Our friends at Claro Orienteering are holding event this Wednesday evening at Conyngham Hall, Knaresborough. Some Striders tried their last local event and enjoyed the experience.
Registration is between 6 and 7pm THIS WEDNESDAY – 13th June. Full details can be found here: SpringO Flier
May’s Monster Round-up
The merry, merry month of May finally brought us light evenings, clear skies, and some better conditions in which to enjoy our runs, jogs and walks! Our Striders recorded over 180 results across a wide range of events, doing so whilst putting in week-after-week of Bed Race training! Heat was an issue at many events, with May 2018 being the sunniest since 1989 and warmest since records began more than 100 years ago, according to the Met Office. So, in many ways, May was a ‘monster’ of a month for our club members!
Saturday 5th May – parkrun participation, fabulous fells, horrible hills and copious cakes…
parkruns
The first Saturday morning of May saw many of our members enjoying their parkruns. With participation being the mainstay of parkrun (rather than outright performance) it’s great to see Striders out in large numbers, week in, week out around the area. Harrogate parkrun saw over 500 runners took part, 18 of whom were Striders! In the spirit of participation, here are our finishers – in no particular order! Strider of the Year Edna Wood (29:06), Tracy Allison (29:47), Robert Charlesworth (29:55), Paul Heywood(24:10), David Halladay (24:12), Joanne Sharratt (37:52), Ruth Mann (39:17), Fiona Slight (28:29), Ian Mitchell (21:34), Mark Taylor (24:55), Tony Everitt (29:10), Dawn Richardson (30:37), Jane Johnson (31:00), Gaynor Downs (33:36), Jo Gray (35:31), Fiona Gartside (35:44), Sean Brennan (21:01) and Mick Dobson (27:35). Further afield at the Peterborough parkrun, Annika McDonald clocked 28:34. At Catterick parkrun, Jayne Close clocked 33:30 in her first visit, whilst at Wetherby parkrun, Nicola Carter found herself the first lady home in 21:35. Fountains Abbey parkrun saw the ever-present Derek Calvert clock 24:04, joined by Ryan Middleton (24:15) and Steve Morland (18:56 PB). Finally, Dalby Forest parkrun was the choice of Tom Calvert and Niamh Falconer who were in that neck of the woods (pun entirely intended) prior their race in Kirbymoorside the next day! Niamh was third lady home in 22:25 whilst Tom was 2nd overall in a stunning 17:28.
Up the Odda
This challenging trail race starts from Hawksworth and heads up the very steep and grassy Odda not once, but twice! This made for a very challenging race in the heat of the sun, with the occasional competitor on all fours! James Wright clocked a very decent 49:28 whilst Julie Elms overcame the challenge in a very respectable 1:25:52.
Cakeathon
Nene Valley and Cakes. What more could you want? The Cakeathon challenged competitors to run as many laps as they wanted in 6 hours, with plentiful cakes each lap or at the end! Claire Baxter took up the challenge, passing the Marathon mark and clocking 26.82miles before calling it a day ‘early’ after a mere 4hrs 43minutes! Rarely has there been a better deserved (or needed) cake!
Buckden Out Moor Race
This fell race scales Buckden Pike, topping out at the 702m summit. James Warburton was certainly up to the challenge, finishing 3rd overall in an excellent time of 42:10.
Kentmere trail challenge
The latest round of the Lakeland trail series saw the hardy competitors gathering at Staveley. Janet and Steve Morris continued their challenge in this series, taking on the 17k course in 2:43:57 and 2:58:31 respectively.
Sunday 6th May – hot, hot, hot.
Kirbymoorside 10k saw hot, sapping conditions to ‘welcome’ our runners. Tom Calvert claimed 6th place overall in a highly-competive 38:01. James Wright was only a short distance behind, making the top 20 in 41:10. Niamh Falconer clocked a strong 51:15 before Dawn Richardson completed the quartet, overcoming the temperature in 1:06:09.
Peco XC vs WYWL Relays.
Several months had passed since the Peco and West Yorkshire Winter cross country leagues had ended, with several delays affecting the inter-league finale. Unfamiliar balmy conditions therefore greeted the competitors at Beckett Park, Leeds. The event saw teams of three runners representing the leagues or their clubs taking turns over a 3mile course. It proved a strong day for the Peco league, triumphing overall and in 5 of the 6 categories. Striders had two teams in the event. Our Ladies Vets LV40+ team came home in 44th place after legs by Lisa Harrison (24:25), Jo Gray (35:03) and June Graham (27:36) – a total time of 1:27:04.
Special mention must go to Lisa, who also accompanied June on the 3rd leg as the field thinned out over the sparsely -marshalled course. Our club representative team finished in 20th position overall, clocking 1:02:35 after legs by Steve Morland (19:05), Nicola Carter (21:22) and Gary Wilkinson (22:08). PecoXC will return along with the wintery conditions at the end of the year.
Roche Abbey 10k
Roche Abbey is definitely a hidden gem – it’s not very well known, but nevertheless it’s very beautiful. Nestled away in South Yorkshire near the picturesque village of Maltby, it was the base for a choice of track and trail events. In the 10k option, Claire Baxter finished up as 3rd Lady in 52:04, followed by Vanessa El-Etriby in 58:26.
Tuesday 8th May
At the Jack Bloor Fell race, James Warburton ran back and forth across the beautiful but rugged Ilkley Moor to claim 8th place overall in 43:03.
Thursday 10th May
The York 5K series continued into race 2 at the University of York Sport Village’s Cycle Circuit. James Wright clocked an extremely competitive 18:18, followed by Lucy Shore (32:48) and Rachel Boyd (38:46).
Saturday 12th May – a championship day at parkrun!
Fountains Parkrun (Club Championship)
Fountains Abbey parkrun was the venue for the latest round of our club championship, resulting in a fantastic turnout of 30 Striders at the historic venue. Great performances were seen throughout the 384-strong field. Appropriately, the first parkrunner home was our own Tom Calvert (17:43), leading a Strider-dominated top ten as our members worked together to cut their way through the field: 3rd – James Ireland (18:34 Pb), 4th – James Wright (18:35 Pb), 5th – Martin Brock (18:38 Pb), 7th – Stephen Morland (18:44 Pb) and 9th – Dan Foley (19:07 Pb). Strong finishes followed in abundance: Ian Mitchell (20:30), Ian Waller (20:38), Robert Earl (21:16), Ryan Middleton (22:18 PB),Craig Mitchell (22:22 Pb), Claire Baxter (22:26 PB and 2nd Lady), Nick Wallen (23:39), Gary Wilkinson (23:41), Derek Calvert (24:12), Georgina Townsend (24:45), Julian Carr (26:00), Natalie Hale (26:45 PB), Michael Dobson (30:06), Mark Shelton (30:07), Dawn Richardson(30:18), Laura Wilmshurst(31:03 Pb), David Sinton (32:01), Gaynor Downs (32:16), Jackie Knight (33:59), Jo Gray (35:04), Lauren Downs (35:47 Pb), Joanne Sharratt (35:59 Pb), with Louise Buck and Ruth Mann clocking identical times (45:35).
Other parkruns
Meanwhile, back at Harrogate parkrun, there was still a strong Strider representation with another rash of PBs! Our recent and very-welcome recruit Ted Welton knows the course very well and clocked a very competitive 19:58 to finish 7th, ahead of David Halladay (26:53), Robert Charlesworth (28:48), Rebecca Williams (28:50 Pb), Deborah Goldfield (28:50 Pb) and Jane Johnson (29:24 Pb). Last but no means least, Coventry parkrun’s huge field included the visiting Tony Everitt (29:22) and Tracy Allison (29:36).
Sunday 13th May – upping the distance
With a load of 5Ks out of the way, Striders moved up in distance around the North.
Ripon 10 is a long-established favourite and now included as part of the hornblower series. 500 runners headed west out of Ripon for 10 miles of very mixed terrain, taking in Studley’s bridges, Fountains Hall and a brutal 7th mile climb. Steve Morland led the Striders home in 1:12:43, followed by Ian Waller (1:16:29), Sean Brennan (1:21:17), Gary Wilkinson (1:22:27), Gareth Conkleton (1:25:06), Stewart Hymas (1:27:30), Paul Haywood (1:36:05) and Strider-of-the-year Edna Wood (1:48:59).
Leeds half-marathon has become another favourite with thousands pounding the outskirts of Leeds before a very loud and vibrant finish in the city centre. A quartet of Striders tackled the challenge with Lisa Harrison (1:57:04) chased in by Mark Shelton (2:20:06), Dawn Richardson (2:19:47) and Laura Wilmshurst (2:24:22).
Sunderland half-marathon was visited by the ever-improving Claire Baxter, clocking a strong 1:40:20 around the Wearside course.
