Helsby RC Racing News 11th-17th May 2015

 
Apologies for the delay to the delivery of your weekly news, entirely my fault as I thought I was doing it next week! Right, on with the News, I won’t lie, it’s massive! It also has details of a new County level runner to join the few that have swapped their green vest for a black Cheshire one. I’ll leave you to find out all about it below.
Couple of events to point out (full details at the bottom of this mail):

• Club night out in Frodsham – Fitzy is organising so you know it’ll be good!
  • ‘Hola Green Army So the planned night out is still going ahead, usual routine, Sunday 24th May, 7.30pm, Helter skelter, and then on to a few other boozers nothing too heavy, hopefully see you there 🙂  Fitzy ‘
• Road: Grocontinental relay on Thursday 9^th July at Dearnford Lake
  • Colin Thompson is coordinating the mens teams, if you wish to be involved please email him col808@hotmail.com
  • Jane Ashbrook is coordinating the ladies teams janebetts@gmail.com
• Fell Counter – Hutton Roof Crags #Fellsby
• North Wales Fell counter – Moel Eilio #Fellsby
• NEW to Fells Mini Series #Fellsby
  • Mynydd Myfyr
  • Robbie Webster’s Wobbler
    • I’ve got plenty of Marshals now, so thanks to every body that has volunteered!
    • Please see cake appeal mail sent earlier – all proceeds going to Nepal Earthquake victims

Have a great half term and enjoy your running wherever you are and whatever you’re doing!
CBH.
Road Running
Windermere Marathon
The Marathon results continue to fly in for the Helsby road runners. Given the location and course profile I think that Darran O’Connor needs to make the most of his form and training by getting out with the Fellsby contingent, but let’s not detract from the story in hand – over to you Darran on what was a clearly stunning performance!
“All the months of long runs and hill sprints boiled down to this. The course profile and message boards all warned of the hills but a quick course reccy on Saturday had me worried I’d get round in one piece. My original goal of beating my only previous marathon time of 3:26:00 was really looking doubtful. The morning of the race lifted my spirits as the conditions were perfect for running. Walking to start line I was full of nerves – luckily I met Helen Owens just before we set of and she was in her usual good spirits. We set of to the sound of a local drum band which gave me a boost. 
I had a pacing plan in mind and my hand was covered in biro to remind me of the worst hills! The hills started almost right away – the steepest of all was at mile 7 which reduced most people to walking (not me!!) randomly there were 2 guys playing bag pipes half way up the killer hill! I stuck to my plan through out until I got to mile 20 where there was another 1 mile of horrible hills. I was hoping to up the pace in the last 4 miles but my legs were spent by that time and these ended up being my slowest miles in the race.
Finished in 51st place with a new pb of 3:19:14. Over the moon with that! Saw Helen cross the line and she looked really strong finishing with a big smile! I would recommend this race to anyone – the atmosphere, scenery and organisation were great. Definitely the hardest race I have ever done – I think a flat one is on the menu for my next one!”
Fantastic performance Darran. And yet another marathon for Helen.. how many this year already? Helen beat the efforts of Ivan and me to come as close to a major time milestone as possible in a time of 3:59:59! Kudos.
Christleton 5K
Won in a stunning 14:31 you know a race has attracted a top field when Colin is not even in the top 50 despite an incredible PB of 16:27!!!!
Amazing runs across the board with PBs all over the place. Unfortunately apart from Colin, Fitzy and Laura BH I don’t know who else PB’ed as I’ve not got a report or a list of everybody’s previous PBs! Congratulations to all runners flying the #GreenArmy flag!
​

Results are here: http://chestertri.niftyentries.com/Results/Christleton-5K-2015
Chester Half Marathon
With a predominantly flat course Chester is a favorite within the tarmac lovers of the club. This course has a sting in the tail as the finish is up the hill past Telfords Warehouse and through the Northgate.
A new course record was set in 1:02 and change – phew!
First home for Helsby was Degs in a cracking 1:25 followed by Alison Halsall in a superb 1:30! Well done to all that took to the line. Full Results below:
 

If there are any race reports for either of the two races above then send them in and they will be added to the blog pages.
Fell Running
Now to the main event – I’m not bias at all 🙂
Cader Idris is a classic style fell race, run to the top and back down again. It’s a real cracker with some serious huffing and puffing on the way up, ankle challenging terrain across to the summit (which you feel like  kissing by the time you get there!) and an insanely steep downhill section on the return which has spectators gasping!
This year The #Fellsby contingent were slighltly lower in numbers due to various commitments, but Jimmy, Jim Jones, Phil Roberts and friend of the club Jeff McQueen all took to the start line for a breathless adventure. Sadly the results are still not out yet, but it’s clear from the photos that the boys had a great time out there!

