News – Page 29 – Clayton-le-Moors Harriers

Hendon Brook 2014 & The Rest Of The Weekends Action

Hendon Brook 2014

‘The thought that 26 years prior my Dad will have already finished the race and claimed his long standing record passed through my mind but as I glanced ahead, I thought that I was making progress on Buttery and dug deep to find the resolve needed to overcome the mammoth hill…’

The Hendon Brook Half Marathon; some say it’s the toughest half in the country… Those people are probably telling the truth! Having not run a half marathon before I was unsure what to expect. With my usual distance being 5k/10k, I started the morning with my standard fast-paced warmup (and having learnt a painful lesson from the Calderdale relay, substantial Vaseline application to my torso!) before Coach Roche threw some valuable advice my way and told me to take it steady as I’d need all my energy for the slog to come!

Everyone had said to watch the fast start, to even take it easy until after the climb at Thursden Valley, as were were set off I elected to start slow and see where it took me…Running well off the leading pace set by Marc Hartley and Jimmy Craig as we made it round the school I felt to be almost dawdling so notched the speed up to more familiar territory… Although no sooner had I increased my speed doubt started to set in… everyone had said to start slow but my impatience got the better of me – had I compromised the rest of my race? Would I find myself dropping a chunk of places to the more experienced and seasoned long distance runners in the latter half of the race? I’d have to deal with that later as running up the first major hill to the Shooters pub I closed on ‘cannonball’ John Lloyd, keeping pace till I managed to pass him on the pull out of Catlow Bottom.

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Photo Courtesy of Andy Holden

Heeding the advice of my fellow captains and spurred on by the encouraging words of former record holder Roger Brewster I started to put some work in after the Thursden climb while still trying to stay at sensible pace! Andy Buttery of Blackburn slowly came into view infront and gave me a target to work towards as we tackled what seemed an endless number of fiercely steep climbs, each followed by a similarly unforgiving descent.

The climb up Carry lane hurt then running through Colne I steeled myself for the last climb; The Legendary Lenches. Truly it is a killer of a climb, doubt once again settled in as I began the climb; how close behind were the chasing pack? Did I have enough left in the tank to keep plugging away? The thought that 26 years prior my Dad will have already finished the race and claimed his long standing record passed through my mind but as I glanced ahead, I thought that I was making progress on Buttery and dug deep to find the resolve needed to overcome the mammoth hill.

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Photo Courtesy of Andy Holden

Reaching the top, Garry Wilkinson assured me I had no one behind within sight and with that worry taken off my mind I set about seeing what I could do to catch 5th place Andy Buttery – the last mile was tough running to the finish but the superb encouragement from marshals and spectators helped me onto the welcome sight of the finish line, crossing it in 1 hour 30 mins and claiming 6th place.

I don’t know why I’ve never done a half marathon before now, I certainly can’t explain why I chose the legendary Hendon Brook for my first but I it was certainly a baptism of fire (as well as a relief to finish with both nipples fully intact!). I have to say a massive thanks to the organisers, marshals, water station attendants and spectators for their cheers of encouragement as they definitely make all the difference when attempting a challenge like Hendon Brook – for my first effort I’m happy with my time and position and look forward to taking the challenge again next year!

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Photo Courtesy of Andy Holden

Thanks to Tom Brewster for this weeks race report! Full results can be found here.

Full Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Results:

