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100th Handicap Race

Sunday 22nd December 2019

Well done to all those who participated in this festive and rather muddy event, which was actually the 100^th Harriers Handicap to take place. Thanks to the marshals and timekeepers. A special mention to Chris Skellern who has run in every single Handicap race! Well done Chris, that is some achievement!

Unfortunately as it was Dan Findlay-Robinson first time at the event, he couldn’t win.

Position	Name	Time	Handicap	Net Time
1	Dan Findlay-Robinson	0:38:29	0:09:45	0:28:44
2	Darren Mattocks	0:38:41	0:09:30	0:29:11
3	Al Langford	0:39:57	0:10:15	0:29:42
4	Spencer Holland	0:40:00	0:10:15	0:29:45
5	Matt Sargent	0:40:39	0:13:30	0:27:09
6	Liam Duggan	0:41:04	0:12:30	0:28:34
7	Vanessa Welham	0:41:31	0:08:00	0:33:31
8	Richard Booth	0:41:50	0:08:30	0:33:20
9	Chris Elsley	0:42:10	0:07:00	0:35:10
10	Ian Heath	0:42:11	0:11:00	0:31:11
11	Mark Bentley	0:43:26	0:04:00	0:39:26
12	Chris Skellern	0:44:11	0:07:00	0:37:11
13	Tracey Burrows	0:45:18	0:00:30	0:44:48
14	Wayne Gallagher	0:46:02	0:13:30	0:32:32
15	Julie Nokes	0:46:59	0:01:00	0:45:59
16	Sarah Gray	0:49:14	0:00:00	0:49:14
17	John Finney	0:49:14	0:06:00	0:43:14

Here are photo’s of the runners:-

Monday night christmas hat run

16th December 2019

The progression and improvers groups met at Market Square for Christmas photo.

 

lichfield santa dash

8th December 2019

No race reports yet.

Telford 10k

8th December 2019

No race report.

Sneyd Striders Pudding Run (5 and 10 miles)

8th December 2019

Race report by Leon Stringer

To Bloxwich for the 34th Sneyd Striders Pudding Run. This is near M6 J11 so only 25 minutes from Stafford on a Sunday morning. It’s a 2-lap course around local roads (1 lap for the 5 miles). There are no road closures, and some of the footpaths are narrow and uneven so there was a lot of running in the road and mixing with patient drivers.

I wouldn’t describe it as hilly but there are almost no flat sections, you’re either ascending or descending inclines all the way. There’s a long continual upward climb of about 1¼ miles, with some very supportive marshals cheering you on at the top. It was a mainly dry morning with some squally showers and a gusty wind which added to the work. There had been heavy rain in the night resulting in a flooded section across the width of the road and footpath, and into some poor person’s house.

It’s a Christmas run so there’s a lot of dressing up and I overtook Pikachu on my second lap. The finish is approached following a long gentle descent and it was a relief to get out of the wind and into the sports hall, to collect the goody bag including a technical T-shirt and a little Christmas pudding.

Results for 10 miles (316 finishers):

1st M Carl Stainton (Warley Woods Pacers) 00:57:57
1st F Elizabeth Watters (Birchfield Harriers) 01:02:08

Harriers:

Results for 5 miles (261 finishers):
1st M Richard Wright (Wolves & Bilston) 00:28:38
1st F Leanne Byard (Hinckley Running Club) 00:37:25

Harriers:
176th Joseph Hateley 00:55:01

Newcastle dales dash 10K

(Apedale Dash)

Sunday 1st December 2019

No race report

 

 

Cheddleton 10K

Saturday 30th November 2019

No race report

the Chasewater Pudding Dash

Saturday 30th November 2019

10K Results

No Harriers listed in the 5K event.

Tuff-Un (suicide 6)

Sunday 24th November 2019

 

The Rotary Club of Cannock 10km Charity Race

Sunday 24th November 2019

Results not yet published.

CONWY HALF

Sunday 17th November 2019

Beckbury Trail Race

Sunday 17th November 2019

Race report by Sally Haycock

If you like Man V Horse, Race the Train or The Beast but don’t quite like the distances involved in running these races, then this is the race for you! At a reasonable 9k this race will almost certainly guarantee you a PB!

