News Archive

2010

13th July Around a dozen members ventured over to Bickerton for a run over the Bulkeley Hills. The group split into two for a short run over about 3 miles and a longer 6 mile run. The runs were well organised as usual by Andrew Corbett who surprised us all with his drawing ability having drawn a whippet as a Trail Marker! It's just a shame we were all caught in a downpour but it didn't spoil the run!

12th July Kate Waterhouse reports that she and Jackie Ecclestone ran in the Better Half Marathon at Oulton Park on Sunday. She says that had it not been for a ferocious headwind across parts of the circuit I am sure we would both have got under 2 hours.

11th July I've also heard that Sara Rogers was down in London for some shopping - sorry, I meant taking part in the Asics British 10k. Sara says it was very crowded and took nearly half an hour for her to cross the start line - now if only that was half an hour to cross the finishing line! Jon Bird was also in action in Llandudno - he says the 10k was very hilly. Results not yet available for either event.

9th July Spies tell me that our women might have won the women's team prize in the Dawley Crown classic. Well done, ladies - that's brilliant! Apparently it was 3 to score; Laura Fisher was first home for us in 26th place with Sarah Wilson just three places behind. They were backed up by Sara Rogers and Helen Robbins. Bob Wilson had another good run finishing in 9th place. Bob was backed up by Jon Morgan and Keith Cotton. Sadly, our men missed out on a team prize!

8th July Kate Waterhouse ran in the latest race of the Delamere trail series - this time the distance was around 4.8 miles.Kate says it was very humid but good training for the thunder run!

5th July A few results to catch up on today. Starting with last Wednesday, Jon Morgan, Ken Robbins, Sara Rogers and Helen Robbins took part in the 4th Race of the 6 Race Sexarathon series at Ironbridge. After this race, Jon, Ken and Helen all lie 2nd in their age categories - come on you Whippets!

On Sunday Kevin Smith and Gareth Dodd had a tussle over the half marathon distance at Shifnal. Kevin came out on top setting a new Club Record of 1:26:27 whilst Gareth set a new open age record of 1:27.19. Meanwhile over in Manchester, Dean Richards and Daren took part in the City of Manchester 10k. Dean went under 40 minutes for the first time, setting a PB of 39:52. Daren just missed a PB by a couple of seconds.

Saturday saw Richard and Helen Stewart competing in the Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon. Richard writes: Heather, and myself, completed the Birmingham and Black Country Half Marathon on Saturday, running the canal route from Wolverhampton to Birmingham . We left Whitchurch at 7:30, arriving in Wolverhampton before 9am, and collecting our train tickets for the journey back to Wolverhampton, to collect the car. We dropped our bags at the start, where they would be transported to Birmingham by van. There was a gate to the canal, and they allowed someone to start about every 10 seconds. Although the route was flat, there were many hazards to watch out for - the expected ones, like the bridges, gates and the Coseley Tunnel, and the unexpected ones, which included cyclists and joggers travelling in the opposite direction, and fishermen (or should that be anglers), who all seemed to feel we were trespassing on THEIR canal, and made no effort to give way. We found it a lot tougher than expected, and later understood why they warned that it was not a course for getting a PB. The Coseley Tunnel is 360 yards long and very dark, and although the organisers provided some lighting, you had to watch your footing, and avoid slowing down too much, or you would be holding up the other runners, who sounded as if they were very close and trying to get past you. The ramps over bridges were difficult and there were several sharp turns, and uneven surfaces which broke any rhythm you had going. My time was 1:50:27, and Heather finished in 2:09:19 Our bags, including the proverbial ‘goody bags’, were available for collection at the finish and we took advantage of discounted food and drink at the Piano and Pitcher, available to all runners, before we then made our way to New Street Station, for the journey back to Wolverhampton. Both Heather, and myself, felt shattered when we eventually arrived back in Whitchurch around 2:30pm, but we both agreed that the race was a bit different and interesting, and we would do it again, next year.

1st July A historic day for the club as Melissa Nicholson handed in her membership form to become our 100th member. This has been a major target for the club and something we didn't expect to achieve inside just 3 years. We must be doing something right!

