Sent: 08 May 2009 11:34
Subject: V S Update : Lineham, Leeds Half, Tuesday, MVT, Results and
Reports
Lineham Farm Open Day – Saturday 9 May
Relax this Saturday before the half marathon with a
visit to Lineham Farm – “bluebell walks in the woodland, lots of
yummy refreshments, meet the animals, arts and crafts, climbing” –
it says on the poster. Where is it? Imagine you’re going from
Leo’s to Bramhope up
Leeds Half
Good luck to the 57 56 55 (there
have been a few drop-outs) at least 50 of you running
If you’re spectating, you’ll find Valley
Striders injured and retired members and other supporters almost everywhere on
the route, but particularly the length of
Help wanted! Do any of you have family
supporters staying in Leeds City Centre for the finish? I’m looking
for someone to hand out Meanwood Valley Trail entry forms just to the first 100
or so runners in the JUNIOR race (not the main race). If someone can
help, please contact me 0777 5898 558.
Afterwards, my social secretary tells me we are
meeting up for post race refreshments and mutual congratulation / commiseration
as appropriate at Wetherspoons on Park Row. Which road is Park Row?
Imagine at the end of the race you’re coming up the Headrow past the Town
Hall and you then turn left into
See you on the start line – have a good run
everyone!
Global Triathlon for
Record your training and racing mileage starting this
Saturday and ending a week on Sunday, multiply by 2p or 5p or 10p per mile and
donate to
Tuesday 12 May – Jack Bloor or Track Training
It’s double points time on Tuesday – the
Jack Bloor Fell Race counts for both the Grand Prix and the Fell Championship.
Or if you fancy something flatter, we’re
training on the track at Leeds Met, meet ready to run at 7:10 at the Indoor
Sports Centre. We had some good variety in last months session which, I
think, made it more suitable for slower runners, so we’ll be doing some
of those reps again.
Meanwood Trail Race – Saturday 16 May
We had about 25 run the recce last Tuesday which was pretty
good considering Rothwell the day before and Esholt the day after. Thanks
to everyone who has volunteered so far. Still a few more needed.
Separate email to follow later this weekend with marshalling positions and
instructions.
Results
Three Peaks Race
92 Mick
Loftus 3:53:03
105 Simon Vallance 3:54:45
108 Eirik Stangnes 3:55:19
137 Steve Webb
4:02:38
292 Mick Wrench
4:26:05
500 Stephen
539 Richard Adcock 5:05:53
567 Geoffrey Webster 5:15:20
Report from Simon Vallance below
G.P.Pts
554 Jerry
Watson
2:53:18 100
975 Eric
Green
2:59:57 98
1324 Dan Murray
3:05:36 96
3074 Kevin Mcmullan
3:22:43 94
3925 Patrick Barrett
3:28:40 92
4449 Paul
White
3:32:02 90
5737
8256 Nick
Barnes
3:52:03 86
9601 Bernadette Clayton
3:57:03 84
10331 Dave
Watson
4:09:47 82
31562 John Sutcliffe
5:41:43 80
Reports from Kevin McMullan and Jerry Watson below
Shakespeare
147 Greg Skerrett
3:28:29
Sheffield Half
103 Jeremy Ladyman
1:24:16
161 Jim
Clay 1:26:34
1251 Chloe
2531 Keith
West 1:58:06
3691 Jane
Sanders 2:12:43
Report from Jim Clay below
Dorset
6 Eric
Green 3:05:32
There were 98 finishers, Eric was 1st M50
and 3rd vet.
Bluebell Trail (10 miles mixed terrain and
hilly)
7 Dan
Fisher 1:13:29
A great result for Dan, there were over 300 finishers
Rothwell 10k
G.P.Pts
60 Gwil
Thomas
0:35:57 100
66 Jim
Clay
0:36:16 98
106 Tom
Button
0:38:01 96
121 Ian
Rosser
0:38:28 94
168 Patrick Barrett
0:39:49 92
197 Nick
Barnes 0:40:57
90
205 John
Wallace
0:41:14 88
285 Paul Sanderson
0:43:37 86
325 Rachael Nevins
0:44:49 84
374 Sue
508 Lou Gilchrist
0:50:02 80
Several PB’s here, but unfortunately not
eligible for the Club PB’s because Rothwell is classified as an
“assisted” course because of the overall drop in height from start
to finish.
