Sent: 06 May 2011 15:59
Subject: V S Update - calendar; extra information for parkrun, Pecolympics, Bradford M Way, Lyke Wake, Washburn Valley; results and reports from Rotterdam, 3 Peaks and Rothwell

 

Sponsor Tony!

 

Tony Firth – Leos bar manager and chef – will be cycling coast-to-coast the weekend of 14/15 May.  He’s raising money for two charities – St Gemma’s (his mum was looked after there 3 months ago) and Andrea’s Gift (a friend of his died from a brain tumour a couple of years ago).  If you would like to sponsor him, I’ll have the form at track training next Tuesday and the form will also be at the bar at Leos on Tuesday 17th (handicap & lasagne).

 

Calendar

 

Sat 7 May – Striders beginners group will be running Hyde Park parkrun – supporters needed!

Also – Open day at Lineham Farm, bluebell walks in the woodland, meet the animals, art & craft activities, yummy refreshments.  Valley Striders has raised over £28,000 for Lineham Farm over the last 12 years – please visit and you’ll know it’s worthwhile!

Sun 8 May – Leeds Half Marathon – good luck to all runners.  Hopefully the heavy rain that’s forecast will stay away, I don’t think it will discourage too many runners, but maybe will discourage supporters. 

If you’re supporting and want to be with other Striders, choose one of the junctions from Sheepscar through to Meanwood where we’re marshalling. Other regular points for Striders supporters are the traffic lights at Stonegate Rd / Parkside Rd, the small roundabout at the top of King Lane, and the dip on the Ring Road at Smithy Mills Lane.  Support would also be appreciated a mile from the finish on Kirkstall Road just after the railway viaduct.

After the race, Striders will be meeting and celebrating at Becketts Bank on Park Row would be a meet for post race drinks, probably from 11.30 onwards. It does food & drink and lets kids in if anyone is taking their family along.

Tue 10 May – Track session, also Jack Bloor Fell race (grand prix and fell champ)

Sat 14 May – Parkrun “mob run” at Hyde Park – see details below

Tue 17 May – Club Handicap 10k, meet by Res 7:00 prompt.  Afterwards, lasagne – book at [email protected] saying whether you want meat or veg lasagne and whether you want apple pie, by Sunday 15 May 10pm

Sun 22 May – Peco presentations at Leos – please book tickets for the barbecue to [email protected] by Tuesday 17 May 10pm.  For details of the Pecolympics, see below

Tue 24 May – Meanwood recce run, we’ll meet at Leos at 7pm and run the whole of the Meanwood Trail route in groups

Sat 28 May – Meanwood Valley Trail Race - we have 31 marshals so far (check www.valleystriders.org.uk/vsmarshals.htm ) - and need 34 more, please email me if you can help

Sun 12 Jun – URGENT! - Bradford Millennium Way Relay – 5 by 10 miles in pairs, nowhere near Bradford, details on http://valleystriders.org.uk/vsrelays.htm#BMW . Email [email protected] if you are interested in running.  We need replies by next Tuesday (10 May), see below for details.

Sun 19 Jun – Jane Tomlinson Run For All Leeds 10k

Tue 28 Jun– Yorkshire Vets Race at Leos organised by Valley Striders – we have 1 marshal so far (check www.valleystriders.org.uk/vsmarshals.htm ) - and need 24 more, please email me if you can help

Sat 9 Jul – Lyke Wake Run – Sarah Smith is organising a team, see below for details

Fri 15 Jul – Washburn Valley Relay see details below – email [email protected] if interested or just get your own team of 3 together (but please let me know!)

Sun 2 Oct – Harewood Trail Races organised by Valley Striders – marshals will be needed!

Sun 2 Oct – Bradford Half marathon (please come and help at Harewood Trail Races instead)

Parkrun Mob Run – Saturday 14 May – message from Fraser Weir (Leeds parkrun)

 

Leeds parkrun is hosting its 2nd Mob Run event on Saturday 14th May and we would like to invite all members from your running club to take part.

 

As you will probably know parkrun is a free weekly 5km time-trial that takes place every Saturday at 9am. The event is for everyone of all ages from beginners through to more experienced athletes and we encourage participation throughout a large community.

 

Last year we started up our ‘Mob Run’ event where we looked to increase our engagement with running clubs within the Leeds Network. The event was a great success with 333 runners taking part and so this year we want to build on this and we hosting another event on the 14th May.

 

The ‘Mob Run’ event is the same as the normal 5km run, where runners complete the course, register at the finish and then have their time posted online. However each club will be competing against each other to have the lowest average time amongst all of their team runners and the largest team taking  part.

 

There is no limit to how many runners you can have in a team, the more the better! All we ask is that the runners register online and print off their personal barcode and wear their club vest so we can identify which club they are from.