The rain held off long enough for members to enjoy a social run from the Horse and Jockey Pub at Grindley. The 3.5 mile loop round the canal was completed by a pack of around 35 members - I know, I should have counted, but it was quite hard with people joining in half way! Around 25 stayed on for a meal. It was very pleasing to see so many from the beginner's course coming along.

30th JuneAround 20 foolhardy whippets took part in last night's first club beep test. Rachael Foster was the last lady to drop out, but Graham Jones managed to survive the longest, reaching level 12.1. Other fiendish fitness tests are being planned for those who want to test their metal again.

27th June Simon Phillips reports that the 11 Whippets who travelled to Stone looking for any fast times on this flat 10K course were to be sadly disappointed, as it was offically the hotest day of the year. The temperature had more than a feeling of the Muller 10K in 2008 and certainly made running more of a challenge than usual. Results will be posted when available.

24th June If you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise - well you might have been on Thursday if you'd been in Delamere Forest. Kate Waterhouse, Sara Rogers and Helen Robbins took part in the latest Delamere Trail run. It's an excellent summer series around the trails in Delamere forest. The races vary in length and this one was approx 4.5 miles. Well recommended as a change from Brown Moss! Talk to the girls if you want to know more.

22nd June Another excellent turn out for the club handicap. 22 members ran round a rather hot circuit. Graham Jones has clearly been putting in some hard work as he managed to beat the Handicapper's prediction by over 30 seconds! Juliet Salem leads the series having placed 3rd in race 1 and 5th in race 2. Gareth Dodd and Simon Phillips aren't too far behind. Results and Standings

21st June A fairly quiet weekend; but a small group did find their way over to Wombourne for a Half Marathon. First home for us was Richard Stewart, followed by his daughter Heather, then Sara Rogers and Adele Minshall. Adele's time was a new club age record - improving her own previous record set in the four villages half earlier this year.

One earlier result to catch up on. Andrew Corbett completed the Bala Middle Distance Triathlon - a half Iron Man in preparation for the full thing later this year. Andrew completed the three events in 5:30.27.

15th June The Committee has a new member. We are pleased to welcome Jilly Hunt on board as the Club's Social Secretary. Watch out for even more fun times that don't involve running in the months to come!

14th June Let's start with some news from midweek. The latest Sexarathon standings have now been published and club members are featuring highly. Jon Morgan and Ken Robbins lie in 2nd place in their age categories, whilst Helen is in 3rd place in hers. All three are in with great chances of winning their series.

Also midweek half a dozen Whippets made it over to Gobowen for the Park hall 5K which saw Gareth Dodd flex his muscles for an excellent 8th place. Colin Jones and Kevin Smith were not far behind in 15th and 16th place. Dean Richards and Simon Phillips both posted PB's. Mel Oulton seems to like this series and ran faster this year than last.

Saturday was fortunately cool enough to allow good runs at Newport for 13 club members. First home was Gareth Dodd in 9th place - I think it's something to do with the football season being over. It's not a PB course - far too hilly for that, but there were good runs all down the field and a debut for Graham Jones. He's the one in the Durham vest.

Sunday saw just 3 members run the Potter's arf - a pretty tough Half Marathon.

13th June Results for weekend posted on Racing page. Photos and commentary tomorrow.

9th June Just one result from the weekend. John Rowlands ran in the Westbridge 5 finishing in 48:15

31st May Dean Richards and Simon Phillips decided to cheat and split a whole Marathon between them by doing the Chester Marathon Relay. It was obviously a good decision as they came 2nd out of 24 teams in the relay competition. In the process Dean set a new Half Marathon PB of 1:32:57. Simon, on the other hand, is rueing having spent the first few miles talking to runners who were going faster than he planned, there must be a lesson in there somewhere!

30th May Despite attendance at the social the night before, a fair group of whippets ran the annual Light Infantry Run round Black Park. The first three men and women were all club members. Gareth was first Male in a time of 40:26. Laura was first Female with a time of 49:48. Brian managed to take his revenge over Laura for beating him at Muller - although some suspect he took a short cut across the fields! For the men, Colin Jones was second home and new member Jon Bird 3rd. Rachael was 2nd Lady home and Kate Waterhouse third. The other members taking part are listed in the results. Photos will be posted later when I've edited the gory bits out!

