First Quarter 2009
The light nights are finally here and a welcome to the steady stream of new members, this year is going to be a busy year for me and I have found it difficult to pen a newsletter together. For a long period the only miles I was able to run were to work and home, thankfully this is over for a time. Luckily Penny has come to the rescue with a few articles and I have managed to actually compete in the first Trail race of the year. The Coniston 14 has been and gone and as I write this London is a week away, coming up is the Dalton 10k which is only 2 weeks away and we usually have a good club turnout for this local event. The Keswick to Barrow is also just round the corner and I am not aware of any Glaxo runners doing this event.
Good luck to all the London Marathon runners, hope all the hard work pays off. This year Sharon Dixon, Penny Moreton, Ken Lamb, Nigel Storey and Gary Dover are competing. Also worth a mention is Alyson Knowles who is taking on the Brathay Challenge of 10 marathons in 10 days. Hopefully we can coax Alyson into a report for the next newsletter.
The cross country season is over for the winter and we have had mixed results, both ladies and men’s teams have been relegated to a lower division, but the men’s Vet 40 team has gained promotion to Div 1. We have been unlucky this year with regular competitors being injured or unavailable due to other commitments but we should still be proud to be out there competing as a team regardless of the numbers.
Hawkshead Trail Race
Absolutely brilliant weather was the order of the day for the 4th running of this event; conditions were 99% dry, with just a few wet spots. Other Club competitors were Penny Moreton and from Barrow Striders Roger Quayle and Marie Allen. The event is 15 km long with 2 big climbs and 1 medium over the Claiffe Height area. I have to say my lack of training showed up big style as I was 3 mins slower than last year for as much effort as I could muster. The race started well and I decided to take it steady early on knowing the big hill would be a test at the end, unfortunately I stayed steady all the way and that was that. I had a few tussles along the way with various competitors but no all out battles as I have had in the past. I still got cramp at the end despite drinking enough sports drink and water to warrant 20 trips to the toilet but overall I did enjoy the day finishing in 60th position 78m.28s.
Coniston 14 - Just look what the wind blew in...
This turned out to be one of the most blustery Coniston 14’s I’ve ever run in, but this didn’t daunt the Hoad Hill Harriers, oh no! Even with a wind chill factor of nearly freezing on the east side of the lake, nothing deterred a tremendous turn out from the club. Admittedly a few of the old faithful were missing due to illness, injury or family commitments but still we mustered 25 runners and 15 of those were the girls.
With a field of 1485 runners, Chris Howie and Sharon Dixon stole the show to lead the rest of the Hoadies home. Chris ran the race of his life, his whippet pace took him to ten miles in 59 minutes and ultimately to his best ever Coniston performance to finish 11th in 1.24.18. Sharon has been training with purpose and diligence in preparation for her third London Marathon. As a result she showed strength of purpose into the strong headwind at 12 miles and finished 8th woman and 5th v35 in a time of 1.36.02.
Fellow London trainees had good runs after earlier in the season all have been experiencing dips in their normal performances. Gary Dover’s sound base of endurance after a very creditable 20 miler at Trimpell in 2.36 came home in 53rd spot in 1.38.40. Nigel Storey is reaping the rewards of sustained high mileages and finished 80th in 1.42.48. Fireman Steve Harrison was another man in a hurry finishing close to Nigel’s heels in 1.45.13. Ken Lamb ran even paced to finish in 1.47.46 as he helped the much- improved Tom Southward to finish in 1.49.28. Mark Richards was really pleased with his 1.50.32, feeling that the sharpening up undertaken in the speed sessions had helped his good time; but will his sprightly son Jack get one over on Mark at next year’s race – watch this space! Past Chairman Simon Barton had a terrific run, obviously spurred on by his recent Dublin entry confirmation, now injury free and with Sally shouting him on at just over half way, he finished in 1.55.46. Coach Mike Fawcett finished the men’s contribution by accompanying his improving daughter Helen in 2.08.56.
