08/05/08
while others were frequenting the fragrant fast furlongs of the first of the Esholt 5k series, Ann Francis, Trish Cutts and John Pop embarked south to Barugh Green, Barnsley to take in the Spencers Dash.  This race itself is part of a 6-off series on the first Wednesdays of April to September, and is a tough but enjoyable 6 km (3,7 miles).  Times for the above were 26:35, 32:04 and 27:57 respectively, and after a few grunts and groans and a dose of fish & chips and a refreshing brew, the decision to come back again soon was unanimous.

The Pacers were out in force at the innocently named ‘Bluebell Trail’ 10 mile race, promoted by Stainland Lions, which attracted almost 400 runners. Not a PB course, by all accounts, but making light of the local ‘hill from hell’ was Ann Francis, leading the Pudsey ladies contingent home in 1 hour 28 minutes, a time good enough to secure 1st place among the WV40 group. Jenny Cooper ran 1:38 despite losing a shoe, and Aly G was third home in 1:50.
 For the men, James Clark took a top 30 finish in 1:17 with Dave Cooper on 1:25 and Martin Edwards 1:37. Others competing with distinction included Jayne Greensill, Joanna Nicholson, Debbie Day, Dave Byrom, Sharon Thomas, Anne Gowing, John Pop, Steve Ellis and Kev Meakin, while Vince Bussingham was also well placed, representing his first claim club, Eccleshill.

28/04/08
The famous Yorkshire Three Peaks fell race, based at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, was staged last Saturday with the added attraction of incorporating this year’s ‘World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge’, drawing competitors from as far afield as Australia, Russia, and the Americas. Racing alongside the international superstars were Pacers stalwarts Dave Burdon, who registered 4 hours 42 minutes, and Rob Kilner, home in 5:27. Shaun Denham, after a six month lay-off, did well to get as far as Chapel-le-Dale, but was forced to drop out. A high-quality support team of has-beens and might have beens including Arthur Wood, Joy Good, Steve Huddlestone,  Nigel & Jim, offered encouragement, succour, water, soothing words, and jelly babies in equal measure. Quite an occasion.
 The Pacers men were well placed in the team event at the Sheffield Half Marathon on Sunday, ably led by London Marathon hero Paul Gaile, who clocked 1 hour 20 minutes for 57th position overall. Andy Hardaker (1:25), Michael Hern (1:30) and Morven Wallace (1:35) were the other counters, while Dave ‘Digger’ Byrom set yet another PB with his 1:40. Dave reckoned he might have been sub 1:35 but for a reluctant - though necessary -‘pit-stop’!  Pam Goldthorpe led the Pacers ladies challenge with 1:46, backed up by fine runs from Lisa Heath (1:54), Anne Gowing (1:57) and Sally Robinson (2:17).

22/04/08
After the glitz and glamour of the big city marathon, it was back to the nitty-gritty of local 10ks amid the more prosaic surroundings of Rothwell and Bradford. The Rothwell race brought another collection of PBs for the Pacers – tangible reward for some diligent training sessions. James Clark led the way with a tremendous 35:06 to secure 22nd place overall among the 700 strong field, while Ann Francis was no less impressive with her 41:30 for 19th position in the women’s race when leading a strong challenge from the Pacers ladies. Other confirmed personal bests came from Dave Woodhead (37:52) Mick Hern (40:55) Dave Byrom (43:12) and Jenny Cooper with 46:56. Other fine efforts came from Sean Casey, 39:24; Russell Stead, 40:28; Mark Dixson, oh so close in 40:46; Dave Cooper (PB), 41:05; Darryl Barber, 41:15; Syd Lawton, 46:20 – a great effort at V60; Martin Edwards, 46:24; John Pop, 46:29, Don Stead, 46:45 and John Woodhead 48:01. For the womenfolk, Aly G, Sharon Thomas and Debra Day backed up Ann and Jenny with 48:03, 53:47 and 53:52 respectively.
 To complete the picture Jon Prideaux finished 33rd overall in 35:47, representing his 1st claim club, Wakefield Harriers, similarly Vince Bussingham, running for Eccleshill, recorded 40:48.

Among the 500 competitors at the Epilepsy Action Bradford 10k, was Pacers men’s captain Dave Burdon who took 43rd position overall in 40:26, to be well placed in the Vet 50 category. Dave responded to the encouragement of the onlookers with his best Victor Meldrew impression, exacerbated by his near miss on his sub-40 target. In altogether better humour, Pam Goldthorpe came 2nd in the women’s vet 40s with 46:04, Sue Ransome’s 50:16 earned 3rd place at FV50, a feat emulated by Joy Good, 3rd in the FV55s, (56:19). Others to compete in this inaugural race were Morven Wallace, with 43:38, Dominic Egan, home in 49:20, and Arthur James who finished the race accompanied by a bevy of beauties who he was trying hard to entice to a post-race warm down back at his house. Arthur clocked 64:13.

The club staged its annual presentation night at the Royal in Pudsey last Friday, with Paul Gaile and Ann Francis deservedly being crowned as ‘runners of the year.’ Kev Meakin was recognised for his outstanding contribution in co-ordinating the training evenings by being voted ‘clubman of the year’.

