LSARRC News 1st May 2018

Even more marathon running for Lytham at the Stirling Marathon, resulting in personal bests for Jacqui Murray and Laura Byrne. Neil Tate puts on the fantastic Green Drive Mile event for #jacobsjoin raising over £1500 for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Lytham Hall parkrun was a sea of green as LSARRC take over.

First summer handicap run of 2018

This week saw the first handicap run of the season on Thursday 26th April.A rather windy, chilly night which certainly wasn't conducive to fast times however in spite of this, guest runner Liz Abbott was first home in 28:33, the fourth fastest time for a lady ever, a fantastic run for her first ever attempt at course. Heidi Haigh also joins the all time leader board for the ladies with her 33:10, also her first run on the course.

Jonathon Tuck was just 8 seconds shy of making the men's leader board. There were also PBs for Adrian Sargent, Darran Ames and Sarah Bagshaw. Well done all.

With the weekend upon us, there was the usual attendance at a number of parkruns, however the majority decended to Lytham Hall for the LSARRC takeover week. While the most of the volunteering posts were filled by Lytham members there was still 19 runners out of 253 who took part in event number 117 on Saturday 28th April, including 5 pacers, on a cool, still but beautifully sunny morning. First home for the club, and overall, was Alex Tate in followed by Lytham’s first lady home Catherine Carrdus. Paul Veevers, the 21:00 pacer for the event was Lythams second male home with John Bertenshaw hot on his heels only a few seconds later. Michelle Hook and Jen Hill made up the second and third ladies home. This was followed by running a final 0.6 miles to total 3.7 miles, in memory of London Marathoner Matt Campbell who sadly died 3.7 miles from the finish line.

parkrun results: Alex Tate 18:26 (1st), Catherine Carrdus 19:12 (6th), 21 minute pacer Paul Veevers 20:36 (9th), John Bertenshaw 20:39 (13th), Michelle Hook 21:20 (19th), Jen Hill 22:15 (28th), Kev Murray 22:44 (33rd), 23 minute pacer Graham Webster 23:01 (37th), Eric Wrigley 24:27 (51st), Ross McKelvie 24:27 (52nd), 25 minute pacer Terry Hellings 24:52 (59th), Kirsten Burnett 25:33 (71st), Stephen Tate 26:36 (87th), Karen Lanigan 29:47 (    152nd), Pamela Binns 30:34 (169th), Robert Parker 30:55 (177th), Bob Clough 31:45 (188th), Sarah Bagshaw 32:03 (193) and Michelle Sheridan 50:23 (253rd).

Ross McKelvie and Jen Hill

Joanna Goorney travelled to Huddersfield parkrun finishing in 29th place in 20:09, and Neil Bayntun-Roberts ran the Beckton parkrun finishing in 5th place in 21:08.

Saturday afternoon saw 2 of our parkrunners attend Bay Gateaway 10k in Lancaster on pacing duties. The course was described by Jen Hill as fairly challenging with two sharp inclines and one long steady climb that was fully exposed to the wind. Ross McKelvie donned the 45 minute pacer t-shirt with Jen on 50 minute duty. Both ran a great race with Ross finishing in 44:38 and Jen in 49:05 respectively. Also following their parkrun, representing Lytham at the Wray Scarecrow 10k were the Sheridan team, Michelle & Jason. Described by Michelle as ‘hot and hilly’, Jason was first Lytham runner over the line finishing the tough course in 54:55, with Michelle following in 1:08:48. Well done!

Laura Byrne and Jacqui Murray

On Sunday 29th April it was an early start for two Lytham laides as Laura Byrne and Jacqui Murray tackled the Stirling Marathon. Amazingly, on what was a challenging and hilly course, with Laura threatening to divorce her ‘running wife’,  they both came away with marathon PBs; Jacqui completed the course in a fantastic 4:32:51 and Laura achieved her first sub-5 hour marathon target in 4:55:12. Fantastic effort ladies.

Locally, it was junion parkrun on a lovely sunny Sunday morning. 5 Lytham juniors took part in event number 62, with Frankie Ball coming 3rd overall in 7:49, closely followed by Eric Wrigley in 8:04 (5th), Jayden Richardson 8:08 (6th), Ella Wiseman 9:53 (22nd) and Blair Selbie 10:14 (27th).

Also on Sunday the local running community came together to raise money for a former LSARRC member's son, Jacob who has recently been diagnosed with cancer .  Event was organised by Neil Tate and was held at Green Drive, Lytham, and saw over 100 runners including various club members running laps of the Green Drive mile, donating £1 a mile for royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald house. An incredible £1500 was raised for the cause and the atmosphere was electric from runners and supporters, with Neil himself running a full marathon of Green Drive laps. Well done to all who attended, ran, supported and especially donated.