Esholt 5k
Best time for series counts for GP Points – next race next Wednesday
Congratulations to Eddy Robinson, first junior (under 20) in the race and he’s only 15. Race 1 Race 2 Race 3
Best Pts Pos Time Pos Time Pos Time
Steve Webb 0:17:25 100 30 17.25 0 0.00 0 0.00
Jim Clay 0:17:29 98 32 17.29 0 0.00 0 0.00
Kevin Mcmullan 0:17:32 97 34 17.32 0 0.00 0 0.00
Jeremy Ladyman 0:18:00 95 42 18.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
Tom Button 0:18:14 93 49 18.14 0 0.00 0 0.00
Rob Bumstead 0:18:25 92 55 18.25 0 0.00 0 0.00
Eddy Robinson 0:18:45 90 65 18.45 0 0.00 0 0.00
Dan Murray 0:18:48 88 68 18.48 0 0.00 0 0.00
Nick Barnes 0:19:14 87 84 19.14 0 0.00 0 0.00
Andrew Cutts 0:19:20 85 87 19.20 0 0.00 0 0.00
Paul Sanderson 0:20:32 83 124 20.32 0 0.00 0 0.00
Chloe Hudson 0:22:40 82 187 22.40 0 0.00 0 0.00
Sara Dyer 0:24:55 80 239 24.55 0 0.00 0 0.00
ALL GRAND PRIX POINTS NOW ON THE WEBSITE!
Request
from Tom Ridgway
Firstly,
sorry for not being at Striders for such a long time - a baby does seem to take
up a lot of our time! However we have been flying the Striders flag at some
races further afield like the Bath Half (I got sunburnt in the middle of March
on that one!). My next race is the Edinburgh Marathon on May 31st which I
have decided to use to raise some money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as I
think it is a worthy cause which we all may need to call on some time.
The sponsorship will also help "speed" me to the finish of my first
marathon. I have a Justgiving page http://www.justgiving.com/tomridgway
. Hope to see everyone soon.
Three Peaks Race report from Simon Vallance
Eight Valley Striders entered the 55th Three Peaks
race in the Dales; three novices in the shape of Richard Adcock, Steve Dixon
and Mick Wrench, with five old hands going back for another go: Mick Loftus,
Eirik Stagnes, Simon Vallance, Steve Webb and Geoff Webster.
The race is a VS Fell Championship event and is run over a
total of approximately 24 miles and yes, it goes over all of the three peaks as
the name suggests. It follows the walkers route for the most part,
although there is a direct ascent of Whernside from Ribblehead viaduct rather
than the dog-leg out to the north to pick up the ridge.
It was a sunny day in Horton when we set off at 10
o’clock, although there was a fairly stiff easterly breeze which helped
to keep temperatures down as we raced up Pen-Y-Ghent. It’s quite easy
to be dragged into starting too quickly as you leave Horton on the road and
then climb up on the bridleway towards the first peak. However, this race
is all about pacing yourself properly – effort wasted here will be
greatly regretted later in the race.
Approaching the summit of Pen-Y-Ghent, slower runners are
greeted by the race leaders flying back down the hillside to begin the long
track and road section that leads to the viaduct. As I reached the
summit, I saw the two remaining tops that still needed to be scaled shimmering
gently in the spring sunshine. Whilst the view was undeniably beautiful,
it was hard not to feel apprehensive about the total distance still to
go. Whernside and Ingleborough both looked a very, very long way away.
One of the good things about having done the race before is
that you know when to conserve energy and when you can afford to push a bit
harder. The descent from Pen-Y-Ghent is a good long descent, punctuated
by a few sharp rises, so it’s a good time to relax and pick up a bit of
speed.
Sadly we’d lost the breeze now, with the wind at our
backs and dropping into the valley, the temperature rose steadily. The
ground was astonishingly dry, and with the limestone hardpack trails reflected
the sun’s glare and it became clear that hydration would be as important
as endurance. Thankfully I’d taken a small bottle of Hi5 with me,
and generous supporters, including Sylvia Watson and spectators proffered
drinks as we made our way towards the road and on to the viaduct.
A much needed drink and a quick glance at the watch saw that I
was slightly ahead of schedule. I’d completed the race in 2008 and
failed to break the 4 hour mark by 50 seconds, so I was determined to shave at
least a minute off my time. I also accepted the kind offer of a Jaffa
Cake from Eirik who had been running neck and neck with me since the top of
Pen-Y-Ghent. He had also run the race last year, and like last year had
been with me up to this point, but had faded badly in the second half of the
race.
The next major objective is the summit of Whernside, and
viewed from the valley floor looks a long way up. The route makes a
direct ascent up the progressively steeper east flank of the hill. At
first you can run occasionally, amidst the bent over hands on thighs approach
favoured by fell runners. Later it’s a hands and knees scramble to
the summit to be met by marshals, supporters and a fluttering Union flag.
The descent from Whernside is wild and rapid, and as I leapt
between rocks and ditches, trying to stay off the path and on the grassy flanks
of the hill, I had a hard time avoiding walkers following the same route as me,
coming close to a near fatal collision with a small and very angry lap
dog. Fuelled by adrenaline it wasn’t long before I reached the Hill
Inn and the next drink stop. A great feature of the race is that you can
leave pre-prepared drinks at the start, which are then ferried to Ribblehead
and the Hill Inn for you to collect later, laid out in readiness for your
arrival.
