

140. Richard Briscoe 47:16

144. Vicky Heys 47:24

171. Angela Shian 49:26

176. Natalie Harrison 49:42

251. Katie Thompson 55:02

277.Kath Brady 57:05

Full results here

At Giggleswick in the Kendal Winter League series we had another fantastic junior performance from Briony Holt who battled in tough conditions to win the girls race.

(Briony Holt)

In the senior race we had great performances from…….

22. Alan Life 28:01 (1st V50)

112. Carol Life 36:42

118. Wendy Dodds 37:13 (1st LV60)

132. Stephen Fish 38:34

At the Inskip 1/2 Marathon Michael Hogan said “I think I was the only clayton vest at the Inskip 1/2 marathon this morning, chuffing chilly and icy in places but a really good morning out. Here comes Marathon Training – Happy Days”

Full results are not out yet but I will update asap.

and finally Parkrun – I’m not going to do the usual World Update because I don’t know (Adrienne will be back next week) 🙂 but as usual we had members out in force at both Burnley & Pendle (and im sure uk wide).

and the only other thing is a reminder about the ‘Club do’ or Annual Presentation evening.

ByAdrienne Olszewska

There’s no place like home, XC at Towneley and the rest of the week’s action

And the wind did howl, and the wind did moan… but it still doesn’t deter Clayton-le-Moors Harriers. We are a hardy bunch and a bit of a breeze and a nip in the air isn’t going to get our way! Out in force at the cross country in Towneley park, up on the fells, pounding the roads, and parkrunning in nasty conditions. You just can’t keep a Harrier down.

Mid-Lancs Cross Country – Towneley

This was home turf for many of our members especially the juniors who run here most Saturdays so it was an excellent turnout and event for them. There were a few first-timers for the seniors running in this event so well done to them and we hope it is the first of many!

Junior Race Report – from Andy Armstrong

A blustery cold day greeted our junior runners on Saturday for the latest round of the Mid Lancs XC Series. Despite the weather we had an excellent turnout with 27 young athletes braving the conditions.

Our under 13 girls secured first team place and our under 15 boys grabbed the second team position. We don’t really like to single runners out as they all did superbly just to turn out & run in the conditions but a special mention has to go to Jackson who, having finished his race, continued running through the finish funnel and back onto the field to run in with his younger brother Josh (in his first XC competition).

I also have to mention a gutsy performance from Lucy Stevenson in the under 15 girls race. It’s not easy for an adult to finish at the back of the field, it’s even harder for a teenager; Lucy continues to turn up & train hard and the results will come.

Gutsy runner Lucy Stephenson

U-11 Girls
Our under 11 girls turned out in force and there were top ten finishes for both Ella Dorrington and Sophie Ashworth who was running her first cross country race. Well done to our youngest girls who put in some solid performances in tough conditions.

Positon	Name	Time
6	Ella Dorrington	8:13
7	Sophie Ashworth	8:14
30	Keira Stevenson	9:03
31	Roanna Holdsworth	9:04
37	Grace Root	9:26
43	Kady Thompson	10:02
53	Rachel Stevenson	10:57
54	Millie Mccabe	11:51

U-11 Boys
Another win for Jackson McKay and some great performances all round in difficult conditions. It was great to see Jackson heading back onto the course to support his brother Joshua; do we have the Brownlee brothers of the future? Let’s hope so! Well done boys.

Jackson running back to support his brother Joshua after finishing in first place.

Positon	Name	Time
1	Jackson McKay	6:54
13	Dexta Thompson	7:28
23	Finley Stubbs	8:08
46	Jack Skelly	9:16
51	Joshua McKay	9:48
56	Finan Holdsworth	10:04

U-13 Girls
Our exceptional under 13 girls continue to enjoy success with superb runs from all four of them earning a well deserved first team result. There’s just no stopping Briony, Ellie, Liberty and Millie.

Positon	Name	Time
2	Briony Holt	9:56
5	Eleanor Root	10:38
10	Liberty Thompson	11:02
13	Millie Stubbs	11:10

Our unstoppable U-13 girls. L-R Ellie Root, Liberty Thompson, Millie Stubbs, Briony Holt

Team Position – 1^st place!

U-13 Boys
Two of our U-13 boys took part. Well done Adam and Harry.

