Winsford

30th Sept 2017

No Report


U11 Girls
33	Caitlin Saunders	Stafford Harriers	U11G	8.18
U17 Women
18	Taygen Pike	Stafford Harriers	U17W	22.08
19	Saffron Latham	Stafford Harriers	U17W	22.52
20	Chloe Burrows	Stafford Harriers	U17W	23.58
U11 Boys
33	William Gray	Stafford Harriers	U11B	9.38
48	Ned Holland	Stafford Harriers	U11B	10.55
U13 Boys
37	Matthew Hilsdon	Stafford Harriers	U13B	15.55
45	Jack Heath	Stafford Harriers	U13B	16.16
61	Ben Green	Stafford Harriers	U13B	18.55
U15 Boys
27	Jake Oliver	Stafford Harriers	U15B	17.01
36	Robert Gray	Stafford Harriers	U15B	19.56
U17 Men
13	Matthew Bonney	Stafford Harriers	U17M	20.22
16	George Hodkinson	Stafford Harriers	U17M	20.52
26	Robbie Gorman	Stafford Harriers	U17M	22.28
28	Ben Deakin	Stafford Harriers	U17M	23.29
Senior Women
48	Kerry Hall	Stafford Harriers	W35	25.31
82	Chris Skellern	Stafford Harriers	W55	27.16
87	Mel Deakin	Stafford Harriers	W45	27.25
117	Debbie McDermott	Stafford Harriers	W45	28.40
150	Jo Oliver	Stafford Harriers	W45	31.45
Senior Men
59	Phill Hilsdon	Stafford Harriers	SM	32.04
124	Justin Green	Stafford Harriers	M45	34.58
138	Ian Heath	Stafford Harriers	M45	35.29
150	Michael Dobson	Stafford Harriers	M50	36.00
152	Jason Littlewood	Stafford Harriers	SM	36.13
158	Spencer Holland	Stafford Harriers	M45	36.32
159	Ian Wood	Stafford Harriers	M50	36.33
178	Ian Hodkinson	Stafford Harriers	M45	37.18
195	Anthony Haycock	Stafford Harriers	M60	37.51
214	Jim Smith	Stafford Harriers	M50	39.21
231	Dave Marsden	Stafford Harriers	M60	40.40
234	Steve Turner	Stafford Harriers	M55	40.57
251	Darren Mattocks	Stafford Harriers	M40	42.36
253	Roy Clay	Stafford Harriers	M60	43.03
267	Mark Burrows	Stafford Harriers	M45	45.05
272	Ed Smith	Stafford Harriers	M60	45.24
276	Peter Williams	Stafford Harriers	M65	45.40

Stafford 10K

24th September 2017

No report yet.

115 runners

Position	Name	Time	Club	Class	Class Position	PB
5	Phil Hilsdon	35:37	Stafford Harriers	M	4
13	Steve Vaughan	36:37	Stafford Harriers	M	11
18	Harry Perkins	36:59	Stafford Harriers	M	13	PB
29	James Found	38:16	Stafford Harriers	M	19	PB
37	Justin Green	38:50	Stafford Harriers	M45	7	PB
48	Simon Cope	39:24	Stafford Harriers	M	30	PB
73	Ian Heath	40:41	Stafford Harriers	M45	8	PB
95	Matt Bonney	41:43	Stafford Harriers	MU21	5	PB
96	Jason Littlewood	41:44	Stafford Harriers	M	57
98	Paul Higginson	41:49	Stafford Harriers	M40	15
100	Robert Gorman	41:54	Stafford Harriers	M
111	Liam Duggan	42:20	Stafford Harriers	M	67
117	Richard Draper	42:29		M	73	PB
125	Spencer Holland	42:54	Stafford Harriers	M45	18
150	Jim Smith	43:41	Stafford Harriers
163	Alan Griffin	44:11	Stafford Harriers	M45	25
172	Dean Hibbitt	44:22		M40	32
190	Kian Arnott	44:23	Stafford Harriers	MU21	10
198	Kev Darby	44:57	Stafford Harriers	M45	29
202	Ben Deakin	45:24	Stafford Harriers	MU21	11
234	Gareth Hudson	45:52	Stafford Harriers	M	117	PB
247	Kerry Hall	46:10		F35	6
251	Simon Bromley	46:17	Stafford Harriers	M40	42
259	Paul Reece	46:26		M	119	PB
261	Tim Hough	46:29	Stafford Harriers	M45	38
284	Nia Nokes	46:48	Stafford Harriers	F	9
302	Craig Harris	47:02	Stafford Harriers	M	138	PB
317	Stella Dennis	47:22	Stafford Harriers	F40	6	PB
367	Chris Skellern	48:17	Stafford Harriers	F55	2
374	Mark Burrows	48:33	Stafford Harriers			PB
457	Mel Deakin	49:59	Stafford Harriers	F45	13
484	Neil Eisenhauer	50:20	Stafford Harriers	M45	61
489	Jenny Beckett	50:27	Stafford Harriers	F35	18	PB
499	Nicol Hudson	50:41	Stafford Harriers	F	26	PB
510	Chris Elsley	50:52	Stafford Harriers	M50	23
512	Debbie McDermott	50:53	Stafford Harriers	F45	15
518	Mark Withington	50:58		M45	78
531	Darren Mattocks	51:17	Stafford Harriers	M40	80
	Joseph Heathcote	51:21	Stafford Harriers
544	Natalie Boswell	51:25	Stafford Harriers	F35	22	PB
545	Jon Freeman	51:26	Stafford Harriers	M	217	PB
576	Eddie Smith	51:57	Stafford Harriers
587	Ian Williams	52:07		M45	71
627	Helen Richardson	52:39		F35	27
641	Lizzie Jasper	52:51		FU21	5
643	Craig Baxter	52:51	Stafford Harriers	M45	80
688	Selena Powell	53:36		F35	30
703	Caroline Nichol	53:44		F35	34
710	Scott Kelsall	53:48	Stafford Harriers	M40	102	PB
721	Graham Williams	53:57	Stafford Harriers	M70	3
741	Ruth Edwards	54:08	Stafford Harriers	F55	4	PB
749	Peter Williams	54:17	Stafford Harriers	M65	4
754	Georgina Coggins	54:23	Stafford Harriers	F35	46
802	Emma Withington	55:00	Stafford Harriers	F45	40	PB
830	Mark Bentley	55:26	Stafford Harriers	M55	27
835	Kerry Robertson	55:31	Stafford Harriers	F50	7
865	Ian Williams	55:53	Stafford Harriers	M45	94
881	Saffron Latham	56:06		FU21	7
885	Claire Jackson	56:09		F	71
909	Karen Murray	56:29	Stafford Harriers	F50	14
947	Kim Parsons	57:08		F55	6
973	Taygen Pike	57:25	Stafford Harriers	FU21	11	PB
992	Mark Oliver	57:40	Stafford Harriers	M45	99
995	Jo Oliver	57:41	Stafford Harriers	F45	39
1022	Karen D Murray	57:50	Stafford Harriers
1015	Keith Wilson	57:54		M	345
1018	Keith Wilson	58:02	Stafford Harriers	M	346
1021	Alison Conaghan	58:04	Stafford Harriers	F45	42
1082	Charlotte Reeves	58:37	Stafford Harriers	F	114	PB
1121	Tina Darby	59:13	Stafford Harriers	F45	58
1199	Julie Nokes	01:00:02	Stafford Harriers	F55	11
1277	Liz Simcox	01:01:10	Stafford Harriers	F40	64
1279	Julie Mogey	01:01:13	Stafford Harriers
1307	Sarah Whyte	01:01:37	Stafford Harriers	F45	56
1309	Evie Whyte	01:01:37	Stafford Harriers	FU21	18
1384	Rachel Marsden	01:02:40	Stafford Harriers	F40	72
	Jo Probyn	01:02:42	Stafford Harriers		99
1394	Michael Bamber	01:02:44	Stafford Harriers	M50	61
1393	Linzi Jones	01:02:44	Stafford Harriers	F40	90	PB
1450	Gemma Gray	01:03:37	Stafford Harriers	F	180
1461	Austin Whyte	01:03:47	Stafford Harriers	M50	65
1499	Joanne Carson	01:04:33	Stafford Harriers	F45	81
1519	Karen Hilsdon	01:04:49	Stafford Harriers	F45	82
	Leala Winshup	01:05:04	Stafford Harriers
1566	Chloe Burrows	01:05:27	Stafford Harriers	FU21	23
1575	Samantha Stone	01:05:36		F35	165
1583	Maxine Mills	01:05:45	Stafford Harriers	F50	39
1598	Alice Hawkins	01:06:00		F35	151
1638	Lorraine Flory	01:06:30	Stafford Harriers	F45	89
1649	Wendy Sears	01:06:40	Stafford Harriers	F55	22
1681	Dawn Gibbons	01:07:14	Stafford Harriers	F40	133	PB
1682	Bill Whitworth	01:07:15	Stafford Harriers	M70	5
1692	Tessa Jasper	01:07:28		F45	91
1725	Suzanne Brotherhood	01:08:11		F45	95
1747	Stephanie Burrows	01:08:36	Stafford Harriers	F	265
1779	Liz Shillito	01:09:25	Stafford Harriers	F40	140
1819	David Kumar	01:10:09	Stafford Harriers	M	483
1822	Julie Petrek	01:10:11		F45	103
1854	Charlotte Ward	01:10:48	Stafford Harriers	F35	208
1895	Emma Metcalfe	01:11:34	Stafford Harriers	F	282
1932	Andrew Carter	01:12:36	Stafford Harriers	M65	10
1996	Deborah Garcia	01:14:22	Stafford Harriers	F45	124
2040	Farhana Patel	01:15:39	Stafford Harriers	F35	234
2093	Sarah Gray	01:18:14	Stafford Harriers	F55	33
2094	Alison Martland	01:18:14	Stafford Harriers	F45	139
2102	Lindsay Lillico	01:18:42	Stafford Harriers	F40	182
2155	Frank Evans	01:21:30	Stafford Harriers	M70	8
2158	Hayley Steele	01:21:38	Stafford Harriers	F	360
2182	Jane Fletcher	01:24:16		F45	150
2187	Shirley Smith	01:24:32	Stafford Harriers	F50	78
2188	Abigail Smith	01:24:32		F	371
2213	Diane Green	01:27:11	Stafford Harriers	F50	80

