Andy Draper and Joanna Goorney took the top awards, the Club's Men's and Women's Championships as well as their own age categories. In a hard-won battle Draper gained 594 points in the Championship to runner-up Simon Denye's 579 with third placed Joe Greenwood on 571 edged out in the closing stages of the competition. Goorney won the women's championship with 502 points against runner-up Mel Koth's 412. Koth was also the FV35 winner.
Other age category winners were: Felicity Wolohan , Senior Woman (291 points), Kevin Ashworth, MV45, (459), Fiona Geldard, V45 (214), Oliver Hirsh, MV45 (454), Julia Rolfe, FV50 (237), Willie Richmond, MV50 (396), John Bertenshaw, MV55 (442), Graham Webster, MV60 (494) and Pamela Binns, FV65 (128). Sylvia Gittins and Pam Binns achieved Diamond Standard in the FV65.
Several special awards were also presented including the Monthly Handicap Plate to Oliver Hirsh, the cross-country based Winter Handicap Shields to Dawn Bloor and Greg Oulton and the Summer Award for best total performance in five Inter-Club Grand Prixs, to Mel Koth and Joe Greenwood. The Bill and Marjorie White Trophies for most improved over the year went to Greg Oulton and Pamela Binns. Mark Willett won the Michael Crowe Trophy for the most races and Graham Webster won the Founder's Trophy for the highest age-related WAVA score. The Windmill Plate for services to the Club, the only trophy awarded on a members' vote, went to Terry Hellings.
Both junior and senior members of LSARRC took part in the two-day Lancashire Track and Field Championships at Stanley Park. Day 1 turned from good morning conditions to trying continual rain in the afternoon while Sunday competitors were treated to drier and warmer weather.
Best placed of the seniors was Joanna Goorney who was second women and awarded vet's silver in the well-attended 5000m finishing 8th overall in a very good time of 18:44:60. Graham Webster followed, 9th in 18:49:10 and Kevin Ashworth, trying track athletics for the first time, in 10th.
Five junior members also competed. Sam Ludlam, competing on the track for the first time, made a superb debut, reaching the finals of the U13B 100m and 200m. He finished 6th overall in the 100m in 15.6 and 7th in the 200m in 32.6. He also ran his first 800m race and finished 6th in 2:53.7. James Nicholas also made the final of the U13B 100m and ran a good race to finish 5th in 15.1. Hollie Winstanley and Rosie Taylor, both novices in the U13G 1500, were unperturbed by the heavy rain and produced spirited performances; Hollie finishing 7th in 5:46.4 and Rosie 10th in 5:58.6. Chloe Norman took on the challenge of two events on each day starting with the U15G Long Jump on Saturday in which she finished 17th with 3.45m and later ran a personal best in the 300m to finish 8th in 48.00. On the Sunday in the 800m she narrowly missed out on a place in final with another PB of 2:36.8 to finish 5th in her heat. In the 200m she ran her third PB to finish 5th in her heat in 31.2.
A day later, the bank holiday Monday Open Meeting at Trafford allowed the U11s, not eligible to compete at the Lancashire Championships, and the more active U13s and U15s a further opportunity to compete. Simon Holt, U11B, finished 2nd in his 600m heat and 4th overall in a PB of 1:52:43 and jumped 3.64m for 7th. Georgia Norman, U11G, ran 2:01:66, 6th and a PB for 600m and notably in the long jump earned a silver medal and a PB of 3.64m. Elder sister Chloe, U15G, produced a long jump PB even after two days of competition at the Lancashire Championships, 4.06m, 5th longest and ran 2:41.38, 6th overall, in the 800m.
Elsewhere members were running on the roads. Webster followed up his 5000m track run with a 5K at Salt Ayre on the same day taking only slightly longer, 18:51, 28th overall and first Vet 60. Also running and setting PBs were Simon Denye, 12th in 17:10, Neil Tate, 29th in 18:56, Greg Oulton, 61st in 22:50 and Louisa Ruman, 71st in 24:49. A day later some of the same runners were at the Great Eccleston 4 Mile; Denye was 9th in 22:56, Peter Cruse, 12th, 23:34, first V50, Mark Willett, 27th, 25:39, Ruman, 22nd, 33:14, first Vet 35 and James Whitworth, 90th, 38:01.
Felicity Wolohan running in Liverpool's Rock and Roll Half Marathon was another to achieve a PB, finishing 440th out of 3485 in 1:42:19.
The annual Fishwick Five Trail Race, moving from its midweek evening slot to the bank holiday, attracted three Lytham runners. In hot sunshine and with several steep climbs Willett was 12th in 36:07, Mel Koth, 21st in 40:02 and Oulton, 26th in 43:57.
Debbie Cooper and Oulton were active on the fells this week. Cooper tackled the very challenging Montane Howgills 26 Trail, a marathon-distance race with a six mile climb from the start and a hard river side finish into Sedbergh and finished creditably 10th women, 66th overall in 5 hours 16 mins 08. Oulton tried the evening Stanhill Fell Race at Oswaldtwistle for the first time finishing in 36:37 and 22nd position.
