Tag: 2016

19 Mar 2016 – Charnwood Marathon

It’s the twentieth Charnwood Marathon and my personal favourite race in Leicestershire, this Charnwood stunner at a mere £10.00 entry for the 16.4 mile or 27 mile version with every penny going to charity!

Sadly with Ashby 20 and the Stathern Duathlon amongst the many events happening this weekend this great event does suffer somewhat and for me at least its a better course than the ultra-popular Charnwood Hills race in local vicinity.

Today its Rob Beers, Greg Pettingill, John Hudson (in Barrow colours) doing the shorter route, Rich Gray doing the 27 and Sue Pettingill walking the 15 miler. The challenge begins at Rawlins College Quorn before heading out of the village on a slow uphill towards Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves before turning up Upper Broombriggs. Today was meant to be very much a training run but Greg went flying off at the start and I felt honoured to join him and sort of kept it up although I did hang back a bit at sections of the course. From Upper Broombriggs it’s the long climb up Beacon Hill followed by a long descent off the top down Deans Lane before cutting round the Beacon plantation. From there the course goes up Windmill hill, back into Woodhouse Eaves and into that (Bloody) golf course, I always wonder going through here about flying golf balls and which way they will come!

Up Cardiac Hill before the slight incline into Bradgate Park and looming ahead the climb up Old John which I might be in a minority but strangely enjoy. An orienteer over Bradgate Park towards Swithland gates before entering Swithland woods which somehow I found easier to navigate in eight inches of snow doing this event a few years ago than in early spring. Into Swithland village and I hope the fatigue in my legs is enough to keep my away from my nearest rival some 30 seconds back. Turning left at the Telephone box and getting the right path (Something race leader Wreake Runner Bruno Nikoloff surprisingly got wrong!) towards old Woodhouse. It now became a re-trace of the route we took outwards and I up the speed on the way back to Quorn although the last road before the high street seemed to go on forever. I spot John Hudson whose race was curtailed due to injury early on and tells me I’m currently in fourth place! Turning the corner I enter Rawlings college but this is the hardest navigation bit on the course and I can’t remember which way I came in! Anyway I make it in and yes very happy with fourth place for a quick training run!

I can’t say enough good about this event I really can’t , the only downsides slightly being the races it clashes with over the weekend and if you don’t know the area the first time can be very hard to read the map.  [Rob]

16m results: Rob Beers (4th, 2:09:58), Greg Pettingill (9th, 2:16:46), Sue Pettingill (73rd, 4:52:19)

27m results: Rich Gray (51st, 5:20:56)

13 Mar 2016 – Keyworth Trail Run

The initial Keyworth Trail Run is an event of 15 or 30k (although they’ll happily admit it’s 31.5k), a good crowd is on hand for the event in proceed of Willowbrook primary school in Stanton on the Wolds. It’s a nice day although the fog is quite heavy and when it clouds over quite cool, having rained much of the week it’s going to be heavy going in places. There is but one Stilton Striders shirt on display this morning for this local event (cough!) and far more from our local neighbours.

The longer distance starts half an hour earlier at 9:30am, having done 21 miles and over 3000ft of ascent the previous day the idea of staying with Malcolm Harris and Simon Cole from Barrow Runners on the way round thankfully leaves my head in the first 2 miles. I can feel very uphill in my quads and by mile three the option of cutting back via the shorter route is certainly more than an idea as we head towards Wysall. Do not be put off by the word ‘Trail’, this route has some serious XC equal to and surpassing the wetter years of the Charnwood Seagrave course and the Belvoir Challenge-ploughed up fields and mud baths aplenty.

