Category: Run Reports

Race Report: Richard & Margaret Shaw

This year the Half Marathon was advertised as part of Bungay Festival of Running which also included a Marathon and for the first time a 10k. All three races follow the same route with the Marathon runners completing two laps of the course, Half Marathon one lap and 10k peeling off at around 3 miles and rejoining the main route at approx 5 miles. All three races were sold out prior to race day. All chip timing.

Bungay is an attractive village situated centrally on the Suffolk/ Norfolk border in the Waveney Valley and is just over 500 miles round trip from Stone. You may well ask, why compete in a Half Marathon such a long way from home? It is a race we have previously seen advertised and Suffolk is where my Mother was born and many of my relations still live. Also, this year as I have reached the ripe old age of 65, I decided to run a different race in a different county each month.The Bungay Marathon was one of the many Marathons run by our late club member Vernon Olivant and was included in “Vernon’s Stupid Heroes League”.

The races start and finish on the outskirts of Bungay with the Marathon starting at 9.00am and the Half and 10k at 11.00am. The route skirts the villages of Mettingham and Barsham before reaching the half way point in Beccles. The runners snake their way through the quaint streets of Beccles then over River Waveney which is part of Norfolk Broads into open countryside through the villages of Gillingham and Gelderston then at 11 miles the run takes you along the old railway line back to the finish in Bungay. The route starts in Suffolk, runs into Norfolk and back into Suffolk for the finish. A scenic route but not a P.B course.

The winning times were as follows:
Marathon. 2:50:22 runner from Ipswich Jaffa Running Club
Half Marathon 1:17:49 runner from Colchester Harriers
10k 35:32 runner from Colchester Harriers

My Chip time was 1:54:05 finishing 229/502 with Margie 2:20:27
A good club run as 10k and Half Marathon runners set off together for first 3 miles also the Marathon runners are at the start of their second lap roughly at same time as we start, so at some point all are running together. It was one of the hardest Half Marathons I have run and now know why it was included in the ” Stupid Heroes League”. However, a very enjoyable race and good to run with runners from numerous running clubs not usually seen in Staffordshire.

All finishers received a well stocked goody bag, medal and can of Adnams of Southwold Ghost Ship Beer which was well deserved and went down very well after the race.

As already mentioned, I am running a different race in a different county each month and so far have completed the following :

January. Twin Piers 10k in Llandudno Gwynedd
February. Alsager 5 in Cheshire
March. Stafford Half in Staffordshire
April. Bungay Half in Suffolk

The following races I have entered:

May. Market Drayton 10k in Shropshire
June. Kingham12k ( 40th Anniversary Race) in Oxfordshire
July. Bewl Water 15 miles (British Masters Multi Terrain Championship) East Sussex
August. Kimbolton Half in Cambridgeshire
Sept. New Forest Half in Hampshire
October. Tissington Trail Half in Derbyshire.

Only November and December to arrange!

Having run the Survival of the Fittest obstacle race a couple of times around the Etihad Stadium and velodrome (Man City), it felt like the right thing to do to run an event based at Old Trafford. I registered for the 2014 event but needed to defer which the organisers accommodated for a small admin fee.

I’d assumed it was a new-ish event and had heard that it had recently had a bad year that some of the club had experience of (2012 I think – wet baggage, organisation and steps at the end?). The blurb though indicated that 2015 would in fact be its 39^th year and in 2014 it scooped awards for ‘most improved race’; and ‘best marathon’. So indications were good.

I wasn’t with the club when I enrolled and am training for longer distances this year but as the 19^th got closer I began to feel the pressure of its being marketed as the ‘UK’s flattest, fastest and friendliest marathon’ – I’d have to give it a good go.

The football fans amongst you will know that there are a few pop-up car parks around Old Trafford that will charge £5-10 per day and the stadium is well served by public transport. The organisers allow you to book I advance the Man United car parks though so I did that for ease – it was £10 and was park N2 right next the stadium, village and finish-line. I’d recommend it, especially if lone-running. I got there for 6am but people were landing at 8am so if you are staying locally or are willing to take a risk on the M6, you could arrive later.

