Skip to content

Autumn Handicap 2016

  • by

 

After a week of generally good weather the course was not too wet and muddy, except in a few isolated places. On the day, the weather was perfect, bright and sunny with no wind.

Handicapper, Martin Peace, gave the twenty four entrants, of widely varying abilities, a start time and each was duly started at the appropriate handicap time from the start at the bottom of Alter Lane.

The course was identical to last year taking in Marley Hill and the tracks and paths around St Ives Estate so comparison times were possible for those who also competed last year. The first two competitors back were both guests, with respectable times, and third was the first Lady, Natalie Madgett.

Paul Tiffany and Jo Buckley were fastest male and female respectively, both creating new course records.

Thanks must go to the many marshals who came forward offering to help, also Timekeeper and recorder Tony Pickles and John Capenerhurst . Thanks also to Barbara and Ruth Thackray for registration and results, and of course Martin for the unenviable job of handicapper.  Allan Greenwood, who also ran as a guest, gave me help with marking the course.

The post race prize presentation and social gathering upstairs at the Brown Cow seemed to go well, thanks to the staff at the pub for looking after us all.

Incidentally and I mentioned this last year, if anybody knows the whereabouts of the Hannah Lister trophy could you let me or someone on the committee know please.

I did have one, probably valid, complaint from the farmer on Marley Hill, who objected to the use of tape to mark the course as it could potentially choke his livestock! It is probably something worth considering by race organisers when marking courses generally.

Finally, thank you to all the competitors for turning out and making the event worthwhile, I hope you all enjoyed the day and return next year for more of the same!

Full results can be found here

David Weatherhead                          November 2016