LSARRC News 20th August 2013

The fifth Inter-Club Grand Prix, held at Astley Park, Chorley, on Wednesday was run in unsettled weather but this failed to detract from the highlights for the Lytham club which included third placing in the Women's and Vet60's competition. The Club put in a good performance in the Women's and Vet 60s but struggled to fifth in the Vets' and Vet 50's and was pushed into sixth in the Open by stronger teams from Chorley and Red Rose.  For Lytham, who almost traditionally come fourth in everything, sixth in the Open was a disappointment. In time for the starting gun, the rain abated and the race went underway damp but quite pleasant conditions.  Preston's Robert Affleck was in fine form winning in 25:29 and leading in a solid Preston contingent in 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th places to take four of the six top spots leaving Wesham with the remaining two wins.

The full Lytham squad at the 5th Inter-Clun Grand Prix at Astley Park

LSARRC's third-placed ladies team consisted of Mel Koth, Debbie Cooper, Julia Rolfe, Bec Willetts and Fiona Geldard.  Mel Koth, 75th overall, led the team in and put in a good performance to finish in 34:28.  She was well up in the woman's competition in eighth, her highest Inter-Club placing of the season.  Debbie Cooper finished 22nd woman in 38:23 and made the Open team for the first time. Julia Rolfe finished in 39:39, making not only the women's team but also the Vet 50s.  Completing a good team were Bec Willetts, 42:22 and Fiona Geldard, 45:02.

Debbie Cooper and Julia Rolfe at Astley Park

The other success was provided by the Vet's 60's. Graham Webster added another first to his record of Vet 60 wins at Blackpool and Lytham to finish the Chorley course in 31:35, 41st overall.  He was backed up by Roy Stevens, 10th Vet 60 in 37:04 and Pam Binns who didn't let a weekend Half Marathon deter her from finishing 19th Vet 60 in 46:31, to count in the Lytham team.  

Leading LSARRC in were Joe Greenwood and Thomas Howarth. Greenwood finished his first Chorley Inter-Club18th in 29:03 with Howarth just six places back in 29:50.  Mark Willett, the Club's third counter, put in a strong performance, 38th in 31:15, three places ahead of Webster.  Oliver Hirsh continues his rise up the team from 9th at Lytham to 6th at Preston and now with his highest to date, fifth.  Hirsh, 32:15, made 49th overall, 22nd Vet and second counter in the Vet's.  Taking the sixth team place was Kevin Ashworth making a truly noble effort for the Club after completing his first marathon at the Isle of Man only three days earlier.  Ashworth was 58th in 32:57.  Remaining members of the Open team were Koth, Terry Hellings, 76th in 34:28, Stevens and Cooper.

Making up the full Lytham squad were Bill Lock, MV70, 144th, 46:58; Andy Sneddon, MV45, 151^st, 51:13; Dawn Lock, WV65, 154^th, 53:41.

Lytham members were back enjoying a second opportunity to mix and match running, socializing and countryside on Sunday’s summer run this week at the idyllic location of Rivington. A delightful 8 mile course was chosen and led by a Bolton Harriers member, who joined Fiona Geldard, Bec Willett, Bill and Dawn Lock along mostly level terrain beside the beautiful Rivington and Yarrow Reservoirs starting from Rivington's Lower Barn to White Coppice.

Lytham Lady Sue Godfrey put in a fine run after a long break from competition at Birchwood 10k at Warrington on Sunday. She was among a field of 764 competitors, finishing 703^rd in 1:05, which was inside her target time of 66 minutes. She raced in memory of her nephew. The fast, mostly flat course incorporates three inclines, with the final kilometre being in descent. Conditions were breezy and not too hot, with all finishers receiving a towel and a bunch of flowers for the ladies. On Saturday Julia Rolfe and James Whitworth ran the Catforth 5k on a very rainy evening. Rolfe was 1^st VF50 in 24.20 and Whitworth 2^nd V65 in 27.10.

LSARRC News 13th August 2013

Lytham club members are making a habit of scoring at the Mid Lancs League track and field meetings and once again at the fifth round of the competition at Hyndburn on Saturday, they took away a good score. On a mainly dry, overcast and mild day, throwers Jeremy McCandless and Greg Oulton were responsible for adding 21 points between them. This gave the Club a total of 153 for the season and sufficient to hold onto their 8th position in Men's Division II, one of their best in recent years. First on the field was McCandless with his best event, the hammer, in which he threw 13m45 for 6th longest of the day and his biggest points score of 5. He followed this with tenth-place throws of 6m5 in the shot putt (3 points) and 17m07 in the discus (4 points). Team-mate Oulton threw two counting javelin attempts with his longest, 16m58, a PB and also gaining his highest points score of 4. Oulton also achieved PBs in the shot putt (6m22, 12th, 2 points) and the discus (15m41, 11th, 3 points). Sole representative on the track was Graham Webster in the Senior Men's 1500m where he ran 5:13:6 for 14th, pipped for the remaining second division points by new league members Knowsley Harriers.

