A week after the Edinburgh Marathon Dave Todd flew around the Raby Castle 10k race to finish first Quaker home - 50 points in the bag? Former Champion Danny Gordon, also showing no sign of fatigue following the race put in a strong 49 minute effort - would he claim the 50? Neither of the Marathoners would have liked to have seen Noel McClay, holder of multiple club records, fresh and ready on the start line!

Early pace setters Ben Bourne, Lucy Jefferies and Scott Green were all present looking for the opportunity to extend their leads atop of the Championship table!

With 32 Quakers taking part in the race including newcomers Derek Clulow and Kevin Simpson, lining up alongside experienced hands like Ian Hammond and Graham Park it was all to play/run for! 

The season isn't too old to get started, with Newton Aycliffe 10k and the Summer Coast Road coming up - points to be had!

Click here to download the Quakers Running Club Championship Update Event 8: Raby Castle

To view the championship update, you'll need a PDF reader. If you don't have one installed you can download a free version of FOXIT reader. 

A bright warm day awaited the runners and walkers at Grinton near Reeth for the start of the 31st Swaledale Marathon. As well as myself there were numerous other Quakers ready for the off - Nick Watson, Andrew Lambe, Richard Payne, Abbie Hull, Sarah Beadle, Susan Limbert and new recruit Hayley Turner. It was my 5th Swaledale and as always the highlight of my running year due to the sandwiches & cakes provided at two of the checkpoints around the 23.2 mile course. (These are needed to combat the almost 5000ft of climbing !)

Having strained a calf muscle only 10 days before, I was running with a calf support for the first time and was really pleased that not only did it seem to do its job - but it was also unobtrusive. However, it seems that cramp was the order of the day affecting me in the other calf from just over half way round and getting worse to the point where it was more or less walking only for most of the last 7 miles. Talking to others during the day and after the event it seemed many people also suffered with cramp. It must have been the weather for it ! 

I saw Richard with about 2 miles to go as he overtook and ran on to try and beat his target of 5hrs 30mins (which he did by 1 minute) and then Abbie caught me with about half a mile to go and she made me run the final tarmac section in to the finish at Reeth village hall. (Which I am very pleased she did as due to that I managed to equal my pb of 5hrs 34mins from 2 years ago).

Nick had managed 44th place in 4:08, Hayley an amazing 71st place in 4:21, Andrew was 104th in 4:39, Richard's 5:29 bagged him 203rd place with mine and Abbie's 5:34 getting us 218th and 219th out of the 463 finishers. Sarah was very pleased with her time of 6:41 for 334th place and Susan,  just missing 7 hours by 3 minutes was quicker than 100 other competitors.

Brilliantly organised by Swaledale Outdoor Club as ever, the two course meal provided at the finish, pottery mug, certificate and woven badge show why this event is massively oversubscribed every year.

2011 anyone ?

The photos taken by David Aspin are now online in the Quaker Flickr page. If you ran at Redcar, chances are there's a cracking photo of you! Many thanks to David for the photos!

 Click here to visit the Photo Gallery

Happy Birthday Wayne

Born in nineteen-sixty,
When black and white TVs were nifty.
Raised in 1960 and beyond,
In that smelly little pond.

Disco balls and afro groovy,
Jaws and Star Wars was the movie.
Mustang convertible was just a dream,
Engine running she was supreme.

It’s not so bad, you’re only fifty,
A closer look, you’re also thrifty.
On your birthday, you’re the laughing stock,
Show those dentures, let us mock.

A smooth ride down memory lane,
You couldn’t find a better train?
Now you’re fifty, it’s OK!
Start a trend, and show that grey.

By Martin Dejnicki

Drinks for Wayne's Birthday at the Model T after training on Thursday - there will be cake!

Kings of the Castle
The Raby Castle 10k organised by Teesdale Athletics Club is certainly one of the most undulating in the 10k series, but this did not deter 25 Quakers from seeking out points towards their bid for the club championship. David Todd, fresh from achieving a personal best at the recent Edinburgh Marathon, was first Quaker over the finish line in a time of 42:08, followed by Andrew Knox in 43:29 and Noel McLay in 43:55. Lucy Jefferies was first Quakers lady home in 45:37, with Louise Trainor taking second place in 46:49 and Diane Vaughan third in 47:58. Well done to Nicola Howe, who represented the Quakers in her first 10k at Raby Castle and achieved a respectable 56:25 – undoubtedly a baptism of fire experience!
The penultimate race of the Tees Forest 5K Trail Series was held at Hemlington Recreation Centre with the Quakers once again putting on a good show. Pete Smith ran an excellent race to finish in 19:55 while Ian Bond and Stuart Hardcastle continue to demonstrate their good form in this season’s trail series by crossing the finish line simultaneously in 20:08. Ben Bourne achieved a personal best of 20:35, establishing himself as one of the Quakers most improved runners at this stage in the 2010 race calendar.
Dave Thompson, taking part in the inaugural Chester Marathon, continues to accrue marathon gongs as fast as lesser mortals collect beer mats. Perhaps not the most inspiring of marathon routes (the race takes place largely along a cycleway on an old railway tract) the event was well organised and attracted a field of 750 runners.  Dave did not repeat this year’s London Marathon pb of 3:25 bit still completed the course in a very respectable 3:45:42 to finish 296 out of 750 runners. 
Over 30 Quakers enjoyed a day out at Allendale Fair, and in between the ice creams and tombola, competed in the challenging Allendale 8 mile road race. In temperatures topping 25 degrees, David Todd, Brian Martin and Dave McLachlan did not allow the heat and very undulating terrain to prevent them from finishing 1, 2 and 3 for Quakers in 51:36, 55:03 and 58:23 respectively. Louise Trainor also ran well to finish as first Quakers lady in 1:00:10, followed by Lucy Jefferies in 1:02:54 and Abbie Hull in an excellent 1:08:05, which saw the three take second place for the ladies team. Julie Whinn shaved over 3 minutes off her finish time from last year to finish in 1:15:43 while Fiona Dixon, running in her first hilly road race, did the Quakers and herself proud by completing the challenging course in 1:28:28.