2007 Fell Reports

The front of the men's race was interesting as Charles Stead battled with Joe Charles on the first lap. It was on the second that Charles Stead managed to pull away to establish a fair lead which eventually gave him a comfortable win. This was his 6th victory in this particular race i.e. only one behind Paul Lowe's record 7 wins. In the battle for 3rd place Joe Blackett managed to head Richard Bellamy on the first two laps after overtaking him on the descents. In the last lap however Richard managed to hold on to grab third spot and finish first M40. Neil Scruton put up an outstanding performance to finish 14th overall and first M60. In the women's event it was Erika Johnson who led at the end of lap one. By the end of lap two however Morag McDonnell had pulled past her to go on to win and another victory for NFR.
In the team events North York Moors AC managed a comfortable win, finishing four teams with others being seriously under-represented on this occasion.

Guisborough Woods Race results 2007

82 photos from the race

a film of the race is coming soon.....
 

They're off! 500+ runners try a fowl race. Photo courtesy of Ken Maynard

Stephen Hepples was a worthy winner in this years Loftus Poultry Run but Lewis Gamble-Thompson wasn't too far behind in 2nd place. Paul Lowe was our top man maintaining his recent good form to finish 4th overall in a strong field. Sunderland's Alyson Dixon was  an easy winner in the Ladies race ahead of Kate Nelson and Alison Raw.  

We had 22 members taking part with our best performances coming from:

Paul Lowe 4th overall
Richard Bellamy 13th (3rd M40)
Jon Skidmore 37th
Gordon Brown 54th
Kendra White 2nd L35(7th Lady overall)
Di Jobson 8th L35

(507 finishers).

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A big thanks to the following who took the time and effort to report on the race:

There were a large number of extremely good runners there this year. Perhaps the credit crunch meant that none of us could afford Christmas dinner and meant that we had to try and win our food. The race started at a really fast pace. Perhaps everyone thinks there is still a prize for the first person to get to the first mile marker. Then again perhaps it was just Hepples at his warm-up pace. Not surprisingly Hepples won. Lewis Gamble-Thompson ran an incredible race to finish 2nd only 19 seconds behind him. He is someone to watch for the future as he seems to be getting faster and faster with every race. Jonathon Taylor (Morpeth) finished third. I think he won in 2005 in a time which was a minute slower than his time this year. Paul Lowe ran a great race to finish fourth. This was an impressive feat because there was really strong competition. He beat Andrew Wiles, Shaun O’Grady, Darren Bilton (last year’s winner) and Alec Duffield. I haven’t seen the team results but Loftus definitely won.

I didn’t have a great run myself and was over 30 seconds slower than last year. This was disappointing because I have been happy with my performances in the last few months. I finished 13th overall and third V40. Fortunately this meant I still got some sort of a bird (we haven’t yet worked out whether it is a giant chicken or a miniature turkey), so at least the family won’t go hungry on Christmas day.

All the best

Richard Bellamy

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On a personal level, I really enjoyed it. I beat my pb by over 2.5 minutes, finishing in 55 mins. I attribute my improvement to losing weight (no home cooking these days), quality lunchtime runs (with you (Rob) and the other guys) and pride at representing NYMAC (with a vest, I could have taken another couple of minutes off?). Still felt strong at the finish, so looking to do even better next year. Look out; I’m closing in on you!

Conditions were good, with hardly any wind and firm going over the fields. Organisationally, everything went well. Was glad to see they had gritted the steeper downhill sections.

John Turner

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Still love the Xmas spirit, brass band & mince pies. A great race in the fixture list I look forward too!

Ian Robinson

PS having done it 3 times I'm still not sure to do it in road or fell shoes. I know I just have to do it faster!

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Another good race well organised by Loftus & Whitby AC .This is always one to look forward to as it seems to have such a lot packed into the 8 miles, hills, muddy fields , and a long descent back to the finish, even the weather was good. As usual there were lots of good humoured people in fancy dress,, I did my bit with a Santa hat and long white beard, and even managed to get a PB of 59 minutes . All the training and races done in 2007 paid off as I found the hills and the fields much easier this year. Well done to Loftus and Whitby AC for attracting 500 runners again

Ken Farrell

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Loftus Poultry Run results 2007

44 photos from the Loftus Poultry Run
 

a film of the race is coming soon.....

 Fuelled by Fantasy: the Simonside Cairns Race 2007
9th Dec 2007

When I was a youth in the dim and distant past there was an advert “Phyllosan fortifies the over-forties”. In line with our youthful hippy ethos of not trusting anyone over forty I was inclined to think that the over-forties should be left to expire graciously rather than resorting to pill-popping. On reaching forty I made the discovery what actually fortified the over-forties was the fantasy that we were still under forty. In fell-running terms the fantasy that fuels our running is that we might once again run as fast as we used to in our youth.

On a bright December morning illuminated by the low winter sun I drove out to Rothbury to fulfil the fantasy that began exactly a year ago over a pint in the Newcastle Hotel in Rothbury after last years Simonside Cairns race. Like the dwarves in Lord of the Rings I was fixated upon gold, the gold of the NECCA v60 championship produced by the alchemist Keith Cooper, secretary and managing director of NECCA. My dwarfish heart-rate increased as I stepped into the Newcastle Hotel to register; what would the field be like and how many v 60s? In previous year a car-load of NYMAC runners had made the journey from foreign lands, but this year the Hotel was thick with indigenous NFR (apart from the ubiquitous Joe Blackett). Everyone looked remarkably youthful, not a single v60 in view, or so I thought! (more)

(c)2007 Peter Whewell

Richard Bellamy sets the early pace on the initial climb but later lost out on the final descent.
Photo courtesy of Mick Garratt.

A large turnout of 111 took part in the Clay Bank West race on a bright, slightly cold, but pleasant November day. What a race and yet another different winner in both men's and women's events blowing the Winter Championship wide open. Well done to Neil Wilkinson of Morpeth who outpaced Charlie Stead even though Charlie knew the route well with its late eccentricities. Phillippa LaRose did remarkably well for a Junior to win the women's race and shows much promise for the future.

In the team events North York Moors AC managed to win both the men's and women's with strong challenges from Durham FR, Loftus & Whitby and Knavesmire.

Clay Bank West 2007 Results
 

We had several members (Martin Dietrich, Garry Burnip, Cath Worth, Nigel Cairns & Bob Mitchell that I know of) take part in the 23 mile / 2800 ft Wensleydale Wedge. Martin was a convincing winner ahead of Garry making it a 1-2 for the club.

"The most difficult thing about the race was actually deciding to go. Marc Mason had already decided that this wasn't going to be fun after arriving at my house at 6AM and then turning around and heading straight back home. Nigel Cairns and I decided to give it a go as with my experience of the English weather if it was raining at my house it would probably be fine where the race was. And it was almost like that.


I believe to the surprise of many, we were set off quite quickly and on time, if not early. My initial aim was to have a steady run around, but I aimed to stay with the leading group as long as I could also. Initially it was Ian Hill and a few unknowns leading. As we left
Bainbridge, the guy I ran with last year took the lead, much to my relief as he seemed to know the proper path where I strayed off the route last year and had to add a steep climb to get back on it. Half way towards the first checkpoint, suddenly some familiar voices and faces started to surface in the form of Neil Ridsdale and Gary Burnip. Both had missed the start and they had to do a bit of catching up. From here on, we ran in a group of four until near to the checkpoint at Thoralby where we were suddenly passed by 3 guys flying by. I wondered where the guys had been, but judging by the by the pace they were travelling at, there was no little of keeping up with them. It transpired that they must have been motivated by the food that was on offer as they disappeared at the checkpoint and the last I saw of them was them trying to make up their mind up what treat to start their feeding frenzy with.


I was carrying an abundant amount of flapjacks (Lydia specials) and therefore had no need to stop at the checkpoint, so it was straight out and on. Only Neil and Gazza stayed with me and we continued to lead from there on. Some of the hungry racers came close later on, but on the climb towards Castle Bolton, we dropped them all. Unfortunately, even Neil dropped off after the checkpoint at Castle Bolton. Neil had commented earlier that he was probably not going to be at his best, as he was not wearing his orange shorts. How right he was. Gazza and I kept on running together, with me struggling to keep up at the long flat and slight downhill sections, but managed to find a bit of extra strength on the final climb towards the last checkpoint and Gazza started to fall back a bit. On the recommendation of others I pushed on trying to build a bit of a lead to avoid being out-sprinted through the village, as I was last year. It all worked out and I finished a couple of minutes ahead of Gazza.

Martin"

Wensleydale Wedge 2007 results

Thanks Nige for the headline! (photo is from The Fellsman 2007 Race)
 

Despite having pre race access to maps, route descriptions and plenty of opportunity to recce the route, 20% of competitors in the Guisborough Three Tops Race failed to visit the final checkpoint, only half a mile from the finish. Race organiser the Right Honorable Mr David Parry decided to imposed a 10 minute penalty on runners rather than disqualify them completely (I suggested a life time ban but was turned down :-). If you have any concerns re these results please e-mail Dave Parry.

Four runners were still in contention at Roseberry Topping, Charlie Stead, Paul Lowe, Kim Critchley and Aengus McCullough. Charlie pulled up with cramp, Aengus took the scenic route leaving Paul and Kim to battle it out to the finish, with Paul pulling away in the home straight to win in a little over the hour. Joe Blackett eventually came through to finish 3rd overall and 1st M40. In the men's team event good performances from Paul Lowe, Roger Tomlin, Paul Figg and Nigel Cairns gave North York Moors AC the spoils just ahead of Knavesmire Harriers.

In the women's race Catherine Hare was a comfortable winner in  a record time for this 'new' course over 5 minutes ahead of Phillipa LaRose with Cath Worth earning 3rd place after navigational mistakes by Helene Whitaker and Jacqueline Keavney.

