Calm Before the Storm / Cold Snap / Heatwave. It’s the Weekend Report!

Am I referring to the weather, the future of the country, or the potential law suit from a certain Mexican brewer, after some burk decided to name a pandemic flu virus after their product? I’ll let you decide. Surrounded by half completed DIY jobs which are likely to stay that way, I’m back this week to round up the GDH Happenings. Kick back, crack open a Corona (with obligatory lime to kill off any viruses) and lets see what played out.

Glossopdale Harriers 10K Handicap

Steve Page orchestrated this months Glossop 10K, which I understand is planned to happen regularly on Thursdays over the next few months. Keep your eyes open for it! Its a grand road route, but naturally you cant do 10K in Glossop without some hillage, and the climb through Hadfield just gets steeper and steeper and steeper. There is a Strava segment of this named “Sorrowful Wife”, perhaps in reference to the Nick Cave song, but it just fits perfectly for reasons I cant explain.

19 Harriers were brave enough to take on the challenge, and looks like some good battles and some very impressive times. Special mention to Sean Phillips who did a 12 mile warm up at 7 minute mile pace, before the race even started. Huge shout out to junior Sophie Burton. Her longest ever run, and hindered by dragging her dad round, she managed the route in just over an hour. That’s impressive!

Steve kindly put the results up on Facebook in no particular order, but my OCD couldn’t handle it, so here they are again in order of fastest to least fastest.

Harry Hawkins “Fast Arry”	38.42
Paul Skuse	40.48
Dan Stinton	41.08
Sean Phillips	41.09
Chris Jackson	43.11
Jeroen Peters	45.37
Riccardo Giussani	45.39
Emma Peters	45.50
Alex Critcher	47.57
Tim Crookes	48.35
Steven Kirkham	51.24
Jessica Leigh Camp	55.10
Pete Davis	56.04
Wendy McMahon	59.33
John Pollard	59.33
Guy Riddell	59.33
Liz Powell	60.06
Sophie Burton (Junior)	60.50
Mike Burton	60.50

Carrera Nocturna la Caleta de Adeje

The what? Indeed. Frank Fielding took a break from belly buster brekkies and San Miguel to send this in….

I did this 10k race on Saturday  night. 8:00pm start to avoid daytime heat. The Tenerife  folk seem to love their road races. They treat them like a fiesta, loud music, jabbering  commentator, drum bands, big stage with podium, closed roads, chip timing, free paella, crowds of onlookers and endless wait for prize giving. Phew!!!!

Anyway it was a fun event that everyone  seemed to enjoy. The race itself was a two lap undulating course that I found hard going. Perhaps that is partly  down to 10 days of All Inclusive  excesses.

Winning time was 36:49. I came in with a slowish time of 52:53. Still, it was good enough to head the v65 category. (Only 5 of us in this category though).

Nice one Frank!

Mickledon Straddle

A Fell champs race in 2019, at 14+ miles and 2400 feet of climb, Mickledon Straddle is a fair old undertaking. Wendy Trelease and John Pollard went east to have a bash. This from John…..

This was the longest fell race I’ve done since last century so I didn’t expect it to be a picnic but I have to say it was a gas. It was quite eventful and I’ll try to give the expurgated* version, but forgive me if I go on with myself a bit as it was as they say, tough.

Aficianados will know what it has in store (so some of this route description is for newbies) but I guess it also depends on the conditions on the day. Wendy Trelease & I were the GDHers lining up , Wendy had done it last year with snow and frost on the ground. She & several others said how it was harder today on account of the water, mud & bogs lying in wait for us…but we like it like that yes?

Very strict, some would say fussy, kit check at registration, please don’t turn up without taped seams or any required item cos they’ll refuse you, I think maybe 20 entrants were turned away including Andrew B of this club. Ironically, being a scatty bugger I lost my waterproof trousers between the kit check & the start line, so technically I wasn’t qualified to run. But shorts weather it was anyway.

The HQ is at Langsett barn and the start is close by, with the track leading out onto Mickleden Edge, the sort of long, steady climb I can cope with (though the headwind wasn’t a help). I could see Wendy weaving her way along the rocks for quite a way, though after she discarded her too-warm waterproof I only caught her in glimpses.