Elsewhere, Dave Wilson and Kevin Smith ventured over to Stoke for a 10K which seems to have ended up as a short race for all competitors bar one - the guy who finished in 9th place, who was promptly declared the winner! It will be interesting to see how the organisers explain that one! Never mind guys, I hope you still had a good run!

29th May Around thirty whippets attended the social at the Morgans, although alcohol might have confused accurate counting! Good fun was had by all despite the poor weather. A big thanks to Jon and Debbie for hosting the event - especially Debs for the wonderful food! Hopefully there'll be another social in July.

25th May A cracking start to this year's handicap series with 28 members racing over a slightly revised course. First home was Lesley Dunn who managed to outfox the handicappers - it won't happen again! Fastest time of the day came from Gareth Dodd who ran a time of 17:06 which is a course record. Fastest lady was Sarah Wilson with a time of 20:56. The next race is on the 22nd June. Full results and standings here.

24th May And a great result from the weekend with Charlotte Giddings braving 26 degree temperatures to record a new Club Record in the Edinburgh Marathon. Phew, what a scorcher! Well done Charlotte.

23rd May Been a busy sort of week. A group of 15 made their way over to Bickerton for a hilly run over Bulkeley before enjoying a drink and a bite at the Poacher. Sadly that means we weren't around at the Rugby club to greet Don Wilbraham. Don enjoyed his visit and the opportunity to show off his new Mohican style hairdo. It was good to hear of his visit from those that were there. Hopefully there'll be more of us around for Don's next visit.

There were two races in mid week. Kate Waterhouse and Sara Rogers enjoyed themselves in the Delamere Trial Series with Sara coming 2nd in her age group. Kate highly recommends the series saying they are really nice runs and can be entered on the night if any one fancies a change of scenery.

Thursday also saw the Phoenix Flyer at Dawley, the 2nd race in the Telford Sexarathon series. Kevin Smith made his club debut finishing in an excellent 37th position. Jon Morgan, Ken Robbins and Helen Robbins continued their assaults on the overall series. Ken and Helen are lying 2nd equal in their age groups whilst Jon lies 3rd. We wish them well in the remaining 4 races.

17th May Some more results from the weekend. First off, a result from the Lake District where Christine Henderdon ran the Windermere Marathon. Christine came home 3rd in the lady vets 60 category setting a time of 4:56:14 - a Club Record over all age groups! Well done, Christine.

The sharp eyed among you have spotted that Alison, Helen and John were missing from the Chester results. Now added. They weren't there last night - honest! Helen's time was a new Age Record breaking her own record.

16th May Another great turn out from the club with a dozen members racing in the Shell Chester Half Marathon. The twins led the way again with Sarah Wilson first lady home - just to keep it in the family. There was a Club Record for Bob Wilson and Age Records for Rachael Foster and Ken Robbins. Someone must be putting something in the water.

13th May One more result from last weekend. Caroline Nelson fulfilled a promise to a friend and ran in the Beaverbrooks Blackpool 10k. Caroline completed the distance in around 50 minutes exactly - times were only recorded in 15 second brackets! Well done, Caroline.

10th May Photo page now full of Muller Pictures. Not much more to say about the race. It looks like we were the 3rd Biggest Shropshire club there after Shropshire Shufflers and the Wrekin Road Runners. Next year we'll have to get 50 or 60 there! There were far too many PBs to list - but you know what you did! In the results the positions are those in which people finished - times are chip times. Laura will be very pleased to see that she ran faster than Brian even though he did sprint past her in the finishing area - what a gent! Thanks to all of you for giving us handicappers a great set of results to work with!! See you on the 25th.

9th May 42 Whippets turned out in fine weather to run the Muller 10k. First Whippet home was Rob Wilson in a time of 39:01. There were many PBs and club age records for Laura Fisher, Janet Broomhall, Adele Minshall, Jean Bancroft and Ken Robbins. There will be more photos and a bigger report when I've had a chance to analyse the results and edit the piccies.

