29th March 2011: Medals galore for cross country runners
There will be an impressive medal haul from the Mid Lancs cross country presentation evening at Bamber Bridge on Friday April 8th, certainly more than I had thought when the season finished at Beacon Park. It looks like six individual medallists and 60 team medals!!
The individual medallists are Joe Vis (U20 Men's gold), Sue Cooper (Women's V45 silver and Women's V55 gold), James Tartt (Senior Men's bronze), Richard Shearer (Men's V40 silver) and David Hamilton (Men's V40 bronze).
Those receiving a team medal who have been counters for the team during the season are:
Under 13 Boys bronze: Chris Fallon, Gregor Gordon, Adam Gilmore, Callum Larkin, Harry Peacock, Tom Shearer and Matthew Tobin.
Under 15 Boys gold: Gary Clark, Liam Ellis, Jonathan Foster, Andrew Kershaw, Tom Lodge, Michael Panes, Luke Tyson and Owen Williams.
Senior Women's V45 gold: Sue Cooper, Karen Faloon, Carole James, Sue Stewart, Joanne Wilson and Carol Wright.
Senior Men's Div 1 gold: Rob Ashworth, Mike Evans, David Gough, David Hamilton, Ben Johnson, Steve McLean, Peter Roome, Richard Shearer, James Tartt, Joe Vis, Patrick Vis and Steve Wilkinson.
Senior Men's B team, Div 3 gold: Neil Adshead, Rob Ashworth, Phil Bailey, Rick Bowker, Chris Dunn, Matt Goddard, David Gough, David Hamilton, Steve James, Gerry Lenehan, Steve Lewis, Steve McLean, Tom Peacock, Peter Roome, John Sprackland, John Vis, Gareth Williams and Steve Wilkinson.
Senior Men V40 gold: Neil Adshead, Rob Ashworth, Rob Berry, David Hamilton, Gerry Lenehan, Steve McLean, Tom Peacock, Peter Roome and Richard Shearer.
Congratulations to all, but especially to the senior men who take 39 gold team medals. And well done to the team managers who have contributed to this outstanding performance.
Hopefully we will have a good turnout at the presentation at Bamber Bridge.
NB as Steve Boreham has spotted, there are three father / son combinations in the medallists, messrs Peacock, Shearer and Williams. A first? Correction: There were four! John with Joe and Pat Vis!
27th March 2011: Liverpool Half Marathon (by Mark ashby)
It was a good day at the office for the Southport Waterloo athletes who took part in Sunday's Liverpool Half Marathon. Some were looking for PB's on this fast city course whilst others were using it as their final preparations for the London Marathon in three weeks time. The conditions were good as we set off at 9.30 and headed out of the Queens Dock but there was almost a disastrous start to the race. With 7000 competitors heading towards them, the marshals on the first junction didn't seem to agree on which way to send the runners! Initially they sent the leaders the wrong way before shouting them back, creating havoc with runners doubling back to rejoin the correct route.
After that the race seemed to go smoothly. I got a fast start but could still see plenty of Southport Waterloo vests disappearing into the distance and the mass start had thinned out considerably by the time we hit the only real hill on the course, the climb up Upper Parliament Street. The rest of the course took us around Liverpool's parks and along Otterspool Promenade and was mainly flat with some undulations but was suitable for fast times.
Strongest on the day, by some margin, was the 'in form' David Hamilton who ran a PB -1.14.58 to finish 14th and third V40. David was just one place behind Nathan Vengdasalem who, along with the Cadwallader brothers, dominated many of the Southport Waterloo road races for many years. There must have been some battle ahead of me with the next group of Southport runners all finishing within seconds of each other - Steve Wilkinson in 20th place and 1.17.14 just ahead of Gerry Lenehan in 22nd and 1.17.17. Chris Dunn was next in and surprised himself to smash his previous PB to finish in 1.17.51 just one place ahead of supervet Rick Bowker who also set a new PB of 1.17.55 despite moving into the V50 category earlier in the month. Rick easily won the V50 race, more than 3 minutes ahead of his nearest rival and his time puts him at 13th in the UK V50 rankings for 2011.
I ran for much of the way with Peter Roome but he was stronger than me on the twists and turns of Otterspool Promenade and opened up a gap that despite passing four runners in the last few miles, I couldn't close down. Peter ran 1.20.54 to finish just one place ahead of me. I was pleased with my 1.21.17 which gave me second V50 and meant that between us Rick and I had dominated our age group race.
Other club finishers were: Steve Lewis 1.23.26; Keith Lunt 1.24.45; Will Tansley 1.25.33; Matthew Nelson1.26.47; Peter Tinsley 1.40.00; Mark Davies 1.42.53; Alan Gray 1.43.02; David Marsh 1.49.18; Helen Lavelle 1.49.53; Chris Cutner 1.50.26; Margaret Cooke 1.56.31; Rachel Thomas 1.56.46; and Nick Sinclair 1.56.49.
