The stunning Lake Orta in Piedmont, Northern Italy, was the setting for an extraordinary test of endurance as Peel Road Runners Steph Attenborough and Jo Sharman took part in the Orta 10 in 10 event.
Between Friday 8th and Saturday 17th, the pair completed an incredible sequence of five marathons with each followed by five half marathons. The demanding road course—closer to trail conditions by UK standards—featured more than 400 metres of elevation on the full marathon route.
Adding to the challenge were extreme conditions, with heat warnings in place and daily temperatures approaching 40°C. Despite this, both runners excelled, finishing joint third overall in the half marathon standings.
The famous Blackpool Illuminations provided a dazzling backdrop for this year’s Run the Lights 10k, as hundreds of runners took to the Promenade for one of the North West’s most vibrant races.
Starting in the heart of Blackpool, the route took participants past iconic landmarks including the Blackpool Tower and the Pleasure Beach, before finishing under the glow of the world-renowned light displays. Every finisher received a bespoke glow-in-the-dark medal to mark the occasion.
Peel Road Runners were well represented on the night, with strong performances across the field. Allen King finished in 46:23, followed by Mark Boffey in 48:31. Samantha Futrill crossed in 49:02, with Chris Bennett close behind in 51:07. Lisa Barnes rounded off the club’s entries, finishing in 59:31.
The Belper Rover in Derbyshire once again lived up to its reputation as a tough but scenic challenge, with competitors tackling a 30 km circular fell race across footpaths, bridleways and public roads. The course took runners over the Chevin ridge, along stretches of ancient Roman road once frequented by highwaymen, and through farmland, woodland and sections of the Midshires Way.
This year’s event was made even tougher by hot conditions, with the 2000 ft of elevation gain across the course proving particularly demanding. Finishers were rewarded in true Rover tradition with a cheese cob and a can of coke. Among the entrants was Peel Road Runners’ Sarah Boffey, who put in a strong performance to complete the race in 3:38:12.
Set against the stunning backdrop of Blithfield Reservoir in Staffordshire, the Blithfield Triathlon once again attracted athletes to one of the region’s most scenic multi-sport events. Based at the Sailing Club, the race offered both Sprint and Olympic distances, with competitors tackling a reservoir swim, a fast rolling bike leg and a trail/tarmac run to finish.
Peel Road Runners’ Matt Salisbury took on the Olympic distance, beginning with a 1.5 km open water swim in 37:33. He then completed the 39 km bike section in 1:05:53 before finishing strongly on the 10 km run with a time of 49:30. Matt finished in a fantastic 47th place out of a field of 129 competitors with an overall time of 2:38:41.
Meanwhile, it was another busy weekend for Peel Road Runners, with members taking part in events across the country. A large group of Peelers headed to Kingsbury Water, where Katie Stretton finished in 25:13, followed by Ashley Goodman in 26:42. Roger Eastaff recorded a time of 31:43, just ahead of Claire Guffick who finished in 31:44. Jo Insley crossed the line in 33:06, with Emma Whorwood close behind in 33:54. Lee Guffick ran well to finish in 34:45, while Ann Hill and Wendy Bowyer completed their runs together in 38:34 and 38:35 respectively. Rounding off the Peel contingent, Alison Dolphin finished in 57:14 and Stephen Andrews in 57:17.
At Rotherham, Michael Hughes completed his run in 49:33. At Isabel Trail, Roger Lloyd produced a strong run to gain a PB in 23:10. Meanwhile, at Dunstable Downs, Ben Dorkins completed his outing in 24:17. In Ross-on-Wye, Jacqueline Tierney ran well to record a time of 31:39. At Woodgate Valley Country Park, Garth Cox completed the course in 23:30. In Sence Valley Forest Park, Tim Mudd finished his run in 27:22. Finally, at Tamworth Castle Grounds, Sophie Galloway finished in 24:29, followed by Judith Matthews in 25:45. Lydia Trenfield achieved a PB and first in her age category in 27:39, Charlotte Fielding completed her run in 28:27, while Dave Fern finished in 31:36.
The Peelers meet every Tuesday evening at the skate park car park at 6.45pm for a 7pm start with a choice of different paced running groups and a walking group.