This weekend was Peel spirit at its finest: miles everywhere, smiles everywhere, with thirty‑four Peelers at twelve different parkruns, a huge turnout at Ashby 20, and adventures stretching from Wilmslow to the Netherlands, the black and yellow made its presence known.
🟦 parkrun Round‑Up
At Kingsbury Water, Phil Neale led the Peel contingent with a sharp 22:09, followed by Ben Dorkins in 23:37. Katie Stretton ran an excellent 24:48, closely followed by mum Lisa in 24:50. Darren Truman continued the strong showing with 28:47, while Stephen Andrews and Ann Hill crossed the line together in 42:23 and 42:24. Nicola Bannister rounded off the group with a determined 44:35.
Over in Shrewsbury, Emma Pick delivered the standout parkrun performance of the entire weekend. Her superb 19:16 earned her second female and sixth overall, a truly outstanding run that continues her excellent form.
Tamworth Castle Grounds saw a huge Peel turnout and a wide spread of times. Ashley Goodman opened strongly with 22:02, followed by Wayne Richardson in 23:21. Sami Futrill ran well for 24:51, while Chris Bennett and Allen King were separated by just one second in 25:23 and 25:24. Cheryl Flint continued the steady flow of Peelers with 27:09, followed closely by Stuart Hatton in 27:22. Marcus Fairburn clocked 27:49, with Owen Slater finishing in 29:19. The later runners showed just as much determination, with Jo Bovington completing her run in 39:53, Sarah Boffey in 41:23, and Tracy Ford finishing in 56:37.
Elsewhere, Peelers were scattered across the country and beyond. At Beacon, Roger Lloyd ran 23:41, Mike Shelton produced a strong 21:26 and Garth Cox finished with a 61:12. At Birchall Playing Fields, Tim Mudd completed his run in 26:18, while at Doddington Hall, Jacqueline Tierney recorded a solid 30:26. Milton Keynes saw Graham Lane finish in 35:18, and at Park in the Past, Ian Orton ran 33:44. Peel tourism even extended to the Netherlands, where Michael Hughes ran 25:03, and Mark Boffey followed in 25:19 at Zegerplas.
🟨 Ashby 20
Ashby 20 once again delivered everything we love about it: atmosphere, camaraderie, sunshine, grit, and — this year — a Peeler being chased by a gorilla. It was a classic edition of the race, and Peelers rose to the challenge in style.
At the front of the pack, Wayne King produced a superb run, finishing in 2:12:35. Ian Orton followed with a strong 2:48:17 and Mike Shelton with a 2:55:36 finish. Georgie Mead rounded out the leading group with a smooth and controlled 2:58:35.
The middle of the pack was filled with determined and impressive runs. Lorna Carlin finished in 2:58:48, followed by Simon Gordon in 3:06:52, while Lydia Knight completed her first-ever Ashby 20 in an excellent 3:07. Tracy Ford continued her consistent form with 3:11:20, and Gemma Pritchard followed in 3:14:52. Sophie Galloway celebrated a well‑earned personal best with her 3:15:21 finish.
Claire Guffick completed the course in 3:54:51, while Emma Whorwood finished in 4:06, Emma Petricca completed her first Ashby 20 in 4:08, closely followed by Emma La Planche in 4:08:27. Alison Upton rounded out the Peel contingent with a hugely significant 4:19:56 — her longest ever run and her first time tackling the event. Every single runner earned their famous Ashby hoody the hard way, and the smiles in the group photo said everything.
Away from Ashby, Peelers were busy elsewhere, too. At the Wilmslow Half Marathon, Lee Rickards delivered a superb performance, finishing in a personal best time of 1:21:20 — an outstanding achievement in a competitive field.
On the trails, Lorna Al‑Ani completed her first race as a Peeler at the Trails of Mena Marathon, finishing just under 4:15 on a challenging course. Meanwhile, Jo Sharman and Steph Attenborough took on the LDWA Charnwood Marathon, battling 3,000 feet of elevation and rugged terrain to finish in 9:29 — a huge endurance effort. Not content with that, they both returned the next day for Saturn Running’s Dashing Dog Run, where Jo completed a marathon in 6:18, and Steph finished the half-marathon in 3:17. Two races in two days is an achievement that speaks for itself.
A great week for Peel Road Runners with many events, PBs and challenges met and a Gorilla to add to the mix! If you’d like to join us, we meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6.45 for 7 pm at the Skate Park in Castle Grounds. For more details, visit www.peelroadrunners.co.uk