The Green Green Grass of Home

Wednesday evening saw 90 runners set off on the last of the fell races organised by Martin Cortvriend each summer. They are excellent events, there are no frills, just friendly, challenging, competitive but cheap racing. Martin passes the proceeds on to charity, this year it will be just short of £900! Well done Martin.
The GGG - so called because it is on Martin's doorstep is a superb race. It starts up the track towards Cilcain. Using the shortcuts is allowed. then takes the bike track and then a tough climb to the summit. A steep descent followed by fast running down a green green grassy track, until you get sent off into the heather and another fierce climb before coming down through the heather to rejoin the gravel track to finish down some more green green grass.

Jez Brown in fine form came in second, having been narrowly beaten by the excellent Adam Peers.Other places were: -
Pete Roberts 32nd and 1st V60
John Morris  40th and 1st Vet 60
Mike Jones 50th
Margaret Ludden 77th
Rob Mackey 81st

Posted by Rob

Club Championship update and Dates for August

I have the latest results for the Club Championship, courtesy of John Morris. On 1st July the top scores were: -
Sue 54
Jez 53
Pete and Huw on 52
John M and Steve on 50
John B on 48. 
Its early days it shows how it is done.
Next event is Push Up the Pincyn on Saturday, with four more events in August (see table below).
Just a reminder, You must enter an event as a Buckley Runner to qualify for points in the club championship.

Please note the CC and BL dates are now included.

If you know of other events please let me know and I will add them to the list.

Posted by Rob

August
2	Deestriders Off-road Race 3	Shotton	7.30
3	Y Garn			Champs Fell
7	Pub Night	Running Hare	8.30 onwards
8	Ponderosa	Ponderosa	7.00
12	Gladstone 9	Dwygyfylchi	1.00
18	Race the Train (10km)	Tywyn	12.00
18	Race the Train (14 mile)	Tywyn	2.00	Champs Ext
22	Capenhurst 5K	Capenhurst	7.00?	Champs Road
27	Cilcain Fell Race	Cilcain	1.00	Champs Fell
Sept
4	Pub Night	Running Hare	8.30 onwards
6	NWCC Race 1	Bangor	2.00/2.45
7	Deestriders Off-road Race 4	Shotton	7.00
9	Vyrnwy Half Marathon	Vyrnwy
16	Sutton 10km	Sutton		Champs Road
30	Sandstone Trail (Long)	Delamere
30	Anglesey Trail Marathon (plus half/10k)	Newborough	12.00
Oct
7	Chester Marathon	Chester	09.00
14	Flintshire 10km	Flint	12.00
20	NWCC Race 2	St David’s Coll.	2.00/2.45
21	BL1 Eryri	Caernarfon
28	Snowdonia Marathon	Llanberis
	Halloween Hellraiser			Champs MT
November
4	Abergele 5	Abergele
4 ???	Clwydian Fell Race	Cilcain
11	BL2 Capenhurst	Ellesmere Port	11.00
17	Pen Fell	Penmaenmawr	10.30	Champs Fell
24	NWCC Race 3	Wrexham	2.00/2.45
December
16	BL 3 West Cheshire	Chester?	11
26	Round the Walls	Chester
Jan 2013
12	NWCC Race 4	Lilleshall	2.00/2.45
13	BL 4 Birkenhead AC	Birkenhead	11
26???	NW CC Champs	Rhug
???	Dash in the Dark			Champs Ext
February 2013
2	NWCC Race 5	Bangor	2.00/2.45
3	BL 5 Cybi	Holyhead	11.00
April 2013
3	Spring 5	Chester	7.00	Champs Road
10	BL 6 Buckley	Mold	7.00
24	BL7 Wrexham	Wrexham	7.15
	Wrexham 10	Wrexham		Champs Road

Bigger hills...

Two of Buckley's fell runners had a quick trip to the Alps last week - altitude training. Here's Huw 14,000ft up on Pyramid Vincente in the Italian Alps last Monday (Simon R behind camera). Neither of us ran up it.

Deestriders off road

Great to see a good showing from Buckley Runners tonight at the Deestriders off road 2nd of the series. I didnt make the June race this year (holiday in North West Highlands) . However what an event tonight.
Though the air was dry , there were a couple of new hazards.
Due to circumstances outside of the organisers control - the gates were not open - hazards 1.
Hazard 2 - a foot deep mud bath (smelly with certain messages left there by the fresians) . On my warm up i'd noticed the red tape near the pylon a little nearer (well 10 yards) the blue bridge direction than usual. But after 2 laps of cricket pitch , more than usual, and a lap or 2 of the footy pitches it was through the mud bath for another lap of footy pitches - then mudbath again then to finish.
I think because of the gate problems a few follks missed a turn etc , im sure the girl who appeared in front of me came from nowhere on the last lap - & turned out she d done 2 footy pitch laps not 3. I checked with Vic of Deestriders - he'd ran 5.7 miles to his garmin - so my recording of 5.66 seemed ok.

As usual a great big thanks to DEEstriders for organising a great little race.

Here's my connect garmin record - as you can see from the pace the first mile was flat !
The image is the before and after cleaning the running shoes with hosepipe!

Contributed by Rob Davies

Fell race relays

An early heads-up for anyone interested in competing in the fell race relays, which this year are hosted by Mercia and take place in the Stretton Hills, Shropshire on 14 October. The relays are a major UK-wide event, attracting entries from all the leading fell running clubs. Last time they were this close was 2008, when Martin Cortvriend hosted them in the Clwydians. Thanks to John, we have already secured an entry. It would be good to put out a full team, and we will probably need substitutes: there are usually four different legs, two short solo races, one long pairs race and a paired navigation leg. Pop it in your diary and let John or Simon R know if you're interested. More info here:
http://merciarelays.org.uk/

Fairy Freckled Cow and Ras Foel Fras

Two races at the weekend, with 2nd places this time for Jez and Simon R. Jez came second at the Fairy Freckled Cow trail race around Llyn Alwen, and Simon R came second at the Foel Fras fell race which takes in four peaks of the Northern Carneddau above Aber on the A55. Lots of other Buckley Runners did the Alwen race, but I haven't been able to find the results yet. If anyone has them, let me know.