Here is your monthly bulletin on all things to do with the Club Series ‘23.
October
We have reached the final stages of Series 23 already! There remains two races and three parkrun opportunities to bag your seven races, qualify for the competition and receive the much-coveted mug! Or to push on and bag your 12 races and receive an exclusive Series 23 top 😉
Reminder from Ian. The spreadsheet for the results is complex and large. Please check for any errors or omissions. It’s too large to mail out so we hold it on the legacy website 2023 League Tables – Wilmslow Running Club.
There will be some tie break situations where league leaders have achieved the same points after 7 races. Ties will then be settled by looking at the points position for race 8, 9 etc.
Note for new club members:
If you haven’t completed any races in the Club Series since joining then it’s not possible at this stage in the year to meet the minimum races (7) to qualify for the competition. However, no reason for not joining in as the races are a great opportunity to meet other club members.
Also see below for announcement of the first 3 races for Series 24!
Remaining Races:
26 November – Wilmslow Festive 10k (49 club members entered, wow!!). Wilmslow Festive 10K 2023 – niftyEntries.com
10 December – Stockport 10. Closing the year with an old favourite, used to get booked up, used to have a great goody bag too (no guarantees though!) 19 members have entered. Stockport ’10’ 2023 – niftyEntries.com
The parkrun competition will run until Saturday 25 November 2023.
Cross Country (MACCL XC)
Nic writes: This Saturday (11th) is match 2 of our cross country season, taking place at Wythenshawe Park. We had a good turn out for match 1 so it would be great to build on that and get even more of us out, if entered, to enjoy some mud! Sadly, late entries can’t be accepted however XC is great for supporters too so if you are injured or not sure what it involves why not come down and support our teams – bring your wellies!
Ladies start at 1.30pm, men start at 2.30pm. Course maps on Teamo or see Nick Bishops email.
Series 24
The first three races of Series 24 are:
18 February 2024 – Village Bakery Half Marathon Village Bakery Wrexham Half Marathon 2024 – niftyEntries.com A good one for the “flat-landers” amoungst us! Fast course, also popular so keep an eye on entries
3 March 2024 – Cloud 9 Congleton Harriers – Cloud 9 (congleton-harriers.co.uk). Very popular with our hill loving members! I’ll put out some info next year on the particular fell/hill races chosen for the series, for those new to this type of running.
17 March 2024 – Poynton 10k Poynton Village 10K 2024 – Crazy Legs Events . Lovely local event, also has booked quickly in the past.
Upcoming Social Events
Catherine writes:
Thanks to everyone who has booked their place at the Club Christmas Party and meal on Friday 8 December. There’s been a great response already! If you haven’t responded yet please reserve your place by transferring £25 to the club account – Wilmslow Running Club, Account 04039246, Sort code 010390. Please book soon to reserve your place.
September
Well the Club Series is drawing to a close for this year, and thoughts are already turning to WRC Series 24! More on that to come, however here is your monthly bulletin on all things to do with Series 23, plus a section on forthcoming socials from Catherine.
Note for new club members:
If you haven’t completed any races in the Club Series since joining then it’s not possible at this stage in the year to meet the minimum races (7) to qualify for the competition. However, no reason for not joining in as the races are a great opportunity to meet other club members.
I’ll provide more information for new members when I issue Series ’24. Otherwise just ask around your club mates on a Tuesday night for more info.
Remaining Races:
26 November – Wilmslow Festive 10k (33 club members entered). Wilmslow Festive 10K 2023 – niftyEntries.com
10 December – Stockport 10. Closing the year with an old favourite, used to get booked up, used to have a great goody bag too (no guarantees though!) 16 members have entered. Stockport ’10’ 2023 – niftyEntries.com
The parkrun competition will run until Saturday 25 November 2023.
Cheshire County Athletics Association – Grand Prix Results / Fixtures 2024
We got some great results in the 2023 competition. Congratulations to:
Nic Reece won the Grand Prix gold medal.