Unfortunately it wasn’t a PB for me as I have competed in this before. (When I weighed considerably less…) Usually it is blinkin freezing and wet underfoot, this year it was a bit chilly and a lot wet! Parking was a slight issue this year as it was too wet to park on the field so we were directed to a farm on some hard standing ¾ of a mile away and then very kindly mini bused to the race HQ. This was very well organized and everything went to plan.

Numbers were collected and we made our way to the start line. I was pleased to see more toilets at the start (where does it come from? I barely drank at all on the morning…..) A 10 minute warm up was then carried out whilst I tried to familarise myself with the course……oh yes I remember…….fields, wet fields, mud and er, oh yeah, hills……..

Assembling ourselves at the start line I spotted a drone. I did breath in for 40 seconds (that was as long as I could manage!) in case I was spotted on camera. Yes, fellow runners, I am carrying a little bit of weight at the moment. If I was a racehorse I would be officially ‘out of the handicap’ i.e. carrying far more weight than I am capable of carrying!!! My big (Size Large) Stafford Harriers top was hopefully hiding a multitude of sins (beer mainly if I am honest…) but nonetheless I was there to compete and do my best.

We set off on time, John very near the front, myself a lot nearer the back and after half a mile I remembered. We turned right onto a single track and that promptly resorted in us coming to a standstill. With nothing you could do, I got my breath back ( I had sprinted the first half mile like a woman possessed) and settled into a slow walk. We shuffled along and eventually started to jog through some woods and down a hill. It is on the down hills that I make my time up, yes this is something I can manage, flinging myself recklessly down the hills, the extra weight and gravity helping me get down more quickly. Unfortunately on a single track behind someone not as fat as I was this wasn’t possible…….boo a chance wasted.

Then the first hill, I like to call these elevations of pleasure, in so doing trying to convince myself that they are actually fun. I even said this to a fellow runner joking around, he treated this with the contempt it deserved and ignored me, cannot blame him to be fair. The race went on, as did the hills, the mud and the slippery tracks. I had actually forgotten how ‘lumpy’ this race was. I suppose this is why women have more than one child in their lifetime, your brain has an amazing ability to forget pain and completely eradicate it from your memory and just remember the good bits. Like the finish line and a nice cup of warm tea after it has all finished! (Never actually given birth myself ladies so my apologies if I got this wrong and you don’t enjoy a nice cup of tea afterwards…!)

Back to the race! The marshals were all particularly friendly and encouraging as were the fellow runners that overtook me on the hills. They said things like, “Well done, keep going”, “You’re doing really well” etc etc It wasn’t said in a patronizing way either, they were genuinely supportive. And I needed all the help I could get! The hills kept coming and I promised myself beforehand that I wouldn’t walk. So I didn’t, but then when someone overtakes you whilst walking and you’re ‘running’ I did start to doubt whether I should just abandon my objective on running and just succumb to the walk. (I didn’t, too damned stubborn!)

The paths and hills winded up, around and down through some lovely countryside and I can honestly say that this was the most enjoyable race since I completed Ironman Staffordshire earlier in the year. Yes, I had finally got my mojo for running back! Thank god!

I finished with a time of 57.52 ( 3 minutes slower than my last time!) but I didn’t care as I had thoroughly enjoyed myself and that is why we run, isn’t it?! Meanwhile John had finished, had had a cuppa, got changed, showered, read a book, wrote a novel and generally tried to kill time whilst waiting for me!!

He finished 18th overall and 2nd in his age group in a time of 42.04! How is that possible?!? The man is a machine….

Anyway get yourselves entered for next year, it is ACE!!

