VetsRaceReports''12

Vets Series , Race 2 - Otley, Sunday 4 March

Thirteen of us braved the sleet and heavy rain to run in the second of the Vets races at Otley. Fortunately the rain eased off to a hardly noticeable drizzle and the only decision at the start of this race was whether to wear road or trail shoes.

The first 3 kms of the first lap were on lovely flat tarmac paths, and I began to wonder if trail shoes were the right choice. Cue the off road stretch - a lovely riverside path. BUT, there wasn't much opportunity to enjoy the scenery, with one and a half kms of slippery mud to negotiate, and it was even stickier and slippier on the second lap! It just wouldn't be Vets without mud, but the lack of hills was a bonus.

Knavesmire performed brilliantly, with Barry Atkinson finishing 10th overall, earning him 2nd prize in M50. Ian Bithell claimed 2nd prize in M65, and Jo Hunt, running in her first Vets race, came in as 11th lady home , and first F35!

Kelly Temple ran as a guest, as she still hasn't 'come of age' . Soon, Kelly, soon!

The rest of us - Pete D, Martin, Pete W, Steve, Dave, Duncan, Gary, Linda and myself all reported good runs and 'happy with times.'

The next Vets race is at Kirkstall on 22 May, it would be great to see some new faces there. If you haven't tried a Vets race, why not give it a go - interesting courses, bit of a challenge, but always great fun and a real camaraderie within our team.

Report by Liz Matthews

2012 YVAA Vets Cross Country Championships. 19.02.12

On a sunny, but bitterly cold Sunday a small select group of Knavesmire Harriers competed in the Yorkshire vets cross country championships. Going was good to firm on a pretty nice rolling course at the Northern Racing College in Doncaster.

First up were the ladies (all age groups), M70+ and M50-69, with the ladies and M70+ running 5k and the M50-69 running 10k. After the scrum of the start (those M70+ were pretty ruthless) things settled down, Andrea Lancaster leading the ladies in with a fantastic 4^th overall and 2^nd in the F35, followed up by Mandy Clarke (3^rd F40) and Liz Matthews (10^th F50). The three of us as a team, competing in the F35 – F44 team category, came 4^th.
As us lucky ladies turned off on the second lap to complete our 5k, Ian Bithell, competing in the M65 category, had to continue on to do 10k. Ian looked far fresher at the end of his 10k than I felt at the end of a mere 5k and had a great run, coming in 9^th in his age group.

Finally it was the turn of the M35 to M49 age groups. Running in this race, Pete Downes and Mark Dye both ran strongly, coming in 13^th and 19^th respectively in the M45 category. The splitting of the men’s races meant we were unable to count for team prizes and probably made for a more strung out field than any of the men would have liked.All in all a good day and probably the shortest elapsed time from end of the races to the prize giving that I have ever witnessed, and all without electronic timing. It would be good to see a few more of you vets out next year. It’s a good opportunity to fight for county honours for those that are so inclined and also a fairly low key introduction to cross country running if you’ve never done cross country before. By M Clarke

Vets Race 1

Hardy Harriers at Horsforth!

After a week of snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures, we thought crampons might be the order of the day for this, the first of this season's Vets fixtures. But, at a couple of degrees above freezing, the weather was positively balmy and the ice had melted to leave the slippery mud that seasoned Vets know and love. Add a couple of long hill climbs, including one at the finish, and it had all the ingredients of a great race.

Pete Downes led the men's team home, followed by Martin Smith then Pete Welsh.

Commiserations to Steve Raisbeck , a new member and running in a YKH vest for the first time, who unfortunately pulled a muscle at the end of the first climb and was forced to retire. He assured me that it hasn't put him off and he will be back for more!

The ladies were represented by myself and Carol Diggle, both of us finishing in respectable times.

Thanks to Pete, Gary and Dave who talked my car into life when it refused to start!

Next race is at Otley on March 4th at a most civilised start time of 1pm.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Report by Liz Matthews

Last modified: September 20, 2011 Designed by M D Smith hotel software developer