2010 Belper News Articles

BELPER HARRIERS NEWS REPORTS FOR 2010 – These are the reports that were posted in the Belper News newspaper throughout 2010.

January

Belper Men in Superb Form

There have been some tremendous performances both at individual and club level during 2009 including the last league cross-country of the old year in December where the Belper men certainly made their presence felt. Taking place at Bramcote Country Park Nottingham and organised by Kimberley Running Club this was the third of the five race series. Going into the race the club were lying in fourth place overall out of the twelve clubs and came out in the same position but there was some strong running from the men as they romped home outstanding winners. Unfortunately the club had only four ladies in the race and could only manage eighth place. This was no disrespect to the ladies who ran with Gemma Redfern in particular having a good race to finish in 96^th place.

There were twenty Belper men in the field and they certainly pushed each other over the tough four and a bit miles with Dale Annable and Geoff Lowry finishing in fifth and sixth place respectively. Tom Moulder on leave from the Army helped the team effort with an 11^th place finish while Simon Merwood and Krish Mahadevan both had good races. The long awaited return of Andy Parkin to the team saw an immediate result with a 23^rd place and along with Mark Riches made up the seven counters for the men. Further down the field Alex Duthie, Phil Conroy, Rob Norman, Ian Hays and Andy Fookes all ran themselves into the top forty runners. The other eight Belper male runners all finished in the top one hundred runners to finish.

The club has caught up points on the team in third place and with two races to go is optimistic of achieving a top three place finish to the season.

Bolsover 11k Race

This race of a strange distance was conceived from the old Bolsover 10k Race. The original race started from the Secondary School but for whatever reason the school was unavailable and so an alternative was found in Bolsover Castle. The route was similar with the extra distance included and a better finish within the grounds of the castle. Three of our runners were in the large field of 700 runners with Krish Mahadevan finishing in 37^th place in a time of 44mins 45secs.  Rob Pearce and Rosemary Arris both recorded respectable times with Rob finishing in 53mins 28secs and Rosemary slowly getting back to her best finishing in 59mins 21secs.

Marathon Runners

The New Year sees five of our runners starting their preparations for a marathon. Four of the runners will be in training for the London Marathon in April while the fifth will be preparing for the Barcelona Marathon in March. The club this year has three places for the London Marathon among them Amy Robinson who will be running her first marathon, Rob Pearce and Ian Hays while Simon Merwood has secured his own individual place. Andy Parkin will be traveling to the beautiful city of Barcelona to run their marathon and there could be further runners from the club making up their minds to run marathons later on in 2010.

Harriers at Northern Cross-Country

 

It was a first for Belper Harriers as they took two teams to Blackburn to compete in the North of England Cross-country Championships at Witton Park Blackburn. In previous years individuals had competed but we had never been able to field enough runners for a team.

There were six ladies and six men running, needing four to count for the ladies and six for the men. In cold, damp misty conditions the ladies were first off over a course of approximately 8k, just under five miles over three laps of the park, two short and a long lap. This real cross-country course was over hills with names such as the ‘saucer’ and the ‘teaspoon’, proved a tough challenge for the runners. In the field of internationals and experienced club runners our first lady home was Sharon Mellors in 112th place. Following her was Gemma Redfern, Sarah Holme, Maddy Salter and Amy Robinson who all joined the club from spring onwards throughout last year. Our final finisher was the ever reliable Rose Sensecall who could have been well pleased with her race.

The men’s race was over a distance of 12k approximately just over seven miles with two short laps and two long laps. The field of six hundred runners saw our first four runners, Mark Riches, Phil Conroy, Rob Norman and Andy Rose finish within thirty-five places of each other with the two remaining runners Malcolm Weir and Simon Hackett a bit further down the field.

Many of the smaller clubs did not field full teams but the stronger clubs were out in force. The Belper men finished 46^th out of 49^th teams while the ladies finished 20^th out of 22 full teams.

It was a commendable effort by the runners, many of whom were new to this type of course and this level of competition.

County Cross-Country Championship

The re-arranged Derbyshire County Cross-country Championships took place last Saturday at Markeaton Park. After the postponement of three weeks due to snow and ice, the event took place on a sunny frosty morning. The original event would have been a joint competition with Nottinghamshire but they held their own individual races the previous weekend. This lead to numbers being considerably down but there were still nine runners in from the club. Once again the ladies went off first over a much easier 8k course than the Northern event. Steph Ilsley ran a fine race to finish 8^th while Gemma Redfern ran strongly to finish 10^th.  Steph now has the opportunity to represent the county in the Inter Counties Championship at Birmingham in March.

The men’s race followed over 10k and it was Dale Annable who finished a creditable 16^th who lead the Belper men home. Phil Conroy and Andy Rose were once again just a minute apart while Steve Meath had a good run, followed by Malcolm Weir, Simon Hackett and Len Foulk.

Two tough cross-countries in two weeks for some of these runners now see them with two weeks rest before the last two Booth Decorators League Races and the National Cross-Country Championships in Leeds at the end of February. 

February / March

Harriers Ladies in National Event

The conclusion of the cross-country season brought two Belper ladies to the Inter-Counties championship at Cofton Park Birmingham. This is the highlight of the season where representation is based on selection from the county cross-country championships held earlier in the winter. Steph Ilsley and Gemma Redfern were part of the Derbyshire team in the Senior Women’s race over 8k. Both have had a strong winter and were in good form for this important event. Steph finished in 236^th place in a time of 35mins 42secs while Gemma came home in 257^th place in 38mins 17secs. The team finished in 27^th place, a creditable position for one of the smaller counties.

A third member of the club, Gordon Irvine ran for his native Suffolk, in the men’s 12k race and finished an excellent 173^rd in 40mins 45secs.

National Cross-country Championship

A group of ten runners from the club made the short journey up to Leeds on the last day of February, to run in the Saucony National Cross-Country Championship at Roundhay Park. It was another first for the club as we had teams of four ladies and six men in the race. There have been occasions when individuals have run in the race but we have never fielded teams as we did at Leeds and for the regional event at Blackburn.

Over the tough, hilly and muddy course the ladies went off first, running two laps totaling 8k in distance. It was no surprise to see Jo Caborn running strongly and finish in an excellent 55^th place.

Sharon Mellors ran herself into a good position to finish 208^th while Gemma Redfern seems to get better with every race, finishing 318^th. The indomitable Rose Sensecall was the team’s final counter in 510^th position, bringing in the team in 38^th place, out of sixty-one complete teams.

This was a marvelous performance by all four ladies and has set themselves a good marker for future years.

There were even more runners, more mud and a longer distance for the men. The course of three laps, 12k looked a daunting prospect with around an hour of running ahead for our six runners. Andy Rose was our first finisher having an excellent race to finish 989^th with Rob Norman only seven seconds behind. Steve Meath who ran a fast third lap finished in 1269^th, a minute in front of Simon Hackett who piped Malcolm Weir in the home strait by the odd second. Our final counter Matt Conroy should have been well pleased with his performance in this race, coming home in 1362^nd position.

Another member from the club Gordon Irvine running for his first claim club Thames Valley Harriers finished alongside the elite runners in 272^nd position.

Our ten runners from the club, six of them running in this level of competition for the first time, should take great credit and next year they will hopefully be joined by a few more from the club.

Booth Decorators League

The final race of the five race series which had been re-arranged from earlier in the winter was cancelled due to an overnight fall of snow. So the final positions stood from the four races which gave the Harriers third position. The men’s team finished in second place while the ladies finished in eighth place. This turned out to be a creditable position after a slow start to the competition.

There were some strong performances from our runners, in particular Dale Annable, Geoff Lowry and Krish Mahedevan and for the ladies a good season for Jo Caborn and Gemma Redfern.

 

April

Good Start for the Harriers

The first race of the Booth Decorators Road League took place at Denby, hosted by Belper Harriers. The course of 5.2 miles over two laps was devised by Steve Winfield with the start outside the new Deb factory. The runners took to the main road before turning right up Street Lane and then right again on to the reclaimed land. A lop of off-road running took them back to the start area for the second lap.

