Wesham Road Runners

January is a good month for athletics with some top road races intermingled with the cross country season, and last weekend was a busy one in the Fylde area.

The fourth and penultimate fixture of the Mid Lancs Cross Country League took place on Saturday on Blackpool’s Lawsons Ground, with Wesham helping the other Fylde clubs in setting up and marshalling the courses. Wesham also fielded good sizeable men’s and women’s teams in the senior events. The Women’s event was held over 3 medium laps totalling a 6km distance, and Emma Lund headed the Wesham team placing 51^st and 12^th W40 with a time of 30:34, a good start for the team. Kay Twist finished 73^rd and 10^th W50 in 32:57 with Lisa Minns placing 76^th and 8^th W55 in a time of 33:24. Alona Versinina was 80^th and 8^th W35 in 34:00 and Kirsty Holland 96^th in 36:08. Clare Belfield finished 102^nd and 20^th W40 with a time of 37:06. In the incorporated Over-70 Men’s race over the same 5km course Dave Young was 9^th overall and 2^nd M75 in 41:06. The Women’s A team were 6^th in Division 2 and the ladies fielded a “B” team for the first time this season. The W35 team were 15^th and the W45s are 12^th with only one score so far this season. The Senior Men’s race was held over 4 long laps totalling 10km and Adam Wilding finished well up in 12^th place in a time of 33:00. Mark Belfield was 34^th and 8^th M40 in 34:56 with Dan Bolton 36^th with his time of 34:59. Jamie Houghton came in 48^th with a good effort in 35:59. David Taylor was 56^th in 36:15 with Chris Haines finishing 101^st in 39:27 and Will Parkinson 102^nd with 39:33. Carl Groome placed 108^th and 14^th M50 in 40:01 and Steve Myerscough was 120^th and 13^th M45 with 40:49. Nigel Shepherd finished 165^th and 4^th M65 in 45:17 with Martin Bates 174^th and 7^th M65 in 47:23. John Collier was right behind in 175^th for 8^th M65 with his time 47:31. The Wesham were 3^rd in Division 2 with an outside change of promotion back to Division 1 if they can muster a strong team next month in Burnley. The “B” team were 5^th in Division 2 with the Vet-40 team 2^nd in Division 2 with a good prospect of promotion. The men Vet-50 languish in 10^th place and the vet-60s 4^th with very few complete team scores for any club in this Division.

The Garstang 10k is one of the most popular January races attracting runners from far and wide and is a god opener for the new year. Wesham had a strong contingent with several runners doubling up from the previous day’s cross country and some event triple counting having run a parkrun for Saturday breakfast. Chris Haines had run the previous day in the cross country and today he finished 12^th for the 6 miles in 39:02. Carl Groome completed the triple with a time of 40:48 for 27^th place and 3^rd M55. Bradley Flatt finished 30^th in 41:18 and Lee Barlow was 36^th overall and 3^rd M50 with 42:02. Stuart Mulrooney placed 44^th in 43:34 for 5^th M40, with Ian Nichols Hogg 60^th in 45:09. Carmel Sullivan finished 9^th woman and 1^st W55 in 46:01 for 64^th place overall, with Mick Edge close behind in 67^th place for 9^th M60 in a time of 46:39.  Natalie Mulrooney was 15^th woman and 4^th W40 in 49:44 placing 93^rd overall. Andrew Wilkinson was 97^th and 9^th M55 in 50:03 with Alan Hudson procuring 2^nd Over-70 in 108^th place in 51:40. Finlay McCalman finished 114^th in 52:18 for 13^th M55. Peter Rooney was 133^rd and 4^th M65 in 54:25; Andy Moore 134^th with 54:52; and Paul Carter placed 153^rd in 57:01. Sharlan Butcher finished 38^th woman and 12^th W50 in 57:20, 158^th overall, and Dawn Biggs was 41^st woman and 3^rd W55 in 57:35 for 164^th place.

In the Power of 5km at the Salt Ayre cycle track in Lancaster on Friday evening Steve Abbott ran 18:17 for 3^rd M45 in 20^th place overall.

There were many Wesham members out running a 5km parkrun on Saturday morning at 9am in sometimes drizzly and damp conditions. In Lytham Hall Mark Holton ran the 4^th fastest time of the day with 21:45 for an M45 age graded performance of 65.21%. Jonathan Lawson ran 23:21 for an M55 graded 66.38% and Ian Nichols Hogg clocked 24:50 for 52.35%. Antoinette Holton recorded 29:53 for a W35 graded 50.86% with Liz Sharrocks on 31:21 for W60 63.69%. Jack Rayson ran 33:41 for 38.40%; Tony Sharrocks had 42:33 for M60 38.03%; and Phil Leaver was recovered from heart surgery to produce a fast walk of 50:43 for an M70 34.77%. At the neighbouring Blackpool parkrun in Stanley Park Daniel Bolton produced the fastest time of the morning of 17:43 for an age graded 72.81%. Tom Crabtree was 6^th fastest in 20:17 for 63.93% and Carl Groome kicked off his weekend triple with the 7^th-fastest time of 20:30 for M55 74.96%. Rob Wallace returned 23:11 for 55.79%; Alona Versinina on the double with the cross country across the road had 28:10 for a W35 graded 53.25%; and Andy Moore ran 29:56 for an M60 54.51%. Louisa Denye recorded 31:56 for W45 49.74% and Sue Rigby clocked 37:22 for W50 44.87%. In the Preston run in Avenham and Miller parks Paul Carter warmed up with 31:06 for M50 48.98% and Ryan Azzopardi travelled to the Princes parkrun in Liverpool adjacent to Sefton Park for a time of 25:14 and an age graded M40 55.35%. Martin Bates ran the Bolton parkrun in Leverhulme Park in a time of 27:38 for an M65 61.82% and Steven Gore completed the East Park run in Wolverhampton for the second fastest time of 18:19 for M40 75.61%. Vicky Gore clocked 24:25 for W45 67.03%. North East parkruns featured Emma Brook on home ground for the Riverside run in Chester-Le-Street for a time of 28:13 with a W40 age graded 54.52% and Emma Wright was visiting the Tyne Green parkrun in Hexham and ran 27:28 for W45 58.37%.