Vale Royal AC - Senior Section
Running and Athletics in the Heart of Cheshire.
NOTICES
PIE AND PEAS: Wed 7 Aug 19.30. Marshalls required. If you can help please tell Colin Rathbone or Shaun McGrath or email info@valeroyalseniors.com.
CROSS COUNTRY: Dates for 2019/2020 North Staffs and Manchester League XC are here. Remember pre entry required for Manchester league. Names to Colin Rathbone or email info@valeroyalseniors.com.
URGENT: If you have not renewed your membership your affiliation to UKA will expire on 30 June. Please see details of what to do here.
RUNNING PAST 40: This will apply to a few of us! An interesting read from WeaverPysio Sports and Injury Clinic. Click here.
RACE REPORTS: We try and keep the website up to date. The volume and variety of races makes this increasingly challenging. You can help by sending a brief race report with a link to the results to info@valeroyalseniors.com. If you have been a Park Run tourist somewhere novel let us know about that too!
Our wealth is our HEALTH.
It's not the time you do, it's the time you have.
ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
Hot weather and hot performances in June. Chris Perry was victorious at the BMC 3k steeplechase with a PB. A win for Chris Williams at Coleshaw 10k. Anna Begbie has been a frequent racer since joining VRAC and had another busy and successful month including a debut for Cheshire. VRAC was heavily represented in Cheshire vests at Meerbrook 15k and Stone 10K with Chloe Broad delivering a PB at the latter. Lots of other great races and great performances. One was extra special. Running the iconic South African Comrades ultra marathon in two successive years (downhill one year, uphill the next) is recognised by a covetted and rare medal. Our June AOM has one. It demands heart and soul commitment and It's BOB CORINALDI.
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In 3 Words PIE & PEAS MARSHALLS |
Thanks to Bryan Dale for allowing us to use his photos. Visit his racephotos website for more pictures!
Injured?
See Tony Wardle for a massage/treatment Contact here. There
are a number of good physios - ask around. Several of us have had very
successful treatment at Athlete Matters in Worsley (Duncan Mason): Details below. 10% Discount for VRAC.
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ALDERLEY PARK TRAIL RACE
17 July: Tony Dutton reports:The inaugural Alderley Park Trail Race took place on Wednesday evening. A 2 lap course of approximately 5 miles within the hidden grounds of Alderley Park which was part trail and part road made for a exciting course. I would definitely recommend this race for next year, well organised and marshalled, the race sold out within 48 hours this year. Chairman Stuart Doyle lead home the Vale Royal 4 finishing in 4th place with a time of 28:20. Son Aaron was 1st U20. A solid run by Debbie Moreton finishing 10th in her age category was another brilliant run on the night with a total of 430 finishers.
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Chip Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 28:21:00 | Stuart | Doyle | 28:20:00 | 4 | Male | 4 | Vet 45 | 1 |
| 13 | 31:11:00 | Aaron | Doyle | 31:09:00 | 15 | Male | 13 | U20 | 1 |
| 113 | 39:41:00 | Anthony | Dutton | 39:37:00 | 120 | Male | 92 | Vet 45 | 15 |
| 164 | 42:08:00 | Debbie | Moreton | 42:03:00 | 169 | Female | 37 | Vet 45 | 10 |
| 430 | Finishers |
SALE SIZZLER 5K
11 July: Another good turnout and excellent performances from VRAC. Mark Crabtree is in good form and equalled his PB. Liz Renondeau had a good race on the track earlier in the week and backed this up coming in second lady and first F40. Chloe Broad had another good race and mum Debbie posted an impressive PB. Looks kike messrs Cottier, Haines and Beard had quite a battle with the latter two posting identical gun and chip times!
| Pos | Gun | No. | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 16:33 | 827 | Mark | Crabtree | 16:32 | 15 | Male | 15 | Vet 40 | 3 | PB= |
| 46 | 17:22 | 776 | Elizabeth | Renondeau | 17:20 | 46 | Female | 2 | Vet 40 | 1 | |
| 108 | 18:51 | 692 | Chloe | Broad | 18:46 | 110 | Female | 7 | Senior Female | 4 | |
| 109 | 18:51 | 720 | Matthew | Hough | 18:36 | 99 | Male | 102 | Vet 45 | 11 | |
| 144 | 19:35 | 757 | Darren | Cottier | 19:26 | 142 | Male | 133 | Vet 45 | 14 | |
| 175 | 20:06 | 655 | David | Haines | 19:58 | 179 | Male | 161 | Vet 45 | 19 | |
| 177 | 20:06 | 657 | Chris | Beard | 19:58 | 180 | Male | 162 | Vet 50 | 15 | |
| 311 | 22:25 | 690 | Debbie | Broad | 22:12 | 313 | Female | 49 | Vet 50 | 5 | PB |
| 446 | 24.48 | 684 | Barry | Chambers | 24.16 | 435 | Male | 349 | Vet 65 | 9 | |
| 603 | Finishers |
NORTWICH FESTIVAL OF RUNNING 5K and 10K
7 July: Another excellent event staged by our friends at Northwich Running Club. A 2k Fun run and a 5K and 10k trail run in and around Carey Park. Good representation in all races by VRAC. The 5k saw Messrs Ainsworth and WIlliams (senior) take 2nd and 3rd with Mel Johnson 1st lady. In the 10K Williams (junior) repeated his victory from last year with Gary Richardson in 3rd. Carolyn Dooley took 1st lady and Anna Begbie took ist U40. It seems Mel Johnson doubled up and raced both 5K and 10k back to back finishing 4th lady and second in her category!!
| 5K | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos |
| 2 | 18:00 | James | Ainsworth | 17:59 | 2 | M | 2 | Over 40 | 1 |
| 3 | 18:56 | Gareth | Williams | 18:55 | 3 | M | 3 | Over 50 | 1 |
| 11 | 22:26 | Melanie | Johnson | 22:24 | 11 | F | 1 | Under 40 | 1 |
| 26 | 24:40 | Daniel | Richardson | 24:40 | 26 | M | 22 | Under 40 | 14 |
| 144 | Finishers | ||||||||
| 10k | |||||||||
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos |
| 1 | 36:54:00 | Nathan | Williams | 36:53:00 | 1 | M | 1 | Under 40 | 1 |
| 3 | 39:15:00 | Gary | Richardson | 39:13:00 | 3 | M | 3 | Over 40 | 1 |
| 11 | 41:42:00 | Rob | Mcbain | 41:41:00 | 11 | M | 11 | Over 40 | 4 |
| 14 | 43:09:00 | Carolyn | Dooley | 43:08:00 | 14 | F | 1 | Over 40 | 1 |
| 18 | 44:38:00 | Anna | Begbie | 44:34:00 | 18 | F | 2 | Under 40 | 1 |
| 26 | 45:49:00 | Mel | Johnson | 45:46:00 | 26 | F | 4 | Under 40 | 2 |
| 85 | 54:20:00 | Christopher | Griffiths | 54:17:00 | 85 | M | 68 | Over 60 | 6 |
| 242 | Finishers |
ALDERLEY EDGE 10K
7 July: Stu Doyle and Debbie Moreton report: Six of us did this mornings race - an out and back course with a few undulations but reasonably quick and the conditions were pretty good although it did get warm towards the end. Stu Doyle under 34 mins for the first time in 18 months with 33.55 to win his age group. Matt Hough had a storming run to finish in 38.35 which he was delighted with. Debbie Moreton (49.29) , Jo Edwards (50.24) , Jayne Lomax (53.10) and Debbie Richardson (breaking the hour mark in 59.39) also ran and seemed to enjoy themselves - particularly the glasses of prosecco they were all drinking afterwards!!
Debbie Moreton adds: Thankfully not as hot as last year’s race being cloudy with a slight breeze at the start, however by the time I was halfway round the clouds cleared and it became a bit of a scorcher. Luckily there appeared, like an oasis, a pop-up pub “Air of the Dog” at which Debbie Richardson was insistent that we celebrate her PB with a glass of Prosecco. Would have been rude not to!
To pre-empt complaints it can be confirmed the ladies have been reported to to committee for having too much fun. The trial continues.
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 33:59:00 | Stuart | Doyle | 33:55:00 | 13 | M | 13 | M45 | 1 | |
| 58 | 38:44:00 | Matthew | Hough | 38:35:00 | 59 | M | 55 | M45 | 5 | PB |
| 516 | 49:51:00 | Debbie | Moreton | 49:29:00 | 553 | F | 77 | M45 | 8 | |
| 576 | 50:46:00 | Jo | Edwards | 50:24:00 | 602 | F | 93 | M55 | 5 | |
| 711 | 53:32:00 | Jayne | Lomax | 53:10:00 | 770 | F | 142 | M50 | 9 | |
| 1210 | 01:01:44 | Debbie | Richardson | 59:38:00 | 1187 | F | 388 | M50 | 28 | PB |
| 1818 | Finishers |
FOREST PARK LADIES 5K
3 July: Lisa Meadows reports: A lovely sunny evening saw 182 ladies take part in the 27th annual Forest Park Ladies 5k at Birchwood on Wednesday 3rd July. Just myself and Val Dunne taking part in VRAC colours this year along a single lap course that offers a bit of everything, firm parkland paths, wooded trail and a grassy start and finish with a few twists and turns for good measure! Whilst Val hadn’t run this race before and so quite naturally had a few pre-race nerves, she needn’t have worried, completing the race in 22:13 to finish 8th overall. and also secure a fantastic V60 age category win. For me this was my second year running at this event with recent training sessions paying off and helping me to a course PB of 22:43, an improvement of 24s on last year and a V45 age category win too! Definitely a race I would recommend, a lovely friendly race for runners of all abilities, with great support along the course..
| Pos | Name | Time | Cat | Cat Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Val Dunne | 22.13 | V60 | 1 |
| 11 | Lisa Meadows | 22.43 | V45 | 1 |
| 182 | Finishers |
TRIERER HALF MARATHON - GERMANY
30 June: Holidaying Craig Sephton couldn't resist. Here's his report.
I took the opportunity to hop over the border from Luxembourg into Germany on Sunday morning and ran the Trierer Half Marathon. The organisers had already moved the start time forward as temperatures later in the day were 37’c! Thankfully In the morning I just had to contend with the high 20’s. It’s a 2 lap city race, the atmosphere, German brass bands and impromptu showers provided by the residents and spectators made this sight seeing tour in my trainers one to remember!
Chip time 1:32:35 50th placed overall & 6th in age group
BMC GRAND PRIX - WATFORD
29 June: Congratulations to Chris Perry who blazed away from his competitors to record a new 3k steeplechase best of 8:44.55. Full results here. Well done comrade Perry. The story behind the vest is yet to unfold.
SALE SIZZLER 5K SERIES RACE 1
27 June: The first in the summertime 4 race series with weather to suit. A good start for 11 VRACers. Chris Williams first home for VRAC with a great battle between father Doyle and his two sons. All very close wth Alex taking the bragging rights with an U20 course record. Another solid performance from Chloe Broad taking 2nd lady. All rounded off with the evergreen Barry Chambers.
| Pos | Gun | No. | Name | Last name | Name | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 15:38 | 335 | Chris | Williams | 15:37 | Male | 6 | SM | 6 | 15:37 |
| 12 | 16:04 | 254 | Alexander | Doyle | 16:04 | Male | 12 | U20 | 1 | 16:04 |
| 22 | 16:24 | 252 | Stuart | Doyle | 16:23 | Male | 22 | Vet 45 | 2 | 16:23 |
| 35 | 16:48 | 263 | Aaron | Doyle | 16:46 | Male | 35 | U20 | 4 | 16:46 |
| 91 | 18:26 | 242 | Tom | Armstrong | 18:18 | Male | 87 | Vet 40 | 9 | 18:18 |
| 131 | 19:22 | 271 | Chloe | Broad | 19:17 | Female | 6 | SF | 2 | 19:17 |
| 135 | 19:31 | 269 | Darren | Cottier | 19:23 | Male | 128 | Vet 45 | 14 | 19:23 |
| 152 | 19:53 | 226 | David | Haines | 19:44 | Male | 143 | Vet 45 | 17 | 19:44 |
| 154 | 19:57 | 230 | Helen | Harrington | 19:52 | Female | 11 | Vet 35 | 3 | 19:52 |
| 180 | 20:17 | 225 | Chris | Beard | 20:08 | Male | 163 | Vet 50 | 15 | 20:08 |
| 376 | 24:55 | 257 | Barry | Chambers | 24:22 | Male | 293 | Vet 65 | 8 | 24.22 |
| 520 | Finishers |
NORTH CHESHIRE 5K SERIES RACE 5 - HOLLINS GREEN
23 June: Four regulars at the final race of the series. Congratulations to recent member Anna Begbie who was in the prizes with a very worthy series win in the F35 age category.
| Pos | Gun | Name | AG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 21:26 | Anna Begbie | V35 | |
| 85 | 24:21:00 | Mary Tavener | V55 | |
| 101 | 26:09:00 | Anthony Dutton | V45 | |
| 136 | Finishers |
PARKRUN TOURISM - ROME
23 June: Geoff Fawkes reports: Two options available and I chose the one nearest to where I was staying, called Caffarella in the south eastern quadrant of the city. Set off on a 3 mile jog in 27 degree heat (with my mate Ed from Sunderland Harriers) and arrived at 8.50 to find a small gathering of about 20 locals, half a dozen Brits (including us) and about 5 Australians. The briefing was done in Italian and English and we were off bang on 9 onto the relatively flat dusty trail course (2 laps), which was very well marked out with signs, cones and nearly as many Marshals as runners! Finished 5th out of a field of only 31 (Ed was 4th) and then we jogged backed the 3 miles to our apartment for a well earned Italian breakfast.
COLSHAW 10K
23 June: Another very well organised Mike Harrington Cute Fruits event at this years Colshaw Hall 10k helped by good weather and a great venue. The course is pretty fast and flat other than for 2 reasonably tough hills at 1m and 4.5m. An excellent VRAC contingent who featured heavily among the prizes with men's and ladies individual titles thanks to strong runs from Chris Williams and Sarah Murphy. Three out of the top 4 men were wearing the blue and yellow quarters of VRAC. Sarah Murphy, Gemma Barnett and Mel Johnson won the ladies team prize which resulted in a clean sweep after Chris Williams, Raif Serif and Stu Doyle took the men's title. There were age category wins for Raif Serif, Stu Doyle and Sarah Murphy and a 10k debut for Debbie Richardson. It was also good to see Vincent Jensen back racing for VRAC after a lay off with injury. Full results here.
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33:03:00 | Chris | Williams | 33:03:00 | 1 | Male | 1 | SM | 1 |
| 3 | 34:18:00 | Raif | Serif | 34:18:00 | 3 | Male | 3 | U21 | 1 |
| 4 | 34:24:00 | Stuart | Doyle | 34:23:00 | 4 | Male | 4 | V45 | 1 |
| 15 | 36:46:00 | James | Ainsworth | 36:44:00 | 15 | Male | 15 | V40 | 3 |
| 28 | 38:51:00 | Rob | McBain | 38:48:00 | 27 | Male | 28 | V40 | 5 |
| 32 | 39:04:00 | Sarah | Murphy | 39:02:00 | 32 | Female | 1 | V40 | 1 |
| 37 | 39:47:00 | Matthew | Hough | 39:26:00 | 35 | Male | 36 | V45 | 7 |
| 53 | 40:56:00 | Ian | Simpson | 40:48:00 | 54 | Male | 52 | V50 | 6 |
| 69 | 42:20:00 | Gemma | Barnett | 42:16:00 | 70 | Female | 5 | V35 | 3 |
| 73 | 42:40:00 | Vincent | Jensen | 42:32:00 | 77 | Male | 68 | SM | 28 |
| 87 | 43:30:00 | Melanie | Johnson | 43:20:00 | 91 | Female | 8 | V35 | 4 |
| 110 | 44:30:00 | John | Todd | 44:14:00 | 114 | Male | 99 | V55 | 7 |
| 119 | 44:56:00 | Paul | Jackson | 44:44:00 | 122 | Male | 107 | SM | 43 |
| 192 | 47:22:00 | Lisa | Meadows | 47:06:00 | 197 | Female | 23 | V45 | 6 |
| 295 | 50:32:00 | Debbie | Moreton | 50:10:00 | 311 | Female | 52 | V45 | 11 |
| 303 | 50:39:00 | Joanne | Edwards | 50:16:00 | 313 | Female | 56 | V55 | 5 |
| 340 | 51:39:00 | Jayne | Lomax | 51:17:00 | 353 | Female | 76 | V50 | 10 |
| 723 | 01:02:08 | Debbie | Richardson | 01:00:39 | 709 | Female | 261 | V50 | 30 |
| 1071 | Finishers |
U20/U23 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - BEDFORD
22/23 June: Brian Dooley reports: Having achieved the qualifying time
over 5k at the Cardiff 5k and also at Christleton Chloe travelled to
Bedford to compete in the U23 national championships. Conditions for
racing were far from ideal with a strong wind and high humidity and the
race was inevitably quite tactical. In a quality field which
included Jodie Judd, Chloe who had the slowest time on paper had a
strong race finishing 6th overall in a time of 18:09 and was very happy
with her performance and thoroughly enjoyed her first exposure to top
class track racing. Also competing at the championships in
the U20 class was soon to be senior Ben Lee, Ben made it through to the
800m final and finished in 7th place with a new PB of 1:50:52 in a race
which saw the British U20 record fall.
TOUGH TEAM - TATTENHALL
21 June: Classic Friday night 'fun' at Tough Team. Mark Crabtree, George Thompson and Ed Shepherd made a formidable trio and secured an excellent 2nd place overall. Lee Carrington was part of the first mixed team. Many other VRAC runners in various teams can be seen in the results here.
MEERBROOK 15K
22 June: Fantastic to see 6 from VRAC representing Cheshire with county debuts for Rick Murray, Gary Richardson, Anna Begbie and Debbie Broad. Hot weather and brutal ascent/descents, allegedly the 4th hilliedt course in Britain, made this a tough, tough race. Great performances from all helping Cheshire to 4th place in the mens and 3rd in the womens team events in a very strong field. Category wins for Rick Murray and Gemma Barnett. Full result here.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Chris Jones | MS | 3 | 59.31 | |
| 25 | Gary Richardson | M45 | 2 | 1.02.05 | |
| 35 | Rick Murray | M50 | 1 | 1.04.41 | |
| 50 | Gemma Barnett | F35 | 1 | 1.07.21 | 6th Lady |
| 84 | Anna Begbie | F35 | 4 | 1.12.07 | |
| 94 | John Todd | M55 | 4 | 1.13.44 | |
| 166 | Debbie Broad | F50 | 3 | 1.25.18 | |
| 255 | Finishers |
BMAF 5k ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS - HORWICH
16 June:A small but committed group made their way to Horwich for the BMAF 5k champs and encountered the usual high quality fields in all age groups. The ladies did superbly to come away with 2 individual bronze medals plus an excellent them gold. Times were a bit down for all as the course contains 3 laps with a decent hill on each plus a strong wind on the long back straight. Results here.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time | Gen Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Stu Doyle | M45 | 5 | 16.29 | 13 |
| 40 | Liz Renondeau | F40 | 3 | 17.57 | 3 |
| 53 | Sarah Murphy | F40 | 5 | 18.27 | 5 |
| 74 | Carolyn Dooley | F45 | 3 | 19.47 | 13 |
| 128 | Finishers |
STONE 10K
16 June: Two VRAC ladies helped the Cheshire team to second place at Stone. Chloe Broad was 3rd lady overall and first Cheshire counter with a PB and improving on her recent Manchester 10k time by nearly a minute to go sub 39 minutes. Great to see the new Mrs Olliver enjoying her comeback and racing again, winning her age category... and some alcohol. Perhaps to be shared with Mr Olliver. Perhaps not.
Full results here.| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Chip | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Chloe Broad | SF | 38.41 | 3rd Lady | PB | |
| 64 | Katie Olliver | F35 | 1 | 40.20 | 5th Lady | |
| 517 | Finishers |
MARPLE 10K TRAIL RACE
16 June: Debbie Moreton reports Jayne Lomax,Jo Edwards and Debbie Moreton thoroughly enjoyed this trail race. Scenic, lots of mud, puddles and hills. Lovely lot Marple Runners, very friendly and supportive and very generous with the goody bag. Even a copy of the Beano and looking at their strip I understand the connection. Rather epic medal too. Have to admit to a huge schoolgirl error though as left my trail shoes in car at Jayne’s house and whilst wearing my road shoes nearly ended up going for a swim in the canal! Jayne 3rd in age category, Jo 1st and myself 2nd.
Full results here.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Gun | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115 | JO EDWARDS | Female 55-59 | 1 | 00:54:03 | 00:53:56 |
| 126 | JAYNE LOMAX | Female 50-54 | 3 | 00:54:43 | 00:54:37 |
| 131 | DEBBIE MORETON | Female 45-49 | 2 | 00:55:07 | 00:55:02 |
| 288 | Finishers |
PARK RUN TOURISM - HERMANUS, S AFRICA
15 June: Bob Corinaldi reports: Bit more Parkrun Tourism. Went to Hermanus parkrun and started at the back because I've got a stinking cold and didn't want to get carried away or home for that matter. Finished 14th from 245 runners in 26.22 on a very twisty / technical course!
NORTH CHESHIRE 5K SERIES RACE 4 - DUNHAM MASSEY
13 June: A great turnout for the 4th race in the series with 18 VRACers on the start line. Some good performances with age category wins for Stu Doyle, Aaron Doyle and Andrea Hilldrup who also clocked a PB. One more race to go in the series at Hollins Green 23 June. Full results here.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time | cat pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Stu Doyle | M45 | 16.32 | 1 | |
| 8 | Chris Jones | SM | 17.02 | ||
| 9 | Aaron Doyle | MJ | 17.19 | 1 | |
| 21 | Gary Richardson | M45 | 18.10 | 4 | |
| 25 | Matthew Hough | M45 | 18.24 | 5 | |
| 32 | Andrea Hilldrup | F40 | 18.41 | 1 | PB |
| 46 | Tom Armstrong | M40 | 19.21 | 6 | |
| 69 | Anna Begbie | F35 | 20.26 | 3 | |
| 71 | Geoff Fawkes | M45 | 20.32 | 18 | |
| 72 | Mel Johnson | F35 | 20.34 | 4 | |
| 137 | Mary Tavener | F55 | 23.21 | 3 | |
| 155 | Debbie Moreton | F40 | 23.59 | 6 | |
| 162 | Jo Edwards | F55 | 24.12 | 6 | |
| 167 | Jayne Lomax | F50 | 24.20 | 5 | |
| 175 | Tony Dutton | M45 | 24.53 | 25 | |
| 185 | Oliver Johnson | MJ | 25.20 | 8 | |
| 224 | Debbie Richardson | F50 | 28.45 | 11 | PB |
| 242 | Finishers |
COMRADES MARATHON 'UP RUN' - DURBAN
9 June: Bob Corinaldi reports: This was part 2 of my 50th birthday present to myself. I did the Comrades 'down run' last year but apparently that's only half way. So I returned to Durban to complete this years 'up run' and taste the final part of my 50th birthday treat to myself. Also if you complete your first 2 Comrades in succession you get an extra medal called a 'Back to back'. That's a once in a lifetime deal that fools like me can't resist!
