August News 2009
Action from Cornwall
It's definitely Summer Holiday season (you can tell by the weather) and a couple of our members have taken the opportunity of a Summer Holiday to do races they would not normally consider travelling for. Mark Day has been travelling around Cornwall and sent in this report from a race in St. Ives Bay where he clocked 45:16 for the 10K event:
Whilst on holiday in
Cornwall I took part in the 1st ever RNLI Summer Sprint. There
was a choice of 5K or 10K and I opted for the latter.
The race was held last Thursday (30th July) on Gwithian beach
which is just up the coast from St Ives. The race was completely
run on the sand as its a 3 mile long stretch of beach between
Godrevy lighthouse and Hayle.
I was pleased with how firm the sand was when I warmed up, it
seemed like the ideal surface to run on, with there just being a
little give in it but I wasn't sinking into it at all. I think
at that point I'd fooled myself that a fast time might be there
for the taking.
I hadn't reckoned on several things that slowed me down though:
1 - The amount of cream tea's I'd consumed in the previous week
2 - The really strong head wind for the first 2.5 miles
3 - The fact that the sand got softer and rutted after a mile
To put it mildly I was knackered, but it was a good workout as
I'd only done one other run while I'd been away. Boy did I sleep
well that night!
Then today (Sunday 2nd Aug) before heading home from Cornwall,
we diverted to the small village of Indian Queens where our very
own Paul Burslem was running a half marathon.
We surprised him (and woke him up a bit) by turning up just
before the 3 mile point to cheer him on and then met him at the
finish.
He plans to submit a report when he gets back, but he had a good
race on a hilly and mostly off road course, finishing in 1hr 23
mins.
Look forward to receiving the report Paul !!!!
And here is that report from Paul from the Indian Queens Half Marathon:
Just to brush the cobwebs
off on my holiday, I do this race every year, have
done 1.32 and 1.25 in the past and fancied going under 1.25 this
year.
Just to make it harder this year I managed to fall off surf
board onto
submerged rocks the Monday before!!
The race was a sell out, it is part of the Cornish GP series
[similar to
nsrra]
The race course started going down bank and I started at around
6 min miles
watching loads go past me, best to start steady when one has
been out
drinking every night for previous week!! mmmmmmm Cornish
rattler,
Going into 2nd mile I started going past people and by the time
the 3rd mile
came I was feeling thirsty and ready for the 1st water, next
thing I heard
was "come on Paul" and looked up to see Mark and Nicky!! [I must
be getting
good to have club photographer coming all this way to take
photo!!!]
After they had give me a lift it was off road on the course and
I started
going past a few more,
At the 7 mile mark we started a rise and I don't know about the
others but I
was getting hot, went round a corner and the hill kept going
up!! but still I
was catching people,
We went back off road as i passed the leading lady and I was
feeling pretty
much shagged out by the time I got to 10 miles and had 2 blokes
in my sight
but I couldn't get onto them, the 3 of us managed to get past a
couple more
runners, and with a mile to go the 2 blokes were around 8
seconds ahead.
The last mile was up-bank and I decided to just go for it and
managed to
catch them at the top of the hill, problem was there was 200
yards down bank
at the end and they just pulled away from me, still managed
1.23.18 to give
me 26th,
Had a nice Chat about hols to Mark and Nicky after the race and
burger and
chips,
Nice chill out after the race with family on the beach and a
Mexican!
Meanwhile here are a couple of pics of them in action!
Del salt was out camping in the countryside this weekend and just happened to fit a race in with her busy drinking and barbequeing schedule! Here is a report she has kindly sent in:
Last weekend, Andy and I -
along with our good friend Gaz from Staffs Moorlands - headed
over to Berrisford Dale for a weekend of camping and boozing,
with the added bonus that Gaz and I would be competing in the
Dovedale Dipper Challenge. If the campsite was anything to go
by, the run was going to be extremely wet and muddy,
particularly as it was all off-road.
The Challenge itself is 26.5 miles and starts and finishes in
Hartington. It follows public footpaths up valleys and down
dales in the White Peak area of the Peak District, and with over
4,700 feet of climbing, it's not surprising that there are some
pretty steep climbs and some sharp slippery decents. Detailed
route instructions are provided, although the route is marked by
coloured tape hanging off trees and fence posts, and the odd
sporadic sign here and there. Thankfully I know the area pretty
well anyway having lived and worked in Hartington several years
ago, plus I'd done a reccy with Gaz leading up the event.