Back on home turf, Dan Wilson was tackling the Harrogate Triathlon, comprising a 400m Swim, 14mi Bike and 3mile run. Dan splashed for 10:22, pedalled for 1:03:08 and dashed for 23:19, turning in a competitive total time of 1:40:07.
Wednesday 16th May – ‘Donfaster’
The Askern 10k, near Doncaster, is renowned as a fast course and this proved to be the case, with an amazing 72 runners breaking 40 minutes, and winning times of 32 and 35 minutes for the men and ladies! The closely-matched duo of Martin Brock and James Wright both smashed through that 40-minute barrier in times of 37:56 and 38:37. Well done chaps!
Saturday 19th May – a right royal day
With a wedding to watch (or avoid) and some longer runs scheduled for the following day, this was a quieter day race-wise but not before the usual array of parkruns!
At Catterick parkrun, the improving Jayne Close represented the club with a time of exactly 33minutes. With Harrogate parkrun now (finally) dried out, the runners are flocking back with nearly 500 taking part. Robert Earl (20:45), Sean Brennan (20:49) and Ian Mitchell (21:16) were the first trio back, joined by Gareth Conkleton (21:35), David Halladay (23:54), Julian Carr (25:18), Tony Everitt (27:34), Vicki Gibson (27:42), Tracy Allison (29:16), Dawn Richardson (30:10), David Sinton (30:41), Joanne Sharratt (35:04) and Ruth Mann (40:19).
At the Roundhay parkrun, Annika McDonald (29:58) continued her tour of venues. Fountains Abbey parkrun saw the contenders taking part in a range of wedding vows, pledging to improve their PBs, thank the volunteers and only cross the finish line once! Tom Calvert (17:51) battled strong lead group, joined in the results by James Wright (18:14), Steve Morland (18:27), Derek Calvert (23:33), Claire Killingworth (24:17) and Emma Hepworth (24:38)
Pizza Run brought their new 5K event to Yorkshire, with contenders invited to collect a slice of pizza after each lap of Cross Flatts Park, Leeds, or saving them for after the finish! Claire Baxter fancied a slice of the action, clocking a spicy 4th overall in 26:38 and the first hungry lady home.
The Charlesworth Chase saw James Warburton back in action again, tackling the 5.2 mile run (climbing 1200 ft) in 41:42 with a beer to be drunk before crossing the finish line in 7th place!
Sunday 20th May – Lakes and Mobots
The Brathay ASICS Windemere Marathon is based at Brathay Hall, a Georgian country house overlooks the northern shore of Windermere with a backdrop of Lake District fells. From there, a 26.2 mile anti-clockwise rolling circuit of Windermere unfolds, taking in Hawkshead, Newby Bridge, Bowness-on-Windermere and Ambleside along the way. Four of our striders took on the challenge in 2018, with some intense and diligent preparation paying dividends on a warm day. Rob Clarke broke into the top 100, claiming 74th place in an excellent 3:31:16. Phil Cornforth powered in to the finish in a superb 3:46:26, followed by the highly-prepared Gary Wilkinson, stopping the clock inside 4 hours with a 3:58:59. Only minutes later a quartet of powerful performances was completed by David Halladay in 4:05:30.
At the Manchester 10k, Mo Farah may have been taking the headlines with his fine win, but he was chased home by a trio of Striders! In fact, a mere 59 places behind was Tom Calvert; 60th overall in a very fine 36:05. Completing a trio of very competitive runs were Claire Baxter (46:36) and Niamh Falconer (49:45).
Tuesday 22nd May – Rushing around
The inaugural ‘St. Robert’s Rush’ Time Trial took 51 of our members along the beautiful and tranquil Abbey Road in search of their fastest possible mile. A fantastic evening was had – the full report can be read at: Race Report
Wednesday 23rd May – Brownlee inspiration
At the fourth round of the Evensplits Leeds 5K series, James Wright and Natalie Hale enjoyed some intense competition at the Brownlee Centre Cycle Circuit. Doubtless inspired by Yorkshire’s finest triathletes, Natalie raced around in 25:39, but not before James had lowered his PB for 5K in a fleet 18:14.