Guisborough Three Tops results 2007

56 photos from the race

 Nite-mares? No cows!
30th Oct 2007

Yes Nite Races are back - so you can expect the usual plethora of suspect wins, post race inquisitions, cries of foul play and acts of skulduggery. Last years champ and full time athlete Paul Thornton started with a comfortable win ahead of living legend Bob Mitchell.

Nite Race 1 results
 

 Experience wins the day night
13th Nov 2007

Start from Guisborough Rugby Club based on Guisborough Woods and Guisborough Moor, west of Westworth Woods. The evening was fairly mild with cloud cover and rain showers at times. This was an enjoyable 'runners' course without being too technical, as can be seen. Only one runner failed to find all the controls - Dave Thompson who, by his own admission, had become disorientated thus costing him too much time and so decided to call it a night. Bob Mitchell has returned to winning form and it was also nice to see the return of Mick Garratt who turned in a great performance considering he doesn't run much -  a great orienteer!

Bill Pennell

Nite Race 2 results
 

We had our usual posse of members taking part in this years Original Mountain Marathon (formerly the Karrimor) this time in the Lowther Hills, Southern Scotland. I am indebted to the members below who took the time and trouble to report back on their wee adventures, I guess other members who took part would rather forget about the weekend .... :-)

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"Between work and training, I have had little time to write about the OMM and I also have little of interest to say. First day running at first was fine but only as the weather started to turn, it got rather wet and cold. By the time we arrived at the overnight camp, we were the only ones still running in shorts. But at least it was still daylight when we got there. Then things started to look up for us. The tent was quickly set up and for the rest of the evening, we were sheltered from the gusty winds and driving rain. Dinner was cooked under shelter, and there was plenty of it as my pack didn't weigh 18lbs for nothing :-). No rain entered the tent all night and a 12hr night was spent in much comfort and deep sleep.

I heard of others with small tents (and therefore no shelter from the wind for cooking) running out of gas with the wind continuously blowing out the flames. Also of leaking tents and the over-night camp being spent in a puddle of water (maybe Cath will provide more details...)?

With the night spent in much comfort, we were in good spirits and we could enjoy the nice weather of the second day to the fullest. Maybe a bit too much, and our performance in the race on the second day was slightly worse and our 18th place of the first day dropped to 20th place. Still something we were happy with. The main aim was to finish this time.

Martin Dietrich" (with Richard Clark, A Class)

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"You could sum it all up with pants visibility on Saturday, wet and windy Saturday night and good weather Sunday. Good fun despite the long days 9hrs 13min and 7hrs 7 min. 36th overall on the A course from 72 starters on day 1.

See you there next year.

Paul Figg" (with Rachel Antill, A class)

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"It always seems like a good idea when you fill in the application form for the OMM in the summer, and it always seems like a big mistake when you arrive at the event in the dark to find the weather deteriorating. This year was no different, and we compounded things by opting to sleep in a Sup'air tent (a glorified plastic bag, which works well unless it's wet or windy - which it was...) on balloon beds (which are great providing you arrive at the overnight camp with the strength to blow the bl**dy things up - which we didn't..)

Day 1 of the B course was OK for a couple of hours until the mist came down, after which we stumbled around on bogs and heather looking for endless re-entrants before finally descending to the (only) overnight camp in a very average time, having covered 20 miles & 7,600ft. We at least arrived in daylight, though by the time we'd sorted ourselves out it was dark, wet and windy, and despite the fact that there were lots of friends "out there" we couldn't be bothered to try to find any of them. As the weather deteriorated I watched the torches of later competitors descending in the dark, and wondered how Richie Clarke and Andy Laing were doing in the Elite..

The rain continued and the wind rose, meaning I ended up lying in a pool of water on the downhill side of the tent. We had to cook outside, and the wind meant we used up most of the gas very quickly so couldn't eat or drink as much as we'd planned. We reacted to this situation according to character, with Bob closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep, and me fidgeting and fretting about lack of calorific intake.

Sunday was much better, dry with good visibility, so we had quite a nice time after the initial sense of humour failure when we realised that Day 2 was LONGER than Day 1. Along the way we saw Rob Bailey, Paul Figg, Martin Dietrich and Richard Clarke, all looking decidedly cheerful - what was that all about??.

We finished just before the rain arrived, having covered 20 miles and 5,300ft, and still speaking - just. The B always used to be an easy option, but it never feels like that these days, and I take my hat off to those prepared to put themselves on the line and attempt the harder classes.

Cath & Bob Worth" (B Class)

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"Nigel and I completed the OMM C class this year having dabbled in the medium score class for the last 3 years. Actually last year we got to the start but didn’t, as Nigel had spent the night before in the B&B vomiting, and we thought that wasn’t the best condition to be starting a 2 day mountain marathon. Every year we have some little incident to make the events memorable, such as the year I forgot the matches, or one year I arrived at the overnight campsite having organised tent, stove fuel etc, but due to a misunderstanding (i.e. I thought Nigel was doing the food for both of us) was a bit perturbed as he pulled out his grub and looked at me quizzically and said “So where’s yours then?...” Good man that he is he had unintentionally brought enough for two (actually probably for three) and unselfishly shared it with his by now slightly histrionic partner. The thought of a night in a cold tent after day 1 with day 2 to come and NO FOOD was not a pleasant one.

This year for a change we turned up to the event in the border hills of Scotland (steep grassy wet tussocky hills – i.e. slippery – you get the picture). At the pre-race team meeting where we plan our tactics and strategy to the minutest detail (yeah right), Nigel announced, in response to my question “What do you reckon, studs or trailies?” that he hadn’t brought any studs. Big Dilemma, do I leave my studs and wear the 'trailies' in the interest of team building/solidarity with my partner, or do I wear the studs and risk having to stifle laughter watching a partner spending most of the day on his arse, while I bounce past full of grip? Reader you guessed it.... we both spent the two days our arses, that and freezing our nods off in the mist rain and icy winds on Day 1.

The only compensation for this was that whereas most of the others (Cath included) then endured a cold wet and windy night while Nigel and I, being men of a certain age, slumbered almost in comfort in our down bags encased in pertex survival bags, reclining on thermorest mats. Not difficult to see why we’re not in the “ultralite brigade”. However we finished the course before dark (we had set our sights high) and without too many injuries – just a bit of light buttock bruising sustained when Nigel did one of his more spectacular free flowing descents, and how clever of him to use that rock to slow his downward progress just before the drop into the stream. Are there no ends to the man’s talents? So unbothered was he by the race against the clock that he chose this very same moment to dispense with his wristwatch, which now remains for some other lucky rambler to discover on an unnamed Scottish hillside. We’ll be back next year and who knows, we might even run some of it.

Best wishes,

Paddy O'Neill" (with Nigel Robinson, C class)


OMM 2007 results (link)

Paul Lowe was a comfortable winner in the Tees Forest 10K Eco Run held in Guisborough Forest. He completed the demanding 2 lap course in a quick 35:49 ahead of Carl Mustill and Roger Tomlin. The women's race saw Carolyn Summersgill finish 7th overall and 1st lady in 41:01 ahead of Kendra White and Lisa Tweddle. Veteran prizes were awarded to Sheila Mulrooney and Keith Robertshaw.

Although the 69 competitors produced copious amounts of carbon dioxide climbing the hills, methane production was thankfully kept to minimum with plenty of spectators and marshals in attendance :-)

Eco friendly trees (luckily not fully grown!), bird boxes and Geobars were given out as prizes at the finish together with a prize for the most eco-friendly method of travelling to the race which was won by Lawrence McAnelly who walked 2.5 miles to the start (before flying home :-)

Tees Forest 10K Eco Run 2007 results

120 photos from the race

Flier
 

Spot the runners!  Karl Edwards (stretching), Richard Clark and Mick Ludgate (see below).
Many thanks to Fran Cairns who took this with her mobile phone.

"It was sunny as I left Commondale and this continued down to Whitby and across to above Goathland but at Fylingdales we hit the cold mist which reduced visibility to a few feet for the Saltergate Gallows race. At the presentation I did a poll of runners and only three runners were able to say that they were able to follow an optimal route and many were well off course several times.

Still all were safely gathered in and it was two surprised winners who crossed the line in both the men's and women's race neither winner was aware that they were first. Well done to all who persevered and completed the course despite the conditions. Well done in particular to Dave Smith as this was first win in a N.E. Hill Running Event. Angela Hall has won before but this was a good return to competitive form. Also congratulations to Durham Fell Runners who won the men's team holding off a well packed North York Moors Team. The outstanding time of the day was set by Geoff Howard of Ilkley in the Vet 60 Section."

Dave Parry

Saltergate Gallows 2007 results

Karl & Mick (photo) have both joined the newly formed Fell Ponies  www.ukfellponies.org.uk and this was the first outing for the North East members.
 

Disappointingly we failed to field a team in the FRA Relays but hardly surprising considering the majority of our members seemed to be taking part in the annual Pathfinder 15 & 25 mile races.  A staggering 64% of competitors in the 15 mile race and 44% of competitors in the 25 mile race were NYMAC members -  shame on you all :-) ! It was no surprise therefore that we cleared off with most of the prizes too with Brian Robert 1st overall, Cath Worth 1st female, Ken Wilson 1st V60 and Jonathan Skidmore 1st in the  15 mile race.

Nigel Cairns commented after the race "I enjoyed it and ended up running most of it with Mick Ludgate from Hartlepool and we came in just under the 4 hour mark, so happy with that. Leg muscles are fine, but my back is sore from my waist pack rubbing, and I forgot to take anti nipple-rash protection! I was happy with the route, but I missed the short-cut at Hob Hole again, missing out the corner. First thing I did when I got back to Guisborough was buy myself some light-weight waterproofs, as my ex-motor biking leggins were a bit on the chunky side!"