The record number of 277 runners from eleven clubs saw 36 runners from the Harriers in the field while more members were employed in marshalling and time-keeping duties.

It was a good solid start for the club finishing third in the team event while the men took third and the ladies an impressive second place. Our first runner home was Dale Annable in 7^th place followed by the consistent Geoff Lowry in 11^th place. There was some good packing from the Harriers with Ben Humphries in 22^nd place, followed by Saul Taylor 29^th, Alex Duthie 30^th, Andy Parkin 32^nd, Mark Riches 33^rd and Krishna Mahadevan 34^th.

Our first lady home was Steph Ilsley in 99^th place with Sharon Mellors and Gemma Redfern making up the ladies team. The club had seven runners making their debuts in a Belper vest with Edward James just out of the counters in 40^th place, Jim Naismith, Jack Daykin, still only fifteen, Chris Barker, Craig Allen, Chris Jackson and Sara Russell all producing good performances. An added bonus was seeing Simon Edwards back in action after a long lay-off through injury.

There was a positive feed-back from the other member clubs regarding the course and organisation so it looks a good possibility that we will be back next year for another race which is a compliment to Steve Winfield and the team who were involved in the set-up and preparation.

London Marathon

Our contingent of five runners from the club who ran in this year’s London Marathon did not include any who were running the marathon for the first time. The five of Theresa Hempsall, Rob Pearce, Simon Merwood, Ian Hays and Mark Riches had all put the hard work into their training over the cold winter to record excellent performances. The club’s first finisher was Mark Riches who once again finished under the three hour mark in 2hrs 58mins while Simon Merwood who probably was hoping for a few minutes quicker finished in 3hrs 7mins. Theresa Hempsall was our third finisher in 3hrs 23mins not her fastest but still an excellent run. Ian Hays finished in a time of 3hrs 59mins, well up from his previous London Marathon while Rob Pearce recorded a time of 4hrs 15mins, seven minutes up on his previous best marathon time.

Congratulations to all of our runners who put in a lot of time, dedication and effort into their training while raising money for their chosen charities.

Derbyshire Building Society 10K

It was another tremendous turn-out from the club in this increasingly popular event. A total of 33 Harriers took to the streets of Derby in the field of 3,000 runners. There were some notable personal bests including our first finisher Gordon Irvine who came eighth in a time of 33mins 19secs.

The club had six runners under 40mins, another fourteen under 45mins and five more who ran under 50mins. Others from the club could be well pleased with their performances indicating the level of quality and improvement which is taking place within the club.

 

May

Harriers Triumph in Second Race

It was first place for the Harriers in the second road race of the season at Teversal Grange near Sutton in Ashfield. Over a distance of approximately five miles the club made their mark with thirty-seven runners in the record number of 282 finishers from the eleven clubs involved.

The ladies had a great evening finishing first while the men could be well pleased with their third place. On an ideal evening for running Dale Annable enhanced his reputation in a strong field with another solid run, leading the club in, to finish seventh. There was some good packing with Alex Duthie, Andy Fookes and Phil Conroy all having tremendous runs and making massive improvements in their running. Further down the field Chris Gilbert, Roger Morgan and Amer Armoush who made his debut all ran well, showing the strength within the club.

For the ladies Sharon Mellors was our first lady in 76^th place while Steph Ilsley and Theresa Hempsall backed her up as counters for the ladies team.

After two races of the five race series the club is now in second position to Heanor while the ladies are first and the men are third. If this momentum can be maintained, with runners targeting this competition, it is not out of the question for the club to be in with a serious challenge for its first title.

After the race there was a buffet and presentation of awards from the winter cross-country league by the league sponsor Louis Booth. Rosemary Arris, Dale Annable, Krishna Mahadevan, Geoff Lowry and Malcolm Weir all received awards for their age categories while the club was recognised for finishing third in the team event and second in the men’s.

The third road race of the series will now be held at Shipley Park Visitors Centre on June 15^th at 7.30 a change from the original venue due to the increasing numbers of runners.

White Peak Marathon

In temperatures more akin to the Mediterranean, two of the club’s runners, Krishna Mahadevan and Len Foulk were among the 189 finishers in this tough race. In the blazing sunshine and insufficient watering stations, Krish still had a tremendous run to finish fourth in a time of 3hrs 20mins. This was and excellent time considering the conditions and the terrain of the course. Len who runs marathons on a regular basis recorded a time of 4hrs 34mins obviously down on his better times but still a good effort considering the hot weather.

There is a half-marathon run at the same time and more Belper Harriers were in the field of 247 finishers. Andy Parkin had a great run to finish seventh in a time of 1hr 24mins while Andy Fookes could still be pleased with his time of 1hr 33mins although for the last two miles he struggled to keep going. Emma Williams, Mary Dwyer and Lisa Salton all finished the course which was an achievement itself considering that all the training for the race had been done in conditions totally different to the day of the race. Emma finished in 2hrs 8mins, Mary in 2hrs 31mins and Lisa in 2hrs 32mins which were all creditable times in those conditions.

Derwent River Relays

For the fourth consecutive year the club will be holding their four-stage relay event, to take place on Saturday 17^th July at 2.30pm from Belper Rugby Club. All teams will consist of four runners, either four men, four ladies or a mixed team of four. Each runner will run the three mile stage from the Rugby Club over the footpaths by the side of the River Derwent.

The club is looking for as many teams as possible, either a family team, a community team, a corporate team or teams from running clubs. There will be prizes for various categories as well as fastest individuals.

Before the Relays at 1.30pm there will be a Fun Run of either a half-mile, a mile or one and a half miles for younger runners or the less experienced. The club is trying to make this a family day with other attractions including a Bouncing Castle and a Penalty Shoot-out Challenge.

More information about the day can be obtained from Steve Winfield on Belper 513384 or Malcolm Weir on Belper 826799. 

June

Record Number for the Harriers

The third race in the summer league series at Shipley Country Park saw a record number of Belper Harriers in the race. In a field of 256 finishers, there were 43 runners from the club, beating the previous record of 37. Over a distance of just over four and a half miles our runners made their mark with some excellent performances. The in-form Dale Annable was our first finisher coming in third while Geoff Lowry, Alex Duthie and Mark Riches would all have been pleased with their runs, finishing in the top twenty. Further down the field Jim Naismith, Marcus Hanford, Theresa Hempsall, Craig Allen, Phil Shaw and Len Foulk all put in good solid performances. Once again the club had runners making their debuts, Rachel and Dan Clark, Allison Merriman and Tim Holling who had a great run to finish 32^nd.

On the night the club came second in all three, the team event, the men’s and the ladies events and overall after the three races, the ladies are first, the men are second and team are second. There are still two races to go with the next one at Carsington Reservoir in July where the club will be pushing the leaders Heanor all the way until the end of the final race.

Long Eaton 5-miler

This race is one of the few five mile road races in the Midlands and over the years has proved very popular with some fast stretches making for good times. Four of our runners, Andy Parkin, Alex Duthie, Rob Norman and Rose Sensecall were in the field of 335 runners with Andy and Alex both having tremendous races, finishing in 29mins 9secs for Andy while Alex was three seconds behind in 29mins 12secs. Rob finished in a creditable 33mins 26secs while Rose finished in 41mins 25secs.

Runners Required

For the fourth consecutive year the club will be holding the Derwent River Relays, a four-stage relay event on Saturday 17^th July at Belper Rugby Club. All teams will consist of four runners, either four men, four ladies or a mixed team of four. Each runner will run the three mile stage from the Rugby Club over the footpaths either side of the River Derwent.

The club is looking for as many teams as possible, either a family team, a community team, a corporate team or teams from running clubs. There will be prizes for various categories as well as fastest individuals.

