News – Page 28 – Clayton-le-Moors Harriers

Lottery Funding Award of £8900

Clayton-le-Moors Harriers are delighted to announce the award of a grant of £8904 from Sport England, which will support our talented group of juniors. The grant has been awarded to the ‘Burnley Running Community’ project which lasts for one year. The awarding of the grant is largely down to the hard work of club members Marion Wilkinson, Jason Pier, Andy Armstrong and everyone involved, that have helped make our juniors the success that they are.

A large part of the award is to provide additional coaching for eleven of our older juniors, to encourage sustained participation into adult running. These members are now able to attend weekly gym strength & conditioning classes for a year at St Peter’s Leisure Centre in Burnley. The award also supports the training of additional coaches for our club, promotion and publicity, as well as mini bus travel to races and driver training.

The grant will help the club to sustain the high level of quality that is emerging through the ranks. Without such support, it can become an uphill task to maintain the enthusiasm needed to keep our youngsters in the sport as they become young adults. All of our thanks and gratitude goes to Sport England for helping us to develop our juniors into our senior runners of the future!

However, it isn’t just the juniors that will receive the benefits. The award has enabled Burnley Getin2 Running to hold adult beginners group sessions, which are held in the distraction free parks of Burnley. Led by qualified leaders, these sessions are held at Thompson Park on Mondays at 6:30pm, Saturdays at 11am and Sundays at 10am. There is also a session at Towneley Park on Thursdays at 6pm. For further information visit runengland.org, or call 01282 425011. We look forward to seeing more people taking up running to get fit, and hope that some will decide to become a part of our success and join us.

Boulsworth Fell Race 2014 & The Rest Of The Weekend’s Action

Boulsworth Fell Race 2014

‘As I approached the final stretch I could hear the footsteps of runners approaching in my ear. I really began to dig in as I heard the dulcet tones of Mr Roche in my head shouting “have a word Martin..”

Running, why running my good lady wife, Alison, would say…………………

It all started back in 2012 when I wanted to get back on a bike and take to the open roads. Back in my younger days I had been a very keen cyclist but unfortunately, due to injury, I had to retire. The longing to do something I had always enjoyed remained with me and so I went and bought myself a bike naively thinking I could get back on a saddle and start where I had left off. Sadly not the case! The years had taken their toll on my fitness levels and so I started to do a bit of running to try and build up my stamina.

It was at this point that I was told about John “have a word” Roche and his sessions at Towneley park. I went along to the beginners group, did an odd park run, progressed to the next group, and made myself a member of the club in 2013 taking in a few races along the way.

This year I made the decision to enter as many of the Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix races as was possible and had finally reached the last race of the season, Boulsworth Fell Race.

Race Day…

We arrived at Trawden Playing Fields on a cool, windy and VERY WET morning. I was really looking forward to today’s race and it was really nice to see that lots of runners had turned out despite the weather conditions.

I didn’t know what to expect as I had not run it before but some had told me it was a “toughie”. As we set off up the long climb all I wanted to do was reach the top, but keeping in mind to take it easy at the start and not be tempted to rush off. As I approached the top of the climb a big sigh of relief came into play as I could see there was some level ground that lay ahead.

Courtesy of Trawden 7

It was at this point I could see a long line of runners in front of me tackling the main stretch of the course. I started to focus and raced ahead as I knew once I had reached the summit I could then look forward to the downhill part of the race, and the finish line. Keeping a nice steady pace I continued down the hill, passing others along the way, motivating me even more to the finish. As I approached the final stretch I could hear the footsteps of runners approaching in my ear. I really began to dig in as I heard the dulcet tones of Mr Roche in my head shouting “have a word Martin”, and I really didn’t want to be caught in my final footsteps to the finish line.

What a relief I had finally made it and completed this challenging course and my 13^th race of the season. YES, I had managed to run in all of them! I hope to continue with the Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix in 2015 and hopefully improve my times. Watch this space!

Congratulations to all competitors who have taken part in the Grand Prix and look forward to seeing many of the friendly faces in 2015.

Thanks to Martin Griffin for this weeks race report! Full results can be found here.

The Rest of the Weekend’s Action

Only three other races this week! (that I’m aware of) With a third from Sierre-Zinal 2014‏ which will be featured as next week’s race report!

Firstly, we had two harriers competing over at the 2014 Blackpool Airshow 10k. Ted Orrell finished as the 1st M75 in his category, in 00:50:09, whilst Julie Toman finished in 00:54:11. Well done on what I would imagine was a blustery day over in Blackpool!

