The stuff of Legends – Weekly report

Quite a lot has happened this week. Thanks for the reports from Greg Wasinski, Nick Ham, Lynne Taylor, Matt Crompton and Els Swan. For some reason I have been handed back the reins for a week, I thought everyone else was racing, but it seems like there were a sneaky couple of holidays going on there as well. What with snow falling this week and everyone glued to their computers, dot watching the Spine I suspect it is fair to say that the overall productivity index of the GDH massive took a bit of a dive this week. Still, there is a fair be for me to blab on about, so grab a brew and feast yer eyes on this little lot……

There is a person in our orbit who deserves special mention this week. She did something pretty extraordinary which will long last in the annals of those around her. It is a tale of putting physical hardship to the back of the mind, a tale of heroism and gritted teeth-i-ness in the face of all odds. She certainly caused quite a stir, and rightly so. When you’re on your last legs and your shoes aren’t working properly, what do you do? That’s right – you take the damn things off and sprint like a maniac uphill in your socks. Step Forward Martha Wallroth. Legend of the week!

XC – Heaton Park

A select bunch of people were out and about thrashing the undergrowth at Heaton Park this weekend. It was SELCC’s turn to mark out the course and take on the dog walkers of the world. The mud was out, the sun wasn’t, the rain seemed to hold off on the day, though I’m guessing it was a little chilly, considering everyone appeared to be wearing baselayers.

Ladies –
2 Kirsty “oh so” Sharp 30:34
30 Emma “smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast” Rettig 36:26
39 Jo “breathing down the young ones necks” Brack 37:45
52 Charmian “There should be a swim and a bike around here” Brierley 39:40
58 Kaylea “Call this cold? I put on suncream” Haynes 40:46
Ladies 5th team, 7th V35 team, 7th V40 team

Mens

41 Steve “back to it” Crossman 42:06 2nd V50
92 David “all stops out” Chrystie-Lowe 47:52 2nd V60
144 Andy “Getting better value for money than Jo” Brack 55:06
147 John “Pump up the tent. Pump it, pump it!” Stephenson 56:20
16th Male team, 13th V40 team, 9th V50 team

Junior XC

Great GDH junior XC running at Heaton Park today with extra kudos for Martha Wallroth who ditched her shoes before putting in a brilliant final (uphill) sprint, clearly channeling her inner Zola Budd. Some excellent running from Caitlin and Josie Swan as well, both 3rd in their respective races.

U11 – 30th Martha “zola” Wallroth 9:00
U13 3rd Caitlin “I run faster in pigtails” Swan 14:05
U15 3rd Josie “who needs spikes?” Swan 17:35

Derbyshire Schools Cross Country Finals

From Matt Crompton: Adam and Sarah Crompton both represented High Peak in the Year 7 High Peak boys and girls team at the event in Shipley Hills Country Park in Heanor near Derby. They were up against some strong runners in both races, and both did their team, and their parents, proud. Well worth the early start and nearly four hours round trip!! I’ve not seen any results as yet, but there was a whisper that High Peak won the girls team prize!

White and Dark Peak: Wildest Peaks

Trail affectionados Lucy Wasinski and Will Mather were off into the White Peak this weekend for the Dark and White “Wildest Peaks” event. Wildest, in terms of the weather, which was so wild that the somewhat ambitious 15 mile course shortened to a brief and breezy 10.5k. (I understand that fog stopped play, as it were?) The pair showed their grit, determination and drive to get to the finish line to have a hot cup of tea and a couple of biscuits by coming in 1/2 on the day. Unfortunately due to a later starter who finished the course a little faster, Will was edged from the podium. Nevertheless, the tea still tasted lovely.