Pathfinder 15 & 25 Results 2007 (Excel)

7 photos from the Pathfinder 25

 Richard's Clark of the Course
2007

Firstly I'd like to congratulate Richard Clark in winning the 2007 North York Moors AC Club Fell Championship. Although he was the only member to complete the prerequisite minimum of 6 races he has produced some good results and shown improvement through the year - a deserved winner!. 

Secondly apologies for including too many Saturday races in this year program as I realise many people cannot make the races due to work commitments.

Generally I feel over the past few years interest in the Club Fell Championship has waned so I'm open to ideas and suggestions re next years championship.

regards

Steve Honeyman

NYM.AC Fell Manager

results & final table
 

It's proving to be a vintage period for breaking local fell race records with five male and three female records tumbling so far this year. Jim Bulman broke his 4th of the year in the first of the Winter Series races at Cock Howe. This time however it wasn't Paul Lowe who pushed him to the new record it was Richard Bellamy who continues to impress on the fells. Both Jim and Richard were inside the 3 year old record set by Acorn's Andy Burt while Dan Middlemas did just enough to hold off Joe Blackett for 3rd place.

In the women's race Summer Series Champion Jacqueline Keavney was pipped on the line by Ilkley's Sarah Haines while another close battle saw Jenny Hands just beating Kendra White for the 3rd place. 

With over 33% of the field comprising North York Moors AC members it was hardly surprising they dominated the team events.

Cock Howe & Beyond results

30 photos from the race

The Viking Chase unfortunately clashed with the M'bro 10K again but we still had enough strength in depth in the club to have 4 in the top 10 including winner Roger Tomlin who said of his run:  

"Just thought I’d let you know about the Viking Chase. It was good to win for the second year in succession, but it was disappointing that there weren’t more people there considering the great location of the race and the fantastic organisation by the mountain rescue people.  Who cares about 10k PB’s, when you can be out in the country. Richard Clark did well also as he knocked 3 minutes or so off his time from last year".

First female home was Fay Potton in a quick 77:51 ahead of Scarborough AC's Sue Haslam.

Our top 10 placings were:

1st Roger Tomlin  63’05
5th Richard Clark 66’03
6th Brendan Anglim  67’13
8th Martin Dietrich  70’44
 

This was the penultimate race in the club Fell Championship - results to-date will be available shortly.

Viking Chase 2007 results

 Grand Finale to Series
13th Sep 2007

Roslyn Kelsey found another gear in the Tees Forest Handicap Race at Guisborough Forest Walkway, winning by just 4 seconds ahead of Michael Oliver and April Corbett. Once again the 'middle of the packers' upped their game when there was sniff of winning something....

Quickest on the night was Jonathan Skidmore who's fitness level is currently on an upward spiral. He overtook 63 people to finish 9th in 17:02 just ahead of Roger Tomlin with 17:12. It's always difficult for the better runners to win a handicap race as they are confronted with an ever thickening wall of runners the closer they get to the finish :-). Fastest female on the night was Kirsty Winter in 20th place with 21:10 just ahead of Sharon Gayter, Sue Milburn and Heather Power.

Tees Forest Guisborough 5K Handicap results

51 photos from The Guisborough 5K Handicap
 

As perm the norm two courses were used (starting from The Eskdale Inn, Commondale) a longer route
(mainly off road, 9.6 miles) and shorter route  (mainly road, 6.2 miles). Teams of two were selected 'randomly'  

Many thanks to Andy Laing for organising this event again. He took far more stick than he deserved for what is supposedly a fun event!

 Record breaking Plodders
2nd Sep 2007

It was a fantastic morning of racing with records set in both the men's and women's events. This was the third race in a row where new records have been set but it wasn't Jim Bulman this time but Loftus & Whitby's young Alec Duffield who ran a superb race, running neck and neck with Paul Lowe in the early stages. However by Little Roseberry he had opened up a gap of about 100m and then surged ahead to smash the old record by over two minutes. Paul finished 2nd while Richard Bellamy (who is 'learning the ropes' fast) finished an excellent 3rd overall in only his 2nd fell race, just 9 seconds behind Paul and also inside the old record. The men's team event was a close affair with North York Moors just squeezing ahead of Loftus and Whitby by 3 points.

In the women's race Norham's Veronique Oldham showed her class by establishing an early lead on the first climb and went on to break Alison Raw's record by over 20 seconds ahead of North York Moors Lisa Finlay and Swaledale's Jacqueline Keavney. The women's team event was won by North York Moors.

Pinchinthorpe Plod Results 2007

150 photos from the race!

(film of the race coming soon)

 Summer Series Leaders with 1 to go !

With 1 race to go Jim Bulman has already won the Summer Series 2007 men's section but 3 runners are still in contention for the runners up spot. In the women's section there are now only 3 potential winners with Sue Haslam still leading from Diane Jobson but favourite Jacqueline Keavney must compete in the final races to stand any chance of winning.

Congrats to the following winners with 1 race to spare:

M Champ  Jim Bulman                   M60        Jim Shemilt
M40        Joe Blackett                   M65        Ronnie Sherwood
M45        Jonathan Sage                M70        Eric Nutter
M50        Paul Kelly                        F50        Sue Haslam
M55        Rob Howard                    F55         Pat Kirby

Summer Series Leaders with 1 to go!

 

 Record breaking Grunters
21st Aug 2007

Without a doubt the mistiest night we have had for a long long time. Still it was reasonably warm and not too wet with a bit of 'mizzle' but no real rain. The conditions proved to be fast as both Jim Bulman and Paul Lowe broke what was a well established (8 year old) record in the 6 mile Guisborough Grunt Fell race. Jim managed to break Paul on the steep climb up to Highcliff Nab, maintaining his lead until the finish. This was Jim's second win in record time in consecutive events. In the history of the summer series apart from initial set up, the only other athlete I can recall doing this was the winner of the Women's event Alison Raw. Can we expect more records to tumble as the dynamic duo push each other to new limits?
 
New Marske women returned to winning ways just ahead of North York Moors. Whilst in the men's race North Yorks Moors were comfortable winners.

Guisborough Grunt results 2007

17 photos from the race

 Summer Series Leaders with 2 to go

With 2 races to spare Jim has won the Summer Series 2007 men's section but 5 runners are still in contention for the runners up spot. In the women's section there are still 5 potential winners with Sue Haslam leading from Diane Jobson but favourite Jacqueline Keavney must compete in the final 2 races to stand any chance of winning.

Congrats to the following winners with 2 races to spare:

M Champ  Jim Bulman
M40        Joe Blackett
M50        Paul Kelly
M60        Jim Shemilt
M65        Ronnie Sherwood
M70        Eric Nutter
F50         Sue Haslam

Summer Series Leaders with 2 to go!
 

 Teenagers Lead the Way at Acklam
16th Aug 2007

The 5th Tees Forest 5K race of the year at Acklam Grange School saw a close battle between youngsters Mathew Jones (M&C)  and Andrew Mason (M'bro AC). On the two lap undulating course Mathew held off Andrew to win by 4 seconds in 17:03. In the Ladies race Carolyn Summersgill faded on the second lap but still did enough to hold off Quaker's Fiona Bailey and keep her unbeaten record, winning in 19:44.

Tees Forest Acklam 5K results

26 photos from the race

 The Highs & Lowes of being a Champ

Imagine the scenario - there's just one race left in the series after which you could be crowned 'champ' that is if a certain other competitor doesn't turn up and spoil the party. You register for the final race and your nemesis is nowhere to be seen, but it's too early to celebrate yet. Then someone informs you they've seen him and your heart sinks - game over. You came oh so close to winning the series but it wasn't to be. Ten minutes before the start you spot him yourself and notice he hasn't changed into his running gear - is it possible that he isn't running? Five minutes before the start and your opponent still hasn't changed, only now can you enjoy the moment....

(Any similarities in the above story to any living persons is purely coincidental :-)

It's a big congrats to Andy Pearson on being crowned the Men's Tees Forest Trail Race Champion of 2007. Despite a slight mid series dip in performance he more than did enough to secure the title. As they say "you've got to be in it to win it....". Bryan Saysell finished an excellent second place, just pipping Philip Teece by half a point.

In the women's section Carolyn Summersgill continued her dominance of the series with 4 straight wins comfortably securing the title ahead of Fiona Bailey and Sharon Gaytor.

Men:
1 Andy Pearson              Loftus AC              MO      252.10 pts
2 Bryan Saysell             Middles & Clev      M40     239.93
3 Philip Teece               B'ham Marsh HH   M45    239.40

Women:
1 Carolyn Summersgill   Middles & Clev      FO      231.82 pts
2 Fiona Bailey                Quakers               FO      220.25
3 Sharon Gaytor             N. Marske Harr   F40     204.00

Tees Forest 5K Trail Race Series 2007 - final positions & end of year report

- Coming soon Handicap times for the final race on Thursday 13th September 2007
at the Guisborough Forest Visitors Centre.

 

 Jim Gallops to record
7th Aug 2007

The dynamic duo of Paul Lowe and Jim Bulman were soon clear of the field in the 11th running of the Gribdale Gallop Race as they left Captain Cook's Monument. Paul pushed as hard as he could to Hanging Stone where he had a few metres lead. This was soon reversed as Jim Bulman hit the turbo button on Roseberry Common. Jim pushed on from there to break George Ehrhardt's 3 yr old record by 57 seconds (Paul had acted as pace maker when George's set his record too :-). North York Moors men followed up this individual win with a team victory.
In the women's event Jacqueline Keavney ran a very strong race to gradually open up a significant lead by Roseberry Topping over Shelli Kempson whose form continues to improve through the summer running in a very fine second. It was refreshing to see that we had three women's teams competing and for the first time this summer it was Knavesmire led by Andrea Lancaster who turned out winners.

