Darkstar Photos

MAACL have announced the 2021-22 season is in planning and will go ahead.
Here are some photos of the last season to go ahead; i.e. 2019-20.
Hope you enjoy my collage.This is a low res version.
Meanwhile if anyone wants a bespoke shoot get in touch.Could meet at your favourite running spot - socially distancing of course.I shoot dogs too.Not literally but action shots or portraits.

Tomorrow is Blue Monday apparently the day when more people are depressed than any other time.No better time then to get out for some exercise.
Knowing how music can create or alter a mood I texted some people to get them to join with me in selecting some tracks that lift your spirits.It may be that it reminds you of a good time like this Eddie Grant song - Electric Avenue or Amarillo with the Peter Kay video which wasn't my favourite song until my son's team won a huge replica of the European Cup at a Bank holiday weekend tournament and it was played alot at the presentation evening.
Light my Fire by the Doors was a Summer song so it evokes memories of hearing it outside on a sunny day.
Other people have suggested these
Kenny Loggins - Footloose
just cant get enough - Depeche Mode - Celtic fan
Down Under - men at work
Chelsea Dagger - the Fratellis

Ode to joy - Beethoven
in the summertime - Shaggy
Jamming - Bob Marley
So what's your good mood music ?
Lets hear from you.Share them , play them and kick out the blues.

Seniors at MACCLa decade ago.Who are they?where are they now?

I intended to post the first two photos with the first post in this series but better late than never.
Not the news that everyone wanted about further tier 3 restrictions.Some people in particular will need the friendship groups at training whilst other strong minded individuals can train on their own.Some of the ideas don't make sense. The government are in an unenviable position but thought this year their logic has been flawed.
Sportspeople and runners in particular are in a position where they can use their discipline to get themselves through this frustrating time.Good runners and those who have been at it for a long time will have developed the ability to be adaptable.If you allow negativity in at the first signs of inclement weather you will rarely achieve your full potential.The runners in this set of pictures displayed those characteristics.The day was cold and the ground underfoot was rock hard but with slippy patches.Those who ran well that day adapted to the difficult conditions's cross country runners always have to do.On consecutive years a course can be rendered very different according to the conditions.Earlier in the week most will have been expecting a mud bath.Hats off to all those top end finishers.
As previously how many do you recognise?

I've added some answers from last weeks post.Thanks for looking and having a go.Still in nostalgia mode.Can you remember any of these fine runners.Where was this?Who are they? Seniors to follow in next post later bin the week.

"For the loser now will later the win, for the times they are a changin'." - Bob Dylan.
So have a look at some of these photos from January 2010 and you may recognise some of these runners from the Northern Championships at Blackburn in the fog.
There is a current World Champion triathlete, a Yorkshire girl who is a track star who has had a tough time with the selectors', a European Cross Country champion/diamond league competitor (hard this one as she's out of focus) a young man who is a sponsored athlete who has just achieved an Olympic qualification time .Numerous people who have done well then hit by injury or illness or both and those who have had a rise in fortune.
Can you name any? Be the first to reply with race number and name.
I will provide answers in a future post with more nostalgia.

Earlier this year I lost the ability to post on my page but hopefully now I am back.
At first the strange world of lockdown had some attraction in that noise from the human world was reduced and certainly where I live nature returned ;we noticed far more birds and the sky seemed clearer.My garden got more attention and there were plenty of visits from Bees and Butterflies.A particular type of wild Bee frequently hovered in our garden as if observing us.Then the more common bees visited in abundance.Some of my flowers this year have never been better.
In common with many people I have missed going to live sporting events.I noted with sadness the death of George Gandy who for decades has been inspirational to middle distance runners and Loughborough students in particular.I met a retired teacher who had given of his time generously and continued to do so until his recent lucky escape from a stroke.Then a phone call to a coach friend of mine revealed he too had suffered a heart attack which was fortunately only mild from which he is now recuperating.
It throws into sharp focus many things we take for granted in our often busy lives.Without our health, family and friends life would be quite empty.Treasure them.
Although we face a tough winter if we can get to the other side with all in tact we can look to rebuild the world in which we live; hopefully for the better.During this lockdown some people have shown 'their true colours' .Some so called world leaders have been a disgrace but amongst our communities have been some unselfish better examples of humanity.I am thankful two of those survived.

