News / Events / Reports
Clay Bank East 15th Jan 2012
What you doing this weekend Brian ?
Off to a race with our kid ..... This can only mean one thing ,the pot hunter was out for glory on a race not many in the know , know !
Minus 4 in Leeds ,as we set off to stokesley ,guided by Brian "squint as I read" Stevenson .
Fitted with state of the art P and B sat nav , he got us there ,just as the sun burst through the clouds over a crisp north Yorkshire moors.(no sunglasses though)
Ever the professionals ,the stevos' set off on a big warm up ,martyn in tow up the first and only big climb, at the top as we looked over gods country you could see the confidence bursting from stevo seniors chest . We descended , sweat pouring from Martyn's brow ,accompanied by two cool sweatless dudes .
We returned to the car park , the look on stevies faces changes as the car park is full to the brim, " just nobodies " he thinks until one by one the faces are familiar, Niall ,chi , mick ,phil ,it's a Full P and B border raiding squad !
Luck had have it ,it had been a Doss stag weekend and they were all pissed !
Good race ,had by all shame the Doss section couldn't wait for prize giving as the race organiser was clearing out his garage of unused booze from Christmas ,and all winners got three bottles of wine each ! Bloody generous ,as Brian scoop the vet 50 prize and Paul took the vet 45 ,Yes in that order ! There was that much left he was giving it away at the end !
No win for martyn ,but it's another race on the way back to glory ....
And out of a field of hundreds on the chilly January Day only two " vest only " runners , mick and martyn in their own battle of the roses !
Finny !
The Pudsey &
Bramley Annual Xmas Run 2011
The post-Xmas
hangovers are consigned to history and there's a thrill in the air as the
entire Pudsey & Bramley club meet up for the annual Xmas run. Well, when I
say the entire club, I mean - well, five of us, actually. In the days leading
up to the big event, the initial promises and commitments dwindle in the winter
rain as one by one people drop out, citing injuries and colds and over-eating.
Even Martyn Finn cries off, handing in a note that reads: 'Martyn can't do
games today, because he has a nasty flu. Signed, His Mum.' (Obviously it's
written in capitals). Flying the flag on
the day are Brian, Stevie, Colin, Mick and a funny-looking bloke carrying a pad
and pencil, determined to "jot it all down." Before we set off,
Brian lets us know that he's just run five races in three days, and that he
needs some miles in his legs. Stevie is checking his watch every five minutes
to see if he's fifty yet. Colin fancies a drink, and doesn't fancy a 3-hour
mudbath. Mick is convincing his dog that this is going to be fun - but let's be
honest, his dog's legs are around eight inches long and this is actually going
to be a hellish forced march for the poor pooch. Me, I'm just taking notes and
wondering what all the fuss is about. And what a
glorious day out it turns out to be. Non-stop rain, gale force winds and boggy
slogs up and down Baildon Moor, Ilkley Moor and Otley Chevin. The dog
disappears from time to time in huge sloppy puddles of brown muck. Actually, so
does Stevie. Brian retains a slight grin the entire way, knowing that he alone
knows the route. Despite the
torrential rain, the run lives up to the classic Pudsey & Bramley ethos of
'fun, dirt and stupidity'. Not in that order necessarily. It's a strange world
we live in when running in a storm, up to your knees in a peat-bog, is a
welcome distraction from the cosy Xmas TV myth of crackers, turkey and carol
singing. Come, wintry showers! Throw your worst at us and we will laugh in your
face! We are not the pale generation of X-box cosiness and over-fed boredom -
no, we are Pudsey & Bramley and we demand to throw ourselves into the teeth
of a howling, drenching, feet-sucking, face-lashing world, a world where people
are tossed and torn by the elemental beauty of nature! Plus, we get to sit in
the pub later in the evening and put all the calories back on drinking beer and
eating curry.
So yes, (as I
jotted down in my journal on the run) a lovely day out. When's the next one?
And can we have some more of you turning out next time? Cheers, and here's to a
Pudsey & Bramley New Year …
Boff, 1st
Jan , 2012
Whilst captain Pearce is in winter hibernation, Mick Hill emerged as a true figure of authority to pull in three teams to represent P and B at this end of season get together .
Surrounded by the future of britain ,and products of elite education,all more than half our age the veterans stood out in dignified manner.
Even Steve Cram showed up for this event , but kept on his track suit when he saw Paul Stevenson limbering up.
A massive mob of Doss were in force with some of boys running twice to keep tight bonds forged from college days .
It was hoped an appearance from the grandfather of Doss ,Shane might show but alas not !
Great afternoon ,well organised by Mick ,a true captain in the making ( if only he was a Yorkshireman) good to catch up with old club mates ,could have chatted all day to you Matt !
Martyn
Hi All
Thanks to those of you who sent me a few good luck text messages and emails as I headed off to compete in the Cyprus 4 day Challenge last Wednesday. My first attempt at an event over move than a day.
