April 2010 Race Reports
Air Products 10K
Easter weekend saw the annual South Cheshire Air Products 10K at Crewe and Easter Bunny Fun Run. Slight difference to this race report is that the report comes not from a runner, but a photographer who was there capturing the athletes on film. No other reports have come in so I'll have to use this one:
Bryan Dale asked me along to take pictures for him on the Air Products 10K this year as he wanted to cover the race more comprehensively. A lack of a better offer meant I turned out in the clod blowing winds around Crewe Gates Farm Industrial Estate to park myself at the side of a very busy (and dusty I might add) road. The sun was threatening to show itself, but it never fully emerged so the wind that was blowing definitely gave you a chill.
There was a very mixed field for the 5k 'Bunny Run' with children and fun runners making up the best part of the field. The race proper started just after 10:15 with Matt Clowes and Mark Dalkins leading a small pack on the first lap with our very own Ian Yates not far behind. Sarah Johnson was going well in the ladies race and was just ahead of Michelle Buckle of Newcastle and Kath Lamplough of Macclesfield.
On the second lap I managed to get a smile from Lynne Callaghan (a challenge in itself) and Sarah had comfortably pulled away from the two chasers and Rose Wilson was also doing really well. First across the Line was Matt Clowes 1 second in front of Mark Dalkins who were well ahead of the rest. Ian Yates was best Trentham Performer wit Sarah Johnson coming over the line to take the win in the Ladies Race. Lynne Callaghan was 4th Lady and 1st LV35. Rose Wilson was 9th Lady overall and 1st LV50. Ken Bloor did well in the Mens V45 race as well. A great set of results for Trentham and full results can be found here.
Remember, If you raced over Easter, be sure to let us know how you got on. We all like to share in your personal successes!!!
Adela Salt entered this Marathon a while ago, but after falling behind with her training partly due to her commitment to the coaching course she decided to drop it in favour of the later Chester Marathon. Only trouble is, she couldn't get a refund for Blackpool and decided as it was such a lovely weekend she would go anyway and have a day at the seaside and use it as a training run (yeah, right)! Del has sent in this report:
Well….to say I am
gob smacked is a complete understatement, but that’s exactly
how I’m feeling at the moment. Just before Crimbo, I entered
the Blackpool Marathon, but then the ice and snow came, long
runs became short ones and speed work non existent, so much
so that doing Blackpool would mean I wouldn’t hit my target
time, and yet again my confidence in my favourite event
would suffer. So, a lovely spring marathon in Chester at the
end of May became my focus instead, and I eagerly awaited my
Blackpool refund so that I could go out and treat myself and
Andy to a decent curry and a few beers instead.
Tuesday 6th April arrived – 5 days before the Blackpool
Marathon and 5 weeks into my Chester Marathon training – and
what should land on my doormat but number 109. This wasn’t
some dreaded number like in the horror films, but rather a
temptation that over ruled mind and body, so much so that at
9am on Sunday 11th April, I stood on the promenade of one of
England’s most famous seaside towns, eagerly awaiting the
start of the Blackpool Marathon. Crazy or what??!!
I had no expectations for the race except for a gloriously
sunny and warm day with little breeze if the weather
forecast were to be believed. I didn't know how fast I would
run as I'd only got a couple of long runs of 18+ miles under
my belt in the past 5 weeks or so and I was beginning to
think that I would be lucky to run a 3.10 at this rate.
However, I like a challenge and needed a target, so decided
to try 6.45 pace for as long as possible before it all went
pear shaped.
Bang on 9am, 1000 or so runners started off down the sea
front in quite cool conditions with very little wind -
perfect for marathon running. The course heads past the
tower, down the Golden Mile and past the Pleasure Beach,
before turning around and heading back up the coast to
Bispham, and then all the way back again to finish just
outside the Hilton Hotel. For the nutters aka marathon
runners, they do this twice.
The first couple of miles were a little fast as the full and
half runners head off together, and it's difficult to know
who's going the whole way, and those just doing the half. I
was lying in 4th place and with 2 of the ladies ahead having
a shed load of lovely tasty energy gels tucked in their
shorts, I guessed they must have been marathon runners. I
passed these two ladies after about 5 or 6 miles, which left
just one ahead of me and she was running pretty strongly.
I'd only just gone through about 8 miles but I felt the need
to catch her to check out her number - was it white or
yellow?? I eventually caught her after the turn at Bispham
and yay! she had a white number. I offered her some
encouragement as I past her, telling her not to worry as I
was doing the marathon and she was still leading the half,
but for some reason she just scowled at me (I was later told
by Mr Shakapopolis that this was perhaps not good race
etiquette and overtaking a half marathon runner and telling
them you are doing the full marathon is like a slap in the
face!)
The hardest part for me was at the half way point, where all
the half runners were directed to the finish, and I had to
carry on and do it all over again. I went through half in
1.27.30 or thereabouts and the legs had started to go, along
with the concentration - the sub 3 would be at risk at this
rate, and I really needed to refocus. I then spotted an old
ultra running pal - Jez Bragg - who gave me a shout, and not
long after that I spotted Mr S again, and both gave me the
boost I needed. I could see the Pleasure Beach ahead of me
and I knew that once I'd gone past it, I would reach the
turn around point and start heading back up the front again.
Starting back up the front, the sun started to come out, and
it was getting a lot warmer whilst on the other side of the
road, the 2nd and 3rd place ladies went past in the opposite
direction and I was convinced that they were only 2 minutes
or so behind me with 10 miles still to go, and they would
probably catch me. I picked up the pace slightly and headed
back up the sea front towards Bispham.
