Author: PeelRR

After a quieter period for racing, it was back to normal in a big way for the Peel Road Runners this weekend with events all over the Midlands attracting the club’s runners.

In the build up to spring marathons, running a 20 mile road race is seen as a good way to assess progress and to this end the Oundle 20 in Northamptonshire is a big draw for runners. The course was described as “scenic and gently undulating, following wide and quiet country lanes” with ‘personal best’ potential. However, the strong headwind was not in runners’ favour for the last couple of miles, but that did not stop Peeler Mike Shelton and Kathryn Adams putting in good performances and finishing in 2:38:00 and 2:41:00 respectively.

Sarah French took on a new challenge by running her first ever 7 mile road race at the Burghley 7 in Lincolnshire, thus achieving a personal best at the distance! The course took in the beautiful town of Stamford and nearby historical villages and grounds of the Burghley estate, including areas not normally accessible to the public, making for a very interesting route. Sarah finished the race in 1:30:12.

At the Florette Fradley 10k on Sunday, Peel Road Runners were represented by Allen King (47:37); Chris Bennett (48:31); Darren Truman (51:51); Claire Guffick (1:01:16); Emma Whorwood (1:03:43); Roger Eastaff (1:07:10); Alison Upton (1:13:07); Kelly Porter (1:14:15); Lee Guffick (1:19:32); Stephen Andrews (1:22:06); Chris Norris (1:34:05) and Alison Dolphin (1:34:07). With dry, sunny and mild weather conditions, a sneaky strong breeze would remind runners that the fast and flat course would not be an “easy” run for anyone chasing a personal best time, however that did not stop Kelly Porter, Roger Eastaff and Allen King doing just that (with King knocking two and a half minutes off his previous best time)! 

Meanwhile at the Hatfields Shrewsbury 10k, Stella Martin ran a well-paced race to finish in a time of 59:45. The scenic course started in Quarry Park, Shrewsbury, ran through the medieval town centre and residential areas before entering the grounds of the prestigious Shrewsbury School and finishing back in the Quarry Park.

Sunday also saw the final race in the 2021/22 Derby & Staffs cross country League with runners facing a 5 mile challenging course at Sinai Park near Burton upon Trent. The course is renowned for its uphill start and muddy tracks and this year was no exception, with a revised course due to storm damage requiring runners to run over a couple of sections twice making the going even tougher. One new challenge for this year (and much appreciated by runners!) was a rope installed on the infamously steep and muddy hill midway through the course to help runners gain traction on the ground! 

First back for the club was the ever-consistent Martin Hollamby, who finished in fourth place overall. He was followed by Lee Rickards in 19^th place; Luke Collins in 20^th place; Zac Gibbons in 26^th place; Ben Dorkins in 44^th place: Mark Boffey in 49^th place and Simon Gordon in 53^rd place. Running for the women’s team, Emma Pick had a true battle with the eventual third placed lady runner, losing out in the final few metres of the race before finishing in fourth place. Rachael Rickards also ran a strong race to finish in 7^th place, followed by Sophie Galloway in 25^th place, Sarah Barber in 34^th place and Jackie Tierney in 36^th place. 

At the post-race prize giving, Lee Rickards was presented with the prize for first M40 over the full series of races, whilst Wayne King was second M40. Robert Dyjak, after a series of very strong and consistent race finishes, took the prize for third place overall concluding a very successful first season of running with the club.

At Kingsbury parkrun this week, whilst Alison Dolphin, Claire Guffick and Stephen Andrews all volunteered to help check in the runners, Mark Boffey was first runner back for the club in a time of 26:48. He was followed by Darren Truman (26:51); Jackie Tierney (28:23); Ben Dorkins (29:11); Joy Sykes (30:16); Clara Walton (30:17); Wendy Bowyer (41:13); Nicola Bannister (41:14) and Ann Hill (41:14). Peeler parkrun tourists this week included: Tony Bryan (24:07) and Dave Fern (25:13) at Conkers; Tim Mudd (25:28) at Beacon, Walsall and Rob Mace (20:08) at Watermead, Leicester.

Peel Road Runners enjoy running at locations all across the country and further afield and this weekend proved no exception for Peeler Jackie Tierney who travelled across the Channel to take part in the Harmonie Mutuelle Paris half marathon on Sunday. Having been cancelled due to the Covid epidemic last year, this year over 41000 runners ran the fast and flat course which Tierney completed in 2:12:11 finishing 236th out of 433 runners in the F55 age category. The race started at the Pont de Sully (Île St Louis) before passing famous landmarks such as the Hôtel de Ville, the Quais de Seine, the Château de Vincennes and the Bastille.

