Images of a 65 Race Challenge

Father and son at Alnwick cross country

Ashington tri swim

Ashington tri Run

Izzi and I on Helvelyn

Latrigg

South Shields Monthly Mile

Mile 10 at Derwentwater 10

Sprint Finish

Autumn on Newcastle Town Moor

Wylam in the Tynedale 10K

Evening on South Shields Beach

Gibside Great Run Local

Keswick 10K

Maisie greets me at the end, Keswick

The V60 prize, Grasmere

3rd V65 Blaydon Race

Humbleton Hill Fell Race

SAFC crest

Wallington Win which cost me two months out with injury

Chris was a team prizewinner

Photobombed at my first race

Head torch at Lambton No Ego

Rivals at Cross Country Harrier League

Setting the watch at Gibside Great Run Local

The Completed 65 Race Schedule

65FORIZZI
March 29th 2015- March 2016
Date	Race	Event	Time	Overall Finishing Position	Category Position	Comments
29-Mar	1	Hartlepool Marina 5 mile	36.27	173	3rd V65	516 ran
7-Apr	2	Monthly Mile S Shields	6.27	20	na	79 ran
12-Apr	3	Blyth Valley 10k	45.34	296	3rd  V65	563 ran
18-Apr	4	Park Run Ncle 5K	21.44	147	3rd V65	646 ran
19-Apr	5	Gibside Great Run Local 5K	24.28	8	n/a	51 ran.
22-Apr	6	Keswick Round the Houses	46.11	88	3rd V60	186 ran
25-Apr	7	Park Run Ncle 5K	22.44	149	2nd V65	601 ran
4-May	8	Ashington Triathlon	88.48	190	4th	1st 5k
5-May	9	Les Allcorn 10K, Alnwick	45.53	57	2nd V60	125 ran
10-May	10	Great Run Local 5K	25.05	6	n/a	45 ran
13-May	11	Latrigg Short Fell Race	28.5	67	3rd V60	87 ran
24-May	12	Gibside Great Run Local	24.3	10	n/a	50 ran
27-May	13	George Ogle Mem. 6m	43.13	66	1st V60	195 ran
6-Jun	14	Grasmere gallop Trail Race	50.12	25	1st V60	305 ran
9-Jun	15	Blaydon Race	40.13	621	3rd V65	3825 ran
13-Jun	16	Park Run , Ncle	22.2	100	1st V65	511 ran
17-Jun	17	Humbleton Hill Fell Race	47.18	31	2nd V60	59 ran
21-Jun	18	Lambton 10K	47.36	117	2nd V60	715 ran
1-Jul	19	Tynedale 10K	45.1	182	n/a	no chip
5-Jul	20	Red Kite Trail Race	73.57	18	n/a	86 ran
15-Jul	21	Kirkley 10K	45.59	58	1st V65	165 ran
25-Jul	22	Park Run Ncle 5K	22.42	101	1st V65	439 ran
29-Jul	23	Wallington 10K	45.59	52	1st V65	158 ran
5-Sep	24	Gloucester Park Run	23.5	28	1st V65	180 ran
19-Sep	25	Ncle Park Run	25.07	218	1st V65	540 ran
27-Sep	26	Prudhoe Miners 10K	49.06	66	1st V 65	140 ran
3-Oct	27	Park Run Gibside	24.36	14	1st V 65	60 ran
4-Oct	28	Gt Run Local Gibside	25.54	7	1st V 65	54 ran
6-Oct	29	Monthly Mile South Shields	6.44	18	na	18/22
10-Oct	30	Sherman Cup	45.31	391	1st V65	464 ran
17-Oct	31	Gibside Trail Race	59.38	212	8th V60	442 ran
24-Oct	32	Park Run Newcastle	22.57	164	1st v60	562 ran
25-Oct	33	Great Run Local 5K	25.56	8	1st V55/65	57 ran
1-Nov	34	Derwentwater 10 mile	79.19	211	5th V65	436 ran
3-Nov	35	Monthly Mile	6.43	18	na	69 ran
3-Nov	36	Park Run Newcastle	24.16	118	1st v65	369 ran
8-Nov	37	Town Moor 10K	46.54	302	3rd V65	549 ran
15-Nov	38	Park Run Newcastle	23.38	123	1st V65	470 ran
21-Nov	39	Aykley HeadsCross country	54.52	459	2nd V65	592 ran
1-Dec	40	Monthly Mile	6.44	12	na	90 ran
6-Dec	41	Park Run Ncle 5K	25.32	192	4th V65	363 ran
19-Dec	42	Saltwell 10K	49.36	190	5th V65	419 ran
20-Dec	43	Gibside 5K	27.03	na	na	fun run
5-Jan	44	Monthly mile S. Shields	7.19	14	na	47 ran
30-Jan	45	Riverside Parkrun	24.54	104	2nd v65	229 ran
2-Feb	46	Monthly mile	7.02	13	na	47 ran
6-Feb	47	No Ego Head Torch Lambton	45.56	44	1st v60	180 Ran
13-Feb	48	Park Run Finsbury Park	24.27	96	1st V65	261 ran
20-Feb	49	Park Run Newcastle	23.25	115	1st v65	490 ran
2-Mar	50	Monthly Mile South Shields	6.45	7	na	46 ran
12-Mar	51	Riverside Park Run	22.47	65	2nd V65	231 ran
13-Mar	52	Gibside Great Run Local	24.42	6	na	71 ran
26-Mar	53	Park Run Newcastle	22.47	93	3rd V65	457 ran
27-Mar	54	N. Tyne 10K	45.46	331	1st v65	1779 ran
3 Apl	55	Blyth V. 10K	45.54	221	4th V65	498 ran
10 Apl	56	Sandancer 10K	46.33	130	6th V60	400ran
16 Apl	57	Park Run Town Moor	22.47	135	1st V65	515 ran
20 Apl	58	Keswick 10K	47.01	89	1st V60	179 ran
23 Apl	59	Parkrun Ncle	22.01	131	1st V65	684 ran
26 Apl	60	Spadeadam 10K	46.52	4	3rd male	18 ran
26 Apl	61	Riverside Parkrun	22.28	42	2nd V65	223 ran
1-May	62	Sunderland 10K	46.01	202	2nd V60	1809 ran
3-May	63	Les Allcorn 10K, Alnwick	45.46	57	2nd V60	139 ran
21-May	64	Park Run Town Moor	22.34	117	1st V65	651 ran
25-May	65	George Ogle Mem. 6m	43.03	61	2nd V60	171 ran

Final Race In My 65 Race Challenge

The George Ogle Memorial Race

A wet night

Pensive at the end of my challenge

And still the rain came down

Happy Harriers

 

All things must come to an end and so it came to pass.

Yes, sixty weeks after starting my 65 race challenge, the final race was completed at Swalwell, when Ian Brown and I ran The George Ogle Memorial 6 Mile Race.

It was a fitting end to a challenge which was to honour the memory of a young athlete, the late Izzi  (Islam Ali), that this race was in memory of a friend, member of Tynedale Harriers and stalwart of North East Atletics, the late George Ogle.

But what weather, it started raining late afternoon and just kept coming, making a cold and unpleasant start to the race as Ian and I set off.

As a three hour marathon man, Ian, was never going to hang around for long and whilst we ran the first mile in 6.59, he soon disappeared ahead of me as my pace dropped to 7.29 for the second. The course then joined the Derwent Walk, before switching onto a muddy uphill track.

Mud, rain and a steep hill, yes, this was more like it, as with a few grunts I passed the runners infront who had turned into walkers. Then it was down some muddy steps, along a gravel lane and onto an offroad downhill section. This brought us out  just under a high bridge / aqueduct. Do we have to climb to that height, I wondered, as more steps, upward this time appeared. Yes, was the answer and after a couple more grunts I was back onto the Derwent walk and a two plus mile gradual descent to the finish.

Now I could get the pace up to something respectable after an 8.44 for the offroad stretch. 7.48 for mile four and now it was nip and tuck for who could go for it on a long, long straight. A glance at my watch told me I would need to increase the pace if I was to repeat last year's 43.13. Hammer down and it was 7.08 for mile five with a bit of shoulder to shoulder competition. Keep it going, not far now,I thought, as my pace increased and I crossed the line at 7.04 pace. A finishing time of 43.03, yes, ten seconds faster than last year. That will do me.

Ian, meanwhile, had finished in an amazing 38.08, not bad for a newly 60 year old! So it was that he was First V60 to my Second. Does that mean that for the next four years, he is my rival in the V60 category? I am afraid that it does, oh well, who is competive? I think I know the answer to that question.

Watch out for my completed schedule and a selection of the images from my challenge on this site, coming soon.