Former Southport Waterloo junior, Jenny Carter, now with Team Bath returned home to finish in third place 1.23.04
Next stop for many of us is Greenwich Park on Sunday 17th April. With so many good times here and Ben Johnson running 1.13 a week earlier, I am hoping we will see some great performances in London this year. Anyone still looking for accommodation in London can contact me on mark.ashby@virgin.net
Results First Grand Prix table for 2011.
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20th March 2011: Ben Johnson wins first South Yorkshire Half Marathon (by Ben Johnson)
The South Yorkshire Half Marathon, organised by Barnsley Athletics club (in association with Manvers Tri Club) took place on Sunday, as a new event for 2011. Training for the fast approaching London Marathon, I wanted to have a go at a longer road run. My last half was in 2009 so I was hoping for a PB as well as some idea of how the training has been going.
The route started in Wath–Upon-Dearne near Barnsley before following two loops of some fairly undulating country roads. With no major climbs to speak of, it was advertised as being an accurately measured course, good for a fast time. I set off feeling quite relaxed. I hoped for somewhere around 75 minutes but really just wanted to improve on my PB. The first slightly uphill mile went by in 5:34 which was quicker than planned but I settled into a rhythm at the head of the field alongside two runners from Sheffield based clubs (I later found out that one of them was Carl Thackery who had a lifetime best of just over 61 minutes for the half marathon!). After around 7 miles I found myself pulling away from the other two runners and I decided to try and just hold the pace as well as I could. I opened up a decent gap and felt fairly comfortable as 10 miles passed in just under 56 minutes. I worked harder through the last few miles and managed to maintain the pace to win, finishing to my delight in 1:13:09, just over a minute ahead of second place. I took over 6 mins off my previous best, well satisfied that the training has been paying off!
The organisation of the event was fantastic and the marshals were very supportive. As I understand, the organisers had very good feedback all round and they hope to make it a bigger event next year.
Results |
19th March 2011: Fell runners enjoy the sunny spring weather (by Brian Davey)
The Trough of Bowland has been the location for three runners from the club to get some competitive action in preparation for the forthcoming Club fell running Grand Prix, which starts on Easter Saturday at Rivington Pike.
The first race, The Bleasdale Circle, was held on a bright but cold day on 26th February. The ground was very heavy, however Bob Johnson ran a strong race to be the first Southport runner home, followed by Brian Davey and Ed Sherstone.
More recently on sunny and quite warm day on March 19th the same three runners tackled the Fiendsdale race, a longer and tougher race with a total climb of 2200 ft in the 6.5mile course. The ground was again heavy and in parts waterlogged. Bob, using the race as part of his preparation for the Three Peaks race, was again first home for the club finishing 18th in a time 67.12 mins. Brian was second home finishing 29th in 72.52 mins, with Ed 45th in 83.26 mins. |
19th March 2011: Club juniors represent Merseyside at English Schools (by Mark Kershaw)
The picturesque Wollaton Park Nottingham (the former home of the UKA Inter Counties) was the venue for this year 's Aviva English schools XC championship. The courses had been changed slightly from the former UKA layout. One significant change was the removal of the initial uphill start. Instead we were treated to a fast and relatively flat course with just one big long hill per lap.
Six Southport Waterloo athletes were in action representing Merseyside: (Junior Boys) Andrew Kershaw, Michael Panes, Luke Tyson; (Junior Girls) Ellie Roberts; (Intermediate Boys) Niall Cullen; (Senior Girls) Jenny Girdler.
In the Junior boys' 4.1K race Andrew Kershaw was 42nd in 14:36 (3rd Merseyside), Michael Panes 73 in 14:49 (5th Merseyside) and Luke Tyson 259th in 15:57 (7th Merseyside). Luke unfortunately was suffering from the after effects of a chest infection on the day. Tom Lodge had also been due to run but withdrew due to illness. Other notable Merseyside performances were Paul Tyson (Liverpool Harriers) 10th in 14:15, Matt Wigglesworth (Warrington) 41st in 14:35.
In the Junior girls' 3.25K race Ellie Roberts was our only representative and came 156th in 14:09 (4th Merseyside). This was a solid result for Ellie who like a number of our athletes' today were not feeling their best.
The Intermediate Boys 5.5K race was an exceptional race for Merseyside. The team only narrowly missed taking the gold in the team event. First finisher for Merseyside was the extremely talented Matt Shirling (St Helens Sutton AC) who finished 2nd in 17:42. Southport's Niall Cullen was an uncertain starter before the race, having been sick the day before. In the end he made the start and was rewarded with an excellent 52nd in 19:02. Not bad for someone who does not consider himself a cross country runner!
