Category: Weekly round up

With fewer races being held over the Easter weekend, it was the Peel poochies who were making all the headlines for the club at the Canicross Midlands series final at Catton Park. Rob Mace (running with Axis) finished a brilliant season of racing by winning the senior men’s long course canicross series. Not content with winning the long course series, Rob also came second in the senior men’s short course series running with Molly or Base. Also celebrating success was Neal Dempsey, who finished second in the vet male long course canicross running with Banana and second in the two dog short course series of races running with either Banana, Hugo, Paddington or Sydney over the season. 

On Monday Rachael Rickards competed in the fast and flat Boston half marathon, a course renowned for its personal best potential. She ran a very strong race to finish in a time of 1:40:18 just slightly over her personal best time, but still making her 9th female and first in age category in a field of 512! A great result!

Further to last week’s individual successes at the South Derbyshire Road Runners Conkers 5 mile race, the Peel ladies’ team currently stand second in the Burton & District Summer League whilst the men’s team are in third place. The next League race will be the Uttoxeter half marathon on Sunday, 1^st May.

At the weekend’s parkruns, Kingsbury once again proved the most popular venue for Peel Road Runners. First to finish this week was Luke Collins in a personal best time of 21:00, followed by Allen King also in a personal best time of 22:27. Next to cross the line was Ben Dorkins (23:18); Darren O’Leary (25:20); Stella Taylor (26:48); Caroline Evans (29:19); Claire Guffick (29:22); Joy Sykes (32:05); Alison Perry (32:49); Emma Whorwood (32:49); Roger Eastaff (32:56); Alison Upton (34:09); Ann Hill (34:09); Lee Guffick (39:04); Stephen Andrews (40:34); Wendy Bowyer (43:41) and Chris Norris (46:33).

Parkrun tourists this week included: Garth Cox (23:44) at Walsall Arboretum; Dave Fern (24:44) and Roger Lloyd (45:58) at Conkers; Zoe Schnepp (25:03) at Exeter Riverside; Ian Cooper (28:26) and Tanya Murphy (35:18); Tim Mudd (25:50) at Woodgate Valley Country Park, Birmingham; Jackie Tierney (29:22) at Trentham Gardens, Stoke and Mark Boffey (30:23) at Hastings High School, Burbage.

Peel Road Runners welcome new members of all abilities and are now enjoying summer club runs on trails and paths around Tamworth. 

Taking on the challenge of a first marathon is a ‘rite of passage’ for many runners and the Brighton Marathon on Sunday, 10^th April proved to be just that for Peeler Emma Whorwood. Emma completed her first marathon supported by Matthew Harris at the iconic seaside course in a very creditable time of 5:18:06.

Also on Sunday, the Run in the Forest 5 mile race took place at the Conkers Discovery Centre in Moira. The race, promoted by South Derbyshire Road Runners, is the second race in the Burton & District Summer Race League series and attracted a large turnout of runners from local running clubs. First home for the Peelers in a very competitive field was Martin Hollamby in a time of 30:58 and 10^th place overall. He was followed by Rob Mace (32:58); Lee Rickards (33:34); Emma Pick (33:44) making her first in age category and second female finisher; Mike Shelton (33:50); Zac Gibbons (35:19); Rachael Rickards (35:57); Lisa Stretton (38:43); Darren Truman (38:56); Mark Boffey (39:35 personal best); George Hope (39:38); Tony Bryan (40:27); Simon Gordon (40:29); Garth Cox (40:36); Dave Fern (41:39); Judith Matthews (42:26); Stuart Hatton (42:27); Caroline Evans (48:07); Helen Manton (48:36); Emma Livingstone (48:51); Jackie Tierney (49:01) and Joanne Harvey (50:38). In the children’s 1 mile race, mini Peeler Sally Schnepp crossed the line in a speedy 11:51. 

In a landmark weekend for Peel parkrunners, records were being created at events across the country. Jackie Tierney celebrated running her 200^thparkrun at Hastings High School parkrun in Burbage finishing in a time of 29:51. She was supported by Peelers Mark Boffey (24:08) and Tim Mudd (26:12). Meanwhile at Kingsbury parkrun, Chris Norris celebrated her 100^th parkrun, whilst Lee Guffick celebrated his 50^th parkrun. Celebrating in style and supported by others from the club, they ran the course dressed as unicorns and fairies! At Kingsbury, Zoe Schnepp was the first Peeler home in a time of (23:34), followed by Allen King (24:46); Mike Shelton (25:19); Garth Cox (26:04); Joy Sykes (32:32); Stella Taylor (32:52); Chris Norris (51:15); Lee Guffick (51:18); Claire Guffick (51:19); Ann Hill (51:20); Alison Perry (51:21); Sarah French (51:22); Kelly Porter (51:23); Wendy Bowyer (51:25); Roger Eastaff (51:27) and Nicola Bannister (52:49). Other parkrunning Peelers this weekend included: Carolyne Browne (27:15 and first in age category) at Banstead Woods, Coulsdon; Kathryn Adams (23:30) at Coventry; Clara Walton (29:54) at Didcot; Ben Dorkins (23:03) at Chasewater; Michael Stevenson (30:45) at Warwick Racecourse and Rob Mace (20:52) at Woodgate Valley, Birmingham.