On Sunday, Peelers Helen and Neal Dempsey took part in the Ashbourne SeeSaw canicross event on an out and back run on the Tissington trail. Running the 10k route, Neal ran with Banana and came 2^nd in his age category in a time of 1:00:23 whilst Helen ran with Hugo and finished 5^th in age category in a time of 1:03:44.

Not content with running the half marathon on Sunday, Jackie Tierney also ran in the Bois du Boulogne parkrun in Paris on Saturday. She finished in a time of 29:28 and 19^th female to cross the line. Closer to home, at Kingsbury parkrun Lisa Stretton was the first Peeler to finish in a time of 25:16 followed by Mark Boffey in 25:40. Other runners at Kingsbury included Tim Mudd (26:58); Claire Guffick (29:52): Roger Eastaff (30:16); Alison Perry (33:07); Lee Guffick (38:42); Stephen Andrews (39:14); Sarah French (39:27) and Alison Dolphin (39:28). 

Making his comeback after a time off running, Carl Hole-Maloney took part in the Coventry parkrun finishing in a time of 30:50. Other parkrun tourists this week included: Chris Bennett at Walsall (22:49); Dave Fern at Conkers (25:31); Garth Cox at Chasewater (24:22); Tanya Murphy at Babbs Mill (34:29) and Rob Mace at Edgbaston Reservoir (20:25).

At the Prestwold Hall Leicestershire half marathon on Sunday, in-form Martin Hollamby ran a very strong race to finish in an impressive time of 1:23:10 and in 25th place out of 322 finishers in the Senior Men category (52/1002 runners altogether). The gently undulating course started and finished at Prestwold Hall and covered sections of country roads, the airfield and racetrack. The open nature of the course meant that it was particularly susceptible to wind; good if the wind was behind the runner but not so good if not! 

On Sunday 27^th February, Helen Dempsey ran the Nice Work Carsington Water half marathon. The route followed the undulating and traffic free trails around Carsington Water reservoir and Dempsey crossed the finish line in a time of 2:39:21. 

Meanwhile, Val Lawson ran the Peak Running Winter Bash 10 mile trail race from Ticknall near Ashby de la Zouch. The undulating, but scenic route was self navigated and took in the paths and trails around Foremarke School and Calke Abbey. Lawson finished in a time of 1:58:11 (position 68/99 finishers) and won the F60 age category.

At Kingsbury parkrun, Allen King ran well to finish in a new personal best time of 22:34. He was followed by Ben Dorkins in a time of 23:08; Rob Mace (23:32) running with dog Molly; Mike Shelton on his 200th parkrun (24:29); Garth Cox (25:33); Darren O’Leary (26:23); Stella Taylor (26:45); Jackie Tierney (29:18); Mark Boffey (29:18); Joy Sykes (29:48); Roger Eastaff (31:27); Clara Walton (32:31); Lee Guffick (39:34); Stephen Andrews (41:07); Wendy Bowyer (47:18) and Chris Norris (47:21). Sarah French volunteered at Kingsbury … no volunteers, no parkrun!

Parkrun tourists this week included Mick Stevenson (32:26) at Leamington parkrun; Tanya Murphy at Babb’s Mill (39:09) and Tim Mudd at Trentham Gardens (27:03).

The impact of Storm Eunice was felt all over the country this weekend causing many events to be cancelled for safety reasons. One of the victims was the penultimate race in the Derby Runner Staffs & Derby cross country race due to be held at Shipley Country Park near Derby. The race was to be held on land owned by the Woodland Trust land and the Trust removed permission for the event because of safety concerns. Other victims of the weather were local parkruns including Kingsbury and Rosliston, again cancelled due to health and safety concerns.

However, some events were able to go ahead. One of these was the How Hard Can It Be Winter Railway ultra marathon at Coalport near Telford on Saturday, 19th February. The route took runners along the banks of the River Severn between Ironbridge and Bridgnorth, following the route of the old railway line on an out and back loop of 9.4 miles. Veteran V75+ marathon runner Bob Donovan was not phased by the weather and completed 28 miles in a time of 5:26:12 … an extremely impressive result for anyone, let alone someone of Bob’s age! An inspiration for all Peelers!

