Category: Weekly round up

The Abingdon marathon is renowned for its fast and flat course, so is a draw for many runners seeking a personal best for a marathon and for Peel Road Runner, Wayne King, this would be his first attempt at the distance after a period of promising and very consistent training. Unfortunately the weather was against the runners on Sunday with heavy rain and wet roads hampering their efforts. However, despite this, Wayne had an outstanding run crossing the finish line just 23 seconds over the magic “3 hours” in a truly impressive time of 3:00:23. On a different day with better weather conditions, it’s not difficult to imagine that this time will be well and truly broken!

Unfortunately, the weather proved too much for the Droitwich half marathon, which was cancelled due to a flooded course. Having trained for the race, several Peelers decided to test themselves against the Peel RR half marathon course which was designed to be run as a virtual race during the Covid Lockdown period. Despite not ‘racing’ the route, the 13.1 mile course (based on the north side of Tamworth) gave them a good indication of how their training was progressing for their key half marathon race next month at Clowne near Chesterfield.

At the weekend’s parkruns, Kingsbury was again the most popular with the Peelers. Club member Mike Shelton had the double celebration of being able to claim his award for volunteering for the 100^th time at Kingsbury (that’s a lot of Saturday mornings given over to helping others!) and also for knocking out his fastest time in 2022, crossing the line in 20:16.

First over the finish line for the club was James Stretton, who stopped the clock at 19:44, closely followed by Mike Shelton (20:16); Ben Dorkins (personal best time of 21:28); Tim Clark (22:12); Lisa Stretton (25:37); Stella Taylor (27:02); Joy Sykes (30:48); Helen Dempsey (33:11); Alison Perry (33:33); Wendy Bowyer (41:38); Alison Dolphin (41:40) and Chris Norris (49:02). Sarah French and Roger Eastaff volunteered as finish scanners, whilst Wendy Bowyer helped with communications at Kingsbury.

Parkrun tourists included: Mick Stevenson at Northallerton (33:20); Tony Bryan at Walmer and Deal Seafront (25:38); Emma Barley at Chasewater (38:36); Ian Orton at Babb’s Mill, Solihull (23:10); Tim Mudd at Beacon, Lichfield (26:45); Jackie Tierney at Watermead Country Park, Leicester (28:58) and Michael Hughes at Bramshall Road, Uttoxeter (27:50).

With the autumn marathon season upon us, many Peelers have been training hard for events all over the UK but this Sunday Michael Hughes crossed continents to record a personal best time in the Chicago marathon, finishing in an impressive 4:25:55. 

With autumn upon us and supposedly cooler weather, the Canicross racing season has started again. Rob Mace was out on the trails at the Midlands Canicross Short Course event held at Box Park, Bedford. He came third running with Base in the mile event (shortened course due to warm conditions), recording times of 6.09 and 6.58. Clara Walton also ran at the Novice event with Nanook finishing in 8.05 and 8.03.

At the weekend’s parkruns, a good contingent of Peelers headed to Kingsbury for their weekly fix! First over the finish line for the club was Ben Dorkins in a time of 22:36 and 16th place overall. Next to finish was Mike Shelton in 25:23, followed by Judith Matthews (25:24); Jason Church (25:44); Sophie Galloway (26:09); Garth Cox (27:17); Stella Taylor (28:24); Chris Bennett (28:42); Allen King (28:46); Darren Truman (28:49); Roger Eastaff (30:01); Jackie Tierney (31:00); Ann Hill (32:17); Martyn Candy (33:59); Chris Norris (48:18) and Alison Dolphin (59:37).

Parkrun tourists this week included: Mark Boffey and Sarah Boffey at Dudley (24:56) and (27:34 PB)respectively; Mick Stevenson at Colby, Pembrokeshire (34:44); Claire Guffick and Lee Guffick at Sutton Park (29:12) and (41:56) respectively; Emma Barley at Chasewater (33:36) and, travelling the furthest for his weekly parkrun, Michael Hughes at Heritage Harbour, Ottawa (27:13).