The Senior age races were lacking some big names this year due to people attending the World Cross Country Championships in Spain. The only representative we had in these events was Jenny Girdler in the Senior girls 4.5K race. Jenny finished a creditable 189th in 17:58.
Full results |
16th March 2011: Three medals for Sue Cooper at European Masters Championships
Sue Cooper returned from the European Masters Championships at Ghent in Belgium with a W55 silver medal in the indoors 3000m in 11:54.46, a W55 bronze medal in the cross country event and a GB team gold medal also in the cross country. Sue was genuinely surprised as she feels she has not yet returned to form after a long lay-off last summer. Steve James competed in the same events, finishing just outside the individual medals but taking a cross country bronze as part of the GB team. |
16th March 2011:Young runners enjoy Sefton Junior Champs
 The 4th annual Sefton Junior Schools Cross Country Championships were held on a warm and windless afternoon in Deansgate Lane Playing Fields in Formby. The event, organised by Southport Waterloo, has attracted more runners each year it has been held and the numbers spiked this year with 262 finishers in the 4 races. That's almost a hundred up on last year so a great success in terms of young runners experiencing the thrill of the race! A record 22 schools took part.
The overall Southport Waterloo Challenge Trophy was won by Great Crosby Catholic Primary School. Great Crosby also won last year and are now clearly the school to beat in these championships. Our Lady of Compassion was 2nd overall and Shoreside 3rd.
The fixture started with the Year 5 girls running about 1.5 kms. There were 67 finishers, led home by Yasmin Leece from Merchant Taylors in 6:05. Lily Spence from Great Crosby was 2nd in 6:10 and Alex Bunclark from St Mary's Prep was 3rd in 6:15. In the Team result, Great Crosby emerged as winners with St Mary's Prep 2nd and St Luke's Formby 3rd. Other Southport Waterloo runners spotted were Alice Delaney, 4th in 6:16, Emily Blyth, 6th in 6:23, Eleanor Horswell, 7th in 6:24, Faith Dixon, 8th in 6:25, Olivia Pines 10th in 6:29 and Eleanor Mullen 19th in 6:51.
In the Year 5 Boys' race, Tom Langford from Norwood was first home, over the same course as the girls, in 5:34. Benjamin Apps of Our Lady of Lourdes was 2nd in 5:39 and Matthew Kershaw was 3rd in 5:40. Ben is already a member of Southport Waterloo and a regular competitor. Shoreside won the team competition with Our Lady of Compassion 2nd and St Mary's Prep 3rd.
The Year 6s ran a small and a large lap for 2 kms and, in the Year 6 Girls' race there were 66 finishers - a vast increase on the 26 from last year! Emma Alderson, representing Trinity St Peters, was content to bide her time until, with about 300m to go on the last lap, she surged into the lead and finished 1st in 8:13. Ellie Dewsberry of Great Crosby was 2nd in 8:21 and Olivia Byrne was 3rd in 8:25. Ellie was 1st and Olivia 2nd in last year's Year 5 race and Emma was the Year 5 1 mile race winner in Victoria Park last year. Both Emma and Olivia run for Southport Waterloo. The team event here was won by Great Crosby with Our Lady of Compassion 2nd and Shoreside 3rd. Southport Waterloo had a few other runners here. Nisha Kumari-Webster, 3rd Year 5 last year, was 5th in 8:40, Jessica Beasley 13th in 9:24, Sarah Glover 14th in 9:28 and Sophie Dermott-Derrane 16th in 9:37.
Finally, the Year 6 Boys took on the one small / one large lap challenge and Conor Bligh from Shoreside emerged the clear winner in 7:30 with Oliver Sutton of Our Lady of Compassion 2nd in 7:49 and James Hough from Norwood 3rd in 7:53. Our Lady of Compassion won the team race with Shoreside 2nd and Great Crosby 3rd. Other Southport Waterloo runners noted were Oliver Burril 5th in 7:54 and Jimmy Alderson, 7th in 8:07.
Thanks to race director Brian Kelly and all the other volunteer helpers and to all the schools for their support. Without volunteers and without runners there is simply no event.
Full results. Photographs of the races. Message to schools |
16th March 2011: Luke Berry (by Graham Pilkington)
We have received the very sad news of the death of former Southport Waterloo member and athlete Luke Berry in a motorcycle accident at the age of just 24.
Luke competed during the 2001 to 2003 seasons mainly in the sprint events, but was not averse to trying other events and his name can be found in the 2001 rankings in no less than 8 events.
During this period he became an integral part of the Sprint Training Squad and was known and liked for his sense of humour, relaxed nature and winning grin.
