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!

Lichfield Running Club welcomed Andrew and Sue from the Rotary Club of Lichfield St Chad recently. Their club is one of the organisers of the Cathedral to Castle run, a 10 mile multi terrain event from Lichfield Cathedral to Tamworth Castle. A number of our members took part in the 2023 event and our club won the team prize! Andrew and Sue came to present trophies to the members of the winning team; these had been made by a member of the Rotary Club. Well done to Dan, first runner home, Hermione, first woman home, Tom (who wasn’t at the presentation) and Stephen for your great performances.

On Saturday May 5th, Lichfield Running Club was out in force at Beacon Parkrun; around 50 members supported the local event team by covering the majority of volunteer roles, including race director, marshals, timekeepers, barcode scanners, tail walkers, cheer squad and all 11 pacers! We also had people on hand to talk to runners about our wonderful club and our upcoming 10k race (September 10th) as well as offering chocolates!! Perhaps not surprisingly, these were very popular; we had a lot of visitors to our gazebo!

320 runners took part, the highest number since the event resumed in 2022, with many PBs achieved, and plenty of smiles! Thanks for having us, Beacon Parkrun!

Along with 50,000 other runners, LRC members took to the streets of the capital to take part in the one and only London Marathon. It was a day of inspirational stories and achievements, personal challenges, and huge sums raised for charity. You are all brilliant!

Mandy Georgiou, Melissa Farmer and Claire Wheat were taking part in their second marathon in three weeks, having competed in Brighton on April 2nd. Mandy and Melissa, fundraising for local charity, Shining Stars, were accompanied by experienced club marathoner, Laura Allen, a volunteer for the charity, and raised in the region of £3,000. A superb achievement by all!

Phil and Louise Gillingham, running in aid of Leonard Cheshire, also enjoyed a successful day, finishing with smiles on their faces and with plenty of money raised. Veteran marathon runner, Phil Sutcliffe, who has raced the distance all over the world, as well as closer to home, finished in another ‘good for age’ time of 3:31:55, bagging himself a place for next year’s event.

Crossing the finish line in under three hours were our final ‘Fab Four’ runners: James Coombes (2:58:04), Stephen Rivers (2:56:53), Jimmy Pickering (2:43:50 – huge PB) and Andrew Parkinson (2:39:12). Absolutely phenomenal running from these guys! London, you were amazing; we’ll be back!

On April 16th, Burton and District Summer League racing kicked off, with the first event, Run in the Forest, a five mile trail event, hosted by our friends from South Derbyshire Road Runners.

LRC fielded one of the largest teams on the day, with many newer members taking part in their first club race; there was a fabulous team spirit, with everyone’s achievement celebrated at the finish line. First club finisher was John Doyle (9th/ 30:22), with Morgan Bradley just behind (16th/ 30:56) and Owen Davies in third (30th/33:01). Hannah Stokes was first female home (12thF/ 35:57), with Sarah Hayman (16thF/37:58) and Lorraine Amos (19thF/38:29) just behind.

Congratulations to all our runners – John D, Morgan, Owen, Allan, Phill, Harry, Hannah, Tom, James, Sarah, Lorraine, John H, Emily, Vikki, Louise, Ruth, Sonia, Phil, Joanna, Helen, Claire, Ann, Marian, Laura, Vicki, Jane and Charlotte – on their performances.

A fabulous weekend was had at the Brighton Marathon weekend by a group of LRC members. Although we were scattered across city at different hotels, most of us enjoyed a pre-race meal together on the Saturday night. The Sunday started off cold with three club members taking part in the 10k. The course started and finished at Hove Lawns on the sea front and had a few cheeky inland uphill sections to make it more interesting. Ann Schwarzenbach was first home in a time of 1:01:34 followed by Jane Bradbury in 1:07:39 and Charlotte Wesley in 1:08:23. The ladies enjoyed posing on the podium after the race and the general friendly atmosphere.

The marathoners set off from Preston Park, inland from the sea front, from 10am as the day gradually warmed up. There was plenty of support along the route and the 10k finishers cheered them along during the later stages, together with family supporters. The course was challenging with hilly sections out to Roedean before coming back to the centre, passing the Pavilion and finishing along the coast at Hove Lawns.

The ladies did brilliantly with Louise Hinsley first home in 04:03:50 with Anna Sanders close behind in 04:08:10, both completing their first marathon. Next home was Helen King in 04:47:47. First time marathoners and fund raisers for local charity Shining Stars, Mandy Georgiou and Melissa Farmer, were next home in 05:02:11 and 05:02:12. Completing our set of fabulous runners was first timer Marian Lowther, supported by experienced marathoner Claire Wheat, both finishing in 05:25:47.

An amazing weekend was had by all: well organised races, friends to cheer you on and even sunshine! What could be better?

The spring race season is now well underway, and LRC members recorded some great performances at the popular and well-attended Stafford Half Marathon on March 12th. Out of a field of 1751 runners, club members Dan Floyd and Andrew Parkinson came home in 5th and 6th positions, in the fantastic times of 1:13:58 and 1:14:09 respectively. Jimmy Pickering, continuing his return to form, crossed the finish line only a few minutes behind, in 14th position (1:18:10).

Further club results are as follows: Steve Rivers (58th/1:24:35), Dave Sanders (63rd/1:25:24), Ed Foster (65th/1:25:49), James Coombes (86th/1:27:16), Phill Brindle (345th/ 1:41:19) and Martin Shortall (418th/1:44:41).

For some of these runners, it was their second race in a week, as they took part in the Fradley 10k the previous Sunday. Competitors in The Millennium Way Ultra race last weekend were allowed the week off!

There was a great turnout of Lichfield Running Club members at the ever-popular Fradley 10k, including both runners and enthusiastic supporters. Conditions were perfect as the 700 or so competitors lined up at the start, so it was a great day to achieve a distance PB over the flat, two-lap course, and many runners did just that!

First LRCer to cross the line was Morgan Bradley, in a brilliant time of 38:02 (30th), quickly followed by Konrad Wainaina (40:54/66th), and Alan Williams (41:43/85th). Women’s captain, Hannah Stokes finished in 43:39 (15th female); Ali Evans was second LRC woman home in 48:50 (32nd female).

Other club results were as follows: Phill (44:08), Matt (44:51), Tom (44:51), Stephen (45:15), Martin (45:35), Lawrence (47:04), Vikki (49:18), Steve (50:17), Joanna (51:46), Magdalene (54:55), Melissa (56:02), Mandy (56:04), Alan, (56.06) Liz (57:41), Ann (1:00:48), Pippa (1:01) and Vicki (1:03:00).

Brilliant performances by all who took part, including some returning after injury and others in their first ever race in the yellow vest!