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April 2013

Athletics Monthly

The Journal of the World Famous Scarborough Athletic Club

2013 Finishers including Lucy who missed Bronwen and Emma at the Great the Photo Call as she fell asleep! Britain Road Race Champs. (Virgin London Mini Marathon)

In this edition;

Minutes and Chairman’s report of the 2012 AGM Fixtures Lists. Road, Multi Terrain, Fell and Cross Country Cartoon of the Month Quote of the Month. Running in your 60s and beyond. ByJenna Wheatman Julie, Jane and Mel’s Adventures. Julie Clayton Athletics Biographies. Sharon Houghton Road rankings Press Reports

From the Editor

Welcome to the April edition, and thank you to Sharon Houghton, Julie Clayton and Jenna Wheatman for their contribution. After months of weather that required some additional determination to get out and train, I think most club members will be looking forward to the traditional spring road races and the start of the Track and Field season. I hope that our fell and off road specialists, who seemingly revelled in the mud and adverse weather will cope with the warmer and hopefully at least drier weather! The club seniors who ran the and got sunburnt whilst doing so, must have had mixed feelings about the return of the sun! I hope everyone has a good summer at whatever their favourite discipline is.

Mick Thompson 01723 864442 [email protected]

Minutes of Annual General Meeting

Held on April 19, 2012 at Scarborough Rugby Club

Meeting opened at 8.30pm

26 members were in attendance.

Apologies for absence were received from Sharon Houghton, Mick Lambert, James Drury and Jane Hamp.

Chris Clayton delivered the Chairman’s report - (see appended pages)

Tony Tomaszewicz delivered the finance report.

Election of Trustees:

The return of Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and President to their posts for a further year was proposed by John Boyes and seconded by Ralph Broadley. The proposal was unanimously accepted by vote of the members present.

The return of 6 trustees to the club committee was proposed by Sue Haslam and seconded by Sarah Cowen. The proposal was unanimously accepted by vote of the members present.

Proposals:

A proposal to survey the club membership regarding the reorganisation of training nights was proposed by Mick Thompson and seconded by Julie Clayton. 7 members voted in favour of this proposal and 19 against, therefore the proposal was rejected.

A proposal that subscription fees be set at the level set out by the committee for 2012/13 was proposed by Tony Tomaszewicz and seconded by Geoff Bell. The proposal was unanimously accepted by vote of the membership present.

The committee and president were thanked for their work through 2011/12.

The meeting closed at 9.05 pm.

Chairman’s Report – 2012

From: The Chairman - Scarborough AC.

2012 – Another very good year for the club - more fantastic performances by our club members both young and senior. We still have a healthy number of members and quite a few new ones.

Overall membership has decreased slightly at 206 members, 52 juniors and 154 seniors – juniors have shown a small increase in numbers due to Pickering AC merging. Thanks to all of those people and club athletes that volunteer their time and effort to keep the club running – first of all the committee. President – John Watson – keeps the committee advised on matters and welcomes new members. Secretary - Simon Valente. Treasurer - Tony Tomaszewicz Chairman - Chris Clayton Vice-Chair – Harry Forkin Chris Wade – Junior SPORTSHALL Julie Clayton – Membership secretary and Social sec. Ralph Broadley – Committee &10k race committee organisation. Sharon Houghton – Committee & Junior SPORTSHALL Shaun Tymon – Committee member

Standing down this year from the committee, but remaining Child protection officer: Jo Monty

Special thanks must also go to all those volunteers and helpers that we couldn’t manage without or even hold club evenings: All the junior coaches - endurance Ian Johnson, Mike Willis, Diane Herrington, Sue Louth. Track and Field coaches, - Jenna Wheatman, Chris Wade, Sharon Houghton, Sue Lawal & Vickie Lockey, Sarah Scarborough & Tom Gillon. Officials and also those that organise and transport juniors all over: Dave Parke & John Watson for running the very popular club handicaps and fell running organisation, albeit the winter handicap suffered with the bad weather. Mick Thompson – Press Officer and XC co-ordinator. Works tirelessly to produce numerous race reports and the monthly athletics magazine. There are also all the athletes that help out with marshalling at events such as our 10k race, race for life, handicaps and others. Athlete achievements: Some fantastic achievements over the year by club athletes. We do very well at most veteran categories in Endurance and Fell running, Neil Scruton, Mick Thompson, Sue Haslam to name but a few. Some great performances by the younger athlete’s team of Bronwen Owen, Louise Taylor, Leah Ogden and Sarah Ogden deserve a special mention, as well as Jack Robertson, Bobby Scarborough and Kawser Ahmed.

Junior Sportshall, Junior and Senior Track and Field. Chris Wade, Sharon Houghton, Sue Lawal & Vickie Lockey who all run the junior session and Jenna Wheatman who has run the core training for seniors. We’ve had a good turn out in T&F in both juniors and seniors, and hopefully this will continue this year and we’ll get a lot more young athletes out at the YAL and other Track and Field events.

Volunteers and extra coaches. The club is always looking for extra volunteers to help with juniors, especially females to ensure the club can comply with new Child Protection policies. If you feel that you could help with looking after the juniors or seniors then please contact any of the current junior coaches.

So, what for the future? We’ve got to keep the good links with the juniors and encourage more of them to take up and keep doing sport and to join SAC We also need to ensure that we continue to encourage and cater for members at all levels, Harry, Tony and John do a great job at Senior nights, and there are discussions on how we might have a faster group on an evening. Continue to host our seafront 10k, McCain have pledged to support us again this year and we will be busy organising it for Oct. Your support and help will be much appreciated again!! Finally before we discuss the two proposals for the AGM – can I just say that at the end of the day it is your club – the hard core amongst you (30 or 40) that turn up to most sessions, seniors and juniors - you are the heart of the club. Without you the club would not exist. Give us your feedback – chat to any committee member at any time - if you have suggestions please let us know.

Chris Clayton. Chairman – Scarborough AC.

Fixtures Club members have participated in almost all of the races listed. I can help with further information if required. Ed.

Fell

See also the Esk Valley Fell Race Club web site for further information..

Northern Runner Winter and Summer Series. (Seniors only unless indicated otherwise)

5 May Fox and Hounds All age groups – shorter races 15 May Carlton Challenge All age groups – shorter races 26 May Levisham Limping 30 May Roseberry Romp 5 June Ossie Oiks FM 18 only 19 June Whorlton Run FM 18 only 29 Jun Maybeck FM 18 only 7 Jul Carlton Meander All age groups – shorter races 17 Jul Cock Howe All age groups – shorter races 31 Jul Gribdale Gallop All age groups – shorter races 3 Aug Osmotherly FM 16 only 8 Aug Bransdale 14 Aug Guisborough FM 18 only 28 Aug Inclined to Madness All age groups – shorter races 8 Sep Castleton All age groups – shorter races 11 Sep Roseberry Topping All age groups – shorter races 22 Sep Viking Chase All age groups - shorter races 12 Oct Saltergate 27 Oct Guisborough 10 Nov Clay Bank West All age groups – shorter races 24 Nov Commondale 8 Dec Eskdale 27 Dec Guisborough All age groups – shorter races

Multi Terrain

Every Sat Sewerby Park 5 K. Start is 0900. Free. Enter ‘on line’ by 1800 Friday 11 May Ingleborough 26 mile and Clapham 12. Cave Rescue Organisation races. 26 May Mucky Duck. 8.5 trail at Driffield. Very popular with Club members

Road

28 Apr Charity 5 miles. Scarborough Rugby Club 5 May Kirkby Moorside 12 May Beverley 10K (entry closed – full) 9 Jun Humber Bridge 10K 30 Jun Humber Bridge Half Marathon 12 Jul Walkington 10K. Popular Friday night race 1 Sep Tholthorpe 10K. (Includes the North Yorks 10 K Road Champs)

Track and Field

Open Meetings

12 May Middlesborough Mandale) AC. 50th Anniversary of Stadium. Early entry recommended 12 May Doncaster

Leagues Youth Development League Senior. U17/20

28 Apr Cleckheaton 2 Jun Middlesborough 30 Jun Cleckheaton 28 Jul Cleckheaton

Youth Development League Junior. U15 and below

4 May Cleethorpes 1 Jun Cleckheaton 22 Jun Cleckheaton 13 Jul TBA

NYSD Tuesday Evening Meetings. Event details on Middleborough Mandale AC web pages

16 Apr Middlesborough 30 Apr Darlington 14 May Middlesborough 18 June Darlington 2 Jul Middlesborough 16 Jul Darlington

City of York AC Summer League

18 May York 15 Jun York 20 Jul York 10 Aug York

Championships

25/26 May Yorkshire County. Dorothy Hyman Stadium. Cudworth 22/23 June Northern Senior and Under 20. Manchester 20 Jul Northern Area. Inter Counties. U15 and U17 Championship. Hull 17/18 Aug Northern Area. Liverpool 24/25 Aug National. Bedford

Road Race Rankings 2013 10K P. Markham M40 Sheffield (10/3) 43.11 A. Kolos Sen Sheffield (24/2) 48.17

10 miles D. Swift M50 Snake Lane 65.09 S. Haslam F55 Snake Lane 69.14 N. Scruton M65 Snake Lane 68.17 H. Schofield Sen Thirsk 69.22 J. Poulter Sen Thirsk 70.44 C. Wade M50 Snake Lane 72.12 R. Haslam Sen Snake lane 72.43 D. Fox M60 Ferriby 75.21 J. Hamp F55 Thirsk 75.37 P. Northedge M65 Ferriby 75.29 N. Hanson F40 Snake Lane 76.37 P. Markham M40 Ferriby 75.54 S. Shepherdson F40 Snake lane 85.20 T. Rawling M45 Snake Lane 76.22 J. Richards F50 Snake Lane 110.12 I. Anderson M45 Snake lane 79.18 S. Flintoff Sen Snake lane 79.58 G. Cromack M50 Thirsk 80.28 T. Owen M55 Snake lane 80.36 P. O’Callaghan M45 Snake Lane 83.42 H. Forkin M65 Snake lane 84.08 D. Hearn M60 Snake Lane 84.19 G. Hayes M45 Snake lane 86.13

Half Marathon J. Drury M40 Sleaford 94.00 L. Jones F55 Barcelona 2.32.44

20 miles J. Drury Sen Hull 2.34.12

Marathon D.Swift M50 London 3.12.10 L. Harrison F35 London 4.24.01 D.Baldwin M45 London 3.18.24 S. Kingscott F45 London 4.34.01 S. Tymon M45 London 3.36.40 K. Jackson Sen Bletchley 7.19.18 I. Anderson M45 London 4.17.11 H. Forkin M65 London 4,25.25 ‘Cartoon’ of the month

Quote of the Month

I think when you run by someone and there's a thumbs up or encouragement, that's something that I really love. It's a brotherhood, a support and an appreciation for the effort we're all making. I think it's also about living well, living healthy, taking care of ourselves, getting in touch with ourselves, our bodies, our minds. It's a mind-body connection that running helps enhance. Gene Baur Co founder and President of Farm Sanctuary, a USA animal rescue society

A perfect run has nothing to do with distance. It's when your stride feels comfortable. You're on your toes trying to push it. Suddenly you realize you can open it up a bit more. You know you're at one with yourself and the environment. You're a little more alive than before you started. Sean Astin. Actor (Lord of the Rings)

Scarborough Sports Therapy Web Site Jenna Wheatman. BSc. MSST Scarborough Pro-Am Sports Injury Clinic

Running in your 60s and beyond

When I started to look into this I realised that although the number of runners in the over 60 categories is increasing throughout the world there is little support on how to go about your training and the injury risks involved. Most research shows runners to be able to keep their performances going until around 50 years old then more intrinsic factors which you cannot control start to kick in. However this does not mean you cannot maintain your times for longer or stop enjoying your sport. The benefits of keeping your running going are that you will have a better quality of life.

The number of over 60's performing regular exercise has grown rapidly. Studies show average times have got faster for the over 60's compared to the younger age groups which have hit a plateau or slowed (study of New York City marathon). This article looks at the science behind running over 60, what can you expect to happen to your performance. The second section will look at injury risks. Running is controlled by three major factors; the heart (the pump), lungs (oxygen supply) and the muscles (our wheels). Age tends to affect the ability to maintain intensity and recovery. Training levels tend to decrease. In turn this will relate to the decline in the physiological factors that measure performance.

Why do we slow down?

