Happy was the word to describe the Sessay Swift 6k last week, just a bit longer than a park run but still a chance for a good blow out! The fast, flat, one lap course allowed the quickest runners to test themselves and felt achievable for slower competitors, all of them looking as if they’d gone as hard as they could. Tom Calvert of Knaresborough Striders won the event in 19.21 minutes with Angela Whatmuff of Harrogate Harriers 1st lady, 33rd in 23.21. Out of the 290+ finishers, Tom Levi was first club member home, 5th in 20.29, with Jamie Bentley 15th in 21.49, Ben Morgan 18th in 22.11, in a sprint finish with Matt Jones 19th in 22.12, Paul Peacock 22nd in 22.22, and Josh Cooper 24th in 22.37. Jody Sygrove took 23.59, Muhammad Umar 24.02, Esther Harrison, 1st club lady finisher and 2nd lady overall, 48th in 24.45, Ken Wood 25.09, Neil Cooper 25.13, Jack Spence 25.36, Trudy Morrice 60th and 1st F50 in 25.46, Alan Simpson 25.49, Gary Wilkinson 25.55, with Andy Whiteley 26.00, David Tervit 26.04, Sarah Fairhurst 26.10, Lorraine Hiles 26.09, Adrian Elsworth 26.14, Adam Harper-Walker 26.15 all coming in quick succession. Rob Burn wasn’t far behind in 26.29, Paul Atkinson 27.22, Joe O’Keefe 27.35, Martyn Coy 27.52, new member, Sam Simper, 28.03, Dave Baker 28.07, Kirsty Naylor 28.51, Louise Mayfield 29.02, Hilary Coventry 29.06, Anna Whitham 29.10, Clare Tempest 29.30, Helen Ashworth 31.02, Sarah Harrison 31.06, Geoff Bullock 31.10, Andrea Colls 31.12, Pauline Percy 31.22, Tracey and Mike Lowther running together 31.35, ever present Duncan Fothergill 32.09, Lucy Sillars 32.19, Tim Waistell 32.37, Beth Haggath 33.00, Faith Coy 33.05, Trish Radford 33.15, Chris Wordsworth 33.29, Joanne Hunt 34.23, Alison Butcher 35.16, Andy Butcher, running with an injury, 35.24, Allison Whiteley 35.49, Natalii Motrych 35.58, Phillip Craig 37.03, Rachel Davidson 37.06, Paul Adams 38.18, Christine Burn 38.35, Helen Hindmarch 38.47, Sharon Keegan 40.02, Margaret Wikeley 40.49, Ellie Atkins 41.05, another new member, Simon Spence 41.06, Gillian Dewar 41.54, Carol Thompson 42.14, new member, Kurt Brook 42.28, Denise Gandy 44.25, and, bringing up the rear, Ian Codling 55.42.
All in all, 65 club members completed this club championship race, with Ripon Runners not far behind in total, but also well supported by all the local clubs, and plenty of non-club runners as well. Thirsk and Sowerby, competing aginst Easingwold RC, once again won the Ian and Marian Codling trophy.
A race like this couldn’t go ahead without a lot of work from a lot of people, and a big thankyou to Duncan Fothergill who masterminded and organised the event, making sure all the marshals, many of whom also ran the race, were in place, and generally made sure everything was as it should be. Thanks also to John Flintoff and Sessay Cricket Club who put on a superb barbecue, which added to the general feeling of well being and happiness after the race.
