March Madness
With the end of February looming large and therefore the end of winter (possibly) the month of March sees an increase in the number of races on offer. This is a chance to see if your winter preparation has been as good as you hoped it would be. Many people are also working hard at getting ready for the Spring marathon and half-marathon season. On 25 March we have the Stafford half marathon (now full) and on 11 March the Stafford 20 – both races ideal preparation for the London or Paris marathons in April. Another good one for the road racers is the Fradley 10K – a very popular event also on 11 March.
Robin Guy at Stafford Half 2011
If off-road running is your thing, then the month has a plethora of exciting events on offer. We start with the Carding Mill Canter on Saturday 03 March, about 4 miles with good views of Carding Mill Valley for the whole circuit. Alternatively (or maybe in addition) the next day is the Cloud 9 hill race in Congleton (no entries on the day). There were a number of Newport runners there last year and most said they enjoyed it. Some people have entered the very popular Pontesbury Potter on 10 March but this has been full for some time so if you want to enter, think again. A week later on 18 March is a brand new event, the Apley 10 miler – this is a cross-country course on the private Apley estate between Telford and Bridgnorth – definitely worth a look. On the same day as the Stafford half is, of course, our very own Lilleshall Monumental 10K and the Wrekin Fell Race. The monumental is being run for the second time and is a mixed terrain course. The Wrekin Fell Race is a there-and-back run over the Ercall and up the Wrekin via the scree – so you need something like mudclaws on your feet.
Last, but definitely not least, is the handicap run on Wednesday 07 March. Despite being the last handicap of the winter it is still a good event to test your pace before the Spring events begin in earnest. There are plenty of other events further afield, but really there is more than enough close by to test your abilities.
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Winter League 2010-2012: Positions after thirteen events
- Wyre Forest 8
The winter league is fast coming to a close. With just four point scoring events remaining the overall leading positions are, like last time, still occupied by Pauline Newton and Maurice Reid.
In the men’s division Maurice now has an almost unassailable 67 points followed by John Taylor (49), Andrew Coles (43) and Dave Brown sharing fourth spot with John Stokes (41). It is hard to see Maurice relinquishing top spot, especially given his propensity to enter everything going! But there is still plenty to play for with second spot up for grabs.
In the women’s section only one point separates the top three places with Pauline (44 points) enjoying the narrowest of leads over Tracy Hartridge and Prue Shelley (both with 43). The events left are the Carding Mill Valley fell race (03/03/12), the Fradley 10K road race (11/03/12), the winter handicap 5K (07/03/12) and one of either the Stafford Half, Lilleshall Monumental, Wrekin Fell Race (all 25/03/12) or Ironbridge Half (01/04/12). Remember there are points for marshalling on the Lilleshall Monumental as well as competing. And, by the way, only one person has so far stated that they marshalled at the Wheaton Aston Roman 10K – so get your emails off to me at newportdrc@gmail.com if you did.
A reminder that it is 10 for a win, 9 for second etc. and everybody gets at least 5 points if you race and finish. There are 7 points for marshalling a Newport event. In the Winter Handicap you have 3 points for competing and 2 more for beating your previous best in the event. There are 3 points for marshalling.
Winter League: Positions after 13 events (PDF)
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Winter Handicap Race 4 – Wednesday 08 February
Thank you once again to everybody who either competed in or helped marshal/organise the race. It was another night of quality running with some really good performances despite the freezing conditions. The apres-run refreshments and chip butties in The Wheatsheaf were also very welcome as always. There were a total of 31 runners which was a pretty good turn-out with the weather conditions. A total of 15 racers registered improved times from their three previous handicaps which is, again, excellent. The most improved time was for our defending champion, Ella Dainty who recorded the best improvement and therefore won the event for the second month in a row. A fantastic effort Ella – well done. Second prize went to Sarah Kenyon and third prize to Sue Potts, so a clean sweep for the ladies. Gentlemen you must try harder. We hope to see you all again in a months time for the last handicap race of the winter.
The month of April welcomes the return of the Sexarathon series, with the first race at ……. Lilleshall …….. so no excuses for not doing well there!
Winter Handicap Race 4 Results (PDF)
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Whatever your pace and experience, however and whenever you run, come and join us.
Every Wednesday night, we organise three runs for runners of all standards – although you may find one group meets your needs better than the others. The training section of the website has more information. You don’t need to be a club member straight away, just come along and give it a go!
There are various training runs at other times of the week either in Newport, at the Wrekin or the hills of Church Stretton. There are also special club runs, breakfast runs and a varied programme of social events held through the year. We even have our own club band called Running Wild.
We organise or support nine races each year: the January Jog in January, the Lilleshall Monumental in March, the Sheriffhales Shuffle in May, the Newport Carnival 10K in June, the Hinstock 5K in September, the Newport Duathlon in October, the Wrekin Wrecker fell race in November, a Christmas Eve family run and walk, and the popular Wheaton Aston 10K and fun run in December. Please refer to ‘Our Races’ for more details.
Newport & District Running Club is thankful for the continued support of Ultrasport.