The Comrades has a huge following in South Africa & spectators turn out along the entire route to support the runners and offer food & drinks, salt, massage, physio etc, which is in addition to the official aid stations placed every few km along the route. The race itself is also streamed live on national TV throughout the day. The up run is shorter at only 87km long (it was just over 90km last year on the down run).The up run is exactly as you might imagine, generally uphill for about 68km but with plenty of downhills in there as well so the climbs can be quite brutal. The only flat part is the racecourse at the finish which is only a few hundred metres long. For a decent course description click here.
All started well as it was relatively cool but very humid in Durban. As planned I took my time and held back at the start, letting the over enthusiastic runners disappear into the distance. I plodded steadily up Cowies and onto Fields hill which came sooner than expected. The 4km steep climb can make or break your day. All good up Fields although I did get passed by the 9 hour bus near the top but I decided not to go with them. Onto Bothas hill, leaving a flower on Arthur's seat, wishing him good morning and and onto the halfway point in 4.35 & feeling ok. Inchanga beconed which is a long undulating climb passing through the 42km to go marker and beyond. A few amusing comments made by runners at this point were;
1. 'I love this point as we only have a marathon left to finish!'
2. 'If I felt this bad at the start of a marathon I would go home!'
On the steady climb to Umlaas Road (the highest point) the sun came out and things started to hurt. By Umlaas, the gels & percy pigs wouldn't go down and so the latter stages were fuelled by coke & energade. The energade turns everything bright orange so it looked like I'd spilt fake tan all over my hands. Things were turning ugly! Down to Little Pollys and the sub 10hr finish is looking doubtful as Little Pollys is a speed bump compared to the real Polly Shorts.
At the top of Little Pollys the supporters take great pleasure in reminding us that were about to take on the real thing and we'd better get ready. Up we go, I get plenty of encouragement from seasoned vets with many Comrades under their belt, it looks like my back to back medal is in the bag, but can I get the new sub 10hr medal the Robert Mitshali.
Once over Polly's just stay on your feet and roll downhill to the finish, legs absolutely battered. Turns out I managed a bit of a sprint finish and crossed the line in 9:47:46. Very happy/relieved. In general I had a much better run than last year although both runs are wildly different. Yes it hurt but at no point did I feel that a finish was doubtful. That was the end of a journey that started in June 2017 with training for Chester Marathon as my first qualifier, ending a few days ago on 9th June 2019. The Comrades medals are probably the smallest out there but definitely the hardest won.
Special thanks must go to my long suffering wife Ashlin for her understanding and support as I've spent the past 2 years running at every opportunity although she has had 2 holidays out of it so it's not all bad!
PARK RUN TOURISM - DURBAN
8 June: Ahead of Bob Corinaldi's epic 2nd Comrades Ultra marathon he and Mrs C took a in a Park Run in Durban. "North Beach parkrun for a gentle stretch prior to the big one. 1999 runners, swelled by the influx of Comrades runners but this one is regularly over 1000 runners." Winner did 16.24! Results here.
NADEN VALLEY - ROCHDALE
8 June: Tony Dutton off piste: Picture from today's race at Naden Valley Rochdale. Not sure I'm happy with the Photographer position on this, I'll be honest, not my finest hour! Stylish effort Tony.
RACE THE HORSE - WALES
8 June: The Man versus Horse Marathon is an annual race over 22 miles (35 km), where runners compete against riders on horseback. The race — which is a shorter distance than an official marathon road race — takes place in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells every June. Brian Dooley reports: Well folks I survived, 22.5 miles, 4000ft of ascent and I beat 5 horses, also snook under my target time of 4 hours with a finish time of 3 hrs 47mins. Phenomenal event and experience, brutal but thoroughly enjoyable at the same time and great sense of camaraderie between both runners and riders - oh yes and I got a cheeky snap with Sophie Raworth who finished 10mins behind me. (Wow... respect Sophie!)
NORTH CHESHIRE 5K SERIES RACE 3 - BOWDEN
6 June: Debbie Moretn reports: The rain stopped and the sun shone. Good VRAC turnout. Age category wins for Andrea Hilldrup, Anna Begbie and Mary Tavener. Ladies team 2nd again!
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Finish Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Adrea Hilldrup | F40 | 1 | 19.07 | 2nd lady |
| 41 | Anna Begbie | F35 | 1 | 20.27 | |
| 44 | Mel Johnson | F35 | 2 | 20.36 | |
| 51 | Geoff Fawkes | M45 | 9 | 20.50 | |
| 59 | John Clarke | M65 | 2 | 21.22 | |
| 77 | Tony Dutton | M45 | 11 | 23.05 | |
| 86 | Mary Tavener | F55 | 1 | 23.43 | |
| 97 | Debbie Moreton | F45 | 4 | 24.14 | |
| 99 | Jayne Lomax | F50 | 3 | 24.20 | |
| 165 | Finishers |
NORTH CHESHIRE 5K SERIES RACE 2 - BIRCHWOOD 5K
30 May: Full results here.
1st M Ed Shepard SM. 1st. 15:06 rumoured to be new course record
17th M Gary Richardson V45 2nd. 18:31 47th M Geoff Hawkes V45 5th. 21:18
82nd M Tony Dutton V45. 12th 24:35
90th M. Barry Chambers V65. 26:13
4th Male team out of 15 teams ( 4 to count )
3rd F Katie Moulds SF 2nd. 19:06
8th. F Anna Begbie V35 1st 20:26
27th F. Mary Tavener V55 2nd 23:48
30th F Debbie Morton V45 5th 24:26
35th F. Jayne Lomax V50 5th. 24:50
51st F. Debbie Richardson V50 7th 28:42
2nd and 7th Female teams out of 11 teams ( 3 counters )
BLACKPOOL 10 MILE
25May: Great run from Helen Harrington winning the ladies race overall in 1.07.24 (gun). "Sunny and Fun! Came home with lots of booze and chocolate.
First race win in around 13 years and 12s off my PB at Blackpool 10m this morning."
MANCHESTER 10K
19 May:
| Name | Pos | Finish Time |
|---|---|---|
| Raif Serif | 38 | 00:33:03 |
| Chloe Broad | 262 | 00:39:41 |
| Melanie Johnson | 419 | 00:41:34 |
| Ella Ferguson | 2562 | 00:49:33 |
| Sharon Wilson | 2875 | 00:50:11 |
| Geoff Davies | 9953 | 01:02:45 |
| Lydia Davies | 9962 | 01:02:46 |
| David Humphreys | 16154 | 01:19:48 |
NORTH CHESHIRE 5K SERIES RACE 1 - DUNHAM MASSEY 5K
23 May: The hard way round! Full results here.
MEN:
22nd M Gary Richardson. 18:38. V45. 2nd
31st M. Tommy Armstrong. 19:05. V40. 3rd
82nd M. John Clark. 21:40. V65. 1st
116th M. Tony Dutton 23:29. V45 14th
LADIES:
9th F. Anna Begbie. 20:50. V35
33rd F. Joanne Edwards. 24:09. V55 4th
34th F. Debbie Morton. 24:16. V45 7th
36th F. Jayne Lomax. 24:34. V50 4th
56th F. Debbie Richardson. 28:59. V50. 9th
31st M. Tommy Armstrong. 19:05. V40. 3rd
82nd M. John Clark. 21:40. V65. 1st
116th M. Tony Dutton 23:29. V45 14th
LADIES:
9th F. Anna Begbie. 20:50. V35
33rd F. Joanne Edwards. 24:09. V55 4th
34th F. Debbie Morton. 24:16. V45 7th
36th F. Jayne Lomax. 24:34. V50 4th
56th F. Debbie Richardson. 28:59. V50. 9th
CHESTER HALF MARATHON
19 May:
| Pos | Gun time | No. | First name | Last name | Chip Time | Chip Pos | Gender | Pos | Category | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 01:13:34 | 14 | Chris | Williams | 01:13:34 | 7 | Male | 7 | MSEN | 5 |
| 109 | 01:25:52 | 1046 | Rob | McBain | 01:25:43 | 107 | Male | 103 | MV40 | 17 |
| 153 | 01:28:09 | 5247 | Gemma | Barnett | 01:28:01 | 152 | Female | 8 | FV35 | 2 |
| 188 | 01:29:39 | 410 | Chris | Swift | 01:29:31 | 189 | Male | 179 | MV35 | 38 |
| 383 | 01:36:05 | 420 | John | Todd | 01:35:18 | 370 | Male | 360 | MV55 | 9 |
| 579 | 01:40:09 | 696 | Paul | Jackson | 01:39:36 | 591 | Male | 519 | MV35 | 102 |
ANDERTON MULTI -TERRAIN 10K
19 May: Full resuts here.
8th M Gary Richardson 39:46 V45 1st
3rd F. Anna Begbie. 44:21. V35. 1st
17th F. Jayne Lomax. 54:17. V50 3rd
52nd F. Debbie Richardson. 1:02:31 V50 9th
3rd F. Anna Begbie. 44:21. V35. 1st
17th F. Jayne Lomax. 54:17. V50 3rd
52nd F. Debbie Richardson. 1:02:31 V50 9th
BIRMINGHAM 10K
26 May: Brian Dooley reports: Sarah Murphy, Liz Renondeau, and Carolyn Dooley swapped their Vale Royal vests for England ones at the Birmingham 10k with Chloe gaining an elite entry making up the foursome. At 5k all 4 looked on for impressive times but a tough uphill second half and headwind finished off with a final 1k of twists and turns including a 180 degree turn around a traffic cone meant times ultimately suffered. Nonetheless a day for all to be proud particularly for Sarah, Carolyn, and Liz rewarded for their commitment and representing England topped off by Liz taking the V35 prize.
