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Sunday 9th February is the first event of the Hardmoors 26.2 Trail Series. This consists of 7 race venues throughout the year, in and around The North Yorkshire Moors. Each race day has 3 events, 10k, half marathon and full marathon. I have run this event every year since it started in
2013, mainly 10ks, but today was a half marathon for me.

The race itself starts from the Saltburn Recreation Centre and heads towards the Valley Gardens and down to the seafront within the first mile or so. This is the only flat bit on the course and from here the only way is up! We headed to the cliff tops and started a very long ascent, terrain was actually quite good for the most part (more to follow on that statement) and the weather was actually quite kind today. No driving sleet and snow like last year.

It was a little breezy on the tops, nothing like the past day or so, which actually caused the RD (Jon Steele) to divert the route as it would have been too dangerous in high winds in certain places. This shortened the route by over a mile, but we still had over 14 miles of race to complete.

Hardmoors miles are approximate!! Value for money Jon calls it.

Sadly today I was the only Harrier out there. In fact I am at most of these
events. I’m not sure what this says about me, answers on a postcard please! LOL.

The course follows the coastline for a few miles, views are fantastic, runners strung out along the cliff tops, it’s an inspirational sight. We then headed inland on the loop back, via public footpaths, country lanes and bridle paths. Some fields were a little muddy, lots of slipping about but manageable for the most part. Until that is, I came to a sharp downhill; it was very muddy and slippery, bearing in mind some 400 or so marathoners and others had made this what it was. Deadly. I nearly escaped with a controlled slide, but a fight between me and gravity was only going to end one way, me on my backside sliding down the rest of the way.

Back at the race finish I received my medal and shirt. A hot coffee, biscuits and cake, a chat to good friends I only see on race days, then start off back home, another one in the bag! Time was 3hrs 55mins, not fantastic, but a good solid training run for bigger things later and good for a kit evaluation and maybe tweaking a few things for other runs. These runs have a compulsory kit requirement which consists of : waterproof jacket with taped seems – hat – gloves – 500ml water – map and direction guide – emergency food – and survival bag.

These events are very well organised and safe, checkpoints every few miles with lots of goodies. Marshals who are experienced trail and ultra runners, look after every athlete, it’s one big family, The Hardmoors Family, and it’s open to everyone! Thank you for reading.

Results

by Andrew Corfield

Guest post by Melanie Horan of the North East Marathon Club

As part of our Winter Wonder series, the North East Marathon Club decided to go on tour this year and on the advice of Pete King, hold an event in Hardwick Park. After a recce of the parkrun route in autumn 2018, the NEMC committee decided the park and the parkrun route would be perfect for our event, and a welcome change from running around the Town Moor. This seemed a popular choice and for the first time ever, we had to close entries as we were full and start a waiting list for the event. After the slight worry of snow earlier in the week and a covering of frost on Saturday morning, the weather was reasonably mild at the start of the day, with the sun making an appearance later on. The course conditions were excellent, dry with no puddles or mud, with the only obstacles being a dangerous looking gaggle of geese and a game of swans on the path beside the lake.

Another first for NEMC was the Race Director’s role being taken on by Catherine Smith and Kerry Barnett of NEMC and Elvet Striders, who did a fantastic job of race set up, managing the marshals and time keeping. Registration ran smoothly and it was fantastic to see so many Sedgefield Harriers on the start line, and thanks again must go to Pete for persuading you all to enter! The race began in the usual NEMC manner, without ceremony or incident and after running for a few hundred metres, it was amazing to look back and see swarms of runners along the path.

For those of you who don’t already know me, I am a bit obsessed with the marathon distance, and this was to be my 93^rd marathon. I am still absolutely rubbish at pacing myself and set off, as usual, as if I was running a 5k, desperate to keep Gary Thwaites in my sight for at least the first mile. I was pleased to see my good friend and fellow terribly paced runner Omar had also set off at a ridiculous pace, and I had a little bet with myself as to whether I would catch him at 18 or 20 miles as usual. I ran the first few laps with Ben Smale who had kindly marked out the course for us earlier and we had a good chat about pacing and ultra marathons, neither of which are a talent of mine.

