A busy week saw two tough races in consecutive nights, with 20 or so members at the Whorlton Fell Race on Wednesday and 46 at the HDSRL at Yeadon on Thursday, and six valiant people competing in both! At Yeadon, a club championship race, 46 members were among the 362 finishers over a course which was mainly off road, hilly and very testing. On a warm evening, Matt Jones was first club person home, 10th in 34.58, finding the long, tough uphill to the finish line a final straw! Ben Morgan wasn't far behind, 15th in 35.55, with Paul Peacock 28th, and 2nd M55, in 36.55, Daniel Garthwaite, in a fine vein of form, 29th and 3rd M40, in 37.04, just pipping Gary Wilkinson – one of those who had done 2 races in 2 nights – 30th in 37.09. Josh Cooper was 35th in 37.22, ahead of Esther Harrison, another who had run the previous night with it seemingly not affecting her too much as she was 44th, and 1st F35, in 38.17. Ken Wood came 74th in 40.06, Adam Harper-Walker 84th in 40.41 in a sprint finish with Cameron Balmain, a new young member going from strength to strength, 86th in 40.42. Adrian Elsworth finished in 100th place in 41.30, Richard Grant 105th in 41.45, Bronwyn Mayo 117th, and 2nd F35, in 42.32, Rob Burn 129th, 2nd M65, in 42.54 and Lorraine Hiles 134th, and 3rd F55, in 43.19. Alan Simpson took 44.40, Brett Edgeworth 45.10 – had run last night, Joe O'Keeffe, another from the Whorlton Run, 45.20, Luke Shannon 46.02, Kirsty Naylor, 3rd F40, 46.10, David Tervit 46.22, Pedro Carrasco 46.46, Louise Mayfield 46.54, Hilary Coventry 48.38, Martyn Coy 48.58, Andy Newing 49.21, Dave Baker 49.55, another ever present and club captain Rosie Gatenby 51.07, Richard Soper 51.18, Geoff Bullock 1st M75 in 51.34, Robyn Blanks 53.35, Allison Whiteley 55.05, just ahead of her running buddy, Craig Atherton, 55.06, Faith Coy 55.23, Alan Docherty 55.35, Lynne Jackson 55.56, Chris Wordsworth 55.58, Tracey Docherty 56.15, Janet Balmaiin 56.42, Louise McVay 57.15 in a dead heat with Lisa Scott. Liz Wordsworth 57.54, Beth Haggath 63.23 – also a runner the night before, Christine Burn 64.28, Phillip Craig 69.12. Denise Gandy 71.33 and Liz Stephenson, trying to get back into gear again after a break, 81.48. Having run perhaps one of the hardest courses in the Harrogate League, runners then had to face the daunting prospect of another long, hard uphill pull back to the car park at the cricket club – where a sumptuous feast, laid on by host club Dragons, awaited them!
Matt Jones near the finish at Yeadon
Ben Morgan at Yeadon
Robyn Blanks, Andy Newing and Chris Wordsworth relaxing after the hard Yeadon run
The previous evening, the Whorlton Run Fell Race, Race 3 in the Dave Parry Summer Series, had 89 finishers of whom 19 were TSH members on a fine night with sunshine and a welcome chill breeze. Congratulations to Tom Levi who won the race, also 1st M50, in 46.18 , with Andrew Price 12th in 48.53. Freddie Wharton, running with the club again after a break for education, and fulfilling his earlier potential, came 15th in 50.22, Richard Grant 29th in 53.45, just ahead of ever present Gary Wilkinson, 30th in 53.46, Esther Harrison 34th and 2nd open lady in 54.42, David Fawkes 39th in 55.26, Joe O'Keeffe 47th in 59.13, Kim Wilkinson 51st in 60.26, Brett Edgeworth 53rd in 60.57, Rose Kruger 55th in 61.23, Trudie Morrice 57th, and 1st F55, in 62.28, the improving Joe Joyce 62nd in 64.00, Alan Simpson 64th in 64.42, Hilary Coventry 65th, and 2nd F55, in 65.03, Fran Jeffery 68th in 65.27, Rosie Gatenby 69th in 65,38, Lucy Sillars 82nd in 74.35 and Beth Haggath 88th in 89.24.
Members at the Whorlton fell race
The furthest from home park runners this week were Andrew and Ruth Pollard at Beach Strip, Ontario, Canada, though Gavin and Hilary Coventry had travelled a fair distance to the Armagh event in Northern Ireland! 21 other members were at various more local park runs on a fine, sunny morning – not too hot at that time of day.