Summer Series Race 13 – Meerbrook ‘killer’ 15k

The good news was that we were heading for Tittesworth Reservoir. Once a Summer Series regular, it is 4½ miles, off-road and pretty flat – the perfect race. You know the bad news, once we were there, we turned our backs on Tittesworth and instead went to Meerbrook; 15k, road and hilly, very hilly. I kept telling myself on the way that I’d be alright, but I wasn’t convincing. My only comfort was that Rod and Owen were in the car with me and Roy was just behind, none of them would cope any better than I.

I had concluded, after Moonraker, that given the nature of the Summer Series, despite expecting to be running another 6 of the races, my points total on November 2nd. was likely to be exactly the same as it was on July 26^th. Those who had come to Meerbrook in search of easy Series points were becoming more despondent as the number of Wilmslow vests swelled to 32. Added to which it was getting hotter.

I didn’t see much of winner, Andi Jones, surprisingly neither did Damian. How can anyone beat Damian by 5 minutes? Tom took the 49 points and Mark was third. Tony has introduced a tie-break rule that if two people are equal over their seven best races, we look at the scores in their eighth. Damian now has eight wins so I suggest you put aside any ambitions of topping the main table for another year, although mathematically, the possibility of him being beaten remains. Tony holds-on to second and Rob onto third.

Sally Gilliver was first Lady for the second time this year. It must be a long time since Sally completed the Series, you just need three more races, Sally. Kate was second and, performance of the day, Sally Price was third. Are you paying attention, Louisa, it is time to start planning your return?

The effect is to tighten Kate’s grip on the Ladies’ championship, Nicky remains second and Angela third.

Ian likes the hills, he’s got nothing to carry up them, and took his second 3/4 race of the Summer. Tony, who also does not carry any excess baggage, was second and Steve Smith, an impressive piece of running, third. Andy, despite cycling to Meerbrook with Paul Sanders, also ran strongly – he, too, has the hill-whippet build. Tony and Mick both have five first places and two seconds. Don remains third.

The big surprise was Sally Price. She has slowly been improving and that improvement has accelerated since she has been back at work, but this was a big stride forward. When she passed me at 8k, I thought it just a temporary aberration that would be corrected long before the finish. Angela, at this stage, was catching Penny, who was starting to visibly tire. As Angela went ahead of Penny, Sally was closing on both of them and steadily, before we got back to the top at 13k, she had established herself as Group 5 leader. I suspect it is too late, or too early, for Sally to be a threat in the 5/6 championship, but she is a girl with a past and her challenge can’t be dismissed.

Angela was second and Steffi edged-out Penny for another third place. The result strengthens Angela’s overall lead, Penny remains a close second with Catriona displacing John in third.

The whole of Wilmslow gathered to cheer Nina home as she took the laterne rouge from Charlotte and Trevor.

Catriona Marshall, Trevor Faulkner and Rod Coombs make it 27 names on the 2009 T-shirt and mug. Ian Roylance, Paul Nichols, Richard Dobell and Steve Dempsey have now to run all 6 remaining races if they are to complete the Series.

Tom won his 4^th. age/sex adjusted out of 5 races. Tony who has been first in two of the twelve races, leads the table, Mick, one first place, is second and Damian, also with one win, third. However, the table is likely to look very different by the time we get to the Macc Half.

Don is working on incorporating age/sex with the other tables on the website

Tom McGaff	52:12
Tony Hulme	53:18
Damian Nicholls	54:57
Ray Eagle	56:29
Andy Watts	58:37
Sally Gilliver	59:16
Geoff Gilbert	59:18
Ian Smallwood	1:00:40
Don Bullough	1:01:38
Kate Sutton	1:01:44
Steve Smith	1:02:41
Ian Ashcroft	1:03:04
Mark Bale	1:03:06
Angela Maziere	1:04:14
Penny Hinke	1:04:42
Steve Russell	1:05:36
Catriona Marshall	1:09:11
Sally Price	1:09:52
Trevor Faulkner	1:10:29
David Wheable	1:10:35
James Eyre	1:10:50
Gareth  Trimble	1:11:23
Charlotte Godfrey	1:12:00
Rod Coombs	1:12:03
Steffi Sperring	1:12:14
Julie Lucas	1:13:27
Richard Hirons	1:13:29
Kasey Lynch	1:14:17
Chris Watts	1:20:42
Owen Ashcroft	1:21:28
Nina Birch	1:26:18

Contrary to all expectations, I actually enjoyed the race. Most runners I talked to, intimidated by the terrain, had chosen the same strategy; start conservatively and keep in your comfort-zone up the first big climb to the 4k mark. This meant that, after the long downhill, most of us arrived at 8k in good shape. The gradients around the turn were sharp but many found the steady climb all the way back to 13k less arduous than they had feared.

Did anyone find a Wilmslow vest, I took mine off at the finish and lost it?

Great Warford surprised us last year with how difficult it proved to be but probably, next Sunday, after Meerbrook we will see it from a different perspective. Then there is a bit of a gap to Sunday September 13^th., the Gawsworth 10k plus a bit.

Ian