Ben made his escape after about an hour, and I ran the rest of the race by myself, although not alone as I was continuously speaking to runners I was passing or were passing me. In case you are wondering what I think about while running, main themes include what is for tea, how long is it until I can visit the sweets and pop buffet (drinks station, which was exceptionally well stocked today thanks to our RDs), whether I need to stop at the toilets, how long it will be until I catch Omar and how much different parts of my body are hurting. Today I had the added fear of having to run through the hissing geese and evil swans, who everyone knows will break your arm if you get too close. To my horror, one of the geese actually ran into me and I felt its wet, slimy beak touch my leg! All was going well until about 22 miles when I had to make an emergency pitstop and spent about 5 minutes in the toilets. After that I found it hard to get going again and really slowed down. I managed to finish my 93^rd marathon in 3:51, which is about average for me these days. A great venue, really friendly runners and fantastic support from the volunteers, we will definitely be back in 2020. Incidentally, I passed Omar at 14 miles….

By Melanie Horan

Results: http://www.northeastmarathonclub.co.uk/winter-wonder-runs.php

 

Distance: 10k (ish)

Terrain: Mainly off road on farm tracks, footpaths and the disused railway line. Dry and good surface.

Weather: Dry, bright sun, cold, but extremely windy which made the run quite challenging.

I love the Gerry Kearsley Handicaps, they are a really friendly free event, running through beautiful countryside and I always get to set off first. I have run not run a winter handicap for a number of years as I have invariably had a cold over Christmas but having avoided the usual illnesses I was raring to go on Sunday 13^th January.

This start of the Handicap was particularly poignant due to the recent death of Peggy Kearsley who was such a fantastic supporter of the event, Sedgefield Harriers and was a lovely lady. Ean paid a very moving tribute which was followed by a 30 second silence.

A key section of the usual route from Fishburn along the River Skerne was closed. This meant that as an alternative the Handicap was a two lap course starting from the Community Centre in Bishop Middleham. Almost immediately after setting off there was a steep climb through the village, past a farm and houses. Once at the top the road dips down, giving me a chance to recover before turning left heading out into the countryside around Bishop Middleham and following a track to the River Skerne. This route immediately gives the runner beautiful views and passes historic landmarks, the castle ruins and medieval wall.

The route continued along the track, over a footbridge crossing the River Skerne, then turning left to carry on along the disused railway line. This is a good steady section with flat running before turning left again over the river and climbing back towards the village. This was the tough section running uphill into a very strong wind. At one point I thought I was running backwards! Once through the fields it’s down then up and down again into the village. If that’s your first lap then you have to do it all over again.

I found it a tough run because of the wind but I was really pleased with my performance. I didn’t have quite so many runners overtaking me as normal so maybe others found that last couple of miles quite challenging. It was a great atmosphere before and after the run with the enjoyable presentation ceremony at the end. The Handicap is a really inclusive event where different runners can succeed and get their hands on a bottle of wine and their name on the shield.

I hope to be back in July for the next one.

By Anne Gladwin.

Results: http://www.sedgefieldharriers.co.uk/gerry-kearsley-handicap

6^th January 2019. I shouldn’t have looked back at my race notebook (doesn’t every running geek have one?!). It has been 8 years since I last ran the Old Monks (now called the Stuart Pailor memorial run) and I was having one of those ‘why did you enter this’ moments.  If I wasn’t getting picked up I might have feigned illness. I’ve been in the Sedgefield Harriers since the beginning but MIA for most of the last 7 years since 3 small people have arrived and caused havoc with my running schedule. I’ve only completed a handful of races over the last few years and I’m a bit race ‘rusty’.

I remember Old Monks to be freezing (well it is the beginning of Jan and yes it was, but not as bad as some previous years), brutally hilly through the dene (yes and need to remember you go through the dene twice and save some energy for the second hill) and fast on the roads on the way back (or as fast as tired legs can go). There were 294 runners which is 5 times as many as the last time I ran it but it still has the friendly feel of a local trail race. The village hall is lovely and warm, serving coffee and cake. It’s well organised and relaxed and once we had set off all nerves disappeared and it was great to blow the Christmas and New Year cobwebs away (powered by child free euphoria and caffeine).  

29 Sedgefield Harriers took part which is a fantastic turn out with some amazing results. David Bentley was 4th Male overall, Justin Cox was 1st male Vet45, Ciaran Lines was 1st U20 and I was an unexpected 1st female Vet 35 (which I think was more down to luck that there were not many V35 runners rather than speed). The prize money will be just about enough to pay for my next Costa coffee and I’ll be back next year, as like a true running geek, I loved every second! 

