It was a busier weekend for athletics locally as there was finally a hint of spring in the air after the recent cold snaps. The English National Cross Country this year took place in the southern territory at London’s Parliament Hill, considered the “home” of English cross country running. There were no Fylde teams that completed the Senior Women’s or the Senior Men’s races. There were nine Wesham members running the Stanley Park 10k at home in Blackpool over a 2-lap course round the lakes and skirting the outside of the southern reaches of the park. With the club’s rising star Adam Wilding winning the race in 34:00, and a chip time of 33:58 he was over two minutes clear of the second placed athlete. Lee Nixon was next finisher for Wesham, in 14th place with 39:41 to claim 1st M40. Dan Eyre came in 28th in 42:01 for 3rd M45. Alan Hudson was incredibly 3rd Over-70 although he is an M75, with a time of 55:59 in 129th place overall. Peter Rooney placed 5th M65 in 56:37 for 136th place. Emma Wright was 67th woman in 60:21, 7th W45 and 186th overall. Alistair Morris finished 227th with 1:05:45; Julie Rooney 106th woman and 253rd in 11:11:06, and Veronica Scott was 116th female and 267th with 1:14:55. There were 287 runners in this popular race.
Martin Bates ran the Lostock 6-mile race over a revised course from the original of this historic race, finishing 363rd in 1:04:57, 11th M65 in a good quality field of 415 runners.
There were 29 Wesham members taking a 5km time trial on Saturday morning at 10 parkrun venues. In the South Manchester run in Platt Fields Tracey Hulme ran 25:28. In the Preston parkrun Steve Myerscough was the first Wesham finisher in 20:56 having the better of Nigel Shepherd who clocked 21:47. Ryan Azzopardi was back on home turf, and he ran 25:56 with James Danson on 28:50 and John Naylor coming in at 33:03. Emma Brook ran the Riverside run at home in Chester-Le-Street in 27:57 while there were 6 members at the Lytham Hall event with Ian Nichols Hogg 7th fastest in 21:48, Alan Edgar running 25:17, Carly Edgar 29:13, Mark Holton 29:21, Dave Young on 31:46 and Mary Lois Cortes timing in on 36:03. The neighbouring Blackpool parkrun saw three friends pacing Jordan to a new 5km personal best time of 19:45, with Adam Wilding 7th fastest in 19:24, Dan Eyre 9th with 19:39, and Jamie Houghton 10th in 19:42, with Jordan himself placing 11th. Alex Rowe was on Fleetwood Promenade to walk a comfortable 43:59, and Alona Versinina ran the Cusworth Hall parkrun in Doncaster in a time of 29:07. At the Oaklands run in Tyseley in south-east Birmingham Jo McCaffery was 10th female in 27:03 and Martin Allison returned 37:24. Mike and Helen Eyre ran the Alexandra run in Manchester’s Moss Side in 22:40 and 30:40 respectively, while the Wesham parkrun Tourists went to Cockermouth for the Greenway parkrun along the old railway track from Keswick into the town, where David Taylor was 2nd fastest in 18:33 and Carl Groome 8th with 20:24. Vicky Gore was 4th fastest woman in 24:27, with Andy Moore recording 28:06, Sue Rigby 37:25 and Michelle Pitt 41:13.