Category: Weekly round up

In Durham on Sunday 14th November, Peelers Natalie Walker and Craig Smith took part in the Saturn Running Remembrance Run (a 3.28 mile multi lap course along the River Wear). The race was stopped at 11.00 am so that runners could pay their respects during the two minute silence. Walker and Smith managed to cover 31.5 miles in a time of 5:10:51, whilst raising an amazing £2530 in aid of the Royal British Legion. This is the first event before Walker takes on the Arctic Survival Challenge in aid of the Royal British Legion in 2022.

At the KP Events Tamworth 10k on Sunday the start of the race was delayed until after the two minute silence, which all runners and spectators respected. Running conditions for the race were pretty near perfect with cool and overcast weather and no wind. The two lap course took in Peelers Way, the canal towpath to Fazeley and then back into town via the Ladybridge before finishing in the Castle Grounds. Wayne King was first home for the Club crossing the line in 13^thplace and a time of 37:45 and 2^nd in M40-44 category. This on its own would be a good finish time, but was even more impressive as King had run the Rutland 10k night run on Friday, finishing in 5^th place and a time of 39:45. Chris Bennett was second Peeler home in a time of 46:49 and 13^th in the very competitive M40-44 age category. Stella Taylor was the first lady home for the club in a time of 52:11 and 3^rd in the F45-49 category. She was followed by Clara Walton in a time of 58:32; Helen Manton in 59:00 and husband and wife team Neal and Helen Dempsey in 1:08:22.

At Kingsbury parkrun, Mike Shelton was first over the line for the club in a time of 21:21, closely followed by Ben Dorkins in 21:50. Other Peelers at Kingsbury included Darren O’Leary in 24:24; Stella Martin in 25:49; Sophie Galloway in 26:36; Jackie Tierney in 29:27 (her 100^th parkrun at Kingsbury); Joy Sykes in 29:48; Roger Eastaff in 31:12; Alison Upton in 33:53; Ann Hill in 37:29; Lee Guffick in 37:39; Sarah French in 38:08; Alison Dolphin in 38:11; Wendy Bowyer in 39:11; Stephen Andrews in 39:58; Emma Whorwood in 42:12 and Chris Norris in 44:57.

Parkrun tourists this week included: Marcus Fairburn in 26:11 at Conkers; Andy Pickard in 22:53 at Rotherham; Mick Stevenson in 30:51 at Hove Promenade; Garth Cox in 24:23 at Bedworth; Roger Lloyd in 43:26 (running with daughter, Alicia) at Beacon and Tim Mudd in 26:25 at Watermead near Leicester.

Running is a funny sport that has grown in popularity immensely over recent years. It doesn’t really matter whether you consider yourself to be a “racing whippet” out to get a personal best at whatever distance you choose, or a “back of packer” happy to chat to other runners, whilst taking in the sights and sounds around you. The Peelers are such an eclectic mix of people and the races and events that they get involved in reflect this!

On Thursday night (4^th November) and Friday morning (5^th November) Mike Shelton ran in the Market Harborough Tunnels Run. This is a unique 5 mile out and back race which required competitors to run through the dark and atmospheric 422 m long Oxenden tunnel. The race on the Thursday evening started at 7.30 pm and Mike Shelton completed this in a time of 35:47 and 21^st place. The Friday re-run on the same course started at 6.30 am and he completed this race in a time of 36:47 and 25^th place. Very consistent running!

Also on Thursday 4^th November, superstar V70 runner Bob Donovan completed the Enigma Running Caldecotte Lake trail marathon at Milton Keynes. The race required runners to complete multiple laps of the path around the lake up to marathon distance, which he completed in a time of 5:47:46. “It was very cold and windy today!” was his only comment after the race … 

On Sunday, Val Lawson ran the Dark & White Events Grindleford trail run, which had been postponed from earlier in the year due to Covid. The 9.1 mile run included 1168 ft of ascent and covered very varied terrain. She completed the course in a time of 2:09:04 and 4^th out of 5 runners in the F60 category.

