(TLDR. The Headlines: On Tuesday, we have a club run from the Hockey Club at 7pm – route to be decided – with the Jack Bloor fell race and the Rudding Park 10k also both competing for your evening attention. On Thursday, we have the first in the Evening League races at Knaresborough, and we have the (sold out) Fairfield Horseshoe Fell Race in the fell championships on Saturday. Read on for the details of up and coming races, more details about the Evening League, a Pop-up Parkrun, and a rather heartening dose of wisdom to round off your weekend).
Howdy, partners!
Well, that was all very strange wasn’t it? If you’re into crowns and carriages and fancy dress – and, let’s be honest, there seems to have been little else going on – then I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend. If all of this stuff really isn’t your kind of bag (and I can’t pretend it’s mine, although I was very impressed by the chaps who can play a trombone while riding a horse), then congratulations on making it to the end of three days of hip-hoorays and incessant flag waving. I’d take Valley House over Buckingham Palace any day, and there’s no place I’d rather be on a Monday night. Why don’t we take a look at the results, hey?
Results from the Week That Was…
So on Monday, we had a trip over to Calderdale to take part in the Coiners Fell Race. Boggy does not even begin to cover it, but it was a great run out over terrain which is lesser-crossed by Nidd Valley feet, including local landmarks such as Stoodley Pike, Broad Head, and Dick Lane (grow up, please). Martin Lofthouse (1:02.56) was the first to cross the finish line for the team, while Andy Iddon (1:08.39) made easy work of the seven mile course. Nigel Scaife (1:11.52) was running on tired legs from the Three Peaks and, despite launching himself headlong into a bog – and we are laughing with you, Nigel, not at you – yours truly (1:13.48) could not quite cement the advantage of an overtake at the top of hill. Russell Geraghty (1:20.05) was just ahead of the first Nidd Lady Emma David (1:24.10), while FRP (1:28.28) just snaffled Roger Duckworth (1:28.30) on the line with some rather nimble footwork. Jane Evans (1:29.41) soon appeared at the finish, while Sarah Chalmers (1:54.14) rounded the race off for the club. Well done to all who took part.
On Thursday, we enjoyed a bit more fell action with a trip to complete in the Dick Hudson’s fell race in Ilkley. This is a classic out and back race, out of Wharfedale, over the top of rock-strewn god-forsaken boggy terrain into Airedale, touching a fence post outside a pub and then heading back the way you came. Only we say that, when you’re on tired legs and haggard with fatigue, it is a bit more difficult to remember which path you took up from Ilkley and – if you’re anything like me – all to easy to find yourself running down the steepest possible descent through the heather as more accomplished runners bear down on you at breakneck speed. All fun and games. Anyway, official results are not out, but – if memory serves – I can tell you that Andy Iddon beat Martin Lofthouse on the first climb, and that Martin was not able to recover the advantage, gifting Andy the coveted position of first Nidder. We had a couple of newer members – Richard Willis and Nick Andralojc – who turned out to run, but Richard chose to run in his Nidd Valley Fell & Trail colours while Nick had turned up in his old Harrogate Harriers top. Yeah, I know, I can’t believe it. Good job we aren’t precious about such things, isn’t it? I was next off the hill, with a bleeding blister to boot (I’ll leave you to enjoy that image), while Jim Cook and Jane Evans also put in spectacular performances. Well done to you all.
Keeping it suitably off-road, yesterday afternoon saw Jane Evans and Chris Orr get up at sparrows fart to compete in the Wainstones Half Marathon on the North Yorks Moors. Well, I say half marathon. This is fell running, and they apparently think this means you can tell people that they’re running a half marathon and make them run over 16 miles and three and a half thousand feet of ascent, but we are where we are. Chris Orr finished in 3:52.15, and Jane finished her run in a brilliant 4:14.00. Well done, ladies!
Last, but certainly by no means least, congratulations to Carolyn Jones who braved the wet weather to race the Pontefract 10k yesterday. Carolyn tore up the tarmac and finished in a very respectable 1:13.34, so a very well done to you Carolyn.
I’ll start the parkrun round up with a quick mention of Phil and Rebecca Ventress, who were joined by their friends at Harrogate to celebrate Phil’s 250th and Reb’s 200th (not a thing) parkrun. A brilliant achievement, and well done to them. But not just to them, but also to Fiona Robinson who clocked her 250th parkrun with a trip to Holland where she competed at the parkrun at Den Haag, where she ran with hubster FRP. A brilliant achievement, Mrs Robinson! Adam Kirk and Lisa Gibson ran at York, while Emily Wighton was having a spin round Roundhay Park and Graham Hyde headed down to Armley. In addition to this, we had the usual high turnouts at Harrogate, Fountains and Conyngham Hall, so well done to all who got out and got their weekends off to the best possible start. The full parkrun stats can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/47nsmxd6.
Please share any achievements, results or news with me. Your name looks even better when it is in lights: chair@niddvalleyroadrunners.co.uk.
The Fixtures for the Week Ahead
So, there are a couple of options going on tomorrow (Tuesday). The first is the Rudding Park 10k, organised by our very own Matt Wilkinson. This has now sold out, although we’ve got over fifty Nidds signed up for this race. Of course, I’m sure this will have nothing to do with the hog roast sandwiches at the end. Good luck to you if you are taking part.
