Helsby RC weekly round-up from 11th to 17th February 2019

Helsby RC weekly round-up from 11th to 17th February 2019

Hello Green Army

Notice from Jackie.

Club Championships Competition & Training

Our list of Summer 2019 Championship races has been updated – please see: https://helsbyrunningclub.wordpress.com/2019-road-and-fell…/

There is a pdf poster version attached and at  https://helsbyrunningclub.files.wordpress.com/…/helsby_summ…

The key update is the Mini-Trail Championship 🙂

There’s plenty to do with a varied selection of road, fell, trails, & mini-fells (to encourage newcomers to the fells). The attached gives the rules for each and how many count etc in each competition. The annual Helsby versus Felsby races are highlighted as are the Inter Club Fell Championship Counters.  Our annual awards ceremony takes place in May/June to issue awards for both the Summer & Winter (Cross Country & Border League) Championships.  We will be announcing the date soon, in the meantime hope to see you at one of these races very soon!  

Here’s a list of the remaining Wednesday Winter Training Sessions, please meet at the club at 6:30 except for Delamere. Phil has kindly compiled a similar enticing list for the Summer, to be announced soon!

 Feb

20

Manley Mere

Steady run

27

Mickle Trafford

Time trial

March

6

Frodsham

Fartleks

13

Delamere

Lake run – meet time tba

20

Manley Mere

Steady run

27

Mickle Trafford

Time trial

Also, please see Jackies race report from the Village Bakery half marathon.

Yesterday was our first race kicking off this “Summers” 2019 club championship.

13 Helsby runners made the journey to Wrexham Industrial Estate on quite a warm sunny morning for February.  I last did this race many years ago & still have memories of a nightmare race for the organisers; Within 100m of the start there was a T junction with no sign & no marshal, the front runners turned left (the wrong shorter way) & those in the know turned right (the correct way!). Each race eventually merged & finished at the same finish line. Not sure the results meant much though as some very good times were recorded by the faster runners but not over the full distance!  The race has grown in popularity since being taken over by Mike Harrington at Cute Fruits & this year a record 2373 runners crossed the line at exactly 13miles  192½ yds.

It’s a surprisingly good course considering it starts & finishes in an Industrial Estate!  After a 5 mile loop thats very similar to the Border League course, firstly going by the factory units, then off into the countryside before passing more units on the way back.  Then a much bigger loop down fairly narrow, some wet & muddy country lanes towards the Dee (without actually seeing it) before heading back steadily uphill & into a strong head wind back into the estate for the final couple of miles.   For a big race it was good because it starts on wide roads & enters the narrow ones when everyone is more spreadout, so no holdups.

Chris was going for a PB but the winds made it impossible for that, still a brillant time in 1:16. Sub 1:30’s for Richard & Degsy.  Well done to Jane who smashed 1:40, Trevor who was close on her tail, Helen loking good for the Mancheter Marathon & to everyone else who ran. I was chuffed with sub 2 hours having not ran a half for a while.

Memories of the day were, hearing & seeing first lambs of the year as we ran down the farm lanes.  Just as hunger set it, the overwhelming baking smell of baking at 12 miles which turned out to be the Kellogs factory & everyone getting a pack of Village Bakery Welsh Cakes & a Welsh Dragon gong at the end.  The one downside was the finish was quite a long way from the start & parking, the whole estate looks the same & there were no signs. At the end of the race the whole estate was full of lost tired runners staggering around in circles. I added on an extra couple of miles trying to find Trevors car, didn’t know there was more than one Village Bakery on that maze of an industrial estate. Thanks to Neil Furgasson who drove me & an Oswestry Olympian from the full fat to the gluten free one!!

Position Finish time First name Last name Net time Net position Club Position Gender Gender position Category Category position
42 01:16:33 Chris Fitzpatrick 01:16:28 41 1 Male 42 Vet 40 11
236 01:28:07 Richard Hankins 01:27:52 238 2 Male 225 Vet 45 32
318 01:30:03 Derek Morris 01:29:48 318 3 Male 290 Vet 40 55
594 01:40:10 Robert Hough 01:39:34 605 4 Male 500 Senior Male 239
626 01:41:11 Jane Ashbrook 01:40:38 638 5 Female 100 Vet 40 19
644 01:41:47 Trevor Lewis 01:41:14 665 6 Male 541 Vet 50 57
761 01:44:45 Jim Jones 01:43:04 734 7 Male 628 Vet 50 67
810 01:46:04 Helen Owens 01:45:34 829 8 Female 145 Vet 40 26
1051 01:51:54 Geoff Collins 01:49:35 1010 9 Male 831 Vet 60 21
1263 01:57:37 Jackie Keasley 01:57:01 1316 10 Female 311 Vet 60 3
1282 01:58:07 Neil Fergusson 01:56:57 1309 11 Male 965 Vet 65 9
1885 02:16:41 Matt Willcott 02:15:31 1934 12 Male 1236 Vet 40 221
1885 02:16:41 Stephen Wiggins 02:13:39 1881 12 Male 1236 Senior Male 532