3 McKenna Jonny 01:25:05 M Clayton Le Moors Harriers

6 Brewster Thomas 01:30:24 M Clayton Le Moors Harriers

16 Motley Dave 01:36:43 M Clayton Le Moors Harriers

19 Bagot David 01:37:21 M Clayton Le Moors Harriers

21 Hesketh Paul 01:37:30 M45 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

22 Hartley John 01:37:56 M55 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

27 Davies Kevin 01:38:30 M50 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

30 O’donnell Michael 01:40:53 M Clayton Le Moors Harriers

40 Duckworth Avril 01:44:04 F50 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

41 Biscomb Stephen 01:44:36 M60 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

51 Clarkson Alan 01:48:51 M55 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

55 Bradley Andy 01:50:43 M45 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

71 Roche Irene 01:56:12 F55 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

77 Heys Vicky 01:59:21 F40 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

78 Shian Angela 01:59:23 F35 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

88 Smith Geoffrey 02:03:13 M Clayton Le Moors Harriers

90 Pickup Jeffrey 02:03:45 M60 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

91 Brady Martin 02:04:02 M50 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

96 Rushton Julia 02:07:41 F50 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

98 Griffin Martin 02:08:22 M50 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

105 Proctor Stuart 02:12:45 M Clayton Le Moors Harriers

107 Orrell Ted 02:14:23 M75 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

117 Egerton Christine 02:23:16 F60 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

123 Allan Sue 02:50:33 F50 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

124 Leathley Christine 02:51:40 F65 Clayton Le Moors Harriers

The Rest Of The Weekends Action

On Saturday, two Harriers made the trip to the lengthy Howtown Fell Race 2014. ‘Iuan’ Whigham was the first of our members across the finish, with a time of 02:48:26 and 18th overall. Not far behind was another fell regular Mick Dobson, who crossed the line in 02:50:25. Well done men!

‘Billy No Mates’ Breton Holdsworth took on another fast paced trail race outside of Lancashire and yonder. He attended his annual Fathers Day race at Castle Howard 10k, getting back on form with a 7th placed finish and scraping under the 40 minute mark in 00:38:58.

Jacob Boyle’s star continues to grow, as he represented Clayton-le-Moors Harriers at the European Championships (Up & Down) in Whinlatter Forest, Cumbria. He finished his race in 00:39:33 and 8th place overall. Keep up the good work!

We had five Clayton-le-Moors Harriers race at the Blue Light 5 Miles Race 2014. Once again, Jordan McDonald continues to impress by having another excellent race – finishing 11th (joint 10th) overall. He also finished as the 2nd U20 and achieved a speedy time of 00:31:11. Another junior to impress was Ryan Clarke! Finishing as the 1st U20 and in 21st place. Lee Moore also had a great race finishing in a time of 00:39:08, as did Keith O’Brien for finishing as the 2nd V70. However, my performance of the weekend goes to Jackie Kershaw for not only breaking her PB, but also posting a brilliant time of 00:40:45. Well done Jackie!

Well done to all who tackled this years Hendon Brook, as well as everyone else who ran this weekend. On Thursday is the next Clayton-le-Moors Harriers Fell Championship Race Aggies Staircase starting at 7:15pm.

Photo’s courtesy of Andy Holden: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wharfee/

Juniors At Large; Sat 14th June

Our juniors have been busy over the last couple of weeks in a wide range of events.

Amelia and Lola Dugdale competed in the Bolton Tri Club Aquathlon, held at West Houghton on June 8th, coming 1st and 2nd place! Well done girls (Lola is only 6 by the way!)

Gracie Root competed in the Supersprint category at the Manchester Tri Club Junior Triathlon at Altrincham today, coming 1st girl and 2nd overall.

Curtis and Briony Holt have been busy in the FRA and BOFRA Championship events this year;

Curtis is 13th in the FRA championship with 2 races to go, after recent strong runs at West Nab & Duddon Valley.

Briony came 1st u12 girl at the FRA West Nab race on May 31st, following it with a 1st u14 girl at the BOFRA Coniston gullies event the following day!

…and if that weren’t enough…..

…she finished 2nd u12 girl at the FRA Turner uphill-only event in the Duddon valley on 7th June, again following it with another win at the BOFRA event in Kettlewell on 8th June!

Briony is now 2nd in the FRA championship (with 2 races left) and her two first place finishes have put her in 5th place in the BOFRA championship with 12 races left (best 8 results count).

Our latest Three Seasons Race was Burnley parkrun on Sat 7th June. Coinciding with the 100th event celebrations (hence all the fancy dress) we had 21 juniors running, several new PBs were recorded and everyone got very wet!
I’m sorry I haven’t the space to put all your names in this report but full results are HERE.

