October 8, 2015October 8, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup 28/09/15 – 04/10/15

So what was expected to be a fairly quiet week turned out to be action packed with Razzer’s turning up to events in and around Cheshire.

Run Winsford

This is a fantastic multi terrain 10km race that started in 2011 and is aimed at all types of runner. The course is one that people who live in the area should be really proud of, as it’s full of great scenery and some historic landmarks that you get to see along the way.
The race starts and finishes at Winsford Rock Salt Mine, and from here I’m going to give you a small history session on the area….
The mine officially opened back in 1844, and after 1 million tonnes of rock salt was mined out it shut down in 1892. After the last mine in Northwich flooded in 1928, Winsford was re-opened and went through rapid expansion due to having to de-ice the country’s growing road network. The mine now stretches 5km East to West and 3km North to South. Sounds like a great place to organise a run if you ask me 😄

Along the way you run on the Whitegate Way, a disused railway and then to the halfway point of Vale Royal Abbey. The Abbey was founded way back in 1270 by Edward I for monks.

After leaving Vale Royal Abbey, you’re back on the trails through a small wooded area and across Vale Royal Locks. Once you’ve crossed the lock bridges, you’ll be running a fantastic stretch along the banks of the River Weaver recently resurfaced and known as the Weaver Way, which in total stretches some 40 miles, sounds like another great place for a run!

Well done to Michael Roberts who completed the mixed terrain course in a time of 51:03. A great time on a mixed track route and one that he’s becoming an expert on with all of the trail races he’s been entering lately! Great running 👍

Chester Marathon

We woke to what was a beautiful morning, a little crisp and fresh, but glorious sunshine (well actually at 6am it was dark when I was trying to get some energy inside me, consisting of porridge a banana and granola) but the sun later came up to shine on what was going to be a stunning day.
Razzer’s started making their way to Chester racecourse, where we all met and tried to calm the nerves and the thoughts about the long run that was ahead. My thoughts were more in the realms of “wouldn’t it have been better to come and watch some horses race at Chester some point in the season, instead of me racing on it” having done the Chester half marathon and now stood on it waiting for the marathon to kick off.

The team consisted of marathon machine Lee Geist, confident marathon runner Joe Cavanagh, a well trained Neil Worden, a kind of trained Pete Matzen, 2nd time marathon runner Les Johnson and Pete Naylor.

Before we knew it we were crossing the start line and competing a lap of the racecourse. We then head into the City centre passing the Town Hall, Cathedral, split level Middle Ages “Rows”, Eastgate Clock, Amphitheatre and through the Roman Walls before heading out of the City across the Old Dee Bridge.

The route then leaves Chester past the Duke of Westminster’s estate, through Pulford, before crossing the border into Wales and the villages of Lavister and Rossett. The crossing from England to Wales makes it the only international marathon in the UK, and it’s pretty cool when you’re telling people “I ran to Wales and back!”
Keeping to the rural lanes we ran a small loop before entering the historic village of Holt. Then crossing the ancient Roman bridge at Farndon to return to England and the home stretch running through Churton, Aldford and Huntington.

On re-entering the City, runners pass the River Dee along the Groves and Castle Drive before a triumphant finish back at the racecourse!

The route is largely flat with some short hills or gradual climbs which are predominantly in the second half of the course (this isn’t me saying this, it’s how it’s advertised, as I’m sure some of the runners would love to disagree with this fact!)

All Razzer’s crossed the finish line!! What an achievement. The support from the crowds was excellent as always, with a street lined start for the first few miles in Chester and then all of the villages out in force as you ran through their usually quite streets! The end was brilliant with thousands out along the river and the streets of Chester bringing you in those last few miles.
Results were:

Pete Matzen – 03:50:26 Lee Geist – 03:35:35 Les Johnson – 03:32:25

Neil Worden – 03:28:58 Joe Cavanagh – 03:14:18 Pete Naylor – 03:12:11

Parkrun

We had 3 runners at Delamere Parkrun on Saturday representing the club. Great results turning up and for giving a solid 5km performance.
Emma Raynes ran her 1st Delamere Parkrun, so has laid down her time to beat of 34:13, Zoe Dixon ran in with a 27:21 and Tim Appleton with 27:27.
One to note is that a week on Saturday, the 17th of October there is no Delamere Parkrun because of Hell Runner.