The Relays start at 2.30 but before that at 1.30 there will be a Fun Run of either a half-mile, a mile or one and a half miles around the Rugby Club ground.

The club is trying to make this a family afternoon out with other attractions including a Bouncing Castle and a Penalty Shoot-out Challenge.

More information about the day can be obtained from Steve Winfield on Belper 513384 or Malcolm Weir on Belper 826799.

July

Derwent River Relays

This Saturday July 17^th Belper Harriers are hosting the Derwent River Relays for the fourth consecutive year. This event will be taking place at Belper Rugby Club, on the A6 next to Babington Hospital at 2.30pm. All teams must consist of four runners, either four men, four ladies or a mixed team of four. Each runner will run the three mile stage from the Rugby Club over the footpaths by the side of the River Derwent. The course is measured, flat and suitable for anyone who is reasonably fit.

The club is looking for as many teams as possible, not just regular runners but any sporting groups, companies or families who could field a team of four. The cost is £16 per team with prizes available for various categories of teams and individual performances. Registration on the day can be accepted until half an hour before the race.

There is also a Fun Run at 1.30 of a half-mile, a mile or one and a half miles around the Rugby Club ground. There will be changing facilities available at the Rugby Club, along with licensed bar, refreshments and entertainment for the family including a Penalty Shoot-out Challenge and a Bouncing Castle. More information can be obtained from the club secretary Steve Winfield on Belper 513384 or Malcolm Weir on Belper 826799. 

August

Summer League Success

It was another good night for the Harriers in the final race of the series of Booth Decorators summer league races. After the fourth race, the club were lying second to Heanor Running Club in the team and the men’s event and leading in the ladies event. With once again a strong contingent of thirty-four runners out, the Harriers were going to give it their best for the team honours. For the second successive race the club had the eventual winner in Gordon Irvine, easily beating the opposition over the four and a half mile course. Following Gordon was Ben Humphreys in an excellent seventh place while Alex Duthie who has had a tremendous summer followed in 21^st position. The ever reliable and experienced Andy Parkin, Mark Riches and Krishna Mahadevan along with a strong run from Alan Billington made up the male team counters.

The ladies knew they would have to be at their best to hold on to top position and with great determination they achieved their reward. Our first lady was Steph Ilsley, followed by a courageous run from Sharon Mellors while Gemma Redfern and Jane Armoush should be well pleased with their performances.

The club had two father and son combinations in the race, Andy and Jack Daykin and Chris and Tom Jackson with young Tom making his debut for the club finishing in 41^st place.

It was a pleasing performance but the strong Heanor team held off the challenge to take the team event with Belper taking second place for the third consecutive year. The men took second place in their event while the ladies who came fourth last year had a great series to win the ladies team event.

The support for the club over all the races has been brilliant with fourteen of our runners running in all the races and averaging around thirty-five runners in each race.

Derwent River Relays

This event took place for the fourth successive year with a record number of fifty-five teams taking part. Over a course of 3.3 miles from Belper Rugby Club each team of four runners saw each runner run a leg from the Rugby Club over the footpaths along both sides of the Derwent and back to the Rugby Club field.

The overall winners were Killamarsh Kestrels with Barnsley Harriers second. There was some local success with Belper Harriers Ladies team of Sharon Mellors, Theresa Hempstall, Gemma Redfern and Leila Armoush winning the ladies team prize. The prize for the Veteran Men was won by North Derbyshire Running Club and the winning mixed team was Formula One.

The prizes for the fastest male went to Shaun Dimelow of Barnsley Harriers who ran his leg in the excellent time of 17mins 5secs and Lucy Holmes from Ripley Running Club who recorded a time of 21mins 4secs.

This year saw more teams from the local community taking part along with established running clubs both from Derbyshire and even further.

It was a good afternoon of running with the relays preceded by a Fun Run around the Rugby Club field in a area where spectators could watch both races in a relaxed atmosphere.

All the preliminary work for the event was arranged by Steve Winfield and joined on the day by club members, relatives and friends who took on the many roles to make it a successful day.

A special thanks must go to our sponsors the Midland Co-operative who supplied the water for the runners with the profits going to provide much needed water pumps in Africa. The Belper Rugby Club once again was able to let us use the ground and all the facilities which were most appreciated.  

September

Busy Time for the Harriers

This time of the year is quiet for any team events for the club but many of the athletes have been busy running local races. The tough Chesterfield Spire 10-mile road race saw twelve of our runners competing on this hilly course. Our first finisher was the indomitable Andy Parkin who is running as well as he has ever run, to finish 23^rd in a time of 1hr 4mins 34secs. Following Andy was Simon Merwood just under a minute behind in 1hr 5mins 21secs in 27^th place. Krishna Mahadevan was just a further four places behind in 31^st place in 1hr 6mins 18secs. Steph and Ron Ilsley both recorded good times with Ron finishing in 1hr 9mins and Steph in 1hr 14mins. The next Belper finisher was Len Foulk who has a busy autumn with half and full marathons coming up, finished in 1hr 17mins. Simon Hackett struggled after sustaining an injury to finish in 1hr 18mins while Rob Pearce who is running well at the moment finished in 1hr 23mins. A good run from Jason Fores saw him record 1hr 24mins with Gary Knights giving a good account of himself to finish in 1hr 31mins. Amy Robinson was the club’s next finisher, running some longer races, in preparation for a marathon next year, finished in 1hr 33mins and our final finisher was Georgina Bestwick who is getting back into running, finishing in 1hr 38mins.

The number of runners, 330 was down on previous years but the Belper runners certainly gave their support.

Robin Hood Marathon and Half-Marathon

The Nottingham Marathon and Half-Marathon now in its 29^th year attracted nearly eight thousand runners. Two of our members were in the full marathon and seven in the half. Making his debut in the full marathon was Tom Jackson, holidaying from university, running an excellent race to finish in 3hrs 31mins. This was a tremendous effort from Tom and hopefully we will be seeing a lot more of him in the future. Running his first marathon of three before the end of the year, Len Foulk recorded a time of 3hrs 54mins which was encouraging as his next marathons in Berlin and Athens will be on faster courses.

In the half-marathon the club had seven runners including the club’s experienced distance runner Mark Riches. Mark was just outside the first one hundred to finish in 105^th position in a time of 1hr 27mins. Rob Pearce another busy runner who has run this race many times finished in 1hr 47mins. The other five runners all finished within four minutes of each other led by Amy Robinson and Dan Clarke who both recorded 2hrs 2mins. Gary Knights would have been pleased with his time of 2hr 3mins while Rosemary Arris who recorded 2hrs 5mins and Rachel Clarke 2hrs 6mins were rewarded for the hard work in training they have put in.

Another of our runners Craig Allen took to the streets of Bristol to run in their half-marathon and record the time of 1hr 35mins. This event saw 11,000 runners in the race giving Craig who is relatively new to the club the impetus to run a sub 90 minute half-marathon race.

This time of the year is ideal to start running and the club would welcome any new runners. For further information regarding the club, contact Malcolm Weir on Belper 826799 or join us at Belper Leisure Centre on a Tuesday evening at 7.15.

September / October

Northern Relays

It was another first for Belper Harriers last Saturday at Wythenshawe Park Manchester as the club fielded a team in the Northern Region Six-stage Road Relays. The team of Alex Duthie, Geoff Lowry, Andy Foulks, Mark Riches, Andy Rose and Steve Meath finished a commendable 82^nd out of 96 complete teams over the 5.6k course. There were other teams in the earlier legs with either four or five runners as Alex Duthie running the first leg recorded 19mins 52sec to finish in 76^th position. This was a real good run by Alex who was followed by Geoff Lowry suffering with a heavy cold but still put in a professional run to finish in 20mins 20secs. Andy Fookes who was not down to run until the morning of the race, ran leg three in the time of 21mins 37secs. The fourth leg was run by marathon man Mark Riches, a little short in distance for Mark but still a good time of 20mins 41secs. Andy Rose who is growing in confidence in every race took over for leg five to finish in 22mins 48secs. On the final leg to bring the club home was Steve Meath who as usual gave his all and a bit more to finish in 24mins 13secs.

