V S Update - 11 September

- West Yorks XC closing date 13 Sept
- Junior mile and Autumn Handicap on 20 Sept
- Yorks Vets XC information
- Leeds Country Way SUCCESSES
- Juniors results - York Track & Field
- Race results from Wetherby and Sherburn
- Race report from Mont Blanc

West Yorks Cross Country - closing date 13 September

If you want to enter, email [email protected] by Tuesday evening

If you think you have already entered (or you think that someone has requested an entry for you), please check www.valleystriders.org.uk/vsteams.htm

More information later in this email.

Junior Mile and Autumn Handicap - Tuesday 20 September

Although this is over a week away, I'm making this a top item to give you advanced notice of a change to the normal timetable for these events.  Due to the dark evenings, all races are brought forward 20 minutes

All races are open to non-members including friends of existing members and juniors on the waiting list (and are free to enter).

We need about 6 marshals for the 5 mile race, if you are able to do this, please email back.

Apologies again

I'm still not sure about the problem with BT internet addresses.  I'm planning to split the mailing into two for this edition, let's see what happens.  If anyone tells you they've not received any emails from VS recently, please point them to the website.

Training on 13 September

6pm sessions at GSAL and 7pm sessions at Leeds Met, see front page of website www.valleystriders.org.uk for more details

Yorkshire Vets XC - from Steve Webb

The YVXC Champs are at Nunroyd Park Guiseley on Saturday 17 September:

I have entered the following as a M50-59 team - Tim Straughan, Jerry Watson, Steve Webb, Mark Woodhead

Also Alan Hutchinson would like to run.  He is eligible for the M50 team but it might be nice if at least two other M60+ could run with him as a M60 team.

Also Sara Dyer would like to run, and would welcome some company in a W55+ team.

The main closing date is 10 September and I am happy to put in a block entry to catch that date.  But it may be possible to add further entries later.

Grateful if you could publicise this event in the next email update to try and encourage more participants; good practice for WYXC, should be nice underfoot conditions in Nunroyd in September, and I think we really ought to be capable of putting together some sound teams in M35, M40, W35 in particular.  Races are 5k for ladies and M70+, 10k for everybody else.  Start time 11.30 for M35-49, 10.30 for everybody else.

Contact Steve Webb [email protected]

West Yorkshire Cross Country - race information

We'll be competing in the West Yorkshire XC League (4 meetings, October to December), the Peco XC League (5 meetings, October to March), the Yorkshire XC Championships (January), the Northern XC (January) and the English National XC (February).

First off is the West Yorkshire XC, and race dates are as follows
- Sunday 2 October at Wakefield (Thornes Park)
- Sunday 30 October at Guiseley (Nunroyd Park)
- Sunday 20 November at Spenborough
- Sunday 4 December at Keighley

Age categories for WYXC are as follows
- Under 11 must be aged 9 or 10 on 2nd October, i.e. are a few of year 4, all of year 5 and most of year 6
- Under 13 must be under 13 on 1st September and at least 11 on 2nd October i.e. are a few of year 6 and all of year 7 and 8
- Under 15 cut off date is 1st September i.e.school years 9 and 10
- Under 17 cut off date is 1st September i.e.school years 11 and 12
- Vets age categories are as at 2nd October

Note that all categories except under 11 must be affiliated with England Athletics.  Juniors who have competed in West Yorks Track and Field will already be affiliated.  Other juniors won't be affiliated, that will involve payment of a further £13, we will send you details.  All adult members will now be affiliated.  See www.valleystriders.org.uk/vsmemreg.htm .

Entries need to be in to us by Tuesday 13 September.  Please email [email protected] if you wish to run.  Fees are £12 for adults, £6 for juniors - this is the fee for the series, not the fee per race.  Payments should be made to "A C Payments"  Sort Code: 53-70-00 A/c Number: 72143851.

You can check a list of entries at www.valleystriders.org.uk/vsteams.htm

RESULTS

Leeds Country Way

A great result for Valley Striders

Many thanks to Paul Fotherby (men's captain), Simon Vallance (vet's captain) and in particular to Myra Jones was not only ladies' captain but who also organised the B and C teams.

