2015 Results

This page only contains race results for Spectrum Striders RC members.  Included are all results from Striders club championship races, plus some other races where Striders ran.

If you are looking for results for one of the Spectrum Striders RC races, please look under the "Our races" menu at the top of any page on this web site.

If any results are missing and you want them to be included, please send a link to the online results This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

---

Jul - Aug - Sep

---

July

---

Wednesday 1-Jul-2015 at 7:30pm:  Forest Park Ladies 5k

Please see the race web page for full details of the race, including how to enter.

Pos	Time	Name	Category	mins/km
1	19:54	BLIZZARD, Louise	Lady Vet 35	3:59	winner - Belgrave Harriers
5	21:30	LOWE, Jane	Lady Vet 45	4:18	1st LV45
6	21:32	RUSSELL, Alison	Senior Lady	4:18
7	21:37	WHITFIELD, Liz	Lady Vet 35	4:19
10	22:12	FORSTER, Karon	Lady Vet 50	4:26	1st LV50
12	22:49	LOMAX, Bobbie	Lady Vet 40	4:34
13	22:50	TINSLEY, Kimberley	Senior Lady	4:34
14	22:55	READ, Debbie	Lady Vet 55	4:35	1st LV55
16	22:57	CALDWELL, Helen	Lady Vet 45	4:35
23	24:23	ROBERTS, Eleanor	Lady Vet 45	4:53
34	25:29	SULLIVAN, Jo	Lady Vet 45	5:06
41	26:03	HEPBURN, Denise	Lady Vet 35	5:13
45	26:39	ATHERTON, Diane	Lady Vet 50	5:20
48	26:47	ARBER, Carolyn	Lady Vet 55	5:21
59	27:47	CURLEY, Joanne	Lady Vet 40	5:33
62	28:09	MURGATROYD, Gail	Lady Vet 45	5:38
63	28:21	GREY, Emma	Senior Lady	5:40
66	28:48	OWEN, Linda	Lady Vet 55	5:46
67	28:48	YATES, Elizabeth	Senior Lady	5:46
76	29:28	POWNALL, Melanie	Lady Vet 35	5:54
80	29:35	HOWARTH, Rosalind	Lady Vet 35	5:55
106	32:49	ZACHARIASZ, Denise	Lady Vet 40	6:34
110	33:36	RAMSDALE, Christine	Lady Vet 65+	6:43
111	33:53	GREY, Claire	Senior Lady	6:47
120	34:19	HEWITT, Anne	Lady Vet 65+	6:52
121	34:44	GREY, Lisa	Lady Vet 45	6:57

150 finishers, last finisher in 43:00.  Full results are on this web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Sunday 5-Jul-2015 to Saturday 11-Jul-2015:  Tour Of Merseyside

The 2015 Tour Of Merseyside consists of 6 races in 7 days, a total of 52 miles.  This is the same length as the old Tour Of Tameside in the 80's and 90's.

You could enter some of the races as individual races without needing to enter the whole Tour.

Sunday 5-Jul-2015 at 9am:  Southport Half Marathon

This was race 1 (of 6).

Pos	Name	GunTime	ChipTime	Category
1	Anthony Taylor	1:14:27	1:14:27	ToM	winner
47	Jennifer Clague	1:27:46	1:27:45	ToM	1st lady - Liverpool Harriers
90	Stephen Ward	1:31:55	1:31:50	ToM
143	Chris Falls	1:35:57	1:35:46	Open M
145	Alan Brady	1:36:03	1:36:00	V60+
164	Stuart Johnson	1:37:25	1:36:59	ToM
191	Paul Kelly	1:38:57	1:38:55	V40-49
617	Dennis Yarwood	2:04:11	2:02:56	ToM

962 finishers, last finisher in 3:21:24.  Full results are on the RaceTec web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page 

Monday 6-Jul-2015 at 7pm:  Thursaston Multi-terrain 5 mile (Wirral)

This was race 2 (of 6).

Pos	First Name	Surname	Category	GunTime	ChipTime
1	ANTHONY	TAYLOR	M40+	35:58	35:58	winner
20	NATASHA	SHEEL	FOPEN	42:50	42:48	1st lady - SERPENTINE RC
26	STEPHEN	WARD	M50+	43:26	43:22
54	STUART	JOHNSON	MOPEN	45:54	45:44
189	DENNIS	YARWOOD	M45+	57:46	57:15

304 finishers (+1 DNF), last finisher in 1:32:36.  Full results are on the TDL Event services web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

Tuesday 7-Jul-2015 at 7pm:  Sustrans Cycle Trail 10 mile race (Walton Hall Park)

This was race 3 (of 6).

Pos	First Name	Surname	Category	GunTime	ChipTime
1	ANTHONY	TAYLOR	M40+	0:56:15	0:56:14	winner
20	JENNIFER	CLAGUE	F40+	1:07:38	1:07:37	1st lady - LIVERPOOL HARRIERS
26	STEPHEN	WARD	M50+	1:08:54	1:08:46
50	STUART	JOHNSON	MOPEN	1:13:21	1:13:14
157	DENNIS	YARWOOD	M45+	1:28:20	1:27:56

275 finishers, last finisher in 2:16:16.  Full results are on the TDL Event services web site. 

Top of month  -  Top of page 

Thursday 9-Jul-2015 at 7pm:  Halton 5 miler (Hale Park)

This was race 4 (of 6).

Pos	First Name	Surname	Category	GunTime	ChipTime
1	ANTHONY	TAYLOR	M40+	27:19	27:18	winner
24	NATASHA	SHEEL	FOPEN	32:45	32:44	1st lady - SERPENTINE RC
26	STEPHEN	WARD	M50+	32:50	32:46
54	STUART	JOHNSON	MOPEN	34:45	34:29
87	Chris	Falls	MOPEN	37:11	37:02
179	DENNIS	YARWOOD	M45+	42:02	41:40

314 finishers, last finisher in 1:16:54.  Full results are on the TDL Event services web site. 

Top of month  -  Top of page  

Friday 10-Jul-2015 at 7pm:  Knowsley 6 mile cross country (Stadt Moers Park)

This was race 5 (of 6).

Pos	First Name	Surname	Category	GunTime	ChipTime
1	ANTHONY	TAYLOR	M40+	33:46	33:46	winner
23	NATASHA	SHEEL	FOPEN	40:39	40:39	1st lady - SERPENTINE RC
24	STEPHEN	WARD	M50+	40:46	40:43
48	STUART	JOHNSON	MOPEN	42:49	42:41
161	DENNIS	YARWOOD	M45+	53:09	52:40

275 finishers, last finisher in 1:31:08.  Full results are on the TDL Event services web site. 

Saturday 11-Jul-2015 at 10am:  Wirral Coastal Run 12 mile

This was race 6 (of 6).

Pos	First Name	Surname	Category	GunTime	ChipTime
1	ANTHONY	TAYLOR	M40+	1:09:51	1:09:51	winner
26	STEPHEN	WARD	M50+	1:26:37	1:26:31
32	STUART	JOHNSON	MOPEN	1:27:50	1:27:32
36	NATASHA	SHEEL	FOPEN	1:28:33	1:28:29	1st lady - SERPENTINE RC
141	DENNIS	YARWOOD	M45+	1:47:59	1:47:33

300 finishers (+1 DNF), last finisher in 2:59:38.  Full results are on the TDL Event services web site.