With just 3 miles to go, we turned again at Bispham and
there were no ladies in sight. I breathed a sigh of relief,
and felt that at last, I could finally enjoy the run in to
the finish. The sun was now out and it was getting quite
warm, the sea was actually a lovely blue and was calm like a
lilly pond - who'd have thought that Blackpool could look so
beautiful?! I started to relax and overtook a couple of
chaps who had started to struggle in the last few miles but
still urged me on to the finish. By now, unless something
drastic happened, I knew that not only would I win the race,
but also I would break 3 hours which would be a double bonus
for me.
Before I knew it, I could see the Tower ahead of me, and
after a short incline, it was a sprint to the finish as the
clocked reached bang on 2.57. I'd done it and I was chuffed
to bits, but also completely gob smacked.
Finally, well done to Ken Bloor who also ran in the
Blackpool Marathon today, and an even bigger WELL DONE to
Mel Dugan who I believe ran a massive PB in Rotterdam today
- absolutely fantastic!
Well done Del and congratulations on yet another victory. Chester had better watch out in a few weeks time :-)
A fine morning for running on Sunday saw a good number of Trentham Runners turn out to support The Douglas Macmillan Charity in their annual 5K race around Wedgwood and Barlaston. Seeing as this was my first race in months I thought I might as well contribute something worthwhile to the website at last.
On arrival it was good to see quite a few familiar faces that I hadn't seen for a while, other runners from various clubs asking how training was going and if I'd been hiding! The birds were chirping and the sun was just peeping out from behind delicate clouds enticing folk from their beds to run. Judging by the amount of people entering on the day (me included) it seemed as though most were doing it unplanned.
A few photos taken with the ever sporting human sunflower and we headed down to the start. Last year I would have lined up on the front row elbowing Yatesy and others before the hooter sounded, but after ZERO training until last week I thought it best to place myself amongst the also-rans further back. I knew I had no chance whatsoever of getting 4th as I did last year in 18:04 so set off very steadily allowing many to run right past.
Strange how this sometimes can be the best policy and halfway up the hill (the one we do Hill-Reps on) I was feeling great and taking in the surroundings. Amazingly I had a smile on my face in a race, not had THAT for a while. I saw a few familiar runners up ahead and decided to press on and try and catch up. First Gary from Stone, so I pulled alongside and we chatted about the quality of the ladies we have at Trentham, from a strictly running point of view to make that clear. Then I saw Guy Martin and started to reel him in also. I managed to catch Guy on the straight bit down towards the farm and again chatted for a bit until we came to the last little incline on the long, long straight back to Wedgwood. There was a guy in front who had been running with his hands behind his back and this made me want to beat him. Imagine being beaten by someone with their hands behind their back?
I pushed on and Guy followed so we managed to overtake him easily and gain a couple more places before entering the field near the finish where I really wanted to see if I could stay ahead of Guy. I knew Guy had some big football matches coming up and probably eased off a bit, but after saluting the crowd in my usual idiotic fashion I crossed the line to much relief. I can't tell you how nervous I was before this race. Almost like a newbie, but I did REALLY enjoy it, so I may be somewhat slower but I'm back!!!
Thanks Ryan for that what I thought was a quality report, LOL.
Well done to Ian Yates who came
second in a great time of 16:20. Well done also to Sarah
Johnson, Lynne Callaghan, and Jo Donnelly who all had
fantastic runs and were all in the top 5 ladies. Also well
done to Jill Phillips who was helping her daughter Katrina
round her first ever race, as was Emma. Well done also to
Mark, Eva, Rose and everyone else who took part and
supported this worthwhile cause.
Results for the race can be found
here
Jo Donnelly who also took part in the race has also sent in this report:
Having not raced since Alsager, I decided that a nice short sharp 5k on a sunny Sunday morning would be a great kick start back into racing.
Team Trentham were out in force and the green vests stood out brightly amongst the yellow Dougie Mac T-shirts. Although there weren’t massive numbers of club runners there was defiantly some good quality, and it was soon clear that the womens race would be closely contested.
A leading trio of young whippersnappers, including our very own Sarah Johnson, quickly headed off, with myself and Lynne in fourth and fifth heading up the oldies. It pretty much stayed that way until the last mile when the leading group started to spit up and Sarah couldn’t quite hang on, but moved clear into second place.
I made a big push in the last mile and was closing in fast, (I was practically sprinting down the hill !!!!) but I couldn’t quite catch third place. I was however rewarded with quite a large PB of 18.29. I did duck under 19mins last season, but only just. Sarah also got a PB and Lynne wasn’t far off, so a good result all round.
Bring on the next race!!!!!
Massive well done on a huge PB Joanne, not bad for an 'Oldie' as you so eloquently put it, and thanks again for taking the time to send in a report. I'm sure Jo will be in good shape for the spring Treble series coming up on the next three Thursdays, so I look forward to receiving the reports from those races too.
This was the 10th anniversary of the Spring Treble series which has become quite a popular fixture in race diaries across North Staffordshire and South Cheshire. A great credit must go to Stone MM for organising such a series of races at such low cost, when you consider the price of road races in particular seem to be creeping up and up all the time. Just as the Volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland is spewing out volcanic ash, it seems that Hanchurch Hills have provided the elements required for a number of Trentham runners to eject amounts of race reports up into the stratosphere, and they have finally come to rest in the club inbox! There was a lot of us out there on Thursday, myself included, which is great to see and a number of those have kindly taken the time to send in reports, which again is Brilliant.