At the top of the Cut Gate climb it becomes alternately very muddy or a stream, and at times it seemed better to plunge through the water on a more direct line, than to try and mince your way round to the sides & often get ankle deep in glutinous mud. But this was nothing to what came later.

Lovely fast but technical descent down to Howden Reservoir & Slippery Stones, where the easiest running of the race follows along the res. I remember chasing Frank Fielding, (before he got better with age haha) along here back in 1996…only know the year from an old diary. I took my only fluid intake of the route along here, two gels at about 6/7miles (and a slurp of water), and I think that’s a rookie mistake on a longer race in view of the excruciating cramp I got later. I mean you’d stop & drink on a recce wouldn’t you?

Finally a climb from the reservoir up Howden Clough and onto the long, fairly featureless trod that tracks northish below Howden Edge & eventually Margery Hill.

Talking of recces, Matt Crompton & Zoe took a few of us on the route out last week but we didn’t do this section & I asked Matt if the trod was pretty decent as I remembered it to be all this way back to the Cut Gate checkpoint. He, like Wendy was obviously not expecting it to be the muscle-sapping, bog infested mud fest it was (get the picture?)..and I used some choice profanities on this section. Passed one guy who was cramping up & desperately searching for food in his pack, and another drowning in a swamp. No, I made that bit up….and then later a girl who was limping with a hamstring. That is tough, especially with over 5 miles left. I was pleased my own hamstring tweak was bearing up..but had I tempted fate?

Back at the Cut Gate CP & path/stream, the running became easier and gradually more downhill, which is usually the only time I pick up places as I can pelt down reasonably, and though we were stretched out I did pick off 2 or 3.

However, pride comes before a fall, and fall I did on the rocky path. Not as annoying as the stumbles into uphill bogs earlier as I could get up & carry on downhill. But then the cramp gripped me, & I’ve never had a cramp that stretched from the bottom of my calf to my groin before…I actually thought it was an injury of some sort. Walking was hard enough after that, with a few lumps to negotiate still but Garmin said only 3 miles to go, and I always envisage if it’s parkrun distance left I should manage. Psychology eh.

Back jogging I was able to regain the places I lost as we passed lots of families out walking their kids, dogs. I could almost taste the beer they reward you with at the finish, and the terrific spread of sandwiches & cakes they provide. Wendy was at the funnel cradling her beer, but also her cuts n bruises & mud-covering from a handful of falls, so we posed for the obligatory…I finished in 2 hr 57m, Wendy I think in 2hr 55.

PS; Wendy will appreciate this postscript more, but at the prize giving, the 2nd finisher OVERALL & 1st lady was a slight young lass from Sheffield, who had overheard me & Wendy talking about the route before the race & asked if we had some ‘top tips’…doesn’t look like she needed any! Apparently she IS a very inexperienced fell runner, but she must be something else too.

*not the expurgated version after all

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Dewsbury 10K

Alex Critcher was over in Dewsbury, and sent this in after running the 10K …

Right, if you want a flat, fast, closed road 10k that has none of that nasty scenery stuff to distract you then the Dewsbury 10k is one for you, if I can haul my carcass round in 44:18 then it must be pretty bloody quick. Joe Travis did 41:43, seriously, it will never be a champs race as it closes about 2 minutes after entries open in October but it would be great one for anyone wanting a nice early season pb next year, the sub 40 minute lads would love it.

Ha ha. I hate that “nasty scenery stuff”, with all is beauty slowing me down all the time. Nice one lads!

