LSARRC News 17th January 2017

Sylvia Gittins - Burnley Cross Country

Last weekend was the Central Lancashire half marathon and 5 Lytham runners competed in this race.  On the race day conditions were perfect, mild with a slight breeze.  The runners mentioned how well the race was marshaled and a big thank you to our own Brian Porter for his commentating around the course and at the finish line. Chris McCarthy was the 3rd runner back in an impressive time 1:15:15, Neil Tate was the next Lytham runner back in 1:25:33 and Alex Tate in 1:29. Mel Koth was 6th lady and 1st vet 40 to finish the race in  1:34:19 and Barbara Holmes was 2nd Vet 55 running the race in 1:47:52.

On Saturday it was Lytham Halls 55th parkrun, with 9 Lytham runners taking part.  Neil Bayntun- Roberts was first back in 20:16, Peter Reid was the second Lytham runner to complete the 5k race in 23:53 and Kirsten Burnett in 25:04.  Laura Byrne was next back in 27:36, Sarah Bradshaw in 31:27 and Jeremy McCandless in 31:59. Paula McCandless was next back with a well earned PB in 32:15, Michelle Sheridan in 32:49 and Sarah Bagsaw in 33:21.
Eric Wrigley ran in Avernham park, completing the Preston junior parkrun in 9:09, Sophie Tate also competed in this race and finished in 12:38.

Michelle Hook also raced on Saturday, taking part in the Lancaster 3-1-5 health club 10k winter series run. Set along the canal, the 10k route runs 1.5 miles along the canal and back, twice over. Absolutely pancake flat course, gorgeous weather - cold but sunny and hardly any wind but a tiny field of runners which made setting pace hard. Michelle finished the race in 43:58, was 1st female and is possibly the new course record holder for this race! 
Also this Saturday was the Burnley cross country. Although this is one of the flattest courses in the cross-country series, the rain over the last week made the course very muddy making it tough for all the runners involved.  Lytham scored very well in this race with the men finishing sixth overall and first in their division. The ladies also did well finishing who also finished 6th overall and 2nd in their division.  For the under 11’s girls race, Sophie Bohannon finished second in 7:37, Jessica Ramsden in 9:23, Hebe Tierney in 9:31 and Katie Bremner in 9:48.
 
In the under 11’s boys race George Denye finished his race in 7:57, Morgan Pritchard in 8:25 and Eric Wrigley in 9:25.

In the under 13 girls race, Sydney Ramsden was Lytham’s first runner back in 11:59 and Rebecca Tate in 13:46. In the under 15 girls race Laura Bremner was first Lytham runner back in 13:52, Lucy Bohannon was next back in 14:35 and Holly Anderson in 15:57.

In the ladies race first back was Joanna Goorney in 22:37, next was Melanie Koth in 24:29, completing the ‘A’ team Barbara Holmes finished her race in 26:06.  Next Lytham runner back was Alexandra Everest in 28:18, Julia Rolfe finished in 29:11, Louisa Denye in 29:50,  Sylvia Gittins in 33:39 and Dawn Lock in 44:26.

In the mens race first back was Chris McCarthy in 35:27, Joe Greenwood was next back in 37:04, Thomas Howarth in 39:03, Andrew Draper in 39:16 and Neil Tate in 40:03.  Paul Veevers was next back in 41:45 and Terry Hellings in 45:02.

LSARRC News 10th January 2017

Lancashire veteran women silver medal winners

Lancashire AA Cross Country Championships 2017

Lytham St. Annes RRC had an excellent start to 2017 when they won team silver and seven individual medals across all age categories from U11 to V70 at the Lancashire Cross-Country Championships on Saturday.

Twenty-five members of Lytham, up from fifteen from last year, made the trip to Witton Park and were rewarded with one of their best medal hauls yet.

Windless mild 8o temperatures and less mud than in previous years made for good running conditions but didn't counteract the toughness of the multiple hill climbs, rough grass and foot-turning patches. Heavy mist hung over the northwest for the entire day jeopardizing the Isle of Man team's flight into fog-bound Liverpool but with the help of delayed starts, Manx Harriers, always staunch supporters of the Lancashire Championships, were able to take the Women's title from Blackpool with a convincing 15 points to 44.

