Blacksticks Blue 10k

Sunday, 9^th May 2010

This race was organized by one of my friends and a fellow runner and climber, Michelle Simey. It was in aid of raising money for a Multi User Games Area (MUGA) area for Whitechapel Primary School which her daughter attends. When she told me of her plans at the end of last year, my reaction was, “Do you know what you are letting yourself in for, how much work is going to be involved”. As well as looking after two young children and working, she certainly also did her homework.

Michelle had chosen a circuit taking in Beacon Fell, creating a very hilly, scenic and above all enjoyable 10k course (although definitely not a PB one). She had managed to get Brian Porter to accurately measure and certify it.

Apparently with a month to go, only about fifty postal entries had been received and Michelle was starting to panic. They were hoping for at least a hundred. Then came a flood of entries in the last couple of weeks. In the end, all her expectations were exceeded with nearly two hundred and twenty finishers.

I thought car parking was going to be an issue, especially when the race details mentioned that it was limited. But a very efficient set of marshals had us all parking neatly in the school sports field (and apparently there was a field in reserve if needed). The course was also excellently marshalled by Whitechapel and Inglewhite Community Enterprise (WICE) under the guidance of chief marshal Peter Slater and volunteer villagers.

The race started promptly at 10am, (slightly earlier than a normal 10k race to avoid the busy time on Beacon Fell), in lovely sunny conditions. It started on the road outside the village hall and ran in an anticlockwise direction. Initially the course was just undulating but at about two and half miles it headed up Carwags Lane for about a mile towards the upper circular road around Beacon Fell. It then descended sharply down North Nook Lane and onto Bleasdale Road and back to the Village Hall where each finisher was rewarded with a £5 Sweatshop voucher and a block of Blacksticks Blue cheese made locally in the village of Inglewhite by Butler's Cheeses.

Refreshments were provided in the school playground. Tables and chairs had been laid out and hot drinks and homemade cake could be purchased. Tony Bolton and Sweatshop also had their trade stands erected there.

An excellently organized and friendly race around a lovely area of the Lancashire and a well done to Michelle for making it happen.

My prize for first lady was a cheese and wine box and a voucher for even more cheese! And my claim to fame is that for the first time, I now hold a Ladies course record (for the 1^st Blacksticks Blue 10k).....

Written by: Joanna Goorney

Submitted: 21^st May 2010

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor