English & British Fell Running Championships 2016 - details and pre-entries

Here is a list of all the 2016 English and British Fell Running Championship races and their entry procedure...you can click on the races, for a link to details of each race.

English Fell Running Championships

Black Combe (M) - March 12th (pre-entry is nearly full! Enter online here)

Up the Nab (S) - May 7th (Entry by post on universal entry form to organiser, by 30th April)

Sedbergh Sports (S) - July 9th (Entry available via Howgill website from April 1st)

Borrowdale (L) - August 6th (On official form on website only obtainable after May 31st, limit 500)

Pendle 3 Peaks (M) - August 20th (Entries open 10th January via website, limit 600)

Langdale (L) - October 8th (Enter online on the SportIdent website from 1st August)

British Fell Running Championships

Donard Commedagh, N. Ireland (M) - April 9th (Entries on line via NIMRA website by 26th March, no limit on numbers)

Pedol Cwm Pennant, N. Wales (L) - June 11th (Online entries open on 1st February, limit 300)

Sedbergh Sports (S) - July 9th (Entry available via Howgill website from April 1st)

Merrick, Scotland (M) - September 17th (Entry £4. See website for entry details. There may be entries on the day if the race isn't full)

Relays

Northern 12 & 6 Stage Road Relays - Sat April 2nd
National 12 & 6 Stage Road Relays - Sat April 16th

Calderdale Way Relay - Sun May 15th

Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay - Sun October 2nd
British Fell Relay Championships, Scotland - Sat October 15th

The Best Injury Advice I Wasn't Given

I wrote this as advice to my future self, but figured I’d share it in case it could help anyone else out.

Diagnosis: Impacted stress fracture of 2^nd metatarsal, left foot. 6 weeks off running completely and a further 3 of rehab.

Background: Running for 3 years, built up to 65 miles/week. A road/trail runner that dabbles on the fell, 32mins-ish for 10k, 15.50 PB for 5k.

Advice to my future injured self:

            1. STOP RUNNING. STOP. NOW. STOP!!!! I had never been injured before, and am ashamed to have said on numerous occasions ‘I don’t really get injured’. B*llocks. There are two types of runner: Those that are injured and those that will be injured. My naivety contributed to my downfall. If it feels wrong, stop and seek medical advice.

2    2.‘Trust me, I’m a Doctor’ Get the right diagnosis, see a real Doctor. When you’re injured, everyone else seems to suddenly become an expert. Ignore them and seek professional advice. Not a physio, not your mate on Strava who ‘once had a dodgy toe so knows how it feels’ (guilty as charged). Go to your GP. This is nothing against your mates (or my mates) or physios, but that’s what GPs receive 7 years of training for and why they are there. I was lucky enough to be diagnosed quickly by my GP and my timetable for recovery was subsequently confirmed by MRI scan.

3.       3. Get back into your routine. As soon as your Doctor allows, get back into a cross-training routine that mirrors your pre-injury running routine as closely as possible. For me this was 2 ‘sessions’ a week plus a ‘long run’ on the elliptical trainer, plus steady cycling/aqua running in between. This has two benefits: It helps your mental state by removing the ‘lost’ feeling from your routine being disrupted, and it also means you hit the ground running (no pun intended) when you’re ready to stride again.

4.       4. It’s an opportunity. Take the opportunity to work on the parts of your fitness that are often neglected. I’m a better climber now than before my injury, and I put this down to weight training and elliptical work. This gives another mental boost to your rehab knowing that you can come out of the other side stronger in at least one way.  I include training your ‘running IQ’ in this, research why you got injured, plan your rehab, plan your future training and your racing goals.

A combination of the above other advice received has helped me recover well and today I capped my recovery with 2^nd place at Orton Fell Race, 9 weeks and 4 days after breaking down.

That’s my few pence, hopefully it will help a few people out.

Hardmoors 60 race report – 19 September 2015

Hardmoors 60 race report – 19 September 2015

 

A beautiful day welcomed runners to the start of the Hardmoors 60 on Saturday 19^th September. The race is 62 miles long with 3,500 metres of ascent and mainly follows the route of the second half of the Cleveland Way. It starts in Guisborough and goes up to Saltburn before running down the coast of the North York Moors National Park to end in Filey. There are no particularly high points on the route but many smaller hills, including lots of alternating cliff tops and bays, so lots of steps up and steps down.

 

The camaraderie in the Hardmoors ultras is great. Runners help each other out with route finding, food and drink; the marshalls are really upbeat and helpful; and the support teams that some runners have are also often kind. I didn’t use a support team in the race but, as I’m vegan and have a dodgy heart that can play up if my blood sugar drops, race organizer Jon Steele had kindly arranged to have my food and sports drink transported to each of the checkpoints. I was strong over the first part of the course but struggled badly from about mile 30 to mile 42 because of dehydration that triggered cramp. This affected quite a few people on the day: although 20C is not that warm by most standards, it was warm enough to have an impact on a long day of running.