Next we head towards Wymeswold and all throughout the run I’m on tracks and paths I never knew existed, it really is that superb and rural sometimes you could be anywhere in the country let alone somewhere between local villages. A little later we head towards Willoughby and even then we are on paths I hadn’t of thought using before, although a couple of people went wrong I found the signage throughout very good indeed. On the other side of Willoughby the sun comes out, and head towards Widmerpool , there is now a few really feeling the strain, saying it’s supposed to be only 195ft of ascent its very undulating! Never does the terrain become a bore: one minute your going through fields, then a track, then road, then woodland, even though I’m familiar with the layout of the local villages it kept me guessing throughout.

Long pull back to Keyworth, with me doing a great impression of someone trying to run on the road back to Stanton on the Wolds, finally I get back and happy with the time given I used as a training run and some often brutal terrain. Great organised event with very nice marshals and event staff, chip timing, absolutely awesome route, didn’t expect a goodie bag so to get a really good one including a T-shirt was superb! Very fairly priced entry and really hope this grows next year. Really would like to see more Striders shirts next year, there were quite a few excellent events on but it’s always nice to support the local races and this was a cracker. [Rob]

12 Mar 2016 – Grindleford Gallop

I had a guy from Barrow Runners go on about this for years hence I had to give it a go, this year’s event sold out in a mere eleven minutes! Originally three Stiltons made the cut but injury meant just myself (Rob Beers) and stand in par-Excellence Dan Valencia would make it to the start line.

Very few Leicestershire clubs on show at this event of around 600 people, we meet up with Zoe Sewter from Hermitage and local legend Tim Hartley who not only hadn’t realised the event was today but hadn’t raced this distance for about 14 years!

We start mid-pack I must admit to not feeling up to it and `training run` being imprinted, in any case it was a reccie for both of us as not knowing really what to expect in 21 miles and 3000ft apart from pain. The first mile towards Froggat woods is incredibly slow with stiles and the usual bottleneck hold ups, people jumping the mud and puddles (surely? It’s an offroad race you know what to expect?). The first big hill comes and whilst I persist up it Dan has plumped for another technique (!) , we head towards the village of Eyam.

Bit too much road at the beginning but Longstone edge is plenty muddy, it’s all those high walls and stiles you have to climb that really play on the agility. Great Longstone leads us towards Bakewell and a long stretch of trail that is far too easy to just hammer and lose a lot of steam (Dan!) as at the end of which is a huge climb with some sort of cowbell at the Hill bottom!

The descent towards Chatsworth estate is one of the most scenic I find, I’m enjoying the downhill, I don’t enjoy the agility of dodging people from here to the end of the race as the weather is getting a lot better and they are coming out the cracks. We hit the village of Baslow at 17 miles and I am somewhat battered (Tim H said he suffered from here also), I’ve tried to conserve energy and definitely another gel or two wouldn’t have gone amiss. Anyway it’s the biggest climb of the lot up to Baslow edge, not knowing the course or how long I’ll be climbing the odd cheeky walk finds its way into my shattered legs as I hope saving them will help with the technical section on the edges. The top eventually came and the technical section began, testing ones agility against not only stones and mud but walkers, Dogs etc on tired legs was very hard work and by the time we came to the woods near the end of Baslow edge I felt really tired and no energy left. The final descent into Grindleford would’ve been done better by a Dalek down a flight of stairs; wearily I tread downhill through the village over the bridge and over the finish line. Thankfully getting inside to a hot cuppa, a bowl of soup and a cake can do wonders for rousing a flagging energy level!

Despite the pain, the uphill and everything it’s a superb well organised event showing off some of the best of the Peak district, both myself and a just as tired Dan Valencia loved it. This year was very much a reccie and we hope to return next year a bit wiser of where to go quick and where to lay off a bit, great day for the offroad runner.  [Rob]

Junior training – Spring/Summer 2016

Dear Athlete/Parents

We are coming into spring which means indoor training will come to a stop and we move up to train at the country park.  The last indoor session with be March 17th and the first outdoor session will be April 7th.  We will meet at the visitors centre at 6pm until 7pm.

For those who train on a Tuesday, the last session before Easter will be on the 15th and then we will be back at the MV16 on the 5th April 6.15pm until 7.15pm.

