There were 34 Wesham members out at a parkrun on the Christmas Saturday at 13 venues. In Preston before the floods of the mid week Carl Groome ran a time of 20:19 while Steve Myerscough clocked 21:10. Nigel Shepherd ran a swift 21:17 and Andy Moore returned 28:58. Alona Versinina came in with 29:49 and Sue Rigby clocked 36:24 with Michelle Pitt on 40:34. David Taylor ran the fourth fastest time of the day with 18:12 at the St Helens parkrun in Victoria Park. Vicky Gore recorded 26:46, while in the Bolton parkrun in Leverhulme Park Martin Bates ran 32:58. At home in Chester-Le-Street Emma Brook spun round the Riverside run in 27:44 and at the Penrith event at the Association Football Club at Brougham Castle Chris Banks cored another fourth place this week with his time of 18:33. Anne Berry was in Fitz Park in Keswick where she ran 29:48 and Alice Deacon was in Conwy in North Wales to record 27:45. There were six Wesham members at the Lytham Hall run; Bradley Flatt clocked 21:52; Jonathan Lawson returned 23:07; Paul Eccles recorded 27:54; Clare Belfield 31:17; Sharon Cooper 33:08; and Philip Leaver continued his return with 41:32. In Stanley Park in Blackpool Steve Abbott had the 6th fastest time with 20:32 and Lee Barlow was 9th quickest in 21:07. Chris Haines clocked 22:22, Ian Nichols Hogg 26:53, and Mary Lois Cortes ran 40:36. On Fleetwood Promenade Des Cleary returned 24:35, Alan Hudson ran 26:05, Dave Young 30:42 and Alex Rowe walked 42:39. At the Irchester Country parkrun in Wellingborough Brian Weatherington ran 28:17 and Janine Weatherington 36:52. Up at Cockermouth on the Greenway parkrun from the old railway station along the disused line Mike Eyre ran 23:43 and Helen Eyre 31:11, and at the Birchall Playing Fields parkrun in Leek John Naylor ran 24:14.
Tom Bamber finished 2nd in the Longridge 7 Xmas Pudding race on the tough loop up onto Longridge Fell with its summit on the iconic viewpoint of Jeffrey Hill, running the seven miles in 41:43, just 1:37 behind the winner Patrick Brown of Preston Harriers. Carl Groome was 26th finisher in 49:38 for 6th M55 with Dan Eyre 37th in 52:40, 7th M45. Jonathan Tan was 40th in 53:21, 4th M40, and Stuart Mulrooney 45th with 54:02 and 5th M40. Ian Nichols Hogg came in 47th in 54:18 with Rob Wallace 50th in 54:43. John Naylor clocked 59:30 for 74th place, 9th M40; Des Cleary was 86th in 61:10 and 10th M60; Andrew Wilkinson came in 104th with 1:03:46 for 9th M55. Tom Nicholson finished 118th in 1:06:28 and Roy Glendinning 128th with 1:07:20. Dawn Biggs ran 1:10:02 for 46th woman and 5th W55 and 141st overall. Sharlan Butcher was close behind in 48th for 1:10:11 and 8th W50, 143rd overall. Paul Carter was 144th in 1:10:15 for 144th with Emma Wright 52nd woman and 7th W45 in 1:10:47, 149th overall. Christine Fare was 61st in 1:15:45, 6th W55 and 162nd overall. There were 178 finishers in this popular race which has been going since at least 1984.
Martin Bates ran the Blackburn 10k from the Ewood Park ground starting and finishing inside the ground in front of the RFS Riverside Stand, where he came in 1092nd in 1:05:56 (1:02:29 chip time) for 13th M65. The race headed out on closed roads through the town centre to loop back to the ground. He had run in the Lanzarote 35th Club La Santa International Running Challenge with Derek Crane from Blackpool. He came 289th in the opening 4kn Night Run of 23rd November and clocked 25:59 in 73 degrees heat at 7pm. In the Vince Reagan Road 10k on the 24th he was 308th in 66:08 again in 73 degrees heat, and in Stage 3 he was 262nd in 35:12 for 5km on the beach, after which everyone swam in the sea to cool off from the 72 degrees. He had to cry off the 13k Ridge Run and the 21k (half marathon) the next day due to problems with his oncoming angina. This was still a very good effort over the series with its true holiday atmosphere.
Storm Darragh put paid to virtually all the local parkruns in the North West so amongst Wesham members it was only Emma Brook who managed to get out on her local Riverside event in Chester-le-Street where she ran 27:58, and Vicky and Steven Gore who clocked 26:40 and 26:41 at the Clitheroe Castle run. Lytham Hall, Blackpool, Fleetwood and Morecambe promenade and Preston were all cancelled due to the severe weather conditions in the west and central Lancashire regions.