Saturday 26th May – purely parkrun
Our fourth Saturday of the month saw members visiting six different venues around the region. Pontefract parkrun is based at the longest flat racing course in Europe and a great test for parkrunners. Annika McDonald (28:38) joined over 400 runners there at her third different venue of the month. There was more racecourse action at Catterick parkrun, where Sean BRENNAN proved he wasn’t horsing around with a very competitive 20:21. In Victorian times, Harrogate parkrun’s site was also a racecourse for horses, rather than humans. No stray horses there any more though, only the Stray fair, which meant the customary diversion! First back after dodging the dodgems was Ted Welton (20:12) joined by Steven Core (21:55), Ian Mitchell (23:34), Nick Wallen (24:21), David Halladay (25:08), David Sinton (31:07), Jo Gray (35:55), Joanne Sharratt (38:50) and Ruth Mann (40:14). Skipton parkrun’s solitary Strider was of course Jason Green (24:33), putting in his eighth appearance of the year at Aireville park. Dalby Forest parkrun was the choice of another lone Strider – a holidaying Claire Baxter, who headed up and down the trails in the valley in an excellent 23:15. Finally to Fountains parkrun where a sextet of Striders was moving considerably faster than the Monks who might previously have trodden those paths. Back in winning ways was Tom Calvert (17:39), tracked by James Wright (18:15). Completing the Knaresborough contingent were Niamh Falconer (4th lady in 22:01), Derek Calvert (23:46), Fiona Gartside (31:19) and Sarah Jones (33:07)
Sunday 27th May – Local Races, new and old
Northallerton 10k (Club Championship)
There has been a settlement at Northallerton since Roman times, but only in recent years has the town reached the peak of civilisation that is the 10K running race. The 3rd running of this event was included for the first time in our own Ben Campbell Club Championship, guaranteeing that a strong Strider turnout would amass by the town clock pre-race. Those expecting a flat course were in for a surprise however, with the first four miles climbing up through local villages and the notorious Sandy bank before plunging back towards the town. The unusually hot conditions were affecting most of the runners with the phrase ‘…not a PB day…’ commonplace around the finishing line.
James Wright was the first Strider home in 14th place with his time of 39:40 particularly strong given the conditions. He narrowly pipped Martin Brock, who also snuck inside 40minutes again, recording 39:59. A little further back, the chase for veteran’s championship points was as intense as the heat, with Steve Morland (41:41) leading in Ian Waller (43:20), Phil Cornforth (47:03) and David Halladay (47:34). Once age adjusted, that could be anybody’s! Craig Mitchell put in a great shift to record 48:09 ahead of Julian Carr (52:50) and Jo Gray (1:18:14). With most runners agreeing that it would be worth another attempt, there may be some difficult decisions to be made between Northallerton 2019 and the ever-popular Melmerby 10K….
Melmerby 10k – A firm favourite over many years, Memerby’s undulating course starts and finishes in the village before heading north into the tranquil lanes. A little more shade would have been welcomed though, as the weekend’s sun made conditions testing for all the runners. Ian Mitchell is coming into great form ahead of the summer and this showed in his excellent 42:43 performance, leading home the Striders. Lisa Harrison overcame the head with a strong 54:38, before Sarah Hill (1:02:16), Dawn Richardson (1:04:37), Edna Wood (1:06:08) followed in quick succession. Performance of the day, however was arguably Bill Kirkpatrick’s splendid 1:11:47 to complete a fine set of Strider runs.
The ‘Helvellyn and the Dodds’ is an out and back course across open fell land in the stunning Hellvellyn range. James Warburton tackled the tough uphill sections and equally steep descents whilst fighting off cramp, but still completed the 15mile course in a very competitive 2hrs 59.
Saturday 26th May and Sunday 27th May – Serious stuff
Two dates? This must mean serious running! The Hardmoors 110 Ultramarathon follows the dramatic Cleveland Way National Trail encircling the North York Moors and the Cleveland Heritage coastline. Commencing in Filey, competitors have a time limit of 36 hours to complete the 110-mile single stage trail race, following the stunning Cleveland Heritage Coastline, turning through the beautiful Cleveland Hills and the North York Moors before finishing in the market town of Helmsley. Graham Yare fancied the challenge: “…with no training I just wanted to see if I could get through – chafing, lots of very painful blisters and sunburn. Still managed to finish though!” His finishing time of 35hrs, 34mins and 46seconds was a monumental achievement! Very well done Graham.
31st May – Culminating Canter
Closing out an incredibly busy month was our Strider-of-the-year Edna Wood, who clocked a great 1:06:16 for the club at the Apperley Bridge Canter, near. Bradford.
So that completes May – a massive month for the Striders. June sees the return of the Evening Summer League, the Bed Race and sees members racing right to the end of the month (literally) at the Endure 24. Happy Running!
