Belle Vue Racers is a UK Athletics-affiliated running club based at Sportcity, Manchester. We meet on the track on Thursdays and on the roads on Tuesdays.
We are a community club, with members from all walks of life. We are very proud of our history but look forward to a bright future. While smaller than many local clubs, we compete in many races, both local and further afield, on the road, the trails, through cross-country and even over the occasional fell. No pressure, only encouragement.
Whatever your ability, objectives or motivations, we’ve a place for you here. Please have a good look around our website to get a feel for us. Even better, drop by and say ‘hello’ sometime. You’d be very welcome.
The curtain fell on the long spring / summer season in the tranquil surroundings of Blackleach Country Park. The green oasis nestling in bustling north Salford, was the perfect backdrop to the final race of the BVR championship. Whilst the leaves changing colour to browns and yellows signalled the approach of Autumn, the weather was favourable and the running conditions perfect. The soft September sun paired with a slight cooling breeze and a terrain which was largely dry underfoot. The 5-mile trail course, consisting of 2 laps of flat, steady paths, through woodland and around lakeside, was fast and ideal for quick finishing times. Notwithstanding the styles which could be hurdled at speed or for the less brave (including the author) stepped over at leisure. Runners were also helped by the impressive organisation of the host club Manchester YMCA Harriers, encouraging marshals and a supportive crowd gathered to watch.
At the start line the four assembled BVR runners were in a reflective mood, contemplating the past season: the highs, the lows, the near misses. These thoughts were all put aside however as the race got underway, focusing on maximum effort and one final push toward victory. First to finish was Vic Walsh in a time of 32.13. Next, in a breathtakingly exciting battle to the line was Damien Tolan in 37.56, very closely followed by Phoebe Willis in 38.00. The quartet was completed with BVR men’s cross country captain Patrick O’ Brien, majestically powering over the finishing line in a time of 39.53.
The race at an end, the results in, the season turned and the pages of history written. We now cast our thoughts to the next season: Halloween, bonfire night, Christmas. Running through the leaves, legs caked in cross country mud, shivering on start lines on cold, frosty mornings. The wind, the rain, the sleet and the snow. The pain and the glory. New races to run and new chapters to be written. VW
Congratulations to our Men’s and Women’s Champions for the Spring / Summer season – Vic Walsh and Ruth Amin – and to our Progress Award Winners – Nick Tynan and Yana Anderton. Full results to follow …
Thank you to Lisa and Leah for organising an excellent end-of-season awards curry and of course Lynda and Barry for all your hard work over the season. A fantastic turnout at the Kushoom Koly and lots of positive vibes for the coming Autumn / Winter season. First races will be Congleton Half Marathon (Sunday 2nd October) and Gin Pit 5 Miler (Sunday 9th October), followed by the first fixture of the Manchester Area XC League at Wythenshawe Park (Saturday 15th October). AT
The 2016-17 Autumn Winter Race Diary is now up on the website with links where found. Please flag up any errors, broken links, missing dates as and where you find them.
The cross-country season is almost upon us. If interested in either or both race series, see either of your captains, Annie or Patrick. With the Women’s senior and veteran teams now in the Manchester League second division while the Men’s senior and veteran teams languish in the third division, the pressure is on Captain Patrick and his gentleman racers to get their fast feet on this season. If unsure whether cross-country is for you, take a look at this short film recorded at the MACCL at Heaton Park in 2013, give it very little thought and then sign on the dotted line.
In the meantime, we still have the Stockport Hatters Half, the YMCA 5 Mile and the 12 Minute Test to complete the Spring-Summer season before we crown our men’s and women’s champions over curry and rice later in September. AT
Hats, gloves, skins and spikes at the ready. Manchester Area Cross Country League dates for your diary:
MATCH 1 : SATURDAY 15TH OCTOBER 2016 – Wythenshawe Park, Manchester – Host Club: Sale Harriers Manchester
MATCH 2 : SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER 2016 – Boggart Hole Clough, Manchester – Host Club: Salford Harriers & A.C.
MATCH 3 : SATURDAY 3RD DECEMBER 2016 – Heaton Park, Manchester – Host Club: Manchester Harriers & A.C.
MATCH 4 : SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY 2017 – University Playing Fields, Wythenshawe
MATCH 5 : SATURDAY 11TH FEBRUARY 2017 – Woodbank Park, Stockport – Host Club: Stockport Harriers & A.C.
A snip at £4 for the five races. Further details from the MACCL website. Please sign up with club captains. Details of South East Lancs Cross Country League to follow shortly.
Please note the earlier start time for the women’s races: 1.30pm. Men’s races to start at 2.30pm.
