Blakes Heaven - Keswick Juniors

Nine hardy young fell runners turned out in their Keswick vests for the first race of the 2014 Keswick junior league last Saturday. The wonderfully named 'Blakes Heaven' race started from Lamplugh Green with tough routes around the fells under Blake Fell. The weather was freezing and so windy that some of the younger ones could barely run upright! However, they all put their hearts into it and returned exhilarated. Keswick had some excellent performances with Erin Stone taking first place in the Under 8 Girls and Emily Wightman with a perfectly timed sprint at the end (Mo Farah would have been proud!) to take first place in the Under 10s. Proving that athleticism runs in the family, Sam Stone took second in the Under 12 Boys on a tough straight up and down course. There were also excellent runs from Anne Mellor taking 3rd behind Erin and in the very competitive Under 10s race, Theo Coates took fourth with Zak Edginton in his first fell race coming in sixth. Isla Turnbull worked hard putting in a great performance to come in 4th behind Emily. We were also well represented in the older age groups with Ella Jackson winning the Under 14 Girls and Samuel  Macey taking fourth in the under 14 Boys. 

Results:
Under 8 Girls
1st  Erin Stone Keswick 8.38
2nd Fayth Bowness CFR 9.13
3rd Anne Mellor Keswick 9.31

Under 10 Boys
1st  Liam Bond CFR 5.38
2nd George Sidaway CFR 6.15
3rd Alex Rhodes CFR 6.19
4th  Theo Coates Keswick 6.49
5th Kyle Anderson CFR 7.29
6th Zak Edginton         Keswick 8.12

Under 10 Girls
1st  Emily Wightman Keswick 6.34
2nd Katie Russel CFR 6.36
3rd Alisha Bond CFR 7.46
4th Isla Turnbull Keswick 8.02

Under 12 Boys
1st Ryan Bond CFR 11.18
2nd          Sam Stone Keswick 11.58

Under 14 Boys
1st Joshua Boyle CFR 11.41
2nd Joseph Dugdale CFR 12.39
3rd Harry Greenbank CFR 15.38
4th Samuel Macey Keswick 16.35

Under 14 Girls
1st  Ella Jackson Keswick 16.21

Full results are on the CFR website.

The next Junior league race is at High Cup Nick on 22nd February. For more details see the Junior page of the Keswick AC website.

Pendle Fell Race

Hi All

If you're thinking of racing Pendle FR on April 5th, please enter very soon.  There are only 39 places left allocated to the men.  I think any number of women can still enter - it's not 100% clear.

Enter online here:

http://fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=2475

Also, many thanks for the great turn out to the training session on Tuesday.

Happy Running!

Sam

Blakes Heaven

Fierce weather conditions were experienced in this Senior Race.  Gale force winds met the runners as they climbed up Sharp Knott and over to Blake Fell.  This was combined with lashing rain and relentless hail showers stabbing every bit of bare flesh it could find.  Thankfully the 5 mile route meant a short degree of exposure. Any longer and racers could have easily been caught out with the conditions. 

The men’s race was an extremely close battle at the front.  Ellenborough’s Lee Amor took first place in a time of 37.05 followed by Martin Mikkelsen-Barron from Borrowdale Fell runners one second behind in 37.06 and in third Ellenborough’s Brian Taylor (37.08) who was also 1^st MV40.  1^st MV50 was Paul Cornforth from Borrowdale.  Pippa Maddams (Keswick AC) stormed to victory in the ladies race with a time of 39.44, about 3 minutes ahead of Hazel Robinson (42.42).  Third place was taken by Keswick AC’s Jenn Mattinson (45.35).  1^st FV40 was Julie Carter (Keswick AC) and 1^st FV50 Kate Beaty (CFR).  There were plenty of other Keswick AC runners braving the elements too.

Sam Stead 40.10

Lewis Taylor 40.17
James Christmas 40.53
John Beetham 41.32
Craig Smith 42.03
Rob Jones 44.11
Simon Thompson 45.16
Rachel Mellor 46.20
Philippa Wakefield 47.12
Sam Ayers 49.22
Siobhan Brewer 50.41
Victoria Haworth 52.06
Sarah Bennett 55.36
Kim Clark 56.03

Northern XC Championships 2014

Kind thanks to Harry Shakeshaft for these photos of Saturday's Northern XC Championships. Race report, courtesy of Ian Davies, below goes some way to explaining the conditions -a tough race as always at the Northerns, made to kneel by each of the boys, well done. Next stop the National XC, Nottingham, 22nd February!

Phil Winskill -has been in good form this winter

Ian Davies -back to some form after extended injury lay off

Steve Hebblethwaite -pleased after injury 
affected build up

Toby Cushion -using the race as part of his Three Peaks preparation

  photos © www.hsphotos.co.uk

Northern Athletics Cross Country Championships 2014

For the second successive year the venue for the 2014 Northern Athletics Cross Country Championships was Knowsley Safari Park.  The organisers once again put on a fine event as athletes from all over the north of the country travelled to Liverpool to represent their clubs in this prestigious cross country meeting.