For the first half of the race, I stuck just behind some chaps,
not only to make sure I was going the right way, but also to
make sure I avoided the worst of the mud (if they lost shoes or
went up to their waist, it was a no no!). However, before the
steep climb up the notorious Ecton Hill, Andy was waiting with a
handful of jelly babies and a Pot Noodle, which seemed to hit
the right spot and I found that I was starting to leave the
chaps behind and was running on my own. It was a tremendous
sense of freedom, running across the open hillside with just
sheep for company, and I found that I was running faster and
stronger and thoroughly enjoying myself.
I won't bore you with the stories of how tricky it was going
down the hill side into Mill Dale (limestone is lethal when
wet!), nor how many stiles we had to clamber over, but what I
will say is that I was extremely pleased to win the ladies race
in 4.09 in what many thought was a new course record (we later
found out that it was actually the second fastest time in the
history of the race). It was a double celebration as Gaz also
won the men's race, and he DID match the course record in a
tremendous 3.33. Needless to say, along with Andy, we cracked
open a few beers and some bottles of wine that night to round
off a fantastic weekend.
The only downside was at the presentation, whilst collecting my
lovely crystal trophy, I only went and dropped the thing and it
broke into several little pieces. I tried to blame the red face
on sunburn, but it had all been caught on camera and for some
reason, nobody believed me.
More info and results can be found here
http://www.matlockrotary.com/SEFS/ID.2974/SEFE/ViewItem.asp
Thanks for the report Del and well done on yet another victory!
Well, what can you say about
Meerbrook that already hasn't been said?
As Mick Hall's controversial T-shirt states "It's certainly NOT
Mickey Mouse". There were a few adventurous Trentham Runners out
yesterday for the one that everybody dreads on the road race
Calendar. There are hardly any (if any) level sections of the
route with 99% of the course being uphill or downhill, and not
just undulations, we're talking some testing climbs and descents
here. I think this is what gives the race it's attraction, the
fact that you KNOW you've completed a real toughie when you're
done!
Had 2 reports in so far from Stephen Burrowes and firstly from Sarah Johnson who had a great race to finish second lady:
Hi, I did Meerbrook 15k for the first
time today and it hurt and I'm not sure i want to do it ever
again. I was feeling rather nervous after reading about how
hilly it was but i decided to give it a go and just get to the
end without walking. I very nearly failed at this at 11k when a
short steep hill nearly made me stop like the bloke in front of
me. Anyway I'd stayed behind in 4th lady place after the first
hill where I sped up it and was promptly overtaken on the steep
downhill. I never even saw first lady as she was well ahead from
the start and finished 5 minutes ahead! At 8k I felt a bit
better then I had early on and moved through the field to reach
second lady at the 10k mark. The last few km was awful as it was
steep downhill and i was sure I was going to stumble or hurt my
back or something and at 400m to go Ryan caught me up to tell me
that I had to sprint or get caught up as Ruth was closing in as
I gasped out repeatedly 'where's...the damn..finish!' . I would
have been outran if Ryan hadn't ran that last bit with me so
many thanks :) Even if you did sprint off the last 100m
I finished second lady by the skin of my teeth and got a very
generous asics voucher which makes me wonder if it was worth it
after all. Jane Dickens also won V40 ladies and I'm told Paul
Burslem had a good run coming 20th in a tough field with the
winner of the men's race holding the fastest marathon time for a
man in the uk this year ( at least I think that's what Ken said)
Hopefully I'll have forgotten the pain by next year!
Maybe I'll hav
Thanks for that Sarah, and from Stephen:
It was splendid weather for another scenic Staffordshire race and you can’t really complain about the hills when you get such beautiful views from the top. I like the way Bryan Dale finds the best places to take photographs of straining and strained runners and also gives encouragement as we pass and today it was at the top of the 1.5 mile pull out of Meerbrook. Getting to the top was a relief and then I reminded myself that the same height had to be climbed again albeit over a longer distance. I also like the way Ryan managed to get a good position at the front of the crowd by arriving just as we were about to start and some wag commented that it was a long way to come from Trentham. Maybe it was just a cunning plan to position himself next to Andi Jones, the eventual winner in a time of 49:09. Now there's a man who really likes hills. It was good to see other Trentham runners doing well as usual and congratulations to Sarah who was the second lady. I finished in a time of 1:13:16 which was a bit slower than last year but I had spent the previous days heaving furniture around as we finally move out of our house in Cumbria.