After two years of postponement due to the Covid pandemic and storm Darcy in 2021, the Rugeley Runners 10 mile road race finally took place on Sunday, 20^th February. The undulating and scenic course circled the beautiful villages of Longdon and Upper Longdon before heading back to Rugeley through the AONB Cannock Chase finishing with an exhilarating downhill run back to the finish. Helen Manton was the sole Peeler at the race and finished the 10 mile course in a creditable time of 1:51:00.

With Kingsbury and Rosliston parkruns cancelled due to safety concerns, many Peelers took advantage of an extra hour in bed. However a few club members ran at other parkruns across the country. These included: Jackie Tierney at Milton Keynes in 29:13; Tim Mudd at Brueton in 26:02; Joy Sykes at Tyne Green in 29:31; Ian Cooper (25:21) and Tanya Murphy (35:12) at Babbs Mill and Mick Stevenson at Warwick Racecourse in 30:50.

Following last week’s Cross Country race at Boothorpe, the official results have now been published. Peel Road Runners men’s team finished the Boothorpe race in fourth position, but were pushed into fifth place (out of fourteen teams) in the League by South Derbyshire Road Runners (who finished first team at Boothorpe). The ladies’ team also finished fourth out of the teams competing at Boothorpe, but remain in seventh place overall in the League (out of fourteen ladies’ teams). The next race, the penultimate in the League, will be on Sunday, 20^th February at Shipley Country Park in Derby.

At Kingsbury parkrun, Martin Hollamby was first over the finish line for the club, completing the 5k course in a time of 22:41 and 11^th place overall. Next Peeler home was Ben Dorkins in 22:57, followed by Mike Shelton (24:41); Allen King (25:57); Mark Boffey (26:05); Darren O’Leary (27:05); Claire Guffick (29:49); Roger Eastaff (30:41); Joy Sykes (30:43); Jackie Tierney (33:50); Ann Hill (34:25); Kelly Porter (in a personal best time of 34:43); Sarah French (35:00); Lee Guffick (39:34); Zoe Schnepp and Sally (45:31) and Christine Norris (47:14).

Parkrun tourists included: Ian Cooper (26:11) and Tanya Murphy (36:02) at Brueton, Solihull; Tim Mudd (25:39) at Northampton; Tony Bryan (26:13) at Sewerby, Bridlington and Sophie Galloway (31:38) at Beacon, Lichfield.

Peel Road Runners were once again in action this weekend on a muddy and hilly 5.5 mile cross country course at Boothorpe near Swadlincote on Sunday. The scenic and challenging course, promoted by South Derbyshire Road Runners, formed part of the Derby & Staffs Cross Country League and was the fourth race in the 2021/22 series.

First home for the club was second claim Peel runner Robert Dyjak who improved on his previous results to finish in an impressive second place. He was followed by in-form Club Chairman, Lee Rickards, who had moved up through the field during the race to finish in 11^th place. Wayne King was next over the line for the club in 15^th place, followed by Rob Mace (25^th); Zac Gibbons (31^st); second claim Scott Chapman (37^th); second claim Andy Pickard (50^th); Allen King (76^th); Mark Boffey (81^st); Tony Bryan (85^th); Simon Gordon (87^th); Chris Bennett (89^th); Roger Eastaff (103^rd) and Lee Guffick (104^th).

First home for the ladies’ team was Emma Pick, who ran a very strong race to finish in 5^th place on what was (by the second lap) an increasingly muddy course. Rachael Rickards was next Peel lady home in 15^th place, followed by Lisa Stretton in 20^th place. Lorna DeSylva (36^th); Carolyne Browne (44^th); Sophie Galloway (48^th); Claire Guffick (63^rd); Sarah Barber (64^th) and Nicola Peace (74^th) also represented the club and competed for the ladies’ team. 

Full results for the club placings were not available at the time of going to press, but Peel Road Runners will be hoping to maintain their strong presence in the League and build on this at the next race in Derby on Sunday, 20^th February.

Veteran Peel marathon runner Bob Donovan was back out ticking off the miles on Tuesday 1st February running at the Big Bear Ryton Pools trail marathon. Enjoying sunny and calm weather conditions for the majority of the run, Donovan (78 years young!) completed the course in 5:36:37.

