Monthly Archives: July 2009
Sefton Park 5 Mile Results 22/07/09
Helsby Summer Series – Current standings
Given that we have had several meetings recently looking at how we can increase the club membership and generate more enthusiasm at the club I thought I would put together a sales pitch for the Summer Series.
As a new boy at Helsby this is the first time I have been involved in the summer series and so far I can safely say it has been great fun. I was a bit dubious about finding my way to the centre of Birkenhead for the 5 miler in the park, but it turned out to be an excellent race giving me my best time of the year on a fast traffic free 3 lap course. Whitley 10km was another new one for me again a great race though I wasn’t expecting so much of a hill on roads just south of Warrington.
Whilst on the subject of hills perhaps even more fun than the road series has been the fell races. From relatively easy hill/trail races such as Rainow and Bollington to the steep up and downs of Edale and Moel Y Gamelin I have enjoyed them all. Everyone has been different with its own character, the one thing they all had in common was excellent scenery and superb views.
However after running in many races over the last 15 years in the unattached category the thing that I have enjoyed most is being part of the Helsby team. The support you get is excellent (No one shouts louder than Joe). So I can thoroughly recommend both the road and fell summer series.
Current Standings
Road Series
With the road series just past the half way point the current standings are:
Ladies
Chester Spring 5 | Whitley 10k | Christleton 5k | Dunham Massey 5k | Birkenhead 5m | Comberbach Fete 5k | Burtonwood 5m | Total | |
Janet Shaw | 15 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 102 | |
Vanessa Griffiths | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 96 | ||
Carol Shaw | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 94 | ||
Lesley Feakes | 19 | 18 | 37 | |||||
Jackie Keasley | 18 | 19 | 37 | |||||
Sarah Price | 17 | 19 | 36 | |||||
Rachel Arnold | 19 | 17 | 36 | |||||
Janet Robinson | 20 | 20 | ||||||
Jane Ashbrook | 20 | 20 | ||||||
Valarie Ball | 16 | 16 |
Men
Chester Spring 5 | Whitley 10k | Christleton 5k | Dunham Massey 5k | Birkenhead 5m | Comberbach Fete 5k | Burtonwood 5m | Total | |
Geoff Shaw | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 109 | |
Adair Broughton | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 100 | ||
Ian Landucci | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 78 | |||
Andy Todd | 15 | 17 | 16 | 48 | ||||
Steve Riley | 19 | 18 | 37 | |||||
Dave Feakes | 18 | 18 | 36 | |||||
Dave Madders | 16 | 18 | 34 | |||||
Andy Smith | 19 | 19 | ||||||
Mike Searle | 18 | 18 | ||||||
Mick Charman | 17 | 17 | ||||||
Ian Hilditch | 17 | 17 |
Fell Series
After 6 races
Ladies
Herod Farm | Rainow | Mynydd Myfyr | Edale Country Day | Moel -y-Gamelin | Bollington Nostalga | Total | |
Jane Ashbrook | 19 | 20 | 20 | 59 | |||
Vanessa Griffiths | 20 | 19 | 39 | ||||
Janet Robinson | 20 | 20 | |||||
Jackie Keasley | 19 | 19 | |||||
Kathryn Roberts | 19 | 19 | |||||
Lesley Feakes | 17 | 17 |
Men
Herod Farm | Rainow | Mynydd Myfyr | Edale Country Day | Moel-y-Gamelin | Bollington Nostalga | Total | |
Phil Gillard | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 93 | |
Andy Todd | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 86 | |
Adair Broughton | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 80 | ||
Ian Landucci | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 76 | ||
Steve Riley | 19 | 19 | 38 | ||||
Andy Smith | 18 | 18 | |||||
Robbie Webster | 17 | 17 | |||||
Dave Feakes | 17 | 17 | |||||
Stephen McCue | 16 | 16 |
Burtonwood 5mile pics
Some snaps of the guys and gals in action at Burtonwood to add to Adair’s excellent writeup.
enjoy,
Andy
Burtonwood 5Mile Race Results – 18/07/09
An Unusual Half-Marathon
I’ve just come across an unusual half-marathon that some of you might be interested in doing. It’s across Morecambe Bay, from Flookburgh (Cark Airfield) to Hest Bank, on Sunday 16th August at 1.30 pm. To quote from the flyer: “Run mainly on sands, this unique race crosses the River Kent and yes you will get wet, very wet!”. I know from experience that the Morecambe Bay sands are generally quite firm, and at low tide the river will be about 100 yards wide and no more than knee-deep.
