I first met George very shortly after joining Wilmslow RC in 2010. I was taking part in the Wilmslow HM and wearing the vest for the first time. Shortly after the start, after we turned onto Burleyhurst Lane, a shadow appeared next to my shoulder. I thought who’s this old guy! [At that time I suffered from naivety; of thinking I’m fit so I must be a good runner!!]. Effortlessly. chatting to me Telling me about his achievements at Sale and Wilmslow and how fast he was!! Reality set in – I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to keep up this pace for 13 miles. Luckily a problem hit me towards the 3 mile point just before the water station. Going down the slope I felt my ankle ‘jar’ and began to hobble. This has occurred many times in races and training. I hobble for 10 seconds up to a couple of minutes – when hey presto I run normally again – I call this my trapped nerve issue!! Still George got away and I didn’t see him for over an hour or so. I finished a little under 100 minutes! George had finished over 4 minutes before me and no doubt had had several conversations with others at the finish by then.
George then preceded to haunt me, turning up to Tuesday training when he was back in Wilmslow. Hanging onto my tails when we did reps, often passing me towards the end of the rep.
Then again he had such a good side. When Wimslow did European club races. They did it in style. Often in the South of France. There George would look after us. Giving us guided tours of the location, views from the hills while we drank coffee, and Picnics on the beach to list but a few. He was our local tour guide and also our hero when supported us as we ran the races.
But the that home half marathon defeat niggled me. But Revenge is sweet. It came January 2016 at the Nice to Monaco Half Marathon. Though I was bumped and boxed in at the start. And had to walk up a hill shortly after the start as les bloody francais walked and talked their way up in groups. I still managed to stay ahead of George. And that European away match resulted [according to George] in a ‘pasting’ for him as I levelled the Half Marathon series. 1 – 1 being the final score. An honourable draw :). The Lioness of Theoule had stormed away from the start and got up the hill easily. No doubt wanting to dip her toes in the Med before we men had finished. Anne waited patiently for Ian, the fourth member of WRC, at the finish with Stella (Mrs G) and their dogs [see picture towards the end of George’s update]. Ian unfortunately went for an early shower back at the hotel after suffering a heart blip.
Cat did a mini-bio on George a while ago. You can read that here.. George Livesey-compressed
George has updated us this weekend on life and racing in France . Over to George …
It is just over sixteen years since we left the UK and moved to France; living in a mobile home on our piece of land during the construction of the house, which was finished in May 2005. It has been quite an adventure, and not one we regretted. The lifestyle here suits us, especially given the good weather. With easy access to budget flights the UK is not far away which enables us to visit our daughter and family in Kings Road, our son in south Manchester, plus friends in Wilmslow where we lived for over 30 years.
Shortly after moving to France I joined the nearest running club which is in the town of Ste Maxime (pop’n 14,000). The training consists of track sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays, with occasional hill reps just outside the stadium and the odd run or two into the hills during the summer months. Going round and round a track, whether doing 1km reps or pyramid sessions, for example, isn’t my first choice of venue, but that is what they do. The members are great, very friendly and supportive which was the case in Wilmslow, and Sale Harriers when I was a teenager. The club are on now their fourth trainer during my time here – the council contribute funds to the club and the trainers get paid. After a while they move on to find fresh challenges.
Unfortunately, I’ve let my membership lapse (and my fitness!) during this last year but I use a cross trainer and go for the occasional jog.
Races? Well almost every week there is a race, some of which are designated as departmental (we live in a Département named the Var which is one of six in this Region) and the points earned go towards the end of series awards. Racing every week took me to some wonderful venues (mainly villages) that we would probably not have visited otherwise. The ambience is always great and the village turns out in force to organise and support the event. Normally, you start on road and to avoid disrupting the traffic they send you onto tracks and through the hills. Then it’s a case of staring at the ground to avoid standing on loose rocks and wrecking your ankles. At the end the village dignitaries appear on the podium, speeches are made and prizes presented. There’s always a trophy which is sometimes complemented with a nice bottle of local wine, or a shoe bag for example. In one race the prize for the first person home is their weight in bottles of wine!
