The third race in the Inter Club series took place on a new course in Moor Park hosted by Preston Harriers over a 4-mile 2-and-a-half lap circuit. Wesham had a great team of 38 men and 11 women running to finish second overall, a great result. Adam Wilding took 7th place with a time of 21:12 with Tom Bamber close behind in 10th place in 21:49. Dan Bolton was 16th in 22:31 and Jamie Houghton 17th with 22:41. David Taylor completed the quintet in the top 20 with 22:43 for 20th place. Fraser Swindells was 20th in 22:46 and Alek Walker 37th with 23:58. Tom Crabtree cam in 39th in 24:07; Steve Myerscough 55th with 24:57; and Dan Hounslea completed the senior team in 57th in 25:00 to secure the second place. Sue Coulthurst was the first Wesham woman in 16th place (130th overall) in 28:04, with Natalie Mulrooney second in 25th place and 150th overall with 28:55. Carmel Sullivan was 27th in 29:12 (155th), with Becky Ingham 39th (194th) with 31:12. Kay Twist finished 41st in 31:18 (197th) to complete the ladies’ team in 5th place. The Lady vets won their category with Sue Coulthurst (2nd); Natalie Mulrooney (6th); Carmel Sullivan (7th); Kay Twist (16th); and Lisa Minns (25th in 32:51) to come in first. The overall vets were 3rd team comprised of Bamber (3rd); Walker (11th); Myerscough (21st); Dan Eyre (25th in 25:06); Stuart Mulrooney (35th in 26:17); and Phil Quibell 27th with 26:32). The Vet-50s also placed 3rd with Myerscough (7th); Quibell (13th); Lee Barlow (17th in 26:45); and Nigel Shepherd (20th in 27:12). The vet-60s were one below in 4th place made up of Quibell 3rd; Shepherd 7th; and Mick Edge 15th in 28:29, 159th overall.
Wesham had a sterling turnout at the local Freckleton Half Marathon in its 58th year as one of the oldest road races in the country with 22 men and 3 women running. With Blackburn’s Ben Fish a returning winner in 1:11:42 this year it was Wesham’s ace Adam Widing who led the blues finishing in 3rd place in a time of 1:15:23 for a new personal best performance and securing the first Fylde resident place. Tom Bamber ran his debut at the distance to finish 6th in 1:18:35 to place 2nd M40, and Jamie Houghton also made his first mark with 1:23:15 in 12th place. This trio won the men’s team well ahead of Blackburn Road Runners and Ramsbottom Runing Club. The Wesham ladies ran well with Natalie Mulrooney on fine form to place 1st W40 in 1:45:07, 16th woman and 133rd overall. Bev Wilding was 5th W60, 70th woman and 305th in 2:05:03 with Christine Fare 108th and 384th overall in 2:21:02 coming in 10th W55. For the men, Frazer Swindells finished 28th in 1:26:43; Alek Walker 31st with 1:27:41 for 6th M40; Lee Nixon was 35th in 1:28:44 for 8th M40; Ethan McEvoy was 40th in 1:29:12; Steve Abbott 43rd and 4th M45 with 1:29:42; Liam Thompson came in 61st in 1:32:19; Dan Eyre was 71st and 7th M45 in 1:35:04; and Stuart Mulrooney was 74th in 1:35:18. Daniel Bolton finished 79th in 1:36:27; Bradley Flatt 92nd with 1:38:43; Rob Wallace 113th for 1:41:25 Andrew Taylor was 138th in 1:45:47; and James Remnant 142nd in 1:46:09; John Naylor 143rd with 1:46:20. Ian Garrod had a great run for 4th M60 with 1:48:14 to place 160th overall. Alan Edgar finished 163rd in 1:48:25; John Collier was 2nd M70 and 202nd overall with his time of 1:51:33; Andy Macdonald placed 271st with 2:01:09; and Peter Rooney was 9th M65 in 2:02:51 for 283rd place overall.
Martin Bates ran the Tour of Tameside again this year in the company of Derek Crane of Blackpool, over the 4-stage event from Thursday to Sunday incorporating the 10k XTrail, 6-mile Hell on the Fell, the Hero Half Marathon and concluding with the Dr Ron 7 over the historic Hyde 7, giving a total distance of 32.3 miles, a little different from the 6-stage double marathon of the Eighties and Nineties, the brainchild of Ron Hill conceived as the toughest challenge in athletics. Martin finished 204th in the opening XTrail in Oldham in 57:11 to place 3rd M65 and a Tour position of 138th. He dropped to 5th in the fell race on Friday evening in Stalybridge, coming in 286th over the 700ft circular climb in 1:08:46 and overall place of 159th. He picked up to 145th in the Half Marathon in Glossop on Saturday placing 232nd in 2:05:41, climbing back to 3rd M65. On the final day in the hilly 7-miler he was 211th in the Hyde 7 on Sunday in 60:07 (59:57 chip time) for 6th M65. He completed the Tour in 142nd place in an overall time of 5:11:57 retaining his 3rd M65 place.
This week there were 27 Wesham members running at 11 parkrun events around the region. In Bramhall Park in Marple Alex Rowe walked 36:07 for an M65 age graded performance of 47.30%. Further around in greater Manchester Tracey Hulme ran 24:56 in the South Manchester event in Platt Fields for a W60 age graded 77.81%. In Preston’s Avenham Park Steve Myerscough clocked 20:36 for M50 71.60% and in Phoenix Park in Runcorn John Naylor was on 23:37 for an M40 graded 59.14%. The Wesham parkrun Tourists were at the Ormskirk run in the grounds of the Edgehill University where David Taylor ran the 5th fastest time of the morning with 18:12 for M35 73.35%. Elliot Costello recorded 23:58 for an age graded 54.10% and Andy Moore ran 26:48 for M60 60.88%. Tracy Clare clocked 35:29 for 41.90% and Michelle Pitt ran 35:58 with an W40 graded 43.42%. Sue Rigby clocked 45:53 for W50 36.54% with Carl Groome supporting her also with 45:53 for M55 33.49%. Down in Lowestoft Alona Versinina ran the Promenade course of one- and three-quarter laps in 26:48 for a W35 age graded 56.16%. Mike and Helen Eyre were in the Glossop parkrun in Manor Park on the edge of the Pennines to clock 28:22 and 32:07 for M60 57.52% and W55 58.74%. In the Lytham Hall parkrun Ian Nichols Hogg placed 8th fastest in 20:59 for an age graded 61.95% with Jonathan Lawson running 23:53 for a M55 grade of 64.90%. Carly Edgar recorded 28:56 for W40 53.57%; Clare Belfield 37:59 for W40 40.81%; and Mary Lois Cortes 39:51 with W35 37.98%. In the Blackpool parkrun in Stanley Park Chris Haines was 5th fastest in 19:48 for M35 68.43%; Lee Barlow came in 8th quickest in 21:06 for M50 71.01%; Rob Wallace was in at 26:27 for SM30 49.02%; Agness Woods ran 28:32 for W55 64.31%; Jo McCaffery ran 28:43 with a W45 grade of 55.83%; and Kim McGuire clocked 34:23 for W65 59.86%. On Fleetwood Promenade George Kennedy was 9th fastest in 23:10 for an M65 graded 73.09%; and in the Tawd Valley run in Skelmersdale Vicky Gore was 4th fastest woman in 25:38 for W45 73.09% with Steven Gore on M40 54.49%.