A wet start to the third race in the club grand prix competition (and second event of the Burton and District Summer League) – if there had been more grass and mud, it would have been confused for one of the cross country races!

12 LRC runners were ready to hit the undulating 10k and half marathon routes. Parts of the course hit 386 feet (according to Strava) – it makes our LRC10km seem like a jaunt in the park! (Don’t forget to block the date out in your diary: 8th September 2024!)

Before the race there was an energetic warm up, which was a challenge for one of our members with zero coordination! Both the 10k and Half Marathon started at Uttoxeter Racecourse with a steady long uphill, following the undulating roads through beautiful surrounding towns and villages, ending on a fantastic downhill into the Uttoxeter Race course.

The team won awards in the following categories:

First M45 finisher: Andy Evans (Chip time 1:19:37)
Male team award: LRC Males! (Andy, John, Phil, Tom, Dave and Owen).
First F45 finisher: Esther Hunt (Chip time 1:36:53)

Well done to the rest of the team too: Adrian, Ann, Charlotte, Gillian and Jess. A big ‘thank you’ to Uttoxeter Road Runners for a brilliant, well organised event and everyone who supported the race.

Celebrating LRC successes in recent spring events! Manchester, London, Brighton, Paris, Stratford Marathons and more, and there are still other big ones to come!

A big group of members took part in Run in the Forest, the first event of the Burton and District Summer League, hosted by South Derbyshire Road Runners. Starting at Conkers Visitor Centre. Apart from a short road section, the route took us around the forest trail, and involved a few undulations and muddy sections. Fortunately, the trees provided welcome shelter from the wind!

Five LRC runners finished in the top 20: John Doyle (6th), Morgan Bradley (11th), Matt Allan (14th), Steve Rivers (19th) and Dave Sanders (20th).

Ali Evans led the women home, followed by Joy Atkins and Jess Webb. Well done to them and the rest of the team: Adrian Jelley, Ed Coppinger, Ashley Sarangi, Stephen Howard, Gillian Peck, Alan Miles, Carina Allan, Ann Schwarzenbach, Marian Lowther and Aby Jones.

Great news: club members Matt Orford, Jimmy Pickering and Ryan Simms have been awarded the male team prize at the recent Ashby 20 event!

Here they are in action, along with fellow members, Morgan Bradley and Richard Bravington. Sadly, they didn’t stop for long enough to pose for a team picture!

The club was out in force at Fradley 10k with 27 members taking part in the race, part of our Grand Prix series.

Andy Evans continued his great form and was our first runner home in 34:56, 5th place in the race. He was closely followed by John Doyle (36:37) with Matt Allan (PB of 38:03), Phil Radnor (38:54) and Dave Sanders (39:35) all finishing in under 40 minutes.

Esther Hunt was first woman home in 43:34 and the 5th woman overall. She had many club members on her tail including Phil Sutcliffe, Matt Steel and Adrian Jelley. A special mention must go to Martin Thompson and Aby Jones who both took part in our beginners’ course last year and successfully completed the race yesterday. Well done to both of you, it’s great to see how far you’ve progressed since you joined us.

The full results for LRC were:

Men – 5th – Andy Evans, 9th – John Doyle, 22nd – Matt Allan (PB), 32nd Phil Radnor (PB), 37th – Dave Sanders, 86th – Phil Sutcliffe, 94th – Matt Steel (PB), 97th Adrian Jelley, 147th Paul Thomson (PB), 280th- Harry Brown, 298th – Matt Wilson, 303rd – Rob Jones, 339th – Des Adey, 384th – Alan Miles, 465th – Martin Thompson

Women – 82nd – Esther Hunt, 253rd – Joy Atkin, 207th – Gillian Peck, 273rd – Julia Smith, 277th – Jess Webb, 307th – Sophie Webster, 308th – Ali Evans, 436th – Carina Allen, 447th – Ann Schwarzenbach, 599th – Mandy Georgiou, 600th – Aby Jones, 601st – Charlotte Wesley

Lichfield Running Club certainly finished this year’s cross country season on a high! After a tightly-fought final race at Sinai Park, the combined team were crowned winners of the Derby Runner Cross Country League for 2023/24, with both the combined and men’s teams finishing first on the day too!

The preceding week’s weather had turned the already tough course into a quagmire, which made the hills even more challenging than usual, but our runners gave their all, recording some fantastic times and placings.

No fewer than seven men finished in the top twenty positions (out of a field of 106 finishers). It was another first place for Matt Orford, who flew round the course in 37:19, followed by Andy Evans (3rd – 39:18), John Doyle (6th – 40:56) and Matt Allan (9th- 41:57). Esther Hunt was first woman home for the club, crossing the line in 4th place (47:47); furthermore she finished 3rd in the competition overall and 1st in her age category. What a great achievement! Congratulations also go to Adrian Jelley, who picked up 1st place in his age category after a consistent first season for the club. After a nail biting wait, the results were in and LRC were announced as competition winners – a brilliant end to a great season!

Full results on the day as follows:

Men: 1st: Matt Orford; 3rd: Andy Evans; 6th: John Doyle; 9th: Matt Allan; 13th: Tom Bissett; 17th: Wayne Asprey; 18th: Owen Davis; 25th: Dave Sanders; 30th: Adrian Jelley; 51st: Nick Parkes; 60th: David Gould; 86th: James Taylor.