The event village (car park E2, M16 ORA) was superb with huge marquees for baggage, eateries, etc. and I’ve never seen as many portaloos at any event I’ve been to (these things matter). The beauty of the car park was being able to leave kit in the car though. I don’t think they catered for valuables like mobiles/keys, which felt like a gap given all the other services offered. The scores of marshals, cadets and volunteers were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for you.

Not having run in club colours since a teenager it was nice to hear someone shout ‘Stone!’ at me a couple of paces into the village. Turned out to be five friendly Newcastle runners; and during the race did a thumbs up with a Trentham guy and another in a Michelin vest that feels like Trent Vale but I don’t recognise yet?

The muster for the start was different – there wasn’t an obvious voice directing the herd and the time-based colour pens weren’t pens like the Great North Run, but signs you kind of stood by until the off. It was a little bit confused at first. I’d been allocated to the second last group and was worried about how to get towards my pace group. The benefit of loose waves though was that we could edge up – there were people in the forward groups edging back at the same time.

Too far from the front to hear Ron Hill pull the trigger, we relied on a tannoy to relay that we were off. The next task was to spot the pacers. Running with big flags ranging from 3hrs to 5 hrs they were good visible targets. The blurb asked that you book online beforehand – I tried but couldn’t work out how to, so was easier to aim for the flag. Key bit of advice I’d give is to not forget like I did that if you are chasing a pacer in a wave ahead of you, you actually put yourself ahead of that pacer because you have caught them up. Steve Parker gave me some great advice to hold steady for 16 then give it some towards the end. That was my intention but chasing the pacers meant I pretty much got sucked into moving forward and did the reverse, which I wouldn’t recommend – it hurt in the last third! Another peculiarity is that with 15 minute interval pacers, there appeared to be a 3:15, 3:29 and 3:30 all this interval apart which didn’t compute.

The course involved a bit of out-and-in with two loops, one around Altrincham; and the other around Sale. Once away from the start the running was very residential with occasional town centres which felt very similar to the mid-section of the Great North. It quickly became striking how flat the course was. I’d not noticed before but hills do gently help regulate pace and their absence seemed to make for consistent running which could trap you if like me, you went out too hard. I counted five ‘bits’ of gradient all the way around that any of the club runners would take in their stride. If though you wanted to break yourself in, there was an option to run a relay in teams of two and four which appeared to be really well marked – it is a very accommodating event.

Support from the public and marshals really was second to none with bands and choirs that you would like to stop and enjoy, but had to keep moving. The numbers had your name on so you’d get shouts from all over which make a difference. There seemed to be sweets and water offered very regularly indeed. There was a gap around salt-based stuff though. I think there were two stations that gave isotonic drinks – I caught the last one just after the body started moaning at mile 22. I’m not a big drinker during a run but would take a salt supplement with me next time. Mile markers were there the whole way round and matched Strava well (if you use it).

Got to give huge thanks to Tim Hulse for his support, shout out and kind write up – really made a difference at miles 4 and 19. Great run by Elaine Hulse too.

Things went a bit wayward 21-25 as you expect. There was a little bit of countryside where things went very quiet then what felt like a long straight road in. I think it was at 25 when you could see the footie stadium again which was a good magnet. The road kinks a bit (still flat though) so you lose sight of it but the main supporters start at this point and the end seemed to come really quickly.

The finish was slick and very well supported – someone seemed to check each of us as we crossed to check welfare then it was on through the reception area. The sponsors were Asics, MyProtein and Erdinger so the offers were a foil blanket, cups of whey protein and then beer (with no alcohol in – never had it before but was ok). Goodie bag with nice T-shirt and huge medal as they all seem to be at the moment. The vast majority of finishers appeared really happy with their times – and about how they had qualified for other events on the back of this race. I’ve done a few events with RatRace over the years and tripped over one of the partners who blew up half way, walked a bit and still finished in 2:42 which reminded me that we only ever compete against ourselves!

