Bunny Run #2 (CS, 3 miles, 300ft) & some Spen success!

This time I was feeling more confident, since I'd had a bit more rest, and my legs were not feeling like rubber prior to the race. Matthew was also in a confident mood after his bunny pb at the previous race. The Spen numbers were up too, as Tim had managed to get out of work early, and Steve Moss was making a welcome return to this event after an absence of over 3 years. Steve hadn't even run on the "new" course, and had been concentrating on much longer distances, and as such, I was quietly confident that I would be the first Spen runner back, even though I'd never beaten Steve in any race previously. I did feel that Steve had a good chance in the M60 category though, since I'd beaten the best M60 from 2008 in the previous race (1st time I'd ever done so, I might add).

The conditions were perfect, dry, overcast, and little wind. About as good as it ever gets for this location. The race was off to the usual frantic start, and true to form, Steve was doing his best "grumpy old man" impression, shouting "why don't you lot start at the back!" as he barged through some of the kids and slower runners who were getting under his feet.





The frantic start

I was just behind Steve and Matthew, but passed them both early on the first climb, and from there, I didn't look round again. I felt to be running faster than the previous week, even when I'd tired. Just like last week, I was caught on the final climb by my friend Nigel from Halifax Harriers, and try as I might I couldn't re-catch him before the finish, but this time it was just one second between us.

It was success all round though, I managed a sub-20 minute run for the first time, Steve came in next to win the M60 age category beating 2008 M60 series winner Dave Tait from Dark Peak, and hot on Steve's heels, just one place behind with probably the best Spen run of the night was Matthew who destroyed his previous best for the course by 1 minute 18 secs. Tim was next on his first bunny of 2009, followed by Jackie who also improved on the previous week, and Henry with another good run.

M60 Category Winner and "grumpy old man", the one and only Steve Moss

Spen Results
73  CHRIS JONES   V40  19.59
84  STEVE MOSS    V60  20.31 (age category winner)
85  MATTHEW JONES U14  20.35
135 TIM WRAGG     V40  22.18
188 JACKIE CARTER FV40 25.03
244 HENRY CARTER  U14  31.22

248 finishers, 1 retired

Full results here

All photos (c) 2009 Paul Wood

Anniversary Waltz Fell Race (AM, 11.5 miles, 3600ft)

The Anniversary Waltz has a reputation for being one of the most popular races in the fell running calendar, and as the timing of the race seemed to fit pretty well with my 3 Peaks preparation, and as the 1st race in the FRA English Jnr Championship was running alongside it, I pre-entered. The only downside was that by running myself, I'd miss watching Matthew and Sarah as the junior races were running in parallel to then main race.

Although the distance of 11.5 miles is less than half of the 3 Peaks distance, the ascent of 3,600 ft is only 900 ft short, and hence it was no walk-in-the-park. My plan was to start slow, and then pick runners off as the race progressed. For me, holding myself back is always a major problem, but I was determined to do just that.

The weather was perfect, sunny and clear, so navigation was unlikely to be an issue, however there were still opportunities to take a bad route, particularly on the descents.

The first checkpoint (Robinson) was at about 2,300ft, and it took me just short of an hour to reach that point, I made a route choice to go for a steeper section on the climb, but I don't think I gained anything. Still, I felt reasonably comfortable on reaching the top, then a fast descent followed by another climb to checkpoint 2 (Hindscarth). Less of a descent followed to the 3rd climb and checkpoint (Dale Head), and I was still making up a few places.

Then came the steep and technical descent, and I was feeling pretty cautious, I also took a line which didn't work out too well, and lost a few places, However, I was still feeling ok climbing to checkpoint 4 (High Spy), and remember thinking to myself how good I was feeling. Then it hit me, as the climb to the final checkpoint started, so did my tiredness, and by the time I reached checkpoint 5 (Catbells) I was flagging. Luckily, from there, it was downhill to the start, although some of it very technical.

On the descent, I managed to turn first my right ankle, although a neat forward roll, and I was back on my feet, but within 100m, I then did the same on my left ankle, again a forward roll and I was back running, but that one hurt like hell. It's a real sign of tiredness when you start to do that, and I was pretty annoyed with myself for losing concentration. I lost maybe 4 or 5 places from Catbells to the finish, but overall I was pretty satisfied.

I'd recommend this race to anyone, although it's not for beginners, because it's just too technical. I enjoyed it thoroughly, although the weather obviously helped. The only downer is the long drive up to Keswick, which meant spending 5 hours at the wheel of the car.

Spen Results
161 Chris Jones MV40 2:16:07

469 finishers

Full results here

Bunny Run #1 - A Junior Perspective

A windy race is as good as it gets on top of Penistone Hill, which appears to have it's own weather system. It seemed like there were loads more runners than last year's series, so busy in fact that we couldn't even get our usual parking space!

Due to the numbers, the start was cramped and when we set off one of the smaller runners got trampled which must have hurt because a couple of runners were wearing spikes. The race conditions didn't change as the race went on and due to the extra training I've been doing I felt very good all the way around (except for maybe the last hill!).

Overall I had a very good run, coming in, in a time of 21:53 which was a minute or more quicker than any time last year and was a PB. I hope I do even better next week!

Bunny Run #1 (CS, 3 miles, 300ft)

April is here, and it's time for the Bunny Run series once again! For those of you who are not yet initiated into this race series, it's a short fell/trail race over 3 miles at Penistone Hill country park near Haworth, organised by the Woodentops (aka Dave and Eileen Woodhead)

With the 3 Peaks Fell Race only a couple of weeks away now, and still recovering (suffering?) from a 5.5 hour/22 mile training run with Steve, Gareth et al just 2 days before, I confess that I was neither relishing nor in fact feeling in any fit state to run at all, never mind in a fast-and-furious race such as these tend to be. However, Matthew just loves these races, as he gets an opportunity to race against adults, whilst not feeling he is under scrutiny or pressure, and he was quite insistent that I should compete, so in the end I relented.

There was a huge turnout of around 280 runners (5 from Spen), and some jostling to be on the front row, as there was some real competition up front with the likes of Ian Holmes, Andi Jones and Olympic triathlete Alistair Brownlee all spotted lining up for the start. Usually, many of the younger runners manage to squeeze their way to the front, which is ok for the fast ones, but can cause some overcrowding problems.

Before we'd gone 20 yards, I heard someone shout "child" and saw that one of the youngsters had fallen right in the midst of the stampede. At the end, someone asked me what club he/she was from, and I said "I don't know, but the kit was a white vest with stud marks up the back!". Seriously though, I hope they were ok.

I went off too fast, and mid-way through the 2nd lap was really paying the price, as I started to fade badly. However, I was still ahead of some runners who had beaten me last year at the finish, with a time of 20:24. Matthew came in at 21:53 which was a big improvement for him, beating his PB from 2007, and a minute up on most of his last years times, hopefully a sign of things to come this year.

My time of 20:24 was 8 seconds outside of my previous best time for the course, which I did in BR#4 in 2008. I was trying to rationalise whether or not I should be pleased with that result. There are many factors, and I can't easily determine if it was a decent performance.