Kate Sutton won the age graded gold medal, Nic Reece won silver.
In the team competition, the Wilmslow RC women won gold, and the men bronze.
In the team age graded competition, Wilmslow RC women won gold and the men silver.
Come on chaps ??
Fixtures 2024:
The Grand Prix race list has been announced. It’s probably worth booking the first race if you intend on competing in the Grand Prix as it’s a popular event:
Four Villages Half Marathon (21 January Essar four villages half race details – 40th! – Helsby Running Club, 3 members entered, 547 entries already on the system), Chester Spring 5, High Legh 10k, Christleton 5k, Dunham 5k (one of the two), Sandback 10k, two parkruns, probably Warrington/Crewe.
Upcoming Social Events
Catherine writes:
Now the nights are drawing in and the reflective vests are out, our attention turns to the WRC social event of the year – our Christmas Party. It’s always a great night, and well attended, so save the date – Friday 8th December, at Alderley Edge Cricket Club. Tickets will be on sale In the meantime, we may fit in post-race drinks once more before the end of the year, perhaps after the Wythenshawe cross country event on 11th November, if there are a few of us that fancy it. We’ve already started thinking about social events for next year, and a few suggestions have been made, including the return of away runs, where we get a coach to run together somewhere different and scenic, then have a meal and a few drinks before heading home. We’re also considering planning a group trip to watch some athletics, if there is interest.
Please let me [Jan] know if you have any suggestions for social stuff – all ideas are very welcome ??
August
Here is your monthly bulletin on all things to do with the Club Series 23, plus a new section on social events from Catherine.
Note for new club members:
Ask around at club night for general information on the club series. However, in brief, enter any races you like and you’ll be guaranteed to meet some friendly WRC blue and gold! Enter the race with club name Wilmslow RC. Get yourself a club vest from Running Bear and wear it to club races (not required for the parkrun competition). You need a minimum of 7 races to qualify for the competition. We are quite a long way through Series 23 but you can still qualify if you do the parkruns as well.
Remaining Races:
17 September – Guilden Sutton 10k (Cheshire RR Grand Prix), 8 Club members entered. Guilden Sutton 10k – niftyEntries.com
1 October – Congleton Half Marathon (CCRGP) (6 club members entered, best race for points tarts ), and Knutsford 10k (31 club members entered). Both are on the same day and unfortunately this was an unavoidable clash. Points fully allocated on both. Congleton Harriers – Congleton Half Marathon (congleton-harriers.co.uk)
26 November – Wilmslow Festive 10k (28 club members entered). Wilmslow Festive 10K 2023 – niftyEntries.com
10 December – Stockport 10. Closing the year with an old favourite, used to get booked up, used to have a great goody bag too (no guarantees though!) 10 members have entered. Stockport ’10’ 2023 – niftyEntries.com
Upcoming Social Events
Well done Catherine for reinvigorating the WRC social scene! Catherine writes:
As well as our series races, we have some social events coming up over the next few weeks and months, to help counterbalance your running!
Tuesday 19th September – we have our post training social and AGM. Food will be provided by the club, we’ll have a drink together, and it’s your chance to listen and contribute to how things have gone for WRC over the past year and plans for the future. If you’d like to attend, please email julie@julielucas.co.uk stating whether you’d like a meat, veggie or gluten free meal.
Friday 29th September – If that gets you in the mood for some socialising with running friends, join us for some drinks in Wilmslow. We’re meeting from 7pm in Unico Lounge.
Friday 8th December – a date for your diary. The WRC Christmas Party venue has been booked, at Alderley Edge Cricket Club. Keep it free!
We’ll also keep up our recent post-race pub refuelling, next venue somewhere near Guilden Sutton on Sun 17th September. Hope to see you all on one or more of our socials sometime soon
July
July Races:
Phew, June was busy! Here are the forthcoming races:
Alderley Park parkrun 8 July – CCRRGP. Make sure you’veregistered Wilmslow RC as your club on your parkrun page, and don’t forget yourbarcode! No club vests required.