Adam Quinn in the U-13 boys race

Positon	Name	Time
11	Adam Quinn	11:59
29	Harry Mason	13:43

U-15 Girls
Alice Pier and Lucy Stevenson represented the club in this age group. Well done girls!

Positon	Name	Time
10	Alice Pier	12:21
14	Lucy Stevenson	17:01

U-15 Boys
Our under 15 boys ran well and earned themselves 2^nd place team. Great effort from Curtis, Thomas and Ryan.

Positon	Name	Time
9	Curtis Holt	14:28
13	Thomas Bradley	15:32
17	Ryan Clarke	15:57

U-17 Women
Bethany Quinn was our sole representative in this goup and finished in 9^th place with a time of 18:23 Well done Bethany!

U-17 Men
Jordan McDonald had a great run finishing in 6^th place with a time of 19:58. Well done Jordan!

Ladies Race Report by Ladies’ Captain, Irene Roche

Ladies XC Captain, Irene Roche, in action at Towneley

I arrived at Towneley Park today via wind power and extremely cold one at that! Should have put more layers on over the usual hoody and jacket! However, spirits were not iced or crushed amongst the good turnout we had today. Although we complained about the cold, the start line was awash with tangerine and with the passing of best wishes to “have a good run”, we were off.

It’s safe to say the wind both pushed us on and pushed us back, depending where you were on the field. Having battled the elements, Clayton ladies all finished in excellent style. From the front Angela overtook Vicky, Natalie (relatively new to XC) following close behind. A particular well done to our first three counters! The results show excellent efforts also, from the rest of our ladies.

The Vet 55s gained first place for their group while other categories came in with good positions. Particular congratulations to Nikki Kay for completing her first XC and to Jacqueline Kershaw for giving it a go “instead of the road”. Much appreciated girls!

And so, for the magnificent turn out by Clayton members today, a big thanks as always to all.

Cheers everyone, Irene

Position	Name	Cat	Time
49	Angela Shian	L35	25:10
50	Vicky Heys	L35	25:11
51	Natalie Harrison	L	25:13
54	Irene Roche	L55	25:30
70	Jean Knightley	L55	26:15
79	Dawn Richardson	L45	26:34
85	Julia Rushton	L45	27:16
93	Sarah Helliwell	L	27:52
95	Tanya Ashworth	L	27:58
96	Kath Brady	L45	27:59
105	Katy Thompson	L55	28:57
110	Helen Burnett	L35	29:23
113	Michelle Butschok	L35	29:46
118	Yvonne Wickham	L45	30:05
133	Jackie Kershaw	L35	31:14
149	Nicola Kay	L	33:18
157	Susan Allen	L45	34:02
160	Christine Leathley	L65	35:24

Ladies Team Results

Team A – (A Shian, V Heys, N Harrison) 13^th place
Team B – (I Roche, J Knightley, D Richardson) 20^th place

Over 35 Team Results
Team A (A Shian, V Heys, I Roche) 8^th place
Team B (J Knightley, D Richardson, J Rushton) 10^th place

Over 45 Team Results
Team A (I Roche, J Knightley, D Richardson) 4^th place
Team B (J Rushton, K Brady, K Thompson) 8^th place

Over 55 Team Results
1^st place (I Roche, J Knightley, K Thompson)

Mens Race Report by Men’s Captain, Ian Greenwood

Clayton showed their true colours at the Mid Lancs Cross Country at Towneley Park, Burnley. I would just like to say a big thank you to all Team Clayton that turned out at Burnley on Saturday. It was great to see the young talent in the club putting in some outstanding performances. Senior men’s team on the day finished second to Blackburn Harriers. Let’s have the same performance at the next fixture at Blackpool in February, and that will see us gain promotion to division one where Clayton Harriers belong.

On a personal note sorry I had to drop out on the day, all down to a Christmas virus and a niggling injury. Let’s see Team Clayton out in force at Blackpool.

Ian Greenwood, Senior Mens Cross Country Captain

George Pier (far left) giving Dave Motley and the other senior men a run for their money!

Well done to George Pier who ran in the senior men’s race, finishing 62^nd overall and 9^th U20. He was the 5^th Harrier to finish making him a counter in our 5^th team place. George is definitely giving the senior men a run for their money. One to watch!