How does anyone else go about comparing performances between fell races, or is it simply not possible? My previous best for this race was in #4 of the series last year, when I did little running training, but had done a few races. However, the general conditions last year were worse (muddier) and I improved throughout the series. This year I've done more training, and got off to a better start, even though I was pretty tired from the weekend. Does it bode well? Tune in next week, same time, same channel...

Spen Results
 80 Chris Jones     M40  20:24
114 Matthew Jones   U14B 21:53
202 Jackie Carter   F40  25:21
264 Henry Carter    U14B 31:16 <-- 1st fell race, well done Henry! 
271 Amanda Pearson  F40  33:49 

281 finishers, 5 retired

Full results here

Wakefield 10K 2009

There was a good turnout of Spen runners at the recent Wakefield 10K (although Antony didn't have a club name in the results which I assume was a mistake).

There is a write up of the race on Antony's blog, which sounded like a good old battle between himself and Kevin.

Nice to see Simon Hudson back in action too!

Spen Results (these are chip times)
10  Kevin Ogden     M35 34:47
11  Antony Bradford M40 34:56
113 Simon Hudson    M35 40:35
155 Steven Peacock  M45 42:06
425 Emma Maguire    F40 47:31
464 Karl Speight    M   48:24
893 Barbara Millet  F40 56:57

1182 runners

Full results here

YouTube Appearances

Spen athletes have been spotted on YouTube. Click the links below...

Pennine 10k 2009 - clip #1 (Kevin Ogden & Keith McGhie) on the start line
Pennine 10k 2009 - clip #2 (Kevin & Keith again) near start of clip
Pennine 10k 2009 - clip #3 (2 K's once more) at 1km, near start of clip. You might also spot some others later on.

Stanbury Splash 2008 - Matthew Jones makes a brief appearance in the junior run (around 1:40 into the clip)



Anyone know of more?

Favourite Sport-Related Books

As a diversion from endless race reports, I thought I'd kick off another thread to the blog, so here goes...

These are a few of the best sports-related books I've read, in no particular order. Clicking the titles will take you to Amazon where you can read some proper reviews, or buy the book. Does anyone else have any recommendations?

Can You Make a Living Doing That?: The True-life Adventures of a Professional Triathlete

This book is written by ex-pro triathlete Brad Kearns. It's an account of his career from joining the pro-ranks through to throwing in the towel at the end. Brad is a real character, and the book is both funny and enlightening. His unconventional views on training really struck a chord with me, and some of the stories had me laughing out loud.

Rough Ride

This book is written by Irish ex-pro cyclist Paul Kimmage (I believe he has a column in one of the broadsheets now), and he tells the warts-and-all story of what it's like to be a pro cyclist at the middle to back end of the professional peloton, exposing the pressure cyclists are under from management and sponsors alike to succumb to taking drugs. I defy anyone to read this book without concluding that pro cycling is the toughest sport out there!

Feet in the Clouds: A Story of Fell Running and Obsession<

The only book I know about Fell Running, and as such an obligatory read for fell runners. It'a about one mans obsession with the Bob Graham round. It gives a lot of information about the history of Fell Running in this country, and about the top runners past and present. The author, Richard Askwith, would probably describe himself as a middle-of-the-pack standard, although I've seen his name in the results in a few races, and I'd say he was better than that. I know Steve Moss has competed in the same races as the author and they were not far apart in the result I saw.

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

Lance Armstrong's story about his fight against cancer. It's totally inspirational, the guy is absolutely driven. I came away from reading this book with a huge respect for Lance, although he never came across as being particularly likeable character in my eyes. Still, if you have any doubts about what can be achieved in the face of adversity, then this is bound to make you think again. The sequel to this book (every second counts) was pretty dismal reading.

Touching the Void

Sheffield climber Joe Simpsons book about how he survived a climbing disaster in the Peruvian Andes. To call this a near death experience would be doing it an injustice, he was a hairs breadth away from death. It's a really moving story, and one that has since been made into a documentary style film. The film was good, but the book is better.

Survival of the Fittest: Anatomy of Peak Physical Performance

Dr Mike Stroud, probably best known now for his 7 Marathons on 7 continents in 7 days with Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Examines the effect on the human body whilst taking part in extreme events. He switches between an account of the event (in which he is himself is taking part) and the medical parts. The evnts themselves include such things as the Marathon de Sables, Antarctic Crossings, Adventure races in South America, and even the London Marathon. Really interesting stuff.

The Escape Artist: Life from the Saddle

A very moving, human story about a passionate amateur cyclist, who's world is turned upside down when his wife develops a terminal illness. I like this book, because the author is very much an amateur, like all of us, with the same training obsessions etc. and it shows how fragile we all are. A bit glum, but a great read.

The Flying Scotsman: The Graeme Obree Story

The now well known story of the maveric Scottish cyclist, and manic depressive Graeme Obree, and how he because world pursuit champion, and twice holder of "the hour" record, which used to be the holy grail of cycling. The story is a mix of tragedy and comedy in equal measures, and has now been made into a film, but again, the book is better.

the rider

This is a bit different, it's actually a short novel written from the perspective of a cyclist taking part in a cycle race. It's complete fiction, but captures the sort of thoughts that go through your mind when racing. A bit hard to describe really, but I did like it a lot.

More are cycling related than running, but running books seem to be thin on the ground, and have a tendency to be rubbish when you do find one (yes I have read Paula Radcliffe's biography).
.

South Leeds 5 Mile Road Race

Antony Bradford and Keith McGhie were both burning the tarmac in this race, and Antony has posted a review on his blog.

Keith was the winner of his age category, and Antony was second in his. Excellent run guys!

Spen results
9  Antony Bradford MV40 29:13
19 Keith McGhie    MV45 30:58

239 runners

Full results are here.

Spen 20 Road Race (20 miles, 1150ft)

Despite this being one of our own clubs 2 road races, I must confess that I've never really had the desire to enter it myself. This is for 2 reasons, (a) It's too far for me (b) Road running hurts my knees. However, having marshalled it for the last few years in conditions ranging from freezing cold to outright blizzards, and with the 3 peaks looming ever nearer, I decided that it would be better to enter the race, than miss another training session doing marshalling duties.

The race route is a bit of a convoluted figure of eight, where miles 5-9 and 15-19 are basically the same section.

My expectations were fairly conservative, I know people say that often to make an pre-race excuse, but in this case it's absolutely true. I'd raced hard the day before, and it was going to be my first road race since 2006. However, I'd mentally set myself a goal of somewhere between 2:40 and 2:50 even though I was treating it more like a tough training run.

The weather on the day was perfect, fopr the record field of 300+ runners too, although not too many from Spen. I counted 2 ladies (Jackie Carter & Hazel Pike) and 4 men (John Henry, Steve Hemingway, Naz Hussain and myself) although Steve and Naz were not wearing club vests. Also present was long-time Spen runner, and now K&C Steve Carter.

Chatting with Steve at the start, I soon gave up on the idea that running with him, deciding it would be foolish on my behalf, and that it might be better to try to stick with John, just for as long as it felt comfortable, but not get dragged into a race. As it happened I stayed with John and Steve for less than 2 miles before deciding to just do my own thing, and left them heading off into the distance.