September 30, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup 07/09/2015 – 27/09/2015

Parkruns

12/09/15

Four Razzer’s turned out for Delamere Parkrun. These were Zoe Dixon, Mel Minton, Time Appleton and Sue Jennings. A well done to Zoe who got new PB of 27:19, and also to Sue for being a first timer and setting down a time of 29:59.

19/09/15

3 Runners at Delamere Parkrun for the club. Paul Littler, Jonny Amery and Tim Appleton. Paul came in a brilliant 6th placed overall with a time of 19:02, knocking on the door of that 18 minute 5km. Jonny set his first timer time, with a very credible 24:12 and Tim needs a special mention as it was his 60th, yes 60th Parkrun!!! Great commitment from Tim.

26/09/15

Saturday saw two Razzer’s out in Delamere. Les Johnson put in a rapid 22:50 and Tim Appleton turned out yet again! Our most consistent Park Runner in the club 👍

English Half Marathon

English Half Marathon is a running event, held in Warrington, Cheshire, with three distances available. These include a Half Marathon, 10k Road Race and a LiveWire Family Mile. The event took place on Sunday 20th September 2015 and was part of a weekend of entertaining events as part of the Warrington Festival of Sport, Culture and Entertainment.

This year was the 7th year for the EMH and each year it is growing in popularity and is now a sell out event attract upwards of 5000 runners!

Half Marathon Runners

Thee were 7 Razzer’s who took part in the half marathon. Tim Wright 1:40:23, Geoff MacKintosh 1:52:13, Michael Roberts 1:54:41, Jane Ward 1:44:35, Graham Bushnell-Wye 1:41:41, Chris Dymond 1:41:11, Les Johnson 1:34:12.

Jane came 2nd in her category, Graham came 7th in his category and Les set a new PB!!

10km Runners

We had 3 Razzer’s in the 10km. Morag Sutton 58:12, Mel Minton 58:21, Emma Raynes 1:06:54. A big well done to all of you!

Sanstone Trail Race

The Sandstone Trail is a long distance footpath which stretches 30 miles along the backbone of central Cheshire from the Shropshire border to the Mersey. It is a sort of Cheshire Way, following a meandering ridge of 300 million year old Triassic sandstone that rises dramatically from the Cheshire plain which it almost splits in two.

The race follows part of this route, developed from a favourite training run of Deeside Orienteering Club. The A race starts at 10:00 and covers 17.1 miles with a total climb of 2150 feet (excluding the stiles!) made up of frequent short climbs (personally I think some of them are pretty long!)These are linked by level running over varied terrain. The shorter B race covers the last 10.6 miles of the longer event with 950 feet of climb. Both of these were recently lengthened, the A Race by just over half a mile and the B Race by just over a mile. A 5 mile C race lapsed in 1982.

What was a misty and chilly Sunday morning as tired Razzlers congregated on buses at Delamere Forest soon turned to become a glorious sunny day that showed the countryside of Cheshire off in all of its glory! Four Razzer’s were in the A race: Paul Littler, Nikki Cavanagh, Joe Cavanagh and Pete Naylor and three Razzer’s were in the B race: John Baldacchino, Sam Lambert and Jonny Amery.

All Razzer’s ran brilliantly. Paul Littler came in 8th place overall with 2:08:50, Nikki came in as 4th woman overall with 2:33:19 and Jonny Amery came within the top 100 of the B race, and this was his first turnout for Razzer’s. John & Sam had a brilliant race and Razzer’s ended up in 4th place for the team race with Paul, Joe and Pete’s combined time being just 40 seconds off a podium place!

Loch Ness Marathon

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running is a notable fixture on the running calendar. There are great marathons around the world, many of them particularly marked by their settings, and the Loch Ness ranks right alongside them.

The centuries-old legend of the Loch Ness Monster is a story that continues to run. Along with the scenic beauty of the area, it has been responsible for attracting visitors to this fascinating part of Scotland for many years. The opportunity to put such a memorable marathon on their record, one with such a unique story to tell, has proven too strong a pull for thousands of runners of all abilities.

Kirsty Jennings and the Corinaldi family consisting of Bob, Ashlin and Katrina (what a brilliant way for a family to spend a weekend together!) all made the trek across the border and onto the start line.

Kirsty ran a 05:48:05 as did Ashlin. Katrina ran 4:21:00 and Bob with a superb 03:34:58. Well done on all of the brilliant training you put in and great to see it pay off with such good results.

New Signings

We’ve had a couple of new runners join us recently. A big welcome to yet another postie… Jonny Amery, who is already putting in some cracking runs and involved in events and also to Louise Walker, a great experienced runner.

Razzer’s on Tour

We ate still getting out and about and flying the Razzer’s flag high! Dom Watson was spotted at the Hoover Dam

and Pete Naylor on a big boat somewhere out at sea. Made an interesting map on Strava, and a segment nobody will ever take away from me in the Mediteranean Sea 👍

Come your events coming through, and more exciting things coming in the week ahead with Chester Marathon and London Marathon ballot results!

September 7, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup 31/08/2015 – 06/09/2015

A brilliant week last week from our Razzlers! A total mixup of events that showcase the talents of our runners and how we hit both the road and the trail, with the trail looking like it’s currently being the favoured surface….. we will see if this continues as the nights draw closer and the leaves start to fall 🍂🍂🍁🍁

Montane Trail 10k – Delamere

The Montane 10km is a fantastic off road trail run through Delamere Forest that was taken on by Mike Roberts. Runners head out and complete loop 1, a lap of the eerie Blakemere Moss Lake, then head over to Eddisbury Lodge for loop 2. From here they descend the footpath of doom, affectionately known as Nettle Warrior (we will let you guess why). Heading back towards Old Pale runners caught sight of the finish line, but didnt get any chance to rest on their laurels, as there was still one more loop to conquer. Welcome to the monster that is Old Pale. A gruelling climb for about 1k until you reach the Monument and enjoy a beautiful view over Cheshire, which Mike managed to get whilst catching his breath! From here runners were rewarded with a wickedly twisty, fast descent all the way to the finish line.

A brilliant run by Mike who completed the gruelling course in 57:15 coming in 63rd pace overall and an fantastic 10th place in his category.

South Cheshire 20 – Crewe

The South Cheshire 20 is a South Cheshire Harriers organised run and compiles of 20 frequently hilly miles down mainly country lanes and passing through Weston, Englesea-brook, Betley, Wrinehill, Shraleybrook, Audley, Barthomley. Anyone that is familiar with these villages knows the twists and turns and the gentle and not so gentle gradients that pass through and around them.

Joe Cavanagh with Bob Corinaldi smashed the course that is pitched as a great run to prepare for the Cheshter Marathon, as it’s placed 4 weeks before and a chance to get in the race zone and cover the training distance required.

Joe finished with a time of 2:34:36 in 60th and Bob with 2:34:30 in 59th. Great pacing for both guys over a brilliant distance and amongst a field of 198 predominantly club and affiliated runners.

Man vs. Mountain – Snowdonia National Park, Wales

So what was I letting myself in for? The event starts with Wave 1 at 8am and is followed by wave 2 at 8:15, wave 3 at 8:30 (my wave) and wave 4 at 8:45. The Start was located at Caernarfon Castle and all I knew about the route was that it was over 20 miles in distance and the first 13 miles would all be uphill as you tackle the 1085m peak of Snowdon from sea level. It was sold with “If you are a marathon-munching whippet, don’t let the distance lull you into underestimating the challenge.” If this all sounds like a bit of a daunting prospect, I told myself to ‘just keep plodding and you will get there.’

It’s a stunning area and as you get higher, the scenery just gets better and better. The weather was kind (rare!) and I was able to take a moment at the summit, mile 13.5(reached in 2hours 27 minutes) to enjoy the view and look directly east at the remains of the slate quarries of Dinorwig – that’s where I was going next!