Sunday 5-Jul-2015 to Saturday 11-Jul-2015:  Tour Of Merseyside - Overall standings

Pos	First Name	Surname	Category	ChipTime
1	ANTHONY	TAYLOR	M40+	4:57:32	winner
21	STEPHEN	WARD	M50+	6:04:24
24	NATASHA	SHEEL	FOPEN	6:05:43	1st lady - SERPENTINE RC
43	STUART	JOHNSON	MOPEN	6:22:02
158	DENNIS	YARWOOD	M45+	7:53:23

269 finishers (+9 DNF), last finisher in 11:16:21.  Full results are on the TDL Event services web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page 

---

Tuesday 7-Jul-2015 at 7:15pm:  Rochdale 10k

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	CatPos	mins per k/mile
1	Rob James	M	00:35:06	(001/062)	03.31/05.39	winner
40	Joanne Nelson	F40	00:40:10	(001/021)	04.01/06.28	1st lady - Darwen Dashers
145	Mike Brady	M50	00:46:26	(017/029)	04.39/07.28

341 finishers, last finisher in 1:16:08.  Full results are on ukresults.net.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Thursday 9-Jul-2015 at 7:30pm:  The Wizard 5

Pos	Time	Name	Cat
1	26:19	Ryan Holroyd	MS	winner - City Of Stoke AC
6	28:09	Karl Steinegger	MS
18	30:17	Diane McVey	F35	1st lady - Wilmslow RC
30	31:59	Neil Adair	MS
43	32:58	Chris Millington	M45
67	34:42	Kenny Forster	M55
75	35:15	Andy Gaskell	M45
79	35:32	Liz Whitfield	F35
93	36:43	Paul Kelly	M40
113	37:30	Chris Falls	MS
166	41:34	Kate Johnson	F45
172	42:03	Neville Griffiths	M65
174	42:22	Vincent Alcock	M45
249	52:38	Kit Whitfield	M50

253 finishers, last finisher in 58:25.  Full results are on the SportSoft web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page 

---

Saturday 11-Jul-2015 at 1pm:  Radcliffe 5 mile trail race

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	CatPos
1	Mark Whittington	M40	30:21	(001/008)	winner - Swinton RC
8	Joanne Nelson	F40	32:48	(001/003)	1st lady - Darwen Dashers
84	Anne Hewitt	F65	59:36	(001/001)	1st F65

84 finishers, last finisher in 59:36.  Full results are on ukresults.net.

Top of month  -  Top of page 

---

Thursday 16-Jul-2015 at 7pm:  Club 5k Handicap

This is a closed event for Spectrum Striders RC club members only (plus a few invited guests).

The start is at Birchwood railway station.  The finish is on the other side of the Birchwood Centre, on the path near the rear of the Birchwood Tennis Centre.  The route is normally an accurately measured 5k but there was a minor diversion in 2015 to avoid running through "Red Square".

Many thanks to Janet & David Redpath for once again organising the handicap.  Many thanks to all of the marshals & helpers.

The winners were Jane Pownall and Brad Ehlen.

The fastest runners on the night were Alison Russell and Chris Millington.

		Predicted	Finish	Actual	Difference: actual
Pos	Name	time	time	run time	time v predicted
1	Jane Pownall	36:00	35:22	33:22	02:38
2	Katie Hampton	27:10	35:31	24:41	02:29
3	Lisa Grey	34:45	36:02	32:47	01:58
4	Emma Grey	28:20	36:50	27:10	01:10
5	Mel Pownall	29:30	36:56	28:26	01:04
6	Claire Grey	33:55	36:57	32:52	01:03
7	Paula Coleman	27:50	37:03	26:53	00:57
8	Catherine Lyon	29:00	37:16	28:16	00:44
9	Brad Ehlen	22:45	37:18	22:03	00:42
10	Linda Owen	28:50	37:25	28:15	00:35
11	Neville Griffiths	25:40	37:31	25:11	00:29
12	Alison Russell	21:30	37:35	21:05	00:25
13	Jane Lowe	21:30	37:36	21:06	00:24
14	Paul Kelly	21:30	37:42	21:12	00:18
15	Neil Adair	19:40	37:43	19:23	00:17
16	Diane Atherton	26:30	37:44	26:14	00:16
17	Darren Roberts	21:15	37:45	21:00	00:15
18	Liz Whitfield	21:40	37:48	21:28	00:12
19	Colin Grime	26:00	37:50	25:50	00:10
20	Ran MacKay	23:00	37:52	22:52	00:08
21	Jo Curley	27:50	37:55	27:45	00:05
22	Steve Pickford	22:50	37:59	22:49	00:01
23	Chris Millington	19:15	38:00	19:15	00:00
24	Lee McConkey	21:15	38:05	21:20	00:05
25	Ian Dunbar	29:00	38:05	29:05	00:05
26	Graham Driver	21:05	38:09	21:14	00:09
27	Anne Fortune	27:00	38:18	27:18	00:18
28	Michael Jaras	27:50	38:19	28:09	00:19
29	Anne Hewitt	34:15	38:20	34:35	00:20
30	Terry Coles	28:55	38:21	29:16	00:21
31	John Dooley	25:50	38:22	26:12	00:22
32	Paul Harrop	24:10	38:22	24:32	00:22
33	Alan Brady	21:30	38:25	21:55	00:25
34	Mike Hall	21:40	38:36	22:16	00:36
35	Janice Leigh	26:00	38:41	26:41	00:41
36	Kimberley Tinsley	22:30	38:47	23:17	00:47
37	Chris Falls	21:40	38:47	22:27	00:47
38	Lisa MacKay	24:50	39:03	25:53	01:03
39	Roger Seddon	21:50	39:07	22:57	01:07
40	Graham Lee	25:30	39:17	26:47	01:17
41	Kenny Forster	19:50	39:25	21:15	01:25
42	Andy Gaskell	20:05	39:59	22:04	01:59
43	Iain Fortune	28:00	40:09	30:09	02:09
44	Alan Peers	26:00	41:31	29:31	03:31

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Sunday 19-Jul-2015 at 9:30am:  Pendle Family Running Festival 5 mile trail race (Barley)

This race was part of a new 2 day event.  The results are shown separately for men & women.

Name	Time	Cat
Nick Gaskell	0:37:37	M40	winner - Trawden AC
Laura Lombard	0:39:44	F
Anne Hewitt	1:22:55	F65	1st F65

31 finishers, last finisher in 1:22:55.  Full results are on the race web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Wednesday 22-Jul-2015 at 7:30pm:  Harrock Hill fell race #2 (near Parbold, category BS, 5.2 miles, 900ft climb)

This is race 3 of a series of 4 races.  Your best time in any of the 4 races in a year counts towards the Club Fell Championship.

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
1	Daniel Miller	M	33:56	winner - Endurance Store
6	Lindsey Brindle	L	36:16	1st lady - Horwich
36	Stephen Burthem	M55	41:31	2nd claim
57	Kenny Forster	M55	43:07

159 finishers, last finisher in 1:19:06.  Full results are on ukresults.net.

Current Striders rankings after 3 races

Thanks to Les Hewitt for compiling this table of fastest times.

