Sheffield Half Marathon: A Backgrounder and Runners Stories

The Sheffield Half Marathon is a yearly marathon that takes place with many competitors. It was originally introduced in 1982 when the starting line was in Hillsborough near the Sheffield Wednesday Football Stadium and it finished in Hillsborough Park. In 1991, the starting venue was changed to Don Valley Stadium and since its closure; the start has been Don Valley Bowl

The race seems to be growing more and more popular with entrants totalling 5500 plus in the last few years. The race even reached its limit number of entrants in 2011.

Image credited to The Yorkshire Post

Helen Davies was one of the 5526 runners due to run the Marathon this year. Her reasoning for running it started last year when she wanted to enter but didn’t. Also, part of the course runs at the bottom of her road where she lives on Sharrow Vale Road. Seeing and cheering on other entrants made her want to run it even more. However her main reason was to raise money for charity. Her mother has Alzheimer’s and she said, “Having experienced it first hand, it’s great to give money to a charity close to my heart.” Knowing where the money is going has in some ways motivated her to run the marathon even more.

Many people run the Half Marathon for charity and certain charities like Breast Cancer Care have members of staff that run the marathon to raise money for their charity. Tom Teeling Smyth an Executive Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Care Sheffield and a half marathon participant said, “We really appreciate anyone that runs the race because the more people that run the race the better for everyone.”

Training was obviously a big part of preparation for both of them and training for something so big is never easy. In Helen’s case perhaps she could have trained a bit more she explained but she was definitely looking forward it.

Having run the London Marathon, she wasn’t all that new to the idea of distance running. However that experience did help her prepare for this one. She said, “Long distance is also about your mental strength.” You can run and train but running the first mile and not giving up after that is the difficult part. Training your mind to want to run that far is also part of the preparation. Although it is hard it’s something you look forward to.

This year the Half Marathon was held on 6^th April but cancelled due to a lack of water. However many of the participants did still run the marathon. Helen was unfortunately not one of them as she had bronchitis and had to pull out. She is looking to run the Leeds or Chester Half Marathon.

Image credited to The Telegraph

John McBride, another participant did take part in it as a replacement for his daughter. John is fairly used to marathons having run the Great North Run and Blaydon Race. In preparation for the Sheffield half he trained a bit harder over the past year.

At the start of the race he didn’t realise anything was wrong, a steward had called out there would be a 30 minute delay but nothing else seemed wrong. After 50 minutes or so there was speculation amongst the crowd that the marathon had been cancelled but people had already started to run so John started as well. He only noticed something was wrong at the first water point. He said, “…Someone had gone into Costa and got a tray full of cups of water, that I thought the cancellation might be true. This was the start of a great community event, with the people of Sheffield doing what the organisers couldn’t.”

Whether it was the fault of the Marathon organisers for not paying the water suppliers or not ordering enough or the fault of the suppliers for not providing it in time has not fully been said yet.

“Although I ran the race, it was an utter shambles. It was only the actions of the citizens of Sheffield that made the race have such a great atmosphere,” said John.

Organisers have not offered to refund the sponsors for those who did not get to run however had instead offered to give discount entry to the Chesterfield or Derby Half Marathon.

An investigation is ongoing into the reason why it was cancelled.

Sharrow Student Prepares For Marathon Challenge

A Sheffield Hallam student is preparing to run six marathons in six continents next year.

Hamza Imad, 22, who lives down Sharrow Vale Road decided to take on the challenge after completing this year’s London Marathon in 3 hours and 24 minutes.

The mammoth task consists of him running six accredited marathons throughout the calendar year with the first challenge being the Egyptian Marathon next January.

He will then fly to Tokyo in February before making a considerably smaller journey down to London in April.

Throughout June and July he will travel to Perth and Rio de Janeiro respectively to compete in their races before finishing off in Chicago for their annual race in October.

“After completing this year’s marathon in London I was over the moon with my time and wanted to better myself. I originally thought about running an ultra-marathon (the length of two marathons) until a friend suggested this challenge.”

“After doing my research into numerous marathons around the world I decided that this was what I wanted to do. I’m going to see some amazing parts of the world whilst doing something that I love.”

Imad is currently studying for a masters in ‘Sports business and management” at SHU and claims that the juggling the student life and his training is more difficult than he originally imagined

“The hardest thing to maintain is my discipline; it would be too easy to give in and just go the pub every time my housemates do. I just have to stay strong and put my training first.”

“I’m up at 5o’clock most mornings so I can get an early run in. It is hard to get myself out of bed sometimes but then I just think about why I’m doing this and how it’ll be worth it in the end.”

