Contents

Coming Events: August, September and October. 2

Attendance Scheme/ Club races – 2004 details:. 3

Race results: Various races. 6

Press Release: Manx Marathon Win. Telegraph & Argus 24th Aug. 8

A fourth team win. 9

London Marathon 2005: Sun 17th April 05. 9

Fell Races: Aug-End October 04. 10

Idle Web: August 04. 12

Tough Guy: Nettle Warrior VII Sunday 25th July 2004. 13

Black Sheep Brewery Race Series 2004. 15

New Members. 15

Hepworth & Idle Cricket Club fun day: Sunday 29th August at 2pm. 15

Physio recommendation. 16

Christmas Do 2004. 16

Guy Fawkes 10: Sunday 7th November. 10.30am. 16

From the Coach…... 16

 

Events in bold indicate a ‘club’ event which members are encouraged to run.

Date

Event

Mon 30th Aug 04

1st Spofforth Gala race (approx 10k) on footpaths, bridleways, fields and tracks. Goody bags. Family gala day.

Sun 5th Sept 04

Tholthorpe 10k (York), 11am. Attractive, fast course.

Sun 12th Sept 04

Ryedale 10 (Malton). 10.30am. Flat course with challenging finish. Goody bag.

Sun 12th Sept 04

Sutton 7, 12 noon.  Fast, mainly flat rural course.

Sun 12th Sept 04

Robin Hood (Nottingham) Half & full marathon. 10.05am

Sun 12th Sept 04

Yorkshireman off road full & half marathon, 10am, Oxenhope. See fell race list for details.

Sun 19th Sept 04

North of England AA 10k Road Race Champs, Easingwold, CANCELLED.

Sun 19th Sept 04

Mileta 10, 11am. A one lap course from Spenborough Track, Cleckheaton. Sports bag to first 250 finishers.

Sun 19th Sept 04

Harrogate Theatre 10k, 10.30am. 

Sun 26th Sept 04

Kirkstall Abbey 10k, 10am. T –shirt, hilly course. Points race.

Sun 3rd Oct 04 

Horsforth 10k, 10am. Attendance Points race.

Sun 10th Oct 04

Harewood 10 mile trail race, 10.30am.  A great event

Sun 10th Oct 04

Scarborough 10 mile.

Sun 17th Oct 04

Bridlington Half marathon, 12 Noon. Points race.

Sun 31st Oct 04

Holmfirth 15mile. 10.30am. Points race.

Sun 31st Oct 04

Roundhay Romp 10k. Points race.

Top twenty Club Races for 2004: Handicap/ Attendance Scheme - 8 out of 20 possible races to count. Please don’t forget to sign in the book each time you attend a club session (but only pay once per week) as each attendance at a club training session is worth 1 point and to be eligible for a trophy members must accumulate at least 30 attendance points during the year.  Each attendance at a “Club” designated race earns you 5 points (see below).  50% of the required points must be achieved by attendance at training sessions. 

Details of the Attendance Scheme up to the end of July are below. Well done to Gary (Chris is excluded) who is July’s attendance winner.

Name

July

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July

July

 

1

6

8

13

15

20

22

27

29

Races

Totals

Adrian Trevelyan

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

3

Alison Garlick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

5

Amnuay Scott

 

 

 

 

1

1

1

 

 

 

3

Chris Smith

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

5

14

Chris Stubbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

 

2

Dave Currie

1

1

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

David Dewhirst

1

1

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

5

9

David Lewis

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

5

7

Davina Smith

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

6

Dexter Wright

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

5

6

Dominic Hopson

1

 

 

 

 

1

1

1

 

5

9

Edward East

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

5

8

Elaine Trevelyan

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

3

Gary Naylor

1

1

1

1

1

1

 

1

 

5

12

Ian Fisher

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Joanne Belcher

 

1

1

 

 

1

1

1

1

 

6

Joseph Marjoram

1

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Kay Gambles

 

 

 

1

1

1

1

1

1

 

6

Laura Brook

 

 

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

5

7

Lisa Flesher

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

Lisa Hall

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

1

 

 

3

Martin Burnside

1

1

 

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

4

Michael Masleczko

1

1

 

 

 

1

 

1

1

 

5

Peter Vickers

 

 

 

1

1

 

1

1

1

5

10

Phil Routh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

5

7

Richard Lyons

1

 

1

1

1

1

 

1

1

 

7

Simon Bellwood

1

1

1

 

1

 

1

1

1

 

7

Stephen Edwards

 

 

1

 

 

1

1

 

1

 

4

Steve Little

 

 

1

1

1

 

1

1

1

 

6

Suzanne Bairstow

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

3

Tony Blythe

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Trevor Hooley

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

3

Vicki Hawker

1

1

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

5

9

 

11

15

11

17

8

14

12

19

11

65

183

The Club races for 2004, where points can be earned, are as follows:

Date

Race Details

Comments.

