After such an impressive turnout at Mobberley the previous Thursday, only ten Stockport runners fronted up at the start of the 'Radcliffe 10k' on Sunday morning, nine of whom picked up valuable points.
The weather was cloudy with a little chill in the air so excellent for running although it got warmer as the race evolved. With no chip timing for the event, runners collected their race numbers beforehand without too much hassle and we were told that it was a record number of entries with 382 runners taking part, mostly from northern racing clubs as you would expect.
For those like me unfamiliar with the Radcliffe route, it was correctly stated as a multi course as we started out on road before pounding tow paths, canals, lane ways, trail, road, grass, mud, and also semi-track.
The race started out on Sion Road for the first half a mile or so and then moved onto track until 1.3m when the route took us up a steep row of steps…certainly a shock to my system and got the heart rate and lungs talking to each other. From mile 2-3 the route took us along a lane-way with more pot-holes than I can remember…at 3.5 miles another mini 'killer-hill' made you feel the lactate build in the thighs before a flatter run along the canal helped you regain some type of 'athletic poise'. At 4.5 miles the course took you off the canal and onto a grass track before looping back up to the canal and the final push for home. The final 600 yards was called the 'sting in the tail' as it was another incline before entering the training grounds. For me the 'sting had already stung' some way back so I didn't find it too bad and even managed to overtake a few runners before entering the final 200 yards around the running track.
Personally, the race was a real challenge and one of the hardest 10k's I have done…but I loved it. Checking in with most of the Stockport contingent afterwards seemed to confirm that others felt the same. A really interesting course, lots of different terrains, challenging and good camaraderie between runners. The marshalling was effective and non-intrusive and at the end in 'proper northerner' fashion…no goody bags…just water and orange quarters!
Spot-on! So thanks to Radcliffe AC for a terrific race.
One of the great things about our 'Race Series' is that you can be strategic with which races you enter and so all runners on Sunday were able to collect 90+ points to add to their totals.
Results were as follows:
100 points - James Corden (38:13)
99 points - Phil Burns (38:53)
98 points - Stephen Crook (39:02)
97 points - Karl Tavini (40:07)
96 points - Paul Plummer (43:06)
95 points - David Chrystie-Lowe (45:22)
94 points - Tony Park (45:36)
93 points - Samantha Thomas (46:37) PB
92 points - Jill Tavini (47:36)
A special mention to Scott Buccleuch who, while not part of the 'Race Series', came home in 2nd place overall with a time of 35:17 and to Sam Thomas who achieved a PB on a tough course.
Top of the leader board so far (number of races) are:
- Karl Tavini - 482 points (5)
- Jill Tavini – 369 points (4)
- David Mellor – 363 points (4)
- James Corden – 300 points (3)
There are a further seven runners who have 200+ points but still a long way to go as it’s your best 8 results that count at the end of the season.
Well done to all the runners who took part yesterday!
- Our next race is the Buxworth 5m on Thursday 8th May and you can enter here