Woodhouse Moor Parkrun
Sat 30th Nov 2013
Weather - cloudy and calm
Race report to follow... inc Mark Smith, Sandra Foster and Coach Andrew Hardaker
30/11/2013
24/11/2013
Same mud, different crowd...
PECO Cross Country - Temple Newsam
Sunday 24th November 2013
Host - Kippax Harriers (assist St Theresa's AC)
Weather - Cloudy, drizzle and light breeze
Race report to follow...
Sunday 24th November 2013
Host - Kippax Harriers (assist St Theresa's AC)
Weather - Cloudy, drizzle and light breeze
Race report to follow...
10/11/2013
In the end, all roads lead to Spen..
YVAA Spenborough
Sunday 10th November 2013
Host - Spenborough AC
Weather - Cold and sunny
Race report to follow... includes Mark Smith, Sandra Foster, Lucy Armstrong and Tony Mawson
Sunday 10th November 2013
Host - Spenborough AC
Weather - Cold and sunny
Race report to follow... includes Mark Smith, Sandra Foster, Lucy Armstrong and Tony Mawson
02/11/2013
Shepherding along the skyline...
Shepherd's Skyline Fell Race
Sat 2nd Nov 2013
Climb - 350m / 1148ft (6.2m)
Category - BS
Host - Todmorden Harriers
Weather - Windy and grey (belting rain at finish...)
I've heard other describe fell races as informally organised chaos. No truer a description would be applied to the Shepherd's Skyline, From the anxious parking on Lumbutts Lane to the frenzy of activity inside the pub at registration. Then there were individuals hunting in car boots for taped seamed jackets and others nervously waiting in the car park for a spare portaloo.
The wind bustled the runners at the start areas across the road. Flags were bent double, the officials' tent was bellowing to and fro and I would guess hardly anyone could hear the race organiser's final verbal instructions. Thankfully, there was no sign of the forecasted heavy rain. The skies were dark, mind.
The start - as always - was uphill and followed a claggy track that narrowed after approximately three-quarters of a mile. All runnable, though. I jockeyed for position with otehrs and noted fellow Pacer Caroline Clarke roughly 10 places ahead. Near to the saddle ridge the track narrowed to a footpath and became rocky and technical in places. The field was broken down into single file here and all the early jostling was over. The only challenge from now on would be the strong wind.
The wind was firmly behind along the saddle that was undulating with only a few sharp ups and one steep down; here, I managed to go right of the path on to soft grass and I gained at least 6 places. I spotted P&Bs Caroline Harding just ahead and thought I was fairing ok. I wouldn't again see her on the race. Half a mile short of Stoodley Pike the previous boggy sections gave way to rocky outcrops that needed careful attention. I'm told the views down the Calder Valley were stunning; unfortunately I only had brief glimpses.
I passed Caroline Clarke just short of Stoodley Pike as we fell off the cliff down to London Road. I descended quickly and more safely than those around me that were falling and squealing. London Road was wet and hard underfoot that made my legs go a bit wobbly after the soft terrain on the top and then the sharp descent. Shortly, we were back on climbing duties, up through the reeds and over bogs back towards the saddle ridge. I had no energy to run continuously and had to adopt the fellrunners shuffle. Caroline Clarke and quite a few others gained time and passed me here. A few welcome supporters short of the ridge spurred us on.
The ridge was a battle. A difficult mix of severe winds and soft terrain sapped all energy from us runners. I looked up (only briefly for fear of loosing a contact lens or worse, an eyeball...) to see many of the runners who'd passed me on the previous climb slowly coming back to me. This gave some crumbs of comfort. I ploughed on, gritted teeth and used strength over technique. A few stream crossings were safely navigated and with one-mile to go, just as we left the saddle, I again caught up with Caroline Clarke and three other runners. I descended with some agility, but probably more ignorance; disengage brain and focus on strong stride and footfalls. I soon passed three including Caroline and concentrated on a fast finish. Dr LD and Jazz cheered me down near to a short rocky drop that I had to leap from as had failed to calculate the need to slow down.
After passing the final runner from Pennine I strode confidently through the finish line, into the organiser's tent and was handed a lollipop! I shared congratulations with runners around me, including Young Arthur's son, Simon and Caroline who finished a minute later. The rain soon began to belt it down so we promptly sought necessary refuge with a pint in the Shepherd Inn.
Sat 2nd Nov 2013
Climb - 350m / 1148ft (6.2m)
Category - BS
Host - Todmorden Harriers
Weather - Windy and grey (belting rain at finish...)
I've heard other describe fell races as informally organised chaos. No truer a description would be applied to the Shepherd's Skyline, From the anxious parking on Lumbutts Lane to the frenzy of activity inside the pub at registration. Then there were individuals hunting in car boots for taped seamed jackets and others nervously waiting in the car park for a spare portaloo.
The wind bustled the runners at the start areas across the road. Flags were bent double, the officials' tent was bellowing to and fro and I would guess hardly anyone could hear the race organiser's final verbal instructions. Thankfully, there was no sign of the forecasted heavy rain. The skies were dark, mind.
The start - as always - was uphill and followed a claggy track that narrowed after approximately three-quarters of a mile. All runnable, though. I jockeyed for position with otehrs and noted fellow Pacer Caroline Clarke roughly 10 places ahead. Near to the saddle ridge the track narrowed to a footpath and became rocky and technical in places. The field was broken down into single file here and all the early jostling was over. The only challenge from now on would be the strong wind.
The wind was firmly behind along the saddle that was undulating with only a few sharp ups and one steep down; here, I managed to go right of the path on to soft grass and I gained at least 6 places. I spotted P&Bs Caroline Harding just ahead and thought I was fairing ok. I wouldn't again see her on the race. Half a mile short of Stoodley Pike the previous boggy sections gave way to rocky outcrops that needed careful attention. I'm told the views down the Calder Valley were stunning; unfortunately I only had brief glimpses.
I passed Caroline Clarke just short of Stoodley Pike as we fell off the cliff down to London Road. I descended quickly and more safely than those around me that were falling and squealing. London Road was wet and hard underfoot that made my legs go a bit wobbly after the soft terrain on the top and then the sharp descent. Shortly, we were back on climbing duties, up through the reeds and over bogs back towards the saddle ridge. I had no energy to run continuously and had to adopt the fellrunners shuffle. Caroline Clarke and quite a few others gained time and passed me here. A few welcome supporters short of the ridge spurred us on.
The ridge was a battle. A difficult mix of severe winds and soft terrain sapped all energy from us runners. I looked up (only briefly for fear of loosing a contact lens or worse, an eyeball...) to see many of the runners who'd passed me on the previous climb slowly coming back to me. This gave some crumbs of comfort. I ploughed on, gritted teeth and used strength over technique. A few stream crossings were safely navigated and with one-mile to go, just as we left the saddle, I again caught up with Caroline Clarke and three other runners. I descended with some agility, but probably more ignorance; disengage brain and focus on strong stride and footfalls. I soon passed three including Caroline and concentrated on a fast finish. Dr LD and Jazz cheered me down near to a short rocky drop that I had to leap from as had failed to calculate the need to slow down.
After passing the final runner from Pennine I strode confidently through the finish line, into the organiser's tent and was handed a lollipop! I shared congratulations with runners around me, including Young Arthur's son, Simon and Caroline who finished a minute later. The rain soon began to belt it down so we promptly sought necessary refuge with a pint in the Shepherd Inn.
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