Sally Haycock

 

North Staffs Cross Country 

Race 3 – Park Hall

Saturday 16th November 2019

Pictures by Willow Heath,age 10

 

 

U13 Girls	R3			T3
	28	Edie White	U13 Girls	13.21
U13 Boys	R3			T3
	23	Caleb Allen-Hingerty	U13 Boys	12.09
U15 Boys	R3			T3
	13	Jack Heath	U15 Boys	11.44
	15	Morgan Allen-Hingerty	U15 Boys	11.58
	16	Matthew Hilsdon	U15 Boys	12.05
	18	Ben Green	U15 Boys	12.49
U17 Men	R3			T3
	9	Benjamin Cook	U17 Men	21.35
Senior Women	R3		AG	T3
	55	Stella Denniss	W40	27.12
	57	Katie Peacock	SW	27.20
	98	Ruth Umerah	W50	30.47
	100	Christine Skellern	W55	30.52
	102	Saffron Latham	JW	31.10
	148	Mel Gorman	W45	37.26
	150	Julie Nokes	W55	37.57
	153	Tracy Burrows	W45	38.28
	162	Sarah Gray	W60	41.23
Senior Men	R3		AG	T3
	94	Phillip Hilsdon	M40	29.42
	120	Justin Green	M45	30.48
	144	Daniel Findlay-Robinson	SM	32.14
	148	Darren Mattocks	M45	32.20
	152	Michael Dobson	M50	32.28
	176	Ian Heath	M45	33.46
	187	Jason Littlewood	SM	34.21
	209	Richard Booth	M45	36.33
	230	Neil Eisenhauer	M45	39.29
	235	Edwin Smith	M65	40.04
	249	Mark Bentley	M55	43.42
	255	Bryan Dale	M75	60.52

Harriers Challenge Park Run

9th November 2019

 

 

NSRRA 2019

Congratulations to Spencer Holland on completing all twenty races.

The final Harriers positions are:-

Michael Dobson 2nd Group C and 2nd M50
Ian Wood 2nd Group D and 2nd M 55
Darren Mattocks 2nd Group E
Graham Williams 3rd Group G
Chris Skellern 3rd Group M and 2nd F55
Karen Murray 3rd Group W

Harriers Team positions:-

The ladies team were third out of seven.
The mens team were fourth out of eight. They were one point behind Newcastle AC.

FlyingFOX 10 Mile

Sunday 3rd November 2019

Race Report  — these pages are better if people write race reports for races. Please share your experiences.

 

 

National Cross Country Relays – Mansfield

Saturday 2nd November

No Harriers found in the results

The Cannock Chase Half and 10K

Sunday 27th October 2019

Half Results

10K Results

 

Stafford Common Cross Country

Saturday 26th October 2019

Great running by everyone at a very wet and muddy Cross Country at Stafford Common on Saturday!
Well done to everyone who braved the conditions, especially the marshals and people who set the course up.

U11 Girls	R2			T2
	26	Victoria Shrehorn	U11 Girls	7.34
	49	Asha Willson	U11 Girls	9.12
U13 Girls	R2			T2
	32	Edie White	U13 Girls	8.40
U15 Girls	R2			T2
	24	Rose White	U15 Girls	16.37
U13 Boys	R2			T2
	22	Dylan Shrehorn	U13 Boys	12.53
	24	Reuben Willson	U13 Boys	13.02
	30	Caleb Allen-Hingerty	U13 Boys	14.10
U15 Boys	R2			T2
	28	Matthew Hilsdon	U15 Boys	18.25
	31	Lucas Willson	U15 Boys	19.25
	33	Ben Green	U15 Boys	19.42
	34	Kallum Hunter	U15 Boys	20.00
	36	Morgan Allen-Hingerty	U15 Boys	21.12
	38	Jack Heath	U15 Boys	22.28
U17 Men	R2			T2
	10	Benjamin Cook	U17 Men	20.37
Senior Women	R2		AG	T2
	56	Katie Peacock	SW	26.44
	82	Vanessa Welham	SW	28.49
	88	Christine Skellern	W55	29.14
	90	Saffron Latham	JW	29.27
	151	Mel Gorman	W45	35.11
	168	Julie Nokes	W55	37.09
	182	Sarah Gray	W60	40.37
Senior Men	R2		AG	T2
	58	Tom Chell	SM	31.48
	85	Phillip Hilsdon	M40	32.55
	130	Daniel Findlay-Robinson	SM	35.36
	138	Liam Duggan	SM	35.54
	140	Spencer Holland	M50	36.00
	141	Darren Mattocks	M45	36.00
	155	Justin Green	M45	36.37
	160	Alan Langford	SM	37.04
	167	Jason Littlewood	SM	37.21
	169	Antonio Treglia	SM	37.27
	175	Michael Dobson	M50	37.50
	182	Ian Heath	M45	38.27
	231	Neil Eisenhauer	M45	44.42
	254	Bryan Dale	M75	62.37

 

Manchester half

Sunday 13th October 2019

Pos	Name	Time
225	Phil Hilsdon	1:22:51

Birmingham Half

Sunday 13th October 2019

Due to a police incident the race was cut short.

