Martin Bates embarked on a target to run seven races in seven days on Friday, with a run in the latest round of the Lancaster Power of 5k series. There was a good Wesham turnout in this event at the Salt Ayre cycle track for two laps with 13 men and two ladies competing, with some great performances on a breezy evening. Adam Wilding finished 9th in a great quality field with his time of 16:10. Tom Crabtree 24th with 17:19 with Jamie Houghton 28th with 17:40, with the male winner clocking 15:28, and the female in 16:56. Alek Walker was 33rd in 18:22 as 3rd M40 followed closely by Chris Haines in 34th place and 3rd M35 with 18:23. Lee Nixon came in 37th and 4th M40 in 18:52 with Will Parkinson 39th and 4th M35 with 18:59. Chris Hastwell was 45th and 6th M40 in 19:19, with Dan Eyre 49th in 19:37 for 4th M45. Lee Barlow finished 50th and 2nd M50 with 19:40. Stuart Mulrooney was not far adrift in 53rd and a time of 20:02 for 7th M40; Nigel Shepherd ran 20:52 for 59th and 1st M65 with Martin Bates 73rd overall and 3rd M65 in 24:16. Bev Wilding was 12th woman and 75th overall in 24:16 for 1st W60. Dawn Biggs was 14th woman and 80th with 27:20.
Martin’s second run was just 14 hours later in the Worsley Woods parkrun at 9am, which he followed up 24 hours later with a run in the Burrs Community Run, a5k timed run under The Sunnywood Project which is sponsored by Discover Bury. Martin clocked 26:57 an improvement of 42 seconds on his run the week before.
Over 14 Wesham members took part and helped out in the Brian House Night Run on Wednesday evening though the fully illuminated Blackpool, Illuminations. The team and all the other participants were blessed with a fine evening for it.
There were 29 Wesham members running at 12 parkrun venues on Saturday morning up and down the country. In Platt Fields in South Manchester Tracey Hulme ran 25:41 for the 5km timed run to record a W60 age graded performance of 75.54% of world record pace. Across town in Worsley Woods Martin Bates clocked 25:03 for an M65 age graded 68.20%. Nigel Shepherd completed the Preston parkrun in a time of 21:43 for M65 77.97%, and down the M6 John Naylor was in the Warrington parkrun from Victoria park to the Warrington Town grounds to time in at 28:00 for an M40 performance of 49.88%. In the Riverside parkrun at home in Chester-Le-Street Emma Brook recorded 27:53 for W40 55.17% and at Fell Foot at the end of Windermere Andy Neville clocked 22:18 for an M45 graded 63.60% and a personal best time here. Bradley Flatt was in Lowestoft for a fast run up and down the Promenade in 20:31 for a First Timer grade of 63.04%. Ian Nichols Hogg ran 21:32 in the Lytham Hall parkrun after its three-week sabbatical for his age graded performance of 60.37%. Alan Edgar ran 25:15 for M40 55.31% with Carly Edgar clocking 32:41 for W40 47.78%. In Blackpool’s Stanley Park Daniel Shaw ran the 4th fastest time of 19:14 for M35 68.98%. Chris Haines was 7th fastest in 19:40 for M35 68.90% and Lee Barlow ran 20:41 for an M50 graded 72.44%. Agness Woods returned 27:31 for a W55 66.69% and Finlay McCalman came in with 26:03 for an M60 61.55%. On Fleetwood Promenade George Kennedy ran 23:48 after a heavy downpour for M65 71.15% with Dave Young running 32:43 for M75 58.94%. Alex Rowe was in race walk mode and he clocked 37:08 for M65 46.01%. Up the coast on Morecambe Prom in wetter conditions was Wesham’s largest contingent with David Taylor taking the 9th fastest time of 19:39 for M35 67.94%. Carl Groome clocked 22:06 for M55 69.53% with Mike Eyre the first of three personal best performance in a row with 24:00 for M60 67.99% followed by Vicky Gore on 25:19 for W45 64.65% and Steven Gore returning 25:20 for M40 55.13%. Andy Moore ran 27:07 for M60 60.17%; Alona Versinina came in at 27:44 for W35 54.27%; Helen Eyre recorded 30:06 for W60 63.57%; Sue Rigby came in on 48:18 for W50 35.13%; and Michelle Pitt ran 48:19 and W40 32.32%. In the Rothay Park run in Ambleside Jo McCaffery clocked 29:46 for W45 53.86% and Martin Allison ran 39:21 for M40 34.94% and a new personal best time.