Dawn Lock and Sylvia Gittins

Most successful of the day were the Veteran Women, all five of whom took home medals. Joanna Goorney, 27:59, 20th overall and sixth vet; Melanie Koth, 31:42, 36th overall and 14th vet and Kirsten Burnett, 39:07, 56th overall and 31st vet, won the Women Vets' team silver medal: a real boost for the Club. Koth also won V40 individual gold and Goorney the V45 silver. In addition the club's two V70 Sylvia Gittins in 45:25 and Dawn Lock in 53:25 took silver and bronze respectively in their age group.

Senior Men

Lytham fielded one of it's strongest men's teams in the final race of the day, the physically demanding 9.8k four-lap Senior Men's, but with the high standard they did well to finish 9th. In a neck-and-neck battle Salford Harriers on 97 points took the title from Blackburn Harriers on 99. Comprising the men's team were Joe Greenwood, 41st in 37:15; Thomas Howarth, 68th 40:03; Neil Tate, 71st 40:29; Paul Veevers, 89th 42:59; Ross McKelvie, 100th 44:18 and Terry Hellings, 106th 45:44. Mark Selby finished 121st in 47:23. Hellings ran very well to win bronze in the V60.

There were successes too for the Juniors who gained two medals. George Denye won silver in the U11B with 6:36 for 1.8K field loop. Both Morgan Pritchard, 18th in 7:15, and Eric Wrigley, 44th in 7:54 ran well.

U11 Girls

On the same course 15 minutes later the U11G managed a very good team 4th place, just outside the Lancashire medals. Making up the team were Sophie Bohannon, whose 3rd in 6:58 earned her the second junior medal; Hebe Tierney, 33rd in 8:17; Amara Thorpe, 35th 8:21 and Clemmie Tierney, 37th 8:23. Jessica Ramsden was 42nd in 8:31.

George Denye - U11 silver medalist

Older juniors were represented by Sydney Ramsden, 37th in 14:52 and Rebecca Tate, 53rd in 17:21 in the U13G 3k race which included a climb over the Saucer while Laura Bremner, 19:39, Lucy Bohannon, 20:06 and Holly Anderson, 20:59 finished close together in the U15G 3.8K race which also included the Saucer.

Terry Hellings - V60 silver medalist

The following day four Lytham members tackled the hilly Garstang 10k in unseasonably warm conditions, including two men who had also competed in the cross-country the day before.

The course route took the competitors around the back of Garstang High School before a lovely downhill stretch (the calm before the storm) leading onto the hilly loop around the lanes of the village, over rivers and motorway bridges before running back uphill to the school, just what tired legs needed for the sprint finish!

First home for the club on the back of the tough cross country race the day before was Tom Howarth, 20th place, in 38:07 followed by 34th place Paul Veevers in 39:13. First lady home for the club, and 8th female overall out of 190, was Michelle Hook equalling her 10k record to the second in 43:48. Completing the club representatives was Lorna Cragg, who finished in 1:17:43.

LSARRC News 3rd January 2017

Andy Draper at Southport parkrun

Following the Christmas festivities and the previous weeks 10k races, this last week was relatively quiet with the exception of a variety of parkruns featuring Lytham Runners, no doubt putting the fuel of Christmas dinners and chocolates to good use. The club saw representatives at 6 parkruns across the country.

Locally, 15 club members took part in the Lytham Hall parkrun on 31st December for the last parkrun of the year. The run saw a record attendance of 280 runners, and first home for the club, and in 15th position overall was Neil Bayntun-Roberts in 19:55. Felicity Wolohan was Lytham’s first female home, and 19th overall, in a time of 21:03, followed by Barbara Holmes for 28th place in 21:45 and Kathy Gaunt, who achieved a new personal best for 9th female and 50th overall in 23:10, a great way to finish the year, well done Kathy! Next back was Claire England in 24:26, Morgan Pritchard in 24:41, Graham Webster in 24:44 closely followed by Roy Stevens in 24:49. Hannah McCandless was the next Lytham runner home in 27:35, Des Heron in 28:54, Ruth Bye in 29:44, Karen Lanigan in 30:33, Sarah Bagshaw in 31:34, Bob Clough in 37:06 and Kirsten Burnett in 45:45.

