York Running clubs

Ian Smallwood has shared this approach by the running clubs in and around York:

In the 1980s running boom, the York running clubs organised themselves into a league, with each club arranging a 10km road race on a Tuesday evening.
So from May to July there are six 10km races, each at a different venue:
– Pocklington – first race of the series undulating on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds
– Tadcaster – undulating through the lanes near the A1
– York (Knavesmire) is pancake flat, 3 laps of the race course
– Bishop Wilton in the Yorkshire Wolds starts with 1 mile steep up hill followed by several miles of gentle downhill
– Easingwold just north of York has a lovely undulating course though the lanes.
– Wistow/Selby – race round the flat fields to the south of York

A series of interesting runs. E.g.

Usually about 200 runners take part in each race. At the end of the series entrants are given a handicap time for the final race, the slowest runners starting at a requisite time in front of the faster runners. In theory each runner has an equal opportunity of winning the final event. In practice most of the runners finish within a few minutes of each other with a final stampede to the finishing line! The final race is followed by a buffet supper and presentation evening.

So this year in lock down we are all running a virtual 10km race in the appointed week – each runner runs 10km on their own and posts their time.
It is not quite the same as a real race but competition is as fierce as ever with people having multiple attempts in the week to get their times down.

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Food for thought? 🙂

Thank you Ian.  Anyone out there with interesting ideas or challenges they are doing at the moment?