Dave

Gribdale Gallop 2007 results

23 photos from the race

Gribdale Gallop results matrix (1996-2006)

 Summer Series Leaders with 3 to go

With only 3 races left Jim leads the Summer Series ahead of Joe Blackett in the men's section but there are still 21 potential winners. In the women's section there are still 9 potential winners with Sue Haslam leading from Diane Jobson but Jacqueline Keavney is coming up fast on the rails..... 

Summer Series Leaders after 8 races

 Jeff Belts round Rigwelter
31st July 2007

What a great night. The weather was brilliant - sunny with a slight breeze. Brian Roberts' record time of 39:03 was smashed by both Jim Bulman and Paul Lowe but but the first over the line within the +/- 5 minutes rule, and winner, was Jeff Belt....(more)

Bill Pennell

Rigwelter Handicap results

 Preston Park Plodders
19th July 2007

Paul Lowe had a comfortable victory in the 4th Tees Forest Trail race of the year at Preston Park, over a minute ahead of Andy Pearson.  

The ladies race was a much more exciting affair with Quakers Fiona Bailey just holding off junior Alex Snook by 2 seconds....

Preston Park 5K results

Leaders after 4 races
 

 No Hanging Around
11th Aug 2007

It was a good out day for the Dietrich family in this years Hanging Stone Leap race with Martin finishing joint first on the long course with Neil Ridsdale in 3:33 while Lydia finished first female on the short course in 2:13. North York Moors AC also had Brian Roberts winning the short course in 1:38.

34 photos from the event

Hanging Stone Results 2007
 

 The Nick of Time
24th July 2007

Nick starts his descent. Photo courtesy of Mick Garratt.


It was another excellent night with good weather in this strange summer. Nick Swinburn was a clear leader as he reached the end of the lane opening up a very healthy lead as he reached the top in under eight minutes. He flew back down the hill with Jim Bulman giving chase. This was Nick's 3rd win in 3 appearances in this race and he was hoping to get close to the record (10:20) but this is an excellent record and the track has changed in my opinion making it much slower on the second half of the descent. Yet at nineteen years Nick has plenty of time to clip off those 50 seconds or so!

In the women's event Jacqueline Keavney showed that she has excellent strength to gain most of her advantage over Kendra White and Kay Neesam on the ascent. The Junior event saw quite a close tussle between Mark Scott and Marcus White the former managing to hold on to win. In the team events North York Moors had a clean sweep.

Dave Parry

Roseberry Topping Race 2007 results

Summer Series Leaders after 7 races

85 photos from the race

(A film of the race is coming soon)
 

Member Richard Clark finished an excellent 2nd overall in the recent Lyke Wake Race, taking a mere 6hr 36 mins to complete the 42 mile course..... 

Simon Deakin and Martin Dietrich were regularly beating me in races longer than an hour and a half, so I thought it was about time to get some distance training in. The 42 mile Lyke Wake Race seemed like a good challenge (and a good idea back in March when I optimistically put down 6 ½ hrs on the entry form).


The day dawned bright and sunny after all the rain. I would be setting off 3rd from last; about 30 min's ahead of Neil Ridsdale (who Martin had warned was quick over this sort of distance). As soon as I set off I seemed to get caught up amongst Osmotherly Phoenix back markers all the way to Clay bank. I then went through a bit of a rough patch on the way to Blakey as the railway line seemed to go on for ever but soon the Lion Inn came into view and it was time for refreshments (unfortunately not beer, just more gel and sports drink). Still there was no sign of Neil who I thought would have caught me by now. A few miles of road followed then it was across a very boggy moor to Hamer; the occasional thunder storm didn’t help either.


I seemed to get into my stride a bit more over the next few moor land stretches although the drag out of Ellerbeck in knee deep heather took its toll on my legs. At this point you can see the mast at Ravenscar very clearly which didn't make it any easier, so it was just a case of head down and slogging through the mud and clay trying not to lose too much time.


I managed to just keep running up the last hill, eventually finishing in a time of 6:36. After getting changed and having a quick drink there was still no sign of Neil. For a brief moment I thought I might have beaten him but then a pair of yellow shorts loomed in the distance, it was Neil. He finished in a time of 6:18 i.e. 18 min's quicker than me, 10 min’s of which was on the first leg to Carlton bank (does he know I route I don't ?). Well done to Gary Armitage and Kendra White who also completed the race in times of 7:51 and 8:08 (inaugural club record) respectively.

Richard Clark

Club Lyke Wake Race records

Photo is of Richard in the Commondale Crossing race

 

 Saunders Saunterers
7/8th July 2007


We arrived at Patterdale on Friday night to be greeted by wind and rain. However by the time Neil turned up it was too late to register (he had travelled up from London) so we just pitched the tent and tried to get some sleep. We awoke on day one to find it was still wet and windy but we were still eager to get started. From the start we climbed about 375m climb up on to Place Fell which got my heart working, legs burning and my mind thinking maybe I should have stayed in bed. We remained at this altitude for the next couple of  check points and it felt good to be moving along at a reasonable pace before we transformed back into a couple of mountain goats once more.....

The longest section, giving everyone the greatest route choice, was between check points 6 and 7. The majority of competitors opted to take the long way round mostly on a track but this added a few extra Km's.  After trying this in the LAMM we knew it was not our best option as we didn't think we could carry enough  speed to make the extra distance worth it, so we went straight point to point. Later analysis of the split  times showed we had made the right decision. However the time we gained was quickly lost looking for the next check point which should have been the easiest of the day being only 1/2 Km point to point, then homeward bound. We spent over an hour looking for it (about 50mins longer than the rest) as we were at the
wrong end of a 100m box and 60m too high. This spoilt some good work on day 1.

Day 2 was blue sky and sunshine perfect when we set out to try and claw back some of the lost time. The day went quite well with no navigational errors and we were able to make good use of the tracks. We managed to pull back a little time and gain about 7 places overall.

All in all we enjoyed the weekend but would have been a lot happier without the navigational error but I suppose it's part of the learning curve.


cheers

John

John Serginson & Neil Hunter were  86th in Kirkfell class. (Photo shows John & Ian in the recent LAMM)

We also had Richard Coulson & Ian Whitehead competing, finishing 65th in the Carrock class

Saunders LMM 2007 results

 Soaking it up in Scarborough
3rd July 2007
 

It was one of those nights where you feel someone had played a prank. The weather had given us a deluge of rain time and again for three weeks or more but as the stalwarts making up the 38 runners in the field set off it was brilliant sunshine which persisted throughout. Alec Duffield soon had the lead going off like a train and it wasn't long before he was clear of the field...

Scarborough's Mick Thompson comments: "Alec Duffield - what a star. If there is an opposite to an overpaid bad tempered footballer he is it. He epitomises the sport of athletics and Fell Racing in particular. I was marshalling at the stream when he crossed. He tripped and took a real flyer and finished up to his neck in water. He never even cursed, but just grinned at his mishap and carried on regardless. I know he was well clear, but as the saying goes, I was 'well' impressed !"

Langdale End 2007 results

8 photos from Langdale End race
 

Photo: Mike Jeffries finds out the hard way that the stream is considerably more than 2 inches deep.... 
Photo courtesy of Mick Thompson (Scarborough AC)

 Loftus Lead the 'Way'
24th June 2007

In our 2nd outing in the Cleveland Way Relay we managed to get round the 109 mile course from Filey to Helmsley with few mistakes (apart from yours Dezzy!) and in quicker time than last year. A big thank you goes to Martin Dietrich who not only took on the role of Event Organiser but also pulled together two full North York Moors teams despite many pundits saying it couldn’t be done….

Renewed interest in this great event meant numbers were up on last year with 7 teams competing. The well honed Loftus team have this event down to a tee now and managed to build up a 30 minute lead by Slapewath. Despite North York Moors AC managing to claw back some time in later stages they held on to win by a convincing 28 minutes in a very fast 12 hr 53 mins. York (who had navigational problems as well as fielding only 14 runners) finished 3rd while North York Moors ‘B’ team produced some strong running to finish only 9 minutes behind Loftus ‘B’.

Organiser's report + results

Lots more data for stato's

28 photos from the event 

Past winners
 

 Hummersknott Hummer
14th June 2007

Rain failed to dampen spirits in the 3rd Tees Forest Trail race at Hummersknott School, Darlington. Another large turnout (147 starters) saw Martin Scaife cruise round the damp 6.5Km course in 22:42 ahead of Paul Lowe and Carl Mustill. Carolyn Summersgill was a comfortable winner in the ladies race with her 12th straight win in 26:36 ahead of Kerry Mathew and Fiona Bailey.

Hummersknott 5K 2007 results

Tees Forest Trail Series - leaders after 3 races

____________

 Whorlton Wonders
19th June 2007

On a very pleasant but sultry evening 78 runners turned out in what was a very fast race for both men and women. In the men's event Jim Bulman managed to shake off the attentions of Paul Lowe as they climbed up through the old quarry before making it his 3rd consecutive win in the Series. Equally Paul managed to break away from Dave Eiser in the middle section of the race.

In the women's event Alison Raw managed to gradually pull away from local girl Fay Potton who is beginning to get a real taste for hill racing. In the men's team event North York Moors AC dominated, finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd while Thirsk & Sowerby were the the only ladies to field a full team. Most runners have now sorted out the playing field finish, which is the object of our fund raising in this event.

Whorlton Run 2007 results

177 photos from the race

A DVD of the race covering the start, middle, end and presentation will be available shortly.

 Club 'O' Event
12th June 2007

Thanks to all for turning out on a bit of a grim evening. Congratulations to the winners - the Oldies gang in the 1 hour and Ian in the longer event. I must admit that I was surprised that you were all so successful in finding the answers and I was amazed that some people came close to costing me a pint. I think Ian was only three controls short of a full house. Although posing through the car park at the end was a bit over the top (he certainly scared the Guinea Fowl!)

