York Half

Sunday, 24th January 2010

 

Course Records: Matthew Pearson (Holmfirth) (2010) 1:05:35 and Hayley Haining (Kilbarchan) (2008) 1:11:46 

 

Directions: FY5 3BF > YO23 1EX

Via M62 113 miles 2 hr 11 min

Via A59 95.3 miles 2 hr 29 min

 

Do it again: Yes

 

PB potential: 10 flat as a proverbial pancake

 

Atmosphere: 10

Anybody in a Wesham vest seem to get a cheer! Presumably down to the Reg Chapman connection. Also the Eaton/Wilkinson clan were there at the finish to cheer us in. After the race, there’s TV screens all round showing the race video. Every time clubs spotted one of their runners, a massive cheer went up.

 

Organisation: 10

Only minor gripes were that the finish clock was out by 23 seconds and I prefer to get my chip in the post with my number. I gave up and threaded the chip through my shoelaces. Now I’m an old man and my eyesight is going, it was like trying to thread some cotton through a needle! Whatever happened to the Velcro chips? I could cope with them!

 

Really appreciated getting the entry forms a few days early to virtually guarantee entry (you have to be quick of the mark as it always fills up in days). Some people have been known to hand deliver their entries! Brian Yates managed to get a number from George Kennedy. Quite a few Wesham runners pulled out of the event at the last minute; Finlay McCalman (man flu), Michaela (Knee) and Sarah Sherratt (ill), Carmel Sullivan (back) and Tracey Hulme (doing a long run instead).

 

Value: 10 (£16) good quality sweat shirt, 2 chocolate bars and a gel….. though I was hoping for the rucksack they received on the 25th Anniversary Race (last year)!

 

Beginner-Friendly: 10

Pete Cruse was picking me up at 6:30 am for the 10 am start, so I had a couple of glasses of red wine to help me sleep last night!..........doesn’t seem to effect Chelsea!

 

Got another good start (Blackpool Gemma Unsworth said I set of at a suicidal pace). It took a while for Jason Barlow and Brian Yates to overtake me, so maybe she’s right!? Felt good to get past 4 mile without dying (like last week at Helsby!) I tried to do things differently this week (no pre – race massage, no Friday speed session, no Saturday run and not going out on a bender on Friday!)

 

Find it hard to see my stop watch now-a-days, but there was a clock at 10k and it said 39:50 ish and I got a bit disheartened because I thought I was going better than that. This was worse than my 10K split at Helsby last week

 

My next marker was the 10 mile point and somebody shouted out the time 62:50 ish. I thought bloody hell that’s good, not far off my Guys 10 time, so I thought all is not lost and I tried to pick it up over the last 3 miles overtaking a few runners.

 

Should have been happy with my finish time 1:22:57 (the finish clock actually said 1:22:36), but I felt if I’d run a more even race, I could have done even better. Probably my fastest time for quite a few years (I think). I’ll have to check with statto man!

 

1st Matthew Pierson (Holmfirth) 1:05:35 - Matthew has been training in Kenya in preparation for the Commonwealth Games and London and was over 7 minutes ahead of the next runner, Phil Coulson. Matthew received £300 for winning and breaking the course record

 

1st Lady Becky Penty (York Acorn) 1:18:33 - Becky was over a minute ahead of the 2nd Lady

 

          

 

       

Chip Times:-

16th Jason Barlow 1:16:21 (1st MV40) - 75th Brian Yates 1:21:12 - 102nd Martin Bates 1:22:57 (3rd MV50)

133rd Mick Edge 1:24:30 PB - 187th Lee Barlow 1:27:22 - 193rd Joanna Goorney 1:27:26 (3rd F40) - 204th Simon Eaton 1:27:56 - 360th Graham Vickers 1:33:24 (Gun time) - 500th David Preston 1:37:53

 

Other locals: - Pete Cruse (LSARR) 1:17:56 PB

All the rest are Blackpool: - Stuart Williams 1:20:11 PB, Gemma Unsworth 1:21:40, Ian Close 1:28:52, Bev Wright 1:30:21, Michael Golden 1:37:55, Tanya Ashworth 1:38:12, Mrs Stuart Williams 2:02:41, Hilary Goorney 2:11:01

 

Went home on the A59 via The Red Lion at Burnsall “by the finest stretch of river, fell and scenery in Yorkshire”. We had a walk first down the river, and then adjourned to the bar. http://www.redlion.co.uk/

 

It has a Michelin star and I thought I’d have pheasant (£13)………and 3 pints of Copper Dragon! Pete had chicken and leek on a mash base and Bev had Huntingdon Lamb and we were all really impressed.

 

Decided to get a bit further to home and arrived at Janice Battersbys local, the Swan with Two Necks at Pendleton and three more pints of Copper Dragon! http://www.swanwithtwonecks.co.uk/

 

What a great day out! We were in heaven………until Bev walked out of the Pub and staggered into Pete’s van and knocked his wing mirror off!!