First through the old spam filter was Daniel Bowman who offered up this masterpiece:
Running this race
was a bit of a last minute decision for me. Kerry mentioned
it to me after training on Tuesday and said I should do it.
As some of you might know, Kerry was my high school
geography teacher so I thought I’d better do as she says.
I figured there would be a few familiar faces there but I
stepped out my car and into a sea of green… actually that’s
a terrible metaphor because we were in the countryside,
which is probably the greenest thing I can think of. Anyway,
you know what I mean. I drove up with Dave, but also there
was Ryan, Kat, Ken, Ian, Jo, Kerry, Rose and loads of
others, I also saw some folk from other clubs that I know
and BRYAN DALE! What a legend! Good to see him running.
After a bit of a warm up, we all went to the start and were
chatting away when all of a sudden everything went quiet, a
50 gun salute sounded, trumpets played the most wonderful
fanfare and the crowd suddenly went wild! From out of the
mist stepped Del Salt, back from her huge victory in the
Blackpool marathon. After we’d ran out of roses to throw at
her it was time to off-road!
Now I hadn’t done an off road race for nearly a year so
wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My target was to try to
keep up with Dave, who joined at the same time as me but is
a tad quicker. I kept with him for the first mile and all
was going well, I went off quickly, staying tucked in just
behind Dave but he was going strong and I didn’t know how
long I could keep up the pace, I then noticed Del was
running, nay gliding along in front of us. I contained the
urge to ask for an autograph and thundered on. Dave and Del
pulled away from me on that horrid little incline half way
round (the gradual one, think there was a photographer half
way up) and apparently Ben Gamble was marshalling near this
area, another local legend. (With Brian Cole in the race as
well, it seems Hanchurch was the Proverbial L.A of the
running world for one night only)
I upped the pace for the last couple of miles and actually
coped with the last hill pretty well. I came round the final
corner and saw the finish line, and in front of that was, a
town crier? No it couldn’t be, I couldn’t see who it was but
good lord, that was one booming voice . I drew closer and
saw that it was Ryan, somewhere between cheering on and
terrifying the runners. As I ran past him, he shouted
encouragement at me so loudly I nearly fell off the track
due to the cross wind, but I crossed the line in around 37
minutes, which I’m really really happy with. It’s a minute
off my Alsager PB but the course was obviously much more
difficult.
Congratulations to Ian and Jo who both came second! I’m
looking forward to the next race at Milford but alas I
cannot do the final one at Kibblestone because I’m doing the
Killer mile that night, so no red t-shirt for me, shame, I
love my t-shirts : (
Still though, great weather, great race and great company
made this a fantastic evening! Thanks guys and well done to
everyone who ran.
Thanks for that great report Dan, really good stuff, hope my subtle encouragement isn't really terrifying anyone though, haha. Next to land on the muddy doormat was this offering from Kathryn Ambrose:
Last night saw me
do my first ever 'proper' off-road race, so I thought I
would send in a report in honour of the occasion! I made my
way down to Hanchurch Woods, having no idea what to expect,
save for some hills and lots of mud. Arrived nice and early
to see plenty of friendly and familiar faces, and to bag a
top notch parking place right by the start line.
Unfortunately, the St John's Ambulance people parked right
behind me and blocked me in, so I couldn't get out until
practically everyone had finished, arrghh!!
Never mind, I digress. My training for the Chester Marathon
hasn't been going very well at all of late - I submitted my
PhD and then promptly got laid low for the best part of
three weeks with a nasty virus. My first run back at the
club on Tuesday was dreadful, so I came in with no
expectations of this race at all. My plan was to use it as a
training run and to enjoy it. And enjoy it I did! After a
nice warm-up with Rose and admiring Eva's lovely dogs, I
placed myself not quite at the back near to some of the
Newport ladies who I know I've run with before, and set off
at a purposeful pace. The first two miles seemed to fly by,
as it was practically all downhill. Couldn't help thinking
that something nasty was coming - what goes down must come
back up! The hills did kick in, but they were nowhere near
as bad as I expected. Had some mud to negotiate, so called
upon my experience of Lionel's Sunday runs to help me :) My
legs started to really burn at about 3.5 miles, but I
focused on the South Cheshire lady in front of me, who I was
confident I could catch. Figured out very quickly that
although she was strong on the hills, I had the beating of
her on the flatter bits, so I pushed back on to sub 8 min
miles whenever I could, and put some distance between us at
just after 4 miles, and she didn't catch me. At about 4.5
miles, Rose, Kerry and Pete came back to encourage me on - I
couldn't say much in reply, but their support kept me going!
Made sure I had pulled my vest down back over my Mummy tummy
before Mick Hall took my picture again, and kicked for home.
Stopped my watch at 50.03, which I am really pleased with
for such tricky terrain, and considering that my mileage in
the two weeks prior to this one has been 3 and 5.5!! This
race has given me some of my running mojo back now and I am
feeling better about tackling Chester if I can stay away
from lurgs and pack some long runs in before the day.
Yet again, it was great to see so many Trentham vests out,
doing the club proud. Will be back again for Kibblestone!
Thanks Kathryn, another
great report and well done on completing your first ever
proper off-road thingy-me-job! Next report to filter through
the falling ash cloud and land at Trentham HQ was from Mark
Day. Dusted down and cleaned up, here it is:
Having done my
first road race of 2010 on Sunday at the Dougie Mac 5K, and
realising how much I was missing the race experience I
headed to Hanchurch last night for the first of the Spring
Treble races 'Hanchurch Hilly'.