Mid Lancs Track and Field 28/4/18

Amara Thorpe

 Lytham St Annes RRC juniors were well represented at the latest Mid Lancs. Track and Field meeting held at UCLAN, Preston on 28th April with six athletes competing over eleven events with 7 pb performances.  Under 13 girl Amara Thorpe was first on the track for Lytham finishing 3rd in her heat of the 100m in a pb time of 15.4s and picking up four points for the club.  Amara also competed in the long jump achieving another pb with a best jump of 3.24m.

Under 13 girl Sophie Bohannon was next on the track for Lytham in a very competitive 800m.  Sophie set off very quickly and held on to finish with a time of 2m 36.7s for 3rd place and 5 points.

Frankie Ball

Two Under 13 boys represented Lytham and first of those was Frankie Ball in the 800m.  Despite his inexperience and in only his second race over the distance he ran a good tactical race using his excellent speed to move from third to first in the home straight to win by 2 seconds in a pb time of 2m 31.6s picking up 7 points for the club.  Frankie’s next event was the long jump and in his first ever long jump competition did excellently with a best jump of 4.17m for 3rd place overall but 1st in division 2 for a further 7 points.  Finally Frankie lined up for the 200m and, despite feeling his earlier efforts in the last few metres, held on in a very close finish for first place in 28.8s (his third pb of the day) and earning a further 7 points.

Morgan Pritchard chose the 1500m and with his usual fast finish took 3rd place in division 2 in a time of 5m 35.2s for 4 points.  Morgan also tackled the 200m and ran a pb of 31.5s for 2nd place in division and 5 points.

Brogan Murphy

Under 15 girl Brogan Murphy’s first event was the long jump where she jumped a pb of 3.29m for 3rd place in division 2 and 4 points.  Brogane also competed in the 1500m achieving another pb of 5m 41.5s gaining a further 4 points for 3rd place in division 2.

Final athlete representing Lytham was under 17 Laura Bremner in the 1500m finishing in 5m 51.3s for 2nd place in division2 earning 5 points.

LSARRC News 24th April 2018

7 Lytham members finish the London Marathon in difficult conditions.  Joe Greenwood ran an impressive half marathon in Blackpool and junior Jessica Ramsden was the second girl to finish the 2K at the Blackpool Festival of running.

Andy Draper

LSARRC had 7 Lytham runners attend the hottest London marathon to date.  LSARRC members/supporters were stationed at mile 9 until all Lytham runners had passed and a lot of competitors were suffering in the heat even then. Unfortunately, club members then travelled to miles 14 and 22 to support their fellow club runners but they had to withdraw due to heat and they couldn’t get near enough to support anyone.  The BBC said the temperature had been recorded as 24.1 but Nigel Simpkin (Chairman of LSARRC) reported that it was much hotter in the afternoon at the roadside, and said it was incredible that so many runners finished. 

Club runner Melanie Koth of LSARRC commented that the crowd were incredible, providing lots of extra water, sweets and encouragement, and there were plenty of medical practitioners present throughout the course.  Koth said that this was the toughest London Marathon she had run, out of the twelve she has completed, with high temperatures making it very challenging.  Even so Koth was pleasantly pleased with her time, with difficult conditions and missing 3 weeks of her training.

Mike Toft

Andrew Draper of Lytham said that the hot, sunny conditions meant the PB attempt got shelved around 10 miles and he just ran the rest sensibly according to conditions and managed to finish in a time of 2:52:18. Draper felt the crowds were fantastic as always and enjoyed meeting up with other local runners after.

Ian Tate described how he managed the first half of the marathon quite well, but the wheels really fell off around 15 miles which he didn't expect as he had been running much further in training. Tate finished in 4.04.45 which he was initially a bit disappointed with but given the conditions he was happy to finish without any serious injury.  Despite the hot conditions Tate said he enjoyed the occasion very much and has set himself a time to beat in the future.

Amy Fletcher

Special mention must go to Amy Fletcher of LSARRC who ran the London Marathon in memory of her beloved Mother who died of sarcoma, a type of cancer, last year. Following her Mother’s death Amy decided to enter the London Marathon, only in memory of her even though she had only every run 3 miles a few times a week.  Amy had lots of set backs with injuries, and during the 26 miles suffered from lots of blisters however she crossed the line after 8 hours and achieved her goal.

Full Results: Andy Draper 2:52:18, 532 overall,525th male, Mike Toft 3:01:01, 1190 overall, 1149th male, Melanie Koth 3:32:45, 4727th overall, 587th lady, 109th v40, Ian Tate 4:04:45 , 10490 overall, 8001 male, 1583 v40, Roy Stevens, 4:50:15, 20665 overall, 14445 male, 118th v60, Rachael Wignall, 5:26:16, 28689 overall,9837 lady and Amy Fletcher, 8:42:23, 40144 overall, 16461 lady.

Also, on Sunday 22nd April 2018 Joe Greenwood completed the Blackpool Half Marathon.  He finished in 1:20:40 for 6th place.

