When the multisport terrain changes, use a different brother.
The mud and murk of Autumn doesn't necessarily mean a complete end to the multisport season and it's this time of year that off-road duathlons are a common calender fixture.
Whereas Steve W will happily lose a place to avoid the tiniest puddle, Mick W has a thing about off-road events - the muddier the better. Fair to say he has a definite leaning towards mud and mire with his background in MTB racing; plus trail, x-country, and (recreational) fell running.
And so it came to pass that the inevitable happened and last Saturday (18/10) he found himself combining his disciplines and well and truly on the start line of the Clumber Park Off Road Duathlon (5K run - 17K bike - 3K run). This entirely off-road event featured plenty of tough little climbs, many a gloopy-mud section and over 200 people all trying to be on the same bit of single-track at the same time.
Mick had a solid first 5K (21.09) and then tore through the field on the bike (we aren't allowed to mention this super-fast leg was interrupted by an uncharacteristic spill) before hitting the second run section and discovering first hand why brick training is a good idea. Anyone that hasn't tried to run fast after an all-out cycling effort should give it a go: it's fun...
Luckily Mick had (secretly) brick trained and coaxed his jelly-legs round the last 3K to an absolutely superb 6th in age and 38/200+ overall at his first ever try.
He has two more x-duathlons upcoming and we are watching with great interest.
Three out of Three
Steve C and Len were on top of a country - again - last week, courtesy this time of Mount Snowdon.
It was something of an achievement, not just in its own right, but because the summit marked the successful ascent of the third of the GB peaks this year. Steve and Len set out their stall to reach the top of Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, and Snowdon within the year in an effort to raise a not inconsiderable sum in sponsorship cash for the noble Pounds for Poundies cause.
The bemused train passengers on the Snowdon Mountain Railway can't have realised the virtuous dog-saving back-story as they watched Steve and Len fully harnessed up doing what they do best.
Actually, we're not quite sure which is weirdest: a dog and man racing up a mountain, or a rickety train pottering down one.
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It was something of an achievement, not just in its own right, but because the summit marked the successful ascent of the third of the GB peaks this year. Steve and Len set out their stall to reach the top of Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, and Snowdon within the year in an effort to raise a not inconsiderable sum in sponsorship cash for the noble Pounds for Poundies cause.
The bemused train passengers on the Snowdon Mountain Railway can't have realised the virtuous dog-saving back-story as they watched Steve and Len fully harnessed up doing what they do best.
Actually, we're not quite sure which is weirdest: a dog and man racing up a mountain, or a rickety train pottering down one.
Emma and an Old Man
Or rather the Old Man...of Coniston.
Emma and seven other ladies from Ackworth Road Runners took on the beautifully set, yet extremely challenging, Coniston 15K trail race last Sunday.
Just as it says on the tin, the race takes in tracks and paths on the slopes of The Old Man of Coniston and is, in places, lung-bustingly steep. The surfaces are also predictably muddy / rocky in equal measure making every step a calculated one. Add the inevitable October-in-the-Lakes weather (it hailed at times), and it's not difficult to imagine how tough the event is.
As if not satisfied, the Ackworth ladies, en masse, assumed the event registration point was at its traditional spot only to find the organisers had most inconsiderately moved it and had the nerve to imagine any of the competitors would actually read the pre-race instructions sent out with each race package. Suffice to say the entire confused herd of Ackworth ladies had to shuffle pretty quickly, on foot, a total of an extra 5 miles to be able to register and get to the start on time. Maybe if just one of them had spent a few less seconds loafing in the tub...
In spite of it all, Emma safely negotiated the route, which has a cut-off time of 3.5 hours, in a thoroughly decent 1:48. Fun?... well she says so.
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Emma and seven other ladies from Ackworth Road Runners took on the beautifully set, yet extremely challenging, Coniston 15K trail race last Sunday.
Just as it says on the tin, the race takes in tracks and paths on the slopes of The Old Man of Coniston and is, in places, lung-bustingly steep. The surfaces are also predictably muddy / rocky in equal measure making every step a calculated one. Add the inevitable October-in-the-Lakes weather (it hailed at times), and it's not difficult to imagine how tough the event is.
As if not satisfied, the Ackworth ladies, en masse, assumed the event registration point was at its traditional spot only to find the organisers had most inconsiderately moved it and had the nerve to imagine any of the competitors would actually read the pre-race instructions sent out with each race package. Suffice to say the entire confused herd of Ackworth ladies had to shuffle pretty quickly, on foot, a total of an extra 5 miles to be able to register and get to the start on time. Maybe if just one of them had spent a few less seconds loafing in the tub...
In spite of it all, Emma safely negotiated the route, which has a cut-off time of 3.5 hours, in a thoroughly decent 1:48. Fun?... well she says so.
Parkrun Win for Rose
Wakefield Thornes parkrun saw Mick and Rose W in GO VEGGIE action on Saturday (4th October).
Mick managed a credible 13th overall in 21.18 on this tricky multi-terrain course, but it was Rose who really pulled out all the stops finishing a very impressive 30th overall and taking a storming win in the female category.
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Mick managed a credible 13th overall in 21.18 on this tricky multi-terrain course, but it was Rose who really pulled out all the stops finishing a very impressive 30th overall and taking a storming win in the female category.