Trentham Results below and full results from Meerbrook can be found here!
| Position | Name | Time | Cat |
| 20 | Paul Burslem | 1:03:08 | M40 |
| 37 | Ryan Procter | 1:06:18 | M |
| 39 | Sarah Johnson | 1:06:22 | F |
| 49 | Jayne Dickens | 1:07:55 | F40 |
| 53 | Ken Bloor | 1:08:36 | M45 |
| 90 | Stephen Burrowes | 1:13:16 | M45 |
| 113 | Chris Mosiuk | 1:15:19 | M |
| 126 | Alan Lewis | 1:17:07 | M65 |
| 167 | Gerry Calvert | 1:21:12 | M70 |
| 185 | Walter Mosiuk | 1:22:45 | M50 |
| 188 | Kerry Widdowson | 1:23:19 | F35 |
| 219 | Trevor Goodwin | 1:27:28 | M70 |
| 271 | Malcolm Rushton | 1:39:40 | M55 |
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Malcolm in Good Spirits Ryan & Jayne Tackle a hill
Report by Ryan
I have never done this race before and was a little nervous having had a nightmare at the Milford 21 over these same tracks and trails around Cannock Chase earlier this year.
The evening was
perfect for running on arrival with overcast conditions and a
vibrant atmosphere surrounding the small cluster of tents and
gazebos that made up the registration/finish area. The junior
races were well underway and the hands on knees bent over
expressions on some of the youngsters at the finish suggested
that it was not going to be the easiest of races to take part
in.
Having arrived approximately 2/5ths of a second before the start
at Meerbrook I was determined to allow plenty of time to settle
before the gun (quite literally in this case as the smell of
cordite filled the air) and was there at least 30 seconds before
it went off.
A very large field (which surprised me) of around 450 runners
set off down the wide path away from the visitor centre before
turning right into the woods and some single-track trails which
were muddy either side. It was a case of sit in and keep dry
feet or overtake either side and get wet, as by this time the
rain had started to fall, before returning back to the start
finish area to start the much larger, and steeper, second lap!
Now the field had spread somewhat the single-track was not so
much of an issue and it was easier to settle into a comfortable
rhythm. Dropping downhill for quite a while was playing on the
mind as it is clear that somewhere along the line the loss in
elevation would have to be redressed by uphill climbs. When they
came they happened to be relatively short but quite severe
affairs, the latter coming just before the final long, long,
long drag to the finish line where it would have been easy to
relax and ease up, but knowing there would be a queue of fellow
competitors ready to push you down the results sheet.
By the time I crossed the finishing line the rain had really set
in and everyone was absolutely drenched, but it seemed almost
welcome as most were standing around chatting whilst trying on
their newly acquired woolly hats emblazoned with the Staffs Knot
logo.
In summary I found it a most enjoyable race and the terrain is
not so severe as to put anyone off taking part. There were some
good results from Trentham competitors which can be seen below,
with Jayne and Sarah taking home 2nd & 3rd and Rose Wilson
coming 1st in LV50 category. Paul Burslem was again first green
vest across the line.
Full results here!
| Position | Name | Time | Cat |
| 25 | Paul Burslem | 30:48 | MV40 |
| 29 | Ryan Procter | 31:13 | SM |
| 33 | Sam Newton | 31:42 | SM |
| 41 | Jayne Dickens | 32:13 | LV40 |
| 49 | Sarah Johnson | 32:33 | LU21 |
| 74 | Ken Bloor | 33:56 | MV45 |
| 85 | Stan Winterton | 34:32 | MV60 |
| 138 | Mark Day | 37:01 | SM |
| 141 | Alan Lewis | 37:08 | MV65 |
| 151 | Rosemary Wilson | 37:19 | LV50 |
| 226 | Don Brookes | 39:50 | MV65 |
| 235 | Ian Grocott | 40:20 | MV45 |
| 272 | Gerry Calvert | 42:00 | MV65 |
| 299 | Malcolm Rushton | 43:03 | MV55 |
With the sound of Planes flying overhead and the deafening sound of shells exploding all around (well, not quite) 3 of Trentham's adventurers set of for Battle in the Great Warford 10 mile road race, near Alderley Edge and Mark Cope sent us this report:
Going to War at The
Warford 10.