Blithfield Reservoir 10K

Saturday 23^rd September 2017.

Report by Dave Marsden

We approached the reservoir down a narrow country lane from Abbots Bromley, parking in a field which overlooked the waters. The race headquarters and the start and finish areas were located at Blithfield Reservoir Sailing Club. It was a damp, grey morning with a light breeze blowing up the reservoir, but not cold and ideal for running.

The course followed a track up the side of the reservoir until it reached a road which crossed over the water. At the other end of the bridge, it turned off onto a track down the other side of the water, to a turning point at 5K. We then retraced our steps, along the track, over the bridge and back to the Sailing Club.. It was relatively flat, just a couple of humps on the far side to contend with.

The race was won by Ryan Friel, unattached, in 38:02. The first lady was Annabel Roberts also unattached, in 42:43. 134 runners finished. Harriers’ times were:-

Position	Name	Time	PB
	Dave Marsden	48:37
	John Finney	53:01
	Lizzie Pellowe	01:05:40

September 5K time Trial

20th Sept 2017

Continuing on from August’s Time Trial, this was the fourth and last of several planned time trial events for the Juniors over the summer months, in which we had 14 run on this occasion, and who also ran with the adult improvers group along the disused railway track. The event is intended to monitor the Junior’s progress, and chart how they do, over time, and offer support and coaching accordingly. Thank you to all that helped with this event.

First Name	Surname	J/S	12-Apr-17	31-May-17	09-Aug-17	20-Sep-17
Michael	Bamber	S	28:31	29:08	–
Nick	Beckett	S	22:20	21:21	21:09	20:53
Jenni	Beckett	S	24:23	24:39	24:19	24:08
Harry	Beckett	J	27:54	28:25	29:55	30:37
Isabelle	Beckett	J	27:16	28:56	30:44
Matthew	Black	J	–	–	26:01	–
Olivia	Black	J	–	–	29:27	–
Matt	Bonney	J	18:39	–	–	–
Nicola	Bridgwood	S	–	–	–	31:04
Gemma	Brown	S	–	–	44:47	37:28
Naomi	Brownless	S	–	–	27:11	–
Mark	Burrows	S	23:15	–	23:51	–
Chloe	Burrows	J	–	–	29:34	27:31
Steph	Burrows	S	–	–	30:20	31:19
Joanne	Carson	S	–	–	28:55	–
Amy	Cartwright	S	–	–	29:13	–
Ben	Cook	J	20:20	–	–	18:46
Lorraine	Cotterill	S	–	–	32:35	–
Mel	Deakin	S	24:04	–	24:03	23:43
Mark	Deakin	S	–	25:03	24:54	24:14
Ben	Deakin	J	20:46	21:41	21:05
Liam	Duggan	S	20:30	20:13	20:27	20:02
Mandi	Edwards	S	–	–	39:59	–
Ruth	Edwards	S	–	–	–	26:43
Jane	Fletcher	S	–	–	–	38:45
Lorraine	Flory	S	–	32:06	–
Michelle	Fox	S	20:37	–	–	–
John	Freeman	S	24:43	–	23:32	–
Harvey	Freeman	S	–	–	32:21	–
Peter	French	S	–	–	34:31	34:51
Karl	Gillibrand	S	24:02	–	–	–
Robbie	Gorman	J	18:37	–	–	19:48
Gemma	Gray	S	–	31:55	–
Sarah	Gray	S	–	32:54	31:42
Justin	Green	S	–	19:21	19:43	19:11
Ben	Green	J	–	27:09	26:55	26:20
Alice	Hawkins	S	30:33	31:09	30:11
Ian	Heath	S	19:53	–	–	20:00
Jack	Heath	J	23:55	–	–	21:45
Claire	Heath	S	–	–	–	31:10
Dean	Hibbitt	S	–	–	22:57	22:38
Phil	Hilsdon	S	18:05	19:16	17:50	17:21
Matthew	Hilsdon	J	21:31	21:58	22:20	22:02
Karen	Hilsdon	S	–	30:24	31:05	31:27
Ian	Hodkinson	S	20:26	20:05	–	20:32
Alex	Jackson	S	27:04	–	–	–
Alix	Jackson	S	–	27:33	26:46
Rohiatou	Jobe	S	–	–	32:52	–
Andy	Jones	S	20:41	–	–	–
Ben	Jones	J	24:45	–	–	–
Lindzi	Jones	S	30:03	29:07	–
Alan	Jones	S	–	22:20	22:02
Saffron	Latham	J	–	–	–	26:51
Jason	Littlewood	S	–	20:35	19:25
Rachel	Marsden	S	–	–	29:48	–
Alison	Martland	S	33:31	36:13	–
Ellie	Mills	S	–	–	32:50	–
Maxine	Mills	S	–	–	31:01	30:13
Adam	Morris	S	–	–	28:15	–
Anthony	Nicholls	S	–	–	–	25:33
Daniel	Nicholsan	S	–	–	–	24:05
Jake	Oliver	J	21:29	22:29	–	27:23
Amber	Page	J	–	–	–	29:02
Farhana	Patel	S	–	–	–	36:43
Taygen	Pike	J	–	–	26:34	27:18
Claire	Pilsbury	S	27:14	–	–	–
Jonathon	Platt	S	–	–	26:42	24:32
Selina	Powell	S	–	26:02	26:43
Jakob	Reece	J	–	–	–	25:37
Charlotte	Reeves	S	27:19	–	28:05	–
Kerry	Robertson	S	–	–	–	25:38
Danielle	Salkind	S	–	–	44:47	–
Will	Sammons	J	19:47	–	20:24	–
Jack	Sammons	S	–	–	24:44	–
Lisa	Sanzeri	S	–	24:07	–
Caitlin	Saunders	J	26:01	24:48	27:03	26:58
Jim	Smith	S	–	–	23:31	–
Shirley	Smith	S	30:33	30:14	29:25
Samantha	Stone	S	–	–	–	29:55
Valerie	Stuart	S	36:06	38:02	37:47	37:17
Stacey	Terry	S	31:11	–	–	–
Michelle	Turner	S	–	–	37:41	–
Nick	Walklett	J	–	–	–	22:31
Rachel	Weaver	S	–	–	30:06	–
Rose	White	J	26:46	–	–	–
Mark	White	S	–	21:45	–
Keith	Wilson	S	–	–	28:36	27:40
Lucas	Wilson	J	–	21:46	–

St Thomas 7

September 17^th 2017

Report by Graham Williams

Ten Harriers travelled to Upper Tean for the seventeenth race in the NSRRA series. As it was my turn to drive, I drove three youngish ladies – Chris Skellern, Tracy Riding and Karen Murray to the race. The highlight of the journey was over an inability to understand two GPS and a wayward fly in the car!

Race Headquarters was the local school where we collected our numbers and a long-sleeved tee shirt. The start was in a narrow country lane some ten minutes away. We ran in ideal cool weather but the sun came out later to make it a very pleasant day. The race was mainly on quiet country lanes with a couple of short road sections. However this is where the word undulating must have come from because there were lots of ups and downs with one section like a switch back. The last section was downhill with a sharp climb to the finish in a field. Here we were rewarded with a goody bag containing a medal, water and a pack of local oatcakes.

The winner of the race was Carl Moulton of Boalloy in 39.44 and first lady Kristina Defries of Trentham in 44.41. First home for the Harriers was Phil Hilsdon in a fantastic second place, wearing his new trainers for the first time! Matthew Hilsdon also had a great run to come second in the Fun Run and finished before his Dad.

Harriers results:

Phil Hilsdon	42.09
Ian Wood	49.34
Alan Jones	54.02
Chris Skellern	57.50	2^nd L50
Roy Clay	58.23	2^nd Group F
Tracy Riding	58.56
Eddie Smith	59.54
Debbie McDermot	60.17
Graham Williams	62.25	2^nd M70
Karen Murray	68.08

Report Chris Elsley

Meeting fellow harriers at upper tean for the St. Thomas 7 on what was a very nice morning. The finish is next to the school on the sports field with the start a short climb though a cul de sac and a hedge onto a narrow lane then up until you get to the chalk starting line.

The lane being narrow made the start a bit crowded however Phil hilsdon was soon on the tail of carl moulton as we climbed for the first two miles over part of Cheadle 4 route I was having a battle with john wood on the steep downhill section down to the half way turn but started to pull away from him and picked off a few others as we climbed towards six miles and a sharp left hand turn up a nasty little climb which takes us back to the road we started on. we now head steeply downhill over the start line into tean with a tight left we climb up then left past the school before turning right into the finish.

One of the lads I went past at five miles was rob ibbs this was not the last I would see of him as he got me on the finishing line with the same time in a photo finish.

After collecting my oat cakes and goody bag I bumped in to Phil who had a great race finishing in second place to Carl Moulton then I watched the remaining harriers finish with Tracy Riding out sprinting a lady to Mark Churnton running Sunday as he was the chap who organised the first St Thomas 7 and made it the great race it is today.

Lichfield 10K

10th September 2017

Report Chris Elsley

James Found was the first Harrier home of 11 who entered James completed the 10k in 38:30 to finish

Position	Name	Time	PB
15th	James Found	38:30	PB
26th	Justin Green	39:37
37th	Michael Dobson	40:21
52nd	Adam Lightfoot	41:23
99th	Ben Deakin	44:01	PB
200th	Simon Groom	47:56
222nd	Chris Skellern	49:08
283rd	Mel Deakin	50:38
409th	Sarah Whyte	54:33
562nd	Gemma Gray	58:23	PB
917th	Sarah Gray	01:09:41

In an overall field of 1,023 finishers, Jonathan Read (Birchfield Harriers) was the race winner in 35:39 with team mate Katie Allen taking the ladies prize in 36:51 (7th overall)

Ipstone 5ish

9th Sept 2017

Report Graham Williams

Six Harriers travelled to Ipstone for the latest NSRRA race. I did this race many years ago when we started and finished at the Old Fire Station, now it is up the road at the local village hall. There is always a local fete taking place and there were several stalls, a tombola and BBQ. While we waited in the hall for the start, we were serenaded by a guitarist who sang several popular songs, outside it poured with rain! The start and finish were on a muddy wet field next to the hall. The race was started by the local Town Crier in full regalia. Having done a circuit of the field we entered a side road and ran the first mile up a steady incline. We then turned left and went down a muddy stony track. It then started to rain hard and there was a stream running down both sides. The course proceeded along some road and track sections with endless puddles. I gave up trying to go round the water and ran though them. At four miles we were confronted by a very steep hill before a gentle downhill section and finishing with a half circuit along an increasingly muddy field. At the end of the race we received a bottle of water and a nice medal. The race measured 4.95 miles hence the Ipstone 5ish.

Results:

Winner 27:21 Simon Myatt

First Lady 32:12 Kristina Defries

Spencer Holland		34.37
Ian Wood		36.25
Dave Marsden		39.29
Roy Clay	First Group F	41.23
Graham Williams	2nd over 70	46.47
Karen Murray	3rd Lady over 50	48.09

Report by Dave Marsden.

A group of 6 Harriers made their way to the village of Ipstones on the edge of Staffordshire Moorlands to take part in this vintage event. It has been going for many years now, the start and finish locations have changed but it has always taken place in early September to coincide with Ipstones village fete, to the best of my knowledge.

The weather was not the best, we were subjected to some distant relative of Hurricane Irma without the wind but plenty of rain. Runners sheltered in the Memorial Hall from the wet and the cold, some foregoing their warm-ups.

There was a brief respite from the rain as we got underway but it resumed with increasing intensity as we climbed out of the village. The road and track off the climb became shallow waterways.

The last mile is quite brutal. A steep hairpin climb is followed by a more gradual incline back into the village, finishing with an uphill,half circuit of a soggy grass field to the finish line.

ReportChris Elsley

Six Harriers went on a very wet Saturday to Ipstones to do this tough 5 ish mile race. This race has a country fete feel with stalls and entertainment no different this time although it was a bit restricted by the rain. We huddled in the memorial hall until the last minute then headed to the start at bottom of the field it had now stopped raining but it would not last. We started with a loop of the field and climb though Ipstone which was where I last saw Spencer in the distance,

Once the steep first hill was climbed you turn left and level out before a couple of small climbs the next left takes you downhill onto a slippery farm track it was now the rain returned with a vengeance. ( just look at Bryan Dales photos taken at four miles to see)

At around of four miles we have a short twisting climb before heading to the finish with half a lap climb around the field to finish by the memorial hall.

Autumn Handicap

7th Sept 2017

POSITION	NAME	TIME	HANDICAP	NET TIME
1	JACK HEATH	37:07	7:30	29:37
2	IAN HEATH	37:16	10:30	26:46
3	BETH DARK	38:28	8:00	30:28
4	DEAN HIBBITT	38:29	8:15	30:14
5	PHIL HILSDON	39:05	15:30	23:35
6	JASON LITTLEWOOD	39:08	13:00	26:08
7	JUSTIN GREEN	39:10	13:00	26:10
8	MATTHEW HILSDON	39:42	7:30	32:12
9	CHRIS ELSLEY	39:50	8:15	31:35
10	BEN GREEN	40:06	6:30	33:36
11	DEB McDERMOTT	40:07	6:30	33:37
12	JIM SMITH	40:08	11:30	28:38
13	CHRIS SKELLERN	40:37	7:00	33:37
14	CAROLINE NICKOL	40:47	7:00	33:47
15	ALAN JONES	41:17	11:15	30:02
16	MARK BURROWS	41:19	7:30	33:49
17	ROBERT MOTTRAM-JONES	41:24	13:00	31:24
18	LINZI JONES	41:29	2:45	38:44
19	MICHAEL BAMBER	41:29	2:45	38:44
20	IAN WOOD	41:39	12:00	29:39
21	SAFFRON LATHAM	41:59	7:00	34:59
22	KAREN MURRAY	45:26	6:30	38:56
23	JANE BISIKER	46:10	7:30	38:40
24	ALISON CONAGHAN	47:29	7:30	39:59

South Cheshire 20 & Wolverhampton

On Sunday runners had the choice of races with the South Cheshire 20 and the Wolverhampton Series comprising of a marathon, half marathon or 10k.

South Cheshire 20

3rd September

Report Chris Elsley

The South Cheshire 20 attracted 8 Harriers in a field of nearly 200 runners –and it was an especially good day for one of them as Debbie McDermott took the 3rd place in the Ladies 45 category.

The race starts from Shavington Leisure Centre and takes in the surrounding country lanes taking in the border villages of Weston, Betley, Audley and Barthomley before returning back to Shavington. It is a hilly course which provides a tough test for all.

Position	Name	Time
39th	Ian Wood	02:29:52
49th	Spencer Holland	02:33:20
59th	Jason Littlewood	02:35:57
80th	Simon Bromley	02:44:13
126th	Alan Jones	03:00:59
143rd	Eddie Smith	03:11:32
150th	Kerry Robertson	03:15:37
151st	Debbie McDermott	03:15:37

Race winner was Gary Priestley (Salford Harriers) in 1:52:17 with Rachel Wood of Blackburn Harriers taking the Ladies prize (2:15:16).

Simon Bromley’s report on the South Cheshire 20:

The day started out like any other race where you get a horde of Harriers turning up to run, by planning which pub we were all going to after the race. It was a rather cool Sunday Morning with a few spots of rain in the air as we stood outside Shavington leisure centre waiting to be told that we could get on the road for the start.

My fellow Harriers, Ian Wood, Spencer Holland, Jason Littlewood, Ed Smith, Debs McDermott, Alan Jones, Kerry Robertson and myself lined up in the road poised and eager for the start, a young lady from South Cheshire Harriers stood on a table to give us some barely audible race instructions and then 187 runners were off.

As we trundled off up the carriageway and over the bridge to the first corner, the group started to spread out and we got into the flow of the race and dropped into a steady pace.

As we headed out of Shavington towards Weston and the lovely country side, thoughts start passing through the mind such as “I’m sure we’ve done 5 miles by now”, “did I put enough Vaseline on?” and the ever popular “Bloody Hell, look at the size of that place”. After mile 4, and the glow of Ian Woods Orange shorts disappearing in the distance, we made the right turn into the start of the loop that would take us out and back again. A well marshalled and well signposted route took us along mainly country roads out of Cheshire back into Staffordshire for the next 10 miles or so.

The course was planned for everyone to stick to the footpaths as much as possible to avoid any traffic related incidents, those roads that we had to cross had a well marshalled position to either stop the traffic or see us safely across the roads

Several picturesque villages (and some dodgy footpaths) later, we made our turn at mile 9 to begin the long leg towards Audley to begin the back half of the course and encountered a rather gentle incline past a farm and all the way up to mile 10.

Feeling rather pleased that the hill was conquered, without passing out, it was onwards towards the half marathon mark and beyond. A rather fantastic feeling passing the 13-mile marker leads to thoughts of a finishing time to begin floating around (as well as where the next water stop is.)

3 miles down the road, through some lovely countryside and very quiet roads, we began the run back towards the finishing line along the same roads we ran out on and a little rush of adrenaline kicks in as we know were so close to the end and helps to push us onwards.

Mile 18, so close to finish and only 2 miles to go. Legs start to feel a little tired now. But being so close you know you can’t give up. 20 minutes down the road is the finish line and the glory of being able to bag a 20 miler under the belt.

Mile 19, probably the hardest mile I’ve run in a long time, running towards the finish line cursing the race and the ever cheerful marshals, still smiling despite being stood in same place for several hours, with their “Not far now” comments swearing to myself that I’ll never run again, gave way to an immense feeling of satisfaction as crossing the finish line and being able to down several gallons of water means that the race is over, the distance conquered and someone has goody bag to handover.

Ian Woods was the first Harrier back in a respectable time of 2:29:52, closely followed by Spencer Holland and Jason Littlewood some 3 minutes and 6 minutes later.

A big shout out to our very own Debs McDermott who not only finished the race (despite telling everyone she could that she’d done no training) but also won third prize in her age category.

All in all a good race, with good support from the marshals, well signposted and worthy of anyone training for the full 26.2

Wolverhampton Series

3rd September

Report Chris Elsley

Only one Harrier was among the 214 who took on the challenge of the full 26.2 mile distance in Wolverhampton. Mark Birkett ran it in 3:18:31 to finish in an excellent 28th place. Mark Ince of Birmingham Running & Tri was 1st in 2:53:36 with Trentham’s Debbie Thomas the leading lady in 3:09:35.

Four Harriers took part in the Wolverhampton Half with three claiming a top 20 finish.

Position	Name	Time	PB
14th	Harry Perkins	01:25:08
19th	Justin Green	01:27:09	PB
20th	Robert Mottram-Jones	01:27:42
526th	John Hateley	02:35:20

584 runners completed the half which was won by Daniel Turner (Lawley RC) in 1:18:03 while Helen Tromans (Dudley Kingswinford RC) took the ladies prize in 1:31:27.

Adam Lightfoot ran the 10k in 42:56 to finish 32nd of 369 runners. Unattached runner Richard Whitewas first in 32:53 with another unattached runner – Lynne Hill – the first lady home in 40:18.

Rugeley 10K

27th august 2017

Report Chris Elsley

A small band of Harriers ran this cracking 10k on a very warm bank holiday Monday starting next to the Rugeley Leisure Centre.

Using part of the heritage trail and with a steep climb up to 5k just short of Marquis Drive. This is soon followed by a steep tricky downhill section towards the Stepping Stones then back to the heritage trail to finish.

It was a shame that only around 100 runners got to experience this great race.

Race winners

Matt Williams 38.46

Penelope Barber 46.19

Position	Name	Time
7th	Spencer Holland	45:07
14th	Ian Wood	48:25
33rd	Chris Skellern	53:10
35th	Eddie Smith	54:25
97th	Sarah Gray	01:17:11

Ellesmere 10K

27th August 2017

No Race Report

Position	Name	Time	Extra	Extra2	Extra3
258	John Finney	51:48	Stafford Harriers	Ages 70 – 74	1
579	John Hateley	01:06:32	Stafford Harriers	Ages 70 – 74	9
610	Karen Jones	01:09:19		Ages 50 – 54	22
653	Craig Harris	01:11:12		Male Senior	132

Borth Beach 10K

Sunday 20^th August 2017.

Report Dave Marsden

Borth is a small seaside town just north of Aberyswyth. It has a long sandy beach that stretches northwards to the River Dovey estuary. The race, organised by Aberystwyth AC, is an out-and-back course along the beach.

The race started at 2.00pm to coincide with the low tide. Conditions were ideal, cloudy, still and with slight drizzle. As there were obviously no climbs, I thought this may be a comparatively easy course. It wasn’t. The soft, wet sand was reasonably firm but offered no return or spring of step compared with road or trail running. Also, running in a continuous straight line is very wearing especially when you turn to come back.. The finishing line seemed to be a long time coming. Despite this I enjoyed the event overall, it was well organised, reasonably priced and all entrants were given a pair of running socks, which I thought was a nice variation on the more usual prizes. Additionally, I was first in my age group for which I received a cheque for £10.00.

There were 114 finishers, the winner was Matthew Costello from Telford AC in 34:33. The first lady was Catherine Cole, Haldon Trail Runners in 44:25. My time was 48:46.

Leek Half

20th August 2017

No Race Report

Position	Name	Time	Cat
42	Jason Littlewood	01:39:34	MSEN
72	Spencer Holland	01:45:35	M45
89	Simon Bromley	01:49:08	M40
113	Steve Turner	01:54:49	M55
116	Alan Jones	01:55:11	M50
163	Eddie Smith	02:03:12	M60

Dave Clark 5 Multi Terrain 5K

17th August 2017

No Race Report

Position	Name	Time	Cat
46	Adam Lightfoot	20:33	M Sen
74	Dave Marsden	22:12	M 60-64
75	Alan Jones	22:18	M 50-54 74
78	Nia Nokes	22:26	F Sen
110	Chris Skellern	24:24	F 55-59 549
156	Julie Nokes	29:36	F 55-59 47

