So here they come, the ever familiar words that signal the end of summer….. “whose family are we spending Christmas with this year?” and “is it to early to turn the central heating on?”. (self-edit the house temperature currently stands at 19 Degrees Celsius, which is incidentally the same temperature as Barcelona. If I keep my eyes very firmly shut, I could be there. However, if I open them, well the reality is that one of the cats has brought home a live mouse and my 8 months pregnant wife is scrambling round the house trying to find the remote control for the fan). But what a summer of sporting prowess it has been, the England men’s football team had us dreaming, our Olympians again showed us what human endurance and dedication looks like, and Easingwold Running Club members dug out their club vests and headed out to partake in regional and national events.
Where to start, well the inter club championship really is in full swing and the competition is picking up pace (no pun intended, but we have also seen some fantastic personal best performances as well). On the 22nd August our members could be found stood in Escrick village green, eagerly awaiting the start of the 10k race. This multi-terrain course was event 10 of the club championship, and 22 ERC members took on the challenge. Stephanie Cooper was the first club female home in a time of 55:01, followed shortly after by Lindsey Walker in 57:35. Fastest club male was Simon Donoghue in 40:08, followed by Roy McGhie in 42:57.
Next came the Wetherby 10k, on the 5th September and event 11. Unusually this race started at 2pm. For those that race or have been to running events, you will note that this is rare. Weather conditions play a key part in any runner’s race, and an afternoon start lends itself to higher temperatures. The flipside, well it allows for a sleep in and the opportunity to consume multiple coffees. ERC members certainly appeared to have taken advantage of this. Jane Maloney finishing in a time of 56:32 and Mike Wallis back in 1:02:40.
Event 12 was a local favourite and one that club members were all excited to see back on the roster, the Tholthorpe 10k. 34 members made their way to the duck pond for the traditional pre-race club photo. With great running conditions in place, Craig Gath stormed round in a time of 37:23, finishing in 9th place overall. Georgina Robinson finished as the fastest club female in a time of 49:21.
With these events completed, it means that we have new leaders in both the female and male categories. Karen Newton leads the females with a total point score of 306, but Lindsey Walker is staying in close contention with a total of 302. Simon Donoghue is currently in first place leading the men with a tally of 398, with Richard Knott in second scoring 360 so far. The next race is the Sutton on Forest 10k on the 26th September.
Outside of the championship, members are also keeping themselves busy, competing in a variety of events across the UK, most notably with some fantastic half marathon performances. Cheryl McBroom and Izzy Rochester recently completed the Saltburn Hardmoors Half Marathon, whilst over in Leeds, Stephen Daniel bagged himself a PB, completing the Leeds Half Marathon in a time of 1:52:37. Well done to all runners that have taken on races, continue to show Olympian devotion and represent Easingwold Running Club.
Tim Williams, Publicity Secretary