HELM HILL RUNNERS NEWSLETTER SPRING 2012 www.helmhillrunners.co.uk Winter is over! Spring racing is here! Far from going into hibernation, Helm Hill juniors and seniors have been out and about in the cold, dark months training and racing and scheming plans for 2012. Here’s the news and info from the fells, keeping you uptodate, informed and enthused in the club’s activities. More storming stories! CLUB NEWS Most popular Kendal Shock news! Sun- Winter League ever! shine at Firbank Fell race!!!! photo: John Tosker Helm Hill Runner’s Featuring……... Olympic debut!!!! CLUB NEWS 1 He’s been measured for a track UPCOMING RACES 2 Helm Hill’s Kendal Winter League suit already! Read more on Page 21…. UPCOMING EVENTS 3 goes from strength to strength. CAPTAIN’S BITS 3 It kicked off at noon, Jan 8th on Scout Championship Races Galore1 Scar with a charge of 91 Under 12’s! There’s races aplenty for Seniors and MORE CLUB STUFF 5 Over 30 U14/17s churned up the mud a Juniors….. bit more for the massed ranks of 233 RACE REPORTS 6 Carnethy 7 seniors later. Helm Hill Club Champs FRA English Champs Kendal Winter League 8 English Champs Rnd 1 10 More inside……. BOFRA English Champs Black Combe 11 Junior Races 12 WEEKLY TRAINING: BACK ON THE HELM FROM APRIL 4TH FEATURES Woohoo! Back to the hill for Wednesday night. training. Meet on Helm just up FRA Navigation Course 16 2012 escapades 18 road opp Station Inn pub (up from Oxenholme stn) —you can’t miss us! 6:30- Poetry 20 7:30pm until further notice, Check the website for sessions during easter. Sharpen Celebrity Corner 21 those studs. Wear something bright if running home on the roads after. First Races 20 Gear-tastic 23 See www.helmhillrunners.co.uk for more info Billy’s Racing Tips 23 I’ve recce’d it! 24 Turn over for 24 more pages!!! Competition Corner 25 HELM HILL RUNNERS NE WSLETTER UPCOMING CHAMPIONSHIP RACES Here comes the spring races! Lots of members will be racing so if you fancy joining then and want some guidance/convincing have a chat at training with one of the coaches. NB list restricted to Championship races -there’s tons! links for lots of others. Helm Hill Club Champs http://www.helmhillrunners.co.uk/docs/2012%20championship%20race%20list.pdf FRA Junior & Senior English Champs http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/championships.php BOFRA Champs http://bofra.co.uk/assets/fixtures/bofracalendar2012.pdf SENIORS…... April 14th Coledale Horseshoe FRA English champs (pre-entry) April 15th KWL Arant Haw Peoples Hall (not a KWL point scorer) & KWL Presentations. Prizes, prizes, prizes..etc (literally) NB Helm Hill Senior Champs May12th Sedbergh Gala: Bofra champs other fell races : May 19th New Dungeon Ghyll (FRA) , Helm Hill Club Champs Fell Running Association May 27 Coniston Gullies eek! Bofra champs http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php June 3rd Helvelyn and Dodds (FRA) , Helm Hill Club Champs BOFRA http://www.bofra.co.uk June 4 Kirkby Gala Bofra champs Scottish Hill Racing June 10 Kettlewell Bofra champs http://www.shr.uk.com/Calendar.aspx. June 17 Hawkswick Dash Bofra champs June 16th, Great Lakes FRA English champs (pre-entry) July 5th Gibson Grind (FRA) , Helm Hill Club Champs July 8th Helm Hill Races Bofra champs (big Helm turnout expected!) U8 & U10s – Wed 11th April - Loughrigg, (U8/12) Sun 27th May - Coniston gullies, (bofra – U9/12) Sun 8th July - Helm Hill (bofra – U9/12) Sat 14th July - Sedbergh (FRA - U8/10) Sun 5th August - Farlton knott (bofra – U9/12) Sun 2nd September - Helm Hill Junior races (U8/10/12) plus club relays Best 4 from 6 to count. more about Junior champs U12 – U18 on page 15 Sat 7th April – Pendle (FRA - U12/14/16/18) Wed 11th April – Loughrigg (U12/14) Sat 21st April – Anni Wa (FRA - U12/14/16/18) Sat 12th May – Sedbergh Gala (bofra -U12/14/17) Sun 27th May – Coniston Gullies (bofra - 12/14/17) Sat 16th June – Bendrigg 2 mls road race Sat 8th July – Helm Hill (bofra - U12/14/17) Sat 14th July – Sedbergh – uphill only (FRA - U12/14/16/18) Sun 5th Aug – Farlton Knott (bofra - U12/14/17) Sun 26th Aug – Grasmere guides. (U12/14/17) Best 6 from 10 to count. Page 2 UPCOMING EVENTS HelmHill’s Kendal Winter League 2012 finale non-scoring race & Presentations: Sedbergh Peoples Hall April 15th noon onwards. Non-points races. League prizes, trophies, food, chatter. CHAIRMAN’S BIT—TIM MURRAY Welcome to the second edition of the Helm Wednesday night training is as popular as Hill newsletter. Thanks again to Rick & Ali for ever.....and some of the groups have now pulling it together. Its been another busy few got to the point