Tickhill Gala Run
IT was all the fun of the fair for a weekend of running in northern England.
Dave King's running odyssey took in races in Doncaster and Lincolnshire, both organised as part of summer fair's.
Fortunately the weather held for the Tickhill Gala Run in the village of Tickhill, just outside of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. The area has been badly hit by the recent floods, and though life has got back to normal in Tickhill, there was still evidence of the floods as streets were littered with sandbags and you could detect watermarks by the side of some homes.
A field of just over 50 runners took part in the Tickhill Gala Run on the Saturday, which was held just after the fancy dress parade and just before an exhibition of ageing cowboys from the Doncaster Gunslingers. The race was a 3.6-mile run from the village recreation ground, along pathways and roads skirting Tickhill. In hot conditons for the 3pm start, he finished 14th in a time of 25min 14sec.
The following day, Dave headed for the village of Spilsby in Lincolnshire for the Spilsby Show 6. The show is a big event on the cultural calendar with a host of attractions and a main parade ring. The race itself is a six-miler, and pretty hilly too run across bridleways, muddy paths and road.
Dave ran with his son Ross in the sports stroller which became tricky along some of the rutted bridleways, but he managed to come home in a time of 48min 58sec for midfield.