The down-and-dirty winter contingent have been prolific of
late. Whilst some members fold away their race gear as the nights draw in,
others reach for the cross-country spikes.
Emma S, Rose W, Jenna G, Mick W, Steve C and CaniX partner
Len have all been slogging through the mud and grime in the name of fun. Emma,
Rose, Jenna and Mick (pic) all turned out for the second of the winter’s PECO
cross-country events held at Middleton
Park , Leeds .
The course features some very fast and tricky descents through woodland and
some brutal, eye-popping climbs. All completed the course without mishap. From
the field of 301 ladies, Rose was positioned 126, Jenna 139 and Emma 140. In
the men’s event, Mick managed a 114/393. All of these positions are highly
credible: some of the finest runners in the county race the PECO series.
Meanwhile Steve C and Len managed to get visa’s to allow
their entry into Yorkshire and took on the Long
Distance Walking Association’s 10 mile festive Hangover Hike held on New
Year’s day in the Pennine foothills. Don’t be fooled by the LDWA’s name. If
anyone does actually walk these events, the walking is generally very spirited:
many simply treat them as pure races. Just as the LDWA is something of a
misnomer, in Steve’s case at least, the Hangover Hike was factually accurate.
Fair to say that Len was the responsible adult on this occasion and a good job
he did too. The duo beat their predicted time of two-and-a-half hours by about
ten minutes.
In slightly more sanitised events, parkruns have again featured
heavily in GV activity with members taking part in races at Bradford, Nostell
Priory, Pontefract, Seaton (Devon) and Poole (Dorset ).
Members active have included Emma S, Mick W, Rose W, Jenna G
and a still-bleary-eyed-from-winter-hibernation Steve W.
Parkrun performance of the festive season goes to Mick W,
who – on New Year’s Day – successfully did the Pontefract / Nostell priory
double. The timing of these two races is set so that competitors can finish the
Pontefract event, run six miles to the Nostell event, and – if they make it – earn the dubious pleasure
of racing the lumpy 5K at Nostell on very wobbly legs.
