EASINGWOLD RUNNING CLUB

The continuing adverse weather conditions at the start of the year saw the club having to cancel the first training session of 2010 meaning that, due to the Christmas and New Year break, the Club were unable to meet for three weeks; their longest ever break.  Conditions were not conducive for effective training and frustrations were abundant especially for those lucky enough to have secured a place for the Brass Monkey half marathon, which also serves as Round 6 of the Club’s championships. However, despite the unfavourable conditions leading up to the event on Sunday 24th January, twenty-three club members were willing and able to compete. On the day the weather was kind: cool and dry with a slight breeze. Microchips are used for this event ensuring accurate timings and this course is notorious for gaining good times and attracting a high profile field from far and wide. The course itself is flat, starting from The Knavesmire, continuing through Bishopthorpe to Acaster Malbis, then a 5 mile loop taking in Appleton Roebuck before retracing steps back through Bishopthorpe and finishing on The Knavesmire. The question was, with the lack of training opportunities, would this year offer different results? Would the race itself have to be treated as a training run?    Surprisingly not. The course record was broken this year and the winner, Matthew Pierson from Holmfirth Harriers, romped across the finishing line in a magnificent time of 1:05:35, an incredible 7 minutes ahead of second placed Phil Coulson from Chester-le-Street. Not to be outdone with setting such superb times, ERC’s very own Mark Whiteman achieved a lifetime best finishing first for the Club in a time of 1:19:27 and placed 50th out of a field of 1550. Finishing 90 seconds later and second for the Club was Chris Hartley who also recorded a lifetime best for himself. Gus Wells, Andrew Throup, Luke Shannon and Rebecca Earl each secured a PB. Mark Jackson, competing in his first ever half marathon, finished in an excellent time of 1:26:28. Other first timers at this distance included Howard Thompson, Stuart Selby-Jarrand, Harriet Reid, Gayner Blackwell and Angela Wilson.Hopefully we have will have seen the end of the icy conditions and the Club can continue as planned with its Spring training programme. This week’s training is a 2-man relay event and the following week is a short social run followed by the Club’s AGM.


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