Leg

 

 

Leg time

pos

Cum time

pos

 

Men

 

 

 

 

 

1

John Hobbs

Andy May

01:10:26

1

01:10:26

1

2

Ali Burns

Jon Pownall

01:16:52

1

02:27:18

1

3

Rav Panesar

Dan Fisher

01:06:09

1

03:33:27

1

4

Daz Hibberd

Matt Hallam

01:15:36

1

04:49:03

1

5

Jeremy Ladyman

Paul Fotherby

01:03:32

1

05:52:35

1

6

Gwil Thomas

Dave Penman

01:04:13

2

06:56:48

1

 

Women

 

 

 

 

 

1

Liz Wood

Myra Jones

01:27:02

20

01:27:02

20

2

Hayley Nancolas

Alison Price

01:32:13

15

02:59:15

17

3

Sue Sunderland

Steph Gledhill

01:36:14

26

04:35:29

17

4

Kim Threadgall

Amanda Seims

01:37:13

20

06:12:42

21

5

Rachel Mackie

Sarah Grant

01:18:13

11

07:30:55

20

6

Holly Button

Louise Cazan

01:13:55

13

08:44:50

17

 

Vets

 

 

 

 

 

1

Roy Huggins

Paul Smith

01:26:12

18

01:26:12

18

2

Graham Jones

Ian Sanderson

01:26:14

9

02:52:26

12

3

Joel Giddings

Vernon Long

01:19:02

10

04:11:28

12

4

Tim Straughan

James Tarran

01:24:32

8

05:36:00

10

5

Simon Vallance

Steve Webb

01:12:45

5

06:48:45

9

6

Richard Irvine

Andy Linley

01:10:16

7

07:59:01

9

 

"B"

 

 

 

 

 

1

Paul Sanderson

Ruth Warren

01:46:03

42

01:46:03

42

2

Dan Price

John Shanks

01:34:26

17

03:20:29

31

3

Tosh Akhtar

Russell Cliffe

01:25:25

15

04:45:54

31

4

Sean Fitzgerald

Jack Crawford

01:50:42

33

06:36:36

27

5

Ken Fox

Mike Hall

01:21:05

16

07:57:41

24

6

Gary Mann

Tom Button

01:14:38

14

09:12:19

24

 

"C" (mixed pairs)

 

 

 

 

 

1

Mike Robins

Chloe Hudson

01:39:48

36

01:39:48

36

2

John Wallace

Pam Lomoro

01:37:00

23

03:16:48

27

3

Stuart Harris

Pascale Fotherby

01:46:23

39

05:03:11

27

4

Rob Hamilton

Sarah Smith

01:54:06

38

06:57:17

31

5

John Hussey

Claire Senior

01:28:45

26

08:26:02

31

6

Mick Tinker

Liz Reddington

01:26:39

32

09:52:41

31

 

York Track and Field Open Meeting

8 of our junior athletes went to the York Track and Field Meeting.

Event Cat

Event M/F

Event

Posn

Name

M/F

Age

Perf

U11

M

75

9

Jamie Walker

M

U11

12.96

U9

M

75

5

Toby Walker

M

U9

14.71

U9

F

75

7

Jessica Baxter

F

U9

13.83

U15

F

200

10

Sophie Turner

F

U15

32.80

U15

M

300

3

Joe Irvine

M

U15

49.24

U11

M

600

6

Jamie Walker

M

U11

02:07.2

U9

M

600

7

Toby Walker

M

U9

02:30.9

U9

F

600

4

Jessica Baxter

F

U9

02:24.3

U15

M

800

9

Laurie O'Brien

M

U15

03:06.8

Sen

X

1500

9

Alvie O'Brien

M

U13

05:20.8

Sen

X

1500

11

Sophie Turner

F

U15

05:21.8

Sen

X

1500

13

Tally Diamond

F

U13

05:43.4

U15

M

80 Hurdles

4

Joe Irvine

M

U15

19.92

U15

M

Long Jump

7

Joe Irvine

M

U15

3.55

U11

M

Long Jump

12

Jamie Walker

M

U11

2.86

U9

M

Long Jump

6

Toby Walker

M

U9

2.35

U13

F

Long Jump

8

Tally Diamond

F

U13

3.14

U9

F

Long Jump

9

Jessica Baxter

F

U9

1.84

 

Jessica and Toby were first-timers as the West Yorks T&F did not have an under-9 category.  Jamie was also a first-timer as he has only recently joined.