At the Canicross Midlands 5k event at Marston Lodge, Rob Mace ran with Axis finishing in 4^th position and then ran the 3k course with Molly where they finished in 2^nd place. Neal Dempsey also ran the 3k course with his dogs, Banana and Hugo, also finishing in 2^nd place in his category. Helen Dempsey competed with Minstrel and Sydney, gaining good experience at the distance.

Disappointed not to be able run the New York marathon that he had trained so hard for (travel restrictions to the USA were lifted the day after the marathon was held), George Hope ran his own version of the marathon around the streets of Tamworth! He completed his 26.2 mile course in a time of 4:31:22, all the more impressive due to the lack of supporters and refreshments out on the course!

There was a brilliant turnout of Peelers at Saturday’s parkrun, perhaps because there were fewer local races to tempt them this weekend. Running at the club’s parkrun “home”, the first Peeler to cross the line was the ever-reliable Ben Dorkins in a time of 21:50. He was followed by Chris Bennett in 22:58, Richard Satchwell in 23:16, Darren O’Leary in 24:23, Stella Martin in 26:22, Simon Gordon in 27:34, Darren Truman in 28:46, Chris Taylor in 29:00, Sophie Galloway in 30:09, Sandra Ingram in 30:27, Jackie Tierney in 30:31, Clara Walton in 30:39, Claire Guffick in 30:57, Roger Eastaff in 31:47, Sarah French 35:26, Nicola Bannister in 38:27, Alison Dolphin in 38:32, Wendy Bowyer in 39:31, Stephen Andrews in 41:22 and Christine Norris in 45:55. Club member Mike Shelton was Race Director for this parkrun on Saturday.

Parkrun tourists this week included Marcus Fairburn with a time of 26:47 at Conkers; Andy Pickard in 26:18 at Concord, Sheffield; Garth Cox 23:36 at Chasewater; Ian Cooper 25:57 at Babb’s Mill and Tanya Murphy in 31:24, also at Babb’s Mill; Joy Sykes in 28:36 (course pb and 1^st in age category); Lisa Vickery in 32:34 at Beacon and Michael Stevenson in 31:11 at Dallas Burston polo club in Southam, Warwickshire.

Finally, a keen and enthusiastic group of Peelers were able to take part in some formal structured training at Tamworth Athletics Club on Wednesday evening, lead by Tamworth AC coach Derek Bolton. The Peelers relished the opportunity to run on the quality track at the athletics club and all benefitted from Derek’s coaching expertise.

Light rain? The BBC weather forecast didn’t quite match up to the reality of the weather on Sunday morning, but that did little to deter those hardy Peelers from racing.

At the rescheduled Coventry half marathon, Wayne King ran at an amazing pace considering the weather conditions to finish in a personal best time of 1:22:00. Also running at Coventry, Ash Goodman and George Hope finished together in a time of 1:53:00.

Postponed from last week, the first race in the Derby Runner Derby & Staffs Cross Country League was held on Sunday at Poplars Farm, Anslow near Burton Upon Trent. The League draws in teams from the Derby, Burton, Tamworth and Lichfield and always provides for healthy competition and a great atmosphere between the clubs. The course at Anslow, based on an equestrian cross country course, is always challenging as it includes a log jump, hills and descents and a knee deep water splash, none of which were made any easier after the torrential rain. Despite the change of date affecting the numbers attending, the Peelers were still able to field teams in both the men’s and women’s event. First to cross the line in 5^th place and a time of 33:29 was Robert Dyjak, running as a second claim runner closely followed by Club Chairman, Lee Rickards in a time of 36:54 and 13^thplace. Rob Mace was close on his heels, finishing in 15^th place and a time of 37:24 whilst Mike Shelton finished next in 39:42 and 28^th place. Other runners putting in great performances included second claim Scott Chapman in 32^nd place, second claim Andrew Pickard in 41^st place, Chris Bennett in 55^th, Roger Lloyd in 58^th , Darren O’Leary in 60^th and Lee Guffick in 69^th place.

Representing the Ladies, Lorna DSylva was first back for the club finishing her first ever cross country race in 27^th position. She was followed by Sophie Galloway in 41^st place, Val Lawson in 44^th place, Claire Guffick in 48^th place and Jackie Tierney in 50^th place.