Over in Preston we had 9 Harriers compete at the Welcome Tavern 10k Challenge. Terry O’Leary continued his great run of form, finishing 5th just five seconds ahead of Kevin Davies. Full Clayton-le-Moors Harriers results are as follows –

5 00:38:04 284 O’Leary Terry Clayton le Moors Harriers M
6 00:38:09 285 Davies Kevin Clayton le Moors Harriers V50 M
10 00:40:35 281 Hogan Michael Clayton le Moors Harriers V45 M
16 00:43:20 283 Clarkson Alan Clayton le Moors Harriers V55 M
26 00:46:26 272 Brady Martin Clayton le Moors Harriers V50 M
33 00:47:02 274 Wildman Brian Clayton le Moors Harriers V45 M
41 00:48:55 278 Moore Lee Clayton le Moors Harriers M
57 00:52:05 279 Duffy Amanda Clayton le Moors Harriers V35 F
86 00:59:53 269 O’Brien Kevin Clayton le Moors Harriers V70 M

Clayton-le-Moors are certainly broadening their horizons this week! Paul Shackleton ran at the British Masters Track and Field Championships. He did amazingly well and secured a silver medal in the V50 300 meter steeplechase!! Amazing effort Paul. In his own words ‘And some people think Clayton is just a fell club!’

In other news, Breton Holdsworth completed his ‘pigramige’ into the V40’s by completing the seriously impressive challenge of running over 40 miles in one go. He ran from Bolton Abbey to York Minister with the help from Nick Gaskell, Johnny McKenna, Micheal O’Donnell, Dave Motley, Joanne Motley, Chris Singleton, Christina Singleton, Christopher Holdsworth, Adam Shaw, Lee Smith, Ryan Wilkinson and Jim Hickie, who all joined in at various stages. There was also support from cyclists Neil Worswick and Adam Hamer, whilst Sophie McIntosh and wife Paula Holdsworth supported in the car. Breton would like to thank all of those who have supported him, as well as to everyone who made a donation. A massive £565 has been raised so far for North West Air Ambulance, if you’d like to make a donation the link is here – https://www.justgiving.com/Breton-Holdsworth/

As previously mentioned, a race report from the Sierre-Zinal 2014‏ will be featured next week by Ivan Whigham. Well done to everyone who ran this week, with a special mention going to Jacob Boyle for his fantastic win at Boulsworth Fell Race!

Worsthorne Moor Fell Race & the rest of the weekends action.

Worsthorne Moor Fell Race

I heard a voice from afar ‘stop running like you’re dancing!’ I turned round to see a sprightly young gentleman (you can pay me later John) running towards me, who I have now come to know as John Roche

How my journey began……..

Just over a year ago I was running along(well a leisurely trot might be more apt!) Red Lees Road, Cliviger, in my own little world, when I heard a voice from afar ‘stop running like you’re dancing!’ I turned round to see a sprightly young gentleman (you can pay me later John) running towards me, who I have now come to know as John Roche. After criticising my running style, the cheeky beggar was going to run straight past me but I insisted he gave me a mini session on my technique there and then-elbows in, knees up! John told me about his beginners training at Towneley and after a lot of blood, sweat and feeling sick I was moved up to his more advanced group before Christmas. Irene Roche encouraged me to join Clayton, I would never have had the confidence to do this without Irene’s encouragement and confidence in me. The support and encouragement I have received from Clayton has been amazing and I have made some great friends.

Courtesy of Steve Bateson

Race Day

Today I did the Worsthorne Moor trail race. It was tough, especially the long uphill start, but John’s training sessions have improved my stamina and Irene’s wise words to ‘tip tap’ up the steeper bits came in very useful. Every time I wanted to relax a bit I could hear John’s voice ‘have a word!’. The ice cold beer I had at the end with Michelle Butchok in the Billet made it all worthwhile. Just Boulsworth fell race to conquer now, with support from Jean Knightley(you can’t back out now Jean!) then I’ll have achieved my goal of 9 Grandprix runs!! I can’t thank you enough John for telling me to stop running like I’m dancing. That chance meeting really has changed my life for the better

Courtesy of Steve Bateson

28 of our members took part in the penultimate race of the Burnley & Pendle Grandprix. The race a tough 6.5 mile route starts with a tough climb up Gorple Rd before swinging out to Gorple & Hurstwood reservoir and returning to the start in Worsthorne. First Clayton member to pass the post, with a monster hangover, was Mr Orange himself Breton Holdsworth (6^th), Phil Hall proved he’s still one of the best around taking the V50 prize with skipper, Dave Motley in 13^th.