As my main target this year is to complete a T&F decathlon,
I'm not out to break any PB's. So really I was there to
enjoy it and mingle with the other club runners just for the
experience.
The course through the Hanchurch woods had changed again
from last year due to forestry work, but basically the
format was the same - 2 miles or so downhill, then a mile
and a half uphill, then a bit more down and up before the
last few hundred yards on the flat to the finish.
I started off next to Eva, and ran alongside her until near
the bottom of the hills and then let her go off ahead as I
started slacking!
At the bottom of the hill I nearly got taken out by a lady
who tripped over a root. After doing the noble thing and
making sure she was ok I carried on. Mouth to mouth
resuscitation was not required! It was a nice experience to
run a race and not actually race, and I'm worried that I
might actually get too used to it. I had plenty left in the
tank for a sprint finish as Ryan shouted encouragement from
the finish.
Those Trentham runners who turned out all did well as far as
I could tell, and there was plenty of encouragement at the
finish by the quicker runners in our club, which was great
to see. I'm competing in a track event next Wednesday night,
but as 100m and Long Jump aren't likely to be too tiring on
the legs I plan to be at Milford for the second of the three
races. Here's hoping for another pleasant evening and a good
Trentham turnout again.
Here-here to that Mark! Thanks again for that report and it's good to know that you're still enjoying your running. We all know how hard it is when you're not. Final piece of the Jigsaw came in the form of this report from a certain Mrs Dickens who was competing in her first event since being sidelined with a foot operation. The good news is she managed to grow another one, and it seems to be as good if not better than her old one. Here's Jayne's report:
Well what can I say? It’s great to be back!! It was fantastic to see everyone again and you just can’t beat a good race atmosphere. It was a beautiful night and there were loads of people out. Sod it; I’ll enter all 3 I thought, getting the free T shirt too.
I haven’t done Spring Treble for the last 4 yrs with London Marathon and other stuff and love these runs. Everyone must try them. I just couldn’t wait any longer; I’ve been resting my foot and being sensible for 5 months now. The physios at work were telling me I was mad racing when I was only just up to 5 miles running on the flat steady twice a wk but I just had to do it to cheer me up, even if I came in at the back and it was a walk/run I didn’t care. I hadn’t tried out my off road trainers until on the night but with all the mud around and uneven ground in one way it was good to have them but in another way they were a little too stiff for my poor foot. It was great to have lovely hugs off Ryan and Rose, Jo and Del and greeting from others. Fab to see other people from other clubs and my Stone MM friends gave me lots of encouragement and welcome backs too.
When we saw Kate Bailey arrive we knew who was wining the ladies. She’s had a fantastic year of fell running and is one of the top ranking in the UK now. Del arrived with tired legs from the Blackpool marathon. I placed myself further back in the pack and then saw Jo further up and waved to her. Bless her; she came further back to start with me and Del. They both were jeopardising their final positions to start with me. I thought that was a really nice gesture and good team spirit!!
Well off I went, steady, Jo soon was ahead chasing Kate. Ryan was breathing very heavily behind me, especially when he was getting frustrated with my uncertain footwork on the tree roots at the lower end of the woods and then gave me a much appreciated shove. The dust was making me cough and rub my eyes a lot but as soon as the pack thinned out it wasn’t as bad. Eventually I gained my confidence as the foot wasn’t protesting on the uneven ground so pushed on a bit more. Then came the hills, well I hadn’t yet tried out hills, here goes......no pain...yes!!! I was even starting to make headway of Ryan now. All that biking must of kept me fit I thought. I caught Pete up and then headed for Adam, took him but then he easily got back. I managed to stay with him until it came to the last flat bit and then he shot off.
The best bit was the finish when my children, Yaz and Chloe and Amelia (Lisa Russell’s daughter) came and ran in with me into the finish. Why couldn’t of Brian or Mick been there to take a photo!! That would be framed on my wall. Brill race and thoroughly enjoyed it. My foot the next day wasn’t too amused though, plus I was up in the night bathing it in cold water again....just hope it improves for the bike race on Sunday AND next wk’s Spring Treble J
Thanks for the report Jayne, it really was nice to see you back, always smiling and looking on the bright side of things. Make sure Nick looks after you on the bike ride and hopefully see you next week for the second round at Milford. I just hope we get as many reports through as it really does help make the website worth reading. You never know, we may be wading round knee deep in basalt dust next week. Results aren't out yet but should appear soon!
Stay safe everyone, webmaster!
The
sun was out, the Sky was blue, there was no cloud to
spoil the view, so the Webmaster decided to go and
spactate the Newcastle 7 from the comfort (yeah
right) of the bike saddle. There were plenty of
Trentham runners out on such a fine day. For the Men
Ian Yates led the way home coming in 4th place and
in the ladies race There was a Trentham win in the
shape of Sarah Johnson with 2 other ladies coming
top 5 (Del & Jo). Del came 3rd and also 1st LV35
whilst Jo had a great run narrowly missing 4th
place. Stan Winterton won M60 whilst Gerry Calvert
and Don Brookes were 1st and 2nd in the M70
category. There were plenty of other runners taking
part from the club as the competition is starting to
take shape in the NSRRA groups. One of them was Ken
Pearson who had another fantastic run and he has
kindly sent us this report:
I have
done a few races in the last few years but not
really seriously. So with the new groups in NSRRA I
was surprised to find I was 2nd in my group at
Stafford half. Either I dont bother or I have a go
at actually competing again. Seems the racing option
won so Newcastle 7 was going to be a race against
unknown people.
