Roadhoggs Leicester AC
On a bright but cold day we gathered at the refugee camp on the hill at Manor Farm in Ullesthorpe for the final league race of this season. There was a cold breeze on the hill and no one wanted to come out of the tent. Only Nick and Jackie came out in their vests; everyone else had shirts and sleeves underneath, which shows that Nick and Jackie are well 'ard. A smaller than usual field charged off down the hill and ran a very pleasant but tough 5.65 miles around fields and through pretty woods and around lakesides, and with plenty of long slow hills where you had to work hard to keep going. Even the finish was back up the same hill we started down so everyone dragged themsleves up as the watching crowd would not let you walk even if you wanted to. There were 2 stream crossings, the first of which was deeper than you expected and it came up above my knees and poor Clare was almost submerged! We welcomed Sara and Fiona making their league debuts as kindly volunteered by Jackie and Trudy, and they both had good runs and said they they would love to do more cross country races … at least that is what I heard but maybe not quite what they said. Nick led the men in finishing just outside the top 10 and capping the great league he has had this season. Ludo and Miguel are both away but Ceri, Jerry, Dale and Colin were all inside the top 100. There were much improved runs from John Davies and Steve Wheeler. For the girls Jackie is getting back to her best, then Sara on her debut race and then dripping wet Clare. Altogether we had 18 runners, equalling the club record in this league, and I do thank everyone who ran on this long and hard course.
We gave Trudy some flowers to show our appreciation for the cakes she makes and brings to each cross country race, and also to make sure she will still do that for us next season.
RESULTS:
MEN: 11th Nick Cobley 34.23, 77th Ceri Davies V40 40.37, 86th Jerry Wilkes
V40 41.35, 96th Dale Jenkins V50 42.42, 97th Colin Bowpitt V40 42.43, 120th
Dave Lodwick V50 43.42, 127th John Davies V40 44.13, 155th Steve Wheeler V40
46.43, 160th Hitesh Pandya V40 47.17, 175th Rob Tayler V50 48.50, 186th Sam
Richardson 50.57, 198th Kim Richardson V50 54.30, 206th Ian Bass V40 60.16,
207 finished.
LADIES: 33rd Jackie Brown V40 48.46, 44th Sara Benedi 51.42, 54th Clare
Mendes 52.54, 65th Trudy Sharpe V40 54.38, 68th Fiona Sutherland V40 56.03,
88 finished.
TEAMS: Men (div2) 4th, ladies (div2) 4th, combined (div1) 6th. Our final league positions after all 6 races are: Men (div2) 4th, ladies (div2) 4th, combined (div1) 7th. Thanks everyone for great team performances this season, we have held our own in the top division!
On a cold and frosty morning we assembled in the club hospitality centre on Grace Dieu Prep School playing fields. There are so many club hospitality centres at each league race now that it looks like a disaster relief centre. I was hoping we would have enough Roadhoggs to keep up our good league placing this season and was really pleased to see so many of you once again. At least it meant that I did not have to run and could stay behind to look after Trudy's cakes. The Grace Dieu course is about 5 miles of pretty scenery but with a long and rocky climb in the middle, someone said they passed some Japanese mountaineers and some yetis on the way up. Nick led us home with another top 10 placing and now ranks 3rd in the league overall. Ludo had a problem with his laces, they kept coming undone which meant he had to stop to re-tie them. As a good captain and father-figure I will tie Ludo's laces for him next time. Miguel was right behind Ludo, then came Ceri, Colin, Dave and Dale (having a bad day) and our 8th team scorer was John Davies in his debut race - great start John! Sam and Steve and Ian, back after a long injury absence, followed in. For the girls Ruth and Jackie both fell but got up and carried on, with Ruth just getting the better of Jackie again. Both finished in just about the same positions as the last race at Allestree Park but had better runs this time as there were more in the race. Claire stayed on her feet, she has really taken to cross country running this season, and Trudy twisted her ankle but as always just keeps going. It was really interesting to see the different running styles getting up the steep bank (the travelator) at the finish, most just got their heads down and dug deeply to reach the top but Nick roared like a bear and Jackie did a really good Groucho Marx impression.
RESULTS:
MEN: 7th Nick Cobley 31.19, 62nd Ludovic Renou 34.49, 63rd Miguel Flores
34.53, 107th Ceri Davies V40 37.16, 129th Colin Bowpitt V40 38.33, 136th
Dave Lodwick V50 39.04, 158th Dale Jenkins V50 39.52, 219th John Davies V40
42.33, 256th Steve Wheeler V40 45.46, 266th Sam Richardson 46.31, 299th Ian
Bass V40 52.43, 301 finished.
LADIES: 36th Ruth Stevely V40 43.45, 39th Jackie Brown V40 44.02, 80th
Claire Mendes 48.56, 90th Trudy Sharpe V40 50.58, 127 finished.
