LSARRC News 31st March 2015

Sylvia Gittins, Pam Binns and Dawn Lock

 LSARRC's most senior ladies certainly made their mark in the Club's 3.45 miles March Handicap race when the oldest competitors filled the first three places; a surprise outcome but nonetheless one showing just how keenly they all retain their competitiveness after many years of running.  In a close finish two WV70s, Pam Binns and Dawn Lock, came 1st and 3rd respectively while WV65 Sylvia Gittins in 2nd place recorded a second successive personal best.

Neil Tate and Jeremy McCandless

Being the last race counting for the annual championship this led to a hard-fought race within the race among the number who could take second place and the silver medal from leader Neil Tate.  Coming closest was Karen Lanigan who gave her all to record her best time of the winter and finish ahead of Neil Tate but it wasn't quite enough to overtake Tate who finishes runner-up.  The undisputed 2015 champion is Jeremy McCandless who has headed the table throughout the past twelve months and finished the year emphatically with not only another personal best but also a record 258 points to be a most deserving winner of the Handicap Plate. Neil Tate with 230 points took the Silver Medal with challenger Karen Lanigan just 5 points adrift in 3rd place.

March Results: 1, Pam Binns, 33.40; 2, Sylvia Gittins, 32.00 PB; 3, Dawn Lock, 44.54; 4, Jeremy McCandless,  30.04 PB; 5, Karen Lanigan, 33.36; 6, Alan Elstone, 25.06 PB; 7, Neil Tate, 21.02; 8, Tom Howarth,  20.36; 9, Justin Allitt, 23.56; 10, Joe Greenwood, 19.30; 11, Colin Laidlaw, 24.38; 12, Alex Wiggins, 27.12; 13, Ian Tate,  25.17; 14, Bec Willetts, 35.33; n/c Sue Hawitt 35.33.

2015 Handicap Championship leading places: Jeremy McCandless 258 points; Neil Tate 230; Karen Lanigan 225; Tom Howarth 221; Joe Greenwood 216; Graham Webster 210; Dawn Lock 208; Alex Wiggins 207.

Felicity Wolohan

Five members of Lytham St Annes made their way south on Saturday 28th to compete amongst the fifty-nine teams entered in the Women's Northern Six Stage Road Relay Championships at Sefton Park, Liverpool.  Incessant heavy rain on the journey down didn't bode well but skies cleared shortly before eleven and warm weak sunshine predominated for the entire time of the relays.

Long legs are the newly introduced feature of this year's relays.  Leg 1 and Leg 4 consisted of 7600m with two laps of the attractive Sefton Park course which made the most of the area winding round the major drives leading competitors to the extreme south of the park and taking in gorgeous swaths of spring flowers, the large lake and its attractive tributaries.  Short Legs 2, 3, 5 and 6 were 3900m and one-lap long.

Fiona Geldard

Long legs were taken by Felicity Wolohan on Leg 1 who finished 55th in 37:34 having found the headwind on some course sections testing and Fiona Geldard on Leg 4 who finished in the team's fastest lapping time of 36:31 to gain one place.  Louisa Ruman, doing her first championship relay, managed a very creditable 19:30, 55th, and handed over to Karen Lanigan, running well for the second time in three days, to finish in 22:54.  Dawn Lock ran Leg 5 in 29:19, maintaining 55th position. 

Runners in the next day's Liverpool Half Marathon were less lucky with the weather and endured continuous heavy rain.  Long-standing club members Roy Stevens joined the 5000 finishers to complete the race in a good-for-age time of 1:47:21, 15th MV60 and 1384th overall.

LSARRC News 24/3/15

With the spring marathon season rapidly approaching, quite a number of Lytham St Annes runners decided on the longer distance races on offer over the weekend in preparation for their marathon attempt.

On Saturday, a couple of members headed up to the Lake District for the scenic but hilly Coniston 14.  Chris Blackburn was 282nd in 1:49:23 whilst Sylvia Gittins ran 1:16:22 for 834th in her preparation for Manchester Marathon on 19th April.

Des Heron, Ian Tate, Neil Tate and Felicity Wolohan

Six members headed up to Lancaster for the Trimpell 20 on Sunday morning.  This popular race 20 mile is a great warm with its flat out and back course mainly along cycle paths starting from Salt Ayre Leisure Centre.  With perfect weather conditions, Neil Tate was first home for LSA in a superb time of 2:15:18 and 40th place overall, great preparation for his first marathon attempt at London on 26th April.  Mel Koth was first Lytham St Annes lady home in 2:33:55 and 133rd.  Ian Tate clocked 2:49:02 for 237th, Felicity Wolohan was 275th in 2:53:55, Derek Heron was 354th in 3:06:02 and Ruth Wheatly was 294th in 3:14:54.

Simon Denye

Another popular race for Lytham St Annes runners was Waters Wilmslow Half Marathon.  The race was won by Ben Siwa of Run Fast in a time of 1:04:57 with 12 runners under 70 minutes underlying the quality of the field.  First home for LSA was Stephen Hargreaves in 58th place in 1:15:56.  Not far behind was Simon Denye in 65th place and 1:16:42 knocking an incredible 1min 49 of his previous PB.  Andy Draper was 133rd in 1:21:45, Emily Hargreaves was 336th in 1:28:38 and Lucinda Prothera was 1921st in 1:51:51.  There were 3784 finishers


Mark Willett ran the Lincoln 10k on Sunday having last previously run it 2 years ago.  This is a fast, flat and excellently organised race, this year finishing alongside the majestic Cathedral.  With perfect weather conditions, being cold but sunny, with light cloud and virtually no wind, Mark had an excellent run knocking 24 seconds off his PB to finish in 38:27 and also achieving Silver club standard.  This comes just a week after also achieving Silver club standard at 10 miles.

Pam Binns

The ladies only Goal-den Girls 10k attracted 120 runners on Sunday morning.  The race starts at the Middle Walk, North Promenade, Blackpool and goes between North Pier and Little Bispham.  Pam Binns who turned 70 just 3 days before, completed the course in 59:25 for 49th place.

Roy Stevens ran his first Parkrun on Saturday morning.  He clocked 27:05 for 68th place at Cuerden Valley.

Mark Willett

Five junior members of the club commenced their 2015 track and field campaign at the Blackpool Winter Warm Up Open Meeting hosted by Blackpool Wyre & Fylde AC. The youngest, Connor Norman made a superb start to the season winning both the under 9 boys 80m (12.9) and the long jump (3.04) and then finishing 2nd in the 600m (2:16.8). Although under 13 James Nicholas had not previously competed at 200m, he did not show any signs of being a novice finishing 2nd in 29.3.  Simon Holt competed for the first time as an under 13 and he composed himself well finishing 3rd  in the 600m (1:58.2) and 7th in the 80m with a PB of 11.9. Georgia Norman also made the transition to the under13 age group and finished 12th in the 200m (31.8), 9th  in the 600m (2:13.8) and 8th in the long jump with a personal best of 3.68m.  The experienced Chloe Norman got her campaign of to a good start finishing 2nd in the under 15 girls 800m (2:34.7) and 11th  in the long jump (3.99m).



Ella Moulding (#253) who finished first counter for Lancashire at English Schools
Witton Park, Blackburn - Saturday 14th March 2015

Ella Moulding, U15G, finished off a very successful cross country season when she lined up with 345 other athletes to represent Lancashire in the English Schools Cross Country Championships held at Witton Park, Blackburn on Saturday 14th.  The previous week’s rain provided a good testing course with soft ground and mud being prevalent throughout.  Ella competed in the junior girls 3.2km race and having got off to a good start she soon established herself in the top 40 runners and then gradually improved her placing to cross the line 27th in 12:05 and first counter for the Lancashire team which finished 17th.

 

The Club's other active Under 15 Girl and last year's Junior Club Champion, Chloe Norman, also represented Lancashire taking part in Inter-Counties track and field at Sports City Manchester where she competed in the four-lap track run coming 4th in her heat and performed creditably in the junior disciplines of the standing long jump, the speed bounce and the eight-lap paarlauf.

 

Andy Draper, first of LSARRC runners
at the Sweatshop 10M - 15th March 2015

Several members of Lytham St. Annes RRC competed in Sunday's Sweatshop 10 Miles, moved after a decade on the flat St. Annes sea front to the equally exposed Bispham coast, and doubling as the Lancashire AA 10 Mile Championships and the Northern Vets Championships.  Preston Harrier's quality runner David Rigby won the race and the Lancashire title with 52:50, ahead of 274 finishers while Bev Wright of BWFAC, fourth women, took the ladies' Lancashire title.

 



Fiona Geldard who was 2nd WV50
and counted in Northern Vets
 

First of the Lytham contingent was Andy Draper who made a good return to racing after a long lay-off with 23rd place and 1:01:48.  Mark Willett was next in, 51st in 1:06:28.  Graham Webster finished in 53rd, second in his V60 category, in 1:06:40 and counted in Northern Vets.  Fiona Geldard was the first Lytham woman in and also took second in her V50 category, 139th in 1:20:00.  She completed the course in a much improved PB, 51 seconds better than previously, to finish first women in the Northern Vets Championship.   Pam Hardman, V55, was 190th in 1:27:39.