The first 10 miles went pretty well, although I could already feel the cumulative effect of the previous days exertions, and by mile 12 it was getting tougher. By 15 miles I'd had enough, but still felt I could get round, so just plugged away. By mile 18, on the drag up to Roberttown I was reaching the end of the road, but knew that the last 2 miles were more or less downhill/flat, and that kept me going. I was pretty relieved to cross the finish line, and my time was 2:35:34 ish. John Henry was first back in 2:32 ish (I think). I figured he'd gone though a bad patch somewhere, since I expected to be much further behind him.

Now, just to show what a master of pacing I am (not) here are my mile splits, with the equivalent miles marked together for comparison.

Talk about fading badly eh!

Thanks to all the marshalls, helpers and supporters who turned out on the day.

Spen results
113 John Henry       M50 2:33:11
123 Chris Jones      M45 2:35:36
177 Steven Hemingway M45 2:49:31
215 Jackie Carter    F45 3:02:55
236 Hazel Pike       F40 3:17:13
253 Nazir Hussain    M55 3:41:05

258 finishers

Full results here

Windmills Whizz (BM, 7 miles 800ft)

Saturday saw a record turnout for the Windmills Whizz fell race at Odgen Water near Halifax. Spenborough runners spotted included Gareth, Tim, Chris Jones and Chris King.

Tim and Chris J have run this race for the last two years, both times following a Friday night out on the beer. In the interests of providing accurate comparison against previous years timings they followed the same pre-race preparation, and as such were running with a 6 pint handicap.

The race starts from the edge of Ogden Water with a steady climb up onto the moors. Any cobwebs were quickly blown away by the fresh westerley winds. Chris J and Gareth set off near the front of the field and managed to gain quite a few places thanks to some of the front runners taking a wrong turn at the road junction and heading off in the wrong direction. From this point the route is largely on tarmac, but does include a sharp rise up to the wind farm and around the windmills.

The final stretch follows a fast track back down to the edge of the reservoir. Chris Jones was first Spen back beating his previous time by a couple of minutes, with Gareth close on his heels. Tim and Chris K followed them in a few minutes later.

Spen Results (somewhat skewed by many front runners taking the wrong route)

18 CHRIS JONES     48:45 V40
19 GARETH PATCHETT 48:49 V40
49 TIM WRAGG       52:28 V40
67 CHRIS KING      53:43

122 finishers

Full results here

Antony Bradford - blog link

If you haven't seen it yet, our top road runner Antony Bradford has a really cool blog, with some interesting articles and great race reports.

Here are links to his reports on the Norton 9 Mile race, and the Liversedge Half Marathon.

Should competing athletes be expected to take on roles of responsibility within the club?

Most of the blog entries so far have been race reports, so here is one to break with tradition.

Should competing athletes be expected to take on roles of responsibilty within the club?

An accusation often leveled at athletes is that they are not prepared to take on roles of responsibility within the club. But is it fair to expect this from a competing athlete?

It's a tricky one, and I'm sure views will be divided. But there are 2 key words for me here, competing and expected. I've given this some thought, and my personal opinion is that it is something that should not be expected of a competing athlete, and here are my reasons for saying that...

• Our club motto is "train to compete", and in order to compete to the best of one's ability, it's necessary to put a lot of time into training, and that doesn't leave much time for anything else.

• We need to attract new members, and that means marketing the club. What better way of marketing the club is there, than week after week, pulling on a club vest, getting out there and competing?

• The club needs successful athletes to get articles in local papers, and to show up in the results in athletics periodicals, again promoting the club.

• In addition to the time needed for training, there is the travel to events, and in the case of those who are also the parents of competing junior athletes, taking them to and from events and providing support for them and their fellow team-mates.

• Contrary to popular opinion, training isn't all about having "fun" (although it can be at times) in fact sometimes it's a real drudge, getting out in the cold & wet and putting in the miles when you're tired from a hard days work is just plain tough!
  

Taking the above points into consideration, I believe that the competing athlete plays just as important a role (no more or less) for the club as an official of the club. Naturally, if the athlete personally feels they are able to dedicate the time and resources into taking on a such a role, there should be nothing to stop them doing so.

Thoughts anyone?

Noon Stone Fell Race (AM, 9 miles, 2300ft)

This is a great race, a real tough fell race, and one of my favourites. There is a nice web page about it on the Todmorden Harriers (organisers) site, and a pdf map. The race has been used in the British Championships in the past, and has a bit of everything, including a third of the course which is unflagged.

In 2006, Steve Moss and me (Chris) did this race, and it had snowed the night before, leaving the hills covered in 3 inches of snow. On the Saturday morning, it was a glorious day, brilliant sunshine, and I ran the entire face with that "glad to be alive" feeling. Check out our 2006 results.

This year, it was cloudy and grey, and I was the solitary Spen runner, but at least it was fairly warm at about 8C. I was also looking forward to it in a strange way, although I knew it would probably be the toughest race I'd done in the last 2 years. My sense of urgency regarding the looming 3-Peaks race in April made me want to test my legs out a bit.

The race starts with a short run down a lane to split the field, then it's straight into the first major climb. Then it drops down towards, but not quite reaching Withens Gate (Leg 2 on Calderdale Way) before climbing once more to Stoodley Pike. From there it drops down again to Withens Clough Reservoir, crosses the stream and climbs once more. At the top of the climb, it's onto the unflagged section which is basically across a heather moor, to the first checkpoint (Two Lads) 2nd check point (Little Holder Stones) 3rd check point (rain channel), then it's about a mile of reasonably runnable stuff before dropping back down the first hill, and finishing half way down the lane.

My tactic was to try not to over-cook it at the beginning, which I have a bad habit of doing, and to have something left in the tank for the end of the race. For me, pacing myself is going to be the biggest challenge in the 3 Peaks, so I want to try to restrain myself a bit in the shorter races during the lead-up.

The toughest section was the unmarked crossing of the moor, mainly because the "bog monsters" were out in force! I sunk over my knees a couple of times, and it was really strength sapping stuff. Anyone who's been running on any races over the tops recently will know what I mean, since it seems to me that almost every race is made harder by the ground being saturated from the persistent wet weather we've had over the last 2 years.

So, how did it go? Well, there were bits where I felt good, and bits where I felt bad. For some reason, my descending was a bit cautious (unusual for me) but sometimes it goes that way, I can never tell whether I'm going to be a bit cavalier or not until I tackle the first descent, and today I was not. On the other hand, I climbed the steep ascents fairly strongly (the ones where everyone walks) and I was OK over the rough stuff. I still felt that I had a bit left in the tank at the end, my lungs were good, but the legs could tell they had taken a beating.

Down to the Top Brink Inn for a "Fell Runners Chip Butty" for £1.50 and a pint of Taylors Landlord. Now that's what Fell Racing is all about!

Oh, and my time was unofficially 1:32:10 which was 4 minutes faster than 2006 (and faster than Steve's 2006 time to boot) - can't complain at that!

Actual result was the same time 1:32:10, 95th overall out of 248 finishers, with 3 retired. A big leap in overall numbers since 2006 when there were only 110 in the race.