As always it will still be quite cold so we will expect all athletes to come appropriately dressed with warm clothes.  If anyone turns up in just shorts and t-shirt and it is not warm enough they may be sent home.

Any questions, please email Di via the email address on the Juniors page.

6 Mar 2016 – Kibworth 6 (LRRL)

A week after the club’s home event at the Stilton 7, the next LRRL winter league race saw 10 Striders take on the hilly Kibworth 6.  On a cold but bright morning, Luke Eggleston continued his run of form, with a big PB for 38.20.  Matt Gayton (40.24), Clive Kent (41.51), Richard Gray (43.52), Tam Nicol (48.01) and Jon Wilson (51.00) completed the Mens team.

For the women, Vicki Lowe came home in 47.46, followed by Debs Wilson (57.38) before Jenny Kent and Steph Barlow finished together for a very creditable 62.14.

Stilton 7 – 28th Feb – race details

We look forward to welcoming the LRRL member clubs to Melton Mowbray next weekend.  The race information sheet has now been added to the Stilton 7 page (click here).

Marshal information has been emailed to all those who volunteered – if you were expecting something and haven’t received it, please email us at the usual address.

7 Feb 2016 – Charnwood Hills Race

This year’s CHR sold out in some 25 mins, the 350-odd places snapped up so quick the website almost crashed. One of only two fell races in Leicestershire this race has now become one of the most popular and oversubscribed, given how many Leicestershire athletes we see on the actual fells (apart from Stilton of course and a few exceptions!) perhaps previous entry in a set number of FRA races over the previous 12 months would be a good race pre-requisite? Given that near 700 ran the Bradgate Derby runner league race and only 300-350 allowed here it may be a way for the race to move forward as a CL Fell race not just an extended XC.

Anyway CHR 2016, a mere three Striders this year with colds and flu depriving us late on of two Stilton entrants, it’s Rob Beers and Greg Pettingill out there suffering with heavy colds and Katie Hateley swearing she`s done no training. Not thankfully overly cold but a cold wind and quite a breeze, a few spots of rain in the sky but it has rained heavily the few days before and the mud is very plentiful.

The usual start off around the field with many people going off as usual with a far too positive split and an early faller who got tangled up in Mr Pettingill`s legs! The Greg-meister has made an impressive start and I’m towing him as we head into Bradgate Park and the looming Old John in the distance, at least I`m comforted by the fact he didn’t run all of that said hill. Yours truly does and then it’s the usual job of getting the breathing back to normal on the descent and down a very muddy cardiac hill into the (Bloody) golf course. Sue Pettingill is playing lead Stilton cheerleader today at Broombriggs and ahead of me is Greg climbing (walking!) upper broombriggs, I finally feel I’m gaining on the veteran warrior a little although I throw far too much into my descent towards Beacon Hill. Never my favourite climb the Beacon but for once no-one over takes me, a nice downhill off the Beacon where I sensibly go past Greg who is at the time suffering somewhat (you wouldn’t have thought given how effortlessly he was running).

Into the (Bloody) golf course and Cardiac Hill is a mud rink, back into Bradgate Park and by now I`m feeling not having a gel or water as by the technical section by Lady Jane Grey`s house my feet have the agility of your average Ogre. The last two miles I felt I lost 2-3 mins and the pace slowed greatly for me, I looked behind to see Greg climbing the long slow path towards the school thinking he had no way of catching me. Anyway a `Bottrill-esque` finish saw him take me in the last 100 metres followed by my climbing into the final field like it was Everest!

Greg Pettingill (73rd, 1:59:27), Rob Beers (77th, 2:00:09) and Katie Hateley a superb debut (131st, 2:11:14), felt like a letdown in the end (elusive sub 2hrs!) but given we were full of cold and results of similar runners I reckon team Stilton did very impressively.

And again thanks to the Blue Lion at Thrussington for their impressive Chip Cobs!  [Rob]