Red Rose turned out in force at the Freckleton Half Marathon. Hot humid conditions greeted the runners hampering some PB attempts. No such problems for Ben Donoghue with a top twenty finish in 1.21.28 confirming his credentials as the club’s rising star. For the women’s team Jill Jefferson ran a superb 1.40.55 to take the Vet 50 prize, over ten minutes ahead of her nearest rival. Another excellent performance came from Dave Maudsley with a time of 1.28.16. putting him a good position in this year’s club championship. The conditions took their toll on most runners and those attempting to improve their PB’s will have found the last four miles energy sapping nevertheless, Mark Billington (M40) produced a great run of 1.31.07 to stay clear of Ken Addison who finished in 1.31.40.
Stuart Cann ran 1.32.55 to give him good points in the championship placings. New to the V50 class Phil Butler ran 1.33.57 followed by four more men all breaking the 1.40 barrier. Steven Gore 1.36.58, Doug Bryden 1.38.32, Philip Davidson 1.39.04 and Phil Darwen 1.39.36.
Mark Billington ran an encouraging 1.42.19 coming in before more established and experienced runners. The half marathon distance and the hot conditions meant that the field got strung out and Red Rose runners found they had to battle the course without the encouragement or incentive of other club members in sight. Barry Wheeler finished in 1.45.48, Anthony Murphy 1.49.09, Paula Plowman 1.53.39, Keith Burrows 1.57.18 and Luke Bosman 1.57.44.
New to the event John Plowman came close to the 2 hour mark in a time of 2.01.03 followed by Belinda Hornby in 2.07.05. Club stalwart, Allan Howard ran 2.08.35. Janice Johnstone finished in 2.17.53 and would have been within the sight of Nicola Machin and Andrea Davies who finished in 2.19.29. Martin Simpson completed the race in 2.24.19 with Wendy Ward coming home in 2.35.27 and Keith O’Brien in 2.49.55.
Shane Cliffe tackled the difficult terrain of Hendon Brook, a very hilly 13.5 mile course. A finishing time of 1.45.11 placed him in the top third of finishers.
