Vale Royal AC - Senior Section - Oct 2017


RACE REPORTS please email us at [email protected] with news and results.

SALFORD 10K

30 Mar: Just 4 VRAC attended this long standing Good Friday race hosted by Salford Harriers. The course is a two lap race and attracts a decent standard. Matt Sheen was first home with his first sub 31 minute 10k of 30.58. Liz Renondeau was next back with a solid 38.34. A first 10k for almost 18 months saw Helen Whitby make a comeback with another solid performance of 41.51. Last home and tantalisingly close to his going sub 43 was Tony Dutton. Tony should still be happy with his progress and a PB with 43.00. Full Results.

NORTHERN 12 STAGE ROAD RELAYS

25 Mar: The Senior Men fielded a strong team in Sunday’s Northern 12 Stage Road Relays at Birkenhead Park. The team had a good blend of youth and experience and it was great to witness the team spirit. The weather and surroundings were excellent with a mildly undulating course and we managed an excellent 12th place, easily beating our previous best position of 30th, holding our own against the biggest clubs in the North of England and taking some impressive scalps in the process. Just 4 ladies ran so they ranked as an incomplete team. This did not detract from some strong performances from Mel Johnson, Pauline Davies, Hollie Carrington and Carole Woilliams. Full resuts here. Pics courtesy John Davies in Gallery.

CARDIFF 10K

25 Mar: Race report from Brian Dooley (and proud dad moment) for one of our away from home seniors – Chloe Dooley.

After the recent bad weather the conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for great road racing and to quote Chloe “Tears of happiness (and exhaustion 😂) at the end of today’s Cardiff Bay 10km! Couldn’t be happier to have taken a minute off my PB running 38:44. Makes all the hard training sessions worth it”

Chip time 38:44, 1st female U20

Chloe was running in her second claim colours of Cardiff University, she’s currently studying physiotherapy there. Certainly looks like the training sessions with James Thie’s elite group are paying off.

BRITISH MASTERS XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - FORRES, SCOTLAND

17 Mar: Thanks to John Davies for the report. Saturday dawned bright and breezy but dry, checking out the 6k course around the lovely Grant Park we were very surprised to find it was completely dry which would suit Pauline.The atmosphere at the start was enhanced by the local pipe band and further enhanced by a well - timed flurry of snow. The first small loop saw Pauline settle in around mid field, Scottish w65 champion Linden Nicholson was already well up the field with fellow Northern Master Barbara Brown (Wolds Vets) opening a 50m gap over Pauline which put Pauline in bronze position at the start of the long climb the locals call Horrible Hill an aptly named one 300m long, the large loop saw the runners disappear into the woodland - on re-emerging on to the park as expected Linden Nicholson was still well to the fore some 3mins ahead of Barbara Brown, relieved to see Pauline back still running strong in a safe bronze category position well pleased to finish only 30 secs down on the silver. The hospitality and friendliness of the local people and in particular the organising club Forres Harriers was amazing, if the championships were held there again there would be at least 2 vrac-ers making the long journey north.

WIGAN 5K

18 Mar: Just two VRAC members made the short trip to Wigan to one of the few surviving races this weekend. Another podium position and PB for Andrew Miles who finished 3rd in 16.10. Not to be outdone was dad Graham Miles who was 1st vet 50 in 19.00. Graham's fastest 5k since the summer of 2016. Full Results.

Here is Graham's first hand report:
"One of the few races to survive the weather was the Wigan 5k which Andrew and myself decided to venture to. The race was in some doubt but a few course changes enabled the race to go ahead.The course was an out and back course, with the first half predominately downhill with the wind behind and then the turn round was into a freezing wind(still no shirts under vest were worn though!). Andrew went off and was just behind the lead two for most of the way, after passing the over enthusiastic starters. He was just off the front pair for the rest of the race and finished in third in a chip time of 16.10 just 19 seconds behind the winner and defending champion. I completed the first half in 9.11, then turned into the wind and the hill, which slowed me somewhat but managed to finish in a chip time of 19 minutes exactly, in 26th place overall and 1st Vet 50.Due to the conditions most people’s times were slower so I was quite pleased with the time. The race had the feel of a larger town race, as over 1200 people started. A race I would go back to, but even without the weather it is not a pb course."

BARCELONA MARATHON

11 Mar: 5 VRAC made the trip to Catalonia for the Barcelona Marathon. The weather conditions were perfect with even the odd spot of rain. Mike Harrington was first back managing to sneak under the 3 hour mark. At his second Barcelona marathon (2016) Gary Richardson improved on his time by over 10 minutes. Dave Haines next and with both he and Gary running solid even paced races they secured their good for age places for the 2019 London Marathon. Nick Haywood by his own admittance had an uncomfortable second half and was pleased to finish. Another debutante Jill Haines completed the line up for Vale Royal and is to be congratulated for a fantastic achievement. The organisation and atmosphere could not be any better and the race is highly recommended. (Sorry no pic for Jill... yet)

POSITION	NAME	Gun	Chip
341	MICHAEL HARRINGTON	02:57:32	02:57:15
703	GARY RICHARDSON	03:07:17	03:05:58
1278	DAVID HAINES	03:16:14	03:14:55
4125	NICK HAYWOOD	03:43:02	03:41:43
11652	JILL HAINES	05:00:25	04:42:38

KNIGHTON 20

11 Mar: Not as exotic as Barcelona but a good lead up race for London for 3 Vale Royalers who have ambitions in the capital. With over a 1000 ft of climb the Knighton 20, formerly known as the Stafford 20, consisting of 3 laps around the undulating lanes of Staffordshire, was well supported by 264 runners.

61st. Joe Cavanagh. 2:30:35. 17th M40
87th. Nikki Cavanagh. 2:38:50. 5th F40
231st. Carole Williams. 3:34:31. 1st F65.

INTERCOUNTIES XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - LOUGHBOROUGH

11 Mar: We had a number of runners out representing Cheshire in the senior men's and ladies events. Conditions were muddy to say the least! Sarah Murphy led home the Cheshire team in 47th place overall and 4th v40 with Chloe Broad and Carolyn Dooley both making their senior county debuts at opposite ends of the age spectrum! Chloe finished an excellent 152nd with Carolyn looking strong in the mud in a very creditable 235th. The team finished 14th. Matt Sheen was first Cheshire runner home in 85th following a very fast 1st lap with Stu Doyle 2nd home for the county (albeit out of only 3 runners) with 107th overall and 1st v45.

CHESTER ULTRA

11 Mar: Marathons are not enough for some strange VRACers these days. Bob Corinaldi has the Comrades in his diary and both he and David Shepherd took the opportunity to tackle the local 50+ mile Chester Ultra. Brilliant races from both of them. David Shepherd's summary: "51 of the toughest possible miles done. Finished 40th out of 230+ runners. Felt like a 50 mile XC race. Both me and Bob chose different plans on walk breaks and pace but bizarrely we stayed within a few minutes of each other for the whole race. We were warned but the last 6 miles along the canal to the finish was torture but it was probably the previous 44 miles of wallowing in the mud that caused that.".

Bob Corinaldi gives us a further insight: "What can I say, Picked the number up the night before & laid awake all night listening to the rain. Having done some of the recce's I knew how muddy it would be. It didn't disappoint, if you weren't on a road section, or the towpath out of Chester, then you were ankle to shin deep in mud / water. From the start, I stuck to my run / walk strategy which was quite tough when you see everyone disappear into the distance. Glad to say it paid off as throughout the second half I steadily climbed through the field. Shep seemed to have a similar strategy and throughout the run both myself & Shep changed places regularly.The climb through Frodsham & the first corn field on the Sandstone trail took their toll & Shep sailed past at 40m, quite literally walking on water (it seemed like that from where I was standing anyway). I faceplanted in the field just before CP6 & when I got there I was told I was 50th so get some sugar down and don't lose the place! So off I went down the canal of doom (it's about 7 miles of never ending muddy towpath). I arranged for moral support on this stretch with my daughter Katrina running alongside. Took me a mile to catch her as she hadn't allowed for the combination of old age and 44 miles! I got overtaken but also overtook others, faceplanted again, this time nearly into the canal, I had no idea how I was doing. Staggered over the line in 10hrs 24ish to be told I was 48th! Speechless. I had secret hopes of sneaking into the top 100 but 48th? Way beyond my expectations."

David shepherd 40th in 10 hrs 12 mins

Bob Corinaldi. 48th in 10 hrs 24 mins

236 Finishers

CHESTER 10K

4 Mar: 7 VRAC ran the inaugural Chester 10k organised by the team behind the Chester Half and Chester Marathon. Not a particularly quick course with the final 2km being uphill but well organised as you would expect. Chris Perry was 1st VRAC home and was placed 3rd overall. Chris Williams was next back and clearly in good shape as he defied logic and earned a big PB. George Thompson was next followed by Chris Standidge in a rare outing in VRAC colours, Mike Harrington and Jodie Thompson. All four appeared to be a minute or so slower than expected which was probably a combination of the course and weather. Young 'senior' Curtis Rodway completed the VRAC team and was only a few seconds outside of his PB. .