My thanks to Ian for these quality images.

Race No. 64 - ONLY ONE RACE TO GO!

Parkrun Newcastle Town Moor

Chris looks more comfortable than me.

Ok, I know I'm gasping, but didn't deserve the Facebook comments.

Well, it is a little after the original planned date of 29 March, but on Wednesday I will complete my 65 race challenge. The finale is to be the George Ogle Memorial Race at Swalwell, but for race no. 64 it was back to the Town Moor for a father and son effort in the Park Run.

I was just back from a holiday in the sunshine of Majorca and whilst I had four runs there, maybe, just maybe, I enjoyed the wonderful food and my favourite Rioja a little too much.

Anyway, having got my excuses in, I cannot blame injury for any dip in form, for a change, I simply felt a little tired as Chris and I set off. At what seemed like a comfortable pace I passed through the first mile in 6.50, with Chris on my tail. He then overtook me, picked up the pace and kept going - oh to be young again!

No, I don't wish for that, I am fit and healthy and whilst I did not enjoy some comments on Facebook, that I was about to take a bite out of the young lady in front of me (in the image above), I am big enough to laugh it off and also to include the offending image.

Chris finished in 21.03 for 68th position, I was 117th in 22.34. Neither of us were near our personal bests, but in a field of 651 the results speak for themselves. In my current 'I don't care' mood I probably shouldn't mention that I was first V65, should I? But I just did.

Today is Monday and in two day's time I will finish this challenge seven weeks after my birthday. This is disappointing, but only a little, for the two injuries suffered during the challenge acually cost me a total absence of some eleven weeks. The achilles injury was so frustrating, whilst the calf problem and its neurogenic cause was wierd, but here I am ready to run my 65th race and then to take up the next challenge.

Roll on Wednesday.

KEEP ON RUNNING !

RACE No.63 The Les  Alcorn 10K Alnwick

A Couple of Youngsters With  A Combined Age Of  143 Years

 A variation on the theme of ' if it ain't broken, don't fix it', could be 'if you are running well, keep on running!' Well, that's my theory and I know it works, until I get injured.

So it was, that after my third race of the week on Sunday, The Siglion Sunderland 10K , I thought I would put in another, The Les Alcorn 10K on Tuesday.

This race is set in the beautiful grounds of the Alnwick Estate, running on the estate roads following the River Aln. To make it interesting there is a hill in the first and last mile.

At the start I was chatting to Blyth's John Mallon, a former colleague, who had pipped me in the Blyth 10K. I reasoned that as he had caught me just before the finish at Blyth, then we would start this race together and see what transpired.

As we came to the top of that first hill we were joined by two other Blyth runners and it was nip and tuck for the next three miles. At this point in the race , the four mile mark, you are back down in the Aln Valley and enjoying a nice flat mile stretch. I had pushed ahead of the Blyth runners, but just before the start of the next hilly stretch John passed me again. Feeling good, I picked up the pace and repassing John, told him that he would murder me on the hill.

Maybe, racing every two days suits me. I only know that I felt strong on the climb and kept the pace going. Having caught another couple of runners as we reached the top of the hill , I thought all that remained was a sprint to the line. Wrong, there was another climb. At this point I must apologise to the marshalls as my language on seeing another and unexpected hill was not very gentlemanly.

Finally, there was a level fifty yard dash to the line to finish in 45.45 for 57th position. John finished  60th in 46.11. I was pleased to see that I was 8 seconds faster than last year.

At the presentation I was chatting to my fellow Tyndedale Harriers John Davidson and Eileen Armstrong (pictured above). Eileen finished in 61 minutes not a bad result for a youngster of 77 years, in fact that is to understate her achievement, it was wonderful and I can only hope that I can do as well at her age.

So I got through a lot of races in a short space of time - six in thirteeen days - without injury, now with business and holidays I have nothing planned for a couple of weeks, then the final two of my 65 race challenge, bring it on!

Spooky GPS Readings In My Home Town, Sunderland

Race No. 62 Siglion Sunderland 10K

The official route

For my third race of the week I was back in my hometown,  for what, strangely, was the first race I have ever ran on Wearside, the Siglion Sunderland 10K.

I found it quite an emotional experience, bringing to mind an enormous number of memories. The first was one of those "if only" questions. This one being ,' if only I had put the slightest effort into a school cross country trial over fifty years ago'. Had I done so, I would have ran in a county cross country event and who knows I could have been a runner in my teens, instead of leaving it to my late thirties.

