Wesham Road Runners

The first race of the 2024 Inter Club series took place hosted by Blackpool in Stanley Park on Wednesday evening. Attracting 350 runners this was an impressive opening salvo for the season over the 4-mile 2-lap route from the main park entrance, and Wesham had a good turnout with 17 women and 39 men members taking part with a vibrant reception taking place in the Blackpool Cricket Club afterwards. With Rob Danson now in Preston colours and vying with new clubmate Joe Monk for the top spot (20:21 and 20:39), Adam Wilding was Wesham’s top scorer in 6^th place with a time of 21:39. Tom Bamber finished 10^th in 22:26, with Dan Bolton 14^th in 23:09, David Taylor 15^th with 23:12, and Jamie Houghton 17^th in 23:16. Close behind Mark Belfield ran 23:40 for 27^th place and 8^th Over-40. Chris Banks came in 32^nd in 23:58 with Chris Haines 34^th in 24:03. Tom Crabtree was 51^st in 24:43; Alek Walker 54^th and 22^nd Over-40 in 24:56; Steve Myerscough 58^th in 25:04 and 5^th Over-50, and Lee Nixon returning to running with 25:11 for 62^nd place. This good packing of the new refreshed Wesham team saw the club take 2^nd place overall against the might of Preston Harriers, a great start to the season. The Wesham women were headed by Sue Coulthurst in 29:11 for 15^th woman (139^th overall) and 6^th Over-35. Emma Lund finished 24^th woman and 159^th in 30:03 with Carmel Sullivan 25^th in 30:07 (160^th and 13^th Over-35), and Natalie Mulrooney 26^th in 30:11, 161^st and 14^th. Kirsty Holland, fresh from marathon and triathlon training placed 32^nd in 31:41 for 199^th place. Bev Wilding came in 44^th with 33:09 (230^th and 24^th); Antionette Holton 49^th in 33:36 (240^th overall); Alona Versinina 63^rd in 34:41 (262^nd); Dawn Biggs 73^rd with 35:48 (280^th); Pauline Eccleston 85^th in 37:43 (301^st); Anne Berry 95^th (39:35, 316^th); Lucy Smethurst 96^th (39:43, 317^th); Liz Sharrocks 97^th (39:50, 320^th); Helen Eyre 98^th (40:04, 323^rd); Lotti Mackay 101^st (40:17, 326^th); Julie Rooney 120^th (47:42, 350); and Michelle Pitt 121^st (48:27, 352^nd). The Wesham ladies finished 4^th team overall, a great result for this first race. The masters’ team placings are still being calculated; these results will be available for next week.

There were three Wesham runners in the Manchester Marathon on Sunday, with Liam Thompson finishing 3391^st in 3:24:46, running a decent opening 10k in 42:46. Jonny Allsop was 10404^th in 4:04:21running a steady pace to 21km at 5:22 per kilometre, placing 1429^th M35. Kirsty Holland completed her marathon target with a time of 5:21:05 to finish 5473^rd woman and 19701^st overall with a great effort.

In the Three Bridges 10k on Sunday in Lancaster, a popular race with 254 runners Adam Wilding finished 3^rd in 34:05 with a great run over the course with the challenge of the Lune Aqueduct one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ with a 60ft ascent and subsequent descent on 168 steps. Bev Wilding was 84^th and 16^th woman in 51:56 to place 3^rd W60. Peter Rooney was 99^th in 53:30, 4^th M65. Remarkably the first and second M65s were 3 seconds apart in 39:55 and 39:58. Paul Carter was 139^th in 58:27 on a good bright spring morning for running.

There were six Wesham members in the Brun Valley Trail race in Thompson Park in Burnley, for the next fixture in the club Trail and Fell Runing Championship. The event was a charming figure-of-eight circuit up along the river and canal mainly through woodland with a mile section up Queen’s Park to Brunshaw Road. Steve Myerscough was the first Wesham finisher in 45:28 for 21^st place and 4^th M50 with a good filed in that age category. Ian Nichols Hogg placed 38^th in 47:27 and Dan Hounslea was close behind in 40^th place with a time of 47:33. John Collier finished 3^rd M70 in 55:29 for 88^th place, he was just 2 minutes behind the category winner Stephen Biscomb of Clayton. Sally Deacon ran with Debby Myerscough with the pair coming in 202^nd and 203^rd in 1:40:28 and 1:40:40 respectively.

Martin Bates finished 47^th in the Hawkshead Trail Series in the early start for the Trail 10k with a time of 1:21:11 to finish 4^th Over-60.

There were 20 Wesham members running a parkrun over 5km on Saturday morning. In the Preston parkrun in Avenham Park Tom Nicholson ran 28:34 for an age graded performance of 45.39%. Over away at the Pontefract racecourse Mike Eyre clocked 24:03 for an M60 age graded 67.29% and Helen Eyre ran 30:37 for W55 61.62%. At the Sewerby parkrun in Bridlington Emma Wright recorded 27:26 for a W45 performance of 58.44% as a First Timer, and on his debut at the venue Chris Haines returned 18:45 in Fitz Park in Keswick for M35 72.27%. Heading out to Liverpool for Croxteth Hall six Wesham Tourists were led by David Taylor who ran the second fastest time of the day in 17:45 for M35 75.21%. Steven Gore had the fifth fastest time in 18:39 for an M40 graded 74.26%, and Carl Groome recorded 19:49 for M55 77.54%. Vicky Gore was 6^th fastest woman with a time of 24:04 for W45 68.01%, and Alona Versinina ran 27:25 for a W35 grade of 54.89%. Sue Rigby ran 37:06 for W50 45.19%. Tracey Hulme ran the Stretford parkrun in 25:13 with a W60 graded 76.93% while there were 5 Wesham members at the Lytham Hall run. Mark Holton had the 4^th fastest time of 20:53 for an M45 graded 67.92% with Ian Nichols Hogg running 24:55 for 52.17%. Stephen Twist clocked 25:46 with an M55 grade of 60.67% and Mary Lois Cortes ran 42:00 for W35 35.83%. In the Fleetwood Promenade run George Kennedy recorded 24:41 for M65 68.60%; Elliot Costello had 26:45 for 48.47%; and Tracy Clare clocked 36:50 for 40.36% with Michelle Pitt running 37:02 and a W40 graded 42.17%.