Combining a relaxing break away with some challenging but scenic Manx road competition, LSARR members Kevin Ashworth ran the full Isle of Man marathon, and Laura Ashworth, Pamela Hardman, Pamela Binns and Janice Cobley took on the half marathon in the same event. The results for the Lytham collective represented a sweep of victory: on Sunday’s race, Kevin Ashworth, running his first ever marathon, finished in an astonishing 3:28:24 in 29^th place overall. In the half marathon, Laura Ashworth won 2nd place in her VF35 category in a time of 1:48:18, Pam Hardman won 2nd place in her age group finishing in 1:56:59, Janice Cobley won 3rd place in her age group in a time of 2.15.39 and Pam Binns won 2nd place in her age group in 2.12.04. The jubilant club members returned with an event glass plaque.

Fiona Geldard and Graham Webster competed in the Northern Vets AC 10k championships at Bispham on Sunday. The undulating course presented a challenge to the 172 entrants, run in windy conditions and the threat of rain. Geldard and Webster crossed the finish line in 41.00 and 58.12 respectively, in positions 54 and 161. Webster took the 3rd vet 60 category and Geldard, returning to competition after a prolonged period of injury, was happy with her performance.

Also on Sunday a group of six Club members met at Tockholes visitor centre for one of the social summer runs. The emphasis on these runs is less on the competition and more on the group and social aspect, but certainly no less of a challenge. This week the five mile course looped up and round the heights of Darwen tower, treating runners to beautiful local views, landscapes and countryside terrain. Luckily the rain held off but the winds were strong at height and the skies dramatic. Debbie Cooper, Ness Horne, Mark Willett, Catherine French, Bill Lock and Dawn Lock concluded the run at the visitor Cafe where chips, barms and hot brews were the order of the day.

Julia Rolfe and Mark Willetts took part in the Pilling 10k last Wednesday on a warm evening. The race started near the Elletson Arms and the course followed quiet country lanes. Rolfe made an impressive finish as 1^st FV 50 in 50.03 and Mark Willetts was 6^th Male in 40.40.

LSARRC News 5th August 2013

The Farleton Knott Fell Squad:
L-R Greg Oulton, Dawn Lock, Terry Hellings, Debbie Cooper

At the Farelton Knott Fell Race on Sunday it was a small but resilient group of Lytham St. Annes Road Runners Club members who tackled the fourth and final round of this year's Inter-Club Fell Series.  Farleton Knott Fell Race was the selected race and the first British Open Fell Runners Association race to be included.

This was the hardest of the season's courses and in wet or windy weather could have been almost impossible.  Tricky even for seasoned fell runners, it promised to test to the limit the less experienced thirty plus inter-club runners.  The first section involved a runnable climb nearly to the summit with a long level stretch that eased the way up.  Similarly, the return, down parallel paths, was also a forgiving passage.  But separating the two simple and scenic sections was a plunge down the southern scree slope to within a field's length of the start and an exhausting climb back to the top some 200 metres above. 

First woman for Lytham Debbie Cooper

Nimble and practiced fell runner Debbie Cooper was LSARRC's first finisher, passing Terry Hellings, the Club's leader at the previous two events, on the steep climb back to the summit.  Cooper finished in 59:44, 90th overall and third women in the Inter-Club standing her in good stead for an end-of-season prize.  Hellings finished 1:01:29 six places back and the other two team members, Greg Oulton and Dawn Lock finished 123rd in 1:15:03 and 125th in 1:31:35 respectively.

Lytham fielded incomplete teams in the Open, Ladies, Vets, 50s and 60s teams.  The four team members performed well enough to take 4th in the Open and went one better in the Ladies, 3rd.

Lytham members Graham Webster and Pam Binns competed in the Northern vets 5000m track Championships at Leigh Sports Village on Wednesday. Pam Binns put in a sterling performance in the 5000m track event placing her in the esteemed position of 1st FV65 (27m 46.9s). This was Binns’ first track race for an undisclosed number of years and probably her first ever 5000m track race. Graham Webster was also 3rd mv60 and medal winner.

In LSARRC Junior’s news, Alex Stanier, whilst on a family holiday in Austria, competed in the local Leoganger Sonnberg 11.5km multi terrain race. Alex rose to the challenge of both the step up in distance and the hilly course and ran a very good race, finishing 1^st in the U17B category and 17^th overall in a time of 49:23.09.