Castlefields 5K Time Trials

9th August 2017

First Name	Surname	J/S	20-Apr-16	08-Jun-16	14-Sep-16	12-Apr-17	31-May-17	09-Aug-17
Kian	Arnott	J	–	22:05	–	–	–	–
Lindsay	Ashforth	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Ryan	Ashforth	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Michael	Bamber	S	–	–	–	28:31	29:08	–
Craig	Baxter	S	22:20	–	15:53	–	–	–
Nick	Beckett	S	23:53	23:23	–	22:20	21:21	21:09
Jenni	Beckett	S	30:51	30:08	–	24:23	24:39	24:19
Harry	Beckett	J	29:41	32:09	–	27:54	28:25	29:55
Isabelle	Beckett	J	31:04	31:25	–	27:16	28:56	30:44
Helen	Begg	S	–	–	–	–	–	32:31
Cathy	Behan	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Heather	Bennett	S	27:59	–	–	–	–	–
Jane	Bisiker	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
James	Black	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Matthew	Black	J	23:39	23:20	16:18	–	–	26:01
Olivia	Black	J	27:40	28:54	20:48	–	–	29:27
Matt	Bonney	J	19:48	20:09	–	18:39	–	–
Natalie	Boswell	S	–	26:36	–	–	–	–
Gemma	Brown	S	–	–	–	–	–	44:47
Naomi	Brownless	S	–	–	–	–	–	27:11
Katie	Burrows	J	34:26	–	–	–	–	–
Tracey	Burrows	S	34:27	–	–	–	–	–
Mark	Burrows	S	–	–	–	23:15	–	23:51
Chloe	Burrows	J	25:12	26:59	19:24	–	–	29:34
Steph	Burrows	S	–	–	–	–	–	30:20
Joanne	Carson	S	–	–	–	–	–	28:55
Amy	Cartwright	S	–	–	–	–	–	29:13
Angie	Charlesworth	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Faye	Codack	S	27:58	–	–	–	–	–
Cieron	Coghlan	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Ben	Cook	J	21:10	21:35	15:50	20:20	–	–
Lorraine	Cotterill	S	–	–	–	–	–	32:35
Harry	Dale	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Rachel	Darby	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Beth	Darke	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Evan	Davies-Fuller	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Ben	Deakin	J	21:25	21:50	15:21	20:46	21:41	21:05
Mel	Deakin	S	24:25	24:43	–	24:04	–	24:03
Mark	Deakin	S	–	27:15	17:01	–	25:03	24:54
Liam	Duggan	S	20:31	21:17	14:36	20:30	20:13	20:27
Ruth	Edwards	S	25:37	–	–	–	–	–
Mandi	Edwards	S	–	–	–	–	–	39:59
Chris	Elsley	S	21:20	21:40	–	–	–	–
Anabel	Evans	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Michelle	Evans	S	32:29	32:23	–	–	–	–
Lorraine	Flory	S	–	–	–	–	32:06	–
Michelle	Fox	S	–	–	–	20:37	–	–
John	Freeman	S	–	–	–	24:43	–	23:32
Harvey	Freeman	S	–	–	–	–	–	32:21
Peter	French	S	–	–	–	–	–	34:31
Debbie	Garcia	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Karl	Gillibrand	S	–	–	–	24:02	–	–
Libby	Gonsalves	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Robbie	Gorman	J	19:19	20:03	14:14	18:37	–	–
Robert	Gray	J	–	23:34	–	–	–	–
Will	Gray	J	–	25:32	–	–	–	–
Gemma	Gray	S	–	–	–	–	31:55	–
Sarah	Gray	S	–	35:12	–	–	32:54	31:42
Justin	Green	S	–	–	–	–	19:21	19:43
Ben	Green	J	–	–	–	–	27:09	26:55
Alice	Hawkins	S	–	–	–	30:33	31:09	30:11
Claire	Heath	S	–	–	21:50	–	–	–
Ian	Heath	S	–	20:45	14:19	19:53	–	–
Jack	Heath	J	–	23:52	16:20	23:55	–	–
Dean	Hibbitt	S	–	–	–	–	–	22:57
Phil	Hilsdon	S			12:54	18:05	19:16	17:50
Matthew	Hilsdon	J	–	–	17:03	21:31	21:58	22:20
Karen	Hilsdon	S	–	–	–	–	30:24	31:05
Nathan	Hine	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
George	Hodkinson	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Jack	Hodkinson	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Ian	Hodkinson	S	–	–	–	20:26	20:05	–
Spencer	Holland	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Alex	Jackson	S	–	–	–	27:04	–	–
Ewan	Jackson	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Alix	Jackson	S	–	–	–	–	27:33	26:46
Rohiatou	Jobe	S	–	–	–	–	–	32:52
Sarah	Johnson	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Andy	Jones	S	–	–	–	20:41	–	–
Ben	Jones	J	22:11	22:04	16:10	24:45	–	–
Lindzi	Jones	S	–	–	–	30:03	29:07	–
Alan	Jones	S	–	–	–	–	22:20	22:02
Jason	Littlewood	S	–	–	–	–	20:35	19:25
Gabby	Lufton	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Rachel	Marsden	S	–	–	–	–	–	29:48
Alison	Martland	S	–	–	–	33:31	36:13	–
Chris	McCrady	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Debbie	McDermot	S	–	–	18:05	–	–	–
Steve	McHugh	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Maxine	Mills	S	–	–	–	–	–	31:01
Ellie	Mills	S	–	–	–	–	–	32:50
Julie	Mogey	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Kieron	Mogey	J	24:17	24:25	16:16	–	–	–
Ali	Morgan	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Louise	Morgan	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Adam	Morris	S	–	–	–	–	–	28:15
Robert	Motram Jones	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Amy	Oliver	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Jo	Oliver	S	–	–	19:36	–	–	–
Mark	Oliver	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Jake	Oliver	J	22:29	22:46	19:20	21:29	22:29	–
Chris	Owen	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Amber	Page	J	–	–	19:20	–	–	–
Ollie	Patrick	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Dave	Payling	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Lucy	Payne	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Amanda	Pearce	S	29:36	–	–	–	–	–
Taygen	Pike	J	22:45	24:33	18:35	–	–	26:34
Claire	Pilsbury	S	–	–	–	27:14	–	–
David	Plant	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Jonathon	Platt	S	–	–	–	–	–	26:42
Selina	Powell	S	–	–	–	–	26:02	26:43
Polly	Pye	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Charlotte	Reeves	S	–	29:23	–	27:19	–	28:05
Paula	Roderich	S	–	26:52	–	–	–	–
Danielle	Salkind	S	–	–	–	–	–	44:47
Will	Sammons	J	19:06	19:57	–	19:47	–	20:24
Jack	Sammons	S	–	–	–	–	–	24:44
Chantel	Sandford	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Lisa	Sanzeri	S	–	–	–	–	24:07	–
Caitlin	Saunders	J	–	–	–	26:01	24:48	27:03
Nigel	Smith	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Sandra	Smith	S	–	–	18:34	–	–	–
Jim	Smith	S	22:27	21:39	14:50	–	–	23:31
Shirley	Smith	S	–	–	–	30:33	30:14	29:25
Ellie	Smith (Blue)	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Danny	Stevens	J	–	28:10	–	–	–	–
Valerie	Stuart	S	–	–	–	36:06	38:02	37:47
Hannah	Talbot	J	–	–	–	–	–	–
Stacey	Terry	S	–	–	–	31:11	–	–
Michelle	Turner	S	–	–	–	–	–	37:41
Helen	Underwood	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Nick	Walklett	J	–	–	15:22	–	–	–
Rachel	Weaver	S	–	–	–	–	–	30:06
Rose	White	J	–	–	–	26:46	–	–
Mark	White	S	–	–	–	–	21:45	–
Ian	Williams	S	–	–	–	–	–	–
Lucas	Wilson	J	–	–	–	–	21:46	–
Keith	Wilson	S	–	–	–	–	–	28:36
Ellie	Withington	J	–	28:55	19:35	–	–	–

Cannock Chase 10k

6th August 2017

Report by Chris Elsley

Stafford Harriers’ Harry Perkins finished in an excellent 2nd place in Sunday’s Cannock Chase 10k, being beaten to the line by Richard McKenna (Shropshire Shufflers) by just two seconds after running the route in 38m 10s.

Four of Perkins’ club mates also took part in the event which attracted over 650 entries.

Jon Freeman finished 155th in a time of 52:52, Helen Richardson 179th in 54:21, John Richardson 180th in 54:24 and Russell Horsley 290th in 59:35.

Kim Fawke of Lawley RC was the leading lady in 9th place (40m 29s)

Position	Name	Time
2nd	Harry Perkins	38:10
155th	Jon Freeman	52:52
179th	Helen Richardson	54:21
180th	John Richardson	54:24
290th	Russ Horsley	59:35

Trentham 10k

6th August 2017

Report by Chris Elsley

More than 230 runners completed one of the longest running races in the area on Sunday in what was the 42nd year of the Trentham 10K.

The race consists of a hilly one lap course, starting and finishing in the village of Tittensor but despite the tough climbs involved, it remains a popular one amongst local runners.

Ten Stafford Harriers were among the entrants with Jason Littlewood the first of them to finish, completing the course in 43m 7s to take 31st place overall.

Position	Name	Time
31st	Jason Littlewood	43:07
45th	Spencer Holland	44:32
50th	Ian Wood	45:00
88th	Alan Jones	49:12
113th	Chris Skellern	51:38
131st	Tracy Ridings	53:38
133rd	John Finney	53:39
154th	Graham Williams	56:34
189th	Gael Earp	01:04:10
212th	John Hateley	01:09:25

The race winner was Charlie Hulson of Sale Harriers in a time of 32m 21s while Kristina Deffries (Trentham) was the first lady finishing 16th overall in a time of 40m 20s

Meerbrook 15

29th July 2017

Report by Chris Elsley

The major race at the weekend was the Meerbrook 15k.

This event is said to be one of the hilliest of its type in the country although a downhill start greets all runners as they head back into the village. But the notorious Gun Hill awaits with the climb made famous in the Tour of Britain cycle races soon thinning out the field.

Another down hill awaits but the climbing is not yet over as runners have to ascend Gun Hill once more before the final run down to the finish at Meerbrook.