Note that the 1500m race was a single race for M & F and for all age groups - none of the VS runners were lapped by the senior runners!

Full results at www.valleystriders.org.uk/York-Open-results-2016.xlsx

Wetherby 10k

23 Jon Smyth 37:47
132 Paul White 45:33 (6th M60 on his 69th birthday)
137 Leroy Sutton 44:22
488 Maureen Coffey 59:32 (1st W65+)
601 Meryll Cripps 66:19 (3rd W65+)

Wetherby 5k

16 Tally Diamond  22:48

Wetherby "mini-marathon"

3 Sophie Turner 10:35 (1st girl)
4 Jamie Walker 10:39 (1st boy under 11)
17 Imogen Idle 12:14
19 Jessica Baxter 12:29 (2nd girl under 11)
20 Toby Walker 12:31
88 finished

Vale of York Half Marathon

Striders returned with the men's team prize, a podium place for John Hobbs, and several Up & Running vouchers for age group prizes.  And a quantity of VS Grand Prix points.

Position

Name

Category

Category position

Chip time

Time

3

John Hobbs

MSEN

3/373

01:12:41

01:12:43

12

Matthew Hallam

MSEN

9/373

01:14:43

01:14:46

19

Andy May

M40

4/170

01:15:26

01:15:27

24

Simon Midwood

MSEN

17/373

01:17:10

01:17:14

49

James Tarran

M45

6/178

01:20:52

01:20:59

51

Clive Bandy

MSEN

32/373

01:20:56

01:21:05

63

Tim Straughan

M50

1/92

01:22:57

01:23:04

76

Gary Mann

MSEN

44/373

01:24:15

01:24:26

99

Graham Jones

M50

6/92

01:26:26

01:26:50

114

Ian Sanderson

M45

18/178

01:27:14

01:27:30

148

David Merritt

MSEN

74/373

01:28:37

01:29:02

154

Russell Cliffe

M40

28/170

01:29:04

01:29:20

175

John Batchelor

M45

35/178

01:30:03

01:30:14

181

Myra Jones

FSEN

7/176

01:30:11

01:30:22

191

Paul Smith

M45

39/178

01:30:44

01:31:10

198

Sean Fitzgerald

MSEN

93/373

01:31:28

01:31:39

200

Tom Button

M40

36/170

01:31:16

01:31:41

261

Michael Hall

MSEN

121/373

01:34:02

01:34:57

280

Louise Wardman

FSEN

15/176

01:35:31

01:35:48

284

Louise Cazan

F35

7/130

01:35:40

01:35:55

290

Liz Wood

F40

5/173

01:36:04

01:36:19

301

Adam Parton

M45

54/178

01:36:35

01:37:02

367

Sue Sunderland

F55

1/29

01:39:08

01:39:23

395

Michael Robins

M55

14/54

01:39:42

01:40:25

414

Michael Goldstone

MSEN

167/373

01:40:19

01:41:34

477

Chloe Hudson

F35

18/130

01:44:07

01:44:26

483

Steph Gledhill

F35

19/130

01:43:49

01:44:45

501

Chris Sawyer

M55

16/54

01:44:27

01:45:08

658

Dawn Parton

F40

27/173

01:50:37

01:51:09

662

Liz Reddington

F55

5/29

01:50:46

01:51:17

741

Rachael Oliver

F40

36/173

01:52:24

01:54:03

1026

Stuart Harris

MSEN

307/373

01:58:51

02:02:56

1078

Iain Currie

M45

154/178

02:02:14

02:05:33

1079

Eleanor Currie

FSEN

89/176

02:02:15

02:05:33

1359

Pascale Fotherby

F35

105/130

02:18:18

02:19:57

 

Race Report - 26th August 2016. Ultra-Tour de Mont Blanc - from Simon Redshaw

Eirik Stangnes, Steve Dixon and Simon Redshaw. 10,000 metres of climb  and 115 miles over a maximum of 46 and a half hours with cut off times and the option of sleep if you have time to spare.  That's if Steve didn't wake you up to check you were ok. :-)

I had driven with my family to the Alps to stay with a French friend and his family in St. Gervais.  I found it very difficult to take my mind off the adventure that lay ahead and took myself away from the family holiday a couple of times to keep the legs turning and help acclimatise. The lowest point of the Tour de Mont Blanc is 800m above sea level.

