Whilst many sports fans have been focused on the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Peel Road Runners have been focusing on training in the wet and wintry conditions nearer to home! Thankfully, this week saw something of a respite in the rain, which meant that fewer parkruns were affected by cancellations, so the parkrun Peelers were able to get their weekly fix on various 5k courses around the country and beyond.
Running at Mansfield, Michael Hughes finished in 28:23, whilst at Kingsbury Water Park Phil Neale was first home for the club in 24:10, followed by Katie Stretton (24:58), Lisa Stretton (25:46), Roger Eastaff (37:04), Lee Guffick (37:05), Ann Hill (37:52), Wendy Bowyer (46:25) and Nicola Bannister (46:25).
At Newark parkrun, Steph Attenborough and Jo Sharman ran 35:11 and 35:24 respectively. Heading south, Danny Beardsmore completed the Seaton parkrun in Devon in 20:14, whilst at Ormeau parkrun, Belfast, Ian Orton crossed the finish line in 21:21. Travelling to Evesham in Worcestershire, Mark Boffey ran in 27:15 with Darren Truman (27:42) and Sarah Boffey (33:46) close behind. On the east coast, Billy King finished the Great Yarmouth parkrun in 27:27 with Jacqui Tierney crossing the border to complete the Holyrood, Edinburgh parkrun in 33:31. Roger Lloyd and Tim Mudd took on the Sense Valley, Ibstock parkrun finishing in 23:40 and 27:04 respectively. This was Tim’s 300th parkrun … a huge achievement!
The biggest Peeler parkrun turnout was at our home course in the Castle Grounds, Tamworth with Jamie Abbiss first over the line for the club in a time of 19:26 followed by Martin Hollamby (20:47), Luke Collins (21:44), Lee Rickards (22:28), Wayne Richardson (24:22), Lydia Trenfield (25:00), Jonathan Allen (25:38), Dan Bird (26:21), Stuart Hatton (28:14), Cheryl Flint (28:31), Sophie Galloway (30:10), Emma Pick (41:14) and Jo Bovington (48:37). Stuart Hatton was also celebrating his 200th parkrun – another great achievement!
Finally, travelling to the British Military base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Graham Lane completed the ‘closed’ and very exclusive course 5k in a time of 25:35.
Away from parkruns, Jo Sharman completed her 87th marathon at the Saturn Too’s Doughnut Dash along the River Nene Washlands in Northampton. She finished the lapped event in a time of 6:12:00. Meanwhile, Steph Attenborough completed her 101st half-marathon at the same event, finishing in a time of 3:12:00.
A quiet February weekend for the Peel Road Runners saw just three members in action, all in a local race, Rugeley 10 Miler. A popular, challenging ten‑mile road race held each year in mid‑February and hosted by Rugeley Runners. The course is a scenic but undulating route, set on quiet country lanes around Brereton and Longdon. The run features several climbs, including a short sharp hill at mile 1.3, rolling mid‑section, and tougher climbs such as Grange Hill around mile 7. The soggy conditions and undulating route was no deterrent for Roger Lloyd who crossed the line first in an impressive time of 01:25:38. Next home was Dan Bird in 137th place (1:28:59) with Wayne Richardson snapping at his heels and achieving a time of 1:30:01.
Despite the local park runs at Kingsbury and Tamworth once again being called off due to weather conditions 18 Peelers were in action having hunted out alternative locations. Closest to home were Wayne Richardson at Rosliston (26:22), Claire Guffick and Lee Guffick, 30:54 and 37:54 respectively at Conkers, and Mike Shelton (22:16), Ash Goodman (22:42), Garth Cox (23:39), Sophie Galloway (28:35) and Stuart Hatton (29:35) at Beacon Park.
Venturing further afield Rutland Water hosted Joanne Sharman 34:51 and Steph Attenborough 35:33, Ian Orton (38:46) and Emma Pick (46:19) visited Edgbaston Reservoir and Corby hosted Michael Hughes (27:35). Other Parkrun tourism included Tim Mudd (26:33) at Salcey Forest, Mark Boffey (26:46) and Jackie Tierney (28:49) at Hereford and Graham Lane (28:21) at Bury Field. Finally Jonathan Allen headed to the north east to take on Sewerby park run completing in a time of 28:53.
Peel Road Runners are a long‑established, friendly running club based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, welcoming runners of all abilities and also offering a walking group. The club prides itself on its welcoming atmosphere and strong community spirit, with members always happy to share knowledge and encourage newcomers. Regular club runs are held each Tuesday evening, meeting at the Skate Park in Tamworth Castle Grounds at 6:45pm for a 7pm start.
Despite all the rain over the last week, on Sunday, a dedicated group of Peelers took on the cross-country race at Boothorpe (Conkers). Consisting of 2 Laps of the National Forest, runners completed approximately 5.5 miles, mostly on grassland with a small section of compacted paths.
In the women’s team, Sophie Galloway was the first Peeler to finish in a superb 28th place, followed by fantastic performances by Cheryl Flint in 43rd and Sandra Ingram in 48th. Jackie Tierney completed the scoring in a strong 49th place. Following closely behind was Claire Guffick in 52nd place, Emma La Planche in 58th and Val Lawson in 59th place. First Peeler to complete for the men’s team was Wayne King in a brilliant 8th place, closely followed by Lee Rickards, also finishing in a fantastic 16th place. Luke Collins was next Peeler home in 59th place, followed by Wayne Richardson in 89th, James Payne in 94th, Simon Gordon in 117th and completing the scoring Mark Boffey in 118th. Following were Graham Line in 127th and Lee Guffick in 137th.
With marathon training in full swing, Chris Bennett and Sammie Futrill decided that just running 17 miles wasn’t quite challenging enough they decided 15 of those miles should be the Cannock Chase 15-mile race. Chris and Sammie were bravely joined by Adrian Jelley, who also decided it was a good thing to do on a Sunday morning. With the weather fairies gracing us with rain every day of 2026 so far, an interesting (some would say awful) course was made even more challenging.
In true Peel fashion, they would not be discouraged and posted so more than respectable times. Adrian was first across the line in a time of 02:20:55; he was followed shortly after by Sammie with a time of 02:30:38, which was enough to secure Sammie the trophy for third female (well done). Rounding of the event for Peel was Chris in a time of 02:49:31. Well done to all three.
Taking place on the same tough muddy course, Gillian Jelley opted to take on the 10-mile distance and finished in a fantastic time of 01:59:54. Well done Gillian.
With many Parkruns cancelled last weekend due to flooding, Peelers travelled far and wide to find runs taking place.
At Beacon Park, the first Peeler back was Mark Shelton in (24:06), followed by Wayne Richardson (24:29), Sophie Galloway (24:37), Tracy Ford (25:44), and Amy Jones (28:20).
At Brueton Graham Lane finished in (27:41), at Brunswick Park Jonathan Allen finished in (27:14). At Conkers Marcus Fairburn finished in (29:37), followed by Stuart Hatton in (30:31).
Travelling to Coronation Park, Roger Lloyd finished in (24:23), with Ian Orton finishing in (21:48) at Coventry.
Jacqueline Terney ventured to Crewe, finishing in (30:07), Garth Cox travelled to Oaklands, finishing in (25:57), and Michael Hughes travelled to Peron Playing Fields and finished in (30:03).
At Rushcliff,e Mark Boffey finished in (27:44), followed by Sarah Boffey in (36:39), and at Sutton Park, Ashley Goodman finished in (24:14).
Finally, travelling the furthest to Ekebergsletta in Oslo, Joanne Sharman finished in (58:56), followed by Stephanie Attenborough in (58:57).
Peelers Couch to 5k, Peel Road Runners Couch to 5k also starts on Tuesday, 10th February, running for 9 weeks. The group meets at Tamworth Castle Grounds Skate Park at 6.15 pm. Come along and give it a try, details can be found at: www.peelroadrunners.co.uk
There were not many events this weekend, as many of the club’s runners put in the training miles as they work towards events coming up in March and April. We had one runner participate in the Warwick half-marathon, which starts and finishes at the racecourse. Ash Goodman finished in a very impressive 1:46:43.
Park run was the main focus for many on Saturday morning. Tamworth Castle Grounds saw the most Peel runners. Dan Bird (24:10) was followed by Wayne Richardson (25:35), Anne Whitby-Smith (26:27), Jonathan Allen (26:50), Marcus Fairburn (29:04), Jo Insley (34:06), Cheryl Flint (41:25), Allen King (55:44) and Chris Bennett (55:48).
Kingsbury Water Park was also popular with Phil Neale in 25:17, followed by Lorna Carlin (27:29), Tracy Ford (27:33), Sophie Galloway (27:44), Claire Guffick (32:08), Alison Upton (34:57), Lee Guffick (38:36) and Roger Eastaff (38:37).
Beacon Lichfield saw Mike Shelton finish in 21:18, Garth Cox (23:24) and Roger Lloyd (23:40). Graves saw Ian Orton finish in 24:12 with Michal Hughes in 46:43. Queenswood Country Park had Jo Sharman and Steph Attenborough completing the course at 59:54.
Other solo attendees were Graham Lane at Alvaston (27:09), Jacky Tierney at Clumber Park (32:55), Emma Pick at Rosliston (44:08), Mike Stevenson at Warwick Racecourse (42:35) and Simon Gordon at Woodhouse Moor in 26:27.