| Name | Pos | Finish Time |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Renondeau | 86 | 00:37:12 |
| Chloe Dooley | 100 | 00:37:53 |
| Sarah Murphy | 141 | 00:39:20 |
| Carolyn Dooley | 224 | 00:41:24 |
CHRISTLETON 5K
17 May: As usual there was a great VRAC turnout for one of the fastest 5ks in the region. There were numerous PBs including Matt Rowlinson getting agonisingly close to a sub 16, Chloe Dooley shaving even more time off her recent 5k PB and taking second place. This helped the women's team to a great victory in a traditionally strong race. Good to see the spring marathoners back out racing the shorter stuff and great to see Amelia Pettitt running well and injury free. Full Results
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 15:40 | Andrew | Miles | 15:39 | 19 | Male | 19 | Senior Men | 15 |
| 35 | 16:05 | Matt | Rowlinson | 16:02 | 35 | Male | 35 | Senior Men | 23 |
| 52 | 16:17 | Stuart | Doyle | 16:16 | 53 | Male | 52 | Over 45 | 5 |
| 61 | 16:29 | Edward | Pettitt | 16:27 | 62 | Male | 61 | Under 20 | 7 |
| 66 | 16:36 | Mark | Crabtree | 16:32 | 65 | Male | 66 | Over 40 | 11 |
| 67 | 16:37 | Aaron | Doyle | 16:34 | 67 | Male | 67 | Under 20 | 9 |
| 96 | 17:20 | Gareth | Williams | 17:15 | 96 | Male | 95 | Over 50 | 2 |
| 117 | 17:50 | Chloe | Dooley | 17:48 | 119 | Female | 2 | Senior Women | 1 |
| 124 | 17:57 | Robert | Roe | 17:49 | 122 | Male | 121 | Over 40 | 18 |
| 127 | 17:59 | Sarah | Murphy | 17:58 | 128 | Female | 4 | Over 40 | 2 |
| 130 | 18:06 | Amelia | Pettitt | 18:00 | 129 | Female | 6 | Senior Women | 3 |
| 137 | 18:12 | James | Griffiths | 18:07 | 134 | Male | 130 | Senior Men | 68 |
| 141 | 18:19 | Lewis | Brown | 18:13 | 142 | Male | 133 | Senior Men | 71 |
| 146 | 18:24 | Richard | Murray | 18:17 | 144 | Male | 137 | Over 50 | 6 |
| 175 | 19:00 | Kate | Moulds | 18:56 | 178 | Female | 13 | Senior Women | 6 |
| 177 | 19:02 | Graham | Miles | 18:57 | 179 | Male | 163 | Over 50 | 7 |
| 185 | 19:08 | Andrea | Hilldrup | 18:59 | 182 | Female | 17 | Over 40 | 4 |
| 195 | 19:22 | Carolyn | Dooley | 19:17 | 198 | Female | 23 | Over 45 | 3 |
| 203 | 19:27 | Brian | Dooley | 19:24 | 208 | Male | 179 | Over 45 | 26 |
| 211 | 19:36 | Helen | Harrington | 19:30 | 215 | Female | 25 | Over 35 | 6 |
| 242 | 20:14 | Hollie | Carrington | 20:02 | 241 | Female | 38 | Senior Women | 14 |
| 245 | 20:15 | Lee | Carrington | 20:02 | 242 | Male | 204 | Senior Men | 95 |
| 246 | 20:17 | David | Haines | 20:07 | 248 | Male | 205 | Over 45 | 33 |
| 264 | 20:46 | Geoff | Fawkes | 20:33 | 264 | Male | 215 | Over 45 | 35 |
| 331 | 22:53 | Debbie | Broad | 22:36 | 329 | Female | 69 | Over 50 | 4 |
| 350 | 23:35 | Anthony | Dutton | 23:17 | 349 | Male | 272 | Over 45 | 44 |
| 380 | 25:18:00 | Richard | Pettitt | 25:09:00 | 382 | Male | 287 | Over 55 | 20 |
MIDDLEWICH 5K
12 May: A strong turnout for Vale Royal in this reasonably new race as the club took four of the top five places. The men took the team prize and the women took the women's team prize with Mel Johnson claiming 2nd lady and Debbie Richardson with a strong PB. Full Results.
"
SANDSTONE TRAIL RACE
11 May: Bob Corinaldi sent us this report on the full Sandstone Trail Race:
A small Vale Royal contingent took on the Sandstone Challenge on Saturday 11th May and an ‘interesting' day was had by all.
The Sandstone Challenge is organised by Helsby Running Club and takes in the full Sandstone trail from Whitchurch to Frodsham which is about 33 and a bit miles depending upon how good your navigation skills are! As this was Gary's first foray into ultra running, shoe choice was critical. Thankfully he brought several pairs of road and trail shoes with him to try and he was seen jogging round the car park sporting various types of running shoes trying to make up his mind. I'm sure at one point he may also have tried a pair of Debbie's high heels. He eventually settled on road shoes by the way!
As the run started, the early morning mist lifted and Lee disappeared into the distance. He had a cracking run, breaking the 5 hour barrier, finishing in 2nd place in a time of 4:58. Given the number of stiles and the ground conditions this was a fantastic performance and he took 20 minutes off his time from the previous year. Gary was hot on Lee’s tail eventually finishing in 7th place in a time of 5:31 claiming that he should have stuck with trail shoes after all! Bob was on for a sub 6 hour finish until two schoolboy errors saw him get lost twice on a course he allegedly knew like the back of his hand! The navigational blunders dashed any hope of a sub 6 and he finished in 18th place in a time of 6:02 & still managing to shave a few minutes from last years time. Matt got off to a flying start but seemed to suffer in the heat towards the end and followed Bob into the finish (probably not a good idea) finishing in 19th place also in a time of 6:02. Sophie who is preparing for an Ultra later this year and true to form had a few falls but a steady run given the conditions, finishing in 29th place in a time of 6:29 John has obviously kept both his stamina and the ability to run on a full stomach between aid stations (see photo) finishing in 39th place with a time of 6:51. Full Results
ROUND THE RUNWAY - MOBBERLEY
7 May: Tony Dutton reports: Perfect conditions for Wilmslow Running Clubs spring Round the Runway 5 mile trail race. Myself and Debbie Moreton took on the event this year that usually sells out within a few weeks. This was my 2nd time running the race and Debbie's first, would definitely recommend this race, which has one rather steep climb after crossing underneath the runway through the Bollon tunnel. Full results here.
| Name | Pos | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tony Dutton | 139 | 40.15 |
| Debie Moreton | 147 | 40.46 |
| Finishers | 331 |
KESWICK HALF MARATHON
5 May: Bob Corinaldi reports: Made my annual visit to the Keswick Half Marathon over the weekend. Much cooler conditions than last year but I still got sunburn! Made a conservative start, not wanting to get tripped in the melee at the start and I was also wary of the previous days 'easy' run..12.8 hilly miles which included an enthusiastic Parkrun. From the first mile onwards it just got better and better. Went really well through the hilly first 8 miles and found another gear when I hit the road back to Keswick at Grange. Target was to equal or sneak under last year's 1:44 but managed 1:36:37 which took 5 minutes from my previous best around that course. Old age seems to be working out!
Position 86
Time 1.36.37
CARDIFF 5K
5 May: 'Proud Dad' Brian Dooley reports: On the back of her performances at the Northern X-Country champs and recent 10K PB at Arley Chloe was selected to run on the Northern team at the Cardiff 5K. Perfect conditions for racing and despite a tough course there were lots of fast times and PB’s, Chloe didn’t disappoint posting a huge 48 second PB and going sub 18 for the first time with 17:57. The young Northern team came third overall only being beaten by more senior teams from Wales and Northern Ireland. Looks like mum and dad will be bringing up the rear at Christleton in a few weeks time
MID CHESHIRE 5K (SPRING) - KINGSLEY
26 April: Last Friday saw the return of the Mid Cheshire 5k and great support from VRAC again with 29 runners taking part. Many noteable performances across the board including 3rd overall for Ed Shepherd in 14.20, PB for Alex Doyle, great debut at this distance for John Humphries with a 15.38, and a 16.47 PB for Chris Jones just 3 weeks after the Manchester Marathon. There were PBs also for Liz Renondeau, Kate Moulds and Hollie Carrington. Full Results
Entry to the summer staging event is here.
| Pos | Gun time | No. | First name | Last name | Chip Time | Chip Pos | Gender | Pos | Category | Pos | 3K | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 14:20 | 832 | Ed | Shepherd | 14:20 | 3 | Male | 3 | SM | 3 | 8:40 | 5:40 | |
| 41 | 15:33 | 200 | Alexander | Doyle | 15:31 | 41 | Male | 41 | Under 21 | 4 | 9:17 | 6:14 | PB |
| 42 | 15:36 | 141 | Andrew | Miles | 15:34 | 42 | Male | 42 | SM | 35 | 9:11 | 6:23 | PB |
| 44 | 15:40 | 190 | John | Humphries | 15:38 | 44 | Male | 44 | Under 21 | 5 | 9:20 | 6:18 | Debut |
| 96 | 16:30 | 208 | Stuart | Doyle | 16:28 | 99 | Male | 94 | Vet 45 | 7 | 9:48 | 6:39 | |
| 116 | 16:47 | 137 | Chris | Jones | 16:43 | 119 | Male | 114 | SM | 76 | 9:59 | 6:43 | PB |
| 146 | 17:05 | 233 | James | Ainsworth | 17:01 | 147 | Male | 141 | Vet 40 | 16 | 10:10 | 6:51 | |
| 151 | 17:11 | 838 | Elizabeth | Renondeau | 17:09 | 151 | Female | 7 | Vet 35 | 2 | 10:11 | 6:57 | PB |
| 177 | 17:37 | 354 | Gareth | Williams | 17:31 | 177 | Male | 165 | Vet 50 | 3 | 10:29 | 7:02 | |
| 213 | 18:05 | 358 | Robert | Roe | 17:58 | 209 | Male | 190 | Vet 40 | 23 | 10:50 | 7:08 | |
| 247 | 18:45 | 398 | Graham | Miles | 18:38 | 248 | Male | 217 | Vet 50 | 8 | 11:09 | 7:28 | |
| 269 | 19:07 | 421 | Kate | Moulds | 18:59 | 269 | Female | 40 | SF | 21 | 11:09 | 7:50 | PB |
| 277 | 19:18 | 440 | scott | bamber | 19:07 | 276 | Male | 234 | Vet 50 | 10 | 11:26 | 7:40 | |
| 284 | 19:25 | 243 | George | Thompson | 19:20 | 286 | Male | 240 | SM | 136 | 10:00 | 9:19 | |
| 292 | 19:33 | 413 | Andrea | Hilldrup | 19:23 | 292 | Female | 48 | Vet 40 | 6 | 11:28 | 7:54 | |
| 325 | 20:09 | 644 | Melanie | Johnson | 20:01 | 329 | Female | 51 | Vet 35 | 8 | 12:04 | 7:57 | |
| 336 | 20:21 | 474 | Paul | Davies | 20:04 | 332 | Male | 283 | Vet 45 | 34 | 11:55 | 8:09 | |
| 342 | 20:26 | 507 | Hollie | Carrington | 20:18 | 346 | Female | 54 | SF | 26 | 12:04 | 8:13 | PB |
| 361 | 20:48 | 481 | Geoff | Fawkes | 20:41 | 368 | Male | 302 | Vet 45 | 37 | 12:18 | 8:23 | |
| 365 | 20:54 | 621 | Paul | Jackson | 20:36 | 362 | Male | 305 | SM | 158 | 12:22 | 8:14 | |
| 377 | 21:09 | 448 | Craig | Todhunter | 20:53 | 378 | Male | 314 | Vet 45 | 41 | 12:18 | 8:34 | |
| 385 | 21:17 | 573 | Clara | Pettitt | 21:07 | 388 | Female | 66 | SF | 31 | 12:33 | 8:33 | |
| 387 | 21:18 | 556 | John | Clarke | 21:01 | 385 | Male | 321 | Vet 65 | 3 | 12:40 | 8:20 | |
| 414 | 22:23 | 818 | Gary | Weedall | 22:11 | 421 | Male | 341 | Vet 55 | 23 | 13:07 | 9:03 | |
| 439 | 23:06 | 594 | steve | collier | 22:49 | 440 | Male | 354 | Vet 60 | 7 | 13:34 | 9:15 | |
| 472 | 24:24:00 | 606 | Jayne | Lomax | 24:05:00 | 477 | Female | 98 | Vet 50 | 7 | 14:17 | 9:48 | |
| 474 | 24:24:00 | 661 | Barry | Chambers | 24:00:00 | 471 | Male | 376 | Vet 65 | 6 | 14:35 | 9:25 | |
| 525 | 27:21:00 | 677 | ann | collier | 26:52:00 | 523 | Female | 126 | Vet 55 | 6 | 16:16 | 10:36 | |
| 544 | 29:43:00 | 672 | Paul | Hudson | 29:14:00 | 544 | Male | 406 | Vet 65 | 12 | 17:32 | 11:41 | |
| 563 | Finishers |
VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON
28 April: Good weather conditions for this years race with 7 VRACers taking on the challenge. Tommy Armstrong threatened the 3 hour barrier but like many others slowed a little over the second half. Excellent PB for Carolyn Dooley rewarding her for her commitment to training. Rick Murray ran a very quick first half but paid the price in the second half. Experienced David 'Spud' Murphy completed another creditable marathon. Our amazing Coiln Rathbone outpaced much of the field to secure 2nd vet 75. Mary Tavener and Liz Gale delivered solid performances to bring the club home. Special mention (editiors licence) for ex VRAC member Amy Sheils (nee Archer) who ran a 6 minute PB at Manchester 3 weeks ago and a further 5 minute PB at London 3.28.29! Great pics from John Davies and Clara Pettitt in Gallery here.