That’s it for this week; this is the first of a (approximately!) fortnightly round up of our junior races. More to come next time, including details of the Lancashire schools T&F event at Blackpool today.

Don’t forget to email me all your race results, apologies if you’ve emailed me already and I’ve not included it, just prod me again!

Photos courtesy of Tom Root & Woodentops

Holcombe 2 Towers Fell Race 2014 – Midweek Race Results

Holcombe 2 Towers Fell Race Results – 11th June 2014

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

Senior Results:

1 Russell Clarke M 00:40:17

2 Ivan Whigham MV50 00:41:51

3 Mark Nutter MV50 00:42:55

4 Mark Taylor M 00:46:08

5 Andrew Dugdale MV50 00:47:48

6 Peter Dugdale MV55 00:51:31

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

Worsthorne 5 Mile Trail Race 2014 – Midweek Race Results

Worsthorne 5 Mile Trail Race 2014

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

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

Senior Results:

1 Christopher Holdsworth M 00:36:08

2 Jordan McDonald J16 00:39:29

3 Richard Stevenson M 00:40:24

4 Paul Hesketh V40 00:41:22

5 Ivan Whigham V50 00:43:51

6 Tom Bradley J13 00:44:31

7 Nick Olszewski V50 00:45:23

8 Mark Wightman V50 00:46:21

9 Kenan Eti J15 00:46:57

10 George Pier J16 00:47:55

11 Alison Dugdale FV40 00:48:04

12 Andrew Howarth V50 00:48:17

13 Martin Brady V50 00:49:51

14 David Scott V70 00:51:26

15 Steve Bury V50 00:52:30

16 Colin Woolford M 00:54:03

17 Michael Frost V50 00:58:17

18 Geoff Laycock V60 00:58:55

Junior Results:

1 Ryan Clarke 00:18:55

2 Eleanor Root 00:19:42

3 Millie Stubbs 00:20:05

4 Simon Wilshaw 00:20:12

5 Alice Pier 00:20:24

6 Adam Quinn 00:20:47

7 Harry Mason 00:21:16

8 Adam Stevenson 00:21:57

9 Daniel Bradley 00:23:06

10 Zac Jordan 00:25:07

Ennerdale Fell Race 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Ennerdale Fell Race 2014

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

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

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

Thanks to Racing Snakes for the photo.

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

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

Thanks to Racing Snakes for the photo.

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

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

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

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

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

The Rest of the Weekends Action

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

Thanks to Andy Holden for the photo.

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

Thanks to Andy Holden for the photo.

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

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

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

Racing Snakes Photography: www.racingsnakes.com

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

Kelbrook Fell Race 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Kelbrook Fell Race 2014

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

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

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

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

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

Photo by Christopher Holdsworth

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

The Rest of the Weekends Action

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

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

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

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

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

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

June Newsletter

Here’s another 40 page bumper edition which contains a reports on the Calderdale Way Relay and the Fellsman ultra fell run, as well as how Linda Lord celebrated her 65th year. (Clue: she didn’t put her feet up!) With all the usual features, fixtures and results, just click the link and it’s all yours!

Burnley Lions 10k & The Rest of the Weekends Action

Burnley Lions 10k

‘The race was starting to thin out with Chris Holdsworth in 3rd, Capt. Brewster in 5th and me in 6th. I vividly remember checking my watch at 2.2m and being amazed we were only one third through the race!’

Stood at the start line at Colne Cricket Club on Friday evening I had a lot of questions spinning through my mind; most of them negative. Having not raced a 10k for nearly six months it’s safe to say I wasn’t feeling the most confident on entering the race. However, a combination of my resolution to try to race more often and the race being a Road Championship qualifier I couldn’t turn down the chance to have a run out.