7th May Dean Richards has given some reflections on his Marathon. see Noticeboard

6th May This year's Beginner's course got underway with a massive turnout of 24 new runners. Leaders Adele Minshall and Simon Philips had their work cut out but it looked like a great session was enjoyed by all. Thanks to all of our regular members who leant a hand or offered to help. With such numbers I am sure help will be greatly needed over the next few weeks.

5th May Just a few results from the Bank Holiday. Kate Waterhouse continued her exploration of the North with a run in the Keswick Half Marathon. She says it was a beautiful course that reminded her of Lake Vyrnwy only with hills! On Bank Holiday Monday Dave Wilson and Sara Rogers took part in the Haughmond Handicap Chase.

25th April It was with some relief that our Marathon runners woke to find that the weather had moderated to provide excellent running conditions. Andrew Corbett was first back in 3:15:52. Dean was all smiles as he crossed the line in an excellent 3:31:50. Daren Peacock and Keith Cotton crossed the line just over the four hour mark whilst Adele posted the bravest run - completing the race with a broken wrist. Dean and Adele both set club age records for their performances. Not to be left out, Jon Morgan completed the Shakespeare Marathon at Stratford in 3:51:22

24th April Saturday saw a very succesful outing for a small group of Whippets in the North Wales 10 Mile Road Championship at Wrexham. The Ladies Team of Kate Waterhouse, Sara Rogers and Helen Robbins won 3rd Team in the Open Category and Sara picked up the prize for 1st W40. Bob Wilson was first back and narrowly missed out on the prizes in the Open Category. We are certainly building a reputation with the North Wales League organisers!!

19th April Whippets have been enjoying fine racing weather over the past week. Thursday saw Kate Waterhouse run the Hanchurch Hilly 5 which I'm guessing involved some uphill stretches. Sunday saw 11 whippets over at Cholmondeley Castle for a multi-terrain 10k around the estate. The entries were much higher than last year with three times as many people taking part in the 10k. Looks like it will become a well established race in coming years.

First home was Simon Phillips. Race results are a bit hit and miss as they don't show names but we think we identified most whippets correctly. Sadly, we haven't managed to establish Janet Broomhall's result - but she was there!

Sunday also saw Kate Waterhouse and John Rowlands venture over to Newcastle for the Newcastle 7. All results on the racing page

15th April Missed Caroline's debut race in the Sandstone 10k. Sorry, Caroline. Just one question - why are you listed as an "M" and not an "F" in the results? Is there something you need to tell us?

13th April The new vests have arrived. If you want a club vest please see Sara Rogers on a Club Night or email Sara@rrroofing.net. Vests are £12 and the printing is expected to stay on! Just a few results from the weekend. Andrew Corbett outsprinted his son in the Sandstone 10k - not sure that's fair Andy! Elaine was also there and didn't get drawn into the family tussle.

11th April Just a few midweek results to catch up on. Kate Waterhouse found herself the only club member in the Chester 5 on Wednesday.Kate says the course was a tad more undulating than she was expecting - but very well organised. Four other Whippets were in action in Lilleshall in the first of this year's Sexarathon Races. Jon Morgan was our first runner home. Also racing were Ken and Helen Robbins and Elaine Dines.

7th April Another result from the weekend. Jackie Eccleston did the Run the Bridge 5 mile race at Runcorn on Sunday in 41:59.

6th April Updated Race Diary and added photos from Air Products 10k

4th April Nine Whippets forewent Easter Eggs to race round the Crewe Industrial estate in chilly winds. Star of the show was Charlotte Giddings with a new Club Record, taking Jo Meadowcroft's mark set two years ago. There were excellent runs all down the field with PB's for Bob and David Wilson, Kate Waterhouse as well as for Richard and Heather Stewart in their second race in 3 days. I'll try and post some photos in due course

2nd April Richard and Heather Stewart headed up to Salford for a Good Friday 10k. It was Heather's first race and despite falling at the 9k mark she recorded a very respectable 56:13. Richard continued his good run of form with a 44:32 clocking.

