results 2108

Northbrook Results

For a complete listing visit the Results Index

August 2021

• SILVA Great Lakeland 3-Day
• Headington 5 Mile
• Dorney Lake Half-Marathon
• Spitfire 10k
• Bedworth Park 5k
• Stratford 6 Mile
• The 4th Oundle 20-Mile Road Race
• Leicester’s Big 10k
• Shrewsbury 10k
• Shropshire Way Ultra
• BRAT Summerfield Smash 5k
• Draycote Water 10k
• Bath Two Tunnels Marathon
• Solihull Half-Marathon
• Bedworth Park 5k
• Run to the Castle Trail Ultra
• Civil Service Track Championships
• On the Edge Middle Distance Triathlon Half-Marathon
• Enigma Z Cars Trail Marathon 2
• Enigma Z Cars Trail Marathon 1
• Salomon Festival Trail 20K
• Quad Challenge
• The Good, Bad & Ugly
• EMGP Milton Keynes 10k
• Bedworth Park 5k
• London Landmarks Half-Marathon

SILVA Great Lakeland 3-Day – 28 to 30 August OTH

 

A 3-day event starting and finishing in Chapel Style. 43 miles with 13,000ft of elevation including 8 Wainwright peaks. Just incredible, the best event I’ve ever done – Cliff

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Headington 5 Mile – 29 August 5M

	Jill Pittard	0:35:08	3rd female, 1st FV35
	Lisa Abbott	0:37:44	3rd FV35

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Dorney Lake Half-Marathon – 29 August HM

Thomas Mitchell

1:27:22

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Spitfire 10k, RAF Cosford – 29 August 10K

Another weekend racing and a good few Northbrookers out today. Great course and great atmosphere again. Managed to take over a minute off my PB so pretty pleased with that.

Also a few hours at the museum with all the family – Simon

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Bedworth Park 5k – 29 August 5K

2

Lee Newark

0:22:55

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Stratford 6 Mile – 28 August OTH

	Tommy Dempsey	0:42:42
	Simon Abbott	0:42:48
	Peter Kirkhope	0:44:41
	Austin Wade	0:45:31
	Peter Fellows	0:47:31

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The 4th Oundle 20-Mile Road Race – 22 August OTH

It was a nice route. I had a mishap. End of. Time is ok (I guess) – was more of a training run really – Lisa

A trip into Northamptonshire for one of those rare 20-milers for Lisa "and her gang". Three of us took the early start option with Matt joining in half an hour later. It’s an undulating course with no serious hills along relatively quiet roads most of the time, through a number of pretty villages. Lots of encouragement from the locals and from Sunday cyclists zipping around the lanes.

Lisa led us home with Matt and Claudie coming in neck and neck (despite actually being 30 minutes apart) with me finishing my longest ever road race. A welcome long-sleeved shirt (men’s sizes only, bit pants) and a good bit of bling.

Recommended – Chris

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Leicester’s Big 10k – 22 August 10k

Very well organised event by Tempo. Flat course in and around Abbey Park with road closures. Good to see a fair few Northbrook runners taking part and also marshalling. Happy with my time – Tim

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Shrewsbury 10k – 21 August 10K

First time doing this race and it was so good. Shrewsbury is a gorgeous town and I’ll definitely be going back with the family.

Great to have a mass start again. The atmosphere was so good but the hills weren’t.

Also a nice medal – Simon

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Shropshire Way Ultra – 21 August OTH

50 miles on an alternate Shropshire Way route due to some little monkeys removing the race route markers.

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BRAT Summerfield Smash 5k – 18 August 5k

I realised that this event fell on the same date that I pushed the Club committee to reinstate the handicaps on, and with the disaster from the long weekend I was wobbling in the head over this one. I managed to talk Sara into accompanying me and being my chief supporter. As the only Northbrooker I felt a little alone but she kept my head up with the encouragement.

I remember this one was fast but I was not prepared for what unfolded. A full on sprint for the first quarter of a kilometre left me dropped like a stone and heading in the wrong direction. As I picked my chin up I managed to slowly improve my position. This is a 4 lapper of a small quiet and flat park. I was prepared to be lapped and true to form with less than a km left for the leaders the sprint train passed me. These guys were working hard while floating. I though it balanced my heavy legged stomping style.

A new course record of sub-15 for the men and sub-18 for the women. In the end a great event and great to support a localish club with my race entry when clubs are desperate for events. I’ll be back to ensure my position at the end of the field is maintained next year.

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Draycote Water 10k – 18 August 10k

Lone Northbrooker at the Draycote Water 10k, but was happy to be first in my age group.

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Bath Two Tunnels Marathon – 15 August M

Melissa Murray

5:26:00

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Solihull Half-Marathon – 15 August HM

A very organised event, starting and finishing in Solihull town centre. The course appeared to be mostly downhill for the 1st half, and mostly uphill for the remainder. There were nice snacks at the end of it, and a very nice technical top (which my son has now claimed).

It’s been a while since I last ran a sub 2 hour half (2019 GNR), and I wasn’t quite fast enough today, the toilet stop didn’t help. I was a bit lighter back then, so I think it’s a case of train more and eat less!