Luke joined the Club after his sister Lizzie started to train and compete and our thoughts and condolences at this time go out to his parents, Lizzie and his other brothers and sister. |
13th March 2011: PBs achieved at first T&F meeting of season
 Some junior members still have a couple of cross country fixtures to go - English Schools and the deferred English Schools Cup - but mid-March means it was time for the first Winter Warmer open track and field meeting held at Stanley Park Arena, Blackpool.
On a spring-like day, but with a chill wind reminding us its still March, athletes gathered from across the country for the first open meeting of the season. Just 5 club juniors took advantage of this first opportunity to test performance after winter training - and they clocked up 4 PBs between them.
Our youngest competitor was Under 11 Ben Apps who already has a number of competitions under his belt, including the Mid Lancs cross country the day before. Ben started with the long jump where he finished 4th with a best jump of 3m 35. Then he ran in the one and a half lap 600m race where his time of 2:02.5 was 6 secs better than his previous PB. He finished a very good 3rd of 18 young runners. Finally, he showed his sprinting ability by coming 2nd in his heat, and 3rd overall, in the 80m in a time of 12.2 secs.
Elle Grosz featured in the Under 13 Girls' events and performed brilliantly in both the 600m and the 200m. She won her 600m race from behind showing good tactical awareness. Her time of 1:54.5 knocked 5 secs off her previous best for this distance. Then, after a long wait and falling temperatures, she ran in the 200m, winning her heat and finishing 2nd best overall in 29.8 secs. I think that might be Elle's first competitive 200m. She looks set for a good T&F season this year.
Lauren Clarehugh moved up to Under 17 this season and came along to Blackpool to run a 1500m. She won her age group in a time of 5:29.9. The combined under 15 girls / under 17 women's race wasn't a fast one in quite cold conditions but Lauren showed real strength in the final lap as she successfully battled for position.
Also in the Under 17 age group, Graham Boreham started his afternoon in the first event of the day - the hammer, which isn't Graham main event but it was pleasing to see a 1 metre improvement in his PB with a best throw of 15m 65. Later, Graham got in some speed work with a run in the 400m where his 61.0 was just a second off his previous best.
Finally, Gary Clark took part in his first events as an Under 17. He ran a competitive 2:22.1 for 800m and then recorded a PB for 400m, knocking 1.3 secs off his previous best with a time of 62.7.
Altogether, a good day's athletics and a very encouraging one for all the athletes who took part.
The next winter warmer open meeting is at Wigan on Sunday 10th April with another at Wavertree, Liverpool, a week later; jumps and throws on the Saturday and track on the Sunday. The first league T&F fixture is the Mid Lancs League at Blackpool on Saturday 30th April.
Full results |
13th March 2011: New Club fell running Grand Prix (by Brian Davey)
Fell running is not a running discipline people would immediately associate with Southport Waterloo, even though we have a lot of sand hills on our door step!
However, you may be surprised to know that the number of runners from the club who have taken part in fell races is well into double figures. Athletes from the club have represented Merseyside in the inter-county Fell running championships for a number of years; others have won a number of individual awards and taken several team titles.
This was in evidence at the recent Ashurst Beacon race in which 10 runners took part, winning the team title and a number of individual prizes.
As a result of the interest and success experienced by the runners who have taken part in Fell running, it has been decided to launch a fell running Grand Prix, to give other runners who may not be familiar with running on the fells the opportunity to experience this discipline.
Many races form part of village fetes or gala days and of the six races selected for the first Grand Prix four are part of galas. These are a great day out for the whole family. A feature of the races is the after race hospitality with a good range of sandwiches and cakes available to replenish the energy used during the race. All the selected races are within easy travelling distance, the furthest being to Kendal.
The first race in the series will be at Rivington Pike which also includes the Merseyside championships. This race is one of the oldest races in the fell running calendar.
Below are listed the six selected races;
Sat 23rd April Rivington Pike, Crown Hotel,Horwich - BS 3,25m/700ft 3.00pm start.
Sat 28th May Hutton Roof. Hutton Roof Village Hall - BM 7m/1300ft 2.30pm start (Village Fete)
Sat 18th June Great Hill. Brinscall fete Field - BS 5.75m/1300ft 2.00pm start.
Sat 25th June Gibson Grind. Dean Gibson School, Kendal - BM 8.7m/1300ft 2.00pm start. (School Fete)
Wed 27th July Harrock Hill. Farmers Arms Bispham Green - BS 5m/900ft 7.30pm start.
Mon 29th Aug Moel Famau. St. Mary’s Church, Cilcain - AS 5m/1273ft 1.00 pm start. (Village Fete)
More information is available here: http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?y=2011
Scoring for the club Grand Prix will be as follows:
1st 10 pts 2nd 8 pts 3rd 7 pts 4th 6 pts 5th 5pts 6th 4pts 7th 3pts 8th 2pts.