30th March What a start to the summer season! Over 50 whippets ran round Brown Moss in our first daylight run. That was almost certainly the largest number we've ever had on a single run. The run was followed by our quickest ever AGM at around 17 minutes! I guess people just wanted to get on to Hannah's for a curry. Around thirty sat down to eat and a good time was had by all. On the Noticeboard there is an update on Don.

29th March Sunday saw Whippets racing in Liverpool. Albrighton and Wilmslow. Charlotte Giddings and Vicky Leese both had excellent runs in Liverpool. Charlotte set a new ladies Club Record whilst Vicky ran a good time depsite being injured. They were joined by Keith Cotton who consolidated his London Marathon training. Dean Richards, Daren Peacock and Kate Waterhouse ran in the very popular Wilmslow Half Marathon with Daren and Dean both recording PB's - showing that their Marathon training is going well. Daren's time was also a club age record. Sara Rogers, Elaine Dines and John Rowland tried their hands at the March Hair Raiser in Albrighton.

23rd March The Whitchurch Light Infantry run is advertised as being on 30th May. And if anyone is looking for a race this Sunday there is a 10k at Lilleshall Lilleshall Monumental 10k

21st March Whippets were in Half Marathon action in Stafford and Ironbridge today. Kate Waterhouse said she felt quite lonely at Stafford whilst at Ironbridge 11 Whippets completed the course. Age records were broken by Charlotte Giddings and Ken Robbins at Ironbridge where Simon Phillips said it didn't feel quite as nice on the long and slow climb back as it did at the start! Chris Evitts was first back at Ironbridge in his first race in club colours. Results

17th March Richard Steward was also in action on Sunday running the Silverstone Half in 1:43:53

16th March Just learnt that on Sunday, Kate Waterhouse and Andy English took part in what's been billed as the "World's first Kilomathon", a 26.2km run from Nottingham to Derby.

14th March Eight whippets made it out for the Stafford 20. Thankfully no torrential rain and hail this year, but strong winds certainly made the running hard work. First home was the mixed relay team of Simon Phillips, Sarah Wilson and John Hopwood, closely followed by Andrew Corbett. Next back was Charlotte Giddings with a very good run, followed by Dean Richards, Daren Peacock and Keith Cotton.

11th March Entries now being taken for the Sexarathon series. Entry form here.

10th March Rachael Foster was also in action over the weekend. Running the Bath Half Marathon in 1:50:16

8th March Farndon results now up on the Racing page I've now had a chance to go through the results and the club had an excellent day at Farndon. There were PB's for Bob Wilson, Ken Robbins, Helen Robbins and Alison Birch. Helen and Ken Robbins both lowered their own club age records, whilst Chris Bennion set a new age best in the M55 category. Richard Stewart ran an excellent 46:40 at Farndon having run even faster for a 44:27 PB at Trafford earlier that morning! Well done to you all. I would have loved to have run - but the bacon bap was just too tempting.

7th March A glorious, if chilly, day saw 14 whippets course round the Farndon 10k. Colin Jones was the first Whippet home whilst Dean and Keith take the bravery award for running 13 miles to get there and then racing! Their feat was matched - if not beaten by Richard Stewart for whom the race was his second 10k race of the day. I've sent for the Doctor! Bob and Helen were overjoyed with their runs - both had big PB's if confirmed by the official results. It was also good to see Chris Bennion and Jackie Ecclestone run their first races in club colours. Apologies to those I haven't mentioned. Mark this race in your race calendar for next year - it is a cracking rural circuit. Photos.

28th February February was seen out with a social run for 20 of us round Brown Moss followed by a blow out breakfast at the Raven Cafe. It was great to run in daylight and out of town. Some strange people preferred the run - I know which I enjoyed most! Kate Waterhouse was unable to take part as she was still tired after wading through mud on Saturday.

25th February It has been announced that the Wrexham - Village Bakeries Half Marathon will not be rearranged. Anyone wishing for a refund must do so before March 21st. see update

24th February Dates have just been set for the 2010 Summer Handicap series

21st February Sadly, the Village Bakery Half was cancelled due to an overnight dump of snow. Hopefully nobody travelled over to Wrexham. To make up for the disappointment, I've just added some races to the diary for April.