The London marathon needs no introduction and this Sunday saw thousands of runners pounding the capital’s streets running for their clubs and raising money for their charities. This year the Peel Road Runners had three runners in the race with Ian Orton first over the line in a time of 4:41:36. Ian was running on behalf of MACS (a national charity supporting children born without eyes or with underdeveloped eyes). Sophie Galloway was next to finish in 4:53:40, running on the Peel RR club place (her name was drawn out of the ‘hat’ of eligible runners in the club and the place is highly coveted every year!) with Carolyne Browne close behind in a time of 4:57:41. Carolyne was running for the British Heart Foundation and has raised an incredible £3331.00 for the charity at the time of writing! Her run was made even more memorable as she met the women’s marathon record holder, Paula Radcliffe, whilst collecting her running number at the Expo on Friday.

Taking on another distance challenge closer to home, Clara Walton completed 7 laps in the Big Bear Rainbow Challenge at Kingsbury Water Park on Tuesday on a rather wet day. The run held on a mixed surface trail course equated to a distance of 23.1 miles, a distance personal best for her.

At the Kielder Run Bike Run event on Saturday (11 km run – 25 km bike – 6 km run) Joy Sykes finished in a time of 4:03:41 on the mixed surface trail run/bike course in somewhat muddy conditions.

After a summer of racing in the Burton and District Summer League, several Peel Road Runners were prize winners at the Presentation Evening on Friday. Emma Pick won first over all the races in the Senior Ladies category; Zac Simmons was second overall in the U25 male category; Lisa Stretton was second overall in the VW45 category and Wayne King was third in the VM40 category.

At the weekend’s parkruns, 12 Peelers took on the 5k course at Kingsbury Water Park. First over the line for the club was Mike Shelton in a time of 20:18, followed by Ben Dorkins (22:50); Phil Neale (24:22); Darren O’Leary (24:29); Richard Satchwell (26:36); Stella Taylor (27:13); Neal Dempsey (27:48); Allen King (28:50); Darren Truman (28:51); Helen Dempsey (32:26); Alison Perry (51:09) and Chris Norris (51:10). Parkrun tourists included: Tony Bryan at Conkers (25:39); Tim Mudd at Jersey (39:30); Garth Cox at Chasewater (25:03); Mark Boffey at Woodgate Valley Country Park, Bartley Green (22:52) and Jackie Tierney at University Parks, Oxford (30:12). Parkrun volunteers this week included: Sarah French, Ann Hill, Roger Eastaff, Wendy Bowyer, Claire Guffick, Lee Guffick and Mike Shelton (who ran and volunteered!).

With the week commencing 19^th September being England Athletics’ ‘RunAndTalk’ week, Peel Road Runners Mental Health Champion Emily Holiday spoke to the Peelers before their Club run on Tuesday evening. “We are starting the club run tonight at a slower pace and encouraging everyone to run with someone they wouldn’t normally run with. This week many RunAndTalk events are being held up and down the country and we felt it was especially fitting to hold ours tonight as many people are returning to the club following summer holidays and we have had many new members join us recently. We are also heading towards winter, which can be a challenging time for many particularly with the added news of rising energy prices therefore, these special club runs are important to remind everyone at Peel Road Runners that as a running club we value our members, and we are here to listen if anyone would like to talk. These events are a reminder to take care of yourselves, check in with yourself regularly and talk about mental health. We all have different reasons for running; for some that is physical health and fitness, for others it’s community and for some it is part of their self-care for regulating their emotions, mental health and well being. For me, I joined the Peel Road Runners to make some friends .. the benefits to my mental health have been a bonus! One thing I really like about this club is how there is no judgment when someone returns from taking a break, people are always just really pleased to see you. Yesterday, as a nation we said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth ll, many news headlines this morning reported how we came together in unity across the UK. This struck a chord with me as I feel this is something we have as a running club, we often come together to support and encourage one another, participate in community events and local running events, and to celebrate one another’s successes. I feel proud to be a part of the Peel Road Runners and I know many of you feel the same”.

“I owe so much to my Peel family for my happiness and well being. After 26yrs of running and feeling like it’s my last phase to be able to jog, walk and run with such supportive friends does me a power of good. To always be invited and included in our adventures means so much.  When I can’t run I will always support you.” Chris N

“Running helped me with my mental health massively through lockdown. After being told to self isolate and a relationship break up, I was inspired by my running friends to complete virtual running challenges which basically gave me the inspiration to get out of bed every day and help my team to achieve the goals set. This in turn gave me a focus and stopped me losing my mind. I am forever grateful for that.” Sandra I