| Pos | Cat Pos | Name | Cat | Half | Full | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2501 | 525 | Tom Armstrong | M40 | 1.28.34 | 3.02.35 | |
| 3563 | 32 | Carolyn Dooley | L45 | 1.31.08 | 3.12.00 | PB |
| 4284 | 354 | Rick Murray | M50 | 1.28.26 | 3.16.56 | |
| 4627 | 1972 | David Murphy | SM | 1.35.28 | 3.19.09 | |
| 9458 | 2 | Colin Rathbone | M75 | 1.45.37 | 3.41.53 | |
| 10520 | 56 | Mary Tavener | L55 | 1.49.11 | 3.46.09 | |
| 13349 | 710 | Liz Gale | L40 | 1.56.27 | 3.56.07 |
PORT OF BLYTHE 10K AND HALE 5 MILE
7 April: Liz Renondeau reports: I ran in the Port of Blyth 10K which incorporated the British Masters 10k road championships on Sunday April 7th. This was an out and back course along the coast and the Breeze off the North Sea was relatively kind! I finished second lady overall to Aly Dixon (who went on to finish 16th lady at Boston a week later) in 35.44 and won the V35 British Masters title. Obviously really pleased as had been targeting this all winter. No other VRAC athletes there as far as I’m aware. Full reults here.
21 April: Liz Renondeau reports: Yesterday Mary Tavener and I ran at Hale 5. Mary was first in her age group. I was First Lady in new PB (29.08). Pretty hot conditions but lovely well organised race that I would recommend! Full results here
CREWE 10K
21 April: Stu Doyle repors: Pretty warm conditions for today's race which featured a number of VRAC members.1st home in 6th place overall (1st v45) was Stu Doyle (34.11), closely followed by 2 16 year olds - Ed Pettit (10th in 35.30) and Aaron Doyle making his debut at the distance in 36.17 to finish 17th. Tommy Armstrong had his last outing before London ( where he'll be hoping for cooler conditions) with 42nd in 39.41 whilst Gemma Barnett had another strong performance to finish 4th lady overall and 2nd v35, narrowly missing the 40 min barrier by 6 secs. Paul Davies was next home in 91st with 43.29 with Colin Rathbone also completing his London preparations with a v75 age category victory in 49.21. Completing the finishers was Richard Pettitt with 53.35 to finish well inside the top 2/3rds.
THREE SHIRES WALK
7 Apr: A little different to our usual races was Bob Corinald's latest adventure. Bob tells us:
"The LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association) organise challenge events which are long distance events for both walkers and runners in a similar format to the popular Sandstone event in May. The 3 Shires has 21,23,28 & 30 mile options & I went for the 30 mile route running from Swythamley, The Roaches, Three Shires Head, Shuttlingsloe, Wildboarclough (twice) and back to Swythamley. The route is almost entirely on footpaths / bridleways with navigation required but nothing too serious. With 5,400ft of climbing, its best described as 'a bit lumpy' but the scenery made it all worthwhile and the sun shone throughout. I'd set myself a target of 6 hours, nothing scientific behind that, just thought 6 hours was a nice round number but my main aim was to get round without injury as after all it was just a training run. All went well until Shuttlingsloe which took its toll and things started to slip. I seemed to recover throughout the second half and pull it back....the 6 hour finish was back on. With a desperate sprint to the village hall at the end the Garmin said 5:59:39 but I couldn't get back in the village hall as the door was shut! Turns out we'd left through an emergency exit in the morning and the proper entrance was round the side! Quick jog round the side to check in as complete and my time officially recorded as 6 hours 0 minutes, happy with that! No idea where I came as there aren't any official results but chatting to a few people, 6 hours seems like a reasonable time for a 30 mile training run.If anyone fancies something different, a really well organised low key event with no pressure, amazing views and some of the best food I've ever seen at a checkpoint (which you have to visit twice) then this is the one for you but be warned.....you have to run past the Wincle Brewery at around 25 miles"
GREATER MANCHESTER MARATHON
7 Apr: Perfect weather conditions for the 4 VRAC toeing the line at the Greater Manchester Marathon. 1st home was Chris Jones with with a huge PB of 2.50.01. Next home making his marathon debut was Mark Pilliner who ran superbly well after recovering from hip injuries earlier in the year. Debbie Broad was next in with a fantastic 3.57.08. Another huge PB and securing a good for age for London (next year). Fourth finisher for VRAC was Eleanor Riches who finished behind Debbie but with a faster chip time of 3.53.30 Obviously Debbie had her elbows out at the start line. All four should be extremely proud of their achievement and take a well deserved recovery. As a footnote is it a coincidence that all four used the Village Bakery Wexham Half in their build up? Full Results.
| POS | NAME | BIB | M/F | CATEGORY | GUN TIME | CHIP TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 226 | Chris Jones | 1006 | M | MO35 | 02:50:11 | 02:50:01 |
| 3321 | Mark Pilliner | 4527 | M | MV50 | 03:45:24 | 03:38:16 |
| 4518 | debbie broad | 7789 | F | FV50 | 04:01:13 | 03:57:08 |
| 5061 | Eleanor Riches | 6763 | F | FV45 | 04:07:32 | 03:53:30 |
NATIONAL 12 & 6 STAGE RELAYS - SUTTON PARK BIRMINGHAM
6 Apr: Colin Rathbone writes: Unfortunately no Men’s team this year despite qualifying in the Northern 12 Stage at Birkenhead Park. But fielded a partial team in the Women’s 6 Stage. Four stalwarts ran soundly in perfect conditions. Pity we couldn’t muster the full 6.
Leg 1, long leg. Amelia Pettit. 32.52.
Leg 2, short leg. Clara Pettit. 21.41.
Leg 3, short leg. Carole Williams. 28.44
Leg 4, long leg. Kate Moulds. 36.44
Leeds won both the Men’s 12 Stage and the Women’s 6 Stage - A very entertaining day of racing - certainly on a par with the Grand National and the Varsity Boat Race.
WILMSLOW RUNNING FESTIVAL
24 Mar: Colin Rathbone reports: A perfect day for running a Half Marathon, attracted 2836 finishers, 5 of them Vale Royalers. Sarah Murphy had a good run - 5th lady overall - 2nd F40. Darren Cottier a sound run, Matt Hough improving all the time. Eleanor Riches a super PB performance and a sub 1.45 for Colin Rathbone 1st M75. In the 10k Paula Manley (Shaun’s daughter) ran soundly for a 7th F40.
| Name | Name | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos | Gun | Pos | Chip | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah | Murphy | Female | 5 | F40+ | 2 | 01:23:17 | 103 | 01:23:13 | 103 |
| Darren | Cottier | Male | 217 | M45+ | 24 | 01:28:04 | 229 | 01:27:50 | 234 |
| Matthew | Hough | Male | 292 | M45+ | 37 | 01:30:51 | 314 | 01:30:07 | 312 |
| Eleanor | Riches | Female | 91 | F45+ | 15 | 01:43:00 | 791 | 01:41:40 | 786 |
| Colin | Rathbone | Male | 769 | M75+ | 1 | 01:44:37 | 879 | 01:44:21 | 966 |
| 2836 | Finishers |
| Name | Name | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos | Gun | Pos | Chip | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paula | Manley | Female | 43 | F40+ | 7 | 00:55:10 | 146 | 00:54:16 | 185 |
NORTHERN 12 STAGE ROAD RELAYS - BIRKENHEAD
24 Mar: Despite a couple of enforced late changes we fielded a strong 12 man team at Birkenhead park this afternoon. Conditions were dry and sunny but pretty windy and the team performed admirably achieving a best ever position of 11th ( within 30 seconds of a top 10 finish) and beating the previous best of 12th set last year. There were some superb performances enabling us to reach a peak of 4th after 4 legs. We inevitably slipped back marginally over the remaining 8 legs however it is notable that 3 of our team are first year seniors and 3 are over 45 therefore we will undoubtedly get even stronger in forthcoming years as our juniors develop and more come through to replace the old guard!! It is also worthy of note that every one of the 10 teams ahead of us is based in a city or major town so we are definitely punching above our weight!
| Name | Name |
|---|---|
| Chris Perry | Alex Doyle |
| Ben Lee | Chris Williams |
| Andrew Miles | Ryan Moore |
| Matt Rowlinson | Gareth Williams |
| Stu Doyle | John Humphries |
| Jacob Brown | Gary Richardson |
CHESHIRE 10K - ARLEY
23 Mar: Good racing conditions and some very good results. First back for VRAC Chris Standidge our triathlon specialist. Next,James Ainsworth satisfied with his continued progress after injury. Another good race for Liz Renondeau finishing a tantalising 4 seconds short of her PB. Performance of the day came from Chloe Dooley posting a big PB (nearly 2 minutes) witnessed by her proud parents. Mum Carolyn commented: "5 weeks ago Chloe ended up in A & E after spraining her ankle in training just before Nationals, on crutches and unable to walk let alone run. Today after much hard work, rehab and cross training she took almost 2 minutes of her 10K PB running 37.03. She often says I’m her inspiration to keep working hard...well today she was totally mine!". A great run from Helen Harrington once more posting sub 40 minutes and her fastest time since 2005! Solid runs from Paul Davies and frequent racer Mary Tavener. George Thompson completed the VRAC line up limping home with a torn calf.