The race on Bastille Day takes place in an evening when the locals dress up in the costumes from that period. They’re all very enjoyable occasions and ones I wouldn’t have missed (well perhaps the speeches could be a bit shorter )
I recall one amusing incident many years ago when a friend from the club (Georges!) suggested I ran ‘La montée du Mont Vinaigre’ the following Sunday: “les vues sont magnifiques”. So, I turned up at the port at Frejus, no sign of Georges, and set off on a 16.2km course that reached over 500m where I finished exhausted at the top. Georges omitted to tell me that the magnificent view was behind me throughout, and I spent all my time watching my footing as we wound our way through the hills. What I didn’t realise was that you needed to put a change of clothing in a van at the start area, as it was much cooler at the top. The descent took one and a half hours using two coaches (the larger coach cannot get to the top due to the narrow winding road). A good experience, and last year whilst not really fit enough, I completed it for a third time.
Just to give you an idea of the terrain leading to Mont Vinaigres
Patrick asked what my favourite race is: probably the 13km Course du Soleil which starts at the old port at Nice and follows the coastline to the finish at Monaco. A few members from the club have already completed this, including Patrick and Nicky.
Stella kindly drops me off at the start and then somehow manages to find a parking spot at the finish – aided and abetted by Anne Ashcroft the last time when they moved a few barriers aside on the harbour wall!
Lockdown here in France – ours started on the 17th March and continues until the 15th May, when the government are intending to let certain businesses open again. Excluding, restaurants, cafes, and bars of course. If we wish to leave our house we must carry a self-certified form ticking one of the seven approved reasons. A fine of €135 is imposed for breaking the rules and I read they have already issued 800,000 of them! Exercise is limited 1km from home and up to one hour per day.
Normally I drive to a hypermarket to do the shopping each week and the shelves are fairly well stocked. We live just outside a small village and are not aware of any cases of the virus so far in this area.
Communication – although a very infrequent attendee at church when we lived in Wilmslow, a friend who attends St John’s Lindow (near Brook Lane corner) asked if I would like to join the service conducted over a Zoom link. I know the vicar and a few members of the congregation and for the last three Sundays have enjoyed participating.
Normally when we drive back to the UK in the Spring and Autumn, I meet with about ten friends from Sale Harriers for a meal and a drink. This time one of the group hosted a Zoom meeting and although a little scrappy at times, was successful. With me in France, one in Australia, one living in Tatton Park, and the remainder from the Manchester Area, the link was pretty robust. The intention is to repeat it monthly.
Well, stay safe all of you and hopefully we will be able to drive back in October and I can catch up with some of you again.
George
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Nicky knows George well. And as she put it:
My first memory of George is at the end of a Wilmslow half marathon when we ran over the line together. I don’t remember the year but I remember we did 1:34, so a few years ago!
George was very hospitable when we descended on him en masse before we ran the St Tropez Classic. The delicious spread he and Stella gave us was very welcome after a long journey finishing through the back lanes of Pont de La Tour struggling to find his house in the dark. Apart from the St Tropez race George also joined Ian , Patrick and myself in the Nice to Monaco half marathon in January 2016 when the weather was glorious and we had a splash in the sea before returning on the bus.
During the Nice to Cannes marathon in 2009 when I was dragging my feet along the coast , having definitely hit the wall, I heard George’s friendly voice shouting my name which spurred me on to the end. I couldn’t start walking with such encouragement!
George also joined us when a group from WRC did the Luberon half marathon/marathon in the blazing heat albeit the month of October and were subsequently entertained at Cat and Mike’s house in L’Isle sur la Sorgue. Happy memories.
Although I have bumped into George on the Jet 2 flight to and from Nice somehow we often miss each other, just as I’m coming to the South of France he’s on his way to stay with his daughter in England. I know that ‘le confinement’ is far harsher in France than here.
So ‘bon courage George’ and hope to see you soon.
I would concur with Nicky, on all our race trips to the south of France, if not running himself George has been ever present with much support and encouragement. At the aforementioned Nice to Cannes Marathon, Nicky and I were going for an ambitious sub-3.15 but in the ‘November heat’ and undulating terrain of the second half of the race that went out the window soon after reaching the half-way point. With tired legs I came round a corner with a mile to go and there was George to give some much welcome encouragement by running with me until the final fenced off finish straight. I’ll always remember that. Merci encore, George.