Uttoxeter Half Marathon

1/5/16

Sunday saw the Uttoxeter Festival of Running with the familiar Half Marathon and Junior Race along with a new 10k race which incorporated the opening section of the half marathon route.

The Uttoxeter Half is one of the toughest on the local scene with plenty of climbs and undulating surfaces and very little on the flat. Most challenging of the climbs comes at 7 miles up Buttermilk Hill while there is another long drag between 10-12 miles.

The reward comes at the end with a fast downhill section back to the finish at Uttoxeter Racecourse.

Stafford Harriers had two runners finishing in the top ten with Phil Hilsdon 7th in a time of 1hr 18m 9 secs. Matt Woodman was a couple of places (9th) behind finishing in 1:19:28.

Other Harriers to run were:

Steve Vaughan 27th – 1:24:42

Ian Wood 66th – 1:34:32

Spencer Holland 73rd – 1:35:32

Chris Elsley 102nd – 1:41:38

Ryan Nokes 107th – 1:42:29

Nia Nokes 128th – 1:44:52

Natalie Godfrey 140th – 1:45:48

Chris Skellern 155th – 1:48:29

Craig Baxter 156th – 1:48:34

Tracy Ridings 181st – 1:52:46

Shelley Burns 184th – 1:53:08

Steve Turner 193rd – 1:54:42

Alan Cook 198th – 1:55:34

Liz Cook 201st – 1:55:38

Julie Nokes 243rd – 2:13:28

Carl Moulton (Boalloy) was the race winner in 1:12:09 with Michelle Buckle of Newcastle taking the ladies prize in 1:29:35.

The Harriers Ladies finished 2nd in the team contest while the men finished 3rd.

Entry numbers in the 10k were a little disappointing but Gael Earp didn’t mind as she managed to pick up 1st place in her category in the Ladies Section.

There was success for two Harriers in the Junior Race as Ben Deakin (8m 34s – U15) and Matthew Hilsdon (U13 – 9m 33s) won their respective age categories. Ben finished 3rd overall and Matthew 8th out of a field of 54 runners.

Lichfield Half Marathon

1/5/16

Elsewhere, three Harriers competed in the Lichfield Half Marathon with James Found (1.26.09 – 31st) leading the way home ahead of John Finney (1.52.48 – 384th) and Edwina Gould (2.15.25 – 734th) in an overall field of 903 finishers.

Stuart Hawkes (Tipton Harriers) won the event in 1h 12m 35 secs while the leading lady was Nichola Jackson (1h 26m 43s) of Preston Harriers.

Barlaston Ups and Downs

27/4/16

Local runners managed to evade a thunderstorm ahead of the final leg of the Spring Treble which took place at Barlaston Downs last Thursday.

Fortunately, the weather had cleared by the time the race began from Oulton Cricket Club and runners sprinted off along the road to the Downs with the faster ones fancying their chances in the fastest mile competition.

Conditions were surprisingly good along the course which proceeded alongside a stream before climbing up to the trig point at the top of Downs Banks and back down the other side. Another lap is encountered before the climb back up to the finish at Oulton CC.

There was another good turn out of Stafford Harriers, Richard Rea once again leading the team home in a time of 33.04.

Other finishers were :

Men:

Robert Mottram Jones 36.24

Chris Ross 36.49

Ian Hodkinson 37.04

Jim Smith 37.32

Spencer Holland 37.35

Alan Griffin 37.59

Darren Mattocks 38.34

Adam Morris 39.30

Ian Wood 39.40

Mark Oliver 39.55

Jason Littlewood 40.49

Chris Elsley 40.58

Steve McHugh 46.01

Mick Jones 62.02

Ladies:

Nia Nokes 40:45

Chris Skellern 43:52

Tracy Ridings 45:30

Melonie Deakin 46:25

Jane Bisiker 47:16

Karen Murray 49:47

Joanne Oliver 50:10

Karen D Murray 50:42

Julie Nokes 53:04

Amanda Pearce 53:29

Michelle Walker 55:52

The Mens Series was won by Matthew Connelly Smith of Stafford Tri while Deborah Thomas (Trentham) took the Ladies Series

Air Products South Cheshire 10K

27/3/16

Six Harriers headed north to Crewe for the Air Products South Cheshire 10k – a popular race due to its flat course which enables fast times to be recorded.

Ian Wood was the first Harrier in a field of 320 finishing in 42:13 (87th) ahead of Craig Baxter (47:30 – 171st).

Other Harriers were:

Chris Skellern (49:20 – 199^th)

Julie Nokes (59:29 – 293rd)

Gael Earp (59:59 – 296^th)

Michael Jones (66:47 – 311th).

The race was won by James Skelton (Wolves & Bilston) in 32:42 with Louise Rudd taking the Ladies prize 9in 36:41 (18th overall).

Chasewater Easter Egg 10K, 5K and Childrens dash.

27/3/16

Back to Chasewater, this time to run for Easter Eggs rather than Christmas puddings! I am really pleased to report that there was a small adjustment to the course from last time taking out the loop around the visitor centre at the start and putting in a short ‘up and down‘section about half way around which was much better. Also, Ben’s Garmin measured the 5k as exactly 5k rather than 5.25k on the last two times he has run here. The weather was very windy which was a bit of a challenge on the exposed parts of the course. Other than that, the event was reassuringly familiar, great course, chip timed, good facilities and one I will go back to again.
Five Harriers ran at the event, two juniors in the 5k and three seniors in the 10k. Matt and Ben made it two Harriers in the top 6 out of 114 runners in the 5k, special well done to Matt who narrowly missed out on 1st overall, but got first junior. 237 ran in the 10k, Spencer claiming the crown of first Harrier home.
5K:
1st Mark Slade Hatton Darts RC 19:53
1st Female Libby Dunne Cannock and Stafford AC 22:45
2nd Matthew Bonney Stafford Harriers 20:05 1st Junior
6th Ben Deakin Stafford Harriers 22:08 (PB) 3rd Junior
10K:
1st Aaron Brown Tipton Harriers 34:25
1st Female Naomi Warr Hatton Darts RC 42:02
40th Spencer Holland Stafford Harriers 45:51
87th Melonie Deakin Stafford Harriers 52:59
230th Sarah Humphreys Stafford Harriers 77:00

Stafford Half Marathon

20/3/16

Here are the results of Stafford Harriers in the Stafford Half.