| Fav | Pos | Net Pos | Name | Time | Net Time | Category | Cat Pos | Gender | Gen Pos | Net Gender Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 34 | CHRIS STANDIDGE | 00:34:32 | 00:34:26 | Male | 28 | Male | 33 | 33 | |
| 46 | 47 | JAMES AINSWORTH | 00:35:18 | 00:35:17 | V40 | 4 | Male | 44 | 45 | |
| 54 | 56 | ELIZABETH RENONDEAU | 00:35:41 | 00:35:41 | Female | 4 | Female | 4 | 4 | |
| 75 | 74 | CHLOE DOOLEY | 00:37:06 | 00:37:02 | Female | 6 | Female | 6 | 5 | |
| 134 | 142 | HELEN HARRINGTON | 00:39:56 | 00:39:47 | Female | 13 | Female | 16 | 17 | |
| 208 | 213 | PAUL DAVIES | 00:42:38 | 00:42:19 | V45 | 28 | Male | 185 | 189 | |
| 339 | 344 | MARY TAVENER | 00:47:10 | 00:46:26 | V55 | 3 | Female | 49 | 49 | |
| 391 | 422 | GEORGE THOMPSON | 00:48:40 | 00:48:36 | Male | 168 | Male | 326 | 349 | |
| 1241 | Finishers |
THIRSK 10 MILE
17 Mar: Colin Rathbone reports: Lovely sunny day here for the 40th running of the Thirsk 10 Miler starting & finishing at the racecourse. This single lap course, well organised with very supportive marshalling attracted over 1000 runners. Colin & Carole made the voyage into Yorkshire to compete and were satisfied with their performances.
| POS | NAME | CAT | CAT POS | FINISH TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 501 | Colin Rathbone | M75 | 1 | 1.22.33 |
| 878 | Carole Williams | M65 | 5 | 1.40.20 |
| 1042 | Finishers |
WIGAN FESTIVAL - HALF MARATHON AND 5K
17 Mar: A VRAC double at Wigan Running Festival with victories in both half marathon and 5K. Congratulations to Chris Perry as he steps up his race distance to include half marathon. Chris was overall winner at Wigan by over one minute to set a new course record. Full results here.
| POS | NAME | CAT | CAT POS | CHIP TIME | FINISH TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Perry | SNR | 1/289 | 01:10:49 | 01:10:50 |
Also a great win for Andrew Miles and category win for Graham Mies in the 5k. Graham reports: Andrew and myself returned to the Wigan 5k,held in conjunction with the half marathon.The course is basically an out and back route,with the first half downhill.The advantage this year was the wind was against us for the first half which made the second half not too bad despite the climbs.Andrew won in 16.04 ,and I was 14th and first v50 in 19.13 out of the 806 finishers.For anyone thinking of an early season 5k,I would highly recommend this race.
| POS | NAME | CAT | CAT POS | CHIP TIME | FINISH TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Miles | SNR | 1/128 | 00:16:04 | 00:16:04 |
| 2 | Graham Miles | V50 | Jan-27 | 00:19:14 | 00:19:17 |
POYNTON 10K
17 Mar: Racing junky Debbie Moreton the lone VRACer here. She reports: Another of my races postponed from last year. Third time this multi-terrain race has been held. The weather was definitely not kind to us. Hail at the start line and hail to finish! Change to the route, for the better I think, despite a 2K steady climb to begin with. Pleasant but very wet run along the canal then lots of very muddy trail and puddles like lakes! Race finished with a lap of Poynton Pool (park) and then ended back on Park Lane right outside a Costa Coffee. Delicious flapjack, sweets, banana and medal on offer. After feeling rubbish a couple of weeks ago, pleased with my steady run and overall time in the conditions finishing 5/56 in my age group.
| NAME | TIME | SPLIT | LEG | SPEED | FV45 POSITION | GEN POS | OVERALL POS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debbie Moreton | 00:50:10 | 50:10.3 | 50:10.3 | 05:01.3 Min/K | 5 | 34 | 217 |
KNIGHTON 20
10 Mar: Colin Rathbone reports: Colin Rathbone was the sole Vale Royaler
in the Knighton 20 as part of his London “build-up”. High winds and an
undulating course meant fast times were hard to achieve. A great race,
well organised, supportive marshalls and a quality tee-shirt all for
£15.
Position 136th Colin Rathbone 1st V75. Chip time 2:54:44.
Total finishers: 270
Position 136th Colin Rathbone 1st V75. Chip time 2:54:44.
Total finishers: 270
INTER-COUNTIES XC - LOUGHBOROUGH
9 Mar: LADIES - Debbie Broad reports: A slightly depleted senior women’s Cheshire team headed over to Prestwold hall in Loughborough to compete in the intercounties cross country in which the women and men ran an equal distance of 10km plus. Our very own Lucy Burch swapped her shorts for a very smart Team Managers jacket. Sarah Murphy and Chloe Broad from Vale Royal put on there Cheshire Team Kit today. Instead of the mud of last years intercounties it was strong winds and occasionally Hale. Sarah has a fabulous race coming in 63rd -third counter for Cheshire and only one place behind Cheshire’s second counter. Chloe also had a great race her second year to represent Cheshire as a senior coming home in 153rd and 5th counter for Cheshire. The team came 12 /29 complete teams.
MEN - Robert Brown reports: Jacob Brown1st home for Cheshire 85th, Stuart Doyle 177th, 5th Cheshire. High gusting winds but good underfoot conditions, Cheshire men's team 17th of 32 teams. Sam Whitehead didn't run due to his car breaking down en route from Durham where he's at University.
KNIGHTON 20
10 Mar: Colin Rathbone reports: Colin Rathbone was the sole Vale Royaler
in the Knighton 20 as part of his London “build-up”. High winds and an
undulating course meant fast times were hard to achieve. A great race,
well organised, supportive marshalls and a quality tee-shirt all for
£15.
Position 136th Colin Rathbone 1st V75. Chip time 2:54:44.
Total finishers: 270
Position 136th Colin Rathbone 1st V75. Chip time 2:54:44.
Total finishers: 270
BARCELONA MARATHON
10 Mar: While our UK racers were complaining about the cold, rain and wind our international racers were whinging about the sun and the heat. Gary Richardson and Dave Haines returned for another crack at the Barcelona marathon. With temperatures into the 20's it was not what they had been used to! Gary went well until mile 20 but then the heat and exhaustion took its toll. Nevertheless, he imprived on last years time by around 3 minutes (a PB we think). Dave Haines hoped the heat resitant haircut might help but found the going tough from halfway. Both can be proud of their achievement. Meanwhile, a member of their support crew was able to enter and excel in the local 'eat the most junk food' marathon.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Gun | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 747 | GARY RICHARDSON | M45 | 03:04:13 | 03:03:43 |
| 3833 | DAVID HAINES | M45 | 03:39:19 | 03:38:32 |
TRAFFORD 10K
10 Mar: As usual a field stacked with talent. Heavy driving rain and surface water did not seem to deter the field with 4 men going sub 30 and Steve Cram's protege, Laura Weightman, setting a new ladies course record in 31.59. A good race fro Chris Perry at the sharp end although he appeared to finish in some discomfort. Another good race from Liz Renondeau, 3rd L35 and a solid sub 40 minute result for Robert Roe.
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 31:29:00 | Chris | Perry | 31:28:00 | 23 | Male | 22 | Senior | 19 |
| 141 | 36:18:00 | Elizabeth | Renondeau | 36:15:00 | 142 | Female | 13 | Vet 35 | 3 |
| 226 | 39:25:00 | Robert | Roe | 39:13:00 | 226 | Male | 200 | Vet 40 | 24 |
| 885 | Finishers |
TATTON 10K
10 Mar: Not a quick course at the best of times and even less so in the conditions served up for Katie Brough. Great to see Katie racing again and running well to secure first lady placing.
| Pos | Name | Time | Chip | Cat | Pos | Gen | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | KATIE BROUGH | 00:40:12 | 00:40:12 | V35 | 1 | Female | 1 |
WELSH INTER-COUNTIES XC
9 Mar: Congratulations to Lucy Knight selected for N Wales inter-counties XC. Not an easy passage it seems but all the more credit for that. Here's here comments: "Horrendous windy conditions. Worst race preparation ever! But I found some sort of peace through all the wind rain and mud and remembered why i love running. The race didnt reflect the training I've done but the training is there for a great road season".
CHESTER 10K
10 Mar: A busy weekend for racing with some filthy weather on Sunday morning! Another very impressive race for February AOM Mark Crabtree. Likewise, Melanie Johnson backed up her recent form just a few seconds short of her PB set recently at High Legh.
| Pos | Gun time | First name | Last name | Chip Time | Chip Pos | min/m | Gender | Pos | Category | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 34:28:00 | Mark | Crabtree | 34:28:00 | 18 | 05:32 | Male | 18 | MV40 | 5 |
| 143 | 40:39:00 | Craig | Sephton | 40:30:00 | 143 | 06:31 | Male | 129 | MV45 | 21 |
| 215 | 42:53:00 | Melanie | Johnson | 42:21:00 | 209 | 06:49 | Female | 29 | FV35 | 6 |
| 274 | 44:14:00 | Helen | Smith | 44:07:00 | 297 | 07:06 | Female | 37 | FV45 | 7 |
| 3365 | Finishers |
BERKHAMSTEAD HALF MARATHON
3 March: Mark Crabtree has put in some excellent cross country races this season which proved a solid base for an speedy 6 min/mile half marathon at rainy Berkhamstead through the Chilterns countryside.
"It's a half marathon my previous running club always attend in high numbers and a very good, well organised race. I was disappointed not to win the V40s though - the winner wasn't that far ahead.. too much training on the flat since the move up north I think!"
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Mark Crabtree | M40 | 3 | 78.28 |
CLOUD 9 - CONGLETON
3 March: Chris Beard reports: A scenic and challenging mostly off road race from Congleton to Bosley Cloud (1125ft) and back via the ancient Bride-stones. This race is run by Congleton Harriers under FRA rules. It's a popular well organised race with plenty of marshals and support along the way.Sunday saw a cold, wet, windy start to the day with the threat of a storm coming in. Lots of competitors chose to gear up with under vests/tee-shirts and other forms of rain cover. I opted for the minimalist approach and I was glad I did as the weather cleared slightly just after the start, although it remained very wet and muddy under foot providing a challenging route across some of the fields and up and down the Cloud. Darren Cottier was the other Vale Royal attendee and he had a good race running really well and finishing with a very respectable time of 71.32 to put him 49th overall and 7/34 MV45. I was pleased to post a PB of just under 4 minutes finishing with a time of 75.02 and 68th Overall which put me 8/51 MV50. There were 259 finishers. I'd definitely recommend this race if you fancy something a bit more technical with the added bonus of a hill. Did I mention there is also cake...
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | Darren Cottier | M45 | 7/34 | 71.32 |
| 68 | Chris Beard | M50 | 8/31 | 75.02 |
| 259 | Finishers |
CHEADLE 5 MILE
3 Mar: Tony Dutton reports: On Sunday I took on the Cheadle 5 Miler in North Staffordshire for my first road race of the year.This is one of two road races Cheadle running club hold each year with the start and finish being at the Cheadle Academy. The race takes us through Cheadle town center at the beginning before heading out to the countryside for a few inclines. Not the fastest of courses but a well organised and marshalled race finishing 63rd out of 150 runners.
CHESTER ULTRA 50+ MILES
2 Mar: Lee Carrington reports: Headed over to Waverton on Saturday
for the 6am start of Chester ultra 50. It was a circular route around
Chester/Helsby/frodsham and then taking in the sandstone trail for the
last part of the race. I was going really well until woodhouse hill
frodsham when cramp set in and struggled for the second half of the race
but managed to keep going, with the help of wife Hollie and a few
friends that were meeting me at points along the way with food water
etc. Managed to finish in 10th place in 8hrs 11mins and a Gold Medal
(top 100 finisher). John Clarke also took on his first ultra and
finished just outside the Gold category to finish with a hugely
creditable Silver (100 - 200 finisher) in a time of 11hrs 6mins.