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Bedworth Park 5k – 15 August 5K

7

Lee Newark

0:26:19

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Run to the Castle Trail Ultra – 14 August OTH

Four Northbrookers and six supporters headed to the Welsh coastal path for the "Run to the Castle". This is a 42-mile run from Aberdovey to Harlech mainly on the Welsh coastal path. It’s a run I have completed numerous times in the past; the location is fantastic, but it’s not an easy run. I knew I was not in shape and this was going to test me beyond anything else I had ever done, if only I knew.

The early start meant the nerves and excitement were evident as we descended on registration for 8:45am. Covid times were still evident as numbers were down to a 3rd of normal entries but at least this one went ahead. As we set off on the boardwalk I had the fear of knowing what was coming. Matt worried about his fitness but soon disappeared towards the front, Mark keeping me company with Claudie just behind.

The first 10 miles of this are flat, part beach, part road, part trail. It’s deceptive as everything tells you its going to be a good run but then the first climb starts, although you don’t realise till half way up when it gets steeper. Mark and I hoped we would not see Matt until the end, and we were convinced we would see Claudie sooner rather than later. The climb started to tell on the legs, but the descent into Llyngwyll knocked Mark for six. Luckily our supporters were there armed with what we needed, though they had missed Matt who was reportedly flying at this point in 3rd place.

Buoyed, Mark and I rushed off. 2nd checkpoint was done and I refused to look up. The 2nd climb on this is a monster. Back up to half way up Caeder Idris. My legs were screaming, Mark was hiding the pain, then the descent again. Mark was heading into a bad place as we reached the bottom. Out of fluids the best he could do was the public toilets. I carried on knowing Mark would catch me up. At this point I realised I’d stopped taking in fuel and food about 4 miles ago. Running on empty I was heading to the place the invigorated Mark had left. Mark was back, I was getting worse with every step.

At the 27 mile point a worried Tracey met me on the prom with some much needed fluids, trying to force food into me. Matt had left about 15 mins ahead of us, Claudie was about 20 mins behind us.
Mark was now eating everything he could. Tracey, Chris and Kelly were worried, but not as much as I was. This is a tough event, a Marathon distance with 1 aid station and over 2000 ft of climb was always going to take its toll. But the remaining 15 miles meant the worry in my head was growing. There was no way I was not finishing but this was going to be not good from here on.

The climb back to the main road revealed to both Mark and me how bad I was. Now topped up with fluids I gave it another push, a bottle a mile to push fluids into me. Then the stone stiles hit, Mark looked like an Olympic vaulter as I was hugging them to fall off them. The llamas were bemused by what I now classified as running. The news came in that Claudie was less than 2 miles behind us, my hope being that her experience would help me out of where I was.

As we approached the last official checkpoint, things got even worse for me. The lack of food and fluids was now causing sickness. There was no hiding how bad it was now, but we were now in single figures to go. Back onto the beach, the straight line ahead of us taking forever, Claudie finally catching us up on the Naturist beach. She was the support I needed and the relief Mark needed from dragging me on his own. I must have been bad because at this point they both sacrificed their finish times so I did not collapse. As we approached our last supporters’ spot, the supporters were worried. I abandoned everything apart from 2 bottles and carried on. Walking now hurt, any attempt at running was slower than the walk and any change in speed was inducing sickness. Quite luckily with no fuel in me there was nothing to come out.

The last 4 miles were the slowest ever, they did everything they could to keep me moving forward. But the relief of seeing Tracey coming towards us on the beach was too much. They could pass me on to her as she held my hand tightly keeping me upright for the last mile and a half. A beach and dunes while trying not to throw up every 3 steps just meant everything was coming further and more blurred away from me. On the final road and the organiser was glad to see me finish, though they immediately started pumping water into me, with no more movement required this thankfully stayed down. The photos do not show my true state, as out of shot Tracey is holding me upright. The 3 did brilliantly, to get the 4 of us finished was a massive task and everyone there carried me over the line by willing me to the end.

It was as tough as I recall, the scenery was as beautiful as I remember. The public were amazing and a welcome distraction. Our supporters were the best out there, my fellow Northbrookers true legends – Spencer

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Civil Service Track Championships 5k – 11 August 5K

I started working for the Civil Service earlier this year, so when I saw that their track championships were in Coventry I had to take part. The track was shared with the Police who were running their championships as well.

It’s unusual for me to run a traditional track race, so it felt like something new. After a short warm-up, I jogged halfway round the track to the start line – it’s twelve and a half laps! 12 people lined up on the start line, but the officials asked us to ‘stand up’ – maybe someone had a toe over the line?

We were away at the second attempt and it was a fast first mile. It was warm and breezy on the home straight, and I was feeling the pace. The winner was flying and soon lapped me, but I kept pushing on.
My time was being shouted to me every 200 metres but it was getting slower. A final push to the finish helped to get a decent time, officially 20.48.80, but I rounded it up as I don’t go to hundredths of seconds!

Track races can be daunting, but I enjoyed trying something different from the usual road races.

