Hi everyone,
Just another brief update outlining what people have been up to on the road in March.
Championship Update
The Rother Valley 5k was the second race in this year’s championship and was held on Sunday 6th March. Although unable to attend myself, I have heard some rather interesting tales which have painted the picture of a race so chaotic it was almost comical; so much so that the Race Organiser was subsequently removed from post!
Seven Harriers made the trip down for the race. There appears to be some issues with the results as most people ran quicker than their official times state, and nearly half the field is down as a V50. What is for certain though is that Phil Hinchcliffe (17:27) won the race outright, whilst Amy Smith (22:00) was first lady back for the Club and the second lady overall.
| Pos | MPos | FPos | Name | Chip Time |
| 1 | 1 | Phil Hinchcliffe | 00:17:27 | |
| 4 | 3 | Jack Sunderland | 00:18:40 | |
| 9 | 8 | Adam Sunderland | 00:20:20 | |
| 10 | 2 | Amy Smith | 00:22:00 | |
| 12 | 10 | Andrew Kerry | 00:23:16 | |
| 15 | 12 | Mark Henderson | 00:25:26 | |
| 16 | 13 | Rob Kersey | 00:25:32 |
No men have taken part in both races to date, hence the Men’s Championship is wide open with just five points separating the top nine runners; it’s still early days though! In the Women’s Championship, Amy Smith was the only runner to take part in both races and has already established a healthy 27-point lead. Remember that each runner’s best six races count however, so there is plenty of time left for her to be caught!
Current Road Championship Standings
Other Race Results
The Northern Road Relay Championships were held in Birkenhead Park on Sunday 27th March. The men did very well to raise a team of 12 runners given the apparent lack of interest from what might be deemed our ‘elite’ runners, and in the circumstances performed excellently to finish 39th. Alex Hannay ran the quickest long leg for the club (approximately 8km) in 28:45, whilst Gary Graham wound back the years to run the quickest short leg (approximately 4km) in 14:27.
| Leg | Length | Team Pos | Name | Time |
| 1 | Long | 43 | Phil Hewitt | 00:29:05 |
| 2 | Short | 44 | Rob Kersey | 00:17:14 |
| 3 | Long | 44 | Alex Hannay | 00:28:45 |
| 4 | Short | 45 | Michael Hall | 00:19:24 |
| 5 | Long | 45 | Michael Sanderson | 00:29:42 |
| 6 | Short | 45 | Gary Graham | 00:14:27 |
| 7 | Long | 43 | Curtis Firth | 00:31:13 |
| 8 | Short | 43 | Neil Dutton | 00:14:44 |
| 9 | Short | 42 | John Saeki | 00:15:52 |
| 10 | Short | 41 | Mark Wilson | 00:15:15 |
| 11 | Short | 41 | Chris Beadle | 00:17:57 |
| 12 | Short | 40 | Craig Sheard | 00:15:48 |
The women performed incredibly well with their 6-stage team as they finished 14th overall. Ruby Sykes had a strong start on the first long leg, recording the quickest time for the club in 28:45 as she finished 9th overall, whilst Cara Inch ran incredibly well as she recorded the quickest short leg in 13:51 , which was the 7th fastest time overall on that leg.
| Leg | Length | Team Pos | Name | Time |
| 1 | Long | 9 | Ruby Sykes | 00:28:45 |
| 2 | Short | 8 | Cara Inch | 00:13:51 |
| 3 | Short | 10 | Claire Leaver-Hewitt | 00:15:10 |
| 4 | Long | 12 | Helena Croft | 00:30:30 |
| 5 | Short | 11 | Amy Smith | 00:16:18 |
| 6 | Short | 14 | Olivia Dyson | 00:17:20 |
You can read more about the race here.
Elsewhere it’s been a busy month on the road and it’s great to see so many people out running.
On 6th March both Andrew (1:59:28) and Deborah Clarke (1:59:05) raced in the Haweswater Half Marathon where they each broke two hours to record PBs.
On the same day at the Oulton Park Marathon Tim Brook was 2nd V40 in the Oulton Park Marathon and fifth overall with a time of 2:52:52.
| Position | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Chip Time |
| 5 | Tim Brook | MV40 | 2/2 | 02:52:52 |
The ever-popular Wakefield 10k was held on 19th March and saw six Harriers turn out for the Club. This was Joe Minchella’s first ever 10k race, but you wouldn’t think so as he stormed home in 34:28 to finish 5th overall. Anthony Waring also ran excellently to record a PB (I believe) of 40:49.
| Position | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Chip Time |
| 5 | Joe Minchella | MSEN | 4/137 | 00:34:28 |
| 75 | Anthony Waring | MV50 | 6/98 | 00:41:00 |
| 165 | Craig Sheard | MSEN | 43/137 | 00:45:09 |
| 498 | Sarah Hall | FSEN | 41/111 | 00:54:41 |
| 505 | Sophie Cromwell | FSEN | 43/111 | 00:54:51 |
| 851 | Daniel Yates | MV50 | 83/98 | 01:04:35 |
Upcoming
Next up in the Road Championships is the Salford 10k, which takes place on Friday 15th April (Good Friday); it’s a fast, flat course which should hopefully offer the opportunity for some PBs. Unfortunately the race has sold out, but if anyone is looking for a 10k in the next few weeks then the Brighouse 10k is taking place on the 24th April and looks like a nice, low-key event.
Looking further ahead, there are still place available for the Leeds Half Marathon on Sunday 8th May, which is the fourth race in the Road Championships. Entries are also now open for the Club 5, which this year is being run as the Dionne Coburn Memorial 5 and is being held on Tuesday 17th May. You can read more about the event and sign up to race on the event page.
The Yorkshire Road Relays follow the day after the Salford 10k on Saturday 16th April. This year these are being held at St Thomas A Becket Catholic Secondary School in Wakefield. Both men and women compete in teams of four and run approximately 3 miles each. Team events such as this are a great day out, anyone can take part, and the club pay for your entry. If you’re interested, then you can read more and sign up on the event page.
Finally, good look to our women who take part in the National Road Relays this Saturday 9th April!
Cheers,
Michael.
