1 Oct 2016 – Heart of England Marathon

I did the initial event in 2015 doing the 15 mile version (Which in actuality was nearer 18), thoroughly enjoying and decided to step up to the full for this Warwickshire off-road run.

Set in the quaint town of Henley in Arden in Warwickshire it’s all very Shakespearian in appearance around here, not really surprising given Stratford upon Avon isn’t too far away. It’s looking very bleak today, ok it’s raining and as soon as the actual race started it started absolutely bucketing it down throughout.

It’s a very laid back event starting a bit like Charnwood Marathon at a local school, today is about putting a few miles in and enjoying rather than going at a pace or for a time. I`m despite the weather having a gentle cruise through the countryside, despite the Forest title (A tree is planted for every Marathon entrant) it’s more a mixture of everything than being Sherwood forest so to speak, the actual forest running is very minimal.

The route splits at 10 miles and thankfully I stay with someone with excellent GPS, despite the weather I somehow get stung by a wasp that’s strayed down my vest! Totally a mix of things as we head through Alcester one minute and then ploughing through muddy fields in moon boots the next and please don’t think Warwickshire is flat, this had an awful lot of ascent throughout.

No wonder I was tired at the end, having done 20 miles in less than 3 hours I wondered why I was still running over an hour later, the final distance clocked in at 28.5 miles! Came in at 4:30, not helped by actually getting a little lost in a housing estate in the last mile! Still great training and enjoyed the route immensely especially as I didn’t have to look for the very small pink arrows which weren’t exactly noticeable or regular.

The Pro’s: Laid back no onus on finishing time, very nice part of the midlands and easy on the eye, great food stops (inc Bacon Butties and veggie burgers), superb food after (3 courses!), under £20.00 entry and hasn’t got overly popular and spoilt as yet, warm spacious and plentiful facilities before and after, No-one from local clubs doing this! No race numbers – either get your card stamped or shout out your number at check point

The Cons: Be prepared to do more than advertised distance! The signs are very small and irregular not good unless you know where you’re going, marshals only at check points.

[Rob]

New Wednesday routes

In addition to the routes 1 to 4 that we have been using through the winter months for the last few years, we are adding a route 5 and 6. As ever, they have a five mile(ish) route and a longer route. Route 5 will debut on 26th October, and route 6 a week later.

Long Route 5: Route 5 (longer)

Short Route 5: Route 5 (shorter)

Long Route 6: Route 6 (longer)

Short Route 6: Route 6 (shorter)

All our usual routes can be found by clicking here.

9 Oct 2016 – Great Dalby Dollop

4 miles cross country across farm land, a few hills, some mud, cake, tea, BBQ and s choice of medals (either tractor or cow – tractor seemed to be the favourite!).  Another great turn out from the Striders, with 17 seniors and a couple of their offspring, including the first non- dog powered male and female. Lovely morning at this low key local event.

2 00:28:02 079 Stuart Shaw

5 00:30:03 095 Natalie Teece

6 00:30:50 068 Clive Kent

8 00:31:45 047 Christie Jones

9 00:31:47 084 Richard Gray

11 00:32:28 106 Michael Cooke

12 00:33:34 069 Matt White

18 00:36:02 070 Simon Bottrill

19 00:36:03 078 Jon Wilson

20 00:36:23 099 Ben Pickard

22 00:37:17 045 Luke Nichols

23 00:37:18 044 Andy Nichols

25 00:38:25 051 Tony Allen

32 00:46:00 077 Deborah Wilson

33 00:46:00 071 Celia Bown

52 00:51:03 067 Jenny Kent

53 00:51:04 098 Laura Pickard

57 00:55:13 062 Oliver Howley

58 00:55:13 061 Daniel Howley

Newsletter – 2 October 2016

Latest newsletter is below, including a call for volunteers, details of our Autumn/Winter club run plans, a special run to mark World Mental Health Day, LRRL awards, forthcoming cross country season, Christmas dinner date and more…

2016-10-2-striders-newsletter

emergency-contact-details-on-ea-website

Headtorch runs schedule

For those having withdrawal symptoms from our summer outrun season coming to an end, there is hope….  Headtorch runs are nearly here!  For those new to this, the runs follow a similar format to summer outruns – just in the dark (so headtorches, sensible clothing and footwear for whatever the weather throws at us are needed).  As we know these don’t suit everyone, they are only ever in addition to our usual road run in Melton.  This year’s schedule is below:

  • 5th October – Stathern, Red Lion
  • 19th October – Hambleton Peninsula (followed by Grainstore)
  • 9th November – Scalford, Kings Arms
  • 30th November – Melton Sports Village
  • 21st December – Hose, Rose and Crown
  • 11th January – Curry Run, Cafe Mash, Burton on the Wolds
  • 1st February – Old Dalby, Belvoir Brewery
  • 22nd February – Somerby, Stilton Cheese Inn
  • 15th March – Ab Kettleby, Sugar Loaf

29 Aug 2016 – Old Dalby Hill Race

A great local race that has suffered with heavy rain for the last couple of years, this year’s Old Dalby Hill Race was greeted by sunshine, blue skies and a horde of Striders – all there to take on the 4.5 mile (500 ft ascent) race.  As the name suggests, this involves a long climb up the main hill, a few bonus lumps and bumps on the loop through Grimston and then the quick descent through the woods back to Old Dalby.  If you’ve joined our Old Dalby and Grimston outruns this summer, you’ll know the paths.

Jason Barton was first Strider back, in 2nd place overall (29:17).  Luke Eggleston (32:21), Alan Thompson (33:20), Mike Bryan (33:47 and second local male), Paul Geeson (35:25), Clive Kent (35:45), Michael Atton (36:17), Katie Hateley (36:48 and first local lady), Dan Valencia (36:59), Rich Gray (37:07), John Houghton (37:44), Ben Pickard (37:44), Christie Jones (39:16), Sarah Procter (41:46), Tony Allen (47:19 with Merlin), Kaye Mead (49:36), Lou Houghton (50:03).  With Jenny Kent, Matt Chalmers and Laura Pickard impromptu marshals and other Striders supporting we had around a quarter of the total field, a great day out.

27 Aug 2016 – Zoot Triathlon Relays

2 Striders (Matt Taylor and Andy Nicholls) and their other halves (Amy and Kristy) – together the “Melton Misfits” took part in this popular event which mimicked the triathlon relays from the Commonwealth Games a couple of years ago.  Each person does a short triathlon (250m swim, 5K cycle, 1.5K run) then passes the baton (a rubber band!) to the next team member and so on.  Many teams come from all over the country for this.
Our preparation was patchy at best, with Kristy fearful of cycling following a crash, Amy spraining her ankle running and Andy cricking his neck swimming.  Luckily Matt was on top form and ensured we didn’t come last!  [Andy]