Otley Athletic Club

The second track runner of the year produced a superb race.  At the end of first lap a group of Mark, Graham, Tom Midgley and Tom Lynch forged a lead.  Over the next couple, Mark Hall gradually moved out to a 10 or so metre lead, which he kept until the final 150m.  However with a desperate sprint down the home straight Graham and Tom Midgley were closing fast.  The finish line came just in time for Mark, holding on for the win, but only just!  reducing his club v55 record by 5 seconds.

Thanks to Russ Brogden for time keeping duties

Report from Sarah Fuller:

I’m climbing slowly and laboriously, the terrain is tough, wet underfoot, tussocky and largely unrunnable. I’m breathing hard and my legs are already complaining. I am about an hour into this years event and with 12+ hours of similar ahead I’m already wondering if this was a good idea! It was always going to be hard but I guess I didn’t expect it to feel this bad so early on. I have barely run since July when I badly sprained my ankle, but the physio gave me the all clear to run a couple of weeks back and I already had a place on the RAB mountain marathon so I did a couple of test runs round the chevin and thought ‘what they hell I need an adventure so why not’! It turns out there were lots of reasons ‘why not’ and each would make themselves known through the race but right then I was concentrating on not losing my partner over the horizon. Now I can put up with a lot and a mountain marathon makes you suffer in many novel and interesting ways but probably the worst torture is not being able to keep up with your partner. This would be my torment for much of the weekend and it’s a good job Kate is very understanding and I try and convince myself I am a valuable team member for my navigational and route choice input and not a useless millstone to be dragged around kicking and screaming for 13 hours!

Before the start we talked about how competitive we were going to be (answer: not very) and since this is the only type of ‘race’ I am ever going to possibly place well in it was hard to leave the competitive brain behind and just enjoy it for a weekend in the hills. The event started in Outhgill, near Kirby steven and the competition area took in the fells around wild boar fell, baugh fell and mallerstang edge. On day 1 we had 7 hours to find as many ‘points’ as we could. Different controls were worth different points usually depending on how much trauma was involved in getting to them. It’s hard not to get greedy and bite off more than you can chew (you rapidly lose hard earned points for every minute late you are after 7 hours) so we left ourselves plenty of options close to the overnight camp should we overcook it. Controls were spread over a huge area and there were an unusually high number of them so big scores were possible for those cunning enough and who had the legs. We started conservatively but confidently, planning a route that covered both sides of the event area but which also minimized the climbs where possible. Topping out under 700m the hills weren’t huge but there were enough of them and as we soon found out the difficult terrain more than made up for the modest elevation!

The first half of the race went well enough we nailed the navigation mostly and felt like our route choice was ok despite going up and over wild boar fell twice in quick succession (it was logical honest!). After wild boar a lovely run along the skyline to Swarth fell was a real treat but then we entered swampville and spent a ‘happy’ hour wallowing around in big wobbly bogs looking for obscure re-entrants and trying to avoid drowning. Thankfully no navigational mishaps and still alive we hit the road halfway through our planned route and halfway through the 7 hours. The second half of day 1 was spent in some kind of giant tussock purgatory – what seemed like hours we spent stumbling and thrashing our way across the fell through some unspeakable rough terrain, running was out of the question, walking was difficult enough! I developed a nasty case of tussock tourettes my foot regularly disappearing down some unseen chasm tripping me up with predictable consequences. This was not fun and many others were also not enjoying this part so we all had not much fun together which made it kind of fun – yes weird ! Eventually we came out of tussock hell and had a few nice tracks to run on for the rest of the time but by this point my legs were destroyed through having to lift my knees up to my ears every step for the last 2 hours that running was not very nice either. Eventually the 7 hours were up and we could stop this madness and lie down for a while, this was fun until the pouring rain started and we were all confined to quarters for the night. Quarters as usual was an alarming small and flimsy tent meant for someone the size of a small child on their own. The relief of lying down lasted about 30 seconds then I just wanted to be up and get going again to escape the tent! We finished day 1 in 41st position overall (out of about 110 starters) and second ladies team. Pretty happy with than considering!

