Race Calendar
2013

BRASS MONKEY
1/2 MARATHON INFO
20.01.2013

Race Report 2007

Dublin Marathon - 29th October

The conditions for running the Dublin marathon on the Irish Bank Holiday Monday 29^th October were perfect. As always a very well organised race and with accommodation at the Bewley’s, Ballsbridge Hotel and cheap flights from Leeds/Bradford, all that was left to do was run 26.2 miles.

First time Marathoners Sarah and Phil Elliott-Dick had an amazing run with Phil finishing 3.15.44 (603^rd) Lets just say he ran his pants off – ask him? Sarah 3.45.28. Good times were also achieved by Richard Walker 3.18.27 (659^th), Margaret Metcalfe 3.51.12 and Dick Hunter 3.57.13. Other finishers were - Michelle Atkins 5.02.25, Liz Burns 5.03.45, Sue Adams 5.07.54, Paul Adams 5.16.39, Lynda Bish 5.34.36 and Jayne Fligg 5.58.27. We were well supported on route by Dave Bish and Julie Rookes.

We are already waiting for entry into next years to get booked. Are you joining us? It’s an ideal first marathon with no time pressures, nice weekend break for the family as well. If you want more details closer to the time just let me know.

Report by Michelle Atkins

Bridlington Half
Congratulations to Chris Farrell who finished the Bridlington Half Marathon in a personal best time of 1:30.30.

Berlin Marathon - 30th September'07

The Guardian reports "Berlin Buzzing  as Halie Gebrselassie smashes world marathon record mark" in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 26 seconds.

The last of the Knavesmire Berliners to complete the course was Head Club Coach Peter Schofield, who in returning a time of 3h:47m:46s took some 21 minutes of his 2006 time at the same event.

Belper 30k Multi terrain - 19th August'07.

Millenium Bridge 5k - 7th August'07

There were some fantastic Knavesmire performances on Tuesday night. Cameron Brookes had another storming run, finishing in third place in 15:25. Richard Lowson also had a cracker, running just under 16 mins to finish 7th. Darren Hendley was third male for the Mire, with a solid 17:00 performance to finish 18th.

Among the women, there were good performances for Katy Godfrey (8th woman in 19:30), Fiona Strange (10th in 19:40) and Sarah Nettleton (12th in 20:59).

Thanks to Joy for photos.

Burn Valley Half Marathon - 7th July'07.(report by Jean)

A number of the York Knavesmire Harriers turned out to run the Burn Valley
Half Marathon on an extremely hot day on Saturday afternoon  The countryside
was lovely but the course is quite gruelling There were plenty of water
stations which helped
 The organisers supply a very good tea for every  one afterwards  which was
something to look forward to
After the race some of the members thought Jean was hallucinating when she
said she had run the  first 6 miles with a "gorilla"  but she had done so
and he had kept her going with stories of his work in Uganda.  However after
6 miles  he was encouraged to go on as he was running much faster and she
needed a rest!  This young man an ex-Royal Marine had worked for many years
with the gorillas and elephants in Uganda.  He must have been boiling in his
fur suit!!

Only Malcolm Fawcett,  Richard Thorneycroft and Jean Snelling were brave (or
foolhardy!) enough to also take on the Kilburn 7 miles on Sunday  Maybe for
Malcolm and Jean it was the bottle of wine at then end of it which was a
"carrot" but not so for Richard
There was torrential downpour which lasted quite some time before the race
but it had stopped by the time the race was started however yet again it was
scorching which made the hills a bit difficult for the stragglers but not so
for the faster runners
 The York Knavesmire Harriers featured well in the prizes
Prizes to:
Kate Nelson          1st  Lady home  and also First in her Catagory
Sarah Elliott-Dick   10th Lady home
Margaret Metcalfe    1st  Lady O/55
Malcolm Fawcett      2nd  Male O/65  
Harold Dobson        1st  Male O/70  
Jean Snelling        1st  Lady O/70  

Blackpool Marathon, 03 June '07.

Cameron Brooks blitzed both the field and the club record at the Blackpool Marathon.
Storming to the finish in just 2:29:34 Cameron easily won the race, a mere 23 minutes ahead of the next competitor. Ian Anderson's old marathon record of 2:36 was relegated to the record books in the process.

