IT HAD TO HAPPEN .......................................SOMETIME ...................

Over the Easter holiday I decided to get back on track with my running having been in the doldrums for way to long and compete in the Tour of the Fylde Marathon, 4 races over 4 consecutive days starting with a 10k and finishing with a 10miler with a 4mile beach race and a 6mile X-country squeezed inbetween.

If you thought the weather was bad at home you should have been in Blackpool, on the sea front at 6pm on the 20th. The weather was so bad the course had to be altered as the conditions were so bad. I managed a time of 42 50, not bad as the wind buffeted me for half the race. It was also milestone for me in my running career as after nearly five years racing I got my very FIRST soaking in a race, I was sodden, saturated, lets hope it takes another 5years before I race in atrocious weather like we had that night.

Day 2 was at the beach at St Annes, no rain, just a raging wind and a drop of hail, again the course had to be altered due to this northerly as we would have been sandblasted to bits had we ran into the wind on the beach, so it was a double lapper with the strong wind in our faces on the road and a tail wind on our backs along the beach. I got a time of 26 24 again I was pleased with my effort considering the dreadful conditions.

Day 3 was a 6mile X- country, still a wind today but not as bad, no rain or hail so things were looking promising, this was a 4 lapper and I must say a quite a sapper. I set off fast-ish and finished slow-ish ,the tour now taking its toll on me, managed a 42 07, three races in the bag with just a 10 miler the following day.

Day 4 dawned, snow over the hills of rivington didn't look to good ,nor the biting wind, I shuddered to think what conditions would be like for my 10 miler in Fleetwood. The weather was crisp in Fleetwood, the sort of wind with a chill factor that would freeze an eskimo in 5minutes flat. The sea was pounding against the sea wall, the wind had made sand dunes over part of the coarse and I had to get out of my car in half an hour and race. The holiday makers in Blackpool down the coast would have heard the gun go off at 11am as the wind was howling in that direction, so I was now off on my last leg of the tour. It was a two lapper , again I had a fight with the wind , felt like two steps forward one back. I finished tired and battered, but with a smile on my face and a time of 1hr 13, because the elements did their best to spoil this tour and it came a poor second.

My thanks go to the organisers Mr and Mrs Lewis McAndrew who organised the event on their own, they marked out the courses, set the races off, stood in the awful conditions to get our times at the finish and raised money for the British Red Cross.

Looking back at the tour the highlight had to be getting my first race soaking , as my heading says it had to happen ...............sometime ............... lol

dave pearson

Rivington Pike fell race 22nd March 2008

70 Mick Green V40 22:43
101 Pete Hopley V40 23:47
111 Duncan Crompton V40 24:17
208 Allan Jones V60 28:12
283 Mark Smith 35:14

Haigh Hall Relays

Overall

13 Lostock Ac 'A' 1:33:32
Also 3rd VETS team

Keith Thomas (14) 22:55
Mick Green (13) 22:42
Pete Hopley (12) 23:41
Stewart Jones (13) 24:14


25 Lostock Ac 'B' 1:46:03

Duncn Crompton (27) 26:44
Dave Clemence (26) 25:26
Dave Pearson (25) 28:08
Derek Lord (25) 25:45


Fastest of all legs

7 Mick Green Lostock Ac A 22:42
10 Keith Thomas Lostock Ac A 22:55

Half Tour of Pendle

6 Michael Green 01:15:22
73 Peter Hopley 01:29:23
113 Adrian Hope 01:35:26
133 Aidrian Roberts 01:39:35
142 Geof Sale 01:42:18
160 Mark Shuttleworth 01:45:33
164 Allan Jones 01:47:02

Torremolinos Half Marathon ,Spain 2nd February 2008

Thanks to Mark Beresford and Dave Pearson for organising and encouraging me to join them in their Torremolinos Half Marathon adventure with a group of different local club runners (16 in all) A very friendly and easy going bunch had excellent acommodation close to the town centre and the race start.After a long walk along the sea front in the glorious if not bizarre sunshine (after leaving that morning in freezing hail and rain) we enjoyed the night out before race day .The race preparations were already underway,stageing, ,equipment,barriers etc being put in place and building up the feeling of anticipation for the race particularly as I had no idea what to expect. Excellent organisation and facilities for a race which is free to enter and it did have an atmosphere of a special event. After a urban start the course made its way to the sea front for a warm hike for 4-5 miles along the prom trying to psychologically keep to the pace and judge the water stops to match the warm conditions. Fortunately the sea breeze and patchy cloud just made it bearable( for on a hot day it would be a different race altogether)until the course meandered inland through town gently up towards a bypass which indicated over half way and on the way home.The road at the side of the bypass was the long return leg again 4-5 miles of long long steady gradients which gradually sapped any speed you started with or were trying to keep in reserve. It did change your mindset from trying to get a good time to just trying to finish. Fortunately the twists and turns of the final few miles allowed some distraction but the long return straight had done its damage and it was hard to feel any recovery until the cheers of the crowded town centre spectators drove you on up the mainstreet to the finish. Excellent goody bag ,refreshments and presentation. Huge elevated podium , with trophies the size of washing up bowls down to large plantpot size, enough to make it feel real special for the 3 of our merry band that picked up prizes ,Jackie Redmain,Derek Kay and myself. It was nice to meet and see other uk club groups chilling out and it did turn a few heads afterwards walking in our group with so much glinting silverware (...well chromeware...)A hard race but an enjoyable event if you want to treat yourself to a race away .
Keith Thomas

Radcliffe 12 Mile Trail Race 17th February 2008

92 Jason Tonge 01:33:24
115 Jane Forrest 01:37:59
167 Nyree O'Neill 01:50:05

Parbold Hill Race 16th February 2008

192 A Roberts 00:56:55
211 M Shuttleworth 00:58:18