116 Stafford Harriers have so far been found in the 2734 finishers.

I have been able to change some of the names that I am aware of that ran with someone else’s place. If there are more than let us know.

I do realise that with the “rip off’ price of £15 that was being charged to change a name on the day there should be a lot more.

Please note that the finish times/ places are in Gun Time order. Photo’s below from Colin.

Pos	Name	Gun Time	Chip Time	Cat	PB
8	Phillip Hilsdon	01:16:16	01:16:16		PB
57	Robert Mottram Jones	01:23:19	01:23:19
100	Kev Darby	01:26:37	01:26:33
118	Paul Higginson	01:27:38	01:27:32		PB
120	Andrew Locke	01:27:46	01:27:43		PB
137	Ian Hodkinson	01:29:08	01:29:00
149	Harry Perkins	01:29:40	01:29:36
207	Michelle Rushton-Fox	01:31:52	01:31:35	3rd F40	PB
221	Darren Pyatt	01:32:32	01:32:16
265	Christopher Ross	01:34:23	01:34:13
268	Richard Quine	01:34:36	01:34:13
286	Russell Barron	01:35:22	01:35:22
309	Liam Duggan	01:36:05	01:35:44
330	Robert Proctor	01:36:38	01:36:29		PB
338	Mark Oliver	01:36:46	01:35:58
352	Spencer Holland	01:37:08	01:37:00
367	Alan Griffin	01:37:30	01:37:09
378	Darren Mattocks	01:38:02	01:37:40
390	Simon Cope	01:38:25	01:38:17
425	Simon Groom	01:39:20	01:38:05
432	John Gomersal	01:39:44	01:39:22
443	Tim Hough	01:39:58	01:39:49
464	David Marsden	01:40:35	01:39:43	3rd M60
465	Paul Morris	01:40:35	01:39:21
474	Ben Nash	01:40:45	01:39:54
488	Neil Martin	01:40:59	01:39:55
508	Ryan Nokes	01:41:25	01:40:41
509	Nia Rose Nokes	01:41:26	01:40:41		PB
515	Jim Smith	01:41:36	01:40:48		PB
537	Chris Elsley	01:42:14	01:41:41
615	Alan Cook	01:44:02	01:39:57
650	Mark Bentley	01:44:54	01:44:01
678	Natalie Godfrey	01:45:38	01:44:05		PB
705	Chris Skellern	01:46:05	01:45:42	2nd L50
747	Ian Williams	01:46:59	01:46:33
761	Kelly McHugh	01:47:16	01:46:02
798	Alan Jones	01:48:00	01:45:16
821	Nigel Smith	01:48:15	01:46:29		PB
823	Lisa Fraser	01:48:16	01:45:37
832	Mark Withington	01:48:28	01:47:39
847	Michael Evans	01:48:57	01:46:14		PB
871	Craig Baxter	01:49:18	01:47:54
891	John Richardson	01:49:42	01:48:06
937	Nicol Goddard	01:50:47	01:49:14
958	Angela Brookes	01:51:05	01:49:33
1000	Shelley Burns	01:51:49	01:50:26
1001	Stella Dennis	01:51:49	01:50:04
1040	Mark White	01:52:45	01:51:21
1112	Eddie Smith	01:54:02	01:53:09
1133	Liz Cook	01:54:17	01:50:11
1154	Shaun Holt	01:54:37	01:53:24		PB
1166	Ian Dale	01:54:46	01:54:01
1171	Tracy Ridings	01:54:50	01:53:18
1187	Liz Simcox	01:55:01	01:52:18
1201	Emma Withington	01:55:14	01:54:24		PB
1215	Simon Pestel	01:55:31	01:53:03
1240	Melonie Deakin	01:56:01	01:54:31		PB
1262	Mark Preston	01:56:23	01:54:03
1303	Jane Bisiker	01:57:03	01:53:44
1336	Georgina Coggins	01:57:43	01:55:07
1378	Steven McHugh	01:58:33	01:55:24
1380	Anne Coghlan	01:58:36	01:54:33
1384	Richard Davies	01:58:38	01:57:07
1390	Alice Holly	01:58:46	01:56:01
1405	Karen Murray	01:59:03	01:57:32
1407	Dave Cook	01:59:04	01:58:19
1430	Ralph Wedlock	01:59:25	01:54:53
1439	Allen Aukim	01:59:38	01:58:44
1622	Ruth Edwards	02:03:48	01:59:45		PB
1763	Karen D Murray	02:07:15	02:04:06
1840	Rachel Darbey	02:08:53	02:04:52
1866	Tina Darby	02:09:37	02:05:01
1891	Sally Liggins	02:10:19	02:06:18
1928	Christopher Carroll	02:11:09	02:06:15
1965	Becki Hollins	02:12:13	02:08:11
1966	Amanda Franklin	02:12:14	02:08:11
1976	Natalie Boswell	02:12:25	02:09:45
2076	Helen Underwood	02:15:13	02:12:38
2137	Heather Bennet	02:17:03	02:12:14
2182	Cathy Behan	02:18:21	02:15:46
2217	Julie Nokes	02:19:11	02:14:16
2242	Rachel Marsden	02:20:04	02:16:01
2267	Bill Whitworth	02:20:54	02:20:48	2nd M70
2291	Lin Bradshaw	02:21:26	02:18:51
2321	Diane Faulkner	02:22:32	02:16:34
2348	David Plant	02:23:47	02:21:12
2367	Charlotte Ward	02:24:29	02:20:02
2368	Tracy Burrows	02:24:33	02:20:29		PB
2376	Alex` Hill	02:25:13	02:20:37
2382	Marie Evans	02:25:39	02:20:24
2400	Wendy Sears	02:26:42	02:21:24
2429	Michael Bamber	02:28:12	02:23:36
2440	John Hateley	02:28:56	02:26:33	3rd M70
2444	Angela Charlesworth	02:29:20	02:25:15
2471	Michael Jones	02:31:03	02:30:01
2505	Amanda Pearce	02:33:06	02:27:20
2531	Lindsay Ashforth	02:35:14	02:29:59
2563	Karen Hilsdon	02:37:00	02:31:22
2613	Frank Evans	02:41:24	02:39:40
2621	Cheryl Metcalfe	02:42:14	02:36:32
2638	Andrew Carter	02:44:07	02:38:13
2694	Sarah Gray	02:56:30	02:51:15

Knighton 20

13/3/16

The sun was shining for the inaugural Knighton 20 road race which took place on Sunday. The event, which consisted of three laps around the roads from Knighton Sports and Social Club replaced the Stafford 20 which for many years has been run from Staffordshire University on Beaconside.