It was a really well organised event that did feel friendly, if a little ponderous before the start. Would strongly recommend if want a qualifying time or PB and could be a good first marathon if like me, it was your first. Flip side is your time in pretty much any other race you do – be it Potters or London is likely to be slower. A lively event that felt more like a half than a full, I’d recommend giving it a go.

The organisers, Xtramile events (xtramileevents.com) also do a range of endurance events, triathlons mainly, so after you’ve done the marathon, you may get tempted to have a look at some other disciplines while you are on. Hope this of some use, cheers.

Race report – Pam Eardley

Thursday evening was a lovely night and what a good night for the first part of the Spring Treble. I didn’t run any of these  races last year being new to the club so not being a fan of hills I wasn’t quite sure what lay in store, but safety in numbers Julie McArthur Lucy Carter  and myself said to one another “well I will if you will”. To be totally honest we all run on a Thursday evening anyway so we thought why not have a change of scenery (with a few hills thrown in.)

I arrived just after six to see Richard Shaw and Chris Barlow doing a great job getting us all parked up. Walking to pick up my number and T shirt I  bumped into Joyce Edwards who warned me how to avoid a particularly boggy area of the course thanks Joyce. Was nice to see John too . It was lovely to see so many club members marshalling and all part of the organisation which  had me thinking perhaps I should of helped  you guys and not run it . There was a lovely informal atmosphere and it was great to see so many different club runners, everyone was very friendly.

I made my way to the start and met my  2 running buddies . Deciding to stay at the back we set off at a nice steady pace possibly doing more talking than running but we ladies are good at multi tasking. The course was great all off road and in stony places quite difficult to get much speed up on , well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I saw a few fallers and a couple of people who had pulled up so we stopped a couple of times to check the runners were ok.

I did think at one point we seem to be going down hill an awful long time which only means one thing, what goes down must go up.
What a climb it was too and a photographer at the top !!!!  Thanks!!!!!Then after that I can’t remember much else I remember Brian who was marshalling spurring us on by telling us we were nearly there !!! We all finished together so we made it around the challenging course. Bring on the next two.

Unfortunately things didn’t finish quite so well for Chris Eardley who decided on  a sprint finish and pulled a calf muscle, which possible puts him out of action for a while certainly Milford he will be marshaling now .

Huge thanks to everyone of the Bats too many of you to mention great job

Bill Clarke – Captain, Stone Master Marathoners

While writing this report on Sunday night, I suddenly realised why my back was aching and my legs felt so tired: old age and the fact that this is the thirtieth year I have been running, and then I had been running for 2 ¼ hours earlier that morning so I suppose I have to expect this sort of feeling at my age now. On the positive side, I have managed to run (not race) four races over the last six weeks which I have enjoyed with the people who persuaded me to take part.

The weekend of December 7^th I put myself up for the Weston Park 10k expecting it all to be on paths, but no – it was about half on paths and half over muddy tracks (do not listen to Dave Griffiths if he finds a race to run). Three members took part with Dave Griffiths 1^st for the club in 58 minutes, followed by Anne Griffiths in 60 minutes and myself a few seconds behind. On the same day, Tim Hulse ran the Stockport 10 miles, a race that he does every year, with a time of 1:16:24.

The weekend after these races we had the last of the North Staffs cross country races at Leek Westwood High School – a tough course. In the ladies race, Alison Brind finished 1^st lady for the club (28:49), closely followed by Claire MacKellar (30:12), and Emma Clay (32:49) just managed to hold off Ann-Marie Mountford (32:55). In the men’s race, two members ran with Alex Yendole running a time of 46:07 and Jonathan Howell with a time of 47:55.

The following day I again took part in the Telford 10k with three members of the club.  This was Julie McArthur’s first race for the club and she was also the first member to finish (52:16), followed by Dave Griffiths (56:33), Anne Griffiths (59:07) and myself (59:24).

On the night of Wednesday 17^th December there was a reasonable turn out for the Chairman’s Bare Wrist run over four miles with Tom Johnson closest with his predicted time and with Alison Brind first for the ladies.

The last race of 2014 was Wheaton Aston 10k and four members took part: Dave Griffiths 58 mins, Anne Griffiths and myself 59 mins, and Sarah Capewell 68 mins – a PB by three minutes.

