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.