Michelle Hook at Preston parkrun

Just down the road, Michelle Hook took place in Preston parkrun, her first in a number of months due to a planned absence and recovery. A nice gentle parkrun to ease back into featuring the notorious Avenham Hill 3 times, Michelle still managed to take 3rd female place and 40th overall in 21:58.

One of the clubs juniors Eric Wrigley also chose hills for the morning, completing Cuerdan Valley parkrun finishing as 60th male and 70th overall in 26:53.

In our second fastest time of the week, Andy Draper took on Southport parkrun, finishing in 3rd place in a time of 18:25, and our fastest time of the week was achieved by Paul Veevers at Crosby parkrun in a time of 17:28. Great running guys!

Further afield, Terry Hellings completed the Basildon parkun in 16th position overall in a time of 21:33.

For those with less of a hangover and sore dancing feet in the morning, Lytham hall held a New Years Day parkrun which saw 113 runners in total take on the grounds of the Hall, with 11 of those being Lytham runners. First home for the club for 3rd place overall was Neil Tate in 18:43, followed by Mark Selby for 8th place in 20:21 and Andy Draper in 20:24 for 9th. 10th was Graham Webster in 20:32, 12th Neil Bayntun-Roberts in 20:55, and achieving a new personal best was Colin Laidlaw in 23:22 for 32nd place – a great start to the new year, well done Colin. First female home for the club was Felicity Wolohan on the back of her first female position the day previously, in 23:56, followed by Eric Wrigley in 25:31, Olivia Johnson-Allen in 26:48, Rebecca Willetts in 27:59 and Sarah Bagshaw in 31:30.

A great way to see out 2016 and see in 2017 by all our runners, a great effort from all!

LSARRC News 27th December 2016

Mel Koth

Kirsten Burnett

Most athletes take Christmas day off – but only in preparation for races soon to come. On the following day there is the popular Worden Park Boxing Day 10k, and the day after that the even more popular Ribble Valley 10K.

This year over 300 runners ran off their turkey dinners at the picturesque Worden Park race in Leyland. Amongst them were Mel Koth and Kirsten Burnett from Lytham St Annes Road Runners. Mel’s time was 43:49 to finish as the third FV40 lady and 66th overall, while steadily improving Kirsten came 201st with a time of 53:10.

The next day over 1000 competitors lined up in Clitheroe for the Ribble Valley 10K. Although it is a tough climb to the finish it is run on traffic free roads and is generally regarded as a fast course. Athletes travel from far and wide for this race so there is usually a high standard. This year was no exception with the winner recording a time of 29:33 and over 230 competitors recording times of under 40 minutes.

Chris McCarthy

Lytham’s Chris McCarthy achieved an excellent time of 33:54, easily a personal best. Such was the standard of the race however he finished down in 61st position. Andy Draper, Paul Veevers, Neil Tate and Thomas Howarth all achived times well under the 40 minute mark to finish in the top 200. Barbara Holmes was the second FV 55 and Colin Laidlaw was the 12th V60.

Barbara Holmes

Lytham Results from Ribble Valley: Chris McCarthy 61st, 33:54; Andy Draper 114th, 36:19; Paul Veevers 154th, 37:33; Neil Tate, 160th 37:37; Thomas Howarth 172nd, 37:54; Barbara Holmes 414th, 45:16 and Colin Laidlaw 480th, 47:01.

Paul Veevers

LSARRC News 20th December 2016

LSARRC Xmas Relay

On Thursday was the club's December monthly handicap brought the year to an end in fine style with a hard fought close race which saw eleven runners recording their fastest time of the winter, seven of them PBs. First place went to Sarah Bradshaw for a second successive time while newcomer Jackie Murray finished second ahead of very experienced handicap competitor Debbie Cooper.

Jeremy McCandless on 208 retains his lead on the annual points table but his nearest challengers, Greg Oulton 199, Claire England 178 and Colin Laidlaw 170, all have races in hand.

Full Results:
1, Sarah Bradshaw 34.46 PB; 2, Jackie Murray 31.25 PB; 3, Debbie Cooper 27.02; 4, Steve Tate 30.40 PB; 5, Alex Tate 21.26; 6, Claire England, 27.43; 7, Sarah Bagshaw 36.04 PB; 8, Laura Byrne 31.38 PB; 9, Rob Parker, 27.45 PB; 10, Greg Oulton 29.01; 11, Tom Howarth 21.08; 12, Karen Lanigan 34.27; 13, Colin Laidlaw 25.41; 14, Jeremy McCandless 30.31; 15, Alan Elstone 24.04; 16, Kirsten Burnett 30.12; 17, Dawn Lock 48.08; 18, Pam Binns 37.21; N/C, Peter Reid 28.19; N/C, Michelle Sheridan 36.14; N/C, Kathy Gaunt 26.56 PB.

This Saturday many Lytham runners competed in different parkruns throughout the country. Felicity Wolohon ran her 50th parkrun at Princes Park Liverpool and was first female with a time of 20:58. Well done Felicity.

Greg Oulton also completed the Cuerden Valley parkrun. As the weather was far from perfect on Saturday Greg set off late to the start after having to de-ice his car and drive through foggy conditions, meaning he arrived after the race had begun. Not letting this stop him Greg still ran the race catching up with the back runners within a mile, managing to complete his parkrun in 29 minutes flat.  After this Greg traveled to Avenham Park in Preston to race in the Cheeky Santa Dash 5k in aid of cancer charities, Ben Bowel Movements, Mummy Star and Rosemere Cancer Foundation. Running on tired legs and on a hilly route Greg finished the run in 28:01, an excellent racing weekend Greg! He also passes on thank to race commentator Brian Porter, who I’m sure provided motivation towards the end of the run!

Also on Saturday was Lytham’s 51st parkrun, and saw 197 runners competing, 23 of which were Lytham runners. The first Lytham runner to finish the race this week was a junior George Denye with an impressive time of 19:55. Joanna Goorney was the second Lytham runner back with 20:00, Neil Bayntun- Roberts was third with 20:37 and Mark Selby was fourth with 20:32. Morgan Pritchard was next back with 22:12, Neil Tate in 22:14, Max Talbot in 22:58, Gerry Browne in 23:17, Sydney Ramsden in 24:36 and Jessica Ramsden in 27:22.  Louisa Denye finished in 27:24, Laura Byrne in 27:25, Pat Bullen in 27:28, Bob Clough at 28:15 and Gillian Oliver in 28:59.  Ruth Bye was the next runner back in 29:46, Jeremy McCandless in 30:04, Sarah Bradshaw in 30:09, Michelle Sheridan in 31:00 and Sarah Bagshaw in 31:49.

LSARRC Xmas Relay

On Sunday was LSARRC’s annual fancy dress Christmas relay and junior 2k races on Lytham Green. 12 senior runners arrived to do this race and were put into 4 mixed ability teams, Turkeys, crackers, sprouts and puddings. The relay race was won by the turkeys team with a combined time of 67m 19s, crackers were next with 73m 36s.  Sprouts were third with 77m and 20s and puddings finished in 83m 41s.
The Junior 2K prizes went to the winner Luke Tate, first girl Darcey Tate and the youngest competitor, 4 years-old Sebastian Veevers.