 

However, I was able to turn things around fairly well and finished just before dark in 11 hours 27 minutes in 11^th place out of 195. It was my first race since May 2014 because of plantar fasciitis, so I was pleased to finish with my foot intact. Hopefully I’ve also – finally! – learnt two lessons on how to deal with hydration on warm days in ultras in the future: drink enough that you need to go to the toilet during the course of the run; and wear a wet cap to keep your head cool. Still, the result was good enough to put a smile on my face during the hard winter runs to come.

 

Neil Ford

Borrowdale 2015

Possibly the most prestigious individual race in the fell running calendar, the Borrowdale Fell Race took place yesterday and saw some excellent performances from the 21 Keswick AC athletes taking park

Such is the prestige attached to the event, The Borrowdale Trophies are awarded to the first Keswick athletes to finish. These honours will this year be presented to Mark Lamb (13th, 3:15.22) and Hannah Horsburgh (2nd Lady, 3:42.59), who were both competing in the event for the first time.

Hannah was joined by Catherine Spurden (3:45.45) and Rachel Findlay-Robinson (4:27.15) to win the Ladies team prize.

Other notable performances included Steve Angus (3:32.55) taking over 10 minutes from his personal best and Kirsten Ogden smashing her 5 hour target with 4:51.06.

The race was won in dominant fashion by Ricky Lightfoot (2:54.14). Jasmin Paris (3:15.33) recorded an equally dominant win in the Ladies race and missed the record by only 15 seconds.

Other Keswick Results:
31st David Birch M45 03:32:37
36th Lee Newton M 03:36:43
39th Sam Ware M 03:37:11
93rd Donald Ferguson M50 04:02:04
106th Craig Smith M45 04:09:59
122nd Tom Loan M 04:16:13
127th Robert Jones M 04:21:02
158th Damian Kimmins M40 04:38:11
164th Keith Loan M55 04:40:42
167th Ivan Holroyd M40 04:42:20
172nd Sarah Massey F40 04:44:11
174th Adrian Bacon M40 04:45:04
179th Annabel Holmes F45 04:47:37
183rd Angela Wakefield F 04:48:34
188th Kirsten Ogden F40 04:51:06
208th Lesley Malarkey F65 05:00:23

FRA 'Do'

The annual FRA Dinner & Dance is this year being held at the Daffodil Hotel, Grasmere on 21st November. This is a great opportunity for a unique social event with other club members and fell runners from across the country, plus a chance to congratulate those who win medals in the English & British Championships (there will be some!)

We are hoping to block book at least a couple of tables for Keswick AC, and to arrange transport between Keswick and Grasmere for club members.

The 'Badger Bar Blast' Fell Race is being organised on the same day and is in the club championships.

Further details: http://www.amblesideac.org.uk/…/uplo…/2015/07/FRA-Do2015.jpg

Please register your interest by emailing me at secretary@keswickac.org.uk with the number of places you would like - please do not book directly with the organisers as I will be looking to negotiate a bulk discount.

Run ABC North Article

The club are featured in the September issue of Run ABC North Magazine. A taster is posted below, I will bring my copy to training for people to have a browse. Sam.

Club training on Thursday 2nd July

Meet at the village hall opposite Mill Inn at 6.30pm

Run starts from telephone box in Mungrisedale.

A choice of various routes depending on what people feel like doing

and weather conditions. We can do Bowscale Tarn and Bowscale Fell,

Souther Fell or Bannerdale Crags or up to Blencathra itself. Or all

of the above for the really keen!
If anyone wants to stay for a drink and/or something to eat in the pub 
after it would be good to do that too.

Please email me at george.peter@sky.com to let me know if you are coming

so I can look out for you. Also if you require any further information.

Cheers

Peter 

Keswick runners set for record-breaking 'Billy Bland Challenge'

This weekend sees a team of 10 Keswick AC Vets take on the 'Billy Bland Challenge', a 5-stage paired relay over the route of the Bob Graham Round.

Starting and finishing at the Moot Hall in Keswick, the challenge covers 66 miles, 28,000 feet of climbing and 42 peaks and is split into the 5 traditional 'legs' of the BG.

The team are aiming to break the over-40 record of 17 hours 16 minutes, and have set themselves a schedule of 16:50. Team captain Nick Ogden said: 'We've all been reccying our respective legs and so we know that we're setting ourselves a very tough challenge. We'd welcome support along the way if anyone wants a run out, or just join us in the pub afterwards'.

Here's the team:
Leg 1 (Moot Hall to Threlkeld): Nick Ogden & Donald Ferguson
Leg 2 (Threlkeld to Dunmail Raise): Chris Brewer & Dave Prosser
Leg 3 (Dunmail Raise to Wasdale): Andrew Slattery & Steve Angus
Leg 4 (Wasdale to Honister): Dave Birch & Dave Troman
Leg 5 (Honister to Moot Hall): Mark McGlincy & Craig Smith

The boys will start at 3am this Saturday (27th) and are due to finish at the Moot Hall at 7:50pm. You will be able to follow them on a live tracker (link below) as well as getting updates here and on our twitter @KeswickAC.

Good luck lads!