18 Stafford Harriers took part with Phil Hilsdon the first to complete the course in 2 hrs 14 mins and 17 secs to finish 34th overall. Just over a minute behind was Robert Mottram Jones (2:15:35 – 40th) while Ian Wood came home in 2:26:58 (82nd).

Michelle Fox was the first lady Harrier home (2:31:26 – 107th) with Ian Hodkinson not far back (2:32:03 – 112th).

The remainder of the Harriers among the 410 finishers were:

Michael Dobson (2:34:29 – 127 th)

Mark Oliver (2:44:39 – 174 th)

Chris Elsley (2:46:41 – 187 th)

Natalie Godfrey (2:46:50 – 188 th) PB

Alan Jones (2:56:47 – 235 th)

Anne Coghlan (3:02:57 – 267 th) PB

Eddie Smith (3:05:05 – 280 th)

Tracy Ridings (3:05:37 – 284 th)

Debbie McDermott (3:05:49 – 287 th)

Liz Simcox (3:07:58 – 296 th)

Richard Davies (3:12:25 – 317 th)

Angela Brookes (3:12:25 – 318 th)

Alice Holly (3:27:15 – 357 th)

The race was won by Andy Nixon of Stockport Harriers in 1:51:57 with Blackburn Harriers runner Rachel Wood taking the ladies prize in 2:13:56.

Report from Chris Elsley.

Ian and Michelle enjoying the sunshine.

Vitality Liverpool Half Marathon

13th March 2016

report from Leon Stringer;

To Liverpool for the 23rd Vitality Half Marathon, a real city course with the start/finish line on the waterfront under the Three Graces. There was a 10 mile option too for 10K runners looking for an interim step to the 13.1 mile distance. About 6,000 runners took part in pleasant spring weather: hazy sunshine and barely a breeze. The course is billed as flat and the early incline with the magnificent Anglican cathedral on the left is barely a hill. From there on it’s around two pleasant parks – Sefton and Otterspool – the former having a replica of Piccadilly Circus’ Eros, a surprising thing to pass 200 miles from London! From there it’s along the waterfront for the final 4 miles, very scenic on a Sunday morning although some of the cobbles and the street furniture celebrating the city’s maritime heritage required a bit of care. All-in-all a very enjoyable experience, the only downside being city centre accommodation made a good night’s sleep out of the question.

Results:

1st man: Dejene Gezimu (Liverpool Harriers AC) 01:06:58 (chip)

2st lady: Michelle Nolan (Gateshead Harriers AC) 01:20:19 (chip)

Harriers:

Leon Stringer 01:44:12 (chip), gun pos: 1,122, chip pos: 1,157 PB

Fradley 10K and 2K

13th March

Report from Mel Deakin.

Nearly 900 runners turned out for the Fradley 10k and 2K on an almost perfect day for running. The 2k fun run went off first at 10am and over to Ben to report on that.

I was very surprised there was a lead car with a timer on the top. I found it good as it was something to try and catch because I was at the front. The course was good because it was essentially straight along the road. It was also very flat. I was trying to win but I knew someone was behind me. I managed to stay in front and won which I was very pleased about especially as I got £5 prize money.

The 10k started at 10:30am, the course was two laps around Fradley, and was virtually flat. The race started in the village on the road, we then ran through the village and out down tarmac lanes which led us back to the village centre. I enjoyed the race, although there were nearly 900 running I had plenty of space to run, and the laps worked well for me. Well organised, plenty of parking and chip timing too. Definitely one I will consider running again next year.

10K:

1^st Jamie Fletcher Notts Athletic Club 34:32

1^st lady Rachel Olivant 37:51

Stafford Harriers:

Dave Payling 42:25

Alaln Grifin 42:48

Mel Deakin 51:13

Karen Jones 68:42

2k:

1^st Ben Deakin 7:06

1^st girl Maddy Hammond 7:22

March Hair Raiser

6/3/16

There was a good turn out from Stafford Harriers for this year’s March Hair Raiser.

Organised by Wolverhampton & Bilston AC, the race is approximately six miles in distance, run off road and starting from Kingswood Park Business Centre near Albrighton.

Just under 200 runners completed the course with 18 Harriers among them, many of them eager to pick up points in the club’s 2016 Challenge.

First home for the Harriers was Chris Ross who finished an excellent 11th place overall, in a time of 43.08. Following not far behind and picking up maximum points in Group 1 was Robert Mottram-Jones (17th – 44:30) while Jim Smith finished 23rd in 46:07.

Other Harriers to finish were:

Dave Payling 27th 46:34;

Mark White 33rd 47:53;

Natalie Godfrey 57th 50:04;

Alan Jones 72nd 52:10

Chris Skellern 88th 53:48

Shelley Burns 99th 55:25

Melonie Deakin 112th 56:33

Jane Bisiker 121st 58:03

Steve Turner 123rd 58:27

Jill Ross 127th 59:03

Brian Langston 145th 61:32

Amanda Clay 163rd 66:26

Amanda Pearce 172nd 69:31

Michael Jones 188th 77:45

John Hateley 190th 79:49

The race was won by unattached runner David Milne in 36:34 with Telford’s Lucie Tait-Harris the first lady home in 44:22.