With the start of the 2018 HSDRL only days away, please can all participants to check their details are correct on the HSDRL website. PLEASE CHECK YOUR DETAILS HERE: Entry list at 2 June 2018 and email contact@harrogate-league.org.uk if anything is incorrect. Please check that you are in the correct age category and names are spelt correctly.
*A59 Closure*
You will doubtless be aware that the A59 remains closed at Kex Gill and is expected to remain so in the days to come. This is likely to impact significantly on your travel to Round 1 at Skipton this Tuesday as the diversion is through Otley and Ilkley. Do please allow more time to travel to the race. At the moment, (Sunday) the race goes ahead as planned, but watch out for any news should this change. For the latest information, check the HSDRL Facebook group: HSDRL Facebook.
Knaresborough Striders will be getting together to visit a selected parkrun once each month!
On the first Saturday of each month there will be an opportunity to join fellow joggers and runners at a different parkrun with the opportunity to car share, taking in a coffee afterwards.
The next event will be this Saturday (2nd June) at PONTEFRACT. The parkrun is based at Pontefract racecourse, the longest flat racing circuit in Europe! The course is in Pontefract Racecourse on a mixture of tracks, tarmac paths and grass with some gentle gradient. Starting and finishing lakeside, the course includes a full lap of the racecourse.
Those wishing to car share should meet at the Cricket Club at 7.50am.
More details of Pontefract parkrun: Pontefract parkrun.
Dates of future parkrun visits are listed in the Events calendar.
We’ve had a tremendous take-up for places in the HDSRL, but entries close this week.
If anyone else wishes to join in, please inform one of the committee this evening (Tuesday 29th May) and provide the payment of £13 by BACS (sort code 40‑26‑20, account no 11295985), cheque or cash.
If you need further information please visit the HDSRL website http://www.harrogate-league.
The mile. The classic running challenge: human vs the clock… Bannister… The Oslo Golden Miles… Coe, Ovett, Cram… A fascination for so many over the years, yet a challenge never taken up by Knaresborough Striders – until now! Whilst mutters of ‘per mile’ can oft be heard throughout our training runs and races, very few of our members had ever actually challenged themselves over a single mile.
Inspired by some of our runners’ personal exploits, our inaugural ‘St. Robert’s Rush’ took over 50 of our members along the beautiful and tranquil Abbey Road, beginning above our famous saint’s cave, following the River Nidd upstream and finished beneath the crag a few hundred metres short of the Half Moon. Setting off in three waves (roughly aligned with our normal groups) along the winding and undulating route, this time-trial produced some scintillating performances, very close battles and an electric atmosphere as the runners charged towards those already gathered at the finish line.
In our first wave of runners, erstwhile jog group leader and Z2H mentor Mark Shelton was first across the line in a fleet 7mins 31seconds, chased in by June Graham (breaking 8 minutes) in a tremendous 7:57 and Fiona Sleight in 8:09. With several new members and recent Z2H graduates in this wave, an average time of just 9:18 showed the incredible progress being made.
All registered and ready to go!
Mark well in the lead of Wave 1
Our second wave of competitors was formed mostly of our intermediate runners and proved highly competitive! Jez Wilkinson showed that a lack of recent time-trial experience was no problem, as he raced home in 6:26, just ahead of an equally racy Guy Marshall in 6:33, whilst Emma Hepworth and Kathryn Pickles battled it out for 3rd in 6:39 and 6:40 respectively. Our Striders were clearly pushing on now, with a wave average time of just 7:23.
Wave 2 head off, Guy off to a flyer…
Jez leading the way now…
Some close battles!
Kez enjoying the challenge
Finally, with increasing numbers of runners gathering at the finish, breathlessly recalling their exploits, our third wave headed away from the start line. For many, this flew past a lot sooner than they had expected! Tom Calvert was first back – and fastest of the night – in a mind-blowing 5 minutes 4 seconds, whilst James Warburton kept him firmly in sight throughout, breaking the tape in just 5:10. There followed a mighty battle for third, with a pack of 5 coming into sight of the finishing funnel. Places changing right to the end, James Ireland took a very well-earned third in 5:21, just holding off the efforts of Martin Brock (also 5:21) and Steve Morland (5:22). With the entire third wave covered by a mere 2 minutes, their efforts resulted in an incredible average time of 6 minutes exactly!
Fastest on the night – Tom
Smiles, grimaces and day-glo.