Of the club’s six runners only Mark Riches has run at this level of club competition, so it was an excellent return both for Belper Harriers and the runners themselves.

The event itself was won by Derby Athletic Club who had a tremendous day with their second team and ladies team both finishing in the top twenty-five. All three teams will go on to the National Finals at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield on Saturday October 16th.

Heanor Cross-Country Relays

This event put on by Heanor Running Club at Shipley Park the previous Saturday morning was a new event on the local running calendar. The four runners per team, saw the Harriers take ten runners, having two complete teams and a third team of a runner running twice and borrowing another runner from Derby AC. The course of two miles was over well cut paths, undulating but not too tough over the parkland from Shipley Cricket Club.

Once again Derby AC was the winners but the first Belper Harriers team of Geoff Lowry, Phil Conroy, Mark Riches and Krishna Mahadevan finished in a creditable fifth place. The mix and match third team of Rob Norman running two legs, Malcolm Weir and a borrowed runner came 8^th while the second team of Andy Rose, Dave Chadwick, Matt Conroy and Steve Meath came 12^th out of eighteen teams.

This was another well organised event by the proficient Heanor Club and should increase in teams next year but there is now a lot of competition regarding races trying to attract runners that some may go to the wall.

Half-Marathons

Two totally different half-marathons took place on the same Sunday morning, the Great North Run in Newcastle with thousands of runners participating and the Ashbourne Half-Marathon where there were 188 finishers.

Four members from the club chose the latter and produced some excellent times on the tough hilly course. Andy Parkin came an excellent 10^th in 1hr 27mins with Tim Hollings just recovered from injury finishing in 18^th place in 1hr 30mins. The first lady home was our own Steph Ilsley in 1hr 35mins in 34^th place while Andy Rose must have been well pleased with his 1hr 41mins finishing in 55^th position.

Joining the thousands in the North East were Phil Shaw, Len Foulks and Tom Steel. Phil and Len finished five seconds apart with Phil just running the faster time of 1hr 42mins 19secs while Len who was running only a week before his Berlin Marathon finished in 1hr 42mins 24secs. Tom one of the clubs senior vets was back in his local area finishing the course in 2hr 37mins.

Well done to all our runners who have raced over these last weeks and the hard work in training has produced some excellent performances.

October 2010

English National Relays

The English National Cross-Country Relays were held at Berry Hill Park Mansfield and once again Belper Harriers were involved. The club had four teams out, three men’s teams and a ladies team.

The ladies team of Sharon Mellors, Steph Illsley and Gemma Redfern each running the distance of 3k just missed out on a top fifty position by finishing 52^nd out of the hundred teams on the start line.

In the men’s event running the distance of 5k, the four runners to a team saw the first Belper team finish in 94^th place while the second team finished in 118^th position and the third men’s team in 137^th place out of the163 teams.

All of the runners could be well pleased with their efforts particularly Dale Annable, Simon Merwood and Rob Norman. The winning teams were the same as last year, Bedford and County winning the men’s and Charnwood AC winning the ladies.

League Cross-Countries

The start of the League Cross-country season for the club was our first race in the newly joined North Midlands League at Markeaton Park. This is another step up for the club where the opposition is stronger with more clubs from the Midlands area.

There are separate races for the men and women with races also for youngsters from thirteen years. This was a complete change for our four ladies who ran in the women’s race over the distance of 7k. Our first finisher was Steph Ilsley in 26^th place followed by Sharon Mellors in 32^nd position, Theresa Hempsall 34th and Jane Armoush in 76^th place. This was a highly creditable performance by all four ladies helping the team finish an excellent 6^th.

The Senior Men’s race saw nine of the club’s runners in the field of 245 runners over the 10k course. Andy Parkin was our first finisher in 70^th place followed by Mark Riches but all the club’s runners could be pleased with their performances, particularly Craig Allen running for the first time at this level to finish in 156^th place.

Sixteen year old Jack Daykin ran in the under 17’s race finishing in 31^st position over a 7k distance. This was an ideal opportunity for Jack to race against his own age group and to assess his progress.

Booth Decorators League

The following week saw the first race of the five race series at Shipley Park. The two-lap course of four and half miles saw twenty runners help the club finish 5^th overall. Saul Taylor was our first finisher in 19^th place while Andy Fookes, Chris Jackson and Dave Chadwick could all be well pleased with their performances helping the men to finish in 4^th place. For the ladies Theresa Hempsall, Rachel Clarke, Georgina Bestwick and Geraldine McLaughlin all put in a tremendous performances to help the ladies team finish in 5^th place.

Worksop Half-Marathon

This popular race which takes in most of Clumber Park saw thirteen of our runners taking part and eight of them were extremely pleased, having run personal bests over the distance. Dale Annable was our first finisher in 1hr 20mins with Andy Parkin only eleven seconds behind, both recording personal bests. Andy knocked two and half minutes off his previous best with surely more to come. Geoff Lowry followed next in 1hr 23 with Simon Merwood having a good run to finish in 1hr 25sec. Krishna Mahadevan and Ron Ilsley both finished in 1hr 27mins, Krishna just pipping Ron by 57secs who also ran a personal best. Not far behind husband Ron was Steph Ilsley who recorded a personal best in a time of 1hr 32mins. Andy Rose was our next finisher in 1hr 35mins, another personal best and again in Andy’s case much more to come. Rob Norman followed next, in a time of 1hr 43min while Rob Pearce who is running his best since joining the club finished in 1hr 44mins, another personal best. Another of the club’s runners who is quietly making steady progress is Jason Fores who ran his fastest for the distance in 1hr 49mins. Sarah Holme and Amy Robinson completed the Belper runners, Sarah finishing in 1hr 55mins, a personal best and Amy finishing in 2hr 8mins, using the race as a build-up towards her London Marathon training.

Marathon Man

To run four marathons in a year is quite an achievement for any runner so Len Foulk can sit back and think about all the mileage he has ran this year. Three of his marathons have been over the last seven weeks with his final marathon race in Athens where he recorded his best time of 3hrs 48mins 30secs. Len’s previous marathons this year were the White Peak, Nottingham and Berlin along with a number of half-marathons, 10k’s and club races.

Old Belper News Articles

BELPER HARRIERS NEWS REPORTS FOR 2009 – These are the reports that were posted in the Belper News newspaper throughout 2009.

January 2009

Another Honour for Harriers Secretary

After his successes at the Regional and England awards, Steve Winfield Belper Harriers club secretary went forward to the UK Athletics awards. As the representative of the East Midlands and England Club Volunteer of the Year, Steve went on to win the national award for his services to the sport and club athletics.

The dinner was held before Christmas at the British Motorcycle Museum Solihull where there were many famous names from athletics both past and present. The main speakers being the UKA chairman Ed Warner and Sir Trevor Brooking the Sport England chairman who spoke drawing comparisons on the youth development between football and athletics.

This honour for Steve once again reflects on the hard work, boundless energy and enthusiasm he has given to Belper Harriers and athletics.

10k Races

Some of the Harriers runners have been busy over the Christmas and New Year period with some fast 10k races. The Telford 10k always attracts a strong field and Rob Norman and Len Foulk were part of that field. Rob came 153rd in 43mins 53secs while Len finished 248th in 48mins 28secs.

The Bolsover 10k is always a popular race for local runners and seven Harriers joined the field of 748 finishers. Our first finisher was Krish Mahadevan who finished 57th in a time of 39mins 25secs. Theresa Hempsall was our next finisher in exactly 44mins while Simon Hackett would have been well pleased with his time of 44mins 23secs. Our next finisher was Chris Gilbert who has now moved into the veteran’s category and has not raced recently for various reasons, coming home in 46mins 22secs. Just under a minute behind came Len Foulk in 47mins 14secs with Rob Pearce next in 49mins 27secs. Our final finisher was John Naughton who is relatively new to the club but came home in a creditable time of 54mins 1sec.

The third 10k race at Southwell Nottinghamshire saw two very recent members Ron and Stephanie Ilsley run in this race. Both returned excellent times, Ron finishing in 40mins 8secs while Steph recorded a time of 42mins 26secs.

The club is always looking for new runners or prospective runners to join the club which meets on a Tuesday evening at the Belper Leisure Centre at 7.15 p.m. For more information about the club, go to www.belperharriers.co.uk. or alternatively Steve Winfield on 01773 513384.

February 2009

Good Start to the year for the Harriers

The Booth Decorators Cross-Country League resumed after the New Year with the fourth race in the series. The 21 runners from the club had an excellent day, finishing first overall. On a two-lap course at Nutbrook, over heavy mud, of approximately 4.8 miles there were some outstanding performances. Running his best race for the club, Tom Molder finished an excellent fourth with the consistent Mark Riches our next finisher. Geoff Lowry and Graham Collins were our next finishers both running their first cross-country of the season. Dave Horton would have been delighted with his run, finishing in his highest position in a league race of 37th. There were two other strong performances, from Steve Meath and Andy Rose while John Naughton was making his debut.

The club only had three ladies in the race, Theresa Hempstall, Helen Skelton and Rose Sensecall but they put in a tremendous performance. Theresa finished in 57th place, second lady while Helen running in only her third race for the club finished an excellent 64th. The ever reliable Rose Sensecall secured second place for the ladies while the men finished third with the club finishing first overall.

With this strong performance the club has moved from sixth to fourth with one race in the series remaining. The final race takes place next month at Berry Hill Park Mansfield, on the best course of the five, so if the club can get the runners out, there is still a good chance of getting into the top three.

County and Northern Cross-Country Championships

The joint county championships of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire were held at Berrry Hill on a particular frozen icy course. The club had nine runners involved with four ladies in their 8k race. The

ladies race saw Sharon Mellors pushing the leaders to finish 6th while Stephanie Ilsley who has recently joined the club finished an excellent 10th. The fast improving Helen Skelton finished 14th while Rose Sensecall beat some good club runners to finish 27th. Sharon and Stephanie have been selected for the Derbyshire team to compete in the televised Inter-Counties race at Wollaton Park in March.

In the mens race of 10k, Mark Riches finished seventeen places up on last year, in 42th place, followed by Rob Norman in 53rd position. Steve Meath and Andy Fookes both running in the championship for the first time along with Malcolm Weir put in creditable performances.

The Northern Area Cross-Country Championship took place last Saturday, at Sherdley Park St Helens, where three of our runners were involved. On another muddy course, Mark Riches and Rob Norman put in good performances against the best runners in the north of England. Mark finished in 365th position while Rob came home in 408th place, one hundred and sixty places up on last year.

Rose Sensecall carried the Belper vest for the ladies to finish in 223rd place over a distance of 8k.

Well done to all three runners who carried the club colours in this top quality cross-country.

March 2009

Good Finish for the Harriers

The final race in the Booth Decorators Cross-Country League took place at Berry Hill Park Mansfield over a two lap course of 4.2 miles. The Harriers were well represented in the race with twenty-three runners and some strong performances carried the team home to finish second. Our first finisher was the ever reliable Mark Riches in 17th place, followed by Krishna Mahadevan in 20th place, Simon Edwards in 22nd place and Rob Norman in 26th position.

The most outstanding performance from a Belper runner was Jo Carborn, running her first cross-country for the club and finishing third lady and 33rd in the race. This helped the ladies to finish in second place on the day.

There were other good runs from the fast improving Dave Horton in 31st position, Andy Rose in 53rd place while Andy Fookes and Mark Leatherland made their debuts for the club. Rosemary Arris made a welcome return after a long-term injury.

The club went into the race in fourth place out of the ten teams and after a slow start in the competition did well to finish third overall. It has been a good season for many of our runners, in particular Theresa Hempstall, Dave Horton, Rob Norman and once again Roger Morgan who kept his record of never missing a Harriers race, either cross-country or road. Helen Skelton, Karl Atton and Steve Meath all had excellent first seasons and the signs are there for a strong challenge in the road race league which starts in April.

National Cross-Country

The Saucony English Cross-Country Championships took place at Parliament Hill London with three Belper Harriers involved in the action. In unseasonable warm weather but deep mud on the course the trio of Mark Riches, Rob Norman and Rose Sensecall would have been pleased with their performances.

In the men’s race of 1455 finishers over a 12k distance, Mark came home in 850th place in a time of exactly 55mins while Rob up position wise from last year and with more runners in the race, finished in 1010 place, in a time of 57mins 38secs.

In the ladies race of 8k Rose came home in a creditable 499th place, in a time of exactly 51mins, out of a field of 546 finishers.

Congratulations to all three runners who have had good cross-country seasons and ran well on a testing course against the best runners in the country.

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April 2009

Half-Marathon

There has not been much activity in individual races by club members during the early part of the year with the exception of Len Foulkes. Len made the journey to Blackpool to run their half-marathon and it was a worthwhile journey as he knocked six minutes off his previous best. Len recorded a time of 1hr 42mins, to finish in 406th position, out of a field of 1193 finishers.

The club meets on a Tuesday evening at Belper Leisure Centre at 7.15 for a 7.30 start. For more information contact Steve Winfield on Belper 513384.

May 2009

Harriers out in Force

Once again the Derbyshire Building Society 10K race was well supported by the Belper Harriers. The field of over 3,000 finishers was the largest number the race has ever had and the 28 runners from the club was considerably the highest number that has been in the race. The start outside the stadium on Pride Park took the runners into the centre of the city, through many of the main streets and then a solid lap around Pride Park to finish within the football stadium.

There were a number of personal bests among the clubs runners while many others ran well getting near to their best form. Ron Ilsley achieved a personal best time of 39mins 4secs, Steve Meath ran 42mins 30secs while Len Foulk ran another personal best of 46mins 18secs after a fortnight earlier running in the Paris Marathon in a time of 4hrs 17mins.

The club had four runners running a sub-40mins race, eight ran a sub-45min and seven ran sub-50min. Others from the club in the race could be well pleased with their performances with their improving times or getting back to near their best form. These times illustrate how the standard of the club and its members is improving and will give both confidence and optimism for their individual and club races.

There was one local runner on the podium, Richard Weir who runs for Derby AC but lives in Belper. Running only his third 10K race he finished third in 31mins 43secs, thirty–eight seconds behind the winner.

This race gets better and more popular every year creating a good community spirit where club runners compete against runners from other sports and runners who are trying the race for the first time.

Derwent Dambusters 10-Mile Race

This race must be the most scenic in Derbyshire taking in the Dams of Ladybower, Howden and Derwent. Three of the clubs athletes, Stephanie Ilsley, Rosemary Arris and Rob Pearce could all be well pleased with their performances. Stephanie was the first lady in a time of 1hr 10mins while Rob who has improved greatly these last few months had a solid run to finish in 1hr 20mins. Rosemary recorded a time of 1hr 28mins which was a significant step in her recovery from a long-term injury.

Booth Decorators League

The Tuesday after the Derbyshire Building Society 10K race saw the first of the inter-club races of the season at the Derby Rugby Club, organised by Chesapeake Running Club. In ideal conditions, the large field of 246 finishers had two laps of approximately four and a half miles to run. The Harriers had another tremendous turnout of 32 runners including 13 who had run the previous weekend.

The club had eight runners making their debuts for the club and one of these Ben Humphreys was our first male counter finishing in fourth place. He was well supported by Mark Riches who was running the London Marathon five days later, finished in 25th place. Dale Annable, Krishna Mahadevan and Saul Taylor all ran well finishing in 27th, 29th and 32nd places. Simon Edwards and Alex Duthie making his debut could both be well pleased with their two races in two days finishing within seconds of each other in the league race, in 41st and 42nd place. Ron and Steph Ilsley both made their debuts and look excellent acquisition for club with Steph finishing first lady for the Harriers. Phil and Matt Conroy, Dave Cooper and Gemma Redfern also making their debuts could be pleased with their performances.

Dave Horton looked in good shape before his London Marathon while Phil Shaw showed what he is capable of by beating all the mid pack Belper runners.

Although the club only finished sixth overall, 4th in the men’s and 6th in the ladies the standard of the race was very high with Long Eaton sending a strong team and Heanor getting their best runners out. There are still four races to go and the club will be pushing to move up to try for a top three position.

June 2009

Good times in the Marathon

A record number of runners from the club ran in this year’s London Marathon, with seven of our member’s, six men and one lady finishing the 26.2 mile course. Our first finisher was once again the marathon consistent Mark Riches, with a time of 2hrs 58mins, up by two minutes on last year. Simon Merwood followed Mark in 3hrs 5mins, having a struggle over the last three miles. The next Belper finisher was Paul Marvel having just joined the club at the end of last year recorded the excellent time of 3hr 8mins. Dave Horton running on one of the club’s places was our next finisher in 3hrs 36mins, with Patrick Phipps, who would have been well pleased with his run finishing in 3hrs 50mins. Rob Pearce who also ran on a club place, recorded his best time of his three marathons with a time of 4hrs 22mins. Claire Lightfoot completed the Belper runners with an excellent time of 4hrs 41mins achieving her personal goal and joining the list of lady runners within the club.

Congratulations to all of our runners who have put in a lot of time, dedication and effort into their training while raising money for chosen charities throughout the winter months.

Uttoxeter Half-Marathon

This scenic and friendly course saw five Belper Harriers in the field of over four hundred runners. With a big hill at eleven to twelve miles when the runners are most tired, the Belper runners still achieved some excellent times. Krishna Mahadevan easily finished under the hour and half mark with a time of 1hr 26mins, followed by Ron Ilsley in 1hr 31mins, just three minutes in front of his wife Stephanie, in 1hr 34mins. Dave Cooper who used the race in preparation for the Edinburgh Marathon finished in 1hr 37mins while Helen Skelton, making excellent progress recorded a time of 1hr 43mins.

The club is always looking for new members and now is an ideal time to join having the opportunity to run off-road during the spring and summer months. To find out more about the club contact Steve Winfield on Belper 513384.

July 2009

Good Team Performance

The second road race of the season took place at Teversal Grange, Sutton in Ashfield over a distance of4.8 miles. Once again the club had a healthy number of runners 30, in the field of 231 finishers. There were three making their debuts for the club, Maddy Salter, Gordon Irvine and Phil Oldfield who was making his debut in any race for the first time. It was Gordon who made the biggest mark upon the race, finishing fourth to the first three from Mansfield Harriers. The ever consistent Mark Riches was the club’s next finisher in 14th place while Ben Humphreys who was up with the leaders until he suffered a calf injury still managed to finish in 28th position and the third Belper runner home.

The four longest serving members of the club were out in force, Peter Kemp, Graham Johnson, Roger Morgan and Malcolm Weir, with Graham in particular having a very good run.

The ladies were well represented. Steph Ilsley had a fine race to finish in 85th place and was well supported by the other five ladies.

On the night the men’s team came third, the ladies were sixth and combined the team came fourth. After the two races the club holds sixth place with three more races to go. It was a good solid performance by the team and there are positive signs of rapid improvement from some of our newer members. So if we continue to get our runners out, we are still confident of a top three finish for the club.

The evening was concluded with a buffet and presentation of awards from the winter cross-country league by our sponsor Louis Booth. Theresa Hempstall, Helen Skelton and Roger Morgan were receiving awards in their age categories while the club was recognised for finishing third in the combined team, third in the men’s and third in the ladies.

Larwood Healthy Hearts 10k

This race held in Shireoak near Worksop attracted four of our runners to the event. Some good times were achieved by all four with Ron Ilsley being our first runner home in 34th place in a time of 40mins 45secs. Wife Steph was less than two minutes behind in 42mins 39secs, in 58th position while Rob Pearce and Jason Fores can be well pleased with their times and placings. Rob finished in 47mins 26secs in 135th place while Jason in 48mins18secs in 151st place out of a field of 385 finishers.

White Peak Half-Marathon

Two excellent runs by Krishna Mahadevan and Andy Horsley saw them both improve their times on this course. Krishna finished in 10th in 1hr 26mins, two minutes up on last year while Andy finished five minutes up on last year in 1hr 29mins in 20th position. Further down the field were two of our ladies, running together in the cold and wet conditions, Mary Dwyer and Lisa Salton both finished in 2hrs 25mins.

August 2009

Hot Day at Edinburgh

The 2009 Edinburgh Marathon attracted 17,000 entrants which included elite athletes, club runners and those just aiming to get around for their designated charity. On the hottest day of the year there were three Harriers on the start line, Dave Cooper, Adrian Koe and Neil Wilson.

With temperatures at 21 degrees centigrade at the 9am start time and three degrees higher two hours later, the majority of the runners were going to find the conditions difficult without the problem of the shortage of water at the drink stations as the race progressed.

As all three were running their first marathon, it was never going to be easy to attain their predicted times but they still produced highly creditable performances. Dave Cooper was the club’s first finisher in 4hrs 46mins with Adrian Koe just ten minutes behind in 4hrs 56mins. Neil Wilson was just twelve minutes behind Adrian in 5hrs 8mins.

Congratulations to all three runners who would have done their entire pre-race training in weather totally different to the weather on race day.

Tour of the Derwent Valley

The ever popular four races in four days over the Spring Bank Holiday saw six Belper Harriers complete all the races. Ron Ilsley would have been well pleased with his overall ninth place while wife Stephanie came 19th and took the over 45 award for the ladies. Andy Rose also had a good weekend finishing 3rd Senior Male and is making rapid progress since he joined the club. The other three Harriers, Helen Skelton, Rose Sensecall and Rob Norman all achieved their targets and enjoyed the Tour. A number of other runners from the club ran in one or more of the races over the weekend.

Notts 10-mile Road Race

This race at Holme Pierrepont National Water Sports Centre Nottinghamshire saw three of our members in the field of over three hundred runners. Having an excellent race, Mark Riches came home in 59mins 59secs to finish 29th while Helen Skelton recorded a good time of 73mins 57secs finishing 148th. Andy Rose having ran well in his four previous races would probably have been looking for a quicker time but still could be pleased with his 77mins 52secs to finish 196th.

Derwent River Relays

For the third consecutive year the club will be holding their four-stage relay event, to take place on Saturday 11th July at 2.30pm from Belper Rugby Club. All the teams will consist of four runners, either four men, four ladies or a mixed team of four. Each runner will run the three mile stage from the Rugby Club over the footpaths by the side of the River Derwent. The club is looking for as many teams as possible, either from the local community, corporate teams and affiliated running clubs. There are prizes for various team categories as well as fastest individuals.

Before the Relays at 1.30pm there is a Charity Fun Run of 1.5 miles for children and the less experienced runner, in aid of ‘The Friends of the Babington Hospital’. There will be changing facilities available at the Rugby Club along with a Licensed Bar, refreshments and entertainment for the whole family.

More information can be obtained from Steve Winfield on 01773 513384 or Malcolm Weir on 01773 826799.

September 2009

Harriers up and Running

The third race of the Booth Decorators Road Race League took place at Grassmoor Country Park near Chesterfield with 31 Harriers in the slightly smaller field of 203 runners. On a course of just over five miles the club put in another excellent performance finishing third overall out of the eleven clubs.

For the men, the ever consistent Mark Riches lead the team home finishing in 15th place followed by the now injury-free Geoff Lowry in 19th place and Dale Annable in 20th position. Running in his best form while being with the club, Krishna Mahadevan came in a superb 22nd followed by the reliable Simon Merwood in 23rd spot. The final two placings to count for the men were taken by Alex Duthie in 29th place and Simon Edwards who is also on top of his running at the moment, finishing 38th.

It is also good to see runners from further down the field making improvements and there were plenty of healthy improvements, notably Andy Rose, Andy Fookes and Simon Hackett who all could be well pleased with their performances.

The star of the night for the Harriers was the performance of Joanne Caborn who finished second lady in the race and 36th overall. This was a tremendous performance when you consider that in the corresponding race last year, Jo finished 151st and ran nine minutes quicker this year. She was well supported by seven other ladies including Sharon Mellors who made a tentative return after injury to help the ladies finish third on the night.

With three races gone and two more to run, the club is now confident of improving their current fifth position overall and making it into the top three. The next race on a new course at Carsington Reservoir will be on Tuesday July 14th.

Potters ‘Arf’ Marathon

The Stoke-on-Trent half-marathon saw three of our runners on this difficult city course. The husband and wife team of Ron and Steph Ilsley both had great runs with Ron finishing 68th in a time of 1hr 29mins while Steph took first place in her age category and recorded a time of 1hr 33mins. Jason Fores was our third representative in the race and would have been well pleased with his time of 1hr 58mins.

Long Eaton 5

This popular 5-mile race only saw two of our runners in the field of 336 finishers. Rob Norman and Rose Sensecall were our representatives with Rob recording 33mins 30secs, just a little down on last years time. Rose recorded a time of 43mins 41secs to finish 246th with still nearly a hundred runners behind her.

Derwent River Relays

For the third consecutive year the club will be holding their four-stage relay event, to take place on Saturday 11th July at 2.30pm from Belper Rugby Club. All the teams will consist of four runners, either four men, four ladies or a mixed team of four. Each runner will run the three mile stage from the Rugby Club over the footpaths by the side of the River Derwent. The club is looking for as many teams as possible, either from the local community, corporate teams or affiliated running clubs. There are prizes for various team categories as well as fastest individuals.

Before the Relays at 1.30pm there is a Charity Fun Run of 1.5 miles for children and the less experienced runner in aid of ‘The Friends of the Babington Hospital’.

More information about the day can be obtained from Steve Winfield on 01773 513384 or Malcolm Weir on 01773 826799.

October 2009

Good Week for the Harriers

This last week has seen the club enjoy considerable success in both the Booth Decorators league race and the promotion of the Derwent River Relays. On the Saturday at the Belper Rugby Club, Belper Harriers promoted the Derwent River Relays, a race with four runners to a team, either four men, four ladies or a mixed team of four. This is the third year the event took place. Conditions were ideal with the much heralded rain not arriving until evening. The forty teams on the starting line, six more than last year saw teams from running clubs, corporate, community and teams from local organisations. The 3.3 mile route around both sides of the River Derwent and back to the Rugby Club saw some fast times achieved.

The winning men’s team was Heanor’s Swine Flu Boys followed by Heanor’s Ginger and Out, both teams from Heanor Running Club. The winning ladies team came from North Derbyshire Running Club and the winning mixed team from Kimberley Running Club.

There was some local success with Belper Harriers Vets team of Mark Riches, Krishna Mahadevan, Simon Edwards and Geoff Lowry running under Lowry’s Matchstick Men, finishing third overall and taking the vets prize. The prizes for the fastest male and female runner went to Chris Rainsford from Heanor with a time of 17mins 15secs and Suzanne Roddis from North Derbyshire with a time of 20mins 49secs.

It was a great afternoon of running with the main race preceded by a Fun Run around the Rugby Club Field in a safe environment where spectators could watch both races in a relaxed atmosphere.

The preliminary work for the event was arranged by the club secretary, Steve Winfield and was joined by club members, relatives and friends who took on the many roles during the day. The Belper Rugby Club once again was able to let us use the ground and all the facilities which were most appreciated.

League Race

The following Tuesday it was back to the action of the Booth Decorators Fourth League Race at Carsington Reservoir. It was a new venue, orgainised by Wirksworth Running Club on a 2.5 mile out and back course. Not even a deluge with thunder and lightening ten minutes before the race could dampen the spirits of the thirty-seven Harriers, creating a new club record of runners in a Booth Decorators race.

It was a tremendous performance from the club with the majority of the runners having excellent runs to win the overall race. The men came second and the women had a great day finishing first, this helping to push the club up from fifth place overall to second with one race to go. This was a massive leap up which saw Dale Annable getting back to his best form, lead the club home in 14th place, closely followed by Krishna Mahadevan, running brilliantly at the moment in 16th place. They were followed by Mark Riches and Simon Merwood both in the first twenty. Once again Joanne Caborn had another good race finishing second lady and 27th in the race. It is most unfortunate that Helen Skelton who had an excellent race and has run consistently well for us over the last eight months is leaving the area will be greatly missed by the club.

There were four members making their debuts for the club, Sharon Colegate, Andy Shorney, Adrian Koe and Richie Barker who must all have been well pleased with their performances and so must Andy Fookes, Andy Rose and Chris Gilbert who had impressive runs.

The final race will be from Shipley Cricket Club on the 4th August where the club is hoping to finish in the top three positions in the three race categories.

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Good Result for the Harriers

The final race of the Booth Decorators Road Race League at Shipley Cricket Club saw the Harriers take a well deserved first position, equaling their position at Carsington. Once again the club got its runners out to hold on to its second place overall or to even improve it. The two-lap course of five miles was a good challenge but the Belper runners responded with Geoff Lowry leading the club home in 14th place followed by Dale Annable, Krishna Mahadevan and Simon Merwood. For the ladies Jo Caborn continued her great form finishing first lady for the club and second lady overall. The club once again had runners making their debuts with Belinda Shorney and seventeen years old Jordan Whitehead having their first introduction to club racing.

The performance although excellent was not good enough to win the competition, finishing runners-up to Heanor Running Club. This was the second consecutive year as runners-up but realistically an even better performance than last year, as the competition itself has improved. The introduction this year of Long Eaton and more runners from the other clubs have improved the standard and the competitiveness of the races with fields of over 230 runners not being uncommon.

The clubs men’s team was strong throughout the five race series finishing second while the ladies came fourth although the ladies have had a few long-term injuries which have made a difference. This year the club has regularly fielded more runners than the other clubs with fourteen runners appearing in all five races. Krishna Mahadevan and Steph Illsey in her first season with the club have won individual prizes for their age groups and both have had a tremendous season for the club. Some of the younger club members have made an impact this season with Dale Annable running consistently in all five races while Alex Duthie, Andy Rose, Matt and Phil Conroy, Gemma Redfern and Maddy Salter should all be well pleased with their first season. Of the older runners Theresa Hempstall, Phil Shaw, Simon Hackett, Andy Fookes, Steve Meath, Simon Edwards, Mark Riches and Ron Illsey could all be relied upon to produce consistent performances.

All members of the club who played a part in any of the five races should be proud of their achievements and next year the club will be looking for an even better return, considering the improvements many of the runners are making. Before that there will be the small matter of the Cross-Country League which starts in October where we will be hoping to make a very strong impression.

Pride Park Relays

The relays which incorporate the Derbyshire Championships saw a good number of teams in the event with eight teams from Belper. This consisted of three ladies teams, three men’s teams and two men’s veteran teams. The course of two miles from the stadium around Pride Park is relatively flat and conditions suited the runners with some fast times recorded. The first ladies team of Jo Caborn, Herbie Kaur and Step Illsey finished fourth overall but third in the Derbyshire Championship with Jo recording the third fastest ladies time of 11mins 53secs. There were twenty-four runners from the club involved making it an enjoyable evening for both competitors and spectators alike.

November 2009

Loch Ness Runners

The period between the road-racing league and the cross-country season sees many of the clubs runners involved in individual races, both local and around the country. None more so than Krish Mahadevan and Ron and Steph Ilsley who made the long journey to Scotland to run in the Loch Ness Marathon and the River Ness 10km race.

