Glorious mud for Harriers at Marl Pits race
LAST weekend could be described as quiet for the Harriers, with most opting to undertake their own training runs.
This despite the fact it was a Red Rose Cross Country League Meeting at Marl Pits, Rossendale.
The most likely reason being, Marl Pits is the toughest of all the cross country courses in the league and apart from the steep hill, is noted for one thing – MUD, and loads of it!
This year it was exceptional, which probably explains why only 11 Harriers competed in the various classes.
In the Under 11’s Boys Category, Isaac Lupton finished 37th in a time of 11 mins 32 sec.
Whilst in the Under 13’s boys, Joseph Lupton finished 21st, in a time of 14 mins, 37 sec. Lottie Peacock came 23rd in a time of 13 mins, 38 sec, in the Under 13’s Girls category. In the Under 15’s Boys category, Joshua Clowes ran 23 mins, 59 sec, finishing 22nd.
If you are wondering why there are large differences in the times between the categories, it’s because they run different distances to take into account their ages.
Georgia Crossley, running in the Under 20’s Women, ran 32 mins, 2 sec, to finish 5th in this category and 53rd in the Ladies Race as the two were run together.
Three Harriers ran in the Ladies Races, Jenny Ransome, 25th, in 27 mins, 51 sec, Anna Blomfield, 44th, in 30 mins, 41 sec.
Meanwhile over in the Men’s Race, the younger members were shown how it’s done, when the youngest Harrier competed in the Vet 45 category.
Four Harriers ran in the Senior Men Category, Danny Bennett, 28th, Vet 50, in 37 mins, 1 sec. Chris Gee, 2nd Harrier home, 110th, Vet 45, 52 mins, 22 sec.
Matthew Cox, 118th, Vet 60, in 56 mins, 21 sec. Special mention to Ian Holloway, who has started running again after a long absence and doing himself proud, 122nd. Vet 70, 57 mins, 6 sec.
Two Harriers were continuing the overseas theme, Ian Aitchison, finishing 3rd in the Vet 65, in the Lanzarote Beach Race Series.
Richard Stirzaker going for a bit of culture, ran the Valencia Marathon, which started and finished outside of the Science Museum, achieving a time of 2hrs, 59 mins, 36 sec.
Finally the Harriers are running a six-week Couch to 5k Beginners Running Course, starting on Monday 9th Jan 2023 at 7.00pm.
The venue is Kingsway Park Sports Centre, Rochdale, priced at £2 per person, per session.
It’s great value for money, everyone welcome, details can be found on the Rochdale Harriers website (https:// rochdaleharriers.org.uk). The site is now back up and running after taking a short break.
Finally, congratulations to Jonathan Lupton, who won the draw for a place in next year’s London Marathon.