Holmfirth Harriers Athletics Club

Transcription

1 Holmfirth Harriers Athletics Club New Year : New Members From the 1st of January 2012 to ensure that all new prospective members are provided with all information about training, competition and other activities of Holmfirth Harriers in addition to club rules, safety matters and your responsibilities as a club member, two induction nights are to be carried out each month. Neiley Pavillion New Mill Road Honley Holmfirth West Yorkshire HD9 6QT Notices 1 Events 2 Road 4-5 Fell 6-7 Cross Country 8-17 These will take place prior to the normal club training nights, one being on a Tuesday and one on a Thursday. They will commence at 6.15pm at the club's pavilion at Neiley Playing Fields, New Mill Road, Honley HD9 6QT and will be conducted by officials and coaches from the club. All prospective new members must attend one of these sessions prior to taking part in the club's activities. All prospective Junior Members must be accompanied by a parent/guardian on the induction sessions. The first dates are. Tuesday 17th of January and Thursday 26th of January. Tuesday 14th of February and Thursday 23rd of February. Tusday 20th of March and Thursday 29th of March. Triathlon Training & Contacts 22 Nov

2 EVENTS Club Race Cross Country Road Fell Track & Field Triathlon Date Event Venue January 2012 Age group Other info 7th Yorkshire XC Champs Wakefield U13s up Pre Entry Only 15th McCain X Challenge Cardiff U13s up Pre Entry Online 21st McCain X Challenge Antrim U13s up Pre Entry Online 28th Northern Cross Country Pontefract Pre entry Only February th YVAA Horsforth Horsforth VETS 19 th CC Champs Doncaster VETS 28 th National XC Champs London Pre Entry Only 26 th Ilkley Fell Race Ilkley U8s up Juniors Enter on day (Seniors Pre entry only) March th YVAA Otley Otley VETS 10 th Inter Counties XC Birmingham U13s up Qualification Only 11th Ian Roberts Marsden Seniors Sign Up 18th Club 6 Farnley Tyas Seniors Sign up 25th Beaumont Park Handicap Beaumont Pk Juniors Sign up 25th YVAA 10m Champs Thirsk VETS For other events please see the notice boards at Neiley and visit the web site. Also keep up-to-date with Follow us on 2

3 Welcome to the road running section of the newsletter. Its the first newsletter of the year and a year with much to look forward too. There was a significant increase in participation over the last year and we will be working hard to continue this and improve further in If you have anything to contribute to the newsletter or website please feel free to get in touch, my address is david@davidturnbull.me.uk or catch me on a club night. Dave Turnbull ROAD Road Running Championship 2012 The first three races in the Championship for 2012 are the Meltham 10k, Huddersfield 10k and Thirsk 10. The full list will be up on the website shortly with some slight changes to the points and number of races. Road Running Championship 2011 After the final event at the Ribble Valley 10k the points for the 2011 championship have been totalled up and the final places look like this. Place Name Overall Points 1st Brandon Holroyd 113 2nd Simon Edwards 86 3rd Matthew Rose 83 Place Name Overall Points 1st Jane Stirling 100 2nd Claire Whitwam 83 3rd Helen Standing 76 Congratulations to all those that embraced the races and in particular to Brandon for retaining his title! London Marathon 2012 The five successful applicants for the club places for the London Marathon 2012 are, Paul Crowther, Rowan Eastwood, Simon Edwards, Diane Kolat and Matthew Rose. Other club members that have places are David Turnbull, Lorraine Smith, Angela currid and John Field. If we haven't mentioned you and you have a place, or know someone who has please get in touch so that we can keep up to date on your progress. 3