Edinburgh Marathon, 27th May '07- from Alayne Finlay

We gathered in our start pens according to our predicted times and here I was pleased to meet fellow Knavesmire Harriers, Dick Hunter and Alaistair MacLeod who were also both aiming for a time of around 4 hours.

Thankfully just before the gun went the rain stopped and we set off in slightly cool but otherwise good conditions. The start took us east along Princes Street under the spectacular backdrop of the castle then out past the further landmarks of Holyrood Palace and Arthurs Seat. This year the course had been changed to make it flatter than previous years so from here we left Edinburgh and followed the coast through East Lothian.

Running along the promenade of Portobello and heading out on the main stretch of the course provided spectacular scenery along with a fierce headwind which made the run tough in places. At 7 miles we passed by Musselburgh racecourse, the new finish point for the marathon, and the first of the relay change points. The relay seemed exceptionally well organised although it was all too easy to be swept along at the speed of those runners with fresh legs and thankfully Alaistair was there to remind me not to carried away with them or I doubt I would have made half way!

The rest of the course took us out to Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton before turning through the grounds of Gosford House and returning to Musselburgh. Despite the weather there was still a good crowd out supporting the runners along the route and the cheer from the grandstand at the finish was something I won’t forget for a long time.

With the 3 of us having similar expected times (although it was our first marathon for myself and Alaistair) we ran together for much of the way and when we did part the doubling back allowed us to cheer each other on.

I was first across the line in a time which far exceeded my expectations in 3.40 and was closely followed by Dick in 3.50 and Alaistair in 3.51. I think I can speak for us all in saying it was a great day and the event was well organised with a fantastic course. I for one am sure I will be back to do it again!

Bern Running Festival.12 May'07

St Bede's 5k Series

Race 1: The first of St. Bede's three 5k road races took place on Wednesday 2nd May. A good Knavesmire turnout of 10 runners (out of a field of 146) toed the line. Darren Hendley led home with 16:53 in 19th place while Mark Magill ran 17:49. Abey G-P led home the ladies in 19:07, closely followed by Katy Godfrey and Zoe Davis who were both under 20 minutes. There was also a PB (I think) for Andrea Lancaster who was just 5 seconds over the 20 min mark. Other Knavesmire runners were David Darton, Ian Bithell, Colin Lea, and Malcolm Fawcett.

Race 2: The second race on 9th May was remarkable only for the fact that most people ran virtually identical times from the previous week. Darren continued to dazzle, running three seconds faster than in Race 1, again leading home the men. Abey ran 19:05, two seconds faster than the previous week, closely followed by Caroline Warrington in 19:09. Andrea ran four seconds faster than in Race 1, missing the magic 20 minute barrier by an agonising two seconds. Other Knavesmire runners were Malcolm Fawcett (23:26), Mark Magill (17:56), David Darton (21:14), and Colin Lea (21:57).

Race 3: On a gloomy wet Wednesday it was again Darren who led home, with his best time yet of 16:40 (14th place). Mark Magill followed in 17:23. In the Abey v. Caroline battle it is now one-all, Caroline having just nipped under the 19-minute mark (8th) with Abey coming in about 30 seconds later (10th), while Katy Godfrey ran 19:53. Other Knavesmire runners were David Darton (21:13), Colin Lea (21:28), and Malcolm Fawcett (23:14).

London Marathon- 22nd April 2007

18 Knavesmire Harriers completed the London Marathon. Ian Anderson led the Mire home in 2:47, followed by Richard Lowson a few minutes later. Nicola Midgley led home the women in a shade under 4 hours, while Jean Snelling finished third in her age group. Well done to everyone who ran and raised money for good causes.
Congratulations to Margaret Brown on completing the race only 6 days after finishing the Paris Marathon.

Paris Marathon- 15th April 2007

A large contingent of Knavesmire Harriers ran through the baking streets of Paris at the weekend. Here is a report from club chairman David Darton:

The Paris Marathon starts with going to pick up your numbers and chips at the Paris Marathon Expo. There were some nice touches - such as being able to get a patch printed with your name on it to pin on with your number so people could cheer you on by name. Even nicer, it being France, many of the stands promoting regional marathons had free wine on offer!