Usual pre
race preparation including the shave and the Special
K. Checked last years times as I expect to run
faster this year. 53:45 last year with about 8 min
miles for the first 4 miles and 7 min miles after
that on the downhill bit.
Start off
ok but there are a couple of F group runners in
front but I have no idea who they are. Chat to a few
runners in the first mile and I'm running with
another F runner, apparently he passed me at 6 miles
at Stafford but I passed him at 10 he fills me in
with the F group leaders but I've no idea who they
are. Run up the hill with him but he ends up about
50m in front and I cant keep up with him. Same on
the flat bit at the top when Ryan cycles by. Get to
4 miles in 32:05 just a bit slower that I hoped and
the mystery F runner is still 50m ahead going down
the hill at 5m but he slows and I catch him at 6,
think I also overtook another F runner in that mile
as well. Determined that neither will catch me so I
dig in in the last mile and even manage a bit of a
sprint after the last corner. Finish in 53:36 so a
bit quicker than last year and a year older.
Quite
enjoyed that but no idea where I am in the group, I
also had the watch only record time at 1, 3, 5 and 7
miles, must buy another watch. Had a chat to a few
runners at the finish and waited for Katherine to
finish, feel a bit guilty as she ran 7 miles just to
get to the start and is planning to run home as
well. Nice to get a different trophy (mug, tea bags
and crunchy bar) and as Caroline hasn't set any
rules for mugs or tea bags so I assume the "one in
one out" T Shirt rule doesn't apply and the mug is
put on the shelf to match last years.
Don't
know group result yet but I've sent off the
application form for the next race!
Thanks for the report Ken and well done on such a good performance.
Full results for the
race can be found by clicking
Team Trentham were once
again out in force on Thursday at the 2nd
installment of the Spring Treble series at Cannock
Chase. Ian Yates led the race for most of the way
only to be pipped to the line by an unknown
assailant. The 2nd place though leaves Ian with a
comfortable 1st place standing overall with one race
to go. Similarly in the Ladies race Jo Donnelly was
in dominant form, coming 2nd behind Fell Runner Kate
Bailey to cement her 2nd position overall and lead
the LV35 group with one race to go. Adam Brearley
had a fantastic race coming 10th overall and Del
Salt, Jayne Dickens and Ryan Procter all had good
runs. Pete Caci finished top of the M55 age group to
cement his lead, similarly Rose Wilson is heading up
the LV50 cat with only Kibblestone, the toughest of
the three, still to come.
Results from last weeks race are now out.
MEN'S
LADIES
First report to land on the mat from Thursday's race comes from the lyrical Danny Bowman, who has kindly sent in this offering:
Yesterday
signalled part two of the Stone master marathoners
spring treble up at Milford. I was really looking
forward to this one as I’d enjoyed the previous leg
at Hanford and my fellow greens had assured me that
this one was the easiest of the three.
The sun was shining as I drove toward Shugborough
hall with Dave and my Fiance Deanne, who bless her
tries her hardest to be interested in my running but
I don’t suppose it’s particularly exciting to watch
someone run off, only to return an hour later
dripping with sweat.
We arrived at the ‘ode common quite late and I
parked the car terribly in the middle of the car
park before clambering up to the start area. I said
hello to a few people including Simon Danks from
Utoxeter Road runners, my dad’s mate who I’ve known
for years. He’s a quick guy and I’ve never beaten
him but as he’s doing London this Sunday he assured
me that this would be the one where I finally
triumphed.
I started confidently toward the front of the pack,
mainly because I felt to be in really good shape,
and my marathon diet has caused me to drop a few
pounds too. The starting whistle blew and off I
went. For the first couple of minutes I was second
Trentham runner behind Ian.
** Joke alert! What have Ian Yates and a sneeze got
in common? They’re both green and travel at 100mph
**
Ahem. anyway, so I was sauntering along quite nicely
as second Trentham person, then I realised I’m not
that good of a runner and got overtaken by roughly
nine hundred people. It was just like that scene
from the lion king where all those wildebeests
stampede through that canyon and kill that lions
dad, with me being the lion. I don’t think I’d like
to be a lion in real life though, I might be a
quicker runner I suppose because I’d have to chase
things to eat and stuff, but I’d probably get some
funny looks. In fact, I’m not sure I’d be able to
run for Trentham if I was a lion, and even if I was,
it’d be a logistical nightmare “Hi Lionel, I’m going
to need a new Trentham vest” “No worries Dan, what
size do you need?” “I’m a massive Lion” “Oh” plus no
one would want to give me lifts to races in case I
ate them while they were driving. Plus I’d never be
able to overtake anyone because they’d see a lion in
a green vest running up behind them and run even
quicker. Yeah I’m definitely glad I’m not a lion.
Erm… where was I? Oh yes, running. So anyway, Adam
and Dave came past me, followed by Jo, Paul, Del and
Jayne so I was pretty sure the positions were the
same as last week as it currently stood.
I struggled big time during the middle part of this
race. I don’t know whether it was my ambitious
start, or the heat, but I wasn’t feeling too good at
all.
Eventually Simon Danks from Utoxeter caught up with
me and said “This was your one chance to ever beat
me” and I swore to him that in 2011, if I carry on
improving at my current rate then I think I actually
will. But he stuck with me and we chatted about
London and he gave me tips, really helped me round
actually. I picked up a lot of speed in the final
mile and came in at around 40 minutes, which I’m not
happy with, but even so, it was still a nice way to
spend a sunny Thursday evening. Well done to Ian for
coming 2nd again, putting him well clear in the
overall standings. I’m not sure how anyone else went
on but I’m guessing the green army came up trumps
again. What does that phrase mean? Came up trumps?