On Saturday, Peelers Claire Guffick, Kelly Porter, Roger Eastaff, Lee Guffick, Stephen Andrews, Wendy Bowyer and Alison Dolphin not content with running a 5k parkrun in torrential rain at Sutton Park also ran the Royal British Legion Poppy Run 5k in the same location. Luckily, the earlier rain had been replaced by glorious sunshine in time for the run, which made for a much more enjoyable experience. 

As usual lots of Peelers kicked off their weekends by running at parkrun. At Kingsbury, Ben Dorkins was first over the line in 23:10 followed by Mark Boffey in 25:05 and Jackie Tierney in 30:57. Parkrun tourists included: Mike Shelton and Claire Guffick, Kelly Porter, Roger Eastaff, Lee Guffick, Stephen Andrews, Wendy Bowyer and Alison Dolphin (a warm up before the Royal British Legion Poppy Run 5k!). At Babb’s Mill, Ian Cooper finished in 23:49 whilst Tanya Murphy was a “hi-vis hero” at the same venue, volunteering as a marshal. Finally, Mick Stevenson ran at Warwick racecourse in 32:08, Rob Mace had an impressive finish at Edgbaston reservoir in 19:41 and Andy Pickard ran at Concord, Sheffield finishing in 23:23.

An enthusiastic team of Peel Road Runners were under starter’s orders for their first cross country race of the winter season due to be held at Poplars Farm Equestrian Centre near Burton on Sunday, when news came through that the event had been postponed for a week.  Sadly cross country spikes and trail shoes were put back into the cupboards, while road trainers became the order of the day.

On Sunday, Carolyne Browne represented the Peelers at the last ever Rock ‘n Roll Running Series Liverpool half marathon. Runners on the 13.1 mile course were entertained by live music and bands every mile, which made for a great atmosphere. Carolyne finished in an excellent time of 1:57:29, not far short of her club record for FV50 at this distance.

With cross country cancelled this weekend, many Peelers were drawn to the Saturday morning challenge of a 5k parkrun. Once again Kingsbury parkrun proved the most popular venue with Ben Dorkins being the first Peeler to cross the line in a time of 21:59. Other Peelers at Kingsbury included: Chris Bennett (22:58), Phil Neale (23:13), Darren O’Leary (24:34), Mark Boffey (25:06), Stella Martin (27:21), Claire Guffick (29:16), Joy Sykes (29:40 – course PB), Chris Taylor (30:24), Jackie Tierney (30:49), Roger Eastaff (31:40), Emma Whorwood (34:44), Alison Dolphin (36:50), Lee Guffick (37:05) and Stephen Andrews (44:10). 

Parkrun tourists this week included: Kathryn Adams at Coventry parkrun, who was second lady and finished in a personal best time of 21:44. At Sandwell Valley Rob Mace also finished in second place in an impressive 19:53. At Conkers parkrun Marcus Fairburn finished in 27:24, with Ann Hill (39:35) and Sarah French (39:36). At Concord parkrun in Sheffield Andy Pickard crossed the line in 23:46, whilst Nick Neale ran at Seaton, Devon in a time of 21:11. Further north, Mick Stevenson ran at the Northallerton parkrun finishing in a time of 31:36; at Babbs Mill, Ian Cooper (23:58) and Tanya Murphy (29:42) were the sole club representatives. At Warwick racecourse, Tim Mudd galloped over the course in 26:32 and at Beacon parkrun in Lichfield, Ash Goodman finished in 22:28, followed by Sophie Galloway (29:00) and Lisa Vickery (31:59).

This weekend was a slightly quieter weekend for Peel Road Runners from a racing point of view, although many Peelers were out and about around the country flying the flag for Tamworth!

V75+ superman, Bob Donovan, ran another marathon! Two weeks after completing the London marathon, Donovan ran the Marston Mortaine trail marathon near Bedford finishing in 5:48:26. This was the fourth in the race series, requiring runners to complete as many laps of the four mile course as possible within a 6 hour period and by completing the marathon distance, he earned the fourth medal to complete the challenge. 