Pos	Gun	Name		Chip	Gender	Pos	Cat	Pos
3	31:53:00	Christopher	Perry	31:53:00	Male	3	MSEN	3
6	32:29:00	Chris	Williams	32:29:00	Male	6	MSEN	6
12	35:37:00	George	Thompson	35:36:00	Male	10	MSEN	9
14	35:47:00	Chris	Standidge	35:45:00	Male	12	MSEN	11
21	37:11:00	Michael	Harrington	37:10:00	Male	18	MV45	1
29	38:36:00	Jodie	Spencer	38:35:00	Female	4	FSEN	4
35	39:05:00	Curtis	Rodway	39:03:00	Male	31	MSEN	25

CLOUD 9 - CONGLETON

4 Mar: Just 3 from VRAC in this years Cloud 9 fell race. Another excellent run from Lee Carrington to lead VRAC home. Darren Cottier next with an in form (Feb AOM) Chris Beard close on his heels. Full results here.

Pos	Name	Time	Cat	Cat Pos
37	Lee Carrington	71.36	Sen	17/40
72	Darren Cottier	78.43	M45	14/32
76	Chris Beard	79.05	M45	16/32
221	Finishers

MANCHESTER XC LEAGUE SERIES RESULTS

Quite a wait for the season’s cumulative team results for the Manchester xc league but in the main good news. Vale Royal have spent the 2017/18 season in Division 2 in all senior and vets categories. However with some good turnouts, especially at Wythenshawe with a 15 men and 8 women turnout the final results mean that the top 3 teams in each event win promotion. Unfortunately senior women were only placed 4th by a single point but Senior Men 2nd, Vet Men 3rd and Vet Women 3rd means that those 3 teams will, subject to final ratification, be promoted to Divisions 1 next season. Exceptionally good performances by the women as they were in Division 3, senior & vets, in the 2016/17 season. Well done everyone. Let us make sure we stay in the upper tiers next year. All results can be found on maccl.com website (here) including the details of the presentation evening on the 2 March at Wilmslow Rugby Club. (Col, Carole & Julie will be there.)

VILLAGE BAKERY WREXHAM HALF MARATHON

25 Feb: The first of the 2018 races from the Mike Harrington stable saw a record entry of almost 2300 runners. The weather conditions were perfect for a half marathon and a number of the 15 strong VRAC contingency were rewarded with PBs. First home with a huge PB was relative newcomer to the club Andy McQue. Chris Jones and Rick Murray came in next to complete a hat-trick of PBs. Gemma Barnett had another solid run and was unlucky not to be in the prizes. Nick Haywood and Dave Haines came in next with steady runs in the final weeks of training for the Barcelona marathon. Chris Beard 'PBd' next with a great run just outside the 90 minute mark. Anthony Atkinson, an agonising 10 seconds outside his PB was back next with Lisa Meadows not too far behind with a PB. The combination of getting over a few niggles and those ruthless Bernie Jones Saturday sessions paying off. Debbie Broad was in next looking in great form with her London marathon on the horizon. Colin Rathbone who won his age category was next home followed by Jill Haines also in the final stage of Barcelona marathon training. Next in was another VRAC runner with a marathon looming was Carole Williams in 2.15. Jo Edwards brought up the rear whilst on pacing duties for her daughter. Full Results

Special mention to Gary Richardson, John Todd and Dave Gough who acted as pacemakers in the race and did a fantastic job.

Pos	Gun	Name		Chip	Pos	Gender	Pos	Cat	Pos
24	01:15:41	Andrew	McQue	01:15:40	24	Male	24	Vet 35	7	PB
46	01:18:24	Chris	Jones	01:18:21	47	Male	45	Vet 35	10	PB
104	01:23:07	Richard	Murray	01:22:50	103	Male	100	Vet 50	4	PB
184	01:27:31	Gemma	Barnett	01:27:20	186	Female	9	Vet 35	2
247	01:29:53	Nick	Haywood	01:29:19	240	Male	232	Vet 35	46
264	01:30:10	David	Haines	01:29:36	253	Male	247	Vet 45	44
292	01:31:30	Chris	Beard	01:30:17	275	Male	269	Vet 45	53	PB
486	01:38:32	John	Todd	01:37:32	486	Male	433	Vet 55	20
591	01:41:55	Anthony	Atkinson	01:40:41	595	Male	510	Vet 45	98
688	01:44:40	Lisa	Meadows	01:43:24	697	Female	103	Vet 45	12	PB
904	01:51:10	Debbie	Broad	01:49:43	926	Female	175	Vet 50	12
907	01:51:12	Colin	Rathbone	01:50:29	952	Male	732	Vet 70	1
1309	02:04:25	Jill	Haines	02:00:54	1292	Female	352	Vet 45	55
1567	02:16:52	carol	williams	02:14:27	1575	Female	506	Vet 65	5
1831	02:40:51	Joanne	Edwards	02:37:21	1829	Female	689	Vet 55	24
1873	Finishers

RHYL 10 MILE

24 Feb: Thanks to Craig Sephton for the following report: "Mary Tavener and myself ran at the above race, although I assume there were other VR athletes on the course whom shouted encouragement as I passed them on the return. Typically a windy 10 miles but the bright blue skies helped with retaining some warmth on a cold morning. Full results here.

Mary came first in her AG 55-59 - chip time 1:17:07

Craig came 8th in the 45 -49 AG - chip time 1:02:20 Pb

KNYPE POOL 5 MILE

25 Feb: The after effects of her Big Apple trip and bitter weather were not enough to deter Debbie Moreton. "Lone VRACer for this very enjoyable off road race organised by Biddulph Running Club. The scenery was wonderful, the course icy and muddy in parts but my sort of race. However it was so cold that I had to wear a tshirt under my vest! However in my defence had jet lag, bit of a hangover and a stinking cold so feeling mardy! 45 min 52 sec".

OULTON PARK 10K AND HALF MARATHON

25 Feb: Report from Graham Miles:As an alternative to the village bakery Wrexham half marathon three members went to take the closer but more undulating (hilly I would call it) Asics Oulton Park 10km.The course was two and three quarter laps of Oulton Park race track.I only entered on Tuesday,after Andrew entered and had no great expectations for the race,but as it was a local race I had not done before thought I would give it a go,as I would be watching anyway.It was a cold and windy morning but there were no signs of shirts underneath vests,even though some young people needed arm warmers! Andrew and myself started on the front line,and Andrew ran off not to be seen until the finish. Andrew led from start to finish and won the race by 50 seconds in a new course record (again by 50 seconds) of 33.42 from two Asics forerunners(apparently they blog for Asics so get kit etc from Asics).The race also was slightly long and was recorded to be between 6.30 and 6.32 miles.I started relatively conservatively (well conservatively for me) and was 13th early on. After 2 laps of the course I had moved up to 9th but was passed on the final hill and even though got back to 9th could not hold this,and was passed again in the last 200 meters.I crossed the line in 38.42 to finish 10th overall and 1st Vet 50, which I won by 9 ½ minutes. I was pleased with the time, given the nature of the undulating course and the weather conditions.The third member of our group was Mel Johnson.Mel ran very well to finish 3rd lady and 2nd vet 35 in 43.53. She was pleased how the race had gone and it was nice to see her on the podium at the end. All in all a good day,not the most interesting of courses but worth a run, if you have not run this race before.

David Humphries took on the half marathon event as part of his build up for the Manchester Marathon and was rewarded with a great PB. Here's his report.
"Ran this on Sunday as part of my Manchester Marathon training and despite some concerns running 6 times round the same route, was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Possibly something to do with a PB of 1:30:42 some 5 mins quicker than any previous so the long miles paying off."

NATIONAL XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - PARLIAMENT HILL, LONDON

24 Feb: Due to injury and illness VRAC only had 2 finishers in each of the 2 senior races at the iconic Parliament Hill National XC champs. We had 3 starters in the mens race but Sam Whitehead unfortunately didn't finish. The fields were enormous, possibly even records, with more than 2300 male and 1100 female finishers and the course had a good mixture of hills, mud and fast firm running. Matt Sheen was the standout performer with a superb 42nd place taking some real scalps in the process. Stu Doyle was 180th and 1st v45 (he has now won his age group in Northerns and National so just needs the inter-counties in 2 weeks to complete the set!). Sarah Murphy also had a very solid run to finish 52nd - she was 4th v40 but only 10 secs off 2nd. Emma Pyatt had another strong run and came through well to finish 611th. Full results here.

STANDISH HALL TRAIL 10K

24 Feb: Tony Dutton has struggled with injury. Good to see him get his 2018 campaign underway,

"The Standish Hall Trail Race 10k, considering I've been injured throughout the start this year, got to be happy to get through it. Lots of mud, hills and completely off road. Not the best picture, freezing cold, muddy shoes, muddy face, standing outside a hotel (Race HQ) on a busy main road with a free Wigan Pie."

ARMAGH 5K

15 Feb: Just two VRAC made the journey to Northern Ireland to take part in this quality 5k in which 91 runners squeezed under the 15 min mark. Chris Perry was 1st home in a PB time of 14.42 followed by Matt Sheen who was just outside his PB with a time of 15.07. Full results

NORTHERN VETS XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - ASHTON UNDER LYNE

11 Feb: A diminished bunch of Vale Royal old timers and not so old timers turned out for this good spirited race around the East Cheshire Harriers hq at Ashton. Two races, the 5k for women and over-70 men and the 10k for all men vets under 70. Well deserved rewards were team gold for Women and gold for overall winner and 1st over 40 Claire Thompson in an exciting sprint finish. Pauline Davies was 2nd over 65, Carole Williams 3rd over 65, and Colin Rathbone 5th over 70 man. In the 10k John Stephen Thompson was 3rd over 50, a powerful run well deserved position. John, Claire, Colin and Carole had all competed at Wythenshawe the previous day! Conditions were an improvement on the mudfest at Wythenshawe. More great oics courtesy John Davies in gallery here.