 



LSARRC Members who took part in the Club Weekend grouping for the pre-breakfast
run outside Arnside Hostel - Saturday 14th March 2015

Fifteen members of the Club took part in the latest of the biannual Training Weekends, a club tradition that started in 2003 and has since taken in over twenty holidays visiting a total of ten youth hostels in various Lake District and Yorkshire Dales locations.  This year's took place in benign weather amidst the glorious scenery of the Arnside area.  Pre-breakfast runs along the embankment overlooking Morecambe Bay, an off-road circuit of the adjacent Arnside Knott climbing 700 feet in a double loop and an eleven-mile Sunday road run were part of the training this time interspersed by plenty of social activities.

Progress along Arnside sea front in
early morning light - Saturday 14th March 2015

Breakfast time after the 4 mile run
Saturday 14th March 2015



 

LSARRC News 10th March 2015

Lancashire Senior Ladies Cross Country Team

  There was a plenty of action on the cross country circuit this weekend both nationally and locally.

The Inter Counties Cross Country Championships from Cofton Park, Birmingham also incorporated the British Trials for the World Cross Country Championships from China later in month and the final round of the British Athletics Cross Challenge Series.  As a result, top runners from across the UK were action.  Held in beautiful spring weather, conditions were perfect.  Joanna Goorney was selected to represent Lancashire in the Senior Women's race and finished 188th in a time of 30:59.   The race was won by Lily Partridge of Surrey in 25:07 with 275 finishers.

The attractive setting of Ryelands Park, Lancaster, was the brand new venue for the sixth and final round of the Mid Lancs League cross-country season where almost 500 competitors enjoyed fast running over the dry, firm ground.

It has been an exceptional season's racing for Lytham St. Anne's Road Runners who started the day with much at stake and good prospects for championship medals in both team and individual categories.  The club's outstanding performance came from Joe Greenwood in the senior men's race.  In what a delighted Greenwood considered his best-ever cross-country performance he finished 7th in 31m 10s and only 67 seconds behind winner Phil Waite of Barrow & Furness.  Tom Howarth was another strong performer for the Lytham men finishing 33rd in 33m 51s while MV60 Graham Webster was once again to the fore, finishing 2nd in his age category and 78th overall.  The senior men finished 2nd in Division 3 on the day and 3rd overall for the season.

Graham Webster

The women's team was not at its strongest for this final fixture but nonetheless have had an outstanding season with much to celebrate.  In Division 2 the senior women finished runners-up behind Barrow & Furness to ensure a speedy return to the top division only twelve months after being relegated while the V45 ladies went one better by winning gold as champions of their division.

Lytham's successes were not limited only to team events.  There were some outstanding individual performances led by Joanna Goorney, the WV45 women's champion, Ella Moulding the under-15 girls' gold medal winner and Zane Seddon winning the under 11 boys event gold medal.  There were further successes for two of Lytham's talented older members with WV65 Sylvia Gittins and MV60 Graham Webster both winning silver as runner-up in their age groups.

LSARRC results at Ryelands Park:
U11G: 23 Georgia Norman 8:17; 24 Rebecca Tate 8:17; 33 Emma Savidge 8:49; 36 Sydney Ramsden 8:52. U13G: 9 Holly Winstanley 8:56; 22 Isla Gordon 10:27.
U15G: 4 Chloe Norman 13:06.
Senior Women: 56 Fiona Geldard 26:55; 73 Julia Rolfe 28:25; 75 Dawn Bloor 28:25; 84 Alex Everest 29:48; 106 Karen Lanigan 34:10; 118 Dawn Lock 44:40.
Senior Men: 7 Joe Greenwood 31:10; 33 Tom Haworth 33:50; 62 Neil Tate 35:18; 75 Graham Webster 36:12; 109 Terry Hellings 38:18; 164 Greg Oulton 46:41. 

Joe Greenwood and Tom Howarth

3 members of the club ventured over to Manchester on Sunday for the Trafford 10k organised by Althincham Athletics Club.  Although the weather was rather miserable with heavy drizzle throughout the course of the run, the highly competitive field for this race attracted some of the leading athletes in the country with the top seven men finishing in under 30 minutes.  Simon Denye had an excellent run knocking almost a minute off his PB to finish in 146th place with 34:57, excellent preparation for the Wilmslow Half Marathon in 2 weeks time and Manchester Marathon on the 19th April.  Peter Cruse finished in 230th place in 37:47.  Louisa Ruman ran a very creditable 52:17 for 636th given she has only just got back into running after a lengthy break.