The Oxford half marathon is always a “sell out” event with this year being no exception. It is estimated that 13,000 runners crossed the start line of the fast and flat course, which took in the buildings, parks and universities of the famous city. Clara Walton, the Peelers sole representative at the race, finished in a creditable time of 2:18:00. Asked about the route, she said that the “nice flat course had great spectator support and that she would thoroughly recommend it!”. 

Further west at the Weston Super half marathon, Ian Cooper just ducked under the two hour mark to finish in 1:59:00, followed by Tanya Murphy in 2:29:00. The race is unique in that, whilst it takes in the glorious sites of Weston Super Mare and surrounding Somerset villages on closed roads, it is the only road race to finish a quarter of a mile out to sea on Weston’s Grand Pier!

After Kingsbury parkrun was cancelled last week due to flooding, a sense of normality returned this week for those Peelers who call Kingsbury “home”. First Peeler home was Mike Shelton, a member of the Core Team at Kingsbury, in a time of 20:53. He was closely followed by new member Ben Dorkins, who is showing huge potential and finished in a personal best time of 21:31. Other runners included Chris Bennett (22:52), Mark Boffey (26:58), Sandra Ingram (28:48), Darren O’Leary (28:48), Phil Neale (28:49), Jo Insley (30:43), Emma Whorwood (38:10) and Sarah French (60:00). Peeler Stella Martin, who is running 5k every day in 2021 to raise money for Cancer Research with the parkrun being her 289^th consecutive day of running, also ran at Kingsbury and finished in 26:30!

Parkrun tourists this week included: Joy Sykes who achieved a personal best time of 28:10 assisted by her dog, Charlie Barkrunner at Blyth Links parkrun in Northumberland. At Cannock Chase parkrun, Rob Mace finished in third place in a time of 19:45, whilst at Walsall Arboretum Jackie Tierney crossed the line in 59:20. Other tourists included: Andy Pickard (22:08) who ran at Concord parkrun in Sheffield; Tim Mudd (26:24) ran at Perry Hall parkrun; new member Tony Bryan, who ran a personal best time at Conkers finishing in 23:57; Ian Cooper (25:31) at Burnham and Highbridge and Tanya Murphy (31:22) at the same event. At Newborough Forest on Anglesey, Neal Dempsey ran with his dog Banana finishing in 29:55.

At the same parkrun, Helen Dempsey and Sydney completed the course in 32:02. Closer to home at Sutton Park, Claire Guffick finished in a course personal best time of 29:24 and husband Lee Guffick scanned his barcode on 41:37. Mick Stevenson flew the Club flag at Warwick racecourse with a time of 31:46, whilst Club Secretary Alison Dolphin (38:57) ran at Sandhurst Memorial parkrun. Finally just the one ‘hi-vis hero’ this week, with Garth Cox volunteering at Bedworth parkrun.

Age is no barrier at Peel Road Runners and to prove the point, M75-79 veteran Bob Donovan ran last week’s London marathon in a time that many much younger runners would be proud of. He completed the 26.2 mile course with a ‘Good for Age’ place in 5:29:27, a result all the more impressive as he had been unwell with Covid earlier in the year.

Manchester marathon is always popular with club members and this year was no exception. Richard Satchwell chose this race as his first marathon and ran an impressive 3:47:51. Jenna Colin completed the course in 3:56:05, whilst Mark Boffey ran an amazing personal best knocking over 29 minutes off his previous best time to finish in 4:20:13. 

Claire Guffick ran the Manchester half marathon held on the same day and finished in a time of 2:22:15, whilst husband Lee Guffick crossed the finish line in 2:53:29.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Parks half marathon in London, Jackie Tierney had an encouraging return to racing after a frustrating injury which had restricted her training programme and finished in a creditable time of 2:23:00. 

Several Peelers enjoy the additional challenge of running with their dogs in canicross races. At the Canicross Midlands event in Bedford at the weekend, Rob Mace came second in the Long Course (5k) running with Axis, whilst Neal Dempsey and Helen Dempsey came third in their two dog Short Course (3k) classes. Neal ran with Banana and Hugo and Helen ran with Minstrel and Sydney. It’s worth noting that all the Peeler pooches are rescue dogs, rather than purpose bred “sled” dogs!