The 2014 Tour de France is coming to Sheffield

The 101^st Tour de France is coming to Yorkshire for the first time in the race’s history.

The Yorkshire ‘Y’ at the 2013 tour. Image credited to Welcome to Yorkshire

The race kicks off in Leeds on July 5^th with The Grand Départ. Stage One sees the riders tackle the terrain of the Yorkshire Dales, passing through towns and villages such as Skipton, Kettlewell and Ripon before they cross the finishing line in Harrogate.

Stage Two takes place on the next day, Sunday 6^th July. Riders take to the saddle in York before passing through West Yorkshire and into the Peak District via Knaresborough, Huddersfield and Holme Firth before reaching the finishing line over 124 miles later on Attercliffe Common in Sheffield.

After Yorkshire, the race heads through London before returning home to France.

The Tour sees riders compete in teams over 21 stages and the leader throughout the competition is awarded a yellow jersey. Each team works together in order to help one of their riders be crowned the race winner.

The previous two Tour de France’s have been won by British riders. The 2012 race was won by Sir Bradley Wiggins; before he went on to win Olympic gold in London later that year. The 2013 race was won by Chris Froome. Both British riders won the event as part of Team Sky.

Sheffield is famous for its sport and has even been dubbed ‘The City of Sport’. The Tour joins the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible, the English Institute of Sport and the Sheffield Half Marathon to help maintain the city’s title.

The people of Sheffield have been getting involved while the city gears up for the event. Sheffrec Cycling Club celebrated the news that the Tour was coming to Sheffield by cycling both of the Yorkshire stages as their yearly charity fundraiser. The club have risen over £800 so far for The Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, and donations are still welcome here.

Image credited to Welcome to Yorkshire

Sheffield Hallam University is an official supporter of the 2014 Tour de France. They are arranging a number of events in the build up to the Grand Départ which include a virtual cycle race and lectures from famous sportspeople.

James Partridge is looking forward to the event. Despite not being part of a team, James is a keen cyclist. He called Sheffield an excellent base for cycling: “It’s great that the tour is coming to Sheffield as the city has a great number of cycling enthusiasts, groups and businesses.”

Earlier this year, Sheffield made the headlines when the Half Marathon was cancelled with thousands of runners waiting on the start line. James said the issue with the Half Marathon showed great community spirit but sees no such problems with the Tour. “The scale of organisation for the Tour will be huge and wouldn’t expect any issues like that so it will only enhance Sheffield’s existing strong reputation for sport.”

James said he hopes the event will be a boost to local companies and will encourage others to get on their bikes. “It might just inspire kids to get on their bikes to be the next Bradley Wiggins or Steve Peat.”

Chris Froome – 2013 Tour de France. Image credited to skysports.com

He said he plans to watch the Tour come into Sheffield and said he has found a perfect spot to watch the challenges. He said he is “keeping it [the location] to himself for now”. He has tipped Chris Froome for the Tour de France title.

James is taking part in the Peaks Mountain Bike Challenge in September to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The challenge covers 39 miles and riders will climb 2515m, which is Mount Snowden and Ben Nevis combined. You can donate to the Peaks Mountain Bike Challenge here.

You can keep up to date with the events leading up to and during the 2014 Tour de France on the Grand Départ official website and Sheffield Hallam University’s Tour website.

How are you planning to welcome the Tour to Sheffield? What plans do you have? Let us know below or tweet us @sharrowmail.

Sharrow Vale Market huge hit

Last months Sharrow Vale Market was a huge success and the next one is set to be even bigger.

Sharrow Vale market stalls

Over 2000 people came down to take a look at what was on offer at the market on Sharrow Vale Road, which took place on the 14th April. It was host to a number of food stalls, vintage sales and much, much more, giving the local Sharrow community a taste of what businesses operate in their local area.

There was unique handmade jewellery and clothes items to buy, items for the garden and the house, including beautifully carved wooden furniture. There was a range of exotic foods available which were hit with all generations.

This local event does not only include shopping and food stalls though, a variety of entertainment and live music is also held. There was a Greek dancing show which was huge success and a real crowd pleaser.

The hope for the market is to bring the community together says Publicity Coordinator for the market, Shelley Cockayne, “we want to make this a more enjoyable place to live, we want an area everyone can be proud of, Sharrow Vale is a great place and we want to show the rest of Sheffield that.”

The next market which is taking place on July 20th is set to be full of summer fun, with a host of cuisines from around the world. The market receives a great response from the community, and the numbers grow every time.