The absence of five inches of snow would have pleased those who tackled the 2013 race but conditions were still testing for the runners facing the undulating course.  The persistent rain which has been omnipresent across the country for the last few weeks made for heavy going.  There was also a piercing wind blowing which further reduced the already chilly air temperature. 

As always, some of the best club runners from the north of England were in attendance in an attempt to land the Championship titles and to lay down a marker for the National Championships taking place in Nottingham in February.

There were over 600 runners in the senior men’s race which ensured the traditional stampede at the start of the race.  In a field of such numbers there is nowhere to hide as the competitors are constantly jostling for positions and fighting for the best line through the inch-thick mud.

There was a tight pack at the head of the field and in a close finish it was Daniel Garbutt of Durham City Harriers who dug the deepest to secure the Northern title.  His time for the 12km route was 41:17, some eight seconds of Andrew Jones of Stockport.  The third placed runner was also from Stockport, Jack Martin, who finished in 41:34.

In the 8km senior women’s race, Katie Walshaw of Holmfirth Harriers took the honours with a winning time of 30:22 in the field of 262 competitors.  Second place went to Rosie Smith of Durham City Harriers (30:37) and third to Susan Partridge of Leeds City (30:46).

Five Keswick AC runners took to the start-line for the senior men’s race.  Despite a troublesome ankle injury, Club Captain Steve Hebblethwaite put in a superb run to finish within the top fifty (46^th, 45:11) and will be looking to carry this form into the National Championships next month.  Having finished third in the Cumbria Cross Country Championship race in Cockermouth, it was no surprise that Phil Winskill was high up the field in the Northern Championship race.  Phil was just over a minute behind Steve finishing 70^th in 46:28.

Another Keswick runner who has had a strong winter of Cross Country racing is Peter George.  Peter finished third in the Cumbria League and would have been confident of a strong performance in the Northerns.  However, his run was to be curtailed due to a nasty hamstring injury and despite a manful effort was unable to complete the race.

Toby Cushion was using the race as part of his build-up towards the popular Three Peaks fell-race which takes place in Yorkshire in early spring.  The cross country would have been a useful speed and strengthening exercise and Toby put in a fine run to finish 285^th in 54:04.  Ian Davies has had a disrupted six months of training so was pleased to come through the race unscathed and finished 209^th in 52:04.

The English National Cross Championships will be taking place on the 22^nd February at Woolerton Park in Nottingham.

Club road-running rankings 2013

The final edition of the 2013 road-running rankings are now available on the club website here:

http://www.keswick-ac.org.uk/Dunc%27sStuff/Docs/RRunRankingList2013.pdf

Well done to those who ended the year on top, and best of luck to all others, in targeting those positions for 2014.

The rankings are intended to provide motivation, while highlighting the good performances of club members.

As ever, should anyone be aware of results that are unlikely to come to our attention or have been missed from the ranking, please submit them to stevenhebblethwaite @ hotmail.com

Hazel Davies -in the rankings for 
10M, half, and the marathon in 2013

2014 Club Championship races!

Here are the races for this year's Club Fell Championship, and Club Road Championship.

The Championships follow the same format as last year, with members' best 4 from 7 races to count again.

Please be aware that some of these races will be pre-entry and may fill up before the closing date, so get the dates in your diary now!
 
Road Championship 2014

Sun 2 Mar Haweswater Half Marathon
Sat 26 Apr Langdale St Georges 10K
Wed 18 June Hawkshead 10K
Tues 1 July Lambfoot Loop
Wed 6 Aug Ellenborough 10K
Sat 27 Sept Lancaster 5K
Sun 16 Nov Brampton-Carlisle 10

Fell Championship 2014

Wed 16 Apr Loughrigg
Sat 3 May Consiston
Sat 7 June Ennerdale Horseshoe
Wed 25 June Dockray-Great Dodd
Sun 17 Aug Sedbergh Hills
Sun 7 Sept Loweswater Show
Sat 25 Oct Buttermere Shepherd's Meet

Note: Coniston, Ennerdale and Sedbergh Hills are pre entry and are likely to fill up -please take care to ensure you get your entry in.

Overall champions for road and fell will be decided on the basis of members' best 4 results from the 7 championship races.
Members can choose any 4 races from 7 (do not have to include races at all distances (short, medium and long)).

To win the overall championships, members must compete in at least 4 races.
Both championships will be decided on a points system, the leading KAC member (male and female) in each race will be awarded 100 points, with the points awarded to all other KAC members awarded by means of the following formula: Points = 100 x (fastest KAC time) / (runner’s time).