Under the radar at the Inter County Fell Running Championships
Max thought he could get away with it but social media has uncovered that he ran in a Cheshire vest at the Inter Country fell running championships!!!
No surprise to those of us that have seen him run uphill – “Glides” is the word I use! Over to Max for details (which I had to prize out of his modest self!
‘A 7 ish mile fell race in betws y coed. Two laps of a very fast course with lots of twists and turns one big ascent. Nice and sunny day bit too fast for me though. Think I did fairly well but not sure what position I came in as I haven’t checked – second out of the Cheshire vests though’.
Well Max, I finally found the results and here are the cut down version with a few people in for context. Tom Addison was 8th in 48:27! Awesome run Max, especially considering the course didn’t play to your strengths. Maybe it was the Alan Partridge super short shorts? (Context: see this link from 2:52 – http://tinyurl.com/ooas8xg ) I’m sure the rest of the club will join me in congratulating you!

Long Distance Trail & Ultras
Helsby has a few long distance fans – completing challenges from the Bob Graham and the Ring o’Fire to our very own Sandstone trail Race Challenge.
Until now we only had one centurion, but it would appear that number has now doubled! Over to Andy for the details!
Apocalypse 100
‘This weekend I ran the Apocalypse 100 in Shropshire, 100 miles, including 3 ascents of the Long Mynd.
It was an awesome event! Great weather, brilliant views across Shropshire & the Welsh hills. We didn’t have time to stop for picnics though. Best bit: hammering down off the Long Mynd to the finish. Worst bit: offroute in the middle of a rape field at 1am in pitch dark.
I ran the first half with Nigel Aston, then the 2nd half on my own, through the night. Good to see Nigel, & he helped me through a rough patch at around miles 35 to 45. Good to see Charlie Sharpe, Carmine de Grandis & Alison Brind too – all doing the 50-mile option (which was just the first half of the 100).
I must have paced it about right, since I finished 4th in about 24:09:14. Daniel Hendrikson won in 20:15:14, Paul Collier 2nd in 20:56:00. The full results are here, & I’ve written a race report and posted it toRunfurther.com. Charlie Sharpe won the 50-mile race.’
Huge Kudos Mr. Robinson – a top 5 finish to boot! Clearly a great way to relax after putting on an excellent race the week before. Here are the belated details from the other side of an ultra event.
Sandstone Trail Challenge
I’ve now put a report up on the club website here, and I’ve attached a few of the best photos of club members.
We had 198 finishers, half walkers, half runners as usual.   The results are out, and you can find them here.  We had a great day on Saturday, with fine performances from the Helsby runners.  First home was Charlie Sharpe in 4:33, first woman was Tracy Entwistle in 5:23.  Helsby runners were:
7th Chris Fitzpatrick, 5:05
35th Jim Jones, 6:08
46th Jane Ashbrook, 6:29 (7th woman)
49th Derek Morris, 6:42
85th & 86th Ste Wiggins & Ben Williams, 7:43
110th Ian Hilditch, 8:52
I hope I haven’t missed anyone out there, but it’s possible!