It was a tough last few miles thats for sure Jackie

Richard Hankins has also sent in a report for this race as well

The Village Bakery was the first half marathon I ever ran back in 2016. It has, therefore, a special place in my heart. It isn’t the most glamorous event, starting and finishing in the Wrexham Industrial Estate, but most of the course is on country lanes heading out towards the Dee. It is always well organised, cheap to enter and just 20 minute drive away. For me it is the start of the running season and my first measure of how fit I am this year.

This year the old headquarters on Oak Road had closed and so the parking arrangements were very different. There was also a larger entry with 3000 enrolled. There was plenty of warnings to arrive early and plan your parking. Geoff and I did and had no problems, but the traffic looked pretty poor later on and there were big queues for the loos. Approaching from the opposite side of the start line due to the new parking arrangements made the start a little chaotic. But, once off, everything was well organised on what felt like a mid-Spring day.

The first 10 miles of the race were fab: I felt full of energy and able to stick to my plan….in fact, I made up time. I began to dream of finally getting a 1:25 but sadly the last three miles were a nightmare. I think of this race as flat, but Strava shows that miles 10 – 13 are consistently uphill. Not by a great margin, the climb is only 120 feet, but enough for you to feel it. This year that coincided with a 15mph headwind. I just wasn’t fit enough to fight it and lost 2 minutes finishing 20 seconds slower than last year. A lot of people found the same…the last third of the race was a challenge (fell runners snigger away…).

Fabulous Fitzy led the Helsby field home in 41st with a 1:16 run…mightily impressive stuff! I lolloped home in 1:27 with Degsy making a valiant return in 1:29. Rob Hough came in at 1:39 and Jane Ashbrook was first lady home for the club in 1:40. There was then a wave of Helsby finishers: Trevor Lewis (01:41), Jim Jones (01:43), Helen Owens (01:45), Geoff Collins (01:49), Jackie Keasley (01:57), Neil Ferguson (01:56), Steve Wiggins (02:13) and Matt Wilcott (02:15).

A decent turn out for the first counter of 2019…see you at the next.

Richard

Talking about Fell runners, over to John to tell us about a steeplechase race

So after being volunteered by your wife to take Debbie Reeds place in this race I thought I better give it a good old shot. Having done the mid week Harrock Hill series I had a little bit of an idea what I was letting myself in for…. well so I thought.

This was the 49th Parbold Hill Race organised by Skelmersdale Boundary Harriers is 6.7 miles of mixed terrain including roads paths and farmers fields and what a little cracker with the start and finish at a proper country boozer! Helsby had 3 runners out myself Janet and Nesta helping make up a field of close to 600.

After a short road section to start a sharp left turn took you on the a quarry track and up you climbed. The next few miles was a mix of fields and tracks, the road running clubs stood out a mile as their runners gingerly edged around the mud while my route choice was through the middle! At just over half way my race fell apart with a long road section with a climb up Parbold Hill, at this point I realised racing with a cracked rib wasn’t my brightest move, however at the top and into the next field I was greeted with a small queue at the next stile a great opportunity for a breather and to take in the amazing views and countryside, you don’t get these on an industrial estate! The next few miles past and then a nice downhill section got my legs turning over, just before you arrived in the final field you are greeted with a horse jump a crowd of people and a number of cameras all waiting for that unsuspecting faller!

All in all a great little race and if you don’t want to wait for next year to try out the course look out for the Harrock Hill Series starting late spring!

Cheers
John

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Cracking photo

Also a little blog from one of our new ish member Hayley Brooks, about her journey to the London marathon. Good luck with the training

The Highs and Lows

Last but not least Parkrun

Please find the consolidated results from last Saturday’s parkruns. Well done to everyone who took part!

http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=1721

 

Thanks, see you all soon

Fitzy

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