My greatest worry about this event, aside from the fact I had never run a hundred miles before, was the heat. It can be 30 degrees plus in the valley bottoms and as low as -10 degrees on the mountain tops. Mountain weather is unpredictable so you need a kit list to cover all eventualities and there were particular kit requirements as in the FRA, mostly for your own personal safety.  Registration took place throughout the week with long queues in the hot sunshine being a challenge in itself.  There was a large sponsor village in the centre of Chamonix with all your favourite running brands and many stands for ultra-races all over the world, all of which looked very inviting with the prospect of exploring another beautiful location somewhere in the world.  It's definitely the exploring which attracts me to these events.

On the Wednesday my son Ben also registered to do the mini UTMB, a short 1.1 mile route up and down a ski nursery slope (Not an insignificant climb).  The 30 degree temperature was also a challenge and he did very well in a field of 150 kids coming fourth overall, the guy who came third ended up in the medical tent with heat problems.  That was a good bit of fun to start to the week and I had to explain to him that I would not be in the rankings on my race for sure!

It was good to meet up with Eirik and Steve on the Thursday eve for a pre-race beer and compare notes.  We had received an email earlier in the week warning us about the temperatures and advising us to carry an additional litre of water.  This is a tricky decision because an additional litre is an additional kilogram.  Eirik seemed confident we would be okay without it as the stations were very frequent so I decided to follow his advice which turned out be correct for me anyway.  The feed stations were frequent enough, every 10 miles or so.

Friday, race day, the race did not start until 6pm which is a good time as the heat of the day starts to subside and the shadows are cast over the deep valleys and with us progressing into the night we were destined not to spend too long in the hot sun to start with.  Having said that, it was still very hot for the first 10 or 12 km in the valley bottom.  I spent most of the day packing my stuff and re-packing my stuff and went for a gentle swim with the kids in the morning.  I met up with Steve and Eirik on the start line and we joined the throng of people, some 2300 runners.  It was quite a build up with a bit of a strange dance going on at the front from a lady all dressed in white but it had been a  long build up over 9 months and I was ready and just wanted to get on with it.

The time came and we were off.  The atmosphere was fantastic and the three of us ran together chatting away and enjoying the crowds which were incredible!  A few kilometres down the road Steve said "We might be going a bit fast here we're 8:15 min mileing".  To which we all agreed, there was a long way to go!  I overtook a group of people in front of me, looked round and had lost the other two, I never saw them again until the finish line.  The first checkpoint came and I had made sure I had drunk my fluid prior to reaching it.  I needed to stay on top of my fluid intake otherwise I was going to be in trouble.  The first climb from Les Houches approached and I remembered it being steep from our recce run earlier in the year, so I just dug in thoroughly expecting the other two to be next to me any minute.  We climbed up and up eventually onto ski slopes and approximately half way up met Andreas Mayer and Amanda Seims, two familiar friendly faces were a very welcome sight.  I carried on up the climb which went on for some 800 metres and was happy to start my first descent down to St Gervais.  This is a long descent and I like descending, but was very conscious of holding back something in reserve.  Advice given to me previously to avoid smashing my quads with a long way to go.  St Gervais was full of people and it was nice to see my family and friends with such a party atmosphere.  A TV guy insisted on filming me and wouldn't take the hint when I tried to indicate that was enough.  Anyway I didn't plan on hanging around, the priority was to top up my water bottles and take on board what I could.  Coke and chicken noodle soup (to replace salt) really seemed to work.  Of course within all this I had to be conscious of my carbohydrate intake and monitor my blood sugar levels all the way round being Type 1 Diabetic.