Billy Bland Challenge info: http://www.billyblandchallenge.org.uk/
Tracker link:http://maps.opentracking.co.uk/bg2015.cfm?n=29

Social

Friday 19th June

Keswick AC Social, Keswick Football Club

6pm Runners meet outside football club - choice of a Parlauf round Latrigg, or just go for a steady run.  Football club will be open from 6.30pm so runners can come back and get showered in the football club.

7pm Informal get together for members, partners and families.  A BBQ will be on the go, please bring your own food for that.  If anyone would like to bring or make side salads and nibbles, and cake/biscuits to share that would be great.   Pints on offer for £1 a pint.  Squash available, and then anything else you want to drink, just bring it along.

Club training this week

There is now a good variety of training sessions available for club members. Details of all the club training sessions can be found on the website www.keswickac.org.uk under the training sub-heading.

Training for the week beginning Mon 8th June:

Tues 9th...
Both sessions meet 6 for 6:15 in Fitz Park Pavillion
Grass session in Fitz Park (Steve Hebblethwaite) as follows: 5mins 'tempo-pace', 6 x 3mins off 90sec, 5mins 'tempo-pace'.
Intermediate session in Crow Park (with Lesley) up and down reps.

Weds 10th...

Midday session, meet 12 noon at Fitz Park Pavillion. All abilities catered for, including beginners.

Wednesday speed session: Warm up out on railway line. 6 x 2min efforts with 2min jog recovery along railway track. 3 out, turn & 3 back. Jog back recovery.

Ladies Social Run

Ladies Social Session ~ Mixed abilities, all welcome, meet 6:30pm at the Cenotaph, Penrith Road, Keswick.
 

Thurs 11th...
Fell run on High Rigg/Low Rigg
Meet 6.30pm at the carpark (grid ref 316194) on A591, just past the RH turning to cross Thirlmere Dam.

Last of the Bluebells Rannerdale social fell run. 

Thursday 21^st May  6:20PM Fish Hotel car park, Buttermere, CA13 9XA  GR174169

4 miles 45 mins ish via Rannerdale and back or 5.7 miles if we decide to include the summit of Whiteless Pike 70 mins ish.  Optional food and/or a drink afterwards in the Fish, last orders for food 9PM. 

Just turn up if you fancy it, gentle prelude to Helvellyn?

Any questions please contact  Rob Wynne  via robh.wynne@gmail.com.

Fish Inn main menu:

Prawn Salad    £11.50

Served with Marie Rose dressing & a bread roll.     

Ploughmans    £11.50

A selection of cheese, served with pickle & a bread roll.     

Ham Salad       £10.50

Home baked ham served with  a bread roll. 

Rump Steak     £14.40

Cooked to your preference. Accompanied  by  mushrooms & onion rings. Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or jacket potato.           

Grilled Gammon Steak            GF       £10.50

Accompanied by mushrooms & pineapple. Served with a salad garnish &  a choice of chips or jacket potato.     

Steak & Mushroom  Pot Pie    £9.50

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or jacket potato.   

Roasted Half Chicken  £9.20

Served with a salad garnish &  a choice of chips or jacket potato.  

Cumberland Sausage  £9.90

Served with apple sauce, a salad garnish &  a choice of chips or jacket potato.     

Chilli con Carne          £9.20

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or boiled rice.       

Lasagne           £9.50

Served with a salad garnish &  garlic bread.

Grilled Aberdeen Angus Cheese Burger         £7.60

Grilled burger topped with cheese served in a bun. Accompanied by a salad garnish, chips & relish.       

Deep Fried Scampi      £10.20

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or jacket potato.   

King Prawn Thai Curry   GF     £11.20

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or boiled rice.       

Salmon & Dill Fish Cakes       £9.40

Served with sweet  chilli dip  salad garnish &  choice of chips or jacket potato.     

 Grilled Local Rainbow Trout   GF       £12.50

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or jacket potato.   

Three Cheese & Broccoli, Pasta Bake            £9.75

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or jacket potato.   

Spicy Bean Chilli           GF      £9.20

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or boiled rice.       

Tandoori Vegetable Massala  £9.50

Served with a salad garnish & a choice of chips or boiled rice.        

Records Tumble at Keswick's 'Round the Houses' Race

All three records were broken at Keswick AC's annual 'Round the Houses' 10k road race on Wednesday night. The event also saw a near record turnout with nearly 200 runners turning out for a midweek classic.

The route starts and finishes in Fitz Park and includes a circuit of the town via the Hospital, Main St and the dreaded Manor Brow. On a balmy evening the entire route was lined with spectators enjoying the sunshine, making for a fantastic atmosphere.

The mens race was won by some distance by James Douglas in 31.32, who also completed a hat-trick of victories and course records since the course was extended in 2013.

                                          James Douglas cruising to victory
Winning the ladies race was Keswick's very own Hannah Horsburgh in another record time of 38.39, and completing the trio of records was Sam Stead who set a new Keswick AC record of 33.32.

                                                       Hannah Horsburgh - new ladies record
Despite being weakened by providing a tremendous 37 volunteers to organise the event, Keswick also bagged the mens and ladies team prizes, providing the icing on the cake for what was already a hugely successful evening for the club.