It’s a funny saying.
I’m not going to be at the club for a couple of
weeks now because I’ve got South Cheshire 20 on
Sunday then the Killer mile on Thursday, so adios
and I’ll see you all soon and good luck to everyone
who has races coming up, especially London : )
Thanks for that great report Danny. Good luck with your SC20 on Sunday. I look forward to reading about it here. Results not yet out for Milford, but will appear on the website once available. Also, as Dan mentioned, GOOD LUCK to all runners in this weekend's Virgin London Marathon, especially those from Trentham Running Club. If you are taking part then PLEASE send us in your tales of Blood, Sweat, Tears and Ecstasy as we all like to read about our fellow club mates exploits.
Another report from Milford Murder comes from Ken Pearson. For those of you that run with Ken you'll be aware of the good form he's in of late and doing well in the NSRRA. I know that Ken really loves the Spring Treble series and has done them for a number of years even if he hasn't been road racing so here is his report:
I feel
these race reports are becoming "the ramblings of an
ageing runner" but I will carry on and see where we
end up.
For those of you who follow my progress (no one) I
did win my group at Newcastle, a first in my running
career. I was tired on Sunday lunchtime but not sure
if it was because of the race or the Formula 1 I was
watching. Still tired on Tuesday and we ran 8.25
miles or so, too far really. Had a phone call at 2am
Wednesday morning, my son has got a job in New
Zealand hooray!! Long Sykpe conversation with him on
Wednesday night. Not a very good week to recover so
I wasn't really keen on racing at Milford. I like
the races as they are different and people seem
happier at these compared to road races. I turn up
early and park at the back of the course ( no pre
race shave or Special K but I did have a banana) but
as I walk to the start I see the course has changed
again to remove the steep hills. I prefer the long
drag up the old railway line compared to the steep
slopes. Rose and Kerry finished in front at
Hanchurch but I decided not to try and race them but
just have an easy run round. I had decided early on
that I would just run round and enjoy the scenery
rather than try too hard. Start was OK but loads
came past early on, not really bothered as the legs
werent in the mood for a hard run. Eva passed me but
I managed to stay with her and we ran together for
most of the race. We finished in 47:30 and weren't
lapped! Its a very pleasant way to run when you can
have a chat with someone all the way round. The
downside was that we were told off 3 times for
taking it easy and talking too much!
Legs were fine on Friday so a good result.
Not sure how Trentham Running Club compares with
others but for me one of the advantages is that it
is a very friendly club. Always someone to talk to
and friendly people at all levels.
Next race is Kibblestone which I will take easy
again as the Uttoxeter Half is on Sunday and maybe
another 50 points!
Thanks for the report Ken, and once again good luck to all those at London and send us in your reports please!!!!!
Results for the Milford Murder are now available and can be seen below. The results include the combined standings for both races so far:
Virgin London Marathon
Trentham Running Club managed some good performances from London. Paul Burslem once again managed to dip under the 3hr mark (2:59:50) despite running with a slight injury. Lynne Callaghan narrowly missed out on the 3:15 she desired but should be massively happy with 3:16:38. Jill Phillips had a very steady run and came in at 3:46:01 and the only other Trentham runner to take part was Lisa Hollins who did 5:13:35. As well as the there was Carl Platt (3:16:16) and Christine Holmes (3:57:07) who entered before joining the club so were not entered in the club name. Well done to all the Trentham runners on completing the marathon and I'm glad to say we have now recieved reports from three of the above runners. First one through came from Lynne Callaghan:
Family illness meant I’d travelled to London without
my personal support crew (Drew) but familiar faces
on the coach made me feel more at ease.
For the 9th time I lay in bed the night before the
marathon and thought ’why am I doing this?!’ I still
don’t know...
The morning was an odd one as all week there had
been glorious weather, so on went the sun cream. I’d
brought my sunnies with me and also bought a last
minute sun visor at the expo – best to be prepared.
As it turned out, the rain came down as we sat
huddled on our bin bags on the blue start field;
away went the sunnnies and the sun cream slowly
washed off!
This was my first year starting with the
Championship women and it was Fab! We had our own
enclosure, tents, toilets, baggage truck and warm up
zone! What was even better was that we were right at
the front of the start – super. I had a quick chat
with more friendly faces in the form of Amy Cope and
Ben Gamble as they too warmed up.
This years new method was to try and maintain
consistent pace of 7:20m/m; casting aside the usual
‘go like billy-o as long as I can and hang on in
there!’. It didn’t go too far of plan but a 6:52 1st
mile wasn’t brill! It was ‘only’ from mile 16 that
the timings started to go a bit wonky and miles 19
and 25 were both over 8m/m. Trying to remain
optimistic at mile 24 in 3hrs, i tried to work with
another girl for 7:15m/m but I knew I’d have to run
my lungs out to do it – it didn’t happen. With 30
meters to go, a familiar frame flew past in the
shape of Amy – how she found that burst I have no
idea! Well done to Amy – she beat me by 7
seconds!!!!
The ¼ mile walk to meeting point ‘T’ took forever
but it was lovely to see Debbie there with goodies a
plenty and Paul Burslem and his family.
Overall it was a fab day, the crowd support was
brilliant, the conditions perfect and a pb of 3 mins
super. Chuffed but at 3:16:38 there is still 1min 40
seconds to chip off!