The physiological reason for us slowing down seems to be more related to loss of muscle mass and elasticity. For a sedentary person strength starts to reduce after the age of 50 at a rate of 15% per decade, after 70 it increases to a 30 % loss. If you continue to work on your strength studies suggest you can minimize this loss. This loss of muscle mass can be slowed but not stopped. Any activity we do causes damage, its how our muscles adapt. With age the ability to repair muscle fibres and cells decreases. The theory suggests if the muscle fibres and cells are not getting messages to fire up (damage severed the link, lack of use) they die. This is what happens with injury, you will notice muscles around the injury site atrophy (waste). What the body can do is cross fire to other fibres and cells to take over. As we get older however this ability also slows down. We tend to lose fast twitch fibres (speed) more quickly than slow twitch fibres (endurance).This is why we seem to lose muscle quantity but not quality. We adapt to be more suited to endurance events. Which explains why, many move to the marathon as they get older. To keep your times you have to work on keeping the connections between muscle fibres and cells. Strength and speed work now start to have more importance over endurance. Maximum heart rate may also decline as we get older this may relate to why speed work becomes harder and for many avoided. I had a response to a newsletter I did on this subject from one of the over 70 runners. His comments were very interesting about heart rate. He found if he could get near his maximum heart rate he knew he was going to have a good race but if it was low it was going to be slow and showed he was perhaps over training. Since reaching his 70's he has noticed his maximum heart rate has dropped and with this his speed. So from this it appears that running at faster paces requires a higher maximum heart rate which will decline naturally throughout life. Exercise does reduce the speed of this decline but cannot stop it. Other reasons for performance decline, not related to science tend to be; consistency in training, psychological effects or injury.

Running for the over 60’s helps to reduce heart disease, keeps blood pressure and cholesterol down (usually related to weight). It can help to maintain bone mass. Older athletes need all the training components of younger athletes;

Aerobic and anaerobic conditioning

Upper and lower body strength

Sports specific skill development

Cross-training

Flexibility training

Recovery

The difference is in frequency, intensity, time and type of training. Anaerobic training (intervals) is the most taxing type. You may want to decrease these sessions to once every 2 weeks rather than the usual twice a week. It’s important to keep these sessions as they work on speed. How else would you expect to keep your speed if you didn’t include it. You may require 1-2 days recovery in-between sessions this does not necessarily mean complete rest but perhaps cross training/flexibility/strength or slow run. Your long run (10 miles plus) can be every 3rd week instead of every 2nd. Flexibility is the main factor affecting speed. As you get older your stride length becomes shorter. Maintaining flexibility work and sprint drills can help to decrease this effect. A good exercise to put into your warm-up is striding and mobility work. Monitoring heart rate is important for everyone as it can tell you if you have recovered from your previous training session. For the older athlete I would say it is a must. (First you need to find out what your resting heart rate is). When monitoring if you find your heart rate to be 5 beats above normal it’s a sign of over training.

Strength training is essential. It’s important to include core stability exercises, single limb exercises and sports specific exercises. The best structure is working on 1 set of 12-16 reps. Squats, lunges, step ups, step downs, chest press/bench press, side step ups, seated row, plank, bridging, superman are examples of exercises to put in. Balance, agility and co-ordination exercises may become more challenging but more important. Performing unilateral (single limb) balancing exercises such as step-ups, step-downs, wobble board, one leg dead lifts and simple agility drills (ladder work, sprint drills) help to keep form and posture as well as protect you from falls. Your sensory awareness is vital to allow you to understand what your limbs are doing, what’s under your feet and quickly reacting to any changes to avoid falls and injury. I think for everyone whether involved in sport or not should always have regular health check ups.

What about injury risks?

Not many injuries are related to age. There are huge debates on whether running increases your risk of arthritis/joint degeneration but the benefits far outweigh these risks. Genetics play a far more involved role to whether you can continue to run. But even then lifestyles are changing all the time. People are living longer. Most injuries that occur are due to over training. You may notice old injury sites giving you a few problems but this is usually due to bad management when the injury first occurred. If you look after your injuries straight away they will cause no problems in the future. Running is a repetitive sport so the injuries are the same for everyone but the older athlete is more at risk from these mainly because they have been running for a lot longer. Those who start running later on in life tend to have fewer injuries. It’s important to remember that if you do get injured, healing takes longer as you get older, never push through an injury you just have to be patient and use cross training.

Common injuries seen at pro-am sports injury clinic (60 + age groups) alongside a brief account of the causes.

Achilles tendinopathy – abnormal foot strike, calf muscles too tight. Your foot posture will change from years of activities, it’s always important for anyone, any age to have their foot posture measured to ensure the trainers they are using are correct.

Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints) – New surface/running shoes, over training, biomechanical flaw (muscle imbalance)

Plantar fasciitis – foot mechanics

Runners knee – imbalance between the quadriceps, weakness of pelvic stabilisers (balance), incorrect running shoes

Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) – too high mileage, bank running, down hill running, muscle imbalance core muscles

Ankle sprain – poor balance/reaction to changes under the foot

Muscles pulls – inflexibility, over training on tight muscles.

Most of these injuries are due to the repetitive nature of running, it’s important to cross train. Running from my point of view is very beneficial to the older athlete with research showing that those involved in running have a far better quality of life that their sedentary counterparts. Keeping a well balanced training programme is essential to anyone but does become more important as you get older. I know for most it can be depressing to see your times slowing down but what was the reason you started to run in the first place? Enjoyment / healthy lifestyle? For me I see the older runners out their enjoying themselves a lot more that their younger competitors. I think priorities change and the people and places you get to see become more important than actual rankings and times. nowing that your running has allowed you to be more agile and active, enjoying your retirement years must be a great feeling. Jenna Wheatman

Mini Biographies

Sharon Houghton

Sharon is a Club Coach for the Club’s Juniors, and until sidelined with injury, she was a regular participant at cross country races, and also road races home and abroad, including six . She hopes to continue running after recovery from a recent knee operation. Ed.

Years as a runner; 14 years. Started running in 1999 when I moved to Scarborough and joined the club

Best performance; Completed six marathons, but most proud of winning my age group in the East Yorkshire Cross Country League

Favourite race; Prague Half Marathon

Favourite female athlete; Paula Radcliffe

Favourite male athlete; Mo Farrah

Targets/Ambitions; Having a knee operation recently, I would like to get back to running well enough to compete in cross country races again

Amusing moments; Many amusing moments, but perhaps my most memorable was getting lost in South Shields and not being able to find my car at the end of the Great North Run. I walked for what seemed another 13 miles before I found it!! Julie, Jane and Mel’s new adventures

Julie Clayton

I’ve been feeling a little jaded recently I seem to have a problem with my knee and its getting me down. Chris seemed to be coming back from injury and then sprained his ankle so both a bit down in the dumps. I have a lot of events planned for the coming months and I have been worried that I might not be able to make them all. That said I am not one to be deterred so after my skiing holiday we came back and took on the Rombalds stride a 20+ mile event over at Guisley. We arrived early in the morning finding it a bit chilly. We were all a bit tired but set off over the moors. We headed out to Baildon moor and Ilkley Moor and as a last sting in the tail climbed up Otley Chevin. It was a nice day out but a tough start to the year. The food was good and plenty of cups of tea kept us warm.

Our next day out was the Major Series Assault course at Bramham Park. We were not sure what to expect as we were new to this. Unfortunately I had picked up a cold and had a rotten cough. I was not going to be put off though it just meant that I would be a bit slow. We were expecting mud and climbs but not mud in the amount that we got. We were covered from head to foot in thick mud and were crawling around the ground and trying to get over tree stumps and crawling through tunnels. We had the best fun ever and can’t wait to the next one in April over at Harrogate. I think the obstacles are a bit bigger at that one though so might be a bit more taxing. Unfortunately Jane cannot join me and Mel on that one

After another skiing holiday and worry over my knee we went off to do the Cleveland Survival. An annual event held somewhere around the Cleveland Hills North Yorkshire Moors, this year it was from Swainby. Everywhere had received a good dump of snow so we knew it would be tough but the wind was gusting up to 40mph and it was about -5'c up on the tops. It was Mel’s first time, she turned up with 2 left gloves due to feeling a little nervous the night before! We marked up our map and set off. My hands were freezing and could hardly hold the map. Mel did ask that she could find a friend who just wanted to shop instead!! I was thinking the same thing at that point. We were out for over 5 hours and were really glad to get back to the village Hall and some warm food. I did have great admiration for Nicci Carr who completed the Hardmoors 55 on the same day.

Last week we were off to do the Blubberhouses 25 over near Harrogate. We did this last year but there had been no rain for months when we went. This year was a different story, after months of continuous downpours the moors were now good and boggy and then a dump of snow two weeks ago made sure that our event was going to be a little tricky. It was a beautiful day though a little chilly but it turned out to be a tough day. We were out for over 5 hours again and Chris made me run up the hill to the finish just in case the man at the bottom of the hill caught me up!