Post Training Social Thurs 30 Jan

Whenever members get together we always say 'why don't we do this more often?'

So let's!

I'm going to book a table at Casa Bella 7.45pm/8pm on Thursday 30th January after Steve Heb's training session.

Anyone who'd like to come please let me know by Monday 27th January.  Reply to this post, email me at jennmattinson@gmail.com or text me 07985 215 998

Happy running!

Jenn

Kendal Winter League

Good to see a few Keswick vests out last week at Scout Scar including two generations of Winskills. There was a record turnout of 196 seniors and an impressive 89 under 12s!

The results are out http://www.helmhill.co.uk/pdfs/results/current/Scout%20Scar%202014.pdf

This Sunday the venue is Firbank just 2 mins from Junction 37 on the motorway so quick and easy to get to.

Results for Cumbria AA County XC Championships

Full results are now available for the Cumbria AA County Cross Country Championships, that took place at Cockermouth last weekend.

Fortunately for the athletes, spectators, and for the organisers, the day remained dry although recent rains had left the hilly and challenging Cockermouth course very muddy in some places.

Pippa Maddams returned after a year away from these championships with a strong run to win the senior women's title, and lead the Keswick AC women to the senior women's team prize, along with Cat Spurden (2nd) and Jenn Mattinson (6th).

There were also some excellent runs from Keswick AC's senior men, who placed second in the team competition (Phil Winskil - 4th, Rhys Findlay-Robinson - 5th, and Sam Stead - 17th). They will go on to the Northern Championships full of confidence later this month, and then a few weeks later, to the classic race, the National Cross Country Champs, this year at Nottingham's Wollaton Park.

It was excellent to note also, no less than six juniors competing -a credit to the work of the coaches and parents working hard with the junior groups, a sign of a bright future for the club.

Senior Women:
1. Philippa Maddams (Keswick AC) - 23:58
2. Anna Lupton (Barrow and Furness Striders) - 24:12
3. Catherine Spurden (Keswick AC) - 26.08

6. Jennifer Mattinson - 26:44
13. Siobhan Brewer - 32:17
14. Kim Clark - 32:45

Senior Men:
1. Adrian Holliday (Tipton Harriers) - 34:01
2. Ricky Lightfoot (Ellenborough AC) - 34:09
3. James Douglas (Border Harriers) - 34:43

4. Phil Winskill - 35:55
5. Rhys Findlay Robinson - 36:01
17. Sam Stead - 39:03
19. Peter George - 39:49
23. Chris Edis - 40:20
27. John Nicoll - 41:07
28. Lewis Taylor - 41:29
49. Gorden Barker - 47:16
51. Dave Burton  - 47:29
54. Colin Valentine - 51:12

Under 17 Women:
1. Rosie Dale (Lancaster and Morcambe AC) - 24:54
2. Natalie Beadle (Lancaster and Morcambe AC) -26:02
3. Rachel Vatter (Helm Hill Runners) - 26:53

7. Emma McKinney - 30:54

Under 13 Boys:
1. Oliver Dustin (Border Harriers)
2. James Salt (Border Harriers)
3. Tom Humphries (Eden Runners)

10. Jacob Fell
14. Frank Brewer

Under 11 Boys:
1. Samuel Almond (Eden Runners)
2. Fraser Sproul (Eden Runners)
3. Charlie Harding (Eden Runners)

5. Sam Stone
11. Theo Coates
15. Tom Booth

Full results are available here: http://thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=93610

Mid Lancs XC League, Barrow, Sat 11th January

A note from Noel Hakeman:

Hello all,

To clubs: Eden, CFR, Derwent, Carlisle Aspatria, and Keswick.

The next Mid Lancs XC is this Sat at Barrow. The venue is near Thorncliffe School. Further details at http://www.midlancs.org.uk/

You will need a TNC vest if running, or alternatively a sky blue t-shirt/vest will suffice. (a Cumbria schools vest might also suffice)

Also, please note that the Feb venue has been changed to Blackburn from Lancaster.

Any queries please contact me at noelh@cybermoor.org.uk

Noel Hakeman

Remaining Mid Lancs League fixtures:

Sat 11th Jan Thorncliffe, Barrow in Furness

Sat 8th Feb Witton Park, Blackburn (note change of venue from Lancater)

Sat 1st Mar Crooklands, Kendal

http://www.midlancs.org.uk/

Photos of Cumbria County XC Championships 2014

A few photos below, from the Cumbria Championships today at Cockermouth, on a day where the senior titles were won by Adrian Holliday of Tipton Harriers, and our own Pippa Maddams of Keswick AC. Full results to follow when available. A few more photos here.

...Keswick AC juniors getting stuck in

...Keswick AC juniors

...Jenn Mattinson

...Phil Winskill, and Rhys Findlay Robinson

...Kim Clark

...Ricky Lightfoot and James Douglas

...Adrian Holliday