LSARRC News 15th September 2015

 With two athletics tracks, a few kilometres of paths, landscaped grounds and a up-to-the-minute sports centre only opened on 1st September, Ormskirk's Edge Hill University made for a grand setting to the 16th staging of the North West Counties Relay Championships on Saturday.

Proximity to Liverpool's and Manchester's many running clubs made for a large and particularly strong entry for 2015.   Liverpool Harriers took three of the top six spots in the Seniors' Races with Salford Harriers and Preston Harriers well up in the men's and Cheshire's Vale Royal AC clinching the women's championship.

Ten members of Lytham St. Annes RRC competed, finishing a full men's and women's team and a couple of incomplete teams.  The women's A team finished 40th out of 47 teams, 12th in Lancashire with a combined time of 1:13:57 against Vale Royal's 54:51 and the men were 51st overall in 1:19:11 verses Liverpool Harriers' 1:04:30 and 17th in Lancashire.

Our runners put in creditable performances for the 5k campus course.  Starting at 1:15pm Susan Hawitt gamely led off the team in her first relay finishing 14th Lancashire team in 25:18.  Claire England, another one new to relay running, put in the team's fastest leg in 23:23:46 gaining a place and anchor leg runner Alex Everest gained a further place with 24:53.  Silvia Gittins ran 27:53 and Rachel Scott, 29:49 in the B Team.

Sylvia Gittins at the Relays

Thomas Howarth led out the men at 2:30pm  finishing in 18:28 and handing over to second leg runner and team captain Joe Greenwood.  Greenwoods, 18:16, the club's fastest leg, pulled up two places to 14th in Lancashire and handed over to Richard Storey, 22:08.  Graham Webster put in a good run of 20:19 on fourth leg.  Terry Hellings ran 21:25.

Betws-y-Coed in North Wales hosted the World Masters Mountain Running Championships on Saturday.  Runners ran in age category races and Colin Laidlaw took part in the V60 race.  This was his 3rd World Masters Mountain Running Championships having run in Keswick 2005 and Dolni Morava in the Czech Republic in 2008.  He finished 29th out of 41 runners in a time of 53:06 on the 8.7 km course with 450m of ascent.

Joanna Goorney at Hodder Valley Fell Race

The Hodder Valley provided a beautiful setting for the Hodder Valley Fell Race organised by Bowland Fell Runners.  It was held as part of the Hodder Valley Show at Butts Farm, in between Slaidburn and Newton and covered 6.8 miles with 1083 ft of ascent taking in Dunsop Head.  The rain luckily stopped just before the start although the showground ended up very muddy.  The race was won by Paul Webb of Settle Harriers in a time of 51:33.  Joanna Goorney of LSARRC was 1st lady in 19th place in a time of 1:02:11.

Mark Willett and a hippo

Mark Willett was the sole representative from the club running  The Great North Run in Newcastle.  He was pleased with sub-7 minute miles and 1.31.25 overall for the half marathon distance but suffered in the middle in the heat.  He was also relieved not to have been beaten by George from Rainbow!


2 juniors from the club were also in action in Newcastle in the Morrisons Junior Great North Run 2015. George Denye was in the 9-10 boys race completing the 4km course in an excellent 18:11 for 38th place while Sydney Ramsden was 65th in 21:20 in the 9-10 girls race.

George Denye

Sydney Ramsden

Six LSARRC junior athletes competed at the open Track and Field meeting at Stanley Park on Sunday 13th.    Chloe Norman was first to compete for Lytham in the under 15 girls high jump jumping 1.40m equalling her pb and taking the bronze medal.  Straight from the high jump Chloe lined up for the 800m finishing in 3rd place for another bronze medal in a time of 2m 35.9s. Long jump was Chloe's final event of the day where she equalled her pb with a jump of 4.47m for 1st place and a gold medal.  Chloe's young brother Connor Norman, not to be outdone by his big sister, jumped a pb of 3.36m for first place and a gold medal in the under11 boys long jump.  Connor also took silver in the under11 boys 80m in a time of 13.00s.

Lucie McNally in her first competition did well in the under11 girls long jump taking 4th place with a jump of 2.72m just one place ahead of her team mate from Lytham Charlotte Thomson who jumped a pb of 2.64m.   Lucie and Charlotte both competed in the 80m, Lucie finishing 4th in her heat in a time of 14.8s with Charlotte taking 5th in her heat in 15s.  Charlotte also competed in the 600m finishing 9th in 2m 31.8s.

Simon Holt picked up two gold medals finishing 1st in the under 13 boys 800m in 2m 39.5s and also ran very well to finish first in the 200m in 29.8s.

Ellie McNally in her first outing for Lytham finished 4th in her heat of the 100m in 16.6s and 5th in her heat of the 200m in 35.8s.