		Best	Race 1		Race 2		Race 3		Race 4
Name	Cat	time	Pos	Time	Pos	Time	Pos	Time	Pos	Time
Charlie Sharpe	M	0:34:49	2	0:34:49
Chris Millington	M40	0:37:50	20	0:37:50
Neil Adair	M	0:39:29	37	0:39:29
Daniel Chadwick	M	0:39:55	41	0:39:55
Kenny Forster	M55	0:43:07					57	0:43:07
Liz Whitfield	L	0:43:58			66	0:43:58
Jane Lowe	L45	0:45:37			79	0:45:37
Ranald MacKay	M45	0:49:12	144	0:49:12
Chris Falls	M	0:50:17			105	0:50:17
Neville Griffiths	M65	0:52:17			123	0:52:17
Dave Thompson	M55	0:52:41	175	0:52:41
Lisa MacKay	L45	0:54:31	188	0:54:31
Kit Whitfield	M50	1:03:37			156	1:03:37
Stephanie Charman	L60	1:04:48			158	1:04:48
No. Striders ran				7		6		1
Total no. in race				232		163		159

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Wednesday 22-Jul-2015 at 7:30pm:  Sefton Park 5 mile

Pos	Name		Cat	GunTime	ChipTime
1	Haccalu	Hundessa	M	25:49	25:49	winner - Liverpool Harriers
16	Kirsty	Longley	F35	29:04	29:04	1st lady - Liverpool Pembroke Sefton
32	Chris	Millington	M45	30:41	30:40
41	Neil	Adair	M	31:15	31:11
47	Daniel	Chadwick	M	31:27	31:24
65	Stuart	Johnson	M	32:17	32:11
136	Malcolm	Lingard	M50	35:46	35:44
266	Dennis	Yarwood	M45	41:48	41:23
404	Denise	Zachariasz	F40	48:52	48:30
411	Stephanie	Charman	F65	49:18	49:10

480 finishers, last finisher in 1:21:35.  Full results are on the FR Systems race web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

August

---

Sunday 2-Aug-2015 at 8am:  São José dos Campos 10k (Brazil)

Pos	Name	Cat	GunTime	ChipTime
1	Jose Paulo dos Santos	MSen	33:01	32:57
71	Michael Brady	M50	43:41	43:25

578 10k male finishers, last finisher in 1:40:54.  Full results are on the Chip Vale web site.

Race report from Mike Brady:

"I try to make it to Spectrum Striders training sessions and race calendar events when I am in Warrington, but spend some of my time in Cambridge (where my work is based) and some time in Brazil (where my wife is from).

Brazil's famous race is the São Silvestre 15k race in São Paulo on New Year's Eve, which was founded in 1925, but it is only in the past few years that road racing seems to have taken off more widely in Brazil.  There are now 5k and 10k events where we stay in São José dos Campos or nearby towns once or twice per month.

I ran a 10k race here on 2-Aug-2015, with around 3,000 participants in this and the 5k race and 3k walk options.  There were also wheelchair racers, runners with guides and other athletes with disabilities in a first wave.  It was very professionally organised, with chip timing, water stations, fruit, sports drinks, technical t-shirts, medals, everything you might expect.

We ran two circuits of a 5k course on a closed-off dual carriageway, with a progressively steepening hill culminating in a turning point at about 3k and 8k.  Running in heat adds to my times, but it was foggy when cycling to the location and a relatively cool 18 deg. C at the 8am start so I was only 17 seconds slower than my UK PB, coming in at 43:25."

---

Wednesday 5-Aug-2015 at 7:30pm:  Pie & Peas 5

Pos	First name	Last name	Cat	Time
1	Elliot	Bowker	Male Under 20	25:48	winner - Vale Royal AC
5	Katie	Brough	Female Senior	28:15	1st lady - Vale Royal AC
40	Christopher	Millington	Male Vet 45	31:30
53	Neil	Adair	Male Vet 35	32:35
87	Julian	Spencer	Male Vet 50	34:32
88	Darren	Roberts	Male Vet 40	34:35
102	Liz	Whitfield	Female Vet 35	35:33
103	Lee	McConkey	Male Senior	35:35
107	Brad	Ehlen	Male Vet 40	35:53
133	Rob	McHarry	Male Vet 50	37:20
156	Debbie	Read	Female Vet 55	38:25
172	Andy	Garnett	Male Vet 60	39:45
209	Dave	Thompson	Male Vet 55	41:34
318	Stephanie	Charman	Female Vet 65	55:55

329 finishers, last finisher in 1:14:51.  Full results are on the Nifty Entries web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Saturday 8-Aug-2015 at 1pm:  Tegg's Nose fell race (nr. Macclesfield, category BM, 7.3 miles, 1725ft climb)

Race report from Neville Griffiths:

"This race is run from the sheepdog trials ground at Sutton Hall, Nr Macclesfield.  This year it was a much bigger event because the BBC were filming the National Sheepdog trials.

This was the third and final race in our interclub Fell Grand Prix series.  It was poorly attended by all of the clubs in the series, perhaps because of holidays.

The route started off around the outside edge of the show field and then onto the road through Sutton, before heading across the fields to Tegg’s Nose Country Park.  A very steep descent is followed by a run round the base of Tegg’s Nose and then a long climb back to the top before following the same route back.

Spectrum won this race, but Helsby won the series and keep the trophy for another year."

---

This was race 3, the final race, in this years Inter-club Fell Competition.

Pos	Time	Name	Cat
1	0:51:56	Tom Adams	MSEN	winner - Ilkley
8	1:01:37	Katie Walshaw	WSEN	1st lady - Holmfirth
15	1:05:34	Chris Millington	M45
51	1:19:14	Julian Spencer	M55
60	1:22:13	Jane Lowe	W45
76	1:28:52	Neville Griffiths	M65
79	1:30:35	Jake Holmes	MSEN
83	1:31:48	Michael Charman	M65
92	1:37:04	Angela Moore	W40
114	1:58:43	Steph Charman	W65
118	2:14:05	Alan Peers	M70
DNF		Denise Zachariasz	W40
DNF		Geoff Hand	M55

119 finishers, last finisher in 2:14:06.  Full results are on the FRA web site.

Thanks to Les Hewitt (Spectrum Striders RC) for doing the race scoring and producing the team results below.

Team results for this race

Points grand		Points	2 point	#	#
total (this race)		sub-total	bonus	men	ladies
252	Spectrum Striders RC	252	0	7	3
175	Helsby RC	175	0	6	0
62	Delamere Spartans	62	0	1	1
0	Tattenhall Runners	0	0	0	0

Final series standings after 3 races

Final standings		Race	Race	Race
after 3 races		#3	#2	#1
776	Helsby RC	175	271	330
633	Spectrum Striders RC	252	173	208
324	Delamere Spartans	62	93	169
244	Tattenhall Runners	0	182	62

Full inter-club series results for this race are available on this web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Saturday 15-Aug-2015 at 2:05m:  Race The Train (Tywyn)

This is a hilly 14 mile multi-terrain race in mid-Wales.  You run down one side of a valley, returning along the other side.  The aim is to beat the steam train on the Tal-y-Llyn railway back to Tywyn.

This year, the target time was 1:47:46.  This is a tough challenge - out of 932 finishers, only the first 204 beat the train back to Tywyn.

As well as the main 14 mile race (called the "Rotary Challenge"), there are also 10k, 5½ and 3½ mile races of varying difficulty.

Pos	Forename	Surname	Cat	GunTime	ChipTime
1	Mike	Kallenberg	M	1:19:26	1:19:26	winner - Cardiff AAC
37	Sarah	Hill	F40	1:32:57	1:32:55	1st lady - Farnham Runners
709	Sue	Buck	F45	2:21:09	2:20:31
733	Mike	Houghton	M45	2:23:19	2:23:15

932 finishers, last finisher in 3:30:00.  Full results are on the race web site.

Race report from Sue Buck:

Quite a few people from Helsby RC were doing this race and camping for the weekend, so as I like my trail races, I decided to join them!

The weather was gloriously sunny and hot on race day.  The Rotary Challenge starts next to the railway station and when the steam train’s whistle blew, we were off.

The first mile or so is on one of the main roads out of Tywyn, which meant that it felt very much like a road race, with barriers at the side of the road and hundreds of people cheering you on.  I had been warned that the first 7 miles were very straightforward and to be careful that I didn’t go out too fast.  I certainly bore that in mind, especially given the heat. In any case, I knew that the train would beat me, short of a miracle, but it was still good to see it going past with supporters hanging out the windows, waving and cheering.