Special awards go to Paul for dropping down to the cattle grid as a first control. He must have wanted a handicap to give the rest a chance. If that was the case Paul, the plan worked. A special mention also goes to Barry who ran right past the Memorial seat and missed the answer.

I was impressed by the level of planning which precluded competitors setting off. Ritchie was particularly diligent on this, which is reflected in his final score, or possibly not. I also was amazed at how accurate everyone was in general with respect to timing. It would appear that most of you can think and run at the same time.

Finally I was a bit baffled why the 2 Bobs and Brian ran together. It was only revealed later as part of a grand plan: One to hold the map, one to stand back far enough to read it and the third part of the trio to write down the answer and tell the other two what to do. That's experience for you !

Thanks again folks and I'll set another course later this year if you wish.

Cheers  

Bob Howe

Ian: "Bob did an excellent job in planning this course with no obvious route to pick them all off. I opted for the long run between the high score checkpoints and hopefully have enough time left to pick off the lower score checkpoints close to the finish area. I enjoy the challenge and the satisfaction of finding the checkpoints and as you all know I’m hopeless in the dark on the night events, they normally take at least 2 hours for me to get round. Maybe there should be a new rule for the night events this Winter i.e. nobody should be allowed to use a head torch brighter than my Petzl Tikka or better still do it without torches....."

Map, checkpoints and Ian & Paul's routes can be found here

 It's LAMMing time
9/10th June 2007

What's mare difficult than completing the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon? Answer: hiring a car in Glasgow on a Friday afternoon! Read on....

"Glen Lochay was the venue for the 2007 Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon in which we had entered the D class, our first long event after taking up fell running about 9 months ago. We arrived at the event centre campsite having already been on an epic adventure; we had been on a mission to hire a car without a credit card (we had forgotten to take one) after blowing a clutch in Glasgow. Tracking one down was like a treasure hunt. After a frantic taxi ride across to Paisley and a lot of haggling we left Glasgow in a hire car at close of business (6pm). We had being trying to hire one since 2pm and things were starting to look grim. We then towed the broken down car to relative safety, i.e. out of Clyde Bank and away from Rab C Nesbit and co. I must add it is probably easier to put man on the moon than hire a car on a Friday in Glasgow.....(more)

Richard Coulson

 Ossy Oikers
5th June 2007

There's plenty of route choice in the Ossy Oiks race as demonstrated by competitors shortly after the start.
Photo courtesy of Alan Musgrove

Another good night's competition in the Ossy Oiks race with Duncan Archer setting off like a train to lead by 50m only 400m after the start. Jim Bulman soon gave chase and the lead changed hands several times between them. It was not until the final descent that Jim managed to break Duncan and squeeze the win. Paul Lowe made a welcome return to racing after recent problems by finishing 3rd.

There were many tired legs in the race after competing in the 'long' at Duddon a few days earlier including Alison Raw who managed to press home her advantage on the long climb out of Oakdale and up Black Hambleton. She managed to hold this through to the finish ahead of Fay Potton and  Jacqueline Keavney. The men's team was a comfortable win for North york Moors AC with NMH taking the women's.

Ossy Oiks 2007 results

132 photos from the race

A film of the race will be available soon

 

 West Duerley Farm, near Hawes

A late addition to the FRA calendar, I only learned of the Dodd Fell Race when someone stuffed entry details on my windscreen at the Lordstones Fell race.

Foot & Mouth halted the race, and they were trying to get it going again.  An 'A Short', it had once been an English Championship event.  So we ventured out into the wilds south of Hawes to the local Show, held in a remote farmyard with dozens of dogs being judged - lurchers, beagles, hounds, terriers.  There was also a Hollering competition (!) and you could buy DVDs of ratting and other local pursuits, including the fell race, with its 26 entrants - not bad considering.

We started on a steady climb up a rocky track for half a mile or so, then onto the moor - still climbing on tussocky grass, hard to run on and no path.  The summit came after around 1,100ft of climb and about two-and-a-bit miles.  Some poor sod sat freezing at the checkpoint as I looked forward to the first, gentle descent.  Still no path, still tussocky grass, still difficult to run on.  Then, at last, about a mile of very runnable grass, gently descending; five walls to climb, through the nettles to the last checkpoint, then plummet into the final 700' steep descent.  More nettles, rocks, etc but a decent drop into the last field and the finish to see my family had been roped in as marshalls.

The presentation took place in the cow shed (very good burgers here!).  Gary Devine (Pudsey & Bramley) won in a new course record (29.34) and yours truly came 2nd V50 (10th overall) in 37.53 - a prize of some home made wine made it all worthwhile.

All in all, a decent course at an unusual event (and a glimpse of a very different world) on a good course - good for spectators, too, with it all visible from the start/finish.  They aim to do it again in 2008, so give it your support!

Vince Rutland

Further enquires telephone 01969 667260 or e-mail ian.rowbotham (at) btinternet.com

Dodd Fell Race details

Dodd Fell Race route map

Photo of Vince courtesy of Phil Mason (Harrogate AC) - lots more photos here

 Foxtrotters
22nd May 2007


Adam Churchill sets the early pace ahead of 60 year old Jim Shemilt and eventual winner
Jim Bulman in the Fox and Hounds road fell race. (photo courtesy of Mick Garratt)

Another beautiful evening where everything went off smoothly. In the senior men's race there were three main protagonists:- Jim Bulman, Adam Churchill and Joe Blackett. At the finish they arrived closely grouped in that order.

In the women's event it was a surprised Kay Neesam who crossed the line first a little distance ahead of Cath Worth and Diane Jobson. Jim Shemilt set a new record in the M60 category whilst Ronnie Sherwood having lost that record set a new one for the M65. North York Moors won the men's team event whilst we struggled again to produce a women's team result.

Fox & Hounds 2007 results

 

 Old County Tops
19th May 2007

Ian and Simon enjoy the pain and suffering they endure in this race so much they've decided to make it an annual pilgrimage....

"I was feeling apprehensive before the start as I didn’t feel as though I’d done enough mileage in training. It also started to rain but it was still and reasonably warm in the valley. The start down the Langdale valley was steady, along a stony bridleway, full of large puddles which everyone tried to run round to keep their feet dry for as long as possible. We held back at the start as was easy to get carried away when the adrenaline started rushing, we didn’t want to pay for a fast start later in the day. The entry this year appeared to be quite high compared to previous years and it looked like there were quite a few first timers judging by the size of their packs. These could be quite a burden up the final tortuous climb to Fairfield between Grey Friar and Great Carrs, a climb which is hard enough without a pack......."  (full report here)

Ian Hodgson
 

 Record breaking turnout at Summerhill
17th May 2007


Some of the 18 members who took part. (L-R) Graham Tyreman, Jonathan Skidmore, Viv Mathews, Paul McGough, Rob Pollard, Diane Jobson, David Burkhart, Ken Farrell, Robin Bergstrand, Mike Shaw, David Murphy, Paul Marriott, Chris Wright. Photo courtesy of Carol Farrell (lots more coming).

In yet another record breaking turnout, the 2nd Tees Forest 5K Trail Race of 2007 saw Robin Bergstrand follow his Lordstones Fell Race triumph with another fine win. Robin made his move on a small climb half-way round the first lap of the two lap multi-terrain course at Summerhill, Hartlepool, pulling clear of the Hartlepool duo of Mark Armstrong and Adam Churchill. He clocked 17:55 on the ‘5 Km’ (approx!) course earning him 89.69 points i.e. just 4 seconds short of joining the elite 90+ pts club (at least that gives him something to aim for in future races J)

In the ladies race M&C's Carolyn Summersgill made it 11 wins in 11 appearances ahead of a ‘returning to form’ Clare Lowe (North York Moors AC) and M&C’s Andrea Ansell. Although Carolyn has peppered 79 pts many times we are still waiting for a woman to break through the magic 80 pts barrier - any takers out there?

Tees Forest Summerhill 5K 2007 results

147 photos from race
 

 Bergstrand's Back with a Bang!
13th May 2007


Runners snake their way through the plantation just before climbing Cringle Moor   
Photo by Mick Garratt

In a battle royal North York Moors AC’s Robin Bergstrand and NFR’s Charlie Stead locked horns in the tough Lordstones Fell race at Carlton Bank. Little separated the pair until Robin who ‘felt good’ climbing Dromonby Bank made his move and opened a 100m gap. Charlie managed to claw back some of the deficit before the final checkpoint, but Robin increased his lead on the final punishing climb up Green Bank to win in a shade over the hour, with Charlie finishing 1½ minutes behind him. Knavesmire’s David Eiser had a good run to finish in 3rd  place overall, just over a minute behind Charlie, these three being well clear of the rest of the field.

In the women’s race CLOK’s Karen Heppenstall was a convincing winner in 75 mins, ahead of North York Moors AC team mates Cath Worth and Kendra White.

Knavesmire won the men’s team prize, 6 pts ahead of North York Moors AC, although this wasn't realised on the day, oops….. Our team counters were Robin 1st, Richard Clark in an excellent 5th ,Julian (still returning to form) Barwick in 19th and Jonathan Skidmore in 23rd. Our winning ladies team consisted of our long distance specialists i.e. Cath Worth in 2nd, Kendra White in 3rd and Diane Jobson in 5th.  

A film of the race will be available shortly, showing the battle unfolding from start to finish.

Lordstones 2007 results

117 photos from the race

DVD film of the race

Martin becomes only our second member (since the club was formed) to complete the tough 61 mile / 11,000 ft Fellsman race, is there anyone good enough to be the 3rd?