Eventually it stopped raining and thankfully it was just in time to get stuff packed away to start another day of fun. The reprieve from the rain lasted about 10 minutes but by then we were off and didn’t really care. Despite the fact we didn’t cover hardly any of the same ground as in day 1 was a repeat of day 1 but in reverse. First up was the 3 hours of unpleasant tussock bashing around Baugh fell and back up and over Swarth fell (enhanced by now being under an extra 6 inches of water – joy!) and me constantly moaning if we had chosen a bad route as we seemed to be moving so slowly and racking up not very many points (if anyone has seen the lord of the rings film think of that scene where Frodo is crossing that marshy bit on the way to the black gate). But miracles happen and I felt a lot stronger on day 2 at least so we went for it and the second half of the day was great, the rain stopped we crossed the road and found some nice shorter grass to run on and started ticking off checkpoints with wild abandon. My legs, which refused to run on a flat track at the end of the day before now happily jogged along mountain trods, Up, down, along, up and finally down mallerstang edge we had virtually all the controls there were to have on that section so headed into the finish a little early. Day 2 felt like a classic mountain marathon day we felt good we had a strong route and we nailed the navigation every time, dare we hope to improve our position a little ? We started the what ifs ‘what if we had decided to get that extra 10 pointer earlier on’ what if….’ ‘what if…..’ On the walk back to the download we decided we were very happy with our choices and couldn’t have done much differently what was done was done, the important thing was we finished, had lots of fun and had a great adventure, and my ankle held up. We collected our final score and were promptly sent for a kit check, weird we thought they usually only check the winners but happily complied and spread our gear out for inspection. We then found out our score for day 2 was better than we thought and we were sent for checking as at that time we were the 3rd highest scoring finishers (yes 3rd out of everyone!) that was partly because only a third of the field had finished so far (there was 2hour window to start day 2 and we started quite early) but we were going to ride that glory for the few minutes it lasted! Of course that didn’t last but we were surprised to see that once everyone was in we ended day 2 23rd , which moved us up to 26th overall for the two days and the first female finishers. Absolutely delighted with that but more importantly delighted to have shared a great adventure with a good friend and delighted to be back to shuffling in the hills again.

Provisional Results are here http://www.rabmountainmarathon.com/results/2016-results/

Report from Howard Jeffrey:

The Sutton Park 10K (formerly the Sutton 7) is a pleasantly low key, mainly trail race, to the north west of York. I have done it a couple of times and been fortunate enough to be the first in my age group each time and felt it was deserved as although it is not hilly the going can be quite tricky and it feels like hard work all the way round. Target time today is under 43.00 if possible although I had slightly overcooked the parkrun on Saturday so expected a tough day out. The start time is 12.00 which is about as late a start as I like, otherwise the whole day is consumed by a short race. The weather was slightly overcast and cool when the sun was concealed but actually very warm when it showed up. I bumped into Jack and Kath Robertshaw in the car park just before the race as they had come down to watch since they were holidaying in the area. The start is on the playing field in Sutton village and out through an estate to the main street and through the grounds of, you guessed it Sutton Park, which is open to visitors and is an interesting Georgian pile. No time to stop and admire however as the 1K point is just before you turn left through the grounds across the lawns and into the deep dark woods. I pass the 1K point in 4.03 which is OK as the route so far is tarmac and I had wanted to be up frontish to avoid some of the narrow pinch points on the tracks. The route twists and turns across a few narrow wooden bridges across streams and watch out for tree roots which have been tastefully and considerately sprayed with highlighters. You then cross a field with lumpy soft molehills so the ground is shifting uncomfortably underfoot. Through some woods again and then across fairly long wet grass and then back into the woods out across a stubble field where the earth is thankfully dry. The route then follows a country road and a right turn (Kath and Jack there to encourage) onto an old WW2 airfield. I have a new temporary best mate who is following in my footsteps as we go through 5K in 21.09. Considering the airfield was built 75 years ago it is surprisingly sound although there is a lot of farming flotsam and some loose stones here and there. The sun has been in and out so it is quite warm and the wind is always tending to get stiff across the flat landscape. At 8K you are back on the narrow lane back towards Sutton and there are quite a few motors and not a lot of space. My running mate has flagged a couple of times so I have cajoled him on and he has the temerity to start to pull away at 9K. Never one to let a good challenge go by I get up an my toes again and have a really strong last 500m burst to leave him behind at the finish back on the playing field. Turns out he was French, had I known it would have been ‘aurevoir cher ami’! I finish in a time of 43.22 which is 7  seconds slower than last year but I put that down to the underfoot conditions and poor pacing at the parkrun. The age group prize was awarded to Jeffrey Howard of Otley AC so I am able to see that he gets it! I was 23rd out of 199 in a race won by David Smithers of York Knavesmire Harriers in 37.38. First lady was Sarah Atwood in 12th place in 41.18, also York Knavesmire. Fellow Otliensian Tony Walker was 38th in 45.15