January- Sun 25th

Brass Monkey Half marathon, 10am.

 

18 Idle AC runners, many PB’s. Donna set a new Female club record with 1.35.14.

February - Sun 16th

Liversedge Half Marathon, 12.00 noon.

10 Idle AC runners including 2 pbs.

 

March- Sun 7th

Baildon Boundary Way Half, 10.30am.

15 Idle AC members for this tough off road half marathon.

March – Sun 14th

Spen 20mile, 10am.  

We had 8 members for this tough 20 mile road race, including Simon Bellwood who broke the club’s M40 record and Davina Smith who broke the F35 record.

April- Sun4th

Wakefield 10k, 10am. Fast, flat course.

14 runners at this event including pb’s from the Wednesday group trio- Elaine, Jane, and Suzanne.

 

April- Tues 6th

Bunny Run 1, 3 mile ‘Fell’ race, 7.00 pm.

11 Idle AC on this muddy course runners enticed to run by the chance of a free cream egg including birthday boy Dave Lewis.

April – Sun 11th

Guiseley Gallop 10k, 10.30am.

We had 8 runners for this Easter Sunday run.

May - Wed –5th

John Carr 5k, Esholt, 7.30pm. Fast, flat course. Good local event.

29 runners for this fast flat course. Ian set a new Male club record and finished in 2nd place. Dave Lewis, Lisa Flesher and Laura Brook all set age club records.

May- Sun 9th

Fountains Abbey 10mile. Part of Black sheep series.

11 Idle AC vests lined up for this race, the start of the Black Sheep Series.  Chris Stubbs was close to the club record in 6th position. There were pb’s from Amnuay and Pete V and from Lisa and Gary in their first 10mile races. Kay set a new F45 club record. 

May- Sun 16th

Leeds Half Marathon, 10am.

We had 12 runners for this local event held in hot conditions. However there were still a few pb’s including Doug. Lisa and Gary ran well in their first half marathon.

June – Thurs 10th June

Bronte 5, 7.30pm. Hilly two lap course.

19 runners, 3 club records broken and a Yorkshire vets trophy for Lisa Flesher who was 2nd F35 in the Yorks Vets Championships.

June - Sun 20th

Blackpool Half or Full Marathon, 9am. 2004 club race/weekend away.

 

We had 6 in the marathon which included Jo Belcher who set a new female club record in 3.44 and Vicki Hawker who ran her debut marathon. In the half three club records were broken: Doug Briggs 1.22 (male), Lisa Flesher 1.43 (F35) and Kay Gambles 1.44 (F45). 2nd F35 team in BMAF championships – Lisa, Archie and Janet.

July18 – Sun

Pudsey 10k, 10.45am.

14 runners and two team prizes. 3rd male team and 3rd female team.

Sept 26– Sun

Kirkstall Abbey 10k. 10am.

Get your entries in.

Oct – Sun 3rd

Horsforth 10k, 10am.

Ditto.

Oct- Sun 17th

Bridlington Half marathon, 12 Noon.

Pretty flat but sometimes windy.  Free use of leisure pool afterwards.

Oct–Sun 31st

Holmfirth 15mile. 10.30am.

Hilly 2 lap course.

Oct–Sun 31st

Roundhay Romp 10k.

 

Nov- Sun 7th

Guy Fawkes10mile10.30am.

Give completed entries to Martin.

Nov- Sun 28th

Abbey Dash 10k, 9.30am.

Entry forms now available or enter online.

   

Yorks Vets Grand Prix Race 6, Esholt July 14th. 6 miles.