Full results here

National Cross Country - Parliament Hill

Frank wouldn't be caught without his Athletics Weekly







A beautiful sunny day in London saw me (Gareth) and Frank Reddington down in London for the National. Good train ride down with Frank dictating his latest Athletics weekly to me for the journey (Some kind of hypnotic learning means I now know the favourite for the East Devon Shot putt pre season warm up event, even though I wasn't listening).

After a warm up on the Friday night is was off for a pint and a meal before an early night. With very blurred memories of more Althetics weekly and radio 3 wafting in my ears I drifted off for a good nights sleep.

Breakfast in the hotel was good with plenty of wholemeal bread and cereal. Me and Frank then went to pass some time at the Imperial War Museum before heading back to prepare.

The 14 degree weather means its 'singlet' only weather. We head for the course. After taking a long way round to get to the course we watched the junior men and the senior ladies. Sadly no spen athletes in evidence. Then the terrible job of finding the spen 'tent' (which was actually a tree) and our numbers. After mild panic we found Amanda and we were ready. U13 boys had a couple of our runners and one finished 7th (Liam).

Last minute toilet stops (yes stops, must be our age) and then to the massive start. Beating Frank is a neccessity to avoid banter in the pub (poor Frank is the milestone to fitness and always everyone's benchmark for a good race). I was OK though as had been 2 mins faster the week before so I was not under pressure.

The start was the usual gallup and it was the last time I saw Frank. Then into the mud and the hills (well hillets). Very muddy as usual but feeling strong I edged up the pace to 7min mile (yes impressive eh!). Passed Liam Spencer of Keighley half way round lap 1 so I knew I was cooking.

Parliment Hill is the hardest of them all I think, and there was no danger of it being short after all the critism in the Athletics weekly (yes I remember that clearly). So after some 57 minutes (57.12) of running I 'sprinted in'. 985th out of 1455. Frank wasn't as far back as I had realised and came in 1083rd in 58.53 (yes 100+ runners in less than 2 minutes).

Then I was up for a KFC and a copy of Cycling Weekly . We then went out for a bite to eat and a gallon of beer. I don't really remember what I was listening to as I fell asleep but I can't find my cycling weekly and even more worrying is I now know that Doris Sweeney (Tiverton Wheelers) is favourite for the East Devon Ladies O55 50 mile Time Trial!

Winter hill Fell Race (AM 11.5 miles, 2750ft) Report by Steve Moss

Lining up for this race as the only spen runner felt more like normal as the rest seem to have acquired some sense and gone off to lesser climbs. Still this is still one of the tougher moorland runs made harder by the conditions of ice and more ice, having discovered some of the deeper pits of mud covered by a thin layer of ice.

male winner Simon bailey in a time of 1h 29 53 secs
female winner Anna luptin in a time of 1h49 32secs
my time 2h 24mins and glad to finish.

Not sure what my next outing will be but intend to do some training for the three peaks and the Fellsman as we hope to put a team in of Steve H, Paul H, myself and Alan Greenwood. Hope to do the Calderdale Hike and the Howarth Hobble.

Mickleden straddle 1st of february BL 13.8 miles 1950ft.- Steve Moss

Once again with only 6 days rest the Spen/ mountain marathon runners engaged in the mickleden straddle race, with an early start to sunday morning (with the threat of heavy snow on them there hills) we set off to face the challange.

The course is long outward run over mickleden edge to the res/ and along Cold side then looping back to check point 5 then a long run back to the finish at langsett barn. The tracks were like frozen waste land with ruts made by passing mountain bikes and very tuff on the ankels with some runners returning with blooded legs and sore feet. But with true feelings most runners finished with smiles and enjoyed the fresh winter air.

Results steven moss 2h 24 mins10sec
steven heminway 2h 30mins50secs
paul hoodless 2h 38 mins pb
robert gaylor 2h 55mins47secs pb
nazir hussain 3h 03min 10sec (PB by 1hour didn't he do well

Winners time man Dave Taylor in 1h 45 07 first lady Lisa Lacon in 2h 01mins

This is my second run of the year and hoping to do the Winter Hill next week as part training for the bigger and longer runs in the season If any one wants to join me they are welcome.

Stanbury Splash 2009

This year, I am going to do some training for fell races and mountain marathons rather than just turn up on the day and hope for the best. However, as it's been grim up north since Christmas, I needed some motivation in the form of a proper fell race. The Stanbury Splash seemed like a good candidate to generate some enthusiasm.

For once, the weather looked promising as I arrived. There was no sign of the rain, sleet and gale force winds that are usual round Penistone Hill. I handed over my entry fee and received a race number and a malt loaf (Can't stand malt loaf. Perhaps I can sell it on eBay.) and then headed down to the start. I met Gareth and Chris (both in shorts but I'm not that brave for a January race) and after the usual warnings about not to getting run over on the road, we were off.

The race itself was fairly tame and enjoyable this year. I didn't ford the river too far upstream and nearly drown. There was no inch thick crust of ice over a foot of mud on which to gash my shins. I didn't even fall in a ditch on the descent off the moor. Even the mud was er... tolerable.

Finished 5 minutes slower than last year but not disapointed as I'd had a good run and wasn't last although Gareth and Chris had finished their tea when I got back.

(PS - Gareth looked a bit sore at work today - I feel fine!)

Spen Results:
124 63:22 CHRIS JONES V40
131 63:58 GARETH PATCHETT V40
223 71:40 CLAIRE GREEN F
234 73:12 CHRIS KING

303 Runners

Full results and photographs here

Tigor Tor fell race - 10 mile 1750ft - Report from Steve Moss

Five brave spen runners set of for this moorland top fell race (part of the totley race series. We lined up with the 345 other hopefulls on a wet and cold morning.with Nazir Hussain(spen) getting to the front hoping to get some advantage over vet runner Steven Moss. The course proved to be very wet and boggy Nazir's advantage soon faded away and some runners were soon fumbling round for lost shoes. The course weht across a moorland top were the runners were spinning off in three diffrent directions trying to gain some advantage in the deep thick heather. Towards the end there were some deep river crossings where Steven Moss flounderd up to his waist in some vere cold and boggy mud but managed to come home first with Steve Hemingway coming in a good second place (after having a bad chrismass suffering the dreded lurgie and looseing a stone in weight),

Times as follows

Steven Moss 1h 36s pos 199th (Winners time Lloyd Taggert in 1h 07s
Steven Hemmingway 1h 39 s
Paul Hudless 1h 46s
Robert Gaylor 1h 55s
Nazir Hussain 2h 13s

We hope to turn out next sunday to do the Mickleden straddle BL 13.8 miles and1980ft if any one else wants to join in contact me on 07799756886

White Holme Circular Fell Race (18th Jan)

Since a few of us, including myself had earlier in the week entered for this years 3 Peaks Race, I decided it was time for me to up the mileage, and enter a longer fell race. This race is another of Allan Greenwood's races (check his website here) and a 12 mile category C race seemed ideal at this point in time. The fact that I haven't run anything more than 8 miles for over 3 years did give me a few doubts, but I figured that if I didn't go mad, it would be ok.