Cloud 9

6/3/16

Meanwhile, a couple of Harriers headed north to Congleton for the more challenging Cloud 9, a race which invites runners to tackle the rugged climb up to the top of The Cloud on the outskirts of the town. Michelle Rushton-Fox was the first of the two Harriers home in 78:54; finishing 116th overall while Ian Hodkinson was just over a minute behind, finishing in 80:18 (126th).

Race winner Carl Moulton of Boalloy (2014 Stafford Half Marathon winner) was the only runner to get home in under an hour, finishing in 56:55 while Olivia Walwyn (Macclesfield Harriers) was the leading lady in 67:01.

Annual Awards Evening

On Friday evening the annual awards evening was held at the White Eagle Club on Riverway.

Amongst the awards given out on the night were the awards that you the members voted for on line.

This was again very successful and the voting was as close as we have ever had. However the winners in the three Catagories that you voted for were

Male Runner of the Year Richard Rea

Lady Runner of the Year Michelle Rushton-Fox

Veteran Runner of the Year Chris Skellern

Other awards were as follows

Male newcomer Spencer Holland

Lady newcomer Mel Deakin

Most Improved Karen Murray

Manager’s Award Ian Hodkinson

Club Person of the Year Craig Baxter

Champagne Moment Holly Wright

Special Recognition Joe Atherton

2015 Challenge Group winners.

Group	1st	2nd	3rd
1	Ian Hodkinson	Michelle Fox	Phil Hilson
2	Jim Smith	Darren Mattocks	Chris Skellern
3	Chris Elsley	Mark Oliver	Graham Williams
4	Tracy Ridings	Natalie Godfrey	Dave Mantle
5	Jo Oliver	Julie Nokes	Debbie McDermott
6	Frank Evans	Bill Whitworth	Amanda Pearce

Great North West Half

Great Northwest Half (21/02) & Heartbreaker Half (28/02) – 2 weeks, 2 Halves, 2 opposite ends of the Spectrum!
I believe I was the only Stafford Harrier to run these 2 but correct me if I’m wrong J

Great Northwest Half (Blackpool)
The start was a bit chaotic as no one seemed to know where the start was, (it was hidden)
We than ran up the pier, did a loop, did the loop again, ran back down the pier to do a loop and to repeat that loop again too…. not the most inspiring course I’ve every ran!
The only real benefit of this course was the continued support as you were running in a relatively small area.
When telling people I was going to be doing a half in Blackpool everyone warned me about the wind. Despite this I was still shocked by the sheer strength of the wind! (I’ve read somewhere it was 50mph headwind when we were running on the top heading in the direction of the finish/tower) Safe to say the race pics with wind tunnel face will not be being saved anywhere!
The course was really flat though so when the wind allowed you could speed up quite nicely.
I crossed the finish line with a gun time of 1.47.48 which I was really happy with.

Heartbreaker Half

Heartbreaker Half (New Forest)
As part of the Marathon Talk Runcamp weekend I went on we were offered discounted entry to do the Heartbreaker Half for only £12.
The race started at the bottom of a really steep hill – I usually find it hard not to go off to quickly at the start of races, however this helped massively!
The course was ‘undulating’ to put it politely! Although no really steep downhills which I had been stressing about. The scenery was lovely and looking out for the New Forest Ponies roaming around kept me entertained.
There’s a mile on the road towards the finish which helped me overtake a few people that had gone past me on the last downhill.
I crossed the finish line in 1.52.23 and went straight for the soup and bread rolls that were on offer .

One final one – as part of the Runcamp we also did Moors Valley Parkrun, it was only their 16th event. It was a lovely off road 1 lap course and the breakfast in café afterwards was spot on. If anyone’s down that way on a Saturday morning it’s well worth a visit!
Report from Natalie Godfrey

Action Heart 5 Miles

28/2/16

On Sunday, 12 Harriers completed the Action Heart 5 which, as the name suggests, is a five mile road race in aid of the Action Heart Charity based at Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital.

Richard Rea was the first home in 29:21, finishing 8th overall, followed by Ian Hodkinson in 34:42, (42nd place overall). He was closely followed by Keith Skelton (35:25 – 46th), Jim Smith (35:55 – 52nd) and Jack Hodkinson (36:50 — 63rd). Chris Elsley (39:16 – 107th), Craig Baxter (40:27 – 125th), Chris Skellern (40:32 – 130th), Gill Hodkinson (41:35 – 146th), Charlotte Ward (49.30 – 269th), John Hateley (50:09 – 277th) and Mick Jones (61:15 – 355th) completed the Harriers turn out among the 380 finishers.

The race was won by Jake Wightman of Loughborough in 25:10, some two minutes ahead of his nearest rival, Tipton’s Jonathan Carter. Another Tipton runner – Lynne Hill, was the first lady home in 31:52.

Chris Elsley’s view

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who wished they had considered the race start time before entering the Action Heart 5.

With the race starting at 9.30am at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, it meant a 7.30am meet for us at Rising Brook. Temperatures were just above zero and there was an icy wind blowing. Enthusiasm wasn’t top of the list.

I was feeling the effects of a cold and my parental duties as a late night taxi driver (I got in at about 1.45am) while others had the National Cross Country still in their legs from the day before. These were our pre-race excuses nicely lined up but I was told I was sounding very much like one of my fellow club members and competitors who shall remain nameless!

The race starts in the hospital grounds and inside the first half mile, runners have a short sharp climb out on to the main road. Sadly, as we were later to find out, Karen Murray had already had to withdraw at this stage with a reoccurrence of a knee injury.

Shortly after setting out on the main road, we arrive at a roundabout. The approach is lined with safety railings. I remember when I first ran this a couple of years ago, Chris Skellern telling me it was best to go one side of the barrier but I couldn’t remember which. Thankfully, Chris was just ahead of me so I followed her to the road side. Most other runners – Craig Baxter included – kept to the footpath and were forced round to the crossing point, adding an extra few yards to their race and giving me the opportunity to pass Craig. I heard him mutter something as he realised his mistake. I’m not quite sure what he said but it probably wasn’t printable.