We registered for the Saturday breakfast run as a warm up for the Marathon.
This was great fun - though early with an 8.30 start more or less under the Eifel Tower. It was really a jog of about 5,000 runners, led by a great band and flags from all the countries taking part. It gave you a taste for the Marathon as the 3-mile route finished in the finishing tunnel for the Marathon itself - and conveniently 5 mins from our hotel and a welcome late breakfast.

We had been getting warnings all week about the expected temperature and Sunday dawned very bright indeed. It was already warm when we got to the start area at 8.15, though cool in the shade where the starting pens were.
It was a great atmosphere with commentary in English and French. The Champs Elysee stretched down before us, filled with about 30,000 runners. We were in starting blocks according to our expected running times, so the start was surprisingly smooth given the numbers. Colin Lea, David Darton, Martin Smith and Garry Moss from KH started in the same area about two-thirds of the way to the back but we were still across the line in just over 5 minutes.

The mile down the wide Champs Elysee was sheltered and cool and reasonably quick. Indeed there was only one short bottle neck on the whole route apart from a bit of chaos at water stations where it was not always clear where the energy drinks were - though food was abundant. The route takes you past many of the sites of Paris - Place de la Concorde, The Louvre, Hotel de Ville, the Bastille, Notre Dame and even through the underpass that Diana died in. The crowds were fantastic throughout and there were 70 bands, dance groups or stalls of one kind or another throughout the route.

The downside was that the sun came over the top of the buildings after about 40 mins and from then on the heat was debilitating. At 10.00 we went past a themometer on a building reading 23 degrees and we were told after that by 11.00 it was approaching 30 degrees. The water stations were well stocked for Colin, David and Martin, but Garry, who was running a little slower came to one or two stations that had run out of water, which was apalling in those temperatures.

With the cheering compensating a bit for the heat, times were respectable, though a little slower than our most optimistic targets. David - recovering from an illness in January and February - managed to break the 3.45 minute barrier for the first time and his finishing time just under 3hr 43 was his PB by about 8 minutes. Colin at 3hr 47 beat his last year's Paris time by 4 minutes. Martin in his first ever run of over 20 miles met his target of beating 4 hrs, coming in at 3hr 51, despite cramp and a difficult last few miles. Garry, also in his first Marathon and having given up smoking during his training from it came in at just a few seconds over 5 hours and declared he enjoyed it despite the enormous pain! The heat did knock time off because many runners ran at their planned Marathon paces at the beginning of the race and then found they did not have enough reserve for the heat of the last ten miles.

But overall a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying race."

Meanwhile, marathon first-timer Martin Smith says: "The course was quite different from the Great North Run, starting and finishing at the Arc de Triomphe, it wasn't quite the mass-charity raising event we experienced late last year in Newcastle, but in other ways it was fairly similar - a flat, well organised course, with lots of water stops, 250,000 spectators lining the streets, bands-a-playin' and the usual ambulance or three along the way!  The last of the runners were crossing the start line while the leaders were already at Place de la Nation.."

Martin thanks everyone who helped him raise around £3,500.00 for Cancer Research UK - full story at www.justgiving.com/mdsmith

Here is another Paris report, this time from Neil Kingham:

Having met briefly on Saturday 14^th April for photo’s by the Eiffel Tower, the ‘Best Western Opera Saint-Lazare’ crew met up bright and early on the morning of Sunday 15^th April.  It was a beautiful day, the sun already out and beginning to get very warm.  A 30 minute walk saw everyone gathered in the area of the Arc De Triomphe, where people gradually split off in various directions before making their way to the starting pens.  Approximately 30 minutes later the sharp retort of the starting gun echoed around the Champs Elysees followed by a rousing version of Chariots of Fire - adrenaline pumping - and the shuffle to the line had begun!!

