(TLDR. On Tuesday, we’ve got a club run to Knaresborough and on Thursday we have a fancy-dress carol-singing living-hell round town. Meet at the Hockey Club at 7pm for both of them. On Saturday, Emma K is organising a run up the Coldstones Cut. Read on for all the usual other nonsense…).
‘Twas the week before Christmas, in Nidd Valley House,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,
Compression socks were hung by the chimney with care,
In hope that the race season soon would be there.
The Nidders were sleeping all snug in their beds,
While visions of racing ran through their heads,
Both parkruns and PECOs clamoured for space,
With the Boxing Day challenge of the tough Chevin Chase.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter!
Chairman Mike lept from his bed! What was the matter?!
Away to the window, he flew like a flash,
He tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The grounds were all covered in a magical snow,
But! A jingling of sleigh bells! What do you know?
Santa appeared, All dressed in gold and black,
With many a-present in his large bulging sack.
With his big bushy beard and his jolly red face,
Santa had all of the things that you’d need for a race;
Sports vests and sports gels were all packed in his load,
And all for a bargain with the sportshoes web code.
Mike was enchanted and filled with delight,
And an excitement not felt ’til that cold winter’s night,
Made even more exciting, when Santa then said,
Let’s take a quick look at the week ahead.
The Week(s) Ahead
(Yeah, and you thought the rhyming would follow? Well, luckily not!)
Given the first set of intervals have finished, on Tuesday, we’ve got ourselves another club run and this will be our final spin to Knaresborough of the year. You know this one works by now: meet at the Hockey Club (in the bar, not the carpark), and be good to bounce by 7pm. We’ll head round the back of the school and onto Kingsley Road, and to Starbeck. From there, we’ll head down the hill to Knaresborough and along Waterside, before coming over the over bridge and back to Morrisons supermarket via Forest Moor Road. From there, it’s back along Kingsley Road and home to the club. If you want to cut short, you can easily do by heading right from Bogs Lane Cross Road and trading your run to Knaresborough for a spin round the metropolitan, big-town lights of Starbeck.
On Wednesday, our Jeremy Leggings will be leading a Winter Solstice 10k run. You’ll need to be up with the cock and ready to go from Ripley at 7.30am. As this is Jeremy, the whole affair will be very much social and so all abilities and paces are more than welcome. Just look for the chap in the psychedelic trousers, you can’t miss him. If you want to get out of bed at that time in the morning, obvs.
Well, this is a delicate subject. On Thursday, we have our annual fancy dress run. People will dress up as reindeer, people will dress as Santa, and people will dress up as Christmas puddings (although fancy dress is by no means obligatory). Anyway, by Nidd Valley tradition, it’s a steady jog through town to suit everyone’s abilities, and we enjoy the chance to traumatise last-minute shoppers by singing carols in several different keys in less-than-forgiving high street establishments. It’s genuinely horrific, so this is the time to use the excuse that you’ve been holding in reserve. As always, meet in the club house at 7pm, and then meet back in the bar for drinks afterwards. Take it from me, you’ll need it.
On Christmas Eve, Emma Kicks will be leading a quick run from Pateley Bridge to Coldstones Cut before returning back to the village for beer and snacks. Be ready to go from the showground car park for 3pm, and please think about wearing hi-viz and headtorches. You should make the cut by the time it gets dark, but you’ll need to be suitably illuminated for the return run. This will be a social gig and open to everyone so, if the family are driving you bonkers and you’re about to shove a sprout where the sun doesn’t shine, well, then, this could be just the antidote for enforced jollity that you have been looking for.
There will not be a club run on Tuesday 27 Dec 2022. Don’t let us stop you making your own arrangements, though.
On Thursday 29 Dec 2022, Dave and Captain Dazzler will be at the club and ready to welcome you for a club run. Dave will make sure the club is opened up, so meet in the club house as per usual arrangements. You can decide your run when you meet up. As ever, keep an eye out for each other and don’t leave anyone behind.
The first interval sessions of 2023 will be on Tues 03 Jan 2023. That’s a while away yet so we’ll send out details nearer the time,
Results
So we hit the mud again with PECO 2.0 at Temple Newsam. For the Juniors, Sam Crebbin (12.46), Jessica Beaumont (18.28) were on top form the Year 11s, while Eleanor Easton (15.04) was the sole flag bearer for the Nidds in Year 8. Just in case you were wondering, we couldn’t be more proud of Fraser Dobinson (20.26) and Chloe Beaumont (24.39) who raced for the Year 7 Nidds. Seriously, my heart bursts with pride.
We’ve got a hell of a turnout for the seniors, so this write up will take a while. I hope you’re sitting comfortably. Amy Sheppard (36.57) was first home for the ladies at Temple Newsam, with Babs (37.23) never too far behind. Fiona Deacon (39.29) didn’t fail to disappoint – and when does she, I hear you ask – with Laura Francis (40.30), Emma Kicks (41.41), Christine Holleran (42.38) and Rachel Mills (43.41) all on sparklingly festive form. Reb Ventress (44.08) was the next to show at the line, and was soon joined by Sue Ball (44.37), Nadene Wilkinson (45.49) and Philippa Thompson (46.08). Ewa Scott (47.42), Sarah Chalmers (56.01) and Treasurer Sylvia (57.04) concluded proceedings for the ladies. Well done, all!
For the chaps, Billy Fox (30.36) was the first to make a deposit for the the Black and Gold, with Craig Mills (30.53), Matt Wilkinson (32.07) and Captain Dazzler (32.29) hunting home down at each muddy turn. Andy Todd (32.43) just held Steve Newbould (32.55) and Martin Lofthouse (33.38) at bay and it was nothing but a pleasure to see Fingers Harris (34.21), Kev Nicholas (34.29), Nigel Scaife (34.56) and Kev Dalton (35.55) out in force. Jon Easton (37.29) held his advantage over Simon Cocker (38.51), while Nick Crebbin (39.22) did over Jim Cook (41.5) and Roger Duckworth (46.18) over Dave Seaman (46.51). Our final trio of finishers were everything you hoped they would be: Marcos Montana (48.35), Nick Smith (54.24), and Graham Hyde (56.40).
Moving to parkrun, Heaven only knows what the Robinsons were doing at Maryport, but the ice at Fountains Abbey swelled the numbers competing at the parkruns at Harrogate and Conyngham Hall. Read all about it: https://tinyurl.com/2p86cfh8.
Something to tell me? Some good result to share? Well, don’t keep it to yourself: samfugill@gmail.com.
Further Ahead & Booking Now Open
We’ve got the Chevin Chase on Boxing Day, which you can enter here: https://tinyurl.com/dzcdd6pe. The Jolly Holly Jog will be on Tues 27 Dec 2022 in Ripon, and is again providing the chance for more cross-country championship points. Entry is available here: https://tinyurl.com/yck7zy9p.
Awards Night: 28 Jan 2023
Still a thing, and what do you mean you aren’t coming. Don’t worry if you can’t tie a bow-tie, it’s one of those useless talents that I retain, so give me a shout if you’re stuck. Seriously, it’s a lovely night and a great chance to catch up with everyone, dress up, have a few drinks, and celebrate what a bloody fantastic running club we are. Get yourself registered here: https://forms.gle/KaebNUcZhoLymBya8.
Happy Christmas
So that’s it for the year, our runs have been run,
And we hope that you have found them good fun,
Our work is now finished, and we’re outta here,
And we’ll see you again in the new year,
So from Mike and Santa, and me and the mouse,
And everyone here at Nidd Valley House,
Sleep well, and make sure that the bed bugs don’t bite!
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Sam x