The big event of the week was the Northern Athletics Men’s 12-Stage and Women’s 6-Stage Road Relays in Wythenshawe Park on a wet Saturday, with a start and finish on the track. Wesham fielded a women’s and two men’s teams, the only club in the Fylde to have teams competing. The Women’s 6-Stage was held over 4 short stages of 4.5km and two long stages at 8km. Natalie Mulrooney was first off on the opening 8km and finished 43rd in 35:53. Becky Ingham took over on Stage two to run 22:08 for a short stage, with Sue Coulthurst then running 19:52 to take the team to 39th. Carmel Sullivan ran the second long stage in 35:52, Kirsty Holland took n Stage 5 and clocked 21:22, leaving Kay Twist on the anchor leg to bring the team home in 2:36:08 for 37th place, Kay running 20:59. The winners were Sale Harriers in 1:57:12 for the 34km. The Senior Men’s 12-Stage was over 4 laps of 8m of 8km and 8 laps of 4.5km. It was a long stage to kick off, and Alek Walker ran 29:46 to start the Wesham team off in 48th place. Mick Edge took over on the first short stage, running 19:25, with Jamie Houghton coming in on the second long stage 50th in 28:53. Lee Barlow ran 18:24 to hold the team steady, and Tom Bamber took Stage 5 in 27:05 to come in 47th. Stuart Mulrooney was next on with 18:28 followed by David Taylor on the final long stage to record 28:34 holding on to 48th place. Dan Eyre ran Stage 8 in 18:00 to take the team back up to 47th followed by Rob Wallace on 18:33, then Chris Haines with a storming 16:24 to hold 48th, Dan Bolton 15:57 to regain 47th, and then Steve Myersough on the anchor leg to run 20:11 and take 2 more places to bring the team home in 4:19:01 in 45th for the 68km. The Wesham “B” team were six short but Ryan Azzopardi ran 38:32 for 58th place, Stephen Twist 22:44, Jonny Alsop ran 37:47 to hold the team in 57th place, James Danson clocked 25:06, John Naylor 34:55 to take the team up to 55th place, and John Collier taking Stage 6 in 22:45 to hold the teams steady with a cumulative time of 3:01:25 for the 37.5km. The winners were Leeds City in 3:24:46.
Wesham had four runners in the Coniston 14 road race in its 41st year also taking place on Saturday. Finlay McCalman and Andrew Wilkinson finished 668th and 669th and 64th and 65th M55s in 2:10:42 with Martin Bates coming in 671st in 2:10:49 for 10th M65. Jo McCaffery was 212th woman and 29th W45 in 2:18:33, in 791st place overall.
Mick Edge kicked started his triathlon season in the Ribby Hall Sprint Triathlon on Sunday as he prepares for this year’s GB representation. He finished 24th in a cumulative time of 1:05:04, with 7:52 for the pool swim, 30:54 for the 10-mile bike stage and 23:06 for the 5km run. Lisa Mins was 74th in 1:14:54 with 8:26 for the swim, 35:36 for the bike stage and 27:55 for the run. Colin Smy placed 128th with 8:23 for his swim, 43:57 on the bike and 27:47 for his run, giving him 1:25:19.
There were 23 Wesham members running a parkrun on Saturday morning at 9am. At the Lytham Hall parkrun Dan Eyre ran 22:56 for an M45 age graded performance of 62.28% just outing Mark Holton who clocked 23:06 for M45 61.40%. Jonathan Lawson recorded 24:50 for an M55 grade of 62.42%. Liz Sharrocks ran 30:38 for a W60 65.18%; Anne Berry 33:12 for W60 59.29%; and Kerry Eccles 33:20 with a W60 59.05%. Tony Sharrocks returned 41:48 for M60 38.72%; and Phil Leaver was on 46:50 for M70 37.65%. In the Preston parkrun in Avenham Park Carl Groome ran 20:17 for a M55 graded 75.76% with Nigel Shepherd on 21:55 for M65 76.50%. Andy Moore clocked 28:37 with an M60 57.02%. Sue Rigby recorded 37:32 for W50 44.57% and Michelle Pitt ran 39:44 and a W40 39.30%. Tom Nicholson ran along Fleetwood Promenade in 27:02 to record an age graded 47.97% while in the Kew Woods parkrun in Southport Steven Gore was the second fastest time of the day with 19:35 for an M40 70.72%. Vicky Gore was third fastest female in 24:33 for a W45 66.67%. Adam Wilding was the fastest runner of the day at the Clitheroe Castle parkrun with his time of 17:48 for an age grade of 73.03% with Will Parkinson 7th fastest in 21:46 for M35 60.57%. Tracey Hulme ran the Stretford parkrun in 25:37 for W60 75.73% and Alona Versinina was in Dublin for the run in Fairview Park as a First Timer where she clocked 28:40 for W35 52.50%. In Trentham Gardens near Stoke Tracy Clare and Elliot Costello ran 38:18 and 38:19 for age grades of 38.82% and 33.84% respectively, and on home ground Emma Brook completed the Riverside parkrun in 27:46 for W40 55.40%.