LSARRC News 13th December 2016

Paul Veevers at the Longridge 7

Mel Koth

Sunday morning saw the 33rd Longridge Christmas Pudding 7 mile road race taking place. The course sets off from Longridge Community Centre and climbs steadily for 4.5 miles until reaching the top of  a misty Jeffrey Hill. A rapid decent then sees the runners heading back into Longridge. The challenging but scenic route proved popular with this year’s 331 starters. The race was won by Chris Arthur of Blackburn Harriers in a very quick 37:53, a full 2 minutes ahead of the next finisher. First lady was Catherine Howard of Knowsley Harriers in 44:56. First back for Lytham St Annes RRC was Paul Veevers, one of the clubs newer members, in 45:25 for an impressive 15th place. Paul was followed home by Mel Koth 70th and second FV40 in 52:38, Richard Storey 110th 56:50, Pam Hardman 192nd 1:04:32, Peter Reid 211nd 1:05:53 and Sylvia Gittens 269th and the second vet 70 in 1:11:09.  For all finishers there were seasonal awards of Christmas puddings and a medal of a pudding.


Last week the club’s Monday night juniors group, led by coach Debbie Cooper,held their annual indoor athletics competition against Kirkham Grammar junior school. For many of Lytham’s athletes this was their first ever competition. Lytham were represented by children aged from 6 to 13 years, whereas KGJS brought their under 11 A team. They all did speed bounce where the Lytham A team triumphed. Lytham’s Ruby Hodgkinson and Amara Thorpe were the first girls’ standing high jump while Charlie Wiltshire was the first boy. Lytham were first again in the girls’ two lap and four lap races. All of the children took part in at least 3 events during the hour. While Kirkham Grammer won overall everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event, giving the children an excellent and friendly introduction to competitive sport.

LSARRC juniors and Kirkham GS juniors

Laura Byrne - Lytham Hall parkrun

In the weekly Lytham Parkrun Lytham St Annes RRC’s Jo Goorney was the first lady home. finishing the 5K run in 20:16. Out of the club’s other ten entrants Sarah Bagshaw notably achieved another pb of 30:51 to move a step closer to that elusive 30 minute barrier.

Finally vet 50 Julia Rolfe raced the challenging Stockport 10 mile race in 01:27:40 to finish a creditable 642nd from nearly 1000 competitors, and fifteenth in her category.

LSARRC News 6th December 2016

Morgan Pritchard - Lytham Hall junior parkrunner of the year

The Guys 10 returned on Sunday following last year's cancellation due to course flooding and it proved a popular race. Conditions could not have been more perfect for distance running, the sun shone and any morning chill soon disappeared once the race started. Five Lytham St Annes Road Runners Club members made the journey to Guys Hamlet for the 10 mile road race which takes place on rural roads between Bilsborrow and Inskip. The course itself is flat and fast. Unfortunately, one the Lytham entrants, Andy Draper, took a tumble at 8 miles which ended his race. The race was won by Rob Affleck of Preston Harriers in 54:11, first lady was Elizabeth Greenwood of Blackburn Harriers. First home for LSARRC was Tom Howarth in 1:02:31 for 24th position, with Richard Storey next back in 105th place in a new PB time of 1:14:43. The real star for Lytham though was Sylvia Gittins, the first FV65 in an excellent 1:35:45 with fellow FV65 Pam Binns not too far behind, finishing in 1:42:38 in her first run of this course. The reward of a Lancashire cheese at the finish made everyone’s efforts even more worthwhile!

Christmas comes early in Cumbria with the Hoad Hill Harriers Xmas Pudding 10k on Sunday.  Joanna Goorney was Lytham’s only representative in the cold and sunny conditions. Like the Guys 10, the weather was almost perfect for the very pleasant undulating out and back course in the rural setting of Ulverston in the South Lakes.  It was a very friendly and well-organised race with 238 finishers in the 10k.  FV45  Joanna finished 30th overall and 2nd lady in a time of 39:50.

Chris McCarthy - Lytham Hall parkrun

The Lytham parkrun on Saturday mornings is becoming more and more popular with club members and non-members alike. Last Saturday steadily improving Chris McCarthy became the first Lytham runner to record a time of under 17 minutes for the 5K event. Chris also just won the event, with Lytham’s Jo Goorney the first woman finisher.  23 club members took part, with 91 Lytham club runners who have partook at some point since the event started a year ago.

Eric Wrigley amd Terry Hellings

Sue Hawitt acting as 28 minute pacer at Lytham Hall parkrun and Bob Clough