WELCOME!

Ludlow Runners is a friendly road / cross country / fell running club based in South Shropshire. Below you will find details of events which the club organises each year. On other pages you will find information about training runs and (after the AGM in March - see below) the Club Championship, which involves participation in local races during the year. The club also has a noticeboard at South Shropshire Leisure Centre in Ludlow, where you can pick up entry forms for many races.

New members and visiting runners are always welcome, so why not give us a try and come along to one of our training runs?

Click the link on the left to see our winter training schedule.

The club takes part in the Winter and Summer Herefordshire Cross Country leagues. These are team events and we are always looking for new runners to make up the teams.

We're also on Facebook - click here!

Mortimer Forest Hill Race, Sunday 11th December 2011

Over 300 brave souls took part in this year's race in the hills above Ludlow,, and luckily the heavy rain held off until near the end, but it was good and muddy as usual.

Click here for the results.

We do still have one mystery runner with no number, who finshed 124th in 1hr 37 mins:

Please let us know if you know who the man in blue is.

Race photos can be found at Brian Smith Photography and uksportpictures.com. Thanks to Brian and John Richards for those. Alastair Tye also has photos here, and Malvern Hash have some more here (thanks John).

Thanks to Moor Park School and the Forestry Commission for their help and support in organising the race.

Online entry was provided by UK Forms and John Schofield's Results Service.

PAST EVENTS:

Tenbury 10k, Sunday 7th August 2011

166 runners completed this year's 10k road race, brought to you as usual by Tenbury Round Table, and Ludlow Runners, with the assistance of Tenbury & District Swimming Pool. Online entry was provided by UK Results .

Click here for the results

and click here for photos of the race.

As usual, please drop us a line if you spot any errors or omissions.

Mortimer Forest Hill Race, Sunday 12th December 2010

Nearly 300 hardy souls turned out for this year's race, in very slippery conditions. Well done to all who took part. Here's a report from Lesley Pymm of Bournville Harriers:

"What a lovely day to be running in the forest.
This run starts at Moor Park School just south of Ludlow. After a brief run over the playing field we crossed a cattle grid and then up another field before crossing the road and heading off through woodland before dropping into the Mary Knoll valley.
We ran along the valley – I took care to keep my feet as dry as possible as I crossed the stream as it was not the weather to be getting my shoes wet too early in the proceedings. A lovely run alongside the stream and then a climb before dropping down to cross the stream again.
This drop can sometimes be very slippery and I have frequently done it on my backside, deciding that was the safest way down. Anyway this year it was not too bad at all and I managed to stay upright down to the bottom. Another careful stream crossing and then a jog along to the bottom of a very long and steep climb.
I understand that even the fast runners at the front do not run this bit – they walk very quickly. The small group I was with was not even doing that! Eventually we got to the top passing Mary Knoll. We then descended to cross the road before another steep descent to the pipe track. This took us down to a fairly easy (it’s all relative!) section through the forest to the first pump building.
Passing that, the famous ‘ups and downs’ come into sight – although not the top of them at this point. These are something to do with the movement of water. There are three steep little downhills with very steep uphills following them. The ground underfoot was not too bad this year and so we were able to go straight down and up – sometimes I need to zig-zag the hill.
There are glorious views if you just remember to look! About half way through the ups and downs you can see the second pump building which is reassuring but it is at the top of a very steep section! Anyway eventually this was all behind us, but there was still climbing to be done, but on road this time to cross Bringewood Rise and then drop down over a field before following a stony farm track which was very icy to get back to the road again.
A very welcome drink station is passed before climbing over High Vinnals – the bit that my selective memory had totally wiped out. It really is quite a climb after all the other climbs. At the top of it we go over Climbing Jack Common where one of the marshals always wears red and white – the first time I remember seeing her a few years ago I was really struggling and thought I was hallucinating and seeing Father Christmas.
Anyway, this year I felt fine and gave her a cheery ‘thank you’ as I went past. The next down hill which was incredibly slippery takes the route back into the Mary Knoll Valley and along the track by the stream. We then cross the stream again and onto the final climb before dropping back down to the finish.
Conditions underfoot really do make a difference. Some sections were so much faster than previous years, but then others were treacherous because it was so slippery so extra caution had to be taken. A great run. Well organised and very supportive marshals."

The results are here

This event was kindly supported by:

Moor Park School

The Forestry Commission

Tenbury 10k 2010, 11am Sunday 8th August

Nearly two hundred runners took part in the eighth Tenbury Wells 10k road race, brought to you as usual by Tenbury Round Table, and Ludlow Runners, with the assistance of Tenbury & District Swimming Pool. First male home was Luke Mason of Wye Valley Runners in 34.40, and first female was Helen Fines of Vegan Runners UK in 38.08. Well done to everyone who took part.

Click here for the race results.

Online entry was provided by John Schofield's Race Results Service.

PAST EVENTS:

Mortimer Forest Hill Race, Sunday 13th December 2009

A record field of over 350 runners braved the frost and mud to compete in this tough 10 mile off-road race through Mortimer Forest. Runners came from far and wide, with our most travelled entrant being from the Maldives! Allow Dave Norman (Dudley Kingswinford RC) to take up the story..........