4 ROAD Improving Harriers shine at Stockport On Sunday (11th Dec), seven Holmfirth Harriers made the short trip across the Pennines to compete in the Stockport 10 Mile Road Race at Woodbank Stadium. In atrocious conditions the Harriers excelled and delivered some great performances on a tough, undulating course with a quality field of over 750 runners from around the country. In a race won by Matthew Barnes of Altrincham and District A.C. (50:55), first home for the Harriers was Paul Smith in a time of 62:56. Club stalwart Maz Khoueiry (66:59) followed to finish within the top 100. The highlight of the day were performances from four Harriers closing the year on a high after recording personal best times over this distance; a great confidence boost as they start their training for the 2012 London Marathon in April. Times were John Field (72:09) Matthew Rose (72:10) Si Edwards (84:45) and Diane Kolat (96:45). (Left to Right) Simon Edwards, John Field, Diane Kolat, Matthew Rose Ribble Valley 10k The final event in the 2011 road running championship saw the best performances come from the Holmfirth Ladies. Lorraine Smith was 1st F40 in a personal best time of 38:58 also combining with Claire Leaver and Jane Stirling to take 3rd team place in the Northern Athletics 10k Championship. In what was possibly the strongest domestic 10k field of the year David Turnbull was first Holmfirth Harrier back in a time of 32:06 which placed him 45th! The race was won by Jonny Mellor from Liverpool Harriers. David Turnbull 32:06, Richard Smith 33:20, Julian Rose, 34:54, Graham Howatson 38:30, Lorraine Smith 38:58, Stephen Beardsell 39:15, Claire Leaver 39:43, Max Lawton 40:53, Matthew Rose 43:35, John Field 45:03, Adrian Smith 48:30, Simon Edwards 48:55, Jane Stirling 52:19. 4

5 ROAD Road Relays 2012 The dates for the 12 & 6 stage Road Relay Championships have been announced so get these dates into your diaries early as you may well be selected. Nearer the time will make the selection criteria clearer; however in a change from previous years we will be selecting teams and you will be expected to compete unless you have made the Captains aware that you are unavailable for selection. These events are a high level of competition and it should be seen that if you are selected then that should be a great honour to be representatives for the rest of the club. Northern Athletics 12 & 6 Stage Road Relay Championships ERRA Mens 12 Stage and Womens 6 Stage Road Relay 31st March Liverpool 14th April Sutton Park 2011 Highlights Following on from the success we had at the "Sea of Amber Day " in October We have had 114 harriers attend the Parkrun at Greenhead this year and this is now a regular fixture in the running week for many at the club. In December despite poor weather conditions no less than 12 first timers at the event in December. There have been victories for Dave Watson(2), Jared Croft and Jacqui Khoueiry and age category records for Lewis Byram, Jordan Mullinger and Julia Johnson Most active participants this year have been Diane Kolat and Jane Stirling with 20, Tim Cock and Jeff Pierson 19 then Matthew Pierson and Simon Edwards with 18 and 17 respectively. There were also 28 individual personal bests this month. Since the club have been promoting the Parkrun in September at which time Harriers were the second largest attendees behind Stadium Runners in Kirklees. We are now the largest represented club at the event with 114 with Stadium Runners in a distant 2nd place with 50, we are now also in the top 20 largest clubs list Nationally - A fantastic achievement!!!. Congratulations to all who have taken part. We look forward to seeing you again in Simon Edwards 5

6 FELL 2012 Fell Series Full details of the Club Fell Series for 2012 are now available on the new web site for the juniors and seniors. The last junior races of the year were at The Stoop, another Dave Woodhead production over at Haworth. Coming the day after the Brooklands races and the Tinker Cup, it was great to see another excellent turnout, particularly for the juniors, where we had 16 taking part. Pick of the results were Seth Waterman finishing 2nd overall and 2nd U14, Sophie Spencer was 10th overall and 1st GU14, Callum Durrans was 11th overall and 2nd U10 and Sunni Waterman was 28th overall and 1st GU10. Full results on the Woodentops website. with lots of photos too. (pic thanks to Woodentops) Other December Results Gravy Pud 5 (4/12/11) Richard Anderson, 2nd overall and Paula Gould, 75th overall and 4th lady; The Stoop (18/12/11) Jim Durrans, 11th overall and 3rd V40; Auld Lang Syne (31/12/11) Katie Walshaw, 35th overall and 1st lady. 6