The route down is the well-trodden Snowdon path into Llanberis. Dodging tourists on the way and a quick wave at the train with the ability to give them a smug smile knowing that I had earned my view from the top. After passing through the edge of Llanberis, the obstacle zone was next and this I was not expecting!

The ‘Vertical Kilometre’ – a 1000m long ascent rising more than 250m in height. This is timed and provides you with a “race-within-a-race.” After that brutal assault on your legs it’s all downhill, but that didn’t mean it was going to be easy; there were plenty more challenges to come before you earn your medal, including a 100ft abseil, 25ft jump into the lagoon, underwater cage swim, water slide and a 25m swim. The final sprint to the line then included 3 walls to climb over infront of the crowds before rolling over the timing mat!

This was a brilliant race, the running element from sea to summit and down was brilliant, a superb route in unbelievable surroundings. The obstacle bit I never thought would be such a challenge, low temperatures, crippling cramp and obscene uphill ascent, but what doesn’t break you makes you stronger. Overall I finished the 22 miles with a time of 3:51:18 in 34th place from the field of 1200 runners.

Parkrun

There were two Razzer’s in the Parkrun results table for Saturday. Big well done to Tim Appleton with a time of 28:06 and Mel Minton with 29:21. Both of these runners completed the Delamere Parkrun so opted for the trail terrain over the Tarmac 👍

Razzer’s on Tour

There were a few cheeky pictures of some of our Razzlers out on tour last week across the globe! We spotted a Razzer’s top in …….

Spain……. with Anthony Taylor

Ibiza……… With Emma

The Maldives……. with Neil Worden

and also, somewhere near the River Thames with Chris Dymond 😛

Have a great week everyone and happy running 👍

September 3, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup 10/08/2015 – 30/08/2015

A couple of weeks since our last roundup due to trips and holidays, but it’s not stopped you Razzlers getting the trainers on and getting out there running!

Run to the Castle Ultra

Run to the Castle took runners from the coastal village of Aberdyfi in North Wales, up the beautiful coastal path, taking in the seafront at Tywyn, the village of Fairbourne, the famous Fairborne bridge, Barmouth, to the castle town of Harlech which is approx 40/42 miles away. An absolutely outstanding part of Wales and amazing running and walking routes on the Welsh Coastal Path.

Two very brave and outstanding runners took on the challenge and both made it to the castle! Lee Geist came in 11th place overall, up there with such high quality runners earning him the same status, crossing the finish line in 8:09:34. Matt Simister did a brilliant time of 10:02:48 and sitting in a commendable 62nd place. A brilliant achievement for both of the guys and would be really interesting to hear their stories on the preparation and how it feels before, during and after running such an incredible route and long distance.

Razzer’s On Tour

With it being the holiday period and the British summer…… pft! There have been some great pictures and stories coming in of more Razzer’s on tour since the last few we showed at the beginning of August.

Graham Bushnell-Wye informed us of a stunning run in Portugal…. 9.23 miles in 1:19. Fantastic when it’s +23 degrees.

Joe & Nikki Cavanagh got out and about in Greece. One of the runs to note was Joe’s run that included over 2000ft of accent. The run came over Ancient Thera, an antique city on the ridge of a steppe 360m mountain on the Island of Santorini, what a brilliant place to take in on a run!

Neil Worden has not let his trip get in the way of his marathon training either! A brilliant picture of him posted getting an early evening run under his belt out in Dubai!

There are already some great pics of people getting out and about this week in countries near and far, so watch this space to see who has been here and there in next weeks Roundup!

Parkrun

Last Saturday there was a brilliant turnout at Warrington Parkrun! 7 Razzers were up and out early for the Saturday morning for a 9:00am race start. For a running club turnout it was a brilliant number on show, only being beaten by the Warrington based clubs such as Warrington themselves and the Spectrum Striders!

Some great results were achieved all round….. Joe Cavanagh 19:19, Les Johnson 22:04, Chris Dymond 22:10, Nikki Cavanagh 22:27, Michael Roberts 26:13, Mel Minton 28:01 and unfortunately couldn’t see Emma’s time. I think all of the guys who attended will tell us all they had a great club morning out at Parkrun.