The next instalment on my adventure is our Assault course in Harrogate, and then we are doing a biking event over in Driffield

Press Reports

Their selection was a reflection on a most successful twelve months, which included them both receiving Scarborough Borough Sports awards for being the top athletes in their age group. (Photo attached)

Enigma Marathon. Bletchley

Kelly Jackson became the first member of Scarborough Athletic Club to compete in a road marathon this year, when she competed in the latest event in the Enigma Marathon series of events, which was held on a new course due to flooding, at Bletchley, Buckinghamshire.

On what was a freezing cold morning with snow flurries, Kelly completed the race in seven hours nineteen minutes. This was Kelly’s eleventh marathon in the past 18 months, and she has a further seven more marathons planned for this year, towards her ultimate target of completing 100 marathons.

English Junior Fell Race Championships

Leah Herrington

Scarborough Athletic Club was represented at the first round race of the English Junior Fell Race Championship series of races, by 15 year old Leah Herrington who competed in the Girl’s Under 16 championship event. The race was held at Rivington Pike, Horwich near Bolton, on a testing course which consisted of1.82 miles with 580 feet of climb.

Leah who finished sixth in last year’s championship, began her 2013 campaign with a tenth place finish, and with just four out of the six races to count, will be hoping to move up the overall rankings in subsequent races. (Event photo attached).

Hemsley 10 Kilometre Multi Terrain Race

Four members of Scarborough Athletic Club competed in the fourth running of the Hemsley Ten Kilometre Multi Terrain race, which consisted of an undulating course which included forest tracks, footpaths, fields and road sections.

For the second consecutive week, Neil Scruton was the first finisher for the club, when he crossed the line in 46th place overall in an excellent time of 42 minutes and 39 seconds. He was also a clear winner of the Over 65 age group.

Neil was followed home by Steve Flintoft who clocked 50.44 and was 172nd of the 367 finishers.

Dave Parke was next to finish in 243rd overall and the 7th Over 60 in 55.08.

Dave was closely followed by Sam Shepherdson who was 67th overall in the women’s race, with a 55.16 clocking.

British Elite Duathlon Championships

Bronwen Owen. Duathlon Champion

Scarborough Athletic Club’s Bronwen Owen competed in the Female Youth section of the British Duathlon Championship, which was held at the Leicestershire Prestwood Airfield, near Loughborough. The event also doubled as the first round of the British Triathlon Championship series.

The first of the two run sections resulted in a group of seven athletes clocking the same time, and the second cycle stage was equally close. However, the in form Bronwen was by far the fastest over the final run section, and finished 13 seconds faster than the second and third on this stage, and also finished 12 seconds ahead overall to be crowned the 2013 British Duathlon Champion.

Pinchinthorpe Plod Fell Races

Neil Scruton

Scarborough Athletic Club was represented in the twelfth race of the Northern Runner Winter Fell Race series by the leading Over-65 fell runner, Neil Scruton. The race was held near the hamlet of Pinchinthorpe near Guisborough, and consisted of a 6.2 mile route over the North Yorkshire Moors, with 900 feet of climb.

65 year old Neil who needed just one more age group win, achieved this in style when also finishing in 24th overall of the 92 finishers, to take the Over-65 Winter Title for the first time. In shorter races for junior age groups, the Clapton siblings maintained their unbeaten record in a separate championship series, when they both won their age group’s races. Emma Clapton was the first of the Under-14 Girls, whilst Sam Clapton won the Under-12 Boys race.

Round Six of the Scarborough Athletic Club Winter Handicap Series.

Gill and Jayne having a great time!

17 members of Scarborough Athletic Club, braved some strong icy winds, when competing in the sixth and penultimate round of the Club’s Winter Handicap. The race which was titled Burniston Loop, started and finished at the Scarborough Rugby Club, and consisted of a 3.4 mile course which included footpaths and a section of the disused railway line.

For the second time in the series, Jack Robertson was the fastest finisher when heading the second fastest Rich Buckle by 2 minutes 32 seconds. The third fastest overall was Rhona Haslam, who was also the first woman for the second time in the series, after a battle with her mother Sue Haslam who was second fastest woman. The third fastest finishers were Chris Wade after his best race of the series, and Nikki Carr who achieved a joint best result.

With just the three best results to count for the Fastest Men’s and Women’s titles, the first three leaders none of whom competed, retained their position, but only Jack Robertson and Dave Baldwin can now achieve a winning hat trick. Hester Butterworth remains the women’s overall leader with the maximum three wins, but Rhona Haslam can still share the fastest title if she succeeds at the final fixture.