Previously……….Dave Woodhead, spreading the gospel, finished 39th at the Bolton 10k in 39:09.

14/04/08
The small but select band of Pudsey runners who gained coveted places at the London Marathon were rewarded for months of hard training with some outstanding performances at this supreme test of speed and endurance. Paul Gaile led the way, smashing his PB to attain a top 500 place in 2 hours 48 minutes, with Ed Melbourne recording 3:11. Rachel Dixon was well placed in the women’s race when home in 4:07, backed up by a strong run from Clarissa Jones, who clocked 4:42.

Jonathan Kite capped a remarkable comeback from serious illness by completing the race in a highly respectable 4:45, tracked by proud father-in-law Arthur Wood, who arrived at Buckingham Palace  in 5:04.

09/04/08
James Clark by-passed the local papers when featuring in the national press (well, the Yorkshire Post….) for his efforts at the Rother Valley 10k, where he finished a tremendous 6th  overall in a field in excess of 400. James was the deserved recipient of a high-value prize in the open-age rankings for his 36:37.

Over at Baildon, half a dozen of Pacers’ finest contested the Boundary Way, the second of the 3 race ‘Airedale Triple Challenge’ series, with Digger Byrom and Jenny Cooper taking brinksmanship to the limit when beating 2 hours by a matter of seconds. Martin Edwards, who declared the event ‘superb’, had a bit more leeway when clocking 1:58. Sean Casey was first home in 1:40, just ahead of David Cooper (1:41) and Darryl Barber (1:43). PB held a different connotation than ‘personal best’
for Dave and Jenny this time round, both being listed among the Pudsey & Bramley contingent. Jenny assures us that any transfer talk is mere speculation. (Isn’t that what Nick Hart said? – ed).

Jim Wheldon was in Northern Ireland for the first round of the British Fell Championships, finishing a tired and sore 140th out of the 200 starters, but at least scoring a few points in the over-50s. Just the 3 hours 21 minutes for 12 miles! Never mind the run (make that walk cum stagger) – the post-race craic was fantastic!

01/04/08
Andy Hardaker scored a top ten finish at the South Leeds 5 mile race around Miggy Woods when home in 32:59 to also claim 3rd M40.

The big charity 10k in aid of Wakefield Hospice attracted some 1250 runners, among whom was James Clark, 31st overall in a rapid 36:20, ably supported by Mark Dixson, 171st in 41:12, tantalisingly close to the magic 40 minutes…… Simon Johnson recorded 56:15, Sally Robinson 60:51 and ‘old timer’ Arthur James 66:12.

Pacers exiles Lynne and Andy Barrett were in action at the Springfest 12k event in Sarasota, Florida, with Lynne 2nd FV50 in 62:09, while Andy finished 21st out of 250 in 50:28.

The Arkendale contingent (see previous snippet) would like us to be aware that at least a mile was run across treacherous swampland.

Ex-Pacers Nick and Charlie, still running under our banner at the Edale Skyline fell race, were well placed when completing the 20 odd mile course in 3 hours 35 mins and 3:45 respectively. Chris Sallabank, in training for the 3 Peaks race, also contested the Edale Skyline, being well placed in the V50s with an excellent 3:55. Chris was up with Nick and Charlie before hitting the dreaded ‘wall’, but hung on well for a top 100 finish overall.

31/3/08
In-form husband and wife team Dave and Jenny Cooper were in action again at the Arkendale 10k, run on quiet country lanes close to Knaresborough in North Yorkshire. Dave finished 40th overall among the 320 competitors in a fine 43:41, while Jenny, not to be outdone, took 24th position in the women’s race when registering 50:33. Also flying the Pacers colours was Joy Good, well placed in the WV50 category with a creditable 59:24.

28/3/08
Easter Sunday’s traditional ‘Guiseley Gallop’ 10k was a truncated affair this year, metamorphosing into an 8 km cross-country due to ‘elf and safety’ concerns. This was no bar to fine performances from James Clark, 10th overall in 38:10, and Clarissa Jones, home in 55 minutes. Dave Woodhead was another to break 40 minutes, while ‘Father John’ spiced up the challenge by tackling the deep mud in road shoes. There was a rare race day sighting of Sean Casey, who achieved a top 50 finish among the 400 competitors, and it should be reported that Don ‘I don’t like x/c’ Stead was 3rd in the MV65s. Ex Pacer Neil Armitage is rumoured to have got lost en route. Shame!
 An excellent turnout of some 17 members made for a successful day at the YVAA Grand Prix meeting hosted by Meltham. After two races the Pacers ladies lie second to Horsforth Harriers, with the lads in fourth place. On ‘all-to-count’, the women are again second, with the men currently in first position.
 The G-force, Ali and Paul, led the way, supported by excellent contributions right down the line. Various Pacers too numerous to mention were in among the prizes, but another stand-out performance by Dave Cooper – 3rd MV35 on the day- propelled him into pole position in his category after the two races, a ranking emulated by Ali G in the FV40s.
 Postscript: Dave ‘No1’ Byrom recorded a top 50 finish…….