 

Pecolympics, Barbecue and Peco Cross Country Presentations – Sunday 22 May

 

The PECO Cross Country League presentations will take place at Leo’s on Sunday 22nd May. The provisional timetable is as follows:

 

  • 3.00pm – 5.00pm: The Pecolympics (Leo’s 2011 – bigger and better than London 2012!). Lots of silly (and less silly) events, including a junior xc race, egg throwing & catching, tug of war, etc.
  • 5.30pm: BBQ (£6.00 per head for adults, £3.00 for under 16s; tickets must be bought in advance)
  • 6.30pm: League presentations in the bar at Leo’s (the bar will be open!)

 

Bradford Millennium Way Relay – Sunday 12 June

 

This is a 50 mile relay for teams of 10 i.e. 5 legs run in pairs.  It’s like the terrain for the Calderdale Way Relay but a little bit easier and much nicer because it’s in summer.  Or like the most scenic bits of the Leeds Country Way Relay with some “easy” fell running and no housing estates.

 

And it’s nowhere near Bradford – the route is Bingley – Haworth – Laycock – Silsden – Ilkley – Bingley.

 

Between 2002 and 2005 we won the mixed team prize every year, and in 2006 we won the vets team.  Maybe we can win the mixed or vets team again or alternatively challenge for the men’s or women’s team prizes.  More details on our website http://valleystriders.org.uk/vsrelays.htm#BMW

 

We have 18 runners so far, so very quickly we need to make a decision whether to enter 2 or 3 teams.

 

Email   [email protected] by Tuesday 10 May at the latest if you are interested in running.

 

Lyke Wake Run – Saturday 9 July – message from Sarah Smith

 

Hi all
 
I have started a thread on the forum as I am hoping to get a team together for the Lyke Wake race
 
Walk details at http://www.lykewakewalk.co.uk/  Is that man in the photo opening a can of beer?  Could this be the Marathon du Medoc of North Yorkshire?  Let's find out!

Race details at  http://www.southkilvington.freeserve.co.uk/page5.html

Let me know if you are interested
 
Thanks
Sarah

 

Washburn Valley Relay – Friday 19 July – message from John Dade (Otley AC)

 

Otley AC is hosting the Washburn Valley Relays on Friday July 15th 2011 at 7pm.

 

There is a senior race over 3 legs (60 places) and a newly introduced (last year) Junior Race over 4 legs (20places).

 

All start at 7pm. Only the junior route will be marshalled. The club will host a recce evening for the senior routes on Friday 8th July.  

 

See the website www.otleyac.org.uk for further details.

 

Could I draw your attention to the sections on car sharing, and use of the car park? This is important to ensure we maintain a good and co-operative relationship with Yorkshire Water for future events.   

 

Enter by Sunday 10th July at the latest. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

 

Rotterdam Marathon Race report (10/4/2011)

 

All the hard winter and early spring training in the cold and wet had been done and a nice early April marathon selected; unfortunately this coincided with a heat wave that was not in the training manual at all. Even worse, the marathon I selected was in Rotterdam where the start time is 11am, so as the sun starts rising and the heat beating down you’re only just getting started. A few years ago this race was run in June but temperatures soared one year and the race was stopped early for safety reasons; so it was brought forward to April but the start time still left at 11 rather than a more sensible 9.30 like other marathons – hopefully they’ll have a re-think for next year.

 

Arriving at the start line at 10, there was still a cool wind off the river so I sat in the sun; half an hour later it was too warm and I moved to the shade – a portent of things to come. At 11 the starting cannon fired and we set off encouraged by the upbeat tune of ‘You’ll never walk alone’ – very true I thought, in this temperature they’ll be lots of us walking.

 

The race started on two carriageways either side of the tramlines, I was on one side in pen D, with the 3.15 and 3.30 pacers; quite ideal as I was targeting 3.15 but immediately in front of us were the corporate relayers who had a completely different (and slower) race pace; on the other carriageway were the people in the supposedly slower pens E and F. The overcrowding was ridiculous and I wondered why they didn’t let us use the tramlines (the trams having been stopped) for extra space. The first 5 k was sheer frustration due to traffic and I was soon behind the 3.30 pacers (to whom much respect for barging their way through to keep that pace) and also the E and F runners who had managed to steal a lead on those of us fighting past the corporates by the time the carriageways merged. My plan of following the 3.15  pacers had already gone, although I did see one of their balloons disappearing into the sky after about 1mile so it probably wouldn’t have been possible anyway.

 

By 6k and the first water station I was parched and p****d off. It was still overcrowded and I barely made the end of the drinks, which were only on one side of the route (oddly, later in the race when the field had thinned and they were easier to get to some of them were on both sides – go figure). By 10k and the 2nd station it was still crowded but by 15k there was finally sufficient space to get into a rhythm. That said I found my split times from thereon very much dictated by the route – where it was shady I was faster and where it wasn’t… well, you can guess. After the incredibly slow first 5k I’d managed to fight my way to just over 1.40 at half way, so well outside my target, and  I’d expended far more energy than I’d wanted to in getting through the traffic and had actually run nearer 13.5 miles by that point.