Courtesy of Steve Bateson

Full Clayton Results:

6. Breton Holdsworth 43:15

7.Phil Hall 44.19

13.Dave Motley 45:00

17.Paul Brannon 45:51

25.Dave Bagot 48:10

26.Richard Stevenson 48:37

28.Alan Life 49:09

29.Carl Helliwell 49:29

35.Chris Funnell 50:32

44.Richard Briscoe 52:49

45.John Wilcock 52.54

53.Andy Quinn 53:53

54.Peter Browning 54:05

60.Stephen White 55:23

67.Dave Naughton 56:40

70.Alex Braysford 56:48

72.Dave Scott 57:15

76.Martin Griffin 58:48

78.Stephen Ainsworth 59:07

85.Jean Knightley 1:00:40

88.Tanya Bunkham 1:02:38

96.Sarah Helliwell 1:04:34

97.Rachel Todd 1:05:13

98.Ron Chappell 1:05:54

100.Ted Orrell 1:06:53

104.Michelle Butschok 1:10:23

107.Stuart Barker 1:14:46

108.Christine Leathley 1:18:20

Full results can be found here

Thanks to Rachel Todd for this fantastic report

The rest of the weekends racing

Friday night saw the third running of the Padiham 5 Mile. The route from memorial park goes up & down the Padiham greenway to the canal and back. Clayton were out in force with a number of members taking part. Terry O’leary continued his recent impressive form finishing 1^st Clayton back in 5^th place. Jordan McDonald was 1^st junior back in 10^th and there were other outstanding junior performances from Kenan, Thomas, Ryan & Edward.

On Saturday in the picturesque village of Hellifield, two of our members took part in the annual gala race. 3^rd back overall with a really strong performance was Jacob Boyle, with the other ever present Clayton runner finishing in 20^th, Richard Briscoe.

Also on Saturday in really tough conditions 9 of our members took part in one of the Lakeland Classics, Borrowdale Fell Race. This epic race covers 16.5mile and 6500’ of climbing taking Bessyboot, Esk Hause, Great Gable and also the highest point in England, Scafell. As some of you are aware from media reports, there was an incident in which one runner suffered a fall from Scafell, I believe the runner was rescued and is now in a stable condition in hospital. However this shows the importance of carrying full kit, recceing courses and being able to read maps on these tough routes.

Spencer Riley was our 1^st member back in 24^th Place. Our Lakeland specialist Dave Nuttall finished in 82^nd with Andy Robinson not far behind in 96^th. Fell legend Wendy Dodds finished 1^st V60 in 150^th with fantastic runs from Nicholas Olszewski, Barbara Savage, John Rusius and Paul Wale.

24. Spencer Riley – 3:40.03

82. Dave Nuttall – 4:09:48

96. Andrew Robinson – 4:14:46

150. Wendy Dodds – 4:37:23

200. Nicholas Olszewski – 4:55:06

213. Barbara Savage – 4:59:57

226. John Rusius – 5:11:25

254. Paul Wale – 5:33:27

Terry O’Leary had a busy weekend and was one of two members out in Preston for the Wagon & Horses 10mile. Terry finished 14^th in a time of 62:53, with ever present road expert Steve Biscomb running 10miles in 73:10.

August Newsletter

The brand new edition of the Harrier is here! On time! Follow the link to catch up on loads of recent results for junior and seniors. There’s a report from Mike Wallis about the Saunders Mountain Marathon and an update on the Summer Series. Not forgetting all the usual features: Run of the Month, Covering Old Ground, Milestones & Training info.

Ring 18th September in your diary – it’s the club AGM & 5000 metre track race – details on p4. August Newsletter 2014

Welcome Tavern 5k Race Report

Welcome Tavern 5k Report

Instead of doing the normal midweek fell training with the club, I thought that I would have a change – the Welcome Tavern 5k over at Preston. I thought, ‘I’ll get there early’ so I left home at 6pm and it wasn’t a very good start to the night! I’d realised that I’d left my Garmin watch, which I use all the time to time myself, so didn’t have time to go back.

The race was reasonably flat with two hills and was based in a park near Lostock Hall. Unfortunately, I started a bit too fast and was with the leaders for the first mile. I wanted to break my 19 min record (when will I ever do it!) but I was 18 seconds off. Another Clayton runner Lee Moore had a great run in 22 mins.

Was a good night with a pie and peas supper after the race.

Full results will be here

Thank you very much Richard Briscoe for submitting this race report!

We welcome all race reports and would like to hear from all of you in your midweek adventures, as well your weekend ones too for that matter! You needn’t wait to be asked to submit a report, simply post your report here. It doesn’t just have to be reports either, if you have any photography that you’d like to share, please post those too! Thanks.

Towneley Park 10k 2014 & The Rest of the Weekend’s Action

Towneley Park 10k 2014

‘My decision to pace myself paid off as I knew that the small climb out towards Todmorden road was just the start. Upping my pace and trying not to lose my place within the pack I carelessly plodded along until it dawned on me what was coming next…’

A brief Introduction…

As one of Clayton’s newest recruits, I thought I’d give a little bit of a background story about myself and how I (Jacob Watson) became a member of this legendary running club.