If you’d like to join us, we meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7 pm at the Skate Park in Castle Grounds. For more details, visit www.peelroadrunners.co.uk
At club run on Tuesday, the Peelers took part in a ‘Hash Run’. Originating in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Hash Run is a fun run or walk which follows a chalk trail. The run was led by ‘Hare’ Martin Hollamby, who, after explaining the rules and leading a rendition of the Hash prayer, set off to lay a trail of chalk arrows for the walking group and running group to follow. The ‘co-hares’ in pursuit had to search carefully, as some trails ended in a You’ve Been Fooled message, with the followers having to retrace their steps and find the correct route. Hash runs have a tradition of drinking, and the evening was no exception, with the co-hares challenged to find the hidden stash of beer along the route. Challenge was accepted and completed with the co-hares enjoying liquid refreshment towards the end of the trail. Many thanks to Martin for organising what proved to be a fun and sociable evening.
Peel Road Runners were out in force across a wide range of parkrun locations on Saturday morning, with members enjoying conditions at venues across the country. At Conkers parkrun, Stuart Hatton finished in 29:58. A good turnout headed to Kingsbury Water, where Mike Shelton recorded a strong time of 21:51. Ben Dorkins followed in 26:05, with Lisa Barnes finishing in 30:40. Christine Norris and Stephen Andrews completed the course in 1:07:11 and 1:07:40, respectively.
At Newark parkrun, Philip Neale finished in 24:30. Further north at Northallerton, Michael Stevenson completed the course in 41:25. Meanwhile, at Oaklands parkrun, Ian Orton ran well to finish in 22:12.
Several Peel Road Runners took on Beacon parkrun, where Garth Cox finished in 23:14, followed by Roger Lloyd in 23:44. Katie Stretton recorded a time of 24:35, with Lisa Stretton close behind in 24:44. George Hope completed his run in 26:41.
At the scenic Trentham Gardens parkrun, Mark Boffey and Darren Truman crossed the line together in matching times of 32:18, while Sarah Boffey followed with a time of 33:25. Over at Abbey Park, Emma Pick completed her parkrun in 28:43. At Sence Valley Forest Park, Tim Mudd finished in a time of 27:03.
A large Peel Road Runners presence was seen at Tamworth Castle Grounds, where Martin Hollamby recorded a fast time of 21:31. Ashley Goodman finished in 23:22, followed by Wayne Richardson in 24:46. Sophie Galloway crossed the line in 25:11, with Simon Gordon finishing in 26:35 and Tracy Ford in 26:46. Cheryl Flint completed her run in 28:03, while Jacqueline Tierney finished in 30:46. Jo Bovington rounded off the day with a time of 43:27.
Over the weekend, a few Peelers visited Ashbourne in the Peak District to take part in the Tissington Trail Half Marathon, so popular it runs over both days of the weekend. The Tissington Trail, the site of a former railway line from Ashbourne to Buxton, runs along a 13-mile route from Parsley Hay to Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, the traffic-free trail is slightly downhill all the way with gravity on the runners’ side. On Saturday, Samie Futrill and Chris Bennett completed the distance in times of 01:51:53 and 01:58:00, respectively, with Samie achieving a fantastic PB, knocking almost 6 minutes off her half-marathon time. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Peeler James Payne completed the half-marathon in a strong time of 01:52:44.
On Sunday, a good contingent of Peelers experienced the opposite effects of gravity by taking on the hilly and muddy country course at Allestree Park near Derby. The 6-mile 2-lap course offered everything a classic cross country course should offer, with slippery climbs, energy-sapping grassy fields and scenic woodland on the menu. Also on the menu were the usual selection of delicious home-baked cakes provided by the team members as a well-deserved reward for taking part. In the women’s team, Lorna Carlin was the first Peeler to finish in a superb 26th place, closely followed by fantastic performances from Sophie Galloway and Sam Cart to finish in 27th and 28th place respectively. Claire Guffick completed the scoring in a strong 55th place. Following closely behind was Emma La Planche in 55th place, Jackie Tierney in 60th and Val Lawson in 63rd place. First Peeler to complete for the men’s team was Wayne King in a brilliant 7th place, closely followed by Lee Rickards, also finishing brilliantly in the top 10 in 8th place. Martin Hollamby was next Peeler home in 23rd place, followed by Mike Shelton in 44th, Chris Bennett in 90th and Simon Gordon in 98th place. Making his cross-country debut, Tom King crossed the line in 101st place, with Ben Dorkins on his heels in 102nd place, followed by Mark Boffey in 124th place. The runners were supported by volunteers Mike Shelton as the tail runner in the children’s race, Matt Salisbury and Sarah Boffey. The team were well supported as always by cross country captain Sandra Ingram, Lee Guffick, Rachael Rickards and Graham Lane.
If you are looking to improve your fitness or want to get into running, or returning to running after some time out, then the Peel Road Runners Couch to 5k course will be starting on Tuesday, 10th February 6.15 pm, meeting at the skate park car park. It will be a 9-week course following the NHS C25K app. The cost of the course is only £10. For further details, visit the Peel Road Runners Public Facebook page.