South Cheshire 5km

The South Cheshire Harriers had the 3rd of their summer series last week. It was a 5km run around Crewe Victoria Park and had a great turnout of 150 runners.

A big well done to Emma Raynes who was the only Razzer that attended the event and ran a brilliant 32:57.

Sunday Club Runs

There has been a really popular turnout at the Sunday morning club runs lately, with runners covering some great distances and at a full variety of paces. Keep an eye on the Facebook page to see who is going out at 8 and who at 8:30 and come down and enjoy a Sunday morning wakeup blast 😛

Other News…..

A huge congratulations to Neil Worden who got married to the beautiful Gillian on the 21st of August. We wish you all the best and none of us are at all jealous of the amazing time it looks like you are having out on your honeymoon! 👍👍👍

August 10, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup: 03/08/2015 – 09/08/2015

There were a fair few ‘bits and pieces’ that took place last week, but nothing can mask what was a fantastic club turnout and participation in one of our local running events….

The Pie & Peas

A record turnout of 329 runners crossed the finish line at this years Pie and Peas 5 Mile race held in Moulton on the 5th August. This is a Vale Royal Athletics club race and VRAC had a great club turnout with 40 of their runners in the race. Saying that, Razzer’s Runners had a superb club representation at the event with 15 of us turning up to compete.

What kept on looking like was set to be a very wet race, made a transformation before the start and at the gun runners were able to set off in the dry (for now). A few eager Razzer’s found themselves towards the front of the race, and almost leading the start across the field, quickly to realise that maybe this was a little eager and a touch too fast so pulled into a more sensible position and pace. As the rain came so did the reality that 5 miles is a pretty awkward distance to race…. It feels like a sprint, constantly, and if you let up you instantly loose your place that you were holding, so push on many of us did! A huge well done to everyone who took part on the event. The event winners were:

Men: 1st Elliot Bowker (VRAC) 25:48, 2nd Matthew Sheen (VRAC) 26:36, 3rd Ryan Moore (VRAC) 27:06

Women: 1st Katie Brough (VRAC) 28:15, 2nd Tessa McCormick (VRAC) 28:29, 3rd Sarah Murphy (VRAC) 31:14

Paul Littler (24th) 30:53 (4th in age)
Peter Naylor (43rd) 31:55 (12th in age)
Joe Cavanagh (51st) 32:48 (12th in age)
Jennie Kirk (14th) 36:11 (6th in age)
Les Johnson (100th) 36:27 (19th in age)
Tim Wright (112th) 37:16 (15th in age)
Nikki Cavanagh (21st) 37:23 (8th in age)
Chris Dymond (115th) 37:24 (18th in age)
Graham Bushnell-Wye (124th) 37:59 (4th in age)
Mike Geary (142nd) 39:56 (20th in age)
Stewart Williams (154th) 40:43 (9th in age)
Ian Wolstencorft (171st) 43:30 (13th in age)
Gary Donely (176th) 43:59 (11th in age)
Michael Roberts (182nd) 45:40 (33rd in age)
Katie Wolstencroft (110th) 50:29 (26 in age)

Full results can be found at: https://vrac.niftyentries.com/Results/PieAndPeas

Mountain Running

Very early on a very fine Friday morning, 3 Razzer’s took off to Wales to run the route of the Ras yr Wyddfa (to all of you non Welshies that means The Snowdon Race)

The Snowdon Race took place on the 18th of July and is an international running race. One of Europe’s toughest endurance challenges, the 10-mile race involves running from the edge of Lake Padarn in the village of Llanberis to the highest summit in Wales and England and back down climbing nearly 3500ft. The first ever race was held on 19 July, 1976 after Ken Jones, a native of Llanberis put forward the idea to the village’s Carnival Committee. Eighty-six runners turned up for the race and it was won by Dave Francis from Bristol who completed the course in 1 hour 12 minutes 05 seconds. The race now has over 600 runners all desperate to get up and down the mountain.

