Sam Johnstone	Ellamae Gibson	Zoe Baistow

For regulars in the Kendal Winter League, this race was definitely different, in fact, it was a cross country race. As usual, we had a good turn out of juniors and seniors. In the under 12s, we had Ellamae Gibson and Zoe Baistow, who both put in good performances and young Sam Johnstone had a cracking run and showed some brilliant determination for a lad of his age.

In the U14s, Ben Johnstone had another good run in his first year in this new age group and ran out 3rd against older boys.

The U17s saw Jonathan Bradshaw finish in third place, with Jack Smith either 5th or 6th and Will Marshall in 10th place. Cross country running does not suit Scott Baistow and he battled with this course, but he showed great determination to finish it.

In the seniors Chris Newman led the Wharfedalers home in 6th place and whereas Sam Watson was up with him in the early stages, as the race progressed, he gradually fell behind. Again, he was another one who is not at home with cross country running. Further down the field, there was an interesting battle going on between Kevin Rogan, Barry Scholes and Neil Taylor. On the first lap, Neil was trailing all three, but he pulled through and beat the lot, thus regaining the Nevin Cup (if only for a short while).

Once more, we had four ladies out in the senior race and they were led home by Catherine Wolfenden, who seemed quite at home with this type of running. Our next lady to finish was Kate Rogan, who finished just ahead of Cathy Bradley. Another runner to battle with the course was Lynn Whittaker, but she put in a good performance and afterwards had to admit that she enjoyed the day, "as a bit of a change".

The outstanding performance of the day has to go to Stuart Johnstone, who is new to running. As he found out, cross country running is tough and he battled with the course. There must have been times when he felt like pulling out and calling it a day, but he stuck to the task in hand, completed the course and finished quite strongly.

The results are now in th results section and a few pictures will be added to the gallery shortly.

This race took place in foul weather and was won by Alistair Dunn of Helm Hill. He was followed home by James Mountain of Ermysted's and Darren Kay of Horwich.

Will Marshall came home in 20th place, followed by Ben Johnstone who had a storming run to finish in 21st place. He apparently turned in 40th position, but passed 19 runners on the descent. Will Marshall looked round and saw him following. As there was no one else in sight, he waited for him to catch up and they ran back together. Stuart Johnstone has not been put off by his experience in the cross country on Sunday and he entered this race. His finishing position is not known at the moment, but he did complete the course.

Full results are in the results section.

Lucas Payne	Cathy Bradley

Eleven Wharfedalers turned out for this 9 mile / 2250 ft championship race. The weather conditions were good and the rain held off until most of the competitors were back. Being a championship race, the competition was tough and it seemed to get off to a fast start. The winner was the evergreen Ian Holmes in a time of 1:03:08. First for Wharfedale was Ted Mason with a time of 1:10:06, followed by Bruce Elsworth

It was good to see that we had five ladies out in the race and they were led home by Tamara Hird, followed by Judy Howells. What a race Kirsty Hall picked for a come back after injury and Emma Dodds, running her first Half Tour, decided to give everyone else a bit of a chance by carrying a rucksack round the course.

The finishing positions of the Wharfedalers were as follows:

Pos	Name	Time	Other
29	Ted Mason	1:10:06
38	Bruce Elsworth	1:10:33
73	Lucas Payne	1:15:22	V40
78	Mark McGoldrick	1:16:11
106	Jason Hemsley	1:18:21
151	Sam Watson	1:22:52
222	Tamara Hird	1:29:01	L
271	Judy Howells	1:33:42	L
298	Cathy Bradley	1:37:42	L
348	Kirsty Hall	1:45:23	L
371	Emma Dodds	1:58:07	L

A few pictures are in the gallery and the full results are in the results section.

This race can be notorious. In perfect conditions, it would be a lovely race, but at this time of year the conditions underfoot and the weather conditions can be so unpredictable. . And so it was this year, the clag came down which left many runners struggling to navigate their way round the course. As a result, twenty runners were either disqualified or did not finish.