Kingsbury parkrun, the Peelers home parkrun, was a lonely place this week as all the Club’s parkrunners chose to become tourists! Running at Rosliston, new club member Ben Dorkins finished in a swift time of 22:36, whilst keeping to the forestry theme, at Conkers parkrun John Vann (30:18), Alison Dolphin (46:33) and Christine Norris (47:22) enjoyed the challenge of a new route. Further north in Bridlington, Sophie Galloway (28:03) ran her landmark 50^th parkrun at Sewerby. Other ‘tourists’ included Marie Llewellyn (23:55) at Telford, Mick Stevenson (34:05) at Colby, Amroth in Pembrokeshire, Nick Neale (20:50) at Perry Hall, Garth Cox (23:42) at Bedworth, Mike Shelton (21:26) at Sutton Park, Ian Cooper (23:57) and Tanya Murphy (30:19) at Babbs Mill, Jackie Tierney (29:48) at Salcey Forest, Harwell in Northamptonshire and Tim Mudd (26:32) at Edgbaston reservoir.

The main event of the weekend was the return of the Virgin London Marathon after an absence of almost two and a half years, with 40,000 lucky runners pounding the streets of London and a similar number running the virtual marathon.
Mark Harriott completed his 26.2 miles around London in a strong 3:19 hrs. Kathryn Adams completed the event in a time of 3:54.27 hrs, just ahead of Judith Matthews who finished in a time of 4:05.30. Martyn Candy came home in a time of 5:37.10.
Friend of the club Ashley Baldwin made it round the streets of London in a superb time of 2:40.09 hrs.

Closer to Wayne King ran the virtual London marathon along the roads of Staffordshire and Warwickshire completing in a strong 3:21.43 hrs. Bob Donovan also completed the virtual marathon in a time of 5:29.37. 
The Chester marathon also took place on Sunday with Malcolm Bembridge finishing in a time of 3:54.51 hours and picking up not one but two medals in the process, one for his marathon and the other for completing the Chester Triple series, having already completed the Chester 10k and Chester Half Marathon in recent weeks.

On Saturday morning Parkrun was as usual well supported. Kingsbury Water parkrun was as usual the best supported event with Lawrence Williamson was first home for the club in a very respectable time of 18.51 mins. Mike Shelton was next home in a decent 21.37 mins. He was followed by Darren O’Leary (24.17 mins) and Ashley Goodman (25.00), who finished just ahead of Stuart Hatton (25.01). Stella Martin was the first lady Peeler home in 26.22 ahead of Marcus Fairburn (26.49), Claire Guffick (29.09), Clara Walton (29.36), Jackie Tierney (30.18), Ann Hill (32.24), Lee Guffick (37.06), Christine Norris and Alison Dolphin (both 45.38). Thanks also go to George Hope and Mike Shelton for volunteering to support the running of the event.
Several Peelers were on their travels, with Tim Mudd finishing in 29.38 at Congleton parkrun, Andrew Pickard finishing the Concord Sheffield event in 22.33 mins and Garth Cox recording 23.23 mins at the Chasewater event. Tanya Murphy completed the Oaklands parkrun in 29.24 mins while Sophie Galloway ran the Beacon Park Lichfield event in 27.22 mins and Michael Stevenson cantered home at Warwick Racecourse in a time of 30.25 mins.

Peel Road Runners were well represented at Sunday’s Rotary Club Cathedral to Castle 10 mile mixed terrain race. The race started in Beacon Park in Lichfield before running through the city and passing Lichfield Cathedral. It then followed the lanes to Whittington before going onto the trails across the Firing Ranges and into Hopwas Woods. A leg-sapping run up through the woods was rewarded with a cramp-inducing downhill stretch onto the canal at Hopwas, followed by a flatter section through Wigginton Park before finishing with a lap of the Castle Grounds in Tamworth. The weather conditions were perfect for the 884 runners who finished the race.

