LSARRC News 27th August 2014

On Wednesday night, Greg Oulton was at the Golf Ball Fell Race at Rossendale.  He found the 5.5 mile race with 801 feet of ascent fairly tough, luckily with not too much mud on the course, but lots of hills and long grass/heather to push through.

There were medals galore for junior members of the club competing in track & field over the bank holiday weekend.

On Saturday, Chloe, Georgia and Connor Norman competed at the Litherland open track and field meeting with great success.

10 year old Georgia jumped 3.20m for fifth place in the long jump, ran 2:05.1 in the 600m for the silver medal and also competed in her first ever hurdle race completing the 60m hurdle race in 12.4s for 4th place.  Her younger brother 7 year old Connor ran 12.6s in the 75m for second place in the under 9s,and threw 16.75m for second in the vortex ball earning 2 silver medals.  Elder sister Chloe ran in the under 15s 800m in 2:39.9 for the bronze medal.  She also competed in the long jump, an event in which she has made great progress this year jumping a huge personal best of 4.29m for silver medal..

Simon Holt and Carmen Cole made the journey to Manchester to compete in the Trafford AC open meeting. Simon sprinted his way to a bronze medal in the U11 boys 75m in 11.33 and leaped his way to a personal best in the Long Jump with 3.67m (6th). He ran a well-judged 600m race to take a bronze with 1:53.58. Carmen also had a good day finishing 4th in her heat of the U11 girls 75m in 12.73 and 8th in the Long Jump with 3.07m.

Greg Oulton and Joanna Goorney at Chipping Fair

Also on Saturday was the Chipping Show Fell Race superbly organised by Preston Harriers.  The 7.5 mile course heads into the Bowland fells taking in Paddy's Pole on Fairsnape and then Parlick with 1800 feet of ascent along the way. Joanna Goorney was 2nd Lady in a time of 1:20:04 while Greg Oulton, in his longest and toughest fell race to date, completed the course in 1:54:19

Graham Webster

Terry Hellings

In perfect late summer conditions, Terry Hellings and Graham Webster were the sole representatives of LSARRC in the Fleetwood Half Marathon.  Graham Webster attained a seasons best time of 1:28:08 coming in 35th position and gaining the 1st vet 60 prize while Terry comfortably achieved his Gold standard in a time of 1:35:47 in 86th and 3rd vet 60.  A surprise visitor was ex Lytham St Annes runner Paul McAllistar who made the journey from Colchester to finish 254th in 1:52:51.

LSARRC News 20th August 2014

The main event of the week was the 5th summer interclub race hosted by Chorley Athletic club.  In almost perfect conditions, the 4.8 mile race encompasses 3 hilly laps in and around Astley Park in Chorley.  The race was won by Rob Affleck of Preston Harriers in a time of 25:40 whilst Joanna Goorney of LSARRC was first lady in 31:18.  The ever improving Joe Greenwood had his best interclub result to date finishing as first Lytham St Annes athlete home in 7th place and in a time of 28:11.  LSARRC finished 6th club overall with the ladies finishing 4th team, vets, 4th, vet 50s 4th and vet 60s, 3rd.

Mel Koth

Pam Hardman followed by Julia Rolfe

Individual results:Joe Greenwood 7th 28:11; Simon Denye 21st 30:01; Peter Cruse 26th 30:40; Joanna Goorney 34th 31:18; Graham Webster 38th 31:50; Neil Tate 43rd 32:16; Kevin Ashworth 73rd 34:29; Terry Hellings 76th 34:37; Willie Richmond 78th 34:55; Ian Tate 89th 35:44; Melanie Koth 95th 36:27; Alex Wiggins 109th 37:56; Laura Ashworth118th 38:55; Nigel Simpkin 121st 39:41; Debbie Cooper 126th 39:58; Julia Rolfe 128th 40:05; Pamela Hardman 139th 41:28; Louisa Ruman 148th 42:18; Greg Oulton 149th 42:23; Sylvia Gittins 166th 45:18; Bill Lock 181th 51:30; Dawn Lock 188th 62:17.

On Saturday night, it was the 3rd and final race of the Catforth 5k series.  Mel Koth finished 32nd with a time of 21:38.

Greg Oulton was out on the fells on Saturday afternoon for the Darwen Gala Catherine Dowdall Memorial Fell Race.  The race which starts from Bold Venture Park in Darwen is 4.7 miles with 928 feet of ascent.  With a long steep hill at the start, the route heads up to Darwen Tower.  Greg completed the course in 53 minutes dead.

Joanna Goorney at the Sedbergh Hills Fell Race
(courtesy of athletesinaction.co.uk)

On Sunday, Joanna Goorney was also out on the fells at the Sedbergh Hills Fell Race which was part of the English Championships Fell Race Series.  The race starts in Sedbergh and heads out over the Howgill Fells covering a distance of 14 miles with 6000 feet of ascent.  The weather was quite wild with heavy showers and high winds on the tops providing challenging conditions.  Joanna was 178th out of 262 finishers in a time of 3:10:12.

Mark Willett at the finish of Race the Train

Mark Willett was back at his 40th year challenges for The Christie Charity.  This time it was the Race the Train race at Tywyn where runners try beat the train as makes its way up the Talyllyn railway line to Abergynolwyn and back, a return trip of 14 miles running along grassland and footpath.  Mark completed the run in 1:57:38 finishing 313th out of 770 runners.

LSARRC News 13th August 2014

This week offered many options for road, track and trail racing in the Fylde and beyond both mid-week and at the weekend to attract the keener and more active competitors of Lytham St. Annes Road Runners Club.  

Vets were in the ascendancy come the weekend.  Sunday saw both the national British Masters AF Track and Field Championships and the Northern Vets 10K Road Championships.

Graham Webster, BMFA 5000m MV60 Bronze Medallist, pictured
third from left at Preston.

The Club's best sixty-year old Graham Webster travelled to Alexander Palace, Perry Barr, Birmingham to represent Northern Vets against competitors from Midlands, Southern, South West, Eastern and Welsh veteran associations.  Running in a race that included MV55s, 60s and 65s, Webster came fourth overall and third in his age group.

Wet windy weather depressed times but Webster, who's Age PB in better conditions is 18:51, still managed 19:26 to take away the MV60 bronze medal.



Early Stages of the Blackpool Air Show 10K, Simon Denye,
who finished 8th in 36:30, leading the group.

The Northern Vets 10K Championship, formerly a closed competition, this year opened to all in the guise of the Blackpool Air Show 10K.  Wet windy weather greeted competitors on the exposed Bispham cliffs course.  Organized from the Bispham Fire Station, runners started on the upper promenade opposite Red Bank Road and proceeded towards Cleveleys before turning to return for three miles on the flat lower sea wall.  A short steep climb took them back to finish 400m past the start.  



Brian Porter, fresh from the
Commonwealth Games



Neil Tate, 40:40 10K

Simon Denye was first of Lytham's runners finishing 8th and 2nd V40 in an excellent 36:30 for the 10k.  Neil Tate, a relatively new runner who is now verging on under 40 minute 10k times, took 40:40 and Sylvia Gittins, one of LSARRC's best FV65, managed a good 54:49.  Brian Porter, just back from helping at the Commonwealth Games, completed the 10K in 50:54.

Mid-week Simon Denye and Louisa Ruman took part in the last of the long-running Astley Park Trail Series organized by Chorley Athletics Club.  A large field of 265 finishers tackled this race, which, while not long at around 7k, is a demanding two-loop tour of the attractive and hilly park.  Starting by the eastern gate, it climbs steeply and tests competitors both on a mixture of surfaces from hard tarmac to softer earth and varying terrains including open playing fields and enclosed woodland.

First back in a competitive time of 23:50 was Leigh Harrier Neil Pendlebury.  Denye posted a good 26:56 for 9th place, sixth M40 and Ruman came in 203rd in 39:42, eleventh in her category.

A day later on Thursday 7th the popular Cuerden Valley Badger 10K was another final of a three-race series.  Five members of the Club raced this pleasant run which also offers a chance to help the Cuerden Valley Park Trust.  It's also another race that is quite a tough proposition. 

Horwich RMI's Richard Howarth set the standard with 34:51.  First Lytham runner back was Neil Tate in 26th position in 42:51 with brother Ian following in 64th and 46:58.  Peter Cruse finished in 50th place in 45:12.  The two Lytham ladies were both fourth in their age groups.  Melanie Koth, V35, who had a good run, finished 73rd in 48:12 and Julia Rolfe, V50, was 134th in 53:43.

  

On the same night one of the Clubs more outlying members Russ Chew was tempted by the Todmorden Park 5K which meets at the Hare and Hounds on the Burnley Road.  This race, in the typical hilly Yorkshire town, drew 89 competitors to run on a delightful warm evening.  An unattached runner Tom Collinge managed the course in 16:54.  Chew, who is working hard on his 5k sprinting technique, finished 49th in 22:14.

 

More information is now available for Lytham's foremost race the Green Drive Five which will reach its fifteen staging on Sunday 19th October.  Race HQ is as usual in the Lytham Primary School on Park View Road close to the race start in the historic Green Drive.  This flat accurate 5 mile course lends itself to good times and personal bests.  New this year is the bar-coded posters that enable anyone with a smart phone to access details with a quick swipe of the code.  Others can enter on line by visiting http://bookitzone.com/liz_boon/JC2FFX. 

LSARRC News 6th August 2014

Veteran Roy Stevens was the surprise winner of the club’s July Handicap on Thursday night.  Roys’s creditable time of 32:54 for the 4.35 miles course was his best for some time and gave him his first victory since 2006.  In the annual competition, leader Jeremy McCandless’s hot streak finally cooled a little but he still recorded the only PB of the evening while finishing in 5th to hold on to his place at the top of the table.

Others who ran well were runner-up Kev Ashworth who is resolutely hanging on to second place overall behind McCandless and Alex Wiggins who equalled his PB from 2013.   Finishing 4th was Debbie Cooper, seemingly refreshed on her return from holiday in Australia, Debbie’s time was only a few seconds short of her PB set way back in 2007.

1, Roy Stevens, 32.54; 2, Kev Ashworth, 29.45; 3, Alex Wiggins, 33.19; 4, Debbie Cooper,  34.37; 5, Jeremy McCandless, 39.39; 6, Joe Greenwood, 24.31; 7, Tom Howarth, 26.38; 8, Neil Tate, 28.30; 9, Laura Ashworth, 34.05; 10, Karen Lanigan, 42.42;11, Dawn Lock, 61.44.  Non-competitors: James Waller 42.00, Karen Kidner 43.21.

Lytham Rabbits and Lytham Hares

The Lancashire Fire 3 Person Relays were held on Friday night with an approximate  2.67 mile lap on Herons Reach Bridle Path, near Blackpool Zoo used.  LSARRC fielded a men's team (Lytham Hares) and a Ladies team (Lytham Rabbits).

Alex Wiggins

Sylvia Gittins

Lytham Hares were 6th team with Joe Greenwood running a time of 14:53 and being 2nd individually, Alex Wiggens was 27th with 19:47 and Nigel Simpkin was 30th with a time of 20:06.  Lytham Rabbits were 9th team overall with Joanna Goorney finishing 9th and first lady in a time of 16:28, Julia Rolfe was 36th in a time of 20:37 and Sylvia Gittins was 54th in a time of 23:06.

On Sunday morning, it was the Wagon and Horses 10 mile race in Lancaster.  This is quite a tough course with a stiff climb from 5.5 to 7 miles.  There was torrential rain and stiff winds and runners were drenched before they had even started.  There was excellent running from LSARRC's 4 representives.  Simon Denye was 9th in a time of 61:17, Peter Cruse was 15th in 63:05 and Tony Holt was 28th in 66:10 and were duly rewarded with 1st male team.  Mel Koth was 61st in 74:28.

The 5th Mid Lancs Track and Field Meet at Lancaster on Sunday afternoon also had poor weather conditions.

Three juniors were in actions.  Chloe Norman was 4th in her heat of the under 15 girls 200m, 6th in the 800m in a time of 2:36:20 and produced her best result in a Mid Lancs meet in the long jump recording 4.00m.  In the under 13 girls 800m, Hollie Winstanley was 9th in 2:52.10 in heat 1 and Rosie Taylor was 8th in 3:03.90 in heat 2.

Graham Webster at Mid Lancs
Track and Field Meet

The only seniors representing Lytham were Graham Webster and Tony Norman.  Keen to get some more track races in before competing in the British Masters Championships next weekend Graham competed in three races.  First race of the day was the 800m in strong winds and rain Graham finished in 2:39.4 for 11th place.  Little more than an hour later Graham toed the line for the 1500m finishing in 5:22.6 for 3rd place and 4 points for the club.  Last race of the day for Graham the 3000m finishing in 11:30.6 for 8th place.

Meanwhile in the field events Tony Norman finished 2nd in the shot with a distance of 8.93m for 2nd place and 7 points, 3rd in the discus with a distance of 25.54m picking up another 7 points for the club.  Tony is a relative newcomer to competing at the Mid Lancs. League but, not to be outdone by his daughter Chloe, is rapidly becoming the top points scorer for Lytham.

LSARRC News 28th July 2014

On Friday night, Sylvia Gittins ran the 35th Wedding Day 7k which was a multi terrain race run within the bounds of Bushy Park in Twickenham over an out and back course starting and finishing on the Hampton Hill side of the park.  She finished in 40:10 in 359th over all.