The race starts at the Summit Inn in Littleborough, and climbs for the first 2 miles to join the Pennine Bridleway heading out towards Stoodley Pike, before looping round, and re-tracing the first 2 miles in reverse.

I looked around at the start to see if there was anyone I knew, but guess what? no red & gold vests (anyone starting to see a pattern here?). There could be any one of a number of reasons for this of course, here are just some...

1. I have no friends (possible)
   
2. General apathy (probable)
   
3. Everyone was too busy (possible)
   
4. Fear of me kicking their ass (highly unlikely)
5. Afraid of embarrassing me by kicking my ass (possible)

Anyway, whatever the reason I was the only Spen runner there

Since most of the race is on the skyline, it's relatively flat after the 1st two miles where the majority of the 1200ft climbing is done, and on the Pennine Bridleway, the surface is reasonable so the pace can be high. However, it was very boggy on the tops. A guy in front of me sunk up to his shorts in the mud, and I went in over my knees a couple of times, almost losing my shoe on one occasion which cost me some time since I was fumbling to get it on again with frozen hands. It was also very exposed on the tops, both cold and blowing a gale, and I was glad I decided to run with gloves and hat on.

As I suspected, the distance meant I was starting to fade a bit at the end, but not as bad as I thought, as I didn't lose any places, and in fact gained a couple on the final descent.

Unofficial time for me was 1:42:12 which was better than I expected all things considered.

Results link (I'm shown in the wrong age category, not that that helped at all)

Heartfelt Thanks

Debbie Hepworth requested that her thanks were conveyed to everyone who paid their respects to her late husband Tim last Friday (January 9th).

There was a touchingly large turn-out at the Service of Remembrance at Hardcastle Crags, near Hebden bridge, the Committal at Burnley Crematorium and the subsequent get-together in the Stubbing Wharf, Hebden Bridge.

It was universally agreed that it was such a tragedy that such a wonderful 'reunion' of old friends, many former members of Spenborough AC, should happen in such terrible circumstances but that Tim would have been proud

The Service of Remembrance was held in a clearing of the woods near Gibson Mill and formed a magnificent and very apt setting, as Tim was so passionate about outdoor pursuits throughout his life.

He will always be sorely missed but never forgotten.

RIP

Yorks XC Champs Success!

Spenborough's Liam Stedman and Bethany Ellis scored a historic championship double in the two younger age groups of the county cross-country championships (thus proving to some of the 'slightly elder' members that age is EVERY substitute for experience).

Liam gained a comfortable 20-second victory over local lad - Rotherham's Luke Cotter in the Under-13 Boys section but, although Paul Davis also grabbed a creditable 15th place, Spenborough had no third finisher as the team prize went to Rotherham.

Bethany claimed the gold medal in the Under-13 Girls division by the narrowest one-second margin, ahead of Halifax Harrier's Holly Callagham.Emma Wilkinson (7th) and Katie Byrne (22nd) provided excellent support to enable Spen to grab a set of silver medals in the team competition behind winners Sheffield and Hallamshire.

Full results:
http://www.noeaa-athletics.org.uk/FileUploads/yorkshire_men_x_country_results09.xls
http://www.noeaa-athletics.org.uk/FileUploads/yorkshire_women_x_country_results09.pdf

Yorkshire XC Championships 2009

A freezing cold day in Rotherham welcomed the competitors for the 2009 championship. A small number of entries from Spenborough ensured that a complete team finish was unlikely.

A prior commitment from myself meant that my participation seem impossible but a late cancellation and a quick call to Chris Jones who was already at the course to confirm the start time of the race gave me just enough time to jump in the car and fly down the M1 to arrive with about 20 min to spare.

This may have been a smart move as when I got there Chris was shivering and his teeth were chattering looking like he had little enthusiasm to compete. Frank (Reddington) was there at the course but was nowhere to be seen. A sure sign of his serious intentions as he was off on his own getting himself in the 'zone'.

The only other Spen entrant was Kevin Ogden but he had not arrived. Not surprising as Kevin is not renowned as a cross country specialist.

Lining up at the start the plan was to keep the warm gear on for as long as possible and only remove it at the very last minute. I decided to stick with the plan of keeping warm and kept on the tracksters, hat and gloves (big jessie!). Chris went for the gloves and just to highlight how cold it was Frank wore a long sleeve top under his Spen vest(unheard of).

Just to make sure everybody was chilled to the bone the officials (thanks Gordan) kept everybody on the line a further couple of minutes explaining the rules and regulations.

The course was a 5 lapper with some steep climbs and plenty of switchbacks so you could see your fellow competitors. Great if you are closing on people. Not so great if you are fading. The grass was frozen underfoot to give a hard, fast running surface.

At the gun Chris and myself stayed well to the back of the field with Frank stating his intentions early by pushing up into the pack. Quite quickly Chris chased and caught Frank with myself following not far behind.

After passing Frank, Chris pushed on and it wasn't until the start of the second lap that I was able to to catch up with him. Over the next lap I managed to open up a 40m lead over Chris with Frank bravely hanging on about 100m further back. I knew I would need this advantage as over this sort of distance my stamina was always going to be suspect.

Over the last couple of laps Chris and I fought out a titanic battle with Chris closing on the hills and myself pulling away on the flatter sections. Into the last lap Chris had got the gap down to about 20m but I knew if I could get to the top of the last hill in front my basic speed would carry me home.

Frank's usual mid to late race surge was unfortunately lacking today and into the last lap it looked like he had given up the ghost. To be fair Frank had been suffering with a chesty cough all week and only made a late decision to run.

The final result ended with me being the first Spen home, Chris less than 10sec behind and Frank somewhere in the region of a minute back. Sweet revenge for myself as Frank has beaten me in the last 2 yorkshire XC championships. Chris was well pleased with his performance as he had achieved his goal of beating Frank too.

Overall a good day even though we finished toward the rear of the field. Many thanks to the other Spen runners and spectators who stayed to cheer us old duffers round the course. Always most welcome especially on a day like today.

Results

168 46:05 Michael Dransfield
172 46:16 Chris Jones
186 47:18 Frank Reddington

205 runners

Full results here

Photos

End of 1st lap with Chris just ahead of Michael (behind the K&C runner)

Frank crossing the drainage ditch



Michael in full flight



The three amigos post-race

Ovenden Fell Race (3rd january)

3rd race in 4 days for me, and after a grand total of 260 miles running in 2008, I was about to clock up my 17th race mile (assuming I finished) getting me off to good start for 2009 (ok, so 6 of them were in 2008).

I tried my best to talk some of our Spen team mates into turning out, but in the end opting for freezing your nuts off on a Saturday morning seemed less attractive than alternative options to everyone else, and on the day, I was the only one from the club who turned up. "You're all a bunch of softies" I say ;)

I was quite surprised at the number who did turn out though, 137 in all, boosted by the race being part of Bingleys internal club championship series. It was pleasing to see a couple of my friends from other clubs, both who had run at the Giant's Tooth 2 days earlier, and one of whom had also done the Auld Lang Syne.