Jess Ramsden

On the previous day, Saturday 21st April at the Blackpool festival of running junior Jessica Ramsden impressed and finished the 2k course in 8:57, a new personal best breaking the 9-minute mark.  Jessica, only 10 years of age finished 7th overall, and was the 2nd girl.

As usual lots of club members attended various parkruns locally and further afield, over the weekend.
There were several Lytham club members at the Lytham Hall parkrun on Saturday and Joe Greenwood and Alex Tate gained the first two to finish.  Michelle Hook was the second female overall to finish and Pamela Binns gained a new personal best time.

Parkrun Results:  Joe Greenwood 18:13 (1st), Alex Tate 18:34 (2nd), Neil Bayntun-Roberts 20:53 (12th), Darran Ames 21:01 (13th),Graham Webster 21:50 (19th), Michelle Hook 21:51 (20th), Richard Storey 22:14 (23rd), Mark Hughes 22:23 (25th), G Browne 22:29 (26th), Morgan Pritchard 23:04 (33rd), Chris Bowker 23:41 (38th), Kathy Gaunt 24:13 (47th), Stephen Tate 26:45 (83rd), Susan Hawitt 28:09 (103rd),  Neil Tate 28:15 (105th), Pamela Binns 29:47 (128th), Karen Lanigan 30:24 (135th), Bob Clough 31:01 (143rd), Michelle Sheridan 31:21 (148th), Graham Young 31:24 (149th),  and Ruth Bye 34:42 (165th).

Catherine Carrdus and John Bertenshawe attended the Hyndburn parkrun.  Carrdus was the first female to finish, and 6th overall in a time of 20:57.  John Bertenshawe was 17th overall in a time of 23:58.

Further a field Jennifer Hill attended the Wanstead parkrun coming 30th overall and second female in 22:03.

Greg Oulton became an accidental parkrun tourist by going up to Ambleside to marshal a race 24 hour earlier, stayed and did Fell Foot parkrun instead. Almost entirely on grass (85%?) with just 130 feet to climb in glorious sunshine on the banks of the River Leven in Staveley-in-Cartmel, Oulton took it easy and finished in 27:14.

Haigh Woodland parkrun was attended by James Buckley he ran the course in 26:18 for 81st position overall.

At the junior parkrun on Sunday 3 Lytham juniors braved the rain.  Frankie Ball was first home in 7:42, followed by Jayden Richardson in 8:05 and Blair Selbie in 10:17.

LSARRC News 17th April 2018

It was another busy week for Lytham members with Graham Webster impressing at the Northern Masters and junior Rebecca Fisher gaining 2 more medals.

On Wednesday 11th April 2018 Graham Webster attended the Spenborough ac track and field Northern Masters at Cleckheaton near Leeds where he ran 3 races. The 400metres in 80.1seconds coming 5th and 2nd vet65.  800metres Webster was 5th again and 2nd vet 65 in 2mins.51.6seconds.
Lastly, he ran 1500metres in 5mins'46.5 seconds coming 5th 1st vet 65. Webster achieved well given he was just getting over a cold virus and the conditions were very cold.

Rebecca Fisher

Rebecca Fisher achieved two more silver medals o Sunday 15th April at Trafford open meeting.  Fisher came 2nd with 13.52s for hurdles and her discus debut at 14.12 m was enough to steal a silver medal.

Greg Oulton and Chris Bowker attended the Lakeland Trails Hawkshead 17k on Saturday. Only 16k (10 miles) but with over 1600 feet of ascent, rocks, mud and steep climbs and descents, including the appropriately named Coffin Trail, the 800-year-old, mile and a bit long cobbled ascent over the mountain. Bowker came 153rd in 1:52:20 and Oulton came 155th in 1:54:06.

On Sunday 15th April it was the ever popular, 1st event of the Fylde Tri Series.  Flat, fast sprint triathlon on quiet country lanes in and around the Ribby Hall Leisure Village.  Ideal for first timers or those wanting an early season PB. Athletes complete a 400m swim, 10.5 miles bike ride followed by a 5K run.  Adrian Sargent of Lytham achieved a total time of 1:12:42, 7:11 swim, 40:25 bike and 25:04 run.

Penny and Lee Morrison

Penny Morrison ran the Three Bridges 10k on Sunday 15th April.  Starting at the clubhouse next to Salt Ayre Sports Centre, the scenic route is almost entirely traffic free, and crosses three bridges spanning the historic River Lune. The course is mainly flat and fast and is ideal for park runners wishing to try a longer distance.  Penny Morrison time; 1:12:15. Lee Morrison also ran it in a time of 51:30, his first 10k race since his hip operation last year! The sun came out just before the start and was very warm, which made for a very enjoyable race.  James Buckley also ran the 3 Bridges achieving a time of 50:43 (with buggy). He was awarded a bottle of wine for being first buggy (ever) to do the run.