The girls have all winter been out diligently clocking up the miles whatever the weather and secretly trying out those Coniston hills and it showed. Alyson Knowles our latest new recruit was second Hoad to finish with a great debut time of 1.53.17. For those of you that don’t know Alyson is currently training for the 10 in 10 Challenge culminating in the Windermere Marathon on 17th May. So after running a mere 110 miles in the week prior to Saturday’s race – this probably felt like a stroll! Alyson’s challenge involves running 10 marathons around Lake Windermere on 10 consecutive days starting on the 8th May. Lenora Rushton and Kerry Knox cantered round in 1.57.57, Julie Hunter chuffed to be injury free finished in 2.03.13 with Carol Whittle just behind in 2.07.25. Amanda Seago and Abbie Young had a good tustle with Amanda just pipping Abbie; 2.13.29 and 2.14.21 respectively. Despite having Abbie in her sights Penny Moreton couldn’t quite catch up as she finished in 2.15.26.
If anyone ever says to Beth Fellowes, “What do you reckon to gels?” I’m sure you’d get a broad smile, as Beth has been experimenting and gels and Mike Lavery’s trusted jelly babies gave Beth a brilliant personal best. Despite not venturing over half marathon distances too often Beth ran strongly and with a big smile on her face – just look at the Mick Hall photography web site if you don’t believe me – 2.16.20.
Bethan Burke and Nicola Park were not far behind in 2.19.14 as they chatted round together enjoying the views. It was great to see both Sylvia Gittins and Sue Park out racing again both keeping each other in sight and finishing in 2.22.22 and 2.25.51.
So what is the benefit of having so many girls at one race – bringing home the second place team prize; courtesy of Sharon leading the way with Alyson, Kerri and Abbie ensuring it was in the bag. Well done to everyone who took part, who knows what might have transpired if Jeff, Darren, Graham, Sean and Erik had been running as well – I think Wesham men would have been scared.
Photos can be found on www.mick-hallphotography.co.uk
Penny Moreton
OH, WHAT A NIGHT….
Oh, what a night…. so goes the pop song – but oh, what a night we had when we assembled at Broughton Mills on our first evening fell run since the clocks sprung forwards.
Someone must have been psychic – the understanding had been to run the Dunnerdale fell race route in reverse but we reverted to the normal lung- sapping trudge up the road and onto the fell side. As per usual, I lagged at the back; my legs still feeling the effects of the Coniston 14 run only 48 hours earlier. Hands on thighs and puffing away, I casually tossed a bent stick for collie Bea, any excuse for a slight breather as I ascended the Knot.
The sky was a brightly lit haze as during the afternoon a blanket of sea fog had drifted inland. So much was the density of the cloud shroud that I had left my new toy – mobile phone with camera – in my car. What a mistake that was to prove to be!!
As Jo and I surmounted Raven Crag we could see the faster gang on the cairn waving at the adjacent summits. Mad as usual, I initially thought – then – I thought of the possibilities of seeing a ‘brocken spectre’. A ‘ brocken spectre’ is a mountain phenomenon that is conjured when low cloud in the valley is sunlit from above and it creates an effervescent rainbow glow around any object projected onto the cloud.
There were plenty of ‘brocken spectres’ there that night as I joined the merry throng, creating my own hazy ghost across the valley – fantastic; but this was to be secondary to the truly awesome sight behind me across the other valley towards Great Stickle.
Over a vast sea of cascading, swirling layers and waves of differing shades of grey was the most amazing cloud inversion. As it billowed and ebbed, rising majestically through as an eruption from the earth’s crust of foam was Great Stickle. The crenulated peaks and trig point of our local jewel stood out like a beacon. It was awesome, wave over wave of clouds encircled and danced around the Dunnerdale monument – it was truly surreal. Sheer beauty, amidst the deafening silence as we witnessed a truly memorable view. That is how the view will have to stay – truly memorable, as I’d left my camera in the car!
I may not fell run as often or as fast as most in my club, but it was a joy unsurpassed to part of that special moment. It felt very spiritual and will constantly remind how lucky I am to live in a truly beautiful unspoilt part of the Lake District.
Penny Moreton
Thanks for the two articles Penny, if any other Club members have any news or feel like writing about there running experiences or training etc please contact me at the Club on Monday or Thursday nights and I will gratefully accept all contributions.
Graham