Created by : Thomas Shaw On : Mon, 05/19/2025 - 16:25
Posted in :
It was a weekend of big miles this week so what better way to kick off than catching up with some mammoth solo miles from earlier in May as Steve Battle took on the K6 Ultramarathon, a 6 day challenge in the beautiful surroundings of konstantinovy, in Czech republic. Runners had 6 days to complete as many 3 km loops as they could muster with Steve racking up an incredible 519 km (or 322 miles!) to finish 12th. Runners were well fed and looked after but still time for plenty of drama with thunder and lightning storms on the first night bringing trees down on the course!
On to this weekend and the inaugural Trent Valley Ultra started and finished at Milestone Brewery just down the A1, sending runners out on a 31 mile loop sending runners South along the Trent to Newark before looping back up through Besthorpe, Clifton and then back through Carlton-on-Trent to finish back at the brewery. A 9-strong contingent started on a inaugural event and made a great starting mark as a decisive move at mile 17 saw two harriers move off the front pack and not look back as Matt Daly and Henry Brady finished a joint 1st/2nd in 3:50:47, 10 minutes clear of the nearest rival. Chris Johnson followed next (4:39:32) then Adam Turner (5:17:32). Recent addition Neil Allsop followed (5:36:34) with the duo of Bryan Cherry and Dave Bulmer finishing in 6:16:34. On the ladies front two using the event as training for some bi mg summer goals as Sally Hamer finished in the top-10 in 5:43:02 with Gemma Hind finishing in 7:14:56. An excellent inaugural edition and superb post-race venue very welcome for some tired runners as what started out as a cool day added an extra challenge to the ultra with the sun out and temperatures rising!
Meanwhile in the peaks, the Hathersage Hurtle took place; 20 miles of tracks and trails with 2500 feet of elevation and fabulous views In the Peak District. Jim Staveley and James Morgan enjoyed some pre-race fuelling before the mass start, while Kerry Dickinson and Sally Staveley set off with the early starters. Having a head start, meant we all finished at a similar time and were able to enjoy the tea and cakes, beer and burgers and yoga sessions together. Jim and James finished in 4:01 and Kerry and Sally in 5:17.
Shorter and sharper also in the peaks at the White Peak ‘down in a shot’ 10k, part of the Matlock running festival, Nick Mould and another new addition of Mark Townrow ran a couple of quick times. Taking its name from the downhill course making for some swift miles as the course mixes between flats and some sharp declines, a bit of confidence on the downhill offers speedy rewards as Nick finished 12th in 41:21 with Mark running 54:28.
On to Sunday and not finished with the peaks, Sam Robinson and Lucy Bunch took on one of the hilliest Uk road half’s at the Eyam Half. Marathon. Two big hills (up and down! Makes for a challenging course as runners tackle over 1600 ft over the 13.1 miler, crossing the line together in 2:02:18.
Finally Sunday also saw a small number of Harriers attend the 1st edition of the Northern League T&F at Cleckheaton. Strong performances saw several wins and podiums in the athletes respective events:
Brooklyn Crooks
Long Jump - 1st 'A' - 5.74m
High Jump - 1st 'A' - 1.81m
Discus - 2nd 'A' - 32.67m
Javelin - 4th 'A' - 34.19m
Charlotte Ayton
Long Jump - 1st 'A' - 5.16m
Javelin - 4th 'A' - 15.54m
Peter Fendley also officiated to ensure the event went ahead.