7 FELL Tinker Cup 2011 There was a sense of nervous anticipation in the air on Saturday afternoon at Honley Cricket Club as 84 Holmfirth Harriers prepared to line up for their annual Tinker Cup cross country race. The race is indeed cross country in the literal sense as the runners have to negotiate a six mile course which includes an assortment of challenging obstacles dry stone walls, barbed wire fences, streams and ditches. Along with the race s hundred years of tradition the unique style of the course means that it is loved by some but feared by many. In rough terms the route goes from Honley to the outskirts of Holmfirth via Netherthong and after a short loop returns via the same route. However many of the Tinker Cup devotees have slight route variations up their sleeves which can shave off vital seconds here and there. Full time triathlete and 2011 British Duathlon champion Mark Buckingham stamped his authority on the race right from the start and pulled away from the chasing pack climbing up the first few fields. Buckingham has a proven Tinker Cup pedigree, and as a former steeplechaser has a devastating combination of speed over the ground and hurdling prowess to tackle the numerous walls and fences. He was never seriously challenged and won comfortably in Behind him a fierce battle was developing for the minor places between Richard Anderson, another very promising young triathlete, and seasoned Tinker Cup campaigner Tom Brunt, in good form after a successful season on the fells. After a very close race it was Anderson who had the finishing speed to take second in with Brunt 4 seconds adrift. Hot on their heels was leading lady Katie Walshaw another runner in sparkling form. Katie made her England international debut this year in the Snowdon race and always runs strongly at the Tinker Cup. She had several of the leading men in her sights this year and finished 8th overall in a new course record. Ladies captain Helen Berry was second in and Kath Farquhar 3rd in However the prestigious Tinker Cup itself is awarded not to the fastest runner but to the winner on handicap. The handicapping process is a dark art shrouded in secrecy. However after some secretive deliberations involving the handicappers the Tinker Cup was awarded to club stalwart Tim Cock who somehow fooled the handicappers into giving him a ridiculously generous allowance. Or perhaps he was still benefiting from his high altitude training camp in the Pyrenees earlier in the year? Second on handicap was Andy Shaw, another Tinker Cup regular, who is on the return from a series of frustrating injuries and third was the Harriers fell secretary Phil Hobbs. After surviving the rigors of the race the mud (and occasionally blood) spattered runners refueled at the cricket club and swapped tales of their gazelle-like leaps over Dean Brook. Former club secretary Martin Booth distributed the prizes. All involved were extremely grateful to the organisers, marshals and everyone else who helped stage this event, and in particular to the landowners whose land the race crosses. Without their co-operation this unique Holme Valley sporting event would not be possible. 7

8 CROSS COUNTRY League Success for Harriers Action at Wakefield On the 7 th of December Holmfirth athletes covered themselves in glory in the final fixture of the West Yorkshire Cross country league. Undeterred by frequent heavy and wintery showers which quickly turned the waterlogged ground in to a quagmire the Harriers continued the successes of the previous fixtures, coming away with team and individual wins in the both the fixture and the league overall. The superb showing from the Senior men was for many of the travelling fans the highlight of a superb day of racing for the club. With 6 athletes finishing in the top 20 the dominance of the men s event by Leeds City looked for once in doubt and although the Holmfirth men finished in second spot the teams were only separated by 10 points and were 150 points ahead of Bingley in third. The men were lead by home international triathlete Mark Buckingham. Back home for a break in his training Mark took it easy on the first two of the four lap, 9km men s course and was happy to sit off the pace in third place. By the start of the final lap Mark was on the shoulder of Simon Deakin of Leeds, winner of the previous fixtures this year, on the hill Mark drew away and ran away to win with a 10 second margin. Marathoners Dave Turnball and Matthew Pierson both ran strongly moving through the field to finish 5th and 7th place. Richard Smith was consistent as ever in 12th and juniors Max Kaye and Thomas Travis-Pollard with great runs in 14th and 20th. In addition to the 6 team counters a further 14 senior men competed on Sunday a fantastic turnout. In the overall league Max Kaye finished second in the junior men s category, Richard Smith was 4th senior, Alistair Rees finished 2nd V40, John Ewart 1st V55 and Tim Cock 1st V70. The men s team won bronze medals for the league overall. 8