On the start line there was pretty much every Clayton-le-Moors member I would have expected to be involved. Possibly due to Capt. Motley taking the spoils at the Blackpool half there seemed to be a few road runners who wanted to ensure the Fell captain wouldn’t have bragging rights in both disciplines come the end of the year. On the other hand this could have just been me…

Photo By Nick Gaskell

Come 7pm the race was off and despite a decent sized hill almost immediately after exiting the cricket club the pace didn’t let up. I settled in to sixth place and dug in for the climb up to the Alma pub. After dropping down from the Alma and heading back towards Colne I was passed by Capt. Brewster who seemed to be absolutely flying. The race was starting to thin out with Chris Holdsworth in 3^rd, Capt. Brewster in 5^th and me in 6^th. I vividly remember checking my watch at 2.2m and being amazed we were only one third through the race! I felt like I was really struggling at this point and seeing both Chris and Tom moving further ahead didn’t do me any favours.

Photo By Nick Gaskell

We were soon back at the cricket club at the end of the first of two laps and still in the positions previously mentioned. Just before the second climb to the Alma I decided to make a move and to give it everything as soon as I hit the incline. Half way up I managed to pass Tom and soon set my sights on Chris who I was able to slowly reel in and pass as we reached the top of the climb. From here on in I felt third place was achievable but Andy Buttery, who eventually finished there, had a great run and I wasn’t able to close the gap. With a mile or so to go my lace came undone however it didn’t cause me as much trouble as it could have done on another day. Lesson learned!

Photo By Nick Gaskell

The finish at the school came as a surprise, as I thought we were running back to the cricket club, but was more than welcome. I finished in 4^th just in front of both Tom (5^th) and Chris (6^th) who have both improved tremendously over the last 6 months and I fully expect many more very close races over the coming months.

Photo By Nick Gaskell

Thanks to Jonny Mckenna for this weeks race report! Washed away results just about found here..

The Rest of the Weekends Action

There were lot’s of you racing this weekend! Leading the way were new Clayton-le-Moors Harriers couple Adrienne and Nicholos Olszewski, racing at this years Hogwills Trail 26. Both put in a great effort, finishing in 04:30:09.50 and 06:20:05.70 respectively.

Next up we had the Hutton Roof Craggs Fell Race, which had a total of 12 harriers competing at the event. Alan Life put in a spectacular effort finishing as the first in 44th position, finishing ahead of Mick Dobson in 48th and Ivan Whigam in 65th. The three men helped us to finish in 10th overall. We also had a lady running in Nichola Horsfall, finishing the race in 01:22:30. Well done to all who ran!

There was the just the one Clayton-le-Moors Harrier at Great Eccleston Scouts Fast 4. Martin Brady flew the flag for us, finishing the race in 46th position, with a time of 00:29:15. Well done Martin!

Dave Motley put in a cracking effort in this years Bowely Hill Trail Race, finishing in 5th place overall. New member Carl Helliwell also had a fanastic run, giving the Captain a run for his money finishing in 7th place. Carl’s other half and also a new member Sarah Helliwell also had a storming effort, finishing as the 4th overall lady! There were also great runs from Richard Briscoe, Stephen Breckell, Martin Brady (again) and Ron Chappel.

Over at the Saddleworth Fell Race, two Harriers competed in Rick Moore and Stephen Fish. Rick finished in 00:31:55, whilst Stephen finished in 00:34:33. Well done men!

And lastly, Matt Perry had the run of the weekend by finishing 3rd at Austwick Amble (what a great name). He finished just 12 seconds behind 2nd in an impressive time of 00:53:58. There was also strong runs from Ivan Whigam in 33rd, Mick Dobson in 41st and Colin Woolford in 101st.

Super Junior Molly Hesketh also had a great run at this race finishing in 00:14:55 for the under 12s.

Well done to all who ran this weekend!

Juniors at 100th Towneley Parkrun – PICTURES

Well done to all our runners on Saturday, there’s a few pictures HERE.

Some great results; great to see new personal bests on a hot day for running, just as great to see new runners taking part. All the results are on the PARKRUN SITE

BMAF Road Relays 2014 & The Rest of the Weekends Action

BMAF Road Relays 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Alex Cran for this weeks race report!

The Rest of the Weekends Action

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

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

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

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