Men:
1. J. Douglas (Border) - 31.32
2. S. Stead (Keswick) - 33.32
3. Mark Lamb (Keswick) - 34:07

Ladies:
19. Hannah Horsburgh (Keswick) - 38.39
48.  Karen Bridge (Eden) - 41.45
55. Viv Winter (Derwent) - 42.17

Keswick:
14. Jonny Hume 37.36
17. Adam Campion 38.18 (PB)
26. Steve Freeman 39.31 (1st V50)
27. Simon Jackson 39.40 (PB)
36. John Beetham 40.32
40. Rob Jones - 41.14
68. Stuart Edginton - 43.31
83. Louise Winter - 45.37
86. Craig Dring - 46.04
87. Keith Loan - 46.10
90. David Rice - 46.31
98. Lindsey Welch - 47.27
108. Louise Brown - 48.25
118. Joanne Kierney - 49.08
123. John Shaw - 49.40
139. Adrian Holme - 51.57
160. Suzanne Gilmore - 54.58
165. Linda Jubb - 55.44
169. Ella Scott - 56.20
179. Rachael Collins - 60.13

Keswick Take On Nation's Finest at National Championships

Keswick AC rose to the occasion of their first National 12 Stage Road Relays on Saturday, finishing 45th. The team were also the 14th highest placed Northern club - a superb result for a club with less than 200 first claim members.

The National 12 Stage Road Relay at Sutton Park is a classic event of the athletics calendar, and over the years has seen many of the greats of British distance running take part -Dave Moorcroft, Seb Coe, Brendan Foster, and Mo Farah to name just a few- and every year is of a high standard giving an opportunity  young runners to race against international athletes.

The event was again held at Road Running's equivalent of Wembley Stadium, Sutton Park in Birmingham. Despite the bright sunny day making for great spectating conditions the route was quite exposed and a brisk wind coupled with an undulating route made the challenge for the athletes all the more compelling. The spectators, many of whom consisted of runners waiting their turn, based themselves either side of the finishing straight. The Keswick boys made sure each of their compatriots were given an encouraging cheer as they slogged their way up the uphill finish.

The format of the 12-stage saw six runners having to tackle a long leg of 5.5 miles and the remaining sixmembers had to do a shorter 3.5 mile leg. 

Club captain Steve Hebblethwaite had selected a strong quartet of runners to tackle the longer legs.  Sam Stead kicked off the Keswick challenge on the first leg against an elite field headed by National XC Champion Charlie Hulson. Thriving off the electric atmosphere, he set Keswick's fastest long leg of the day in 29:13 to return the team in 34th place.  Pete George then ran a superb 3rd leg in 32.46 despite struggling with an achilles problem, but perhaps the gutsiest performance of the day went to Chris Brewer whose effort clear to see as he headed down the finishing straight of his leg of 32.56. Pat Malkinson followed with 33.20, and Keswick's strategy of placing stronger runners towards the end of the field paid off as Marc Brown (29:23) and captain Steve Hebblethwaite (29:41) clawed back 3 and 4 places respectively.

Interspersed with these runs were shorter legs run by Rob Wynne, Ian Davies, Rob Jones, Steve Jones, John Curran and Adam Campion, who demonstrated the strength in depth possessed by the club. Every runner is on their own personal journey and it is no different in this team - Rob W, Ian and John are all returning after injury, Steve Jones is training for an Ultra Marathon, Adam Campion for the Edinburgh Marathon and Rob Jones, competing in his first relay for the club, is chasing a long term target of a sub--40 10k. These individual journeys were set aside for a day and each athlete put their body on the line for their teammates, displaying some impressive times in the process. Of particular note was Ian Davies. who showed he is getting back to his best by setting the fastest short leg of the day for Keswick in 18:37. Adam Campion put the icing of the cake by finsihing the club in 44th place.

 44  Keswick Aac                         5:03:15
Sam Stead        (34) 29:13
        Rob Wynne        (47) 19:07
        Peter George     (48) 32:43
        Ian Davies       (51) 18:37
        Chris Brewer     (51) 32:56
        Steve Jones      (53) 20:17
        Patrick Malkinso (54) 33:20
        Robert Jones     (54) 20:15
        Marc Brown       (51) 29:23
        John Curran      (50) 19:02
        S Hebblethwaite  (46) 29:41
        Adam Campion     (45) 18:41

At the head of the field, Morpeth Harriers took their first ever Men's 12 Stage title and Aldershot, Farnham & District continued their dominance of Women's running by winning the 6 Stage title. 

Northern 12-stage Road Relay

For the second successive year Keswick AC has entered the Northern Athletics Road Relay Championships.  Prior to 2014, the Club had never before entered the prestigious 12-stage relay but with an increasing interest in road running, and the emergence of some real road-running talent within the Club, 2014 was a landmark as Keswick sent a team to Heaton Park in Manchester.  It was to prove an enjoyable experience and the Club put in a sound performance, finishing 28^th and mixing it with some of the strongest running clubs from the North of England.  But with the top-25 clubs automatically qualifying for the National equivalent, there was a little disappointment that Keswick had narrowly missed out on making it to the illustrious English Championships.