Position	Name	Cat	Time
16	Chris Holdsworth	M	34:07
21	Jonny McKenna	M	34:27
39	Breton Holdsworth	V40	35:53
51	Lee Smith	M	35:50
62	George Pier	U20	37:41
63	Dave Motley	M	37:43
85	Ryan Belshaw	M	38:43
89	Carl Helliwell	M	38:49
92	Garry Wilkinson	V50	38:58
98	Andrew Orr	V40	39:18
99	Jon Hanson	M	39:20
112	Alex Cran	V40	39:55
117	Michael O’Donnell	V40	40:04
121	Michael Hogan	V40	40:09
122	Richard Briscoe	M	40:10
150	David Naughton	V50	41:51
160	John Wilcock	V50	42:27
175	Peter Booth	V60	43:13
198	Andy Quinn	V40	44:31
210	Stephen White	V50	45:25
211	Andrew Howarth	V50	45:31
216	Dugald McCallum	V60	45:50
229	David Scott	V70	46:41
235	Darren Rushton	V40	47:00
246	Martin Brady	V50	48:20
272	Robert Hirst	V60	52:11
273	Ted Orrell	V70	52:16

Garry Wilkinson – member of the senior, V40 and V50 teams.

Senior Men Team Results

Team A (C Holdsworth, J McKenna, B Holdsworth, L Smith, G Pier, D Motley) 5^th Place
Team B – (R Belshaw, C Helliwell, G Wilkinson, A Orr, J Hanson, A Cran) 11^th Place

Vet 40 Team Results
Team A – (B Holdsworth, G Wilkinson, A Orr, A Cran) 3^rd Place
Team B – (M O’Donnell, M Hogan, D Naughton, J Wilcock) 12^th Place

Vet 50 Team Results
Team A – (G Wilkinson, D Naughton, J Wilcock) 3^rd Place
Team B – (P Booth, Stephen White, A Howarth) 13^th Place

Vet 60 Team Results
(P Booth, D McCallum, D Scott) 1^st place

Full Results

Garstang 10K – 11th January

Well done Stephen Biscomb who came 90th in a field of 475 runners with a time of 00:42:36.

Full Results

Fell Race Results

Firbank Fell – Sunday, 11th January

Ladies fell captain, Jean Brown, Carol and Alan Life and Stephen Fish all took part in the senior KWL Firbank Fell race It is described as a fast cross-country/fell course that contains a surprising amount of climbing and as the seniors have 2 laps there are 6 streams to cross. The course can be quite exposed in poor weather. “The weather was very cold wet and windy and we had our cags on most of the time”, said Jean. Her son, Christopher Brown took part in the junior race.

Position	Name	Cat	Time
27	Alan Life	MV50	25:20
73	Jean Brown	LV40	29:15
97	Carol Life	LV40	32:03
122	Stephen Fish	MV60	33:38

Christopher Brown finished in 34th place with a time of 7:14 in the under 12s race in a field of 73 runners. Well done!

Full results

The Trigger Race – Sunday 11th January

Also over the weekend was the Trigger race organised by Nicky Spinks. In the Trigger Race entrants navigate their way from Marsden over Black Hill, Bleaklow and Kinder to Edale visiting three trigs points on route. The linear route is measured at 20 miles with 4500 feet climb.

198 runners that took part. It was a very successful race despite dire weather forecasts in the week leading up to the race. The altered course and the weather conditions – wet underfoot and a howling wind made for slower times overall.

Wendy Dodds took part finishing in 151st place in a time of 5:51:47

Full Results

Parkrun Roundup

Burnley parkrun – A total of 139 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
2	Jonathan PYE	00:19:06
3	Jacob WATSON	00:19:13
8	Stephen AINSWORTH	00:21:44
25	Martin BRADY	00:24:27
49	Donna SCOTT	00:26:46
71	Annabel WILCOCK	00:27:33
73	John WILCOCK	00:27:39

Keswick parkrun – total of 77 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
56	Eileen JONES	00:31:04

Pendle parkrun – A total of 30 runners took part.

Position	parkrunner	Run Time
3	John HARTLEY	00:22:52
26	Christine Jennifer EGERTON	00:32:26

Coming up

Northern Athletics 12 & 6 Stage Road Relays Championships

The date and location of the Mens 12 stage and Womens 6 stage Northern Relays have been released, 28th March at Sefton Park in Liverpool – Clayton Harriers are looking to enter teams into this event and improve on last years position.

If ANY able bodied male or female runners would like the opportunity to represent their club please contact Tom Brewster (mens) or Angela Shian (womens) to register your interest.