Suitably refreshed, I began what always feels like the hardest
part of the race, the ascent of Ingleborough. It’s here, if
anywhere, that you’ll suffer if you’ve gone out too hard, not eaten
enough or passed up on the drinks on offer. The climb starts easily
enough, but you can tell how much people are hurting as they stop to walk up
inclines they wouldn’t even have noticed earlier in the day. The
trail soon becomes a series of duckboards and flagstones that keep the erosion
of thousands of walkers’ feet in check, culminating in a set of steep,
rugged steps that lead to the summit.
Here I’m met by Andy Cutts with a bottle of maxim and
some hearty words of abuse. He tells me that Mick Loftus is a minute or
two ahead of me and Steve Webb three minutes ahead of him and struggling. as he
leapt ahead of me, I reverted to the hands and knees approach favoured by the
very young and the very drunk. And then I was on the summit plateau
running towards the final checkpoint. I gave a cheery wave to Mick
Loftus, who was beginning his descent, but he didn’t return it, either
too busy watching his feet or just not in the mood for small talk.
From here it’s all downhill back to the event centre at
Horton, but still a good five miles over unforgiving limestone pavement.
I was still feeling reasonably strong and quite confident of a sub-four hour
time, even more so as I caught sight of Steve Webb in the middle
distance. Just as drew closer to Steve, Eirik bounded past me – it
was starting to look like it could be a close finish. Steve was
struggling, so we both passed him and continued the descent. As the path
flattened, I managed to overhaul Eirik who asked me if we were still on for the
magic time. I reckoned so, though he confessed to empty legs and a lack
of confidence in finishing within four hours.
However, Eirik passed me again when I stopped to help a fallen
runner with cramp. Thankfully I wasn’t detained too long as a
veritable army of walkers and marshals descended on her and encouraged me to
get on my way, which I did, passing Eirik again as we crossed the farmland just
outside of Horton.
The finish into the village was, as ever, accompanied by a
feeling of enormous relief. It was great to see Peter and Joyce Lambert
cheering me in as I crossed the road, entered the event field and reached the
finish in 3 hours 54 minutes and 45 seconds, shaving more than six minutes off
my previous personal best.
Great packing from the Striders saw four of us finish within
ten minutes of each other, and sprawl helplessly on the grass just beyond the
finishing funnel. A great day, a hard race and congratulations to all the
other Striders who managed to complete the circuit – particularly to
Richard, Steve D, and Mick W. doing it for the first time, and to Geoff who
just keeps on keeping on. Well done.
London marathon report
from Kevin McMullan
The race of truth. It is called this for good reason.
For one, there is no hiding place. Not on a route that is
packed with thousands all the way round.
Nor is there any sentiment to broken bodies in the last 6
miles – its 6 miles whether fit or reduced to a wreckage of a former
self.
My preparation had been as good as in any previous marathon.
Good weekly mileage, plenty of races, quickish times (pointing to a possible
PB), and a decent taper. I was fresh and raring to go on race day.
Mistake number 1 I think was not recognizing that the heat
might be an issue, and re-planning my race strategy accordingly. Even at 8.00AM
sitting in the start area, the sun was warm, wind light, and I had to sit in
the shade just to keep cool.
I have never been a great runner in warm conditions, even
going back to when I raced a lot in the summer. (some years ago). Add to that
the fact that I have almost no warm weather acclimatisation at all this year
should have set the alarm bells ringing so that I was extra careful in my race
planning and execution.
I took water and sports drink on board in the hour and a
half up to the start. I saw Dan Murray in the start pen and we both chatted for
the few minutes until the gun sounded. It only took 20 odd seconds to cross the
start line, and after negotiating traffic in mile 1 (7.15) settled into what
felt like a comfortable pace and mile 2 was 6.33. I did notice that I was
sweating quite a lot and the first water station is not until 3 miles.
Mile 3 has a downhill section and the red route joins at
this point. I took on water at mile 3 and mistake number 2 was not drinking
enough at this or other subsequent stations. I took some sips but with
hindsight, should have topped up liberally in those first few miles to combat
the conditions.
Mile 3 was 6.10 and I thought a little fast but wasn’t
worried. The next 6 were pretty easy – didn’t feel hot, but mistake
3 was that I skipped some water stations thinking I was OK. (there was another
6.10 along here which was definitely too quick). Its one thing doing ten miles
on a freezing February night without water, quite another running in warm sunshine
at 6.30 pace.
