Quite a few Striders gathered at Woodhouse Grove School for a Thursday night spring favourite – the Apperley Bridge Canter. There were lots of familiar faces from other local clubs too, toeing the line for what Horsforth Harriers describe as a “challenging race of approximately 10km”. It certainly was challenging with a mixture of terrain: long hills, short hills, steep hills and very steep hills. There were, of course, some welcome downhills, especially in the last two miles into the finish around the perimeter of the school playing fields.
The race was well organised and there were plenty of marshals on the course to direct and offer support. Finishers received a bottle of beer and a souvenir bottle opener.
Our own John Hobbs romped in to win the race in just over 35 minutes. The first woman was Jen Whiteman from Chapel Allerton Runners in 42:18.
There were also category wins for Amanda Spencer and Sue Sunderland.
Photos courtesy of Jon Pownall.
Valley Striders results here:
| Position | Name | Category | Category Position | Chip Time | Gun Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Hobbs | MV40 | 1/53 | 35:03 | 35:04 |
| 8 | Daryl Hibberd | MSEN | 5/59 | 37:44 | 37:48 |
| 17 | Gary Mann | MV35 | 4/35 | 38:50 | 38:52 |
| 27 | Tom Thomas | MSEN | 15/59 | 39:30 | 39:34 |
| 43 | Clive Bandy | MV40 | 8/53 | 41:17 | 41:21 |
| 47 | Joel Giddings | MV45 | 3/36 | 41:56 | 41:59 |
| 51 | Paul Smith | MV45 | 4/36 | 42:19 | 42:21 |
| 94 | Amanda Spencer | FV50 | 1/30 | 45:44 | 45:47 |
| 111 | Sue Sunderland | FV55 | 1/14 | 46:31 | 46:36 |
| 131 | Ken Fox | MV60 | 3/15 | 47:38 | 47:45 |
| 178 | Josie Rothera | FV35 | 5/36 | 49:53 | 50:02 |
| 214 | John Hussey | MV65 | 3/10 | 51:24 | 51:52 |
| 232 | Anna Milburn | FV40 | 10/37 | 52:31 | 52:49 |
| 242 | Bob Jackson | MV65 | 5/10 | 53:20 | 53:29 |
| 261 | Dinesh Kaulgud | MV45 | 29/36 | 54:28 | 54:56 |
| 312 | Pascale Fotherby | FV40 | 19/37 | 58:24 | 58:51 |
Full results can be found here.