Against this back drop, the two Wharfedalers in this race both had sterling performances. Tim Stedman finished in the top ten with 9th position and a time of 1:27:05. Our other member, Paul Carman also had a great run to finish 26th in a time of 1:35:05.

Well done to both runners.

Full results are in the results section.

Pete Keron and Angel Gray went off to take part in this event. There were about 500 competitors in both classes. The sprint class is 5K, 10K, 5K. The long distance class is 10K,40K, 5K. The course was picturesque and fast. Angela finished the sprint class in 92 place with a time of 1:24 and Pete finished the long distance class in 33rd place with a time of 2:04.

Ellamae Gibson	Zoe Baistow

Most of the usual stalwarts turned up at Austwick on what was a bitterly cold day, especially on the tops, where the wind was biting.

In the under 12s, we had the two girls pictured above and Robbie and Sam Johnstone and although we have no places at the moment, they all did well.

In the U14s, Will Smith had a storming run up to the top and had built up a good lead, with Ben Johnstone in third place. On the return things all changed and Ben finished in 2nd place with Will in 3rd.

In the U17s, Jonathan Bradshaw put in a stunning performance, in fact with how he ran today, he might have won the senior's race. By the time he had reached the steep ascent to the fell tops, he had already built up a good lead and his ascent was quick and assured. The descent was equally remarkable. Although not under pressure from any chasing runners, he probably made the finest descent of the day and again he looked both quick and sure footed on tricky terrain. Our other youngsters in this age group also put in good performances. Will Marshall had a good solid run and Jack Smith was another one to make a good descent, in fact, he picked up three places, by picking his own individual route through the scree.

Scott Baistow, is another one who looks a natural fell runner and although he is struggling with his first year in this age group, he will certainly make his mark on it in a couple of year's time.

Mark McGolrick does not usually turn out for these races and one can only think that the Half Tour was not far enough for him, yesterday. Despite running yesterday, he still led the Wharfedalers home today. Down the field, most of the Wharfedalers put in strong performances, beating runners that normally finish ahead of them. Barry Scholes was one of those who looked to be going well, as did Neil Taylor who once more retained the Nevin Cup.

Our ladies also did well. Catherine Wolfenden appears to be taking to fell running like a duck to water and she finished third lady, a result which will propel her up the table. She was followed home by Kate Rogan. Cathy Bradley was suffering from a bit of a calf strain after the Half Tour yesterday and struggled a bit with this race today. Lynn Whittaker was also out on the fells and got another finishing place in this league and it will be interesting to see the position of our ladies in the final table.

A few pictures will be added to the gallery shortly and the results will follow in due course.

Paul Carman
Paul has never run in the Lakes before and what a race he picked for starters. He had quite an eventful day, but still finished in a creditable 26th position. Read how he did it from his report below.

Read Paul's Report

Some runners may want to forget about this race, but if you fancy re-living the day, the links below are to Andy Holden's videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRDt0Z_GfMU#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thCqhJofeJs

Will Smith with his bronze medal
Wharfedale junior Will Smith was selected to represent his county in this competition and he helped the Yorkshire team bring home a bronze medal. Below is a link to a brief report of the race.

This league reaches its conclusion on Sunday with the final race at Elterwater. The tables have now been compiled following the meeting at Austwick and it is refreshing to see our ladies doing so well this year. Top spot is held by Catherine Wolfenden, closely followed by Kate Rogan in 2nd place, Cathy Bradley is fourth and Lynn Whitaker is 6th - four runners out of the top six. However, things might all change with the last race. It will be an interesting conclusion to the season. The full league tables for all categories are available below.

Kendal Winter League Tables

This event does not have the ascent that the three peaks race has, but it is still a tough relentless route around Wharfedale taking in Bordley, Barden Moor, Appletreewick and Burnsall. On the full 24 mile route, Ted Mason was 1st overall in 3hr 02 mins (a possible new record), Bruce Elsworth was 4th in 3hr 14 (16 mins faster than last year), Peter Jackson finished in 3hr 43 (position not known) and Jonathan Gibson was 39th in 4hr 06. If there had been team prizes, it would have been a clean sweep for Wharfedale.