I will follow this up with a full report but I thought Id give you all my provisional results. Day 1 the 6km Time Trial 23.57 put me in 5th place. Day 2 the 11km Uphill Only Trail Race, I climbed to 3rd finishing in 1hr and 1min. Day 3 the Off Road Half Marathon, I finished in 1hr 36mins but dropped to 4th overall. Going into the 10km Road Race on the last day I need a good run to beat the Dutch Girl. I pulled out a 40.52 10km and beat the Dutch by a good 30 seconds finishing the series in 3rd Lady Overall.
I hope my legs recover in time for the Cross Country Sunday
See you all soon
Suzy
Results
-Colin Walker 4th 31.07. Neil Armitage 5th 31.13. Jon Holah 7th 31.17. Brian Stevenson 8th 31 .22. Mick Hill 9th 31.25. Paul Stevenson 10th 31.43. Charlie Mcintosh 21st 33.13. Stuart Locking 46th 35.33. Peter Hill 47th 35.36 Martyn Finn 49th 35.47. Richard Pattinson 50th 35.48. Steve Woods 53rd 36.00 Andrew Birkinshaw 69th 37.26.
Martyn
--
Martyn
Wild Boar Fell Race 5th November.
Danny Hope wins with Claire Green winning the ladies race.
"You didn't just let yourself down, Boff. You let the whole team down. And not just the team, either. You let down the entire running fraternity. You let down the country, and everyone who lives in it. Let down the world and its entire population, its hungry, its needy and its poor. More than that - you let down Shane."
FRAs Relay
Three Peaks Cyclo Cross .
Martyn..
Fred Wet Un.
Early start for P and B s cycling section,setting of from pudsey to meet
Pattison in coniston for an epic days cycling round the sunny lakes. Ahead
of us, 112 miles of monsterous climbs and death defying descents ,no problem
for pudseys "other" stars .
Driving rain wasnt going to put us off as we were welcomed into the lakes by
the flash of a speed camera (b$%^&ks).
We arrived early to be met by fellow cyclist an possible new recruit Steve
Hall ,wouldnt be long before pattison turned up.
As we donned our water repellent gear and made final adustments, we couldnt
notice someone missing ,but signs that he had been here as the basket had
fallen off his girly triple bike.. (picture 1)
So it was a no show from mr p, as fantastic four set off we wondered if he
had the best plan by staying in bed.
The rain never ceased as Brian led us up hill after hill with his sidekick
steve not far off his blistering pace.
It was at this point, between the rain drops , that i thought i saw tears
rolling down colins cheeks as the first seeds of doubt began to show." DONT
WORRY COL " martyn reassured "ILL LOOK AFTER YOU " as we surged on through
the rivers and torrent flowing down each pass.
On thirty or so miles colin began to crack, so martyn had to help carry
colin back to coniston ,his man torso sheilding him from relentless rain,our
day was done ,damaged ,but not defeated as we did show up !
After six or so more hors brian and steve finished the full course ,not even
punctures or chain breaks could stop our heros.
Meanwhile back at the pub, martyn again had to do the carrying as colin was
blowing bubbles into his beer,first to bed colin was cutting Zs long before
the others celebrated the days hard work.
We were left to ponder what could have been but martyn wiil hold colins hand
and have another attempt ,hopfully when slighty drier ,and maybe next
others can join us , maybe even pattison, after all wasnt it his idea in the
first place ?
Martyn..
Ras Yr Aran 2011
Second round of the British Fell Championship 2011 and with Pudsey number 15 Graham Pearce fresh from his awesome performance at the opening round in the Mourne Peaks earlier in the year and back from altitude training (no, not from Slovenia, he's been tidying out his loft lately) ready to lead the charge over the Welsh
mountains, the air of expectation was high.
Given Darren was driving and the race started at 1pm we decided we'd only need to leave at about 12:53pm to give us ample time, but a leisurely drive over to Dan's was interrupted by a strange figure pacing the streets of Horwich. On closer inspection the shadowy figure was some bloke called Nick Leigh who used to do the odd fell race, who, rather than turn up for his club in the BRITISH CHAMPS decided he'd rather do mile reps of Horwich high street. Great, thanks Nick. Despite Graham's efforts to run him over for being such a girl, he managed to avoid the Zafira and carried on on his merry road-training-like-a-pansy way. So the team was now reduced to relying on Rob Hope whose form has deserted him and who is in the midst of some worrying results (oh how the mighty can fall), Danny Hope who in desperation has turned to drugs (well, Iron supplements) to try and boost his non-starter of a season, Darren Kay who tapered down to 120 miles in the week leading up to the race in order to be "fresh", and clearly feeling the pressure of being Pudsey's incumbent number 1 athlete, John Heneghan who was last seen wandering aimlessly around the Dudon Valley at 3 in the morning trying to find his tent after drinking 2 pints of shandy on his stag do. OK so we had nicked his tent but even so, Ian Nixon who was leaving Leeds even after we did so the chances of him even making the start line were remote, James Titmuss on super form having won his first race - ok only he and his imaginary friend had turned up for the race but a win's a win. But at least Pearce was there.
