I and other Stone Master Marathoners headed up to Cheddleton on Saturday lunchtime for the annual 10k pudding run. Some including myself were lucky enough to be chauffeur driven courtesy of Nick who was behind the wheel. The temperature plummeted as we headed north to the Staffordshire Moorlands with wind and rain adding to the chill factor- this was going to be a race to remember !!
On arrival Nick ,Julie ,Anne-Marie and I met up with fellow members & partners; Linda, Paula, Tom, Hazel, Kevin, Kevin’s wife, Joyce, John and not forgetting Smm’s Cheddleton resident Roger. With such a great team of runners and supporters what could possibly go wrong!
Following the fun run completed by Hazel we assembled in a orderly fashion for a last minute team photo shoot organised by Tom with Mick Hall a great opportunity to again capture the new kit.
At 2pm sharp we set off and were soon greeted by the sound of the lone piper after our first climb out of the village which in the wind and rain became quite motivating. It was just after this point I was overtaken by Nick so it was clearly working for some.
Lap two soon came round and I was joined by Tom who caught me up on bag pipe hill. I understand this was Toms first race following long term injury and he was going well !
Throughout the race I kept Nick in my sight but clearly his new Hoka running shoes were doing their job and I was unable to gain ground.
It wasn’t long before the final lap came round and we found ourselves racing down to the finish in the old village centre to collect our Christmas Puddings 🙂
The early finisher’s went to cheer their colleagues on with great commentary provided by the race organisers adding to the occasion. Julie had a mention for one of the last runners in under the hour with Joyce seconds behind.
The school hall afterwards provided a warm sanctuary from the inclement weather with tea and cakes most welcome. Knowing that monies raised from the event was going towards Cancer Research added to the most enjoyable day and the second brilliant Smm event in less than 24 hours !! Highly recommended 🙂
Scores on the doors
Kevin Uzzell 47 minutes
Nick Boulton 51 minutes 28 secs
Chris Ellerton 52minutes 28 secs
Tom Johnson 53 minutes 7 secs
Anne-Marie Mountford 53 minutes 33 secs
Julie Boulton 59 minutes 47 secs
Joyce Edwards 59 minutes 53 secs
Linda Cartwright 1 hour 1minute 3 secs
Paula Furnival 1 hour 1 minute 33 secs
Cheers
Chris Ellerton