More battles…
Gemma and Dan – just two of our incredible volunteers for this one.
With all the times in the bag (or rather stuck on the board) many of the runners decamped to the nearby Mother Shipton Inn to swap tales of their battles, ponder where those vital seconds were lost and gained, and consider whose elbows were the sharpest. New targets have been set and it will be interesting to see how performances compare the next time around.
The full results are detailed below, but not before giving MASSIVE THANKS to our marshals, volunteers and organisers, without whom the evening would never have happened.
A fantastic range of photographs from the night were taken by our member Emma Greveson and can be viewed via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/egrevesonphotography/posts/599316163775529 or on Emma’s fab site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/greveson/
Very well done to all involved!
St Robert’s Rush – 1 mile Time Trial – Inaugural Event, 22nd May 2018
| Overall Position | Runner | Time | Wave | Wave Position |
| 1 | Tom Calvert | 05:04 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | James Warburton | 05:10 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | James Ireland | 05:21 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Martin Brock | 05:21 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Steve Morland | 05:22 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | James Wright | 05:27 | 3 | 6 |
| 7 | Ted Welton | 05:29 | 3 | 7 |
| 8 | Sean Brennan | 05:52 | 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Ste Core | 05:52 | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | Gareth Conkleton | 06:08 | 3 | 10 |
| 11 | Derek Dobinson | 06:09 | 3 | 11 |
| 12 | Ian Mitchell | 06:14 | 3 | 12 |
| 13 | Niamh Falconer | 06:22 | 3 | 13 |
| 14 | Jez Wilkinson | 06:26 | 2 | 1 |
| 15 | Sima Lowery | 06:29 | 3 | 14 |
| 16 | Guy Marshall | 06:33 | 2 | 2 |
| 17 | Emma Hepworth | 06:39 | 2 | 3 |
| 18 | Kathryn Pickles | 06:40 | 2 | 4 |
| 19 | Stewart Hymas | 06:43 | 3 | 15 |
| 20 | Dave Rogers | 06:50 | 2 | 5 |
| 21 | Derek Calvert | 06:54 | 3 | 16 |
| 22 | Andy Tibbals | 06:57 | 2 | 6 |
| 23 | Julian Carr | 07:03 | 3 | 17 |
| 24 | Murray Scott | 07:04 | 2 | 7 |
| 25 | Baz Rodger | 07:05 | 3 | 18 |
| 26 | Vanessa El-Etriby | 07:11 | 2 | 8 |
| 27 | Jess Dobson | 07:12 | 2 | 9 |
| 28 | Dave Moore | 07:18 | 2 | 10 |
| 29 | Debbie Herridge | 07:25 | 2 | 11 |
| 30 | Mark Shelton | 07:31 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | Natalie Hale | 07:35 | 2 | 12 |
| 32 | June Graham | 07:57 | 1 | 2 |
| 33 | Tony Everitt | 07:59 | 2 | 13 |
| 34 | Fiona Sleight | 08:09 | 1 | 3 |
| 35 | Kez Welsby | 08:11 | 2 | 14 |
| 36 | Alison Manning | 08:14 | 1 | 4 |
| 37 | Tracy Allison | 08:21 | 2 | 15 |
| 38 | Robbie Whellans | 08:24 | 2 | 16 |
| 39 | Charlotte Hutchinson | 08:29 | 1 | 5 |
| 40 | Jane Johnson | 08:35 | 1 | 6 |
| 41 | Sally Taylor | 08:40 | 2 | 17 |
| 42 | Fyn Lees | 08:47 | 1 | 7 |
| 43 | Katie Byrne | 08:55 | 1 | 8 |
| 44 | Dawn Richardson | 09:00 | 1 | 9 |
| 45 | Lucy Shore | 09:29 | 1 | 10 |
| 46 | Gaynor Downs | 09:40 | 1 | 11 |
| 47 | Emma Hall | 09:57 | 1 | 12 |
| 48 | Bill Kirkpatrick | 10:14 | 1 | 13 |
| 49 | Lauren Downs | 10:39 | 1 | 14 |
| 50 | Ruth Mann | 11:22 | 1 | 15 |
| 51 | Rachel Boyd | 11:44 | 1 | 16 |
A reminder that Thursday 25th May sees the first session of the year with our excellent visiting coach, Emma Kicks from Ridgeway Fitness & Health.