The danger signals start coming a few miles before the
wheels completely drop off. At first, its just little niggles of fatigue and
slight tightening of muscles. At tower bridge at 12, there is a slight incline
approaching the bridge and one hamstring felt a bit tight here, and I felt more
tired than I should had been but tried to dismiss these unwelcome signals.
Went through halfway in 1.25.10 – and felt reasonable
if not as easy as I would have liked. Just after was a large Cancer research
gathering who all screamed my name and waved their batons which was a fantastic
feeling.
The crowds had been incredible. All the way round people had
been shouting my name as it was stenciled on my Cancer Research vest. Certainly
the best supported marathon I had done.
I guess it was 17 when I knew I was going to have trouble.
The legs felt much heavier than they should have done, and were tightening up
more and more. I tried to take more water on board, but I suppose the damage
was done - approaching 2 hours in the heat and if dehydration has already set
in then its all downhill after that. It was at this point that I spotted Jerry
passing me wearing his
I went through 30K in a respectable although slowing 2.02
(my 5K splits are on the marathon website which speak very much for themselves
but are repeated here which should go with an X certificate)
20.41 - 19.56 - 19.59 - 20.19 - 20.25 - 21.31 - 26.00 -
38….
The 19th mile was 7.25 and I had taken a few
steps at the drinks station to pour water over my face and drink the rest.
However, I had the horrible feeling of certainty that there
was no way I would negotiate 7 more miles in a rapidly deteriorating physical
state without some nasty collateral damage. And so it was.
The really bad news was the descent from runner to wreckage
happened very quickly shortly after. Normally when muscle cramps start, you get
a minor twinge that is manageable for a time if you perhaps slow a little. But
I was suddenly beset with multiple cramps, all of which made even jogging for a
minute or so virtually impossible.
The last 6 were without doubt the most wretched experience
from a running experience of my life. I cannot even say it was
‘running’ because it wasn’t – I must have spent as much
time stretching out calves & hamstrings as I did walking/jogging.
With this physical misery is the added dejection of swathes
of runners constantly passing you, some of which you recognize as having passed
yourself some miles back.
Dan came past me at some indeterminate mile prefaced with a
2 and he gave me a sympathetic pat on the back as he disappeared into the
distance all too rapidly.
All the while, the crowd is urging you to start running. I
desperately wanted to do just that, but every attempt was curtailed by some
agonizing, new cramp, which at one point completely locked up the whole quad of
one leg so I could barely move, let alone walk or run.
Somehow I made it to big Ben and down birdcage walk, the
crowds getting ever bigger. With a little less than a mile to go a
So I plodded on amidst the noise and shouts of encouragement
that were so deafening I couldn’t fail to be uplifted, trying to make a
token effort to show them that yes, I was a runner, or had been less than a
short hour ago, although it seemed such much longer than that.
The 800 metres and 600 metres to go banners came and slowly
went, and mercifully I was turning at
Overall the whole day had more pluses than negatives and
over time I will be philosophical about the whole experience. I have my medal,
the time whilst not what I can achieve, is still respectable, I raised lots of
money for a worthy charity, and my son was there to share it all, and a post
race hug suddenly put it all into perspective.
Would I do it again. Definitely. The race of truth it may
be, but me and her have unfinished business.
London Bridge Station report from Jerry Watson
My 24th marathon attempt and
13th
At this point and after 25 minutes of walking up & down platforms I give up
on London Marathon instructions and take train to
The clear blue skies and warmth at 8.15 am meant staying in the shade and
adding 2 minutes to my schedule. I was also on a
Didn't see any other Striders vests before or during the race (really do need a
graphic of the Arches or something for the back of the vests), but did hear and
spot the vocal Kaiser support (thank you).
Sheffield Half
Marathon report from Jim Clay
Three Striders flew the flag south of the border and took on
'the city of seven hills' for the Sheffield 1/2
As 35,000+ set off from
Very sunny morning, course headed into the city centre and
wound around in a series of short climbs to reach the Ecclesall Road section
and half way point. Very well supported at this point, which was needed for the
long climb to the highest point, then around the cones (just like the Abbey
Dash) back down to city centre and then home. Plenty of water points and well
marshaled, but difficult to get into a steady rhythm between 4 and 9 miles with
the twisty, undulating course.
Lack of training and warm conditions started to tell at 10
mile mark. Hung on through 11 and 12 to reach the stadium - great, I thought,
only 200 yards left. No. You are cruelly sent past the track access tunnel to
complete a further full lap of the upper stadium seating before finally
entering the tunnel and finishing straight. Longest 800m I have done in a long
time. The photos say it all.
1st Male - local lad Jason Ward, 68m 02s. 1st Female Rebecca
Robinson (Kendal) 74m 52s.
Striders results included Jeremy Ladyman 1h 24m 16s,
Chloe Hudson 1h 44m 46s, Jim Clay 1h 26m 34s.
At least it’s a marker for the
END!