A League of Their Own
7th August 2022
A League of Their Own
How do you fancy running every Tuesday evening for the next 18 weeks and covering just over 100 miles of road and trails, I asked myself – looking for a way to celebrate turning 75 (ok, I don’t drink, my celebration options are limited). Instead of doing either Champagne League or Summer League, why not enter both - seemed like £60 well spent, averaging about £3.50 a race, so I signed up. Champagne is a series of races organised by City of Hull running club and taking you on a mix of road and tracks around the villages west and north of Hull; Summer League is set up by East Hull Harriers so, as you might guess, you get to visit the likes of Sproatley, Skirlaugh, and, er, East Park. You are running against people from most of the running clubs in the area – with anything from 120 to 200 in each race.
So how did it go? Well, first of all, let’s give credit to the two clubs involved who managed them brilliantly well with crowds of friendly marshals at every one and very efficient registering and results services. The one thing I didn’t understand was the handicapping system but my mate Farhat told me to ignore it and just run as fast I could in every race. Seemed like good advice so I decided to give it a go and duly turned up for the first Champagne League race on 29th March along with a dozen Kuhac friends.
A gentle introduction, it was a 4-miler starting and finishing in the grounds of Hotham Hall with a bit of trails involved but no hills. This omission was soon put right as the next week took us to Beverley Westwood for a shorter (3.7 mile) but tougher run. Then things really started to warm up as the following Tuesday was the first Summer League run, a 5-miler at New Ellerby. A field of 175 runners but fewer of my club colleagues as most seemed to have opted for Champagne. As with most of the east Hull races, this one was flat, fast and on road.
Which you couldn’t say about the next Champagne League race at Elloughtondale which was a tough 4.7 mile run partly on road but mainly through the woods. A good fast downhill finish, though, for the 150 taking part. Then another week, another race as Summer League took us to Sproatley where, according to my notes, I ran my socks off and still nearly finished last – 164th out of 167.
Not deterred I checked the list for the next Champagne run and, oh joy, it was 3.6 miles from Brantingham to Raywell – which doesn’t sound too bad, except the first bit was up Spout Hill. As a complete contrast, the following week, Summer League took us to East Park for a 4-mile sprint in competition with 200 runners. About 20 of them finished behind me which was nice!
We were back to Raywell with the next Champagne race – a 3.8 mile trail run on a rather hilly course while, as a complete contrast, the following Summer League event took us to Leven for a flat 10K (with that traditional “once round the field” finish). By now we were nearly into June so the Champagne League visit to Brough’s new Aldi (followed by a 4-mile run round Welton Waters) took place on a pleasantly warm evening.
Summer League then upped the distance, sending 129 participants on a 7-mile run round Sproatley before June 14th saw a similar number at Kiplingcotes for the first of two Champagne handicap races – a 5.5-miler where you were sent off at different times depending on your handicap. People still passed me – it just took them longer to do so! Summer League responded with another 10K, this time at Coniston on a very warm evening.
The end of June saw the toughest race of the whole series – for me anyway – as the second handicap run for Champagne League took us back to Raywell but this time for an 8.4 mile run via the top of Spout Hill, through Elloughton woods to Peggy Farrow and then up Elloughtondale and across the fields back to Raywell. When I say that tripping and falling into a bush was not the worst part of the run, you might get an idea of how hard this one was.
But no time to complain, because the next week meant another Summer League run, 7 miles at Skirlaugh (on an evening when half the Cabinet seemed to have resigned while we were running!). We’re up to mid-July now and only two Champagne races to go with the next one taking us back to Kiplingcotes for a 5.1 mile race on the road before we came to the final Summer League run.
The gods were not smiling on us, although the sun was, as this fell on 19th July, officially the hottest day ever as a slightly reduced field set off to do 4 miles round Hedon. How the winners did the pace they were setting that evening is beyond me – I took the slow and steady approach and was still a soggy whimpering mess by the time I got back to the Hedon Arms. With some rapid statistical wizardry, the organisers had the results of the race, and of the series, computed while we queued up for a cold drink and an excellent buffet. Then cash prizes were handed out to winners of individual races, team and age group winners and I came away £10 richer (I think that was the race where Pete Taylor couldn’t make it 😂).
I asked at one of the first Summer League runs if we got anything for doing them all and was told “an immense sense of satisfaction” (which turned out to be true). However, if you want something more tangible, then Champagne League is the one for you as those who complete all 10 runs will receive a commemorative t-shirt at the presentation evening set to take place in September. This was on my mind as I realised that I would be on holiday when the final event took place. I clearly wasn’t going to give up, having done 17 of the 18 races, so I drove back from Whitby, ran the Lockington 4-miler, and returned before the grand-kids had had chance to miss me.
And that was it: 18 races in 18 weeks, and a t-shirt to come – bonus! So, was it worth it? Well of course the answer is yes. For the few pounds each event costs you, you get to go to some great courses where you are cheered on by unfailingly supportive marshals. And you widen your circle of running friends. You might turn up with your club mates but you probably won’t be running with them. After a few weeks you start to recognise the guy from EHH, the woman from Brid, the runner from Beverley – all running at roughly your pace and who you are soon tussling with on a regular basis. A few races into the series and I knew I was going to see a lot of Kevin McManus, for example, and we were soon swapping wins (you’ll see him – Number 53 or 66 – in a couple of these photos).
One of my best, and youngest, friends at Kingston recently reminded me that on her first run with the club I said to her “If I can do it, you can do it”. And that’s what I would say to anyone thinking about these Leagues for next year. When the chance comes round, get your name down for one, for both, you won’t regret it. And, who knows, you could go home with another nice t-shirt….