LSARRC News 26th May 2014

Lytham St. Annes RRC celebrated its sixteenth annual awards ceremony this week with the presentation of trophies and medals to its most successful members.

Andy Draper and Joanna Goorney took the top awards, the Club's Men's and Women's Championships as well as their own age categories.  In a hard-won battle Draper gained 594 points in the Championship to runner-up Simon Denye's 579 with third placed Joe Greenwood on 571 edged out in the closing stages of the competition.  Goorney won the women's championship with 502 points against runner-up Mel Koth's 412.  Koth was also the FV35 winner.

Other age category winners were: Felicity Wolohan , Senior Woman (291 points), Kevin Ashworth, MV45, (459), Fiona Geldard, V45 (214), Oliver Hirsh, MV45 (454), Julia Rolfe, FV50 (237), Willie Richmond, MV50 (396), John Bertenshaw, MV55 (442), Graham Webster, MV60 (494) and Pamela Binns, FV65 (128).  Sylvia Gittins and Pam Binns achieved Diamond Standard in the FV65.

Several special awards were also presented including the Monthly Handicap Plate to Oliver Hirsh, the cross-country based Winter Handicap Shields to Dawn Bloor and Greg Oulton and the Summer Award for best total performance in five Inter-Club Grand Prixs, to Mel Koth and Joe Greenwood.   The Bill and Marjorie White Trophies for most improved over the year went to Greg Oulton and Pamela Binns.  Mark Willett won the Michael Crowe Trophy for the most races and Graham Webster won the Founder's Trophy for the highest age-related WAVA score.  The Windmill Plate for services to the Club, the only trophy awarded on a members' vote, went to Terry Hellings.

Both junior and senior members of LSARRC took part in the two-day Lancashire Track and Field Championships at Stanley Park.  Day 1 turned from good morning conditions to trying continual rain in the afternoon while Sunday competitors were treated to drier and warmer weather.

Best placed of the seniors was Joanna Goorney who was second women and awarded vet's silver in the well-attended 5000m finishing 8th overall in a very good time of 18:44:60.  Graham Webster followed, 9th in 18:49:10 and Kevin Ashworth, trying track athletics for the first time, in 10th.

Five junior members also competed.  Sam Ludlam, competing on the track for the first time, made a superb debut, reaching the finals of the U13B 100m and 200m.  He finished 6th overall in the 100m in 15.6 and 7th in the 200m in 32.6. He also ran his first 800m race and finished 6th in 2:53.7.  James Nicholas also made the final of the U13B 100m and ran a good race to finish 5th in 15.1.  Hollie Winstanley and Rosie Taylor, both novices in the U13G 1500, were unperturbed by the heavy rain and produced spirited performances; Hollie finishing 7th in 5:46.4 and Rosie 10th in 5:58.6.  Chloe Norman took on the challenge of two events on each day starting with the U15G Long Jump on Saturday in which she finished 17th with 3.45m and later  ran a personal best in the 300m to finish 8th in 48.00.  On the Sunday in the 800m she narrowly missed out on a place in final with another PB of 2:36.8 to finish 5th in her heat.  In the 200m she ran her third PB to finish 5th in her heat in 31.2.

A day later, the bank holiday Monday Open Meeting at Trafford allowed the U11s, not eligible to compete at the Lancashire Championships, and the more active U13s and U15s a further opportunity to compete.  Simon Holt, U11B, finished 2nd in his 600m heat and 4th overall in a PB of 1:52:43 and jumped 3.64m for 7th.  Georgia Norman, U11G, ran 2:01:66, 6th and a PB for 600m and notably in the long jump earned a silver medal and a PB of 3.64m.  Elder sister Chloe, U15G, produced a long jump PB even after two days of competition at the Lancashire Championships, 4.06m, 5th longest and ran 2:41.38, 6th overall, in the 800m.

Elsewhere members were running on the roads.  Webster followed up his 5000m track run with a 5K at Salt Ayre on the same day taking only slightly longer, 18:51, 28th overall and first Vet 60.  Also running and setting PBs were Simon Denye, 12th in 17:10, Neil Tate, 29th in 18:56, Greg Oulton, 61st in 22:50 and Louisa Ruman, 71st in 24:49.  A day later some of the same runners were at the Great Eccleston 4 Mile; Denye was 9th in 22:56, Peter Cruse, 12th, 23:34, first V50, Mark Willett, 27th, 25:39, Ruman, 22nd, 33:14, first Vet 35 and James Whitworth, 90th, 38:01.

Felicity Wolohan running in Liverpool's Rock and Roll Half Marathon was another to achieve a PB, finishing 440th out of 3485 in 1:42:19.

The annual Fishwick Five Trail Race, moving from its midweek evening slot to the bank holiday, attracted three Lytham runners.   In hot sunshine and with several steep climbs Willett was 12th in 36:07, Mel Koth, 21st in 40:02 and Oulton, 26th in 43:57.

Debbie Cooper and Oulton were active on the fells this week.  Cooper tackled the very challenging Montane Howgills 26 Trail, a marathon-distance race with a six mile climb from the start and a hard river side finish into Sedbergh and finished creditably 10th women, 66th overall in 5 hours 16 mins 08.  Oulton tried the evening Stanhill Fell Race at Oswaldtwistle for the first time finishing in 36:37 and 22nd position.

LSARRC News 19th May 2014

Lytham St Annes Ladies at Inter-Club

Lytham St Annes Road Runners hosted the 2nd race of the 2014 Inter Club Series on Thursday night.  Conditions were perfect for this 5 mile race which starts and finishes by St Annes swimming pool and heads out for a loop around Fairhaven Lake.  The race attracted 216 runners with LSARR having 26 runners and nearly as many marshalls around the course.  Rob Affleck of Preston Harriers was the first man home in 25:52 whilst Joanna Goorney from the host club was the first lady in 31:06 and 35th place overall.  The evening was finished off by the host club providing a superb buffet for all the runners at its headquarters at Lytham YMCA.
LSARR Results: Andy Draper 29:38 (23rd), Peter Cruse 30:23 (29th), Joanna Goorney 31:06 (35th), Graham Webster 31:23 (38th), Neil Tate 31:54 (46th), Oliver Hirsh 32:04 (49th), Willie Richmond 33:07 (69th), Nigel Thompson 33:21 (73rd), Mark Willett 33:41 (79th), Kevin Ashworth 33:44 (80th), Roy Upton 34:16 (86th), Mark Selby 34:21 (87th), Terry Hellings 34:24 (88th), Mel Koth 35:02 (97th), Colin Laidlaw 35:12 (100th), Felicity Wolohan 36:24 (109th), Laura Ashworth 38:23 (132nd), Fiona Geldard 38:30 (134th), Alex Wiggins 38:51 (138th), Dawn Bloor 38:54 (139th), Nigel Simpkin 39:05 (142nd), Brian Porter 40:33 (159th), Jim Whitworth 43:58 (186th), Jeremy McCandless 47:01 (195th), Karen Lanagan 48:04 (196th), Greg Oulton acting as the sweep 69:20 (216th).

Fiona Geldard at St Annes Triathlon

It was the St Annes Triathlon on Sunday and Fiona Geldard made her debut at the 3 stage event thoroughly enjoying the experience  She completed the swim in 13:14, bike in 43:56 and run in 27:30 finishing in 247th place and in a total time of 1:24:40.

The Great Manchester Run through the streets in Manchester city centre attracted thousands of runners despite the heat and strong winds. Simon Denye, starting in the fast paced club runners just behind the elites and in his first race since the London marathon completed the 10km course in 37:07 in 132nd place while Mel Koth ran 45:47 for 1538th place.

2 LSARR runners ventured north for the undulating but beautifully scenic Kirkby Stephen 10k.  Hosted by the friendly Howgill Harriers, the experience was enhanced by the cake and tea at the finish.  Despite the heat, hayfever and flies, Pam Hardman had a good run to finish 35th in 55:33 followed by Rebecca Willetts, hindered by injuries, in 1:06:49 and 50th place.

More local, was the Worden Park 10k in Leyland . Peter Cruse finished 15th in 39:48 while Greg Oulton was 112th in 53:21 suffering in the heat.  There were 207 finishers.

LSARRC News 11th November 2013

The Windmill 10k at Lytham on Sunday attracted a strong turnout of twelve LSARRC members. The race proved a popular draw for competitors with a field of nearly 700 in total. In the crisp November sunshine prior to the start of the race a two minute silence was observed for all fallen soldiers. Conditions were clear and mild, and the flat course followed a coastal route which encircles Lytham Windmill and Fairhaven Lake. Joe Greenwood was the first Lytham man to finish in a creditable 8^th position, in 36.27. Pam Hardman was first Lytham lady, finishing in 286^th position, 51.25, and claiming 1^st FV55. Hardman had a particularly energetic week, including runs at the Derwentwater 10 mile race and then on Thursday, alongside Rebecca Willett, running 14.3 miles to support Dave Moretta, an ex-solider raising money for the British Legion. Moretta’s fundraising challenge was to run 18 marathons in 18 days. His Thursday marathon finished at Blackburn Cathedral. Also in the Windmill 10k, Pam Binns nailed the time she required to achieve the impressive V65 Diamond Standard Award. Binns completed the race in 55.13.

Windmill 10k Full Results: Joe Greenwood, 36.27, 8^th, Thomas Howarth, 38.09, 15^th, Peter Cruse38.16 19^th (3rd MV50), Roy Upton, 41.21, 52^nd, Colin Laidlaw, 43.58, 93^rd, Pamela Hardman, 51.25, 286^th (1^st FV55), Greg Oulton, 51.41, 287th, Liz Hedgecock, 51.49, 295^th, Vicky Cummings, 52.14, 328th 295^th, Kyle Lloyd, 53.43, 373^rd, Graham Young, 54.58, 402^nd, Pamela Binns, 55.13, 411^th.

The Lytham Juniors at
The Lancashire Sportshall League.

Five members of Junior LSARRC represented the club which was competing in the Lancashire Sportshall League for the first time at Stanley Sports Centre. The entrants were Chloe & Georgia Norman, Hannah Riley, Carmen Cole and Thomas Shuttleworth. They competed in varied selection of events: Triple & Long Jumps, Vertical Jump, Speed Bounce, Hi Stepper, Running races of various distances and a Relay.  All the children competed with skill and enjoyment.  Scoring points is a challenge as only the first five places score and in some events there can be 30 or more in competition for the point scoring places. Despite this all the club juniors scored points.  This is particularly commendable as apart from participating in the annual competition against Kirkham Grammar School, all are relatively new to this type of event.

LSARRC News 4th November 2013

A group of Lytham runners joined forces with neighbouring club Thornton Cleveleys RC to compete at the ECCA National Cross-country Relays held at Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on Saturday. The intermittent heavy downpours abated long enough to allow both the women's and men's races to be completed in fine weather before incessant rain set in for the return journey.

The scenic course encompasses two sections in the open fields, a circuit of a pond and a hilly woodland section with sharp changes both in direction and height. First out were the women just after one o'clock for their 3k three-stage followed 30 minutes later by the men's 5k four stage. The men passed the finish once for a repeat lap before finishing. Improved accuracy in the recording of times was achieved with chip timing.

Top club Aldershot and Farnham demonstrated devastating form taking both women's and men's titles in 1:02:54 and 30:01 respectively, helped by such high profile names as Andi Vernon and Steph Twell and went one better in the women's race by fielding a strong B team which came second.

Joanna Goorney gave Lytham women's team a wonderful start with a 11:59 lap that put them into 49th place before they fell back to finish in 98th place.  Second leg was taken by Sylvia Gittins who put in a 19:10 round before third leg runner Dawn Lock did 21:09 to finish in a total time of 52:19 as the only counting team from the whole of the Fylde.

The men were led out by Terry Hellings whose 22:44 took them to 173rd place.  Second leg Greg Oulton in 27:26 gained one place before Graham Webster produced the team's best performance of 21:51 to leap-frog fourteen places for a good 158th place but unfortunately without the fourth leg runner to hand over to. 

FULL RESULTS: WOMEN: 1. J. Goorney (49th) 11:59, 2. S. Gittins (101st) 19:11,  3. D. Lock  (98th) 21:10
TEAM: 98th / 99 in 52:18:85.  MEN:  1. T. Hellings (173rd) 22:45, 2. G. Oulton (172th) 27:27, 3. G. Webster (158th) 21:52.

Pam Binns ran a tremendous time of 02:02:55 at the Lancaster half marathon this weekend, achieving yet another Diamond Standard time for her VF65 age group. This comes as her third Diamond run, with only one such performance outstanding for her to qualify for the award. Pam enjoyed the pleasant, scenic course.

On Saturday morning Catherine French was greeted by high winds and torrential downpour upon arrival in the Ullswater Lake area, prior to the ‘Dirty Double’ dual race challenge organised by Lakeland trails. Saturday’s ‘Helvellyn Trail’ 15k race was shortened to 10k due the hail and high winds which persisted throughout the day in the area. Sunday’s ‘Ullswater Trail’ 14k went ahead as planned and although the race was run amidst heavy scattered showers, in between competitors enjoyed the magnificent views under some clear skies and crisp sunshine. The races started from Glenridding village and comprised a mixture of terrains and an exciting variety of climbs and ascents. The popular 2 day event was attended by runners of all abilities and Catherine completed both races. Also in the Lake District, Rebecca Willetts and Pam Hardman competed in the Derwentwater 10 mile race on Sunday. Through the intermittent showers they were able to enjoy the beautiful views of the Lake, making up for the arduous climbing that the hilly route involved. Hardman finished in 1.32.29 and Willets in 1.33.50.