At the Tissington trail half marathon, an enthusiastic group of Peelers took on the challenge of running 13.1 miles from Parsley Hay back to Ashbourne on a linear course. Veteran 70+ Peeler Chris Norris had stated that this would be her last half marathon and she was well supported by other runners from the club. Chris finished in an impressive time of 3:47:21 (not many ladies of her age would contemplate going for a run, let alone a trail half marathon!). Other runners included Claire Guffick (2:14:32 pb); Emma Petriccia (2:19:57 pb); Emma Whorwood (2:20:12); Roger Eastaff (2:34:29 pb); Lee Guffick (2:51:07 pb); Nicola Peace (3:00:29); Sam Harris (2:44:57); Ann Hill (3:13:59); Sarah French (3:14:05) and Alison Dolphin (3:47:19).

At Sunday’s Stafford 10k four Peelers took on the challenge of a speedy 10k with Chris Bennett first back for the club in 48:17, followed by Tony Bryan in 50:39 and Helen Dempsey and Neal Dempsey in 62:55.

At Kingsbury parkrun Tim Clark 22:44 put in the speediest time for the club, with the remaining Peelers running the parkrun as part of their ‘long run’ marathon training. Most had run at least 14 miles before taking on the 5k parkrun, even so some creditable times were recorded: Mike Shelton (25:09); Darren Truman (27:24); Allen King (27:25); Ben Dorkins (27:57); Clara Walton (28:26); Joanne Harvey (30:12) and Sandra Ingram (32:48).

Parkrun tourists included: Mark Boffey at Rosliston (29:04); Tim Mudd at Brierley Forest (40:24); Garth Cox at Walsall Arboretum (23:19); Ian Orton at Babbs Mill (25:36) and Jackie Tierney and Joy Sykes at Beacon (28:34 and 31:56 respectively).

With the Tamworth AC Tamworth 5 mile race being the final race in the Burton & District Summer League for 2022 and it being so local, Peel Road Runners were able to put out a good number of runners at this year’s event. The race, promoted by Tamworth Athletics Club, started in the Athletics Stadium before heading out on cycle paths up through Stonydelph and Wilnecote before returning to finish on the track at the Athletics Club. First home for the club was Wayne King in 30:26 followed by Zac Gibbons in 34:14; Scott Chapman (34:41); Emma Pick (34:59); Mark Boffey (35:51); Ben Dorkins (36:58); Lorna DSilva (38:13); Craig Smith (38:11); Chris Bennett (38:40); Ian Orton (40:02); Allen King (40:14); Darren Truman (40:16); Andrew Gillman (41:35); Stuart Hatton (42:23); Dave Fern (44:09); Sarah Boffey (46:44); Emma Livingstone (48:39); Jackie Tierney (50:01); Sandra Ingram (50:09) and Emma Whorwood (51:18).

On Sunday, the Four Oaks Financial Services Lichfield half marathon drew a good number of runners to their event, which started at King Edwards School in Lichfield before following a route passing Whittington Barracks, Whittington village, Fradley village, then following lanes to finish at Stowe Pool, Lichfield. Phil Neale was first back for the Peelers, finishing in a time of 1:42:22, followed by Michael Hughes in a personal best time of 1:49:15.

Also on Sunday, Val Lawson took on the undulating and scenic Nanpanton Scouts Charnwood Challenge near Loughborough. Starting in the village of Nanpanton, the 10 mile course took runners along tracks and paths taking in Windmill Hill at Woodhouse Eaves, Broomriggs Farm and Beacon Hill Country Park clocking around 2000 ft of climb. She finished in a course personal best time of 2:09:59.

At Saturday’s parkruns, Kingsbury saw another good turnout of Peelers many of whom helped Peeler Dave Fern celebrate his 70^th birthday by singing “Happy Birthday” to him before the run! First Peeler to cross the finish line was Mike Shelton in 20:26 and 8^th position overall. Next to finish was Darren O’Leary (24:59); Darren Truman (26:15); Jason Church (26:21); Clara Walton (28:31); Carolyne Browne (29:27); Dave Fern (29:28); Jackie Tierney (29:35); Roger Eastaff (30:21); Wendy Bowyer (40:44); Claire Guffick (tail walker 55:31) and Lee Guffick (tail walker 55:50).

Parkrun tourists included: Garth Cox (22:58) and Tim Mudd (34:09) at Walsall Arboretum; Chris Bennett (23:26) at Conkers; Joy Sykes (31:57) at Tyne Green, Hexham and Stephen Andrews (38:57) at Watermead Country Park, Leicester.

