Like most good ideas the Bedale & Aiskew Runners (BAR) Nordic Walking group was formed in the pub, after a club run, whilst musing on whether it was possible to do interval training at a walking pace. It transpired that we had a qualified Nordic walking instructor at the club, who had pairs of walking poles and was happy to give us a lesson or two.
Three seasons later we have a regular group which meets once a fortnight on a Monday during the summer months. So, when the opportunity to enter an event in Grasmere, Lake District, arose three members jumped at the chance. We have been training hard and our recent interval sessions have focused on the Nordic Walking technique, hill reps and mobilisation exercises.
The Grasmere Gallop and Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) Lite is a multi-event weekend, featuring a 5.7k, 10k, 17k and marathon trail runs, a 10k Nordic Walking race and the OMM Lite orienteering race. The day of the 10km Nordic Walking Race was a perfectly still, hot day – very unlike the Lake District – with the route being undulating and rocky in places. The beautiful weather and end of the school holidays meant we were dodging cyclists, walkers and day trippers, as well as other runners, along the route but we got lots of encouragement them.
The results for our first Nordic Walking event – Jess Randall 01:32:26 and first in her age category. Mary McDonald 02:11:28, Joanne Wigglesworth 02:11:30.
James Wigglesworth and Louise Baker also competed in the Grasmere Gallop 17k trail in times of 01:33:54 and 02:09:24
Joanne Wigglesworth
OMM Lite
The OMM Lite is an orienteering event for teams of two or individuals with a choice of two categories to enter, long or short. The long you have 7hrs on Saturday and 5hrs on Sunday to gain as many points as possible whilst the short you have 5hrs Saturday and 4hrs Sunday. You have no idea where the orienteering marks are until you cross the start line with the official map, then it’s down planning your route to gain as many points as possible in the time allocated.
BAR had two teams entered for the event – Karen Alford and Sergejs Markuls on the short, Helen and David Adams on the long. The hot weather made it tough going with many competitors taking it easy or finishing early. Karen and Sergejs completed both days with a respectable 280 points whilst Helen and David also completed both days with 240 points. The overall winning pair on the short event earned 740 points and 1100 for the long. How they managed that in the conditions is beyond believe!
Helen Adams