The marathon has now become the third most popular after only eight years behind London and Edinburgh. It suggests that runners are looking for something a bit different from the city races and undoubtedly the course is tough but it will be the most scenic long-distance race. Starting from the end of Loch Ness after a 50 minute delay the runners ran by the side of the Loch to finish at Queens Park Stadium in Inverness.

The field of 3500 starters included Krish Mahadevan and Steph Ilsley who have trained and worked hard for the marathon and their times justified all the efforts they have made. Krish recorded the excellent time of 3hrs 8mins and finished in the first 100 runners in 96th position. Steph who is still in her first year with the club has certainly made a big impression particularly over the longer distances as she clocked a time of 3hrs 21mins to finish in 197th position.

Husband Ron went for the shorter option of the River Ness 10km race, held over a much flatter course. His time of 39mins 9secs put him in 50th position which was highly creditable considering the quality of the race with a number of Kenyans involved.

Great North Run

Five members of the club joined the thousands on the start line for this popular half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields. Once again Mark Riches who regularly runs this distance and race had an excellent run to finish in 153rd place, in a time of 1hr 22mins. Mark would have been well pleased both with his position and time while competing with the faster runners in the race.

Simon Merwood was the next Belper finisher in 1hr 33mins, just down on his best but still a good time while Phil Shaw should be pleased with his time of 1hr 46mins not his best but certainly good for the course.

Rosemary Arris who has ran this race a number of times and Tom Steel who returned to his native North-East recorded times of 2hrs 1min and 2hrs 36mins respectively.

Robin Hood Half-Marathon

Another Belper Harrier who enjoys the longer distances, Rob Pearce who has run this race for the last five years, recorded his best time of 1hr 46mins. He was joined by Maddy Salter who ran her first half-marathon in the Belper colours finishing in 1hr 51mins. Amy Robinson and Becky Poyser completed the clubs runners with Amy who is new to the club finishing in 2hrs 4mins while Becky who is slowly returning to full fitness finished in 2hrs 9mins.

The club held their first 10km Handicap of the winter last Tuesday from their original course at Coxbench. Thirty-four runners participated in warm damp conditions with some excellent times achieved.

This time of the year is ideal to start running and the club is always looking for new members. Anyone over sixteen would be welcome to join us on a Tuesday evening at Belper Leisure Centre at 7.15. If further information is required visit our web-site on www.belperharriers.com or contact either of the officials listed.

Harriers in National Relays

Once again the club was involved in the Saucony English National Cross-Country Championships at Berry Hill Park Mansfield. For three years the club has only fielded one male team but this year we were represented by four teams, two men’s teams and two ladies teams.

Each leg for the ladies was 3k long with three runners to a team and for the men, a distance of 5k with four runners to a team.

The club looked particularly strong in the first ladies team of Jo Caborn, Sharon Mellors and Steph Ilsley and so it proved with them just missing out on a top fifty position, finishing in 51st place. An excellent performance from the team and a good marker for future years. The second ladies team of Maddy Salter, Gemma Redfern and Amy Robinson have all been with the club only a matter of months and have never been involved at anywhere near this type of competition. They all could be well pleased with their position of 75th place out of the104 teams on the start line, with the winning team being Charnwood AC.

The men’s race proved highly competitive with many of the country’s top runners involved. The men’s team of Geoff Lowry, Krish Mahadevan, Dale Annable and Mark Riches put in a solid performance to finish in 109th place while the second team of Simon Edwards, Ron Ilsley, Steve Meath and Dave Horton came 140th out of 164 teams. The winning team was Bedford & County with the strong Derby & County just out of the medals in fifth place.

League Cross-Country

The first Booth Decorators League Cross-Country of the winter took place at Shipley Park where the club made a consistent start finishing 3rd overall out of the eleven clubs. Our first finisher for the men was Dale Annable in 10th place with Geoff Lowry just behind in 12th position. There were also good runs from Rob Norman, Andy Fookes, Ian Hays and Andy Rose to help the men’s team to second position. In the ladies race with some of the faster runners missing through injury, illness or unavailability it gave the opportunity to some of the younger ladies to make their mark upon the race. Maddy Salter did this by leading the way, with Gemma Redfern just behind and Becky Poyser returning from injury counting for the team to finish in seventh place.

Merrill 10k

This is always a popular race for the Belper runners, taking place from Merrill School in Derby. There were seven of our members in the race where Phil Conroy our first finisher, broke the forty minute barrier to finish in 38mins 53secs and in 33rd place. Ron Ilsley came exceeding close to running in less than forty minutes, finishing in 40mins 1sec. They were followed by Phil Butt in 43mins 19secs and Rob Norman in 43mins 43secs. Maddy Salter was our next finisher in 48mins 50secs, followed by Gemma Redfern in 49mins 51secs and Rose Sensecall in 57mins 23secs.

Leicester Marathon

This race although not one of the most popular or well-known of races got a good rating from two of our runners who ran the race. Mark Riches, Belper’s marathon man and Simon Merwood took on the distance with both doing exceptionally well. Mark recorded the time of 3hr 4mins finishing in 48th place, not Mark’s fastest but still a very good time. Simon finished in 83rd place in a time of 3hrs 12mins just below his best but still a good time for the marathon.

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New York Marathon

Once again there was a Belper runner in the international New York Marathon. Len Foulk from the Harriers was among the 43,741 runners on the start line for this prestigious race. This was Len’s fourth marathon in less than fourteen months, having ran at Nottingham, Paris and Venice and he easily recorded his best time of 3hrs 58mins. As Len said ‘’If he had concentrated more in the first half of the race, instead of taking in the atmosphere, he would have ran an even better time.’’ He now joins the rapidly increasing number of Belper Harriers who have run sub-four-hour marathons. Not only did Len run for his own personal performance but he was raising money for Cancer Research where he hopes to raise the sum of £500.

League Cross-Country

The second Booth Decorators Cross-Country of the season took place at Chaddesden Park Derby. The course of four and a half miles, over two laps saw 32 runners from the club in the field of 172 runners. A warm autumn Sunday morning saw the race attract a good crowd of spectators particularly at the crossing of the stream which the runners cross four times.

The first Harrier to finish was Dale Annable producing another quality performance to finish in seventh place. Geoff Lowry followed him while Saul Taylor showed what a good runner he is to finish 20th. Further down the field, Rob Norman, Roger Morgan, Richie Barker, Garry Knights and Steve Winfield returning from a long-term injury would all have been well pleased with their performances.

For the ladies, Joanne Caborn ran a good race to finish 26th while Gemma Redfern and Amy Robinson continue to improve. It was a good turn-out for the ladies with Sarah Holme making her debut for the club.

The star performance for the club was Andy Fookes who finished 28th, up eleven places from the previous cross-country, in a much stronger field. This all helped towards the club finishing 3rd overall and after two races sit in fourth place with three races to go.

It was an excellent representation of club members, right through the race and hopefully the numbers will stand up for the remaining races.

Heanor Christmas Pudding 10k Race

A popular local race at this time of the year around Shipley Country Park saw ten Belper Harriers in the field of 704 finishers. The first finisher from the club was Andy Parkin in 37th place, in a time of 39mins 10secs. Andy has re-joined the Harriers after a number of years away, coming back to a much stronger, better organised and competitive club. He will make his much awaited debut back in the team at the next cross-country in December. Following Andy was Alex Duthie in a good time of 40mins 24secs while Phil Butt should have been well pleased with his 41mins 22secs.

Our next finisher was Len Foulk in 48mins 5secs while Maddy Salter recorded 48mins 30secs. New member Sarah Holme ran a creditable 50mins 14secs, followed by Neil Wilson in 53mins 14secs and Pete Kemp in 55mins 52secs. Anthea Page and Philip Nicholls completed the Belper runners in times of 60mins 26secs and 65mins 53secs. Congratulations to all our runners who helped to make this an enjoyable race to watch.

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