Paul Littler, Joe Cavanagh and Peter Naylor all turned up by the side of that very lake, and started out on their run. The weather could not have been any better, crystal clear with stunning views from bottom to top. The three Razzer’s were someway off that original winners time, but completed the 10 mile route in 1:36 and had an absolutely superb time doing it. At the bottom, they even found an alternative to the ‘ice bath’.

Fell Running

On Saturday 8th August, Mat Simister took part in a totally epic race. The Full Tour of Bradwell. This is an incredibly tough 33 mile ultra trail and fell run in the Peak District. Over the course runners ascend over 6,300 feet which is an incredible climb! It is a challenging route in the Dark & White Peak that visits Bradwell Moor, Hollins Cross, Kinder Scout, Lose Hill, Win Hill Woods, Stanage Edge, Burbage and the Abney Valley. All of which are challenging climbs individually never mind all in together!
Mat completed the race in 9 hours, 57 minutes. Such a great personal achievement and an outstanding time to be on your feet finding your way through the fells. Brilliant run.

Razzer’s on Tour

Two Razzer’s made it all the way down to Cornwall at the weekend. Ruth Port took part in the 5k St Mawes Carnival Race and was cheered on by fellow Razzer Morag. Great to see the Razzer’s shirts touring the country!

Parkrun

A very quiet Parkrun week last week with only one registered Razzer on the Parkrun sites that have been gone through for the latest set of results.

We’ll done to Melanie Minton who was a Parkrun first timer at Warrington and got a brilliant time of 28:55.

August 3, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup: 27/07/2015 – 02/08/2015

Bleep Test

Tuesday night saw our first club Bleep Test! What a fantastic turnout, and great that so many people were willing to get involved. A big thank you goes out to Anthony Taylor and Michelle Roberts who both came to help keep us all in check and to give us the all important warnings when we started trailing behind the bleep!

If everyone can keep note of their score then you can go up against yourself when we do it again, which will probably be in a couple of months time.

Below is a table that shows your age and what level is determined as very poor up to excellent for your age bracket. Something to note and potentially work towards, or maybe you are already ahead? It is different for Male and Females.

If anyone is considering a new profession, here’s the bleep test result you would need to get into a few….. British Army Officer 10.2, English Police Force 5.4, Royal Marine 13, Football Referee 12+, Fire & Rescue Service Australia 9.6. It’s fair to say we can all make the Police Force, not quite sure beyond that!

Parkrun

Mike Geary was a First Timer at Warrington Parkrun! Luckily he saw the Saturday morning message and was able to divert from a cancelled Delamere Parkrun to put in an excellent 24:00 minute 5k at Warrington.

Delamere Parkrun is back on this weekend and already a few runners have said they are making an appearance there, so if you fancy one, turn up and Delamere for 9am start and you’ll see a few familiar faces.

The Railway Ultra

In a time of the year where marathons a few and far between, our club marathon machine Lee Geist stepped it up and went past the marathon distance to beast his way through an incredible Ultra Marathon on Saturday 1st August.

The Railway Ultra is in its second year and it takes runners along the banks of the River Severn between Ironbridge and Bridgnorth along the disused railway line where the views of the river are outstanding.

The Railway Ultra is a pure test of the mind, as it’s not as simple as getting from the start to the finish, you are running ‘laps’ on the disused railway track. Each out and back lap is 9.4 miles, so you run 4.7 miles along the track, turn around and run 4.7 miles back. This is then repeated 6 times!

Lee put in an outstanding performance, completing his 28.2 miles in 4 hours 8 minutes. Not only was it a superb time, Lee came in 7th place in the field of 74 runners. Truly a massive inspiration to so many of us. Well done mate 👍

Cheshire Half Marathon

On Sunday 2nd August, the first ‘Cheshire Half Marathon’ took place at Arley Hall. Having held some 10k races earlier in the year, the race organisers created the first Half Marathon event using the lanes in and around Arley Hall and entering Antrobus.

On what was looking like a miserable and wet day, the sun appeared 30 minutes before gun time and created what were near on perfect running conditions. Setting off into the lanes was quick for nearly all runners, it was a sneaky ‘downhill’ start, but what stayed in the back of your mind was “that’s a 1 mile uphill finish” which when you are running from mile 12 to 13 can be a very challenging place to be!