Sunday 3rd April 2016 – a beautiful Spring day for the Wilmslow Half Marathon. This is a fantastic one lap half marathon – widely populated, well marshalled and supported, and predominantly along quiet traffic free country lanes. 7 BVR men ran, with Meng Tang coming home 1 st again in sub 1 hour 30 minutes. He was swiftly followed by Ali Alsaadi and Damien Tolan, who is destined to have a great debut season with the club. The rest of the men did very well – Phil D’Netto with an injured foot, Patrick O’Brien, Tony Preston and Frank Rogers. Lisa Donnelly came home 1st for the ladies, soon followed by a PB-running Julia Foy, with Fiona Seymour in 3rd , and Ruth Amin shortly afterwards with a PB by a whisker. Running tans have been started off! RA
Good Friday 2016! What better way to earn some Easter egg calories than do the Salford 10k.
Despite being a 2 lap course, and not through the most scenic of areas, the Salford 10k always proves to be a very popular and fast road race. The BVR turnout was a tadge low, but cheery, and the weather was pretty much perfect. Among the men, Meng Tang came home 1st, in under 40 minutes, followed by Damien Tolan running his BVR debut, and marathon-training Colin Seymour in 3rd . Women’s 1st , 2nd and 3rd went to Anne Webster, Fiona Seymour and Ruth Amin, with Ruth collecting PB points on last years’ time. RA
Belle Vue Racers’ Club Champions for the 2015-16 Autumn / Winter season are Ali Alsaadi (347 points) and Annie Hirsch (413 points). Congratulations to Ali and Annie, two very deserving winners!
By a hair’s breadth, second in the men’s competition was Meng Tang (289 points) with Vic Walsh and Patrick O’Brien (285 points) sharing third spot. In the women’s competition, Fiona Seymour (356 points) took second while Julia Foy (343 points) took third place. Well done to these and all runners who completed the season.
Progress Award winners were Patrick O’Brien and Lisa Donnelly.
Here’s wishing all club members the best of luck for the coming Spring / Summer season, starting at Congleton’s Cloud 9 fell race on 6th March.
Despite the terribly wet weather that had visited the North in the weeks leading up to the event, Belle Vue Racers’ annual New Year Hit the Trail race welcomed a record number of runners in 2016 to enjoy the beautiful surrounds of Reddish Vale Country Park. With pre-entries and entries on the day hitting the perfect 400 mark, and 353 runners finishing the course (up 85 runners on 2015), Hit the Trail has become a firm favourite in the New Year race calendar, welcoming runners from far and wide. With fantastic support from many of our local clubs – the largest contingents coming from Goyt Valley Striders (17), Bramhall Runners (20) and Stockport Harriers (25) – we also welcomed runners from as far afield as Folkestone RC, Southampton’s Lordshill Runners, Gateshead AC, Sheffield’s Hallamshire Harriers and Serpentine Running Club.
First to cross the line was Stockport Harrier Jake Littlehales in 26:54, an astonishing time given the extremely wet conditions underfoot. Chris Jacksonof Glossopdale Harriers took second spot in 29:51 with Todmorden Harrier Paul Brannigan taking third place in 30:07. With solid performances across the team, it was James Rees, Paul Oakley, Lucas Jonesand Daniel Boydof Goyt Valley Striders who took home the Men’s Team Prize, the first four finishers counting.
First woman to finish was 2015’s winner Caitlin Rice of Glossopdale Harriers (31:13). Sale Harrier Zoe Gmerektook second place in 32:08 with Helen Whitby of Northern Vets AC taking third spot in a time of 33:14. With Kirsty Johnson taking fourth spot, following last year’s third, and Joanne Brack and Rachel Higginbottom finishing well, it was Glossopdale Harriers who took back the Women’s Team Prize back from last year’s victors Stockport Harriers.
Preparation is now underway for the second running of Belle Vue Racers’ Summer evening 5-mile trail race, The Mad Hatter, a different course to Hit the Trail but at the same spectacular venue. Online entry is now available at Bookitzone. We look forward to seeing you there on the 11th of May. AT
11 women and 12 men from Belle Vue ran at Stockport with some brilliant PBs. Alison Sedman (1:10:06) won her category while Annie Hirsch (1:20:41) took 3rd in hers. Notably, Alison, Phoebe Wallbank (1:11:15) and Vicky Smith (1:12:38) came 2nd team in the Northern Athletics 10 Mile Championship – well done to everyone who ran for the club but particular congratulations should go to Alison, Phoebe and Vicky. For a club the size of Belle Vue, this is a fantastic achievement, of which we are very proud.
Further information about the race and the women’s team’s success can be found here.