Pos	Name	Time
636	Dan Findlay-Robinson	01:19:57
817	Richard Crump	01:21:58
1642	Alan Jones	01:28:27
2546	Steve O’Nions	01:34:15
7339	Sarah  Gray	02:19:56
7355	Liz Shillito	02:20:27

Werrington 10k

Sunday 13th October 2019

Aviemore Half Marathon (and 10K)

Sunday 13th October 2019

Results don’t contain club details and so I can’t identify Harriers. If you ran please email me info@staffordharriers.co.uk

Oxford Half

Sunday 13th October 2019

No Harriers were found in the results. If you ran please email me info@staffordharriers.co.uk

Chicago Marathon

Saturday 12th October

Race report by Simon Bromley

This year, my wife, Sarah and myself, headed over the pond to the great state of Illinois in the U.S.A to take part in the 42^nd Bank of America Chicago Marathon (well one of us was anyway). We arrived several days before to get acclimatised and get over the jet lag, well that was my excuse, in reality I was looking forward to smashing down a few of those amazing deep-dish pizza’s which Chicago is famous for.

The city itself is a fantastic place to visit, unless you actually go, you cant imagine how tall the skyscrapers are and you can understand why the Garmin was just not going to work.

However, before the main event, both Sarah and myself took part in the Advocate Health international 5k on the Saturday morning. The temperature for the fist few days had been a lovely warm 18 degrees. Until the Saturday morning. The temperature fell to a lovely 2 degrees, also known as chuffing freezing… We had to be at the start line at 6am along with 6000 other runners who were crazy enough to run. The race itself didn’t start until 7:30. It was like a scene from an Attenborough documentary. Great groups of runners huddled together like penguins shuffling around to keep warm.

7am. We were headed into the start pens ready to begin. We located another family of Brits from Sussex who were also over for the Marathon and chatted away merrily. Anything to distract us from the cold.

7:25 am. The announcer asks us all to stand (like we were sitting down on the freezing concrete road) while a lovely young lady from the America running team did her best not to butcher the singing of the American national anthem (regrettably she failed in spectacular fashion).

7:30 comes around and finally we get to start running and get warm, WRONG… We are set of in waves every five minutes. So, our planned 7:30 start time became 7:50. However, we moved forward after each wave started in anticipation. Eventually not able to feel arms, fingers, toes or any other extremity, we were off. The route was a point to point weaving through the city streets to finish in Grant Park, where the Marathon was due to start the following day. All the way along the route, there were crowds of spectators all screaming and cheering us on as we moved through the flat city streets. The course was brilliantly marshalled and even had a water station at the halfway point. In the shade of the buildings, it was fairly cold still, but once we started to run parallel to Grant Park, the sun came out and it was glorious way to finish the run. On the run up towards the finish the crowds got even bigger. The support from the people of Chicago was amazing and really helped push everyone through to the finish line.

Across the finish line with Sarah in 35 minutes and marshalled all the way though from one side to the other, collecting a fantastic medal, water, fruit, cake bars and a woolly bobble hat as reward for finishing, definitely the best goody bag ever (even better than Market Drayton)

So, one race down and one to go. The rest of the morning was spent touring the city by boat to keep the legs fresh ready for the morning (and eating more deep-dish pizza)

Pasta and an early night beckoned.

Sunday – Marathon Day.

