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06
Jun 2024
Can Knaresborough Striders beat GH Brooks to win bed race for first time?
The day that so many people have longed for is nearly upon us, and after four straight victories for the incumbents, there are many in Knaresborough who feel it’s time for a change.
Not (necessarily) in the general election – but in the 57th Great Knaresborough Bed Race.
That’s because the last four men’s races have been won by the team sponsored by Harrogate-based builders’ merchant GH Brooks. In fact, last year they went one better when their second team took third place.
Hard going up Castle Ings. Photograph: Charlotte Gale Photography
What’s more, the margins of the team’s victories have not even been particularly tight. Last year’s result was the closest for some years, when GH Brooks won by 'only’ 18 seconds – considerably less than the 57-second margin of their 2019 win. By contrast, Planet Steel won the 2015 race by just 0.3 seconds.
Three of the six biggest winning victories over the last 20 years have been claimed by GH Brooks.
So what is it that makes them so good? Chris Miller reckons it’s down to training and attitude. And he should know – he's won the race an unmatched 12 times, making him the bed race’s most successful competitor by some margin. He was part of the fabled 2022 team that was the first ever to run the 2.4-mile course in less than 13 minutes (12:59:3).
He told the Stray Ferret:
We're all runners – we all run for various different clubs – and that does help. But a lot of it comes down to pure strength and guts on the day. Any team is only as fast as its slowest runner, so getting a good mix of strong runners is important. And then it's also about just getting it right on the day.
One team aiming to give GH Brooks a run for their money is Knaresborough Striders. Despite being the ‘home team’, the Striders have never won the race. They came third in 2018, then second, then third again, but last year their race finished early when their bed malfunctioned.
Tragedy struck last year for the Knaresborough Striders team, when a malfunctioning wheel scuppered their chances of victory.
James Ireland has run the race eight times and was part of that team. He said:
Last year was tough. We had our strongest team to date, and for the wheels to fall off – literally – was really hard to take.
But he’s cautiously confident that the favourites won’t have it all their own way this year. He said:
We know GH Brooks are going to be very strong, but we've got our strongest team yet. Our job is to chase them down. We're getting close.
One thing's for sure: when we cross that finishing line, we'll know we've given it absolutely everything.
James Ireland (front) and the Knaresborough Striders team at the Knaresborough bed race 2023.
For James, the bed race is a family affair. His wife, Terri is running it for Mums of Goldsborough School and his eldest daughter, 10-year-old Amber, is Knaresborough Striders’ passenger. He said:
She's been coming out with us and doing all the training. It really adds to the whole thing for me as a dad.
In fact, the bed race runs right through some Knaresborough families. Claire Walker set up the Ripon Runners women's team, which has run 10 of the last 11 women’s races. She said:
From being little I used to watch the race, and when I was old enough I rode on my uncle's bed. That's Paul Thackwray, and he still holds the world record time for the old course.
But then I got too big to go on the bed, so I started to run it instead. The first time I did it was for Nippers nursery, and since then I've been doing it with the running club. Now, my girls want to have a go. My eldest is eight, so they’re still a little young, but one day...
The bed race runs in Chris Miller’s blood too. His dad ran it before him, and Matt Thackwray, son of Claire's Uncle Paul, has joined the GH Brooks team this year.
All the serious contenders have been practising for months now, but the race will still take it out of even the fittest runners. Chris said:
It's unlike any other race any of us do, in terms of pain.
For Claire, it’s the terrain that presents the biggest challenge. She said:
The hills are the hardest bits, but the adrenaline and the crowd get you round. But even though it’s gruelling, I can never wait for the next one. It's a bit like Marmite: you either love it or you hate it. We love it.
James added:
It tests everything. It tests you up the hills, it tests you in the sprint, and it even tests your swimming ability. It definitely helps, having stronger swimmers on the team.
Bed race competitors crossing the River Nidd. Pic: Richard O'Brien
But he says it’s the weather that poses the great threat – last year’s heat claimed several casualties, including a spectator who keeled over on the parade route. Fortunately, the forecast for this weekend is looking kinder, with cooler temperatures, no rain and sunny intervals.
So, after training, fitness and the weather are all accounted for, just what is the secret to running a fast race? Chris says it comes down to race strategy. He said:
Castle Ings hill is key – hit it hard and then just smash it down the High Street. You've got to do that to break the opposition, because a lot of it is mental.
When you go past Henshaws, you're going at a hell of a speed, and then you just hit this wall of sound. It's incredible.
Chris Miller (right) and GH Brooks teammates celebrated another victory last year.
James added:
There's no buzz like the one you get when all the crowds are cheering you on.
It's a great day for the town. I sometimes try to describe what it is and what it's like to people who have never seen it, but it's not easy, because there's just nothing like it. We're very lucky to have it.
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