LSARRC News 3rd August 2022

LSARRC News 27th July 2022

Jayden and Kiefer in Crewe

 HOLIDAY time means parkrun tourism - and a new course record for one junior Lytham St Annes Road Runner.

Jayden Richardson hasn’t managed to take the record at his home parkrun yet, but he’s the proud holder of the fastest time at Queens Park junior parkrun in Crewe.  He ran 7:10 for the 2km course, with brother Kiefer finishing ninth in 9:16.

Back on home turf there was a first place finish for Alistair Leivers at Lytham Hall, running home at the front of the pack in 17:24.  Joe Greenwood was fourth in 18:48, while Jennifer Hill was second female in 22:53.  And there was a new personal best from Pamela Hardman, who finished in 25:02.

At Sunday’s Park View junior parkrun, junior Jacob Wilson secured a second place spot in a new personal best time of 7:54.  Joe Alker ran 8:05 and Jessica McNiven was second girl in 8:36.  Also running were Evie Alker (9:18), Jack McNiven (9:43), Lena Szargut (11:12), Frazer Croft (11:23) and Lewis Ames (12:07).

In competitive racing action - and on the other side of the world- Louise Burgess Cox was a pacer for the Sydney Harbour 10km, guiding runners to a 50-minute finish.

Also running at Lytham Hall parkrun were James Whittle (20:50), Neil Tate (22:16), Darran Ames (23:01), Chris Bowker (23:53), Susan Hawitt (27:30), Evie Alker (28:01) and Rebecca Willetts (28:54).

LSARRC News 20th July 2022

Claire, Julia and Pam at Ingleborough Fell Race

 TRACK took centre stage for Lytham St Annes Road Runners in the Saturday sunshine.

The 4th meeting of the Mid-Lancs Track and Field season was staged in Blackburn, and it was another weekend, another personal best for Ross McKelvie, who ran 2:09.06 in the 800m.  He was joined in the event by Graham Webster, debutant Chris Cottam and Maddy Markham. There was also an excellent run for McKelvie in the 3000m, where he finished first in 9:35, with Cottam and Markham also running.  Cottam rounded off his first track meet by joining Webster in the 400m, and then Webster and Kirsten Burnett took to the track for the 200m, with Burnett also lining up in the 100m.

In the field events Burnett competed in shot put, while Paul McAllister took part in triple jump and shot put before unfortunately picking up an injury.

Ava Fiddler was the club's sole junior representative at the event, putting in a strong performance in her first track event, running a personal best of 2:49.3 in the 800m.

On higher, rockier terrain, were three of the club's ladies, who headed to Yorkshire for the Ingleborough Mountain Race, which is 6.8mile course with 1968ft of ascent.  Claire Markham was first down the mountain for LSARR, finishing in 1:27:27, followed by Julia Rolfe  in 1:35:49 and Pam Hardman in 1:37:14.

At Lytham Hall parkrun Mark Selby was first home for the club in 6th place in 21:02, while Catherine Carrdus was second lady in 23:00.

And on Sunday Lytham runners filled the first two places at Park View junior parkrun, with jack McNiven just getting the better of club mate Bobby Hastwell in 7:35 and 7:37 respectively – personal bests for both runners.  Ava Fiddler also ran a personal best of 8:24 for fourth place and first girl, with Jessica McNiven one place behind in 8:38.  Also representing Lytham were Reuben May (8th in 8:42), Kiefer Richardson (12th in 9:02), Joshua McAfee (15th in 9:26), Arthur May (22nd in 10:21), Frazer Croft (24th in 10:38) and Lewis Ames (36th in 12:14).

There was holiday success for juniors Joe and Evie Alker who finished first and third at New Milton junior parkrun in 8:08 and 9:16, while senior members Greg Oulton and Terry Hellings took on Downsview parkrun in Toronto – Hellings finished fourth in 26:46 and Oulton seventh in 28:56

LSARRC News 13th July 2022

LSARRC News 6th July 2022

LSARRC News 29th June 2022

Barbara Holmes

 LYTHAM St Annes Road Runners can once again boast it is the home of a triathlon world champion.

Barbara Holmes secured the age-group world title at the Championships in Montreal not just once but twice – taking the sprint triathlon crown solo and then following it up with the first-ever mixed relay title.  Competing in the 60-64 category, Holmes completed her solo event in 1hr 17 mins and 18 secs – including 23mins 55 secs for her 5km run – and then followed it up with the fourth and final leg of the mixed relay (300m swim, 5km bike, 1.6km run) in 27 mins 41 secs.

Lytham men at Catforth

Locally a strong men's team headed to Catforth 5km on Saturday night, with Ross McKelvie leading the way with a second place finish in 15:56.  Chris Cottam ran 19:57 with Jonathan Tuck just behind in 19:59, Dan Gregson finished in 21:51, Stephen Wise in 23:19, Greg Oulton in 25:28 and Richard Storey in 25:50.

The club had four runners over in Southport on Sunday, as Fylde Coast Runners staged the town's half marathon.  Ian Tate was first to complete the 13.1 mile course for the club, finishing in 1hr 55mins and 38secs.  Next was Mick Widdop in 1:57:24, followed by Lewis McAfee in 1:58:19 and Scott Gall in 2:10:12.

Out on the Fells it was the ladies tackling the tough terrain.

Jo Goorney at The Trunce #5

Mid-week Jo Goorney headed over to Barnsley for Race five of the Trunce Fell Race Series, a four mile course with 400ft of ascent and three river crossings. Jo finished first female in 32:32.  She returned to the hills on Saturday to take on a much toucher challenge – the Lakeland Five Passes Ultra, complete with 10000 ft of ascent.  Battling sideways hailstones at the highest point of the 32-mile course, Jo finished in 8hours and 24 minutes.

And a team of three ladies entered Aggies Staircases Fell Race – Claire Markham was first home in 48:55, Pam Hardman was first FV60 in 51:42 and Julia Rolfe finished in 52:05.

At junior parkrun, a fantastic run from Jayden Richardson saw him finally break his parkrun PB at Park View, running under seven minutes to finish first in 6:57 – it was his second parkrun PB of the weekend after he ran 20:15 at Blackpool' Stanley Park event on Saturday.  Bobby Hastwell also ran a personal best at Park View to finish second in 08:00.  Also representing Lytham were William Coward (4th in 8:27), Reuben May (5th in 8:31), Kiefer Richardson (7th in 8:55), Evie Alker (9th and first girl, 9:28), Arthur May (10:32) and Lewis Ames (15:47).

LSARRC News 22nd June 2022

LSARRC at Preston InterClub

LYTHAM St Annes Road Runners' ladies swept the board yet again as local clubs met to race this season's third Interclub.

Preston Harriers were the host for last Wednesday's race, which took place over a 3.7mile in the city's Avenham Park.  Racing against athletes from Wesham, Blackpool, Thornton-Cleveleys, Preston, Chorley and Red Rose, the ladies in green romped to victory for the third successive race.

Gill Draper at Preston IC

Gill Draper led the charge, finishing fourth lady overall in 24:22, followed by Michelle Chadwick – sixth in 24:30 – Jo Goorney in 25:30 for seventh and Jennifer Hill eight in 25:51.  Mel Koth completed the team, running 26:07 for 9th.

Ross McKelvie was the club's first finisher, fourth overall in 20:15.

The ladies' vet 40 team also performed well, finishing a close second to Wesham, with Louise Cox (13th in 27:06), Claire Markham (34th 30:35) and Ruth Williams (53rd 33:41) joining Goorney and Koth in the veterans team.

And there was a junior victory for Maddy Markham – competing while in the middle of her A-Levels - who finished 10th lady overall in 26:12.

On the track, Alistair Leivers raced in the 5000m at the Loughborough BMC meet and recorded a new personal best – winning his race in 15mins and 44secs.

Pam Hardman headed over to the North East for the 30th Durham Dales challenge – a 14 mile race which she completed in 2hrs 59mins.

And there was a half marathon for Mel Koth, who was in Cumbria for the Lakesman half triathlon.  The race is a half Ironman distance triathlon in Keswick, with a mass start and 600 swimmers all tackling the open water simultaneously, followed  by a 54-mile bike ride and a three-lap half-marathon distance run to finish.  Despite injuring herself on her penultimate lap of the run, Koth performed well to completed the race in 5hrs 50mins and 32secs – coming 251st overall and seventh V45 out of 48.

LSARRC at Freckleton HM

Closer to home, the UK's oldest half marathon was stage din Freckleton on Sunday – dating back to 1965 it has an unusual afternoon start time and while Sunday's event was by no means the hottest in recent history, the emergence of the afternoon sun added to the challenge.

Michelle Chadwick

Joe Greenwood was first back for the club and 4th overall in 1:29:42, followed by Michelle Chadwick in1:34:03 to take the prize for third lady.  Roy Stevens was third M70 (2:09:21) and Pam Binns first F75 (2:23:03).  James Whittle smashed his personal best with a time of 1:36:07, closely followed by Alex Tate (1:37:50) and Tom Howarth (1:39:53).  Also running for LSARRC were Chris Cottam (1:46:50); Chris Bowker (1:59:40); Neil tate (2:02:46), Kev Murray (2:08:24), Kirsten Burnett (2:17:53), Sue Henry (2:17:54) and Derek Appleton (2:30:46).

And in the junior two mile race there was a comfortable victory for Jayden Richardson – fresh from his first place junior parkrun of 7mins 5secs – with team-mate Ava Fiddler putting in an excellent sprint finish to finish second girl in only her second race for the club, just ahead of Georgina Andrews.

Full LSARRC Interclub results: Dom Kirby 24:40, Dominic Garrett 24:46, Thomas Howarth 25:54, Chris Cottam 25:52, James Whittle 25:55, Dan Gregson 27:20, Graham Webster 27:54, Mark Hughes 28:23, John Bertenshaw 28:49, Lewis McAfee 29:06, Steve Wise 30:23, Ian Tate 32:34, Peter Thomson 33:07, Julia Rolfe 33:56, Kirsten Burnet 34:03, Elizabeth Canavan 34:26, Catherine MacLachlan 34:49, Lia Murphy 35:31, Julie Wiseman 36:24, Pam Binns 37:33, Jacqui Murray 39:35, Sue Henry 42:29, Laura Byrne 42:30, Sarah Cook 45:55.

LSARRC News 15th June 2022

LSARRC News 8th June 2022

LSARRC at the Carnival 5k

IT WAS a welcome return for the Carnival 5k this weekend, as Lytham St Annes Road Runners welcomed dozens to the seafront.

The club-organised summer race takes runners from St Annes Promenade down to Fairhaven Lake, before doubling back to finish at the Pier.  And 14 LSARRC members joined the field for the senior 5k, with 10 club juniors in the 1.5km fun run.

Alistair Leivers

Alistair Leivers ran a strong race to finish the 5k second overall, his time of 15:51 was just one second outside the club record.  The holder of that record, Ross McKelvie, finished fourth in 16:15, followed by Joe Greenwood in 10th (18:09), Chris Cottam (13th, 20:07), and Mark Selby (14th, 20:26).  Neil Tate finished in 22:18, Peter Reid in 23:49, Barry Broughton in 24:42 and Steven Jones in 25:23.

Ruth Williams was the first club lady to finish in 26:01, followed by Pam Binns who broke the club’s V75 record with her time of 28:27, Julie Wiseman finished in 28:30 and Lia Murphy in 28:38.

Bob Clough was one of four members of his family running in the race, and finished in 31:08 - narrowly pipped by his wife.

In the fun run, 12-year-old Jayden Richardson was first boy and second overall in 05:24, followed by Joe Alker (05:50), Jessica McNiven (06:23) and Reuben May (06:24).  Georgina Andrews finished in 06:25, Ava Fiddler in 06:28, Kiefer Richardson in 06:46, Jack McNiven in 06:50, Evie Alker in 06:57 and Arthur May in 07:52.

Mel Koth

There was a very different run for club members Mel Koth, Mark Johnston and Emma Johnston, who took on the Montane Ullswater Trail Race.  Mel opted for the 10-mile loop between Pooley Bridge and Glenridding, and knocked an impressive 22 minutes off her time from last year.  She finished in 1:36:06, 11th overall, third lady and first V40.  Husband and wife team Mark and Emma opted for the arduous 20-mile race at Ullswater, finishing the challenging course in 06:07:45.

Mark and Emma Johnston

Joanna Goorney, Claire Markham and Pam Hardman kicked off the Bank Holiday weekend with the Leo Pollard Memorial Fell Race on Thursday, finishing in 1:02:24, 1:18:42 and 1:22:23 respectively.

Lytham Ladies at the Leo Pollard Memorial Fell Race

Finally three juniors and three seniors travelled to Hyndburn’s Wilson Playing Fields for the third fixture of the Mid Lancs Track and Field League.

Senior man Ross McKelvie comfortably took first place in both the 1500m in 4:23.1s and the 3000m in 9:27.3s.  Seventy year old Graham Webster - having already completed Witton park parkrun in 24:19 - completed his day’s athletics by taking part in three events finishing fifth in the 800m in 2:57.9 and eighth in both the 400m and 3000m in 77.1s and 13:01.5s respectively.

In the field events Paul McAlister had a successful day finishing third in the senior men’s long jump with a leap of 4.01m., second in the triple jump with 8.35m second in the shot with 8.55m.

Under 15 boy Joe Alker ran well on a windy day to finish fifth in the 800m with a time of 2:37.5s. Also in the under 15 boys was Jayden Richardson who opted for the 1500m and in his first ever track race put in an excellent performance to finish fifth in 5:03.2s.  Under 17 Oliver Thomson continues to improve with every race producing two personal best performances to finish third in the 1500 in 4:50.8s and for fourth in his heat of the 200m in 28.3s.

LSARRC News 1st June 2022

LSARRC at Wesham Summer 10k

A SHORT trip across the Fylde brought fast times and team success for Lytham St Annes Road Runners this week.

A 25-strong team of green runners made their way to the Wesham Summer 10k, staged on the lanes around Salwick's BNFL plant.  The popular race, staged by Wesham Road Runners, saw LSARRC take first ladies team thanks to excellent runs from Gill Draper – who finished 4th lady in a new personal best of 39:31 – Louise Cox (44:29) and Maddy Markham (46:35).  Maddy also took the prize for first junior female, while there were age-group prizes for Louise Cox (first FV50), Graham Webster (45:46, first V70), Pamela Hardman (50:36; first FV60) and Pamela Binns (58:58, first FV75).

Ross McKelvie was the club's fastest athlete on the night, finishing 5th overall in 37:57, followed by brothers Alex and Neil tate (39:40 and 43:06 respectively).  John Bertenshaw finished in 47:15, Chris Cottam in 49:01, with Stephen Wise hot on his heels in 49:10, followed by Claire Markham (49:55).  Also representing the club were Mick Widdop (51:33), Barry Broughton (52:13), Lewis McAfee (53:49), Greg Oulton (53:59), Roy Stevens (54:12), Ian Tate (54:42), Kirsten Burnett (55:03), Ruth Williams (56:08) and Richard Storey (56:44).

Catforth 5k

After Wednesday night's 10k, five LSARRC members halved the distance for a second race in a week at Saturday's Catforth 5k.  Joe Greenwood finished 12th in 17:50, Dan Gregson ran a new personal best of 21:33, Stephen Wise finished in 22:41, Richard Storey in 25:56 and Kirsten Burnett in 26:28.

Claire Markham at Hutton Roof FR

And on Sunday Claire Markham and Pamela Hardman were the club's sole representatives in the Hutton Roof Fell Race – part of the fell running interclub series.  Claire completed the seven mile course in 1hr 30mins, with Pamela just behind in 1hr 31mins.

Pamela Hardman at Hutton Roof FR

With no Lytham Hall parkrun this weekend, it was just Park View junior parkrun for local action, with six juniors racing.  Joe Alker went one place better than last week to finish first with a time of 8:07, Georgina Andrews was fourth overall and first girl in 8:24, with Reuben May just behind in 8:31 for fifth position.  Also representing Lytham were Evie Alker (10th in 9:24) and Lewis Ames (12th in 12:03).

LSARRC News 25th May 2022

Gill and Chris in Manchester

THE streets of Manchester were paved with personal bests this weekend, as runners from Lytham St Annes Road Runners Club headed to the city.  Gill Draper and Chris Cottam both secured their fastest half marathons at the Great Manchester Run on Sunday.  And Gill's time of 1:26:38 means she will be lining up in the Championship start  of next year's London Marathon, having smashed the required 1:28:00 qualifying time over the 13.1 mile course.  Chris ran 1:39:43 to secure a new personal best over the distance.

And 24 hours earlier two of the club's juniors were in action in the city, competing in the 2.5km Junior Great Manchester Run.  Brothers Jayden and Kiefer Richardson both took part, with older brother Jayden 5th in the 12-15 category in 08:00 and Kiefer 17th in 9-11 category in 09:58.

Back on the Fylde Coast, Sylvia Gittins ran the Blackpool Promenade 10-miler in 1:45:55, finishing 2nd in the FV65+ category.

And three sports were better than one for a trio of LSARRC athletes, who competed in the ever popular St Annes sprint triathlon – part of the Fylde Tri-Ology series.  Run along St Annes Promenade, the event involves a 750 metre swim, 20km cycle and 5km run.  Chris Bowker finished 82nd in 1:24:09, Roy Stevens 97th in 1:26:34 and Stuart Henderson 131st in 1:35:19.

At Lytham Hall parkrun Louise Cox finished first female in 21:45, there was a new PB for Barry Broughton of 24:37 while Jacqui Murray ran her 100th event.  

On Sunday 11 of the club's juniors took part in Park View's Junior parkrun, with LSARRC athletes filling the first five places.  Jayden Richardson was first overall in 7:05, followed by Joe Alker (7:53), Reuben may (8:09) and Kiefer Richardson (8:10) who all ran personal bests to finish second, third and fourth.  Jessica McNiven finished fifth overall and first girl in 8:43, while there were also personal bests for Joshua McAfee (13th in 9:24) and Arthur May (21st in 10:19).  Also representing Lytham were Evie Alker (11th in 9:10), Jack McNiven (17th in 9:48), James McAfee (22nd in 10:19) and Lewis Ames (56th in 16:34).

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.

LSARRC News 11th May 2022

Barbara Holmes

LYTHAM's triathlon queen has hit the top spot – yet again.  Barbara Holmes flew the Lytham St Annes Road Runners' flag in Mallorca this weekend, as she took on her first-ever "Ironman".  And, true to form, the British triathlon World Champion blew the competition out of the water to finish 1st in her F60-64 age category and earn herself a spot at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, later this year.
Holmes finished the gruelling course – 3.9km swim, 170km bike ride and a 26.2 mile run – in 12hrs 40mins and one second.

Closer to home, the green team were out in force over the shorter 10km distance on Sunday.  The ladies headed for the hills to take on the Blacksticks 10km, while several runners opted to stay closer to home for the ever-popular Blackpool Beaverbrooks 10km.

Jon Tuck was the first LSARRC runner to cross the line with a new PB of  37:21, and there was a sensational performance on the resort's Promenade from 13-year-old junior Jayden Richardson, who ran 40:49 in his first official 10km race.  Michelle Chadwick also ran extremely well to finish in 41:01 for 3rd lady, closely followed by new member James Whittle, who ran a new 10km personal best of 41:50.  Chris Cottam came home in 43:20, closely followed by junior Morgan Pritchard in 43:30, and Neil Tate in 43:32.  Jennifer Hill ran a family affair with husband Matt and pushing one-year-old son, Vinnie, and finished in 55:10.

Blackpool 10k (l-r Chris Cottam, James Whittle, Neil Tate and centre Jayden Richardson)

Over in Whitechapel, commemorative Blacksticks Blue Cheese awaiting the finishers of the annual 10km road race.  Claire Markham was first to finish for the Road Runners in 53:36, followed by Kirsten Burnett in 1:00:20, Pam Binns – who picked up a prize for first FV75 – in 1:03:48, and Sylvia Gittins in 1:06:51.

Blacksticks Blue (l-r Sylvia Gittins, Pam Binns, Kirsten Burnett, Claire Markham)

There was another 10km race happening in Chorley, with Mick Widdop LSARRC's sole representative.  He ran 53:54 in the event, which took runners through the streets of the town and Astley Park.

And a busy Sunday of athletics also saw Carlisle's Sheepmount Stadium host the second fixture of the Mid Lancs Track and Field League.  Greg Oulton managed to find time away from officiating duties to finish first in the senior men's discus with a throw of 13.72m, fifth in the 1500m in 7:18 and 4th in the 3000m in 15mins 2.5secs.  Ross McKelvie also travelled up the Cumbria for the club and took a comfortable victory in the 3000m in 9mins 37.2secs.

Down South, Paul McAllister ran 57:52 at Woodbridge 10km in Suffolk.

LSARRC News 4th May 2022

Ross McKelvie

PERSONAL bests and first place finishes capped a great week of running for Lytham St Annes Road Runners.

Chris Cottam

Ross McKelvie stormed to victory in the Avenham Park 5km, finishing in an impressive 16:58.  It was a good Bank Holiday Monday for Chris Cottam who secured himself a new personal best of 20:36 in the same race, with Mel Koth just behind him - her time of 20:42 was enough for 3rd lady.

Mel Koth

And Lytham also led the way in the junior 2km race, with Jayden Richardson taking first place overall in 4:50 and Georgina Andrews first girl (4th overall) in 5:47.  Joe Alker was 2nd in 5:21, Evie Alker 10th (3rd girl) in 6:24, Kiefer Richardson 11th in 6:29 and Eve Selby 14th (5th girl) in 6:57.

 

Earlier in the week there was success for Louise Cox, who finally secured a sub-45 minute 10km run, running 44:02 at the Run Media City event in Salford, first in her V50 category.

Mick Widdop took part in the Morecambe Half Marathon on Sunday, running 1:59 on a difficult course, which took in the beach.

The McAfee family travelled to Liverpool to take part in the John West Running Festival.  Juniors James and Joshua - who also set a new 5km parkrun PB of 27:03 at Lytham Hall on Saturday - took part in the 2km race, finishing in 8:59 and 9:19 respectively.  Dad Lewis ran the 10km race, finishing in 51:07.

There was very different terrain for Joanna Goorney, who took part in 67th Peaks Fell Race on Saturday.  The race took in Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, across the 23.3mile course, which includes 5279km of ascent.  Joanna finished in 4:34:12 for 195th place.

Also taking on the fells were Claire Markham and Julia Rolfe, who took part in Sunday’s six mile Hambledon Hill run.  Claire - in her first fell race - finished in 1:03:51 and Julia in 1:05:01.  

Earlier in the week, there was a club outing to the Ripley Supper Run, a four mile run in Lancaster ending with pie and peas.  Neil Tate finished first of the club’s 16 runners in 27:36.  Also running were Mark Hughes (28:24), Graham Webster (29:02), Dan Gregson (29:07), Lewis McAfee (29:52), Kate price Edwards (30:47), Pamela Hardman (33:06), Barry Broughton (33:40), Sue Hawitt (34:23), Greg Oulton (35:19), Julia Rolfe (35:27), Ruth Williams (35:44), Catherine MacLachlan (35:57), Liz Canavan (36:13), Kat Fawcett (41:19) and Richard Storey (41:21).

LSARRC News 27th April 2022

Lytham Ladies at the Wray Scarecrow 10k

 There aren’t many rural 10k races which feature minions, Her Majesty and Boris Johnson in the crowd…all made of straw of course.  They were just some of scarecrows on display at Wray’s annual scarecrow festival, where Lytham St Annes Road Runners ladies headed for Saturday’s 10km run.  A team of six from the club tackled the undulating course around the outskirts of the rural village, with Mel Koth running well to snatch 3rd lady in a time of 43:07.  Claire Markham finished in 50:42, Kirsten Burnett in 01:00:06 and Liz Canavan in 01:00:19.  Pam Binns ran 01:03:34 and Sylvia Gittins completed the team in 01:04:32.

With flatter terrain back on the Fylde Coast, three of the club’s runners took part in Blackpool’s Festival of Running.  Dan Gregson ran Saturday’s 10km race, which takes runners north along the promenade, and ran well to finish 25th in 47:04.

Junior Reuben May took part in the 2km race on the lower and middle walk at North Shore, and finished an impressive 3rd in 8:27.

Sue Henry

The following day Sue Henry ran her first half marathon, the route taking runners between North Shore and Squires Gate.  She finished 377th overall in 2:20:36.

There was a challenge for three of the club’s runners, who took to Preston’s Guild Wheel as part of UCLAN School of Justice’s monthly fundraising challenge in aid of the Shingwa School in Zambia.nnLinda Chadderton and Emma Johnston ran the first 11.5 miles of the loop, before passing the baton to fellow club member Mark Johnston to complete the loop.

At Lytham Hall parkrun, Joe Greenwood was the club’s first finisher, 3rd overall in 18:47, with junior Jayden Richardson 6th in 20:11.  Gill Draper ran 20:31 for first lady, with James Whittle and Chris Cottam hot on her heels - both setting new PBs of 20:32 and 20:39 respectively.  Mark Selby (21:21) and Andrew Draper (21:48) both finished inside the top 20, followed by Maddy Markham (22:29), Jennifer Hill (22:39) and Neil Tate (24:21).  Also running were Peter Reid (24:32), Joe Alker (24:59), Barry Broughton (25:12), Freddie Markham (25:17), Peter Thomson (25:54), Stephen Wise (26:24), Kev Murray (27:03), Greg Oulton (27:16), Jen Trohear (29:32), Jacqui Murray (30:57) and Adrian Sargent (34:26).

Emma Johnston and Linda Chadderton running the Guild Wheel

Lytham were represented by eight of their juniors at Sunday’s Park View junior parkrun, and filled the first four places.  Jayden Richardson, in his second parkrun of the weekend, was the first to cross the finish line for the eleventh consecutive time in 7:16 with club mate Jack McNiven second in 8:09.  With identical times of 8:27 Reuben May and Georgina Andrews were third and fourth with Georgina also first girl.  Also representing Lytham were Jessica McNiven (7th in 8:51), Kiefer Richardson (11th in 9:28), Evie Alker (12th in 9:42) and Joshua McAfee (18th in 10:30).

LSARRC News 20th April 2022

LSARRC News 13th April 2022

Lytham's ladies made a sensational return to Interclub as they secured top spot on the leaderboard after the season’s first race.

Back for the first time since 2019, the Interclub series brings together runners from Lytham St Annes Road Runners (LSARR), Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde, Thornton-Cleveleys, Wesham, Preston Harriers, Red Rose and Chorley Harriers running clubs over a seven fixture season, with clubs competing for the series title across a host of categories.

And after Blackpool hosted the season’s first fixture at Stanley Park last Wednesday, it’s LSARR leading the way in both the senior ladies and FV40 categories.  The ladies team was made up of Jo Goorney (4th lady, 26:40), Mel Koth (5th, 26:52), Catherine Carrdus (6th, 27:15), Louise Cox (11th, 28:45) and Helen Rennie (23rd, 30:44).  Jo, Mel, Catherine and Louise also counted for the vet 40 team, where they were joined by Claire Markham who finished in 31:38.  

The top 10 men and women score for the team overall, and Lytham currently sit 5th.  Mike Toft was first home for the club, 5th overall in 21:25, followed by Ross McKelvie (8th, 21:56), Joe Greenwood (29th, 23:43), Jonathan Tuck (34, 24:08) and Stephen Wilde (51, 25:24).  Next to count was Dom Kirby (64, 26:07), Thomas Howarth (70, 26:37), followed by Joanna Goorney, Chris Cottam (79, 26:50) and Mel Koth.  Also running for Lytham were James Whittle (26:53), Mark Hughes (28:46), Graham Webster (28:59), Dan Gregson (29:06), John Bertenshaw (29:11), Maddy Markham (30:47), Jennifer Hill (30:56), Peter Reid (31:58), Pam Hardman (32:05), Steve Wise (32:15), Mick Widdop (32:27), Paul McAllister (34:15), Peter Thomson (34:28), Alex Wiggins (34:32), Ian Tate (34:45), Julia Rolfe (34:51), Barry Broughton (34:55), Ruth Williams (35:05), Catherine MacLachlan (35:49), Roy Stevens (36:43), Linda Chadderton (37:03), Greg Oulton (37:16), Julie Wiseman (38:40), Emma Johnston (38:44) and Pam Binns (38:45).  In the other categories Lytham sit 6th in the vets, 5th in the vet 50s and 3rd in the vet 60s.

At Saturday’s Lytham Hall parkrun there was a big turn out for the club, with 31 runners taking part.  The club’s first finisher was Andy Unsworth in 18:49 for 3rd place, with Catherine Carrdus 10th overall - and 2nd lady - in 20:59.  Junior member Jacob Wilson ran a new PB of 22:46, while Terry Hellings ran his 100th parkrun in 39:30.

At Sunday’s junior parkrun it was back to the summer course across the playing field at Park View.  Junior Jayden Richardson was the first runner home in 7:28, with team-mates Joe Alker and Reuben May taking 2nd and 3rd respectively in 8:09 and 8:24.  Jessica McNiven was first girl in 8:54 - 6th overall -with Kiefer Richardson 7th in 8:59.  Evie Alker finished in 9:20 as 3rd girl, Joshua McAfee was 17th in 10:08 and Jack McNiven 20th in 11:00.

LSARRC News 6th April 2022

Kate Price Edwards and Lewis McAfee at Manchester Marathon

From the streets of the North West to the banks of the Seine, April means one thing for Lytham St Annes Road Runners - it’s marathon time.

Gill Draper at Manchester Marathon

The 26.2 miles of Manchester and Paris were on the agenda for five of the club’s runners, and while London may have delayed the city marathon until the autumn, there were 13.1 miles on offer for the capital’s Landmarks Half.

In Manchester, Gill Draper racked up the first personal best of the day as she ran 3:14:22 to secure the club’s diamond standard and a Good For Age place at next year’s London Marathon.  Kate Price Edwards was next to finish, also securing herself a personal best and a shot at London 2023 with 3:43:18. And it was the same story for Clare Taylor, whose PB of 3:48:33 will also see on her on the streets of the capital next year. Lewis McAfee also ran well to finish under four hours, clocking 3:58:56.

Across the Channel in Paris, Kirsten Burnett took the green jersey international as she took on the city’s marathon, which takes runners past iconic landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower.  Kirsten ran well to finish in 4:51:50.

Kirsten Burnett at Paris Marathon

In England’s capital city, Sue Hawitt and Michelle Sheridan lined up for the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Soaking up the atmosphere on crisp, clear day, both runners described the event as “fantastic”, with a well-supported route.  Sue finished in 1:56:57 while Michelle “jeffed” 30 secs running to 30 secs walking to finish in 2:55:54.

Closer to home there was more success over shorter distances.

Chris Cottam was the club’s sole representative in the Fleetwood 10km, coming away with a new PB of 42:50 over the distance.

On the fells, Leanne Nield took on a tough 4.5 mile race on Pendle Hill, finishing in 53:32.

And Ross McKelvie came out on top of a tactical 3000m on the track at the Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Athletic Club Winter Warmer, winning the race in 9mins 51secs.

Under 11 boys at the BW&F Winter Warmer

He was joined on the track by five of the club’s junior athletes, with Jack McNiven, Jacob Wilson and Reuben May all making their track debut in the under-11 boys 600m race.  All three made an excellent debut to track racing finishing first, second and fifth respectively in 1:55.8, 1:59.2 and 2:13.5.

And there was also a winning track debut for Georgina Andrews, who finished first in the under-11 girls 600m in 2:7.7.

Jessica McNiven ran a personal best of 15secs in the 100m for second place in her heat and 32.1 secs in the 200m for fifth place.

LSARRC News 30th March 2022

It was a busy weekend of racing for Lytham St Annes Road Runners, with hills, mountains and continental marathons all on the agenda.

Pam Hardman headed to Rome to tackle the Italian city’s marathon, taking on the 26.2 mile course alongside her son.  The first spring marathon in the city for three years was held in warm conditions, and Hardman finished in 4hrs 45mins.

Closer to home were half marathons for senior runners in both Sheffield and Liverpool.

And over in Yorkshire an exceptionally hilly course greeted Ross McKelvie at the Sheffield City Half Marathon, which heads out of the city centre and into the Peaks.  Despite the testing elevation, McKelvie ran well to finish 15th in 1hr 17mins.

Meanwhile in Liverpool, Mick Widdop completed the city’s half marathon course in 1hr 58mins.

Going one mile further in the Lakes on Saturday were Catherine Carrdus and John Bertenshaw.  Taking on the Coniston 14, Bertenshaw finished in 1hr 54 with Carrdus just behind in 1hr 55mins.

Back in the Peaks, Jo Goorney raced her first long distance fell race since March 2019, tackling the Don Morrison Edale Skyline Fell Race.  The 21-mile race involves a difficult 4300feet of ascent, taking in some of the area’s classic hills, and Goorney completed the challenge in 4hrs 15mins.

For the juniors there were some excellent performances at Lytham’s junior parkrun on Sunday.  Jayden Richardson finished first in 7:20 with Reuben May running his third personal best in four weeks to finish second in 8:22.  Georgina Andrews finished third overall and as first girl in 8:25.  Evie Alker finished seventh overall in 9:528 with club  mates Joshua and James McAfee just behind in eighth and ninth both achieving personal bests of 9:41 and 9:43 respectively.  Lewis Ames (17th in 12:07) was Lytham’s final representative.

For some of the juniors it was their second parkrun of the weekend, having already joined the senior runners at Lytham Hall’s 5k event on Saturday.  Ross McKelvie led the club home with a first place 17:32 finish, with junior Jayden Richardson 7th in 19:40 - a new personal best for the youngster.  Reuben May ran his first 5km parkrun and finished in 24:36.

LSARRC News 23rd March 2022

Juniors at the Mad March Hare

MAD March hares had nothing on Lytham St Annes Road Runners’ athletes’ speed this weekend.

A packed racing schedule saw a strong squad of runners take on the Mad March Hare 5km, 10km and fun runs in Preston’s Moor Park, a mother-daughter duo racing in Pilling and 13.1 miles over in Wilmslow.

Claire and Maddy at Pilling

The first race of the weekend was Saturday’s Pilling 10km, which saw Claire Markham and daughter Maddy running in green.  The pair ran the fast, flat course together, finishing in 52:22.

The following day it was the turn of the runners in Preston, with a mix of seniors and juniors making the short journey for the Mad March Hare.

Sue Hawitt (24:31), Roy Stevens (27:15) and Juli Wiseman (31:06) all took on the 5km distance, while Mark Selby completed the 10km course in 44:43 for fourth place overall.

There was a strong showing from the club’s youngsters, with the fun run forming part of junior road race championship.  Seven runners took part and filled the first seven places, with Jayden Richardson leading the way in 4:14.  Just a few seconds separated Joe Alker (4:48), Reuben May (4:53) and Kiefer Richardson (4:57) in second, third and fourth respectively.  Next two home in fifth and sixth were Evie Alker (5:31) and Eve Selby (6:14) finishing as first and second girls.  Arthur May was seventh in 6:25.

Mel Koth at Wilmslow HM

The prize for the weekend’s longest competitive run went to Mel Koth, who headed to Wilmslow Half Marathon.  The well-supported race takes runners through the beautiful surroundings of Wilmslow, and Koth ran well to finish strongly in 1:31:32 - sixth V45 out of 163 and 35th lady overall.

Despite Sunday’s junior parkrun taking place just a few hours before the juniors’ Mad March Hare race, Jayden Richardson finished first at Park View in 7:25 while Reuben May (8:25) and Kiefer Richardson (8:40) ran new personal bests for third and fourth.  Jack McNiven also ran a personal best of 8:09 for second, while Georgina Andrews (8:42) was first girl. Jessica McNiven (9:02), Joshua McAfee (10:03) and Lewis Ames (12:04) also represented the club.

At Saturday’s Lytham Hall parkrun the club filled the first three places with Rosa McKelvie first in 17:37, followed by Alistair Leivers (17:37) and Joe Greenwood (18:08).  There were new PBs for G Cunliffe (22:58) and Evie Alker (26:38).  Also running were Mark Selby (21:31), Chris Cottam (21:42), Chris Bowker (23:13), Freddie Markham (23:39), Andrew Draper (23:53), Stephen Wise (24:25), Peter Reid (24:57), Barry Broughton (25:49), Kirsten Burnett (26:53), Joe Alker (26:57), Archie Belfield (27:48), Jennifer Hill (28:21), Pamela Binns (29:28), Sue Hawitt (33:57), Michelle Sheridan (34:49), Sarah Cook (36:00), Terry Hellings (43:24), Juli Wiseman (53:08) and Laura Byrne (53:10).