Parkrun

Following yet another passionate plea from our own Mr Motivator (Paul Skuse) 22 Harriers descended on Lyme Park to have a bash this classy little number. More like a category CS Fell race, its highly recommend having a crack at this one. And, not only is it a qualifier for our Fell Champs this year, its also a handy time to do it as you’ll get the “L” in the parkrun challenge set up by Laurie Barlow. Sneaky Lynne Taylor volunteered, and ran it, going double bubble on her points tally. It was great to see so many Harriers at this “away” fixture, some brilliant running and quite a few PB’s, but Sean Phillips came 2nd overall, cruelly nipping past a brilliant Joshua Southall in the closing 100m. Well done to Simon Toole making 50, and Laurie Barlow making the 150. Lots of first timers at Lyme, but special mention to juniors Ethan Rolls and Wyatt Barlow who did great on this tough course. Meanwhile Cathy Murray schooled us all in the age grading with over 68%.

Not everyone deserted from Glossop, with 13 Harriers keeping our end up on home soil. No PB’s this week, but Caity Rice made it 150.

Elsewhere, Julie Eyre was at Richmond, Nick Ham at Stockport, Steve Crossman finished 1st at Trelissick, Sikobe Litaba was at Hyde, Guy Riddell at Northallerton, Tony Hillier at Stamford, Sarah Leah at Fairview and last but not least, the Happy Mundays (David and Holly) were at Cusworth Hall.

The consolidated report can be found here – https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=1491

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Committee Corner

Some committee news in from Lucy Wasinski….

Thanks to everyone who attended the AGM at the Oakwood on Monday 27th Jan. Good to see a full room of GDH members of all ages! A big thanks to Tim Culshaw, Matt Crompton, Ben Naylor, Jude Stansfield, Zoe Barton and Becky Ashworth for all their hard work and dedication to the club and the committee.

The GDH committee for 2020 is as follows:

Chair – John Stephenson; Club Secretary – Lucy Wasinski; Treasurer – Steve Knight; 

Membership Secretary – Alison Holt; Ordinary Members –  Steve Page, Mandy Beames, Paul Skuse, Jeroen Peters and Pete Wallroth.

Motions from the AGM:

Communications strategy – majority approved

Review of Club constitution – majority approved

Survey of members – majority approved

Budget planning – majority approved

John Hewitt memorial Shelf Moor race

Emma Rettig is standing down as race organiser for Shelf Moor. Thanks to Emma for her great work this year, and also a thanks to GDH’s own Ant and Dec – Dan Stinton and Lance HG, who will be taking up the reins for now!

Membership Subs

Annual subs are now due please!  Please help out your membership sec – there are 80 current members who haven’t yet renewed – and we’d very much like you to!

Fees as follows:

GDH + England Athletics registration = £21

GDH only – £10

Unwaged membership:

GDH + England Athletics registration – £16

GDH only – £5

England Athletics registration is highly recommended (£2 discount for many road and trail races). It also helps us as a club, as we get allocated places at the London Marathon based on the number of EA registered athletes we have. We currently get one place, but with more EA registered club members we can push towards getting 2 – and then people get a mate to train with!?

The bank details (or alternative payment options) can be found here – https://www.glossopdaleharriers.org.uk/membership/

Please email membership.secgdh@gmail.com to confirm when you have paid – thank you!

Committee Meeting:

The new committee are meeting this week, and looking forward to putting some plans in place for the year ahead! Please watch this space, as i’m sure we will call on your support and help over the coming months!

Thanks Lucy!

Other Stuff

I’m hearing stories, so far unfounded, of some significant wardrobe malfunctions on Sundays Tour of Bradwell recce. After a few miles Jules Minshull‘s left shoe fell apart, and once they stopped laughing, our plucky outdoorsman style crew managed to cobble it back together on the hoof. A few miles later the other one had the same fate, leaving Jules having to re-tie them every 100 yards to keep the soles on. Its a 16+ mile route, so I have to say, Kudos for sticking it out! I wouldn’t be surprised if one of his sympathetic running pals were to have taken some photos, and to post them on the GDH page…..

Calling all Junior Parkrunners! There will be a meeting to discuss our own Glossop Junior Parkrun on Tuesday 4th February, 7pm at The Oakwood. Volunteers to get involved, and volunteers on Sunday mornings will be appreciated! Please come along!

Well I think that’s about it that I know of, but as always, we love reading and compiling tales of everyone’s racing exploits.  Keep running, and stay safe! gdhweeklyreports@gmail.com.