MANCHESTER XC LEAGUE RACE 5 - WYTHENSHAWE PARK

More muddy pics in Gallery

10 Feb: Another great turnout from VRAC in the final race of the season. Due to the heavy rain the majority of the course was ankle deep in mud and a real test of stamina and resilience. It had been well churned up in time for the senior men and women's race. Claire Thompson had a strong run over the 5 mile course and was first lady home for VRAC in 22nd place in a notoriously strong field. Lucy Knight was next in despite a number of falls and slips, followed by Hollie Carrington, Julie Annable (2nd in age group) and Lisa Meadows. The ever present Debbie Moreton was next home followed by Mary Taverner and ably supported by cross country stalwart Carole Williams. In the men's race which was just under 6 miles new 'signing' Mark Crabtree had a great debut although unable to count for us until his transfer fully goes through next month. Mark finished 41st claiming some decent local scalps. There was some good grouping after Mark as Lee Carrington, Matt Scott, Chris Weedall, Steven Thompson, Gareth Williams, Robert Roe and Mike Harrington all came in within around a minute of each other. Rick Murray was not far behind followed by Dave Haines who was nervously protecting a slight groin strain. Next in was Dave Roberts, Chris Beard and then another cross country stalwart John Clarke. Richard Pettitt and Colin Rathbone came in next just a few seconds apart. Everyone is to be congratulated in sticking that one out. Full Results.

FOOTNOTE: Results for the series here. Congratulations in particular to Julie Annable and Colin Rathbone second in their categories and third for Carole WIlliams.

Pos	Name	Cat	Cat Pos	Time	Pos	Name	Cat	Cat Pos	Time
22	Claire Thompson	L40	3	39.32	41	Mark Crabtree	M		41.58
38	Lucy Knight	L		40.41	111	Lee Carrington	M		45.42
79	Hollie Carrington	L		43.33	113	Matt Scott	M45	14	45.49
109	Julie Annable	L55	2	45.39	118	Chris Weedall	M		46.06
134	Debbie Moreton	L45	18	47.05	126	Stephen Thompson	M50	13	46.21
139	Mary Tavener	L55	4	47.38	137	Gareth Williams	M45	20	46.38
244	Carole Williams	L65	4	68.22	141	Robert Roe	M		46.49
254	Finishers				147	Mike Harrington	M45	24	47.00
					161	Rick Murray	M50	18	47.28
13th/51	Team 6 Count				218	Dave Haines	M45	34	50.30
37th/51	Team 6 Count				236	Dave Roberts	M40	40	51.50
12th/47	Vets Team 4 Count				279	Chris Beard	M45	43	54.27
33rd/47	Vets Team 4 Count				297	John Clarke	M60	7	56.00
					345	Richard Pettitt	M55	20	62.21
					349	Colin Rathbone	M70	3	62.49
					360	Finishers

					18th/45	Team 6 Count
					38th/45	Team 6 Count
					13th/42	Vets Team 4 Count
					30th/42	Vets Team 4 Count

ALSAGER 5

4 Feb: This race has been traditionally well supported by VRAC for many years and 2018 was no exception. Some great performances from some of our younger 'Seniors'. First back in 10th place was 800m specialist Jacob Brown with a fantastic 25.53. Next with a huge PB was Andrew Miles followed by Oliver Williams with another big PB. Liz Renondeau was 1st female home just outside the 30 min mark but fastest 5 miler since 2015. Craig Sephton was just outside of his PB followed closely by Graham Miles whose consistent injury free training is paying off. Making her debut at this distance was Andrea Hilldrup with a creditable 30.52.. This was also a 5m debut for Robert Roe and Kate Moulds and both had great runs. Dave Haines who is in heavy marathon training was next home followed by another marathon stalwart Jayne Lomax. Pauline Davies was next VRAC clinching her category prize. Last VRAC home was Jill Haines who is also only 5 weeks away from her marathon debut.

Finally a mention to second claim Ed Shepherd who regularly trains at Knights Grange and finished 2nd overall in a stunning 24.34. Full results.

Pos	Name	Gun	Chip	Cat	Cat Pos	Gender	GenPos
10	Jacob Brown	00:25:53	00:25:53	MSEN	10	m	10
18	Andrew Miles	00:26:23	00:26:23	MSEN	15	m	18
27	Oliver Williams	00:27:05	00:27:04	MSEN	23	m	26
79	Elizabeth Renondeau	00:30:04	00:30:02	F35	3	f	11
88	Craig Sephton	00:30:36	00:30:30	M45	8	m	75
97	Graham Miles	00:30:51	00:30:49	M50	4	m	84
99	Andrea Hildrup	00:30:55	00:30:52	F35	4	f	14
109	Robert Roe	00:31:23	00:31:19	MSEN	66	m	93
139	Kate Moulds	00:32:33	00:32:29	FSEN	9	f	21
145	David Haines	00:32:40	00:32:37	M45	14	m	123
408	Jayne Lomax	00:39:48	00:39:43	F50	6	f	85
478	Pauline Davies	00:41:29	00:41:20	F65	1	f	117
534	Jill Haines	00:42:51	00:42:12	F45	15	f	134

Great photos from Bryan Dale here.

SOUTHPORT MAD DOG 10K

4 Feb: Looks like Chris Griffiths enjoyed another visit to the Mad Dog 10k. He feels at home there. Apparently not his quickest run but why let that get in way of having fun and acquiring what must be the goody bag of the year. Well done Chris.

GRIZDALE TRAIL MARATHON

4 Feb: Another excellent endurance race for David Shepherd. Here's how it went.

"Perfect weather for a Lake District marathon. What better way to spend a day. As still training for the Chester Ultra In March I came up with a plan to run the first half easy and then race the much tougher and technical 2nd half as a negative split. I just failed to do it but made up over 90 places which is a great fun way to run a marathon." Pic: He was joined by Helen Lonsdale NRC.

4:23.31
25th overall
195 finishers

NORTHERN XC CHAMPIONSHIPS - LEEDS

27 Jan: It was the first time that Harewood House, near Leeds. had staged the Northern XC champs and it proved to be a great success. A superb setting and a course that contained mud, hills but also plenty of good running conditions too.The younger members of the club excelled although Andy will mention those in his report however from a senior perspective we also had a very successful trip.Matt Sheen and Sam Whitehead ran the senior race for the first time and had superb debuts coming home in 13th and 21st place respectively. Stu Doyle was next home in 66th (1st v45) followed by Ryan Moore, just outside the top 100 and Gareth Williams (300th) with John Clarke completing the scoring 6 which brought the team home in 16th out of 57 teams. Richard Pettitt and Col Rathbone completed the VRAC turnout with the former coming home marginally ahead but Col taking 3rd v70. In the ladies event Sarah Murphy delivered a superb performance, as she always does, with 20th overall and 1st v40. She was ably supported by Liz Renondeau (42nd and 5th v35), Clara Pettitt (120th) and Lucy Knight (160th) to enable the team to finish in an excellent 11th out of 53. Senior mens results here. Senior women here. Pics from Rob Brown here.

4 VILLAGES HALF MARATHON - HELSBY

21 Jan: Characteristically filthy conditions for this local event. Wet, cold, windy and roads covered in slush most of the way meant that times were somewhat slower than normal for most people with the race being won in 69 mins, a slow winning time by normal standards. James Ainsworth bucked the trend running a great race and rewarded with a terrific PB and two bloody nipples. Gemma Barnett is back in good form well below the 1 hour 30 mark taking 2nd in her category. Excellent run from Chris Beard with a big PB after clocking up the miles in training. VRAC (Doyle, Ainsworth, Standidge and Richardson) picked up the mens team prize. The race also incorporated the Northern Masters AC (NMAC) event with VRAC picking up 5 medals (see table below). Great effort.

Pos	Gun	Name		Chip	Pos	Gen	Pos	Cat	Pos	NMAC	Medal
9	01:16:50	Stuart	Doyle	01:16:48	9	M	9	Vet 45	1	V45	Gold
12	01:17:44	James	Ainsworth	01:17:42	12	M	12	Vet 40	2	V40	Gold	PB
38	01:21:27	Chris	Standidge	01:21:25	39	M	37	SM	25
69	01:25:03	Gary	Richardson	01:24:38	64	M	64	Vet 40	13
90	01:26:22	Lee	Carrington	01:26:11	91	M	85	SM	51
93	01:26:29	Brian	Dooley	01:26:20	94	M	88	Vet 45	13
116	01:27:51	Nick	Haywood	01:27:31	117	M	110	SM	64
132	01:28:59	Gemma	Barnett	01:28:47	134	F	7	Vet 35	2
154	01:30:04	Michael	Harrington	01:29:55	156	M	144	Vet 45	26
156	01:30:08	Carolyn	Dooley	01:29:58	158	F	11	Vet 40	4	V40	Silver
180	01:31:53	Craig	Sephton	01:31:32	180	M	165	Vet 45	30
183	01:31:57	Malcolm	Hughes	01:31:41	184	M	168	Vet 50	11
231	01:34:30	David	Haines	01:34:09	231	M	213	Vet 45	39
241	01:35:02	Chris	Beard	01:34:38	243	M	222	Vet 45	43			PB
308	01:38:00	Joseph	Cavanagh	01:36:56	302	M	275	Vet 40	55
562	01:46:28	Mary	Tavener	01:45:42	578	F	81	Vet 55	2	V55	Gold
867	01:56:23	Jayne	Lomax	01:54:49	882	F	160	Vet 50	11	V50	Silver
1275	02:12:27	Jill	Haines	02:09:49	1268	F	326	Vet 45	57
1559	Finishers

SNETTERTON RACE TRACK 10K

13 Jan: Sarah Griffiths finished first female in this race that is 2 laps of the iconic race circuit. Sarah finished 13th overall in a time of 38.06. Well done.