Cathy Bradley ran the the Half Trollers Route which is 12 miles - she wanted to save her legs for Elterwater tomorrow. She led the whole field home, finishing in 1st place in a time of 1hr 46, ahead of the 2nd place finisher by over a quarter of an hour.

More details and full results follow shortly.

This event used to be the pinnacle of inter school cross country running when it was held in Lyme Park. There were hundreds of competitors in each age group, as schools from all over the country, as far away as Kent and Devon, came to compete. Sadly, the National Trust who controlled the park were quite happy to see the deer permanently damaging the trees in the park, but were quite unhappy that this gathering of youngsters left parts of the park a bit cut up and muddy - a disfigurement that nature restored within days. It will forever be a stain on the National Trust that they ruined this great event by not allowing it to take place anymore. It eventually settled down in Heaton Park, Manchester, but with attendances which were a ghost of the past.

Anyway, enough of history. What about the present? Well the venue has now moved to Stockport and perhaps to a course as challenging as Lyme Park. It was always a challenge for a school to win a race, but to be the best overall school was something special. St Anselm's College were always competitive, as cross country was their main sport and they have taken the best overall school trophy for the past six years. However, this year the Roses Trophy, for the best overall school, was wrested from them by Ermysted's Grammar School and aided by our own Will Marshall. He has sent in a report of the day which can be accessed from the link below.

Will's Report

Charlie Lowrie	Jonathan Bradshaw
Jack Smith	Will Marshall

There was a touch of spring in the air for this lovely race in a lovely setting. As usual, we had a fair number of youngsters out on the fells. In the U12s, Charlie Lowrie, sporting his new mohican hair cut, had a good race to the top and looked to be going well. His final position is not known, but he must have been up with the leaders.

The U14s saw Ben Johnstone getting to grips with this new age group. He led the field to the top and once he turned, he set off back down like a rocket. By doing so, he opened up enough of a gap to win the race quite comfortably.

The U17s saw Tom Sessford and Jonathan Bradshaw battling it out for first place, with Tom getting the better of Jonny today. However, Jonathan has probably done enough to take the U17s title.

The senior race saw good performances from Chris Newman who finished in 4th place and Sam Watson who finished 8th. Andy Holden was the 3rd Wharfedaler home, just ahead of Kevin White. Barry Scholes put in another good performance, as did Neil Taylor, who retained the Nevin Cup for another week.

Amongst the ladies, Catherine Wolfenden finished third which should give her second place in the final league tables and concludes a very successful first year in this league. Kate Rogan finished in 5th place, closely followed by Cathy Bradley.

A few pictures are now in the gallery and the full results are in the results section.

Lucas Payne entered this race and beat his time of two years ago, but he was still not happy.

Read his report of the day below.

Read Lucas's Report

Results are in the results section.

It was a lovely warm evening and just about dark when everyone set off at 7:15 for what was the last Owl Event of the winter. It was perhaps a harbinger of the pleasant evening pub runs which are to come. You might have expected that, running on his own midden, the first to the top would be Ted Mason, and you would have been right. He was closely followed by Tom Adams of Ilkley, who perhaps suffered from not having too bright a head torch. Just behind him at the top was Pete Keron who was another one to have a good ascent. Jack Smith had his usual determined run to finish in 6th place and first junior back. First lady back was Heather Daw of Ilkley. Further down the field, Scott Baistow had a good run to finish just seconds behind the legendary Mark Horrocks and Madeline Watson managed to just beat her son, and third junior, to the top. Emily Whitehead seems to be gaining confidence with these night events and ran this one completely on her own, at her own pace. She was with the others at the top but appears to have lost time on the descent.

Another good off road evening and hopefully, these will return next winter.

Full results are in the results section.

