There were plenty of athletics events on last week but no North-West teams disappointingly in the British Masters Rod Relays in Mallory Park in Leicestershire, but Trevor Rayner of Blackpool ran in the Salford Harriers M55 team to run 21:12 for the 5km circuit. Numbers were lower with this popular new venue over Sutton Park but with a return to a May date it is hoped the build the event up again for next year.
The 38th Hutton Roof Fell Race on Saturday over a figure-of-eight course of 7m and 1300ft of climb was the next fixture in the Wesham Trail and Fell Runing Championships. Steve Myerscough was the first finisher in bright summery conditions to finish 32nd in 1:11:17, 8th M50. Dan Houslea was 46th in 1:14:45, with Ian Nicholls Hogg 48th in 1:15:39. John Collier placed 1st M70 and 72nd overall in 1:24:40. One of the great attractions of the day is the accompanying village fair and especially the village hall with the finest spread of homemade cakes anywhere.
Six Wesham members ran the Bowley Hill race on Monday from the show field in Great Harwood Alex Walker was 23rd to finish in 23rd place in a time of 50:52 for 3rd M40. Steve Myerscough finished 26th in 51:55 for 6th M50. Ian Nicholls Hogg was 32nd with 52:36, with Dan Houslea 40th in 53:02. Kay Twist was 13th woman and 2nd W50 in 1:03:17, 74th overall, and Martin Bates was 105th and 6th M65 with 1:20:13.
Carmel Sullivan and Mick Edge ran the opening fixture of the 2024 series of Harrock Hill races on Wednesday evening. Carmel finished 23rd woman and 2nd W55, a great result. Mick was 6th M60 and 91st overall in 51:51. He has qualified to represent GB in Australia next year after finishing 2nd in his age category. He has represented GB on four previous occasions, in Ibiza where he finished 3rd Brit; the Belgium swim / run; and the Madrid Triathlon, all last year 2023. He has also qualified for GB in Spain in October this year for the Aquabike with a 1-mile swim and a 12-mile bike. He trains 12 to 15 hours a week with 4 swims a week, a 70-mile bike ride every fortnight and a running race once a week where possible.
Three Wesham members ran the Great Manchester Run 10k on Sunday. Dan Bolton finished 145th with a great time of 35:58 with a first 5km split of 17:33. Jonny Allsop was 2408th in 50:04 having passed 5km in 23:50, he was 276th M35. Tracey Fryman placed 2nd W60 and 3509th overall in 53:07 with a halfway time of 25:03 to come in 609th woman. Dan Shaw ran the Great Manchester Run Half Marathon in 1:23:26 chip time for 194th place and 33rd M35. His halfway time at 6.55km was 41:19.
Adam Wilding won the Pilling 10k on Saturday morning, clocking 33:30 for the 6.2 miles. Stuart Mulrooney finished 19th and 2nd M40 in 46:07 guiding Natalie Mulrooney to 4th woman and 1st W40, 20th overall with a great result.
Dan Bolton ran the Run Aintree 5km on Saturday finishing 2nd in 17:26. Sharlan Butcher and Dawn Biggs ran in the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday, starting in the grounds of the University in the Old Town it winds past all the major sights in the city centre before heading to the coast at Musselburgh with an out and back section along the shoreline to Gosford House in Craigielaw. They finished together in 8887th and 8888th in a time of 5:48:41 giving them a chip time from line to line of 5:24:46, giving Sharlan an age category position of 185th W50 with Dawn gaining 90th W55. With an overall descent of 90 metres this exceeds the World Athletics standard of 42.2 metres, but the event does claim to be the fastest course in the world.
There were 26 Wesham members running a 5km parkrun around the country last Saturday morning at 9am. In the Preston run in Avenham Park David Taylor ran the sixth fastest time of the day with 19:10 for an M35 age graded percentage of 69.65%. Nigel Shepherd clocked 22:02 for an M65 age graded 76.85% and Vicky Gore returned 24:30 for W45 66.80%. in the Huddersfield parkrun in Greenhead Park Mike Eyre ran 24:12 for an M60 66.87% and Helen Eyre recorded 30:19 for W55 62.23%. Martin Bates was at Worsley Woods for his 41st run there, clocking 25:05 on the multi-terrain course for M65 68.11%. At home in Chester-Le-Street at the Riverside run Emma Brook stamped her 128th run with 27:58 for a W40 graded 55.01%. John Naylor visited Varley Park in Stockport for the Burnage run for his First Timer run of 23:15 for his M40 grade 60.07%. In the Colby Woodland Garden near Amroth in Pembrokeshire Brian Weatherington ran 30:02 for M40 46.84% and Janine Weatherington 38:16 with a W40 graded 40.81%. Ryan Azzopardi enjoyed the world’s first town park in Birkenhead Park to run 24:27 for his First Timer result there with his M40 57.53%. The Wesham parkrun Tourists were at Haigh Woodland where Carl Groome ran the 6th fastest time of 20:48 for M55 73.88%. Andy Moore was another First Timer today in 29:03 for M60 56.17%, and Sue Rigby returned 43:40 for W50 38.40%. On home ground in Stanley Park in Blackpool with the Lytham Hall event cancelled for a function Jamie Houghton again had the fastest time of 18:12 for SM25 70.88% with Lee Barlow on M50 66.49% with his time of 22:32. Rob Wallace clocked 23:18 for 55.65% and Tom Nicholson ran 26:18 for 49.30%. Peter Rooney recorded 28:12 for his M65 grade 59.46%; Julie Rooney ran 39:03 for W50 42.94%; and Phil Leaver returned 43:50 for M70 40.23%. On holiday in Exmouth Tracy Clare clocked 36:50 for 40.36% with Elliot Costello following her in with 36:51 for 35.19%. On Fleetwood Promenade George Kennedy ran a good 23:06 for M65 73.30% and round the bay on Morecambe Prom Emma Lund was 7th fastest woman in 23:04 with W40 66.69%. Steven Gore travelled to Brunswick Park Wednesbury to notch up 24:21 for an M40 graded 57.36%.