There was nothing technical up to the turn round point just before Abergynolwyn and the trail alongside the train track made for very easy running, through beautiful scenery with hills either side of the valley with just one ford to cross and one gate to clamber over.  However, the second half was more difficult and more like a fell race.  I climbed up the side of the valley to be greeting with narrow paths, muddy sections and a slippery traverse.  Every farm we passed through had water, in some cases flapjacks and a lot of supporters to cheer us on.

It didn’t feel like too long until I joined the main road again and made my way back into town.  The finish was uphill, but again there was fantastic support from the hundreds of people lining the streets and especially from the bloke who yelled ‘well done young lady!’.  Made my day, as I must have looked anything but young at that point!!

Afterwards, we returned to the campsite to get cleaned up, before heading back into town for the after race party.  Some people seemed to think that I wouldn’t be able to dance the night away having just raced 14 miles, but they clearly didn’t know me very well as I certainly didn’t let the side down!  I can also say that dancing and having a few beers was excellent recovery as I didn’t ache the next day either!

All in all, a well-organised, great race, with an unusual premise and fantastic support! One to consider for the champs for next year, hopefully!

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Sunday 16-Aug-2015 at 11am:  Sedbergh Hills fell race (category AL, 14 miles, 6004ft climb)

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
1	Jo Symonds	M	2:13:40	winner - Shettleston Harriers
36	Nick Spinks	F40	2:56:29	1st lady - Dark Peak FR
107	Kenny Forster	M50	4:01:05
108	Jane Lowe	F40	4:03:36
110	Neville Griffiths	M60	4:05:56
116	Karon Forster	F50	4:21:07	2nd claim
117	Colin Grime	M70	4:36:52	1st MV70

121 finishers, last finisher in 5:02:23.  Full results are on the FRA web site.

Race report from Neville Griffiths:

"I was a little surprised that more Striders were not doing this race as it is over 10 years since we last had a chance.  It has always been the same date as Spectrum’s 10k.

It was as near perfect for the race as you can get, with the tops clear and a high cloud base keeping the sun off.

We set off at a good pace and were soon at the 1st checkpoint on Arant Haw.  A fast run along a ridge led us to the base of Castley Knotts and a very steep climb to the summit for the 2nd checkpoint.

There is a cut off time of 1hr 40min at checkpoint 3.  I was running with Jane and we had to push hard on narrow paths traversing round many small ridges to get there with 1 minute to spare.

The next section is across trackless country leading to Simon’s Seat.  As we skirted round, we realised that we were a little high and had some great fun descending over 200 feet on our backsides.  There is then another steep climb over the shoulder of Hazelgill before descending to checkpoint 4.

The route back now follows a good track, but the race is far from over as checkpoint 5 is on Calf Crag, the highest point in the Howgills.  Another long run brought us to the final checkpoint on Winder Summit.

A steep descent leads to the finish.  I met Karon here, as she was hobbling down having twisted her ankle.  She said she was OK and to keep going so I chased after Jane who had disappeared from sight.  The only thing keeping me going was the thought of a cup of tea and cake at the finish."

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Saturday 22-Aug-2015 at 9am:  Pennington Flash parkrun

parkrun is a 5k timed run held every Saturday morning.

Pos	Name	Time	Cat
1	Anthony TAYLOR	17:20	VM40-44	winner
3	Karl STEINEGGER	18:11	SM25-29
6	Chris MILLINGTON	19:25	VM45-49	1st VM45
15	Andy GASKELL	20:55	VM45-49
21	Liz WHITFIELD	21:11	VW35-39	1st lady
34	Mike HALL	22:12	VM55-59
60	Paul HARROP	25:11	VM65-69
72	Tim LEWIS	26:24	VM50-54
84	Michael BRADLEY	27:18	VM60-64
182	Brian TUOHEY	36:30	VM50-54

202 finishers, last finisher in 43:41.  Full results are on the parkrun web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

Saturday 22-Aug-2015 at 9am:  Delamere parkrun

Pos	Name	Time	Cat
1	Vincent VAN WOERKOM	18:02	VM35-39	winner - Chester Tri
4	Neil ADAIR	19:30	VM35-39
9	Gemma BARNETT	19:41	SW30-34	1st lady - Vale Royal AC
52	Brad EHLEN	23:16	VM40-44
241	Anne HEWITT	33:38	VW65-69
302	Les HEWITT	46:06	VM60-64

309 finishers, last finisher in 52:04.  Full results are on the parkrun web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Wednesday 26-Aug-2015 at 7pm:  Harrock Hill fell race #4 (near Parbold, category BS, 5.2 miles, 900ft climb)

This was the final race in a series of 4 races.  Your fastest time of the 4 Harrock Hill races in any one year counts for your position in the Striders Club fell champs.

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
1	Darren Kay	M40	0:33:40	winner - Pudsey And Bramley
2	Karl Steinegger	M	0:34:48	2nd claim
17	Chris Millington	M45	0:38:12
18	Lindsey Brindle	L	0:38:20	1st lady - Horwich
48	Stephen Burthem	M55	0:41:31	2nd claim
69	Julian Spencer	M55	0:43:38
71	Kenny Forster	M55	0:43:46
81	Liz Whitfield	L	0:44:43
90	Jane Lowe	L45	0:46:03
106	Tim Murphy	M50	0:47:35
117	Jake Holmes	M	0:49:03
123	Michael Charman	M65	0:49:52
130	Tim Jefferson	M50	0:50:24
149	Dave Thompson	M55	0:53:25
162	Neville Griffiths	M65	0:55:13
168	Richard MacIlwaine	M55	0:55:42
191	Stephanie Charman	L65	1:05:56

202 finishers, last finisher in 1:22:01.  Full results are on ukresults.net.

2015 Series results

Final Striders rankings after 4 races

Thanks to Les Hewitt for compiling this table of fastest times.

		Best	Race 1		Race 2		Race 3		Race 4
Name	Cat	time	Pos	Time	Pos	Time	Pos	Time	Pos	Time
Karl Steinegger	M	34:04			4	34:56	2	34:04	2	34:48
Charlie Sharpe	M	34:49	2	34:49
Chris Millington	M40	37:50	20	37:50					17	38:12
Neil Adair	M	39:29	37	39:29
Daniel Chadwick	M	39:55	41	39:55
Steve Burthem	M55	41:31					36	41:31	48	41:31
Kenny Forster	M55	43:07					57	43:07	71	43:46
Julian Spencer	M55	43:38							69	43:38
Liz Whitfield	L	43:58			66	43:58			81	44:43
Jane Lowe	L45	45:37			79	45:37			90	46:03
Tim Murphy	M50	47:35							106	47:35
Jake Holmes	M	49:03							117	49:03
Ranald MacKay	M45	49:12	144	49:12
Michael Charman	M65	49:52							123	49:52
Chris Falls	M	50:17			105	50:17
Tim Jefferson	M50	50:24							130	50:24
Neville Griffiths	M65	52:17			123	52:17			162	55:13
Dave Thompson	M55	52:41	175	52:41					149	53:25
Lisa MacKay	L45	54:31	188	54:31
Richard MacIlwaine	M55	55:42							168	55:42
Kit Whitfield	M50	63:37			156	63:37
Stephanie Charman	L60	64:48			158	64:48			191	65:56
No. Striders ran				7		7		3		15
Total no. in race				232		163		159		202

Members shown in italics are second claim.

2015 overall race series results

In 2015, there was only one Spectrum runner, Karl, who did 3 of the races.

These are decided on a points basis from your finish position, with your best 3 of the 4 races to count.

