After the excesses of the Christmas period, it was time for the 10th and final club run of 2013, the Jolly Holly Jog in Ripon. 27 Harriers arrived to tackle a multi-terrain course taking in parts of the Studley Royal deer park and the surrounding area. The route takes in a couple of reasonable climbs and a few mucky off-road sections, before a quick descent to a bridge (careful Stef!) and a final sharp climb to the finishing straight. The strong wind of previous days had died down to give pleasant running conditions, although we did have to contend with the added obstacle of deer park visitors who struggled to understand the concept of crossing bridges in single file!
The race was won by Jack Simpson of Leeds City, who went on to finish 2nd in the recent Yorkshire XC Championships. For the Harriers, Ste Robson was on top form and pushed me all the way, finishing in 27thplace (not far behind me in 25th, suffering slightly from a busy Christmas period). With Pete Downes coming home in 34th place, we posted a decent performance in the team competition with 4th place behind a very strong team from Harrogate Harriers. Pat Boden was the first of the Knavesmire ladies, followed by Clare Moffatt and Liz Matthews.
Thanks to Ripon Runners for organising a cracking event and for the photos, along with some top quality post-race bacon butties.
By Neil Stabbs
