It was a week for marathons and half marathons with several in the calendar around the North West and some Wesham runners took advantage of this.
In the Chester Marathon, a popular event over a single lap of the Cheshire countryside, Helen Greenhalgh finished 370th woman and 1882nd overall in 4:19:43 with a chip time of 4:18:50. Paul Carter placed 3233 in 5:44:29 (chip time 5:41:02) a week after completing the 30-mile Tower to Castle ultra event.
Liam Thompson was 42nd in the West Coast Half Marathon from Preston Docks to Fairhaven Lake with a time of 1:46:57. There were 162 runners in this point-to-point race largely along the main road through Freckleton and Warton on a fine sunny morning.
Mick Edge finished 40th in the Rochdale 10k on Sunday in a time of 45:18 to place 1st M60. Carmel Sullivan was 50th and 7th woman in 46:30, coming in first W55. With a varied terrain from the town centre out to the motorway and along the canal with a total elevation gain of 50 metres this was a fast course.
The 2023/24 Wesham Monthly Handicap started last week with the first fixture on the two-lap 4-mile route around Dowbridge. The first fixture has a massed start to establish new handicaps and David Taylor was the fastest in 23:45 with Tom Crabtree second in 23:50. Alek Walker came in 3rd in 24:32 with Adam Wilding fourth in 24:47. Chris Haines was next in 25:20 with Mick Edge sixth in 27:38 and Stuart Mulrooney 29:09. Carmel Sullivan was first female in 29:31 with Alona Versinina 2nd in 33:25 and Agnes Woods 3rd with 33:36. Will Parkinson clocked 30:28; Rob Wallace 31:19; Ian Nicholls-Hogg ran 31:23; James Danson 34:03; Peter Rooney 34:53; John Burns was 16th in 35:04; Finlay McCalman time in at 36:06; Dave Young 36:57; and Alan Hudson 36:57. There were 19 members taking part.
There were 34 Wesham members running a parkrun on Saturday morning at 12 venues as the weather improved greatly for the weekend. The biggest turnout was at the Lytham Hall parkrun where Daniel Bolton ran the fourth fastest time of the day with 19:07 for an age graded performance of 67.48%. Mark Holton fresh from his 180km ultra run last week ran 20:55 for an M45 age graded 67.81%. Ian Nichols Hogg clocked 23:03 for 56.40% with Jonathan Lawson on 23:20 for an M55 66.43%. Ryan Azzopardi recorded 25:54 with M40 53.93% and the M55 duo Stephen Twist and James Danson ran 26:18 and 26:22 for age grades of 58.94% and 59.80%. Andy Moore returned 28:20 for M60 57.12%; Kerry Eccles ran 39:03 for W60 49.68% together with Julie Rooney on 39:04 for W45 42.41%. Michelle Pitt was just behind in 39:19 for W40 39.42% and Phil Leaver walked 53:51 for M70 32.75%. In Blackpool’s Stanley Park Chris Haines ran 20:34 for M35 65.40%; Mark Renshall 25:47 with M50 57.21%; Rob Wallace clocked 26:14 for 49.30%; and Emma Wright finished with 28:24 for W45 55.93%. Along Fleetwood Promenade Sue Coulthurst was 4th fastest woman in 22:15 for a W55 grade 80.30%, and Alan Hudson ran 27:35 for M70 67.55%. In the Preston parkrun Steve Myerscough recorded 20:25 for M45 71.67% and Nigel Shepherd ran 21:24 for M65 78.35%. Michelle Tickle was fourth fastest woman at Croxteth Hall again with a time of 23:11 for W45 71.46%. Further afield the parkrun tourists were in Stockport for the Cheadle Hulme run in Bruntwood Park where David Taylor scored the 3rd fastest time in 20:25 for an M35 graded 64.98%. Carl Groome was 6th fastest in 22:18 with M50 68.31% and Steven Gore 9th with 22:49 for M40 60.70%. Tracey Hulme ran 30:52 for W60 61.99%; Vicky Gore 31:09 with W45 52.01%; and Sue Rigby timed in at 40:21 for W50 41.55%. In the Woodbank parkrun in Stockport taking in Vernon Park Anne and George Flanagan ran 42:20 and 42:22 for W65 49.37% and M70 43.98%. Down the road in Chester in the Countess of Chester Country Park Dave Young recorded 29:08 for an M75 grade of 65.05% and Finlay McCalman was in Carlisle in Moreton Park to run 28:03 for M55 56.68%. Stuart Clayton ran the Fell Foot parkrun in Newby Bridge in 23:48 with M55 64.57% and Emma Brook was on home ground in Chester-Le-Street for the Riverside run where she clocked 28:24 for a W40 graded 53.87%. Furthest away in Dublin Alona Versinina was 5th fastest woman in Poppintree Park in a time of 24:43 for W35 60.69%.