Wesham Road Runners

There were seriously reduced numbers in the 6^th race of the Inter Club series hosted this month by Chorley AC but there was still  race to be had between the seven clubs and all were effected by the holiday season alike in a shortage of runners. For Wesham Adam Wilding was the first finisher in 6^th place with a time of 27:02 for the 4.6 hilly miles and three-lap course through Astley Park and out onto Southport Road for the loop back. Dan Bolton finished 18^th in 29:21 with Tom Crabtree close behind in 21^st with a time of 29:44. David Taylor came in 22^nd in 30:01 and Alek Walker was Wesham’s first vet finisher in 25^th overall with 30:24. Chris Haines placed 41^st in 31;49 with Steve Myerscough 42^nd with 31:51 to place 4^th M50. Lee Nixon finished 44^th in 31:56; Will Parkinson 56^th with 32:43; and Bradley Flatt 58^th in 32:48 to secure the team in second place behind Preston. There were only five Wesham ladies, but Natalie Mulrooney was the first scorer in 15^th place in 36:47, a good run to come in 4^th Over-40 woman and 109^th in the race overall. Bev Wilding finished 39^th and 34^th Veteran in 43:02, 178^th overall with Sharlan Butcher 58^th and 39^th Veteran in 48:15 for 214^th place overall. Liz Sharrocks finished 66^th in 50:00 exactly for 41^st Vet and 222^nd overall. Kirsty Holland came in 67^th woman and 223^rd overall in 50:07. This put the Wesham Ladies team 6^th and the Ladies W40+ also in 6^th place. Wesham retain second place overall for the series going into the season closer on Wednesday 4^th September in Worden Park in Leyland, with the Ladies currently 5^th overall. There will be a mad scrabble for final points at this seventh fixture. The Wesham Vets finished 3^rd on Wednesday with Walker 6^th; Myerscough 15^th; Nixon 17^th; Hastwell 27^th; Lee Barlow 28^th in 33:15 (63^rd overall); and Stuart Mulrooney 34^th with 33:49 (74^th overall). The Ladies W40+ were Natalie Mulrooney 4^th; Bev Wilding 19^th; Sharlan Butcher 34^th; Liz Sharrocks 41^st; and one short of a full team. The Vets 50+ were 2^nd, a good result, with Myerscough 4^th; Barlow 8^th; Carl Groome 14^th in 35:03 (85^th overall); and Nigel Shepherd 16^th in 35:45 (90^th overall). The vet 60+ team came in 3^rd, with Shepherd 7^th; Mick Edge 10^th in 36:16 (101^st overall); and George Kennedy 20^th in 39:59 (143^rd overall).

In the Riverside 10k in Lancaster from the George and Dragon pub on the Waterfront Stuart Mulrooney finished 15^th in 43:00 to take 1^st M40. Natalie Mulrooney was 3^rd woman and 1^st W45 in 46:28 to place 22^nd overall, an excellent run. Bradley Flatt finished 35^th in the Half Marathon in 1:35:50.

Rob Wallace ran the Run the Lights 10k along Blackpool Promenade, a now traditional race through the illuminations two weeks before they are switched on for the general public, covering the 6.2 miles in 44:18 for 60^th place (43:45 chip time) in this popular event. Finlay McCalman finished 336^th in 56:42 (53:29 chip time) to come in 21^st M60. There were 2263 finishers in this event. There were no Wesham finishers in the accompanying 5km race although 460 runners took part.

There were 22 Wesham members running a parkrun at eight events on Saturday morning at 9am for a 5km timed run. The most members were at the Preston parkrun in Avenham and Miller Parks with Lytham Hall being cancelled for a second week, with Nigel Shepherd finishing with 21:24 for an M65 age graded performance of 79.13%. Carl Groome returned 22:31 for an M55 age graded 68.25% with fellow M55 Jonathan Lawson clocking 22:33 for 68.74%. Sharon Cooper ran 26:26 for a W50 grade of 64.19% with another M55 James Danson on 27:05 for 58.71%. Andy Moore recorded 27:27 for M60 59.44%, and Sue Rigby ran 43:48 to record a W50 performance of 38.74%. In the Worsley Woods run under the M60 in Manchester Martin Bates returned 25:41 for an M65 age graded 66.52% and still in Bodmin for the run in the park around Lanhydrock House Vicky and Steven Gore ran 28:43 and 28:44 for W45 56.99% and M40 48.61%. John Naylor took on the challenge of the Watergrove parkrun above Rochdale, a Y-shaped course up the fells above the reservoir to run 27:28 and an M40 graded 50.85% in his first time run there. In Newby Bridge for the Fell Foot parkrun, on the 2-lap multi-terrain course, Lee Barlow clocked 21:16 for M50 70.45%, and Kay Twist recorded 25:39 for W50 68.75%. Ian Nichols Hogg ran the Blackpool parkrun in Stanley Park in 21:03 for an age graded 61.76%, Agness Woods clocked 27:56 for W55 65.69%, and Julie Rooney recorded 59:06 for a W50 28.37% as a tail-walker. Along the Fleetwood Promenade Steve Myerscough pitched up expecting good weather conditions but found a stiff wind to run 20:09 for M50 73.20%. George Kennedy clocked 23:35 for M65 71.80% and Alex Rowe was on a walk/jog to record 36:11 for an M65 graded 47.21%. Michelle Pitt clocked 39:53 for W40 39.16% and Kirsty Holland returned 40:59 for a W35 graded 36.48%. Mike and Helen Eyre were at the Aston Hall parkrun in Birchfield in Birmingham, home of one of the UK’s top athletics clubs to run 30:09 and 32:07 for age graded performances of M60 54.12% and W60 59.57% respectively.