Thanks Lynne for the report. Next one to land on the Laptop was from Paul Burslem who was on the same coach as Lynne and staying at the same hotel. Here is his take on the great race:
Last year the wife decided I should do this
years marathon, sure it had nothing to do
with shopping. I went down on the Saturday
morning on the staffs moorlands trip,
runners on the coach were sadly lacking
[only 6 of us out of 36]
In the afternoon we went to the expo where I
bumped into various local runners and Lynne
managed to get a photo with Liz Yelling.
Luckily the majority on the coach didn’t
want to stop there long,
Then to the evening when 35,000 in London plus there families try to find pasta, we got into a lovely place in Covent Garden called pasta brown. After a bit of shopping we had a stroll along the mall and through St James park to our hotel in Victoria. Our room was facing the main road and was extremely noisy, luckily the wife had packed ear plugs.
The next morning the Germans beat us to
breakfast, mind you there coach was taking
them at 6.30 !!
When we got to the start we gave our
farewells and hugs to Lynne and Pam Davies
who were starting in the blue start, I went
in the fast gfa with Mark Dean, Then it was
time to just chill out, Guy came to join us
and James woods of Congleton.
About forty mins to go and the skies opened
up on us, so it was bin liner time. With 15
minutes to go I went to my pen and keep
myself chilled. At 9.45 we were on our way
and with it been fast gfa I found myself
been sucked into going faster when I said I
was going to take it steadier.
To me it looked like the biggest crowd ever,
never appeared to be a blank zone. I saw one
of our old members at around 6 miles [Paul
Hickman] and loads were shouting
“Trentham”but I don’t know if they were
reading my top, There was even some people
in tuxes on a flat balcony shouting
Trentham.
To me it was a sticky day and I got to half way in 1.26, At around 19 miles Simon Jackson of Congleton was cheering us on, The noise under the bridges was awesome with the steel and brass bands playing. 20 miles came at 2.14, which gave me 3 minutes to play with for the last 10k,this was good because from 22 miles I was shot and just had to hang in, but the crowd was amazing and kept my going somehow. At 25 miles I saw Ryan snapping[don’t think I want to know what I looked like !]
I few yards later Ann and Hannah were cheering me on and I just had to go on, Jim Holland came past and geed me on, 600 metres to go and I was running through treacle!! 385 metres to go and I was turning to go into the mall trying to sprint. I could see the clock 2.59.40 I went past a bloke collapsing and I could feel my legs going ,I could see the clock ticking too quick, crossed the line 3.00.07 !!
All I did then was hold onto a fence till I could feel a bit of life in my legs. Bit disappointed not to duck under 3 hours, but was quietly confident that my chip time would be under. At the finish area Debs was waiting, Lynne and Carl joined us, we had a bit of a chat then it was time for beer and drugs. Must tell you 4 and a half pints really make your legs better.
Many thanks to you all watched and supported the race!
Well, many
thanks for that and the good news is that
Paul's chip time, the only true gauge of
your London Time unless you're Sammy
Wanjiru, is indeed under 3hrs coming in at
2:59:50. Not cutting it quite as fine as his
last one (2:59:59) but close non-the-less.
Well done Paul and a brilliant run with a
slight injury.
The final report for now comes in from Carl
Platt who entered the Marathon before
joining the club and so isn't in the results
as a Trentham Runner although he is now a
full time member:
Both myself and Christine ran London at the weekend (our first ever marathon), Anyway this is my take on the day: About an hour before the start the nerves kicked in so I said goodbye to Christine and wished her luck: no I didn't leave her on her own....she was meeting her sister! I went to get prepared for the race.
The atmosphere at the start was amazing, runners everywhere all getting ready for the race. The gun went and I was off. I remember what Dale had told me about not going off too fast. I looked at my watch and ran the first mile at 7.20. I was really enjoying the run and go to the halfway point in 1.36.56. All was going well until about mile 21 when my legs started to feel heavy. It was now time to grit my teeth and push on for the last 5 mile and try to forget how my legs were feeling.
The amazing crowd support on the day helped push me along at this point too! I got the last mile and tried to finish strong, but there was nothing in the legs. I finished in a time of 3.16.13. I ran the race at pretty even pace throughout, with my first half being about 1 minute faster than my second. I was over the moon with my time. Christine didn't do too bad either considering she missed a heap of training through injury. She finished in 3.57.07 dressed as a Smurf!!
I'd like to congratulate all the Trentham runners who ran. I'd like to thank Dale for all his advice and coaching he gave me while training. and a big thanks to Debs for the cakes at the end...very much appreciated!
Well done Carl &
Christine on finishing your first Marathons, both in
very good times indeed. Carl also managed to raise
money for the Douglas MacMillan Hospice so very well
done on that score too.
Next report through the electronic inbox comes from
Jill Phillips who was aiming to run around 3:45
which is the target for GFA entry to London for the
next two years. Here is Jill's report:
Having been plagued by injuries for the previous 15
months, mid January I thought I'd better start
training for London. I concentrated on quantity with
no quality work on a "get round" strategy, looking
at sub 4 hours but hoping for close to 3:45.
Training was steady, consistent and injury free :-)
Me and Debs (plus the donuts) went down on the 2
night trip with Stafford Harriers, with a few of the
Trentham crew making their way down to spectate. I
was really looking forward to the weekend, though a
little apprehensive about the marathon. There were
some familiar faces on the coaches down, it was
great chatting to everyone. We saw Paul at Excel who
gave me his usual words of encouragement of "get a
grip woman" and met up with Lynne on Saturday night
for our pasta meal.
I was on the green start again, the good for age and
celebrity start, which is a great one to be on, much
smaller than the other 2 and you can get over the
start line in seconds and also the chance of
spotting a celeb.