For your taste of what the Sharrow Vale community has to offer get down to the market in July, it’s set to be a great one.

The Sherlocks: Sheffield’s next big thing

Local band, The Sherlocks, continue to conquer South Yorkshire’s music scene and have now announced a European tour for summer this year.

Two sets of brothers: Brandon and Kiaran Crook and Josh and Andy Davidson

The indie rock band who formed in August 2010, consists of two sets of brothers from Bolton-On-Dearne. One New Year’s Eve, Brandon (drums) and Kiaran Crook (vocals/rhythm guitar) were playing to family in their front room when they overheard Josh Davidson (lead guitar) playing next door.

After this the three lads started playing together, and were then joined by Josh’s brother Andy, who would play bass guitar. The Sherlocks were formed.

With the announcement of their European tour, the four Yorkshire lads find it hard to believe how far they’ve come Brandon says it’s unbelievable to think back over what they’ve achieved these past four years, “up until around 2012 we were still nobodies, but over these past two years things have just gone crazy, it’s surreal.”

But it wasn’t always a smooth road to success, the band started small, playing for family and friends before branching out into their local pubs. This then escalated into pubs further afield in Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield.

“It crazy how far we’ve come from just being some young lads sat in our bedrooms messing about with music,” Kiaran said. The band have played over 500 gigs across the UK, including festivals and supporting slots for big bands like the Buzzcocks, The Enemy and Sheffield’s Reverend and the Makers.

This years UK tour which took place over February and March has been a big one for The Sherlocks, with a number of sellout shows in Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester with their fan base is expanding every day.

They recently did a gig as far as Glasgow, even arranging a coach trip for their local fans to travel up with them. This has become a regular incentive that the lads offer for their fans, who have labelled themselves ‘The Sherlocks Army’. Their fans are fiercely devoted, referring to the band as the new Arctic Monkeys due to their Northern sound.

The band describes themselves as having a very raw and original sound, it’s a sound that mimics the 1960s, with a very ‘Quadraphenia’ feel. They take influence from a range of different bands, including The Beatles, Oasis and Kasabian.

“You couldn’t listen to us and label us to sounding like a particular band, but to describe our music to someone who hasn’t heard us before then it would be a cake of three ingredients, Arctic Monkeys, The Jam, The Libertines, with a few extras.”

The lads say they put a lot of thought into their lyrics, to make sure they speak to a variety of audiences, “we take inspiration for out writing from our local area, relationships and everyday struggles, we take all that and put it into something you can dance about to, everyone loves a dance.”

Writing and recording their own songs just gives The Sherlocks that further edge. Their first EP was released onto iTunes in October 2013, featuring four original, hard-hitting songs, including their most popular, ‘Chasing Shadows’. “We love playing our own material, there’s no better feeling than seeing a crowd full of people enjoying music you’ve created.” They still love to play crowd-pleasing covers though, Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis always gets the crowd going.

They also love holding special ‘jam nights’ at their local pub The Angel in Bolton-on-Dearne. The nights which have become a regular event gives local talent their chance to get up and play for an audience. “It’s a way to show how much talent there is in and around Sheffield, it’s been so popular and we’re getting more and more incredible talent every time.”

Mimicking The Beatles with a rooftop performance

The four young lads also make sure they leave some time for relaxation, they enjoy going out with friends, going to football matches and attending other gigs. “As much as we love performing it’s great to have a day of doing nothing, just chilling out.”

This year is set to be the biggest ever for the lads, with over 2,000 Twitter followers and 6,000 followers on Facebook, The Sherlocks’ support has never been stronger. The upcoming months will see them playing Party in the Pines, Bingley Music Live and Mosborough Music Festival. For information on local Sheffield and South Yorkshire gigs, check out their Facebook page where gig announcements are added daily. It’s fair to say we can expect big things from The Sherlocks in the future.

Take a look at The Sherlocks playing big hit ‘Chasing Shadows’ live at The Leopard in Doncaster:

125 Years of The Blades

“You Fill Up My Senses, Like A Gallon Of Magnet, Like A Packet Of Woodbines, Like A Good Pinch Of Snuff…” – said every Blades fan, ever.

 

It was the winter of 1889, the cricket season had finished and people were spending their coldest months following the newly popularised sport of football. An FA Cup semi-final match between Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion at Bramall Lane attracted over 22,000 spectators and sparked a brainwave which resulted in the formation of the famous Sheffield United Football Club.