Emma is a qualified and experienced coach with UK Athletics well-known around the local area. Her training sessions are suited to runners of all abilities and aimed at improving running style and increasing fitness to enhance performance and reduce risk of injury.
We strongly recommend that our members – regardless of ability, experience or speed – give her 2018 sessions a try!
Meet at the Clubhouse as normal.
The most recent club activities now available via our own website!
Many of our members now use Strava to track their training and progress.
The weekly summary now available on our own website!
Whilst it’s only one of several similar apps, it is now the most commonly used. Record an activity and it goes to your Strava feed, where your friends and followers can share their own races and workouts, give kudos to great performances and leave comments on each other’s activities.
One of it’s features is to allow you to join one of more ‘Clubs’ and of course Knaresborough Striders is on there! All you need to do is login and select ‘Knaresborough Striders’ from the ‘Clubs’ option. Depending on your app, this might need to be done on a PC.
Once done, you can see how your weekly progress compares to others in the club, along with keeping tabs on what our members are doing – really good for getting ideas for new routes, runs, or even just conversation starters for those social runs!
Detailed breakdown of our club activities on Strava.
Do you check our Club Calendar regularly?
It shows details of all our upcoming Club events: championship races, time-trials, social events and other races of interest – so you don’t miss out!
You can access the calendar on our website at: http://knaresborough-striders.org.uk/events/
April 2nd half: 14th to 30th April 2018
5ks to Marathons, Mud to blistering heat, Collieries, airfields and lost shoes… they’re all in the final instalment of April’s results.
“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”
A busy start to April continued into the second half of the month. With the emergence of sunshine (albeit too much for some at times) and the drying-out of some of our favourite routes (for a while at least) the second half of April saw our members continue to represent the club in a range of events around the region and beyond.
Saturday 14th April
Another plethora of Parkrun visits saw Striders spread across six different locations – so in alphabetical order, here we go:
First up, Nicola Carter visited Darlington South Park parkrun and come in as first lady in 21:09. Fountains Abbey parkrun found itself with over 500 runners, our own Tom Calvert finishing first in a great 17:34. Completing our quartet at the scenic venue were Steve Morland (19:47), Derek Calvert (24:23) and Samantha Curnow (24:43). Harrogate parkrun continues to dry out after a soggy few months – Sean Brennan’s experience of the course bringing home around in a great 21:39. A strong Striders showing saw Ian Mitchell next up in 22:58, followed by David Halladay (23:27), Luke Ratcliffe (27:15), Tracy Allison (29:27), Louise Buck (44:38) and Ruth Mann (44:38). The new Heslington parkrun saw James Wright enjoying the flat fast course in an excellent 18:38, followed in by Gary Wilkinson (21:57), Mark Shelton (25:24), Strider of the Year Edna Wood (28:18) and Jo Gray (34:21). Down in Pontefract, our pair of Ralph Weldon and Annika McDonald clocked 26:53 and 30:09 respectively. Last but not least, Jason Green headed to Skipton parkrun, recording a creditable 24:36.
Away from parkruns, Simon Rider tackled the Old colliery canter 10K at Rabbit Ings – a country park located on the former colliery yard and spoil heap of the Monkton Colliery and then the Royston Drift Mine, which closed in 1989. The 64-hectare site, situated near Royston in South Yorkshire, is home to an array of wildlife – including newts, snakes and herons. No doubt inspired by the fantastic surroundings, Simon clocked a solid 01:06:52
Sunday 15th April
The Vale of York 10 is the newer little brother to the Vale of York Half heading out of the York Gliding Centre in Rufforth. A trio of Striders found their way around this delightful ten-miler: Ian Waller in a swift 1:08:41, followed with competitive showings from Laura Wilmshurst (1:40:16) and Emma Greveson (2:15:26).
Same day, but in very different conditions, the Hawkshead Trail challenge saw Janet and Steve Morris complete the picturesque but hugely demanding 17k in 2:28:58 and 2:45:39 respectively.