Pos	Name	Cat	#1	#2	#3	#4	# races	Best 3
1	Karl Steinegger	M	0	4	2	2	3	8	winner (2nd claim Spectrum)
4	Lindsey Brindle	L	13	0	6	18	3	37	1st lady - Horwich

There were 77 runners who completed 3 or 4 races.  Full series results are on ukresults.net.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Sunday 30-Aug-2015 at 11am:  Pennington Flash 5 Mile Trail Race

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
1	Tom Carson	Sen M	26.18	winner - Bolton United Harriers
56	Josie Maley	F35	33.27	1st lady - Astley & Tyldesley RR
183	Anne Hewitt	F65	52.57

196 finishers, last finisher in 69:28.  Full results are on the SportSoft web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

September

---

Sunday 6-Sep-2014 at 10am:  Wigan 10k

			Gun	Chip	Cat
Pos	Name	Cat	time	time	pos
1	Thomas Carson	M10-34	0:32:27	0:32:27	1/647	winner - Horwich RMI Harriers
7	Lauren Howarth	F10-34	0:34:56	0:34:54	1/532	1st lady - Leigh Harriers
337	Michael Charman	M65+	0:46:30	0:46:20	3/36
382	Helen Caldwell	F45-49	0:47:17	0:46:33	5/127
513	Vincent Alcock	M45-49	0:49:25	0:48:31	44/191
653	Jo Sullivan	F45-49	0:51:09	0:50:22	8/127
909	Kate Johnson	F45-49	0:53:57	0:53:04	18/127
1725	Stephanie Charman	F65+	1:03:21	1:03:13	3/14

2952 finishers, last finisher in 2:06:41.  Full results are available here.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Thursday 10-Sep-2015 at 7pm:  Club Road Mile

Thanks to Julian Spencer for typing up the results, also to all those who helped with recording on the night.

	Heat 1				Heat 2
Pos	Name	Time		Pos	Name	Time
1	Neil Adair	5:21		1	Rob Muir	4:55
2	Emma Pryor	6:08		2	Carl Steinegger	4:57
3	Helen Caldwell	6:31		3	Chris Millington	5:09	MV45 record
4	Ian Cross	6:33		4	Charlie Sharpe	5:14
5	Dave Roberts	6:44		5	Daniel Chadwick	5:21
6	Paul Harrop	6:53		6	Stuart Johnson	5:27
7	Ed Stokes	6:54		7	Guy Lambert	5:41
8	Ellie Roberts	6:57		8	Mat Rimmington	5:43
9	Katie Hampton	7:01		9	Andy Gaskell	5:48
10	Jo Sullivan	7:19		10	Julian Spencer	5:53
11	Diane Atherton	7:25		11	Jane Lowe	5:58
12	Emma Grey	7:27		12	Alison Russell	6:01
13	Graham Lee	7:29		13	Graham Driver	6:06
14	Joanne Curley	7:44		14	Liz Whitfield	6:06
15	Liz Yates	7:56		15	Jenny Lamont	6:14
16	Mel Pownall	8:06
17	Mike Jeras	8:10
18	Ian Dunbar	8:15

Chris Millington's time of 5:09 equalled Julian Spencer's MV45 Club Mile Record set at the track on 27-Sep-2005.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Saturday 12-Sep-2015:  World Masters Mountain Running Championships (Betws-y-Coed)

These Championships are open to anyone aged 35 - 79.  There were several different races over two different courses.  Different age classes ran in the same races.

The two courses were (distances & climb are approx.):

• Long course:  6.6 miles, 1640ft climb (WV35, MV50)
• Short course:   5.5 miles, 1475ft climb (MV55, MV60, MV65, WV65)

8 Striders ran in the Champs.  Full results for all races are on the TDL Event Services web site.

11:30am:  Women vet 35

Pos	Name	Time
1	Anna Lupton	0:49:22	winner - Black Combe
6	Liz Whitfield	1:00:54

7 finishers, last finisher in 1:11:33

12 noon:  Men vet 50

Pos	Name	Time
1	Craig Roberts	0:44:18	winner - Kendal
48	Kit Whitfield	1:27:37

49 finishers, last finisher in 1:46:25

1pm:  Men vet 55

Pos	Name	Time
1	Franz Prager	0:40:35	winner - LG Passau (Germany)
23	Stephen Burthem	0:48:33	2nd claim

47 finishers, last finisher in 1:08:34

1:30pm:  Men vet 60

Pos	Name	Time
1	Marino Portigliotti	0:42:45	winner - G.S.A. Valsesia (Italy)
43	Les Hewitt	1:42:42

43 finsihers, last finisher in 1:42:42

2pm:  Men vet 65

Pos	Name	Time
1	Bernard Grant	0:43:43	winner - Harrogate Harriers
28	Michael Charman	0:59:31
29	Neville Griffiths	0:59:42

36 finishers, last finisher in 1:19:46.

2:45:  Women vet 65

Pos	Name	Time
1	Lou Lyness	0:54:30	winner - Black Combe
7	Stephanie Charman	1:15:59
8	Anne Hewitt	1:20:02

9 finishers, last finisher in 1:27:53

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Sunday 12-Sep-2015 from 11am:  N.W. Counties 4/3 Stage Road Relays

The 2015 relays were held at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk.

The Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester & Lancashire relays are run at the same time & location as part of the same North West Counties event.  These are the results for Cheshire.  Full results are on the Sportsoft web site.

Senior Women (approx 5k) at 1:15pm

1 Vale Royal AC ‘A’ 54:51

2 Spectrum Striders ‘A’ 1:02:22
1 Victoria Walls (2) 19:37
2 Jane Lowe (3) 21:02
3 Alison Russell (2) 21:43

6 Spectrum Striders ‘B’ 1:09:54
1 Jude Peck (6) 21:15
2 Kimberley Tinsley (7) 24:24
3 Eleanor Roberts (6) 24:15

Spectrum A were silver medal winners, Spectrum B were 6th of a total of 7 teams.

Senior men (approx 5k) at 2:30pm

1 Vale Royal AC ‘A’ 1:06:57

9 Spectrum Striders 1:32:18
1 Robert Hough (8) 20:03
2 Kenny Forster (9) 20:55
3 Geoff Read (9) 23:24
4 Kenny Black (9) 27:56

Striders men were 9th of 9 teams.

Race report from Elly Roberts:

It may seem odd to write a race report about what was on a personal level, ‘just’ a 5k – but team races always feel a little different.

As someone who only quite recently got my 5k PB to sub 24 minutes, and for many years didn’t ‘do’ 5k races because they were too hard, I’m not actually quite sure what motivated me to respond to Liz’s email for Club volunteers to take part in this year’s Road Relays, except that I have always been the sort who turns out for team events.  In fact that’s how my running journey started (but that is another story).  I admit I was a bit daunted when I saw the other Strider names – as they are all a good 3 or 4 minutes faster than me, but since it was in Edge Hill I figured it would be a flat and hopefully fast course.

On the Friday before we were still one short in Team B, so Adrienne Hall gamely stepped into the breach, and this was after we had both been told that the average times from last year were 18 minutes.  Adrienne & I became convinced that we would a) be last b) be running our legs by ourselves
and therefore c) might get lost.

There was another thing I had forgotten – on a Saturday morning I run a beginners’ running group in Newton-le-Willows, and since David was away for the weekend I had no choice but to run their anticipated 4 miles with them.  It was admittedly at a fairly easy pace, but at that point a realistic
attempt at improving on my PB of 23:38 probably went out of the window!

Jon Chapman was kindly acting as chauffeur for most of us – so it was a merry crew that headed for Edge Hill at lunchtime on Saturday 12-Sep.  It was a bit colder than it might have been, quite windy, and the place seemed to be very full of whippet-like creatures.  Adrienne & I were even more
convinced that we’d be bringing up the rear.