An early morning alarm signalled that it was time to get up and get ready for my first of the six major marathons. My start corral was fairly close to the hotel so that was an advantage being as the organisers recommended that I get there at 5:30am for a 7:30 am start. After walking to the entrance to Grant Park with Sarah and having to leave her as only people with a race number were allowed to enter, it was off to the bag drop and then the port a loo queue. A wander around the park to locate my start gate, after negotiating a barrage of photographers who want to take pictures to sell to you afterwards, saw me bump into a couple of runners from Milton Keynes. A nice chap called Martin and another lady from his club called Sophie. We stood talking in the start waiting for the off. The announcer read out the list of the elite athletes running. The 3 of us let out a big cheer when Sir Mo’s name was called out (being as he was the only one of them that I’d heard of). Again at 7:25 another young lady belted out the National Anthem to the cheers of every American in the race and around the start line.

At 7:30, we get the 10 second count down and off we go for the start of the 42^nd Chicago Marathon.

The course, like the 5k was amazingly flat, only a couple of little ups throughout the whole course. Again, the support was unreal, every section of the route was lined with spectators all cheering everyone on. The water stations were every 2miles and offered gels, sports drinks and water with people announcing on approach which tables had which product. I did have to smile to see the people cleaning up the cups with garden rakes rather than a broom.

The first 7 miles flew by so quickly, even though the course was lot of long straight sections, there was so much to see that it helped the miles pass quicker than it felt.

At mile out, had a lovely surprise, a huge electronic billboard was flashing up pictures of runners with messages from loved ones and supporters. As I approached the board a picture of me flashed up from last years Thunder Run with the words “good luck Dad, we know you can do it”. It gave me a great boost seeing a message from my 2 children cheering me on.

Everything was going well, the training plan I’d been following was paying dividends and my pace was consistent. Until however about 19.5 miles in. Every runner has experienced the feeling at some point that a stop at the toilet is needed. A half mile of clenching buttocks to the next aid station and a heavenly sight of a row of port a loos.

A brief pit stop and back on it. Having passed the 20 mile marker, a little boost knowing that there’s only 10k to go helps take the mind of the legs that were starting to ache a little.

Mile 22 and it starts dawning on me that while i’m almost at the point where the whole run is just a parkrun with a 23-mile warm up, that there is a little niggle in the groin area. Keeping the pace at a steady 8-minute mile, the niggle starts getting warm and becomes more than a little annoying. Drop of the pace a little and it starts to go after a minute or two. Pick the pace back up to plan of 8-minute miles and the pain comes back, this time quicker and hurts a lot more.

Frustrating is an understatement, with only 3 miles to go, it becomes a run, walk, hobble to make it through to the finish line and the pace falls of a cliff, my aim of a 3:30 marathon is going out the window. Still the crowds still cheering away I plod on through China town watching the Chinese dragon dancers and the drummers to take my mind of the disappointment that’s starting to get to me. At this point you can see Trump Tower in the distance and know that the finish is so tantalisingly close. Another little boost was the Goose Island beer van giving out little samples of their ale. It would be rude not to have a taste.

24-Miles. Still hobbling along and another bar handing out slightly larger samples of a local beverage. American hospitality is fantastic.

25-miles. Only 1.2 to go. I keeping hobbling away knowing that i’m almost there and despite the Garmin being a little skittish due to the skyscrapers it looks like i’m still on for a new PB. With that little ray of sunshine, I push forward, after politely refusing a can of Budweiser that an old boy was trying to hand out to the runners passing by. Less than a mile to go and the grimace on my face becomes apparent to a Marshall. “Hey buddy, let’s get you some help” A brief exchange of words where I explained that with less than a mile to go, any attempt to stop me finishing would more than likely see me spending some time with the local constabulary and the marshal requiring more assistance than I do, I pushed on a little quicker to stop him even thinking of attempting to pull me out of the race.

2 corners to go. I round the penultimate corner and encounter the only real hill of the race. Even though it was nothing worse than running up Queensville bridge for about 50 metres, on tired legs it felt like Everest.

Round the final corner and less than 400 metres away, you can see the finish line. Spurred on, I start to run a little quicker. Even with the groin protesting, with the crowd cheering away you can’t help yourself. I cross the line in 3:46:01. Not the time I had been training for but a new PB non the less.