9 CROSS COUNTRY The final race in the series was crucial for Holmfirth s Senior Ladies team. Having won the team event in the first and third league races - the second was won by Leeds City team victory at Thornes Park would secure an overall victory for them. If Leeds won the final race the league victory would have to be decided by counting back the scoring from each race. The 2 lap, 5km course was horribly muddy by the time the ladies race started, but it didn t deter those athletes in amber vests and most of them relished the hills and tough conditions. Katie Walshaw, who had already secured the league victory, led from the gun, finishing 14 seconds clear of Leeds City s Katie Parry. Helen Berry ran well easing ahead of another Leeds City athlete behind her thanks to a strong finish in 6th place. Claire Leaver kept with the following group and was rightly pleased with her 14th position. The team s fourth counter, Kath Farquhar, not at her best in the mud finished in 19th, enough to ensure team victory over Leeds City by a close 3 points! Lucy Needham was close behind in 21st and still picked up a team league medal for counting in the team at the first race. Debbie Hall benefited from earlier advice not to eat too soon before racing, and with the help of some borrowed spikes at the last minute had a great run in 34th. Cara Penfold was a little wary of the slippery downhill sections but worked hard on the rest of the course to come home in 45th. She was closely followed, and had been for much of the race, by Aideen Farrell who having wrapped up for the conditions managed to enjoy the race, and was justifiably pleased with her 49th place. There were 84 official finishers, plus 3 guests. At the presentation for the league overall Katie picked up her trophy for 1st senior lady, Helen won second V35 and Kath second V40. 9

10 CROSS COUNTRY Holmfirth juniors were, like their senior counterparts out in force and came away with a plethora of team medals and individual trophies. In the girls races Holmfirth won gold team medals in both the U11 and U13 age groups. The U11 race was particularly exciting with Libby Shepherd and Sunnivah Waterman sprinting it out once again for 1st and 2nd places with Libby taking the victory in this race but Sunny winning the trophy for the league overall and Libby finishing 2nd. Sophie Allan in her 1st year of cross country also ran superbly to finish 4th and also won the trophy for 5th place overall. Lia Carter had a great run in 12th, Lucy Whitworth getting stronger in every race was 36th and Eve Middleton, not liking the mud, finished in 43rd. 10

11 CROSS COUNTRY The U13 girls were amazing as always, thrilling the spectators with their great results and commitment. With Olivia Sykes side lined with a cold, Erica Byram was 1st back for the team in 4th place, Lucy Byram next home in 11th and Daisy Smith final team counter in 14th. Anna Charlesworth was next back with a superb run in 16th, followed by Esme Wide and Caitlin Smith neck and neck in 27th and 28th and Genevive Durrans in 34th, Isobel Drake in her best league finish in 36th and Talia Johnson finishing strongly in 40th, Olivia Blackburn 43rd, Amy Kettlewell 44th, Isabelle Haley-Porteous 46th and Olivia Battye 49th. In the league overall as well as team gold, Olivia won the trophy for 1st, Erica was 3rd and Lucy 6th. In the older girls races Sophie Spencer was 1st home for the team in 10th, Lucy Farquhar 15th and Sophie Williams 31st. The girls finished 4th team. Ruby Sykes was a lone representative in the U17 race and finished 8th. 11

12 CROSS COUNTRY The boys also achieved great results, 2 overall league champions and 2 sets of silver team medals and one set of bronze. The U11 boys team was lead home by Jimmy Burke in 7th, followed by Oliver Rees in 13th, and Finn Kerry and Daniel Howatson in 18th and 19th which was enough to secure second place in the race and also 2nd place for the boys in the league overall. Just 2 seoncds down Ned Johnson finished strongly in 20th position, Samuel Bedingfield 30th and Dominic Drake 32nd. In the U13 race Seth Waterman was back on form and finished 3rd in a tough race which was enough to win the league overall. Lewis Bartholomew was next home in 11th, William Johnson 12th and Isaac Shepherd completing the team places in 16th place. Nicky Farquhar ran well to finih 22nd, Shea Kerry 30th, Tiras Waterman 34th, Joe Williams 39th and Daniel Whitworth 40th. Lewis Byram s second position was more than enough to secure the league victory in the U15 boys race. The team finished 3rd in a very close fought competition and also finished 3rd in the league overall. Aaron Arthur second home in 13th, Aaron Kettlewell just 3 seconds back in 14th and Eddie Hinchliffe 18th. George Green ran strongly in 35th. In the U17 race Robert Hinchliffe finished in 15th. Finishing 17 th Overall in the series. 12

