Author: Running Carl

It’s a relatively slow start to the year so far for races, although it seems a good number of our runners have taken the opportunity to recce the Slaughterford 9 course.

Jo Motto ran the Tadworth Ten. A 10 mile, fairly hilly event starting at Epsom Downs racecourse. It was Jo’s second time at this event and she was 7 minutes quicker this year.

The only other racer was Dave Townsend who took part in the Kelston 10K, although he says that it is closer to 11K and as a trail race with 800 foot of ascent, it’s definitely not a PB course, but Dave did manage a course PB.

New Year’s Day saw many of our members gathering at the Smallgrain Picnic Area near Cherhill for a 10km or 3km route to blow away the cobwebs and start the year off properly. Thanks to Andrew Wood and Jane Clarke for organising.

New Year’s Day is also a day when traditionally, many runners do a double parkrun. Local parkruns will stagger their start times to enable this and we had at least 8 of our members taking the opportunity. Special mention should go to Vicky Henderson who was first lady in both of hers (not that parkrun is a race) and also to Ed Harper and Max Luff, both of whom had their second parkrun as their 100th overall.

It’s that tricky time around Christmas when we all feel guilty that we should run more but then we often just think we’d rather dip into the chocolates instead so it’s great to see a few people did some racing this week.

We had 4 members in Warminster doing the 12.5 mile Plain Crazy event. A decent amount of climbing meant it was an ideal race for David Mackie, his 50th of the year! A champion innings.

We also had 4 members chasing the Gingerbread Man at Uffcott near Swindon. This race is definitely something a little different. Everyone is chasing a costumed gingerbread man and if you run, run as fast as you can, then actually you can catch him. You have about 5 miles to chase him down and 3 of our runners did manage it. And for your efforts you get an edible medal.

We had 3 people running at the Wye Valley Wander where John Hible took home the junior* prize of beer! Well done to John and also to his dad Steve and Caroline Cozier.

*juniors go up to 20 at Wye Wander, it’s not just the Welsh doing things differently.

The Luffs still like to run for Corsham even though they’ve moved to Gloucestershire where they did the Gloucester 10 and they also found Jo Motto doing the same race.

Christmas is also a time to be social and as such we have our 2 annual joint runs with our friends from Chippenham Harriers. We had the Castle Combe run on Christmas Eve, with multiple groups, distances and speeds there is something for everyone and there were huge numbers enjoying the countryside together and then returning to the car park for mulled wine and cakes.

Boxing Day was a much quieter affair at the Slaughterford 9 route, with the hardcore runners only.

And then there is Christmas day itself, where parkrun has become a tradition for many people. The Hendersons were first to do a Christmas Day parkrun as they’re on honeymoon in New Zealand so got a head start.

Chippenham parkrun had a new record as nearly 500 people took part. CRC had a number of members there running AND volunteering. Lots of people like to dress up in Santa hats or similar and some go just a little further than that.

It’s that time of year when race directors spend time with their families and not much happens.

However there was still the Hullavington 10 mile where we had 9 runners, David Mackie was in his Christmas gear but it didn’t make him any slower and Laura Midwinter was nearly in tears when the rain started 5 minutes before the race, but she got on with it and finished 2nd lady, I think she’s asked for a new mantelpiece for Christmas after an excellent 2019.

Early in the morning an intrepid group of 7 runners and Teddy the super dog took on the short, sharp rise up Little Solsbury Hill to see the winter solstice sunrise, a different view to the summer event but still looks spectacular and a much more civilised start time.

Special well done to Richard Biggs and David Mackie who did that and then went to race Hullavington.

We wish all of our readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It’s been another quiet week of races for the club, with 5 people attending 2 races.

First up was the Skirrid Mountain Fell Race which attracted Andrew Wood and Annika Davidson. This race looks like a classic fell race when you view the map. You start at the bottom of a mountain, run straight up to the peak and then immediately turn around and after 3.6 miles you’re back where you started. With a low entry fee of £5, the race could be said to be as cheap as chips and that’s what you get for competing along with a bear! Not a spelling mistake.

After last weeks Weston Christmas Cracker, Richard Biggs and Charlie Berry are well and truly in the Christmas spirit by joining Lois Norcott at the Westonbirt House Christmas 10K. There was a PB and maybe a first sub-50 for Charlie, it was definitely his first sub-50 since joining us and it wasn’t even close with a 48:49. Richard also managed a sub-50. Lois finished behind the other 2 but I can only assume that is because she did 10 times the elevation of everyone else in the race.