Club member Pamela Hardman booked herself on a 5 day trail running holiday in the Dordogne 10th -15th April -after running 100km through the trail paths of all the little villages around the Dordogne area she finished off with attending one of the local trail races of the year, it was either the 10k (ended up at 11km) or 20k. Hardman took on the 10k and came in 61mins and won her age category with a small prize and a large trophy to come home with, a lovely end to the holidays.

As usual there were lots of club members who completed local parkruns and were tourists at other parkruns around the country.  At the Lytham parkrun Chris McCarthy first home for the club, and second overall. Followed by Neil Tate and Alex Tate coming 3rd and 5th, respectively.  Catherine Carrdus was first female home for the club, and second female overall. Darran Ames achieved a new personal best time.

Full Results:  Chris McCarthy 17:27 (2nd), Neil Tate 18:45 (3rd), Alex Tate 18:54 (5th), Catherine Carrdus 19:19 (8th), Ross McKelvie 20:34 (11th), Jennifer Hill 21:15 (16th), Darran Ames 20:47 (13th) John Bertenshawe 21:26 (18th), Morgan Pritchard 22:07 (25th), Graham Webster 22:08 (26th), Mark Hughes 22:17 (27th), G Browne 22:40 (30th), James Buckley 22:51 (32nd), Kev Murray 23:01 33rd, Gill Draper 23:17 (37th), Jason Sheridan 26:35 (80th), Stephen Tate 27:27 (89th), Gillian Oliver 29:24 (122nd), Karen Lanigan 30:20 (132nd), Robert Parker 31:31 (157th), Graham Young 32:01 (163rd), Sarah Bagshaw 32:11 (168th)Bob Clough 35:23 (185th) and Julie Wiseman 39:01 (208th).

The Blackpool parkrun was attended by Paul Veevers who came 4th overall in a time of 18:53 and Heid Haigh who ran 23:43 for 34th and 5th female.  At the Basingstoke parkrun Neil Bayntun-Roberts ran the course in 20:31 for 24thand at the Warrington parkrun Ian Tate came 15th in 21:29. Kirsten Burnett was a tourist park runner at Newby Bridge she ran 29:25 for 27th female spot.

There were several junior members at the Park View junior park run on Sunday, and there were some fine performances.  The first 3 spots went to Lytham runners, Morgan Pritchard, Frankie Ball and Jayden Richardson.  Clemmie Tierney broke 9 minutes for a new personal best of 8:55.

Full Results: Morgan Pritchard 7:32, Frankie Ball 7:53, Jayden Richardson 8:02, Finlay Hughes 8:27, Clemmie Tierney 8:55, Blair Selbie 10:07, Ella Wiseman 10:47, and Hebe Tierney 11:39.

LSARRC News 10th April 2018

Gold for junior Frankie Ball in the 800metres track and field event, at Blackburn and 3 Lytham members dazzle at the Manchester Marathon.

Frankie Ball

On Saturday 7th April 2018 t was the first Mid-Lancashire Track and field meeting of the season, held at Witton Park, Blackburn.  Lytham juniors celebrated their 10th birthday with their best turn out for some time, seven athletes competed in over fourteen events with five of those making their debut for Lytham.

In the under 13 boy Frankie Ball ran in the in the 800m, his well-timed race led him to finishing first.  This was not only his debut on the track for Lytham but his first ever track race. Despite his inexperience Frankie ran an excellent race taking the lead after the initial mad dash from 700m to go and was never in danger of being caught finishing first in 2m 38.4s for 7 points. Frankie also ran an excellent 200m finishing 3rd in the fastest heat in a very credible time of 29.2s for a further 5 points. Under 13 girl Amara Thorpe was the first to fly the flag for Lytham finishing 3rd in her heat of the 100m in 15.9s, picking up three points for the club. Thorpe went on to compete in the 200m finishing in 33.8s for a further three points and in the long jump she jumped 2.88m, a personal best.

All-rounder Sophie Bohannon, in her second season on the track for Lytham ran in a very competitive under 13 girls 800m race and finished strongly to take 2nd place in a personal best time of 2m 34.7s, earning 5 points for Lytham.

Under 15 girl Brogane Murphy, in her first season with Lytham ran well in the 1500m for 4th place in division 2 with a time of 5m 47.8s earning 3 points. Murphy also competed in the long jump with a best jump of 3.24m picking up a further 2 points.

Also making his debut for Lytham on the track was under 13 boy Morgan Pritchard. Morgan chose the 1500m for his first ever track race finishing with an excellent sprint finish in a time of 5m 33.4s for second place in division 2 and 5 points. Morgan also ran the 200m finishing 3rd in his heat and 4th in division 2 for 3 points in a time of 33.1s.

Laura Bremner in her second season on the track for Lytham ran in the 1500m finishing 2nd in division 2 in a time of 5m 57.1s for 5 points.

