After several years off the circuit, Nick Kenchington was back in the game at The Stickler
It takes a courageous runner to dare to take on the 10.1 mile multi-terrain event they call The Stickler. With 1500ft of gruelling climbing on the menu it isn’t one for the faint hearted and the route includes ascents up Okeford Beacon, Hod Hill and Hambledon Hill, otherwise known as the Dorest three peaks.
None of the clubs younger runs seemed to want a piece of The Stickler so it was down to two of the seasoned vets to fly the flag on this occasion. After picking up the 1st M60 prize at the Loch Ness Marathon in a time of 3:14:39, Nick Kenchington had announced himself back on the scene in style. Now he had a more local race so show that he could still grapple with a tough, hilly profile and make his mark.
Geoff Newton was doing The Stickler for the second year running
Geoff Newton was the only current Bournemouth AC representative at last year’s edition of The Stickler and he was back again for a second helping. He completed the course in just under 1 hour 44 minutes last year and was second M70 behind Nick Brooke of Dorset Doddlers.
On the weekend before The Stickler, Geoff had ran the Mendip Muddle which was a 20km fell race with 420 metres of elevation. The route is said to be an interesting one, featuring Roman lead mines, underground rivers, a nature reserve, an ancient rabbit warren, an Iron Age fort and prehistoric tumuli.
Unfortunately the conditions were atrocious this year though and it became a real survival exercise this year. Geoff finished in 2 hours 27 minutes and 2nd in the V70+ category.
Conditions at The Stickler, on the other hand, were actually better than last year. There was no fording of the rivers this time as last year the Stour had overflowed and the runners had to wade through deep water, less than a kilometre from the finish.
Nick heads down the platform toward the finish
Finishing in 45th place out of 510 runners, Nick Kenchington was first in the V60 category. Although he feels that the hills seem to get tougher as he gets older, it was a third win of the season for Nick in the over 60’s category.
Geoff was the second best M70 out there on the day
Completing the course in 1:44:45, Geoff came 245th overall and had to be content with second place in the V70 category, once again beaten by his old nemesis Nick Brooke. Nick got round in 1:38:50 which put him in 187th place overall.
Although he improved on his winning time from last year by over three minutes, Christopher Peck of Egdon Heath Harriers had to settle for second place on this occasion. Charles Pitt Ford was focused enough to seal the win in 1:06:01, which put him 43 seconds ahead of Chris.
They were quite a way ahead of anyone else, with Matthew Harris of Oxford University taking third place in 1:08:32 and Jake Stephens of Chippenham Harriers securing fourth place in 1:08:59.
Angus Young finished fifth in 1:10:08 and last year’s runner up, Christopher Wright, of Dorset Doddlers, took sixth place in 1:11:07. Anna Philps of Purbeck Runners was first female and 29th overall in 1:19:16 with Emma Hines of Swindon Harriers coming in as second lady in 1:19:59. She was 30th overall. Ali Young was third female in 1:21:04 which put her 34th overall.
Graeme Miller (left) and his dog Chester were the fastest of the Canicross persuasion
Former Bournemouth AC man Graeme Miller was first canicross runner with his dog Chester. The canicross runners started way after all the other runners but Graeme worked his way up into 24th place with a gun time of 1:18:20. His chip time was 1:14:40 which would have put him 17th overall.
It was an improvement of 1 minute 40 seconds over their time from last year for Graeme and Chester so that was a pleasing result. Robert Henderson was the second canicross runner over the line and he finished just after Nick Kenchington. His chip time of 1:18:51 would have put him a lot higher up though.
It’s always great to see the traditional Dorset trail races still thriving in the modern world and The Stickler is one of a few iconic events the county has. It’s certainly renowned for being on the tougher end of the scale as well.
Equally it was good to see two of Bournemouth AC’s most experienced campaigners prepared to throw themselves into the mix in a race of this sort. That should serve as an example to younger runners out there that, with the right approach, courses like this are doable and can be a lot of fun.