The first major climb was fast approaching after Les Contamines "The party town" the atmosphere was awesome.  Many people had come out that evening and candles were lit either side of the path on the climb up the "Col du Bonhomme".  It was up here I chatted to a fellow Type 1 Diabetic running for Team Novo Nordisk, Stephen England, a good 10 years younger than me it was nice to chat with someone with a similar background.  We shared many similar experiences.  I waved goodbye to Steve as he was going a bit faster than me and I was determined not to kill myself, but we both agreed that it seemed daft not to push on in the cool of the night knowing full well it would be scorching in the morning.

Upon reaching the checkpoint of Les Chapieux I had planned to take a 10 minute kip here and there was supposedly a rest area.  I couldn't find it and people seemed to be trying to sleep on the benches which wasn't going to work for me, so I quickly decided I would crack on.  Upon trying to leave I was grabbed for a kit check!  Groan.  The night had started to really cool down so I paused and put on my jacket which was a good move.  As we progressed up the long road section to the Col de la Seigne it seemed like other people had problems finding the rest area and bodies seemed to be strewn across the road side all trying to take a nap.  Steve being a caring bloke was apparently a bit concerned much to the annoyance of some sleepy heads.  The long climb up the col de la Seigne brought a highlight for me in the UTMB.  Looking back over the hundreds of head torches snaking up the hillside was a magical view.  Crossing over the Col de la Seigne in the chilly air which had dropped to 11 degrees we descended into Italy.

In our recce we had missed the climb up the Col des P. Calcaires, this is a rocky climb over a boulder field on both the ascent and descent which tore a hole in my favourite Scott  fell running shoes!  We also passed some over some small patches of snow on the ground which was the only snow we saw the whole way round in stark contrast to the recce we did a couple of months earlier. The sun rose as I descended to the refuge Elisabetta and to the checkpoint at Lake Combal.  One more steep climb and I would be descending down to Courmayeur where I had sent my half way bag to be collected, it was here that we saw a spectacular cloud Inversion over Italy down the valley and I just had to stop to take a photo.  It was here I spotted a family of Marmottes, well I heard them first, their distinctive squeak gave them away, a great sighting!  Trying to stay focused on water, salt intake and controlling my blood sugar levels I was really looking forward to seeing my family in Courmayeur and having something to eat.  I had a change of shoes in my bag that I was planning to use but changed my mind as my feet were feeling fine despite the tear in my shoe.

Feeling suitably refreshed I began the ascent to the Refuge Bertone, bumping into Andrea and Amanda again!  They do get around these two :-), again this was a steep climb that took a lot out of us on the recce (granted we had eaten pizza and drunk beer) but none the less, it was now 34 degrees.  I set off with a litre of water up the climb and had drunk it all by half way.  By the time I reached the top I was gasping for a drink and took a few moments to recover in the shade.  On to the next check point Arnouvaz, this is a stunning section of the route and put simply the best trail running I have ever done, with dramatic views over the Mont Blanc massif.  Several kilometres in, just above Arnouvaz there was Andreas and Amanda again, it was a really pleasant surprise to see them at a time I was feeling quite rough in the sun and they really helped lift my spirits.  Unfortunately they also delivered the bad news about Steve and Eirik.  Gutted at their misfortune I descended into Arnouvaz.  The de-hydration affected me here also, I felt wiped out and saw my oranges and tea again upon leaving.  I then had to try and take something else on board not only to replace lost fluids but also for my blood sugars.

The climb over the Grand Col ferret seemed to go on forever in the heat, fortunately for this snow leopard there was no snow this time so my slicks were in in full working order.  The descent down to La Peule into Switzerland slowly snaked into the shade thankfully and the staff at le Peule had rigged up a shower for us which I refreshed my head under.  Taking advantage of all these points to keep your body cool was something else I had read, so at every water point I dipped my hat and buff in to keep my head and neck cool to help prevent my body overheating.  The long descent to la Fouly passed comfortably and I paused here with my family to drink soup and coke.  I was now fed up of coke, I don't normally drink the sweet stuff and it tasted very sickly.  I progressed onto Praz de Fort where I chatted to a Swiss villager, he told me there was a thunder storm brewing but I should be okay as it was in the valley above, he was pointing to the valley of Champex Lac where I was heading!