The first finisher on handicap was Tony Rawling who headed the fast finisher Chris Wade, and Julie Clayton who finished five seconds ahead of Jayne Graves and Gill Glegg, who started at the same time as her. As it was with the fastest overall contenders, the overall handicap leaders rested on their laurels, which leaves the current leader Dave Parke in an unassailable lead.

Wakefield District Harriers Open Track and Field Meeting

Two of Scarborough Athletic Club’s second claim club members, competed for their first claim clubs at the Wakefield District Harriers Open Track and Field meeting, which was held at Thorne Park Stadium Wakefield.

Jenna Wheatman who was competing for the host club, achieved her best ever start to the Track and Field season in the senior women’s Hammer Throw, when achieving a throw of 50 over metres. Jenna was the runner up in the event with a best throw of 50.54 metres. This placed her up in ninth in the early season ranking list for , and third in the Yorkshire County list.

Leah Millard who was competing for the City of York Athletic Club, also made a good start to her season, when finishing as the runner up in the Women’s Under 17 300 metres race. Strong winds in the stadium affected track race times, but Leah’s time of 43.39 resulted in her being ranked fourth in the latest Yorkshire County Ranking List.

Woldman 50 mile and Hardmoors Fell Marathon

Rich and Nikki

Two of Scarborough Athletic Club members who have recently been specialising in ultra distance races, both competed in successive events on the same weekend, and in doing so they each clocked up an amazing total of over 76 miles. Nikki Carr and Rich Buckle commenced their demanding weekend schedule of races with the Woldsman 50 event, which consisted of a 50 mile multi terrain route over the Yorkshire Wolds, starting and finishing at Driffield. 25 year old Nikki, who commenced her athletics career as a teenage sprinter, was the second female finisher in a splendid time of 9 hours 52 minutes. Rich finished in 11 hours 29 which was well inside the 20 hour cut off time.

The following day they both competed in the Hardmoors Wainstone Marathon, which was a fell race over the full 26.2 mile distance. This was an exceptionally tough event which incorporated 6,900 feet of climb over the Cleveland Hills and North Yorkshire Moors, starting and finishing at Chop Gate near Stokesley. Strong winds on an otherwise fine day, made the going even harder for the runners. Rich finished this race in 6 hours 11 minutes, and Nikki followed in 6 hours 49, and was therefore comfortably inside the 8 hour cut off limit.

Kingston upon Hull Athletic Club Open Track and Field Meeting

Chloe Warren of Scarborough Athletic Club became the first full club member to compete in an outdoor Track and Field meeting this season, when she competed in the Kingston Upon on Hull Open meeting at the Costello Stadium. 14 year old Chloe made an excellent start to the season in which she will now compete in the Under 17 Women’s age group, with a win and two personal best in the three events she participated in. Chloe won the Shot with a personal best throw of 8.74 metres, and was fourth in the Javelin with 20.68 metres and another personal best. Her successful meeting also included a third in the Discus with 23.99 metres.

Jenna Wheatman was in action for her first claim club Wakefield Harriers, and finished as the runner up in the Hammer completion in 49 metres 42.

Paris Marathon

Former Scarborough Athletic Club member and teacher at the George Pindar College, Ben Mukherjee competed in the Paris Marathon and finished in 2 hours 53 minutes which placed him up in 522 of the 44,476 finishers. However Ben will recall the event for another reason. He proposed to his girl friend Bea Tyndale at the Eiffel Tower, and the couple are now officially engaged to be married!

Blubberhouses 25

Three members of Scarborough Athletic Club competed in the annual Blubberhouses 25 mile off road event, which was over Nidderdale moorland, starting and finishing at Norwood near Harrogate. After an exceptionally wet winter, and also a recent significant snowfall, the going underfoot was extremely boggy.

Chris and Julie Clayton Clayton along with Jane Hamp trio stayed together for the event, and finished just inside the top half of the 210 finishers in joint 101st and were timed at 5 hours 8 minutes, and thus well inside the 8 hour cut off time limit. Boston Marathon

As the terrible events at yesterday's Boston Marathon unfolded last night, members of Scarborough Athletic Club posted messages of sympathy and support on the club's Facebook page, and responded to posts on other pages. There was also a stated determination that this tragedy will not affect participation in this year's London Marathon.

