The penultimate cross-country race of the mid-Lancs league season took place in Barrow on Saturday and, yet again Sue Samme of Lytham St Annes Road Runners was the star of the race.
Sue is in scintillating form at the moment and she won the ladies race decisively, powering home in 19:45 on the five kilometre course. This win gives her the ladies, the ladies vet 35 and the ladies vet 45 championships with a race to spare.
This win also keeps the Lytham ladies vet 45 team at the top of their table; Julia Rolfe and Pam Hardman made up the winning trio. Vet 35 Laura Ashworth had her best run to date finishing 26th overall.
Andy Draper led the men home on their 10k course with a good 41st position. Tony Croft, Graham Webster, Terry Hellings and Joe Shaw made up the rest of the team and gave them five points in their division. As they are currently near the bottom this could prove very useful in staving off relegation.
Lytham Results from Barrow: Women: Sue Samme 1st, 19:45; Laura Ashworth 26th, 25:47; Julia Rolfe 30th, 26:56; Pam Hardman 31st, 27:22 and Dawn Lock 48th, 38:08.
Men: Andy Draper 41st, 34:48; Tony Croft 70th, 37:25; Graham Webster 73rd, 37:30; Terry Hellings 77th, 38:13; Steve Quarmby 104th, 40;46 and Joe Shaw 105th, 40:48.
Elsewhere over the weekend three other Lytham athletes took on challenging races. Firstly Louise Charnock was one of over 500 runners competing in the Parbold Hill Race on Saturday. The 6.7mile course was a mixture of steep hills, narrow tracks and muddy fields that soon got the heart rate up on a freezing cold afternoon. Louise had been warned about the lung-busting ascents and the obstacles to be clambered over and wasn’t disappointed.
It is was personal first for Louise to come inside the top 50 women finishers and she was also 19th out 41 in the category of Senior Women with a time of 1:09:53.
In the Lake District Peter Cruse tackled the Keswick Buttermere 34k. This is gruelling for any athlete and entry is restricted to experienced club runners. The first seven miles from Keswick are pleasant enough but then it gets tough at Honiston Pass. Straight up into a 25% ascent. and what goes up must come down; a real test for the body.
Further on is Newlands Pass which, with a 20% ascent and subsequent descent, could be considered easier than Honiston but after running over fifteen miles by this point it isn’t in practice.
Peter completed the race in 2:36:20 to finish eleventh overall and second vet 45, a superb achievement.
Finally in Llandudno Jim Whitworth, running his first race in a Lytham club vest, completed the Nick Beer 10k. This race includes a climb up the Great Orme, no easy feat. Jim did this in 01:01:48 and finished thirteenth vet 65.
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