LSARRC News 30th July 2013

Monday saw one of the hottest Inter-Club Grand Prix fixtures to date, that of the fourth round of the 2013 series held at BNFL, Salwick. There was a good turnout of 195 competitors, twenty two of them Lytham members. The strong presence and performances from Preston Harriers and Wesham Road Runners saw them scoop the first and second places between them and Red Rose Runners did well to take third in the Open. High temperatures, even late into the evening made for tough conditions but that didn't stop the current top competitors scoring well again.  Winner of two of the three previous races, Preston Harriers' Rob Affleck, triumphed again. Affleck finished the 4.5 mile course in 23:36 convincingly.

Lytham's best was once again Joe Greenwood with his highest position yet, ninth, in 26:10. Thomas Howarth finished in 19th and 27:39.  Mark Willett was third counter in 30th place and 28:55, one place in front of Peter Cruse, MV50, 31st in 28:58.  Also making the Open team were Mark Selby, 68th in 31:20, Terry Hellings, 75th in 31:40, Richard Storey, 97th in 33:32 and two women.  Laura Ashworth was LSARRC's first women, 104th in 33:49, and Katharine Hoyland, the next in, 105th in 33:53.  Vet60 Roy Stevens, 107th in 33:59, completed the Open Team.

Cruse, Hellings, Storey, Ashworth and Stevens together with Brian Porter, 133rd in 37:08, scored for the Vets; Cruse, Hellings, Stevens and Julia Rolfe, 136th in 37:40, made up the Vet50s and Stevens with Sylvia Gittins, 154th in 40:21and Pam Binns,164th in 41:44, the Vet60.The Women's team consisted of Ashworth, Hoyland and Rolfe with Debbie Cooper, 146th in 38:35 and Bec Willetts, 148th in 39:14.

OTHER RESULTS: Alex Wiggins, SM, 129th, 36:56; Greg Oulton, MV45, 147th, 38:58; Bill Lock, MV70, 165th, 41:57; Tony Holt, MV60, 176th, 46:05; Andy Sneddon, MV45, 178th, 46:35; Dawn Lock, WV65, 185th, 50:40

Smiles and enthusiasm in the July heat! July Handicap
competitiors from (top) L-R Bill Lock, Bec Willett,
Roy Stevens, Debbie Cooper, Karen Lanegan, Greg Oulton, Bob Clough,
Sue Godfrey, Tom Haworth, Mark Willetts, Oliver Hirsh, Andy Sneddon,
L-R (bottom) Laura Ashwoerth, Brian Porter, Kev Ashworth, Dawn Lock, Richard Storey. 

In the July monthly handicap on Thursday Sue Godfrey improved on her handicap to win in style half a minute in front of her nearest rival. Godfrey follows Oliver Hirsh's April - May feat by gaining two successive wins – rare in the handicap competition and thus showing real progress and promise since joining Lytham St. Annes RRC.  Godfrey managed 45:58 in June and followed it up with 44:22 in July for the 4.35 mile course.  Also beating the hot evening conditions on the 4.35 mile course were Richard Storey, second in 31:45 for a season's best and Bob Clough with a personal best in 6th with 37:19. Oliver Hirsh still maintains an overall series lead at the top of the table with 106 points thanks to his two wins but consistent performances from Mark Willett throughout the season has brought him to within three points at 103.  Thomas Howarth, who was fastest on the night with 26:26, lies in 7th place overall.

The Fireman’s Relay on Friday evening made the third hot race in a row, although the relief of a slight breeze and shaded sections of the course made for more tolerable conditions. Lytham maintained its long record of attendance at this event resulting in the formation of four teams, their strong presence second only to Blackburn Harriers' massive sixteen teams. First back for Lytham, Jo Greenwood used his sprint talent to put in a strong challenge to the Blackburn leaders finishing just 24 seconds behind winner Liam Atkinson's 14:17. Thomas Howarth also put in a good performance to reach 12th less than two minutes back. 

On Wednesday Colin Laidlaw braved the heat in the south and competed in the Civil Service Athletic Association 10k at Battersea Park, London. The 4 lap course was run by 285 competitors in temperatures hitting the high twenties. Laidlaw finished 121st in 46:44. After the Fireman’s relay on Friday, he was racing again on Sunday at the inaugural Kirkham Kricket Klub Klassic 10k. He finished the partially off-road course 13/48 in 48:36. 