There were lots of clubs there – a variety of flags and gazebos fluttered in the breeze, but we made do with the Striders’ ‘pile of bags’ well known to those of us who did cross-country last year.  Alison had registered us and picked up numbers, and we managed to scrabble enough safety pins together and we were ready. The teams were:
Team A – Victoria Walls; Jane Lowe; Alison Russell.
Team B – Jude Peck; Adrienne Hall; Elly Roberts.

To our relief there was no baton to faff about with!  As we watched other teams gather we did start to spot at least a few ‘normal’ runners amongst the whippets and felt we might have company at the back after all!  In fact it was a great deal more inclusive in terms of standard than I had expected (and feared!).

As last leg I was able to stand and cheer the first runners through.  Victoria and Jude both looked strong in their first legs, in fact Victoria was well up in the top ten or so.  Jane looked much like she does on training nights – relaxed and yet determined.  I waited until I’d seen Adrienne through her first lap (and she was nowhere near last) before I headed down to the track.

I waited with other leg 3 runners, peering up the slope to see if I could spot Adrienne’s pink socks and shorts so that I knew when to move up to the start.  I saw her and headed to the front of the queue.  On being asked who I was waiting for, I said, ‘Pink socks & pink shorts’ without really thinking.  The marshal gave me a slightly bemused look and replied ‘No, club name’ – but agreed our shirt and logo didn’t really stand out from a distance.  As Adrienne entered the track I was told to stand on the blue line and was given a ‘Go Spectrum’ as soon as she finished.

I had been warned about setting off too fast, which is all too easy, even though obviously there was a staggered start as runners were off at different times.  There was someone only yards in front, and I was swiftly caught by a Royton Roadrunner.  The title ‘Road’ Relays was rather misleading – there there no roads involved!  Most of a track lap, then a gravel path up a slope that then looped round what looked like a common behind the campus.  This path undulated a little before heading down again to the netball courts and the only bit of a tarmac, then it was up again onto the gravel path, past the waiting onlookers to start lap two.

Although spread out I did still have runners to try and chase down, I was pleased to catch someone each time I ran down the hill.  It was good to get cheered through by the Striders and Kenny Forster deserves a special mention for placing himself at just the right point to lift a weary runner with a shout out!

A final push down onto the track & a bit of a sprint finish brought me in with a time of 24:15 – not my best, but given the course, the wind and the four miles in the morning, I was OK with that!  We were delighted to hear that Team A had come second in the Cheshire race and they picked up
very impressive medals.

Overall it was a fun event – a real club event and a chance to feel part of a team that runners don’t often get, in a sport where so much is about personal achievements.  (And we weren’t last!).  Next year – more teams please, a flag, and I might even make my cross-country cakes).

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Sunday 20-Sep-2015 at 9am:  English Half Marathon (Warrington)

			Gun	Chip	Cat
Pos	Name	Cat	time	time	pos
1	Daniel Cliffe	M	1:07:44	1:07:44	1	winner - Liverpool Harriers
26	Felicity Milton	F	1:21:06	1:21:06	1	1st lady - Team Memmert
29	Chris Millington	M40	1:21:42	1:21:41	5
54	David Hudd	M40	1:24:57	1:24:56	11
60	Victoria Walls	F	1:25:34	1:25:28	2	3rd lady
85	Neil Adair	M	1:27:26	1:27:22	57
113	Daniel Chadwick	M	1:29:16	1:29:11	67
115	Stephen Ward	M50	1:29:23	1:29:17	8
192	Jane Lowe	F40	1:33:46	1:33:40	6
196	Jack Antrobus	M	1:34:03	1:33:59	111
219	Paul Kelly	M40	1:34:51	1:34:45	62
329	Chris Falls	M	1:39:19	1:39:16	173
390	Donna Percival	F	1:40:52	1:40:27	18
433	Jon Chapman	M	1:41:57	1:41:21	214
520	Kimberley Tinsley	F	1:44:34	1:44:08	32
1002	Denise Hepburn	F	1:56:15	1:55:40	119
1028	Edward Stokes	M40	1:56:30	1:55:28	304
1038	Vincent Alcock	M40	1:56:41	1:55:35	305
1041	Dave Watson	M50	1:56:43	1:55:24	99
1062	Karl Alldred	M40	1:57:18	1:55:58	310
1065	Kate Johnson	F40	1:57:26	1:56:21	74
1168	Dennis Yarwood	M40	1:59:27	1:56:15	335
1271	Allan Bird	M50	2:01:55	1:59:18	122
1321	Roz Howarth	F	2:03:06	2:00:16	188
1326	Graham Lee	M40	2:03:14	2:01:55	160
1337	Michael Jaras	M70+	2:03:41	2:00:26	3
1387	Kenneth Black	M70+	2:05:09	2:03:48	4
1455	Gail Murgatroyd	F40	2:07:16	2:04:51	136
1692	Guy Lambert	M	2:13:23	2:10:53	560	2:10 pacer
1823	Ian Dunbar	M60	2:19:07	2:16:29	24
1883	Alan Peers	M70+	2:22:30	2:22:26	5
2076	Christina Geist	F40	2:37:56	2:34:08	244

2194 finishers, last finisher in 3:37:01.  Full results are on the HS Sports web site.

Age categories this year were in 10 year bands from age 40 up to 70.

Sunday 20-Sep-2015 at 9am :  EHM 10k (Warrington)

This race is run in conjunction with the EHM.

			Gun	Chip	Cat
Pos	Name	Cat	time	time	pos
1	Philip Eccleston	M	0:34:08	0:34:07	1	winner - Burnden Road Runners
25	Julia Trayhorn	F40	0:42:49	0:42:40	1	1st lady
46	Emma Pryor	F	0:44:32	0:44:08	3
125	Dave Thompson	M50	0:52:27	0:51:18	17
162	Carolyn Arber	F50	0:55:17	0:52:10	4
204	Jenny McIntyre	F50	0:57:18	0:55:57	5
368	Emily Sinkinson	F	1:05:53	1:02:33	98
369	Michelle Bradley	F40	1:05:53	1:02:33	52
551	Philip Rose	M50	1:59:43	1:58:54	35

553 finishers, last finisher in 2:18:16.  Full results are on the HS Sports web site.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Saturday 26-Sep-2015 at 11am:  Thieveley Pikefell race (nr Burnley, category AS, 4.3 miles, 1312ft climb)

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
1	Ian Conroy		33:42	winner - Horwich RMI
15	Gayle Sugden	F40	38:11	1st lady - CVFR
78	Geoff Hand	M55	47:31
80	Kenny Forster	M55	47:40
103	Richard MacIlwaine	M55	54:56
111	Sue Buck	F45	58:48

119 finishers (+ 5 DNF), last finisher in 1:19:16.  Full results are on the FRA web site.

---

Saturday 26-Sep-2015 at 7am:  St Oswald's 100 mile Ultra (Northumberland)

The event consisted of 3 ultra distance races — 100 miles, 100k or 50k.  All races started at Lindisfarne Priory, the 100 mile race finished at Chollerford.

A fantastic run by Shirley Anderson who was first lady in the 100 mile race and was second finisher overall.

Pos	Name	Time
1	Shrimpton, Daniel	18:56:49
2	Anderson , Shirley	21:37:58

There were 52 finishers in the 100 mile race, last finisher in 34:29:25.  A further 16 runners did not finish the race.

Full results for all three races are on the RaceSplitter web site. 

Here is a race report from Shirley:

Race day was Saturday 26-Sep, on Friday morning we set off, armed with picnic for Friday night and race day nutrition.  Heading for the start at Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island, the causeway that takes you onto the Island is covered at high tide so access to the Island was after 4.30pm on Friday afternoon.  Registration was on Saturday morning at 6.15am.  After breakfast, I registered, picked up my race number and numbers for drop bags, left my drop bags with the crew and headed for the start line.