Parkrun once again proved a draw for the Peelers, with Kingsbury proving the most popular. First home for the club at Kingsbury this week was Ben Dorkins, who finished the 5k course in 22:46 and 23^rd place overall. Mike Shelton was the next Peeler home in 23:41 followed by Chris Bennett in 24:57. Mark Boffey (25:52); Stella Taylor (completing her 50th parkrun in 26:07); Roger Eastaff (34:46); Sarah French (34:51); Kelly Porter (36:59); Nicola Bannister (37:21); Stephen Andrews (40:54) and Christine Norris (46:49) also ran at Kingsbury. Club Secretary, Alison Dolphin, volunteered as a “hi-vis” hero at Kingsbury parkrun. 

Parkrun tourists this week included: Rob Mace (20:06) at Cannock Chase; Tanya Murphy (33:31) at Perry Hall; Tim Mudd (26:26) at Bedworth; Jackie Tierney (29:38) at Sutton Park; Joy Sykes (28:59) at Blyth Links in Northumberland and Mick Stevenson (31:27) at Warwick Racecourse.

The Peel Road Runners were once again out and about at different parkruns across the region on Saturday. The lure of Kingsbury proved the strongest again with the greatest number of Peelers attending. First across the line and in fourth place overall was Martin Hollamby in a time of 20:12. His swift finishing time was all the more impressive as he was pushing a running buggy with his daughter in it!

In 25^th place overall, Allen King finished in 23:08 equaling his personal best time from 2021. Other Peelers running at Kingsbury included Chris Bennett (24:20); Simon Gordon (25:03); Ash Goodman (25:35); Mark Boffey (28:23); Jackie Tierney (28:27); Joy Sykes (29:56); Claire Guffick (30:45) and Nicola Bannister (36:52). Meanwhile, Sarah French, Alison Dolphin and Stephen Andrews made great ‘hi-vis heroes’ by volunteering to scan the runners’ barcodes as they crossed the finish line, whilst Mike Shelton was this week’s Run Director.

Parkrun tourists this week included: Tim Mudd at Coventry (26:51); Rob Mace at Cannock Chase (20:42); Ian Cooper (27:02) and Tanya Murphy (33:50) at Brueton, Solihull; Andy Pickard at Rotherham (23:10); Garth Cox at Chasewater (24:12) and Mick Stevenson at Warwick Racecourse (31:46).

With the Staffs and Derby Cross Country League in full swing, Peel Road Runners Men’s team are in fourth place out of fourteen teams, whilst the women’s team are currently in seventh place out of fourteen teams, meaning that there is lots at stake at the next league race on Sunday, 6^th February at Boothorpe, near Swadlincote. The teams are hoping that the dry weather holds out to make for good running conditions on what can be a very muddy course.

Peel Road Runners welcome new runners of all abilities. 

Peel Road Runners took part in the third race in the Derby Runner Staffs & Derby Cross Country League on Sunday. Travelling to Allestree Park in Derby, the Peelers were faced with slightly drier conditions than would normally be expected in January, although the dreaded “hill of mud” still proved as challenging as ever on both laps of the race! Although unable to run due to injury, Team Captain Sandra Ingram described the day saying, “it was a struggle to get the teams together (due to injury and illness), but it worked out well in the end. The camaraderie of the other clubs was amazing, they all waited to cheer in our last runner. It was really heartwarming!”

Although men and women run together over the 5.5 mile course they score separately. Rachael Rickards ran a strong race to finish first of the Peel ladies in 13th place overall. Close on her heels, Lisa Stretton put in a great performance finishing in 17th place, followed by Lorna DeSylva, Sophie Galloway and Claire Guffick. Running for the men’s team, second claim runner Robert Dyjak continued his impressive performance this season by finishing 3rd overall in a very competitive field. Second Peeler home for the men was ultra runner Martin Hollamby, who is well used to running on technical terrain and ran strongly finishing in 8th place. Club Chairman Lee Rickards crossed the line in 10th place overall (though maybe regretting his choice of white XC spikes!), followed by Wayne King, second claim Scott Chapman, Darren Truman, Ben Dorkins (on his cross country debut), Roger Lloyd, Simon Gordon and Lee Guffick. The team were also able to take shelter before and after running in their recently purchased and branded gazebo, which was well appreciated and will prove to be a godsend in less favourable weather!

Peel canicross runners were busy this weekend at the Canicross Midlands event held at Lincomb Equestrian Centre near Worcester. Neal Dempsey, running with Banana and Hugo on the 5k course, finished in third place overall. Helen Dempsey ran the same course with Sydney, but was not placed. Both Neal and Helen ran the fun short course (around 3k in distance) with Paddington and Sydney (Neal) and Minnie (Helen). Rob Mace also ran a strong race on the 5 k course with Axis. All six dogs are rescue dogs living their new lives to the full!

