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The Waddington 10k…. A report
by Michaela Dempsey (cos
Martin Bates wasn’t present!) |
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MICHAELA’S RACE RATINGS:
Scenery:
10. It’s Forest of Bowland
Country, (need I say more!)
Do
it again: 10. One not to be missed
PB Potential: 5. It was tough so not a PB course but there were some places to
let rip too!
Atmosphere:
10. It was a fab’ place to be on a fine Autumnal day
Organisation: 8. Great and very understated which is
always a good sign of a well organised race. What let it down was there wasn’t
a drink station until the end.
Value for money: 8. Bog standard fee of £7 with a
T-shirt and a water bottle at the end.
Beginner Friendly: 8. Most others wouldn’t agree with this
but you’ve got to start with the hills - somewhere they do exist!
Martin, ‘Ace Reporter’, Bates was absent today as he was looking after Levon, (who’s nearly 9) - hence my renditions and not his!
Waddington, near Clitheroe,
is an archetypal Lancastrian
picturesque village, with stone houses, pubs and ginnels in the heart of Witch Country. On approaching the
village, and arriving an hour before the race, it seemed like an intrusion, as
the whole place seemed peacefully asleep. Maybe it was because it was a week
before Halloween. I did see a full
moon but I soon realised it was John
Howarth getting changed by his car.
Back to the race!….The start, registration, toilets and
the finish, were all at different locations within the village and yet it was very
well organised apart from the lack of a drink station during the course. Some
might say they’re not needed on a 10k
course, but for those who are partial to a drop, (I mean water), and you
could’ve started to flag a bit.
The course was fabulous. It started with a drag up a hill
that sapped the strength out of your quads like Samson having his barnet cut. Recovery was slow after this, but the
course was marked in ‘k’s’ and, as a result, they seemed to fly by even though
there were some hills of note. There was, of course, a fair 
share
of downs and wind assisted flats on what was a beautiful course in a beautiful
area. I even managed to clap eyes on a flasher at about 8k. It was Steve Bateson
the photographer.
Good runs were had by all, especially by stalwart, Kath Hoyer, who was the first lady back
for Wesham; Peter Gleaves who was 20
or so seconds off his PB on a course
you could knock a minute off your time in comparison to a flat course, and it
was great to see the lovely Jenny Salt
back running again after so long despite her self-confessed lack of fitness.
The
results were almost instant in the proverbial sweaty, steamy, runner infested Village Hall where there was home-made
soup and bread going cheap. Tony Bolton
was there too selling his ‘wares’ and took up at least a third of the little
community centre which was probably built in the thirties I’d say. I love them.
They’re just so typically British.
Anyway, after a typical result viewing of about twenty people, of all shapes
and sizes, huddling around two A4
sheets of paper, heads bobbing and weaving like gannets at mating season, Peter Gleaves, et moi, sidled off to a
local hostelry for two pints of Timothy
Taylor’s Landlord. I did ask Dave
Waywell to come, but he said “You must be bloody joking” I didn’t
say it was his round did I?!!
I arrived home with a feeling I’ve not had for a long
time. Only a runner knows………….
Results:
1st Paul
Freary 31:51
7th Paul
Muller 34:56
16th Peter
Cruise 38:16
21st Dave
Waywell 38:44
42nd Peter
Greaves 41:37
56th Andrew
Owen 43:36
72nd Nigel
Shepherd 45:33
80th Kath
Hoyer 46:19
89th Steve
Wilkinson 47:38
95th John
Howarth 47:58
97th Julie
Cruse 48:01
98th Michael
Dempsey (male vet 40!) 48:07
100th Dougie
Brown 48:30
106th Chris
Moss 48:57
122nd George
Flanagan 51:04
135th Jenny
Salt 53:52
141st Jenny
Thompson 54:59
168th Pauline
Mills 1:00:13
Written by: Michaela Dempsey
Submitted: 22nd October 2006
Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor