The Club Championship continues, as does a strong membership participation, with 53 members completing the latest event, a 10km road race, held on the evening of the 25th May. The cool weather made for fantastic running conditions and the army of volunteers, who came dressed for a monsoon, were certainly relieved that the rain managed to hold off. The event is traditionally a key date in the Summer Race League diary, with athletes travelling from across the region to test themselves on the undulating course, a circular route from Easingwold via Crayke. This year the race was slightly different. Holding these races requires huge amounts of organisation, dedicated club members and a little bit of creativity. Easingwold Running Club, like many clubs across the country are extremely fortunate to have a dedicated team that more than reflect each of these qualities. The race was for members only and took the format of a time trial, with groups of 6 starting at 2-minute intervals. Thus, removing any mass starts and allowing all members to observe social distancing measures. Julian Ollive was the first male home with a time of 38:14, followed by Simon Donoghue 40:01 and Nigel Ramsden 40:40. The first female home was Sam Davies who continued her strong season with a time of 41:21, followed by Laura Tuley 47:36 and Georgina Robinson 49:03. With 3 rounds now complete, the Club Championship table starts to take shape. Sam Davies currently holds the top spot in the female category with a total point tally of 150, whilst the men’s category is topped by Simon Donoghue with a score of 148.
Outside of club organised events, members continue to enjoy the revival of races across the UK. None so more than Pam Johnson, Debbie Loane and Jane Maloney, who on Sunday 6th June, undertook the Lakelands Trail Marathon in Coniston. As you’d expect from the race name, the terrain was tough, but add the natural gradient of the Lakes into the mix and you also get over 900m of ascent. Well done to all, a fantastic achievement.