On Thursday 8^th January, we had a special beginners group for new members with 29 first timers, 22 regular beginners and 10 club members which turned out to be very successful with two different group runs.  Following on from that night we are averaging about the same each week so far.

At the NSRRA awards at Florence Sports and Social there were trophies for Ann-Marie Mountford for first lady group W winner and the most improved runner and the Stuart Dunston trophy for the best performance by a group W runner at the Clayton 10k. Pam Davies was first lady veteran age group 60 – 64 and she now holds the association record for lady veteran 60 years for the marathon 4:01:48. Richard Fain came third in group D.

The last race I was going to report on was the Four Villages Half Marathon at Helsby in which seven of us travelled up to the Wirral, but this was called off at the last minute because of icy roads so we returned to Stone and did a ninety minute run around Barlaston Downs and the Outlanes.

Bill

Editor: The photo above is from the Oakamoor Vets from the summer –  I’m not convinced that many of the ladies are old enough to qualify as Vets.

John Haine – Chairman Stone Master Marathoners

Wednesday 17^th saw the annual quest to find the members who can predict and accurately achieve a running pace. The distance for the annual Chairman’s ‘Bare Wrist Run’ is an accurate 4 miles and each competitor is asked to predict their time. Watches are not allowed!

28 members completed the challenge with the usual high level of accuracy.

Lucy Carter, on her first attempt, was only 11 seconds fast but beaten into first place by Alison Brind in 2 seconds slow. Tom Johnson was 13 seconds slow to win the male prize, narrowly beating Malcolm Mackinnon 14 seconds fast.

I would like to thank everyone for the awesome spread and I wish all the club members a Happy Christmas and don’t forget the training!

no	name	slower	predicted	actual	faster
2	Richard Shaw	#########	00:34:43	00:33:43	00:01:00
3	Brian Hall	00:01:37	00:35:20	00:36:57	########
4	Margaret Shaw	#########	00:38:38	00:38:18	00:00:20
5	Paul Phillips	#########	00:33:00	00:30:56	00:02:04
6	Malcolm Mackinnon	#########	00:34:35	00:34:21	00:00:14
7	Jane Ford	#########	00:34:15	00:32:50	00:01:25
8	Fabien Carbonelle	#########	00:33:15	00:32:16	00:00:59
10	Mick Downes	#########	00:28:30	00:27:49	00:00:41
11	Paul Lee	00:01:37	00:28:00	00:29:37	########
13	Chris Barlow	00:01:24	00:35:10	00:36:34	########
14	Phil Sharratt	#########	00:42:23	00:40:04	00:02:19	booby
15	David Russell	#########	00:34:37	00:33:11	00:01:26
16	Tom Johnson	00:00:13	00:28:05	00:28:18	########	1st man
17	Sharon Brandwood	00:02:33	00:37:00	00:39:33	########
18	Kevin Uzzell	#########	00:31:30	00:30:51	00:00:39
21	Claire Mackellar	#########	00:36:00	00:33:00	00:03:00
22	Julie Boulton	#########	00:37:50	00:35:52	00:01:58
23	Julia Dando	#########	00:44:00	00:39:20	00:04:40	booby
24	Pam Davies	#########	00:36:10	00:35:43	00:00:27
25	Mac McCoig	#########	00:37:41	00:35:49	00:01:52
26	Julie Ebrey	#########	00:38:00	00:33:45	00:04:15
27	Alison Brind	00:00:02	00:33:00	00:33:02	########	1st lady
28	Richard Fain	#########	00:29:23	00:28:33	00:00:50
29	Sarah Renolds	#########	00:35:39	00:34:41	00:00:58
30	Alex Yendole	00:00:40	00:30:00	00:30:40	########
31	Julie McCarthur	00:00:59	00:40:00	00:40:59	########
32	Lucy Carter	#########	00:41:10	00:40:59	00:00:11

Bill Clarke – Club Captain 

Blimey, another month since my last report and the weather is still reasonable for this time of year! It has been a quiet month for races -with only four to mention – starting with the 6 Dales Challenge: 25 miles over fields and stiles, with both runners and walkers taking part. I remember running this race 12 years ago, getting lost and taking that long to finish that I was asked at the end if I had started with the walkers. Anyway, Tim Hulse recorded 4 hours 9 minutes, with Ann-Marie Mountford, Claire Mackellor and Julie Ebrey all recording 6 hours 52 minutes.

