Lostockers take on multiple events in a busy week of racing

It was a busy week for members of Lostock Athletic Club - both on the roads and the trails and fells.

Last Saturday saw the second instalment of the South East Lancashire Cross Country. The ladies race starts at 1.20pm and sees participants completing three laps of a very muddy and undulating field, the laps covering five miles with an elevation gain of 460 feet.

It was a wet and cold day which made the laps more challenging but Rachel Hancock was the first lady home in an impressive 42mins 56secs, followed by Jenna Wood, in 47:33, Rachel Stevens (47:56), Katie Edern (51:04), Sheila Garewal (53:58) and Karen Taylor (54:26).

The men’s race followed at 2pm on a slightly different route, covering 5.2 miles, and Paul Edwards had a fantastic race, finishing in an epic 37:11. Andy Laycock followed in 44:13, then Tony Maxwell, in 46:35, and Mark Checkley, in 51:29.

Not content with racing on Saturday, Hancock, Edwards, Wood, Stevens, Garewal and Maxwell took part in the Last Drop 5k race, where they were joined by seven other Lostockers.

This is North Bolton Runners’ event and the last on this year’s Central Lancs Grand Prix circuit. It is a fantastic race, starting in Last Drop Village near the pub and there was a good mix of terrain, including mud, field, trail and asphalt, with the usual gates and stiles to slow runners down and 450 feet of elevation.

There was no messing about at the start, straight uphill for about 150 metres before runners come to a standstill with congestion at the first gate. Then it is through the gate and along a narrow single-file trail, down through a field, up a bit, down a bit, through a kissing gate, a lovely long downhill then through Turton Park and around the Tower and runners go back on themselves, meaning the lovely downhill becomes a horrid uphill. Runners circumnavigate Turton golf course, coming to the finish the opposite way and along a muddy section before finishing in a field.

It was a beautiful route with great views of Winter Hill, the West Pennine Moors, Darwen Tower and Manchester city centre and after the race, participants were rewarded with a medal and pastries, tea and coffee.

There were some really strong performances. The first Lostocker to finish for a second time in the weekend was Edwards. He was 11th out of 186 participants finishing in an awesome 21:58. Next across the line was Chris Baker, in 26:39, Gareth Pratt, in 26:59, and Luke Baker, completing his first race for Lostock, in 28:05.

The first Lostock female was Rachel Hancock in a fantastic 28:07, closely followed by Johanna McManus, in 28:16.

Other results: Tony Maxwell 28:24, Mary White 29:43, Rachel Stevens 31:12, Jenna Wood 32:04, Stephen Hancock 33:12, Lynda Hardman: 34:46, Sheila Garewal 35:09, Gill Caldwell 36:25 (second in her age category).

Lostock fell runners also had a busy weekend with five completing the Tour of Pendle - a tough race covering 17 miles and a dizzying elevation gain of 4,500 feet. Tom Grundy led the way and finished in just under three-and-a-half hours. He was joined by Josie Greenhalgh, Mark Shuttleworth, Mike Ernill and Kerry Jackson, though the results have not yet been finalised.

On Sunday they completed in the Dave Staff Memorial Fell Race, organised by Darwen Dashers. The route starts in Sunnyhurst woods and winds its way over four miles up to and around Darwen Tower.

Four Lostock runners made the start line - Checkley (who had also completed cross country), Greenhalgh (who had completed the Tour of Pendle), Rob Sharkey and Tony Marlow.

The weather was cold and damp but reasonably bright at the start, perfect for a winter race which is a shorter fell race covering four miles, but with an elevation gain of 900 feet.

Sharkey led the Lostockers home in 35:01 and a fantastic seventh place overall, Marlow followed in 40:02, quickly followed by Greenhalgh 40:58, achieving fifth lady and first in her age category, and Checkley, in 51:08.

Parkrun results: Bolton - Rachel Hancock 32:46; Haigh Woodland - Greg Kilshaw 27:21, Andy Laycock 28:01, Chris Taylor and his daughter Florence, who secured a PB 33:05; Sandringham - Tony Marlow 24:53; Selby - Ian Burns 27:47; Stratford - Natalie Godfrey 26:49 (first in age category), Tim Lippett 26:50 (first in age category); Winslow - Lynda Hardman 29:39 (first in age category).