3 Razzer’s took part in the event, Neil Worden, Les Johson and Peter Naylor. Having met up before the start we each tried to talk ourselves into some form of strategy, which in the end consisted of…. start running and see how you feel!

With a number of local running clubs in the race it was great to be a Razzer and part of the event, and the route was very Razzer friendly similar to the lane routes that surround the club.

Neil finished in 96th place with a brilliant 1:35:06, Les achieved a new Personal Best with a superb 1:36:57 and Pete also managed a new PB with 1:27:01 in 38th place.

Definitely worth a go at next year and great value for money at £20 for affiliated runners.

Pie & Peas

The Pie and Peas race is almost here! Everyone who has entered should have received an email yesterday (Sunday) from the race organisers. Race HQ (The British Legion) is open from 6pm for runners to collect their race numbers and timing chip and the race will stay at 7:30.

As mentioned last week, it would be great to get as many people from the club at the race, even if you are not racing just to be there to support fellow club runners who are taking part to show what a great bunch of runners and people we are to the other local clubs. With the pie and peas being served after the race and the use of the bar, it’s a great chance for us all to catch up!

Good luck to everyone taking part 👍

July 27, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup 20/07/2015 – 26/07/2015

A fairly quiet week last week on the Razzer front, but there were still a few things that were worth a mention!

Parkrun

Delamere Parkrun had three Razzers in attendance. Chris Dymond ran in with a time of 23:52, Tim Appleton with a 27:20 and Nikki Cavanagh also ran at Delamere, but had a late start so has an inaccurate time.

Warrington Parkrun had two new PB’s for two Razzers! Dom Watson with a 23:55 and Morag Sutton with 28:49. Big congratulations to both runners on pushing themselves to achieve new personal bests.

For anyone who doesn’t know what Parkrun is, it is a weekly, free, 5km timed run that now takes place around the world. They are open to everyone, safe and easy to take part in with the best part being that they are totally free. The events take place generally in pleasant parkland and people of all abilities are encouraged to take part. We have 4/5 Parkruns that are local to us being: Delamere, Warrington, Widnes, Ellesmere Port & Congleton. Why not have a look at http://www.parkrun.org to find out more.

Club Runs

Some great performances to note last week on evening club runs. Jennie Kirk & Nikki Cavanagh have been really pushing lately and it definitely shows in their training runs. On Tuesday last week Jennie achieved her 2nd best estimated 10k with 45:26 and Nikki got a new PB estimated 10k with 45:20. Some really great running taking place.

Matt Simister was flying the Razzer’s shirt with pride on Sunday in Keswick. He ran 10 miles on Catbells fell in The Lakes which is an impressive 1480ft. Some great fell running from Matt and he’s already been up to more of it since Sunday.

Bleep Test Tuesday

On Tuesday 28th of July there is an organised bleep test taking place at the club. The start time is shortly after 6pm and everyone is invited to take part. A bleep test is a great way to test your fitness, and also set yourself a benchmark to try and improve on for the next time it is organised. It consists of 20 metre shuttle runs over a period of time, getting quicker throuout the exercise. Full instructions will be given on the night so please just turn up and take part.

Cheshire Half Marathon

If anyone hasn’t seen this event, there is a new half marathon in town. It is this coming Sunday, the 2nd of August and is local to us at Arley Hall. There are places still available and it’s an inexpensive race with a cracking medal at the end of it! Well worth the 13.1 miles. It’s a 9:30 start so your still get the rest of your Sunday after you’ve completed it. There are a number of Razzer’s Runners already entered so why not join them!

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup: 13/07/2015 – 19/07/2015

Parkrun:

Only one noted Parkrun performance last week, but it was a brilliant one! Nikki Cavanagh put in a stunning performance at Delamere Parkrun. A new PB time of 21:58, an impressive 3rd female out in the field! Brilliant running.

Marathon Running:

Lee Geist ran what must be one of the best locations for a marathon in the world….. Mauritius!! He completed it in an incredible time of 3:46, a truly outstanding performance in such heat and humidity!

