(TLDR. The Headlines: our club runs for Tuesday and Thursday are Knaresborough and Cornwall Road, respectively, both leaving the Hockey Club at 7pm. On Sunday, we have a recce run for the GF10, leaving Ripley Carpark at 9.30am. Read on for up and coming events, details of the Awards Night (hooray!), and a particularly troubling wise word…).
There’s no doubt about it: summer is over and autumn is setting in here at Nidd Valley House. We’ve got people out sweeping the leaves from the main drive, Sylvia is making everybody pumpkin chai spiced lattes, and Phil has asked Brian if he can play with his conkers.
Well, the nights might be drawing in, but this is also the time of year when we can look forward to some great races, to our own Guy Fawkes 10, and to the start of the cross-country season. If that isn’t enough to warm your heart as the mercury heads south, then I’m sure that a review of some brilliant results will be just the ticket. Let’s go.
Results from the Week That Was…
I honestly can’t believe that I did this, but I only went and missed Kev Dalton’s result from last week’s Berlin Marathon. To think that he’s been thwarted in getting to the start line for several years due to various injuries and illnesses, the least we could do would be to include his time. Truth be told, we’d begun to wonder whether we’d be more likely to see him at the front door of Dignitas rather than at the Brandenburg Gate, so it’s with a not-unreasonable sense of relief that I tell you that Kev finished in a brilliant time of 4:43.39. Well done, Kev.
Oh, major excitement here in the Results Department at NVH: the results for the Great Whernside Fell Race have finally arrived. About bloody time, I should say. We’ve had to wait for two weeks no less. Still, I’m delighted to tell you that Andy finished the race in a brilliant time of 46.29 which, as anyone who has made their way to that lonely top will tell you, is no mean feat.
On the subject of delayed fell race results, though, I’m afraid Emma Kicks leaves us hanging this week as the results from Saturday’s Four Passes Fell Race in the Lake District are nowhere to be found. Still, a little light stalking on Strava has delivered the goods and completed 17 miles and 5,226ft of climb in a mind blowing time of 4:37.ish. I hope to have the results to you next week, or at least as quickly as one can expect from the fell running community. Honestly, I’ve seen continents move faster.
Talking of moving fast, let’s see the results from this weekend’s Round Ripon Ultra. We had only one team out in the relays, but if you’re asking for a team to tackle a 35 mile long distance challenge then I can recommend no finer runners than Alex Gudgeon, Jonathan Kay, Hannah Kempson, Rachel Mills and Chris Morris. They had it all done and dusted in 6:48.50. Well done to you all!
I know that we don’t normally make a habit of celebrating cyclists, but we’re happy to give a shout out to Jane Evans who took part in the Washington Coalfields Duathlon yesterday. Now, I don’t normally make a habit of going to Sunderland (strange people are Mackems, if you ask me), but needs must. Anyway, I stood on the side of the test track at the Nissan Factory and Jane ran and cycled round in circles for a bit. She finished in 1:19.56, by the way. Splendid.
Let’s have three cheers for Kat Woodhead who headed down to Mirfield to take part in the multi-terrain Hopton 10km. She finished in 1:01.34, so do be sure to congratulate her when you see her. Well done, Kat.
Up in beautiful Northumberland, it fell to Lizzie Hugill to put in an equally as beautiful performance at the Kielder Reservoir Half Marathon. Lizzie had it all sorted in an incredible time of 2:32.33. Congratulations, Lizzie.
Congratulations, also, to all of the intrepid Nidds who took part in the Viking Chase Fell Race yesterday. I’ve had to find the results by scanning through photos on the internet rather than searching properly, so apologies if you’re not included in the following roll call: Martin Lofthouse (1:20.00), Captain Dazzle Brush (1:20.29), Brian Hainsworth (1:24.27), Simon Cocker (1:28.43), Nigel Scaife (1:29.38), Phil Ventress (1:34.01), Laura Francis (1:38.42), Russell Geraghty (1:41.01), Di Winnard (1:46.41), FRP (1:52.23) and Sarah Chalmers (2:19.07). Particular congratulations to the ladies, who collected the prizes for Fu23, FV55 and FV60. I’ll leave it to you to figure out who got what. Well done to you all, though!
Before we get to parkrun, we’ve got to celebrate the result from Martin Luxton, who was the sole Nidder up at the Jarrow 10km at the weekend. Martin’s review of the race is a little less than complimentary (not one for next year’s championships, then, Martin?), but he still managed to bring the party home in 54.56. He describes this as “a bit disappointing”. Ah, don’t be too hard on yourself Martin. It’s a good time, and there’s lots to celebrate. Well done!
I’d never even heard of Brierley Forest (whether or not it’s named after our very own Jack, I can’t say…), and I’ve less of an idea about why Louise and Rob Kingston were doing their parkrun there. Ask them when you see them, if you’d like to know more. As you’d expect, Philly Thompson was getting her morning 5km in at Darlington South Park, while it falls to Colleen Gruenwald to be our #niddnorthoftheborder with her trip to join 370 Weegies running around Glasgow’s Victoria Park. The only MallettMap marker of the week goes to Billy Fox as he continued with his one-man mission to paint Australia in the glorious colours of the Black and Gold with his trip to Mount Ainslie.