Like all runners who positioned themselves at the top of the Avenue in Towneley Park, my journey to the start line didn’t begin on the morning of the 27^th of July. Mine started back in 2012 after a rather self-indulgent Holiday in America, when I realised that I’d inadvertently put on a few pounds. To remedy this I decided to make a change to my lifestyle and took up what I called ‘jogging’. Like most new runners I could barely run to the end of the street, however within a few weeks I was jogging up to 3 miles every few days.

2013 came about and at the end of July I signed up to my first parkrun. That was it, I was hooked! I’d noticed a few white and orange vest during my first few runs but didn’t think much of it at the time (other than noticing that they seemed to be winning a lot!)

2014 saw a few personal bests at Parkrun and I started paying more attention to these white and orange vests, so much so that in April I took the decision to join in on one of John Roche’s speed sessions. “Why didn’t I do this ages ago” I thought to myself! The experience was the polar opposite of the lonely evening runs I’d been doing and I was starting to enjoy running more than ever.

Months passed and after a few more club training sessions I took the plunge, filled in the application form, bought the club vest and I haven’t looked back! In my short time with the club I’ve met some great runners who have given me sterling advice. I’ve pushed myself much harder than I would have done running by myself and I’ve seen some huge improvements. Most importantly though is the fact that running has gone from something I’d do every few days to stay in shape and turned into something I genuinely enjoy and look forward too.

Race day!

Courtesy of Steve Bateson Photography

Fast forward to the present day and I’m stood in Towneley Park at the top of the Avenue waiting for the race to get underway. John Roche was on hand to give some words of advice about the changes to the route before handing over to the race starter. “Ready…. Go” and we were off! The temptation to go full pelt down towards the crossroads at the bottom of the hill was there, however I took the decision to hold back as I had an idea of some of the climbs to come. The downhill stretch from the Avenue was short-lived as we turned left and ran back up towards Towneley Hall followed by a right after Stables Café. My decision to pace myself paid off as I knew that the small climb out towards Todmorden road was just the start. Upping my pace and trying not to lose my place within the pack I carelessly plodded along until it dawned on me what was coming next.

Courtesy of Steve Bateson Photography

Turning left onto Mount Lane I thought to myself “This is a lot steeper than I remember”. A few words of encouragement from Kevin Davies gave me the motivation I would need to get myself up to the top. I knew it was a relatively long and steep climb, but I also knew it was pretty much all downhill from the top. The climb seemed to go on forever and my energy was waning as we turned left for the final part of the hill. Some of the runners I’d tried to keep pace with had left me for dust but I knew what was coming next.

Courtesy of Steve Bateson Photography

The final two miles were certainly the fastest and I was glad to have paced myself during the beginning of the run. I caught back up with the pack as we turned left off Red Lees road and back towards Towneley Park. Next was a much needed descent down past the golf course and towards the crossroads at the bottom of the Avenue.

Courtesy of Steve Bateson Photography

This felt good but I knew there was one last (relatively small) climb before the end. We turned off to the right at the crossroads and then back up to the final hill and I knew I had enough energy left in the tank to put in a good finish. We ran back down towards the crossroads one last time, turned right and the finish line was in sight! A few cheers from the crowd gave me the extra push I needed to put it all in and cross the line. I checked my Garmin and while it wasn’t my fastest time, I couldn’t have cared. I knew I’d ran well and most of all I enjoyed the experience. Towenely Park 10k will definitely be on my race calendar for 2015!

Courtesy of Steve Bateson Photography

Race results

Jonny McKenna was first Clayton vest over the line (and second overall) with a very impressive time of 34:52, followed by Christopher Holdsworth who managed to creep in at sub 36 with 35:59 to take 3rd. Jordan McDonald continues to shine after being first Clayton at Todmorden 5k on Thursday. He ran a very impressive time as first junior in 37:57. Well done Jordan!

Courtesy of Breton Holdsworth

Phil Hall managed an exceptional time of 38:15 as first M50 and Stephen Biscomb continues to impress as first in the M60 category with a fantastic time of 42:28.

