Chris Wright

Sunday 25 June was a busy day - so much going on! Eldest was away at the Junior Inter-regionals, CLOK had a colour coded at Coate Moor and it was the day of the annual Cleveland Way Relay. And then I noticed that Claro were putting on a Park Race in Knaresborough. I've organised the CLOK team for the CWR for the last few years, but what with the World Champs selection races in Denmark, the JIRC, the CC at Coate Moor, NYMAC putting a team in the CWR for the first time and everyone getting older, the chances of finding 15 runners was slim. So we decided to cut that from the fixtures list! Down to a head-to-head - Coate Moor v Knaresborough!. The right thing to do would have been to support CLOK and go to Coate Moor. But having run, planned and controlled there so many times over the years, my heart really wasn't in it! Can't recall ever going to Knaresborough, I really enjoy Park Races and what with the castle and river, it would make a nice day out for the rest of the famil...

For the last couple of years, EBOR have been good enough to let me and my two eldest daughters run as 'guests' in their club championships. This year, the venue was Cropton Forest, as used for day 2 of this year's JK, and only 20 mins 'over the hill' from home. Despite the bracken coming up and areas of thinning and brashings, the planners made a good job of taking our course through the 'best bits', particularly the quarry area down the steep slope above the Rosedale road, and threw in a good long leg with route choice! I chose to go through the Forestry Commission campsite, passing Dean F putting his tent up! He said later that he left a drink by his tent, to take in passing, having seen me take that route! Thought I had blown it when I lost contact with the 'disappearing ride' through a patch of rhoddies, but others had bigger problems here. I also managed to cleanly 'spike' the last two controls on cairns in young trees at the end. Pl...

As part of their 'cycling week', Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council ask CLOK to stage an evening Bike-O from the Pinchinthorpe Forestry Commission visitor centre near Guisborough. Paul and Linda T have been stalwarts in doing the planning and on the day organisation for several years, and this year on Thursday 15 June was no exception. This year, for some unknown reason, the event clashed with one of the Tees Forest 5km trail races, which was a bit of a shame. There was also some football match on the TV, which might have affected the turnout, but more fool those who stayed at home - you can watch hundred's of matches on the box, and you can watch the same match again and again and again, if you so wish. But you only get one chance a year to do a bike-O from Pinchinthorpe in Hutton Lowcross Woods!! Rode really quite strongly for me - the 'training effect' of having done the duathlons. I managed to get all controls in 70 minutes (75 mins allowed before penalties ...

The 'Harvester Trophy' is Britain's answer to the big Scandanavian based orienteering relays. Two classes (A & B), teams of 7 or 5, half of the legs at night, some at dawn and some in daylight, the split depending on how well the night leg runners do!! There is usually a long day leg to finish. I've regularly taken part for CLOK over the years - some memorable events include the one at Pembrey Sand Dunes in South Wales - I never knew it could be so hot at night in Britain! The last event I ran in was in the Derbyshire Peak District in the 5 leg (B) class. My abiding memory was MIDGES!! Well 2006 and Teviothead near Hawick in the Scottish Borders was just the same. The little blighters drive me to distraction, but don't actually cause any marks or lumps. I ran first leg this year, as the start time had been shifted to just before dusk, so that there would be sufficient time for people to recover for the Regional event on the Sunday. Went OK, if a little sluggish,...