By Rosie Warnett

Results: http://www.hartlepoolburnroad.co.uk/results/Old_Monks_Jan_2019_results.pdf

This was part of the ‘Winter Wonder’ series organised by North East Marathon Club. I’ve been a member of NEMC for two years and enjoy their local, low key events. The Winter Wonders have generally been a Newcastle Town Moor fixture but this year have started to branch out to such places as Herrington and, next month, Hardwick Park. You don’t have to be a marathon runner to be a member of NEMC and the Winter Wonders are designed accordingly for runners of all distances. They tend to be multi-lap events, for participants to run as far as they wish within a six hour window. There are no finishing placings as such and sometimes runners’ own times are used as their ‘official’ time. I also like them because you get to run past the refreshment table for snacks and drinks every few miles, avoiding the need to carry your own kit.

Fellow Harriers Justin Cox and Ben Smale also took part. Justin needs no introduction. Ben is an unassuming guy from Coxhoe and a good runner (first Harrier at the Coxhoe Trail 10k the other month) and we shared a lift. Coxhoe, by the way, is a hotbed of running talent, just ask Mil Walton. Following Storm Deirdre and her freezing rain the previous day, this was a chilly but rather pleasant sunny morning for running. I chose road shoes based on the tarmac path at the start, but soon questioned that once we danced through some downhill icy slush. Despite having to stop twice to empty stones out of said shoes, it was a decent decision. Herrington Park, a colliery until 1985 with the largest spoil heap in the North East, is in the shadow of Penshaw Monument and the course was a 5km loop on good paths. There were several inclines but they served more to break up the run rather than tire out and it was an enjoyable event in good surroundings. I’m not training for anything in particular so was happy to call it a day after five laps and sixteen miles. Further ahead Ben had decided the same. He’s recently completed five marathons in five days at an event near Bolton so felt he didn’t to push himself too much. Justin lapped me on lap four, well ahead of anyone else. I happen to also know the guy in second place, Elvet’s Gareth Pritchard from Coxhoe (hotbed, I did say).

75 runners completed the event, each deciding their own distance, with 25 doing a full marathon or more. All entry monies were for charity too, raising an impressive £1,500 for Special Olympics Sunderland. For the record, I completed my five laps (16.2 miles) in 2hrs 27:40, and Ben in 2 hrs 17. I stiffened up on the last lap but was pleased overall. Justin ran 8 laps+, the full marathon distance in 3hrs 1:33; a great effort for a training run, eight minutes quicker than anyone else.

A bonus was that Herrington Park has an electric car charging station, which got me all the way home too. Result!

Full results from a very well organised event can be found at: http://www.northeastmarathonclub.co.uk/winter-wonder-runs.php

by Pete King

10.5m Fell Race Organised by Allen Valley Striders

Sunday was race day. Coxhoe had been grey, wet and windy all week and waking up on Sunday morning it didn’t look any better, as I waited for my fellow harriers Dave Walker and Mark Raine to arrive. We set off at 9am for the one-hour drive to Allendale, via the A1 and A69. Knowing it could be a different world up there, we didn’t know what to expect as we drove through plenty of drizzle, low fog and really poor visibility on the B6295 from Hexham to Allendale. However once we drove through the village of Catton the weather cleared up almost instantly and we could see Allendale and the miles of hills – which brought much relief and smiles all round.

Registration was at Allendale Primary School Sports Hall, which was quick and effortless for the mandatory kit check (full waterproofs, whistle, compass, map and food bars). In return we were given a rather cool 25^th Anniversary buff. Just the job.

This left us with about 45 minutes to spare with an 11am start, so essential toilet trips and running gear / kit bag options were deployed. Once all sorted, we chatted with a few runners and then entered the school for our race brief, fair itching to get out.

So, a bit about the Hobble. It is named after the late Angus Tait, a local runner who died suddenly in 2010, and this year the event was hosting its 25^th anniversary with over 220 runners entering. Angus was a champion runner and fell runner who was well known in many local running clubs, winning numerous events. He won the first Hexhamshire Hobble, but apparently was so disappointed with the lack of trophy for his efforts he decided to dig out an old trainer, sprayed it gold and attached it to a wooden plinth – a bit of a memento I guess. Sentiment to this, Allen Valley Striders now wonderfully recreate Angus’s trophy with a beautifully cast trainer as a replica, presented to the first male and female winners.