In the Athens Marathon 7 members ran, with Mick Downes coming in first for the club in 3 hours 24 minutes.

For the 5K Park Hall Cross Country at Longton, Pam Davies was the first lady in for the club in 29 minutes 2 seconds, with the ever-improving Emma Clay coming in at 30 minutes and 1 second, Anne-Marie Mountford at 30 minutes 21 seconds and Margaret Shaw with 34 minutes and 25 seconds. In the men’s race over 10K, 7 men from the club ran, with Steve Fenney flying round in a swift 39 minutes and 36 seconds – a good time and half a minute faster than our second man Fabian Carbonell (who I could not get to run any cross country races).

In the latest race, the Cheddleton 10K – a tough course over three laps with a longish climb on each lap – Kevin Uzzell came home in 45 minutes  42 seconds and was 1^st male veteran 65. Julie Boulton was our first lady in 56 minutes and 45 seconds.

Just to finish, I would again like to remind members of the Chairman’s Bare Wrist 4 miles on Wednesday 17^th December at 6.30 pm. You have to run the 4 miles without your watch on and predict your finishing time to the nearest second over the two lap course. It starts from Newcastle Road to the Ponds Garage on the A34, to Stafford Street, Crown Street, Newcastle Road, Trent Road, back on to the A34, Stafford Street, Crown Street and Newcastle Road, where it finishes by the club entrance. Please bring a plate of food for a buffet after the race.

 Bill

Bill Clarke – SMM Captain

The beginning of November going dark early but at least the temperatures have been higher for the time of year and the races have been coming thick and fast over the last few weeks.

I was quite surprised when Phil Sharratt came and told me that he had run the Black Country 10k in 59.59 and finishing 1^st for the club?  (PHIL DOES NOT DO RACES)

This was followed by 4 races on the weekend of the 5^th October.  The Congleton Half Marathon – 1^st for the club was Mick Downes 1.27.06, with Richard Fain 1.31.50, Paul Lee 1.34.00 and Ann-Marie Mountford 1.51.00, all achieving PB’s.

Tim Hulse was the only club runner at the Chester Marathon with a time of 3.26, but Fabian Carbonell also ran the Chester Metric Marathon (26k) in a time of 2.10 and at the Bournemouth Marathon Jackie Allen finished in 4.05.

Mid October saw Steve Parker, J  Holland, Bernie Priekulis and Chris Barlow travel to Hungary to race the Budapest Marathon with Steve Parker 1^st member across the line in 3.40.00.

Alison Brind took on the Round Rotheram 50 miles, her first longer distance for a while in just over 11 hours.

Richard Fain was the only club runner at the Werrington 10k and recorded 43.06.

The second of the North Staffs Cross Country took place on Saturday 25^th October on Stafford Common.  Six ladies ran for the club over 5k.  Pam Davies 26.30 just managed to hold off Alison Brind at 26.39 and Emma Clay 27.26 managed to get the better of Ann-Marie Mountford 27.33 who had beaten her in the previous cross country race.

In the men’s race over 10k Tim Hulse was 1^st member to finish in 45.50.

The day after Clare Mackellar, who had just returned from injury, finished the tough Snowdonia Marathon in 4.12.00.

The Flying Fox 10 miles run on the 2^nd November saw 17 members take part, 8 of whom are fairly new members and the weather was kind for early November with Richard Fain 1^st club member 68.46 PB followed by Paul Lee 73.44 PB, Ann-Marie Mountford 83.33 PB and 1^st lady member.

One of the new lady members who had only joined a few days earlier, Gail Evans, ran with my club vest from 1989 which I wore when I broke 3 hours for the 1^st time (POTTERIES MARATHON)

I would like to thank all the members of the race committee and everybody else who helped out at the race, marshals, finish line members and people at the water station.

