On Friday 29th December the forecast was for rain all day on Race day. One day later it changed to no rain and forty mile per hour winds!! And on the day itself?  Sunshine and much lighter winds although it was windy out on the course. Twelve hundred and sixty six finishers was a record for the Race as was the fact that the Race was sold out three weeks before the date.

Great runs from the winner Marc Scott who defended his title in a time of 29.37, just four seconds slower than in 2016 and the Course Record could have been under threat without the wind. Just behind Marc came Olympian Jonny Brownlee in a great time of 29.54. There was a tremendous run from the Women’s Race winner Laura Weightman too, running the fastest time for a woman on the course since the record – (32.20) – was set by Helen Clitheroe in 2005. Laura won in a great debut time of 32.31 which meant she went into number two in the National Rankings for 2017 and just behind her in second spot came Beth Potter in 33.00 which was a new 10k Road PB by nearly half a minute.

             

Race Winner GB International Marc Scott being presented with his Prize by John Miles Partner at Forbes

Women’s Race Winner Olympian Laura Weightman being presented with her Prize by John Miles Partner at Forbes

A very big thank you to Forbes Solicitors who have sponsored the race for many years now and with out whose support it would have been very difficult to maintain and improve the quality of the Race. Forbes Solicitors offer a full range of legal services to individuals and business clients in offices across the North of England and can be found HERE

Andrea Stamp, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Forbes Solicitors, said: “The Ribble Valley 10k has become a part of Christmas for athletes and fun runners alike and we are delighted to support such a great event.“It attracts some of the best endurance athletes in the country and is a great advert for local athletics and the Ribble Valley itself.”

Interview with Race Winner GB International Marc Scott ⇒ HERE

Interview with Women’s Race Winner Olympian Laura Weightman ⇒ HERE

Interview with Race Runner Up Olympian Jonny Brownlee ⇒ HERE

Interview with Women’s Race Runner Up Olympian Beth Potter ⇒ HERE

Ribble Valley 10k Results ⇒ HERE

The Race hosts the Northern Athletics 10k Road Championships which saw the Individual Men’s Gold Medal go to Marc Scott and and the Women’s Gold Medal to Laura Weightman and Presented by Northern Athletics President Kevin Carr.

          

In the Men’s Team Events it was a win for Preston Harriers who picked up the Gold Medal with Blackburn Harriers taking Silver in 2nd place. In the Women’s Team Race the Gold Medal was won by Blackburn Harriers with Sale Harriers taking Silver in 2nd place.

Preston Harriers Northern men’s Team Gold Medalists & RV10k Men’s Team Champions

Blackburn Harriers Northern Men’s Team Silver Medalists & RV10k Men’s Team Runners Up

Blackburn Harriers – Northern Women’s Team Champions & RV10K Women’s Team Winners

Sale Harriers – Northern Women’s Team Silver Medalists & RV10K Women’s Team Runners Up

It takes a lot of volunteers to staff a race like the Ribble Valley 10k with somewhere in the region of fifty people needed to Set up the Course, Manage Car Parking safely, Marshaling the Race, providing a Lead Vehicle, ensuring Water Stations are in place on the course and at the finish, distributing Medals and then when everyone has gone home, staying behind to clear up. Nevertheless the Club still had twenty runners competing in the race which was great to see.

First home for the Harriers was Ben Fish finishing 7th overall in a seasons best time of 30.31 and after he was seen lifting boxes and setting up the Up and Running Stall at 7.30am on Race day! Next home came Tim Raynes in 24th place with a time of 31.48 followed by V45 Mat Nuttall (59th) in a seasons best time of 34.28 which also won him the V45 1st Prize – the three of them counting to win Northern Silver and the Open Race runners up place.

   

Chris Davies was next home for the Club clocking a time of 35.10 in 70th position followed by U17 Harvey Griffin running over this distance for the very first time and posting a time of 35.39 in 79th spot. There was another seasons best, this time for V45 Paul Brindle in 92nd spot with a time of 36.08 just eight seconds off a new personal best. U23 Jack Hindle was one of those athletes, who like many, have been affected by colds and bugs but still ran to place 97th in a time of 36.28.

Alison Lundy (Leonard) hasn’t raced since May 2017 came home in 124th spot with a time of 37.26 to join Joanne Nelson (184th) in 39.35 who also won the 1st V45 Prize and Katie Buckingham (191st) in a new PB of 39.42 to win the Northern Women’s Team Gold Medal and the Open Race Team win.

Paulo Sousa made his road 10k debut for the Club coming home in a pretty solid time of 38.38 and 158th place. V50 Jonathan Bridge was next home for the Club in 186th spot with a time of 39.40 followed by a new PB for Marco Maggio (40.46) in 229th, V50 Gary Pearse 264th posting a time of 41.46 and Daniel Whittaker, another runner posting a new PB of 41.44 in 271st position. Sprinter Reece Phillips tried his hand at endurance running and ran pretty well to record a time of 43.15 in 331rd spot and followed by the ever improving Paul Jeffries who just missed out on setting another new personal best in his first year, running 44.02 in 350th place.

 

 

    

    

    

Just outside his previous personal best came V50 Ian Clarkson in 424th place in a time of 45.04 followed by V60 Mike Blacklidge in 427th clocking a good time of 45.38. There was a another seasons best for V45 Danny Teare as he clocked 45.44 in 457th spot and a new PB for V45 Lindsay Davies in 467th with a time of 46.33. Yet another PB for V40 Mark Lord who ran 48.50 in 553rd place followed in by Paul Wilkinson in a seasons best time of 49.07 (595th), Paul Clarke (V55) in 697th spot in a time of 51.17, V45 Claire Bridge (809th) in a seasons best time of 53.51, Lorna Sharp (V40) running a time of 56.56 (919th) and U17 Charlotte Collin in her first ever attempt at the distance (925th) in 56.57.