HDSRL race 3 - Yeadon
Well that was a bit different from the monsoon conditions on the evening of the Ripon race! After days of yet more rain and with promises of a mud bath, we arrived at the start line at Yeadon bathed in sunshine with the promise of a fabulous evening of racing. And so it proved to be!
But before the sweaty, muddy stuff began, 66 claret-clad runners (well 65, as usual Dougie was somewhere nearby, but….) eagerly converged for the usual pre-race photo, yet again outnumbering the other teams and making up almost 20% of the total field of 375. For some reason the turnout is traditionally lower at this race than others, remembering that in the deluge that was Ripon two weeks ago, 433 made the journey to the start line at Hell Wath!
And then we were off, racing hell for leather (or in my case, not) for the pinch point at the first gate just 100 metres after the start. The first mile and a half of the route was downhill, gradually more steeply, which was initially quite fun until you realised that it meant the last mile and a half would be – uphill!
The warm sunny day had dried out the first part of the course, and those of us who had opted for aggressive trail shoes began to wonder if we had made the right choice. Then we dropped into the woods and mudclaws and the like certainly came into their own allowing those properly shod to plough straight through the middle making up places (though some I hear took a tumble or two Lenny?) while others queued to tiptoe around the edges.
A brilliant course I think, probably ideal for us Ripon Runners used to this sort of stuff. A quick start, followed by a sharp muddy descent then stiff climb through the woods. Pause for breath on another flat fast section, then back into the woods for more mud and more climbing before a quick sprint along a cycle path on the last mile to the finish.
Some great results as ever. First Ripon Runner back, again, Toby Antcliffe was 10th overall in a brilliant 33.49, followed by Lee Stanley (17th), Kim Brown (18th) and Lucas Fawcett (19th).
First Ripon lady, Emma Sorby with another outstanding run finished once more as 1st in FSen category, 3rd female overall.
Other notable category results:
Lenny Lennox – 1st MV55
Morag McDowall – 1st FV55
John Grundy – 1st MV75
Gerry Griffiths – 2nd FV35
Fiona Alder – 2nd FV60
Angie Benson – 3rd FV55
Stan Appleton – 3rd MV70
But most of all thanks again to all and every single one of the club members for getting out there in the claret kit, running your hearts out, cheering on your club mates and showing everyone else just why Ripon Runners are the best!
Raw results are up on the League website, points details to follow. The last of the league points races is at Knaresborough on 2nd July, a relatively flat fast course from memory, so a chance for another huge Ripon turnout and some quick times before the exciting Handicap race finale.