where we need to place months for the Club. 2011 ended with the our limits on numbers. Traditionally the Club annual presentation evening at which we recog- has operated an open door policy for nised some fantastic individual performances Wednesday training.......however we have now got to the stage throughout the year. It was great to see so many where we are having to put new runners on a waiting list......so people celebrating the success of Helm Hill Run- from April we are asking that all those runners who train with ners. A special award was made by Alastair Dunn us on Wednesdays to become members over the next few on behalf of the Club to Billy proctor for his out- weeks. This will avoid the situation in which a member of the standing contribution as coach, runner, organiser Club may be put on a waiting list to join a group which already and supporter over the past 15 years. Well de- contains non-members. served! Monday night training is also growing in numbers with over 40 The Winter League Series of races has just been runners joining the various groups each week. completed at Elterwater and this year has been So, the Club continues to go from strength to strength - the best attended ever. In 2011 around 400 indi- thanks to everyone who gives up their valuable time so freely vidual runners took part in at least one race. This to keep it moving forward. Lots of things will be happening year we have had nearly 600. The races just over the next few weeks.......the Winter League presentations, would not happen without the help of a big team the Club Championships will be up and running and a date for of people so........a huge thanks to all those who the AGM will be in the diary shortly.. We might even have have helped out with the organisation......flagging, time for the occasional night out!! Keep looking at the website timekeeping, registrations, putting the results to- for info. gether etc. A big thanks also to those parents who support and encourage the runners each look forward to seeing you on the fells - week. Happy Running! Tim. CLUB CAPTAIN’S BIT—MARK ADDISON saw a hardy group head up ool Running: there in force to try to wrestle C the famous claymore sword Howdy all! Happy New Year! The start of 2012 has team trophy from the hands of the Scots. A terrific seen some excellent performances and turnouts from the effort saw the club finish 4th team overall and first club, not too mention another action packed Kendal Win- English team! Top effort lads! Full report inside! ter League. The KWL has had yet another great year with record turnouts, including over 100 under 12s at the first A week later came the newly organised ‘Golden race! Incredible when I look back all those many years ago Pearl’ Reston Scar race, which follows the same to when I was under 12 where the biggest field was 25 max- route as the Reston Scar Scamper held in July only imum! Furthermore it goes without saying that all those you go round twice – as if once wasn’t enough! involved deserve a huge ‘pat on the back’, because if it was Again another great team effort by the club saw not for their voluntary services this fantastic series of races some superb performances with me in 2nd, Tom could not be possible so THANKYOU! Addison 3rd, Seb Sillito 11th, Craig Burrow 22nd, Shaun Addison 38th, B. Thompson 48th, Chris As for great turnouts I witnessed a superb effort from the Schofield 49th, M. Wilson 55th, Phil Thurlow 56th, club at the Carnethy 5 Hill Race in Scotland in February. S. Hammond 57th, Russ Cannon 58th and S. Johnson For those of you who don’t know, this truly is a classic race 67th. The club picked up the team prize, really well set in the majestic Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. Normally done to all who took part. (Apologies to those of it is held in the first few weeks in February so pencil it in on you who just have a first initial, I haven’t had the your calendar for next year….you won’t regret it! This race pleasure of knowing your first names, sorry!) Page 3 HELM HILL RUNNERS NE WSLETTER for each and every one of us so cheers lads! Also anoth- Then on the 17th of March came the 1st English Cham- er mention must go to the sorry pair who skipped their pionship at Lads Leap in Derbyshire. Again this saw a media requirements and missed the team photo – you fantastic effort from the club with some good perfor- know who you are Seb and Robin, sort it out lads! mances—see Race report ! A special mention to both That’s all for now folks! Over & out! El Capitan (Mark Ben & Lee Proctor who have put me to shame getting A).