LSARRC News 28th October 2013

Joe Greenwood making a spirited debut at the Burnley XC

None can fail to observe the distinct signs that Autumn has arrived, including wet and blustery weather and the changing landscape, and all to coincide perfectly with the start of Cross Country season for the running community. The Mid Lancs Cross Country League 2013 got underway at Towneley Park in Burnley on Saturday. This was the venue of the first monthly fixture in a series of six, which will continue through the winter, with juniors and seniors alike donning their running spikes and club colours for the occasion. A wet few days preceding the event had threatened to make the course a muddy challenge for competitors, however on the day the rain held off, conditions were fairly still and mild and for the most part the flat, grassy course was runnable. Lytham RRC produced a thirty strong team of entrants, including 16 seniors and 14 juniors. Clearly the Fylde collective are not fazed by the mud, cold and gruel of a typical mid lancs XC race!

The senior Ladies ran a 5.8k 2 lap course, and the Men ran 10k made up of 3 laps. The Ladies race was the first of the seniors at 2pm. Of a field of 148 finishers, 8 were LSARRC and Joanna Goorney was first Lytham lady to cross the line, finishing 13^th in 25.48. She was followed by Mel Koth, 43^rd in 28.52. Felicity Woolohan was third in, 70^th in 30.35, with these three making the 1^st ladies team who achieved 13^th position for the Club in the team competition.  The Men’s team was also 8 strong, with 235 male seniors competing in this race in total. Joe Greenwood, making his debut not only in this competition but his first ever XC event, did the Club proud by coming home first for Lytham in 69^th position, 38.34. Andy Draper followed in 143^rd place, 42.10 and in close pursuit, Graham Webster, 145^th clocking a time of 42.17. Webster also achieved 3^rd V60 with this performance.

Joanna Goorney, 1st Lytham Lady at the Mid Lancs
XC League 2013 Burnley Fixture.

The club’s junior section was represented by fourteen young athletes with more than half of them competing in their first cross country race for the club. In the U11girls race Hollie Winstanley was the first Lytham runner to cross the finish line finishing 10^th in 8:30, Rebecca Tate was 33^rd in 9:31, Olivia Aberra 48^th in 9:56 and Georgia Norman was 54^th in 10:11. In the U11boys race Simon Holt was 14^th in 8:01, Farron O’Higgins 18^th in 8:07, James Nicholas 22^nd in 8:22, Harry Booth 29^th in 8:43, Etienne Jones 41^st in 9:15 and Tobias Rogerson 51^st in 9:57. Two Lytham girls competed in the U13G race and Ella Moulding finished 6^th in 11:56 and Chloe Norman 43^rd in 14:19. Ross Hart was the only Lytham U15 boy and he ran a very creditable race to finish 27^th in 17:12.

A selection of the Junior Lytham St Annes RRC XC Team

Well away from the mud and toil of Cross Country, on Thursday evening LSARRC members gathered below the iconic glitter ball on Blackpool prom for the Club’s annual social Illuminations run. An enthusiastic group, exceeding 20, turned up for the hour’s run which concluded with a chip supper at Squires Gate.

LSARRC Press Report 21st October 2013

Sunday heralded the successful staging of the Green Drive Five, now in its fifteenth year, Lytham St Annes RRC popular five mile race. The field of 323 finishers raced under unpredictable skies and most did not escape a sprinkling from the scattered showers. A sunny start to the day looked promising but as the morning wore on heavy clouds set in and the rain came down shortly into the race. Fortunately temperatures were mild and winds calm. The race was pleasingly well attended, up on last year’s numbers and a promising sign that the race remains a popular Fylde event. A welcome addition to this year’s race activities was the one mile junior competition which added a family flavour to the event. 

A selection of Lytham GD5'ers, from L-R
Mel Koth, Tom Howarth, Oliver Hirsh, Joe Greenwood.

Oliver Hirsh well on his way to a gold standard performance. 

The event was healthily populated by Lytham RRC members, helping to organise and staff the event as well as compete. Eighteen members in total ran, with Joe Greenwood crossing the finish line first for the Club in 16^th place clocking a time of 29.17. Thomas Howarth (29^th, 30.35) and Andy Draper (30^th, 30.44) were close together for 2^nd and 3^rd Lytham finishers. Oliver Hirsh, 4^th finisher for the club in 31.15, put in an exceptionally good performance, achieving a gold standard run and knocking nearly 4 minutes off last year’s time in this race. The Lytham ladies had reasons to be cheerful; they turned out 7 strong for the competition with Joanna Goorney coming home first in 44^th position, 31.32. Goorney, together with Mel Koth and Felicity Woolohan made up the ladies team who came second in the team competition. Julia Rolfe was second VF50 lady in the race.

The race was won by Sean Connelly of Stockport Harriers in 25.12, followed a few seconds behind by Alasdair Russell of Kendal AAC in 25.23. Robert Affleck running for Preston Harriers came in third, 1^st MV40, over a minute later in 26.36; this placing secured him the gold medal in the Lancashire Championships. The silver medal was won by Ben Everson of Trafford AC, who finished in 26.49. The fastest woman in the race was Diane McVey of Wilmslow RC (also 1^st FV35) finishing in 29.20 and second lady was Louise Blizzard of Belgrave Harriers with a 30.12 finish. Third was Caroline Betmead of Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde AC with a 31.10 finish, also earning her the Lancashire Championships gold medal.  Helen Leigh of Blackburn Harriers was silver medallist with her 31.48 finish. In the Team race Lancaster University competed well to obtain the winning position for the men, and for the ladies Wilmslow RC won this title.

In the junior race the club accounted for a third of the 77 runners, whose ages ranged from 8 to 13. Training partners Ross Hart and Ella Moulding soon established a comfortable lead from the rest of the field with 13yr old Hart comfortably winning the race in 5:34 and 12yr old Moulding a comfortable  2^nd in 5:50. Lytham juniors were also winners of six other age categories. Louis Eunson 1^st M8 6:17, Farron O’Higgins 1^st M10 6:24, Chloe Norman 1^st F13 6:35, James Nicholas 1^st M11 6:37, Harry Fellows 1^st M12 7:14, Abbey Broadbridge 1^st F11 7:47.

Green Drive Five 2013 Press report for Gazette

Competitors in the fifteenth running of the Green Drive Five, Lytham St Annes RRC’s popular five miler, raced under unpredictable skies and most did not escape a sprinkling from the scattered showers. A sunny early start to the day looked promising, but heavy clouds set in later in the morning and the rain came down shortly into the race. Fortunately temperatures were mild, and winds were low. The race was pleasingly well attended with 323 finishers in total, up on last year’s numbers and a promising sign that the race remains a popular Fylde event. A popular addition to this year’s race activities was the junior one mile race which added a family flavour to the event.

Sean Connelly leading the pack at the start of the GD5 2013,
a lead which he retained to win the race. 

The race was won by Sean Connelly of Stockport Harriers in 25.12, followed a few seconds behind by Alasdair Russell of Kendal AAC in 25.23. Robert Affleck running for Preston Harriers came in third, 1^st MV40, over a minute later in 26.36; this placing secured him the gold medal in the Lancashire Championships. The silver medal was won by Ben Everson of Trafford AC, who finished in 26.49. The fastest women in the race were Diane McVey of Wilmslow RC (also 1^st FV35) finishing in 29.20, second lady was Louise Blizzard of Belgrave Harriers with a 30.12 finish and third was Caroline Betmead of Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde AC with a 31.10 finish. Betmead’s performance also earned her the Lancashire Championships gold medal.  Helen Leigh of Blackburn Harriers was silver medallist with her 31.48 finish.

In the Team race Lancaster University competed well to obtain the winning position for the men, and for the ladies Wilmslow RC winning this title. Lytham ladies did exceptionally well to achieve second position in the ladies team race, with runs from Joanna Goorney, Melanie Koth and Felicity Woolohan all contributing to this placing. Lytham excelled in the junior race with Ross Hart and Ella Moulding winning their respective races. In the boys race, Zane Seddon (unattached) took second place and Louis Eunson of Lytham finished third. For the girls, Hannah Cookson of Blackburn took second place, and Chloe Norman of Lytham claimed third position.

Notable local performances came from Liam Crane of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre AC who achieved 11^th position, finishing in 28.27. Barry Norman was first male finisher for Wesham completing the race in 29.12, 15^th place. Lytham St Anne’s Joe Greenwood was in close pursuit, finishing in 16^th place in 29.17 and first man home for the hosting Club.