Cross Couintry season kicked off at Todmorden in the Red Rose League yesterday – Saturday October 1st – a day which gave us some sunshine, some rain, wind and clouds as the athletes raced around the fields and hills next door to the famous Todmorden Cricket Ground. (RESULTS).

U11 Amelia Pacelli ran her first race in cross country in a field of 43, finishing in 23rd place with a smile on her face in 6.24 followed in the U13 Boys race by Liam Bennison running strongly and determinedly in 6th position with a time of 7.46, the same time given to the athlete from Scunthorpe (5th) running as a guest. U13 Charlotte Rothwell always runs with a smile and did so again as she came home in 32nd spot out of a field of 49 running 9.53. Three Blackburn Harriers in the U15 Girls race featuring 19 with Hannah Davies in 11th (18.28), Tamzin Osborne in 15th (19.11) and Isabella Pacelli 16th (19.20). The U15 Boys Race had 20 on the starting line with Jack Wood having a fine run, finishing in 4th place (15.02) and Alex Rothwell only a few seconds behind in 6th with a time of 15.06.

Amelia Pacelli (104)

Liam Bennison (106)

Charlotte Rothwell (122)

Hannah Davies (142)

Tamzin Osborne

Isabella Pacelli

Jack Wood (140)

Alex Rothwell

The U17 Men run with the Senior Women – 12 U17 Men and 109 Senior Women (included 4 U20 Women). Daniel Smith outsprinted Salford’s Eleanor Bolton coming into the finish to take 2nd place in the U17 men’s race with a time of 17.06 followed by Jack Paget-Fowler in 4th spot with his time of 18.32. Three Blackburn Harriers in the Senior Women’s race won by Eleanor Bolton – Amy Davies having a very good run to finish 6th overall and 2nd U20 with a time of 19.20 followed by Rebecca Shorrock getting a top 20 place (19th) in a time of 21.43 and Lindsay Davies in 37th spot (23.37) and her first race as a V50.

Daniel Smith (196) – Eleanor Bolton (1982)

Jack Paget-Fowler

Amy Davies (168)

Rebecca Shorrock (182)

Lindsay Davies (167)

One hundred and seventy eight runners took to the start line for the Senior Men’s race won by Todmorden’s V40 Doni Clarke in 27.35 after a real battle and good race with Rossendales Grant Cunliffe in 2nd (27.41). First home for Blackburn Harriers was Tom Blaney (9th) in 3012, with team-mates V45 Chris Davies in 12th (30.26) and 1st V45; U20 Sam Hodkinson in 16th and 3rd U20 in a time of 30.51; V50 Matt Nuttall in 27th (31.48) and 1st V50; Danny Maynard finishing in 49th spot (33.42); V55 David Almond (60th) in 34.30 and 2nd V55 and Matt Poole who lost one of his shoes during the race in 65th place (34.46) – the Team finishing 3rd overall behind Rossendale in 1st and Bury 2nd.

Tom Blaney (207)

Chris Davies (218)

Sam Hodkinson (250)

Matt Nuttall (236)

Danny Maynard (234)

David Almond (199)

Matt Poole (238)

Saturday saw the hosting of the English Schools Fell Championships at Giggleswick School in Cumbria. In the Year 8/9 category Keiran Hamilton had a fine run coming home in 8th place overall running 22.05 in a field of 78 finishers. Jack Lamb ran in the year 10/11 category with 79 finishers, placing 33rd with a time of 28.26.

Keiran Hamilton (250) Photo courtesy of Geoff Thompson

Congratulations to V45 Dan Grundy who posted himself a new Marathon PB at London on Sunday 2nd October clocking 2hr 42.22. Dan shared his thoughts about thday on his social media page saying Super happy with todays marathon result 2hr 42m 22s is my new best time. It’s a best by nearly 5 minutes. I trained for 18weeks for this one, normally I go for 14 to 16 but I’d been feeling like I wasn’t being able to work hard enough on the speed side of things or include the strength training exercises in the gym. The 18 weeks gave me good recoveries between the harder sessions, an extra time to enter practice races, it also let me slowly build into bigger / more constant weekly mileage without having to worry (to much) about niggles and injury. The Chester marathon isn’t the quickest of routes with some gentle gradients to run up, after some miles in the legs these are beasts! The marathon also was the host event for the English marathon masters (wasn’t selected this year!) so extra pleased to grab 5th spot in my age cat. I finished 38th overall. Job done, time to rest and recover…. Thinking London marathon next 🤔. Thanks to everyone who supported me and wished me well. Knowing you have family and friends watching / looking in on your progress is massive.”

Dan Grundy

The day before the London Marathon, it was the turn of the annual Mini Marathon with Blackburn Harriers Isabel Holt, Oliver Gill, Jack Baranowski and Agatha Taylor all selected to run for the North West in their respective age group categories. Isabel told us that she was “really happy with her run” coming home in 15th place with her time of 8.45 in the U17’s; Oliver running in the U15 Boys also took a top 20 place, placing 18th overall in 8.04; Jack  took another top 20 place, this time in the U13 Boys (16th) in 8.47 whilst U13 Agatha ran a time of 10.56 in 65th position.

   

Isabel Holt (centre)

U20 Eleesha Charnley decided that she would take on a half-marathon for the very first time on Sunday at the Run Aintree 5k,10k, Half-Marathon festival of running, having never run one previously – (RESULTS). Not only did she run it, she came home 5th overall and 1st Woman in a very good time of 87.25. Sister Natasha also ran finishing in 103rd (2hr 14.09). Following the Race, Eleesha told us about the day “My sister had decided to complete a half marathon as a challenge for herself, so I thought it would be nice for me to complete one with her as support. It was a great event with a great atmosphere, I pushed myself more than I was expecting to. But I really enjoyed it and was happy with my time at the end”.

Eleesha Charnley

L-R Eleesha Charnley – Rebecca Brown – Natasha Charnley

Still on the Road and this time at the Media City Runthorugh 5k and 10k road races. (10k Results) – (5k Results). Chris Davies went in the 10k with Amy and Lindsay Davies tackling the 5k. Chris finished in 3rd place overall in the 10k field numbering 239 runners, crossing the line in 34.55. Katie Buckingham – after helping set up the race – then went and ran the 10k clocking 43.56 (37th) and 2nd woman. Amy came 8th overall and first woman with a time of 19.13 which was a 23 second new PB for her. Lindsay came home in 14th place overall and 2nd woman with her time of 22.28.

Chris Davies

Amy Davies

Lindsay Davies

On to Triathlon at Fleetwood at the end of Sptember with the whole of the family – Matthew, Charlotte, Helen and Paul – all in action in the various age group categories in fairly cool, windy conditions. First up was Matthew, who won his T3 age group of 37 boys by just over a minute, then Charlotte who is in the lower end of T2 and finished a creditable 15/22 in the girls race. Mum Helen went next completing the sprint distance triathlon (400m swim, 20km ride and 5km run) in 1h 23m 26s and finishing 17/69 ladies and 12th lady vet 40. Dad Paul completed the family day out finishing the same distances in 1h 08m 39s, finishing 18/128 men and 8th vet 40. The Fleetwood triathlon is part of the very successful Fylde trilogy of triathlons, with Ribby Hall in April and St Anne’s in May; Paul and Helen did really well picking up series prizes – Helen 1st lady vet 40 overall and Paul 3rd vet 40. All in all, a successful day out!