Gray shrugs off illness to complete gruelling event
Calder Valley’s globe-trotting runners Karl Gray, Holly Page and Helen Fines have been flying the flag for their country overseas in the last few days. Gray defied sickness to take part in the World Mountain Running Championships in America, representing Engand in the Pikes Peak Ascent in Manitou, Colorado.
The staggeringly tough, up-hill only course climbs for 13 miles to the top of the 14,115 foot peak.
Gray was disappointed with his run, having been taken ill the night before.
The Brighouse runner was sick during the race but toughed it out with some of world’s greatest mountain runners to finish 38th.
He helped a three man England team to fifth place, ahead of Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Ukraine, Japan, and Poland.
Gray completed his ascent in 2hrs 38mins, just behind England team mates Josh Tighe and Thomas Cornthwaite who finished together in 2hrs35min.
USA had the first and third runners home to win from Italy, Germany and Slovenia.
Page and Fines raced for Great Britain in the Tre Refugi relay in the Italian Dolomites.
Each team has three runners and the Calder Valley pair were joined by Bingley’s Emma Clayton to form a formidable trio.
The race is run over rocky and limestone terrain, between three mountain huts.
Leg one is uphill, leg two starts with a downhill stretch and then has a section of rock face that runners climb with ladders and cables before heading to the high point of the race. Leg three is downhill only, dropping 900 metres.
The British trio put in a blistering performance to finish in 1,34.37, 30 seconds behind the winning Italian team who must have had the benefit of local knowledge. Calder Valley’s Alistair Morris and Barbara Lonsdale were eighth in the World Series itera adventure race in Wales.
The five-day contest, over 400 miles and with only seven hours sleep,takes place in the highest and wildest parts of the country.
Morris and Lonsdale, racing with team Ellis Brigham, got trapped by rising flood waters and had to take a detour through deep bogs and forest.
Valley’s Phil Scarf, racing for the Endurance Life team, was an impressive sixth.
High winds and torrential rain played havoc with event. Calder Valley’s Joe Washington finished second, 12 seconds behind winner Andy Swift from Penistone, in the Dennis Stitt Memorial Race.
The course at Holmfirth featured two laps of two miles on roads and woodland. Calder results: 2, Joe Washington 00:30:54; 20, Matthew Murray 00:38:18; 27, Blair Garret 00:40:06; 33, Brian Horsley 00:42:14; 37, Craig Hall 00:43:40. Tim Ellis was first for Calder Valley and Nick Barber showed the way for Todmorden Harriers in the Sedbergh Hills Fell Race on Sunday.
Ellis was 13th and Barber 68th in the category A contest which is part of the English Fell Championship. Four hundredths of a second was all that was between Rastrick wheelchair racer Georgina Oliver and a medal at the IPC Athletics European Championships but her confidence is still sky high.
In a tightly- contested T54 100m final, Oliver was squeezed out of the podium places by Zubeyde Supurgeci of Turkey – and was just OVER a tenth behind Holland’s Margriet van den Broek in second.
The 21- year- old’s time of 18.30 seconds could ultimately not add another medal to her growing collection after she clinched bronze at the World Championships in Lyon last year.
It follows a seventh-place finish over 400m on Tuesday – yet Oliver knows time is on her side and believes she’ll continue to be in the medal mix as the Rio 2016 Paralympics draw ever closer.
“I am happy with that but I was hoping to be in the medals,” said Oliver. “The wind got the better of me and the other girls are obviously stronger in the wind.
“I take confidence that I’m close to the other girls though and I tried my best. I’m glad I got selected again.”
Sainsbury’s is proud to support British Athletics through the Summer Series events and is committed to helping young people lead healthier, more active lifestyles. For more information visit www.sainsburys.co.uk/legacy
Hannah Cockroft cruised to victory in the 100m T34, finishing 1.46secs clear of Holland’s Amy Siemons with fellow Brit Melissa Nicholls winning bronze. A beginners’ running course is being launched at Northowram Community Sports Club.
It is free and will initially be for eight weeks, with everyone welcome.
The long term plan is to set up a running club based at the Westercroft Lane home of Northowram Fields CC and Northowram Juniors AFC.
The first session is on Wednesday, September 3 (6.30) and there will be a prerun warm-up.
Changing facilities are available and runners are asked to wear bright clothing and appropriate footwear.
Andy Haslem and Ian Marshall will be in charge and Chris Thompson is the point on contact on 07908 252938.