Lots of overnight rain made for a waterlogged course but clear blue skies and the temperature rising all the time, added to our woes as everyone knows that the Hope's can't deal with heat. After a steady start from everyone except John, clearly forgetting that this race isn't Dufton and he can't set off at that pace these days on his old legs, the Pudsey train got moving through the field and by the top it was a leading trio out front with your Pudsey men in good formation in the chasing pack and relishing the descent.
We couldn't quite reel in the front runners, which has been put down to an overload of Costa on the way down (next time we promise we won't double up on the extra large lattes the morning of a race!) but Danny led the charge superbly and finished 5th and is new Pudsey number 1 (Darren's reign having lasted all of 5 minutes) and the floodgates are now well and truly open now he's got the monkey of beating his brother off his back. Pearce charitably let Danny through to take the coveted Pudsey number 1 slot and jogged in just behind in 6th. Darren stuck in there admirably well to come home 9th which gave Pudsey 3 in the top 10 - far better than any other club. Rob stuck to the task and despite a below par run at least he turned up Nik and came home 12th. John finished 22nd and was closely followed home by Ian in 23rd. Final man home was James Titmuss in 56th place. P&B won the team competition by miles which puts us right back in contention in the British champs after a non-existent start in Ireland where, because of Danny not bothering we didn't finish a team.
So, Whittle is next, followed by Sedbergh double header and then Beef Tub
.
Bradford Millenium Relay 12th June .
Pudsey & Bramley open team 2nd overall.
The Fellsman - 14 May 2011 - Adam Speed
60 miles they asked, are you mad they said. Well now I have the answer - probably, just a little bit! I knew it would be tough, but quite how tough it actually was is quite another thing.
It all started with a light cavalry charge across a football field at the bottom of Ingleborough. Very jolly! I managed to stay in touch (well sight) of the leading pack going up Ingleborough and couldn't quite believe that they ran virtually all the way - at the beginning of a 60 mile race! After bagging Whernside and Gragareth the wheels came off a little bit. I was really struggling, having done only 13 miles and 4000ft ascent I could barely put one foot in front of the other. Where were my team mates for moral support? I forged on, chattering to any number of the people that seemed to be streaming past me with the greatest of ease. Wine gums, marzipan and the thought of hot food at Dent kept me going.
At around mile 20 Dent hove into view. Blessed relief! Some hot food, fruit and a sit down and a piece of my Dads energy cake set me on the run to recovery. The next 5 miles were spent in beautiful isolation as I found a decent pace again, but as there was no-one to guide me the compass and map got their first outing. Nav was spot on and I smoothly guided myself to Stonehouses.
Here a pasta dinner served by a birthday celebrating bunch of fancy dress Mexicans revived spirits further. As I left I hooked up with a couple of Pudsey Pacers (+1) with whom Tim T had put me in touch. Over the remaining 34 miles we made a great team.
Halfway came and went without much incident, I was thinking about the impending crossing of Fleet Moss and Middle Tongue. Would it be as boggy and evil as its reputation? Fortunately we got there and across in daylight the bog monster stayed away and no nav errors were made (maybe due in part to Old John who had competed on 20 previous occasion). I had my second and final wobble going over Middle Tongue. After stuffing my face with a heady concoction of chocolate, marzipan, gel sweets and nurofen we stepped of Middle Tongue at Hell Gap and all was well with the world. On the run down to Cray i felt fresh as a daisy , this lasted until the end.
Cray bought the onset of darkness, fresh socks, spaghetti hoops and the realisation
that, barring an accident, I was going to get through the final 15 miles. After all we only had Buckden Pike and Great Whernside left to ascend and the final 8 miles was downhill!
We eventually reached Yarnbury - the final checkpoint, only two miles to go. A mixture of elation and bravado led to a group run into the finish. Finally at 245 am the final hole was punched into my tally card and I was free to sit down, shower, eat proper food and drink my celebratory beer!
A truly amazing day, a beautiful course, decent weather and brilliant people. Much thanks goes to Shaun and Simon of the Pacers, along with George who all made the second half a real pleasure. My parents for driving round and cheering me on and finally Saz for her invaluable route advice and encouraging email.
Next year? Hell yes! Saz and I will be there, will you?
Blackstone Edge 18th May 2011.
Danny Hope 1st at Blackstone Edge in 28.39.
Jack Bloor Race 10th May 2011.
Graham Pearce wins at Jack Bloor Race in 38.09