Courtesy of Breton Holdsworth

Irene Roche claimed first finisher in the F55 category with a superb time of 47:41 and David Scott grabbed first M70 with a seriously quick 48:15. David was followed by Dawn Terry, who claimed first in the F50 category with a speedy 48:19, closely followed by Ted Orrel who bagged a fantastic time as first M75 with 51:50. Marion Wilkinson was first in the F70 category with a great time of 58:55. Good efforts all round! Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Results in Full:

Pos	Name	Category	Time
2	Jonny McKenna	M	34:52
3	Chris. Holdsworth	M	35:59
6	Breton Holdsworth	M	36:47
7	Jordan McDonald	MJ	37:57
10	Phil Hall	M50	38:15
13	Paul Hesketh	M45	38:52
16	Paul Brannon	M55	38:55
18	Jacob Watson	M	39:04
20	Dave Motley	M	39:23
25	Roger Brewster	M55	39:59
30	Russ Clarke	M	40:54
31	Carl Helliwell	M	41:03
34	Richard Briscoe	M	41:34
43	Stephen Biscomb	M60	42:28
48	Kenan Eti	MJ	43:02
53	Alan Clarkson	M55	43:34
57	Andy Bradley	M45	44:15
59	Andy Quinn	M40	44:47
67	Gordon Barrett	M50	45:35
71	Peter Browning	M55	46:48
79	Irene Roche	F55	47:41
85	David I Scott	M70	48:15
86	Dawn Terry	F50	48:19
90	Brian Wildman	M45	48:37
99	Martin Griffin	M50	49:32
102	Julia Rushton	F50	50:01
103	Lee Moore	M	50:05
109	Jean Knightley	F55	51:09
110	Tanya Bunkham	F	51:19
112	Ted Orrell	M75	51:50
117	Jackie Kershaw	F40	53:33
119	Richard Lawson	M70	53:43
121	Rachel Todd	F40	53:54
123	Ron Chappell	M65	55:17
125	Sarah Helliwell	F	55:29
129	Stuart Barker	M45	56:23
132	Robert Hirst	M60	57:28
133	Marion Wilkinson	F70	58:55
134	Michelle Butschok	F40	58:59
141	Andrew Brewster	M50	1:03:13
142	Christine Leathley	F65	1:04:14
145	Jack McGuire	M55	1:07:47

Thanks to Jacob Watson for the race report! Full results found here.

The Rest of the Weekend’s Action

With the race at Towneley being a Road Championship Race, as well as a Grand Prix race, this section will be slightly shorter than usual. That being said, we have a few exciting results to share! Clayton-le-Moors Harriers running couple, Nicholas and Adrienne Olszewski, took on the Lakeland 50, whilst Andrew Armstrong went a step further and tackled the Lakeland 100. The three lunatics all had fantastic outings. Nicholas finished just over the 12 hour mark in 12:03:24 and was also the 1st M54. Adrienne was able to keep going for a consecutive 16:13:51 hours. What an amazing effort from the Olszewski’s!

Courtesy of Nicholas Olszewski

In the 100 mile race, Andy Armstrong finished as the 4th man in the M45 category. His race lasted a whopping 32:32:29! Completing 100 miles in a week is quite the accomplishment, so for Andy to do it over the course of this weekend is one of the hardest feats out there! Well done all three of you!!

Our club seems to spawn the most resilient and faithful fell runners of all the clubs competing today. When the speedsters are done racing 10k’s, when the dreamers are done climbing miles of arduous mountains; there will always be the reliable few who come out of the woodwork to compete at our local fell races. Two of those are Ivan Whigham and Andrew Robinson, who ran at this years Turnslack Fell Race 2014. Andrew narrowly outran his fellow club member, finishing in 01:29:26, whereas Ivan finished in 01:30:00 exactly. Most importantly however, both men were able to take 1st prize in their respective age categories of V50 an V60. Great effort men!!

There, I think that’s enough padding for one weekend! Don’t forget to check out our training section, and come and join in!

Juniors at Large; Wednesday 23rd July

The FRA junior championship has now drawn to a close and Briony Holt’s win at Kettlewell has secured her joint first place in the under 12; well done Briony!

The winners cup is on a timeshare; Chloe Rylance of Ambleside gets to look after it for six months then I’m sure it’ll have pride of place in the Holt household.

Our Three Seasons Challenge has finally finished with thirteen members making the trip to Widdop. The results table has been updated and we’ll organise a prize giving early in the Autumn term. Well done to all who took part,whether you just managed to get to a few races or you won your age group. It’s especially encouraging to see more younger runners coming through in the under 8 and under 10 categories, proof that Marion’s Thursday sessions are increasingly popular and are producing results.

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Also in the news; Jordan McDonald was nominated for a Burnley Sports Award as a Rising Star. He attended the prize giving dinner on Thursday 10th July and got to meet five times Olympian and world record swimmer Mark Foster.
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Team Root has been busy at multi sport again; Ellie Root came 6th girl out of 14th in Tri-stars 3 in the Wirral Triathlon on Sunday 29th June and both Ellie & Grace Root took part in the Salt Ayre Triathlon, Grace was 4th girl (out of 6) in supersprint and Ellie was 8th girl out of 22. After Wirral Ellie is currently standing in 10th position in the North West Junior Tri Championships.

Well done to all our runners at the Trawden 7 junior races, you get a mention and a picture in Chris Holdsworth’s race round up HERE.