Shady Oak Tough 10k – 13 July, trail/road, 16 WRC’rs enteredso far: Goyt Valley Striders Shady Oak Tough 10 Race.
Alderley Park Trail – local 5m trail race, 18 July, 34 WRC’s entered, sold out but probably some swaps (me for example), and Andrew may allow further WRC entries if you ask nicely.
Rudyard Lake Staffordshire Moorlands – 5 mile trail, a clubfavourite, listen out for the bagpipes at the top of the hill! SportSoft Entries &Results (race-results.co.uk)
The next race is August:
Birchwood 10k, 20 August – CCRRGP, 13 WRC’rs so far. 2023Birchwood 10K – niftyEntries.com
The parkrun competition results to the end of June:
Courtesy of parkrun statto Elspeth. Park run stats with the4 weekends in June ending 24/6 added in to the tables are as follows:-
June
Rules Update
With so many members participating in the Series we are likely to end with two or even three people on maximum points. In this situation we will look at the 8th, 9th, etc races to see who obtained maximum points between the tying members. If one member did 9 and the other 8 then we would look at the position on 8, for example. However if the second person didn’t’ do any further races then the first would win the tye.
June Races:
May concluded with an impressive attendance at Dunham Massey, and a great hall of prizes. It may not have pleased the points tarts however was such a fab evening racing together. June started well with Tittesworth and I received some lovely feedback from Adrian who organises the SMAC Series saying how much he appreciates WRC supporting his races, he’s going to let me know earlier about next year. What’s coming next:
Dunham Massey Reverse 8 June – part of the Cheshire County Road Race Grand Prix (CCRRGP) so I would expect some tough competition, the course is “downhill” and reportedly faster. Dave Telford Memorial Dunham Massey 5k (June 2023) | BookitZone | Online Event Entry Service
Colshaw 10k 11 June – a flat’ish run along country lanes. 25 WRC’ers in, still open for entries Colshaw Hall 10k (Knutsford) 2023 – niftyEntries.com
Birchwood 15 June – also CCRRGP although I note that the entry page says its on paths and country trails (an interesting definition of a road race!). Remember its 5 CCRRGP races required to be in that competition – Birchwood Brook 5k – Spectrum Striders
Marple Runners Carnival 10k 18 June – our friends in Marple Runners asked us to include this one. Nice bit of trail running, advertised as mainly off-road Marple Runners – Marple 10k Trail Race
Alderley Park parkrun 8 July – CCRRGP. Make sure you’ve registered Wilmslow RC as your club on your parkrun page, and don’t forget your barcode! No club vests required.
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May Report
Here is the latest monthly bulletin on all things to do with the Club Series.
May Racing:
There was great turnout at Buxworth for WRC with 24 members racing!
Coming up:
Parkrun Chester – 13 May. I don’t have a definitive from the organisers whether club vest or not. Logic would say wear your vest, so do that and make sure you take your token and are registered as Wilmslow Running Club on your parkrun profile.
Happy Valley Trail Half Marathon – 14 May. This race came highly recommended by a number of WRC’ers. We have 21 members registered to race. 44 places left, go on! Happy Valley Trail Half Marathon & 10k 2023 – niftyEntries.com
Dunham Massey 5k – 25 May. First of the two 5k races. No stats unfortunately but we usually have a very good turn out Dunham Massey 5k Race (May 2023) and N Cheshire Grand Prix 5k Series Entry | BookitZone | Online Event Entry Service
Races to book:
Checkout the races in the attached list. Keep an eye on the Cheshire County Road Race Grand Prix (CCRGP) races which may book up.
Series Updates:
Staffordshire Moorlands have announced their Summer Series of races. Sadly there are many clashes which left two that will fit on our schedule. It does make for a very busy June / July however I am reliably informed that this is good as it gives more opportunities to race. The races have been added to the attached list, being Tittesworth Reservoir on 1 June and Rudyard Lake on 27 July. Summer Series (staffsmoorlands-ac.co.uk). Note to enter yo will have to register with SportsSoft if you don’t have a log in.
