Stainland Trail 10K,
Sunday, 24 September, 2017.
Sunday saw the staging of one of the toughest runs on the local circuit, the Stainland Trail 10k. Having taken part in this event last year, I can certainly vouch for that; the climbs, the mud, the slippery paths. Anybody who wants to do themselves justice would need to be on top of their game. Advice which needs to be well heeded.
This event was also happened to be the next round of the Northowram Pumas’ club championship, and as such, you’d expect anyone who’s anyone to have shown up to challenge for the points on offer. There was, however, over that weekend, a conflict of interests, with many Pumas attending the high society wedding of the year – that of Neil Coupe and Jo Allen the day before. The afternoon stretched into the evening, and the evening long into the night. If, by the end of it, many of our would-be runners weren’t in a comatose state, they were certainly rendered incapable.
During the course of the celebrations, some of those who otherwise would have gladly taken part in the Stainland Trail were already pulling out, but no one could really tell if that was just the drink talking. On the other hand, there were those who had paid to take part but had resigned themselves to missing out due to injury, and in this case Peter Reason (weak core and glutes) and Matt Newton (Tan House ankle) were particularly unfortunate. As, too, was Liz McDonnell, who, but for a domestic mishap, would gladly have been there.
So which of the Pumas did actually manage to make it? Well, giving an 8.00am social media rallying call was the tee-total Jane Cole, who appeared to be chomping at the bit. Why, you could almost imagine her jumping up and down on her bed with excitement, like a young child on Christmas morning. She was informed by Lisa Aspinall that Tim Brook was still snoring in his bed, though to be fair, he had only just got in. Incredibly, though, Tim dragged himself up, bemoaning the fact that the barmaids never know when to stop filling up his glass (because of the copious amounts he’d downed he was wisely advised not to breath out near anyone having a cigarette). Similarly, Luke Cranfield confounded the doubters, of which they were many, myself included. Around 8pm the previous evening, I’d had a brief conversation with him, and come to the conclusion that if Luke wasn’t ‘already gone’ by then, he was certainly ‘on his way’. He left his house in the morning without Ally Canning, who, having arrived home from the wedding party the same time as Luke, was only missing the Stainland race due to a convenient dodgy ankle.
Andrew Tudor, having missed out on all the celebrations, was a cert for the race; never fully fit these days, he shows real dedication to get up and drag himself around any course put in front of him – when there’s points up for grabs. Indeed, Andrew has taken part in all but two of the eleven club championship races, though never with the same set of body pieces.
And there was a fifth Puma on show. Here, making a special guest appearance, was Richard Ogden. Injured running in the Calderdale Way Relay last May, Richard married Jennifer in July and was last heard of living it up on his honeymoon in Mallorca. But he’d paid for the Stainland Trail months ago and not being able to get to the Pumas’ sessions, has been, word has it, pounding the streets solo, often undercover, to get himself in shape. Here’s a man who would willingly pay twenty quid in taxi fares so that he didn’t waste his £10 race entry fee.
So that’s the Pumas’ cast, what of the race itself? Well, this is one that starts and finishes at Stainland Recreation Ground, though what goes on in between I’ll perhaps leave to your imagination. The drop down towards Fall Spring Wood is fair enough, though treacherous near the bottom. The route then climbs west through the woods before coming out into fields. Next up is Milner Wood, where a tough climb awaits the runners. Then there’s Beestones Wood, which eventually brings the runners down to dry land at the Sonoco Recycling Plant and the welcome watering station. Veering right, the runners next take a trail path called Cray Lane and follow it around until it joins the tarmacked Stainland Dean, which rises steadily. The runners then turn a swift left to take up Berry Mill Lane, initially steep, following it around until entering Firth House Wood and continuing for some way along Crow Wood Lane and Dog Lane before circumnavigating Sonoco (where the watering station is there for anyone wanting a top-up) and starting the ascent homeward. Up through the fields, the route eventually picks up Beestonley Lane, and the runners climb back up the fields they’d come down earlier. By now, legs would be aching, and even though the finish line isn’t too far way, there is still much work to be done in order to get there. The route veers right, taking the perimeter of the fields, and then there is one last climb alongside Stainland Recreation Park before it enters the park at the top right hand corner. The runners then run three-quarters of the field clockwise before reaching the finishing line.
The race was due to start at 10.00am, just enough time for one Puma to make one last desperate run for the gents. “You could hear him throwing up in the corner,” said one key eyewitness of Tim Brook, who, nevertheless, dusted himself down to help make up the field of 144 runners on the start line. And then they were off.
According to Luke, both he and Tim “took it steady”, though Tim would probably have had to take his word for it because, according to him, the whole six-mile course was “a blur”. They still managed to keep among the leaders, with Tim just summoning up enough energy to pull away from Luke in the final stages to take the honour of #FPH and a credible seventh place. Luke was but one place behind him, just six seconds slower than his time of last year.
Richard Ogden finished an uncomplicated 32nd, comfortably inside the hour mark, whilst some way behind him there was drama of sorts. Andrew Tudor was suffering badly with injury over the last half of the course, and in time was caught by a rapidly improving Jane Cole. Maybe they helped each other, but upon finishing, Andrew gave Jane credit for pushing him on when he was clearly struggling. Jane, modestly, returned the compliment, but had she had any more conviction about her she may just have caught the runner just one place ahead of her. Using some skulduggery, he pipped her by two seconds; had she beaten him she most definitely would have been shouting about it, for this was her very own marito, Piero Tozzi, a Baildon runner. Jane, in fact, despite being Pumas’ sole lady, was the ninth female home. Yep, she’s brutal alright.
The race was won by Stainland Lions’ very own Gavin Mulholland in 41:18, over two minutes ahead of second placed Joe Crossfield of Halifax Harriers.
Injuries, illness and assorted mishaps apart, next year we could perhaps see a greater turnout, though the purists would say that this year Pumas more than doubled in appearance – yes, last year, only myself and Luke took part. But unless Mr and Mrs Coupe decide to renew their wedding vows twelve months hence, I would expect the numbers to at least reach double figures. All sober, too.
Pumas’ positions and finishing times;
7 Tim Brook 48:36
8 Luke Cranfield 48:58
32 Richard Ogden 57:05
70 Jane Cole 1hr 04:47
71 Andrew Tudor 1hr 04:49
144 runners.
Photos courtesy of Graham Teal.