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On the Edge Middle Distance Triathlon Half-Marathon – 8 August HM

Claudie Combelas

2:24:47

1st FV60

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Enigma Z Cars Trail Marathon – 8 August M

Slow & steady today, holding off further injury. Time for some recovery.

Enigma Z Cars Trail Marathon – 7 August M

A very warm run, happy with all the 4s though lol.
Received my 1000 Enigma miles T-shirt as well.

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Salomon Festival Trail 20K – 7 August OTH

Last minute entry to the Salomon 20km timed run. I was accompanied round by the sweeper, a very pleasant chap called Ieuan (pronounced Yay-an). Lovely area and great views from the top. Got very, very rained on towards the end and struggled down a very slippery hill to come in last (61st) as the Festival village was packing up. Hard work but a nice afternoon out.

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Quad Challenge 14.5 Miles Trail – 7 August M

Just the two of us entered this one in a brave attempt to see what this event holds. The weather was forecast to be cool with light rain. So, the usual beating sun came out to accompany us for the whole event. With not much to do at the start Mark and I arrived, with the families due to arrive 2 hours later.

The start was the bottom of Larkstoke. The challenge was to summit 4 times with a different route off the top each time, every descent earning a bottle of cider. We had a plan, run together and break the road routes up with the trail ones. Best bit, there is no set order to do the routes.

Larkstoke is not nice. I forgot from the winter series what a beast it is and to go straight into it is a real tester.
Climb 1 done, we turned left at the top, a trail descent on some very narrow paths with some very steep drops. The down was such a relief but there was an element of worry when others were walking back up. Our ascent showed us why they were walking, this was calf straining at the best. Back to the top and the chaos at the top for the organiser was interesting to see, people coming and going from 4 different directions, it was brilliant.

Now we descended on the road to the station, a fast descent really punished the quads. The welcome marshall at the bottom gave us our tokens. We turned to climb back up, this is the Ilmington climb on leg 9 of the Hilly. Though not steep it is a relentless climb. It looks so much easier in the car. The beating sun was now turning me into a moving grease stain while Mark picked up the pace on the climb to the top. Back to the top and the last route beckoned, trail all the way down to the church. Challenging, but the quads were really beginning to scream now, and we were both aware that we had to climb back up this one. As we got to the bottom the final instruction was "round the tree". Mark duly obliged as the marshall pointed out the correct tree and gave me a smile. The final ascent was torturous, heat, glutes, calfs and quads all screaming. Mark managed to drag me to the top. It was good to see the marshall at the top for the final descent down Larkstoke.

The thought of the families at the bottom spurred us on. Over the final summit to the finish and a pair of sunbursts appeared stride for stride, like a slowed down aftershave advert we took on the last 400 mtrs. But the families were just round the corner. This was now a race, not between Mark and me but Mark and me vs Kelly and Tracey. Could we finish before they cornered the bottom. The women were dragging the kids the last part of the km to the start/finish. Kelly got to just see us finish almost hand in hand while Tracey appeared as we were stopping the watches.

This is a great event but not for the faint-hearted. You have to be prepared to hurt, to climb and to descend, but the concept is fantastic. This will grow in size as it’s definitely a repeater for us – Spencer

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Good, Bad & Ugly – 4 August OTH

Fifty three runners comprised 18 teams participating in the 2021 return of the Good The Bad and The Ugly.

Magnificent Seven runner Will Carr set the early pace finishing the 1st leg ahead of True Grit’s Joe Kelly. The second leg saw David Tittle maintain the Magnificent Seven’s lead but Outlaw Josey Wales (Lee Newark), High Noon (Debbie Campbell) and Pony Express (David Giles) were closing in.
The 3rd leg saw Pony Express (Spencer Davies) prevail with High Noon (David Mills) holding on for second ahead of a late surge from High Plains Drifter (Rob Pool) in 3rd, a mere 2 seconds ahead of El Dorado (Peter Kirkhope) in 4th place.

Bragging rights for fastest leg goes to Chris Goodman (19:09) a couple of seconds ahead of Craig Holmes (19:11) with Liam Mills (19:37) also breaking 20 minutes. Jill Pittard (22:07) was the fastest woman slightly ahead of Megan Miller (22:44) and Tori Boyle (23:05).

Great to see so many out for the return of this annual event – Rob.

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EMGP Milton Keynes 10k – 3 August 10K

Final race in the series and my best pace so far this year.

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Bedworth Park 5k – 1 August 5K

Five Northbrookers turned out on a soggy Sunday morning in Miners Welfare Park. Eager to test ourselves to see what damage absence has caused we were nervously chatting. A quick race briefing then we were quickly released.

Tori from far back soon found herself out in front and showing her ability. Mark and Lee attempted to hold on to her but they soon gave up after a lap, settling down to their own battle. Behind I reached the dizzy heights of 4th before the small incline killed off any loftier hopes on the 3rd and 4th attempt, Chris behind me exercising his usual flying finish to grab a very respectable 13th.

A very good local event that’s not too busy yet – Spencer

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London Landmarks Half-Marathon – 1 August HM

Caroline Hughes

2:08:02