TEAMS: Men (div2) 7th, ladies (div2) 6th, combined (div1) 8th. TEAMS AFTER 5 RACES: Men (div2) 4th, ladies (div2) 4th, combined (div1) 7th
It was cold at Allestree Park on Sunday. When you were out in the open the sun warmed you a little, but for the most part there was a cold wind and we were grateful for the hospitality centre so we could get some shelter before and after the race. The car park was a half-hour walk away, not the ten minutes which the hosts Shelton advertised in the race information, so by the time you arrived at the race you had already warmed up. Sam carried the tent for me, which I figured would wear him out when we raced together. The course was very pretty, two laps around Allestree Park and the adjoining golf course. They said there was 'a hill' in each lap, but what they didn't say was that it was three long and steep and muddy hills that came one after the other so you never got a chance to recover in between them. In fact, each lap was pretty much one-third flat, one-third climbing and one-third downhill. They were long laps too, just over three miles round so the race distance was longer than usual at over 6 miles. And finally we had some mud! After three races on hard ground we had some muddy sections here which was almost a pleasant change. In the race, Mike and Nick further improved their positions in 4th and 6th places, great runs again at the front of the race. Mike stopped before the finish, jumped in the air, and did press-ups. If Nick was close enough he would have stood on him. Next in was Ludo, still not 100% after his marathon injury so his 38th place was fine, especially after falling twice during the race. Miguel was just behind, continuing his improvement with every race. Then Ceri, Dale who is also improving race by race, Dave and me. Finally Sam trudged up the climb to the finish and collapsed to the ground … my tent plan had worked. For the girls Ruth got ahead of Jackie again, and Jackie leads Ruth by just one point now in the league table. They were backed up by Trudy, Claire and Valerie who really struggled round as she had ran 15 miles just the day before - you should be pleased with your run Valerie. Hannah was there to take the results for us (thanks Han) and then in true Roadhoggs style we all enjoyed coffee, mince pies and cake before the long walk back to the car park.
Roadhoggs bagged 3rd and 4th in the mens and ladies team positions, and are sitting in the same positions in the overall league after 4 races. Who will finish highest this season? It is becoming a battle between the sexes! My thanks to all who ran, and also to all who helped at the primary schools races at Prestwold on the previous day, and extra special thanks to Dave, Dale, Trudy and Mike who did both.
RESULTS:
MEN: 4th Mike Munday V40 39.17, 6th Nick Cobley 39.36, 38th Ludovic Renou
44.12, 42nd Miguel Flores 44.40, 81st Ceri Davies V40 47.35, 102nd Dale
Jenkins V50 49.12, 107th Dave Lodwick V50 49.52, 191st Kim Richardson V50
61.55, 195th Sam Richardson 62.29, 205 finished.
LADIES: 36th Ruth Stevely V40 56.07, 38th Jackie Brown V40 56.33, 61st Trudy
Sharpe V40 61.41, 65th Claire Mendes 62.55, 78th Valerie Spezi 67.34, 98
finished.
TEAMS: Men (div2) 3rd, ladies (div2) 4th, combined (div1) 4th. TEAMS AFTER 4 RACES: Men (div2) 3rd, ladies (div2) 4th, combined (div1) 6th
It was cold and foggy at Foremark. But the ground was still quite firm so good conditions to run. We had 17 runners which is another great team effort for Roadhoggs and we filled the club mobile accommodation centre. But first you had to queue to get through the car park barrier; unless you arrived early you had a long wait. In the end the Severn Trent guy lifted the barrier and we all drove through without paying, but once again the race was delayed by the parking queues and I will tell the League that this must be solved next year or we should not use the Foremark venue. Although it was cold, our tough Roadhoggs girls threw off their warm tops and ran in their club vests, but the guys ran in extra layers and long sleeves so were not so tough today. The course is 5.5 miles, two laps starting and ending by the reservoir. There are two wicked hills in each lap which are a real test, but then a long straight on a gravel path to the end so there's an opportunity to pick up the pace. As captain I bravely decided not to run so I could be there to shout encouragement at halfway and at the end. Nick ran another stormer and another top 10 finish, but … there was Mike Munday again just in front. It must drive Nick nuts. Rob Taylor had to drop out with a recurring injury. Of the rest, Miguel was next in and then Ceri, Jerry, Dale, Colin (getting closer to Dale) and Dave in close order. Hitesh, Steve and Sam followed. For the girls, Ruth scored a rare win over Jackie, followed by Trudy, Claire and Valerie. Thanks to all the combined team finished 6th in the top division, beating some of the bigger clubs.
RESULTS:
MEN: 7th Mike Munday V40 32.13, 8th Nick Cobley 32.26, 60th Miguel Flores
36.19, 100th Ceri Davies V40 38.15, 116th Jerry Wilkes V40 39.05, 143rd Dale
Jenkins V50 40.03, 144th Colin Bowpitt V40 40.05, 150th Dave Lodwick V50
40.27, 237th Hitesh Pandya V40 45.43. 259th Steve Wheeler V40 47.28, 275th
Sam Richardson 51.13, dnf Rob Taylor V50, 290 finished.
