Sunshine and summer warmth set the tone for the 43rd Annual Royal Sutton Fun Run on Sunday, with temperatures peaking at 24°C and crowds lining the streets. Twenty Peelers took full advantage of the fine conditions on the 8.5‑mile course, which starts and finishes in Sutton Coldfield town centre, sweeps through the beautiful Sutton Park, and tackles the renowned Cardiac Hill.
First Peeler home was Dan Bird in a superb 1:04:21, followed by a strong sequence of finishes: Ian Orton 1:06:09, Wayne Richardson 1:07:10, Ash Goodman 1:10:06, Georgie Mead 1:10:18, Lisa Stretton 1:11:54, Chris Bennett 1:12:30, Katie Stretton 1:13:00, Simon Gordon 1:13:17, Carolyne Bowne 1:19:09, Jo Bovington 1:21:51, Lisa Ellen 1:29:33 (PB), Claire Guffick 1:30:42, Val Lawson 1:38:31, Alison Upton 1:40:24, Roger Longstaff 1:40:56, Lee Guffick 1:48:23, Wendy Bowyer 2:00:54, Nicola Bannister 2:00:52, and Ann Hill 2:00:51.
The Royal Sutton Fun Run has been a favourite on the local calendar for over four decades, bringing thousands together to celebrate fitness, community, and togetherness, this year was no exception.
Parkrun Events
Peel Road Runners were also out enjoying the sun on Saturday too, with club members taking part in Park runs across the country and producing some impressive performances.
At Tamworth Castle Grounds parkrun, which attracted a field of 373 runners, Wayne Richardson led the Peel Road contingent home with an excellent 25th-place finish in 22 minutes 21 seconds. Mark Boffey followed in 75th position in 25:40, while Richard Satchwell completed the course in 26:43.
Cheryl Flint was the club’s leading female runner at Tamworth, finishing 15th woman overall in 27:00. Other strong performances came from Stuart Hatton (28:18), Chris Bennett (28:45), Tony Bryan (29:02), Jo Bovington (29:19), Owen Slater (30:10), Sarah Boffey (38:48) and Jacqueline Tierney (54:59).
The standout performance of the weekend came at Isabel Trail parkrun, where Emma Pick produced a superb run to finish seventh overall and claim first female place in a remarkable time of 18:11.
There was further success at Kingsbury Water parkrun, where Sophie Galloway secured third female position and 33rd overall with a time of 24:09. Iain Downie was the first Peel Road Runner home there, finishing 26th overall in 23:29. Also representing the club were Chris Taylor (31:14), Stephen Andrews (35:35), Nicola Bannister (48:38), Ann Hill (48:39) and Garth Cox (57:04).
Katie Stretton continued her excellent form at Rosliston parkrun, finishing seventh female and 35th overall in 24:43.
Elsewhere, Ian Orton recorded a strong run at Peter Pan parkrun, finishing 21st overall in 22:22, while Roger Lloyd and Tim Mudd represented the club at Battlestead Croft parkrun, posting times of 24:17 and 27:29 respectively.
At Beacon parkrun, Graham Lane crossed the line in 27:11, while Carolyne Browne finished in 28:07. Joanne Sharman and Stephanie Attenborough took on the challenge of Haigh Woodland parkrun, recording times of 32:33 and 50:02.
Further afield, Michael Stevenson represented Peel Road Runners at Northallerton parkrun, completing the course in 41:21.
In total, 26 Peel Road Runners took part across nine different parkrun events, once again showcasing the club’s enthusiasm, commitment and love of parkrun tourism.
Congratulations to all who took part.
Peel Road Runners
Peel Road Runners meet every Tuesday evening at Tamworth Castle Grounds Skate Park at 6.45pm. Come along and give it a try.