Hi-viz volunteers this week included Claire Guffick, Lee Guffick, Ann Hill, Sarah French, Alison Dolphin, Allen King, Chris Norris, Mike Shelton, Alison Perry and Wendy Bowyer.

On Sunday 4^th September, Sophie Galloway took part in the Sheffield 20 mile race. Organised by Hillsborough and Rivelin Running Club, the race was run on pavements and good quality, well compacted trails and had little elevation. The course began with 2.5 laps of the main lakes in Rother Valley Country Park, after this it followed the Trans Pennine Trail to Staveley, returning along the same route before finishing with another half lap of Rother Valley. It was billed as being an affordable 20 mile race for runners preparing for autumn marathons and was a perfect race for Sophie, who will be running the London Marathon on a Peel RR Club place in October. She finished the race in a personal best time of 3:26:00.

On Sunday 11^th September, several Peel Road Runners journeyed north to take part in the Great North Run. The iconic half marathon was being held on its traditional course this year, after having a change of route enforced last year due to Covid restrictions. First back for the club was Stephen Baker in 1:35:51, followed by Rob Mace in 1:43:09 with Ian Orton crossing the line in 1:53:30. Judith Matthews was next to finish in 1:54:47, followed by Sandra Ingram (returning to fitness after a long period off running due to injury) in a time of 2:16:59.

With their race cancelled at short notice last year due to over-running roadworks, and their usual course unavailable due to HS2 works, Lichfield Running Club were relieved to be able to hold their annual and very popular 10k race on a new course this year. The undulating route started in Beacon Park before taking runners out to the west of the city along undulating country lanes and then returning to finish in the park. In-form Peeler Wayne King ran a brilliant race to finish in a personal best time of 37:37, 8^th overall and first in the M45 age category. Next across the line was George Hope in a time of 50:11, followed by Michael Hughes (also in a personal best time) of 52:37; Garth Cox in 52:59 and Emma Barley in 1:12:14.

There was a good turnout of Peelers at Saturday’s parkruns, with Kingsbury the biggest draw again. First to cross the finish line for the club was Tim Clark in 23:01, very closely followed by Phil Neale in 23:31 and Mike Shelton (24:20); Darren O’Leary (25:46); Jason Church (26:38); Dave Fern (26:50); Darren Truman (26:55); Richard Satchwell (27:05); Owen Slater (27:15); Lisa Stretton (27:29); Jackie Tierney (29:18); Claire Guffick (29:25); Roger Eastaff in a personal best time of 29:32; Clara Walton (29:50); Alison Upton (32:50); Ann Hill (37:36); Sarah French (38:04); Lee Guffick (38:59) and Wendy Bowyer (44:58).

Parkrun tourists included: Ian Cooper at Brueton (29:12) and Mick Stevenson at Warwick Racecourse (32:06).

On Sunday, 3^rd September Ultra Runner Peel Road Runner Neal Dempsey took on the challenge of the Rat Race Man v Mountain in Snowdonia. The legendary mountain adventure run started at sea level at Caernarfon Castle and followed quiet country lanes and rough tracks and footpaths to the summit of Snowdon, before descending down by the railway to Dinorwic Quarry. Here runners took on an array of punishing obstacles including the infamous Vertical Kilometre and a swim in Llyn Padarn! With an approximate distance of 22 miles and 5055 ft of climb, runners also faced the challenge of typical Snowdonia weather which added to the fun! Dempsey crossed the finish line in an impressive time of 6 hours saying “the swim was the best bit!”

Also taking on an equally arduous challenge was Peel Road Runner Martin Hollamby, himself no stranger to ultra distance events. He ran the Peak Running Limestone 50, a 50 mile trail run taking in some of the spectacular scenery of the White Peak starting and finishing in Castleton, Derbyshire. The run had 7500 ft of climb and, and as an UTMB qualifying race, required runners to self-navigate over varied terrain. Hollamby finished the route in 9:50:47 and 4^th place overall. Commenting on the event afterwards he said, “I was in 2^nd place at one point, but fell off the pace massively in the second half. I was able to collect myself and get in under 10 hours despite desperately wanting to walk for the last 20 miles or so! Can thoroughly recommend the course and the organisation (and the marshals) were superb. I’ll be back!” At the Baslow Checkpoint, decked out as an 80’s disco, Peeler Val Lawson volunteered to support the runners (who were taking on 100 mile, 50 mile and 33 mile distances) by marshalling for Peak Running. 