Under 13 girl Rebecca Fisher continues to impress for Lytham finishing 2nd in her heat of the 70m hurdles in a personal best time of 13.7s earning 3 points for Lytham. Fisher picked up a further 7 points in the high jump clearing 1.2m for first place in division 2.

Gill Draper

On Sunday 3 Lytham members travelled to Manchester for the Asics Greater Manchester Marathon.  It is the flattest course in the UK, perfect for a persona best, and the route was held on entirely closed roads.  Great entertainment was put n for all spectators making it an enjoyable event.  The race started and finished near Old Trafford cricket ground and went through the towns of Sale, Altrincham and Urmston. Conditions were perfect for the 10,000 runners, a cool, dry and cloudy day with little wind and there was a great atmosphere with crowds lining the course providing vocal support. Joe Greenwood completed his 2nd marathon in 3:14, close to a 1 hour PB from his previous in 2012 in 1,036th place. Gill Draper completed her 1st marathon in 3:19, finishing in 1,296th place, 63rd female and raised in excess of £1,500 for her chosen charity, Target Ovarian Cancer. Heidi Haigh finished in 2,996th place, 362nd female in 3:44.

On Saturday Greg Oulton went to Barley for the Pendle Hill fell race. A short, sharp shock of a race - 4.25 miles with 1400 feet of ascent, including one ascent where it wouldn't be possible to reach the summit without holding on with both hands. After the recent downpours it was very wet on the fells and fields with Oulton sinking in over his ankles for long stretches, and several of the paths were almost washed away making it very hard going. A torrential downpour just before the race meant it was even soggier than anticipated, but it was warm and dry, albeit not sunny, for the entire race. With a slightly different route compared to previous years it isn't possible to compare results with previous years, but Oulton’s time of 1:02:30 was faster than last year.

On Sunday Kirsten Burnett ran the Milan Marathon in 4:39:47.  Burnett commented that it was a great, well-supported marathon but the humidity made it difficult for runners.  However, the Arman souvenir race top made worth the hard work.  Ian Balshaw ran a Half Marathon in Berlin over the weekend and Andy Unsworth managed a time of 1:23:50 for a Half Marathon in Mallorca, Pollensa giving him a podium position.

In the Fleetwood 10K held on Sunday 9th April 2018 4 Lytham ladies competed. They had to change the course as there is still some promenade work going on. It was a very flat out and back course. Weather was perfect. Jennifer Hill had a very good run, Melanie Koth also ran well, and Sarah Bagshaw and Penny Morrison looked strong too on the way to the finish.

Full Results: Jennifer Hill 3rd Lady 42:48 20th overall, Melanie Koth 5th Lady, 1st V40, 45:15 35th overall, Sarah Bagshaw 1:07:15 247th overall and Penny Morrison 1:08:42 255 overall.

Also, on Sunday Greg Oulton decided to punish his legs even further by heading to Rivington for the 10-mile trail race.  Actually 10.25 miles, with just over 1000 feet of climb, but lots of mud to sap the energy from the legs. With a varied mixture of surface from road, trail, wooden boards, grass fields and fell there was something for everyone. Even with tired legs after Saturday Oulton was rather pleased with his 1:50:15 finishing time.

As usual, several Lytham members completed parkruns locally and further afield.  At the Lytham Hall parkrun 21 Lytham members completed the 5K course.  First for the club and second overall was Alex Tate.  Second, third, and fourth female spots went to Lytham runners, Catherine Carrdus, Joanna Goorney, and Heidi Haigh.  Darran and Ames an d Heidi Haigh also achieved personal best times.

Full Results:  Alex Tate 18:41 (1st), Catherine Carrdus 19:51 (7th), Joanna Goorney 20:29 (9th), Darran Ames 20:51 (11th), John Bertenshawe 21:34 (18th), Terry Hellings 21:52 (21st), Neil Tate 22:18 (27th), Heidi Haigh 23:01 (35th), Mark Hughes 24:50 (59th), Susan Hawitt (26:09 (73rd), Stephen Tate 26:37 (80th), Julie Wiseman 28:16 (105th), Gillian Oliver 29:00 (114th), Jennifer Hill 29:14 (117th), Pamela Binns 30:09 (127th), Ruth Bye 30:44 (137th), Karen Lanigan 30:59 (142nd), Kathy Gaunt 31:52 (151st), Michelle Sheridan 31:52 (152nd), Robert Parker 33:25 (165th), and Sara Bagshaw 34:02 (170th).

Neil Bayntun-Roberts finished 9th at the Basildon parkrun, finishing in 21:03.  Gerry Browne completed the Knocknacarra parkrun in Ireland.  He completed the course in 23:55 for 17th position overall.  Kirsten Burnett of Lytham was a parkrun tourist in Milan, Italy.  She completed the parkrun in 28:33 and came 54th overall and was the 7th female to finish.