Most of the first couple of miles involve climbing. Nothing too severe but nothing downhill either!

Eventually you are welcomed with a nice downhill stretch but the surveyors amongst the runners will have realised that we go further down hill than we have just run up hill. The result is that at some point you will be faced with another climb.

That comes with a long drag up from about four miles back to the finish.

I managed to keep up a steady pace, sufficient to keep me inside 40 mins which I was satisfied with. The biggest smile of the day must go to Charlotte Ward whose grin went from ear to ear as she realised she would break 50 mins. Full Harrier results are above.

Last year we collected a club award for the number of runners we entered but with only 12 finishers, we were well down on that this year. The race isn’t the most scenic on the calendar by any means (it is Dudley after all) but it’s only five miles and would be a great one for some of our beginners / improvers to take part in as an introduction to racing.

It was also the latest race in this year’s challenge but it although there was a reasonable turn out from Groups 1 and 2, there were some cheap points on offer for the others.

And finally – it’s for charity. As the organisers stated at the end of the race, over £100,000 has been raced for the Action Heart Charity over the years.

Hopefully, we will get a few more back in Dudley in 12 months time.

Coventry Half Marathon

28/2/16

Racing over the Half Marathon distance in Coventry were Harriers, Alan Jones who ran a PB of 1:43.00 to finish 1145th and Debbie McDermott (1:51.44 to finish 1724th. The race starts and finishes in Coventry city centre heading out into the countryside through Radley and Allesley before runners return to where they started from at the Coventry Transport Museum. Over 4,000 runners completed the event.

Cambridge Half Marathon

28/2/16

report by Mel Deakin
This was by far the largest event I have taken part in with a field of 7000 and was only my third half marathon having run Stafford half in 2014 and 2015. I much prefer shorter distances – 10k is just enough – so you may wonder why I was running a half so far from home. My sister lives near Cambridge so I planned to run with her but it wasn’t to be as she picked up an injury and couldn’t take part. So, she transferred to the Cambridge branch of the Stafford Harriers supporters which meant I was honoured and grateful to have five people backing me on the day.The race starts in the city centre at Midsummer Common. The route heads out towards the shopping area, then quickly onto the road, over the river bridge, past Kings College and the Fitzwilliam museum. Miles 4 to 8 goes out towards Trumpington and the War Memorial then onto Grantchester which is more rural. The course then turns back to the city and by mile 10 you are back at Kings College, then through the city back to Midsummer Common and the finish.I had planned for an early start as we were asked to be there for 8:30am, but I had not planned for it to be so cold. There was frost on the ground and I was absolutely frozen. I took my mind off my perished feet by trying to take in the scale of the event and everything that was going on. It seemed really well organised, marshals everywhere and I am sure this helped ensuring we got away on time at 9:30.I know I am a total novice at running such large events, but when we started running, I was overwhelmed, all I could see in front of me was runners, it was like a scene you see on the television of the London Marathon, a sea of heads bobbing up and down. I got quite frustrated as for the first 5k all I was doing was dodging around other runners and because there were so many it was very difficult to get past and I wasn’t keeping to the pace I had hoped for. At one point when the road narrowed, we virtually stopped, and I realised I should have been smarter and got myself towards the front of my pen, but nothing I could do now. Thankfully, once I got to Grantchester, it was much better and my pace started to pick up. The part of the course through Grantchester was lovely, another runner said Jeffrey Archer lives there, I didn’t see him cheering us on but plenty of other people were. Back into Cambridge, lots of beautiful buildings to look at and lots of supporters shouting cheering and yelling.There were four drinks stations along the route with water and gels. After forgetting my jelly beans at the practice Stafford half last week, I was very disciplined in making sure I refuelled. Whether it was that or a combination of events on the day and the course being relatively flat, my legs didn’t start to scream until mile 11. Less than a Parkrun to the finish! I kept the pace up, due to the slow start my last mile was faster than my first, and was really pleased to finish with a new PB. Amazing medal and huge goody bag (with three gluten free items especially pleased about those), but if you wanted a t-shirt you had to buy one.I am writing this race report with a fistful of emotions. I enjoyed the race and learnt a lot, my family enjoyed watching too, I had an amazing day. Excellent organisation, my time was texted to me within minutes of me finishing. I got talking to a lady before the event who was aiming for about the same time as me, we spoke passing Fitzwilliam museum and at the end. Whilst running through Grantchester a Newmarket runner saw my vest and said he has entered Stafford Half, I will look out for him! And on the bus back to the car I was talking to a Cambridge runner who did Stafford 20 a few years ago and remembers the hills! Isn’t running amazing!But this is all tinged with sadness with the news that two runners who finished a few minutes after me went into cardiac arrest at the event and are critically ill. From the bottom of my heart I wish them well.1st Aaron Scott unattached 1:06:471st lady Hayley Mumm Winchester and District AC 1:16:161st and only Stafford Harrier Melonie Deakin 1:55:49 PB

English National Cross Country Championships

27/2/16

Donington Park

Saturday’s Cross Country event took place at Donington Park and there were over 8500 entrants in the 10 events. Pete Burns is on the organising committee for these Championships and was there from Wednesday helping construct the course. He reported that although it was muddy in places on the day, it would have been very interesting had it have been on the Wednesday when numerous vehicles got stuck in the mud.

In the Men’s event, Richard Rea finished in 598th place, ahead of Chris Ross (1017th) and Ian Wood (1254th). Ian Hodkinson (1269th), Mark Oliver (1300th), Adam Morris (1325th) also counted to secure the Harriers 112th in the team placings while other finishers were Darren Mattocks (1342nd), Anthony Haycock (1468th), Craig Baxter (1611th), Roy Clay (1632nd) and Ed Smith (1697th).

There were just two Harriers in the Senior Women’s event with Chris Skellern finishing 474th and Tracy Ridings 516th

In the U17 mens event, Kieran Mogey finished 243rd while in the U15 Boys George Hodkinson (252nd) finished ahead of Matt Bonney (295th) and Ben Deakin (335th).