 

Written by: Martin Bates

Submitted: 29th January 2010

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor

 

Garstang 10K

Sunday, 31st January 2010

From Garstang High School

 

Scenery:  7

 

Do it Again: Yes

 

Value: 4

Don’t think £8 is bad (£9 online) (cheaper than Trafford 10K), but I don’t think I’ll be wearing the T shirt……will come in useful as a duster (that’s if I dusted)…..I heard 1 runner giving it back. Appreciate funds go towards the new Garstang Sports Hall.

Organisation: 9

Just felt the two guys running the drink station could have handed the drinks out rather than letting us help ourselves (I was scared of knocking a load over). Not a major problem on a wintry 10k………just felt they need another announcer next year. Perhaps Brian Blessed could do it (I couldn’t hear Brian Porter as he’s that softly spoken and shy and retiring!)

 

When the race set off, a few of the front runners tried to exit from the first entrance by mistake, but soon corrected themselves.

 

Also a fun run won in 11mins 30 (approx 2 miles) – 62 finishers

 

P.B. potential: 1 (1 or 2 hills)

 

Atmosphere: 9

First 2 mile loop goes past the school, so quite a few out cheering us on. Canteen in the school and sausage sarnis available outside. The race hit twice this year by the weather – postponed from 10th January and today’s attendance hit by weather elsewhere (only 321 finishers compared to 458 last year). However, 1 runner made it from Dumfries! Quite a few Wesham stalwarts there helping out – don’t want to mention who, in case I miss any one off!

 

Beginner Friendly: 10

*** ***

 

The race

 

The weather overnight in Blackpool was bad with a slight snowfall, so much so that texts were being sent between Michaela, me, Brian Yates and Brian Porter to check it was going ahead, but when we got there, Garstang was different again – a beautiful day.

 

Mr Porter and the mayor set us off on our way. I was running with ex North Fylde and Preston runner, Phil Quibell initially. Phil has been away in Turkey for a while. We did 6.06 for the first mile. I managed to get away from Phil as we came back along by the school approaching the 2 mile point.  I was then overtaken by Red Rose and V50 rival Joe Swarbrick and the 1st Lady Sarah Ridgway from Eryri. I battled to stay with them for maybe a mile, till they both disappeared into the distance. 

 

Garstang runner, Richard Jones and his other half were running the opposite way shouting encouragement. After last 2 races (half marathons), it was nice to do a shorter race and I seemed to be gaining slightly on the next 2 runners. As we got back onto the main road by the school, Preston’s, Steve Hallas (3rd) gave me a shout and that was all I needed to haul them in, finishing in 38:43 (38:42:52 on my watch Keith, but I’ll let you off!). I was 1min 10 faster than last year.

 

1st male for the 2nd year running was Steve Littler in 32:53 (12 seconds quicker than last year) and Sarah Ridgway was 1st Lady in 38:15 (1 min 23 seconds in front of next lady)

 

I didn’t attend the prize giving, but I would imagine we won the Men’s team and possibly the Ladies. I was 6th Vet 50 in a race with 321 in it, but 3rd last week in a race with 1550 in it!

 

Photo of Lancaster runner Adam Hulme goes into an early lead followed by Steve Hallas, Steve Littler and Andy Buttery – eventually 2nd, 3rd, 1st and 4th.

Photo

No wonder the hills didn’t bother 1st lady, Sarah Ridgway!

 

Other WRR runners:

8th B. Norman 35:30, 14th K. Lee 36:23, 18th B. Yates 36:52, 29th M. Bates 38:43, 42nd G Cunliffe 39:51, 43rd G. deBanke 39:55, 67th M. Dempsey 41:54, 106th ??????44:22, 112th D. Preston 44:48, 121st C. Moss 45:34, 129th N. Unsworth 46:16, 165th H. Lawrenson 48:49, 175th F McCalman 49:07, 178th P. Bartlett 49:33, 181st G Flanagan 49:38, 188th S. Wilkinson 50:02, 194th J. Howorth 50:24, 215th S. Whaites 51:47, 221st K>Eccles 52:12, 222nd P. Cook 52:17, 229th N. Kitchen 52:44, 309th S. Turner 1:03:51, 313th D. Wells 1:05:39

 

A gang of us adjourned to the ‘Owd Tithebarn’ for a pint and a bite to eat, though Michaela drove in the opposite direction towards The Pickerings.

I did some impulse shopping on the way there, (bought my son a tele for a good school report), and still beat Michaela there.

 

P.S.

Wrr runner 106th is down as Richard Davies who wasn’t there. Richard was paired with Pete Waywell in the Pennine Bridleway relays. WRR were placed 23rd and 64th. http://www.penninebridlewayrelay.co.uk/results.htm

 

Written by: Martin Bates

Submitted: 5th February 2010

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor