LSARRC News 18th May 2022

Maddy Markham at Lancs Champs

PODIUM success was on the cards – or rather the track – for Lytham St Annes Road Runner's (LSARR) athletes this weekend, as they kept their sprinting local at Blackpool's Stanley Park.

Junior athlete Maddy Markham and senior runner Ross McKelvie both returned home clutching silverware from the Lancashire Championships meet.  Markham was first junior woman – and third overall – in the 3000m to become Lancashire champion in 12mins 40.2 secs, while Ross McKelvie's sixth place finish saw him take the senior title for the county in 9 mins 25.8 secs.

Junior Oliver Thomson competed in the a very competitive under 15 boys 800m race finishing seventh in a huge personal best of 2m 17.1s.

Success continued for the club's ladies on Thursday night, when it was Lytham's turn to the host the monthly Interclub race.  On a windy night on St Annes Promenade, 35 green runners joined the 320-strong field – made up of Blackpool, Wesham, Thornton-Cleveleys, Red Rose, Wesham and Chorley running clubs – for the five mile race.

Joe Greenwood was the first Lytham runner home, completing the course – which starts and finished at the beach huts before heading toward Ansdell for a lap of Fairhaven Lake – in 30:24, closely followed by Jon Tuck in 30:49.

But it was the ladies who were the success story for the second event running, Gill Draper running well to finish fourth lady overall in 32:13, with Mel Koth (sixth lady; 33:27), Jo Goorney (seventh; 34:00), Jennifer Hill (10th; 35:53) and Louise Cox (11th 36:05) completing the team, who remain top of the leaderboard after two races.  There was also a second-place finish on the night for the FV40 team, who sit second overall, Claire Markham (38:54) and Sue Hawitt (42:06) joining Koth, Goorney and Cox.  Maddy Markham was first junior female in 36:18.

Also running for LSARR were Dom Kirby (33:01), James Whittle (33:12), Stephen Wilde (33:42), Chris Cottam (33:53), Morgan Pritchard (34:55), Ross McKelvie (36:20), Alistair Leivers (36:21), Dan gregson (36:30), Graham Webster (36:49), David Butler (37:38), John Bertenshaw (37:39), Leanne Nield (37:57), Kate Price-Edwards (38:36), Peter Reid (40:28), Alex Wiggins (42:04), Barry Broughton (42:09), Greg Oulton (43:53), Roy Stevens (44:01), Ian Tate (44:09), Ruth Williams (44:45), Steve Jones (45:20), Matt Jones (45:20), Kirsten Burnett (45:47), Elizabeth Canavan (46:50), and Vicki Richardson (tail walker – 1:06:43).

Michelle Chadwick at Chester HM

On Sunday, the club had two runners in the Essar 40th Chester Half Marathon.  A hot and humid day saw over 4000 runners take to the streets, with Michelle Chadwick finishing in 1:32:56 and Mick Widdop in 2hrs 4mins.

Mel Koth travelled North to take on the Epic Montane Howgills trail 13, which starts and ends in Sedbergh and  involves 2954ft of ascent over the Calf and takes in Cauntley Spouts – England's highest cascade waterfall.  In an unusual twist the route had to be changed for the last two miles because of baby lambs on the course, adding a extra half mile to the distance.  Koth knocked an impressive six minutes off her time from last year, finishing seventh overall, second lady and first overall veteran in 2:21:27.

Earlier in the week Jo Goorney competed in the third race of the Trunce Fell race Series, a four mile course from Oxspring, Barnsley, which has 400ft of ascent and crosses three rivers. Goorbey was 2nd female in 33:21.

At parkrun, Gill Draper headed to Preston for the 10 year anniversary event, finishing first lady in 19:46, while at Lytham Hall there were new personal bests for juniors Reuben May (23:51) and Joshua McAfee (25:55).

Finally there were some excellent performances from Lytham’s juniors at Sundays Park View junior parkrun.  First to cross the finish line for the 13th consecutive week was Jayden Richardson in 7:05 with club mate Joe Alker second in 8:09.  Georgina Andrews was fifth overall and second girl in 8:22.  Evie Alker finished eighth in a personal best of 09:00, with Joshua McAfee 12th in his second parkrun personal best of the weekend of 9:34.  Lewis Ames (46th in 12:06).  Arthur May (25th in 10:21) and Kiefer Richardson performing tail walker duties (73rd in 17:39) completed the Lytham contingent.