LSARRC News 23rd July 2013

Lytham competitors get ready to run for their supper at the
Caldervale village race. Pictured from L-R
Dawn Lock, Thomas Haworth, Graham Webster, Colin Laidlaw,
Julia Rolfe, Jim Whitworth, Bec Willett, Pamela Hardman,
Richard Story. 

The Calder Vale Supper Run on Thursday was an evening of running which had it all: held in perfect conditions, a scenic course with a challenge of three major climbs and hardly a level stretch anywhere followed by pie and peas for hungry finishers. 

It was a surprisingly high quality field for this modest 3.8 mile run. Three-quarters of the eighty-one contestants were club runners and several clubs, including Lytham, had turned out in large numbers.  At the front end one minute separated the first three with Blackpool Wyre & Fylde's Malcolm Eadie, to win in 20:50 ahead of Preston Harriers' Jason Parker, 21:30, and Paul Muller of Horwich, 21:51.

The race climbs from the village centre in its deep valley to the main road, heads north on a rolling course before turning east to climb to a view point from which tail-enders can look across to watch the leaders on the next climb.  It then descends to Oakenclough Mill to climb for a third and final time and lose the height in the last 0.8 miles back to the village centre. Fifteen members of the Club took on the big climbs in this short but testing event: hot and sweaty after another blistering day. 

Thomas Howarth was first of the Lytham contingent home in 6th place and 23:45.  Graham Webster came in two places later in 24:51 and first Vet60.  Colin Laidlaw was next, 22nd in 27:42 with Richard Storey fourth in 27th place and 29:09.  Brian Porter was 40th in 31:24.

A strong team from Lancaster & Morecambe took all the women's prizes: Helen Booth, 7th in 24:10, Maria Snell, 11th in 25:26 and Hannah Fleet, 15th in 26:24. Lytham's women were led in by Pamela Hardman, in good form with 31:27 in 31st position.  Rebecca Willetts was 46th in 32:09 one place ahead of Julia Rolfe in 32:32:19.

FULL RESULTS:  6th Thomas Howarth, SM, 23:45; 8th Graham Webster, MV60, 24:51; 22nd Colin Laidlaw, MV55, 27:42; 27th Richard Storey, MV40, 29:09;  40th Brian Porter, MV40, 31:24; 41st Pamela Hardman, 31:27; 46th Rebecca Willetts, WV40, 32:09; 47th Julia Rolfe, WV50, 32:19; 49th Greg Oulton, MV45, 32:29; 56th Jim Whitworth, MV65, 35:24; 60th Bill Lock, MV70, 35:42; 63rd Fiona Geldard, WV45, 37:15; 64th Janice Cobley, WV60, 37:36; 65th Pam Binns, WV65, 37:36; 76th 
Dawn Lock, WV65, 41:47.

It was a productive trip for the five Lytham men to Ormskirk Athletics Stadium on Sunday for the Mid Lancs League Track and Field. Thomas Howarth, Graham Webster, Terry Hellings, Greg Oulton and Jeremy McCandless brought back 40 points, many of them from the Clubs two throwers McCandless and Oulton. With today's points Lytham St. Annes RRC has moved up to 8th place in Senior Men's Div.2 with a total of 144. 

On a day when there was a break from the intense heat, Lytham members headed to Ormskirk to compete at the University's stadium for the first time at this newly introduced venue. Lytham scored points in the relays, 3000m, hammer throw, shot, discus and javelin. Biggest individual scorer was McCandless who scored 5 points for his hammer throw of 13.84. 

Pamela Hardman had a busy weekend running, starting with the Elswick 10miler on Saturday. She completed the race in 1.32.40 in pleasant rural surroundings. She had enough energy left on Sunday to run the Blackpool Summer 10k in a field of 389 competitors. She finished in 52.06, 176^th finisher. Brian Porter was also running in this event, crossing the line in 51.15, 162^nd place overall.

LSARRC News 15th July 2013

Sprinting in the sunshine, on his way to Lytham victory.
First man home Thomas Haworth. 

The Windmill Half Marathon on Sunday attracted a sizeable crowd of runners in the middle of the glorious July heat wave. Well in excess of 400 competitors congregated at the Fairhaven Lake cafe, Lytham ready for the 10am gun. Amongst those pounding the 13.1 mile course were 13 Lytham members clad in the signature green vest, ready to run the flat, scenic coastal course. The event was first run the 1980's and after a 25 year break was introduced back onto the race calendar last year by Fylde Coast Running. Lytham produced a crop of pleasing results despite the intensely warm conditions. Thomas Haworth was first man home in 1.24.24, in 20^th place, followed by Joe Greenwood in 1.24.44, 22^nd finisher. Peter Cruse was third for the club with a 1.25.25 finish in 24^th place.  Fourth in was Kev Ashworth, in 1.33.11, 59^th overall, and scoring a personal best. Mark Willett was fifth finisher for Lytham in 1.34.21 (63^rd), netting his 31^st half marathon in his challenge to run a full 40 before his 40^th Birthday, and raising money for Cancer Research along the way. Katharine Hoyland was first Lytham woman home in an impressive 1.42.26 (120^th overall). Felicity Wolohan shaved over 5 minutes off from her time in last year’s race, finishing in a cool 1.48.00. The unstoppable Pam Binns ran a gold standard performance time (her 4^th) for her age category in 02.08.58, she was 85^th female finisher and won 1^st lady V60.

