October 2014
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black combe runners newsie october 2014 note from the editor What a fantastic summer we’ve had! I’ve lost count of the number of beautiful sunny social runs and clear, blue-sky fell races we’ve been lucky enough to have over the past few months. The club has seen some fantastic personal achievements too, in particular three successful Bob Graham attempts (well done Michael, Tim & John!) and celebrating Peter’s final Birkett. The Black Combe Summer Champs are still ongoing, with real competition for the fell top spot; less than one point stands between Mike McIver and Tim Ripper, with only Langdale and Dunnderdale left to decide the winner. Harvey has had a fantastic season leading the road champs and we wish him a speedy recovery after fracturing his ankle and rupturing ligaments in the Three Shires fell race (ouch!!). Whilst I’m here, I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome some very special new additions to the Black Combe family! Huge congratulations to Will & Sue on the arrival of baby Flo, to John & Katy on the arrival of baby Owen and to Harvey & Jo on the arrival of baby Bess. We wish you all the best and lots more sleep! I hope you enjoy this issue of newsie… many thanks again to all of you who have been kind enough to contribute your articles and photographs. It’s now time for us to don our head torches, zip up our waterproofs and brace ourselves for the winter season! See you at the next social run! Take care, Beth When the nights draw in, it can only mean one thing. The time has come for the black combe winter league The Black Combe Winter League is a series of highly competitive club races with ‘level the playing field’ chasing starts. The principle aim of the league is to see how good you are at running away from your club mates. If you’re really good, you get a trophy for your efforts. If you’re really bad, you suffer the repeated humiliation of being overtaken by those who clearly need more fattening up for Christmas. The only rules I can really remember is that you have to complete four races to qualify, your lowest scores count and that’s about it…even the race routes seem to be open to interpretation… (Appletreeworth anyone?!) Dave Watson did a cracking job of organising the latest winter league, which saw an epic 62 runners taking part across the seven races. Mike McIver also nailed the handicaps, with several photo finishes needed to determine the final positions. Overall, 19 runners qualified for the league and Karl Fursey squarely took the title of 13/14 Winter League winner, with only 10 points at the finish. Well done all! the resultthe results!results!s!s! 24 Dec 1 Jan 12 Jan 19 Jan 2 Feb 23 Feb 16 Mar Roan Black Total Flan Hoad Po House ATW Birkrigg Broughton Head Combe 1 Karl Fursey m 4 4 3 2 1 19 10 2 Lou Lyness f 6 3 17 4 30 3 Pat McIver m 4 13 13 12 2 31 4 Nick Sebley m 16 7 14 5 6 17 32 5 James Goffe m 16 10 29 9 4 12 35 =6 Mike McIver m 7 22 11 10 8 18 36 =6 Jackie Casey f 14 8 12 7 9 36 8 Lindsay Buck f 5 16 14 9 10 38 9 John Millen m 19 12 8 8 14 42 10 Claire Watson f 21 34 6 12 7 46 11 Dave Parminter m 15 15 35 10 7 47 12 Pete Tayler m 16 26 15 3 14 48 13 William Ross m 24 5 18 13 13 49 14 Rob Mckeever m 6 9 24 11 50 15 Hazel Tayler f 14 19 11 11 55 16 Matthew Allen m 17 26 14 1 58 17 Gill O'Connell f 26 24 22 10 3 59 18 Dave Watson m 7 6 31 16 60 19 Tim Ripper m 19 25 18 5 67 Fastest Male Time Fastest Female Time Flan Hoad Mike McIver 00:39:15 Helen Walker 01:00:20 Po House Mike McIver 00:37:01 Jackie Casey 00:43:11 Appletreeworth Mike McIver 00:41:41 Paula Irons 00:48:28 Birkrigg Harry Stainton 00:40:31 Lizzie Adams 00:46:56 Broughton John Millen 00:35:23 Jackie Casey 00:40:34 Roan Head Mike McIver 00:46:45 Lindsay Buck 01:06:27 Black Combe Tim Ripper 00:40:40 Lizzie Adams 00:44:00 Snaps from Coniston! 