Dam Buster 10

 On the 13^th November 6 members of Grantham Running Club set their alarms extra early to make the journey to the Derwent Valley in the north of Derbyshire to take part in the Dam Buster 10 mile trail race. 

Taking place around the Derwent and Howden Reservoirs, the race is named after the famous 617 Squadron who practiced the low-level flights needed for Operation Chastise (more commonly known as the Dam Busters raids) over the dams due to their similarity to the dams in Germany.

Surrounded by the elevated fells of the Peak District National Forest, the massive and imposing dam of the Howden Reservoir provided a dramatic backdrop to the start and finish of the race which was organised by Peak Runners.  

The GRC contingent (who provided the biggest club representation) were quite happy to start at the back of the pack of around 140 runners and intended to take it easy to allow them to take in the breath-taking scenery and autumnal colours.  There were numerous stops during the early part of the race to take pictures as surroundings were too good to miss in the autumnal sunshine, so the pace was certainly more leisurely in the first five miles during which the runners were steadily climbing to approximately 550ft.

Wayne Baxter and Dale Towning ran the entire race together, enjoying an easy first half which was on the road.  As the miles increased, so did their pace on the second half of the route which was trail.  Winding up to a sprint at the end, they crossed line within a second of one another at 1:43:01 for Dale and 1:43:02 for Wayne.

Hot on their heels was Sylv Hull who also had a very easy start to the race but started to pick up the pace in the second half as she enjoyed the slight descent back to the finish and the trail conditions.  Chasing Dale and Wayne towards the end, she finished on a time of 1:44:17 on the course which measured nearly half a mile long, though nobody was unhappy to spend a little extra time out on the trails.

Also finishing strongly were Alison Clark and Zoe Wragg who ran most of the race together after enjoying the sightseeing mood of the first half.  Alison crossed the line in style with a time of 1:51:13.

Zoe took it steady (and plenty of photos) to begin with but gained momentum alongside Alison and finished in 1:52:03.  An extra bonus for the day was learning what a dam looks like.

Rounding off the GRC representation was Yvonne Buckley who maintained her pace throughout the run and finished in 2:02:02 and second in her category.

Every single GRC runner was blown away by the surroundings and thought the event was extremely well organised and friendly, with a wooden medal and amazing free event photographs to take away.  The 5am alarm call was certainly worthwhile, and we will be back, with lots more GRC members in tow.

Gainsborough Morton 10k

 

Vicky Willan finished in 74:31

On the 7^th November, Vicky Willan and Peter Bonner of Grantham Running Club took part in the Gainsborough Morton 10k, an event which is a sell-out every year.

Conditions on the day were mild and damp which for most would be ideal for running, but with a very welcome appearance from the sun at the end of the race.

Located in a lovely Lincolnshire village, the all-road course is flat, fast, and scenic, in a big loop that takes in a stretch by the River Trent.  Advertised as a good pb race for those so inclined, Vicky’s aim in any run was just to set off and get to the finish.  Following a slightly delayed arrival caused by hold ups in the carpark and a tricky journey to a well-hidden start line, Vicky was able to enjoy a very pleasant run with amazing views of the surrounding farmland, fields, and animals and recorded a time of 1:14.

Peter Bonner was also running that day and put in an impressive run to record a time of 43:50, putting him in 155^th position out of nearly a thousand runners.

The marshalls were super supportive and friendly and the event had a great atmosphere from start to finish. 

Runners were offered cake and a lovely medal at the finish and everyone agreed that it was an extremely enjoyable event with great PB potential which is definitely worth a return visit. 

Nottingham Tough Runner

Louise Kennedy 101st in category F40-49.

On the 7th November, Sherwood Pines forest park played host to the Tough Runner Nottingham 10k event. Located in the heart of the east midlands Sherwood Pines is now a historic location with the remains of old WWI pistol range and training trenches.

812 runners took part in the off-road event which took place on the trail paths around the forest with amazing scenery and the trees providing welcome cover from the wind.

Louise Kennedy was the sole GRC member to take part in this event and came in at 01:10:34 placing her 731st/812, 101st in category F40-49.

Louise commented that the title Tough Runner conjured up images of huge hills and a gruelling course but was happy to report that that the route was much gentler than expected and that she would definitely return. An awesome medal was provided to finishers along with action photos taken around the course and finish. The event was brilliantly organised with fantastic marshalls around the course and it is hoped that the event will be held again next year.

1st male was Chris Bevan in 35:06, 1st female was Catherine Charlton Notts AC in 40:23.


 

National Cross Country Relays – Berry Hill Park

After a year away because of the Covid Pandemic, the country's most prestigious Cross Country Relays returned to the calendar on the 6 November and members of GRC were there to participate. Taking place at Berry Hill Park in Mansfield, the weather conditions were generally good, if rather windy on exposed parts of the course.

GRC's ladies were represented by Caroline Davis, Sarah High and Michelle Parczuk. All three put in a great effort competing against a wide age range of ladies including some of the top female runners in the country. Caroline took the first leg getting the team off to a good start and completing her 3K lap the quickest in 14:39. Sarah ran the second lap in 14:54 and Michelle brought the team home with a strong run to finish in 15:21 enabling the team to complete the race in a total time of 44:56.

GRC's Men's Team Captain, Sam Jepson, ran the first 5K Lap for the men and put in a cracking effort to complete his lap in 19:32, the fastest lap for the team and 2 minutes faster than his time in 2019. Russell Whittaker, in his debut cross country race for the club, took the second lap putting in an impressive run to finish in 20:14. Lap 3 was run by Rob Howbrook who is returning to form, and who had a fine run clocking 22:10. The team was brought home by Andrew Pask who put in a strong performance to finish in 22:45, contributing to a very credible overall time, given the high quality of the competition, of 1:24:43.

In terms of final results, Aldershot ladies retained their Senior Women's title, completing the race in 30:21and Shaftsbury Barnet came from behind to snatch victory in the Senior Men's race in a time of 1:02:58.

Six Dale Circuit

 

Grantham Running Club's Paul Rushworth was the sole club entrant at this year Six Dale Circuit event in the Peak District which is run by the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA). An otherwise popular event with the club, this year's race clashed with the national cross-country relays so saw fewer club members this year.

Deciding to opt for a longer slower challenge, Paul got round the scenic 26 miles circuit, visiting Hartington, Monyash, Lathkill Dale and Milldale before returning to the event centre at Biggin.

 Paul completed the event in 4 hrs 53 minutes which was slower than previous times, but grateful to finish after turning his ankle during the second mile.