Some years ago William James writing in the Guardian said 'modern day man needs a moral alternative to war'
I guess looking back through rose tinted spectacles he thought that it was a time people put aside differences and made sacrifices to work for the common good.I think he had a point as sometimes in the last generation rampant selfishness and greed had led people to behave badly towards each other.
So can some good come of the latest Biblical pestilence; a Plague of Locusts sent to teach us a lesson?
It's no doubt that in the last few years the emergence of intolerance and polarisation of Political stances have stepped back to the Thirties and opposites have tore into each others especially online.
Today rays of hope came in the unexpected (for some) form of millionaire Footballers Ronaldo and Messi showing compassion.Ronaldo has engineered the use of hotels to be used as hospitals'll paid for by him.For those who didn't realise the arrogant persona hides a caring individual who a few years ago built a whole hospital wing in his birthplace Madeira and also bought a million pound scanner.The mass media channels didn't choose this sort of story as their leads because conflict gets people going more.He has according to reports in Spanish newspaper 'Marca' paid for the conversion of hotels into hospitals and all the staff needed.This is in line with previous acts of generosity such as donating 5 million to the nepalese earthquake of 2015 and many more charity donations.
Messi has been seen in a video extolling the virtues of spending precious time with loved ones, especially family with whom the modern day world does not encourage that often.
Although Sport, which is a multi billion dollar industry, has been decimated, many of it's stars have seen the 'bigger picture' and declared that health is paramount.Beyond a comfortable wage why are all those trappings of material wealth important ?
Today in Spain and Italy their populations gave a round of applause to their health service.This confirms what should but has not been apparent to many 'that Doctors and all who heal through the Health service should be rewarded for their talents more than entertainers.What price your health ? We now see why the running down of the NHS over the last decade should not have been so harsh.
Perhaps in the coming days and months we might re evaluate what is important and what is of greatest value. Then, just maybe it would be worth getting through this virus that we are currently at war with.We will get through it, eventually.
Sport doesn't matter....but it does because it takes us away from the things in ordinary life worry us or bore us or sadden us.The highs and lows give us an exciting version of life.It gives us routine.Monday and Wednesday are training with a weekend event.MOTD inspires or disappoints.Like the Joni Mitchell song 'you don't know what you've got till its gone.'That was about the environment but could equally apply to the void of World Sport cancelled.
I wish all you and your families the strength to overcome this sad episode but keep it in perspective along with resolve and patience.This is an unprecedented and serious chapter in our history but not as great as some of our ancestors have lived through in the past.

Per i pochi italiani che conosco e tutti i loro connazionali. Siamo di una specie. Tutti noi affrontiamo questo virus insieme. Possano i vostri cari essere risparmiati e il vostro paese presto tornerà a produrre tutte le cose meravigliose sull'Italia. Forza Italia. I migliori auguri da Manchester. Avanti per favore.trasmetterla.