The National Running Show at the National Exhibition Centre is always a draw for runners both locally and from further afield. Several Peelers took advantage of the occasion to meet some of the “stars” of the running world and to check out the latest gear and equipment to tempt their credit cards. Mark Boffey was able to chat with the astounding Scott Jurek, an American ultra runner whose impressive record of distance wins include the Hardrock Ultra, the Badwater ultramarathon, the Spartathlon and the Western States 100 mile race. Definitely a day to remember!

Saturday morning parkruns once again proved popular for club members with Kingsbury Water Park drawing the largest number of Peel runners. First to cross the line for the club was Mike Shelton in a time of 22:31, followed by Ben Dorkins (23:21); Darren O’Leary (25:41); Stella Taylor (26:15); Jackie Tierney (29:34); Claire Guffick (30:50); Emma Whorwood (35:19); Ann Hill (35:38); Sarah French (35:41); Nicola Bannister (36:44); Alison Dolphin (38:47); Stephen Andrews (39:46); Wendy Bowyer (40:22); Lee Guffick (41:58) and Chris Norris (47:05). Parkrun tourists included: Andrew Pickard at Hillsborough, Sheffield (23:31); Garth Cox at Chasewater (23:56); Ian Cooper (25:20) and Tanya Murphy (33:06) both at Babb’s Mill, Solihull and Mick Stevenson (32:12) at Warwick Racecourse. Joy Sykes was the sole club hi-vis hero this weekend, volunteering at Carlisle Park parkrun in Morpeth, Northumberland.

Although a quiet time of the year for running races, Peel Road Runners have been working hard at improving their fitness levels on their weekly club runs and structured training sessions. Combining this with parkruns has helped to bring variety to their training and the opportunity to celebrate individual successes, which has always proved popular with the Peelers. 

At Kingsbury parkrun this weekend, Mike Shelton was first across the line in a time of 21:55. He was followed by Lisa Stretton (24:54); Darren Truman (25:32); Darren O’Leary (26:31); Ashley Goodman (26:41); Mark Boffey (28:18); Simon Gordon (28:32); Joy Sykes (30:55) and Nicola Bannister (39:26). Celebrating Stephen Andrew’s 50th parkrun, a group of enthusiastically attired Peelers had a more leisurely paced run around the course at Kingsbury finishing together in around 51 minutes. It’s suspected that Wendy Bowyer, Alison Dolphin, Sarah French, Claire Guffick, Roger Eastaff, Christine Norris and Lee Guffick enjoy the opportunity to dress up, as much as the opportunity to run!

Parkrun tourists this week included: Jackie Tierney (29:03) at Highbury Fields, London; Tony Bryan (24:36) at Conkers; Tim Mudd (36:28) at Dishley Park, Loughborough and Chris Bennett (26:33) at Sutton Park.

Despite the Christmas and New Year holidays, Peel Road Runners have been busy over the festive period. Anyone seeing a group of festively clad runners on the streets of Tamworth may have rubbed their eyes and questioned how much they had had to drink, but they can rest assured it would have been the Peelers celebrating the season on one of their social club runs!

Peeler Stella Taylor was definitely celebrating on New Year’s Eve, as she completed an arduous year of running 5k every day in 2021 to raise money for Cancer Research UK. To date she has raised over £2800 and ran every day in 2021 whatever the weather, even getting up very early on her wedding day to run 5k! Anyone wishing to support her challenge can donate at https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/stellas-5k-everyday-in-2021.

Club Secretary Alison Dolphin started off 2022 on a high note by running her 100^th parkrun at Kingsbury. She was accompanied by Peelers Sarah French, Roger Eastaff, Claire Guffick, Lee Guffick, Chris Norris and Nicola Bannister and they all finished together in a time of 54 minutes. Also running at Kingsbury were Rob Mace (21:37), Mike Shelton (23:10), Phil Neale (24:24), Lisa Stretton (25:39), Stuart Hatton (26:39), Ben Dorkins (26:49) and Clara Walton (30:01). 

Parkrun tourists this week included: Simon Gordon (25:51) at Brighouse near Leeds; Mick Stevenson (32:51) at Fountains Abbey, Ripon; Ian Cooper (25:21) and Tanya Murphy (34:33) at Babbs Mill, Solihull and Jackie Tierney (31:32) at Watermead Country Park, Leicester.

Peel Road Runners meet every Tuesday and Thursday on the Skate Park carpark in the Castle Grounds.