LADIES: 32nd Ruth Stevely V40 45.08, 39th Jackie Brown V40 45.51, 74th Trudy
Sharpe V40 49.53, 78th Claire Mendes 50.18, 97th Valerie Spezi 55.15, 118
finished.
TEAMS: Men (div2) 4th, ladies (div2) 6th, combined (div1) 6th. TEAMS AFTER 2 RACES: Men (div2) 2nd, ladies (div2) 6th, combined (div1) 6th
It was good to be back at Bagworth Heath after last year's race there was cancelled twice because of snow. But no such weather this time; it was sunny and pleasant although not as hot as the previous race at Markfield. But it was warm enough that the course was very dry and in places quite uneven hard ground where we are more used to splashing and slipping through deep mud. I decided not to use the club mobile hospitality centre as it didn't seem worth it, but I wish that I had because we gathered around in the open and several of the guys started applying anti-chafing cream on their inner legs and I don't think that was a pretty sight for the public walking about on the heath. Whilst we had 10 runners and scored a brilliant 2nd team place in the men's race, the ladies were down to just 2 until Ruth came along, and so with a last place given by the league we were just able to score ladies points as well. But we are only allowed that lifeline once so hope to see more of you girls running next time and I promise that the hospitality centre will be there for you.
The course itself is 5 miles around 2.5 laps of heathland. There is a long and tough climb early on on each lap. But after that there is a glorious long and gradual downhill as you come down off the ridge, so you do get chance to recover and get going again. Mike and Nick pushed each other to a terrific 9th and 10th place and were given the same time. Miguel, who only last season was aiming to finish inside 100, continued his fine form in 56th. Ceri, Jerry, Dale, Colin and Dave Lod packed well and completed the rest of the scoring team. Sam and Kim brought up the rear with Sam starting to improve and winning the family race these days. For the ladies we welcomed back Rebecca who came in 29th, and then Ruth who is quite determined to improve in this league, and of course ever-so-reliable Trudy. The times were quite quick, so although the organisers said the course was a little over 5 miles I think it was a little under.
RESULTS:
MEN: 9th Mike Munday V40 30.37, 10th Nick Cobley 30.37, 56th Miguel Flores
34.44, 82nd Ceri Davies V40 35.54, 95th Jerry Wilkes V40 36.27, 110th Dale
Jenkins V50 37.34, 119th Colin Bowpitt V40 37.50, 124th Dave Lodwick V50
37.55, 215th Sam Richardson 44.01, 228th Kim Richardson V50 45.51, 247
finished.
LADIES: 29th Rebecca Bromwich 41.06, 40th Ruth Stevely V40 42.32, 77th Trudy
Sharpe V40 47.28, 113 finished.
TEAMS: Men (Div2) 2nd, ladies (Div2) 7th, combined (Div1) 5th. TEAMS AFTER 2 RACES: Men (Div2) 2nd, ladies (Div2) 6th, combined (Div1) 7th
On a glorious sunny day, not at all like cross country weather, we met at South Charnwood school for the first race of this season's XC league. Sunglasses and suntan lotion were worn instead of warm t shirts and gloves, and road shoes were preferred to spikes as the ground was so hard. It was a nice grassy and scenic 5.6m course but with plenty of ups and downs and everyone seemed to be suffering in the heat. We had 15 Roadhoggs starting, but let me say straight away that I dropped out like a wuss early into the race, leaving the other 14 of you to bag the points.
We welcomed Clare Mendes and Neil Winkless making their Roadhoggs cross country debuts, and Ceri turned out several months early as he usually starts his xc season around February. Ronnie was there to supervise us, Hannah took the results, and Ludo and Dave Lod also came along to give support even though they were injured out. Mike Munday had an eventful journey to the race; he cycled from the north, had a puncture and hitched a lift, and he still came in 10th! Nick was close behind but not so pleased with his run. Jackie fell, but in a dignified way, and got up to finish our top girl. Ruth wondered why she was doing this and them remembered it was for the joyl of cross country running. Everyone who ran did really well to get round on such a hot day, especially Mike, Dale and Trudy who hared at the schools XCs on Saturday and still ran for the team on Sunday!
RESULTS:
MEN: 10th Mike Munday V40 33.29, 15th Nick Cobley 34.14, 72nd Ceri Davies
V40 39.01, 81st Jerry Wilkes V40 39.24, 88th Neil Winkless 40.04, 105th
Colin Bowpitt V40 40.58, 110th Dale Jenkins V50 41.15, 160th Rob Taylor V50
45.25, 220th Sam Richardson 51.29, dnf Kim Richardson V50, 245 finished.
LADIES: 30th Jackie Brown V40 47.05, 43rd Ruth Stevely V40 49.33, 71st
Valerie Spezi 53.45, 72nd Trudy Sharpe V40 53.52, 78th Clare Mendes 54.47,
117 finished.
TEAMS: Men (Div2) 4th, ladies (Div2) 4th, combined (Div1) 8th
Reports from other seasons:
2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16, 2014-15,
2013-14,
2012-13, 2011-12,
2010-11,
2009-10, 2008-9,
2007-8, 2006-7