LSARRC News 5th January 2015

The big event of the week was the Lancashire Cross Country Championships from Witton Park, Blackburn.  The rain which came down during the earlier junior races had cleared in time for the early afternoon senior races but conditions were still heavy going with plenty of mud.

The highlight of the championships for LSARR, was the outstanding performance by Ella  Moulding in the under 15 girls race.  From the gun Ella soon established herself in the lead pack of three where she stayed for the first two laps of the field but as the runners approached the inline up the infamous saucer Ella made her move into the lead position and then gradually increased the gap to eventually win the race comfortably.

The mud and rain that featured throughout the junior races did not dampen the spirits of the other eleven junior Lytham athletes with gutsy performances from all of them. The U11 boys team battled their way round the 1.8k course to earn team bronze medals with Louis Eunson first Lytham runner back in 6:58 (13th) closely followed by Archie Dowds 16th (7.05) and Simon Holt 17th (7:08), with novice cross country runner George Winstanley making a fine debut run to finish 25th (7:33). Five U11 girls with the first three back finishing within a whisker of each other. Georgia Norman was 23rd in 8:15, Rebecca Tate 24th (8:16) and Emma Savidge 25th (8:16). Charlotte Thomson and newcomer Jessica Addy were both neck and neck throughout the race with Charlotte finishing 36th (9:34) and Jessica 37th in 9:35. The U11 girls team finished 7th.  Two U13 girls ran for Lytham with Hollie Winstanley completing the 3k course in 15:12 to finish 23rd and Isla Gordon finished 33rd in 16:33.

Layla Foley in the under 20 girls race

The senior women's race (which also included the under 20s race) was won for the second year in succession by Rachael Franklin from Manx Harriers. First home for LSARR was Joanna Goorney in a time of 29:15, 12th place and 2nd Vet 45.  Layla Foley was next in 24th place, in a time of 30:37 and was also 5th under 20. Fiona Geldard was 65th in 37:35, Sylvia Gittins was 77th and 1st vet 65 in 43:54 and Dawn Lock was 85th in 55:57.  The ladies team finished 7th overall.

Greg Oulton and Nigel Simpkin

Joe Greenwood was first home for LSARR in the senior men's race finishing in 38th place in 38:39.  Tom Howarth was next in 75th place in 42:49, Neil Tate was 82nd in 43:59, Graham Webster was 95th and 4th vet 60 in 45:40, Mark Selby was 113th in 48:09, Greg Oulton was 143rd in 58:17 and Nigel Simpkin was 144th in 59:09.  There were 145 finishers.


On New Year's Day, Greg Oulton travelled up to Kirkby Stephen to enter the Nine Standards Fell Race finding it to be the hardest race that he had ever completed. It was 8 miles and 1800 feet of ascent on road, trail, fell, fording streams, wading through bogs, running along flooded paths, fighting against such strong gales that one gust actually stopped him dead and blew him backwards uphill during the descent. Greg finished in 95th place in 1:30:42 loving the experience.

On Sunday, it was the Central Lancashire Half Marathon starting in Catforth near Preston. Mel Koth was 112th and 2nd vet 40 in a time of 1:39:04