Taygen Pike led the U15 girls home in 311th place followed by Chloe Burows (339th), Ellie Withington (351st), Olivia Black (352nd) and Evie Whyte (353rd) to give the team 33rd place overall.

The U13 boys event saw two Harriers competing, Jake Oliver (368th) and Ben Cook (379th).

It proved to be an enjoyable day out for all competitors. The Harriers Juniors performed well and learned alot from their experience, running against some of the top junior athletes in the country.

Here are a couple of photos from Mel Deakin.

Stafford Half Practice Run

21 Feb 2016

Today’s practice went well, 40 runners took part. The front page banner has now been changed.

Some additional photos of the day below.

Barcelona Half Marathon

14/2/16

Before the run. Notice the smiles. We don’t have an after photo. Perhaps it’s as well.

A party of 21 Stafford Harriers went on this trip and really super weekend was had by all. Good weather, a great hotel very close to the centre of everything To cap it ten of the party went to the Nou Camp with 75,570 others to watch, what some sports commentators declared, the best football match ever to be seen there.

We are awaiting reports of the run, but Mark Bentley has be on the ball and managed to get everyones times. Not easy on the Barcelona Half Marathon website.

Here they are

2064th	Chris Ross	1:34:10
4139th	Mark Bentley	1:41:58
7559th	John Finney	1:52:46
7936th	Ed Smith	1:54:02
8416th	Debbie McDermott	1:55:41
8922nd	Jill Ross	1:57:21
9456th	Jane Bisiker	1:59:04
10360th	Rachel Darby	2:02:27	PB
10379th	Gina Brown	2:02:32
11771st	Brian Langston	2:10:22
13801st	Frank Evans	2:51:33

Men’s winner was Vincent Kipruto of Kenya in 1:02:54
Ladies’ winner was Florence Kiplagat of Kenya in 1:09:19

There were 17,569 finishers.

Here is the Harriers view of that Messi penalty.

Stourbridge Stagger

Sunday 7th Feb

Five Harriers headed south to the Black Country for the 25th running of the Stourbridge Stagger.
The course is mainly off road and always consists of plenty of mud and water but this year’s event provided the most difficult conditions for several years with even the flatter bits being slippy.

Ian Hodkinson 1:23:57 (89th)
Keith Skelton 1:25:47 (102nd)
Chris Elsley 1:34:43 (166th)
Caryl Gibson 2:03:18 (356th)
Joe Atherton 2:03:39 (357th)

Leading runner of the 395 finishers was Matthew Harrold of Warley Woods Pacers in an excellent 1:04:22 while Daisy Wilson (unattached) was the first female home in 1:16:51 (40th).

Alsager 5

7th Feb 16

Some seventeen Harriers travelled to Alsager for the first race of twenty in the NSRRA. This is a high class race with over nine hundred running. The first home was Johnny Taylor of Morpeth in a time of 24.10, first lady was Elle Vernon of Stockport Harriers in 27.19. Ian Wood was the first Harrier home in 34.19

Full Harrier results

Ian Wood 34.19 2nd M50
Darren Mattocks 36.05
Craig Baxter 37.14
Nia Nokes 37.26 2nd Group M PB
Tracy Riding 37.54
Chris Skellern 38.00 1st F50
Mark Bentley 38.11 3rd M50
Alan Jones 38.28
Melonie Deakin 42.17
Karen Murray 42.55
Natalie Boswell 44.05
Julie Nokes 47.34 3rd F55
Bill Whitworth 50.11
John Hateley 50.40
Mick Jones 54.28
George Singh 65.22

Midland Cross Country Championships

30/1/16

Despite the late change in venue, there was still a good turn out of Stafford Harriers when the Midland Cross Country Championships took place at Prestwold Hall, Loughborough on Saturday.

The course was laid out on the beautiful parkland area in front of an imposing old hall and although the sun was shining, there was lots of sticky mud for runners to tackle and – in some cases – lose acquaintance with their shoes!

Harrier’s members featured in six races, with team results achieved in both the men’s and women’s senior races as well as the U15 boys.

Tony Haycock was the Harriers ‘ leading male runner as the men finished in 31st place overall. Haycock was followed in by Ian Wood, Ian Hodkinson, Mark Oliver, Craig Baxter and Roy Clay.

The women finished in 17th place. Natalie Godfrey led the team home in 82nd with Chris Skellern, Tracy Ridings and Melonie Deakin also counting.

Amy Oliver (47th) was the sole Harrier in the Girls U17 race while it was a similar story for brother Jake (81st) in the Boys U13 event.

The U15 girls had Taygen Pike, Chloe Burrows and Olivia Black featuring but lacked the fourth runner needed to achieve a team position.

The U15 boys managed to field enough runners, the team of George Hodkinson, Robbie Gorman, Matt Bonney, Ben Deakin and Kian Arnott finishing 7th in their category.

NSRRA Presentations

15th January 2016

Report by Karen Murray

On Friday 15th February nine harriers and their families headed north for the North Staffs Road Runners Association (NSRRA) presentation evening. There are 20 races organised including 5 miles, 10K, 7 miles, 9 miles, 10 miles, Half Marathon, 20 miles and Marathon distances. There are many running clubs involved in the league and races include runners of all shapes, sizes and abilities. The 20 races are organised between February and November and your best 12 races count.
It is a great experience and provides the opportunity to try new races with the challenge of competing with runners in your age and ability group. You also compete for the team prize representing Stafford Harriers.
It was a great night and our table was loaded with trophies, so much so that Graham felt the legs needed to be reinforced.
I would encourage other Stafford Harriers to join NSRRA. It costs £10 for the year membership and provides a great opportunity to network with other running clubs. Michael jones encouraged me to join a few years ago and it has certainly helped continue my enjoyment of running and I have come away with a few prizes over the years to add to the enjoyment.