First Peeler home was the in-form Wayne King, finishing in a time of 1:03:00 and in 7^th place out of 884 runners. Following not far behind was Rob Mace in a time of 1:07:57. Third Peeler home was Phil Neale in 1:15:09, closely followed by first lady Peeler Rachael Rickards in a time of 1:16:00. In total 27 Peelers crossed the finish line in Tamworth including Richard Satchwell and Kathryn Adams (1:18:00), Lisa Stretton (1:18:52), Ash Goodman (1:20:21), Craig Smith (1:22:39), Chris Bennett (1:24:53), Natalie Walker (1:24:57), Donna Read (1:28:07), Marcus Fairburn (1:28:11), Andrew Gilman (1:29:01), Helen Chyla (1:29:04), Stuart Hatton (1:29:12), Sophie Galloway (who ran a personal best time of 1:29:18), Carl Hole-Maloney (1:29:20), Joanne Harvey (1:30:28), Sandra Ingram (1:37:18), Claire Guffick (1:46:05), Emma Petricca (1:48:45), Ann Hill (1:53:22), Lisa Vickery (1:56:47), Helen Dempsey (1:59:23), Nicola Bannister (2:12:59) and Alison Dolphin (2:16:13).

Meanwhile, Val Lawson took part in the 10 mile Charnwood Challenge trail run near Loughborough finishing in 2:14:00. The run, which was organised by Nanpanton Scouts, covered an undulating and scenic route that included Windmill Hill, Broombriggs Hill and Beacon Hill. 

Several Peel Road Runners supported Peeler Mike Shelton in his role as Race Director at Saturday’s Kingsbury parkrun by volunteering as finish funnel marshals and timekeepers. Without volunteers there would be no parkruns, so thanks to Alison Dolphin, Claire Guffick, Ann Hill, Sarah French and Alison Upton for representing the club in these roles. 

Running at Kingsbury, Darren O’Leary was first Peeler home on the 5k course in a time of 23:09. He was followed by Mark Boffey (24:11), Ash Goodman (24:19), Lisa Stretton (27:04); Stella Martin (27:14), Jackie Tierney (29:41) and Lawrence Williamson (38:22). 

Parkrun tourists this week were Tanya Murphy at Brueton parkrun (38:04), Garth Cox at Walsall Arboretum (23:39), Tim Mudd at Babb’s Mill (27:41) and Michael Stevenson at Warwick Racecourse (34:50).

Some Peel Road Runners run short, some run long and some run with dogs! This weekend has seen Peelers representing the club at all these different distances in various challenges across the country.

The ever-popular Equinox 24 hour challenge at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire required runners to run as many laps of a mixed terrain 10k course as they could in a 24 hour period. Representing the Peelers, Sophie Galloway and Andy Pickard completed an impressive 10 x 10k laps (equivalent to 62 miles) in the time available, whilst Jo Insley completed 8 x 10k laps (equivalent to 50 miles) within the 24 hour time limit.

At Sunday’s Chester half marathon, Malcolm Bembridge continued to impress with his consistent form finishing in a time of 1:44:47 having taken advantage of the fast and flat course.

Canicross is a very popular sport which involves running with a dog. Experienced canicrosser and Peeler Rob Mace competed at the Statfold 1 mile event at the weekend and finished in a barktastic time of 4 minutes and 40 seconds, ably assisted by Axis! He then ran as a Guide Runner with Ian McNamara (who is visually impaired), completing the 1 mile course in 10:28, this time assisted by dog Neipher.

Peel parkrunners were also busy this weekend. Kingsbury had the largest turnout of Peelers completing their 5k challenges with the following results: Phil Neale 22:28, Chris Bennett 23:42, Stuart Hatton 24:37, Claire Guffick in a personal best time of 28:07, Clara Walton 30:27, Emma Whorwood 31:24, Roger Eastaff 32:17, Lee Guffick 35:04, Ann Hill 35:28, Alison Dolphin 36:15, Sarah French 37:22, Kelly Porter 37:46 and Stephen Andrews 42:55.

