(TLDR. The Headlines: on Tuesday, we have Sylvia’s vegetable relays in Weeton, and on Thursday we have a club run heading up to Killinghall via the greenway. Other info follows about up and coming events, including our fortieth anniversary, a few notes about headphones and Facebook, and we finish with our dose of weekly wisdom. Read on!)
It’s Fingers’ birthday today! Happy birthday, Fingers! The little scamp was so excited, he was up at 4am to open his presents. He’s had a lovely day, too, as have we all. We’ve enjoyed playing all of his favourite party games and he was delighted to win the egg and spoon race. Although the less we say about the embarrassing incident when we played Pin the Tail on the Nidd, the better. Still we’ve got all the party food out and I think he’s about to start overdoing the party rings. But if you can’t do it on your birthday, when can you? So, with another mouthful of jelly and icecream, let’s take a look at the results.
Results from the Week That Was…
Let’s kick start this week with the results from the Sessay Swift (you know the one, that six kilometres of fresh merry hell round the Vale of York). It’s basically a chance to run your fastest ever parkrun, and then knock out an additional kilometre when running on empty. Certainly nothing to recommend it, as far as I am concerned. Anyway, to the results. Adam Kirk (20.25) was just ahead of Craig Mills (20.34), with Craig taking home the chocolate box of glory for the first MV40. Steve Newbould (23.06) was joined by Martin Lofthouse (24.13) and Kev Clark (24.17), while Andrew Iddon (25.02) must have found the short flat course to be a complete contrast to his natural habitat in peat bogs and on mountain top.
Sarah Staiano (26.24) was just behind the ever-speedy Laura Francis (25.41), and it was great to enjoy performances from Jeremy Scott (27.37), Nigel Scaife (27.49), Kate Morton (28.23) and Rachel Mills (29.01). Three cheers for the inexhaustible Nick Smith (30.05), Rachael Prince (31.49) and Martin Luxton (31.52), and three cheers more for Chatty McChatface (32.18), Moira McTague (34.26), Guy Parker (34.27) and Sarah Bracher (34.49).
Michelle Smith (38.28) was the next to show, and it was nothing but a total pleasure to see Susy Rhodes (39.00), Sylvia Morten (39.11), and Jill Hornsby (39.25) join her at the line. Graham Hyde (39.30), Liz Ahmed (40.30) and Lianne Coiley (41.32) make up our final three finishers. Well done!
Choo choo! I see from Facebook that Hannah Percy was down in Wales to take part in the Race The Train competition at Tywyn. I cannot find any official results yet, but am pleased to say that Hannah managed to stay ahead of the train for 42 minutes before it finally caught up with her. Speedy or what, right? Well done, Hannah!
Now, I know that we normally prefer running shoes to bicycle wheels here at Nidd Valley, but I’m prepared to abandon all caution and celebrate the achievements of Kev Nicholas who completed in the World Duathlon Championships in Queensland. It’s not often we have a Nidd represent Team GB, so I’m sure you’ll join with me in celebrating his sixth place out of 28 competitors in his age bracket. This top ten finish and third placed Brit means that Kev has a place in the World Championships in Spain next year. Well done, Kev! We couldn’t be prouder.
On the subject of non-runners, let’s make time to mention Chris and Sue Rogers who took part in the York Triathlon Relays today. Chris took the cycling, depaching the 20km ride comfortably in under 48 minutes, while Sue had the 5km run done and dusted in 30 minutes. We’ve not got the formal results yet, but who needs them when we’ve got legends like these two out and about and doing their thing.
Enough of such wheel-based nonsense. Back to running. As you’d expect, we had Brian Hainsowrth back out in the hills. This time he was in the hills above Sedbergh in the predictably named Sedbergh Hills Fell Race. Brian completed the 14 mile course and 6,000ft of ascent in 3:15.30. Well done, Brian.
Congratulations to Philly Thompson who was the lone representative of Team Nidd at the Scorton Feast 10km Race today. Philly had it done and dusted in 46.31. Yeah, I know. She’s well good.
Christine Holleran joined 599 other parkrunners down in that there London where she completed Black Park parkrun, gaining the first new notch for the MallettMap this week. The second MallettMap addition comes courtesy of Rob and Louise Kingston, who completed the Alby Gård parkrun in Norway.