13 CROSS COUNTRY Junior Xmas X-Country The annual Holmfirth Harriers AC Junior Cross Country Races took place on Saturday 17th of December on the grounds surrounding Brooklands Nursery at Scholes. This annual event has been run in some very cold and testing conditions over the last few years but as the helpers set the course and the young athletes arrived to warm up the sun was shining and hopes were high of some dry and fine weather. However as the under 11 girls gathered at the start the clouds gathered and the snow began to fall making the conditions as bad as any in the last few years. This however did not put off the twelve young girls as the race they produced and the effort they put in warmed the hearts of the large crowd of family and friends watching. The race developed into an exciting race as Libby Shepherd who was the scratch runner carved her way through the field. As the field climbed up the last hill the first ten were covered by less than the length of a football pitch. Libby passed a group of 4 tightly packed runners and set her sights on Sophie Kettlewell, one of the younger runners and Holly Bailey-Taylor who had moved into the lead. Libby passed Sophie as they entered the last field and looked as though she would move through to win but Holly dug deep and put in a final effort to hold her off to win by a fast diminishing 5 yards at the end with Sophie coming 3rd. The next 5 runners were all in the final straight together with some places changing right up to the line. Millie Turner in her first race came an excellent 4th just in front of last year s champion Lia Carter who just held off Sunnivah Waterman in a sprint finish with both recording the same time. Ruby Yates who had been one of the first starters came in 7th and would be happy she was back before her sister Millie, with Sophie Allen, Amy Tyler and Kate Dickinson separating them. The final runner to finish was the smallest and youngest Elphina Waterman who along with all the runners showed great determination and all have a good running career ahead of them. 13

14 CROSS COUNTRY By the time the Under 11 boys came under orders the sun had returned and the conditions, although still very cold were much improved. Again in this race the handicapping seemed to work as the first ten runners home were all in the final, field when the winner Alfie Field crossed the line. Alfie had been one of the first to set off but although at times he looked like being caught he managed to hold off the field as they closed in. Close behind him was George Hobbs who had passed his brother Harry during the race. A fast downhill finish by Finn Kerry ensure that he took the final podium place from Ned Johnson who had started alongside him and the duo had battled all the way round the tough undulating course. A sprint finish then saw Ollie Rees pass Tom Haley- Porteous just inches from the line. The two scratch runners came in next with Callum Durrans getter the better of Nicki Farquhar on this occasion to record the fastest time. Harry Hobbs came next with Daniel Howatson following him home. The final two home were Sam Brown and Archie Hall who were competing for the first time and tackled the hardest course in the harrier s calendar with great enthusiasm and will benefit in the next race from the experience and a more lenient handicap. 14

15 CROSS COUNTRY The Under 13 girl s race was won by Izzy Haley Porteous who was a shade fortunate as Ciara Ellis was leading as she approached the final field before going the wrong way and sacrificing the lead and possible victory. This allowed Izzy to take the spoils by holding off a very fast finishing Lucy Byram by 2 seconds. Lucy had passed most of the field in the second half of the race and won the award for the fastest time. The unlucky Ciara had got back on course to finish 3rd with the second Byram twin Erica coming 4th with only her sister bettering her race time. Isobel Drake came 5th and obviously inspiring her dad who performed will in the afternoons Tinker Cup. She just held off Amy Kettlewell who had a really fine run by a couple yards. The scratch runner Olivia Sykes had managed to pass a few to cross in 7th with Daisy Smith and Emmy Bailey-Taylor close behind. Genevieve Durrans who hated the cold was the final finisher but along with all the others she put in a strong effort all the way to the line. Joe won the race of the siblings with Isaac Shepherd who gets stronger every week coming through to take seconds, he had beaten Andrew Farquhar across the line but Andrew gained compensation by piping Isaac by 1 second for the fastest time award. Shea Kerry came next with Will Johnson who was encountering this course for the first time the final finisher and he will surely gain from the experience if tackling the course again. The Under 13 boys and the Under 17 girls were both running over the same distance and although in separate races the two started at the same time with siblings Joe Williams and Sophie Williams setting off first in their respective races. This must have inspired the duo as they put in one of their best efforts in the club races this year. Both managed to stay in front of the closing field to take the plaudits and the trophies. 15