As usual, Kingsbury parkrun proved a good draw for Peelers on Saturday morning. First home for the Peelers was Ben Dorkins in a time of 22:34, closely followed by Mark Boffey (22:48) and Tim Clark (23:04). Next to finish was Mike Shelton in 23:48 and Lisa Stretton (24:24); Garth Cox (24:33); Dave Fern (25:27); Stella Taylor (28:17); Jason Church (29:13); Owen Slater (29:15); Clara Walton (31:38); Roger Eastaff (31:44); Joy Sykes (32:09); Alison Perry (32:12); Ann Hill (37:57); Sarah French (38:08); Alison Dolphin (40:16); Wendy Bowyer (42:12) and Stephen Andrews (42:14).

Parkrun tourists this week included: Chris Bennett (24:58) at Conkers; Ian Orton (23:48) at Barry Island, Glamorgan (23:48); Tim Mudd at Bideford (26:00) and Sophie Galloway and Sandra Ingram at Beacon, Lichfield who crossed the line together in 32:03.

With cooler conditions and a traffic free route, the Nice Work RAF Cosford 10k road race proved to be a popular event last weekend. The race started in the shadow of the Spitfire in Hangar One before taking runners outside and onto the RAF Cosford airfield. Runners then took on a gently undulating course up and down the runway, round the museum grounds and past iconic aircraft.  Neal Dempsey was first to return to base landing in a time of 57:33, followed by Helen Dempsey in 65:03. Clara Walton also finished in 65:00, closely followed by Alison Upton in 69:52.

At the weekend’s parkruns, Tim Clark was first back for the club at Kingsbury in 22:53 with Chris Bennett (24:25) next home, closely followed by Run Director Mike Shelton (24:51). Simon Gordon ran well to cross the line in 25:05 with Dave Fern finishing in 26:12. Claire Guffick was first lady back for the Peelers in 28:53. Other runners included Sophie Galloway (30:35); Jo Insley (30:38); Stella Taylor (36:12); Ann Hill (38:57); Sarah French (39:01); Alison Dolphin (39:06); Lee Guffick (39:24); Alison Perry (40:35) and Chris Norris (49:07).

Parkrun tourists this week included: Ben Dorkins at Trelissick, Truro in 24:57; Garth Cox (22:55) at Walsall Arboretum; Darren O’Leary (25:16) at Burgess, London; Joy Sykes (31:27) at Blyth Links, Northumberland; Tim Mudd (26:32) at Babbs Mill, Solihull and Jackie Tierney (28:57) at Beacon, Lichfield.

Last weekend, Joy Sykes took part in the Try on the Tyne duathlon, which included a 5 km run followed by a 20 km bike ride and a 2.5 km run. The duathlon started on the Quayside in Newcastle, with transition at Baltic Square in Gateshead, and took in a selection of the Tyne’s famous bridges, all on closed roads. She completed the course in 1:47:35, a great achievement in the very warm conditions last weekend.

On Sunday, Zoe Schnepp took part in the LPS Events Cotswold 10k lake swim at Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire. The event required swimmers to swim 10 anti-clockwise laps of the gravel filtered lake to complete the 10k distance. Schnepp completed the course in 3:27:00 coming first in the Female Vet 40 category. 

The Peelers were well represented at Kingsbury parkrun on Saturday, with new member Tim Clark first across the line for the club in a time of 23:02, followed by Mark Boffey in 23:46. Next to finish the 5k run was Chris Bennett in 23:49, then Garth Cox (23:54); Darren O’Leary (24:12); Judith Matthews (27:03); Stella Taylor (28:30); Claire Guffick (29:22); Roger Eastaff (30:01); Joy Sykes (31:34); Sandra Ingram (32:09); Jackie Tierney (32:38); Sarah French (39:40); Alison Dolphin (39:40) and Stephen Andrews (41:11).

Parkrun tourists included Ian Orton at Tamar Trails, Tavistock in 25:41; Ben Dorkins at Woolacombe Dunes (reckoned to be one of the toughest parkrun courses in the country, as runners have to try to run up the “Dune of Doom”!) in 26:26; Mick Stevenson at Warwick Racecourse in 32:22 and Tim Mudd at Bramshall Road, Uttoxeter in 27:02.