Originally I thought “a 61 mile run, no worries. I’ve done 100” however as race day approached doubts started to surface. Why hadn’t anyone broken 10 hours for this distance? Why were competitors pleased to finish in 15-18 hours? And then there were the stories of knee deep bogs, checkpoints that were almost impossible to find, and statements like “when you’re on a track, you’re lost”.

Finally I was stood at the start and now had a huge amount of respect for the race and concerns about not finishing it. I had previously discussed with Colin Hutt about running with him (Colin was a Scottish runner I had met during last years Osmotherly Phoenix and a finisher of the Highland Fling, an hour ahead of me). As Colin was intending to run with another 3 guys I would end up in a sizeable group, which was comforting.

There was little problem with the route after the start climbing Ingleborough, but then my group shot off and I had no chance to keep up as the path was much rougher than I was used to. I thought ‘that was it’ after having lost sight of the group but I pushed on and by the next check point at the Hill Inn I caught sight of them again. After some hard work climbing Whernside I managed to catch up with them which was comforting as we were still at an early stage of the race and the peaks were shrouded in mist making visibility poor. Ascending Gragareth it started to rain but after the checkpoint at Dent the weather surprisingly cleared and the sun came out. By this time the group had really started to work hard and good progress was made whilst looking after each other. At this stage, the race was very pleasant, although the going got tougher as the ground became continuously rougher, especially through Fleet Moss and the following few check points. Although there wasn’t as much climb on this section of the race it was still difficult running over some of the terrain. Many stories about the race probably originated from around here as there were plenty of deep bogs and the ground was still very wet, even during a dry year like this one. (more)

Martin Dietrich

 A Fling in The Highlands
28th April 2007

Our intrepid long distance trio had a nice surprise waiting for them at the end of The Highland Fling.....

"As no-one else was volunteering to write a few words, then I will, if nothing more than to thank Brian for his hospitality and to make everyone else aware of the first class treatment we received.

I entered The Highland Fling run on Cath’s recommendation as the Woldsman 50 miler we ran last year was not on this year. The Fling covered the first 53 miles of the West Highland Way, from Mulngavie (outside Glasgow) to Tyndrum. Cath, Kendra and I travelled up to Glasgow on the Friday for a 6AM start on the Saturday morning.

Of the run itself, I remember Kendra’s usual sprint start and Cath’s steadier start; Kendra being caught again after some 10-15 miles. On the top of Conic Hill, shortly before arriving at the first checkpoint at Balmaha, Cath caught up with me with a friendly ‘now then’ and then duly shot off down the hill to the checkpoint and then disappeared into the distance. After refilling my water supplies at the checkpoint, I set off to see if I could catch-up with her for some company. After a few miles along the edge of Loch Lomond I eventually spotted her in the distance and after a while I managed to catch her. We then ran together for a while, difficult to say how far, as Loch Lomond goes on and on and on….." (more)

Martin Dietrich

The popular and good value for money Anniversary Waltz fell race (11 miles / 3600ft) regularly attracts a posse of our members.
Here Richard Coulson kindly recounts his exploits..... 

Richard on Catbells.  Photo taken by Mick Garratt with his new toy

"It was a clammy, overcast day, extremely warm in the valleys yet blustery on the tops once the daunting climb of Robinson was out of the way. One thing which strikes you during this race is the sudden change in gradient from the gentle run along the valley to the near vertical scramble up Robinson, 737 metres of calf burning delight. At this point I am wondering whether to take up tiddley-winks as a hobby instead of throwing myself up and down mountains.

 The ankle mashing descent to Dale Head was next, in which a slightly wrong placed foot could have ended up with a free ride in a bright yellow helicopter. After more climbing, this time up Hindscarth, we descended on to the col below High Spy, which was a scrappy route with jagged rocks making foot placement difficult. It was at this point I took a dive that any Chelsea player would have been proud of....

 After dusting myself off I soldiered on, with legs feeling heavier with each step, my decision not to take any water with me had began to take its toll. As I descended the thigh bursting Cat Bells I decided it was the right time and place to take another shoulder scuffing dive but this time off a 2 metre rock out-crop, right in front of a group of walkers....

I once again dusted myself down as one walker asked "why?"   

A good question....but life is to short to walk, besides I will do that when I am really tired...........

Roger Tomlin finished an excellent 33rd in 1:54:44 (club record) and I finished 118th and was well happy as I have had a calf strain for 6 weeks and missed the latter part of the Winter Series.

Richard Coulson"

Key Results summary by Bill Pennell:

*1st Female (New Course Record)

9 photos from Anniversary Waltz 2007

Anniversary Waltz 2007 - full results

 Red Hot Cole
19th Apr 2007

A record breaking turn-out of 140 runners in the first Tees Forest Trail Race of 2007 saw Newham & Essex Beagle Rob Cole burn round the Wynyard Woodland Park 5K course in 16:03, the quickest time seen in this race. His 93.4 points is the second highest score ever attained in a Tees Forest Trail Race, behind Martin Scaife’s 94.4 record tally set last year.

Consistent Andy Pearson (Loftus & Whitby) has started where he left off last year and finished 2nd just ahead of North York Moors AC’s Joe Blackett. There were plenty of weary legs taking part in the race including Joe’s, after previously participating in the Gisborough Moors Race on Sunday.

Carolyn Summersgill ( M&C) recorded her 10th straight win in 19:12, a minute ahead of Chester Le Street's Kerry Mathew and Cleveland Police’s Jen Milsom.

Wynyard Woodland Park 5K results

29 photos from Wynyard Woodland Park 5K
 

 Job Well Dunn!
24th Apr 2007

In the first race of the 2007 Summer Series Thirsk & Sowerby's Gary Dunn inflicted a rare defeat on Acorn's Andy Hilton and just missed the course record by one second. The big guns in the Gisborough Moors Race were off the pace in this 5 mile blast from Carlton Bank (probably after exploits at the w/e?)

Holmfirth's Jean Shotter edged out Swaledale's  Erika Johnson in the women's race while Acorn took the men's team prize from North York Moors AC by just 2 pts.

Carlton Challenge 2007 results

Carlton Challenge race photos

Carlton Challenge race film

 Charlie's too Hot to Handle in Moors Race Scorcher
15th Apr 2007

Mike Fanning, Charlie Stead & Shaun O'Grady setting the early pace across Gisborough Moor while Joe Blackett languishes  back in 9th place. Photo courtesy of Derek Parker (lots more photos + a film of the race coming soon)

With little wind and temperatures touching 22ºC this years’ Gisborough Moors Race turned into a scorcher with many runners being forced to warm to the event after suffering in the heat, especially on the climbs up Roseberry Topping and Little Roseberry. However NFR’s Charlie Stead had no such problems and proved too hot to handle, powering away after Roseberry Topping to win in a shade under 84 minutes. This was Charlie’s 4th win, equalling course record holder Steve Sutcliffe’s shining tally set in the 1980’s.

Borrowdale’s Mike Fanning and New Marske Harrier Shaun O’Grady had set the early blistering pace with Charlie but later faded in the heat to finish 4th and 5th respectively. Dark Peak’s Joe Blackett however kept his cool early on (obviously an early cruiser, see last years analysis) and scorched through the field in the latter stages, overtaking all competitors ahead of him apart from Charlie, to finish 2nd overall and first M40. Sedgefield AC’s Gary Hetherington also conducted himself admirably, saving enough energy to move up into 3rd place overall behind Joe.

In the ladies race a radiant Karen Robertson (NFR) shone through and was a comfortable winner in 107:28, 4 minutes ahead of Sarah Haines (Ilkley) and Thirsk & Sowerby’s Angela Hall.

Durham Fell Runners took the men’s team prize with 53 pts ahead of North York Moors AC on 63pts and NFR on 82 pts. The North York Moors AC men’s team counters were Brian Roberts (8th – 92:31), Paul Figg (10th – 92:51), Simon Deakin (21st – 98:06) and Richard Clark the younger (24th – 99:47).

NFR were a shining example in the Ladies team race, winning with 27pts ahead of North York Moors AC on 41pts. Our club counters were Barbara Watson (10th – 129:55, Caroline Graham (15th - 132.39) and Lydia Dietrich (16th - 132.42)

P.S. How many references to light & heat can you spot above?

Gisborough Moors Race 2007 results

more race photos from Gribdale  

there's lot's more photo's of the race on Rob Stephens website - many taken whilst he was running!

Gisborough Moors Race 2007 - 3 minute film

 Winter Series 2006-7 final Positions

Although many categories in the series had been decided before this race the following sections went right down to the wire….

M50  Brian Roberts (1st) vs Paul Kelly (2nd) – category winner Brian Roberts
M55  Keith Wilson (no show) vs David Kirk (7th) vs Jeff Winder (1st) - category winner Jeff Winder
FO    Andrea Henderson (7th) vs Erika Johnson (2nd) - category winner Erika Johnson
F45   Janet Cordingley (no show) vs Cath Worth (no show) - category winner Janet Cordingley
 

Winter Series Category Leaders - final positions!
(N.B. refresh or F5 if you see old results!)

Rob Pollard
 

Another  classic report from Peter , oh what a life he leads.....

"Having suffered a sudden revelation after Les Templiers that the Templars were early medieval business entrepreneurs who got rich on tourism to the holy land, I was desperate for some other heroes. I discovered that le Trail des Citadelles in the Haut Ariege at Easter consisted of a tour of Cathar strongholds and on exploration the Cathars seemed like a wholesome alternative. Unfortunately Les Citadelles was an ultra marathon of 44miles and 10,500 feet of ascent and descent, though by Cathar trekking standards that was like a Sunday stroll and so out of Cathar admiration I entered on-line.