Another memory, or maybe realisation, came to me as I parked at the Sunderland University before the race. My mother (shown below on her wedding day) was born not 100 yards from the where the Uni. now stands.

As the course of the race crossed Wearmouth Bridge and dropped down to the river, I could only marvel at the changes. What in my youth had been shipyards, was now more university buildings and the Nation Glass Centre. My late father, Ronnie, had actually worked in these shipyards when World War 11 broke out. As a skilled worker in a vital industry he was not allowed to 'join up'. Every Saturday however, he plagued the Recruiting Sergeants until finally, he was accepted into the RAF.

I have his certificates for working on Bomber engines and  could never figure out how he ended up as a tail gunner in a Lancaster Bomber with that skill. It is only in recent years that I realised at that time in 1944/5 they were literally running out of gunners, so high was the mortality rate.

Proving the Graham luck, Ronnie was so late into the role, that soon after his crew were to go operational, the war ended. That is definitely another 'if only'.

Now the race was down onto Roker Beach and soon turned into Roker Park -yes, the old Roker Park Football Stadium was just along the road. This was the locale of my late Father in Law, Bob Wood Jnr. Bob was involved in football all his life. First as an excellent player, representing his country as a young amateur. Having been forbidden by his father to sign as a professional (unbelievable now, but these were the days of a maximum wage),  he played local football before becoming a referee and getting to the top in that field. All of this whilst working full time as Works Manager at Reyrolles, Hebburn. In fact, not only this, but he and his father before him served as Secretary for the Wearside League for a combined 99 years.

Out of the Park and onto the seafront it was time to concentrate on the race and I was going well. Heading for the return over Wearmouth Bridge it was looking as if I could manage a 45 minute 10K. Over the bridge and with the finish in sight it looked to be on. Then the final push to the line, but the  overhead clock said 46.10 with metres to go, "damn" I thought , not realising that it was the timing chip in my number which counted, not the finishing time. After the race I found that I had actually finished in 46.01. I could so easily have knocked a couple of seconds off,  if I had but realised.

The results also showed that I was 202nd finisher from a field of 1809 and 3rd V60. In a race of this size I thought that there might have been more categories and something for an old timer , but it would appear not.

Back at my car I realised that the family church, Bishop Wearmouth, was in view- you can just see the tower in the image of me. In the old days when families attended church regularly this was ours. My folks were married there at the end of the war, I was christened there and I have actually mentioned one of their Sunday School treats, a trip to Saltwell Park, in my blog on the Saltwell 10K (Race no. 42).

 Yes, an emotional day  for me. Maybe this explains my GPS signal going haywire. If you look me up on Strava you will see that my Forerunner has me running 6.58 miles to take in the Stadum of Light. I don't thnk that I did that, well maybe in spirit only!

After the race with Bishop Wearmouth Church in the background

Bishopwearmouth Church, Sunderland

Bob Wood, Jnr.

RAF Flight Sergeant Ronald Graham & Elizabeth Graham 1946

Sunshine at Riverside Parkrun

Race No.61

Steady!

The races are now coming fast and thick. Today, Saturday, it was a return visit to Riverside Parkrun at Chester le Street, on a bright and sunny morning.

So nice was it, that combined with little or no wind, it would have been an ideal day to set a new personal best (pb). This would have meant a sub 21.44 5K time and after last week's 22.01 at the Town Moor, it was definitely on. But, no, I needed to be sensible as I had already ran a tough 10K at Spadeadam on Tuesday and was entered for the Sunderland 10K tomorrow (plus a small matter of the Les Alcorn 10K at Alnwick next Tuesday). Well I did say that the races were coming thick and fast!

So it came to pass that I was sensible and that's probably a first. After a steady start on the first lap, I held back on the second and on the short, third and final lap I actually let the chap in the black tee shirt (pictured above) go without challenge. A finish in 22.28 actually made it a p.b. for me at Riverside but a 21 minute 5K can wait for another day.

At the end I engaged another 'Gadgie' in conversation, as he looked familiar. Turned out it was Elswick's Mark McNally, a superb runner of 69 years. Whenever I compete, if I can even use that term, against Mark I will be a distant finisher. Today was just the same as he finished in 19.59, now that's real finishing.

Now, it's a warm down, lots of water today and a single glas of wine with the meal tonight, for tomorrow I race in my home town, Sunderland.