John Clarke reports: I finished 114th,
had a great day felt good then started to struggle from Frodsham
onwards, the last 7 miles on the canal was tough, had some help from Bob
Corinaldi (he did the race last year) who ran the canal stretch with me
to the finish. Also some great support from Colin & Carol, and a
quick massage of Colin at CP5.
| Pos | Name | Time | Medal Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Lee Carrrington | 8 hr 11 min | Gold |
| 114 | John Clarke | 11 hr 6 min | Silver |
PODIUM 5K - BARROWFORD
2 Mar: Horrendous conditions caused some issues for the time keepers but did not stop Andrew Miles blasting out a 30 second PB in the A race and Liz Renondeau a 5 second PB in the B race.
| Pos | Name | Gender Pos | Cat | Cat Pos | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Race | 26 | Andrew Miles | 26 | SM | 24 | 15.40 | PB |
| B Race | 7 | Liz Renondeau | 1 | F35 | 1 | 17.24 | PB |
HIGH LEGH 10K
2 Mar: Debbie Moreton reports: Just 5 runners from Vale ventured out to a wet High Legh. Fantastic, well-organised, friendly race and a great goody bag. A reasonably flat course with the challenge of a short, slippy, muddy section and a steady climb over the motorway bridge near the end. Great run by James Ainsworth, 2nd in age group; Mel Johnson, 2nd lady, 2nd in age group and a PB; Bob C 6th in age group; Eleanor Riches 6th in age group and Debbie Moreton 7th in age group in a field of a total of 519 runners (269 male/250 female). A great race which I thoroughly recommend.
| POS | NAME | Gen | Pos | CAT | Pos | CHIP TIME | FINISH TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | James Ainsworth | M | 6th | 40-49 | 2nd | 00:35:57 | 00:36:00 |
| 41st | Melanie Johnson | F | 2nd | SL | 2nd | 00:42:11 | 00:42:19 |
| 42nd | Bob Corinaldi | M | 40th | 50-59 | 6th | 00:42:22 | 00:42:30 |
| 104th | Eleanor Riches | F | 15th | 40-49 | 6th | 00:46:44 | 00:46:54 |
| 126th | Debbie Moreton | F | 24th | 40-49 | 7th | 00:48:31 | 00:48:42 |
| 519 | Finishers |
SAUCONY ENGLISH XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - HAREWOOD HOUSE, LEEDS
23 Feb: Colin Rathbone reports: To my mind, the best venue ever for the English Nationals (and I’ve been to quite a few). Set in the beautiful National Trust parkland of Harewood House, north of Leeds in perfect weather (18* in Feb), sunny, exceptionally dry underfoot, the course promised fast times and good performances. The mood in the Vale Royal camp was buoyant after seeing Holly Weedall dominate the under 15 girl’s race and Holly Smith 6th in the Under 17’s. Gutsy performances in the women’s race from Sarah (110%) Murphy, Amelia and Clara Pettit ably supported by Carole Williams (sadly Chloe Broad had to drop out) resulted in a 44th team position out of 114 complete teams. Brilliant effort girls. Sadly the senior Men could not raise a team but sterling performances by Pat Stradling (a rare outing for Pat), Mark Crabtree (doubtful in the week with a tender Achilles), Colin Rathbone ( does he not know when to retire?) and James Griffiths gave credit to the VR vests they were wearing. The Nationals are the culmination and pinnacle of the club xc season. I applaud the Vale Royalers who did turn out in such a fantastic event.
| POS | NAME | GUN | POS | NAME | GUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Sarah Murphy | 00:31:51 | 452 | Patrick Stradling | 00:44:22 | |
| 68 | Amelia Pettitt | 00:32:16 | 517 | Mark Crabtree | 00:45:05 | |
| 316 | Clara Pettitt | 00:37:17 | 1912 | Colin Rathbone | 01:05:50 | |
| 1008 | Carole Williams | 00:57:38 | 1962 | James Griffiths | 01:10:21 | |
| 1034 | Finishers | 2006 | Finishers |
WELSH XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - PEMBREY PARK, LLANELLI
23 Feb:Gareth Williams reports: Gareth and Nathan Williams made the trip to Pembrey Park, Llanelli for the Welsh XC Champs on 23rd Feb. It was Nathan's debut and Gareth first outing since 2005 in the race.The course was mostly flat and the ground very firm but log jumps, tight bends and some sharp climbs on to the dunes kept it interesting. The race was won by Swansea's Dewi Griffiths, reclaiming his title in his preparation for this years London Marathon. Nathan benefited from a last minute footwear change (thanks to having the same size feet as his dad) and came home in a very strong 21st position (av 5.46 miling!) in 36.50.. Gareth had a tough battle with former Wrexham clubmate, Andy Edge, now running for Thames Hare and Hounds, and just prevailed on the last lap to finish in 43rd overall and 4th place in the M50's in 39.25. A great day was made even better while driving home, listening to the rugby commentary and hearing Wales roar to a famous victory over England.
VILLAGE BAKERIES HALF MARATHON - WREXHAM
17 Feb: A great turnout for this one and a good marathon building block for quite a few. Dry conditions but a challenging headwind in the closing 3 miles to test the resolve of runners. George Thompson led VRAC home with Chis Jones not far back just 12 seconds short of his PB. First home for the ladies was Carolyn Dooley, also just short of her PB but well satisfied with another sub 1.30 and progress towards the London Marathon. Great to see Gemma Barnett back after her stress fracture with a very worthy sub 1.30. Geoff Fawkes is claiming a 'vets PB' as his last half marathons were in the 1980's! Mark Pilliner has had a stellar XC season and is in marathon training but struggled home with a hip problem. Fingers crossed for his quick recovery. Perhaps the two performances of the day were Debbie Broad who was delighted with a 5 minute PB, and Colin Rathbone winning the M75 category in under 1.50. Mary Tavener, also marathon training took 2nd L55 and Carole WIlliams brought VRAC home taking an impressive 2nd in the L65 category.
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 01:17:50 | George | Thompson | 01:17:47 | 54 | Male | 53 | SM | 34 |
| 66 | 01:18:38 | Chris | Jones | 01:18:33 | 67 | Male | 66 | SM | 45 |
| 116 | 01:22:13 | Tom | Armstrong | 01:22:12 | 119 | Male | 115 | M40 | 25 |
| 135 | 01:23:08 | Rick | Murray | 01:23:03 | 136 | Male | 133 | M50 | 5 |
| 244 | 01:28:24 | Carolyn | Dooley | 01:28:19 | 252 | Female | 12 | L45 | 2 |
| 256 | 01:28:58 | Gemma | Barnett | 01:28:44 | 261 | Female | 15 | L35 | 7 |
| 329 | 01:30:39 | Craig | Sephton | 01:30:03 | 326 | Male | 299 | M45 | 49 |
| 414 | 01:34:21 | Chris | Beard | 01:33:55 | 419 | Male | 363 | M50 | 32 |
| 504 | 01:37:22 | Geoff | Fawkes | 01:36:56 | 512 | Male | 436 | M45 | 80 |
| 577 | 01:39:37 | Mark | Pilliner | 01:39:11 | 596 | Male | 489 | M50 | 51 |
| 792 | 01:45:31 | Debbie | Broad | 01:44:44 | 805 | Female | 142 | L50 | 7 |
| 833 | 01:46:57 | Eleanor | Riches | 01:45:57 | 845 | Female | 154 | L45 | 26 |
| 891 | 01:48:08 | Mary | Tavener | 01:47:34 | 923 | Female | 174 | L55 | 2 |
| 961 | 01:49:44 | Colin | Rathbone | 01:48:55 | 989 | Male | 768 | M75 | 1 |
| 1400 | 02:00:38 | Joanne | Edwards | 01:59:11 | 1428 | Female | 379 | M55 | 14 |
| 1999 | 02:21:22 | Carole | Williams | 02:14:40 | 1915 | Female | 723 | L65 | 2 |
| 2373 | Finishers |
NORTHERN MASTERS AC CROSS COUNTRY - KNIGHTS GRANGE
9 Feb: Challenging weather conditions did not detract from VRAC paricipants! Sarah Murphy won the ladies race overall and W40 Gold, Debbie Moreton took W45 Gold, and Jayne Lomax W50 Silver. The three of them picking up W40 team Gold. Great to see Andy Gibbs again in VRAC colours and running strongly as ever with 5th overall and M55 Gold.
| Ladies 5k | Pos | Name | Cat | Time | Age Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah Murphy | L40 | 21.23 | Gold | |
| 5 | Debbie Moreton | L45 | 27.58 | Gold | |
| 8 | Jayne Lomax | L50 | 30.00 | Silver | |
| 16 | Finishers | ||||
| Men 8k | Pos | Name | Cat | Time | Age Group |
| 5 | Andy Gibbs | M55 | 31.28 | Gold | |
| 34 | Finishers |
ARMAGH 5K
14 Feb: Two of our fastest runners made the trip for this renowned super quick 5K. Robert Brown reports: It's a great race, you have to be sub 16 min 5k to enter and last night a new record of 13:43 won it. 12 runners went under 14 and 113 under 15 overall out of 202 finishers. The course is set on roads surrounding a park called The Mall in Armagh. They race over almost 5 manic laps. Conditions were perfect, 10 degrees and no wind on closed roads surrounded by high Georgian buildings. Chris Perry ran 14:25, a 12 second pb, Jacob Brown ran 14:40 for a 19 second pb. Tthe atmosphere is second to none. They preceded the 5k with 10 short age graded kids races and the women's 3k so there is no shortage of support all around the course.
| Pos | Name | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Chris PERRY | 00:14:25 | PB 12 Secs |
| 67 | Jacob BROWN | 00:14:40 | PB 19 Secs |
MANCHESTER LEAGUE RACE 5 - KENTWORTHY WOODS
9 Feb: Colin Rathbone reports: Excellent turnout for Vale Royal in the final match of the season at Kenworthy Woods on Saturday 9 February. 14 senior Men and 8 senior women contested the good conditions underfoot. Despite the valiant efforts of the men it looks likely that both the senior men’s team and vets men’s team will be relegated from the 1st Division. The Vets ladies faired well to maintain their position in the 1st Division, the Senior Women’s team despite fabulous performances (including a rare appearance for Katie Brough) closed the gap on 3rd place East Cheshire in the 2nd Division. Still awaiting final ratified results but according to Colin's calculations it looks like we are still 1 point adrift of 3rd place.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time | Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Katie Brough | L35 | 4 | 29.08 | 41 | Mark Crabtree | M40 | 10 | 35.14 | |
| 45 | Holly Carrington | 30.16 | 88 | Gareth Williams | M50 | 3 | 37.17 | |||
| 47 | Claire Thompson | L40 | 5 | 30.22 | 127 | Lee Carrington | 38.34 | |||
| 51 | Lucy Knight | 30.37 | 160 | Richard Murray | M50 | 16 | 39.21 | |||
| 56 | Mel Johnson | L35 | 11 | 30.57 | 165 | Tommy Armstrong | M40 | 37 | 39.30 | |
| 159 | Mary Tavener | L55 | 7 | 34.46 | 175 | Robert Roe | M40 | 40 | 39.42 | |
| 239 | Debbie Richardson | L50 | 31 | 40.40 | 199 | Matt Scott | M45 | 20 | 40.20 | |
| 258 | Carole Williams | L65 | 4 | 43.03 | 249 | Stephen Thompson | M55 | 6 | 42.00 | |
| 271 | Finishers | 252 | Chris Beard | M50 | 32 | 42.09 | ||||
| 278 | Mark Pilliner | M50 | 36 | 43.37 | ||||||
| 9/54 | Team | 4 count | 355 | John Clarke | M60 | 10 | 48.17 | |||
| 40/54 | Team | 4 count | 397 | Colin Rathbone | M70 | 3 | 54.22 | |||
| 3/54 | Vets Team | 3 count | 398 | Richard Pettitte | M55 | 28 | 54.43 | |||
| 46/54 | Vets Team | 3 count | 400 | Nick Mort | M55 | 30 | 55.00 | |||
| 402 | Finishers | |||||||||
| 17/50 | Team | 6 Count | ||||||||
| 42/50 | Team | 6 Count | ||||||||
| 25/50 | Vets Team | 4 Count | ||||||||
| 49/50 | Vets Team | 4 Count |
NICK BEER 10K - LLANDUDNO
10 Feb: Just one from VRAC this year for this challenging 10K around The Great Orme. Tony Dutton's report: I travelled to Llandudno for the 2019 Nick Beer 10k. It's basically a 10k around the great orme anti clockwise. Tough conditions with a headwind going up, but a decent workout with a Chip Time of 52:15 Pos. 252 from 598 runners.