All other runners taking part will receive 1 pt.
The Championship will be decided over an athlete's best 3 races with a trophy each for the top male and female overall. |
12th March 2011: Spiderman wins Dent Race and Batman finishes Third (by Mark Ashby)
The Dent race normally throws up a few challenges and for me this year was no exception. Whilst Saturday's race was run in near perfect conditions, heavy snowfall in Central Scotland meant a tricky journey for me to get there. Fortunately, the snow turned to rain and the temperature gauge was rising as I headed South. I arrived with time to spare and met up with Andy Hudson and Vicky Harvey who had a more relaxing journey from Southport.
Unusually for this race, there was a large contingent of super heroes on the start line and as the gun went it was clear these were no fun runners. At least three Spidermen, two Supermen, Batman and Robin led the way through the first mile and didn't falter when we got to the first serious climb on this testing 14.5 mile road race. I settled in to a comfortable pace and felt good through the early stages. I had a disappointing run at the Great North West Half Marathon in Blackpool two weeks before - strong winds on the seafront course had hampered the runners and made for some slow times, so I was hoping for a better run along the undulating Dales lanes.
I got a good start but as I hit the five mile marker I was struggling to hold my pace and was passed by a group of four or five making good progress. I tried to hang on but they were pulling away from me on the hills. Word came back from the front that last year's winner, Wesham's Steve Littler, was in the leading pack but was being pushed hard by Spiderman and Batman. As we passed the 7 mile marker on the back road through Dent I had come through my bad patch and was starting to slowly pull back the runners who had passed me earlier. There is a lot of climbing in the second half of the race and the field was strung out by this stage so it was after the 10 mile marker before I started to pass anyone. Feeling strong, I pushed hard over the last three and picked off four runners. I had to work hard to make sure I finished ahead of Robin though - he had lost Batman and seemed to be struggling on the steep hill between 13 and 14. I finished 25th and 2nd Vet 50 in 1.32.35, a few minutes down on last year but still a more encouraging result than Blackpool. Andy ran well, despite his lack of training mileage he ran much faster than last year to cross the line in 1.40.29 and 63rd position. Vicky was doubtful after she badly twisted her ankle 3 weeks ago but decided to give it a go and drop out at half way if needs be. She overcame the pain barrier to complete the full course in 1.57.46 and 176th position and 12th FV45, slower than previous year's but a good performance in the circumstances.
At the front it was Spiderman who won the race in 1.18.23. This must be the first time that 2010 Edinburgh Marathon winner, Steve Littler has been beaten by a fancy dress runner but he can take comfort that his second place 1.18.30 beat Batman who finished third in 1.19.45.
Jo Zakrezewski from Dumfries won the women's race in 1.30.19 just a month after clocking 2.47 to win the Rock and Roll Marathon in New Orleans. Keighley's Amy Green was 2nd in 1.34.27.
Two other Southport-based runners completed the race. Liverpool Pembroke's Greg Callaghan finished 12th and 2nd V40 in 1.27.48. Martin Bennett, once a Dent regular, last ran the race 15 years ago and returned this year in an attempt to get fit for a charity run at next month's London Marathon. Martin finished in 2.19.09 - those of us with a long memory will remember Martin running somewhat faster than that last time he ran it.
Results and Photos
London Marathon Accommodation & Travel
Accommodation at the Euston Premier Inn is booked for both Friday 15th April and/or Saturday 16th April. Only a limited number of places are still available and both members and non members are welcome. You don't even have to be running to join us, if you fancy coming down to watch the race and take in the marathon atmosphere then contact mark.ashby@vigin.net
Nick Sinclair has some train reservations booked so please contact nicksinclair001@hotmail.com if you still require rail tickets to London on Friday or Saturday, returning Sunday. |
12th March 2011: Senior Men are Mid lancs XC champions for an unprecedented 2nd season
 It went down to the final fixture this year with Southport Waterloo needing to win - or at least beat Barrow & Furness Striders - to retain the Mid Lancs League Senior Men's title they won last year. Barrow brought a strong team south to the Beacon Park course in Skelmersdale but James Tartt led our seniors home to win by a massive margin of 39 points in the end. The League title, decided on the best 4 from 6 results, was much closer with Southport Waterloo winning by just 1 point!
The day's cross country was a success in more ways than one. Many of our seniors have run this course before in the L&D League but this was the Mid Lancs League's first visit to Beacon Park, the fixture hosted by Wigan Phoenix assisted by Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton. The Junior courses were towards the top of the park and nicely undulating but the seniors enjoyed the full extent of what Beacon Park has to offer. Its a tough course, always wet and muddy in places and with several steep up and down hills but the general consensus was that it was a 'proper cross country course' and a success for the hosting clubs and the League. I'm sure we will be back!
