Jan 2019
3:42pm, 13 Jan 2019
6,502 posts
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larkim
I was about 130 places lower yesterday than I was before Christmas at Stockport, but pleased that the last lap was my strongest. Head just wasn’t in it, but that was well aligned with the body! Still enjoyed it in the end, I grew up between 4 and 10 living close to Heaton Park and have many happy memories of hot sunny days out in the park sitting on the lions by the house. And bizarrely the only schools XC I ever ran was there too, after moving to Bury instead. Never in a million years would I have expected to be running in senior XC races there, so it does hold a strange affection! Good course too, though I wish the spectating was a little easier.
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Jan 2019
9:12am, 21 Jan 2019
1,525 posts
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Uyuni
Fellow Midlanders - it's the regional champs this weekend at Newbold in Leamington. From the course map it looks like 3 rather pleasant laps of a municipal golf course, but then I've heard mention, and seen videos of an infamous ditch. What do I need to know? Are we talking jumping, wading or full on bog snorkelling
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Jan 2019
9:37am, 21 Jan 2019
4,078 posts
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clare1976
Mwahahaha... yay!
Having looked at the route myself (we do 2 laps to your 3!), I think the bottom section is the stretch along the wooded area which includes that infamous ditch (it has been known for them to bypass the woods when it's not muddy enough for the ditch) so let's hope we are actually going through there. I will find out and try to get some insider info as our 'neighbouring club' is organising it all. It's not really that wet or muddy around the Comyn at the moment (our parkrun is the perimeter path), but sometimes they do dam the ditch area to create the swamp you see on those videos.
The rest should just be rolling / hilly grass and the odd wooded section. It looks like we skirt around the beacon which is quite a nasty short sharp hill, but hard to tell from the map exactly which path around / over it we are taking... it certainly won't be flat! All spike-friendly. Until recently, a lot of the middle grassy areas were golf course, so a no-go, but that closed down last year so it's freed up so much open space and hence can cater for this weekend's big numbers.
Looking forward to it!
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Jan 2019
10:01am, 21 Jan 2019
1,526 posts
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Uyuni
Thanks for the info Clare. I do like courses with short sections of ridiculous mud but otherwise runnable, rather than miles of ruinous gloop. Plus bits that go through the woods are always a nice change. Our Events Sec said the last time it was at Newbold it was about his favourite XC course so I’m looking forward to it
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Jan 2019
10:06pm, 21 Jan 2019
4,079 posts
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clare1976
The ditch is IN!!! Subject to their final walk and inspection of the course on race morning with the officials. We won't be running through the full woodland build-up, but will hopefully do the ditch section. *goes to check rain forecast for the week*....
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Jan 2019
10:10pm, 21 Jan 2019
1,528 posts
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Uyuni
Hurrah ....... I think
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Jan 2019
12:52pm, 25 Jan 2019
3,850 posts
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Curly45
Southerns tomorrow. Team looks good so I am in no way required to run fast as the other ladies will do that. We may have a top 10 opportunity. If all run amazing possible a bit higher than that. Will see.
Aiming for a good hard run. Love the 8k. Hope some of the equality peeps will boycott so there is more space on the first corner 😂😉
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Jan 2019
1:09pm, 25 Jan 2019
6,663 posts
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larkim
Is there another drive on the equality question this year? The debate was relatively well followed through last year, and whilst I disagree with where it ended up I did feel like the question had been resolved for a few years at least without being re-opened.
The Manchester League has adopted a slightly different approach in that it permits men to run the women's races this year, and this is being taken up by a small handful of slower men who are running towards the back of the field. I've not heard them permit women to run the longer men's course, but knowing the organisers I doubt they would object too much if that question was posed.
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Jan 2019
5:18pm, 25 Jan 2019
3,851 posts
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Curly45
I assume they have just decided that the Southerns isnt a good option for the moment...
You get 1-2 women at XC races wearing the sign on their backs though, so I guess its still ongoing as a campaign.
Not sure how I feel about that change Larks - seems unfair that fast men get a single gender race, and slower men get a race (versus running on their own) but women get a mixed gender race by default. Interesting idea though.
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Jan 2019
5:33pm, 25 Jan 2019
13,233 posts
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Autumnleaves
I think I probably said this last time it was debated, but our league races are all mixed. Everyone runs together, same courses, same distance - about 5 miles - we just have separate finish funnels.
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