There is nothing better than travelling towards Ludlow, over the hills, and past the picture book villages with their elaborate chimneys. Past the grazing sheep with the Welsh side of Shropshire laid out before you like a picnic blanket. As the mist rises, the ice thaws and the hills overlooking the Welsh borders get closer, the temperature rises and with the watery winter sun in your faces talk turns to whether to wear the long sleeves under the vest or not. To Helly or not to Helly that is the question. With a car full of anticipation and expectancy we tick the miles off because this is Mortimer, this is a classic, this is one of the favourites and after this one it’s virtually Christmas.

The morning was bright and clear, perfect conditions for a race of 10 miles and 1700 feet of ascent, the views would be fantastic if only we could raise our eyes from the path in front, away from our tortured thighs and appreciate it. With a word of warning from the organisers prior to the start about the state of the course, “it’s muddy, if you’re wearing flats you will go over”, it was a quick shout and we were off. Not the traditional whistle or air horn or even “go” but an order of “START”, possibly more in keeping with our public school surroundings.

Runners jostled for position before the path narrowed, the elbows came out and there was some ducking and diving along the fringes of the path to get past bottlenecks before the sharp descent, through woods, across a stream to the foot of the first proper climb. A steep, minutes long muddy path towards the sky. Reduced to walking with your hands on your lactic filled thighs this was the first proper test and there would be more to come. The course flattened with many slipping and sliding on the ankle deep mud, it was a case here of staying upright, many didn’t, there were numerous spills even on the flat as the mud slid away beneath you. With more ups and downs, more mud, the course wound itself towards what was referred to pre-race as “the land of the pipes” or “tellytubby land”. Three frightening drops and corresponding climbs before reaching a gravel path that twisted, turned and climbed again. The field climbed what was mercifully the last serious slope before reaching the wind blown tundra that seemed like the roof of the world and then it was all downhill. 1700 feet of climbing is a lot of up, if what goes up must come down there would be a lot of down too. And true enough the path dropped away as the tress whipped past, the mud and pine needles beneath your feet proving to be an unstable and treacherous carpet. More downhill then a mad dash along a path so flooded it was like running along a river bed. A final uphill and a charge through the forest to the finish in the tress. With only the walk back to the changing rooms at the school, a dungeon lined with pegs and the names of the children taught there – Cosmo, Sebastian, Orlando -  that was Mortimer over for another twelve months.

Click here for the race results.

Click here for race photos taken by Alastair Tye, and click here for more race photos taken by John Richards.

The race was organised with the assistance of Moor Park School and the Forestry Commission.

Bent-Clees Challenge 2009

Over forty runners and walkers turned up for this year's Challenge, which was a great success and which raised over £500 for the Help for Heroes charity.

Click here for the race report and results.

Click here for race photos

Tenbury 10k 2009

Over 200 runners turned out for this year's race on Sunday, 2nd August, and for once the weather was dry and fairly cool. The first runners home were the same as last year - Tom Kenderdine (Halesowen AC) in 34.52 and Kim Fawke (Telford AC) in 36.10. Congratulations to them and to all the category prize winners.

The race was organised by Ludlow Runners and Tenbury Round Table, with the assistance of Tenbury & District Swimming Pool.

Click here for the race results.

Click here for race photos

Click here for more photos (thanks to Brian Smith at www.dk10k.co.uk)

Mortimer Forest Hill Race 2008

Over 300 hardy souls braved the cold and the mud to compete in this year's race. As usual, our timekeepers' fingers got very cold and there are almost certainly one or two errors in the results. In particular, the last few runners had no time recorded, so they have all been given the same times.

Click here for the results.

Click here for some race photos (with thanks to Paul Foot)

..and more photos in Mick Ward's photo blog (thanks Mick) - this is a 4MB pdf file.

The race was organised with the assistance of Moor Park School and the Forestry Commission.

Herefordshire Winter Cross-Country League

Results are below - see the news pages for race reports.

Race 1 - Holme Lacy

Race 2 - High Vinnals

Race 3 - Croft Castle

Race 4 - Monkhall Farm

Race 5 - Presteigne

Final team positions

Final Category Positions

Award Winners

South Shropshire Sprint Triathlon

This year's event was held on Sunday 28th September. South Shropshire District Council, Ludlow Cycling Club and Ludlow Runners organise this event. The results are here.

Bent - Clees Challenge 2008

The second Bent-Clees Challenge on Sunday 17th August had good weather, but not as many entries as we had hoped. Thanks are due to Malcolm Young and the Stanton Lacy Village Hall crew for organising the event. The results are here, and there are more photos here.

Tenbury 10k 2008

This year's Tenbury 10k attracted a field of over 200 runners on a cooler day than in recent years. The first man over the line was Tom Kenderdine of Halesowen A/C in 35.01, and the first woman was Kim Fawke of Telford A/C in 36.25. Congratulations to all who took part, and many thanks to the volunteers from Tenbury Round Table and Ludlow Runners. Click here for the race results. The photos below show the first male and female runners, Tom Kenderdine and Kim Fawke, being presented with their trophies by the Mayor of Tenbury Wells, Bob Martin.

Click here for more photos

Club Championship 2008-9

See the Races page for details of upcoming club races.