This week did also see our latest full moon run, this time from the White Hart in Ford for some new trails. With Thursday blighted by torrential rain for the majority of the day 13 people braved the wilds of North Wiltshire where there was ample opportunity to get the trainers muddy and then wash them again numerous times. 5 people took on the full 6 mile route led by David Mackie and 8 people followed Susan Mackie for a 4.5 mile jaunt. And of course as it was led by David Mackie, it actually stayed dry for the run!

It seems the sensible thing to do this week is to start with the Bromham Pudding Run. We had 13 runners doing the flat two lap course and it definitely wasn’t unlucky as Vicky Henderson (42:11), Laura Midwinter (42:37)and Marie Vinolo-Young (44:00) all finished in the top ten ladies, all set a 10K PB and together they won the trophy for fastest ladies team. Vicky was also the first vet finisher.There was also a PB for Graham Byrne (57:35), another sub 1 hour result from Wendy Byrne (59:52) and a season’s best run form Stuart Henderson leading Corsham home in 36:41, his fastest time at Bromham since 2014, obviously the effect of returning to CRC.At the Full Monty Cute 10M around Ham Hill outside Yeovil, Debra Kearsey went 9 minutes faster than she had done previously and Stewart Unsworth was not quite as quick as he decided to take part in Steve Hible’s running injury competition, by falling over and cutting his knee. I feel that Steve’s ankle still wins though and we should discourage any more people from entering this competiton. With 1,500 ft of climbing this race had the third most elevation of any race this week.In second place was the Cardington Cracker doubling the elevation of the Monty Cute packing in around 3,000 ft in its 10 miles and of course it was Andrew Wood who was running it as he doesn’t like anything that isn’t lumpy!But the winner for most elevation goes to *checks notes* ME, Carl Zalek! doubling Andrew’s elevation doing 6,000 ft of climb at the inaugural Copthorne 50K. The route is a lap just over 10 miles done 3 times over the Surrey Hills, including the infamous Box Hill. An unexpected number of the climbs were on uneven steps, it was a brutal course. There were also options for 50 miles and 100 miles, 5 or 10 loops, those brave souls will be sleeping downstairs for weeks. The weather was a little chilly to start but it was bright and clear and the views were simply stunning affording some excellent photo opportunities. This race was organised by experienced ultra runners so while it was a first time event they knew what they were doing and it comes highly recommended (if you’re a little unhinged). The mandatory kit list is quite minimal and there is only one thing that they say you have to carry on every single lap – a canary!Inspiration comes in many forms, but I’m sure that anyone who went to club last week can’t fail to have been inspired by Eric Ayling, the 84 year old who was in the Springfield centre cycling 10 hours a day for a week on a spin bike to raise money for Help For Heroes. Massive Kudos to Eric.

We’re back to a regular review this week, just members racing for fun.

Vicky Henderson did the long course (5.75m) of a Richmond Park Cross Country and while the organisers sadly failed to recognise it, we’re not shy about announcing her as the second lady and first vet. Fantastic Vicky and congratulations.

Andrew Wood and David Mackie took on some gnarly terrain at the Kong Mini Mountain Marathon in the Peak District. 15 miles of hills, mud and map reading. They ran as a pair and they’re still speaking to each other so that counts as a win.

We had 7 members at the Castle Combe Chilly 10k. 3.5 laps of the circuit, so good for a PB but not so good if it’s cold and wet. Luckily, it was a mild day for November and some good results from our members. Jo Crossman and Samantha Grimes both got a PB as it was their first 10K. Tammy Zalek was running her first 10K since 2016 and wasn’t far away from her PB, and did the first 5K faster than her River Run PB. Jake Gregory wasn’t far from his PB either despite running with an injury and Wendy Byrne kept herself ahead of the 60 pacer which in her own words – Not achieved that in a long time. Well done to all of our runners.

The Avebury 8 (nine) attracted 6 of our runners who enjoy getting muddy. Some great results from our members, especially Craig Rumble who finished 4th overall and got the trophy for first vet, there are advantages to turning 40 it seems. Debra Kearsey also brought home a trophy for first vet 50. Stephen Hible loves this race as you get a great hand made mug and this year was his 7th attendance so he’s got more than his mug tree can handle. Unfortunately he also picked up something else (picture below) which hopefully he recovers from quickly.

Luckily Stephen’s son John had a bit more success running without injury at the Oxford University Santa Dash 5K. A full 5K in santa costume. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy then there are always lots around in the lead up to Christmas including one in Neston.