The coach took us to the start bright and early and
just as I was approaching the green start spotted
Richard Branson also on his way, so I gave him a bit
of marathon advise and had my photo taken with him.
Then I relaxed for 2 hours, had a coffee with my
toast and watched Richard and his caterpillar
prancing up and down for the cameras and other
celebs coming and going (not quite sure who they
were, not very good with celebs!).
After the unexpected downpour I started off nice and
steady, 8:30 mm, for the first couple of miles then
started to pick my pace up a little. I kept telling
myself to slow down a bit but my body wouldn't
listen. So I let it dictate my pace while I was
feeling good as I knew I'd probably slow down a bit
in the last few miles so needed a few mins in
reserve.
I rounded the corner at 9 miles almost straight into
Kiri and Andy learning over the barrier cheering me
on at the top of their voices. I kept my pace pretty
steady, enjoying every step, especially when passing
the bands playing music giving me a different song
to sing along to. I got to 21 miles slightly ahead
of 3:45 pace. I had started to slow a little as
expected. 24 to 25 miles seemed to go on forever,
then Ryan and Adam almost jumped out of the crowd at
me brandishing banners to spur me on for the final
mile. When I crossed the line in 3:46 ish I was well
chuffed and even managed a little jog to the baggage
van before making my way to meet the others at T.
After a nice radox bath, which Deb ran for me, we
made our way to Wetherspoons with Ryan, Adam, Kiri
and Andy, later joined by Kaz and Nels and then
Richard. It was great to be out celebrating with
everyone, it made my day!
And to add to what had already been a great weekend
I won £5 on the coach back for finishing closest to
my estimated time :-)
A thoroughly enjoyable weekend and big thanks to
everyone for their support and encouragement!
Congratulations Jill on another great Marathon performance. The good news is that the GFA threshold has now been raised to 3:50 so Jill did qualify for the next two years anyway, although she will get another chance to dip under 3:45 at Chester in a few weeks time. Good luck with that Jill.
As the webmaster was in London for the Marathon not to run but to support, I thought I'd give you a spectators view on proceedings:
An
early start to catch the first train of the day down
to London to see club mates and friends take part in
the marathon and to take in the atmosphere
generally. I have never been down to watch the
London Marathon before, only take part, but after
failing to gain entry this year in the club ballot I
decided to go and soak up the atmosphere.
First job of the day was to pick up Adam who had
been drinking the night before and was just out of
bed when I got there to pick him up. After strumming
his guitar whilst waiting for him to wipe the sleep
from his eyes we set off for the station.
I had booked my train ticket ages ago and got a great deal on First Class, Adam meanwhile booked his the nigh before and payed more for standard class travel. He wondered if I might just join him there anyway, yeah right, in your dreams buddy. Free Tea, Coffee and snacks bought to your seat and no lager louts shouting down the carriages to each other in the 'quiet zone'. Like I was about to give that up. In the end Adam decided that he'd pay the upgrade fee and join me instead. Ha ha!
On arrival at Euston Station the race was well underway, so with light rain falling we headed off down Southampton Row, straight for the Embankment. We had arranged to meet Deb at Waterloo Bridge just after Mile 24, but after several phone calls she had only moved 200 yards to the London Eye! I guess the dog would have to go to the rabbit as it were! we met up opposite the London Eye just after the 25 mile mark, just in time to see the lead male runners go by. Andi Jones was having a fantastic run, as was Ben Gamble not far behind him.
First Trentham runner through was Paul Burslem who was having a magnificent run. The night before I texted him to wish him luck only to be told, "Got a niggle so will only be jogging". Some jog mate that coming in under 3hours. After trying to spot all the local runners and team mates I lifted my eyes for a rest. Only at this point did I notice that the trees were now racing in the other direction. What the hell was going on here? Because we were constantly straining our eyes left to right all the time, it seemed that some weird optical illusion was taking place. Anyway, it made me feel dizzy! Lynne, Yorkshire Dave, Mark Maloney, Jill, managed to spot them all and then a short walk through Horseguards Parade to St.James Park to meet and greet. Waited for Jill to emerge and accompanied her amongst the floundering, collapsing and ecstatic runners with blistered feet to the meeting point 'TUV' where we just missed Lynne & Paul who'd left 2 minutes before.
We were joined by Carl & Christine and also Mark Maloney who'd managed to loose all his family and came to borrow a phone, and a few Do-nuts, so he could get in touch. After a while we decided to move off. The Stoke game was on TV so time to find a pub. That's all i'll say about that part of the day. After the game myself and Adam headed back to the hotel to meet Jill, Debs, Kiri & Andy who were waiting to go out for dinner. If ever you go to London to watch the Marathon don't wear sandals. The embarrassment of asking a Marathon Runner for a plaster for a blister on your little toe is not to be underestimated.
Dinner in Wetherspoons, Gourmet Veggie Burger, followed by a few beers in the company of great friends and team mates. We were even joined by ex Trenthamer Kaz Brandt and fella Paul which was really nice. Great to see you two folks. Richard also came along so we had a great time with plenty of chatter. As time wore on we were faced with a choice. A long walk back to Euston from Victoria or a £5 tube ride. The tube won and gave us time for an extra beer :-)
A really tiring day, more tiring than actually running I thought, and we just made it back in time for the last train, much to the relief of Jill & Debs as we had threatened to comandeer their hotel room if we missed it! A great day out, if tiring and if I don't run in future I would certainly like to go and soak it up again.
Here are a few pics from London.
Paul at 25 Miles Jill at the finish
Lynne at 25 Miles Richard Branson with the famous JP
Newcastle 7
