Alex’s Newspaper Report

A good Wesham turnout at the Rivington 10 Mile trail Challenge at the weekend

The Manchester Marathon drew 30,000 runners to the streets, and they were joined by Wesham’s Sharlan Butcher and Dawn Biggs. They finished 15173rd and 15176th with the same chip time of 4:57:26. They finished 3636th and 3648th in the women’s results. Stuart Clayton finished 5350th in 3:40:03.

In the Three Bridges 10k in Lancaster on Sunday from the Salt Aire athletics track, Chris Haines finished 10th in 39:26 with a good run up to the Lune Aqueduct with its climb of 50 steps to the height of 61ft. Stuart Topping placed 37th with 45:55, James Remnant was 42nd in 46:16; and Peter Rooney 87th in 52:40.

Tom Crabtree won the Rivington 10 Mile Trail Challenge on Sunday in 1:13:43, by a 5-second advantage over second place. Alek Walker finished 3rd in a great team result for Wesham completing the course in 1:14:13. Steve Myerscough was 12th in 1:21:56 placing 2nd M45 with. Ian Nichols Hogg coming in 45th in 1:33:54. Kay Twist lead the Wesham ladies finishing 13th woman and 65th overall in 1:40:31 placing 2nd W50. Jo McCaffery was 30th woman and 98th in 1:50:40, 8th W45, with Anne Berry 116th overall in 1:58:49 and 2nd W60. Finlay McCalman finished 121st in 2:04:21; Alistair Morris was 128th in 2:07:29, 4th M60; and Kirsty Holland placed 130th in 2:09:04.

The first of the 2023 Lakeland Trails races took place from Hawkshead on Saturday over several different starts with a choice of 10k and 16k. Martin Bates ran the Trail Run 10k and finished 160th in 1:29:38, 13th Over-60. Helen Dutton ran the 16k Challenge and she finished 233rd in 2:23:32.

There were once again a healthy number of Wesham members taking part in a parkrun on Saturday morning for a timed 5km run scattered around the Fylde area and further afield. On home ground the biggest turnout was in Lytham Hall on a fine morning, where Michelle Tickle was the fastest Wesham runner today in a time of 23:42 for a W45 age graded performance of 69.90%. Stephen Twist was next with 24:51 for an M55 graded 62.37% with John Burns clocking 25:03 for M65 68.20%; Martin Allison 27:13 with M35 49.79%; Andrew Moore 27:49 and M60 58.18%; Pauline Eccleston returning to action with 29:31 for a W50 58.22% with Antoinette Holton running 29:47 for W35 50.81%. Finlay McCalman recorded 30:14 for M55 52.59%; Anne Berry warmed up with 30:43 for W60 63.16%; Kerry Eccles returned 33:30 for W60 57.91%; Julie Rooney 39:50 and W45 41.09%; and Phil Leaver and Alex Rowe walking to M65 31.57% and 30.66% with 55:13 and 55:14. In the Blackpool parkrun in Stanley Park Daniel Bolton ran the second fastest time of the morning with 18:08 for an age graded 71.14%. Damian Ings returned 21:15 for an M45 68.86%; Bev Wilding clocked 26:30 for a W60 73.21% with Adam Wilding 26:31 for 48.90%. Stephen Browne ran 27:27 for M55 56.95%. On Fleetwood Promenade Steve Myerscough was sixth fastest with 18:47 for M45 77.91% with Nigel Shepherd running 20:44 for M60 80.14% with both on a morning out from Preston. Dave Young secured 26:19 for M75 72.01% and Brian Jones ran 28:34 for an M60 57.12%. Emma Lund ran the Lancaster parkrun in Williamson Park in 24:57 for a W40 grade of 61.32% and in Platt Fields in South Manchester Tracey Hulme clocked 24:53 for W60 76.89%. There was a good show at the Manchester run at Worsley Woods crossing under the M60 where Carl Groome ran 20:30 for M50 74.31% and Elliot Costello 22:32 for an age graded 57.40%. Alona Versinina posted 26:41 for W35 56.21%; Michelle Pitt 49:32 with W40 31.29%; and Tracy Clare and Sue Rigby 49:51 and 49:52 for 29.76% and W45 33.22%. in Chester-Le-Street at the Riverside run Emma Brook clocked 28:34 for W40 53.56%. The Wesham tourists were at the Severn Valley Country parkrun at Highley north of Kidderminster where David Taylor ran the fastest time of the day with 18:43 for M35 70.88%. Steven Gore clocked 21:33 for M40 63.81% and Vicky Gore 28:31 with W45 56.81%.