3rd May 14 39/100 Penny completes her 12th London Marathon – her 39th marathon on a personal journey to 100 marathons. As someone who has been fortunate to have run in the about 4 miles. The Runners World ‘Get you Round’ (12 London Marathon eleven times previously and watched minute mile pacers) caught me up at 8 miles and I stuck too many times that I can remember, I can relate that my with them till 15 miles – pace was to run 5 minutes, walk 1 most favourite part of the course is the finish line. There is minute x 2 – I had been doing run 7.30 minutes and walk nothing better than seeing the packed stands as you round 8.30 minutes. This upset my rhythm despite it feeling the corner at Buckingham Palace (she still wasn’t there this doable so the year to wave us by) and head up the Mall, your agony last 11 miles about to come to a satisfying climax. were very frustrating. All I was fortunate enough to be there again this year and if I my fault not can offer any future aspirant marathon runner – DO THE enough long TRAINING – DON’T GO HALF PREPARED! runs. I joined the 38,000 throng and started after wishing good The poor luck to Karl via the trusty mobile phone, knowing this was training base, going to test all my previous 38 encounters over the meant I following 26 miles and 385 yards. Still not properly fit powered despite my illness improving, but with a carry - over place walked through from last year and representing the PDSA I persuaded my the Isle of Dogs, doctor only the Monday before the race that I would be past Canary Wharf, shed tears of emotion at the sensible so as to be given permission to start. illuminated ‘words of encouragement’ balloons in The weather was kind despite the cool breeze, it was warm Blackfriars underpass and then held on trusting my and dry; perfect for the faster of foot and congratulations stubbornness to get me to the finish. to Richard – 3.10 – a tremendous time and to Karl who Out into the deafening noise and blinding sunshine, leaving despite picking up a hamstring problem ran a very the underpass behind I shuffled along at a slow jog past Big creditable 5.14 and got on tv! Ben and the PDSA cheering point, down Birdcage Walk, It was a hard day at the office, but I stuck to the game plan past Buckingham Palace and to the finish on the Mall. Job of run a kilometre walk a kilometre and everything was done 5.37 (had expected 6.30). Lessons learnt: get in 2015 fine, I saw Karl resplendent in orange pumpkin suit at ballot and train properly!! You know you’re a fell runner when… You know you’re a fell runner when… You recognise and can name all makes of i-nov8 fell shoe… ...and you know what terrain each is best on, but you still use a pair of £39.99 shoes from the Pete Bland sale box. You find congealed jelly babies in your shorts pocket from a previous race. In the pre-race excitement, you forget what your car registration is when filling in the entry form… …and can’t think who the RO should ring if you don’t make it round in one piece. You still get the butterflies just before the race whistle blows. You moan at carrying full kit on a sunny day (and then it rains and hails hard half way round). You get excited and animated discussing the pros and cons of going around or through the bog… …when actually it doesn’t make any difference. You blindly follow the runners in front in the clag, knowing “it doesn’t seem right”. You don’t really feel like that meat and potato pie two minutes after the end of the run… …but you still eat it anyway. You look in hope at the first A4 list of results, when you know you are on the second or third… You linger around at the end of the race, in hope of a spot prize at least… …or in hope of spotting some fell running stars. You stick your race numbers up on your wall with times on them. You avidly record your times year after year when they improve… …you stop recording the times when they start deteriorating. You have a spreadsheet that extrapolates the number of years left before you fail to meet that checkpoint cut off time. You enjoy watching slideshows of multi-coloured runners descending the same piece of fell. You know you’re a fell runner when none of the above stops you from racing week after week, with the same grimaced, satisfied smile as you cross the finish line. Thanks Andy Gittins! Michael Jones A (very) Belated Bob Graham Round Report ‘THREE! TWO! ONE!..