Well lets get some excuses in to start, 2 weeks doing nothing
running wise, a week or so back into the game and there's a 10
miler jotted in the old note book cant back down from this one,
so I think lets get it on. Woke up had three weetabix, from this
alone you can tell it was serious. The start was located at The
David Lewis Centre which is surrounded by countryside, nice. Got
my number and stood outside, where people were standing about
talking about old war stories and jogging up and down, you know
trying to look like they know what they are doing. As I revealed
the Trentham colours, an ere of silence swept over and the sense
that I was a long way from home dawned on me, they just jealous
of the green. On my way to the start line I did see two fellow
Trentham comrades, Big Up Yourself. The course was good few
undulations nothing too testing, quite a fast course I thought
and the front pack were going for it, which made me think give
them a chance today. Very home town, no one shouted support for
me, even my mum thought twice about it, no he's not with me just
felt sorry for him, thanks mum. Had a few battles of my own out
on the road but managed to grit my teeth and prevail on top.
Still love running and its part of me and my life as I know it
is for many of you, i try to learn something new with every
race. With this one, its all about heart, how much you willing
to give, how much do you want it. Training is good but you need
a little extra something that cant be taught, its inside. Keep
on Trucking, one love.
PS thanks to Bryan Dale, kept me going in the final stages with
great advice, just keep running haha.
The results for the three runners are 1:10:21 for Mark, and Ian Grocott and Mark Hughes must have had a social run as they finished in 1:20:04 and 1:20:05 respectively.
Sunday also saw a number of Trentham runners head
off to Derbyshire for the Belper Rugby Rover, a 30 Kilometre off
multi-terrain adventure. As soon as I can locate the results
they will be posted here so watch this space!
The name of the race doesn't really sound like it's going to be as tough as it is, but believe me this is a real testing event with plenty of climbs, steep descents and a mixture of terrain from road, fields, trails woodland and everything in between. If you have a fetish for stiles then this is definitely the race for you, there seemed like hundreds of 'em!
The results for the race can be found here with Trentham results below. As you can see Dale Colclough continued his superb resurgence in form to lead the way home for Trentham, and I'm sure he won't thank me for this, but as he turns 50 very shortly there may be more silverware ahead for one of our vets!
| Position | Name | Time | Cat |
| 19 | Dale Colclough | 2:21:34 | MV45 |
| 22 | Richard Ogden | 2:23:02 | SM |
| 30 | Jason Thomas | 2:25:34 | SM |
| 55 | Ryan Procter | 2:32:49 | SM |
| 114 | Pete Caci | 2:45:51 | MV55 |
| 115 | Deb Thomas | 2:45:51 | SF |
| 117 | Andrew Northwood | 2:46:53 | SM |
| 148 | Gareth Williams | 2:55:20 | MV45 |
A large number of
Trentham Runners took part in the final race in the 5k Parks
Grand Prix series on Tuesday evening and there were some good
results too with a few of us picking up prizes. The evening was
very pleasant with little wind and made for good running
conditions. Ian Yates seems to be back to form having an
excellent run, as did Paul Gibbings. The full Trentham results
can be seen below whilst the full results can be found
here.
| Position | Name | Time | cat |
| 3 | Ian Yates | 16:50 | SM |
| 5 | Paul Gibbings | 17:03 | MV45 |
| 19 | Paul Burslem | 18:47 | MV40 |
| 28 | Jo Donnelly | 19:49 | SF |
| 29 | Lynne Callaghan | 19:54 | SF |
| 35 | Dave Shepherd | 20:10 | MV50 |
| 41 | Brian Tonks | 20:35 | MV50 |
| 47 | Ken Bloor | 21:08 | MV45 |
| 61 | Eva Berrill | 22:32 | SF |
| 63 | Mark day | 22:35 | SM |
| 67 | Terry Parton | 22:43 | MV65 |
| 69 | Mark Hughes | 22:48 | MV55 |
| 70 | Rose Wilson | 22:49 | FV50 |
| 71 | Alan Lewis | 22:57 | MV65 |
| 77 | Don Brookes | 23:42 | MV70 |
| 90 | Trevor Goodwin | 23:50 | MV70 |
I haven't received a race report in for a while so I'm hoping that those of you running Leek Half next weekend take your mental notebooks and pencils with you ;-)
Always on the lookout for something new intrepid explorer Del Salt set of for Warrington on Sunday for the Birchwood 10k. A very good race having done it myself a couple of years ago which is very popular with the Liverpool and Manchester clubs always attracting a large field on a mainly flat course!