Trail running
Found this in the junk mail box… no idea why it got redirected, but as a result it got missed from previous reace news – time to rectify that!
http://www.lakelandtrails.org/staveley/results.php Jenny and I (Tim) did yet another Lakeland Trails race this weekend. As usual lovely scenery and atmosphere, quite fast as the major ascents were on tarmac – country lanes. A big plus as far as Jenny and I were concerned is that it starts and finishes with a few hundred metres if Wilfs – excellent for pre race brews and post race lunch. As usual for these races, 10k turns into 11.5k…
Park Run
Great to see green vests still making an appearance on the Park run scene. If you’re new to the club and haven’t been out racing yet then the Park run is a perfect start. Really relaxed, great atmosphere and ALL abilities.
Cheeky first place for the evergreen Mr. Colin Bishop and great to see Louise S, Rhea, Andy Smith, Rachel, Jenny O’Hare and Paul Bulmer being guided around by Louise M and Claire Morton.
Well done all!
Full results here: http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=1721
Upcoming races and reminders
Races
Date: Sat 23rd May
Fell Counter: 
Hutton Roof Crags (BM) 11.3km/ 397m
When: 14:30
Where: Hutton Roof Village Hall, nr Kirkby Lonsdale, LA6 2PG
Further Details: www.huttonroof.org.uk
http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=3530
Includes Country Fair so bring the family!
For those of you looking for a PDF version of the calendars, please click this link.
http://tinyurl.com/p4spezs
If you have any events to add to it then please contact Tim Palmer
PS – You’ll notice some of the events are in several times, that is because they are in multiple calendars which is better for those that use the electronic calendars. For the PDF users it’ll be an annoyance, but just scroll on by! 🙂
Date: Sat 23rd May
Moel Eilio (AM) 12.9km/ 915m (NW Counter)
When: 13:00
Where: Outside Plas Garnedd , Llanberis, LL55 4LF
Calendar: North Wales Fell Counters
Date: Sun 24 May 2015
Mynydd Myfyr (BS) 6.5km/ 150m – £4-5
When:11:30
Where: Trefonen Village Hall, approx. 2 miles SW of Oswestry. SY10 9DY
Calendar: New to Fells (Mini Series)
Description:
A great introduction to off-road running and racing. Approximately 6.5 Kilometres (4 miles) of mixed terrain on trail paths, through farmland and wooded areas and country lanes including climbs totaling 150 metres plus (500ft). Supporting the delightful Trefonen Hill Walk Weekend, which raises funds for various charities. Prizes for first 3 Men and Women plus age group prizes 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ Venue is SY10 9DA.
Entries are taken on the day. More details can be found at oswestryolympians.com
Wed 27 May 2015
19:30 – 20:30 Batch Bash (AS) 4.8km/ 305m
Where: Yew Tree Inn, All Stretton, SY6 6HG
Calendar: NCC – Fell
Description: http://fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=3880
Sat 30 May 2015
08:00 – 12:30 Excalibur (BL) 42.2km/ 1676m
Where: Moel Famau Car Park GR173612
Calendar: NCC – Fell
Description: http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=3607
11:00 – 12:00 Duddon (AL) 29km/ 1830m
Where: Newfield Inn, Seathwaite, Duddon Valley, Cumbria.
Calendar: NCC – Fell
Description: http://fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=3665
Sun 31 May 2015
Snowdon HM £23
Calendar: NCC – Road
10:30 – 11:30 Edenfield (BM) 10.3km/ 477m
Where: Edenfield Cricket Club, Gincroft Lane, BL0 0JW
Calendar: NCC – Fell
Description: http://fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=3705
12:30 – 13:30 Saddleworth (AS) 4.8km/ 290m
Where: Tanners Waterside Mill, Greenfield, Saddleworth, OL3 7NH.
Calendar: NCC – Fell
Description: http://fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=3671
Wed 3 Jun 2015
Robbie Webster’s Wobbler (AS)
When: Registration from 6:15-7pm. Race start 7:15
Where: Best Western Forest Hills Hotel, Overton Dr, Frodsham, WA6 6HH
Description: A fantastic little race run by Helsby RC with cakes. Want more? See: http://tinyurl.com/pv2njjn
Calendar: New to Fells (Mini Series)
Thursday 9 Jul 2015
Grocontinental Relay
Where: Dearnford Lake.
Description: We had a good attendance from the Green Army last year so we are putting together teams again. Teams of 3 each do a 2 mile leg. All good fun! Please find a link here to the event flier with all the details http://www.whitchurchwhippets.co.uk/DLR/DLR_Entry.pdf

• Colin Thompson is coordinating the mens teams, if you wish to be involved please email him col808@hotmail.com
• Jane Ashbrook is coordinating the ladies teams janebetts@gmail.com