The entry fee is £20, and runners are also asked to raise at least £30 sponsorship (for CancerCare). Further details can be found at: http://www.crossbayrun.org.uk and at : http://www.runnersworld.co.uk.
John Dearden
Change of Details – The Tavern Fell Race
Bollington Nostalgia run
A pleasant summer’s day and some excellent running round the foothills of Bollington. What more could you want?
The race started and finished from the centre of Bollington and was run over a very varied terrain consisting of roads, hills, canal tow paths and with a steep finish on the cobbles.
A good turn out of 9 Helsby runners joined many other runners, including lots from Wilmslow, Tattenhall, Macclesfield and Penny Lane Striders who, like us, all had this in their club race series. We also had the company of a number of runners from the Cambridge University running club. Apparently up for a party in Rainow the previous night and clearing the hangovers with a Sunday morning race.
The results for Helsby runners:
20 Adair Broughton – 48:47
44 Ian Landucci – 53:03
61 Jane Ashbrook – 56:05
73 Phil Gillard – 58:21
74 Dave Feakes – 58:28
93 Vanessa Griffiths – 61:55
116 Stephen McGue – 66:26
119 Andy Todd – 67:11
127 Lesley Feakes 69:31
Special mention should be made of Stephen McGue in his first race for the club. I can clearly remember only a few weeks ago running in with him after his very first club run and asking him how much running he had done previously. Only to find out that it was his first proper run. Well done Steve!
Also it was the first (hopefully of many) fell race for Dave and Lesley Feakes.
Full results on the Wilmslow running club website
Pictures from Dave Pinnington’s excellent collection of race photos.
Ian
Saunders Tour of the South Lakes
Well done to Helsby Runners Jackie Keasley, Rachel Arnold and Andy Robinson who enjoyed two days of great scenery participating in the Saunders Tour of the South Lakes. Please enjoy reading what they got up to!
- Before…
- and After!
This weekend over 1100 runners took part in the 31st Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon. The race has many courses of varying distance and endurance from the ‘seemingly impossible’ singles Klets down through the just slightly more possible Scafell, Bowfell Kirk Fell, Carrock Fell, Wansfell and Beda Fell pairs classes. Helsby’s Rachel Arnold and Jackie Keasley competed in the Bowfell class along with Andy Robinson and friend Chris Vardy.
Rachel & Jackie set off at 8:30 on Saturday in pouring rain and low cloud but, as if by magic and as forecast, it soon cleared and we were off on our non-stop tour of the lakes – breakfast in Coniston, elevenses in Little Langdale, lunch in the gaze of the Scafells, afternoon tea in Eskdale and dinner at our camp at Duddon – with the flanks of Pike O’ Blisco, Crinkle Crags, Stoney Tarn (what a beautiful unvisited spot) and Green Crag visited enroute. The next time it poured down was right at the end, but by then it just did not matter! An evening of continuous eating and chatting was spent at the stunning (and normally quiet) Turners Hill campsite before we continued on our weekend tour pulling in Harter Fell, Hard Knott Fell, Little Stand, Great Carrs, Swirl How and for the finale a comprehensive tour of the Coniston Copper Mines area!
Well done to Andy and Chris who finished 18th overall (15th age corrected) in the Bowfell class in a total time of 11hrs 57mins.
Rachel and Jackie finished 40th overall (don’t ask out of how many) in a time of 14 hrs 52mins and were delighted as they just kept going with no navigational errors – all weekend another pair of ladies kept whizzing past them as they were much faster runners, but then kept going wrong – their mini challenge was to win the tortoise and the hare race and they did!
The overall winner was Stuart Bellamy who won the Klets in a total time of 9hrs 49mins. This was in part thanks to Rachel who happened to spot him in a panic because he was late for Sunday’s chasing start and helped him quickly pack up and get off. If you cant beat them, help them!
Many thanks to Jackie for this article.
What’s all this then?
I started this thing just over a month ago to get more information about the club, and the joys of running, to the outside world. The old website had gone a bit stale and its author had moved on. This is a simple way to update things, without geek skills.
As a club I think we undersell ourselves. We’re a great club, but for whatever reason that message doesn’t always get out. This is one way.
Success?
We’ve had well over 700 hits so far — a lot of websites don’t get that in a lifetime! So it looks like we’ve tapped into something.
What next?
Longer term we’ll resurrect the old helsbyrunningclub.com website and get everything integrated on one site. Baby steps though.
It’s not just my blog, it’s Helsby RC’s blog. Get involved, suggest a story, heck write a story, send me your pics, comment on the posts (click the comment button on every post, start with that one down there if you like). Andy and Adair are also admins and can add content to the site. Thoughts welcome. Over to you lot…