| Name | Name | Gen Pos | Cat | Cat Pos | Gun | Pos | Chip | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony | Dutton | 202 | MV45 | 37 | 00:52:30 | 247 | 00:52:15 | 252 |
NORTHERN XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - PONTEFRACT
26 Jan: A number of VRACers at the Northern XC Champs at Pontefract
racecourse. The course was extremely firm, predominantly flat and
therefore very quick which suited some but not others. The senior men's
scoring 6 finished a very creditable 20th team out of 53 complete teams.
The individual highlight was Jacob Brown's superb debut in the senior
championship. Jacob was ably supported by Stu Doyle, Nathan Williams,
Mark Crabtree and Gareth Williams. Team completed by the perennial Colin
Rathbone now 75 and still racing! There were 704 finishers.
Unfortunately the ladies were unable to field a complete team due to
Helen Smith suffering a recurrence of a calf injury. Nevertheless Sarah
Murphy had another great run in conditions that did not suit her whilst
it was also great to see Amelia Pettitt competing again and Carole
Williams looking as strong and glamorous as ever! 376 finishers. Full results here.
| Ladies | Men | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Time | Name | Pos | Time | Name | |
| 28 | 30.40 | Sarah Murphy | 28 | 40.25 | Jacob Brown | |
| 42 | 31.41 | Amelia Pettitt | 87 | 42.30 | Stu Doyle | |
| 361 | 52.22 | Carole Williams | 114 | 43.34 | Nathan Willaims | |
| 376 | Finishers | 172 | 45.16 | Mark Crabtree | ||
| 246 | 47.00 | Gareth Williams | ||||
| 678 | 65.25 | Colin Rathbone | ||||
| 704 | Finishers | |||||
| Team | 20th of 53 | 6 count |
FOUR VILLAGES HALF MARATHON - HELSBY
20 Jan: Relief for organisers and runners alike that the weather did not threaten this years race. Indeed cool, calm conditions were good for running. A typically solid performance from Stu Doyle at the sharp end. Performance of the day came from Gary Richardson who sliced nearly 2 minutes off his PB. Next, another good race for Liz Renondeau who decided to race at short notice. Malcolm Hughes (pictured), Mary Tavener and Jayne Lomax all acquitting themselves well to complete the VRAC field.
| Pos | Gun | Name | Name | Chip | Pos | Gen | Pos | Cat | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 01:14:19 | Stuart | Doyle | 01:14:19 | 14 | Male | 14 | V45 | 2 | |
| 75 | 01:21:47 | Gary | Richardson | 01:21:37 | 74 | Male | 71 | V45 | 12 | PB |
| 80 | 01:22:18 | Elizabeth | Renondeau | 01:22:15 | 81 | Female | 5 | V35 | 2 | |
| 320 | 01:34:43 | Malcolm | Hughes | 01:34:30 | 329 | Male | 287 | V50 | 30 | |
| 651 | 01:45:26 | Mary | Tavener | 01:44:23 | 659 | Female | 107 | V55 | 8 | |
| 1059 | 01:57:39 | Jayne | Lomax | 01:57:01 | 1091 | Female | 223 | V50 | 21 | |
| 1632 | Finishers |
TWIN PIERS 10K - LLANDUDNO
19 Jan: Colin and Carole made their regular trip to Wales for this event. Here's their report: Good conditions for this scenic race from Llandudno Pier to what used to be Colwyn Bay Pier until they removed it. Just 3 Vale Royalers out. First home in his first 10k in an impressive time of 35.23 was Ed Pettit. Colin Rathbone just starting his London Marathon training was happy with his sub-50 mins and Carole picking up her training for the National xc.
Ed Pettit 35.23 3rd U20 12th overall
Colin Rathbone 49.56 4th V70 173rd overall
Carole Williams 60.51 2nd V65 321st overall
Total finishers 434
MANCHESTER LEAGUE RACE 4 - HEATON PARK
12 Jan: Good turn out from ladies and men, enough for multiple senior and vet teams. Some good racing at an unusually dry Heaton Park! Well done all. One more MACCL race to go at Kentworthy Woods 9th February. Let's round it off it style! Full results here.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Helen Smith | L45 | 4 | 39.15 |
| 48 | Claire Thompson | L40 | 8 | 39.34 |
| 60 | Holly Carrington | SL | 40.26 | |
| 80 | Mel Johnson | L35 | 12 | 41.11 |
| 121 | Jeanette Pope | L40 | 21 | 43.03 |
| 167 | Mary Tavener | L55 | 10 | 45.59 |
| 279 | Pauline Davies | L65 | 5 | 54.54 |
| 290 | Debbie Richardson | L50 | 30 | 56.49 |
| 295 | Carole Williams | L65 | 6 | 58.21 |
| 313 | Finishers | |||
| Team | 13th, 48th | |||
| Vets Team | 7th, 37th |
| Pos | Name | Cat | Cat Pos | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Nathan Williams | SM | 35.50 | |
| 42 | Mark Crabtree | M40 | 11 | 36.56 |
| 104 | Gareth Williams | M50 | 4 | 39.27 |
| 153 | Lewis Brown | SM | 40.39 | |
| 171 | Lee Carrington | SM | 40.58 | |
| 209 | Richard Murray | M50 | 15 | 42.08 |
| 223 | Robert Roe | M40 | 51 | 42.34 |
| 270 | Bob Corinaldi | M50 | 28 | 43.41 |
| 284 | Chris Beard | M50 | 31 | 44.08 |
| 286 | Mark Pilliner | M50 | 33 | 44.13 |
| 305 | Stephen Thompson | M55 | 13 | 45.09 |
| 403 | John Clarke | M60 | 11 | 50.36 |
| 456 | Richard Pettitt | M55 | 34 | 57.35 |
| 459 | Colin Rathbone | M70 | 6 | 58.59 |
| 464 | Nick Mort | M55 | 36 | 61.13 |
| 466 | Finishers | |||
| Team | 16th, 50th | 6 count | ||
| Vets Team | 13th, 31st, 54th | 4 count |
CHESHIRE XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - BIRCHWOOD
5 Jan: Terrific turnout and terrific results from ladies and men! Ladies taking 1st and 3rd in overall team and vets tea results. Brilliant effort, well done everyone.
| Pos. | Name | Cat | MV Pos. | Cat pos | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Jacob Brown | M | 4 | 35:12 | |
| 15 | Mark Crabtree | V40 | 4 | 3 | 38:45 |
| 47 | James Griffiths | M | 32 | 42:23 | |
| 50 | Tom Armstrong | V40 | 16 | 8 | 42:33 |
| 53 | Gary Richardson | V45 | 18 | 5 | 42:43 |
| 59 | Lee Carrington | M | 38 | 43:03 | |
| 64 | Darren Cottier | V45 | 23 | 7 | 43:30 |
| 65 | Matthew Scott | V45 | 24 | 8 | 43:33 |
| 69 | Rick Murray | V50 | 27 | 5 | 44:01 |
| 75 | Craig Todhunter | V45 | 33 | 11 | 44:38 |
| 76 | Chris Weedall | V40 | 34 | 12 | 44:40 |
| 80 | Robert Roe | V40 | 38 | 13 | 44:49 |
| 95 | Chris Beard | V50 | 51 | 11 | 46:10 |
| 97 | John Thompson | V50 | 53 | 13 | 46:18 |
| 100 | David Haines | V45 | 56 | 17 | 46:49 |
| 106 | Mark Pilliner | V50 | 61 | 16 | 47:21 |
| 114 | Geoff Fawkes | V45 | 69 | 20 | 48:09 |
| 142 | Anthony Dutton | V45 | 95 | 26 | 53:08 |
| 154 | Richard Pettitt | V55 | 106 | 15 | 1:01:23 |
| 157 | Finishers | ||||
| Team | 4th and 9th | 6 Count | |||
| Vets Team | 3rd, 6th, 11th, 19th | 4 Count |
| Pos. | Name | Cat | LV Pos. | Cat pos | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sarah Murphy | V40 | 1 | 1 | 32:31 |
| 3 | Liz Renondeau | V35 | 2 | 1 | 32:41 |
| 10 | Chloe Broad | L | 6 | 34:40 | |
| 14 | Chloe Dooley | L | 9 | 35:46 | |
| 17 | Clara Pettitt | L | 12 | 36:39 | |
| 19 | Sophie Smith | L | 13 | 37:09 | |
| 20 | Helen Smith | V45 | 7 | 2 | 37:11 |
| 27 | Claire Thompson | V40 | 12 | 4 | 38:18 |
| 30 | Holly Carrington | L | 17 | 39:05 | |
| 38 | Melanie Johnson | V35 | 20 | 5 | 40:06 |
| 45 | Jeanette Pope | V40 | 26 | 8 | 40:50 |
| 59 | Liz Gale | V40 | 38 | 11 | 43:22 |
| 68 | Jayne Lomax | V50 | 46 | 3 | 44:16 |
| 69 | Jo Edwards | V55 | 47 | 5 | 44:26 |
| 84 | Debbie Richardson | V50 | 61 | 9 | 51:53 |
| 90 | Finishers | ||||
| Team | 1st, 3rd,7th, 14th | 3 count | |||
| Vets Team | 1st, 3rd, 11th | 3 count |
PARKRUN TOURISM
1 Jan: Belated report from Geoff Fawkes NYD double 'up north'. Two counties and two rivers double he did on New Years Day:
9am - Riverside in County Durham - 3 laps in a park right next to River Wear with Lumley Castle and Durham County Cricket Ground in the background, coming 73rd out of 500. Then a 22 mile drive to get to Prudhoe Riverside for a 10.30am start - this time in the County of Northumberland running alongside the River Tyne, 2 laps of a trail country park, coming 46th out of 400. Ran negative splits for both races, with the second one quicker (albeit a harder course) and overall 30 seconds quicker than 2018 New Year's Day double!