 After this race I now have the distinction of coming last in a road race (BACK MARKER).

Bill.

The Flying Fox 10 mile race is on Sunday 2nd November 2014 and is now open for entries – online or by post.

It’s a scenic and rewarding race which suits all runners; from those looking to step up from a 10k race through to the more established distance runners.

Marshalling the Marathon – by Brian Hall

In the early days of planning the Flying Fox Marathon Bernie asked me how I might help. I think he was hoping I might say that I would organise the course marshals, having carried this job for many years on our other races. The trap was set, and into it I fell.

It is twenty years since I last helped to organise the Flying Fox, and back then it was held on a (fairly boring) two and a half lap course between Stone and Barlaston. Few complicated junctions, no ‘elf and safety to speak of, and relatively easy in terms of control. Water in plastic dustbins, plastic cups and much lower traffic counts than on today’s roads. And no email.

Fast forward to 2014. A single lap, extremely complicated rural route on very narrow, sometimes muddy lanes described as “scenic”. The word “trepidation” soon became understood as I realised how challenging the safe delivery of this race would be. Having been driven round the course by Bernie, trying vainly to remember the direction and mark the marshal points on a map at the same time is an experience not to be forgotten! At least we were in his work car and not the Noble…

After some head scratching, I decided that the way forward would be to divide the course into sections and to have a marshal co-ordinator for each section, particularly where the route was really complicated, as on race day it would be well – nigh impossible for me to ensure that all helpers were in the right position  on the course.

The sheer number of road junctions called for over thirty marshals to point runners in the right direction, let alone the start/finish/registration/results/car parking team at the headquarters, and the manning of the multiple drinks stations out on the route. I reckoned that a crew of least fifty would be required. Throw in a bank holiday weekend and half-term, would that be possible from a club with a membership of just over a hundred?

Our Spring Treble series came and went, then with stark realisation the marathon was but a month away. Already four of the five co-ordinators had been recruited and the task of persuading nearly half of our membership to help was under way. The level of support from our members was beyond my expectations, friends and family were called upon and retired members heard about the venture and offered their assistance. Even a couple of runners from Market Drayton were drafted in. We had to recycle many of the marshals from early parts of the course to man later junctions and water stations, but no-one showed any dissent.

On the day the 20^th anniversary of our unique race went almost without incident. There was one heart-stopper when at about half distance we had a radio call to say that the lead motorbike had taken the wrong route, with the runners following. A mad scramble to the relevant point on the course at Walk Mill proved the information to be incorrect – apologies to Mike on the bike and marshal Anne-Marie who were understandably indignant! Later in the race the lead moto took to the greenery, luckily without much injury to bike or rider.

We quite rightly put our trust in you all, and not one person let us down, and no runners got lost. My sincere thanks go to all who helped. It was a terrific team effort and a real success, impossible to name individuals because there are so many but you all know what part you played. Fantastic.

So would we do it all again? Not sure my ticker would stand it!

George Kay 1936-2014

George was a long-time member of Stone Master Marathoners, was much respected and an inspiration to all runners.
The popularity and quality of running in North Staffordshire was largely due to George. He was dedicated to the NSRRA being not only secretary, race organiser and editor but also the single handed organiser of many races including Bathpool 5, Stafford 20, Tittensor 10 and Eccleshall 15.

After an academic career in South Africa George became Head of the Department of Geography and Recreation Studies at Staffordshire University

He ran over a 100 marathons (his first 100 he achieved an average time 2.42 with a best of 2.32). He ran Ultra events and participated in many of the events organised by the Long Distance Walker (LDWA). I remember the only time we beat George was on the Anglezarke . George had taken the wrong turning but was adamant that the organisers had changed the route!

I shall mainly remember George as an inspiration. I shall remember him mustering to the back to encourage the improvers. He would then wind up the pace so we would be breathless in a short while.
George was totally committed to running and has left this world a better place.

John Haine

Chair, Stone Master Marathoners