2024 Road Race Champs Begins with Dewsbury 10K
13th February 2024
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If you have a sense of déjà vu, its because the Road Race Champs (“RRC”) opens once again with the Dewsbury 10k. The cross country season is fast coming to an end, with only one South East Lancs league race and the Nationals left to run. The emphasis now turns to the fells and road, with the Run The Moors Fell Grand Prix (FGP) and Harriers Road Race Championships being run over “the summer” months. The FGP consists of eight local clubs running in a total of 11 races, with a runners best five races counting towards the final table. Within the FGP is also the Harriers own championship race series. The RRC is more simple, it’s purely a Harriers race series consisting of nine road races. Most runners have their favourite races for whatever reason and the Dewsbury 10k seems to have become a favourite with Harriers runners, being chosen for the second year running – pardon the pun.
The Dewsbury 10k was run on Sunday 4th February in completely different weather conditions. Last year. it was very cold and sunny, this year mild, overcast and very windy, the runners facing a strong headwind in the last 2-3km. A total of 21 Harriers made their way over the Pennines, 17 men and only 4 ladies.
First home for the Harriers was Danny Bennett in 101st place, in 35m, 10s and also being placed first in his age category (MV55, 131 entrants). Danny ran what is believed to be the fastest 10K road time in the UK so far this year in the MV55 age category. Harry Clayton followed next in 115th position, 35m, 31s, this being a PB for the 10k distance for him. Jonathan Lupton was the third Harrier home in 433rd position, 39m, 31s. Closely following Jonathan was Isabel Brandon in 476th position, 40m 9s, knocking 5 mins off her course PB, so well run Izzie.
Two more PB runners were Gareth Bright in 518th position, 40m 50s and Lee Meadowcroft in 527th position, 41m, 6s, beating his course PB by 2 minutes. Harrier’s second lady home was Juliet Smith, 530th position in 41m 20s. We should also mention Phil Arnfield who knocked 3 minutes off his 10k PB, coming 1064th in 47m 45s. The lurgy which is doing the rounds enabled several achieve their PW’s (personal worsts) for the 10k course, including Kevin Holland, Jeff McCarthy, John Mayall and Ian Aitchison.
One Harrier decided that she fancied a day out at the seaside. So Sunday found Caroline Fortnum enjoying the “delights” of Southport running in the Maddog 10k, on what can only be described as a very windy sea front. Still, she didn’t do badly at all, coming 335th out of 1,260 runners in a time of 54m, 14s.
The next race in the Road Race Champs is the Oldham Park run on Saturday 10th Feb. The National Cross Country Championships will take place on the 24th February. After which we are well and truly into the Fell and Road Racing season.