With the evenings well drawn out now and spring in full bloom it was a good week to get out running and Wesham members found a good range of events in the North-West to participate in.
Adam Wilding kicked off the Wray Scarecrow Festival with a win in the 10k road race, timing in at 33:58 just 16 seconds short of his recent personal best time. Tom Bamber was 3rd and 1st M40 in 35:48 with his first official recorded time for the distance. Will Parkinson finished 16th in 41:22 with a new personal best performance. Tony Leach was 53rd with 49:50 for 6th M60. Martin Bates ran 52:30 for 71st place and 3rd M65. Bev Wilding was 19th woman and 84th overall in 54:36, 4th W60. Alan Hudson placed 1st M70 in 55:18 for 89th overall. Peter Rooney finished 93rd in 55:55 for 5th M65. There were 165 runners in this popular race.
Mick Edge finished 1st M60 and 21st overall in the first Salford media City 5km of the year, running a time of 21:46. Carmel Sullivan was 27th in 22:08 for 2nd W55. Martin Bates was 2nd M645 and 43rd overall in 24:32.
Sue Coulthurst ran the Mid Cheshire 5km on Friday evening in Kingsley between Weaverham and Frodsham and she finished 120th woman and 3rd W55 in 22:16. She was 614th overall in a very high-quality race where there were 31 runners under the 15-minute mark. The winning times were 14:18 (men) and 15:39 (women).
Tere were 29 Wesham members running a parkrun on Saturday morning and there was a good group at the Preston parkrun to celebrate Nigel Shepherd’s 200th run. David Taylor ran the second fastest time of the morning over the three laps of Avenham and Miller Parks in a time of 18:10 for an M35 age graded performance of 73.49%. Steve Myerscough ran 20:03 for an M50 age grade of 73.57% with Nigel Shepherd himself on 21:52 for M65 76.68%. Carl Groome clocked 23:34 for M55 65.21% with Vicky Gore fresh from her run in the London Marathon last week timing in at 24:30 with husband Steven for W45 66.80% and M40 56.53% respectively. Elliot Costello recorded 29:38 for SM30 43.76% with Andy Moore in at 30:18 for M60 53.85%. Sue Rigby returned 36:43 for a W50 graded 45.67% with Tracy Clare on 37:37 for SW30 39.52% and Michelle Pitt running 38:58 with a W40 grade of 40.08%. In the Knowsley run John Naylor clocked 23:06 as a First Timer for M40 60.46%, and in the Riverside run in Chester-Le-Street John Burns ran 26:49 for M65 65.01% with his daughter Emma Brook in at 27:43 for a W40 graded 55.50%. Tracey Hulme ran the Stretford parkrun this week in 27:32 for W60 70.46%. There was a good Wesham turnout for the Lytham Hall run where Ian Nichols Hogg was fastest in 22:52 for 56.85%. Ian Garrod returned 23:27 for M60 69.58% and Jonathan Lawson ran 23:56 with an M55 age graded 64.76%. Mark Holton on an easier run in 24:00 to record M45 59.10%. Kirsty Holland ran 28:19 for 52.62%; Phil Leaver had a brisk 46:32 and an M70 grade of 37.89% with Julie Rooney on 49:08 for W45 33.72%. in the heart of the Fylde in Stanley Park in Blackpool Jamie Houghton had the second fastest time of the morning with 18:26 for an age graded 69.98% with Rob Wallace running 22:10 for 58.50%. In Dublin in Corkagh Park to the west Alona Versinina ran 25:36 for W35 58.79% as a First Timer, and in Scotland in the University of Stirling grounds Brian Weatherington clocked 29:43 for an M40 47.00% with Janine Weatherington returning 38:30 for W40 40.56%. In Southwest Germany in the Dietenbachpark in Freiburg im Breisgau Mike Eyre ran 24:31 for M60 66.01% with Helen Eyre coming in with 30:04 for W55 62.75%.