MANCHESTER LEAGUE XC RACE 4 - WOODBANK PARK

14 Jan: Good turnout for Vale Royal seniors on Saturday at Woodbank Park, Stockport in the 4th of the Manchester xc league events with 7 women and 9 men turning out. With Vale Royal vying for promotion to Division 1 in all 4 categories (senior Men, vets men, senior women & vets women - no cumulative team results yet after Saturday but after the 3rd match at Kenworthy Woods, we were senior Men 4th, Vet Men 3rd, senior women 2nd and Vet women 1st - top 3 teams will be promoted to Division 1.) so let’s get a good turnout for the last race in the series at Wythenshawe Park on 10 Feb. Good to see 3 top end Vale Royal men on Saturday - Chris Williams 6th overall, Stu Doyle 14th (1st over 45) & Ryan Moore 24th ably supported by John Thompson, Mark Pilliner & Dave Haines to make up the senior men’s team other good performances by Chris Beard & Barry Chambers (great to see Barry out - he ran the Parkrun in the morning) & a disappointing run for Colin Rathbone (Ed: who wrote this report of course!). Unfortunately John Clarke had to pull out with a calf strain. Good efforts by the women with Claire Thompson & Holly Carrington well up in the field with good support by Julie Annable (5th v55), Lisa Meadows, Debbie Moreton, Jill Haines & Pauline Davies (3rd v65). For those who are acquainted with Woodbank Park there is a formidable hill with the more testing zigzag option being chosen on this occasion. Respect to all those who ran, let’s get promotion leading teams out on 10 Feb. Note: Jill Haines blueberry cake was well received after the races. Full results here. Cumulative age category results for the series after 4 races here.

TELFORD 10K

7 Jan: Chris Perry was the sole VRAC representative. The race had been rearranged due to a cancellation during the snow in December. Chris was rewarded with a huge PB of 30:48 and such is the standard of the race that this was only good enough for 21st place. Full results

CHESHIRE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - DELAMERE

6 Jan: Fantastic cross country day for VRAC who hosted the Cheshire Cross Country Championships at a brand new venue at Delamere. The challenges of designing, setting and marshalling a new course should not be underestimated and thanks to all those who made it happen so successfully. The route certainly tested the field with sections of mud, a long tough climb, a tricky descent and the opportunity for some fast running on the grass field. Good to see senior ladies and men support the event with a great turnout throughout the age categories. And what a result! In the ladies race the first 3 places went to VRAC the trio being Amelia Pettitt, Sarah Murphy and Liz Renondeau. The ladies took gold and silver senior team places and silver vets team. The men had 4 individulas in the top 10 and took gold in the senior team event and silver in the vets. An excellent 2nd overall to Matt Sheen and 6th overall and 1st vet to the 'master' Stu Doyle. No less effort further back in the field with some hard fought battles and a few spills including a tumble from James Ainsworth (2nd M40). Age category wins for Sarah Murphy, Liz Renondeau, Pauline Davies and Stu Doyle. On the lighter side this was Gary Richardson's first ('and last' he says!) venture into the tough world of XC. It was duly noted that despite friendly advice Gary chose to disregard the unwritten 'no under vests for racing' rule and preferred to keep in touch with his feminine side sporting a tight fitting little grey number. Oh dear. Well done everyone. Full results and more great pics courtesy of Rob Brown here. Don't forget (Gary) the next XC is Manchester League, Stockport Saturday 13 Jan.

Pos.	Name	Category	LV Pos.	Cat pos	Time
1	Amelia Pettitt	L		1	33:02
2	Sarah Murphy	V40	1	1	33:31
3	Liz Renondeau	V35	2	1	33:59
12	Chloe Broad	L		4	38:21
13	Clara Pettitt	L		5	38:32
14	Carolyn Dooley	V40	9	4	39:17
19	Claire Thompson	V40	13	7	39:59
29	Lucy Knight	L		10	40:54
32	Holly Carrington	L		11	41:22
41	Jeanette Pope	V40	28	13	42:33
54	Lucy Burch	L		17	44:52
64	Jayne Lomax	V50	47	5	46:05
68	Mary Tavener	V55	51	5	46:38
70	Jo Edwards	V55	53	6	46:51
84	Liz Gale	V40	66	24	49:21
97	Jill Haines	V45	77	17	51:39
103	Pauline Davies	V65	81	1	53:58
120	Finishers

Teams A - D	1st, 2nd, 6th, 18th	3 count	31 teams in all
Teams A - C	1st, 8th, 17th	3 count	25 teams in all

Pos.	Name	Category	MV Pos.	Cat pos	Time
2	Matt Sheen	M		2	40:26
6	Stuart Doyle	V45	1	1	42:51
7	Chris Williams	M		6	43:07
10	Oliver Williams	M		9	44:15
13	Ryan Moore	M		11	45:20
23	James Ainsworth	V40	7	2	48:05
38	Lee Carrington	M		24	49:49
47	Brian Dooley	V45	20	7	50:56
68	Robert Roe	M		36	52:11
75	John Thompson	V50	39	8	52:40
82	Dave Shepherd	V50	45	12	53:16
85	Chris Weedall	V40	47	14	53:21
94	Gary Richardson	V40	52	15	54:12
103	Tony Archer	V60	58	4	54:46
105	Rick Murray	V50	60	17	54:56
109	David Humphreys	V40	64	18	55:07
110	Tom Armstrong	V40	65	19	55:12
116	Rob Corinaldi	V45	69	20	55:53
122	Mark Pilliner	V50	73	20	56:45
127	David Roberts	V40	77	23	57:45
139	Geoff Fawkes	V45	87	23	59:02
145	Chris Beard	V45	93	25	1:00:04
156	John Clarke	V60	103	10	1:01:52
174	Steve Collier	V55	117	12	1:05:21
189	Richard Pettitt	V55	131	16	1:13:12
194	Finishers

Teams A - D	1st, 8th, 15th, 21st	6 count	22 teams in all
Teams A - D	2nd, 12th, 14th, 17th	4 count	23 teams in all

LANCASTER CHRISTMAS CRACKER 10K

17 Dec: Chloe Broad has made good progress in 2017 and chose this race as her third 10k of the year. She finished the year in fine style finishing 4th overall, 1st lady and setting a new PB of 39.08 Well done Chloe. More to come in 2018. Full results here. Here's her report:
" Decided to do the 10k as a training run knowing I was to run in the senior race at the Cheshire championship in January and the distance was longer than the u20 races. On the day of the race the weather was very wet and windy and I was surprised with my Pb and win in such conditions."

CURSO DELS NASSOSS - BARCELONA

31 Dec: What better chance to experience a new race than when on holiday. George and Jodie Thompson took the chance in Barcelona both running impressive times.

Pos	Name	Gun	Chip
105	George Thompson	35:07:00	34:58:00
455	Jodie Thompson	37:39:00	37:22:00

RIBBLE VALLEY 10K

31 Dec: 6 VRAC made the journey to Clitheroe for what is historically a fast race, largely due to the strong field including several Olympic athletes rather than the hilly course itself. This race also incorporates the North of England 10k championships. There were strong winds all around the course which lead to some slower times than expected. First home for VRAC was Matt Sheen in 31.56. Next was a below par Andy Miles who hoped to improve on his recent PB at Wilmslow but the blustery conditions scuppered that. Amelia Pettitt was next home in a seasons best time claiming 7th lady in a strong field. Eleanor Riches was our next lady home with a solid run just outside her PB and Richard Pettitt rounded off another prolific year of racing in VRAC colours just outside his seasons best time. Special mention to former clubmate Stevie Stockton now racing for Leeds City who was 3rd overall in her first road race for two years. Full results. Mike Harrington 'ran' as well.

Pos	Name	Gun	Chip	Cat	Cat Pos	Gen Pos
25	MATTHEW SHEEN	00:31:56	00:31:56	Male	24	25
64	ANDREW MILES	00:35:01	00:35:00	Male	53	61
82	AMELIA PETTITT	00:35:49	00:35:49	Female	7	8
128	MICHAEL HARRINGTON	00:37:48	00:37:44	V45	8	117
525	ELEANOR RICHES	00:48:35	00:48:00	V45	15	91
696	RICHARD PETTITT	00:52:35	00:51:19	V55	39	549
1262	Finishers

CHESTER ROUND THE WALLS

26 Dec: This popular Boxing day race has been held since 1972. Seven from VRAC shook out the Christmas day excesses. A great run from recent member Andy McQue finishing 3rd overall just 7 seconds behind the winner. Another good run from the improving Tony Dutton although he says the last mile was a struggle... and we note Tony D respects the 'no under-vest for races' code this time!! It seems nesh Tommy Armstrong is the latest offender! Great to see VRAC stalwarts Barry Chambers and Val Kinvig second in their categories. Well done all. Full results here.

Pos	Gun	Name		Chip	Pos	Gen	Pos	Cat	Pos
3	24:49:00	Andrew	McQue	24:48:00	3	Male	3	SM	2
61	30:38:00	Anthony	Dutton	30:33:00	62	Male	58	M40	9
65	31:04:00	Chris	Swift	31:01:00	66	Male	62	SM	26
70	31:23:00	Tom	Armstrong	31:19:00	72	Male	67	M40	10
173	36:12:00	Barry	Chambers	35:53:00	171	Male	149	M65	2
218	37:36:00	Ray	Tran	37:10:00	212	Male	182	M50	28
257	39:13:00	Valerie	Kinvig	38:47:00	258	Female	57	F55	2
448	Finishers

TURKEY TROT 5 - WOLVERHAMPTON

17 Dec: Andy McQue, who joined VRAC recently, finished a speedy 13th in a field of nearly 200. Changes to the start and finish were necessary due to the icy conditions and hence the race was classed as 'unmeasured'. Welcome to Andy who will be a valuable and speedy addition to VRAC racing. Full results here.