Sylvia Gittins ran the Wrexham Half Marathon which attracted nearly 900 runners.  She finished in 2:04:38, 533rd place and 1st vet 65.

Mark Willett stayed more local completing the Preston Parkrun in 18th place and 19:34, a PB for this course.

LSARRC junior Chloe Norman represented Lancashire at the U13/15 Inter Counties Regional Final at Sportcity, Manchester on Sunday.  She ran the 4 lap and was 4th in her heat. She also did the standing long jump, speed bounce, and ran in the 8 lap paarlauf really enjoying the day.

LSARRC News 3rd March 2015

Joanna Goorney (Photo courtesy of Woodentops.org.uk)

There were two Stanley Park 10ks at Blackpool held over the weekend, the first on Saturday attracting 4 club members.  First home for LSARRC was Barbara Holmes in 50th place in 44:22.  Next was Sylvia Gittins in 188th place and 55:21.  Hannah McCandless running her first ever road race and making her debut for the club finished in 205th place with a time of 56:53 whilst her father, Jeremy, was not far behind in 215th place and 58:00.

Joanna Goorney headed over to Booth near Halifax on Saturday morning for the Midgley Moor Fell Race organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners.  The tough, muddy 5 mile course with 1250 foot of ascent was held under grey skies with the threatening rain just holding off.  Joanna was 49th and 3rd lady in a time of 50:12 with 191 finishers.

On Sunday, Graham Webster and Terry Hellings headed to Victoria Park, Warrington to compete in the Northern Vets Cross Country Championships.  In a competitive V60 race Graham completed the flat, relatively mud free 10k course in 40:59 for 16th place overall and 3rd V60.  Terry finished 4th V60 and 18th overall in a time off 42:15.

Peter Cruse made the journey up to the Lake District for the very popular Haweswater Half Marathon.  The race with over 500 finishers was won by James Buis of Border Harriers in 1:12:51.  Peter finished in 29th place and was 3rd vet 50 in 1:24:55.

Up in Lancaster, was the Glasson Dock Grizzly Half Marathon and 7 mile race which attracted Julia Rolfe.  The course followed the very muddy and slippy canal towpath with the route also including a few water hazards: crawling through low water tunnels at the side of some of the bridges and wading across a stream.  Good fun!  She finished 3rd lady and 1st female vet 50.

Becs Willetts and Dawn Bloor on registration at the
Fylde Primary Schools Cross Country Competition

On Sunday morning, Lytham St Annes RRC once again hosted a very successful Fylde Primary Schools Cross Country Competition at Queen Elizabeth II Park View Playing Fields in Lytham with over a hundred children taking part.

Sarah Hatton and Dave Dunn

Year 6 race

The club's February handicap on Thursday night was one of the quickest of the annual series with four runners achieving personal bests over the 3.45 miles course. The winner, WV65 Sylvia Gittins, surprised even herself with a first victory while a little further down the field Joe Greenwood, already the fastest regular competitor, nevertheless improved his previous PB set back in November 2013. The others to record PBs were newcomer Alex Everest and brothers Neil and Ian Tate who were each well ahead of their previous best times.

With just one race to go Neil Tate moves up to second on the annual table and is favourite to collect the runner-up medal but there are others who can pass his current total with a leading place in the final race. This year Jeremy McCandless has dominated the competition and has been assured of being the overall winner for some time.

FULL RESULTS: 1, Sylvia Gittins, 33.55, 30+2 points; 2, Ian Tate, 24.09 PB, 29+2; 3, Alex Everest, 28.12 PB, 28+2; 4, Neil Tate, 21.01 PB, 27+2; 5, Fiona Geldard, 27.06, 26+2; 6, Tom Howarth, 20.43, 25+2; 7, Joe Greenwood, 19.20 PB, 24+2; 8, Pam Binns, 35.47, 23; 9, Graham Webster, 22.11, 22; 10, Karen Lanigan, 34.14, 21: 11, Greg Oulton, 28.03, 20; 12, Alex Wiggins, 26.59, 19; 13, Jeremy McCandless, 32.36, 18; 14, Dawn Lock, 49.00, 17; N/C Joe Hansen , 30.32.

and finally

Happy 70th Birthday to Dawn Lock