Fast forward now to 2014 and the club still stands proud in the centre of Sheffield, dividing the steel city into two…

Sheffield United Football Club is currently celebrating their 125th anniversary by hosting a number of events throughout the year to remember their proud history and success from the past.

They kick started the celebrations last month with a number of events, which included a pre-match Blades Roadshow and fan zone which invited former legends to come up and answer the public’s questions.

Fred Gilchrist, 74, has supported Sheffield United all of his life and is a long-lasting member of the Sheffield United SeniorBlades Club, “Supporting the blades can be described as a roller coaster ride, there’s been more up’s and down’s than I can handle!”

“I’ve seen my club go through everything, whether it’s the ecstasy of being promoted into the Premier League, too many relegations or slugging it out in the same division for years, I’ve always been there and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.”

“Nothing will ever compare to playing week in week out in the top division and I have every belief that we will be back there in no time.”

Following the rebranding of the old First Division to the Premier League in 1991, United have enjoyed three seasons in the top tier of English football.

Their most recent escapade being the 2006/07 campaign which saw them relegated by a whisker after going toe-to-toe with West Ham United until the final game of the season.

After relegation back to the Championship, it has still been more heartbreak than joy for The Blades. Two playoff defeats were soon followed by relegation to the third tier of English football.

Despite their league campaign this season being a frustrating one, the fans still had reason to celebrate following an amazing adventure in this year’s FA Cup.

They managed to get as far as the semi-finals and were beaten by their Yorkshire rivals Hull City 5 – 3.

To continue the celebrations for their anniversary, the club have released a vintage shirt which resembles the jersey that was worn in the early days.

The new historical kit

A short film was also released which outlined the history of the club in pictures. Sharing some of the most euphoric and special moments that they have enjoyed.

(The video can be viewed at the bottom of this page*)

The club have also announced that they will organise a commemorative pre-season friendly against one of the world’s top teams, however there has not been any insight into who their opponents will be.

It’s been an emotional and memorable journey for all Blades fans of the last 125 years, memories that will go down in history. Now they look forward to the rewriting history for the next century and more…

 

*Sheffield United – The Movie

 

 

Fire service strikes as investigation continues into Sharrow fire

A post mortem into the cause of death of five people, including three children, in a house fire in Sharrow has been concluded and the inquest into their deaths has begun.

Police continue to guard the cordon to Wake Road.
Image credited to the Press Association via The Mirror

The results suggest that they all died from smoke inhalation in the blaze on Wake Road on Monday. Those killed included Adhyan Nazim, nine, Amaan Nazim, seven, and their nine-week-old sister, who was yet to be named.

Fire crews were called to the scene at around midnight on Monday morning. They were faced with a difficult task when the crews from Central, Rivelin, Lowedges and Mansfield Road fire stations.

Residents in the area, who witnessed the events say they saw the grandmother escape the fire, but she re-entered the property in an attempt to save her family.

Investigations between South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue into the cause of the fire continue. The property remains cordoned off although restrictions to the area have been reduced.

Police on the scene refused to comment further.

Danielle Hayden, 20, who lives in Sharrow said she was woken up by sirens in the middle of the night. She said: “It was really loud. I panicked because I thought it could have been my house.

“The first thing I remember was my alarm waking me up at 7am and hearing it on the radio. It scared me a bit.”

Fire crews across Sheffield and South Yorkshire have been on strike this afternoon. They are protesting against proposed cuts and changes to the retirement age of fire fighters at services across the region.

Image credited to SY Fire’s Flickr page

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, Alex Mills, said in a press conference March that the fire service has to be ready to respond. “Just because there are no callouts from one station in X days, it doesn’t mean the service is less needed.

“Fire services are regarded as national assets.”

He said that if the changes were to take place, they may not be able to provide the same level of cover.

Twenty-five fire fighters were despatched from four fire stations across Sheffield to the fire in Sharrow.

Do you think the proposed cuts would affect the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service? Let us know by commenting below or via Twitter.

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Angry protestors gathered at Sheffield train station for the fourth time in a month yesterday due to the cuts made to South Yorkshire travel passes.

Over 100 pensioners and disabled people rallied at Sheffield train station, before taking

Protestors on the train

part in the ‘Freedom Ride’, a train journey from Sheffield to Barnsley and then on to Penistone, while refusing to pay their fare.

The protests, which have already taken place three other times,

the first on the 31^st March, have come over the cuts made to South Yorkshire travel, cuts which would save £629,ooo in 2014/15.