 

Females:               

10th          Kay Gambles         50.02

13th          Laura Brook           51.10

14th          Amnuay Scott        52.03

16th          Davina Smith         52.39

 

Males:

31st          Simon Bellwood   43.12

38th          Steve Little              44.08

 

Stirton Fell Race, 4 miles/600ft. July 14th:

 

48th          Tony Blythe           52.42

97th          Phil Routh             63.25

 

Harrogate 10k results 1st Aug 04

 

178          Dave Lewis                             43.12

221          Richard Lyons                        44.38

231          Peter Helliwell        44.59

268          Dexter Wright                        46.15

334          Jo Belcher                               47.58

354          Laura Brook                           48.23

409          Lisa Flesher                            49.54

493          Vicki Hawker                          52.54

502          Lisa Hall                 53.12

512          Alison Garlick                        53.44

 

There were 622 runners

 

Hyde Park 5k, Leeds. Wednesday 4th Aug 04:

 

56            Dominic Hopson                  20.10

There were 137 runners.

 

Yorks Vets Grand Prix Race 7 Pudsey Aug 5th

 

Women

8              Lisa Flesher                            42.11

9              Kay Gambles                         43.01

 

Men

31            Simon Bellwood   36.19

42            Pete Helliwell                         38.26

46            Dave Lewis                             39.05

55            Michael Masleczko 40.17

70            Phil Routh                             43.32

 

Isle of Man Marathon: Sunday 15th August 2004

 

Jo finished as first woman:

12

3:37:15

BELCHER, Joanne

Idle AC

Ladies 18 - 34

27

4:01:34

VICKERS, Peter

Idle AC

Men 18 - 39

37

4:11:50

MASLECZKO, Michael

Idle AC

Men 40 - 44

 

There were 73 runners.

Isle of Man Half Marathon: Sunday 15th August 2004

 

53

1:45:36

HELLIWELL, Peter

Idle AC

Men 40 - 44

57

1:48:27

EAST, Edward

Idle AC

Men 18 - 39

There were 180 runners.

 

Look out of an article on the Isle of Man weekend in September’s Gossip.

 

Great Langdale Half Marathon Sunday 22nd Aug 04: A tough half!!

 

87  Dave Lewis   1.46.02

137 Steve Little   1.51.56

235 Kay Gambles 2.05.42

 

There were 348 runners.

 

 

 

Please continue to make Davina/Chris/Martin aware if you have raced so we can record the results in the Gossip and on the website.  If you have no official results please write the race details in the signing in book and we will try to obtain results.

Press Release: Manx Marathon Win. Telegraph & Argus 24th Aug.

Idle AC athletes were in action across the country at the weekend, again achieving notable success.

 

In the Isle of Man Marathon, Jo Belcher showed a clean pair of heels to all but 11 of the male runners, to win the women’s race with her 3:37 effort.  Having run the first half in 2 hours, she then ran in a stunning 1:37 second half marathon.  The 33 Year old distance specialist said afterwards “I just wanted to get it over with!”

 

At Arncliffe Gala, in the Yorkshire Dales, Ian Fisher, again seeking a road win in an Idle vest, was second in the 4 mile event despite breaking last year’s course record.  Evergreen Kay Gambles took the trophy for first female veteran, then went on to compete in the fell race.

In addition to individual success (see above) Idle AC goes from strength to strength in team competition. Firstly the women won the 1st place team prize at the Burn Valley Half marathon, then both the men and women finished in third place at the Pudsey 10k. Now the F35 women have picked up a prize in the British Masters Athletic Federation (BMAF) Half Marathon Championships, held in conjunction with the Blackpool Half Marathon. In the F35 category Idle AC finished in 2nd place with Lisa Flesher, Archie Devesher and Janet Burnside each being awarded team medals.  

 

London Marathon 2005: Sun 17th April 05.

If you’d like to run the London Marathon in 2005 you will need to enter using the official entry form that is within the official event magazine called Marathon News. These are now available in all good sports shops and we have a few copies at the club.

If you have applied to run or have run the event in the last five years a copy of Marathon News will be sent to you automatically.
Check out the London Marathon Website for details: www.london-marathon.co.uk 

Successful and unsuccessful applicants will receive a reply in early December 04.  Anyone who is unsuccessful in their entry will be eligible for the draw for the club entry, which normally takes place at the Christmas Do.  Idle AC will have at least 2 club entries.