The main news this week is of course our 20th anniversary celebrations but we’ll start with our racers before we have a detailed breakdown of Saturday’s events.

First up we’ll start with the Keynsham Dandy, a 12ish mile trail run which David and Susan Mackie and Debra Kearsey all did. It was a great performance by David winning the vet50 category. Pictured here with David Warren who came 3rd overall and 1st vet40 (running for AVR, but we can forgive him for that)

At the Sutton Benger flyer, Christina Charleston set a new 5 mile PB (as it was her first), being paced around by Nick Maryon. Mark Cortaville finished in just over 32 minutes just missing out on a PB himself.

Darren Thorley did the Gosport half marathon in a very respectable 1:35.

Richard Biggs was also doing a half marathon, although his was a hilly, muddy off road adventure from Broadway at the north end of the Cotswold Way. Not quite a PB at 2:46 but it really is a tough one.

This week also saw our latest full moon run, this time from Heddington, It had a big climb up to the Roundway, a trip round some woods (luckily, no actual trips) and then a lovely downhill finish. And the brave ones ran for a bit solely by the light of the full moon which gave us a dazzling display.

And now for the main event, our 20th anniversary celebration.

The plan was to run a 20 mile run (actually around 22.6) around 6 war memorials in Corsham and the surrounding villages, so people could drop in and out as they wanted.

The day started at 10:30am as a group of nearly 30 of us (and one dog) met for the first leg to Lacock, some planning to do the entire route, some looking to do less than that.

As we were running around the war memorials, Dave Mackie read us a war poem and we had a quiet moment of reflection at each of them. It was a nice moment and very grateful to Dave for picking poems written by soldiers during the First World War or the Boer War.

The first 4 miles to Lacock were extremely muddy, really setting the tone for the day. Steve Parham made friends with a bull, but everyone made it safely to Lacock, where some joined us and some left us.

The next section took us to Atworth, and consisted largely of minor country roads, allowing those of the faster persuasion to go a little faster, although in true Corsham style, we did SCOOP! The highlight (or lowlight) of this section was the bridleway/stream, many of us enjoyed splashing through this section.

Numbers were starting to dwindle as we left for Box and people with other things to do headed home. But around 15 of us ran the next section and were treated to a family of 4 deer running across the fields, just past Stonar school. Then there was the house with peacocks just a bit further along and some runnable trails to take us to Box and lunch.

A couple more changes of personnel after lunch and the trip to Colerne. This was the only properly hilly section of the day and as we were slightly later leaving Box than planned, we took a more direct route.

Colerne definitely won the prize for best remembrance display with knitted poppies all over.

The group heading to Biddestone grew slightly as we picked up some extra members doing the final two legs. It was a very up and down journey, taking in some of the Slaughterford 9 route in reverse (mostly a downhill thankfully).

We were expecting to be joined by a handful of people at Biddestone but the sight that greeted us just blew us away.

So an absolutely huge group of us set off in small groups to head back to the football club in Corsham for 3.5 miles of roads ready to be joined by the children and parents from One Mile Club.

So finally there was a single mile group run around Corsham court with the One Mile Club. Under the dying light and with headtorches on it was a great way to end the day. The children were presented with a special medal, certificate, a drink and cake.

Dave Mackie said he counted 54 different people who ran at least one leg. I think there were similar numbers from the One Mile Club (+ parents).

There were 7 people who ran the whole 22.6 miles (all but one also did the OMC bit) and got one of the medals too. They were Mike Fisher, Chris Hunt, Ade Hurren, Nick Maryon, Carl Zalek and extra special mention should go to Luke Davies, who’d only ever run 18 miles previously and Katharine Burrett, whose longest previous run had been 14 miles, AND she was still able to dance in heels that evening!

A big thanks must go to Dave Mackie for organising the route, the weather and the special touch of the poetry reading, also to Susan Mackie for sharing driving of the support vehicle with Dave so we didn’t have to carry bags and had transport.

After the run, we like to let our hair down and the evening afforded us that opportunity with the party. There was prosecco on arrival (we are Corsham Running Club after all), a hog roast and great puddings, a disco, black and gold decorations and some words from an absent Richard Biggs read by David Mackie doing his best impression of Richard, although without the Dorset accent.

Again huge thanks are in order, this time to Laura Midwinter who organised the evening almost single handedly and even took a week off winning any trophies to do it.

And finally thanks to all of you for joining us to celebrate 20 years of CRC. Looking forward to our 30th anniversary already.