This was the final League fixture which is traditionally less well supported than earlier fixtures with many titles already decided and the position made worse this year as the fixture was sandwiched between the Inter Counties and the English Schools national championship weekends. Nonetheless, there were good numbers in most age groups and Southport Waterloo had a strong presence. The ratio of males to female was stark, however, with only one junior girl. Our Under 15 girls were competing for Merseyside Schools in an Inter Counties match. (Why would that be arranged on a date just one week before the English Schools championships?) But where are all the Under 13 girls?
The Under 11 Girls' race included a run from Eleanor Horswell. She ran the 2-lap 2 km course in 8:42 for 24th place. Great to see at least one girl enjoying cross country running.
The Under 11 Boys were a different story altogether with 6 of the 35 runners wearing Southport Waterloo vests. Great promise for the future here. Andrew Fallon, developing into a good distance runner, was our first finisher, 7th overall in 7:27 for the 2 kms. Oliver Burrill was 13th in 7:45 and Ben Apps just behind, 15th in 7:47. Next home was Tom Peacock, 24th in 8:18, Shaun McKiernan, 29th in 8:38, and I think a ??? in the results at position 30 (8:42) might be Ed Peacock. Finally, David Spencer was 33rd in 9:01.
Quickly passing over the absence of SWAC runners in the Under 13 Girl's race, the Under 13 Boys' race included even more Southport Waterloo runners - eight in all! Chris Fallon looked strong, particularly on the 2nd lap, finishing 5th of 38 runners in 9:34 for approx 3.2 kms. Gregor Gordon was also well up in the top half of the field, finishing 13th in 10:03. Then we had Harry Peacock, 22nd in 10:27, Calum Larkin, 25th in 10:30, Matthew Tobin, 30th in 10:55, Thomas Shearer, 32nd in 11:13, Ryan Hill, 34th in 11:44, and Fraser Garner, 37th in 11:58. Chris, Gregor, Harry and Calum scored team positions for a 3rd place today, confirming the boys in bronze medal position for the season. An excellent result against strong opposition.
The Under 15 Boys would need at least a 2nd place today to retain gold medal position if Liverpool Harriers competed and won the fixture. And that's exactly what happened! Michael Panes, Andrew Kershaw, and Liam Ellis went off very fast, quickly settling into the front pack, battling it out with three strong Liverpool Harriers. In the end, Andrew was our first counter, 5th place overall - with two Harriers in 3rd and 4th place - in 11:12. Liam stormed through in another strong finish, 7th in 11:19, just keeping ahead of Michael, 8th in 11:21. Tom Lodge was another who finished like a train, getting past a runner on the line, 12th in 11:51. And finally Jonathan Foster was 18th in 12:06. A 2nd place today confirmed the boys in gold medal position overall, Under 15 Boy champions 2011! Very well done.
On to the Senior Women's race, then, and Amanda Crook led our ladies home. Amanda knows this park well and has run L&D here several times. She came home 4th today in 18:40 for approx 5.9 kms. Michelle Spencer enjoyed the challenge of the course and was rewarded with a 29th place finish in 23:06. Sue Cooper, prior to her appearance in the European Masters Indoors Championships next week - and foregoing the GB Masters cross country champs in Birmingham - was our third counter, 41st overall and 1st L55 in 24:05. The team was 7th overall, 5th in Division 1,  leaving them 4th in the League overall just a single point off the bronze medallists. Impressively, Sue has finished 5 of the 6 fixtures as 1st L55 so she takes an individual gold award for the season - and also takes silver as 2nd placed L45. Very well done Sue!
Carole James was 50th overall in 25:07 and Carol Wright 56th in 25:56. Sue Cooper, Carole and Carol finished as the first L45 team at Beacon Park, confirming their league L45 championship for the season.The other lady finishers were Sue Stewart, 62nd in 26:32, and Elaine Sutton, 79th in 30:20.
Although competing as part of the Senior Men's team, Joe and Patrick Vis and David Gough counted towards their own Junior Men's team. Patrick was 1st Junior on the day in 29:07, Joe was 2nd in 29:28 and David was 6th in 32:38. Unfortunately, that was the first time the club finished a team this season - indeed the only club to finish a team at all - but Joe has won the individual Junior award for the League overall!
The Southport Waterloo Senior Men were out in force at Beacon Park to mount the final challenge on the League championship. 26 runners competed and several others gave them support on the course. The men finished 4 in the top 10 and 7 in the top 20 to win the team event by 39 points over Barrow. They also won the Vet 40 team event and they finished 2nd in the Vet 50s! The 'B' team even took 3rd team place overall! It was a major triumph and emphasises the significant progress our senior men runners have made in recent years.