CHRISTMAS CRACKER - MEERBROOK

17 Dec: On a weekend of race casulaties due to the weather Tony Dutton was able to find one that was on, albeit foreshortened.

"The planned 8 mile Trail race around Tittesworth Reservoir at Meerbrook was cut short by 3.5 miles due to ice on higher points of the planned course. Finish time 37:10, 45th out of 206 runners. I also learned about the unwritten undervest rule later in the evening."

Photographic evidence unfortunatley confirms the blatant contravention of the 'rule' on under-vests for racing. What was he thinking? Disciplinary action has been taken.

TATTON YULE YOMP

10 Dec: On a day when many races and events were cancelled the festive Tatton Yule Yomp went ahead. 10k pretty much all cross country in extremely slippery conditions. Hence, slower than last year but nonetheless great racing from VRAC and lots of trophies. James Ainsworth respected the unwritten ex rugby players 'rule' that under-vests are reserved for wimps and opted instead for a lovely pink tutu, which saw him through to an excellent 2nd place overall and M40 category win. Not far back Sarah Murphy retained her titles (1st lady and 1st F40) from last year. John 'JT' Thompson, at home in the conditions, finished well up to help VRAC win the team prize. Claire Thompson next to secure 2nd in her category. Great to see the improving Julie Annable rewarded with F55 category win. We have missed Val Kinvig in recent races so good to see her back. Mark Pilliner and Jo Edwards enjoyed a gentle pace by their standards with Mark running with his wife, Jane, and Jo supporting her daughter, Megan, in her first ever race as she embarks on training for a half marathon. Festive fun.

First Name	Surname	Gender	Gen Pos	Category	Cat Pos	Gun	Overall Pos	Chip	Chip Pos
James	Ainsworth	Male	2	MV40	1	00:39:01	2	00:39:01	2
Sarah	Murphy	Female	1	FV40	1	00:40:32	6	00:40:31	6
John	Thompson	Male	23	MV50	5	00:43:47	24	00:43:45	25
Claire	Thompson	Female	5	FV40	2	00:48:14	68	00:48:13	71
Julie	Annable	Female	28	FV55	1	00:54:02	181	00:53:46	199
Valerie	Kinvig	Female	68	FV55	3	00:59:30	315	00:59:13	347
Mark	Pilliner	Male	369	MV50	55	01:09:22	583	01:08:41	608
Joanne	Edwards	Female	377	FV55	16	01:16:26	794	01:16:09	840

NEWCASTLE DALES DASH

3 Dec: Tony Dutton decided to try out his first trail race. 10k multi terrain. "Hilly and muddy, difficult to know what's coming next and I probably should have gone off quicker at the start. Still it finishes a 44 mile training week, thanks to Newcastle Staffs AC for a well organised race today".

MANCHESTER LEAGUE XC RACE 3 - KENWORTHY WOODS

2 Dec: Very nice to see another strong turnout from ladies (8) and men (10). And...great to see (known) 'spouses/couples' made up 8 of the 18 runners! An interesting course with varied profile, terrain and ground conditions. Plenty of mud! Some excellent runs throughout and all rounded off with Mrs A's legendary flapjacks. What's not to like about cross country?

Pos	Name	Cat	Cat Pos	Time
38	Helen Smith	L45	2	29.55
48	Hollie Carrington			30.22
52	Claire Thompson	L40	9	30.33
140	Mary Tavener	L55	5	34.10
156	Debbie Moreton	L45	18	35.04
168	Julie Annable	L55	6	35.31
206	Jill Haines	L45	23	36.55
278	Carole Williams	L65	5	44.54
299	Finishers

14th/61	A Team (4 count)
46th/61	B Team (4 count)
11th/55	Vets A Team (3 count)
30th/55	Vets B Team (3 count)

Pos	Name	Cat	Cat Pos	Time
87	Gareth Williams	M45	9	39.03
111	Lee Carrington			40.02
160	Mike Harrington	M45	21	41.16
197	Stephen Thompson	M50	17	42.36
205	Tony Archer	M60	4	42.56
264	Mark Pilliner	M45	33	44.49
273	Dave Haines	M45	35	45.06
310	Chris Beard	M45	43	47.00
313	John Clarke	M60	8	47.14
371	Colin Rathbone	M70	2	50.51
416	Finishers

29th/52	Team (6 Count)
13th/49	A Vets Team (4 Count)
33rd/49	B Vets Team (4 Count)

LIVERPOOL CROSS CHALLENGE

25 Nov: Two ladies and two men at this high quality event. Thanks to Rob Brown for pics. Full album here.

GunPos	GunTime	Forename	Surname	Cat	ChipTime
72	00:33:11	Matthew	Sheen	U23	00:33:11
510	00:56:48	Richard	Pettitt		00:56:48

GunPos	GunTime	Forename	Surname	Cat	ChipTime
45	00:30:13	Amelia	Pettitt	U23	00:30:13
78	00:31:33	Elizabeth	Renondeau		00:31:33

WILMSLOW 10K

26 Nov: The final road race of the year for many and with conditions cold but better than expected we saw some super quick performances from 19 VRACers with 11 PB's. A big breakthrough for Andrew Miles with a 60+ sec PB just missing sub 33 mins to lead VRAC home. Stu Doyle close behind to win his category. James AInsworth had targeted this race for some time and was rewarded with a PB. Sarah Murphy first lady back for VRAC and 2nd in her category. Many more notable PB's detailed below including Mr and Mrs Dooley and 2.30+ min PB's for Lucy Knight, Debbie Broad and Geoff Fawkes. Well done everyone.

Pos	Gun	Name	Name	Chip	Pos	Gen	Pos	Cat	Pos	5K	Finish
11	33:03:00	Andrew	Miles	33:01:00	11	Male	11	Senior	6	16:21	16:40	PB
15	33:23:00	Stuart	Doyle	33:20:00	15	Male	15	Vet 45	1	16:21	16:59
30	34:32:00	James	Ainsworth	34:28:00	29	Male	29	Vet 40	5	17:11	17:16	PB
57	36:32:00	Sarah	Murphy	36:29:00	59	Female	5	Vet 40	2	17:57	18:32
80	37:37:00	Brian	Dooley	37:29:00	80	Male	74	Vet 45	6	18:30	18:58	PB
89	37:56:00	Michael	Harrington	37:51:00	92	Male	83	Vet 45	7	18:42	19:09
94	38:10:00	Graham	Miles	38:04:00	97	Male	88	Vet 50	4	18:42	19:22
97	38:18:00	Robert	Roe	38:09:00	98	Male	91	Vet 35	20	18:43	19:26	PB
112	38:57:00	Lee	Carrington	38:37:00	108	Male	103	Senior	45	18:38	19:58	?
118	39:06:00	Richard	Murray	38:58:00	129	Male	109	Vet 50	7	18:59	19:58
146	39:48:00	Carolyn	Dooley	39:26:00	150	Female	14	Vet 40	5	19:30	19:55	PB
177	40:31:00	David	Humphreys	40:07:00	178	Male	159	Vet 40	27	19:34	20:32	PB
280	42:59:00	Melanie	Johnson	42:32:00	289	Female	35	Vet 35	7	20:59	21:32	PB
284	43:02:00	Hollie	Carrington	42:35:00	294	Female	36	Senior	16	21:00	21:34	PB
350	44:04:00	Geoff	Fawkes	43:44:00	376	Male	306	Vet 45	42	21:43	22:01	PB
401	44:47:00	Lucy	Knight	43:58:00	392	Female	54	Senior	23	21:35	22:23	PB
586	47:51:00	Debbie	Moreton	46:59:00	606	Female	90	Vet 45	11	23:00	23:58	PB
593	47:54:00	Debbie	Broad	47:02:00	615	Female	91	Vet 50	5	23:00	24:01	PB
968	52:46:00	Jayne	Lomax	50:44:00	967	Female	209	Vet 50	13	24:35:00	26:09
2500 (approx)	Finishers

NORTH STAFFS XC RACE 2 - STAFFORD COMMON

18 Nov: Good to see complete ladies and mens teams. VRAC ladies led home by Holly Carrington with the first 3 VRAC ladies closely grouped. Great to see Pauline Davies completing the race and claiming an age group 2nd. The men saw some solid performances with Oliver Williams first home and Colin Rathbone taking 2nd V70 to bring VRAC home. Full results here. Photos from Bryan Dale here.

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	Cat Pos
22	Holly Carrington	SW	21.46
24	Lucy Knight	SW	21.51
27	Sophie Smith	JW	21.58	8
87	Mary Tavener	W55	24.42	5
124	Jill Haines	W45	26.29	22
144	Pauline Davies	W65	27.45	2
192	Carole Williams	W65	31.37	3
221	Finishers

3rd Team	Div 2 (4 counters)

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	Cat Pos
10	Oliver Williams	SM	25.32
61	Gareth Williams	M45	28.09	5
80	Lee Carrington	SM	29.21
153	Dave Haines	M45	31.52	28
163	Mark Pilliner	M45	32.28	31
211	John Clarke	M60	34.30	4
261	Colin Rathbone	M70	37.59	2
287	Finishers

8th Team	Div 1 (6 Counters)

13 ARCHES HALF MARATHON - RADCLIFFE

19 Nov: Outstanding performance from in form David Shepherd ably supported by Nick Haywood. A multi terrain event in Radcliffe (North Manchester). 13 miles along the Irwell Valley with a few 'sneaky' climbs thrown in. Both say they really enjoyed the route and would recommend it for next year!