At the junior parkrun in Lytham, held on Sunday 8 members finished the course.  Jayden Richardson was first home for the cub in 8:45 for 5th followed by Lewis Bentley in 8:57 for 7th.  Clemmie Tierney was the first female to finish, she ran he course in 9:02 for 8th overall.  Other runners included:  Billy Breakell in 9:05 for 9th,  Archie Tate in 9:10 for 11th Reef Breakell was 13th in a new personal best time of 9:55, Blair Selbie ran 10:00 for 15th, Charlotte Thomson was 16th in 10:08 and Sophie Tate finished volunteered and was the tail runner and finished in 17:34.

LSARRC are running a new couch 2 5K running course which will take place at Lytham YMCA, starting on 23rd April 6.30p.m., al welcome.  Anyone interested will need to register on the Run Together page.

LSARRC News 3rd April 2018

Silver for junior athlete Rebecca Fisher in the high jump at Stretford and a 15-minute personal best for Ross McKelvie at the Easter London half marathon

Rebecca Fisher

It was a busy Easter weekend for LSARRC members on Saturday 31st March, junior LSARRC athlete Rebecca Fisher impressed at the Trafford AC Open Medal Meeting in Stretford.  Fisher’s dedication to training has certainly paid off and In the U13G 70M Hurdles Fisher came 2nd in her heat and 5th overall, gaining a new PB of 13.91. In the high jump Fisher impressively cleared 125cm which secured her a silver medal.

On Friday 30th March, Ross McKelvie made the trip to London for the Victoria Park Easter Half Marathon, racing the distance for the first time in two years. Looking for a specific time, McKelvie took advantage of the flat looped course and perfect racing conditions to smash his personal best by over 15 minutes, finishing 14th place in 1.18.28. A Good Friday indeed.

On the same day 9 LSARRC representatives completed the Caldervale 10.  Scheduled each year on Good Friday, this is a popular 10-mile road race that starts and finishes at Caldervale village. The undulating race route winds around some of the rural lanes of the surrounding area and includes one or two challenging climbs. Conditions this year were perfect for distance running.

First home for Lytham was Neil Tate in 01:06:42 for 15th place, followed soon after by his younger brother Alex Tate in 01:07:39 for 20th position. Big brother Ian Tate made up the LSARRC top 3 finishing in 01:15:56 for 53rd place. The first Lytham lady home was Kirsten Burnett in 01:30:31 for 130th position and Sylvia Gittins was first female in the age category V70 F.

LSARRC at Caldervale 10

The full list of LSARRC finishers: Neil Tate 15th 01:06:42; Alex Tate 20th 01:07:39;Ian Tate 53rd 1:15:56;  Richard Storey 129th 1:30:28; Kirsten Burnett 130th 1:30:31;Greg Oulton 150th 1:33:41; Sylvia Gittins 201st 1:45:27; Penny Morrison 225th 2:03:48 and Sarah Bagshaw 226th 2:03:52.

Club results for the Winter handicap have now concluded.  The Monthly Handicap is a long-standing regular feature of the Club's programme. Run on the last Thursday of every month, though this changes occasionally in December, the handicap has a chasing start with the slowest competitor off first, with following runners having timed handicapped starts based on their best recent time.

There are two courses, a winter town route of 3.45 miles and a summer rural course of 4.35 miles and an annual points competition for those who wish to take part in the handicaps year-round.  Handicap Results: Congratulations to Susan Samme winning the race, in her first run on the course for at least seven years.  Congratulations and commiserations to Christopher McCarthy on setting a PB of 19:09, but unfortunately he was 3 seconds short of moving up into all-time second place - Joe Greenwood's 19:07 from March 17 still has the edge. PBs also for Darran Ames, Gillian Oliver, and Thomas Howarth. Tom's was only a month old, having beaten his previous PB from March 2013 in February.  And now the top three positions for the year...1st Alex Tate – 316,
2nd Thomas Howarth – 300, and 3rd Graham Webster – 294.

Parkruns
At the Lytham Hall parkrun on Saturday 31st March 21 LSARRC members completed the course.  Thomas Howarth ran well o secure the 2nd spot at the parkrun and he club secured 1t, 2nd and 4th female places with Catherine Carrdus, Joanna Goorney and Jennifer Hill, respectively.

Full Results:  Thomas Howarth 18:26 (2nd); Andrew Draper 18:38 (6th); Catherine Carrdus 19:55 (13th overall, 1st female); Joanna Goorney 20:15 (18th overall, 2nd female), Jennifer Hill 21:00 (24th overall, 4th female);  Neil Tate 22:06 (43rd);  Webster 21:27 (32nd overall, 1st VM65-69); Terry Hellings 21:30 (33rd); John Graeme Bertenshawe 21:33 (34th); Morgan Pritchard 21:38 (37th); Eric Wrigley 25:29 (79th); Jason Sheridan 26:00 (88th); Kirsten Burnett 26:15 (90th); Stephen Tate 27:51 (123rd); Gillian Oliver 28:59 (138th);Ruth Bye 30:25 (164th); Kathy Gaunt 31:57 (184th); and Nicola Wiseman (volunteer/tail walker).

