The Mid Lancs Cross Country season ended in a blaze of glory on a gorgeous warm, sunny and calm day, the first day of the meteorological spring. And it felt like it in the air, over the challenging course in Beacon Parkin Skelmersdale, where the course builders had found the wettest paths to make sure this was true cross country running. In the women’s 6km 2-lap course Wesham had just one lady running due to injuries and illness, but Clare Belfield wrought justice with a fine run to come in 86th and 14th W40 in a time of 38:57. The Wesham Men had a fine turnout with 14 runners. Team leaders Adam Wilding and Tom Bamber again fought it out over the first two of the three large laps with the latter having the early lead, but Adam the new Men’s Captain elect came through over the closing stages to finish 12th in 37:37 over the 10km course with Tom 13th in 37:50 and the leading M40. Tom Crabtree finished 30th in 39:43 with Chris Banks 34th in 40:25 and 5th M40. Mark Belfield was close behind in 38th place with 40:41, 7th M40, and Dan Bolton was 45th in 41:19. Such close packing ensured this Wesham team 1st place overall. David Taylor placed 52nd in 41:58 to kick off the “B” team, followed by Chris Hastwell 75th with 43:41 for 10th M40. Jamie Houghton was 82nd in 44:53 with Will Parkinson 104th in 47:24. Newly elected Men’s Cross Country Captain Steve Myerscough finished 127th with 49:55, Nigel Shepherd came in 142nd with 51:51, and retiring cross country captain John Collier after a solid 10 years at the helm opted for the longer race rather than join the M70s with the Ladies ran 59:37 to finish 153rd. James Danson secured 157th place and 19th M55 slot in 1:02:28. Overall, the Wesham Women finished 6th in Division 3, 14th W35 team, 9th in the W45 ranks and 5th W55s. the Senior Men places 2nd in Division 2 securing promotion back to Division 1 for the next season, with the “B” team also second in Division 4 and also promoted to Division 3, both teams also to receive Silver medals for the season. There is more silverware for the M40 team with 2nd position, the M50s were 10th, and the M60s were 6th, with no M70 team scoring.
Natalie Mulrooney ran a new personal best performance to finish seventh woman and 1st W45 in the Oulton Park Running Grand Prix in Tarporley over the weekend, finishing 75th overall in 1:44:25 in the half marathon. Stuart Mulrooney was 31st in the 20-Mile event, running 2:35:00 for 7th M40. Liz Sharrocks finished 85th and 28th woman, 2nd W60 in a time of 3:31:15.
Sue Coulthurst, Phil Quibell, Ian Nicholls Hogg, Peter Rooney, Emma Wright and Mary Lois Cortes completed the New Longton 10k but there are no results available yet, a full report next week. Martin Bates finished 192nd in the Trotters 5 in Bolton in 59:02 with a chip time of 58:44, to place 11th M65.
Steve Abbott ran the New Longton 10k and he finished 8th in 37:43, 2nd M45. Andrew Wilkinson ran the very picturesque Haweswater Half Marathon along the edge of the reservoir, finishing 262nd in 2:02:51 in a popular race of 416 runners.
Jonny Allsop was 31st in the Take The fell 10k from Beacon fell on Sunday with Alistair Morris coming in 99th in 1:18:21 for 4th M60. There were no Wesham runners this year in the accompanying 20k distance.
Kirsty Holland ran the Delamere Trail 10k in the forest in Cheshire, she finished 342nd place in a time of 1:12:31 for 98th woman. In the 21k half marathon there were three Wesham runners with Roy Glendinning coming in 348th in 2:22:35 for 63rd M50, and a chip time of 2:20:55. Jo McCaffery 360th in 2:25:10, 106th female, 42nd W40, 2:23:54 chip time. Tom Nicholson had entered but did not run.
Last week saw 40 Wesham members run in 14 parkrun events around the region. John Naylor travelled to the Macclesfield are for the Alderley parkrun and finished with 24.27. In the Blackpool run in Stanley Park Ethan McEvoy ran 18.03 for 2nd fastest of the day with Aggie Woods clocking 26.25. Jo McCaffery and Martin Allison were in Delamere in Cheshire ahead of the trail race to clock 30.45 and 40.07 respectively. Along Fleetwood Promenade Jack Doyle clocked 21.29 for a personal best, with Des Cleary running 24.41 and Carly Dewitt 37.12 in her debut parkrun. Ryan Azzopardi ran the greenfield Valley parkrun in Holywell on the North Wales coast in 25.54 while Mike and Helen Eyre were at the Ifield Mill Pond run in Crawley Sussex to run 23.39 and 31.46. There was a big turnout of Wesham members at Lytham Hall to support Sue Rigby’s 250th parkrun, with Carl Groome running the 5th fastest time of the day with 20.33 and Jonny Heathcote 6th with 20.46. Lee Barlow returned 21.37 for 10th, Chris Haines ran 22.57, Ian Nichols Hogg 24.04, Alan Edgar 25.19, Elliot Costello 26.55 and Roy Glendinning 27.56. Andy Moore recorded 28.18, Bev Wilding was 11th woman in 28.31, Dave Young ran 31.12, Lotti Mackay 33.04, Emma Crabtree 33.35, and Tracy Clare 34.30. Sue Rigby completed her 250th run in 35.51 in tandem with Alona Versinina and Kerry Eccles at 35.52. Veronica Scott clocked 38.24, Michelle Rose 43.17, Phil Leaver 59.28, and Liz Beth 62.27. Emma Wright ran the Monsal Trail run in the Peak District in 29.31, while in Preston’s parks Vicky and Steven Gore both ran 25.10 and at home in Chester-Le-Street in the Riverside run Emma Brook recorded 28.18. On Silloth Promenade in the far northwest of Cumbria Sarah Walls ran 27.40 for a new personal best and in Platt Fields in South Manchester Tracey Hulme clocked a swift 24.35. Alex Rowe tried out the Tawd Valley run in Skelmersdale before the cross country and walked a satisfactory 43.11 on the hilly rural urban course. Martin Bates was in Worsley Woods in Swinton Manchester to run 30.16.