James Tartt was our first finisher, 4th overall - his highest ever cross country finish! - in 28:52 for something under 10 kms, with Patrick Vis running a great race to finish 5th in 29:07. James' finish leaves him 4th overall in the league, just outside the medals. Our third team counter was Joe Vis, 9th overall in 29:38, just ahead of Ben Johnson, 10th in 29:33, Michael Evans, 12th in 29:51, and the final team counter was Richard Shearer, 14th in 29:58, and 1st V40. Richard also takes an individual League silver medal as 2nd placed V40.
The 3rd placed 'B' team comprised Steve Wilkinson, 17th in 30:08, David Hamilton, 23rd and 2nd V40, in 30:25, Rob Ashworth, 37th in 32:30, David Gough, 38th in 32:38, Neil Adshead, 43rd in 32:49, and Peter Roome, 45th in 32:57. Richard, David, Rob and Neil were the winning V40 team. And we have now won the V40 Division 1 title for 2010/11.
Other finishers were Chris Dunn, 33:01, Steve McLean, 33:03, Keith Lunt, 34:57, Steve Lewis, 35:15, Matthew Goddard, 36:00, Mike Cunningham, 37:26, Carl Fallon, 38:28, Gareth Williams, 38:39, Simon Tobin, 39:34, Terry Hanley, 40:15, Neil Silcock, 41:04, Phil Baxendale, 44:12 and John Vis, 44:47. Tom Peacock also started the race but his recurring calf problem forced a retirement. Steve, Rob and Gareth were the 2nd placed V50 team.
This has been a great day for Southport Waterloo. Congratulations to all runners who have represented their club so passionately throughout the season. I know some of the seniors are already looking forward to the next cross country season. By my reckoning, the club has medallists in 6 Mid Lancs categories and has four individual medallists. What a great season!
Once again, there were a couple of items of clothing left in the tent and these can be collected from Ron Scott. They are a navy blue polyester running top, size S, and a pair of black Nike long legged running tights size M.
Thanks to all the runners who have supported the club and the League in cross country over the season and a special thanks to the various team managers who have helped boost numbers participating and given invaluable support to the runners.
Full Results are on the Mid Lancs web site. Results | final div'l standings | final individual standings.
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7th March 2011: Mid lancs Cross Country on Saturday could be an historic event
In 2010, our Senior Men pulled out all the stops and won the Mid lancs League for the first time in the club's history - with a fixture to spare! What chance, then, that we could do it two years running?
Well, the points are even tighter this year but a strong team performance next Saturday could see another historic achievement. The fixture is at Beacon Park in Skelmersdale, the first time the League has used a venue than our senior men know well from the Liverpool & District League. And it is almost certain that main opponents Barrow & Furness Striders will view this as virtually a home fixture for Southport Waterloo!
But we can't be complacent. If the right result is to be achieved it will require the best of support from all club seniors. Remember, everyone who runs contributes to the final result and not just the counters. We have a great team spirit and that can propel the team to new heights. So lets enjoy a massive turnout from club seniors.
And its not just about the Senior Men winning Divison 1. They will also win the Vet 40 team category if they can beat Clayton le Moors at Beacon Park.
Our Senior Women have already won their Vet 45 team category but it would be great to see them continue to dominate that age category.
And the Juniors too have much to race for as well. Our Under 13 Boys could take silver team awards if they can win at Beacon Park. Our Under 15 Boys are leading their division but they could lose out if they don't put in a strong performance on Saturday. And, although they haven't fielded a team so far this year, our Under 17 ladies could be medallists if they too compete.
So lets encourage a strong club outing on Saturday and if you can't run then come along and give the runners all your support. |
6th March 2011: Four enjoy pre-London Trimpell 20 (by Rick Bowker)
 Situated between Morecambe and Lancaster, the Trimpell 20 is the idea
build-up race for the London Marathon.
Jo Wilson, Christine Cutner,
Paul Cain and myself lined up on the running track for the start in
ideal conditions, a warming sun taking the chill out of the morning and
only a slight breeze in the air.
Paul Cain, who was nursing a sore calf
and knee, decided to use Jo as a pacemaker for the first half of the
race, after which he belted off and gradually made his way through the
runners ahead, knocking out sub 3.15 marathon pace for the second half!
He was very pleased with how strong he felt and the fact that his body
held together without anything falling off.
Paul finished with 2.29.28.
Jo told me she'd not been training as much as in previous years, but
looked good with 2.35.28.
She enjoyed the views over the Lune valley as
well as appreciating the quiet, scenic cycle tracks we ran on.
Christine
Cutner - who is one of the most prolific marathon runners in our club and
at her best has qualified for the elite women's start at London - put in
yet another solid performance with 2.57.41.