 

In addition members gain an automatic place under the ‘good for your age’ system. If within the last 18 months you have run between 2.45 and 3.00 (men aged 18-40) or sub 3.15 (men aged 41-59), you qualify automatically, and must fill in a different form. Women aged 18-49 need to have run between 3.15and 3.45 in 2003 or 2004 to qualify automatically.

Fell Races: Aug-End October 04.                               

If you like the idea of fell running and would like to have a go please speak to Chris. 

 

All fell races are given a grade indicating length and difficulty. Difficulty is indicated by:

A, no less than 250 feet climb per mile, not more than 20% on roads, at least 1 mile in length (NASTY);

B, not less than 125 feet climb per mile, not more than 30% on roads (FAIRLY NASTY);

C, not less than 100 feet of climb per mile, not more than 40% on roads and contain genuine fell terrain (NOT VERY NASTY).

 

Length is indicated by: L, 12 miles or more; M, 6 miles and over but less than 12 miles; S, under 6 miles.

 

SAT AUG 28th RAGLEY RUN. BS. 1.30pm. 5m/750’ from the Fete Field, Blackshaw Head, Hebden Bridge. £2.50 on day.

 

SAT SEPT 4th MOUNT SKIP FELL RACE. BS. 3pm. 4.5m/1000’ from the gala field, Burnley Road, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge. £3 on day – includes entry into gala. Website: www.cvfr.co.uk

 

SUN SEPT 5th BRADLEY FAMILY DAY FELL RUN. BS. 4.35 pm. 3.5m/750’ from the Playing Fields, Bradley, near Skipton. £2 on day.

 

WED SEPT 8th ILKLEY INCLINE. CS. 7pm. 1 mile/560’ from the junction of Wells Road and Keighley Road, Ilkley. £1.50 on night. No toilet facilities.  Uphill only, tarmac road, then track. 

 

SAT SEPT 11th. BRISCOE’S BREWERY FESTIVAL FELL RACE. AS. 3pm. 3 miles/900’ from Danefield Park, East Chevin Road, Otley. £3 on day - includes pint of beer.  Entrants required to drink a pint of Briscoe’s beer to finish the race. Bottle of beer to all finishers. “Do” at “Cheerful Chilli” opposite race venue in the evening.

SAT SEPT 11th ERRINGDEN MOOR FELL RACE. BM. 12 noon. 8m/1900’ from Mytholmroyd Community Centre. £3 on day.  Experience required. Local knowledge an advantage. Course partially marked.

 

SUN SEPT 12th YORKSHIREMAN OFF -ROAD MARATHON. CL. 10am. 26.3 miles/3065’ from Westfield Lodge, Penistone Hill, Moorside Lane, Oxenhope. £8 individuals or £15 teams of two to organiser by Sept 6th. Refreshments on route, hot meal at finish. Website: www.keighleyandcraven.co.uk

SUN SEPT 12th HALF YORKSHIREMAN. BL. 10am. 13 miles/1750’ from Westfield Lodge, Penistone Hill, Moorside Lane, Oxenhope. £8 to organiser by Sept 6th. Reccy run may be useful. Refreshments on route, hot meal at finish. Website: www.keighleyandcraven.co.uk

 

SUN OCT 10th BRONTE WAY. BM. 11am. 8m/1150’ from Wycoller. £5 to organiser by Sept 24th or enter on day. Point to Point race from Wycoller to Haworth.  Beer to every finisher.  Pre-entries guaranteed coach to start from Haworth, leaving at 10am. Website: www.keighleyandcraven.co.uk

 

SAT OCT 24th WITHINS SKYLINE. BM. 11.30am. 7mile/1000’ from Penistone Hill Country Park, Haworth. £3 on day. All finishers receive a Cadbury’s “Curly Wurly”. Free coffee & biscuits.

 

SUN OCT 31ST RACE YOU TO THE SUMMIT. CS. 11.30am. 4m/800’ from the Summit Inn on the A6033 Todmorden Road, Summit, Near Littleborough. £3 on day. Local knowledge an advantage. Course partially marked. Website:  www.ogdenwater.freeserve.co.uk

 

IT IS VITAL THAT IF YOU BEGIN A FELL RACE AND THEN PULL OUT, YOU MUST INFORM THE ORGANISER AT ONCE.  OTHERWISE EMERGENCY SERVICES WILL BE DEPLOYED TO FIND YOU ON THE FELL.