John (my Rotherham buddy) said he'd run along with me, but wasn't fit (hah) and told me not to go off to fast otherwise he'd just drop off (hah, hah). Whilst I had to warn him that I'd had 6 pints the night before (always good to get the excuses in early eh)

We got chatting with Nigel (Halifax buddy) at the start, and then all set off from the embankment, and up the hill side towards the Withens. Despite John's lack of fitness and his warning me about not going off too fast, I was struggling to keep up with him, and by the time we reached the top, he was a good 20 yards ahead of me and Nigel was some way behind.

To cut a long story short, I never caught John, although I came close a few times, and Nigel passed me after about 3 miles (as usual) but I later pulled him back (less usual). I think for him it was too many races in a short time especially since he was coming back from a fractured ankle injury, so I expect it will be the last time I beat him this year!

The ground was frozen hard, which made it more runnable, and the times were generally pretty good. I finished 53rd from 137, which I was really happy about. Probably my best race of the 3.

Results

I really enjoyed the race, nice route, location and good organisation.

Race information

Tribute to Tim Hepworth

TIM HEPWORTH 1945-2008

One of the finest and most highly regarded coaches in Spenborough & District AC’s history Tim Hepworth tragically died on Christmas Eve, December 24th, from a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs).

Although remaining independent and not actually a member of Spenborough, Tim was, for many years, the premier tutor of 400 metre runners at the club, several of whom went on to County, International and, in the case of Peter Crampton, Olympic recognition.

He took Peter to European Junior Championship glory at Birmingham in 1987 in a still club record time of 46.03 and many feel it is much to do with Tim’s regular and passionate presence at the Princess Mary Stadium in Cleckheaton that, right through to his retirement, and in these days of constant poaching by bigger clubs, Peter never saw a need to leave his local club.

Tim also encouraged many less naturally talented but enthusiastic athletes to get the best out of themselves and, just as importantly, gain enjoyment and camaraderie whilst doing it.

More importantly he was a true friend and confidant to so many people from all walks of life and was always happy to share his love of the great outdoors with everyone he knew.

It is surely fine testimony that, even after moving out of the area to Hebden Bridge some years ago, many of those mentioned maintained close contact with Tim and his wife Debbie (also a regular feature of the Spenborough set-up for many years).

Tim was a fine athlete in his own right as well as a passionate walker and cyclist and gained huge respect for his commitment never to ask anything of others anything he wouldn’t ask of himself.

His views were always forthright, sometimes controversial, yet usually justified and, whether agreeing or disagreeing, there were few who did not respect him for them.

All who knew Tim will find his premature loss incalculably hard to stomach; those that didn’t know Tim should be saddened that they never had the privilege.

To Debbie and other family members, we express our deepest sympathies in these difficult times and can only offer in consolation the thought that he will remain in the hearts and minds of many of us forever…

Keith McGhie

Pennine 10k - 2009

COLD COMFORT

The 2009 road racing season in West Yorkshire kicked off with Halifax Harriers’ annual Pennine 10k in Brighouse, which has now been going for over two decades and seemed to some to take that long this year.

A healthy (or in some cases not so healthy, following Christmas endulgance!) Spenborough contingent donned plenty of winter warmers to offset the cold conditions and pushed their way towards the front at the start - most knowing full well it was the highest placing they would hold all day!

Kevin Ogden (to whom few of the previous sarcastic comments apply) powered his way through to a fine eighth place (third in V35) amid a good quality field headed by former England international Andrew Pearson.

A grimacing, once evergreen but now decidedly deciduous, Keith McGhie was next home in red and gold in 14th place, an agonising one second away from the V45 prize (come on Halifax Harriers - you can afford more than one prize in each of the vets catergories in a field of over 300!).

Mick Howard, Mark (SMK Sports) Kitchen, first Spen female Jackie Carter, Hazel Pike and Edward Wilkinson (check out the picture of them chatting near the finish - more effort in future please), completed the Princess Mary Stadium-based assault on what was a tough race.

Full results

New Years Day 2009 - Giants Tooth Fell Race

What better way to clear your head after ringing in the New Year than running a short fell race? For me, running on New Years Day has become something of a tradition over the last few years, and I particularly like this race since it's nice and short at 3 miles, and you still get that feeling of starting off the year by doing something positive.

Sadly, it was a pretty poor turnout from Spenborough, just Gareth, Matthew and Chris (me). Although Michael and Frank turned out to support (always appreciated) and I dragged Sue and Sarah along for extra support and to take some snaps of the event.

I led the Spen boys for 60% of the race, but Gareths superior flat speed proved to be too much and he passed me on the reservoir embankment and maintained the lead until the finish. Matthew gave a good account of himself as one of the younger entrants and finished in a respectable position.

It would be nice to have a few more red & gold shirts in the field, as we are always outnumbered by the other local teams like Halifax and Holmfirth. So come on guys let's try to get our act together and show up in numbers!

And here are the results

All photos courtesy of Sue Jones.

Gareth finishing with Chris a couple of places back (you need to look carefully or double-click the picture)...


Matthew mixing it up with the adults...


The runners...

The runners + team mangement & support crew...

New Years Eve 2008 - Auld Lang Syne Fell Race

Over 550 runners turned out in freezing weather for a final race of the year, although only one Spen male runner (me) and 3 ladies. Despite having deliberately not over-done the cycling on the lead up, I had what was probably my worst run of the year and felt uncomfortable from start to finish, only just finishing in the top half. Rubbish!

Click here for a full write up, and results.

Ingleborough Fell Race 2008 (AM, 7 miles, 2000ft)

There was a good Spenborough turnout for this Summer Classic. Best battle was between the evergreens Frank Reddington and Steve Moss. The guys should the youngsters (the 40 somethings) the way to do it.

The ever mysterious Skip Donaghue managed to be first Spen home and strangley managed to ease his club vest past all the cameras.

Frank won the battle of the supervets coming home just ahead of Steve Moss














Then less than a minute covered Michael Dransfield, Chris Jones and Gareth Patchett.
































Edward Wilkinson was next Spen back. claiming "this fell running is so easy"

Jackie Carter won the battle of the ladies coming in 16 minutes ahead of Hazel Pike


















Matthew Jones also had a good run in the Junior Race

The Curse of the Badger Stone - 24th May 2008

An epic tale of youth vs experience on Ilkley Moor

'The Curse of the Badger Stone'

Starring (in order of appearance) :

Ryan & Michael Dransfield

Emma & Edward Wilkinson

Matthew & Chris Jones

Act 1 - In the beginning...

The concept was simple; a relay race that matched a team of parents against their offspring to find out who would win. Simple eh? The event we chose was the “Badger Stone Relay”, an annual fell race held at Ilkley. Rumour has it that one of us (might have been Chris) had a navigational disaster at the same event last year causing the Spenborough trio to finish in last place?

Act 2 - The curse strikes once...

The first attempt to run the race in 2008 was back in April with a line-up that included James and Martin Thompson. However, we arrived only to find the race had been cancelled at the last minute. Still we had an enjoyable training run, and Michael got the chance to try his hand at bog snorkelling.

Act 3 - The curse strikes twice...

Not to be put off, we decided to try once more at the re-scheduled event on 24^h May. But this time, James Thompson, was unable to take part due to injuring himself in a bizarre shopping trolley accident. This effectively ruled out both James and Martin, due to our parent/offspring competition rules. Undeterred, we found two willing and capable substitutes in Emma and Edward Wilkinson, and the race was on once more!