Del came back with this report:
Having done the Birchwood 10k a couple of years ago, I was looking forward to doing it again this year and was hoping to run close to 38 mins. It's a good PB course with just 3 little hills over the motorway between 8 and 10k which do take their toll, but aren't really that bad if you just grit your teeth and keep it going. I was on course to run close to my target time, but the second half meant running into quite a strong headwind that stopped me in my tracks if nobody else, and I have to say that I hated it as my pace dropped by about 20 seconds per mile - booo!!!! Overall though, I really did enjoy the race, although the best part was the last 400m where I got into a sprint finish with a chap. He desperately wanted to finish ahead, but would I let him past me? Not a chance! I finished 12th lady in 39.21 - disappointing considering I'd felt strong all the way round - but then looking at the ladies field I can't complain with the likes of Gemma Miles, Michelle Ross-Cope, Jenny Blizzard, Hatti Dean and Sue Partridge all finishing ahead of me. I also came away with £40 for finishing 3rd in my age category - being a veteran does have it's advantages!
Full results here.
Thanks for that Del!
This month's Club Time Trial took place in the usual place starting near Barlaston Village and ending adjacent to Wedgwood Cricket Club. There were a number of improvers this time around and the latest results can be seen here!
Next one will be 29th September!
This bank holiday weekend saw the last racing action of the month of August and up in the Moorlands Market Town of Leek the Half Marathon was taking place under sultry skies after the recent bout of heavy rain. It seemed like perfect running conditions apart from a gentle breeze. There were quite a few Trentham Runners taking part, although not as many as maybe expected, and one of them was Walter Mosiuk who is preparing for his upcoming Great North Run along with son Chris and they kindly sent in this report:
People keep telling you how bad and how tough it is, and you
know it’s going to be hard, but you’re still never prepared for
what’s in front of you unless you’ve done it before, and of
course Chris and I have never done it before.
It’s a downhill start for the first quarter mile and then
undulating hills for about the next three miles with drinks at
the Lazy Trout (just water), at this point I’m running along
with Rose Wilson, and Kiri Johnson’s about 100 yards ahead with
no more Trentham vests in sight, and all the time you’re trying
to get a measure of the course because you know you’ll be
hitting this stretch on your return. Then it’s past Tittesworth
reservoir with a long gentle climb up to the Three Horse Shoes
and the main road where a Scottish piper was playing bagpipes
(it felt like we were in the Highlands). At this point Ken Bloor
passes Chris and having already seen Paul Burslem and Stan
Winterton ease away in the distance, becomes a lonely Trentham
runner for the rest of the race.
Once you hit the main road, it’s almost single file to the Upper
Hulme turn off, and you can see the Roaches and the climb that
you’re about to take, and then it’s an initial steep climb which
eases off a bit, but it’s up, up and up for about the next 2
miles and Rose is matching Kiri’s pace and they’re both pulling
away from me, but still in sight at this point. Once on the top
of the Roaches just after 7 miles there’s a sharp left hander
and a steep downhill. At this point my legs don’t remember what
a long stride feels like and I’m very cautious before opening up
the pace.
It’s a long downhill stretch and but instead of getting the
advantage, I’ve relaxed on the breathing and am now starting to
get stitch. Andy’s waiting at 9 miles with a welcomed sip of
Lucozade, and then its on to the Lazy Trout again for another
drink. This time I stop and walk to make sure I get plenty on
board, and yes it’s water again (not Banks’s). Now I know
there’s just some undulating lanes and the finish is getting
ever closer, but I’m just plodding at this point.
