Strong running from our GVH team at XC round 3

Just parkrun and Cross Country to report on this week. Although there has been some great Long Slow Runs being posted at the weekends, as many of us start solid training in preparation  for events next spring.  As this is the last weekly round up for November, be sure to read to the end for ….. Members of the Month! …

The return of the Ricky Road Run

GVH on tour at parkruns. We had 43 runners out tackling park runs this week, many venturing a fair way from home to York, Sewerby (near Scarborough), Rothay (lake district), and Holkham (Norfolk). But the award for the longest distance travelled goes to Helen Heathcote, who went to Amsterdam to run parkrun. That’s dedication Helen! The place to be, if …

Ashby and Ines Fail in Berko

I’ve been pretty busy the past few weeks and finding the time to write a piece about the Berko Half Marathon has been daunting. Whereas writing about a cross country race that was more like a visit to the Somme Public Baths (younger readers should Google for Blackadder Goes Forth to understand that one) than a jog around Oxford, finding …

GVH Men Caught Short While Women Excel

On the weekend where the World Cup got serious, Gade Valley Harriers took part in the third match (of five) of the Chiltern League Cross Country season at Stopsley Common in Luton on Saturday afternoon. Earlier on Saturday there were a handful of GVH runners, those that couldn’t, for various reasons, make it to Luton in the afternoon and those …

Harriers Threaten to Cross into Mid-Table Mediocrity

Last weekend kicked off as always for Gade Valley Harriers, with Saturday Morning Parkruns on 12th November. As is usually the case on a Cross Country League weekend, the numbers of club runners attending parkruns was much reduced. Vince Ellerby didn’t change his routine as he made the trip to Black Park for his 507th overall Parkrun and his 427th …

GVH Marathon Training Runs Return

It was a quiet weekend of racing for Gade Valley Harriers as only 2 members took part in any organised racing while fewer runners than usual were prepared to go out in the wet for the Parkruns. Before the weekend, the Gade Valley Committee confirmed the dates for the Marathon Training Runs (MTRs) for 2023. GVH has for many years …

Child’s Play in Knebworth

On saturday 29th October Gade Valley Harriers continued their Parkrun tour by visiting the Houghton Hall Parkrun in Houghton Regis near Luton. Head Coach Ed Price nominates the venue for the club monthly Parkrun tour and a quick look at Ed’s Parkrun stats reveal that Houghton Hall (with 9 visits) sits second overall on Ed’s list of most frequently visited …

Magic Weekend for the Harriers

Lots of children believe in magic. Who can forget that moment when your older sibling shattered your illusion about Father Christmas being real? Strangely, some grown ups also believe in magic. So it must have been particlaruly hard for Angeline to learn on Tuesday that there isn’t some magical link from any random race that any member of GVH might …

Holiday Time for Harriers

There is no “running season” but people do like to go on holiday occasionally. This, and the fact that it gets hot in summer, makes running fast difficult and reduces the frequency and interest in races. It also reduces the time available to write about what people did at the weekend, leading to a massive backlog of writing to do …

Woman v Horse for Gade Valley Harriers

After a couple of quiet weeks for Gade Valley Harriers the return of a local and much loved event to its normal slot in the calendar, without any lingering Covid restrictions, was a great way for a large number of the club’s runners to spend their weekend. Before the weekend Gade Valley built on its reputation as the premier destination …