Kenilworth Runners member Nick Bradbury travelled to Lancashire to take part in the Stockport Staggers road race. The race starts in Stockport and really lives up to its name starting with a lap of a sports track and then a pleasant run through the park lands its located in, it then changes to mostly housing estates with some rural road routes, all in ideal conditions. However, the staggers hits home at 5miles with a steep climb of some half mile and a further assault at 8.5miles with a further crawl and then a return through the park for a finish around track again. All in fine sunny conditions, if not a little fresh at times.
Nick was well pleased to finish in 1:09:41 claiming 116th place. However, with only 500 finishers the field was quite competitive with the winner's time of 50 minutes despite the challengingly steep hills.
13/12/05
Whetstone Harriers 5
Kenilworth Runner member Mick Morris travelled to Leicester to take part in an annual 5 kilometre road race. This race has been run for at least 30 years and probably more and was first intended as a Christmas lunch time bit of fun for members of the Whetstone Harriers, or as it was known as GEC Harriers members, most of whom worked at the adjacent factory of GEC . However over the years it has gained popularity with local running clubs and is so popular that 44 runners both ladies and men took place. The course is flat and fast and takes in the villages of Littlethorpe, Cosby and Whetstone.
For 72 year old Mick Morris this was his 27th consecutive event and he completed the race in 25.35 minutes in 40th position.
Photograph from a club race earlier in the year |
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17/12/05
Gaddesby Gallop
Kenilworth Runners member Colin Bricher took part in this pre-Christmas cross country race, also known as a trial event, over a 5.5 mile course that includes a number of obstacles such as a dewpond a concrete culvert which the competitors negotiate as well as a cold stream and plenty of stiles.
Colin had an excellent run to finish in 58.31 minutes.
27/12/05
Massey Ferguson 5Km
This was a race with a difference as watches and timepieces were not allowed. Each runner had to submit his predicted time to the start marshal and then run the race and try to come as near as possible to his predicted time.
Four members of Kenilworth Runners tackled this novel event which started outside the Berkswell Bear Public House and then proceeded towards Coventry along Spencers Lane to climb the Hill by the roundabout and turn left into Benton Green Lane and so to turn left into Broad Lane and left again at the Berkswell Bear to the finish of the 5 kilometre race by the seat on Spencers Lane.
Kenilworth Runners members, Pauline Dable, Tom Dable, Richard Steel and Mick Morris all had good runs but how near they were to their predicted times is not known at present.
31/12/05
Huncote Hash Cross Country
Three members of Kenilworth Runners travelled to the pleasant little village of Huncote which lies just west of Leicester. The excellent Sports Leisure Centre was the venue for what is arguably the hardest six mile cross country race in the calendar. They joined 205 other runners many of whom were dressed for the New Year celebrations.
Not that the course allowed much by way of celebration for it can be described as a race of two halves, the first very hard and the second very, very hard. With a small coppice just after the start by the Sports Centre the first 3 miles crossed a number of ploughed fields which were very muddy and difficult to negotiate but had a ‘Kick in the Tail’ with the steep ascent of the local eminence Croft Hill. The second half started benignly with the sharp descent down Croft Hill and across many of the fields crossed in the first half but with the added ‘pleasure’ of the stream followed by the Sand Quarry with its massive banks of wet sand and about a mile of flat but incredibly thick and gelatinous wet muddy sand. Runners were rewarded for their efforts by a nice cup of steaming hot soup and crusty bread at the finish.
Tom Dable lead Kenilworth Runners in with a splendid run to finish in 125th position in the time of 60.32 minutes. Mick Morris followed in 173rd position in 69.52 minutes with Pauline Dable just behind in 69.58 minutes and in 174th position.
This was a splendid was to finish the year!
Sunday 4th December