Finally I turn the last corner and then there’s the last quarter
mile uphill that everyone has said keep a bit in reserve (what –
my reserves ran out at the top of the Roaches) and just as I’m
thinking about walking a few strides, Chris comes towards me to
urge me to the finish, and then I can see the park gates, a
welcomed sight and 100 metres to the finish, with shouts of
encouragement from Jill and Ryan and then it was all over.
(Unofficially average at 1.55.26)
A much better performance from Chris. (Unofficially 1.41.16) and
a big improvement from Shifnal. Trentham’s turn out was low on
this Bank Holiday weekend where the conditions were dry and cool
with a slight breeze and the course was well marked and
marshalled, but I could have murdered a banana at the finish.
Now just waiting for the official times, and to see what Bryan
and Ryan saw through their lenses !!
Walt and Chris
p.s. Next stop GREAT NORTH RUN, September 20th. If
you haven’t already, please don’t forget to support us and Bowel
Cancer UK at
www.justgiving.com/chrismosiuk Thank
You.
Thanks for that Excellent
report Walter and well done on completing what is a very tough
half marathon (my favourite) and good luck in your fundraising.
results for Trentham Runners can be seen below whereas the full
results can be found
here!
| Position | Name | Time | Cat |
| 17 | Paul Burslem | 1:26:06 | MV40 |
| 25 | Dale Colclough | 1:28:53 | MV50 |
| 59 | Stan Winterton | 1:34:40 | MV60 |
| 66 | Ken Bloor | 1:36:21 | MV45 |
| 94 | Chris Mosiuk | 1:40:27 | SM |
| 109 | Kiri Johnson | 1:43:32 | SF |
| 128 | Alan Lewis | 1:47:55 | MV65 |
| 129 | Rose Wilson | 1:48:10 | FV50 |
| 176 | Walter Mosiuk | 1:55:28 | MV50 |
| 197 | Trevor Goodwin | 1:58:53 | MV70 |
| 250 | Malcolm Rushton | 2:13:39 | MV55 |
That's it for the month of August so after a spectacular Summer we head into the Autumn months praying for a break from the relentless heat (is that right? ed) and more races and race reports to come!
Ian Yates continued his comeback with a
very impressive run at the Belvedere 10K on Sunday whilst some
of you were tackling the climbs around Leek! He appears to be
showing no ill effects from the injury that has kept him from
competing lately and I'm sure he'll be looking forward to the
upcoming cross country races!
Ian sent us this report via e-mail, and don't forget if you duck
under the radar and do a race somewhere that we haven't picked
up on please let us know, we love to let all the members know of
your great achievements!
For those less
masochistic minded, Sunday 31st August also saw the Belvedere
10K, near Burton and organised by Hatton Darts Running Club.
I almost didn’t do it after a VERY late night and more than a
few beers, but I’d told too many people I was doing it to cry
off now, and I’ve missed too many races this year already.
I last did this in 2007, and won, but I knew I wouldn’t be in
the same shape to repeat that performance.
There weren’t many North Staffs runners there, so it was odd
looking round at the start without knowing roughly who I’d be
competing against, and where I might finish.
The race starts off with a fast flat 300 metres, before a quite
severe climb through a residential area up to about 1½K. After
that, you’re into the countryside. For the next 6K, there’s
still a steady incline up to and beyond the village of Anslow
(one of the pubs there looks very smart – maybe head there for
lunch one day!)
At 7K, the descent comes, and the countryside finishes. It’s not
a steep downhill, but it’s very welcome. I was isolated at this
point in 2nd place, wondering if I was running at a decent
enough pace (I felt relaxed, but I didn’t think I could run any
quicker). The last kilometre takes you off the main road, and
into a park for the finish.
Amazingly, I finished 2nd, a minute behind the winner, but a
minute in front of 3rd place (he had done 22 miles the previous
day in marathon training though!), and I was only 23 seconds
slower than a couple of years ago. Obviously my pace management
wasn’t too bad then! As an indicator of the incline to the first
half of the course, I did the first 5K in 17.40, and the last 5K
in 17.07! I would have quickly accepted 34.47 as a finish time
before the race.
The race is excellently marshalled, and they’re all very
friendly with lots of words of encouragement. Definitely one to
do again.
Results at
www.hattondarts.co.uk
Lichfield 10K next weekend now….....
Well done Ian, and congratulations on coming second. Good luck for Sunday and be sure to let us know how you get on.......