Peeler parkrun tourists this week were: Tim Mudd running at Conkers in a time of 27:58, Darren O’Leary at Sewerby, Bridlington in 24:59, Michael Stevenson at Stratford-upon-Avon in 31:25, Garth Cox at Bedworth in 23:43, Ash Goodman (24:38) and Nick Neale (29:59) at Sutton Park, Tanya Murphy (29:27) at Babbs Mill, Joy Sykes (29:40) at Tyne Green, Hexham and Jacqui Tierney at Edgbaston Reservoir in 29:18.

Peel Road Runners always welcome new members.

After such a long period of cancelled and postponed races, this weekend finally had a feeling of normality about it with Peel Road Runners racing at different events all over the country.

Covering the full marathon distance and crossing the finish line in first place, Martin Hollamby ran the Battle of the Borders trail race on the Long Mynd from Church Stretton on Sunday. The epic trail race consisted of 4000 ft of climb and Hollamby finished in just under 4 hours, a mere 48 minutes ahead of the second placed marathon runner! On Saturday’s Battle of the Borders half marathon, Zoe Schnepp and Michael Shelton ran their trail course with around 2000 ft of climb in 2:20:00 and finished in joint 5^th place overall.

Further north, Sophie Galloway ran a personal best time at the 40^th Great North Run finishing in a time of 2:02:44 on the new undulating course (finishing in Newcastle rather than South Shields). The Great North Run was the largest event to take place in the UK since the lifting of pandemic restrictions with 57000 people registered to run this year’s race!

Closer to home, Mark Boffey ran the undulating Kenilworth half marathon finishing in a time of 1:51:38 and 259^th out of 582 finishers. George Hope also ran and crossed the finish line in a time of 1:56:19 in 312nd place.

Garth Cox was the sole Peeler to take on the Nuneaton 10k course, finishing in a time of 50:16 and 93^rd out of 174 runners.

At the Tamworth 5 Mile race (the final race the in the Burton and District Summer League for 2021), the Peelers were well represented on the undulating course promoted by Tamworth Athletics Club. There was a strong field with a lot of competition between athletes from local clubs and first Peeler back at the stadium was Wayne King in a time of 31:42 and 4^th in the M40 age category. Second Peeler home was Michael Shelton (the day after running his trail half marathon!) in a time of 35:09. He was followed by Lorna Dsylva in 39:22, Roger Lloyd in 40:01, Chris Bennett in 40:04, Darren Truman in 41:23, Stuart Hatton in 41:53, Carl Hole-Maloney in 42:47, Dave Fern in 43:14, Emma Livingstone in 46:51, Sandra Ingram in 47:53, Claire Guffick in 49:03, Alison Upton in 52:54 and Lee Guffick in 1:00:51.

Quite a few Peelers take on the additionial challenges posed by triathlons and Martyn Candy took part in one of the most difficult in the country this weekend by completing the Hellvellyn triathlon in Cumbria. The event requires competitors to complete a swim in Ullswater, a cycle ride to the top of Kirkstone Pass (taking in the infamous “Struggle”) at 1489 ft and finishing with a run up and down Hellvellyn (3118 ft). Candy completed the course in 7:08:26, finishing 19^th in the MV60+ age category.

Despite all the race action this weekend, the Peel parkrunners were busy ticking off their miles on Saturday. Running at the Club home course at Kingsbury parkrun, Mark Boffey was first to finish in a time of 24:42. He was followed by Darren O’Leary in 24:50, Carolyne Browne in 25:45, Darren Truman in 25:56, Garth Cox in 26:00, Stella Martin in 26:29, Tim Mudd in 29:00, Clara Walton in 31:21, Chris Taylor in 31:32, Roger Eastaff in 24:38, Wendy Bowyer in 39:33, Lawrence Williamson in 42:24 and Wayne King in 53:28. The biggest Kingsbury fanfare, however, goes to Peeler Lisa Fletcher who volunteered as a marshal for the 50^th time and without volunteers there would be no parkruns! Ian Cooper ran at Rosliston parkrun finishing in a time of 26:11, whilst Tanya Murphy completed this course in a personal best time of 31:28!