Evening all!
Results
The big congratulations of the week goes to Jon Easton who travelled up to Scotland to compete in the Jedbrugh Ultra Marathon. If the thought of running 38 off-road and very hilly miles makes you go weak at the knees, then you’ll be all the more impressed to hear that Jon marked his ultra-marathon debut in an incredible 7:34:13
Congratulations to all those who headed south to compete in the Worksop Half Marathon: Matt Wilkinson (1:27:16), Phil Ventress (1:50:21), Debbie Gibson (1:58:31) and Rebecca Ventress (2:10:04). They’re all cracking results – good work, team!
Martin Lofthouse (18:50) celebrated his 50th Parkrun by pipping Andy Todd (18:57) to the finishing line, and was soon joined by Andy Harris (19:25) Dan Eagling (20:17), Matt Rickard (20:44), Dave Prince (23:28), Nick Smith (24:50), Rachel Prince (26:58) and Emma Edgar (31:07). Back in Harrogate, Steve Newton (22:39) took the much coveted prizes of First Nidd and First Ginger, and was joined in his celebrations by Alex Crowton (23:09) and Tony LC (26:30). Natalia Lancosova (28:05), Hannah Peagram (28:06), Rebecca Ventress (28:07) battled for position to the line, and Michelle Dinsdale (32:27) and Mandy Smith (36:22) brought the curtain down on a cracking team performance. The injured Sarah Hughan (45:03) was tail runner for the event, and wasn’t just having a bad day. Fiona Robinson was alone in flying the Nidd Valley flag at Wetherby, but completed the course in a strong 33:39.
In the wee world of the small folk, Harrison Iles (8:16) took an incredible second place at the Junior Parkrun, with Jake Stalker (8:34) hot on his heels. Sarah Lofthouse (9:14 – first girl!), Evie Iles (10:01), Anna Rosie (11:17), Betty and (14:17) Willa (16:38) Crowton rounded up the performance. Well done to you all!
I’m afraid I’m still waiting for the results for the Whixley 10k (although I heard that Fiona D did jaw-droppingly well) and Great Whernside Fell Race. I’ll get them to you next week.
Sorry if I have missed any of you out, but the technical webpage Matt designed for me to automatically send me your results is out of action, so I’m afraid I’ve had to resort to trawling the results pages manually (it’s kept the statisticians here at Nidd Valley HQ busy, put it that way). Keep me updated with all your achievements: chair@niddvalleyroadrunners.co.uk.
The Week Ahead
• Tuesday: Take it from me, Joni Mitchell was right when she asked “don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone?”. If you’re able to run, get yourself down to the Hockey Club for 7pm.
• Thursday: We’ll be putting the willies up you with our annual Halloween run (actually that’s a vile image, sorry about that). This will be an off-road run down the gorge, led by Jon E. If you are interested in a spooky little something to break the monotony of pavement running, be ready to run from the Hockey Club at 7pm. Headtorches and off-road shoes essential.
• Thursday: For those that fancy something a little more regular and pedestrian, there’ll be usual club run, also meeting at the Hockey Club at 7pm. As ever (and Dave is a creature of habit, let’s be honest), there’ll be pints in the bar afterwards. Please do come and join in.
• Weekend: The tension here at Team Nidd is unbearable as we enter the home straight in the GF10 preparations. Scroll down to find out more.
Guy Fawkes 10: Sunday 1 November 2015 (and FREE PIZZA!)
We’re probably the only running club that names our annual race after an act of terrorism (try and think of some other examples, and you’ll realise why Sarah H said I couldn’t print any of them), and this year’s race will be held 150,041 days after Guy Fawkes himself was discovered in a cellar with some dangerous explosives and in want of a satisfactory explanation. Anyway, there are a few bits to you need to make sure you know:
• Bag packing will take place from 10:00 on Saturday 31 October 2015 at Ripley Village Hall. If you can (come after Park Run!), please come down. Many hands make light work, especially as Michelle Smith is taking control as Bag Packing Head Honcho. I wouldn’t mess with her, put it that way.
• Marshals need to report to Mike at Ripley by 09:00 on Sunday, unless you’re on car park duty, in which case you need to check in by 08:30. What do you mean early? Stop moaning. I’ll be there from before 7am. If you have any problem or difficulty marshal-wise, then please let Mike know ASAP: mjfjdeacon@ntlworld.com.
• In loving adoration for all your hard work and efforts for the race, the bar at the Hockey Club will be open on Sunday night from 7pm. Although you’ll have to buy your own drinks, there’ll be as much free take away pizza as you can eat. If any of you have whatever of those new-fangled dietary requirements is in vogue this season, then please let me know: chair@niddvalleyroadrunners.co.uk.
Any other GF10 queries? Please get in touch with Matt directly on guyfawkes@niddvalleyroadrunners.co.uk.
Thanks so much to each and every one of you for turning out and being part of this. We all really appreciate it, as do the runners who come back year on year. Thanks.
Bob & Annie Leaving: Sunday 15 November 2015
You’ve probably heard that Bob and Annie are leaving us to move up to an idyllic rural life in the Scottish Borders (I know, it was only a couple of weeks that Aimi disappeared over the border. Was it something I said?). Anyway, to say goodbye, there’ll be a run round the reservoirs, followed by breakfast at Mackenzies Smokehouse.
Mark David and Phil Running Phil are kindly organising an off-road route to run alongside this, and this has been designed to consolidate and practice all that fantastic skills developed in the summer fell training. I understand that this is likely to be up over Round Hill and Timble before joining the Reservoir Dogs for breakfast, so this should keep the muddy-shoed-contingent of Team Nidd Happy. Thanks to Mark and Phil for making this happen.
If you are heading up for breakfast, please let Fiona D know so she can co-ordinate numbers: mjfjdeacon@ntlworld.com.
Winter Training: Intervals
The ever-popular winter interval training sessions will be back on offer in the New Year, starting on 5 January 2015. Emma and Mike hope to offer a few interval ‘taster’ sessions in November, and more details to follow about these soon.
London Marathon: Wanna Run?
There’s only been one entry so far, and so my tenuous grasp of GCSE mathematics (Grade B, if you’re taking notes) tells me that they’ll take the one place we have been allocated in the London Marathon. You need to let me know by the end of October if you want in on this, so don’t hang around kids. I would put my name in the ballot but, well, you know… The draw will be held after the GF10 Race when we meet for pizza and drinks.
Christmas Run & Drinks: Saturday 12 December 2015
It’s a Christmas of two halves. There’ll be a socially-paced run somewhere out of Harrogate (if you have any suggestions of where you’d like to go, then please do let me know – I’m thinking maybe up round Thruscross and so on) in the afternoon, and then festive drinks a-plenty in town in the evening. You can do one, the other, both, or neither – you’re spoilt for choice kids.
No Men Allowed: Saturday 19 December 2015
Sarah C is organising the Nidd Valley Ladies Christmas Lunch and Secret Santa for the 19 December in Hampsthwaite, with a bit of a run out to get your appetites worked up. Being of the less fair sex, I’m afraid that’s all I know (it’s like a Papal Conclave, the level of mystery that shrouds the Team Nidd Ladies), so if you ladies want to know more, then you had better get in touch with Sarah: scpyman@hotmail.com.
A Word to the Wise
“It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys” – Emil Zatopek (Gold Medal Winner at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics for the 5k, 10k and Marathon. But you already knew that, clearly…)
Have a great week.
Sam x