Ian Wood was the first of six competing Harriers to complete the course, finishing in 106th in a time of 71m 52 secs, just three seconds ahead of club mate Spencer Holland.

Dave Marsden finished 197th in 79m 50s while Tracy Ridings came home in 88m 22s (260th).

Graham Williams was 296th in 94m 33s with Gael Earp 323rd in 100m 28s.

The race was won by Heanor’s Joe Rainsford in 52m 15s with Wilmslow’s Diane McVey taking the Ladies prize in a time of 60m 5s

Report by Ian Wood

After celebrating Gill and Jack Hodkinson’s birthdays it was a early start to get to Meerbrook for the 10.00 start. If you fancy doing this race next year a few things you will need to know firstly it is the 15k now held on a Saturday and is said to be the third most hilly course in England.

The start is a 15 minute walk from the race HQ in Meerbrook up hill towards leek over a cattle grid and up a farm track the race usually starts late due to runners arriving late at the start, a 10 minute delay this year.

The climb to the start means a downhill run back into Meerbrook which is where the first climb starts up gun hill for 2km which was when I went past Spencer. The view from the top is amazing the following few kilometres are all downhill past the water station which to my favourite part of the course the hairpin climb out of the valley and zig zag up the hill before I knew it I was going past 10 km and looping back to the water station for the second time the next 3km climbed back to gun hill passing several fellow runners just short of 13km we started to drop down gun hill to Meerbrook this was when the boot was on the the other foot and I lost a few places over the last 2km as I finished Spencer was literally seconds behind me.

This year’s race was also a inter county race with north Wales, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.

Staffs Knot

26 July 2017

Report Chris Elsley

Last Wednesday evening saw nearly 450 runners head to Marquis Drive on Cannock Chase as Stafford Harriers staged their Staffs Knot 5 mile and fun run events.

The main event was run over a brand new single lap course and with a £400 prize on offer to the fastest man it attracted a high quality field.

It was Tipton’s Martin Williams who led from the front to take the top prize, finishing in 26m 33s. Trentham’s Simon Myatt followed in some 23 seconds later, just popping James Skelton while for Stafford Half Marathon winner Carl Moulton (Boalloy) finished in 4^th.

Leading the way for the host club was Phil Hilsdon who finished 8^th in 30m 18s.

Harry Perkins (17^th – 31m 28s), James Found (28^th – 32m 35s) and Jason Littlewood (29^th – 32m 39s) also finished in the top 30 in a field of 352.

The Ladies prize of £200 went to Sally Gray of Cannock & Stafford who finished in 33m 51s.

The leading Harrier lady was Michelle Fox (69^th – 35m 34s).

Position	Name	Time	PB
8	Phil Hilsdon	30:18
16	Harry Perkins	31:28
28	James Found	32:35
29	Jason Littlewood	32:39	PB
31	Matt Bonney	32:53
34	Robert Mottram-Jones	33:05
36	Ian Heath	33:19	PB
49	Liam Duggan	34:10	PB
53	Spencer Holland	34:22
60	Ben Deakin	34:49
70	Michelle Rushton-Fox	35:34
82	Ian Wood	36:06
89	Nick Beckett	36:41
134	Stella Dennis	38:54
136	Dean Hibbitt	38:56
139	Nia Nokes	39:08
141	Chris Skellern	39:24
173	Jon Freeman	40:47
178	Jenny Beckett	41:25
183	Roy Clay	41:49
187	Mel Deakin	41:56
195	Dean Smith	42:09
200	Caroline Nichol	42:18
212	Selena Powell	42:49
235	Georgina Coggins	44:39
236	Saffron Latham	44:41
239	John Finney	44:44
240	Russ Horsley	44:52
243	Kerry Robertson	44:54
248	Graham Williams	45:14
259	Rachel Smith	46:08
262	Karen Murray	46:23
269	Jonathan Platt	47:02
278	Joanne Carson	48:16
291	Laura Agu	49:40
292	Julie Nokes	49:44
293	Michael Bamber	49:52
294	Linzi Jones	49:52
299	Tessa Jasper	51:05
302	Shirley Smith	51:24	PB
314	Julie Birtles	52:28	PB
315	Gael Earp	52:47
323	Lorraine Flory	53:34
324	John Hateley	53:37
334	Michelle Turner	56:58
348	Megan Emery	01:04:22
349	Hayley Steele	01:05:00
352	Kim Smith	01:17:35

Photos of some of our runners. Sorry the phone camera wasn’t very good in the shade.

Bryan Dales photos are here

Mick Hall photos are here

Queens Park 5k series race 2 of 3, Crewe

Tuesday 25th July 2017

Report Mel Deakin

This is a series of three 5k runs in Crewe over the summer organised by South Cheshire Harriers. Ben and I did all three last year, that was before we had Cannock parkrun on our doorstep and found they were a great way of challenging ourselves to improve. This year we can only make one of the dates but decided we would make the effort to go back despite it being the day before Staffs Knot and see if we could beat our best times from last year. The course is through Queens Park, all off road, mainly on tarmac path but a short trail path section and wooden bridge to get over – and a hill!

We got stuck in a traffic jam on the way to Crewe – we sprinted from the car park to the start line and arrived at 6:58 for a 7:00 start! No time to worry about anything before the gun sounded and we were off. The first 1.5 km is flat, and the field soon thinned out and there was plenty of space to overtake if you needed to. Then came the hill down, over the bridge and to the turn point before heading back up the hill. I knew from last year once you get to the top of the hill you can see the 4k marker and it is flat thereafter. That didn’t make the hill any easier, neither did the fact I realised in the rushed start I hadn’t started my watch so didn’t know my splits, or did running the last 500m with one lace undone!! I had to wait until the following day for the results to find out I had improved by just 9 seconds but I was still pleased and I was first FV45. Ben took 16 seconds off his best time and ran sub 21 which eluded him last year. Despite the journey we were really glad we went and had a good evening out.

RESULTS:

1st Chris Williams Vale Royal AC 16:06

1st Female Holly Weedall Vale Royal AC 17:46

49th Ben Deakin Stafford Harriers 20:49

90th Melonie Deakin Stafford Harriers 24:09

161 finished

Race to the Stones 100K

22 July 2017

Report Nick Beckett

Last weekend I took on my most challenging run to date, the Race to the Stones 100k ultra marathon. Two years previous I attempted a 100k and got a DNF so this was my chance to put that to bed once and for all!
My training had gone well, lost a bit of weight and planned the run fully, leaving nothing to chance. I had got a marathon PB the month before so I was feeling confident and prepared. I even had all the gear and some idea!
The start was 7:30am, cloudy and busy. I set off with the stupid people who were doing it all in one go! The first 10k went past very quick, with 2 steep hill walks and a pit stop. The second 10k I went through the infamous ‘field of dreams’ which was a massive corn field, beautiful. It started raining for a while which suited me totally, love the rain.
Jenni and the kids met me at pit stop 3 which was a welcome surprise, always great to see your family when on a long run. I managed to run (walk up the steep hills) the whole 31 miles to the half way point. First marathon was done in 4:30, which although very happy with it was a bit quicker than I had planned.
After stopping for half an hour with my pit crew, it was time to go. The next 9 miles were fine and as I approached the 40 mile mark I knew it was going to start getting tough, it did. It was lonely and getting warm. At mile 49 my only companion (my watch) ran out of battery, so I didn’t even have the occasional beep to break the silence, also after 50 miles trying to work out timings and things is near on impossible!!! Mile 50 to 56 I was feeling quite depressed, I was still running, shuffling, but I was feeling sad. Got to the final pit stop and loaded myself with coffee and coke and my new favourite fruit satsumas. I felt much better for just having some banter with the staff, who were amazing!
The last 6 miles hurt but they were a formality. At 95k I chuckled (to myself) and said “only a parkrun to go!” There was no PB for that parkrun I can assure you. I managed to run the last 3k non stop and as I approached the finishing straight my twins ran in the field next to me and I tried talking to them but I couldn’t! As I crossed the line I was emotional and as Jenni hugged me I said “I bloody did it!” And then cried!!!
I loved every minute of this race and I am already planning my next 100k next year. It was so well organised and the support was amazing. Thank you to everyone at the club who have supported me through this journey, but my biggest thanks has to go to my family who keep trailing around with me and on this day they trailed around for 13 hours and 11 mins! (Sub 12 next year!)

JCB 5

13th July 2017

No Race Report

Position	Name	Time	PB
8	Phil Hilsdon	30:43
9	Ryan Nokes	31:07
22	Robert Mottram-Jones	33:08
24	Jason Littlewood	33:19	PB
25	Ian Heath	33:21
30	Ian Hodkinson	33:57
37	Adam Lightfoot	34:39
38	Liam Duggan	34:39	PB
40	Ben Deakin	34:40	PB
41	Ian Wood	34:42
50	Gemma Gray	36:01
61	Robert Proctor	36:52
70	Simon Bromley	37:39
73	Gareth Hudson	37:56
76	Alan Jones	37:59
77	Steve Turner	38:10
91	Tim Hough	39:19
95	Nia Nokes	39:27
98	Chris Skellern	39:38
99	Mark Burrows	39:39
114	Mel Deakin	40:44
133	Nicol Hudson	41:50
137	Caroline Nichol	42:07
136	John Finney	42:07
153	Eddie Smith	43:24
160	Jo Oliver	44:13
161	Mark Oliver	44:14
181	Karen Murray	46:24
204	Alison Conaghan	48:38
210	Evie Whyte	48:56
209	Sarah Whyte	48:56
211	Julie Nokes	48:59
235	Charlotte Ward	51:03
250	Sarah Gray	55:58

Cheadle 4

9th July 2017

No Race reports

Pos	time	no	name	club	cat	nsrra no	nsrra group
18	24.20	23	R. Nokes	Stafford Harriers	M
35	25.56	409	R Mottram-Jones	Stafford Harriers	MV55	1	B
52	27.31	222	S Holland	Stafford Harriers	MV45	778	C
77	29.04	9	B Deakin	Stafford Harriers	M
82	29.21	319	I Wood	Stafford Harriers	MV50	356	C
100	30.26	310	A Jones	Stafford Harriers	MV50	74	E
132	32.08	850	C Skellern	Stafford Harriers	LV55	549	M
141	33.16	756	M Deakin	Stafford Harriers	LV45
174	36.39	809	K Murray	Stafford Harriers	LV50	224	M

Summer Handicap

6th July 2017

The winners were:-

1 Matthew Hilsdon

2 Matt Bonney

3 Peter Williams 1st time so no prize

4 Ben Cook.

POS	NAME	TIME	HANDICAP	NET TIME
1	MATTHEW HILSDON	35.50	6.30	29.20
2	MATT BONNEY	37.23	12.15	25.08
3	PETER WILLIAMS	38.05	2.30	35.35
4	BEN COOK	39.00	10.00	29.00
5	SPENCER HOLLAND	39.05	12.00	27.05
6	ROBERT M JONES	39.11	12.00	27.11
7	ADAM LIGHTFOOT	39.50	12.00	27.5
8	BEN DEAKIN	40.01	12.00	28.01
9	MICHELLE FOX	40.01	12.45	27.16
10	DEAN HIBBITT	40.22	8.30	31.52
11	CHRIS SKELLERN	40.36	7.30	33.06
12	IAN HEATH	40.56	10.30	30.26
13	MARK BURROWS	41.15	8.30	32.45
14	ALAN JONES	41.36	11.15	30.21
15	RUTH EDWARDS	42.09	6.45	35.24
16	BETH DARK	42.18	8.00	34.09
17	GRAHAM WILLIAMS	43.12	5.30	37.42
18	SIMON GROOM	42.22	12.00	30.22
19	ALFIE DARBY	42.43	6.45	35.58
20	KEV DARBY	42.44	6.45	35.59
21	TINA DARDY	42.53	5.30	37.23
22	LINZI JONES	43.18	2.30	40.48
23	MICHEAL BAMBER	43.19	3.45	39.34
24	KAREN MURRY	44.53	6.45	38.08
25	ALLISON MARTLAND	49.36	0.00	49.36

Marcus Gynn Newmarket 10k

Sunday 2^nd July 2017

Report by Mel Deakin

5am start to get to this event – you may think we are mad but Ben and I ran this event last year and enjoyed it so decided to return. It is also a good excuse to meet up with my sister and nephew who are Ely Runners, this is just down the road for them.

The race is just outside Newmarket in the pretty village of Stetchford. This part of the world is known for being flat, however this 10k is certainly not that! I think it must find every hill in the area as it has ups and downs throughout, with a long drag uphill to the finish. It is multi terrain, starting on grass, then parts on road, path and bridleway. The countryside was stunning, the sun certainly helped but this was one of those events it was just good to be at.

I had not run for a week before due to a sore calf, so decided to take it steady. Taking a week off was really difficult as that was the longest break I had since starting running in 2013. But on the day I really felt the benefit, for once the kilometre markers came too fast, I didn’t want to finish! My time was over a minute faster than last year – lesson learnt.

Meanwhile, Ben, having no particular race plan galloped around, and by the time I had finished he had warmed down as was on his way to the homemade cake stall to refuel. Great medal in the shape of a horseshoe – but after all Newmarket is horse country. Ben was first U21 male and was awarded a small trophy to keep and the Sean Harper cup which he gets to keep for a year then must return. I guess we’ll be back at next year’s event then!

Results:

1^st Chris Darling Unattached 33:40

1^st female Bethany Runciman Unattached 42:15

Position	Name	Time	PB
52nd	Ben Deakin	45:53
107th	Mel Deakin	51:20

244 finished.

Black Country Half

1st July 2017

No Race Report

Position	Name	Time
19	Ryan Nokes	01:25:40
23	Robert Mottram-Jones	01:27:59
59	Ian Hodkinson	01:32:34
95	Michelle Rushton-Fox	01:36:11
166	Jason Littlewood	01:40:54
170	Ian Wood	01:41:12
322	Steve Turner	01:48:20
346	Simon Groom	01:49:22
382	Alan Jones	01:50:56
533	Debbie McDermott	01:56:59
607	Ruth Edwards	01:59:23
612	Eddie Smith	01:59:34
1235	Liz Shillito	02:35:16