 

EVEN IN SUMMER BRING FULL WATERPROOF BODY COVER – YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO CARRY IT.

 

Note: A full list of local fell races for 2004 is available at the club or via the website.   Chris also has a copy of the new FRA calendar.

 

 

Last month saw the launch of the Idle AC Runners forum & chat sites. There have been 5 Idle members who have applied for accounts to enter the restricted part of the site (Thanks guys for your interest).  Don’t forget you only need a member’s logon to get into the “members only” forum.  You can log on as an anonymous user to the global forum if you wish. 

 

I was initially disappointed with the response to this as nobody has posted any threads recently, but I do accept that it is early days & not everyone has unlimited web access.  So please try to make an effort this Summer & I’ll review progress again in a couple of months.  Remember it’s a communication medium for your benefit.

 

It’s been another interesting month at the Idle Web.  Overall hits for the month are down but just like last year June – September are traditionally low months for hits.

As usual the main hit pages have been the results & gossip pages, although we have had some hits on the winter league pages.  Top search string once again goes to Donna by at least 4 laps of a 400m track this month.  Burn valley results came a poor second, followed closely by the Sheffield & Blackpool marathons respectively a close 3rd & 4th.  Among the host of countries that are now hitting us, (the list is too long now to show them all), we’ve had some unusual ones.  Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Iceland, Mexico & even Brazil are having a small number of hits.

 

Thanks for sending in the many photographs this month.  I have published many of them on the relevant results pages.  It’s always nice to see photos of everyone enjoying themselves at races (maybe “enjoying” is not quite the right word looking at some of the photos though).

I have started looking at the “History of Idle AC” as a longer term web project, the idea being to build up an online diary of “milestones” in the club’s history.  This will be gradually built up over the next few months & will be available from news menu. 

If anyone has any further ideas for the website, I’m always happy to listen to suggestions. You can speak to me at the club on club nights or email me at: martin@idleac.co.uk  That’s all for this month folks.

 

Keep on Browsing - Martin.

Tough Guy: Nettle Warrior VII Sunday 25th July 2004.

Well there we were at the start, dressed in full camouflage gear, clutching cheap plastic AK-47 rifles. To our left was an enormous man in a yellow bikini, to our right, a squad of Roman centurions being flanked by a bunch of hysterical, only partially qualified gynaecologists. Clearly this was to be no ordinary race.

 

The Tough guy event is in a word: unique. It could be described as a cross-country run followed by an army-style assault course. However, that does not really do justice to the, multi-terrain, nettle ravaged, mud filled, skin-shredding, water-drenched madness that takes place twice a year in Perton, Staffordshire.

 

Lock & Load!!” , we grabbed our guns and we were ready.

 

Cheers, roars and klaxons filled the air and suddenly we were off. My friend and I immediately got split up and we sought each other out amongst the pink and green smoke engulfing the field.

 

The run part of the event (shortened for this year’s event), is approx. 4-5 miles and is known as The Country miles. It all started innocuously enough. My friend and I even managed to share a bit of banter with the fellow competitors as we rounded the first corner. However, this joviality would be short-lived. The course suddenly bottle-necked and we were reduced to walking pace up through the over-grown bracken. Without warning, competitors broke ranks and started carving their own path through the woods, whilst pointlessly trying to avoid the over-grown stinging nettles. This is where the race really started and it became apparent that the course makings were only a suggestion.

 

Lock & Load – Snap!”, we were already down to one and half plastic guns!

 

The course then twisted and turned, up and downed through fields and woodlands until we reached “The Slalom”. This is basically a number of extremely steep climbs and descents designed to induce maximum fatigue in your legs. It worked!

 

 We took a little breather at the end of this and gulped down some much-needed warm water. It was funny, I thought, we’re still remarkably dry for an event notorious for being muddy and wet. Then it was onto the “Grand National”, which was essentially a series of increasingly difficult “jumps” and if you hang around in the bottom of the pits too long then you started to get that sinking feeling.

 

OK, now we were muddy, smelly and very wet!

 

At the end of this it’s a quick vault over a log wall and onto the “Killing Fields”, which is where the assault course section takes place. The first obstacle that gets you is “The Tiger”, which is two 30 foot climbing frames that you have to negotiate and at the bottom, you must remember to avoid the electric fences. Sadly and rather amusingly, my friend did not avoid them and was thrown to the floor with a jolt!