AWARDS PRESENTED TO STAFFORD HARRIERS
Ladies Team winners
Chris Skellern Tracy Ridings
Julie Nokes Karen Murray
Ladies Group Winners
Group M Tracy Ridings (3rd)
Group W Karen Murray (1st)
Group X Julie Nokes (3rd)
Male Age Group Winners
70-74 Bill Whitworth (2nd) 3rd Michael Jones (3rd)
Female Age Group Winners
40-44 Tracy Ridings (2nd)
45-49 Karen Murray (3rd)
50-54 Chris Skellern (2nd)
55-59 Julie Nokes (2nd)

Congratulations, Julie Nokes, Karen Murray and Tracy Ridings and to Chris Skellern who wasn’t at the presentations.

Trig Race

10/1/16

Still awaitng report and results but here are a couple of photos of the gang at the Trig Race.

Place	Name	Time
17	Richard Rea	125:03
42	Robert Mottram Jones	138:46
48	Spencer Holland	140:37
52	Amanda Pearce	141:04
57	Dave Payling	141:45
61	Michelle Fox	142:47
63	Ian Hodkinson	145:25
70	Adam Morris	146:47
71	Ian Wood	147:26
72	Nigel Brindley	147:53
73	Chris Ross	147:55
74	Chris Elsley	148:18
92	Jim Smith	153:45
108	Natalie Godfrey	157:15
121	Chris Skellern	163:05
128	Ed Smith	166:41
129	Craig Baxter	166:57
133	Alan Jones	170:09
136	Jane Bisiker	170:56
137	Mark Withington	172:05
142	Debbie McDermott	173:14
143	Dave Mantle	173:25
148	Gill Hodkinson	188:18
149	Joanne Oliver	188:27
153	Sarah Johnson	191:49

Vernon’s Limp Wrist Race

1/1/16

Winner Jack Hodkinson

It was a very cold morning with many bleary eyed runners having to scrape the frost of their cars to get to the Annual Vernon’s Limp Wrist race. As you can see in the end 118 turned up in many varied states of readiness. We had Ben Gamble limbering up when Craig Baxter arrived looking the worse for wear, with 24 cans of beer.

Ben had a great run, way ahead of anyone else, finishing in 26:23 but he was 48 seconds ahead of his prediction so finished in 37th place. Craig Baxter however finished in 39:42 just 12 seconds ahead of his prediction and won money. There has to be a moral there somewhere.

Congratulations to Junior Harrier Jack Hodkinson who was only 1 second out on his prediction of 40.23. It landed him £20 as a late Christmas Present.

A big thank you to all that ran today, also all the frozen folks that helped out and the good news is, that over £500 was raised from the event for Katherine House.

Here is how you all fared.