So it was a resolute group of 12 Keswick AC runners who travelled down to Sefton Park in Liverpool determined to finish within the top-25 and guarantee a place at the National 12-stage in Birmingham.

Sefton Park was to prove an excellent venue for the 12-stage road relay.  The course designed was exclusively on paths which weaved their way around the leafy confines of the park and it was a picturesque venue for runners, marshals and spectators alike. The nature of the route made it perfect for spectators to watch the race unfold and also allowed runners to cheer on their club colleagues as they tackled their respective legs.

The format of the 12-stage saw four runners having to tackle a long leg of 4.9 miles and the remaining eight members had to do a shorter 2.4 mile leg.  Some strategy has to be employed in deciding the running order of the team; some clubs preferred to stack their stronger runners at the head of the field to establish a strong start whilst others looked to put their speed merchants towards the end with a view to making up valuable places towards the finale of the relay.

Club captain Steve Hebblethwaite had selected a strong quartet of runners to tackle the longer legs.  Marc Brown led the way on the fierce opening leg clocking an excellent time of 25:05.  Sam Stead, on the third leg, was to achieve the fastest long-leg time of the day for the Keswick runners, running a superb 24:36.  Peter George, despite feeling under the weather for most of the week, put in an excellent 27:12 for the fifth leg and Steve Hebblethwaite concluded the longer-legs with a strong 25:12 on the seventh leg.

Interspersed with these runs were shorter legs run by Patrick Malkinson (making his debut for Keswick AC), Christopher Edis, Adam Campion and Andrew Slattery.  For some of these runners, tarmac is an alien concept, as their focus is very much on fell-running.  But the performances on the day clearly demonstrated that these fell-runners possess some decent road speed as Patrick ran 13:40, Chris 13:39, Adam 14:03 and Andrew 14:05.

Keeping track of overall positions throughout the relay is a tricky business as clubs are perpetually lapping other teams and positions are continuously changing.  But with two-thirds of the race done the impression was that Keswick AC was hovering just within the top-25. 

So it was down to the final four runners to put in solid runs to cement that position and guarantee a place at the Nationals.  And they duly delivered with Ian Davies clocking 14:16, Steve Jones 14:52, Rob Wynne 14:08 and Chris Brewer 13:35 (the fastest short-leg from a Keswick AC runner).

The feeling was that this team performance was enough to secure Keswick AC a tremendous 20^th position.  But there was to be a dramatic turn of events on the final leg at the head of the field as both Liverpool Harriers teams went astray on their own stamping ground.  This led to disqualification and Keswick AC was promoted to 18^th place.  This was a fantastic result for such a small running club and they can now look forward to battling with the country’s elite when they travel down to Birmingham for the National 12-stage road relay.

The navigational error from Liverpool Harriers was to open the door for Leeds City Athletic Club.  The Yorkshire based club took advantage of Liverpool’s mistake and took the Northern title in a time of 3:11:10.  Taking the other podium positions were Morpeth Harriers (3:12:07) and Salford Harriers (3:12:42).

Leeds City were to make it a double victory as their ladies took victory in the equivalent women’s 6-stage.  It was to be a dominant performance as they went onto clock 1:47:20, over four minutes ahead of Stockport Harriers who finished second in 1:51:41 who were closely followed in by Rotherham Harriers (1:51:54).

Race Review

I put together the below report as a result of some top performances from the Club's runners last weekend.  I haven't been able to get full results from Middle Fell as yet so apologies if I've missed you out.

It was to prove a successful weekend for Keswick AC with some impressive results at the Lorton 10k, the Middle Fell fell race and the Wilmslow Half Marathon.

This year was the fourth running of the Lorton 10k and the weather was near perfect for racing with sunshine, cool temperatures, little wind and no rain.  The race starts in the idyllic village of Lorton, situated just outside Cockermouth and the vale is surrounded by the picturesque Buttermere, Whinlatter and Loweswater fells.  The race route is a testing one with some stiff climbs as the course loops from Lorton down to Loweswater with a return on the east side of the River Cocker.  

The race was the first fixture in the 2015 Keswick AC Road Championship and there was close competition and excellent performances as 16 Club members looked to set down an early-season marker in the Club Championship.

There were victories in the men’s and ladies races for Keswick AC as Sam Stead took the win in 33:42, some 10 seconds ahead of Tom Durcan of Derwent AC (33:53).  Sam has made tremendous strides over the last 12 months and this was emphasised by the fact that he ran 36:31 over the same course in 2014.

In the female face, Hannah Horsburgh and Catherine Spurden scored a one-two for Keswick and there was little separating the two runners.  Hannah finished in 39:07 and Catherine, running her first race over the 10km distance, put in an impressive debut performance of 39:33.

There were a number of other category victories for Keswick AC as Rob Wynne finished first MV50 (40:20), Annabel Holmes was first FV45 (43:10), Steve Harwood was first MV65 (51:19) and Pat Richards was first FV60 (53:37).