Act 4 - The curse strikes thrice...

The teams were there, the weather was good, and the race was on! Ryan v Michael on leg 1, Emma v Edward leg 2 and Matthew v Chris on leg 3.

Ryan got off to an early lead ahead of Michael, but it was close, and no-one was prepared to accept my bet that Michael would win-out. They disappeared out of sight, and when they re-emerged on the descent, Michael had pulled out a lead, handing over a 30 second advantage to Edward.

Edward set off with intent, but Emma was in hot pursuit and closing him down. Again they disappeared from view, and it was some time later, we were all surprised to see Edward on the descent but no sign of Emma!

Unfortunately, Emma had made a wrong turn on the unmarked course during the descent, and lost valuable time. Consequently, Chris had a big lead on Matthew, which meant that it was always going to be an uphill (joke) battle for the youngsters from there on.

So experience won out over youth this time, but how long can it continue?

Sweets for the youngsters (1^st junior team) and beer for the parents (2^nd vets team), and a fun afternoon out for all. Watch out for a re-match in the near future!

Calderdale Way 2007

Good weather for the 2007 Calderdale Way and a decent results with Spenborough finishing 45th despite a weakened team.

Dan Stewart and Jeff Hornby off to a strong start on leg1. A tough leg that tends to attract each clubs strong pairings. Back in 45th place.

Then Chris Jacobs and Steve Moss pulled back places on leg 2 to get us to 38th.

New boy Chris King partnered Michael Dransfield on the fast and uphill leg 3. Chris (endurance man) found the speed a bit high and the distance a bit short and we dropped to 50th.

Then Dave Lane and Paul Sutcliffe (on the other tough leg) gained a place to be followed by

Frank Reddington and Gareth Patchett who pulled back another 3 places.

Steve Carter and Martin Thompson then sneaked back one more place on leg 6 to complete the 45th overall.

Complete Runner West Yorkshire X-C league meeting1 West Bowling, Bradford - Saturday 23rd October 1993

‘SPEN SURPRISINGLY CLOSE TO LEEDS’

The cross-country season is back and it is clear already that the fleet footed men in red and yellow are set for their finest season ever!

The traditional season opener was the first race in a series of four ‘Complete Runner West Yorkshire Cross Country League’ meetings, which have been re-vamped to include all age groups, male and female as well as extending over the whole season with the final meeting in February. It was held at St Blaise School in West Bowling, Bradford on Saturday the 23rd of October.

The senior men’s race had a turnout of just under 200 runners, lower than in previous years due to pre-entry requirements but Spenborough A.C. turned out 15 starters which included all but a few of our very best runners.

Former National junior champion Richard Findlow sped around the 6 mile, 5 lap course (made up of woods and playing fields) to win easily in 31.48, while club star Jeff Hornby put himself in the early running for the overall title by beating defending league champion John Taylor into 4th with an excellent 3rd in 32.12.

Jeff was backed up with some awesome Spen packing with Lee Warburton in 7th (33.05), Paul Dobson (9th in 33.36), Gary Damiani (14th in 34.13), Mick Dransfield (23rd in 34.59) and Alf Wolfenden (27th in 35.04). That gave the team an excellent second place, just 13 points behind defending league champions Leeds City A.C.
This provoked Grandville Beckett into stating that Spenborough had come ‘surprisingly close to Leeds’, but with the likes of Jamie Warburton and Darren Hanson not in our team I think we have the potential to win the league or at least one of the remaining three fixtures which would leave Leeds’ team manager John Lunn / Rumplestiltskin quaking in his tights!

Michael Sykes made a fine cross-country debut in 31st (35.36) while Myles Chandler (your man at the race and in it) faded a little on the last lap to come home in 37th (35.56). First year junior Simon Brooksbank finished 85th (37.57), he was the 8th junior home whilst our other junior entrant Robert Moon did not finish after a very fast start. ‘The Spen’ editor Douglas Grubb got some good distance work in, ready for his move up to 800m by punishing himself for 38.58 minutes and was rewarded with 101st place. (The real rewards WILL come during the track season, won’t they Doug!).

Frank Reddington was pleased to stage a mini comeback in 116th (29.32), while John Swinden, 125th, brought the B team home in 15th (2nd B team). Other Spen finishers were Geoff Pearce in 152nd and star Spen decathlete Jon Wilkinson who added another discipline to his vast range with a brave 176th place, to say he looked slightly knackered at the finish would be a massive understatement but any extra stamina gained by Jon will come in handy when he once again becomes Spen’s ‘one man track and field team’ next season.

Ranking scorers at Bradford (and overall after 1 race)

1.Jeff Hornby (3rd) 20pts
2.Lee Warburton (7th) 15pts
3.Paul Dobson (9th) 12pts
4.Gary Damiani (14th) 10pts
5.Mick Dransfield (23rd) 8pts
6.Alf Wolfenden (27th) 6pts
7.Michael Sykes (31st) 4pts
8.Myles Chandler (37th) 3pts
9.Simon Brooksbank (85th) 2pts
10.Douglas Grubb (101st) 1pt

INJURIES with Myles Chandler

Trusty tips / catchphrases which have kept me clear of injury over the years include: ’Warm ups? - It’s a mugs game’, ’Cool downs? - It’s for wimps’ and ’Stretching? - Get out of my face’. I find that this attitude combined with a very tough training regime will always see you at the sharp end of good class races.

The one time I did get injured it was more due to accident than anything else. It was the Yorkshire steeplechase championships and my bold front running tactics were stretching defending champion Mick Hawkins to the limit. Then disaster struck at the penultimate water jump, I slipped on the barrier and went plunging into the freezing wetness, twisting my ankle and breaking my leg as I landed. Then I felt Hawkins’ spike plant squarely into my back, tearing the skin and dislocating several vertebrae. After a few seconds of nauseating pain, I managed to will myself to my feet but in my pained efforts to regain the lead I lost direction slightly and found myself in the hammer throwing sector……………….I came round a few seconds later and realised that I had helped to create a new stadium hammer record by adding an extra few metres to the throw, staggering backwards with the hammer embedded in my face. Fully blinded by the impact but still with thoughts of glory filling my mind, I used my acute hearing to get myself back onto Hawkins’ shoulder in the ideal attacking position (by sheer luck I had come back onto the track where I had left it, hence avoiding disqualification). The rest of the race is a pained blur but the gold medal above my mantelpiece is a tribute to my ability to shrug off minor injuries.

Within a few days of discharging myself from hospital I was back into my special training regime involving cold baths at 4 a.m. every morning, rubbing hot gravel into my bare chest and running a barefoot marathon (usually the three peaks) all before breakfast.