 The first 10K passed quickly and without incident other than the water station bottleneck that created a small delay.  The course then went out to the quieter woodland section, the trees providing some well needed shade at this point.  The woodland ceased around the half way point, and according to the ‘Supporters half Marathon’ contingency all the runners that were spotted were looking very good with some notable times.  Around 16 miles the course went through a long tunnel, this provided some relief from the relentless heat and also gave a chance for some much needed camaraderie with Mexican Waves & shouts of ‘Chicken & Chips’!! Back out into the glaring sun and the last few miles were hard work, temperatures hovering around 30C and a lack of marshalls resulting in spectators ambling across the road in front of the runners. After a long hard final 6 miles, where it seemed that the mile markers were at least 2 miles apart, the finish line was a very welcome sight!

 A big congratulations to all Knavesmire Harriers who took part.

The Saint-Lazare crew:

 Special mention to Janet for her outstanding time and a PB and also to Sarah for being sporting enough to go and support when she couldn’t take part.

 A fitting end to the adventure seemed to be to go back to the beginning.  Subsequently once everyone had had time to freshen up and recover, it was out on the town for something to eat, a few beers and a trip back to the Eiffel Tower - this time to go up it!  The 1650 (I think) steps were just a couple too many for marathon tired legs so it was the lift not the stairs that took us all to admire Paris by night.  

Racing in the Lakes- Easter weekend

YKH were well represented at races in the Lake District over the Easter Bank Holiday. Neil Strange ran the Great Grizedale Forest 10 mile trail race and finished 4th overall and 1st Vet 40 in a time of 59 minutes and 23 seconds. Paul and Sue Adams also represented the square wasps in the same race. Meanwhile Fiona Strange ran in the Keswick round the houses 5.3 mile race and was 7th lady and 1st Vet 40 in 35 mins and 50 secs.

Guiseley Gallop- 8th April 2007

In what was potentially a first for YKH (or certainly the first for a long time), Knavesmire runners won both the senior men's and women's races at the Guiseley Gallop 10k, with Kim and Abey taking the respective titles.

Abey felt she "wasn't running very well", and was only in 10th place at the half way stage. But after being cajoled by some bloke from Tadcaster, Abey pulled herself together and began picking-off the runners in front, eventually romping home with a 50-second margin over the 2nd place runner. Abey's satisfaction in winning a generous voucher from Complete Runner was only slightly diminished when she was asked if she is a veteran!

For Kim, the race was "a good training run", and "not as hard as the track sessions on Thursday"(!) At the finish, Kim's margin of victory was slight- just 2 seconds- but he has assured me that it was a "very controlled 2 seconds".

Arkendale 10k- 1st April

Race report from Jean Snelling:

Four of us went to Arkendale on 1st April to run in their inaugural 10k race.

In our innocence we thought being a new race there would only be a few people there especially as they had said to pick up race numbers on the day!! Imagine our surprise when we got there to find a few hundred people there - many registering on the day  There were quite a number of York Knavesmire runners there and the beautiful weather brought out many other runners from much further afield. The organisers had to cease allowing entries on the day as they had far more than expected. Quite a number of spectators and lots of dogs and children.

The race itself was a little undulating, part on quiet road (apart from the very angry motorist who cursed the runners running on the right hand side of the road!!!) then track and then on a quiet road and a long stretch of field before a hill to the field finish. An enjoyable run on a beautiful day.

Best was yet to come Home made cakes and drinks and a BBQ with hot dogs and really good burgers. A big barn with plenty of seating was very welcome and certainly would have been a boon if the weather had been bad.

We do hope the organisers made a lot of money for their church and new village hall. They have told me they learned a lot from this their first race and hope to put the info into practice next year

Harold Dobson gained first male 065 and I was informed this morning I had got first lady 070 (however I believe I was THE ONLY lady over 70!!! 

Results are on John Schofields site and the photos which may be purchased can be found on http://doubletake.fpic.co.uk

Wakefield Hospice 10k/Coniston 14 - 25.03.07.

In addition to the club run at Ackworth, club members could also be found this weekend competing in races at Wakefield, Coniston or training in the Lake District .
Ian Anderson ran a time of 35:07 to finish 19th at Wakefield, where Harold Dobson finished first in the V70 category.
Dynamic duo Sue and Paul Adams together with Jon Laud chose the somewhat more scenic Coniston 14, and were rewarded with unseasonably good weather for the time of year.

 

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