Again, we are herded through the finish, picking the coveted medal, thermal blanket, as much fruit as you want, protein bars, water and a can of beer, which was very welcome after 26.2 miles.

The whole experience from start to end was amazing. The Americans know how to organise a race. The support was the best I’ve ever seen, with over 20,000 people acting as marshal’s and covering aid stations it’s a race that I would love to do again, but there’s 5 more to tick of the list before I think about heading back

 

Katherine House 10K

Sunday 6th October 2019

Cancelled due to flooding.

Sheepwalks Shocker (Kinver 10K & 2K)

Sunday 6th October 2019

No Harriers were found in the results. If you ran please email me info@staffordharriers.co.uk

Chester Marathon

Sunday 6th October 2019

Brown Clee Burn Ludlow 10K

Sunday 6th October 2019

Results don’t contain club details and so I can’t identify Harriers. If you ran please email me info@staffordharriers.co.uk

Bells of Pattingham (10K & 5K)

Sunday 6th October 2019

Race report Leon Stringer

To Pattingham in South Staffordshire for the last ever Pattingham Bells 10K. From their Facebook page:

With the uncertainty surrounding the Crown Estate of Pattingham and Patshull, this year’s race will be the last! This does not mean we won’t be back in the future, but this will be the last year you can win a brass!

After last year’s heavy rain it was a relief to have a sunny and mild race day. However the rain in the week left the course muddy and it wasn’t long before you had wet feet. You mostly follow the edge of fields — with some woodland paths — so you have to switch to the muddier or overgrown patch along the path whilst watching your footing if you want to overtake. It’s also hilly with a couple of longish climbs and the one long flat bit was straight into a headwind. But after one final hill you can see St Chad’s spire and hear the bells to guide you to the finish line (with a bit more slipping and sliding!).

There’s also a 5K which starts after the 10K so you encounter runners ahead of you. It’s not the best organised event but it has a great friendly atmosphere and excellent support from the marshals. I’ll miss it.

10K Results
516 finished
1st M: Richard Carpenter (Tipton Harriers) 0:36:26
1st F: Tessa Clarke (Wolves & Bilston AC) 0:41:40

Harriers (chip times):

 

congleton half marathon

Sunday 6th October 2019

 

October 5K Time Trial

2nd October 2019

Thanks to those who helped out with the timing, recording of results and marshalling

First Name	Surname	J/S	3-Apr-19	22-May-19	3-Jul-19	11-Sep-19	2-Oct-19
Tom	Chell	S	–	–	–	18:49	19:05
Liam	Duggan	S	19:31	21:41	19:46	19:30	19:33
Kian	Arnott	S	19:47	–	20:48	20:28	19:49
Spencer	Holland	S	–	–	–	–	20:07
Lucas	Willson	J	20:19	21:12	20:51	22:30	20:28
Ian	Heath	S	–	–	–	–	20:33
Dan	Finley-Robinson	S	–	–	–	–	20:39
Matthew	Hilsdon	J	21:39	21:32	20:52	21:46	21:05
Jason	Littlewood	S	–	20:25	20:47	21:36	21:12
Jack	Heath	J	20:33	22:30	–	–	22:36
Leon	Stringer	S	–	–	–	24:45	23:16
Ben	Green	J	22:25	–	24:07	23:47	23:27
Andrew	Robinson	S	27:09	25:29	–	–	23:49
Vasu	Krishnan	S	–	–	–	25:39	24:24
Chris	Elsley	S	–	–	–	25:59	24:38
Mark	Willson		–	–	–	–	24:58
Victoria	Shrehorn	J	26:44	26:09	28:18	27:30	25:19
Kerry	Delaney	S	–	–	–	25:16	25:22
Dylan	Shrehorn	J	22:22	22:35	–	22:50	25:36
Steve	McHugh	S	–	–	–	–	25:37
Amelia	Taunton	S	–	–	–	26:56	26:22
Sandra	Smith	S	–	–	–	28:44	28:05
Mel	Gorman	S	27:53	27:59	29:36	28:43	28:07
Reuben	Willson	J	22:24	–	24:17	–	32:22
Sue	Baggot	S	35:42	37:03	38:59	35:37	34:24