Langley 7

Cheshire Grand Prix

Summer Series, race 21 

Strategies and loyalties were divided by Manchester and District Cross-Country and Cheshire Grand Prix on the same day and further complicated by the competition between Cheshire (Di looked fetching in her vest and Jim wasn’t too bad either) and North Wales and this also being the final race of the Summer Series. As a consequence a number, particularly some of our better, runners were absent at Langley.

Nevertheless we had age category winners in Janine, Nicky, Jim, Andy and Simon.  Diane, Angela, Paul, Mick and Trevor had second places. Patrick was third.

The heavy overnight rain continued into the morning but cleared for the start, and more importantly the warm-up. It did rain towards the latter part of the race but on an unseasonally warm day this was a plus. The course had been altered, the view was this made it slower.

Jim was 10^th.

Brian, in what will be his final race in League 2, again took the 60 points. Janine is taking over the Di McVey role of  ‘chicking’ all, well almost, the men. Andy ran well beating Paul and long-time adversary, Mick. Then Ian, Craig and Tim.

Di won League 3 from Christian in a result that may be important in the final shape of the table. Zoe who has had a really good Series was third. Then came Nicky, Geoff, Patrick and John. 

James I never saw. It is a shame that he only got going in the latter part of the Series or he could have challenged Bernard for the League 4 title. Bernard always starts sensibly, passed me as we approached the Church House and disappeared. Angela also is a conservative starter, last year she was amazed at how well she ran and the scalps she had taken, this year she ran better. 

All the way to the top of the hill, I could see Chris not too far ahead, with Gail in front of him, then Andy and not far ahead of them John. Perhaps surprisingly the infamous Wythenshaw Lane hill had little impact on our relative positions. I was growing in confidence, I descend better than I climb. Taking on board encouragement from Martin, Mike, James and Roy, I caught Chris near the summit, he had done Lyme Park in the morning – whether running both Lyme Parkrun and Langley is wise when you have problems with both your hamstrings and your glutes, I’ll leave for another day.

Gail is less than two weeks on from her Beachy Head marathon (did someone say 3,700 feet of ascent?), I passed her at 4 miles. A little further on, Andy was clearly struggling with his knee, I’d already made the calculation that the downhill at Langley was not going to be kind to a man with a bad knee. Passing the Hanging Gate, another Wilmslow vest, Sally had slowed to a near stop but got going again and eased away, I didn’t talk to her at the end but she’s prone to stiches. Meanwhile, behind, Sue was in greater trouble with a major nose-bleed, much of which she’d swallowed as she tried to battle on.  Catriona came-in ahead of Sue, the position she needed for League 4 survival, but in any case she finished the season remarkably well for someone whose lifestyle is not training friendly. Carolyn had been saving her Lyme Parkrun debut for nine-months until the morning of Langley, brave… but smart?

6 miles and a bellow in my ear tells me Gail’s not dead, she beats me by 8 seconds.

I think Simon’s win in League 5 ties him in first place with Rachel, certainly it will ensure a bounce straight back into league 4 for 2016. Leanne took second place and Trevor beat Belinda. 

Another Series over, thank you Tony, we need to look at the implications for the final positions in the tables and what it means for promotion and relegation but in the meantime concentration is on cross-country, the Christmas Party ( Friday 18^th.) and the Club Handicap (Sunday 27^th.)

Ian