16 CROSS COUNTRY The final race of the day saw the Under 17 boys take on the longest and most gruelling course of the day. After Robert Hinchliffe had to pull out after slipping and hurting his knee the big question was whether his brother Eddie would be able to hold off Lewis Byram who was looking stronger as the race went on. Opinions on this changed a number of times as Eddie seemed to hold Lewis but it was the hard uphill sections that finally told and Lewis swept Eddie on the final hill and took the lead entering the final field. He went on to record a fine victory and the fastest time. Eddie was followed home by Aaron Kettlewell who recorded the second fastest time of the day with Aaron Arthur passing Daniel Ellis in sight of the line. The course on Greenhill Bank is a tester for the more experienced athletes and for the younger runners and those encountering it form the first time it is fairly daunting. All the youngsters however stuck to the task, put in some excellent performances and provided exciting races for the large number of family and friends who had braved the elements to watch. Every athlete should be justly proud of what they achieved individually on the day and the prospects look bright for the junior section if this effort is replicated throughout the club. A big thank you to all the helpers and marshals on the day, to Geoff Hall for providing spot prizes form the under 11 races and to Brooklands Nurseries for allowing the club to use the grounds and facilities to put the races on. 16

17 CROSS COUNTRY Sheffield Open Cross Country The setting on the 31 st December was Graves Park, Sheffield on a mostly bright sunny day. Fast action on the tough course and athletes had not only the hills of Graves Park to contend with but the wonderful dog walkers too. The Holmfirth Harriers results: U11B [2500m] Callum Durrans 6 th (10.43) U13G [2500m] Olivia Sykes 3 rd (9.44); Daisy Smith 8 th (11.16) Anna Charlesworth 9 th (11.20); Genevieve Durrans 11 th (11.48) Esme Wilde 12 th (12.09); Amy Kettlewell 13 th (12.13) U13 Girls 3rd Team (Sykes, Smith and Charlesworth) U15B [4000m] Aaron Kettlewell 6 th (15.09) Eddie Hinchliffe 10 th (15.52) U17G [4000m] Ruby Sykes 4 th (17.58). U17B [5000m] Robert Hinchliffe 9 th (22.02) U20 Men [7500m] Max Kaye 1 st (25.45) 17

18 Triathlon 2012 Junior & Youth Series 2012 Senior Club Champs The Yorkshire and Humberside Senior Club Championship Races are now available online at The first two local events are now open at Hell on t Hills (aka Holmfirth Duathlon) 15 th April 2012 this is a senior event that will be held for just the second time this year hosed by Holmfirth from Neiley. Find out all about the event on the above website or speak to John Levick or Andrew Kerry. We will also be asking for help on the day with marshals along the bike and run course so please show your support and let us know if you are able to help. The Scissett Sprint Triathlon on the 15 th June is also run by John and 2012 will be its 4 th year and the event is growing each year. This season sees the event in both the Senior Club Championship and the Youth Series. But before these two events is the first in the Junior Series also run by Holmfirth the Holmfirth Junior Duathlon on the 1st of April at Richard Dunn. This event is included in both the Junior and the Youth Series. Again please let us know if you are able to help on the day. This event will be open very soon so check the web for details. 18