The Cathars traced their version of Christianity to direct apostolic succession and the modern view is that their beliefs were probably reflected true early Christianity more accurately than the Roman Catholic Church, in that they rejected the idea of priests and church buildings.   They believed in a good creator God and an evil Satan and believed in living sustainable lives… not eating meat and living in poverty and not being keen on procreational sex, though recreational sex was ok (a sort of medieval version of tune in, turn on and drop out?). The majority were called credentes (believers) but the very ascetic Cathars were called parfaits (perfects). To move from believer to perfect you took the Consolamentum and you became a spark free from the travails of the body. Anyway by the 13th century theirs was the dominant religion in the laid back, tolerant Languedoc. However, true to form, the Roman Catholic Church considered the Cathars to be a threat and in the early 1200s declared the Cathar doctrine a heresy and mounted a crusade on the Languedoc and Ariege, burning perfects at the stake in what was called a brullée. The Cathars retreated to remote citadels in the mountains but were pursued by the inquisition and hounded. Their principal citadelle, Montségur, imposingly built at 1200 metres on a jagged cliff was besieged for 10 months in 1242 and finally surrendered after Basque troops gained the summit ridge at night by a precipitous climb. 220 perfects who refused to renounce their faith were brulléed on the flat meadow 200 metres below Montségur.....(more)

Eskdale Eureka 2007 results

The next event, The Gisborough Moors Race is the last in the Winter Series. If you can marshal please contact me.

Dave Parry N.E.C.A.A. Fell Running Convenor (01287-660309) david@nym.ac
 

 Winter Series 2006-7 Leaders

With a race to spare Joe's win secured the Winter Series Men's Champion title for him with Robert Addyman safe in the runners up spot. Andy Hardy (HBR) now moves clear of Nigel Cairns by 1 pt into 3rd place but there are several runners still in the reckoning. In the ladies section Jacqueline Keavney didn't need to compete in the penultimate race to win the Winter Series Women's title ahead of Sue Haslam. However it's still possible for Cath Worth to tie with Sue on pts.

Robert Addyman (MO), Ronnie Sherwood (M65), Eric Nutter (M70), Jacqueline Keavney (FO) and Jenny Thornton (FJ) now join the list of category winners with a race to spare:

MO    Robert Addyman
M40   Joe Blackett
M45   Barry Atkinson
M60   Mike Hetherton
M65   Ronnie Sherwood
M70   Eric Nutter
FJ     Jenny Thornton
FO     Jacqueline Keavney
F50   Sue Haslam

The remainder of the age categories will be decided in The Gisborough Moors Race with the following sections producing some particularly interesting battles....

M50   Brian Roberts vs Paul Kelly
M55   Keith Wilson vs David Kirk vs Jeff Winder
FO     Andrea Henderson vs Erika Johnson
F45    Janet Cordingley vs Cath Worth

Winter Series Category Leaders with one to go!
(N.B. refresh or F5 if you see old results!)

Rob Pollard

 

It was so good Peter went back for more.......

"Having run the Mariac Trail race in the Ardeche last year in June I was somewhat surprised to receive an entry form in January that indicated the race was to be in March this year. However I could not resist another trip to the Ardeche even if it was 38 k and 1,400 metres of ascent and I was basically unfit. This time rather than rely upon the vagaries of les francaises I decided to engage my own personal masseuse, (which seemed like a good idea at the time). Being unfamiliar with the relevant qualifications of masseuses I decided to take a blonde one. The masseuse, once engaged, immediately informed me that she was used to certain standards of accommodation and it looked as if I would have to do better than my usual low-life hostels and gites d’etape. Because it was out of season most of the local hotels were closed, but eventually I found a hotel at Lemastre, some 27k from Mariac which boasted a piscine and a 100 seat restaurant and so I told the masseuse that I had managed to squeeze us into a posh hotel, by way of slight exaggeration......(more)
 

Cleveland Survival 2007 results
 

 Causey (are we there yet?) Pike
Saturday March 24th.

"This is an 'A' short fell race of about 4 miles and nearly 1800' of ascent. Trevor and myself left a grey, gloomy Teesside at 09:00 to be greeted by glorious sunshine as we drove down from the Pennines towards Penrith. On route we spotted Steve Honeyman setting off on foot, along the A66 roadside, heading for Blencathra. After a pot of tea and a bite to eat in Keswick we arrived in Stair Village and bumped into Joe Blackett and our Roger Tomlin waiting to register. After registration we got changed and 'reccied' the route up to the crags, near the start, and also the finishing 'run in'.

The race started at 14:00 with an entry field of nearly 130 runners. It was definitely singlet and shorts weather being really quite hot, especially for March. The race was really two climbs, the first one up to Rolling End which didn’t look much from the road but seemed to go on for ever with what appeared to be several false summits. This was followed by a short stretch of 'flat' running (where club movie maker Steve Honeyman was once again in 'Spielberg' mode) before a second and final climb, a rocky scramble, to the top of Causey Pike. In the race Trevor opened up a gap on me here, being a much stronger climber.

Over the top we went and along the 'bobbley' looking ridge to the col where we were then diverted down by a marshal. This was a great descent where you could really pick up a bit of speed and I managed to pass several runners and close the gap on Trevor before we joined the main track back to Stair. This track is about 2 miles long and fairly rocky underfoot and so favours only the most sure-footed runners. I was therefore trying to pick my route through the smoother sections and obviously lost time. This suited Trevor who likes the 'rough stuff' and he increased the gap between us once again. We were again greeted by Spielberg who had hurried down to the track-side for another session of movie making. Trevor eventually finished nearly 50 seconds in front of me after I had faded really badly on the road section back to the finish.

The race winner was Ricky Lightfoot of Ellenborough RC in a time of 33:55 with Andy Hilton of York Acorn in 4th, Joe Blackett in 9th (37:05) and Roger in 21st (39:32). Trevor finished in 83rd in a time of 49:57 and I was close behind in 50:43. This is a great, but tough, little fell race with a very nice atmosphere. I can highly recommend this 'low key' race especially when the weather is this good - and apparently it usually is....

Bill Pennell"

Causey Pike 2007 results (link)

Causey Pike 2007 photos (link) 

Steve's film of the race is available here.
 

Competitors try out the new Inov-8 'Hover' shoes in the Grey's Pike race. Eventual winner Joe Blackett is 3rd left.

"Entering middle age after a history of being a chronic also-ran, my main ambition in fell running contracted to avoiding being last in a fell race. So far this has been a success, though I did get a considerable fright when getting to Helvellyn summit in last place in the 2006 Helvellyn race only to be reprieved by a gross navigational error by one runner and a case of acute vertical-hill phobia on the last 1,000 feet descent by another.

It was a considerable surprise, therefore, in late middle age, to find I had won a NEHRA championship over-50 bronze medal in 2004 merely for turning up at four qualifying races. I thought this must be a bizarrely fortuitous occurrence but the same happened in 2005 (it turns out that runners in the south of this region only run in the south and runners in the north run mainly in the north, so hardly anyone runs the four races necessary for a good points total). Then in 2006 in the Newcastle Inn at Rothbury, after the Simonside Cairns race, the NEHRA organiser pressed a silver medal for 2006 into my sweaty palm, adding, a bit sheepishly, that he had won the gold, (well done Keith, see note 1 below). Looking down into my pint I saw the possibility of gold in 2007 in the v60 category and I was in the grip of a new ambition....."(more)

Peter Whewell
 

 Commondale Crossing
4th Mar 2007

The 2nd running of the Commondale^* Crossing saw Jim Bulman quickest across the moor ahead of Robert Addyman and Helm Hill's Chris Robinson. These three were the only runners to break 37 minutes, boggy underfoot conditions and a stiff southerly breeze on the return leg made for tough going in places.

Despite the staggered starts it was surprisingly close in the women's race with Kendra White (North York Moors AC) managing to hold her club mate Cath Worth at bay until the finish (after setting off 2 minutes ahead of her) eventually winning by 15 seconds, with M&C's Kath Blakey taking the 3rd spot a mere 7 seconds adrift.

North York Moors men were the only club to field complete teams. Brendan Anglim took an early start (1005) and ran solo to finish an excellent 4th while a close tussle between Brian Roberts and Nigel Cairns (1030 mass start) saw them finish in 7th and 8th places respectively. A below par Jamie Roberts struggled but still managed 9th place overall and 4th team counter.

12 men and 6 women bettered last years inaugural times with Jim Bulman & Kendra White the new course record holders.

regards

Rob Pollard

Commondale Crossing 2007 results

Photo by yours truly shows Richard Clark and Paul Kelly at checkpoint 4 (lots more photos coming soon)

^*Commondale; 'that place where the commoners live'

 Winter Series 2006-7 Leaders

With only 3 races left in the Winter Series the number of runner's now able to win the men's section outright has been reduced to 35. However there's no change at the top with Joe Blackett maintaining his lead over Robert Addyman, while Nigel Cairns is obviously not going to relinquish his 3rd spot without a fight although Andy Hardy (HBR) now ties with Nige on points.

In the ladies section Jacqueline Keavney's still leads Sue Haslam with Janet Cordingley now moving up into 3rd place, however 16 women can still win the series outright.

Barry Atkinson now joins the list of category winners (M45) despite not even running in this race. Congrats the following runners in winning their relevant age categories with races to spare!

M40 Joe Blackett
M45 Barry Atkinson
M60 Mike Hetherton
F50 Sue Haslam

Winter Series Category Leaders after 9 races (N.B. refresh or F5 if you see old results!)
(including no. of possible winners in each category)

On the run down from Light Hazzles Reservoir the track goes straight back to the finish (looking at the map) but once again the route is a bit contrived since half way down you are diverted back up hill to the top of the moor before the final descent off the hill-side. This is a really great run in where you can see the finish and get up a 'head of steam' down to it, where I managed to out-sprint the runner who I had been following from the reservoir.