17/3/08
Jonathan Kite flew the flag for the Pacers at the Ashby de la Zouch 20 mile road race on March 9th, leaving his coach, mentor, and father-in-law Arthur Wood trailing in his wake to record a tremendous 3 hours 16 minutes, in what was his first competitive distance race. Arthur finished in 3:31, sustained by a liberal supply of jelly babies and isotonic drinks at this well organised event.

A glutton for punishment, AW was back for more at the Spen 20 on Sunday 16th which featured a storming performance by Paul Gaile, who claimed 12th place overall and 2nd Vet 40 in a superb 2 hours 8 minutes. Arthur himself, blaming a paucity of said jelly babies and isotonic drinks, managed a creditable 3:40. Others competing at Spenborough were Clarissa Jones, who was bang on her target time of 3:20, Jim Wheldon (2:20 and 1st Vet 55), Ed Melbourne (2:23), Dave Butler (2:32) and Michael Hern, who was home in 2:42.

PBs were the order of the day at the popular Ackworth Half Marathon, with Dave Cooper (1:33), Ann Francis (1:34), Jenny Cooper (1:45) and Debra Day (2:06) all producing lifetime bests by significant margins. Steve Wood had led the Pacers contingent with a fine !;27 for 103rd position, well supported by Vince Bussingham (1:32), Dave Byrom (1:44), Sue Ransome (1:47) and John Woodhead, who clocked 1:50.

Charlie Johnson and Nick Hart were 8th pair home at the ‘Wuthering Hike’, also known as the Howarth Hobble, a 33 mile ultra run over the difficult terrain of the Pennine moors, recording the more than respectable time of 5 hours 17 minutes.

Jim Wheldon and Chris Sallabank took part in the first round of the English Fell Running Championships at a wet and windy Black Combe in the south-west Lake District, both recording ‘top half’ finishes in 1:32 and 1:33 respectively for this tough 8 miler. With the clag down to 1000 feet, combined with lashing hail squalls, there were some spectacular navigational errors throughout the field, but not so for the Pacers duo, working on the time honoured proviso of following the guys in front – and hoping to hell they knew where they were going! They do say that the views from the top of Black Combe (2000 feet, climbed twice) are spectacular, but with survival being the order of the day, that pleasure had to be foregone. Roll on the 3 Peaks………

Chris Sallabank excelled for the Pacers at the weekend when contesting the Noon Stone fell race, a nine mile event on the moors above Todmorden, featuring some 2300 feet of climbing. In what was his first major outing since undergoing reconstructive shoulder surgery following an horrific mountain biking accident, Chris claimed second position in the Vet 50 category in a fine 1 hour 31 mins.

Jim Wheldon emulated the feat when 2nd V50 at the Haweswater Half Marathon in the Lake District, his 1:25 earning 30th place overall among the 400 strong field. Dave Burdon, stung by recent criticism regarding his body mass, also braved the icy winds to record 1:32 for a top 100 finish on this most challenging but stunningly beautiful course.

Charlie Johnson chose the big city half marathon race in Liverpool, and defied the blustery conditions to finish with a commendable 1:19, placing him 33rd among the 3000 plus competitors. There were further splendid runs from Martin Edwards (1:45) and Katy Ralph (1:53)

Somewhat nearer to home, James Clark led the way for the club at the Norton 9 mile road race near Doncaster, when home in 56:29. Dave Woodhead also beat the one hour barrier with 58:47, while there were strong runs from Phil Hardwick (61:11) and John Woodhead (73:45). Ann Francis was well placed in the women’s race with a speedy 64:26, with Debra Day recording 82:49.

Clarissa Jones represented the Club at the recent Huddersfield 10k when clocking a creditable 70:56.

The climax of the West Yorkshire Winter League cross-country  series saw the Pacers men narrowly fail to retain their title at a muddy Airedale Park in Skipton. Despite fine runs from Jon Prideaux (12th) Nigel Armitage (13th) and Paul Gaile (15th) providing a fight to the finish, Dewsbury Road Runners deservedly took the honours. Ann Francis in 11th position, Diane Wood in 15th and Lisa Heath, 30th, were the women’s team counters on the day, to leave the Pacers ladies in 5th in the final standings. Men and women combined, the ‘Blue Riband’ had the Pacers in 3rd spot, and 4th in the Vets. Martin Edwards will be the proud holder of the ‘Turpin Trophy’ for the most improved male over the series. Martin finished some 45 places higher by the end of the competition, by comparison with his first result at Idle.

Jon Prideaux and Nigel Armitage both achieved top ten placings in the cumulative individual rankings, as did Ann Francis and Diane Wood, with Ann,  Jim Wheldon and Don Stead successful in their vets age categories.

Dave Woodhead recorded a personal best of 63:12 when claiming 66th place overall at the popular Snake Lane 10 mile road race, run from Pocklington. Jenny Cooper was another to set a PB when clocking 77:57 for 51st position among the ladies. Others performing with some distinction were Steve Wood, 70th in 63:25, Andy Hardaker (65:21); Dave Cooper (69:40) and John Woodhead (79:33), also a PB