Junior and senior LSARRC athletes at the Preston Mid Lancs Track and Field Meet

It was the 4th Mid Lancs Track and Field Meet of the year at Preston's Uclan Arena on Saturday.  In heatwave conditions, track athletes found the going tough resulting in slightly slower times.

Lytham St Annes RRC were well represented in both the junior and senior races.  Chloe Norman was in action firstly in the under 15s 800m finishing 13th in a time of 2:41.90.  In the Long Jump, she finished 10th  recording 3.80m and 6th in her heat in a time of 30.70 in the 200m.  Hollie Winstanley ran 6:00.40 to finish an excellent 2nd in the under 13 girls 1500m.

Terry Hellings in the 3000m

In the seniors races, Graham Webster finished 12th in the 800m in a time of 2:34.00 while Joanna Goorney was 1st in the 800m in a time of 2:36.50.  In the 1500m, Graham finished 9th in a time of 5:16:00 whilst in the ladies race, Joanna finished 1st in at time of 5:16.00.  The final event of the day, was the 3000m with had three LSARRC athletes in it.  Graham Webster was 3rd male in a time of 11:24.00, Terry Hellings was 4th male in a time of 12:15.70 whilst Joanna Goorney was 2nd female in a time of 11:35.40.

Tony Norman throwing the javelin

Tony Norman was busy in the field events.  In the shot putt, he was 3rd throwing 9.28m.  In the discus, he was 5th throwing 24.00m and in the Javelin recorded 24.76m to finish 9th.

On Saturday night, Simon Denye was in action in the Lancaster 5k to finish 10th in a time of 17:44.

LSARRC News 21st July 2014

This week saw members from Lytham St Anne’s Road Runners compete on road, fells and track from Lancaster to Perth, Australia.

LSARRC at Caldervale Supper Run

Thursday evening saw 6 members from Lytham head to Caldervale.

A lovely evening with the countryside looking at its best attracted the largest turnout for many years and some quality runners to the Calder Vale Supper Run held on a mid-week evening in this pretty
traditional Lancashire village.

Nominally a fun run, its four-mile length and hilly nature makes this by no means an easy race.  From the village centre there's an unrelenting climb for the first two miles, stiff at first; levelling somewhat before climbing steeply once again to reach the high point from where tail-enders are treated to distant views of race leaders climbing the hill beyond Oakenclough Mill.

Numbers at this year's race surprised even the organizers with supper pies nearly running out.  Winner, Lancaster & Morecambe AC's Raymond Edgar, crossed the finishing line in 20:53. 

Six LSARRC members ran with Graham Webster first back and first MV60.  Webster overtook next placed Lytham runner Neil Tate to finish 15th in 24:40, to Tate's 18th in 25:03. Fiona Geldard was 64th in 33:42 and Jeremy McCandless and Bill Lock in adjacent places 87th and 88th, took
36:21 and 36:28.  Dawn lock finished 116th in 48:29.

Warton Crag fell race (3rd of 4 in the Lytham fell race championship) was held on Saturday 19th.  Greg Oulton was first home for Lytham covering the 6 miles with 180m of climbing in a time of 61:14 for 48th place clinching the Lytham fell race championship with one race still to go.  Colin Laidlaw also represented Lytham but took a wrong turn and eventually finished in 1:31:24 for 62nd position.

Felicity Wolohan

Sunday 21st saw Felicity Wolohan toe the line in the Penny lane Striders 10k in Liverpool.  Disappointed with her performance but still recovering from a chest infection Felicity ran well to complete race in 48:09 for 131st place (23rd female). 

Graham Webster

Meanwhile 100 or so miles south at Tudor Grange leisure Centre, Solihul Lytham’s Vet 60 Graham Webster had been selected to represent Northern Vets to compete in an inter region track and field meeting.  The best veteran athletes from the whole of England compete for their region scoring points to decide eventual top region.

In scorching heat Graham ran in three events finishing 4th in the 800m in 2m 34.3s and 4th again in 3000m 11m 21.30s.  Graham donned his spikes again to compete, in a rare event for him, the v60 4*100m relay.

On the other side of the world Pam Hardman, Debbie Cooper and Bec Willets have been flying the Lytham flag.

On the 14th Pam and Debbie ran The Swan River 14k race, a lovely course running the length of the Swan River then through Kings Park with views of all of the city, beautiful, and a nice medal to finish. Debbie & Pamela finished in 1h 17m 17s and 1h 17m 18s respectively.