That’s all for this week, well done to you all, apologies to anyone I’ve missed!

Pictures courtesy of;

Woodentops

Andy Ford/EightImaging

Kentmere Fell Race 2014 & The Rest of the Weekend’s Action

Kentmere Fell Race 2014 Competitor 88 – Peter Browning (V55)

‘The sweat poured off us in the high humidity, and the narrowness of the track through the ferns allowed no overtaking. I soon realised that immediately behind me was the redoubtable Wendy Dodds, covering my every move and ready to surge past as soon as the path widened..’

July 20^th saw the fourth of the six counting English Championship fell races of the 2014 season. On line race entries opened months ago, and it was said that up to 600 runners had signed up for it, and in the pre race information we were encouraged to get to registration early to avoid the queues. In the event, only 364 names appeared on the results list, so what happened to the other 236 entrants at £10.00 a go who didn’t show up? You do the math as the Americans say.

Courtesy of Garry Wilkinson

Leaving Clayton-le-Moors at around 10am, the day was cloudy and breezy and not that warm. However things had changed once we reached the Kentmere valley: the sun was out and it was much warmer, although the darker clouds to the north east threatened something worse. Six Clayton-le-Moors men and three women had made the trip north. Three of the men had not yet reached the veterans category which was good, but all three girls were over 60. Where are the youngsters?

Courtesy of Garry Wilkinson

Away we went on the 19.8km (how far?) route and as we climbed the Garburn track on our way to the fell, the heat was oppressive. After around fifteen minutes we headed up through the ferns towards the ridge and things got even hotter. The sweat poured off us in the high humidity, and the narrowness of the track through the ferns allowed no overtaking. I soon realised that immediately behind me was the redoubtable Wendy Dodds, covering my every move and ready to surge past as soon as the path widened. I congratulated her on her beating Ivan and Dobbo at the Wasdale Fell Race last week, and asked if she was still feeling a bit tired. “Yes a little” was her reply, giving me all the encouragement I needed.

Courtesy of Garry Wilkinson

Eventually we gained the ridge and thankfully things cooled down a little. Usually I am good in hot conditions but this was really hard work. The race follows the ridge via Ill Bell up onto High Street, before turning back south towards Kentmere Pike. Ahead of me, the other five Clayton-le-Moors lads were pushing ahead, but above the weather was changing. The black clouds had moved in, and the rain began to fall. I slipped on the wet grass and banged my elbow which immediately began to swell alarmingly, but what can you do other than get on with it? The rain increased in intensity bringing welcome relief to the heat, and fortunately there was no lightning, although the rain seemed to get harder and harder. Down from Kentmere Pike, across the valley floor, and back to a very soggy finish field. 2 hours 17 minutes, a personal worst, but happy to finish. Nurse Joanne Motley examined my elbow and in so many words, told me not to be so soft – no fracture and the swelling going down.

Courtesy of Garry Wilkinson

For the record, the results that mattered were as follows:

1) Tom Addison (Helm Hill) 1.27.55

49) Spencer Riley 1.47.29

50) Dave Nuttall 1.47.53

62) Helen Berry (Holmfirth 1^st lady) 1.50.20

86) Dave Motley 1.53.24

144) David Bagot 2.02.39

172) Lee Smith 2.05.56

173) Ryan Wilkinson 2.06.04

244) Peter Browning 2.17.05

254) Wendy Dodds (2^nd LV60) 2.20.34

318) Linda Lord (1^st LV65) 2.38.29

321) Katy Thompson (4^th LV60) 2.40.11

Thanks to Peter Browning for this weeks report! Full results can be found here.

The Rest of the Weekends Action

This weekend was most certainly for the fell runners – plenty of mountainous climbs, lengthy descents and stormy weather to traverse through. However! Our road contingent were still out in force as they took on the Blackpool Summer 10k. Jacob Watson, going by his pseudonym ‘Lesley‘, had an outstanding performance finishing in the top 10 for Clayton-le-Moors Harriers. He ran the course in 00:38:14, not bad for a V50!! Next across the finish was Terry O’Leary in 13th, managing a sub 40 time of 00:39:22, whilst Mick Hogan squeezed under the 20 counter, finishing 19th in 00:40:40. Road legend Stephen Biscomb continued his conquest for the Road Palladium, once again finishing as the 1st V60 in 00:43:09. Another dependable road runner, Martin Brady, finished the race in 00:45:35, whilst Lee Moore came through in 00:48:09. Well done chaps!!