GREATER MANCHESTER SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY
With at least one good running club in every Borough for Schools to send their pupils to for extra work or to become part of the rich fabric of Athletics in the North West,the young cross country runners on show have something to aspire to.The ESAA National Cross Country Championships is a prestigious event which approaches it's centenary and if you've ever been as an athlete or spectator you will know what a memorable event it is.It does really showcase sporting excellence.
Selection is from County races with teams of eight usually the first home at the Regional events.All runners in the County event represent their Borough, which should be something to be proud of which I feel sure parents will have acted accordingly.
The event today relies heavily on teachers and ex teachers to give of their time generously to enable competition at this level to occur.Some Borough teams are managed by coaches from Athletics clubs.It was encouraging to see young P.E.Staff present in greater numbers than there has been in the last decade.For non-teachers the amount of paperwork often demanded in a different format each year,is debilitating and time consuming.once young teachers energy was mostly taken by contact with children and doing what they do best-inspiring and teaching pupils.Extra Curricuar activities have fallen below paperwork in the pecking order of importance due to OFSTED which is essentially accountancy based and sometime does not benefit the pupils.OFSTED would not be bothered if this event did not happen.It is driven by School Games Organiser Paul Schofield, Neil Canham and Sue Exon.Some Boroughs benefit from Athletics club coaches working hard to promote cross country.They are all Trojans and are significant in keeping standards up at these events.We are all indebted to them.What happens on the day is just the part of the iceberg above the water that we can see but the preparation is much greater.Without these people the event would be the poorer.
The young runners on the day faced a challenging course which had a hefty amount of rain poured on it yesterday then as if it wasn't hard enough the wind increased around midday to become energy sapping.The Oldham Athletic game just down the road kicked off half an hour late due to high winds damaging an advertising hoarding.Most runners finished the course.Most will sleep well tonight.
Here is a taste of the day and I may add some more pictures later.No bias this was the first memory card I picked up.
See more photos on www.darkstarphotos.com

Northern Cross Country Championships
January is such a difficult month for endurance runners and not just because of the weather.It begins usually with County Championships although GM have moved to December,Cheshire and Lancashire have retained the first week of January.This is closely followed by the fourth local Cross Country Leagues and if you like to get Indoors the Northern Indoors at Sheffield.The Northerns are a major Championships which have been won by athletes who have gone on to win the Nationals.There is also a fierce rivalry between some big clubs with North West clubs Sale,Stockport,Salford all capable of challenging Leeds or Morpeth.It usually depends who can get their best runners out and then the conditions.In the last decade Blackburn gave us thick fog and two big hills,Knowsley gave us snow, followed by hail driven by strong winds.It was a pleasant surprise when once over the M52 the weather perked up and we had a pleasant mild day with comfortable viewing.Near to the Start/Finish area there were dry conditions apart from near gates then further on there was a gluepot of mud capable of eating shoes and sapping strength from your legs.
Cross Country is a very English activity.Not for us running on golf courses and mostly flat; we crave hills and mud just to make it challenging.It is sometimes akin to Masochism and fittingly was popular in Public Schools.Even Big Sam when managing Bolton sang its praise bemoaning the fact that it isn't done as much in Schools any more.Probably not where the land has all been built on.It's about not giving in; an old fashioned spirit which served us well seventy five years ago, but still has it's merits today.
Many track coaches in preparing their middle distance runners insist their athletes do one or two Cross Country races to 'have a good winter'.Unless you are Mike Rimmer, who avoided them like the plague.
The modern upsurge in Triathlon recognises the benefits of Cross Country.Winner of the Mens race was Callum Johnson, a Triathlete from the North East.Local girl Georgia Taylor Brown, who was third in the World Tri series last year came second to jess Judd in the Senior Women's race.
Sale had a momentous meet winning Eight Team Medals from ten races including Gold in Mens Senior and Silver in the Senior Women,with Gold in U13 Boys.Dave Rogers has led the Sale Mens team to victory for four consecutive years now.The very good U17 Girls group from Salford took Gold in their age group whilst the Senior Men took Silver.Vale Royal had a dominant display in the Under15 Girls race getting all four of their team in under 21 places.They also won the U17 Mens team.Stockport Girls,led by Freya Murdoch,won the U13 Girls team medals.Wirral had success in the U15 Boys and runner up in the U13B.
Middleton based Mountain runner Joe Steward (ECH) came a close second in the Senior Mens race and is coached by Harry Kelly who led Paul Roden to success in 1988.
A good day for the North West clubs.