Winter Trail Wales

Greg Wasinski was off in Wales pootling about the Winter Trail Wales Half in Coed y Brenin. The half marathon course goes on the same route as the summer one, but in winter conditions. It would seem that Greg *didn’t* lock his keys in the car this time around and enjoyed a rather challenging smack down which was, in his words “a bit of a struggle”.  -in his own words:

So Saturday was the Winter Trail Half at Coed y Brenin. Fairly muddy, but other than that good running conditions in one of our favourite places. Having set a PB in the past on no training unfortunately had a bit of mare this time around; who knew that only running twice a week wasn’t good training…? Ended up with me dropping about 70 places on where I normally finish and running my slowest time there since I first ran the course in 2014. After what felt like (but wasn’t!) a quick first 8km the rest was a painful, dispiriting slog. Still, the Buff, thermal mug at end, and flapjack were good and be back in June to ‘settle the score’.

The Nick Ham Report

Thanks to the marvellously attired Nick Ham for his report:

With me not being able to get into The Hebden yesterday and with Kinder Trial having been cancelled, I enjoyed another two infernal hills in the Woodbank parkrun and found Three Halls of Stockport to run today. It’s a self navigation course between three halls, which this year were Underbank Hall, Vernon Hall and Goyt Hall. It was all on territory very familiar to me but I still needed a couple of pre-race reconnoitres to hone the optimum route from Vernon Hall to Goyt Hall and back to the finish in Woodsmoor to get the total distance down to ~8 miles. It proved worthwhile because I managed to finish third with a time of 1:08:43, just 4 seconds behind second place (chip timing thanks to organisers Crazy Legs Events). There were 157 finishers. It was a novelty to be running around my home town in race mode instead of walking in shopping mode.

Parkrun

Thanks to Lynne for putting this together for me:

With XC being on this weekend there was only a smattering of GDH runners at our home parkrun in Glossop. The snow that was threatening on Friday never reached Manor Park so beyond the ground being wet underfoot the run was cleared for going ahead, not PB conditions though.
Sean Phillips romped home to take first finishers position in a speedy time only 16secs off his PB, good effort. Paul Gatley was just squeezed out of the top ten in what must have been a close run into the finish funnel. Sikobe was next to finish, now only 3 parkruns short of his 250 t-shirt and a few minutes later Christine Peters. Next in were Craig Leith, Alan Byrne, Darren Ashworth and finally Lynne Taylor.
Don’t forget that Glossop parkrun is a club champs counter so get yourself there early in the year and you’ll have ticked one ‘race’ off the list.

parkrun AWAY:
Lots of PBs were bagged in the away team runners, and we seem to have spread ourselves far and wide throughout the UK this weekend:

Heaton Park – Dez Mitchell
Woodbank Park – Nick Ham and David Munday
South Manchester – Joe Travis (new PB)
Hyde – Tony Hillier
Durham – Paul Peters (first finisher and a new PB) and Emma Peters also with a new PB
Medina I.O.W – Claire Campbell
Vogrie (near Edinburgh) – Bill Leason (on his 99th parkrun…one more for the 100th!!)
Marple – Steve Page (3rd overall) and Ian Crutchley with a new PB
Northala Fields – Caitlin Rice (3rd overall, 1st female finisher and only 6secs off her PB)
Bakewell – Paul Amos

Other Stuff

For those who don’t know, the AGM is going ahead on the 30th January – I believe it is going to be in the room above the Oakwood. (so bring warm clothes).

Thanks to Steve Page for leading the club run on Thursday.

As ever, if it isn’t on strava, or it isnt on facebook, or you don’t send a report to gdhweeklyreports@gmail.com then it didn’t happen. (unless one of us hears about it and we make up some scurrilous rumours instead)… so let us know what you’re up to.

Of course –  unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you can’t help but have noticed that formerly of this Paris(h), Jasmin Paris went and won the Spine in a record time. There have been crazy amounts of media attention on this quite frankly astonishing feat, so I don’t intend on adding anything else here, apart from the clubs hearty congratulations. I trust everyone has been inspired anew and is bursting with ideas and enthusiasm for their next adventures. Don’t just be inspired, get out there and act on it!