Fell Running:

Anthony Taylor took to the hills on Saturday with a run up to Jubilee Tower, the summit of Moel Famau. His pictures captured what a stunning running route it is and one that can be both as challenging and enjoyable as you want to make it. There are future events taking place on Moel Famau that club members have already signed up to, but there is plenty of time and a healthy amount of training time for others to join in.

The Cilcain Show Mountain Race: The race is over a 4 mile distance on Moel Famau and takes place on August Bank Holiday Monday. It’s a later start at 13:00 and registration can be before the day via email, race@cilcainshow.org.uk or on the day from 11:00am. It’s only £6 entry and is a great family day out with live bands, dog shows and traditional Punch & Judy before and after the race.

Fell Hell: A 10km race set in the outstanding Moel Famau Country Park. Running up and down hills amid some of North Wales’ rough and rugged terrain whilst experiencing some incredible views. It takes place on the 1st of November and can be entered online at http://www.eventswithadventure.com for £18

Sunday Sandstone Trail Club Run

Early on a very wet Sunday morning 6 Razzer’s set off on a Sunday club run with a difference. Having entered the Sandstone Trail Race in September they were keen to get out on the trail and recce the route! Luckily the rain stopped and the weather became glorious!

Paul Littler, Joe Cavanagh and Pete Naylor were supposed to start out at Duckington, the Race A 17 mile starting point, but instead started an extra 2 miles away (not by choice I might add) and set out running over the three hellish hills of the trail, Bickerton Hill, Rawhead,the highest point of the Sandstone Trail, and Bulkeley Hill. On descending into Beeston they were then in hot persuit of the other three runners Les Johnson, Nikki Cavanagh and Jennie Kirk who started at the Race B 10 mile start point. The Race B runners were too quick for Race A runners and were casually waiting at the race finish in Delamere Forest. The group had a fantastic morning out and are now planning another one for very soon.

The Sandstone Trail race takes place on the 27th of September and attracts a number of local running clubs. Race A is 17 miles and is £10.50 entry. Race B is 10 miles and £8.50 entry. The race is excellent value for money and is a very well organised event. You can enter online at http://www.deeside-orienteering-club.org.uk

July 18, 2015July 18, 2015 by razzers

Razzer’s Roundup: 06/07/2015 – 12/07/2015

Parkrun: 3 of Razzer’s Runners were out at Delamere Parkrun on Saturday, Neil Worden, Tim Appleton and Zoe Dixon and 1 at Warrington Parkrun, John Baldacchino. Neil ran a cracking time of 20:13 and finished in 19th place in a field of 264 runners and Zoe Dixon set a new PB of 27:59! If you are running in a Parkrun, make sure you add Razzer’s Runners as your club on your personal information then we can see how many Razzer’s we are getting out each week.
Saturday Jane Ward ran the Pretty Muddy 5k. Race for Life Pretty Muddy is a brilliant 5k muddy obstacle course where you can show cancer that hell hath no fury like a woman in pink. Huge congratulations to Jane who completed the course in 2nd place!

Sunday Paul Littler competed in the 11th Bollington Nostalgia race. It was a 7.11 mile run across multi-terrain on road, pasture, high moorland, a monsterous 1200ft climb and a Razzer’s favourite terrain…. canal towpath. The race features as a Fell Running Association race and attracts some very serious fell runners from up and down the country. Paul finished in an incredible 12th place out of the tough feild of 117 runners with an awesome time of 50:31.

Pete Naylor competed in the Delamere Commando Trail. This 10K course runs over multi-terrain and varying underfoot conditions of paths, trails, off road and a number of water crossings. Along the way there was the 550ft Old Pale 1k sprint, a 1k carry of a 7kg sandbag, 12ft & 9ft wall climbs and much much more! Pete finished in 3rd place overall with a time of 47:21, winning Champagne and all expenses paid meal at Gary Barlow’s previous Cheshire home, Delamere Manor.

If anyone has any race reports or runs that have not been included and happened over the week please email to peter_naylor1986@hotmail.com Cheers