Women: 4th: Esther Hunt; 32nd: Ruth Kennedy-Green; 38th: Gillian Peck; 43rd: Jess Webb; 55th: Abbi Storer; 59th: Georgina Orford; 60th; Carina Allan; 68th: Marian Lowther; 69th: Charlotte Wesley.

We’d like to send a huge ‘thank you’ to our captain, Owen, for his dedication in getting a team together for each and every event and to all our runners and supporters who turned out, whatever the weather, baked cakes, collected entry fees, carried the kit…….we could go on. Cross country really is a team effort, and what a great team you are! Here’s to continued success next season!

On February 3rd, the club held its annual awards presentation evening at Darnford Moors Golf Club. There was a brilliant turnout to celebrate the many successes of Lichfield Running Club and our members over the past year. Congratulations to the winners of the various awards: John Doyle (Men’s Grand Prix and Dave Nason Trophy for Contribution to the Club), Sonia Short (Women’s Grand Prix), Claire Wheat (Bob Connor Trophy), James Coombes (Time Trial Series), Hannah Stokes (Cross Country) and Marian Lowther (Mike Green Running Achievement Trophy). And, of course, a massive well done to each and every one of our members, all of whom have achieved so much over the past year. Here’s to another fantastic year!

Sunday 25th June saw the 4th event in the Burton and District Summer League, the Gate Gallop organised by Peel Road Runners. It’s an off road, traffic free 10k race mainly along paths with stiles, gates and bridges adding to the fun. A team of eight runners from LRC took part in sweltering conditions.

First runner home for the club was Dave Sanders in 42:33 followed by John Doyle in 44:37, both amazing times considering they’d both taken part in the Fractured Marathon event on Friday . First lady home for the club was Sarah Hayman in 48:00, followed by Emily Careless, Sonia Short, Jane Bradbury, Victoria Sedgley and Charlotte Wesley. Well done to all our runners for competing in such warm conditions.

We’re still buzzing about the club’s success last week at the Washlands Relays, with both men’s and women’s teams finishing in first position! As our runners gave their all for the club and their individual teams, we’d like to give them all a shout out this Medal Monday!

Each runner’s time is recorded for the individual competition, as well as being aggregated with those of other team members for the team event.

Here are the individual placings:

Men
1st: Matt Orford, 2nd: Andrew Parkinson,11th: Ryan Simms,12th: Jimmy Pickering, 21st: Dan Turner, 36th: James Coombes, 47th: Dave Sanders, 50th: Konrad Wainaina, 52nd: Ed Foster, 54th: Owen Davies; 66th: Stephen Rivers, 70th: Matt Allen, 80th: Matt Steele, 83rd: Nick Parkes, 93rd: Phill Brindle, 132nd: Stephen Howard, 162nd: Keith Lowther, 179th: Phil Pinney, 180th: Mark Job

Women
2nd: Hermione Knowles, 8th: Esther Hunt, 19th: Hannah Stokes, 42nd: Emily Careless, 53rd: Jessica Webb, 73rd: Sonia Short, 77th: Joanna Alsop, 83rd: Catherine Thompson, 92nd: Vikki Waldron, 95th: Helen King, 97th: Jo Turrell, 101st: Charlotte Walters, 103rd: Abbi Storer, 104th: Ann Bennett, 118th: Mandy Georgiou, 120th: Jane Bradbury, 122nd: Marian Lowther, 125th: Anna Kuciaba, 129th:Ann Schwarzenbach, 134th: Claire Wheat, 137th: Michelle Cooper, 142nd: Charlotte Wesley.

For the team event, out of 56 male/mixed teams, the first 3 LRC male teams were placed 1st, 12th and 14th respectively. Our highest 3 female team finishers came 1st, 17th and 21st out of a field of 37. What a great set of individual and team results!

Thanks to Washlands Women’s Runners for their great organisation and Ian Archer and club members Ed and Mike for the photography!+

One of our favourite local races, Aldridge 10k, took place on 11th June, and LRC was well represented at the start line. Undeterred by the high temperatures, and the unforgiving hill towards the end of the course, our runners recorded some great performances. Following her success at the recent Cathedral to Castle race, it was another podium finish for Hermione Knowles (2nd female: 42:02); Emily Careless was 5th female (and 1st in her category) recording a distance PB in the process! (50:01). Dan Turner finished in 7th place overall (and 1st in his age category) in 37:47. Morgan Bradley was 2nd LRC member home (14th overall: 39:13) and Phil Sutcliffe 4th (31st: 43:51).

Full club results as follows:
Dan Turner (37:47 – 7th)
Morgan Bradley (39:13 – 14th)
Hermione Knowles (42:02 – 24th/2nd F)
Phil Sutcliffe (43:51 – 31st)
Peter Knowles (45:15 – 38th)
Emily Careless (50:01 – 72nd/ 5th F)
Stephen Howard (50:21 – 79th)
Matt Wilson (50:19 – 80th)
Gavin McAndrew (52:23 – 95th)
Alexandria Evans (53:30 – 106th/11th F)
Alan Miles (59:47 – 186th)

Well done to you all!