With the spring marathon season in full swing, six Peelers headed north to take on the fast and flat course of the Therme Manchester marathon. With almost perfect weather conditions, the race started at Old Trafford before heading into the city centre, then wound its way out to Salford Quays, Stretford, Sale, Altrincham, Baguley and Sale Moor before finishing back near Old Trafford. Martin Hollamby continued his recent run of great results by finishing in a sub-3 time of 2:50:26, a personal best of over 8 minutes! Not to be outdone Kathryn Adams (running her first marathon in a Northbrook AC vest, though registered with Peel RR for the race) was first Peel lady to cross the line after the 26.2 miles in a time of 3:38:05 and also ran a personal best time of over 17 minutes! Michael Shelton also ran well to finish in a time of 3:45:24. On a day of personal bests, George Hope continued the theme knocking an astonishing 27 minutes of his previous marathon best to finish in 3:49:25. Finally, Donna Lancaster ran a strong and well paced race to cross the finish line in 4:19:33, followed by Allen King (running his first marathon in a Peel vest) in a time of 4:42:54. 

At the Cathedral to Castle 10 mile multi terrain race, 30 Peelers ran the scenic course from Lichfield to Tamworth. The race started in Beacon Park, Lichfield before passing Lichfield Cathedral and weaving its way through town and out along lanes and trails to Whittington village, crossing the Whittington Firing Ranges, passing through Hopwas Woods, Wigginton Park and finishing with a (rather cruel!) loop of the Castle Grounds. First Peeler home was Wayne King in a time of 1:02:46, 3^rd in age category and 9^th overall. He was followed by Rob Mace in 1:06:00, 9^th in age category and 20^th overall and Phil Neale in 1:12:50. Rachael Rickards was first female back for the club in a time of 1:13:29, 3rd in age category and 7^th female finisher equalling husband Lee’s time. Other Peelers included Luke Collins (1:13:33); Lisa Stretton (1:18:32 personal best); Darren Truman (1:19:26 personal best); Lorna Carlin (1:20:13); Simon Gordon (1:21:07); Dave Fern (1:25:31); Carolyne Browne (1:25:48 personal best); Donna Reid (1:26:05); Judith Matthews (1:26:08); Helen Chyla (1:26:31); Chris Bennett (1:26:47); Joanne Harvey (1:26:50); Rachel Browne (1:27:20); Tim Mudd (1:29:23); Stuart Hatton (1:30:37); Jo Insley (1:31:28); Stella Taylor (1:33:19); Tony Bryan (1:38:26); Claire Guffick (1:40:45 personal best); Sarah Boffey (1:42:04); Jackie Tierney (1:43:07); Neal Dempsey (1:43:09 personal best); Emma La Planche (1:44:39); Helen Dempsey (1:52:17 personal best); Roger Eastaff (1:54:54); Sam Harris (1:58:39); Lee Guffick (2:07:09); Nicola Bannister (2:07:09) and Ann Hill (2:07:11). 

At Saturday’s parkruns, Kingsbury once again proved the most popular with the Peelers. First to finish for the club was Rob Mace in a time of 20:25. He was followed by Garth Cox (24:24); Jason Church (26:19); Mark Boffey (28:25); Darren Truman (28:25); Jackie Tierney (28:54); Stella Taylor (32:57); Sarah French (34:19); Alison Dolphin (36:29) and Chris Norris (46:21). 

Parkrun tourists included Michael Stevenson at Leamington (32:17); Tim Mudd at Arrow Valley, Redditch (26:11); Tanya Murphy at Brueton (34:15); Ben Dorkins (22:27) at Walsall and Joy Sykes (29:38) at Blyth Links, Northumberland.

The sun shone on Saturday at Kingsbury Water Park as Mark Boffey celebrated his 100th parkrun milestone with his Siberian Husky Mando. The duo completed the 5km course in a time of 26:51. Other Peelers running with their four-legged friends at Kingsbury included Neal Dempsey with Banana, finishing in 29:50, Helen Dempsey with Hugo, clocking 33:24 and Rob Mace crossing the line with Molly in 25:01.