Club Membership Renewals

Subscriptions for 2015 became due on January 1st 2015 and renewal forms have been sent to members during December. Please take some time to check your personal details and advise any changes to the Membership Secretary.

If you do not currently pay your subscription by standing order please consider joining the many members who already do. A standing order form is attached to the renewal form.

More details and payment information

President’s Social Run – Saturday 17th January

After running from Blacko Chapel for 23 years, sadly it is now up for sale, so
this year I will try a run from our house. We can probably cope with the usual
number. Usually very muddy with lots of stiles!

2.00pm – 47 Stone Edge Road, Higherford, BB9 6BB.

PFO Orienteering- 17th January

Need to improve your navigation skills? Why not have a go on one of the orienteering courses organised by Pendle Forest Orienteers at Gawthorpe Hall this Saturday

Details

And finally…

Good luck to all of our club members who are taking part in the Hebden, the Stanbury Splash, the East Lancs Hospice 10k, or KWL Giggleswick fell race. Have a great run and don’t forget to tell us how it went.

Fell captain, Dave Motley will be guest editing the next weekly roundup.

News

Pendle Primary Schools Cross Country Championship – 26th February

Red Rose Cross Country League Presentation Night

Midgley Moor Fell Race – 28th February

PFO Orienteering Spring Series – Nick of Pendle – 28th February

High Cup Fell Race 2015 – 28th February

Trotters 5

Harden Trail Race – 1st March

Haweswater Half Marathon – 1st March

Stanley Park 10k Day 2 – 1st March

Parkrun roundup

Coming up

Mr Sparkle’s Dark ‘Un – 20th February 2015

English National Cross Country Championships – 21st February

Bleasedale Circle Fell Race – 21st February

Loughrigg-Silver Howe Race – 22nd February

Sedburgh School Fell Race – 22nd February

Ilkley Moor Fell Race – 22nd February

The Terry Nortley 10 Mile Multi Terrain Race – 22nd February

Peeler’s Hike – 22nd February

Trailblazer 12 Charity Challenge – 22nd February

Other News

And finally…

Mid Lancs League Cross Country – Blackpool

Late Results – Sidney & Andy’s Birthday 5k 7 February

Valentines Day 10K – 14 & 15 February

Anglezarke Amble 14 February

Parbold Hill Race 14 February

Windy Hill Fell Race – 14 February

Run Mount Juliet – 14 February

Calder Vale Muddy Shoes Race 15 February

Carnethy 5 – 15th February

parkrun roundup

The Rauceby Ripper – Saturday 7 February

The Wadsworth Trog – Saturday 7 February

Lancashire Schools Cross Country Championships, Witton Park – Saturday 7 February

PFO Spring Intro Series – Witton Park

Winter Warmer 10K – Sunday 8 February

Parkrun roundup

Coming up

Tangerine Training Night – Tuesday 24th February 6.30pm

Club Presentation Night – 21st March

Pendle Forest Orienteers – Spring Series

Birkrigg Common Fell Races – Sunday 1st February

Club competitions

Cross Country Palladium

Senior Runner of the Month

Parkrun roundup

Bolton parkrun – A total of 268 runners took part.

Burnley parkrun – A total of 172 runners took part.

Pendle parkrun – A total of 63 runners took part.

Fell Foot parkrun, Newby Bridge – A total of 135 runners took part.

Your Club Needs You!

Mid Lancs Cross Country

Volunteering

DOnt’t Forget

Sad News

Coming up

Mid-Lancs Cross Country – Towneley

Junior Race Report – from Andy Armstrong

Garstang 10K – 11th January

Fell Race Results

Parkrun Roundup

Northern Athletics 12 & 6 Stage Road Relays Championships

Club Membership Renewals

President’s Social Run – Saturday 17th January

PFO Orienteering- 17th January

And finally…

Mr Sparkle’s Dark ‘Un – 20^th February 2015

English National Cross Country Championships – 21^st February

Bleasedale Circle Fell Race – 21^st February

Loughrigg-Silver Howe Race – 22^nd February

Sedburgh School Fell Race – 22^nd February

Ilkley Moor Fell Race – 22^nd February

The Terry Nortley 10 Mile Multi Terrain Race – 22^nd February

Peeler’s Hike – 22^nd February

Trailblazer 12 Charity Challenge – 22^nd February

Birkrigg Common Fell Races – Sunday 1^st February