An informal gathering at the front of Lindisfarne Priory, race photographer ready and then we were off.  A route of 100 miles, what do you think about?  Breaking the route down obviously helps I don’t think about 100 miles – I think about 5 checkpoints then onto the finish and with never more than 20 miles between checkpoints it’s just 6 distances.

The first checkpoint Bamburgh approximately 19 miles away, heading off out of the priory and heading down towards the Causeway I was in third position, leading lady, we were running ahead of the main pack just keeping it comfortable not checking on my pace just feeling relaxed and ‘ok we are underway’.

Race kit for me is always shorts and running vest, yes I had additional kit in my pack back as per race requirements and some additional kit in my drop bags but more for overnight as the temperature would drop.  It did feel cool heading out and with a bit of a head wind you knew you were by the coast.

After crossing the causeway you turned right heading south and onto the trail of St Oswalds Way and St Cuthberts Way down the coastal path, this was the only turn on the course I knew, from passing this way on our arrival the day before – from here on it was follow the coastal path signs, the little red flags that had been put out around the course and hope for the best.  Unlike races up to marathon distance you can’t follow the crowd, as there usually isn’t a crowd to follow.  You encounter other runners along the way, you may have a runner ahead of you for some distance but there are invariably times when you are out on your own.

As we were approaching the causeway a number of male runners had gone ahead of me, I wasn’t sure which race distances they were running today but wasn’t worried.  I was leading female but with only 3 miles underway still a long way to go.  Crossing the causeway and a female runner came alongside me.  I checked she was only running 50k today so not a competitor for me.  She continued ahead at a steady pace running alongside a guy who she appeared to know. There were a few runners around and we were following the trail continuing on our way and hoping not to go off course, enjoying the scenery and taking it all in.

At around 10k there was a feed station offering water and bananas to any runners who felt the need.  These ‘mini’ feed stations were quite regular around every 10 – 12k for the first 60k offering water, sweets and bananas.

The first check point Bamburgh was 19 miles into the race.  The first four miles were relatively flat followed by a hilly section for a further four miles, from here until Bamburgh the course followed the coastline, mainly across trail, and field with some sand dunes thrown in for good measure.  I could see Bamburgh Castle in the distance and knew that checkpoint 1 wasn’t too far away.  Arriving at the first checkpoint, a small arrangement offering water, carbohydrate drink and bananas with my support crew; husband Steve there waiting ready to assist.  He helped fill my water bladder whilst I picked up half a banana and polished this off with a large piece of Soreen from my supplies.  As quick as I could my back pack was back on and I was off on route again, back pack somewhat heavier now my water bladder was full again.

As I continued along the route, the field had become a little more spread out and it was a case of making sure I followed the course with no runner ahead to follow.  The coastal route was quite amazing, encountering coast line and a number of golf courses along the way,  Another runner had commented to me along the course that golfers seemed to be quite grumpy and not many engaging with a traditional friendly greeting you may hear from another runner.

Going through the golf courses the signage was not exactly clear and I imagined that the race organisers were limited as to putting anything additional along the golf course itself.  I headed into the green and it wasn’t clear.  I am thinking that the route would not take us across the green so I headed around the edge of the golf course only to realise before long I was off track.  I turned around to see another female runner who had continued on course so I followed and joined her heading into the sand dunes.  I was pleased to discover that she was also running 50k today as a warm up race for her first 50 mile ultra in a few weeks time.  We ran alongside each other for a period and entered some more sand dunes we were quite close to the 50k finish at Craster and she picked up her pace.  I let her go ahead knowing that I had a lot further to run than she.

Checkpoint number 2 and again Ste was there to assist.  I took from him a couple of gels and a protein bar to replace what I had eaten along the way.  Eating some more Soreen I was soon on my way again.  This checkpoint was quite busy as this was the 50k finish.  There were photographs being taken of the first 50k lady, lots of jovial supports but I didn’t hang about I still had a some 68 miles to run.

Heading out of the checkpoint and again off along the coastal path.  Before long another runner was on my heels and we encountered in light conversation, I was later to discover his name was Charlie.  At this point I was starting to feel a little fatigued, trying to ensure that I took on sufficient fuel to keep me going as I know that 35– 40 miles is usually a tough time for me.

He was passing me and said – do you know you're in third position in the 100 mile.  I was quite amazed and questioned his judgement - he said he had been checking at the checkpoints and he had been in third place until he was passing me.  I had said I knew that I was leading lady but I had not imagined I was so far up the field.  Well this helped to pick me up and suddenly that 35 – 40 mile lull I usually have had left me.

I continued with my happy chant in my head, I was only counting 1 through to 8 then repeating it but it helps me to keep an even pace and focused. Continuing to head along the coastal path encountering walkers and cyclists along the way, most of them offered a friendly greeting and the cyclists generally gave space along the trail so as not to slow you down.

It was 14 miles from Checkpoint 2 to Checkpoint 3 at Warkworth, another castle to encounter.  Approaching Warkworth I found that I was off course.  I had taken a left turn and believe I should have taken a sharp left, but I missed this and it was only when I reached a main road that I realised I was off course.

I took out my St Oswald's Way map (number 2) from my back pack and tried to see where I was.  I was looking around for the sight of the castle but this wasn’t in my skyline.  About turn it was, until I came across a couple of male runners and I joined them for a short while to continue on my way.  Upon checking our distances it transpired I had gone about a mile out of my way, but not too much time lost and I was feeling good and relieved that I was back on course.  I continued at my comfortable pace leaving them behind and shortly encountered Checkpoint 3.  Ste was there waiting to assist me, confirming I was still leading lady and hadn’t lost a position whilst I was astray.  Again replenishing my liquid and food supplies, protein bar consumed and I was once again on my way.

Leaving  Checkpoint 3, I was headed to Rothbury 18 miles on, the next checkpoint would also mark the finish of the 100k race.  Between these checkpoints I encountered Charlie again, he was now running with another guy, Jason, and we found that we were running at a similar pace.  The course was becoming a little more difficult to navigate but between the three of us we somehow managed to find our way.

It seemed to be from here that we started to encounter more cattle, mainly cows and bulls within some of the fields we were crossing and I was pleased to have company.  Chatting along the way the three of us were running together and we discussed that assuming it continued to work this way we would try to ‘buddy up’ for the night section.  I could have run ahead of their pace and we were starting to encounter some run and walk sections due to the terrain, uneven ground and boggy fields which made running quite difficult but with the night section ahead and knowing that we would be heading for Harwood Forest after the next checkpoint I felt that it was best to keep the company.

Reaching Checkpoint 4 at Rothbury, the 100k finish, again a jovial greeting awaited.  Ste was there to assist me and drop bags at this checkpoint; extra clothing for the night section.  Charlie, Jason and I had agreed that we would have 5 minutes to pick up what supplies we wanted and would then get back on our way.

5 minutes; water topped up, scoffed some flapjacks off the supply table, took some further supplies from Ste and I was ready, Jason was ready – where was Charlie?  I had been asking how far behind the next lady I was and was advised at checkpoint 3 she was about 45 minutes behind.  I knew that a lot could have changed between then and now and she may have been catching us up.  I wanted to get underway – still no signs of Charlie, Jason was also ready and did not know where Charlie was.

I started looking around the checkpoint which was a café and pub combined – I think?  Shouting Charlie, Charlie, has anyone seen Charlie – everyone probably thought I was a right idiot.  Charlie surfaced now in full length running pants and long sleeved running top – ready to go

Off we went heading for the hilliest section of the course, more fields, hills, cows and bulls to encounter and Harwood Forest the most difficult section of the course.  It would be 15 miles to Kirkwelpington at which point we would be through the forest and on the home straight.