Onto the other two of the three big fell races this weekend now. Firstly we head to the Yorkshire Dales, where four Clayton-le-Moors Harriers made the trip over to The Ingleborough Fell Race 2014. Ivan Whigham had an excellent race, finishing as the 1st MV50 in 01:03:53. The second Harrier through was Richard Briscoe, 42nd in 01:06:01. Peter Dugdale came in just above the century mark in 103rd place, achieving a time of 01:19:15, whilst MV70 John T Francis brought the race to a finish in 01:45:00.

The other big fell race of the weekend was The 2014 Snowdon Mountain Race. The fell running regulars were all taking part, with Neil Hardiman the first Harrier back in 01:02:16 – 5th in his age category! Next across the finish was Mark Taylor, who managed to claw back over 50 positions to finish in 328th and 01:14:21. Our third Harrier and first lady across the finish was Barbara Savage, who once again had an excellent race and finished as the 1st F50-54! Our next two Harriers to finish were Paul Wale and Andrew Dugdale. The completed the fell race in 01:19:34 and 01:19:46 respectively. Rounding of an excellent day for Clayton-le-Moors Harriers we had Nichola Horsfall, who had a superb race as she finished as the 4th F55-59! Well done to all who ran.

Special mention goes out to junior runner Briony Holt who ran at the English Fell Running Championships in Kendal. She earned herself joint 1st place in the U12’s category. Well done Briony!!

Trawden 7 Trail Race & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Trawden 7 Trail Race

‘Pushing hard trying to catch the runner in front I slipped coming down one of the descents and ended upside down at the side of the path. After picking myself up it was nice to hear my fellow runners asking if I was ok as they moved past me taking advantage of my fall…’

Sunday saw the 10^th race of the Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix Series with the Trawden 7 Trail, we arrived earlier as my kids wanted to take part in the junior races which had been scheduled before the main race. The 2 junior races attracted over 50 children with 6 of our very own Clayton-le-Moors Juniors participating. Well done to all 6 with special mention to Finlay Stubbs for a great sprint finish in the U11 race and to Tom Bradley with 1^st place in the Over 11’s.

Courtesy of Deborah Stevenson

With the junior races done and prizes handed out it was time for a quick warm up before the main race. I lined up alongside the other 150+ runners and off we went around the edge of the Trawden recreational ground and onto the road. The runners had already started to spread out and I settled into a steady pace hoping that I hadn’t set off to fast.

Courtesy of Trawden 7 Trail Race

The course left the main road onto a track that dropped steeply down towards Hollin Hall; we rounded the corner to the road where we started the long climb up towards the Pendle Way. It was one of them hills that just when you thought you were near the top, it turned a corner and climbed again.

Courtesy of Trawden 7 Trail Race

As we reached the top the course moved onto an undulating section of tracks which makes for great trail running but this was to prove my downfall, pushing hard trying to catch the runner in front I slipped coming down one of the descents and ended upside down at the side of the path. After picking myself up it was nice to hear my fellow runners asking if I was ok as they moved past me taking advantage of my fall.

It took a minute or two for me to get back into my stride and I was glad to see the water station up in front of me, passing through there the course dropped down and headed for Wycoller village, it was here that I was joined by fellow Harriers Dave Motley and Russell Clarke.

Courtesy of Trawden 7 Trail Race

The 3 of us stayed together through the village and across the stone bridge; from there we started the last climb up the main road heading for the finish. By now I had got my breath back and sensing that some of the runners in front were slowing I pushed on up the hill.

This last section certainly seemed longer than I remember after visiting Wycoller only a few weeks ago with my family. After passing a couple of runners on the climb I reached the recreation ground and could see the finish in the far corner, luckily I had no one chasing me too hard as I didn’t fancy a sprint finish around the field.

Courtesy of Trawden 7 Trail Race

I finished in 23^rd place overall with a time of 45:22, apart from taking a tumble I really enjoyed the race it’s a good trail running course with plenty of climbs and nice scenery.

Well done to all 30 Clayton-le-Moors runners who competed and thanks to Trawden AC for the bottle of Trawden Trail ale, homemade cakes and for organising a great morning of running which the whole family enjoyed.

Courtesy of Rachel Todd

Full results:

Pos Time

10 Thomas Brewster M 43.31

12 Kevin Davies M50 44.14

18 Paul Hesketh M45 44.43

21 Paul Brannon M55 45.06

23 Richard Stevenson M 45.22

25 Dave Motley M 45.26

28 Ruessell Clarke M 45.55

32 alan Life M45 47.08

34 RogerBrewster M55 47.2

47 Nick Roscoe M40 49.05

49 Nicholas Olszewski M50 49.29

55 Stephen Biscomb M60 50.07

59 Sean Clare M45 50.42

61 Andy Bradley M45 50.52

62 Gordon Barrett M50 51.05

68 Stephen White M55 52.23

69 Richard Briscoe M 52.38

81 MartinBrady M50 53.24

88 David Scott M70 54.28

92 DawnTerry F50 55.2

107 MartinGriffin M50 58.44

120 Jean Knightly F55 60.34

122 SarahHelliwell F 61.32

127 Rachel Todd F40 62.41

134 Robert Hirst M60 64.57

135 HelenBurnett F40 65

139 Michelle Butsgot F40 66.36

140 Richard Lawson M70 67.06

141 Adrienne Olszewska F45 67.3

149 Christine Leathley F65 77.51

Thanks to Richard Stevenson for this weeks race report! Full results can be found here.