TOP 20 EXCUSES FOR …….producing a poor performance

- I’ve tried to come back from injury too quickly
- I haven’t been doing enough mileage
- I’ve been doing too much mileage
- I was just using it as training
- I wore a brand new pair of shoes
- I still had Thursdays track session in my legs
- I just had nothing in my legs
- I felt something twinge just after the start
- I didn’t put long enough spikes in
- I fell in that ditch
- My shoe came off in that sticky muddy bit
- I had about five too many ales last night
- I got spiked
- I hate cross country racing in these conditions
- I got off to a bad start and lost interest
- I was just doing it for the team
- It was longer than I expected
- It was not as far as I thought it was going to be
- I didn’t get any sleep last night
- I never really expected to finish anyway



"I hate cross country running"

World Javelin Record attempt by Jon Wilkinson (written by Ron ‘funny man’ Stones)

On 5th June 1993 in our home Northern men’s league match at Spenborough, Jon Wilkinson will attempt a world record in the javelin. The current WR of 91.46 by Steve Backley is well within his reach.

To help Jon the club has been rallying round members & supporters to turn up and provide vocal & physical assistance. Two groups of helpers are needed, one group is to gather outside the fence in line with the start of the run up. The other group will be at the opposite end of the stadium – again outside the fence (we do not want to get Jon disqualified). The first group will be organised by ‘Big Pete’ Crampton (the blowers). The second group at the far side will be the suckers.

The idea is that when Jon releases his spear, the two groups will ‘explode’ into action and cause a movement of air that will carry the javelin those few extra meters needed to create a new World Record !.

Leading up to the big day, Pete’s group which includes other sprinters and some of his big meaty rugby mates will be in strict training culminating, so I’ve heard , with extra portions of beans, gassy ‘pop’ and lashings of boiled egg on the eve of the competition. This will create extra ‘puff’ by way of ‘farting’ and ‘belching’ to blast the javelin on its way.

The other group, as yet without a leader, is a little less organised and in fact is one or two members short . We actually need the same number of suckers as blowers in order to set up an equilibrium. If you wish to become a sucker, would you please contact Jon as soon as possible.

VII CROSS - Subida a la ’Fatima’ - 9200m(road) - 8th May 1993 - Pinoso, SPAIN.

The evening was hot for the Pinoso hill race on May 8th but the Spen warm weather training squad was out in force. Entered for the mighty Spen were Jeff Hornby, Paul Dobson, Richard Lee and myself, Myles Chandler. The gun went at 7.15 p.m. and Jeff soon placed himself in the leading pack on the opening road laps, before the two main laps which went up a hill and back down. To quote Jeff. “the start was not very fast”. Well it was fast enough for me and I soon realized that a prize was out of the question as I felt very sluggish.

At the top of the first climb the battle to be ’champion’ had become a two horse race, with local star Juan Sanchez providing a stiff challenge to Spen hero Jeff Hornby.
Paul Dobson was well placed in 5th which was good to say his decision to run was left until that afternoon. ’Prize hunting’ Richard Lee was in about 25th, but with juniors in front that final 15th place senior trophy was still within his grasp! I was out of the reckoning in about 30th place. Things stayed like that on the second lap and on the sprint in, Hornby was beaten by Sanchez and had to settle for the title of ‘sub-champion’ but his trophy took up half of his return luggage capacity - It’s that BIG - honest. In 4th was Paco, who is in John Rawlins’ training group and in 5th was Spen’s Paul Dobson, also gaining a massive prize. Just out of the prizes (16th senior and 19th overall) was Richard “I just missed out on a trophy by one b****** place” Lee and he was gutted / suicidal after the race. I came about 27th and was surprised to get a goody bag containing wine, water and salt!

At the end of the day fun was had by all and I must say that the Spanish know how to lay on an enjoyable road race. If it was like that here (free entry, big crowds, loads of prizes, smaller fields) I could even get to like ’mind numbing’ road racing. The holiday was better than expected and I think we all returned fitter and browner than when we went, except Gary who remained drip white despite constant sunbathing and contracted some kind of mild disease, ’feared leprosy’ to quote Richard!

View from….BENIDORM - Wine(beer), Women(not really) and Spen!

A large section of Spenborough’s star distance running squad got together to organise a two week training/drinking/sunbathing holiday in Spain. The self funded package holiday destination was still undecided as we walked into Lunn Poly, lead by Richard Lee who said “we want somewhere hot and cheap”. Where else but sunny Benidorm! Five of us went on a Thomson Square Deal, 2 week, self catering holiday at £165 each - cheap, even for May 1st to May 15th. Here is a profile of the famous five:-

Jeff Hornby - Age 31 - Single



Running achievements:- Yorkshire 10k Track Champion, England vests for cross country and fell.
A good laugh, gets serious about training and can be fussy about detail






Gary Damiani - Age 30 - Single



Running achievements:- 7th in Tour of Tameside, prolific fell racer.
‘The club nutter’ - often has a different perspective on life to everyone else, his approaches to women can often cause one to cringe with embarrassment.






Myles ‘Shafter’ Chandler - Age 22 - Single



Running achievements:- Yorkshire silver medal in junior steeplechase.
Likes to joke and mouth off, his acting around often descends into utter stupidity.







Paul ‘Dobber’ Dobson - Age 24 - Single








Running achievements:- Recently won Spencer’s Arms Dash, 109th in National cross country championships.
Good natured and easy going, often has to turn women away!








Richard Lee - Age 31 Single / divorced








Running achievements:- 1min 56sec for 800m as a 16 year old!
Charismatic beer monster, will have a good time anywhere where they serve BOOZE!
Always joking, likes one liners and innuendoes



On arrival in Benidorm we met some runners on our first outing into town. These were British people who lived in Benidorm, Mick and Vic, veteran runners capable of doing 1 hr 35 min for a half marathon. Mick owned a British bar, which could at best be described as tacky (the sort of place where ‘Aggado’ goes down well). Richard soon found the bar with the cheapest ale - 100pts (70p) per pint - but sadly this closed at 10 p.m., as it was mainly a food bar.

At the market Gary got the price of a leather watch strap down to 300pts from 500pts, then took 500pts change back from a 1000pts note without argument. Examples of Gary’s ‘uniqueness’ cropped up daily and included suggesting that we use a fishing line to retrieve Paul’s trunks after they went over the apartment balcony - we were 23 floors up! And coming home with 15 condoms after taking 12.

The nightlife was good and it did go on all night, we usually lasted ‘til about 3 a.m. (Richard 5 a.m.). This was late enough to take in a few of the weird and wonderful ‘shows’ which went on in the clubs, namely:- Sticky Vicky, Raunchy Barbara and Sexy Sapphire! - these are a must if you ever visit Benidorm.

On the second day we met some proper runners, including a fellow track star from the world famous Spenborough A.C. - Richard Sykes, formerly coached by international coaching guru Tim Hepworth, is living in Benidorm for a year. He trains with Johnny Rawlins, another British Citizen, capable of 14min for 5000m (he was better than Jeff anyway).Johnny’s dad was coach to these two and some locals, we also joined in for some very high quality sessions as well as running up to twice a day on other days. (Jeff turned into a training monster and Richard thought he may ruin the ’holiday’ - a clash of priorities there I think).

The running peak of the holiday was Spenborough’s participation in a local road race, proving that Spen A.C. is an international racing club, which gets fear and respect the world over! The race entry was free and the people were very friendly, prizes went down to 15th and the trophies were massive. The athletics scene in Spain is quite impressive. A race report follows:-