Saturday 21st April
The improving weather saw parkrun attendances on the rise as welcome sunshine began to produce some faster and less messy conditions underfoot! Harrogate parkrun saw 12 Striders in attendance, led home by Steve Morland just outside the top 10 in a season’s best of 19:25, chased in by Ian Mitchell (21:39), Robert Earl (22:03) and Nicola Carter, hotfooting it from the cancelled Wetherby event in 22:04. David Halladay (23:11), Nick Wallen (24:09), Jo Gray (35:12), Emma Hall (36:50), Lauren Downs (37:39), Mark Taylor (37:49), Ruth Mann (43:25) and Louise Buck (45:05) completed a strong showing for Striders old and new. The Riverside parkrun at Chester le Street was the venue chosen by Paul Heywood (22:59) and Strider of the Year Edna Wood (28:20). A second consecutive visit to Pontefract saw Ralph Weldon (25:17) Annika McDonald (28:50) both finding big improvements in their form. Stalwart of Fountains Abbey parkrun, Derek Calvert clocked a great 23:39, and ‘fastest Calvert’ this week at least! On his never-ending quest for collecting parkruns, James Wright visited Horton Park parkrun (Bradford) coming in 2nd overall in a swift 18:49. Heading west, Claire Killingworth conquered Lancaster parkrun in 26:34.
Sunday 22nd April
The big event this weekend was, of course, the London Marathon. Once again, our Striders found themselves out in blistering conditions. Tom Calvert was flying until some cramp began to appear – nonetheless he completed in a very creditable 3hrs 38min. Sima Lowery sailed around in 3hrs 48mins, with some impressive metronomic splits throughout! Finally, Ste Core dipped under the 4:30 barrier in 4hrs 29mins. Well done all!
Ste (not in kit) collecting his cherished race number
Tom all set and ready
Sima at the start
Who’s that on the telly?(the clue’s on his back!)
A little closer to home, Paul Heywood and Strider of the Year Edna Wood visited the Washington Trail 10k, which
winds its way around the wonderful James Steel Park and picks its way around some beautiful woodland trails along the banks of the River Wear. Both recorded excellent performances: Paul in 55:49 and Edna in 1:07:05
Wednesday 25th April
Midweek events began to re-emerge this month, with James Wright tackling the third round of the Leeds 5K series at the Brownlee Centre Cycle Circuit in Leeds and recording a Brownlee-standard 18:09.
Thursday 26th April
The following evening saw James Warburton tackle the intriguing Dick Hudson’s fell race, the aim of which to run from Ilkley, over the moor, touch the gate by Dick Hudsons Pub on the opposite side of the Moor and then return! James completed the route in 49:54, in a fantastic 5th place!
Saturday 28th April
The final weekend saw the usual range of parkrun performances, this time across four of our closer-to-home sites. At Catterick parkrun, Michael Dobson and Paul Heywood were virtually inseparable in times of 26:37 and 26:38 respectively. Another healthy turnout at the Harrogate parkrun was led by Robert Earl in 21:40, followed by Sean Brennan (22:03), Ian Mitchell (22:34), Nick Wallen (23:44), David Halladay (24:21), Mark Shelton (26:28) and Z2H graduate Joanne Sharratt (35:50). At Skipton parkrun, Jason Green clocked a creditable 24:29, whilst up at Fountains Abbey parkrun, Stalwart Derek Calvert (23:31) led home a trio of Striders, completed by Samantha Curnow (24:30) and Fiona Slight (28:51).
Sunday 29th April
Fountains 10K is one of the area’s most popular events and indeed sold out once again – but not before seventeen Striders had signed up! A mixed terrain run in Nidderdale, it is run along quiet country roads, off-road trails and scenic moorland starting from the village of Grantley, near Ripon. The organisers had warned that the recent return to poor weather may have left part of the course may be waterlogged, and so it proved to be, with some tough conditions and the detached running shoes courtesy of the mud! In spite of this (and having temporarily been one-shoed) James Wright led the sizable Striders contingent home in an excellent time (bearing in mind the conditions) of 40:21. Nicola Carter was third lady home in 44:38, followed by Kathryn Pickles (48:10), David Halladay (48:51), Craig Mitchell (49:11), Paul Heywood (51:09), Hazel Rodger (51:21), Claire Killingworth (52:41,) Lisa Harrison (55:30), Mark Shelton (58:53), Vicki Gibson (59:15), Kez Welsby (1:00:09), Strider of the Year Edna Wood (1:01:08), Caroline Garcia (1:05:42), Dawn Richardson (1:07:08), Jo Gray (1:16:44), Clare Steele (1:21:19) and Emma Hall (1:25:54).
Some of our many runners at Fountains 10k – with Mascot!
There are many more pictures of the race on our facebook page: Fountains 10K Gallery
And with that, April was complete. Whilst the mud returned with a vengeance in the final weekend, we concluded the month of many showers with the promise of sunnier skies, longer days and an even wider range of runs to tackle in May. Well done all!