Wickersley Chase – Saturday 28^th September

Report from our LDS wannabee correspondent, Stuart Jones.

Things to ponder:

1. What makes a ‘Chase’ a Chase
2. Whether there will always be three Steel City Striders in this race, as there was in 2017, 2018 and today in 2019
3. If everyone else was saving themselves for Cusworth 10k tomorrow
4. The difference between a cloudburst and a downpour
5. How I can have run my fastest ever 10k just three weeks ago, but have been two minutes slower in this, shorter race, just years from my previous attempt at it
6. Why post-race buffets are beige
7. Seeing race entry was just £5.00, where was Phil Howson
8. With so many age divisions being awarded prizes, what do I have to do to actually win something
9. For how much did Wickersley WMC sell off the land at the back of their Club, as they have refurbed the bar, the dance floor, the front room, the toilets, the car park and drive, the kitchen…
10. If the male winner, Luke Davis of Maltby RC, is a Senior, how come our own Tom Meager, also a male Senior won a bottle for being ‘First Senior’ for his fourth place finish
11. This race was part of the KMR series, which used to be the KMRT series. Where has the ‘T’ gone, and what do the other three letters stand for
12. Just how much better is it to running in the rain than walking in the same rain as a straggle of ramblers were that we passed twice
13. Having decided to wear trail shoes, is it sensible to run through every patch of mud available on route
14. How does a solitary Selby Strider hear about such an obscure, little advertised, race
15. The first three female finishers all have first names starting with a ‘C’ – first being Catherine Eddison of Rotherham HAC. Is this an advantage common to all Clubs?

A decent little trail race, with a short road start, a lovely bit of mature woodland, a fast field crossing and a couple of slower ones after, a good smooth drag up a 30m climb over 1,200m on each of two laps along Slacks Lane, and a ‘sprint’ finish back at the start.

And it is an excellent opportunity to double up – Ady Good and I had both done a stint of pace setting at Hillsborough parkrun earlier in the morning.

Results online here, should you wish a closer look.

First male:           Luke Davis of Maltby RC, in 25:50

First senior male (who did not finish on the podium):       Tom Meager, SCS, in 27:18

First female:       Catherine Eddison of Rotherham HAC , in 28:54

And for equal reporting, first senior female (who did not finish on the podium either):     Faye McDool of Kimberworth Striders, in 36:10

Steel City Striders results from the field of just 67 runners:

Thomas Meager                4^th           27:18

Stuart Jones                       30^th         34:16

Ady Good                            63^rd         47:40