Alex’s Newspaper Report.

Start of the Brampton to Carlisle with Rob Danson tucked in the lead pack

 

 

Rob Danson strode into the Wesham record books once again with a spectacular new 10-mile personal best performance

at Sunday’s historic Brampton to Carlisle road race, winning the 66th staging of the event and also coming out top in the incorporated North of England Championships. Starting out conservatively in the Cumbrian market town east of Carlisle on the way to Hexham and Newcastle Rob tucked in at the back of a 10-strong lead group and ticked off the first few miles steadily. By halfway at 5 miles the group had fractured down to five and Rob started to take a more active part, working though the group one by one and finding himself 3rd with two miles to go. He worked up to 2nd and then took on the lead in the final mile having already been pulled along much faster than he could have dreamed of. With a final ascent out of the way he hit the last descent across the river to the finish with a 5-second lead and won the race in 50:06 taking a whopping 2min 28sec off his previous best performance. Musing on the near-miss of a sub-50 minute run he agreed that he could not have planned for a specific target, he just went with the flow and then pushed on when the opportunity arose.

Nearer to home 15 Wesham members took part in the 10-mile race at the Preston 10 in Hutton. On the traditional 2-lap course through Longton Ugis Datavs was the first finisher for the club with his own personal best, 59:31 for 17th place and 6th M35. Wesham’s leading lady was Vice-Chair Helen Lawrenson who was 13th woman and 3rd W45 in 1:08:43, 120th overall. The women’s race was won by another Helen, Olympian and Commonwealth medallist Clitheroe. In the Wesham team, David Taylor finished 24th in 1:01:00 with Garry Barnett 37th and 1st M50 in 1:02:33. Paul Gregory was 53rd in 1:03:46 and Peter Cruse finished 72nd and 5th M55 with 1:05:24. Stuart Topping was 75th in 1:05:43; Carl Groome 76th in 1:05:54; Roger Leadbeater 219th with 1:15:46; and Dave Young 306th and 3rd M70 in 1:22:45. Rob Wallace placed 331st with 1:24:12; Tracey Hulme was 86th woman and 6th W55 in 1:30:09 (403rd overall). Anne Berry was 108th woman and 7th W55 in 1:32:36 (439th); Heather Buckel and Stephanie Blakely 171st and 172nd women in their debut at the distance with a time of 1:49:48 (545th and 546th overall).

 

Paul Gregory on the ascent of Scout Scar in the Kendal Mountain Festival

 

 

The Kendal Mountain Festival had a whole weekend of activities including a 10k Trail race on Saturday from the town hall in the centre of town up on to Scout Scar and along the escarpment with views of the Lyth Valley.  Paul Gregory was attracted to this race and he finished 110th in 51:20, just under 2 minutes behind the leaders, such was the quality of the event. Kath Hoyer was 9th W50 (no separate category for W55) and 62nd woman in 1:03:03, 347th overall. Dave Waywell finished 524th in 1:15:16, winning the M70 category.

Kath Hoyer made a weekend double with the Arnside Knott Fell Race on Sunday where she finished 113th in 57:25, 5th W50 and 21st woman for the 6 miles and 1093 ft ascent. Jen Salt was 134th in 1:01:35 placing 33rd woman and 16th W40. Alistair Morris finished 156th in 1:08:36.

Leigh Doughty ran the Chorley Fire 10k and he finished well up in 21st place with a time of 41:19.

Steve Myerscough and David Taylor had a head-to-head at the Preston parkrun on Saturday morning, coming in 1 second apart with Myerscough clocking 19:05 for an M40 age graded performance of 73.71% and Taylor 19:06 for 67.89%. Luke Robinson ran 21:21 for 60.42%; Nigel Shepherd 23:22 for M55 68.05%; Robert Brown 24:35 with M60 65.22%; and Paul Carter 36:03 with M45 40.27%. In the Hyndburn run at Clayton’s Wilson’s Fields Graham Cunliffe clocked 34:10 for M60 47.37%. Debbie Bell was in Oxfordshire and she ran the Abingdon parkrun in 32:19 for W40 48.68%. In Lancaster Emma Lund had 24:58 for 59.68%, and further afield in the new Sale Water parkrun Steven Gore ran the fastest time of the day with 19:24 for M35 68.38%. Megan Gore ran 36:30 for JW10 46.76 with Vicky Gore the same time in company. In Blackpool Stephen Browne clocked 22:05 for M50 67.32%; Jonathan Lawson 22:18 with M50 66.14%; Dave Marsland 23:48 and M60 68.56%; Martin Bates 24:23 for M60 66.37; Phil Leaver with 25:05 and M60 66.25%; George Kennedy 25:14 with M60 63.54%; Ben Wrigley 25:47 for M35 51.78%; and Andrew Moore 27:35 with M55 55.71%.