Keswick runners were in abundance and a number were to go onto record personal best times which is some feat on the undulating Lorton route.  Club runners included Peter George (36:58), Jonny Hume (37:38), Richard Clarke (42:49), Ross Butler (43:02), Peter Richards (48:48), Emma McKinney (50:34), Kim Clark (50:56), Patric Gilchrist (52:34) and Juliet Grieves (53:30).      

The sun shone on a glorious March afternoon for the Middle Fell fell race in Wasdale.  The race starts from the small village of Nether Wasdale and is 6.6 miles long and includes the 1700’ ascent of Middle Fell.  The route leaves the village and follows the road for a short distance, after which the runners leave the tarmac and can enjoy two miles of relatively flat countryside as they cross the green fields of Nether Wasdale.  As they approach the small cluster of buildings at Greendale, Middle Fell becomes clearly apparent and, with little route choice available, the runners have to make their way to the summit and return via the same way.

There are no official results as yet but Keswick were again well represented.  Tom Addison of Helm Hill was to take the race victory but both Carl Bell (4^th) and Phil Winskill (8^th) were sporting the green and yellow in the top-ten of the field.  But the stand-out performance from the Club came from Jo Gillyon who took victory in the ladies race.

The Wilmslow Half Marathon is a popular and well subscribed half-marathon.  It provides excellent preparation for those looking towards the London Marathon, and with a quick course and stacked field, plenty of opportunity for runners to clock personal best times.

There was a large contingent of Cumbrian runners at the head of the field.  There were two runners from Carlisle-based club Border Harriers; James Douglas (6^th, 1:07:20) and Robert Hodgson (25^th, 1:11:38).  And West Cumbria was represented by Ellenborough AC’s Chris Steele (14^th, 1:10:04).

With each having Marathon aspirations, Keswick’s AC’s Steve Hebblethwaite and Russell Maddams will be well pleased with strong runs at Wilmslow.  Steve managed to score a personal best time, finishing 29^th overall in 1:12:14.  This was over two minutes faster than his 2014 effort over the same course, evidence that his diligent marathon training is paying off.  Russell also had an excellent race and was a mere 14 seconds behind Steve, finishing in 1:12:28 (34^th overall and 8^th MV40).  But the Keswick performance of the day went to Marc Brown.  After a breakthrough season in 2014, Marc is showing further improvement in 2015 and took a massive three minutes off of his half-marathon personal best time.  Marc finished 22^nd overall in a time of 1:11:13.

The race was won by Ben Siwa of Run Fast in a time of 1:04:57 and the female victor was Perendis Lekapana, also of Run Fast, who finished in 1:11:24.

Northern Road Relays

The Northern 12 Stage Road Relay Championships are being held this weekend at Sefton Park, Liverpool. Keswick are sending a strong men's team with the aim of finishing in the top 25 and thereby securing a place at the National Championships. Competition will be fierce with all the top clubs from across the region participating.

Here's the team. Wish them luck!

1. Marc Brown
2. Patrick Malkinson
3. Sam Stead
4. Chris Edis
5. Peter George
6. Adam Campion
7. Steve Hebblethwaite
8. Andrew Slattery
9. Ian Davies
10. Steve Jones
11. Lee Newton
12. Chris Brewer
Reserve: Rob Wynne

Legs 1, 3, 5, and 7 are approx 4.9 miles, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are approx 2.8 miles.

A Grand Day Out for Keswick Fellrunners

Saturday 28^th February saw the first fell race of KAC's fell running championship at High Cup Nick with an excellent turn out from the club. The promised rain held off and the prevailing wind blew us up the valley but made for a very chilly and tough return on the shoulder above the nick. As ever, the running up the valley was very muddy, tussocky and energy sapping but the stream of golden Keswick vests inspired us all to some of our best running. Nearly everyone improved their previous time, most notably Rachel Findlay-Robinson who, in spite of a heavy fall, came in third place amongst the Keswick Ladies helping them to the team prize alongside Angela Wakefield, an impressive fourth lady and Lyn Thompson. The men also took the team prize with Sam Stead proving he is as good on the fell as he is on the road and on cross country. He came an impressive second to the incredible Ricky Lightfoot who broke the course record. It was a great day out for our runners of all abilities and particularly good to see Steve Harwood back out on a fell race for the first time in some years and finishing very strongly.

The previous Saturday, a group of intrepid runners went to the Loughrigg Silver Howe race. Most were lost in the blizzard at some point as the navigation there is challenging there even on a clear day. Particularly good results were by Cat Spurden, second lady and Phil Winskill, fourth man.

Recently our long distance expert, Dave Troman, had a podium finish at the Osmotherly trail marathon and Keswick runners were to be seen doing well as far afield as Bodmin (Sam Stead) and Portsmouth (Adam and Peggy Campion).

The road runners have also had a busy few weeks with several good results recorded with Sam Ayers first lady at both the Lancaster 10 and Netherhall 10 with many other runners getting well placed and achieving personal best times.

KAC is not just about racing though. It offers social runs as well as planned training sessions (both daytime and evening) to improve speed and stamina. Anyone who would like to join us is very welcome. Just check out the training page on the Keswick AC website or email new@keswickac.org.uk.