The plan which came into effect on April 1^st means that senior and disabled passengers will no longer be able to travel for free on trains and will have to pay before 9.30am and 11.00pm on busses and trams.

Brian Whittaker spoke about his frustration over the way South Yorkshire Transport have handled the situation, “they haven’t even looked into any alternatives for us, nothing is being done, apart from the threat to introduce a penalty fair.”

More than 100 people took part in the first protest, with the numbers growing each week, yesterdays has been the biggest yet. The ‘Freedom Ride’ took place on the Huddersfield train which departed from Sheffield at 11.36, where protesters were joined by Transport Police.

A protestor on the train spoke about how it’s just not possible for them to pay their fare, “we never carry any money with us and we do not divulge our name and addresses.”

Protestors at Barnsley Train Station

The rallied protesters originally planned to travel from Sheffield to Meadowhall Shopping Centre, but after hearing news that protestors were allegedly being prevented from boarding the train at Barnsley train station, they carried on through.

Protestors were spirited, chanting and singing ‘South Yorkshire Transport think again, freedom of the travel ease our pain’. A poem by pensioner, Peter Lewis, about his feelings and opinions over the cuts was also read out to the protestors.

Upon arrival at Barnsley train station, the protest was met with more than 100 pensioners and disabled people chanting and holding signs, which brought up the spirits of the protestors even more.

For many pensioners, like Sheila Jones, the passes were essential, “they were a lifeline for us, it’s just now making it less easier for us to travel around, it’s going to render a lot of people housebound.”

The group plans to continue the protest each Monday until something is done to change the current system.

Milly Jam Annual Skate And BMX Contest Confirms Date

BMX and skateboarding contest, “Milly Jam” has confirmed that its fourth annual event will take place on May 17^th.

The event will be held at the skatepark in Millhouses park (if its dry weather) , and runs from 11am til 5pm.

Indoor skatepark “Onboard” on Little London Road, has offered to host the event in case of wet or bad weather.

There is a high jump contest that is catagorised for skateboarders, scooters and BMX riders. There is also a best trick contest, and a timed contest where winners are picked by a set of judges.

All participants are divided into age groups. There is the under 14’s, 14-18 and 18+.

In previous years the contest has been a huge success, last year seeing well over a thousand spectators.

Brandon Steele was one of the participants of the 14-18 age group last year and in 2012.

“It’s a good laugh to take part and its really good how everybody encourages each other.

“I want to take part in this years Milly jam, hopefully it will be as good, or better than last year.”

Prizes are up for grabs for each category and some have already been supplied by The House skatepark shop which consists of skateboard and scooter components like boards, wheels and stickers.

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Sharrow house fire claims five lives

Three children and two adults have been killed in a house fire in Sharrow.

Police guard the cordon to Wake Road.
Image credited to the Press Association via The Mirror

Fire crews were called to Wake Road at 12.15am this morning. Four fire engines were despatched to the scene from Central, Rivelin, Lowedges and Mansfield Road fire stations as well as an aerial ladder.

The victims of the blaze included nine-year-old Adhyan Nazim, his brother Amaan Nazim, seven and their nine-week-old sister who was yet to be named by the family. The childrens’ grandmother, Shabina Begum, 54, and their aunt, Anum Parvaiz, 20, were also killed.

Phil Shillito, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Area Manager, said: “This is a tragic reminder of the devastating effects of fire and our thoughts and condolences are with the families of those involved in this incident.

“I can confirm that around 25 firefighters and four appliances attended a very challenging incident last night and worked hard to recover five casualties from the premise.”

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said in a press release: “An investigation has commenced, involving police and fire officers to establish the cause of the fire.”

Ishfaq Hussain Kayani, the cousin of the grandmother who was killed in the fire, spoke of his and the family’s distress as the story developed. He said to The Mirror: “It’s so sad. A couple of hours ago the while family was leading their normal life – quite prosperous, happy.

“Just in a matter of minutes the whole family has been destroyed. The whole family has gone.”

Neighbours of the family said they saw the grandmother, Amaan, re-enter the property in an attempt to rescue her daughter and the children.

The investigation into the cause of the fire continues, with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and South Yorkshire Police carrying out inquiries.

A number of tributes have been posted on Twitter under #SheffieldFire.

So sad to hear about the house fire in Sheffield, thinking of family of the children who lost their lives

— Katie Piper OBE (@KatiePiper_) April 28, 2014

Terrible tragedy in Sheffield with 5 people including 3 children dying in house fire overnight Thoughts and Prayers with family and friends

— Peter Holland (@PeterHollandCBE) April 28, 2014