Also on Tuesday, we have the Jack Bloor Fell Race on Ilkley Moor. The race starts at 7.15pm, and is a little over five miles with approximately 1,200ft of climb. This has long been one of my favourite races, as it has a little bit of everything in it, the views and brilliant and the weather is always unfailingly good. It’s well worth the seven quid entry fee, and there will be a couple of us there if you want to come and join us. Rumour does tell that Jonathan Kay is thinking of making this his inaugural fell race, and we’d welcome any other fell running virgins to come and experience the muddy joys of running off the edge of a big hill. Further details (about the race, not about Jonathan) here: https://tinyurl.com/yuf23ptk.
If you’ve not got yourself into Rudding and do not fancy the prospect of a fell race, then Dave ‘don’t mention the wall’ Seaman will be leading a steady run from the club on Tuesday night. Meet at the Hockey Club and be good to run for 7pm, and Dave will make a plan with whoever turns up on the night, so you can be sure that there will be a route and a pace group at something to suit you.
On Thursday, we have the first of our Evening League races, and this one is organised by our friends at Knaresborough Striders. This race is a five or six mile jaunt, starting on Horseshoe Fields near Conyngham Hall at 7.30pm. Please arrive early to give you the chance to collect your numbers from club captains Emma and Dazzler. We’ll retire for pints and medals to the World’s End Pub afterwards, so don’t forget to bring some beer money with you. More general information on the Evening League is below, including how to enter if you have not done so already (and if not, why not?), and more specific information about Thursday’s race can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/4z4hp5xa.
There will NOT be a club run from the Hockey Club on Thursday night.
Although entries sold out long ago, good luck to the fell runners who head to the Lake District on Saturday to take part in the Fairfield Horseshoe Fell Race in the fell championships. This is a race in the English Fell Running Championships, so you can guarantee that the competition will be fierce, but you can’t pass up on the opportunity for a bit of running in the hills when the views are that good. Well, I say that. When we did a reccie in April, once we’d cleared the first couple of hundred feet in ascent we couldn’t see hands in front of our faces. Everyone had a lovely time. Well, maybe.
Further Ahead & Booking Now Open
The Charlesworth Chase has long been a favourite in the Nidd Valley fell running calendar, and again appears in the fell championships on 20 May 2023. This 10k run takes you from Appletreewick up to the summit of Simon’s Seat, before a thrilling run back down by the river and to the village where the challenge of downing a pint of Yorkshire bitter is all that stands between you and the finish line. If you’ve never done a fell race before, then this is a great one for beginners and, with it being an out and back course, you get loads of encouragement as you pass fellow Nidders and other runners on the route. All the details are here: https://tinyurl.com/3szd64zj.
Evening League
I couldn’t have nagged you any more, I really couldn’t, and even Captains Dazzler and Emma have got on the cajoling bandwagon. But this is my heartfelt plea. There are times in our lives when we need to stand up and be counted. To do the right thing, to put our money where our mouth is. Those moments in life when we need to step out of our comfort zone and do the right thing. This, my friends, is one of those times. You have a date with destiny, and your date loves it when you wear that cheeky black and gold number. Nidd Valley needs you: https://tinyurl.com/86sc49rc (and remember that – with the discount code NIDD23, which is obviously not to be shared with anyone else outside the club, you can get yourself a £4 discount).
Pop-up Parkrun
Right, now here is a stupid idea that Captain Dazzler and I cooked up in the pub after a couple of beers. We present you with the ‘Pop-up Parkrun’. Over a period of some two and half months over the summer, there will be five 5k-ish self-directed ‘races’ for club members. All of the races will be on local roads and tracks, and accessible to all. Importantly, they all start and finish at coffee shops / pubs.
The races will happen between 15 May 2023 and 31 Jul 2023 but – and the catch is this – you only find out a few hours before when each run will be. They won’t be in standard working hours and won’t clash with other club events, but you may find yourself getting a rude awakening one morning, or out for an unexpected run in the evening. You’ll probably find you have your running kit in the car or that you are keeping a bag by the front door like a readily expectant mother-to-be. There will be some prizes for those who take part (I’m still sorting the details on this), but the emphasis is more upon silliness and fun than it is on any real athletic prowess or achievement
If you want in on the action, there’ll be a Facebook event get set up, so you can register your interest, and it will be on this group that we will announce the races. If you are a user of WhatsApp, feel free to send me your mobile number and you can be alerted to the race by a WhatsApp broadcast. Send me your details: chair@niddvalleyroadrunners.co.uk.
Guy Fawkes 10, 2023
you’ll maybe have seen that our signature club race – the Guy Fawkes 10 – is now open for entries. Our polite request is that existing club members (that’s you) don’t enter. Not only do we need all hands on deck to marshal, but this race has always sold out and, as our contribution to the running life of the region, it’s only fair to let those from other clubs have a go. So please don’t enter. Thanks for your understanding.
However, please share the entry link for the race on your social media and with anyone who will listen. Spread the word: https://tinyurl.com/fjw3tj7w.
Word to the Wise
This week, Nidd Valley Newbie Nick Andralojc pops his wise word cheery, with this rather sweet observation.
“I’d never known such a welcome until I joined Nidd Valley…” – Nick Andralojc, in a complementary mood (and that complement belongs to all of you, so thanks for that).
And so from Nick, from me, and from everyone else here at Nidd Valley House, have a wonderful week. I’m sure that you will.
See you soon.
Chairman Sam x