LOWTHER HALF MARATHON

Friday 4^th August 2006

13.5m/1500’

Run mainly on tracks and paths through the picturesque Lowther Park and valley. A cracking race and a hardcore bunch of us go back year after year.

MARTIN’S RACE RATINGS:

Do it again: Yes

Scenery: 10

Atmosphere: 8

Organisation: 10 - the route is either marshalled or marked with tape though Les Endean of North Fylde managed to go wrong until Derek Buckley called him back. (Les then went onto to thank Derek by beating him!)

Value: 8 - £9 which also gains you entry to Cumbria’s largest country weekend with over 400 stands/TV celebrity chef demonstrations/falconry displays/a flight simulator/quad bikes/spot-the- ferret, sheep shearing etc.etc. Mingle with the gentry!! Lord Henshaw would be in his element!!

Beginner Friendly: 10 – a testing course, but can be run with road shoes.

As usual we travelled up via the New Balance Factory at Shap and bumped into Finlay and his mum. I bought some socks ‘cos Michaela keeps washing them and I can’t keep a tab of me own… (Easier to spend seven quid!)

We were all issued with an electronic SI-card which we wore round our wrist. We had to dip this in electronic stations en route to record our times at 5,10miles and the finish. There were one or two jokes about the electronic tagging system and we couldn’t go in any pubs en route. The race organiser asked us to meet back up at his tent at 11:50, then he walked us to the Horse Driving Trial arena where the Duke of Edinburgh would later have a ‘stonking good run’ in the Carriage Driving event. (We heard this on the radio as we left), the Duke is a regular visitor to the show. The official photographer took a Wesham Team photo. That’s copyrighted but here’s one Beryl Walsh took. (We couldn’t find John Keohane).

The race took us through Askham, then towards Pooley Bridge, but before this, we turned left over the fells looking down over Ullswater. We had to check in at two checkpoints/drink stations and at the finish.

I walked at exactly the same spot as last year, (going up through some bracken at about 9 miles). This is where Kendal runner, Paul Percival-Smith came past me much to my disgruntlement!

1^st Alex Rowe 1:19:36

7^th Derek Buckley 1:25:08

9^th Russ Mabbett 1:27:22

11^th Peter Cruse 1:29:39

22^nd Martin Bates 1:38:16

30^th Brian Porter 1:42:32

47^th Julie Cruse 1:52:13

65^th Finlay McCalman 1:58:38

74^th John Keohane 2:07:04

The 1^st Lady was Karen Heaviside (Eden) in 1:39:20. Karen was 3^rd Lady at Swinside and beat me by 1 min 11 secs that night.

Kendal’s Rod Berry was 76^th in 2:09:24 (86 finished)

We managed to shoehorn ourselves into the Scotgate camp site, Braithwaite after the race and had a walk next day round Rydal.

Next years race is the 1^st Friday in August, as usual

Written by: Martin Bates

Submitted: 8th August 2006

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Website/Magazine Editor