It was a quiet week with it traditionally hosting half marathon races across the country, the two most relevant to Fylde runners being the Helsby Four Villages and Yok’s Brass Monkey Half Marathon, both races saw a high quality or performance with the top 5 finishers inside 1 hour 10 minutes in Helsby (1:07:21 winning time) and 21 in York (1:05:27). Four Fylde runners ran one of these events but there were no Wesham competitors.
There were three Wesham runners at the Whitestones Fell Race near Staveley-in-Cartmel on Sunday the first of the Kendal Winter Series organised by Helm Hill Runners, delayed due to the recent bad weather. Having said that the category AS race with a stiff climb of 840ft over a 4-mile circuit was boggy and challenging. The course varies each year depending on the weather but this year conditions were favourable albeit foggy. Alek Walker came in 44th and 19th M40 in 43:27 Steve Myerscough 69th in 55:40, 10th M50. John Naylor finished 73rd in 1:09:03 for 28th M40.
There were 35 Wesham members at 12 parkruns last week after the previous week’s almost total cancellation in the wintery weather conditions. Tracey Hulme ran the South Manchester parkrun in Platt Fields in a time of 25:06, and in the Preston run in Avenham Park John Naylor recorded 24:33 and Vicky Gore clocked 26:07. The Wesham parkrun Tourists went to Alexandra Park in Oldham, where Dan Bolton ran the second fastest time of 17:43 and David Taylor was 4th fastest in 18:24. Carl Groome was 10th with 20:47 with Andy Moore running 29:03. Sue Rigby recorded 36:05, Alona Versinina 37:45 and Michelle Pitt ran 39:52. Ryan Azzopardi returned to Princes Park in Liverpool for 26:25 and Martin Bates was in Worsley Woods to run 31:35. In Fitz Park in Keswick Jo McCaffery was 50th female in 29:41 and Martin Allison 100th male in 35:16. There were 10 Wesham members at the Lytham Hall event and Bradley Flatt was 8th fastest in 20:50. Ian Nichols Hogg ran 22:16 with Steve Myerscough just behind in 22:29. Jonathan Lawson returned 22:58 with Mike Eyre on 23:26 and Elliot Costello clocked 30:52. Helen Eyre recorded 31:47, Jack Rayson 32:47, Tracy Clare 33:46 and Mary Lois Cortes 39:16. There were just two Wesham runners in Blackpool’s Stanley Park with Lee Barlow 7th fastest in 21:00 and Rob Wallace on 25:28. Jonny Heathcote was 5th along Fleetwood Promenade in 19:53 with Des Cleary on good form for 24:01. Dave Young ran 30:19 and Kirsty Holland 34:32 with Alex Rowe walking 44:58. On neighbouring Morecambe Prom Emma Lund was 4th female in 22:43, while at Alvaston parkrun in Derby Adam Wilding had the second fastest time of 16:34 and Will Parkinson 9th in 19:19. In Worden Park in Leyland James Danson ran 29:10.