The course is 10.5 miles, and this year was ran in reverse (clockwise direction). Starting on road (next to the school), a good mile road ascent takes you up to muddy Land Rover tracks which weave up and down to Westburnhope Farm. Back on to road and climbing steeply up to Cocker Shield Farm, switching back on to Land Rover tracks, and then, into the thick of it! Yes, grouse moorland, heather, deep bogs and beaten animal tracks with steep little climbs and descents with large rocks and puddles to navigate – onto Hangman Hill for a marshal race number check. Back onto track now, before a really steep descent, followed by a “hands and knees” crawl up the other side of the small stream. It was a moment to catch your breath here, as the summit at Stobbs Cross was in the distance and I could see the runners ahead snaking their way up through the moorland, with more and more rocks and deep bogs to contend with. I could safely say goodbye to my white socks at this point.

Reaching the summit, my neck and shoulders were really starting to ache, but thankfully the gentle farm track descent was yards away (photo time too), which would lead onto the tarmac again. At this point Marshalls were shouting “One mile to go Sedgefield. Well done – keep it up”. These words were a welcome relief and I knew the end was near. And then another surprise. The steepest hill I have ever run down, before skirting onto a green and back up the hill to the school. I heard a voice shouting behind me. Time to find another gear, before a sharp left turn, and quickly down to the finish line. He was a Birtley Harrier and we congratulated each other for our efforts.

Slowly starting to get my energy back, Dave and Mark were all smiles (all right for some) as we headed back to the school. Wow – what was in front of my eyes. The biggest cake selection I have ever witnessed as a Harrier. They were amazing, so I grabbed a big slice of coffee and walnut cake, which made the race that extra bit special before we entered the sports hall for the prize giving and raffle.

In summary. A cracking event and only an hour away, and with a £7 entry fee and stunning scenery across Hexham Common, it is a must race. But you will get your feet wet!

People have asked “What was it like, was it tough?”

Well, in the words of Dave Walker: “Tough? Well one guy lost the whole sole of his shoe, it was that tough!”

And it is true, he was a Low Fell Harrier and ran the last mile of tarmac in his socks!

Hope to see more Harriers there next year!

Mil Walton.

2018 Results: http://allenvalleystriders.co.uk/hobble/hobble-results-2018.pdf

Coxhoe Trail 10k, 23rd September 2018. A coolish but pleasant morning for racing. This run was re-established in 2014, with the original Coxhoe 10k on a different route dating back to the 1980s. The modern version was put together by local runner Iain Twaddle and our own Ean Parsons and attracts a decent number of Harriers. The course is a good one, an out and back along the old Kelloe railway line, with a loop around the plantation (‘pit heaps’) at the far end. This doesn’t really hint at the two or three taxing hills on the route, the last one a particular energy sapper, especially with another half mile still to go once back at the top before the finish. The finish area is where Coxhoe Hall used to stand (once the home of the Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning) and offers a good vantage of those struggling up the final hill. Well, I always struggle anyway.

Registration is down at Coxhoe Leisure Centre, followed by a fifteen minute walk up to the start/finish area in the woods. This year I got chatting to folks at the finish area for too long and only just got to the start in time. It meant I was right at the front and after just the briefest of intros we were away. I’ve never started a race so quickly. I dare not do anything other to avoid tripping other front runners and only eased off once we were halfway down the first hill. Turns out it was a successful tactic as normally I’m tripping over folks on this bit myself. I kept a decent pace throughout, for me, and beat my best time in five attempts at the course by a minute and a half. The organisers moved the date back three weeks this year, to avoid Tees Pride 10k, and I think the cooler morning helped too. Either way, I was pleased with my performance.

A record 200 runners completed the event this year. First Harrier was Ben Smale (a Coxhoe lad) and first female overall was Lisa Darby, a brilliant effort. A special mention also to 15 year old Daniel Avery-McAleese who finished 33^rd overall in 44 minutes. Fifteen Harriers in total took part. It’s a great local event and even more next year would be super.

Full results can be found at: http://www.activelifecoxhoe.co.uk/downloads/Coxhoe%20Trail%2010k%20Results.pdf

by Pete King