Pos	Fname	Sname	Club	Pre time	Act Time	Diff
1	Jack	Hodkinson	Stafford Harriers	40:23	0:40:22	00:01
2	David	Griffiths	Stone M M	48:50	0:48:52	00:02
3	Pam	Davies	Stone M M	42:42	0:42:38	00:04
3	Tim	Hulse	Stone M M	32:48	0:32:52	00:04
5	Richard	Rea	Stafford Harriers	30:30	0:30:24	00:06
6	Craig	Baxter	Stafford Harriers	39:54	0:39:42	00:12
7	Bill	Clarke	Stone M M	46:50	0:46:35	00:15
7	Ian	Hodkinson	Stafford Harriers	33:55	0:33:40	00:15
7	Amanda	Pearce	Stafford Harriers	49:40	0:49:55	00:15
10	Claire	McHugh	Unattached	52:09	0:51:53	00:16
10	Stu	Turner	Stafford Tri	34:30	0:34:46	00:16
12	Robert	Mottram-Jones	Stafford Harriers	34:40	0:34:22	00:18
13	John	Guest	Trentham R C	35:30	0:35:49	00:19
13	Dave	Marshall	Unattached	42:55	0:43:14	00:19
15	Chris	Elsley	Stafford Harriers	36:10	0:36:30	00:20
16	Eddie	Smith	Stafford Harriers	43:20	0:42:59	00:21
17	Nick	Boulton	Stone M M	45:56	0:45:32	00:24
17	Frank	Lain	Unattached	37:47	0:37:23	00:24
19	Allison	Haycox	Wrekin road Runners	44:56	0:44:31	00:25
19	Grahame	Cope	Uttoxeter Road Runners	37:57	0:37:32	00:25
19	Simon	Hodgkinson	Cheadle running club	51:00	0:50:35	00:25
22	Hilary	Rees	Unattached	54:30	0:54:04	00:26
22	Sam	Hodgkinson	Stone M M	51:01	0:50:35	00:26
22	Charlotte	Ward	Stafford Harriers	53:45	0:53:19	00:26
25	Lynne	Callaghan	Trentham R C	36:25	0:35:57	00:28
26	Michael	Jones	Stafford Harriers	53:46	0:54:16	00:30
27	Kevin	Uzzell	Stone M M	38:10	0:37:38	00:32
28	Russell	Barron	Stafford Harriers	30:41	0:31:14	00:33
28	Leonara	Wilson-Weaver	Unattached	45:00	0:45:33	00:33
30	Ange	Charlesworth	Stafford Harriers	53:25	0:53:59	00:34
30	Amanda	Lysons	Wrekin road Runners	45:15	0:44:41	00:34
30	Diana	Wilson-Patrick	Unattached	45:00	0:45:34	00:34
33	Julie	Boulton	Stone M M	46:57	0:46:21	00:36
34	Steve	Emmas	Unattached	45:50	0:45:08	00:42
35	Jake	Oliver	Stafford Harriers	38:41	0:39:24	00:43
36	Bill	Stevenson	Michelin A C	40:47	0:41:33	00:46
37	Ben	Gamble	Tipton Harriers	27:31	0:26:43	00:48
38	Taygen	Pike	Stafford Harriers	42:00	0:42:50	00:50
39	Chris	Skellern	Stafford Harriers	38:43	0:39:35	00:52
39	Georgina	Coggins	Stafford Harriers	42:42	0:41:50	00:52
41	Margaret	Shaw	Stone M M	48:10	0:49:04	00:54
41	Ian	Talbot	Stafford Harriers	42:07	0:41:13	00:54
43	Alan	Jones	Stafford Harriers	37:15	0:38:10	00:55
44	Anne	Griffiths	Stone M M	49:57	0:50:54	00:57
45	Ben	Deakin	Stafford Harriers	37:50	0:38:48	00:58
46	Liz	Stanyer	Stafford Harriers	42:18	0:43:18	01:00
46	Keith	Skelton	Stafford Harriers	35:45	0:36:45	01:00
46	Spencer	Holland	Stafford Harriers	34:29	0:33:29	01:00
49	Lindsey	Foster	Stafford Harriers	49:23	0:50:24	01:01
50	Toby	Hart	Unattached	32:00	0:30:57	01:03
51	Sean	Burke	Unattached	48:54	0:47:43	01:11
51	Chris	Deakin	Biddulph R C	39:17	0:38:06	01:11
53	Martin	Kaine	Stoke Fit	38:53	0:40:07	01:14
54	Cynthia	Lewis	Telford Harriers	10:25	1:11:40	01:15
54	Melonie	Deakin	Stafford Harriers	40:00	0:41:15	01:15
56	Joyce	Edwards	Stone M M	47:50	0:49:07	01:17
57	David	Hall	Unattached	32:00	0:30:39	01:21
57	Stuart	Ellis	Unattached	48:00	0:49:21	01:21
59	Mark	Oliver	Stafford Harriers	38:02	0:39:24	01:22
60	Richard	Shaw	Stone M M	42:25	0:41:01	01:24
61	George	Singh	Stafford Harriers	02:00	1:00:35	01:25
62	Tom	Johnson	Stone M M	40:30	0:41:56	01:26
63	John	Gomersall	Stafford Harriers	39:20	0:37:53	01:27
64	Liz	Stevenson	Potters Trotters	52:13	0:53:42	01:29
64	Mark	Bentley	Stafford Harriers	37:30	0:38:59	01:29
66	Sally-Ann	Emmas	Unattached	47:00	0:48:32	01:32
67	Ian	Wood	Stafford Harriers	34:10	0:35:45	01:35
68	Robert	Wilson	Unattached	38:00	0:39:38	01:38
68	Stella	Denniss	Stafford Harriers	42:00	0:40:22	01:38
70	George	Hodkinson	Stafford Harriers	33:58	0:35:39	01:41
71	Paul	Dibble	Stafford Tri	42:30	0:40:47	01:43
72	Adrian	Reeves-Jones	Cheadle running club	37:50	0:36:04	01:46
73	Ian	Beattie	Telford A C	45:00	0:46:47	01:47
73	Kim	Parsons	Unattached	49:30	0:47:43	01:47
75	Amanda	Clay	Stafford Harriers	44:39	0:46:27	01:48
75	Andy	Cowden	Bere Alston	42:38	0:40:50	01:48
77	Sally	Liggins	Stafford Harriers	51:25	0:49:35	01:50
78	Laura	Heath	Stone M M	49:00	0:50:54	01:54
78	Julie	Nokes	Stafford Harriers	51:15	0:53:09	01:54
80	Bobbie	Hickman	Trentham R C	47:15	0:45:13	02:02
80	Annabel	Evans	Stafford Harriers	53:07	0:51:05	02:02
82	Ruth	Smith	Unattached	48:15	0:46:11	02:04
82	Sally	Kenny	Cheadle running club	42:38	0:40:34	02:04
84	Ruth	Edwards	Stafford Harriers	51:45	0:49:35	02:10
85	Stephen	Weaver	Unattached	44:10	0:41:57	02:13
86	Angela	Brookes	Stafford Harriers	47:55	0:45:41	02:14
87	Richard	Lowndes	Stafford Tri	35:00	0:37:16	02:16
88	Amy	Gamble	Stone M M	38:24	0:36:06	02:18
89	Wendy	Proctor	Newcastle Tri	50:00	0:47:37	02:23
90	Julie	Gomersall	Stafford Harriers	56:00	0:53:32	02:28
91	Karen D	Murray	Stafford Harriers	44:30	0:47:00	02:30
92	Sarah	Johnson	Stafford Harriers	46:53	0:44:21	02:32
92	Ryan	Downes	Stafford Tri	38:00	0:35:28	02:32
94	Jenny	Gibbs	Unattached	45:00	0:42:26	02:34
95	Liam	Duggan	Stafford Harriers	39:40	0:37:01	02:39
96	Ann	Jones	NSRRA	56:43	0:54:01	02:42
97	Mark	Deakin	Stafford Harriers	38:27	0:41:20	02:53
98	Mark	Burrows	Unattached	49:40	0:46:44	02:56
99	Grant	Palmer	Stone M M	39:30	0:42:32	03:02
100	Alfred	Slater	NSRRA	58:16	0:55:10	03:06
101	James	Hall	Unattached	40:00	0:36:47	03:13
102	Paul	Foster	Stafford Harriers	50:30	0:53:47	03:17
103	Steven	McHugh	Stafford Harriers	47:50	0:44:15	03:35
104	Mac	McCoig	Stone M M	44:10	0:47:51	03:41
105	Graham	Brookes	Unattached	50:00	0:53:46	03:46
106	Colin	Pheasant	Chase Harriers	49:24	0:45:36	03:48
107	Hannah	Talbot	Stafford Harriers	42:21	0:46:15	03:54
108	Chloe	Burrows	Stafford Harriers	51:00	0:46:42	04:18
109	Ann-Marie	Mountford	Stone M M	48:27	0:43:53	04:34
110	Steph	Holbeck	Unattached	48:26	0:43:50	04:36
111	Tracy	Ridings	Stafford Harriers	45:00	0:40:22	04:38
112	Marcus	Clay	Stafford Harriers	44:29	0:39:41	04:48
113	Glyn	Peers	Burntwood Tri	64:29	0:58:57	05:32
114	Jim	Smith	Stafford Harriers	44:00	0:38:06	05:54
115	Chris	Barlow	Stone M M	55:10	0:48:50	06:20
116	Lottie	Lowndes	Stafford Tri	40:00	0:46:31	06:31
117	Alan	Hodgkiss	Telford A C	49:05	0:58:54	09:49
118	Yvonne	Peers	Burntwood Tri	62:49	0:49:03	13:46