I made it in to Champex Lac to meet our French friends and my family which was a real boost.  It was also nice to meet Simon Franklin whose wife Carol Morgan was running and came 20th lady I believe, stunning effort! We chatted briefly and I continued into the tent.  It was here I did todays 22 push ups, my arms were fine so why not? I had agreed to do the 22 push up challenge for a friend to help raise awareness of PTSD in soldiers.  The thunderstorm started to develop and once again I had to don my jacket as I progressed into the rain in the dark with thunder and lightning.  I was advised that it was to pass over so I sheltered for a little while. With no sign of a let up, I decided to continue and it wasn't long before I was climbing up Bovine through the trees, thankful that I wasn't out totally in the open, somebody must have been.  Which made me wonder, when would they actually change the route because of thunder and lightning?

Passing a bizarre mountain of chicken bones at the Col de Forclaz I descended down to Trient (In joke).  It was lovely to see my wife and children who had now been up nearly all night as well, but were seemingly thoroughly enjoying themselves and Facebook apparently was going nuts!  Final climb up to Catogne and a good descent down into Vallorcine.  It was on this descent that I realised my quads were now well and truly smashed!  Every step was painful and it was a case of carefully getting down one step at a time.  At the checkpoint in Vallorcine, I realised that bar a major incident, I would make it.  So I took the opportunity to take a 10 minute nap using my wife as a pillow.  This power nap was a good move I think but it was hard to get going again.  Climbing was now easier than descending and I was relishing the ascent to the Col des Montets.  Here I met a guy called Mark Fowell who I chatted with for a while and left behind on the climb. Seemingly he was withdrawn 1km from the finish?  I have yet to find out the conclusion of that story. Anyway I was on the balcony to La Flegere the sun was hot again but the view up the Mere de Glace, Aguille du midi and Mont Blanc itself were stunning as the sun started to rise higher.  I paused to eat blueberries (there were thousands of them), and take in the view.  I was very tired now and getting fed up of running and was run walking all the way.  I picked up the pace on the bottom of the descent passed la Floria pushing through the pain barrier as my quads screamed at me and I could start to hear the crowds as I got closer.

The last kilometre was bizarre, it wasn't as if I had just run 115 miles, I was gliding along with ease, with a large crowd cheering me all the way.  My son and daughter joined me to cross the finish line which was a truly memorable moment.  To meet all my friends and supporters was a really nice feeling.  My thanks goes out to all the people that helped me achieve my goal of completing this and what a great journey it has been.  The training with friends, the challenges I set myself to get fit and the support throughout was unforgettable.  The race was really well organised, nearly every path junction was taped off and the feed stations were plentiful and great.  I will wear my finishers gilet with pride having endured extremes of weather at all ends of the spectrum. 

NB I did not use walking poles and wouldn't if I was to do it again but that's just a personal preference.

It was great to meet up with everybody in MBC for a beer afterwards.

Rank

Name

Team

Cat

Cat pos

Race Time

Country

1

Ludovic Pommeret

Hoka – Cabb

V1 H

1

22:00:02

FRA

70

Jez Bragg

The North Face

SE H

44

30:02:35

GBR

395

Stephen England

Team Novo Nordisk

SE H

199

38:32:04

GBR

581

Simon Redshaw

Valley Striders

V1 H

255

40:33:30

GBR

1337

Jean-Yves Pinguet

 

V2 H

179

46:40:12

FRA

 

Ladies

 

 

 

 

 

1

Caroline Chaverot

Team Hoka

V1 F

1

25:15:40

FRA

6

Jasmin Paris

Carnethy

SE F

2

28:34:35

GBR

12

Nicky Spinks

INOV-8 Ambassador

V1 F

7

32:32:11

GBR

20

Carol Morgan

Nidd Valley

V1 F

13

34:39:49

IRL

131

Laurence Dupont

 

V2 F

18

46:42:40

FRA