I believe myself and Trevor Symonds were the only NYMAC competitors to do the race and we both had reasonable (for us) runs. This year saw a record entry of 194 runners (other than when it was a championship race). The race was won by Dark Peak's Lloyd Taggart in a time of 1:09:11. I finished in 146th place in a time of 1:44:09 and Trevor finished 165th in a time of 1:49:07 having had to stop for a 'call of nature' at Stoodley Pike. I can thoroughly recommend this race as there's a great atmosphere and the prize giving is in the pub in the next hamlet of Lumbutts where there are delicious chip butties washed down with a beautiful pint of Timothy Taylors Landlords Bitter mmm......"

Bill Pennell

Noonstone 2007 results (link)

Noonstone 2007 photos (link)

 

Bill Pennell

Key results:

Full results and photos

 Dark Horse Steals the Show
20th Feb 2007

With the big guns missing we had to have a new winner in the final NiteRace of the series but who? Expectations were running high amongst the 'also-rans' until new-comer Steve Libby popped in to steal the show. This was the toughest race of the series with Steve taking 93 minutes to complete the course, 11 minutes ahead of Mark Edwards. Mark's 2nd place moved him into joint 3rd place overall in the final table. 

Nite Race 6 results & final table

Steve's  winning route

 Hilton Shines in Beacon Race
4th Feb 2007
It was a splendid day at the Eskdale sun shining and with a hard overnight frost the ground was fairly dry. A good field set off with the leading contenders soon establishing a lead. Andy Hilton was away off the front by the time they came to the first road crossing and at half way had about 250metres on Joe Blackett who was some 50 metres ahead of Robert Addyman.
In the women's event Jacqueline Keavney led at half way from Cath Worth and Sue Haslam. In the two races positions remained the same to the finish. At the back of the field some athletes did a detour to take in the little loop we had removed two years ago. Perhaps these were the traditionalists or maybe navigation is a challenge!

North York Moors AC won the men's team event with Brian Roberts returning to form in (5th), Nigel Cairns (12th), Martin Dietrich (18th) and Martin Clements (20th) ahead of Thirsk & Sowerby. However the win was in vain as rumour has it the 1st prize beer went missing....

Library Photo courtesy of Derek Parker shows Andy in the recent Saltergate Gallows race.

Castleton-Danby Race_2007_results

 Winter Series Leaders

After 8 races in the Winter Series things are starting to hot up with 'only' 78 runners now able to win the men's section outright. Joe Blackett maintains his lead well clear of 2nd placed Robert Addyman while early series leader Nigel Cairns now slips to 3rd (is he on the slippery slope to becoming an 'also ran'?). In the ladies section Jacqueline Keavney's win increases her lead over Sue Haslam and Denise Tunstall but 29 women can still win outright - it could be you!

Congrats the following runners in winning their relevant age categories with 4 races to spare!

M40 Joe Blackett
M60 Mike Hetherton
F50 Sue Haslam

Winter Series Category Leaders after 8 races (N.B. refresh or F5 if you see old results!)
(including  no. of possible winners in each category)

 Joe Tames the Beast
14th Jan 2007

The Beast had its say again, it wasn't snow this year but shin deep mud to make the forestry almost impassable so a minor route deviation had to be employed on the day! With many of the big guns missing (Tandem & cross-country duties?) Joe Blackett was a runaway winner in 38:02 nearly a minute ahead of Robert Addyman and Paul Figg. Geoff Howard gave one of the performances of the day to win the vet 60 in 21st overall. In the female section Alison Raw pulled away from her rivals, Sue Busuttil and Jacqueline Keavney on the first climb and went on to win in a new record time of 41.27.

North York Moors AC won the men's team event with Paul Figg (3rd), Nigel Cairns (4th) Brendan Anglim (7th) and Julian Barwick (16th) ahead of Thirsk & Sowerby. In the women's team event Thirsk & Sowerby came out on top ahead of New Marske Harriers and also managed to field three teams which could be something of a record?

Photo courtesy of Alan Musgrove shows Joe on the return leg, having just transferred his weight from the other leg....

130 photos from Clay Bank East race 2007

Clay Bank East 2007 results

 Winter Series Leaders

After 7 races in the series Joe Blackett still leads, 33 pts ahead of Nigel Cairns with Robert Addyman while in the ladies section Jacqueline Keavney now leads 7 pts ahead of Sue Haslam with Denise Tunstall in 3rd.  With 5 races still left in the series the winner has now been narrowed down to several hundred runners.....

Winter Series Category Leaders after 7 races
 

Brian Roberts teamed up with Martin Clements and held off strong opposition to win the Tandem in 3hr 51 min. This was Brian's 8th (?) win, each time with a different partner.  Martin said after the race "I won't be doing that again!" (Did he mean running with Brian?). Martin Dietrich and Ian Hill were 2nd some 6 minutes behind while defending champions and three times winners Ian Hodgson and Simon Deakin finished 4th after Simon had  struggled with injury problems. I am indebted once again to the following 'inside' reports from our long distance specialists Martin Dietrich & Ian Hodgson....

"My worries started when Brian Roberts and Martin Clement arrived at the start. I know Brian well enough to know that he would rather die than be beaten by me or any of the regular fast runners on these events. I figured that the West Route would suit Martin quite well, as he does not like hills much, but he is a very strong road runner. As we set-off, Ian Hodgson speeded off like a bullet. It was hard keeping up with him and the leading group, but I could not afford to stay back, as I did not quite know the route up to Glaisdale......"(more)

Wheeldale Tandem Past winners 1984-2007
 

 3 in a Row for Paul 
9th Jan 2007

3 wins in a row for Paul Thornton suggest there's more to winning these Nite races than pure luck? Dave Spence his nearest rival was 9 minutes behind and one more lucky win by Paul would see him home and dry as Niterace champion.

Nite Race 4 results

Paul Thornton's winning route

 New NiteRace Champ
30th Jan 2007

There's been no stopping Paul Thornton since becoming a full time athlete, his latest success being a 4th consecutive NiteRace win. This secured him the 2007 title with a race to spare ahead of rival Dave Spence who finished 2nd on the night, 3 minutes behind Paul. 

Nite Race 5 results

Rob Bailey's NiteRace route using GPS
 

Only 6 days after winning the Newcastle Town Moor race, Richard Bellamy has won the Hartlepool Old Monks Trod race and therefore remains unbeaten this year....(you can't beat a bit of pressure!)

"The Old Monks race starts in Hart and follows a 5.5 mile circular route along forest tracks and roads. A lot of the route is on tarmac and other  hard surfaces but there are some good muddy sections through the woods. The weather was perfect. The rain held off until well after the last  runner was finished and it was warm enough for shorts and the club vest. The run was well organised with plenty of marshals and signs. Just as  well for me because I have a hopeless sense of direction and often get lost in even the simplest run. On this occasion I missed the finish line  and just kept on running until I got back to the village hall (which made me look pretty stupid). The good weather resulted in a good turn out for the event. There were around 110 finishers, which I think was the highest number they have had. We had 5 members present, Nick Simmons, Jeff Belt, Gary Thoms and Bob Howe.

The start was steeply down hill and the Hartlepool runners went off like rockets. I didn't even attempt to keep up and by about the first mile I
was 20 metres behind the leaders and had about 12 people in front of me. Adam Churchill (Hartlepool Burn Road) led the race for the first 3 miles.
However as we ploughed through the muddy paths everyone slowed down and I made up the gap and finally took the lead. The last section was all
downhill and on tarmac so I just gritted my teeth and held on. It's a run I'd recommend but it may have a bit too much tarmac for many of our
proper fell runners!

All the best

Richard"

Photo courtesy of Alan Musgrove shows Richard leading the race

5 photos from Old monks Trod Race 2007

Old Monks Trod 2007 results (link)
 

 Ready, Steady, Cooks!
1st Jan 2007

A Happy New Year to you all. We managed to catch a pleasant 'weather window' although the going was wet to muddy in the Captain Cooks New Years day race. There was another record turn with 253 starting the race, over 50 more than last year. In the race itself we saw the welcome return of Joe Rafferty who soon stamped his authority on the event pulling away from Paul Lowe and Jim Bulman to win in 32:04. In the women's event it was a battle between the Orienteers with Pippa Whitehouse winning by a minute from Karen Heppenstall in 38:49. The most interesting duel was in the women's veteran section where you could have thrown a towel over the three protagonists on the finish line. As it was, Alison Weston dipped in front of Jacqueline Keavney with Sue Haslam almost touching them.

The North York Moors AC men's team finished 2nd to Knavesmire Harriers with Paul Lowe in 2nd, Brendan Anglim in 18th (who seemed inspired wearing the club vest for the first time), Brian (not really 50) Roberts in 21st and Richard Clark in 25th (who surprised many members with his excellent run). In the ladies team event it was good to see two North York Moors AC teams competing with Cath Worth, Diane Jobson and Kate Woodhall providing the winning team ahead of New Marske Harriers.  

We raised over £1200 for our two charities, ('Zoe's Place' nominated by a New Marske Harrier and 'Families with Diabetes' nominated by a member of Sunderland Strollers) each of which will receive £500 with the balance (£100 each) going to three smaller local charities (one animal rescue centre, one animal shelter and a residential home for learning and multiple disabilities. Any monies left in the account will be donated to 'Search & Rescue'!

Captain Cooks Race 2007 results

Photo courtesy of Jill Sexton shows Dave telling the runners not to run straight into the pub
without crossing the finishing line first.....

Captain Cooks Race - 3 minute film extracts

138 photos from Captain Cooks Race 2007

 Winter Series Leaders

After 6 races in the series Joe Blackett leads by 23 pts ahead of Barry Atkinson and Nigel Cairns while in the ladies section Tess Roebuck has a 5 points lead over Jacqueline Keavney with Sue Haslam in 3rd. However there's still 6 races left in the series so anyone (in the whole world) could still win!

Winter Series Category Leaders after 6 races