 

Lock & Load!”, he whimpered.

 

What followed was the most smelliest, muddiest, wettest and downright knackering 90 minutes of our lives. There are things to climb up, slide down (ouch, watch those splinters!), wade through, duck under, paddle across and of course run through. In fact I don’t want to say too much, because if any of you are brave (for that read: stupid) enough to have a go at this course, then there should be some, (cough cough) surprises. All I will is say is avoid this race at all cost is you are acrophobic, claustrophobic, hate stinging nettles, can’t swim and are generally adverse to any forms of physical pain.

 

As we came to the end of our second lap (yes, you have to do 2 laps!), we were pretty exhausted, caked in mud and both smelt rather unusual, but we still had big smiles on our faces. We finished in a time of 2 hours 34 minutes and even rather foolishly discussed coming back in January for the winter event.

 

It had been a fantastic day and we made some new friends along the way. We had been slightly worried beforehand that it would be full of ex-army, gym-loving beefcakes and all our weaknesses would be painfully exposed. However, we needn’t have worried, because what we actually found was a whole range of abilities, crazy eccentrics and fellow runners, all willing to share a joke, offer encouragement and lend a helping a hand through the mud. Afterwards, in the communal showers (in the cattle shed!) there was real sense of shared endeavour, achievement, physical exhaustion and most of all fun, which is surely what all this should be about.

Lock & Load” - Stephen

Those who ran this series all seemed to really enjoy it. The final race results are as follows:

Burton Leonard 10k 25th July:

31 Simon Bellwood 43.58, 36 Steve Little 44.18, 62 Richard Lyons 47.44, 66 Pete V 48.03, 72 Michael M 48.32, 74 Jo Belcher 48.40, 88 Gary Naylor 50.02, 95 Lisa Flesher 50.51, 103 Davina Smith 51.12, 106 Kay Gambles 51.26, 118 Pete H 52.24, 122 Amnuay Scott 52.38.

There were 223 runners.

At the end of the series Jo Belcher has got 2nd place in the Women's under 35. Davina & Amnuay got 5th & 6th respectively in the F35's. Steve Little came 4th in M45, whilst Pete H & Michael M got 7th & 9th in the M40.

Check out the www.blacksheeprunners.co.uk website for series info and photos. There is a link from our website.

This month we welcome 1 new member – Clare Sweeney. Clare is a friend of Alison’s and a regular from the Wednesday night group. Clare seems to prefer off road and will be a real asset to the cross country team.

 

On Sunday 29th Aug the cricket club host their annual fun day which includes cricket for ALL, tombola and bar.  

Hopefully most of you will stay injury free and won’t need to visit a physio, however if you do I can recommend Haworth Physiotherapy.  The practice is run by Rebecca Marshall who is chartered and state registered.   Rebecca specialises in the area of Musculo-skeletal physiotherapy which means the assessment and treatment of sports injuries, back and neck pain, joint problems and post surgical conditions.  Chris, Pete Vickers and I have all visited Rebecca and I can recommend her having been helped to sort out my recent torn tendons. As a runner herself she fully understands the importance that runners place on their sport.

The cost of treatment is: Initial 45 min consultation - £30. Follow up treatment (30 mins) - £25. – Davina.

Please keep the evening of Friday 10th December free as we have booked a room at Idle Working Men’s Club for our Christmas Do. This year it will be a buffet and disco. Further details to follow.   

We now have entry forms for this popular 10 mile hilly course which has the first and last miles on forest trail bridle ways from the historic village of Ripley. Please return all completed forms to Martin as he works for CODA Financial intelligence who are one of the sponsors.

Jo’s jaw dropped visibly when I said I had run sixty marathons.  Her response worried me slightly and made me concerned that I should not say such things lightly.  I thought I’d better check.  So out came the training diaries.

 

Well the beauty of training diaries is that they are similar to the personal diaries that some people keep – they are a record of times past, which even if only ever read by the person who wrote them, can vividly bring those times back to life.  And what human being does not sometimes like to reminisce?  In running, as in life in general, we can look back on past times.  They may be better, or worse, or just plain humorously different.  We may be relieved that things aren’t like that any more, or we may wish to work out ways to make things more like that again.