Having previously competed in the Boston Marathon myself, I can emphasise with all those affected. The World's oldest marathon is one of the world's great marathons, and unlike the London Marathon, the finish area is open to all spectators, which added to the tragedy.

No Scarborough AC club members took part, and it has just been reported, that there were no British casualties. Without knowing who might have been responsible, it is impossible to comment further, but hope that the undoubted resilience of America and Britain to such acts, will not greatly deter or interfere with the staging of races, and indeed any sporting event.

Virgin Mini Marathon – British Athletics Road Race Championships

Two of Scarborough Athletic Club’s young athletes represented Yorkshire and Humberside at the British Athletics Road Race Championships, which is now officially incorporated into the Virgin London Mini Marathon. The event for athletes aged 11 to 17, includes a competition for London Borough teams, precedes the main marathon, and is run over the final three miles of the marathon course, finishing in The Mall. Entry to the championship races is solely after selection by one of the nine competing regions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Previous winners have included the reigning double gold medalist Mo Farrah. Bronwen Owen and Emma Clapton were both selected following an outstanding year in athletics, and for which they both received Scarborough Borough Sports Awards last year.

In the Under 17 Championship race, Bronwen Owen who was a previous winner of the Under 15 race two years ago, finished a close third, and just a stride down on her rival and Yorkshire team mate Annabel Mason, the reigning National Cross Country Champion and European Junior Mountain Running Champion. Both of the prodigious Clay sisters, who competed for Great Britain at the Junior World Cross Country Championships in last month, were split by Bronwen who finished ahead of Alec who was fourth, whilst Bobby won what was one of top class races of the championship, which had 263 finishers. Bronwen along with team mate Annabel, helped Yorkshire and Humberside achieve the team victory.

Emma Clapton competed in the Under 15 Championship race, which included some top class athletes who are now competing in Under-17 events, such as the winner Harriet Knowles-Jones who finished ahead of Bronwen Owen at the English Schools cross country championships, and second to her at the Home Countries Schools International. In second place was the reigning Scottish cross country and 1500 metres track champion Gillian Black. Emma finished up in 13th of the 295 and was the 7th of her actual age group.

Virgin London Marathon

All of the seven Scarborough Athletic Club members, who entered this year’s Virgin London Marathon, successfully completed the 33rd running of race. They all finished inside the top half of the record 36,707 number of finishers, which was a good indication that few had been deterred by the Boston Marathon bombing. Whilst the weather conditions at the start of the Elite Women’s race at 09.00 were described as perfect, when the main race which started an hour later progressed towards midday, it became noticeably much warmer. This had an adverse affect on many of the runners, including some of the elite men’s field which included the reigning Olympic Marathon Champion, whose target times slipped during the second half of the race through the streets of Dockland and the City. The sunny weather even resulted in some sunburn for those Scarborough runners who ran in club singlet’s!

The first Scarborough runner to cross the finish line in The Mall, was 52 year old Derrick Swift, the newest and also the most experienced club member at the race after 15 previous London Marathons. Derek clocked 3 hours and 12 minutes after a perfectly judged race. Derrick is now ensured an automatic entry to the as a ‘Good For Age’ runner.

Dave Baldwin was next home and one of the three club members who were raising funds for charity. Dave made a very good start and was on target for a sub three hour finish at half way, but had to hang on in the last eight miles to finish in 3 hours 18 for Saint Catherine’s Hospice.

Shaun Tymon completed his 7th London Marathon, and for which he continues to raise funds for Ellies Fund, the childhood brain cancer charity. This year Shaun clocked 3 hours 36 minutes.

The third of the charity fundraisers was Lucy Harrison who was running for Sepsis Trust, the charity which aims to raise awareness of sepsis. On her second London appearance, Lucy came close to her previous time achieved on her debut last year, when she finished in 4 hours 24 minutes.

Iain Anderson also had to dig deep after a good start, and although he also suffered in the closing miles, he nonetheless ran a personal best time of 4 hours 17 minutes

Sally Kingscott who was the club’s only other Scarborough woman at the event this year, finished in 4 hours 34 minutes. This was an excellent result, and particularly so after her preparation was hampered by an injury sustained at a cross country race earlier in the year.

After Derrick Swift, 66 year old Harry Forkin was the next most experienced with 12 previous London Marathons, and also the oldest Scarborough Athletic Club runner this year. Harry finished in 4 hours 25 minutes, which he was very pleased to note was his best time for 17 years.