After reading this article - ask your self, could my gym do that for my members?

Results

Beginner                                                     Intermediate                                           Advance

The inaugural `Dale Destroyer` was held at Fitness First Rochdale on December 8th in energetic style.  This event set up by personal trainer Aidy Cartwright and friend Mary-Eve McNerney saw more than 60 competitors come together for a day of tense moments, exciting races and some truly inspirational moments.   

The very able Stuart Leng took the reigns as MC and, through his slick compeering and impeccable organisation helped maintain the smooth running of a very successful day.  Staff and members, as well as Gorton’s Frances Walton volunteered their time and worked hard as strict but fair marshals. 

As a change from the norm, the advanced were the first to compete.  After a closely fought race between the gym’s manager Kate Read and the Studio and Events Manager Vikki Williams (a new comer to X training who put in an impressive time of 24.58, the main event of the women’s advanced saw Mary-Eve McNerney race close rival Lisa Knight.  This head to head battle saw Mary-Eve complete the tough course in 22:10 to claim victory over the women and continue her reign as the club’s undefeated X Training champion. 

In the Men’s advanced a competitive field saw Rochdale’s finest battle for the major honours.  Chris Dempsey stepped up to the advanced and put in a heroic performance against now hardened X-Trainer Stuart Malem.  Chris, who came 6th overall, was praised by Stuart Leng for his strong performance and was a close second for the best performance award. 

Another closely run race saw Shabir Darr – Shabs - and event organiser Aidy race head to head in a tightly fought battle.    Shabs’ serious training clearly paid off on the chest press where he just pipped Aidy to claim 4th place overall.  The final and main event was Jamie Fraser versus friend, mentor and training partner Andy Lett.  In what proved to be a nail biting finale after a neck and neck race, Jamie proved the stronger man on the day to beat Andy by 15 seconds on the chest press. 

Perhaps even more surprising than Andy’s Lett’s loss to Jamie, however, was newcomer Alan Bowker’s performance.  Coming a close 3rd after a stunning well executed race, this man really is one to watch.   

Often overlooked in X Training competitions and watched by very few, the beginners’ category saw some seriously fought races and provided some of the highlights of the day.  Two gentlemen of the sport, Vinny Moloney and Charles Hartley, both in their 60s, put in inspirational performances.  Impressively, neither man was docked a single rep: the enthusiastic crowd was truly moved by their energy and determination.

The main event saw 16 year old Kelvin McKenzie race Asif Ali, 23.  Bitter rivals the boys set a blistering pace on the treadmill - running at speeds in excess of 18kph – that was to set the tempo for the rest of this exhilarating race.  Asif narrowly beat Kelvin by 4 seconds in a time of 6.39.  Both are already in training for their next meeting. 

In the female beginners Sofia Khalique, in her second event, proved that hard work in training really pays off to win a closely run race against Diane Shkurenko.  Another notable competitor was Clare Hughes’.  Clare, a veteran of local X Training events, but a late entry into the Dale Destroyer having only recently recovered from illness, put in a spirited performance and finished the course in a respectable time.

The female intermediate again saw some close races and moments of sheer excitement.  Masters winner and best intermediate performer Stephanie Richards had a great race against Cate Caveley   Stephanie continues to make great advances in X Training and is already training determinedly for the next event.  The last women’s race of the day saw Annabella Weaver and Natalie Foreman, both veterans of Gorton and the World Gym Challenge, hurtle through the course to finish in PB times of 15:15 and 17 minutes respectively.  Bella’s impressive speed earned her a well deserved victory.  Natalie’s strength and stamina were impressive: after coming a close second she has been motivated to push even harder next year to win the top spot.   

In the final category of a superb day the men’s intermediate - which had the most entrants at 26, saw some serious rivalries fought out on the race course.  Doug Moir, who has now competed in 3 X-Training events, pushed long distance runner Stephen Howarth to the wire.  Doug put in a personal best to win his race in a fast time of 16.58.  RAF pilot Rhys Rowland was one of the favourites of the day.  His fast race saw him complete the gruelling course in just 14 minutes and 4 seconds to claim 3rd place.  Serious rivals, Stuart Gilbert and Dominic Boardman built up to their race in a manner more common amongst Boxers entering the ring for a title fight.  Taunting each other until the last, their race was as nail biting as they had promised it would be.  Both set off at a blistering pace but Stuart, who was first off the treadmill, gradually clawed away over the course and completed the Destroyer in a personal best time of 13 minutes and 18 seconds.  Just over a minute behind, Dominic claimed 2nd place and the top spot in the masters.   

On top of 60 great performances and some stand out races, the impressive medals (sponsored by Vanquish who supported the WGC in the summer), goody bags filled with treats from sponsors PHD Nutrition, High Five and Ryvita Goodness, and a Christmas themed lunch provided compliments of the club made the 8th of December a real day to remember.  Thanks to Aidy and Mary-Eve’s planning and preparation, as well as Stuart’s expert compeering on the day, the event – and each race - ran smoothly.  Marshalling, the bugbear of almost all X Training events, was spot on: it was strict, consistent and fair. 

The Dale Destroyer was an overwhelming success.  Rochdale and its X Training community have proved their ability to run a top flight X Training event.  The course was challenging and required tactical planning and preparation.  Starting the race with the treadmill meant athletes had to reassess their approach to racing.  As a consequence races were tough, hard fought and inspirational.  Indeed, those who have completed the course will know that the course fits its very name.  It truly is a Destroyer. 

Photographs by Norman Padley

Fitness First Rochdale would like to thank Stuart Leng for helping to make the Dale Destroyer the success it was. 

Here, Stuart sums up what he enjoyed about the Dale Destroyer. 

When Aidy Cartwright asked me to commentate at his Dale Destroyer event, it took me all of 5 seconds to say yes. I had read and heard many good things about how X-Training had developed at Fitness First, Rochdale and Aidy had really impressed me when I met him at the Gorton Grueller. It certainly is a fantastic venue and the studio is certainly capable of running 3 lanes and accepting a 120+ entry level. This was an internal competition and it is a tribute to Aidy's dedication and enthusiasm, that he could attract 60 entries. You had competitors in their early teens, right up to their 60's; mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, all making for a fantastic atmosphere. There was such a fantastic spirit and enthusiasm that starts with General Manager Kate and working all the way down through the staff to the members. Mark my words, this will be one of the top venues for X-Training for many years to come, and if we could repeat what is happening here in a few more clubs, we would see a massive lift in participation.