Fingers Harris had a spin around the Knavesmire at York, Martin Luxton was on familiar territory at Sedgefield, and Beth Whiley ran at Darlington South, and Adam Kirk joined the Mallett Massive on Wetherby Ings. Young Caleb Aylesbury did his thing at Fell Foot near Newby Bridge, the Deacons headed down to Bramley, and Philly Thompson was over in Lancaster.
Billy Fox is currently upside down, having run Queenstown parkrun in New Zealand, whereas Kat Woodhead is the right way up having done her thing at New Earswick. Alison Iles was down in Lands End, Sylvia Morten was back up the Chevin, and we had the usual people doing their morning parkruns at Harrogate, Fountains and Conyngham Hall. Have a look at all of their results here: https://tinyurl.com/47nsmxd6.
When I was younger / So much younger than today / I never needed anybody’s help in any way / But now these days are gone / I’m not so self assured / Now I find I’ve changed my mind / And opened up the doors: chair@niddvalleyroadrunners.co.uk.
The Fixtures for the Week Ahead
On Tuesday, we have Sylvia’s Vegetable Relays. We’ll be starting at 7pm at St Barnabas Church in Weeton (LS17 0AU), but please get there early to get parked up. There is still time to get teams entered and you can do so via this link: https://tinyurl.com/2hp98726 (we’ll close entries tomorrow night). I’m very much looking forward to watching a bunch of pillocks running round country lanes while clutching whatever root vegetable they managed to find in Sainsburys. There are prizes available for the fastest teams, those with the funniest names, most consistent running times, and the most ‘interesting’ vegetable baton. I dread to think. Please bring pins for race numbers, if you have them.
There will not be an organised club run from the Hockey Club on Tuesday.
On Thursday, we will be at the Hockey Club for our run. This run has been chosen by Captain Kicks, and so it’s best that we just do as we’re told really. We’re heading up the greenway towards Ripley, coming back over Killinghall Bridge, and then you can return via Knox Mill and up through Bilton. If the weather is good, it’s nice to come over the farm fields to Knox Mill. Meet at the Hockey Club and be good to go for 7pm.
There isn’t anything in the club championships this weekend, but there are a couple of other races available if you prefer your running with a competitive edge. In the fells, you’ve got Burnsall Classic (https://tinyurl.com/m5aky759) on Saturday and Halton Gill Gala (https://tinyurl.com/3r22xjt8) on Sunday, neither of which are for the faint-hearted. For the roadies, there is the Leeds Golden Mile (https://tinyurl.com/33mzx99t) at Headingley on Saturday, giving you the opportunity to bust a lung on a one mile loop around an athletics track.
Further Ahead & Booking Now Open
Next Thursday (29th August 2024), Nick Crebbin will be leading us round Harewood as our next away from club run. We did a recce last Monday to check out the route (a bit hilly, but lovely) and to test the beers in the pub, too (don’t worry, they were fine). More details in the email next week.
Don’t forget that, on Saturday 31st August 2024, we’ll be doing our 40 for 40, as we run the length of Nidderdale from source to Knaresborough to celebrate our fortieth anniversary as a club. This will be a snowball run, so you can join in whether you like, and we’ll all finish together at Knaresborough Castle. FRP has put in a load of work to pull this together, and we’ll be sharing the schedule, plan, maps and .gpx files in the next few days.
Having done all of that running thing, we will then regroup on Sunday 1st September 2024 for afternoon drinks in the Empress Pub. We hope you can join us.
Headphones
A friendly reminder: if you’re racing in club colours, we’d really appreciate it if you can follow the instructions of the race director regarding not wearing headphones when instructed not to. The rules are put in place for a reason. At best, you run the risk of being disqualified, and at worst you’re going to end up under a car or something.
Urgh, how depressing. I’m sorry if you have seen the recent batch of charitable correspondence unfolding on our Facebook group. Everybody on the committee is a volunteer and does what they do in their own spare time. And I imagine that everyone is part of Nidd Valley because they enjoy running and being part of a club. So please just take a deep breath and think before you hit send or reply or whatever it is. Otherwise, we just have lots of upset, angry and depressed people, and it takes an age to sort out. I’d rather be running instead, and hope you would be too.
Word to the Wise
This week, Phil Ventress is back in the driving seat of wisdom. On Tuesday, he was trying to remember where it was that Cath Barber worked.
“Oh you know the place… the National Front. No, actually, what do I mean… oh yeah, the National Trust…” – Phil Ventress, making a small but all so important clarification.
And so we move onto another week. Hope it’s a good one! See you around.
Chairman Sam x