Darran Ames of Lytham did some parkrun tourism, Ames ran the Cheltenham parkrun in a sociable 23:19 (beating his second ever parkrun there of 27:09, this being his 79th) placed 71 from a field of 377, and helping his sister acquire a new PB in the process.  G Browne did the Armagh parkrun in 24:18 and Paul Veevers completed the Blackpool parkrun in 19:06 for 7th place.

At the junior park run in Lytham on Sunday, Morgan Pritchard was first home in 7:39. Clemmie Tierney ran the course in 9:38 for 1st female spot and Sophie Tate ran the course in 16:55.

Earlier in the week on 25th March 2018 Nicola Wiseman and Julie Wiseman of Lytham completed the London Landmarks Half Marathon.

LSARRC News 27th March 2018

On Saturday John Bertenshaw completed his 25th consecutive 'Coniston 14' race in Cumbria. It was a challenge he set himself back in 1994 when he first ran the race. Vet 60 John considers himself lucky to have stayed free of injury and illness at the right time to do all 25. John managed a respectable time of 01:47:55, about 20 minutes slower than his PB for the course but that was a good few years ago.

Two other Lytham St. Anne’s Road Runners tackled the hilly Coniston race, the 37th time this event has been run. In relatively Spring-like conditions combined with a few (early) ‘April’ showers, Catherine Carrdus was first home for the clubin 1:40:42 for 8th Female and 2nd F45, with Sylvia Gittins in 2:30:12 for 5th F65+.

At the Lytham parkrun on Saturday several Lytham members completed the course.  Andrew Draper was 1st home for the club and 1st overall. Neil Bayntun-Roberts ran just short of gaining a new personal best but secured 3rd spot in a time of 19:48.

Full Results:  Andrew Draper 17:44 (1st);Neil Bayntun-Roberts 19:48 (3rd);  Darran Ames 20:56 (10th); James Buckley 21:09 (12th); Morgan Pritchard 21:53 (18th); Graham Webster 21:54 (19th); Mark Hughes 22:12 (25th); Kev Murray 23:37 (36th); G Browne 24:16 (44th); Debbie Cooper 24:34 (47th);Susan Hawitt 25:13 (58th); Stephen Tate 26:42 (77th); Gillian Oliver 29:28 (112th) Jacqui Murray 29:55 (117th); Karen Lanigan 30:38 (125th); Michelle Sheridan 31:42 (132nd), Sarah Bagshaw 32:40 (139th); and Bob Clough 38:23 (161st).
Richard Harry Storey of Lytham travelled to Brueton parkrun and completed the course in 23:13. Felicity Wolohan completed the Princes parkrun in Liverpool and was 2nd female in 20:59.  Joanna Goorney was 1st female home in 20:08 at the Huddersfield parkrun.

On Sunday the junior parkrun at Park View in Lytham went ahead.  Frankie Ball finished 2nd in 7:35 which was a new personal best time.  Jayden Richardson also gained a new personal best time of 8:10 for 3rd.  Finlay Hughes ran 8:34 for 7th and Amara Thorpe 9:20 for 9th.  Blair Selbie was 15th out of 39 participants and ran the course in 10:33.

On Sunday three Lytham runners competed in the Garstang Gallop. Jason Sheridan, Peter Reid and Julia Rolfe were 74th, 89th and 97th consecutively. Julia was also the third FV55.

LSARRC News 20th March 2018

A new club record for Felicity Wolohan

A new club record for Felicity Wolohan at the Trimpell race on Sunday 18th March, Wolohan broke her own club record of 2:21:41 for 20 miles by 1:17, taking it down to 2:20:24.

LSARRC at Trimpell 20

With snow falling on Saturday night and Sunday morning, several races in the North West were forced to cancel this weekend, including the Wilmslow Half Marathon and Wigan 10k. Fortunately, the Trimpell 20 Mile race in Lancaster fared better and saw a good turnout from Lytham St Anne’s Road Runners despite the bitterly cold, windy conditions.

The race is traditionally used by runners training for Spring Marathons, and as a largely flat course along the River Lune attracts runners from across the North of England. This year, the course featured a new section, diverting from the river at 15 miles to add an unwelcome hill and exposure to the strong winds!

Despite this challenge, the club prevailed taking both the Men’s (Andy Draper, Neil Tate, Joe Greenwood) and Women’s (Felicity Wolohan, Gill Draper, Mel Koth) team prizes, along with 1st Women’s V40 prize for Mel Koth.

Full Results:
Andy Draper (2:05:29), Neil Tate (2:13:54), Joe Greenwood (2:16:45), Felicity Wolohan (2:20:24), Gill Draper (2:34:01), Mel Koth (2:42:35), Kirsten Burnett (3:20:19), Rachael Wignall (4:00:15)

On Saturday 10th March, Lytham member Debbie Cooper did the Haworth Hobble, a 32 mile off road route. Cooper reported the day started wet and it rained, heavily at times for the first 10 miles, "we spent a lot of the time in the cloud on the hills, so no views!!"  Cooper said she didn't take her coat off for the first 22 miles, when it finally started to warm up. The rocky paths could easily have been mistaken for streams with so much water running down them. The rest was deep mud and some of the descents were only passable by sliding. Cooper slipped down a flight of 4 steps covered in mud at one point and thankfully ended up standing at the bottom on her feet, not sure how she got from the top. To finish off the day the last few miles were at times through snow that had drifted against walls. At one-point Cooper was up to her knees in snow and struggling to get her feet out. Cooper was just glad to finish and thought that she was heading for a personal worst time on this route. In the end, Cooper was a couple of minutes faster than last year, but still a way off her personal best time. However, not bad in those conditions, she finished in 6:34.04.

The Rome half marathon took place on Sunday 11th March on a cloudy morning with 10,000 runners heading to the outskirts of Rome city centre to run a straight-out race to the Ostia coastline. A 9:20 gun time meant a very early start. The route was undulating with two long, steady and very tedious inclines at the 3 and 6-mile points which were no mean feat and resulting in a very challenging second half of the race. A mixed bag of weather was also thrown into the mix whereby, 3 heavy down pours and strong headwinds were experienced en route. As runners approached the coast however, the sun shone brightly which made the finish line even more appealing. Jennifer Hill said the run was well supported en route by local Italians cheering and keeping the runners going! She crossed the line in 1:34:27, a personal best by 10 minutes, 67th female and 2nd GB female! It was Matthews very first half marathon and he finished in a very respectable 2:12:54. All in all a fabulous race in an equally fabulous city. The pizza, pasta and red wine was very much deserved and enjoyed!

Saturday saw the first Track and Field event of the year.  Four Lytham juniors braved the snow and wind to make their track and field debut for Lytham to compete in the misnamed Winter Warmup Track and Field meeting at Stanley Park on Saturday 17th.

Amara Thorpe

First to compete for LSARRC was Brogane Murphy.  Murphy has only been with the club a few months but has been very busy competing at cross country, road and now track and field. Her first event was the under 15 girls long jump and she had a very credible best jump of 3.16m in her first ever long jump competition for 14th place.  Murphy went on to compete in the 1500m where she finished as 3rd under 15 girl in a time of 5m 43s.  Clemmie Tierney also competed in her first ever long jump competition as finished as 14th under 11 girl with a best jump of 2.75m.  Under 13 girl Amara Thorpe also making her track and field debut for LSARRC finished 15th in the long jump with a best jump of 3.16m and third in her heat of the 100m in a time of 16.7s.  Rebecca Fisher competed in the under 13 girls 70m hurdles and finished 2nd in her heat in a time of 14.9s.

Clemmie Tierney

Graham Webster was the sole Lytham senior athlete representing Lytham and competed in the final event of the day, the 3000m finishing in a time of 12m 13.7s.

Also on Saturday 17th March, three intrepid Lytham runners braved the weather to travel to Cartmel, to race over the fells in bitterly cold temperatures, bitingly cold winds and snow flurries.

John Wild ran the 10k in approximately 1 hour 11 minutes (provisional results), Chris Bowker and Greg Oulton ran the 18k, finishing in approximately 2:02 his 6oth run of the year, and 2:11 for Bowker.

For Bowker this was his first ever run on the trails or fells and admitted to being surprised at how tough the races are, but he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and is looking forward to more, including taking part in the club's Fell Championship series.

At the weekly parkruns, Neil Bayntun Roberts ran just outside a personal best time to secure 4th place at Lytham Hall, and Darran Ames achieved a best time of 20:56 for 10th.

Full Results: Neil Bayton-Roberts 4th 19:52; Catherine Carrdus 6th 20:31; Joanna Goorney 8th 20:43; Neil Tate 9th 20:55; Darran Ames 10th 20:56; John Bertenshaw 18th 22:18; Morgan Pritchard 19th 22:24; Graham Webster 20th 22:25; Andrew Draper 26th 23:09; James Buckley 30th 23:20; Debbie Cooper 33rd 23:47; Jason Sheridan 44th 24:36; Mark Hughes 75th 27:07; Finlay Hughes 76th 27:08; Stephen Tate 77th 27:09;

Jennifer Hill ran the Blackpool parkrun at Stanley Park in Blackpool, she was 22nd overall and 2nd female in a time of 21:35.  Well dome to Frankie Ball who came 2nd in the junior parkrun at Park View on Sunday he achieved a tie of 7:54.