I had added my high visibility t-shirt at the last checkpoint to keep off the cold.  Before long I put my arm warmers on to keep the cold off my arms as the temperature started to drop.  We were heading into the night and heading into the forest with not much reality of time.  It was just a case of keep going until you get to the next checkpoint.

The terrain through the forest was quite difficult at times, not much of a clearing along the trail, and lots of boggy terrain to encounter when we finally reached the far end of the forest we were relieved to be on firmer ground.  A mini checkpoint awaited us shortly after we had left the forest behind and a very welcoming cup of coffee - just what I needed.  Just a short pit stop and back on our way.

The three of us continued along heading through fields, encountering the eyes of cows and bulls staring at you as you crossed their terrain and trying to keep your head torch from shining in their direction so as not to scare them in which case they could quite easily charge at us.  I was pleased to be with company.  The guys were slowing and walking more than running.  I could have ran ahead quite easily but was not prepared to run on alone.  We discussed what we would do if the next lady caught us up and decided that I would run ahead with her, keep with her and then hope to pull of a final sprint at the finish.

Arriving at Checkpiont 5 Kirkwelpington village hall, no signs of life outside but the lights on in the village hall indicated to us that this must be the next checkpoint and our final pit stop before the finish.  We were now at 80 miles and an extremely friendly greeting awaited us at Kirkwelpington.  The checkpoint marshals couldn’t do enough for us – hot coffee was amazing, my feet were very wet and muddy, Ste was on hand to help me change into a fresh pair of socks from my backpack.  I knew they would be wet again before long but that didn’t matter, something dry on my feet to head back out was all I wanted.  More flapjacks – something I would not normally eat, more Soreen; a regular for me when running distances and more protein bars in my back pack for along the final stretch.

We were soon back out and on our way to Chollerford, the last 20 miles and our finish line awaited – The George Pub was our target; I had been looking on street view before hand to see the location and view the finish area, an image that was clear in my head and I knew to be my destination.

Charlie, Jason and I back out on our way, we had been told that there was a guy behind us not too far away, no indications of how far behind the next lady runner was but I was taking nothing for granted for all I knew she may have only been a short distance behind. 

Leaving Kirkwelpington and our support crews behind we headed on our way the final 20 miles to go.  Along the route and we could see a head torch in the distance the next guy was approaching, again we discussed what we would do as he caught us up and we agreed that if he was just happy for the company and wanted to stick with us fine, if he was keen to keep up a faster pace then I would run ahead with him and leave Jason and Charlie to follow.  As he caught us up and it was apparent he could maintain his pace I asked if he would like some company and we headed off leaving Jason and Charlie to continue at their slower pace.  Tony, my new companion and his first 100 mile ultra was shocked to find that this had taken him to second male and that together we were in 2^nd and 3^rd position, we continued into the night sticking together and maintaining not too bad a pace considering the miles we had in our legs, chatting about our training and how we had prepared for this event.

This section was taking us to Chollerford, the terrain continued over field and fell and then would take us to a more even trail section that would lead to our destination.  We eventually started to see road signs that indicated Chollerford wasn’t too far away.  Tony slowed down and was unable to maintain the pace we had been comfortably enjoying.  He offered that I should go on ahead, but for both of us, to help keep him going and to ensure I didn’t get lost in the dark on my own I stayed with him.  He was from the surrounding area and he knew the finish, I only had my vision from Google Maps to look forward to.

We eventually encountered Chollerford and I recall a set of traffic lights going over a canal bridge and The George pub was on the other side.  I picked up my pace with only a couple of hundred meters to go.  I felt that I should push ahead to take second place, first lady home.  We arrived at the George, not much of a finish line to be honest - it was a case of make your way into the pub.  Tthe only evidence again of this being our destination was the lights on inside.

As I approached the door one of the race crew appeared and I asked him my finish time – he said 21 hours 38 I was amazed as this was equal to my finish at last years 100 mile race, the Grim Reaper.   I entered the pub, directed to the room which was occupied by the race with Tony just behind me.  Delighted to have finished and ecstatic, pleased to see Ste.  My second 100 mile race and again I had finished leading lady but this time second overall, happy days!!  Official finish time was 21:37:56.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Sunday 27-Sep-2015 at 10am/11am:  Sandstone Trail Races (A: 17.1 miles/2150ft climb, B: 10.6 miles/950ft climb)

Full results are on the Deeside Orienteering Club web site.

The excluded time spent waiting to cross the A51 is not included in the runner's race time.

A race

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
1	Matthew Smith	MV40	1:56:59	winner - South Cheshire Harriers
46	Ruth Isaacs	LV50	2:27:46	1st lady - Pensby Runners
48	Andy Gaskell	MV40	2:28:11
58	Daniel Chadwick	M	2:32:34
97	Darren Roberts	MV40	2:47:04
98	Lee McConkey	M	2:47:05
120	Guy Lambert	M	2:53:14
154	Neville Griffiths	MV60	3:10:02
169	Denise Zachariasz	LV40	3:30:00

183 finishers (+1 DNF), last finisher in 4:20:02.

B race

Pos	Name	Cat	Time
1	Darren Rowlands	MV40	1:08:23	winner - Wrexham AAC
2	Charlie Sharpe	M	1:09:35
9	Christopher Millington	MV40	1:16:31
16	Gemma Barnett	L	1:20:47	1st lady - Vale Royal AC
38	Andy Garnett	MV60	1:31:10
39	Jane Lowe	LV40	1:31:50
50	Liz Whitfield	L	1:34:21
51	Michael Hall	MV50	1:34:22
55	Brad Ehlen	MV40	1:35:53
60	Louise Dempster	LV50	1:37:48
103	Dave Thompson	MV50	1:46:36

203 finishers (+1 DNF), last finisher in 2:32:01.

Top of month  -  Top of page

---

Tuesday 29-Sep-2015 at 7pm:  Club Track Mile (at Victoria Park)

This is a closed event for Spectrum Striders members and takes place as part of the usual Tuesday evening track training at Victoria Park.

Many thanks to those who helped on the night, also to Janet Redpath for typing up the results. 

Name		Time
Robin	Muir	4:54
Chris	Millington	5:07	MV45 Club record
Charlie	Sharpe	5:09
Neil	Adair	5:17
Andy	Gaskell	5:50
Paul	Kelly	5:51
Jo	Robbins	5:59
Malcolm	Lingard	5:59
Jane	Lowe	6:01
Liz	Whitfield	6:02
Alan	Brady	6:03	Equals MV65 Club record
Jenny	Lamont	6:07
Jake	Holmes	6:07
Rob	McHarry	6:17
Helen	Caldwell	6:22
Vince	Alcock	6:22
Andy	Garnett	6:36
Brian	Griffiths	6:36
Paul	Harrop	6:48
Elly	Roberts	6:51
Denise	Hepburn	6:55
Neil	Walsh	6:55
Jo	Sullivan	6:57
Katie	Hampton	7:03
Graham	Lee	7:13
Steve	Springall	7:32
Rachel	Helsby	7:34
Joanne	Curley	7:36
Paula	Coleman	7:39
Gail	Murgatroyd	7:55
Jenny	McIntyre	8:03
Mel	Pownall	8:16
Lisa	Grey	9:27
Claire	Grey	9:37
Diane	Springall	9:37
Jane	Pownall	9:40
Alison	Andrews	9:48

Chris Millington broke the Club MV45 mile record of 5:09 by 2 sec.  The old record was held jointly by Chris (set at the Club Road Mile on 10-Sep-2015) and by Julian Spencer (set at the Club Track Mile on 27-Sep-2005).

Also, Alan Brady equalled Alan Peers' Club MV65 mile record of 6:03 set at the Club Road Mile on 4-Sep-2007.

Top of month  -  Top of page