Emily Wighton was down at Nostell Priory, and Sarah Staiano and Steve Newbould spent their Saturday morning in Armley (the parkrun, obviously, and not HMP Leeds). Andy Todd got himself ninth place at Millfield near Easingwold, and Jeremy Scott was at Epworth Equestrian Parkrun. John and Susie Mallett joined FRP at Wetherby, although there was no sign of Mrs Robinson. We’ll start to worry if we don’t see her for a few weeks or if FRP gets a new patio.
We had the biggest crowds at Fountains, Harrogate and Conyngham Hall, and you can see all the relevant results for all Nidd-based parkrunning activities right here: https://tinyurl.com/47nsmxd6.
As I walked out in the mystic garden / on a hot summer day, a hot summer lawn / excuse me, ma’am, I beg your pardon / there’s no one here, the gardener is gone: chair@niddvalleyroadrunners.co.uk.
The Fixtures for the Week Ahead
On Tuesday evening, our club run takes us deep behind enemy lines with a trip down to Knaresborough. We’ll meet at the Hockey Club and be ready to run for 7pm, heading round the back of the school and down Kingsley towards Starbeck. If you don’t want to go all the way to Knaresborough – and who can blame you? – then you can do a shorter run down Forest Lane and round by Morrisons before heading back to the club. If you want to go the full distance, then head down the hill and over the Nidd, along Waterside, and back over Low Bridge. From there it is a bit of a slog along Forest Moor, and then you can run back past Morrisons into Starbeck before weaving your way back to the club.
What do you fancy doing on Thursday? You’re not sure? Tell you what, let’s have a run up Cornwall Road. As per all the usual arrangements, we’ll leave the club at 7pm. Head down through town to the Valley Gardens and up Cornwall Road. Turn left onto Harlow Moor Drive and run to Otley Road. You can turn back to the club from there if you want, but you can also head further up Harlow Hill, and loop back round Beckwith Road, Green Lane and Leadhall Lane, returning to the club via Leeds Road and the Stray. This being a Thursday, the final stop of the run will be a trip upstairs for a pint in the club bar. Why not join us?
On Sunday, Captain Dazzler will be leading a recce run of the Guy Fawkes 10 race route. The pace will be steady and social, and the banter will be top-drawer. If you’re newly recruited to the Nidd Valley campaign and unfamiliar with the arrangements for the race day, then this is a great opportunity to familiarise yourself with the course and to find out where your marshal spot will be. If you’re a seasoned veteran here at Nidd Valley, it’s still a great run out and a chance to enjoy some beautiful scenery. Meet at the carpark in Ripley at 9.30am.
Further Ahead & Booking Now Open
There are a couple of fell races coming down the line this month, concluding what has been a dramatic and exciting championship. The first of these is the Charlesworth Chase on Sunday 20th October 2024 (taking place the day after the British Fell Relays, so the ladies could be running this one on tired legs). Anyway, it’s a great run up above Appletreewick, and you have to sink a pint of bitter on the finish line in order to clock a time, so that’s always fun. All the details: https://tinyurl.com/2dc4ydwj.
A week after that, on Sunday 27th October 2024, the Fell Championships hosts the last hurrah with a trip onto the North York Moors to run the Lockton Limping. It’s a novel experience to do a fell race that starts with the descent and finishes with the climb, but it’s a really accessible and friendly event and comes highly recommended. Again, all of the details are via the fellrunner website: https://tinyurl.com/38p6avuu.
PECO XC
The entries for the PECO XC series are now open: https://tinyurl.com/ymeaudam. The first race is on Sunday 17th November 2024, with all five races in the season included in our club cross country championships. £17 buys you a number for the whole season, so if mud and misery is your kind of thing then I’m sure you’ll agree that this is very good value indeed. See you on the start line!
Awards Night: Saturday 25th January 2025
Booking is now open for what is always one of the highlights of the club year. It’s always a novel experience to see Nidds with their clothes on, by which I obviously mean in fancy clothes rather than their running kit. Everyone looks tremendous, and it’s all dresses, heels and sparkly jewellery (and that’s just Dave). So if you like the sound of a lovely meal, a couple of drinks, a bit of a boogie and maybe even an award or two, then there is only one place that you need to be: https://tinyurl.com/4ztnctpw. .
Word to the Wise
This week’s closing words come from our very own Captain Dazzler, clearly a little traumatised from a physiotherapy session for a groin injury.
“Do you want to see where I’ve been bruised getting fingered…?” – Dazzler, lifting his shorts and making an offer that we were only too pleased to refuse.
So from Daz, from me, and everyone else here at Nidd Valley House, have a grand week. I’m sure that you will.
Chairman Sam x