This week’s results, another jam packed weekend. Please let me know if I have missed anybody out or other races that have gone under the radar.
Tholthorpe 10k
A flat and fast course, plus the promise of a race branded cup for a finishing prize, was more than enough to temp 18 Nidd’s to try and grab some more championship points. First back for NVRR and just squeezing in a top 10 finish overall, was Adam Kirk in a time of 38:30. Martin Lofthouse was not too far behind and crossed the line 39:28, with Andy Todd close by in a time of 40:52. Dan Eagling was next in 43:01, with David Shores soon after him in 44:24. John Mitton crossed the line in 45:24, followed by Richard Taylor in 46.56 – that’s a new PB for Richard, knocking a massive 89 seconds off his fastest 10k time! Sue Simpson was the first Nidd lady back in 47:07, then there was a bit of a sprint finish between Michael Benson and Dave Seaman, finishing in 49:35 and 49:52 respectively (I understand that some words were exchanged between these two during the final sprint but no further information as come to light yet… but Dave did manage to grab the prize for 1st M70+ category) Christina Taylor was next and she crossed the line in 51:18, also achieving a PB, followed by Hannah Peagram 53:34. Next was Nadine Wilkinson in 53:42, Sarah Hughan in 53:49, Moira Mctague 54:35, Jane Hill 59:54 and Michelle Smith in 1:00:42. Completing the brace of NVRR personal bests’, Graham Hyde finished the 10k in his fastest time yet of 1:03:35. Well done Graham and the rest of the other PB hunters – excellent running!
Wetherby 10k
You may or may not have had a flyer put under your windscreen wiper for this event while attending other local races, and you may or may not have seen this race advertised on Facebook, but it appears the Wetherby 10k is as popular as ever with around 900 runners taking part this year. We had four runners making the quick dash over to Wetherby for this one, and first over the line for the club was Kevin Nicholas in a very respectable time of 40:42. Kaye Kent was next in a time 54:11, and she was followed by Debbie Dilasser who finished in 56:38 (this was Debbie’s fastest 10k in a long time and she apparently really enjoyed it. She has now banished all demons from previous Wetherby 10k experiences) Kirsty O’Donnell was the final Nidd over the line – Kirsty finished in 59:54. Great running from all of you!
Golden Ball 20
This 20 miler is part of a series of races in and around Lancaster, and organised by the recently formed Lancaster Runners Club. It’s a flat race and fairly fast, and by all accounts ideal if you are training for a marathon. Emma Dooley and Isabel Potter made the trip west to take part in this event, and although they were a bit put off by running out and back along a canal tow path in the drizzle for three hours, they did enjoy it. Isabel finished in a time 2:48:11 and Emma finished 2:53:16 – well done ladies, looks like the huge dinner plate sized medals were well worth the trip!
The Bullock Smithy Hike
This is a 56 mile circular route through the Peak District – walkers (or runners) have 24hrs to complete the route, and must visit all the checkpoints in the correct order. You need maps/compass, emergency rations, and all other basic kit for walking on exposed hillsides during the dead of night. Andy Harris decided to have a crack at this one, and set off at 12 noon on Saturday. He was in company with a pal of his called James (a veteran of the hike having completed it 15 times previously). They eventually got round all checkpoints and finished at about 6am on Sunday morning – that’s good going, no doubt there will be some sore legs this week. Awesome effort Andy!
Parkrun
Nidd didn’t have as many people park running this weekend due to other races taking priority, but we still had a good numbers turning up at Harrogate (also in volunteering capacity – you know who you are, thanks for using your spare time to help out), and a few at Fountains. Special mention to young Alex Robinson who ran at Fountains on Saturday in the JM 15-17 category – he bagged himself a PB of 21:07. Well done Alex, that magic sub 20 minute time will be along in no time…
Another busy but successful weekend for NVRR, everyone ran well and there some brilliant times achieved all across the board. Let’s keep up the good work and look forward to the Yorkshireman Half and Tadcaster 10 coming in the next few weeks.
Just before we end, I have just remembered about another little race that happened over the weekend. The Kerry Way Ultra in County Kerry, Ireland – 120 miles (or 200k if you are in Ireland) starting and finishing in Killarney. (I think it would be worth entering just for the brunch on the Sunday morning alone, it looked pretty epic) Carol Morgan was back on home turf for this one – she finished it in 27:58:22. She was the first lady finisher and 4th overall, and she smashed the previous ladies’ finishing time. We will have to keep an eye on this Morgan character, she has got potential…