Report from Ian Broadbent:

With the farm a little quieter in September I booked to run 3 half marathons, unfortunately due to an argument with a dry stone wall I had to withdraw from the other two with a rib injury. So with some trepidation travelled down to North Wales frog trailffest 2016 which is a 13.5 mile run from Blauneau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog following the steam railway. Although you are dropping to the coast it also includes 1500 feet of ascent, trails, bogs, woodland, scree and just the final mile in to Porthmadog on road. Really enjoyable but tough run in great countryside with a friendly feel with runners helping each other through the harder parts. Very well marshalled and signed too with support from mountain rescue. But the best bit was they laid on a steam train to get you to the start included in the price, friends and family could join for the hour journey up and then the train follows the race down so friends and family can spectate on the move. The race finishes at Porthmadog station with a beer and technical shirt and I finished 80/155 in 2:29 at Porthmadog where my chief cheerleader was waiting!

Otley results from last week, 17 September,  Bradford,  Michael Hastings 22:48,  Mick Jeffrey 24:54, Claire Hastings 38:18.  Camperdown, Dundee,  Andy Webster 24:22.  Fountains Abbey,  Peter Crowder 24:11,  Harrogate,  Paul Kaiser 19:09.  Wetherby,  Howard Jeffrey 25:13.  Woodhouse Moor,  Toni Midgley 34:45.

And for this week:

Bradford:

Fountains Abbey:

Harrogate:

Wetherby:

Woodhouse Moor:

Report from Caroline Marler:

*new European record*

I had been trying to break the W65 outdoor British 400m record this season , but with no success except at a meeting where it didn’t count as there was no electronic timing.
At the above Championships I had better fortune and whilst winning the gold medal in the 400m W65 broke the existing record of 73.48 by over a second.
The result was as follows: 1st Caroline Marler 72.37; 2nd Brenda Fee 80.49
It also sliced nearly a tenth off the European record which was 72.45, set in 2010 by Riet Jonkers of the Netherlands.
On the second day of the Championships I added 2 silver medals, in the 200m and the 800m.
All my training and the last couple of races this seasonare geared towards competing in the World Masters Track & Field Championships in Perth, Australia in late October/early November.