Full Results (From 419 entrants)

Thomas Haworth, 20^th, 1.24.24, Joe Greenwood, 22^nd, 1.24.44, Peter Cruse, 24^th, 1.25.25, Kevin Ashworth, 59^th, 1.33.11, Mark Willett, 63^rd , 1.34.21, Oliver Hirsh, 106^th , 1.41.28, Katharine Hoyland, 120^th , 1.42, 26, Roy Stevens, 148^th , 1.46.00, Laura Ashworth, 149^th , 1.46.16, Felicity Wolohan, 167^th, 1.48.00, Liz Hedgecock, 233^rd, 1.55.41, Alexander Wiggins, 278^th, 2.00.48, Pam Binns, 325^th, 2.08.58.

On a warm Wednesday night Lytham runners Peter Cruse and Mark Selby raced the Endmoor 10k nr Kendal, Cumbria. The road race, set in the scenic hills of Endmoor, was the fourth and final in the series of Wednesday night runs organised by Kendal AAC. From a field of 70, Cruse was first home for the club, 15^th finisher overall in 41.05. Selby finished in 49.31, 41^st overall.  

LSARRC News 8th July 2013

The Lytham Club did not disappoint both entrants and keen onlookers with its staging of the annual St Anne’s Carnival 5k and Fun Run on Sunday. Nineteen of the one hundred and fifty seven finishers in the seventh running of the race were from home club Lytham St. Annes RRC and between them they took away four prizes.

An energetic start to the Carnival 5k

The race starts near the end of the inner walk and races along the pavement to Fairhaven Lake before returning to follow the sea wall and finish close to St. Anne's Pier leading competitors through the best of St. Anne's tourist attractions.  The flat accurately-measured course, coupled with Sunday's windless conditions was ripe for record-breaking and, although not with the absolute fastest finishing time, Salford Harriers' Eric Crowther undercut last year's winning time and set a record for the revised course of 16:25.

Peter Cruse, on his way to winning the 1st V50 prize at
the Carnival 5k.

LSARRC's star competitor Emily Hargreaves managed a creditable under 20 minute finish for second place and 32nd overall.  On holiday from her Austrian home, she had been in the lead at the Fairhaven end of the course only to lose out on the return by just four seconds.
Finishing first for Lytham was Peter Cruse whose 19th place and 18:49 won him the Men's Veteran over 50 prize.  Five places back a trio of Lytham members was led in by Oliver Hirsh who celebrated the anniversary of his return to running by cutting 1 minute 41 seconds and twelve places from his 2012 performance.  Thomas Howarth was third club member back in 25th and 19:34, one place ahead of Graham Webster in 19:36.  Webster, a regular age category winner, took the V60 prize.  The fourth club winner was Pam Binns who finished first FV65 in 28:11 – a PB and a 3^rd Gold Standard run for Binns who is mining a rich vein of form in her running. One 5k in a weekend satisfies most runners but Mark Willett took advantage of back-to-back races to manage 19:18 and 19:56 on successive days at the Catforth and Carnival 5ks. Also competing was club member Andy Sneddon, who is making a return after 6 frustrating months of injury. Sneddon ran the course in a
29.33, bettering last year’s time by 43 seconds. 

The juniors get started on the Fun Run

Lytham runners made up an even larger proportion of the Fun Run.  Representing a huge 15% of the finishers, the seventeen finishers were all within the top half and made for an impressive achievement for the Junior section of the Club.  Eight-year old Simon Holt finished the approximate one mile course in 5:56, quite an achievement for his age and promising real running talent.  James Nicholas took 6:15, Archie Haase 6:21 and Archie Dowds, 6:31 - all good times.  Hollie Winstanley was the Club's first girl in 6:57 with Chloe Norman 7:00 and Rebecca Tate the next two to finish.

At Bamber Bridge on Thursday Thomas Haworth raced in the Cuerden Valley Badger 10k trail race, crossing the finishing line for the club in a very credible 13^th position from a field of 183 competitors. He finished in 41.05.