Haweswater Half Marathon

10 hardy Keswick AC runners battled the elements at this Sunday’s Haweswater Half Marathon.  The hilly route set by organising club Eden Valley Runners was made all the more challenging due to 25mph winds and sleet showers.

At the sharp end, the race was won by James Buis (1.12.51) of Border Harriers who was given a good battle by Derwent AC’s Tom Durcan (1.13.06).  In 3^rd and 1^st V40 was John Clifford of New Marske Harriers (1.14.24).

The women’s race was more spread out with Heidi Dent of Howgill Harriers building a strong lead from the outset to finish 38^th overall in a time of 1.26.51.  Jessica Wilson-Young travelling from Edinburgh AC was 2^nd and 1^st V40 (1.29.16) followed by Paula Irons of Black Coombe Runners in 1.30.28.  Keswick’s Sam Ayers finished a strong 5^th and 2^nd V40 in 1.32.04.  However, the best race goes to Annabelle Holmes who raced brilliantly to gain a massive personal best of seven minutes over the half marathon distance.

James Christmas	M	01:28:59
Samantha Ayers	F40	01:32:04
Annabel Holmes	F45	01:35:08
Suzanne Smith	F40	01:37:21
Keith Hill	M45	01:40:16
Rachel Mellor	F	01:40:21
Mike Beechey	M45	01:45:15
Daniel Barton	M	01:48:43
Libbie Graham	F	01:48:44
Juliet Grieves	F45	01:57:58

The next road outing for Keswick AC will be the Lorton 10K on Saturday 21^st March, from Lorton School.  Details can be found on the RunBritain website.

Lancaster Valentines 10K – 14th February 2015

A number of Keswick runners decided to celebrate St Valentine’s Day in the usual manner – a 10K dash around Lancaster!

Well done to Siobhan Brewer (44:25) and Sam Stead (32:49) who both clocked personal best times.  Sam was at the head of the field and was narrowly beaten by Border’s Jonathan Fletcher who took the win by 15 seconds.

Congratulations also to Sam Ayers who took victory in the ladies race in a time of 40:44, some 30 seconds ahead of her nearest rival, Louise Goddard, of local club Lancaster & Morecambe.

Full results at: http://www.runbritainrankings.com/results/results.aspx?meetingid=130570

Buttermere Round

Yesterday we held an informal 'Buttermere Round' 34k race in an attempt to prove that the many regulations that have put us off registering the event officially have not put off the runners!

Six brave hearty soles get out for a tough work out in training for their Marathon aspirations later in the year.

Steve Hebblethwaite was first home in 2 hours, 31min, 7 Secs taking it easy for the first half and using it as a good long run for his Marathon training but he still had enough strength to run at 5.45 mile to get way from Tom Durcan who was 2nd in 2h, 32min, 3secs, 3rd was Mike Winter from Morpeth Harriers 2h, 47min, 45 secs.

Full results below:

1st Steve Hebblethwaite 2:31.07
2nd Tom Durcan 2:32.03
3rd Mike Winter 2:47.45
4th Tony Davis 2:55.05
5th Howard Seal 3:04.28
6th Andy Rodger 3:27.39

Many thanks to Russell for organising. We are looking to grow this race without registering it officially, perhaps with official timing next year. Would you like to see it back in the calendar?

Club Championship 2015 races

There are some great races in the 2015 Club Championships. Have you got the dates in your diary yet?

Best 4 results from 7 to count in both the Road and the Fell Championship. Full details over at www.keswickac.org.uk/club_championships.html

Road Championship 2015

Sat 21 March - Lorton 10K
Sun 3 May - Keswick Half
Weds 3 June - Carlisle Tri 10K
Sun 30 August - Sport in Action 10K
Sun 13 September - Cumberland Ale 10
Sun 15 Novemeber - Brampton-Carlisle 10
Sat 5 December - Langdale 10K

The start of the Lorton 10K in 2012

Fell Championship 2015

Sat 28 February - High Cup Nick
Sat 4 April - New Dungen Ghyll
Sun 24 May - Helvellyn and the Dodds
Sat 20 June - Great Lakes
Weds 5 August - Steel Fell
Sat 26 Septemeber - Orton 10K
Sat 21 Nov - Badger Bar Blast 

Phil Winskill enjoying Steel Fell in 2008

Mid Lancs League XC fixtures

There are two fixtures remaining this season, in the excellent Mid Lancs League, for anyone who may be looking for a high quality xc race to add to their racing programme.

Sat 14th Feb - Blackpool, Lawson's Ground
Sat 7th March - Lancaster, Rylands Park

All details here: http://midlancs.org.uk/

Weekend results - Sunday 1st Feb 2015

Plenty of Keswick AC runners in action again this week. Well done Lindsay Walker on a new personal best at Carlisle, while the ladies also took the team win. The race was won by Keswick AC second claimer and allround top lad John Battrick.