Report from Howard:

Back in the day I got my 10 mile pb at the Tadcaster 10 and had always liked the race for that reason and because it was close to home. Then they stopped it, I know not why but now it’s back. It was not very well advertised I don’t think because I had also entered the inaugural Harrogate 10 mile trail race before I saw this was on. Up until yesterday I was planning to do Harrogate but their website said trails could be wet and muddy and take care over the stiles and blah blah. As I have always preferred nice smooth tarmac and you could enter Taddy on the day I did just that. I also wanted to benchmark my current form against some-one currently usually first in my age group. He did Wetherby parkrun yesterday in 19.06 so I expected to be about 5 minutes behind. The bridge is still under repair so the start was a good walk away from the HQ across the river. There was almost no wind but the sun was coming up warm so it was going to be testing out on the exposed roads. Best to start steady and acclimatise in the first mile or so which is what I did. I anticipated a finish in 1.10 at 7 minute mile pace which is what I have managed in recent 10Ks. Got to push on a bit to last for the extra distance though. The first mile was uphill towards the A64 and then turn left into the hinterland towards mile one. 7.30 pace with a guy alongside also aiming for 70 minutes. We catch up another guy who steps up the pace to not let us past and it turns out he too is aiming for 70 minutes as I twig when his watch beeps at 21 minutes as we go through mile three. The sun is up now so it is getting a bit warm although I am comfortable with the pace. We are the three amigos and are able to chat a bit to pass the time and we are also passing people steadily all the way to the finish. At mile 5 there is a welcome drinks station although there has been much more shade than I remember and the heat is not actually beating back off the tarmac as in previous races here. On reflection they had been after noon in late May so the sun and temperature were higher. The course is fast but it is far from flat as there are a couple of fairly long but not too steep inclines to negotiate. On the plus side there are also a couple of descents. The last two miles are downhill a bit then level along a narrow path which is pleasantly shaded, so a bit of a recovery before the finish. I had looked at the finish before the race and knew where it was and started to kick on but eased back when I realised they took you away from it into the town before returning back to it. The amigos had split up by now and the one I had been with up to 9 miles pulled away a bit and the other dropped behind. I crossed the line in 1.10. 42 so that was near enough and was pleased to be within 4 minutes of the age group winner I mentioned before, in 49th place. The race was won by Mike Burrett of Leeds City AC in 54.54 first lady Hannah Oldroyd Saltaire Striders in 11th place in 1.01.12. Some fellow Otley AC members also ran: Tom Midgley was 13th in 1.01.39, Tom Paget was 45th in 1.10.27, Christian Hosker 54th in 1.11.03. Tom P also introduced me to Simon but I don’t know if he is Otley or his surname or time, sorry. 284 finished. They had advertised full vets category prizes 3 in each but then there were not. Maybe they will be back one day too! Nice T shirt though and a medal with just the multi coloured word ‘finisher’ which of the hundreds I have, is about the oddest yet.

Report from Graham Lake:
I got a last minute entry for this shiny new trail race being run by Harrogate Harriers as I needed some racing after a quiet (and boozy) summer.
The weather was glorious for early autumn, and 224 runners set off down the road before turning onto some lovely quiet fields and woods. I’ve not raced much, or run over 6-7 miles for some time, so took it easy for the first 5 miles, sitting in about 30th place according to one of the marshals.
Getting past Beaver Dyke Reservoir (there are some great Strava segment names round here) there were more friendly marshals with water and jelly beans to point us back towards Beckwithshaw. I’d run most of the race with a chap from Richmond and Zetland, finding if one got ahead, the other caught up, so had a chat and pushed on to gain some places. It was incredibly flat for a Yorkshire trail race, just a few short sharp ascents and we soon started gaining places. A quick shout at 9 miles saying I was in 11th placed spurred me on and I passed one more runner, having let the R&Z guy get too far ahead, but leaving me in 10th at the finish. Really pleased the summer hasn’t broken me too much!
The winner was Andrew Grant (Harrogate Harriers) 1.04.56
First lady was Crystal Goecker in 1.12.56
I came in 10th 1.10.56
Billy 170th 1.44.40
Nicky Gifford 193rd 1.54.33

Scott Harrington and Sara Richards were the sole representatives:

Scott finishing 2nd in 36.14
Sara finishing 235th in 1.01.31

The winner was James boxell in 35.37 of pudsey pacers (course record) There was 345 finishers