The first Inter Club race of the season was a momentous one for Red Rose. 83 of the 311 field were out to represent the club. The club showed what great strides it has made in the past couple of years. Two top ten finishers in Ciarron Roddy and Simon Croft led the mass of red shirts on a great night for the club. Many people will be amazed to see Red Rose take 2nd spot in the overall positions even with several of our best runners unavailable on the night. The Vet 40 team were a respectable 4th, the V50 team were 2nd and the V60 team were 1st. The ladies teams were very closely matched with Red Rose 6th overall and the F40 team coming out 4th. Individual results can be accessed from the public group on facebook.
The Manchester Marathon was also a big date on the club calendar. Thirty volunteers were set to man the 8 mile mark to provide assistance and encouragement to the runners. In addition, 19 Red Rose Runners were competing. Even in bright conditions and on a flat course, estimated times can often be difficult to achieve. No such problem for Simon Croft and Karl Hodgson who shared their journey for most of the course. Simon finally had the edge with a brilliant time of 2.53.57 with Karl about a minute away in 2.55.12, an incredible 32 minutes off his previous best. Slight disappointments were apparent for some of our runners but there was still plenty to cheer and celebrate. Michael Hall ran well but hoped for more, finishing in 3.11.36. Dave Brunton kept to a 3.30 pace to finish in 3.29.16 and Andrew Christie followed ,in a respectable 3.32.02. John Naylor suffered in the second half of the race but still managed 3.51.53. Sam Sleddon posted a sub 4 hour time of 3.54.44. Very close to the 4 hour mark were Emma Plant and Paula Plowman in 4.02.56. New member Jonathan Gore completed the race in 4.24.40 with Mike Jeffryes next,in 4.40.04. Judi and Emily Ingham took on the distance as a team finishing satisfyingly together in 4.47.25. Helen Greenhalgh’s efforts brought her home in 5.11.10 with Ann Donoghue and Martin Foley next, steered home by Ben Donoghue in a time of 5.25.51. Marathon Lady, Gina Biggs had a great run finishing in 5.39.55 and Susan Heatley sampling the distance for the first time was inspired by her charity coming home in 6.45.15. All magnificent efforts.
At Cuerden Valley parkrun, Pita Oates and Debbie Porter celebrated their 50th parkrun in style as regulars recognised the huge contribution they make to the event every week. The red vests were out in force to add to the occasion and to cheer them over the finish line. In Preston, Steve Worswick ran a PB of 23.30 with Davina Bowling also improving to 27.24.
At the Fleetwood 10k, new member, Graham Roberts was first for the club in 53.51. Angie Fox Lane beat the hour with 58.12. Sarah Ruhie finished in 63.32 and Kelly Day, 67.06, was just ahead of Davina Bowling ,67.15.
The Cross Country Awards Night took place this week with our F55 ladies taking the gold medals, and the Men’s V50 team winning the bronze.