As for myself, well I set
off with a group running right on 6 min mile pace for the first 8
miles, at which point I felt the pace was just beyond my limits.
I
eased back to my planned pace and let the group pull away.
Half a mile
latter I rounded a bend and took a wrong turn, ending up running
straight into Jo and Paul!
I turned around and chased after them. Somehow I did a second loop round the village adding almost two miles
to the official course!
I decided to race the virtual man on my Garmin
which was set for 2 hours 3 mins.
It was good fun charging through the
runners ahead of me.
At 12 miles [13.77 for me] a guy pulled along side
me, seems he'd took the first half easy and was now looking for sub
2.45 marathon pace for the second half.
We worked off each other and
really sped along.
At last I hit 20 miles on my Garmin with a time of
2.04.01 which worked out as 6.12 pace!
I jogged the final 1.77 miles
into the finish very happy with my unofficial new P.B.
Next stop the
Liverpool half Marathon. |
5th March 2011: Club runners run for Merseyside in Birmingham |
 Southport Waterloo was well represented in the Merseyside teams at the UK Inter Counties Cross Country Champs held for the 2nd year running at Cofton Park in Birmingham. The course was in complete contrast to the National event at Alton Towers last month with good ground underfoot; excellent for running. It did get a little muddy at one point but the ground lacked moisture and so didn't cut up much as the races progressed. Cofton Park is a gently undulating course with a long gradual uphill climb from the start that can catch out the unwary; and a gradual downhill run into the finish that provided a lot of excitement.
Cofton Park also offers spectacular views of most of the course from the finish area and so the event was enjoyable for both runners and spectators. And this final match in the McCains Cross Challenge series was televised by Sky, with cameras all around the course, allowing audiences at home to watch some great running by the best cross country runners in the UK; some of whom were looking for World Cross selection.
Southport Waterloo had runners in most of the age group races. The first club interest was in the Under 13 Boys' race where Chris Fallon and Gregor Gordon were in action having automatically qualified from the county championships. In their first 'big field' national event, both boys more than justified their selection finishing 3rd and 5th for Merseyside. Chris finished 142nd in 11:53 for 3 kms and Gregor was 240th in 12:35. The Merseyside team - four to count - was 31st of the 41 counties finishing a team in this age group.
In the Senior Women's race, Amanda Crook got a late call up and ran a great race to finish 1st Merseyside counter! She was always well up and finishing 48th of 259 county runners - in 30:41 for 8 kms - was an excellent result. The Merseyside team here suffered a couple of retirements but still finished a team; 16th of 25 counties.
Next up were the Under 15 Boys where Andrew Kershaw and Liam Ellis were running. Andrew finished 4th counter for Merseyside, 126th overall in 16:45 helping the team home to an 11th place of 42 counties. Liam Ellis was just outside the team counters, providing strong back-up with an 177th finish in 17:09.
There were 298 finishers in this race although the Under 13 Girls' race was in fact the biggest race with 305 finishers.
It is not often that we see a Merseyside runner leading a national standard race but there was a terrific run today by Matthew Shirling from St Helens Sutton who was just pipped into 2nd place in the Under 15 Boys' race. A name to watch for the future!
In the Under 20 Women's race, Southport Waterloo provided all the runners, so good county placings were assured! However, with only 3 girls on the day, there was to be no team finish. Jenny Girdler looked strong and comfortable as she settled into her running. She was first home in a Merseyside vest, 95th overall in 26:56 for 6 kms. Sophie Kelly was next, 117th in 29:23, followed home by Louise Leek, 125th in 30:33. Merseyside isn't the only county short of Junior Women cross country runners as could be seen from the team results where only 13 counties managing to finish a team.
With no club interest in the Under 13 Girls' or Under 17 Men's races, it was then the turn of the Under 15 Girls. Here Ellie Roberts and Lauren Clarehugh were running. Ellie was 5th in the county champs but impressively finished 2nd counter for Merseyside at Cofton Park. She was 161st in 18:18 for 4 kms. With 4 to count for a team, the Merseyside girls were 34th of 41 in a very strong field. Lauren Clarehugh also ran strongly and competitively, finishing 6th Merseyside girl in 19:04.
Finally, then, the Senior Men lined up in their pens. With limited county selection, this isn't the same spectacle as the National senior men's race but with 292 competitors representing their counties, the quality more than made up for the fewer numbers. Club seniors Ben Johnson, Richard Shearer and James Tartt had received county call-ups and again more than justified their selections with James Tartt 3rd counter for the Merseyside team that finished 17th of 29 counties over the 12 km course. Jay was 140th in 39:59. Ben Johnson and Richard Shearer were never far apart in the race and it was Ben who finished just in front, 203rd in 41:37 with vet 40 runner Richard 216th in 42:06.
Full results are accessible on the Power of Ten results listing.
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