19 Triathlon On Wednesday December 21 Chrissie Wellington came to Leeds to take part in the Run with Chrissie 5k in aid of the Jane Tomlinson appeal I was unable to make the run bit which involved being coached by the team that work with the Brownlee brothers, however, it appears that this coached session was in 3 main areas before the 5k run: Core stability, Cadence, Pacing I think in the main that these are areas that Holmfirth Harriers already do well, especially if you participate at either Alwyns (senior) or Kath s (junior) circuit sessions and then again both of their speed sessions. Following the run participants were able to meet with Chrissie and get autographs etc before what was for me the main event A presentation on Chrissie s ideas and what make a multiple World Champion It was quite inspirational and I know my notes don t do the event justice! Chrissie started off by giving some background to her Triathlon career, she swam for the University swimming club and on graduation decided to do a Marathon to help lose a bit of weight. She ran like many other fun runners in 2002, however, unlike most fun runners, she knocked out a 3.08 marathon! Realising her potential, she started to take up running seriously; however, she became injured and fell back to her swimming background to keep active. In 2004 someone mentioned that she might like giving Triathlon a go. At this stage she had never ridden a road bike and entered the Eton Super Sprint. The following year she went to Nepal as part of her job working for the Government in a charitable development role, it was here that she got a lot of bike experience (Mountain Bike) by cycling across the Himalayas! On her return to the UK in 2006, she entered the Redditch Super Sprint, however, having never swam in open water or a wet suit before, and she had to be rescued and didn t finish (which just goes to show there may be hope for us all?) Not to be deterred her next race was the Shropshire Triathlon, which she won! It happened to be a qualifying event for the Age Group European Championships in Lausanne, and having qualified in style she also won this race! At this point she decided she didn t want to end working life and wonder what if? So she took a calculated risk and turned professional in February 2007 this after just 12 months in the sport. That year she decided to give Ironman a go and entered the Korean Ironman she won! This gave her qualification for the Ironman World Championships in Kona (Hawaii) and as a relative unknown; she blew Ironman apart and won her first World Championships. To date she has won Kona 4 times in the last 5 years (not racing in 2010) and in 13 Ironman starts she has won in every race! TRAINING: Nothing revolutionary but what she does is to make sure everything is done 100% and consistently. Her training week is in her opinion 168 hours long the physiological training will occupy hours per week but then when she s not engaged in these activities, everything else is geared towards making that part of her training as productive as possible. Rest, Recovery and Nutrition are all part of the training week. For example eating (involves choosing the right food for refuelling and repair), stretching, relaxing, sleeping, planning) she admits to being obsessive always making lists. 19

20 Triathlon Her philosophies for training include: Make sure you have a coach or belong to a club Keep it simple (No toys - No HR or power zones, just getting on with the training Make it individual Be consistent but be prepared to be flexible (Her training plan is an 11 month cycle) Have key sessions that you do each week (Steady State/Time Trial/Strength/ and Speed Take a holistic approach (rest and recovery is ANOTHER Discipline) Place more emphasis on nutrition and on training the brain Make sure you include Strength and conditioning year round (She felt that her running improvements of the last 2 years have been influenced by extra gym time weak glutes and hamstrings affecting her form and efficiency when tired). Year round her programme looks very similar so that she knows that she has the same sessions each day of the week. The only thing that does change is the intensity and duration depending upon the time of year and her race plan. On Injury - Chrissie gets injuries like anyone else although in recent years most of hers have come from bike crashes (she puts this down to poor bike handling skills and lack of group riding!). She pushes herself hard and says that you shouldn t fear injury or illness. They are part of your development. Lessons from injury Get good medical diagnosis ASAP and then learn as much as possible about your injury/condition. (She gave the example that caffeine limits absorption of calcium so if you have a broken bone cutting your caffeine intake may speed recovery) Focus more on what training you can do than what you can t. E.g. a broken rib stopped her running so she replicated exactly her run sessions on the elliptical trainer Every problem provides opportunity. It s up to you to find it!! Rest and Recovery This is a massive part of her life (168hours in the week 40 hours training means she focuses on this for 128 hours.)it has to be part of your training plan she takes 1 rest day in 10 although rest doesn t necessarily mean nothing for a pro Ironman, but light workload and low intensity. She did stress that a full day rest for Age Groupers was beneficial. Her end of season recovery was 4-6 weeks with 2 weeks (usually after Hawaii) of just being active and then another 4 weeks of very light unstructured training. Lots of emphasis on this!! Sleep, massage and the ability to switch off (don t dwell on bad sessions, just move on) all rated very highly as did the use of compression and elevation for recovery. Nutrition and Hydration were also key components for recovery as well as performance. She emphasised the need for an athlete to empower themselves with the knowledge to fuel effectively and follow a healthy and balanced diet plenty of fruit and veg/nuts and seeds/ complex grains (Quinoa is her Superfood of choice) Nutrition (Race day nutrition was listed and is at the end of these notes) When training if the set is less than 1 hour she will only take water to keep hydrated, if the session is over 1 hour, then it will be a mixture of power juice and gels depending on the circumstances She advised that similar to most of the Pro Ironmen and women she works on the basis of 1g carbs/kg of bodyweight/hour Uses caffeine gels especially on the run One interesting point she made was that her handlebar mounted water bottle only ever has about 1/3l of water in as a full bottle affects the handling at the front end of the bike. (I can also add that anything other than water in the bottle also makes a mess of your bike when going over our road surfaces) 20