Pos	Name	Cat	Cat Pos	Gun	Chip
12	David Shepherd	M50	2	1.29.02	1.29.00
39	Nick Haywood	SM		1.38.26	1.38.24
406	Finishers

BRITISH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL XC - DERRY, IRELAND

18 Nov: Great representation from VRAC. Here's Stu Doyles report:

The usual excellent organisation was accompanied by good weather and a very runnable course - flat with a bit of mud but nothing too treacherous as evidenced by my time of 27.45 for a course which most people confirmed via their Garmins was the advertised distance of 8k (5 miles). Sarah Murphy and Stu Doyle had identical performances in our respective races - both 4th overall and 3rd English counter in winning teams. They therefore picked up team golds but narrowly missed out on individual prizes! Liz Redondeu had a superb International debut in the W35 category - 8th overall and 3rd English counter in the bronze medal winning ream. Andrea Hildrup also ran really well, finishing an excellent 2nd in the Open race.

CONWY HALF MARATHON

19 Nov: Two from VRAC took on this scenic but tough half marathon challenge which takes in the Great Orme. Here's how they got on:

Matt Woolley: " I achieved a half marathon PB by 6 mins of 1 hr 42 min 11 sec. My second Conwy half after 2016. Great event, over 2,500 runners, challenging Orme climb and great weather!"
Craig Sephton: "After a few tough months producing little in the way of consistency or quality training sessions then today wasn’t about attempting a Pb but more about being on the right track to better things. The weather was cold but dry and for that I was thankful especially knowing the route took you over the Great Orme.I held an average of 6:50 pace over an undulating course until mile 5 knowing at this point there was a further 2 miles of climbing which proved the right decision as other runners whom were ahead earlier on began to fall off the pace as the gradient kicked up, I even had time to enjoy the views before dropping back down to the west shore and heading back towards the Castle, often seen in the distance, my last mile probably my quickest over the course. Overall an enjoyable mornings trip to the coast."

Pos	Name	Cat	Cat Pos	Gun	Chip
104	Craig Sephton	M45	14	1.30.42	1.30.13
425	Matt Woolley	M45	69	1.43.22	1.42.11	PB
2555	Finishers

INTERNATIONAL HONOURS

Congratulations are also extended to Liz Renondeau (W35), Sarah Murphy (W40), Stu Doyle (M45) and Andrea Hildrup (W35 Reserve) who have been selected to represent England at the British Masters XC International to be held in Derry, Northern Ireland on Saturday 18th November. The five home nations enter a team of 6 runners in each 5-year age category race. It's an excellent achievement for VRAC. Good luck with the races.

TATTON 10K

12 Nov: We think Dave Hunphreys was the lone VRAC in the 10k but was rewarded with an excellent PB of 40.51. Well done Dave. Sub 40 not far away. Likewise it looks like Gary Richardson was the only VRACer in the half marathon. He too posted an excellent PB.

Pos	Name	Time	Net Time	Category	Cat Pos	Gender	Gen Pos	TOD
15	GARY RICHARDSON	01:23:35	01:23:27	V40	2	Male	14	10:24:36

MANCHESTER LEAGUE XC - RACE 2 BOGGART HOLE

11 Nov: For those who like mud Boggart Hole once again didn't disappoint! Very heavy and testing conditions for the runners. Suited some, not others. Great to see Katie Brough racing again in VRAC colours. She led the 9 strong ladies contingent home. Helen Smith was one who loved the mud with a strong run to win her category in this very competitive league. Another impressive run cross country for Hollie Carrington. On the men's side Rob Olliver was first VRAC back with an excellent run to prevail over Gareth Williams who as usual put in a strong race. Tony Archer was another mud lover and well pleased with his race to take 2nd in his category as did the evergreen Colin Rathbone. Good to see full teams for overall and vets events. Well done all. Excellent pics from John Davies in the gallery here. Full results here.

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	Cat Pos
18	Katie Brough	L35	34.43	6
26	Helen Smith	L45	35.08	1
59	Hollie Carrington	SL	37.43
63	Claire Thompson	L40	37.55	11
126	Jeanette Pope	L40	41.30	20
170	Mary Tavener	L55	43.16	5
219	Sarah Gibbs	L40	46.24	40
241	Jill Haines	L45	48.48	39
299	Carole Williams	L65	56.11	4
328	Finishers

Team A	8/68	6 Count
Team B	44/68	6 Count
Vets Team A	5/62	3 Count
Vets Team B	29/62	3 Count

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	Cat Pos
109	Rob Olliver	M40	38.55	22
128	Gareth Williams	M45	39.55	7
248	Stephen Thompson	M50	43.27	21
254	Tony Archer	M60	43.44	2
308	Mark Pilliner	M45	45.35	32
333	Dave Haines	M45	47.03	36
379	Chris Beard	M45	49.34	48
399	John Clarke	M560	50.18	9
449	Colin Rathbone	M70	53.38	2
493	Finishers

Team	38/62	6 Count
Vets Team A	16/56	4 Count
Vets Team B	43/56	4 Count

DOVEDALE DASH

4 Nov: Report from Debbie Moreton. Great race if you like the challenge of staying upright. Never seen so many people fall in one race. Under 5 miles but what a 5 miles. You start by charging downhill like a scene from Braveheart with everyone hollering which turns into a few screams and hysterical laughter as trainers are lost in the mud and a few lose their footings. Soon at the river crossing. There are stepping stones but decided to follow the lead of those ahead of me. Rather deeper than expected (was worried about car keys in back pocket!) and the cold water soon froze the old legs requiring the kind assistance from a chap behind otherwise may still be there scrambling to get out! Bit of a bottleneck running along the river bank next so not really able to speed up. Then a few muddy fields, a little bit of road then back along the river which was the worse mud I have ever seen. So relieved to get onto the next field with grass to get a grip! Next was running either through the ankle deep river overflow or attempting the wet, slippy rocks - went for the water. Finally the race ends climbing up a steep, muddy hill to the finish. I enjoyed the experience, honestly but maybe not for everyone!

LANGLEY 7

4 Nov: Simply described by the organisers "Run up the hill, run down again, drink tea, eat cake".Just two Vale Royal runners tackled this one The very cold, wet and windy conditions at the start were ominous but after 3 miles uphill the sky cleared offering stunning views for anyone pausing to take a breath before throwing themselves back down the other side of the hill. Dynamic David Haines was pleased to get up the hill without walking and Jovial Jill was seen punching the air after out sprinting four to the finish line.

Pos.	Name	Category	L Pos.	MV Pos.	LV Pos.	Cat pos	Time
58	David Haines	MV45		31		11	50:42:00
238	Jill Haines	LV45	90		76	20	01:08:47

ABERGELE 5 MILE

5 Nov: Three from VRAC representing Cheshire versus North Wales. Chris WIlliams, James Ainsworth and Helen Smith. All with great performances helping Cheshire Men and Ladies to victory. Difficult conditions with a 20 mph headwind for the first 2 miles and a section of ankle deep water where the sea had spilled over onto the course! This didn't stop Chris Williams running within 3 seconds of his PB, James Ainsworth posting a 40 second PB and Helen Smith within 20 seconds of hers. Category wins as well for James and Helen.

CHESHIRE 10K - ARLEY

4 Nov: Just 3 from VRAC at Arley. Another PB for the fast improving Robert Roe and likewise a nice PB for Curtis Rodway. Not a PB for Jayne Lomax but as always a very respectable run especially as she did it with a 'limpy leg'.

Pos	Name	Gun	Chip	Cat	Cat Pos	Gender	Gen Pos
67	ROBERT ROE	00:38:48	00:38:37	V35	11	Male	63	PB
71	CURTIS RODWAY	00:39:03	00:38:57	Male	30	Male	67	PB
418	JAYNE LOMAX	00:51:06	00:50:19	V50	6	Female	75

NORTH STAFFS XC RACE 2 - PARK HALL

28 Oct: Another good turnout from senior ladies and men. The second in the 4 race North Staffs series. Weather-wise, there have been some (bad) memorable races Park Hall which can be bleak and exposed. However, the weather and underfoot conditions were good this year. The race distance was shorter than previous years with the ladies at approx 5k and the men 7k. Some good performances with Sophie Smith and Chris Williams leading VRAC home. Full results and photos on NSCC website here.

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	Cat Pos
14	Sophie Smith	JW	23.35	5
28	Helen Smith	W45	24.51	5
32	Holly Carrington	SW	25.00
52	Lucy Knight	SW	26.20
73	Jeanette Pope	W40	27.09	17
94	Julie Annable	W55	28.15	7
146	Sarah Gibbs	W35	30.50	24
149	Jill Haines	W45	31.00	27
205	Carole Williams	W65	35.53	2
242	Finishers

Team	2nd Div 2 (4 count)

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	Cat Pos
9	Chris Williams	SM	24.21
59	Gareth Williams	M45	27.03	3
84	Rob Olliver	M40	28.08	12
104	Lee Carrington	SM	28.59
128	Rick Murray	M50	29.55	8
150	Dave Haines	M45	30.38	21
166	Tony Archer	M60	31.03	4
168	Joe Cavanagh	M40	31.09	30
189	Mark Pilliner	M45	31.53	33
211	John Clarke	M60	33.00	5
287	Colin Rathbone	M70	38.27	4
307	Finishers

Team	8th Div 1 (6 Counters)

HALLOWEEN HELLRAISER - NR NANTWICH

29 Oct: Good turnout for this creepy seaonal multi-terrain event over about 10 miles including the infamous tombstone section. Pacey performance from young Oliver WIlliams saw him first VRAC back in 4th place. We don't see much of David Shepherd at training these days but he's clearly in great shape just outside the top 10, although his choice of route through a hawthorne hedge left it's mark! Customary ladies victory for Gemma Barnett and nice category win for Claire Thompson. Looks like the two Debbie's just had a fun time out there all smiles and crossing the line together. Full results and lot's of great pics on Bryan Dale's site here.