The Rest of the Weekends Action

It would seem that this weekend, if you wasn’t at the Trawden 7 Trail Race, you were at this years Wasdale Fell Race 2014! A total of 8 Harriers made the trip to the Lake Districts. Spencer Riley (feels good to write that name again) was the first back, finishing 6th in his age category, and 29th overall. The next male through was Martin Terry, who also finished 6th in his age category, shortly behind in 32nd. 3rd Harrier through the finish was Mick Dobson, scraping in under the hour mark in 5:55:40 and in 66th over. One place behind him, and only 8 seconds too was Ivan Whigham in 67th. Lastly, John Russius and Andrew Firth completed the fell race in 06:01:16 and 06:30:43 respectively.

There was only one lady and the race, and she outdid herself once again. Not only was she the the 6th lady to finish, she also finished as the 1st FV60 – finishing in front of four of the men too!!

Our solo runner of the week comes from our top road runner, Johnny McKenna. He raced at the Eccup 10 Road Race, finishing 7th out of 167 runners, in 00:57:47. Well done Johnny!

Unless I have missed a race, it would seem our attentions were split between Trawden and Wasdale! Well done to everyone who ran!

Juniors at Large; Saturday 12th July

We’ve had a busy two weeks, with the full mix of fell, trail, parkrun and road races.

Continuing her attack on the BOFRA junior championship, Briony Holt finished first u14 girl at Kirby Gala. This result puts her in 4th place with races in hand. Big brother Curtis Holt tried his hand at the u17 course, finishing 4th.

Race 8 of the Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix was the Burnley Boys Club 5k, where 6 juniors took part. Jordan McDonald was first junior home in 11th place out of over a hundred runners. Also running were Alex Townrow (30th) and Tom Bradley (46th). For the girls we had Alice Pier finishing 1st (and 4th lady overall), followed by Bethany Quinn 2nd (12th girl overall) and last but not least; Riaghnach Jameson finished 3rd girl in 29:02.

The Witton Park Trail Relay on Thursday 26th June was an excellent chance for some team building. This is a tough course with a long drag to the peak and a fast descent to the finish. Clayton juniors entered three teams and had some excellent results;

First Junior Team; Alex Townrow, Kenan Eti, Tom Bradley.

Second Junior Team; Ryan Clarke, George Pier, Curtis Holt.

First Junior Girls Team (and second ladies overall); Alice Pier, Ellie Root, Briony Holt.

Our Three Seasons Challenge is nearing its climax; second to last race was the Astley Park trail race in Chorley. Ten ran on a warm Wednesday evening with great results. Tom Bradley narrowly missed out on a race win after a sprint finish (he’s learned not to let people sit just behind him in races!) and Briony Holt took first girl. Well done to all and especially to one of our youngest runners Rachel Stevenson who had a great sprint finish. Last race in the series is this coming Wednesday 16th July at Widdop.

Cannonball Events is again running its Todmorden Park 5k races; a fast 5 lap route within the park. Thursday night was race 2 in the series and five juniors went over to compete. George Pier finished first u18, closely followed by Tom Bradley and Alex Townrow, all under 20 minutes. Alice Pier was first u18 girl in 21:03 and Dan Bradley finished in 24:41.

Lastly, Saturday 12th July saw the Orange Crew descend on Pendle Parkrun! We had 15 juniors turn up, most for their first attempt at this course. Despite a brief attempt to get himself lost, Jordan McDonald managed to stick to the plan and shadow the leading runner all the way round the course before winning the event in a parkrun personal best and new course record of 17:53. Ryan Clarke came in 6th in 20:44, followed by Jackson McKay in 7th on 20:50. Full results are on the website; some of you may have recorded new parkrun PBs but it won’t show if it’s your first attempt at this course.

Well done to Alice Pier for first lady overall and a special mention to Kaylon Cotterill who was not impressed with having to do two laps at Reservoir Bogs, It took all mum & dad’s persuasion to get him to come along to another race but he had an excellent run, hopefully he’s feeling more positive about it now!

Commiserations to two runners who had to abandon halfway round due to injury; it’s a very hard decision to make but it’s always the right one; running through an injury is a recipe for not running at all!

Well done to everyone, some superb personal and team performances!