Those that ran in this race may want to re-live their memories. Those that didn't run may want to see what a brilliant race that they missed. Either way, it is worth clicking on the buttons below to see the senior's race and what a good job, particularly part two, Andy Holden has made of producing and editing these videos.



And part two.

A new record was set for this race by Danny Hope of Pudsey & Bramley, who finished in just over the hour with a time of 1:03:57, nearly six minutes in front of the 2nd place man.

Our only runner out in this race was Adam Baker, who also had a good race to finish in a time of 1:26:41 and 44th out of 111 starters.

Full results are in the results table.

Will Marshall at Brough Law
There must be something about the North East air that suits Will Marshall. He had spent the weekend close by at the family cottage and decided to give this race a go. He was the only junior in the race and finished fourth overall!

He has sent in a very good report of the day - Read Will's Report

Full results are in the results section.

A few Wharfedalers and friends took part in the Keighley BigK 10K on Sunday. This is the second running of this charity event which is organised to raise money for the Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope. The entries doubled from 300 last year to 600 hundred this year! This is a multiterrain 10K covering an undulating course which has been designed with a difference to link the 5 main parks in Keighley, namely Victoria Park, Lund Park, Highfield (Burgess Field), Devonshire Park and Cliffe Castle. The race was won by Will Smith of Keighley and Craven in a new record time of 33.35. The ladies race was won by Helen Glover also in a new record time of 39.43. Tamara Hird was first Wharfedale lady home and third lady overall in 42.52. Nicole and Sue Narey who run for Bingley but train with the Wharfedale ladies on a Monday night, were next back in 51.34 and 53.11 respectively. Nicole had a good run to pip her mum to the post and finish 2nd U17 girl. The third U17 girl was Izzi Ellwood in 58.13 - beating her mum, dad and brother into the bargain! Next was another new lady member, Karen Gorman from Silsden, who ran a pb to clock 59.52 - just sneaking under her hour target. Karen's daughter Katie also had a good run to finish in 69.33. Brian Hugill also had a good run to finish in 59.20.

Detailed results are in the results section.

Last year, a few Wharfedalers entered this event. This year, only one of them returned to have another go. Last year was dogged by confusion on the course, with some runners being disqualified for not passing a check point. Ted Mason was one of those and he was the only one to return. By all accounts, this year was much better and the race was well organised with good visibility as an added bonus. The race attracted some top runners and against this opposition, Ted finished 13th in a time of 42:19.

Full results are in the results section

On a cold and windy day in the Lakes, only three Wharfedalers turned out for this race, which attracted a lot of very good runners. Against this opposition, Jack Smith had an excellent race coming home in 22nd position. Our other runners battled with the conditions with Kevin Rogan and Kate Rogan coming home a lot further down the field.

Top marks to Keswick for getting the results out so quickly and these are now in the results section.

Jonathan Bradshaw
The season has now drawn to a close and today the winners were presented with their prizes. Top spot for Wharfedale went to Jonathan Bradshaw who won the U17s Trophy. His name will now join the many illustrious names from the past who have also won it. Not only did Jonathan win this trophy, but he served notice on the seniors that next year, they had better look out. Having won the U17s league, today he joined the seniors and came home in 5th place, ahead of Bruce Elsworth who finished 7th. Jonathan also finished in front of Mike Robinson, who was this year's senior champion. We have certainly not heard the last of this young man.

In the ladies league, Catherine Wolfenden, who has not previously done much fell running, came runner up to Hazel Robinson who took the ladies trophy.

In today's races, which were not points counters, Ben Johnstone came second in the U14s race. In the senior's race, Kevin White, who cycled all the way up to Sedbergh, finished in about 18th place.

In the ladies race, Catherine Wolfenden finished in third place and Judy Howells was 6th.

Full race details will be added shortly.

This 5 mile / 150 ft race is quite tough going through the heather. It was even tougher on Saturday given the windy conditions with a bit of hail thrown in. We had only one representative in the race this year and that was Colin Moses, who came home in 19th place with a time of 46:33, a bit slower than his 2008 time.

Full results are in the results section.