Pos	Name	Cat	Time	Cat Pos
4	Oliver Williams		1.07.53
11	David Shepherd	M50	1.15.04	2
13	Gary Richardson	M40	1.16.12	2
18	Gemma Barnett	L35	1.18.40	1st Lady
21	Stephen Thompson	M50	1.19.30	4
27	Nick Haywood		1.22.21
34	Dave Haines	M45	1.23.43
36	John Todd	M55	1.24.20	3
41	Claire Thompson	L40	1.24.51	1
59	Chris Beard	M45	1.29.55
71	Richard Pettitt	M55	1.36.55
86	Debbie Moreton	L45	1.41.35
87	Debbie Broad	L50	1.41.35
125	Finishers

SNOWDONIA MARATHON

28 Oct: There's marathons and there's marathons. The Snowdonia Marathon is especially tough with some brutal climbs (and descents!) including a beast in the latter stages. It's also special for the atmosphere and camaraderie amongst the runners and supporters. Three VRACers returned to tackle this challenge once again. David 'Spud' Murphy has proved to be something of a Snowdonia specialist. This was his 7th consecutive race and he delivered yet another impressive performance to lead the VRAC trio home. This was Dave Gough's 423rd consecutive day of running (minimum of 5 miles per day). He ran a very controlled race with impressive mile splits. Oh, and of course Dave ran 5.7 miles the following day as a recovery run! Having suffered with man flu the previous week (allegedly contracted from Dave Gough) it was great to see Paul 'Clutty' Clutterbuck back in the VRAC fold. Clutty's 10th Snowdonia in a row!

NORTHERN XC RELAYS - GRAVES PARK, SHEFFIELD

21 Oct: VRAC had 3 ladies and 4 men's teams out at a windy Graves Park in Sheffield for the Northern XC Relay Champs. Legs are over a hilly 2 mile circuit with the men's race consisting of 4 stages and the ladies 3. The men's A team finished a very creditable 10th with the B team in 29th, the C team in 50th and the D team in 58th. There were 65 complete teams. There were a number of intra-club battles in the Ladies race with the A team managing a strong 27th, closely followed by the B team in 34th and C team in 48th out of the 56 complete teams. There were a number of notable performances including husband and wife duo Lee and Hollie Carrington who both produced superb runs on their VRAC relay debuts together with Chris Weedall who also ran extremely well, particularly as he ran the Chester Marathon 2 weeks ago. Full results here. Loads of pics here. Thanks Rob Brown.

DIRTY DOUBLE (FELL RACES!)

Interesting weekend for Mr and Mrs Haywood. Oh and James Ainsworth and Gary Richardson! Here's Nick's report:

Would you like a dirty weekend in the lakes she said! I’m sure that was how it was sold to me. I have to confess being a little concerned when Sophie also said should we invite Gary! After retrieving my mind from the gutter it was clear Sophie was on about the Dirty Double at Helvellyn and Ullswater. Both these 15k race’s run on consecutive days making for a challenging weekend.

Helvellyn (Saturday)

16 James Ainsworth 64.57

30 Gary Richardson 67.41

42 Nick Haywood 69.09

163 Sophia Haywood 83.52

Starting and finishing at Jenkins Field, on the shores of Ullswater in Glenridding. The Trail Race was 15km following footpaths and bridleways that take you into the foothills of Helvellyn, with elevated panoramic views of Ullswater, and dramatic vistas of Helvellyn and the surrounding peaks. The underfoot conditions were lethal in places, Bambi on ice comes to mind. Sophie pulled off a small miracle and DIDN’T fall over on what was a very technical course. James had managed to organise the event to coincide with a boy’s weekend and was off to do some heavy (re-hydration) that evening.

Ullswater (Sunday)

No results at time of writing

Due to poor weather the ferries were cancelled so the planned route was changed to a gentler 12.2 KM over a small mountain! The late start (1pm) provided Nick with a chance to organise his race safety pins and for Gary to hit up the INOV8 stand for some demo shoes. Pulling off a proper Del Boy moment Gary managed to do a lovely deal involving a new pair of trainers. On the start line overlooking Ullswater and a large mountain we all convinced ourselves we would be running up that! How wrong we were. After just 4 miles the route took on a distinct vertical feel as 10ish minutes of walking took you to 260 meters, the hill was noticeable. Once again Sophie stayed upright and it was Mr Haywood who took a tumble while trying a dodgy overtake. A massive shout-out to Debbie Richardson who provided fantastic support all weekend and took some great photos. The whole weekend is highly recommended in fact Gary was heard to say “they do a season ticket, you know.”

FARNDON 10K

15 Oct: The final race in the Cheshire Road Race Grand Prix series with the Ladies team event on the line with VRAC needing a strong performance to overhaul leaders Wilmslow. In short, they did it!! See separate report below for more details. Some superb individual performances with Chris Perry and Chris Williams taking first and second with Gemma Barnett fourth lady and F35 winner. Category wins also for Graham Miles (M50 debut!), Curtis Rodway, Helen Smith, Emma-Louise Pyatt, Colin Rathbone and Carole Williams.Meanwhile, Gareth Williams enjoyed a run to support wife Amanda (NRC) to a fantastic PB!

Pos	Gun	Name	Name	Chip	min/m	Gen Pos	Cat	Pos
1	33:23:00	Chris	Perry	33:23:00	05:22	1	SM
2	33:37:00	Chris	Williams	33:37:00	05:24	2	SM
8	35:02:00	Andrew	Miles	35:02:00	05:38	8	SM
11	36:39:00	Chris	Jones	36:38:00	05:53	11	SM
43	39:56:00	Gemma	Barnett	39:54:00	06:25	4	F35	1
50	40:08:00	Graham	Miles	40:07:00	06:27	46	M50	1
54	40:25:00	Curtis	Rodway	40:25:00	06:30	50	U21	1
73	41:59:00	Helen	Smith	41:56:00	06:44	6	F45	1
91	43:18:00	Melanie	Johnson	43:06:00	06:56	10	F35	4
99	43:46:00	Hollie	Carrington	43:42:00	07:02	12	SF
100	43:51:00	John	Todd	43:45:00	07:02	88	M55	4
138	46:25:00	Jeanette	Pope	46:21:00	07:27	21	F40	6
152	47:31:00	Emma-Louise	Pyatt	46:49:00	07:32	24	U21	1
171	48:07:00	Lucy	Knight	47:43:00	07:40	29	SF
172	48:09:00	Lisa	Meadows	47:57:00	07:43	30	F45	5
210	49:54:00	Debbie	Moreton	49:42:00	08:00	41	F45	8
223	50:19:00	Ray	Tran	49:51:00	08:01	180	M50	22
230	50:28:00	Coliln	Rathbone	50:07:00	08:03	183	M70	1
368	56:52:00	Carole	Williams	56:31:00	09:05	113	F65	1
519	01:04:46	Gareth	Williams	01:04:24	10:21	303	M45	47

CHESHIRE ROAD RACE GRAND PRIX FINAL RESULT

VRAC has done a historic double in the Cheshire Road Race Grand Prix series winning both men and ladies team events. To recap, the Team Championship is based on 5 races from 7 and individual Championship 4 races from 7. The men had already secured their team title after Sutton 6 (Race 5) but the ladies were in a close second place to Wilmslow before the final race at Farndon. They did an excellent job to field a strong team given other races such as the Manchester Half marathon had taken some potential participants, To put this double into perspective the race history shows the VRAC ladies won the team event in the inaugural year 2003 but the men have never won the team event. The last time a double was achieved was Wilmslow in 2014. On the individual side Chris Williams secured the men's title with Stu Doyle as runner up. Helen Smith was runner up in the ladies individual event. Great result for VRAC. Well done to all those who took part, Remember even if you weren't a counter you may well have helped the team by pushing back a rival counter!

Men:

Ladies:

MANCHESTER HALF MARATHON

15 Oct: Nice conditions if a little warm for this race. Some great performances with Brian Dooley setting a new PB and so close to going sub 85 minutes. Next, Robert Roe setting a huge PB going well under 90 minutes for the first time. Not far back Carolyn Dooley and in her words: "Super happy to run sub 90 today and finish 1st V40! Championship place at London reconfirmed". Looks like a solid races for Malcolm Hughes and Eleanor Riches and a predictable big PB for Tony Dutton who is improving with every race. Chris Griffiths' race was a brave one: "First twinge at 5k, probably should have stopped at 17k but it just became about finishing in the end. Dedicated to Trevor Cording who would have smashed my 2:03:13 time". Respect Chris.