21 MENTAL STRENGTH Uses visualisation a lot Imagine you are as strong as you could be, and then something goes wrong! What will you do to overcome this. That way when trouble does happen, it helps steady the nerves and you are prepared Makes lost of lists to make sure she s prepared for eventuality creates peace of mind which builds confidence Runs and cycles parts o the race course wearing an ipod and listening to music. Each part of the course has a different tune. On race day she then sings the song that relates to that part of the course to give herself a boostbreak race into small segments Stay in the moment and don t jump ahead. Avoid thinking about the run while you are still on the bike. Use Spectators to give you energy Learn to suffer especially for Ironman. You will have a bad part of the race but if you have suffered in training, on race day you can recall how your were able to cope Remember goal motivation for actually doing the race Race for a cause dedicate those hard km s to someone special Test your limits you will surprise yourself by what you can actually achieve Most of all NEVER EVER GIVE UP and SMILE SUMMARY Triathlon An inspired and fantastic presentation delivered with intelligence and humour She is a very inspiring person and certainly everyone in the room was buzzing when she had finished. It has made me think long and hard about my training regime (inconsistent) and readdress some of my priorities (less racing and more suffering/training) We don t all have the advantage of a World Champions genes but if you were able to carry out even half of what was discussed on this evening you ll take a massive leap forward. Race Day Nutrition Breakfast Swim Bike T2 Run I didn t get the name of the dish she prefers, however, it is a mix of banana and rice cereal, with sunflower butter and honey stirred in. ( ) Nothing 2 Bottles of Apple Cytomax bottle 2 more concentrated 1 Choc Bar (1 bite per hour) 2 Caffeine Gels (One at 90km the other at 160km) Water 1/3l topped up at every aid station on front of bike Caffeine Gel 6 caffeine gels One every 25mins with water Golden Rule she follows is 1g Carbs for every 1kg of bodyweight I would add that my Race Day Nutrition for Ironman looks more like a banquet compared to this list I know I am a lot bigger and out for a lot longer, but this could account for my stomach issues that I haven t yet conquered! Andrew Kerry 21

22 Juniors and Seniors Tuesday and Thursday 7-8pm TRAINING & CONTACTS PLEASE ENSURE HI-VIZ JACKETS OR BIBS ARE WORN THESE ARE AVAILABLE TO BUY AT THE CLUB Contact Details: Registration Secretary Jacqueline France eflor.eu Newsletter Items Deborah Byram VETS Contact: Rob Kersey Road Contract: Dave Turnbull t.com Cross Country: Jonathan Sykes Ladies Captain: Helen Berry Fell Contact: Phil Hobbs Juniors: John McFadzean Kath Farquhar Triathlon Coordinator: Andrew Kerry Other contact details can be found on the Holmfirth Harriers Web Site THIS IS FOR ALL JUNIORS AND SENIORS! Wolves can run 6, 8 or 10 miles and are the fastest group. Jackals can run 6, 8 or 10 miles. Tigers run 5/6 miles. Pumas run 3/4 miles. Full details of each group and their runs can be found on the notice board at Neiley and on the web site. Triathlon Triathlon Sessions See notice board for details of bike run sessions during spring/summer. Turbo Turbos provided all you need is your bike! (well drink and towel too!) All sessions 1 Senior Turbo Wednesday 7:15pm set up 7:30pm warm up, main set until 8:45pm Junior Turbo alternat Wednesday with Circuits 18 th Jan Circuits 6:30pm 25 th Jan Turbo 6:30pm For further details contact Andrew. Senior Pool Sessions Please Andrew for details apk.kerry@ntlworld.com Open Water Swimming No more open water swimming until next year! If you are interested in joioning us next year please Debs for details deborah@byram.co.uk 22