Rockingham Perth was the venue for a 5k race for Pamela Hardman, Debbie Cooper & Rebecca Willetts.  The race includes running along the Rockingham promenade overlooking the Indian Ocean. Debbie Cooper finished 24.50 5th in age category (V35-39), Pamela Hardman 25.30 (1st V55-59).  Rebecca Willetts jogged round with a sling on her sore shoulder.

LSARRC News 14th July 2014

Wesham's BNFL, Salwick race marks the over half-way point of the Inter-Club Grand Prix road series and already trends are evident.  Preston Harriers is the dominant club leading in the Open, Vets and V50 categories; Wesham has a clear lead in the Vet 60s and Blackpool Wyre & Fylde AC has edged ahead of Wesham in the ladies results.  LSARRC's highest position is third in the Vet60s and is lying fourth in the other veteran categories and the women's and fifth overall.

Wesham's ICGP takes an undulating course around the rural lanes west of Kirkham and while there are no steep climbs, there are several long inclines, exposed and sapping in hot or windy conditions.  Against recent weather trends, the evening of Monday 14th was mildly wet throughout the race luckily missing the heavy downpour soon after the finish.  A high-class field of 211 runners from the six clubs competed.  True to form, Preston further consolidated their place at the top of the table with runners in 1st and 2nd positions.  David Rigby, second at Blackpool and Lytham, bested club-mate and winner at Preston, Rob Affleck by 8 seconds, 23:05 to 23:13.  Next best was Blackpool who was second in the Open and won the Ladies.  Host club Wesham was third overall and second in the Ladies.

Lytham's twenty-strong team came fifth in the Open and Ladies.  Leading for the Club was Joe Greenwood in one of his best ICGP finishes, 11th in 25:20.  Ten competitors make up the open team and following Greenwood for LSARRC they were Peter Cruse, also counting in the Vets' and Vet 50s' in 33rd in 27:32; Graham Webster, the best Vet 60, 47th in 28:37; Neil Tate, 58th in 29:32; Mark Selby, finishing 67th in 30:12; new-comer Justin Allitt, 71st in 30:28; Terry Hellings and Oliver Hirsh, neck-and-neck 84th and 85th in 31:10 and 31:12 respectively; Dave Dunn, 103rd in 32:35 and Richard Storey 116th in 33:37.  A strong team of Webster, Hellings and Roy Stevens, 133rd in 34:49, scored well for the Vet 60s for Lytham's highest placing of the evening, 3rd.  Laura Ashworth headed the five-strong ladies team in 134th position and 34:50.  Completing the team were Julia Rolfe, 148th in 36:04, marginally ahead of Dawn Bloor, 149th in 36:08; Fiona Geldard , 165th in 38:14 and Karen Lanigan, 196th in 43:35.

 

Other members of the Lytham contingent were Alex Wiggins, 126th, narrowly beating Greg Oulton, 127th in 34:22 by a couple of seconds with a finishing sprint, Jeremy McCandless, 189th in 41:35 and Dawn Lock, 209th in 55:56.    

Greg Oulton continued in his quest to add as many fell races to his tally as possible travelling mid week to the evening 8.8km and 335m climb Bull Hill Fell Race.  Slowed by narrow section preventing passing and encountering a varied terrain of mud, tracks, thick heather, tall grass and rocks, Oulton nevertheless passed several to finish 167th in 58:17, two places and a few seconds ahead of team-mate Julia Rolfe, 169th in 58:36.

Sunday saw the third running for the Windmill Half Marathon from Fairhaven Lake in clear sunshine tempered by sea breezes.  A field of 481, including three Lytham runners, attempted this flat course encompassing several rounds of the lake in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions interspaced with two trips to the far end of Lytham Green.  Delighted to make an under 1 hour 30 minute finish for the first time and notching up a several minutes' improvement on previously, Neil Tate finished in a high 34th place in 1:29:51.  Felicity Wolohan has been training hard for her half marathons and managed 1:44:51 and 134th position. Sylvia Gittins finished  353rd in 2:09:24 to take the first FV60 prize.

Another Lytham prize-winner was Peter Cruse, MV50, taking third place in the Pilling 10K in an excellent 37:11 in this relatively new race held on Sunday 13th.

LSARRC's Mini-Fun Run held annually in Ashton Gardens as part of the St. Annes Carnival attracted over 200 under-fourteens.  The course incorporates incorporates jumps, slalom, climbing a grassy slope and balancing an egg and spoon and the fastest club time was achieved by nine-year old Simon Holt.