Pos	Name	Time	Category	Cat Pos	Gen Pos
193	Brian DOOLEY	01:25:02	V45	13	186	PB
259	Robert ROE	01:27:16	V35	49	247	PB
343	Carolyn DOOLEY	01:29:03	V40	1	14
616	Malcolm HUGHES	01:34:06	V50	27	569
776	Anthony DUTTON	01:36:34	V40	104	707	PB
1721	Eleanor RICHES	01:46:20	V45	16	235
3943	Chris GRIFFITHS	02:03:13	V55	93	2963

MANCHESTER LEAGUE XC RACE 1 - HEATON PARK

14 Oct: Unseasonably warm conditions for the opener to the MACCL series. Great ground conditions too. As usual, large high quality fields and some great racing. Chloe Broad saw the ladies home with an impressive run followed by Claire Thompson. Debbie Broad and Julie Annable were both under the weather but determined to race for the team. They had a close, but of course, friendly battle. Stalwart Carole WIlliams brought the team home. Matt Sheen revelled in the high class sharp end of the field. Great to see Rob Olliver back racing in VRAC colours and putting together an impressive performance. Likewise, good to see 'JT' Thompson on the country again. Joe Cavanagh ran a well paced race nearly catching JT on the final lap. Dave Haines overhauled Tony Archer in the final yards but Tony was delighted to be back and racing well after missing last season with knee surgery. Colin Rathbone saw the VRAC contingent home just one week after his Chester Marathon effort. He secured 2nd M70 just a few seconds behind the winner. All in all a fun day out.

Pos	Name	Cat	Cat pos	Time
22	Chloe Broad	L20	4	38.44
43	Claire Thompson	L40	5	40.48
113	Debbie Broad	L50	7	46.11
116	Julie Annable	L55	5	46.19
227	Carole Williams	L65	3	57.45
255	Finishers

17th/48	Team (4 count)
15th/51	Vets Team (3 count)

Pos	Name	Cat	Cat pos	Time
4	Matt Sheen	SM		34.04
15	Stu Doyle	M45	2	35.47
118	Rob Olliver	M40	26	41.23
190	Stephen Thompson	M50	16	44.34
191	Joe Cavanagh	M40	37	44.36
216	Dave Haines	M45	32	46.01
218	Tony Archer	M60	3	46.04
293	John Clarke	M60	7	49.24
362	Richard Pettitt	M55	22	54.02
369	Colin Rathbone	M70	2	54.34
414	Finishers

15th/53	Team (6 Count)
14th and 34th/48	Vets Team (4 Count)

TREVOR CORDING - NRC

It was with shock and great sadness that we learned of the tragic death of Trevor Cording during the Chester Metric Marathon on 8th October. Many of us in VRAC knew Trevor who was an experienced runner, a former member of Fylde Coast Running Club and a mainstay at Northwich Running Club since it's inception. Trevor was aged 50, married with 3 children. VRAC sends our heartfelt condolences to Trevor's family and our friends at Northwich Running Club. Trevor will be sadly missed by many, many people.

FOOTNOTE FROM NRC: THERE WILL BE A RUN/WALK EVENT HELD WITH TREVOR'S FAMILY AT 10.30AM SUNDAY 15 OCT TO CELEBRATE TREVOR AND THE ROLE RUNNING PLAYED IN HIS LIFE. ALL WELCOME.

NATIONAL ROAD RELAYS - SUTTON PARK

8 Oct:The club managed 2 complete senior women's teams of 4 and a senior men's 6 stage team at Saturday's National Road Relays. Both races featured the UK's strongest clubs who in turn fielded a number of the nations best distance runners. The ladies A string of Amelia Pettitt, Chloe Broad, Sarah Murphy and Sarah Griffiths managed a strong 24th whilst the ladies B team of Esme Bridge, Lisa Meadows, Debbie Broad and Carole Williams were 77th out of 86 complete teams.Meanwhile the senior men's team of Cam Weaver, Andy Miles, Matt Sheen, Ryan Moore , Stu Doyle and Chris Perry just missed out on a top 50 place put of 82 complete teams.

FOOTNOTE: U13 girls and U17 girls picked up Gold and Silver respectively.

COUNTY HONOURS

Congratuations to Chris Williams, James Ainsworth and Mike Harrington selected for the 6 man team to compete in the Intercounties match at Abergele 5 on 5th November. You can be sure these guys will leave nothing out there but sweat and guts. Good luck fellas.

CHESHIRE HALF MARATHON - ARLEY

8 Oct: Unfortunately the results fail to show 'Club' so it's tricky to sort out VRAC runners. Two are very clear. An outstanding victory for Chris WIlliams winning the overall race by a margin of nearly 2 minutes. We can't see another half marathon result for Chris so this could be his debut! Secondly, Liz Renondeau, who joined VRAC from Ellesmer Port on 1st October, took first place in the ladies race so a double for VRAC!! (Liz is in black in the pic below). Mark Pilliner was another we noticed in the results with a solid run. If any other VRAC members ran please let us know!

Pos	Name	Time	Cat	Cat Pos
1	Chris Williams	1.13.14	SM
16	Liz Renondeau	1.25.36	F35	1	1st Lady
89	Mark Pilliner	1.41.10	M45	12

CHESTER MARATHON

8 Oct: Good conditions for this local marathon saw 5 VRAC athletes all with good performances with Mary Tavener running for England in her age category. First home Bob Corinaldi who has been eating up the miles in early preparation for the Comrades Marathon in 2018. Bob improved 3 minutes on his London time this year running a PB and was well inside his Comrades qualification time though very annoyed just missed breaking 3.30. Next our 'super vet' marathon specialist Colin Rathbone who was too poorly to run Sandstone last week. Colin also improved on this years London time by 5 minutes. Likewise our latest International Mary Tavener ran over 8 minutes faster than at London to take 9th place in the F55 category. Marathon debutant Chris Weedall was well satisfied with his race and though his immediate reaction was 'never again' we all know that will change once he recovers! An excellent day was rounded off by Matt Wooley whose target was sub 4 hours having just missed out at London. Matt ran with the 3.45 pace group to 21 miles then held on with grim determination up the cruel climb at 24 miles. Job done in spades Matt. Recover well folks.

Pos	Gun	Name	Name	Chip	Pos	Pos	Cat	Pos	10K	20K	30K	40K
613	03:31:14	Bob	Corinaldi	03:30:22	616	538	MV45	93	48:53:00	49:03:00	49:12:00	52:07:00	PB
703	03:36:54	Colin	Rathbone	03:36:35	712	616	MV70	6	48:09:00	49:44:00	52:05:00	54:58:00
845	03:44:03	Mary	Tavener	03:43:43	872	113	FV55	9	50:49:00	51:55:00	53:24:00	55:47:00
854	03:44:22	Chris	Weedall	03:43:12	855	738	MSEN	306	52:38:00	52:12:00	53:39:00	53:32:00	Debut
1009	03:51:53	Matt	Woolley	03:50:18	1005	852	MV45	153	52:18:00	53:19:00	52:34:00	57:54:00	PB

CHESHIRE ROAD RACE GRAND PRIX UPDATE

With one race to go in the series here's an update on the team and individual standings. To recap, 5 races out of 7 count for the team awards, and 4 out of 7 count for the individual awards. Some final positions are already settled, the remainder will be decided at Farndon 10k on 15th October.

Full results tables are here but in summary:

Men, teams: Vale Royal have won (CONGRATULATIONS!!!); second is between Macc & SCH. (Mathematically, Wilmslow could snatch third, but this would require a maximum score with SCH not improving)

Men, individuals: Chris Williams (VRAC) and Stu Doyle (VRAC) will finish first and second respectively (CONGRATULATIONS!!!). Third is between Andrew Miles, Scott Wilson, Mark Walker and Barry Archbold

Women, teams: Macclesfield are a certain third, but only 10 points currently separate Vale Royal & Macclesfield

Women, individuals: Diane McVey has won. Second and third are between Janine Ellis, Diane Bygrave, Helen Smith, Louisa Harrison, Carolyn Dooley & Chloe Dooley.

We need a good turnout from the ladies at Farnden to be in with a shout of doing the men/ladies team double!

SANDSTONE TRAIL RACE

1 Oct: A new edition to the Mike Harrington portfolio of races with plenty of runners and volunteers from VRAC. Some great performances in the A race (17 miles from Duckington to Delamere) in particular David Shepherd who covered the hilly, muddy trail in 2.17.18 and was unlucky not to pick up and age group prize. Following on from a long-term injury David seems to have found his niche with these longer distance races. In the B race (10 miles from Beeston Castle to Delamere) there were again some great performances with terrible conditions under foot. Great to see some of the 'track mums' (Caroline Buckley and Debbie Broad) running fantastically well in their own right. Full Results

RUN WINSFORD (APPROX 10K)

1 Oct: 6 VRAC members made the short trip to the salt mines in Winsford for this scenic multi-terrain race. 1st home and retaining her crown was Gemma Barnett who finished 4th overall. Steven Thompson just beat John Todd for the age category win and the pair were followed closely home by a returning to form Melanie Johnson. Next home was Claire Thompson who narrowly missed her age category prize and rounding it off solidly for the club was Ray Tran. Full Results.

CONGLETON HALF MARATHON

1 Oct: Race 6 in the Cheshire Grand Prix series saw a low turnout from VRAC due to a congested racing weekend. Ably representing the club however were Stu Doyle who was unable to hang on to the lead group and retain his title but still finished with an age group win in a creditable 1.17.31 and 5th overall. In next was the usual solid run from Daren Cotter in 1.31. Third in and a little off the pace by his own high standards was Joe Cavanagh in 1.35.07. Full Results The final race in the series is the Farndon 10k on Sunday 15th October. Details and entry here.

Vale Royal AC - Senior Section

Running and Athletics in the Heart of Cheshire.