 

Nonetheless I still felt pretty good and was feeling quite strong; at 30k we were going through some woods where there was a nice shade and I was on target for sub 3.20. Unfortunately with about 8k to go we came out of the shade and I really started feeling the heat. Walking breaks, which I employed throughout the race as is my custom, became longer at each of the last drinks stations in a desperate bid to hydrate a bit more; the number of people weaving about the route or cramping up rose dramatically – not me in either case I’m pleased to say. Still, from 6k out I started losing a lot of pace although I was pleased that I kept going and even managed to pick the pace up again slightly in the closing 2k but, with the exception of Wharfedale last year, I’ve never been more pleased to finish a race and head for the shade! I wasn’t too tired however not to feel happy about a new pb of 3.21.39.    

 

On reflection I wouldn’t do Rotterdam again. The route, like the city, isn’t all that inspiring. It is flat but the crowds, except for a few areas, were well short of the ‘hundreds of thousands’ noted on the website. The crowding over the first 15k(!) is a huge impediment; it may be the 2nd fastest marathon course in the world, but that only works if you’re able to get away at the start (and I couldn’t which no doubt affects my opinion). It also seems daft that it starts at 11 and most other runners I spoke to, of many nationalities but always in English, agreed, although it was pleasing to note that the organizers had recognized the heat problem and thrown up a couple of extra drinks stations in the 2nd half of the race. On a plus point the finishing funnels at the end were long and spacious with bananas and drinks plentiful. The winner ran the fastest time in the world this year of 2.05 and a bit so maybe it was perfect after all!

 

Despite the difficulties I was really pleased with my run and feel that 3.15 is well within my scope (and a few years ago when I joined the Striders I never thought I’d be writing that) so am looking forward to a bit of rest and then training hard for Palma later in the year.

 

Many thanks to everyone who sent best wishes before and congrats after the race – very much appreciated. Good luck to all those with Spring marathons still to come.

 

John

 

66 Ultras in 66 cities in 66 days – message from Gary Mann

 

Upon my return to the motherland (Birmingham) over the holidays, I took part in the Cannon Hill Park Run on 23rd April (as did Paul Holloway). 

 

Also at the event was the challenge 66 team. Where Andy McMenemy (from Wetherby) is looking to run 66 ultramarathons in 66 days in 66 cities (due to finish in York on 20th May). As I am sure this may have been mentioned before, it is a feat but very much worth mentioning again so please check out the website   http://www.challenge66.org/about-us .

Nobby

Three Peaks Results

 

104  Mick Wrench        03:49:54    

134  Eirik Stangnes     03:55:02    

150  Simon Vallance     03:57:57    

163  Mick Loftus        03:59:46    

178  Tony Mills         04:02:21    

290  Aled Greenhalgh    04:20:27    

291  Simon Redshaw      04:20:31    

311  Dan Murray         04:22:49    

425  Mark Woodhead      04:37:37    

427  Stephen Dixon      04:37:47    

487  Alistair Smyth     04:46:10    

490  Oliver Cheyne      04:46:34    

725  Geoffrey Webster   03:42:58 (Hill Inn – time limit 3:30)  

 

Hoping to have a race report soon (hint!)

 

Rothwell 10k Results

 

Pos                      Cat  Chip time  Gun time

 10  Andy May            M35  00:33:54   00:33:58

 28  Rich Smith          M35  00:35:58   00:36:05

 41  Roy Huggins         M45  00:37:02   00:37:09

107  Eric Green          M50  00:41:36   00:41:48

151  Bob Jackson         M60  00:43:28   00:43:40

156  Hayley Nancolas     F    00:43:42   00:43:54

170  Leroy Sutton        M50  00:43:53   00:44:38

189  Sue Sunderland      F50  00:45:09   00:45:31

191  Louise Allinson     F    00:45:21   00:45:38

207  Richard Davenport   M35  00:45:51   00:46:06

480  Meryll Cripps       F60  01:01:20   01:01:44

 

Note to all Striders – this is a fast course, maybe a few seconds slower than Abbey or Dewsbury, but at a better time of year than both, so put in your diary for next year.  The winning time was 30:42.

 

Note to all V60 runners – there were two prizes in the M60 category, so I thought I had a chance.  But I was nowhere near – Keith Williams of Rotherham ran 37:38 (the 3rd fastest M60 10k in the UK this year), Pete Johnson 38:55 and Pete Rawnsley (organiser of Guiseley Gallop and a 48 minute man for 10 miles in his prime) 40:49 - so I was a distant fourth.  I did have the satisfaction of beating all the M55’s – oh to have been 3 months younger!!