 

So I got as far as 1991, and the entry for the Leeds marathon on 27th October, and an entry which looked like this:

 

26.2         2:42:07    LEEDS MARATHON                        GREAT PB

                                                                                                HAD BAD COLD

                                                                                                STOPPED AT 5 – STITCH

 

Well runners tell lies even to themselves – it can’t have been much of a cold!  But the entry did reactivate my memories of the event.  It began at 9:30 on a clear, frosty morning.  One of the by products of the chemical reaction in the muscles between oxygen and glycogen which produces energy for forward propulsion is heat, which must be got rid of to maintain the body’s correct temperature.  On this cold morning heat just dissipated away from my skin into the frosty air – only the centre of my chest got warm enough to sweat.  My arms were numb from the elbow down, making drinks cups a problem, but dehydration and heat exhaustion were never going to be a real issue.  Forced to slow down in the first half, I found I had plenty of reserves for the final miles.  Since most of my training had been completed on cold Yorkshire evenings, I was perfectly prepared and acclimatised for this race – in fact some of the course overlapped with my long runs from home.  In short, I was completely at home with the conditions, and ran the race of my life.

 

How all the conditions described above, though, can conspire against us in other races which are similarly described as marathons, as several other diary entries showed.  Despite months of training and diligent preparation, it happened to me four times, tantalisingly close to the finish.  With over 20 miles done I stopped, and started again.  And stopped.  My body did not wish to continue, though psychologically I could not handle stopping. Mentally, at this point in a marathon, stopping is not an option, but physically, continuing is not an option either.  It is one of those human situations where there is no painless solution.  The choice which is made is simply between two kinds of insufferable pain.  Few people, fortunately, are faced with such choices, and the mental scars which they leave.

 

Therefore we too, in our own small way, can alternate from that majestic figure sweeping to a great triumph, to a crumpled body slumped on a foreign pavement.

 

And finally, Jo, those sixty marathons?  Well I took out the vague off roaders and ultras, and counted the rest.  There’s a diary missing, but I reckon it’s 40.  Sorry Jo but I’m a total fraud – you shouldn’t listen to anything else I say.

 

Chris.

 

 

 

 

 

Current Men’s Club Records

 

Distance

Category

Name

Time

5 Km

Open

Joe Marjoram

17.08

M40

Dexter Wright

19.22

M45

David Lewis

18:46

5 Miles

Open

Chris Stubbs

31:02

M40

Simon Bellwood

35.06

M45

Richard Lyons

36.19

10 Km

Open

Douglas Briggs

36.48

M40

David Lewis

40:41

M45

Steve Little

39:45

10 Miles

Open

Chris Stubbs

1:04:00

M40

David Lewis

1:13:44

M45

Steve Little

1:08:54

Half Marathon

Open

Douglas Briggs

1:21:01

M40

David Lewis

1:33:15

M45

Steve Little

1:28:38

15 Miles

Open

Chris Stubbs

1:40:10

M40

Peter Helliwell

2:00:02

M45

Trevor Hooley

2:03:18

20 Miles

Open

Chris Smith

2:24:00

M40

Simon Bellwood

2:32:57

Marathon

Open

Chris Smith

3:04:12

M40

Simon Bellwood

3:27:25

 

Women’s records overleaf.

Current Women’s Club Records

Distance

Category

Name

Time

5 Km

Open

Donna Edmondson

19:33

F35

Lisa Flesher

21.26

F40

Laura Brook

22.04

F45

Kay Gambles

20.59

5 Miles

Open

Donna Edmondson

34:57

F35

Lisa Flesher

39:29

F45

Kay Gambles

40.03

10 Km

Open

Donna Edmondson

42:33

F35

Davina Smith

46:06

F45

Kay Gambles

48:58

10 Miles

Open

Donna Edmondson

1:13:00

F35

Davina Smith

1:19:41

F45

Kay Gambles

1.25.36

Half Marathon

Open

Donna Edmondson

1:35:14

F35

Lisa Flesher

1:43:06

F40

Kay Gambles

1:51:00

F45

Kay Gambles

1:44:44

15 Miles

Open

Joanne Belcher

1:57:53

F35

Amnuay Scott

2:00:43

20 Miles

Open

Joanne Belcher

3:01:18

F35

Davina Smith

3:01:01