Resolution 10K, Carlisle, Sunday 1st Feb

1. John Battrick (North Norfolk/Keswick AC) - 32:45

21. Ian Davies - 37:52
33. Simon Thompson - 40:04
51. Andrew Martindale - 41:50

1. Joasia Zakrzewski (Dumfries RC) - 36:33

4. Sam Ayers - 41:11
9. Jenn Mattinson - 42:08
10. Lindsay Walker - 42:39 (pb)
11. Suzanne Smith - 43:37
20. Siobhan Brewer - 45:50
45. Juliet Grieves - 51:08

Dewsbury 10K, West Yorkshire, Sunday 1st Feb

1. Mo Abu-Rezeq (Altrincham & Dist) - 31:02

11. Steve Hebblethwaite - 32:50
197. Chris Richardson - 39:36

Runners at the start of the Resolution 10K

Blake Fell Results

A number of Keswick AC runners opened their 2015 racing account at Blake Fell last weekend. Well done all...

1. John Heneghan (Pudsey & Bramley AC) - 34:01
2. Phil Winskill (Keswick AC) - 34:10
3. Simon Booth (Borrowdale FR) - 35:19

4. Chris Edis - 35:44
17 . Lee Newton - 37:22
25. Adam Jackson - 39:55
47. Ross Butler - 42:58
48. Colin Valentine - 43:05
50. Rob Jones - 43:27
53. Andrew Martindale - 43:57
59. Nick Ogden - 44:43
69. David Burton - 46:26

27. Hazel Robinson (Ambleside) - 40:06
31. Amanda Ingram (Tri Lakeland) - 40:18
45. Angela Armstrong (U/A) - 42:44

60. Helen Winskill - 44:56
84. Siobhan Brewer - 50:45
88. Kirsten Ogden - 51:16
94. Kim Clark - 52:53
107. Juliet Grieves - 62.49
108. Sam Ayers - 62:51

Results:

http://c-f-r.org.uk/sites/default/files/2015%20Blakes%20Heaven%20Race%20Results.pdf

2015 season, informal planning meeting, next Thursday 22nd

There will be an informal mens 2015 season planning meeting, to run simultaneously to the ladies meeting, next Thursday 22nd after training, 7:30pm. All welcome.

An opportunity to share ideas and plans for the season, discuss and see what others are doing, and establish fell and road mailing lists for major events and team copetitions. To take place at Wetherspoons after training.

Any ladies interested, there is a ladies are meeting which is in the pavillion after training, also Thursday 22nd.

Club Statement: Buttermere Round

It is with regret that the club can announce that the Buttermere Round 34k race will not be taking place this year.

Over the years, turnout for this race has steadily decreased whilst requirements for race marshals and water stations have increased. Last year, we hosted 33 runners and required 10 volunteers to support them. Unfortunately this is no longer sustainable in our busy race calendar.

We know that those who do run the Buttermere Round are very fond of it and many use it as valuable marathon training. We will be running the race as an informal club run for local clubs, others who would like to join us can get in touch at secretary@keswickac.org.uk.

The dates of our remaining race fixtures will be posted on the website shortly.

Run fast,

Sam Stead
Club Secretary
Keswick AC

Reform of club training survey

It was great to see so many people at club training last night. Club training is an aspect of the Club that is receiving ongoing attention to see how it might be improved. The feedback of members is really important as we go forward. Please fill in this brief survey (and particulary if you don't attend training). Don't be shy in making suggestions, and hopefully we can make decisions that better represent the preferences of the Club's members.


Please click the following link to take you to the survey:


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gzMpQKURt-AfVoP4rJh0xSM7FXP6_h9iLINe96GYqyU/viewform?usp=send_form

Northern Cross Country Championships pre-entries closing date!

The closing date for the Northern Cross Country Championships later this month, is this Friday (9th Jan)!

We have a car going, if anyone else wants to run, get in touch for a lift. Pre-entry only using the link below.

Full details here: http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2015/infonaxc15.pdf

Fell Running on Skiddaw Exhibition at Keswick Museum

Fell Running on Skiddaw (and Latrigg) exhibition now on till end of February at the Keswick Museum, Station Road, Keswick. This has been put together by Ron Kenyon with help from several club members including Allan Buckley and myself.

New Keswick AC Facebook discussion forum

A new closed Facebook group for Keswick AC has been set up. This is currently proving a popular forum for members to organise training runs, social activities, etc.

Head over and take a look now.

Thanks.

Link here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/506849286114020/ 

Fell Training

Dear All,

Please see below message from Lakeland Rowing Club and let me know if you can help. I'm sure it will present the club in good light and build bridges between local sports clubs which can only be a good thing. Who knows you could be running with the stars of Rio 2016! If no-one can do a session in the day (which it sounds like they are after) then I will just invite them to club training.

Hi there, Lakeland Rowing Club (Derwentwater) has 20 visiting top class rowers from Oxford University visiting Keswick next week and with the weather forecast not looking too good for rowing (too windy) from Wednesday to Friday, we are looking to find some other activities for the rowers. I was wondering if there was anyone at Keswick AC who could take 20 rowers out for a fell running training session for 1/2 day? Can you please let me know? Thanks David T, Lakeland RC.