Only 39 people took part in the latest event in the Esk Valley summer series, the Cock Howe and Beyond Fell Race, on Wednesday evening, due to it clashing with a certain football competition! The 6 mile route with over 1,200 feet of climb took competitors over the moors with wide open views bathed in beautiful evening light. Paul Smith was 1st back for PRC in a time of 63 minutes 18 seconds placing him 2nd M65. Rich Johnson was 3rd M55 in 65:43 and Anna Bailey crossed the finish line in 67:28.

Heather Riley travelled to the Lake District to take part in Grasmere Wild Hybrid 10k. Wild hybrid competitions blend off-road trail running with high-intensity functional workouts (including weight lifting) designed to challenge endurance, strength and teamwork. Heather, who took part in the team event with friend Jess, described this tough challenge as “hot and brutal”. They finished in 1 hour 40 minutes.

Bridget Houlston tackled the Belvoir Castle Half Iron Triathlon in Leicestershire, her first in 2 years. The swim was over a mile in a very murky lake. Despite the poor and crowded conditions, Bridget won through bagging a personal best. This was followed by a 56 mile bike ride with over 2,000 feet of climb and a 13 mile run with over 1,000 feet of climb. Bridget crossed the finish line in a very impressive time of 6 hours 16 minutes. She was 4th in category and so just missed out on a podium place.

Tuesday evening saw the final event of the York & District Road Race League, the Reverse Handicap, which was held at Heslington Sports Village. The results for the six 10k races were collated and runners given a start time based on their average. The slowest runner set off first and the fastest set off last. This means, in theory, everyone should finish the 10k route through the Sports Village at the same time. People, however, are not clockwork and all sorts of variables can have an impact on performance. The first 30 runners to cross the finish line win a T-shirt.

It was therefore, with much excitement that the 303 competitors arrived at the start line to wait for their start time to be called. It was a warm evening, with a strong breeze, and a flock of geese joined the supporters on the course. The first runner started at 7:00pm and the last started at 7:43pm. It wasn’t long before there was some overtaking and competitors could shout encouragement to teammates on the 2 lap course. Shawn Imeson, Chris Adams and Karen Harper all won T-shirts with Shawn finishing 4th, Chris 7th and Karen 27th.

The race was followed by food and drinks, then the series presentations took place in the lecture theatre. 3 members of Pickering Running Club were presented with trophies. Simon Jones was 3rd M55, Mike Wilson was 3rd M65 and Paul Robinson was 1st M70.