As usual the Peelers running solo at Kingsbury Water Park were out in force with Mike Shelton finishing in 8th place and a time of 20:17. He was followed by Phil Neale (23:50), Jacqueline Tierney (29:16), Claire Guffick (30:42), Alison Perry (32:02), Emma Whorwood (32:11), Stella Taylor (32:46), Clara Walton (33:02), Ann Hill (33:14), Chris Taylor (35:40), Alison Dolphin (36:30), Lee Guffick (38:41), Stephen Andrews (38:59), Wendy Bowyer (41:24), Nicola Bannister (41:25), Ian Grigg (43:14) and Darren Truman (43:16). 

At the Coventry parkrun, Kathryn Adams impressed, finishing second lady on the day with a time of 20:59. Elsewhere Tim Mudd ran 26:06 at Dudley, Ben Dorkins 24:13 at Sutton Park and Michael Stevenson 30:55 at Warwick Racecourse. Ian Cooper finished the Babbs Mill parkrun in 25:11 and was followed by Tanya Murphy with 33:57. 
Much further afield and north of the border at the University of Stirling parkrun, Joy Sykes ran with her dog Charlie to finish in 32:33. 

Finally at the Cannock Chase Trail Half Marathon, Caroline Evans ran her first Canix race with Luca, her Hungarian Vizsla. Running a beautiful but challenging course with over 1,600ft elevation, they completed the race in a time of 2:55:15.

With a feeling of spring in the air and a spring in the step of the Peel Road Runners keen to get back to road racing, the Aldi Ashby 20 road race made a welcome return after a two year absence due to Covid restrictions. The race, organised by Ivanhoe Runners, is extremely popular with runners testing their fitness for upcoming spring marathons and also for those moving up from half marathon distance. It also has a reputation for being one of the best 20 mile races in the country, so is well respected among the running community. Ian Allen of Spa Striders was the race winner in an impressive finish time of 1:44:29 with Wayne King the first Peeler to finish the race, having run a very respectable time of 2:09:45 in 27^th place overall and 6^th in age category. Next to finish for the Peelers was Club Chairman Lee Rickards, who had a superb race crossing the line in 2:19:38, knocking 15 minutes off his previous personal best time at the distance! Another Peeler in great form at the moment is Malcolm Bembridge, who finished in 2:27:41 and 19^th in his MV50 age category. Stephen Baker also ran well in a time of 3:08:57, with Sophie Galloway claiming her famous Ashby 20 sweatshirt in a time of 3:38:26 and Emma Whorwood (3:41:08) and Helen Manton (3:43:11) completing the Peel team.

The Stafford half marathon is another iconic road race making its return this year and proving popular with runners both local and from further afield. With the dry and warm weather conditions making for good running, Tony Bryan ran a well-paced race to cross the line in a personal best time of 1:55:07, followed by Joanne Harvey in 1:56:55, Andrew Gillman in 2:05:00 and Helen Dempsey in 2:28:18.

It almost goes without saying that V70+ Peeler Bob Donovan will have run another marathon at the weekend and, not wanting to disappoint, he took on the Pierrepoint Plod 45k (28 miles) run at Holme Pierrepoint in Nottingham on Sunday and finished the 9 lap course in a time of 5:52:00 . Asked about the race, Donovan said, “I got first in my age bracket. Come to think of it, I got last as well. Most of those in my age bracket are not stupid enough to do this!”.

Running at the Canicross Midlands event at Cannock Chase on Saturday, Rob Mace ran the long course of 5k with Axis finishing in 2^nd place; the short course of 2.5 km with Molly finishing in 4^th place and the “odds and bods” course with Base finishing in 1^st place overall.

Saturday morning parkruns proved as popular as ever with Claire Guffick celebrating her 50^th parkrun at Kingsbury supported by a great number of Peelers! First home for the club was Mike Shelton in a time of 20:47, followed by Allen King in 22:41. Trevor Thompson was next over the line in a time of 24:18, followed by Darren O’Leary (24:45); Darren Truman (24:56); Mark Boffey (26:40); Jackie Tierney (28:31); Claire Guffick (29:24); Roger Eastaff (31:01); Joy Sykes (31:24); Ann Hill (33:28); Stella Taylor (34:01); Sarah French (34:41); Lee Guffick (36:38); Alison Dolphin (37:15); Nicola Bannister (42:37); Wendy Bowyer (42:42) and Christine Norris (46:28).

Parkrun tourists this week included: Ian Cooper (24:56) and Tanya Murphy (35:07) at Brueton, Solihull; Tim Mudd at Markeaton, Derby (26:07); Dave Fern (24:57) and Roger Lloyd (44:22) at Conkers; Mick Stevenson (30:53) at Northallerton; Garth Cox (24:09) at Chasewater and Ben Dorkins (28:18) at Beacon, Lichfield.

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.