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March Report
Series 23 has well and truly kicked off with 36 club members competing at Cloud 9 and/or High Legh. Furthermore, we already have some WAGs and City Slickers qualifiers in the parkrun part of the competition.
April Racing:
12 April – Chester Spring 5 – this is the only race in April for the Series. It is also the first of the Cheshire County Road Race Grand Prix fixtures. 30 club members are booked on, should be fun!
There’s still spaces: Chester Spring 5 2023 – niftyEntries.com
Don’t forget to register your age for the CCRRGP Age grade competition. Cheshire Road Running Grand Prix 2023 – Spectrum Striders
Races to book:
4 May Buxworth 5 – Goyt Valley Striders Buxworth 5 Road Race (15 booked)
14 May Happy Valley Trail Half – Happy Valley Trail Half Marathon & 10k 2023 – niftyEntries.com (9 booked)
Dunham Massey 5k – (this is the first one, in the Series. The June one is also in the CCRRGP) Dunham Massey 5k Race (May 2023) and N Cheshire Grand Prix 5k Series Entry | BookitZone | Online Event Entry Service.
The parkrun Chester on 15 May is shown as part of the CCRRGP but I’m not sure how this is going to be managed. I’d be inclined to miss it as there is another “planned” for Alderley Park later in the CCRRGP which I’ll find out about for next time.
Off Road Racing Tips from Andy Watts:
It’s good to see some fell races and several excellent off-road races in the WRC Race Series this year. These are all super events, and the terrain may be more challenging than the flat, but none of them is particularly difficult. There are some simple rules to bear in mind for these races. Actually, there is only one thing to think about and that is —– kit!
Shoes are the first decision, and a pretty robust trail shoe (or dedicated fell shoe like an Inov-8) would be the best choice. The conditions underfoot in Cloud 9, for example, include sections of tarmac and stony track, some short steep climbs over rocky terrain, and quite some distance on fields (which in normal years are very wet and muddy). Good grip is essential, and if you have a choice go 1/2 size bigger than for a road shoe so that your toes survive the down-hilling!
Weather gear is also pretty important. For those who’ve not done a ‘proper’ fell race before you may be surprised to find that some fell races have mandatory kit, meaning that you are required to carry e.g. a waterproof top as a condition of starting the event. Fell races are ranked A, B, C (according to the amount of climb, with A being the most), and L, M, S (meaning long, medium, short). The toughest races, in category AM, AL or BL, will require all runners to carry the ‘minimum mandatory kit’, which is full waterproofs (top with hood and leggings, with taped seams), hat and gloves, map compass and whistle. This is enforced even on the hottest summer days. Ridiculous you may say, but you’d be surprised how quickly you can cool off and start to get seriously cold in a high exposed place, even in summer, if you get lost or turn an ankle. The Wilmslow fell races are not so extreme, but the organiser may nonetheless demand that certain kit is carried, and to be on the safe side it’s best to take that full kit list to the race. A bum-bag is the normal means of carrying it.
Wilmslow’s selected races are:- Cloud 9 (category BM), Edenfield (BM) and possibly two of the SMAC races which are not yet confirmed: Shutlingsloe, and Roaches. The other trail races in the Summer Series are not licensed as fell races, but the same advice on footwear applies to them as well.
If the above raises any further questions then get in touch, or ask around on club night!
Series Updates:
Things seem back to normal this year so we are reverting to the original Series rules and prizes. So:
· 7 Races to qualify for the overall, league and age group competitions, this includes the parkrun pairs
· 7 Races wins a Series 23 mug
· 12 Races wins a mug and a long sleeve Series 23 top
I have been in touch with the organiser of the Staffordshire Moorland Races Series. They advise that planning is underway still so watch this space.
Good luck as always!
Jan