20th February Some 30 Whippets sat down at Hannah's for the curry buffet. From what little I remember, it was a very good night! Hopefully there'll be a few pictures in due course!

I've also posted an update on Don on the Noticeboard.

17th February Village Bakery Half and Stafford 20 see Notices

As a result of adding in Bangor University, who didn't take part in the last league fixture, there has been a slight correction to both the men's and women's XC league position. Consequently both teams have dropped down to 9th place - still a good result.

16th February Finally got round to updating the final XC league results. A very successful season for both our men's and women's teams - with both finishing in 8th place. This was a two place improvement for our men and a very good start for the ladies. The girls will be relieved to learn that their late arrival at the last fixture does not appear to have affected the final league results! Well done folks - I'm sure we can make another step forward next season. Thanks to Simon Phillips and Sara Rogers for their work in managing the teams, and to everyone who took part. Cross Country League.

14th February Half a dozen whippets ran the Ennstone 7 on Sunday with Gareth Dodd yomping round in 43:18 for an excellent 5th place. Next home was Ken Robbins closely tracked by Kate Waterhouse. In 103,104 and 105th place were Sara, Helen and Elaine. Hmm, they were either holding hands most of the way round or were racing really hard - now be honest, girls, which was it? Kate says that Gareth's run was "very impressive as there were a couple of nasty inclines to test your legs in the last mile. Hot soup and a medal for all finishers".

12th February Don Wilbraham would love to see people. Update here.

7th February Congratulations to Helen Robbins. The organiser of the North Wales XC league phoned to say that Helen has won her age group in the individual competition. It was well worth finding the school on Saturday then!

Sunday also saw a number of whippets run in the Alsager 5, including Sara and Kate who ran the previous day at Oswestry. The first whippet home was Colin Jones in 29:44 over the 5 mile circuit. Next back was Richard Stewart in what looks like an excellent time of 36:27. Also barking at their heels were Elaine Dines, Alison Birch and John Rowlands.

6th February The final fixture in this year's North Wales XC series saw our men's and women's teams in action at Oswestry. I say saw our teams in action - but as you can see from the poor photos it was a very foggy afternoon and quite hard to see anything at all!

The men recorded their best ever results so it was a real pity that the team was one short. The women decided to give the other teams a chance, so drove twice round Oswestry to ensure they missed the start by eight minutes. Bravely they set off after the fast disappearing field. Fortunately they were still smiling at the end of the afternoon.

The men were delighted the women did turn up - not just for the support, but also for the excellent ginger cake and shortbread courtesy of Sara and Helen. Thanks, girls! Who said men were shallow! It was also good to see the twins making their Cross country debut.

Full results in due course but the men's positions were Rob Sharam(51), Simon Phillips(72), Dean Richards(79), Rob Wilson(85) and Dave Wilson(92). If Dave's shoe hadn't come off in the mud I'm sure the twins would have finished more or less together. I think we'll draw a discrete veil over the ladies results as they don't bear any resemblance to how well they ran!

3rd February John Rowlands looks like having been the sole Whippet in action over the weekend with a run in the Shifnal Gallop 10k.

1st February Don Wilbraham begins radiotherapy today. We wish Don and his family all the best. There's a fuller update on the notice board.

24th January It was third time lucky for the Telford 10k as it finally took place on Sunday with 7 Whippets in the field. First back was Rob Sharam in 39:35. Ken Robbins had the best run of the day, setting a new club M60 record - not bad for the first race of the year! Full results are on the racing page.

22nd January Two new notices posted.

19th January It was too chaotic to count but it looked like we had our biggest ever winter turnout tonight, with around 35 whippets out for a run. A big welcome to new members Katie, Michelle and Chris. Good news keeps coming in. As well as a number of PB's, last Sunday saw Sarah Wilson set a new Half Marathon club record record in the open age group.

17th January Looks like things are back to normal with 6 whippets in action in the sun at Helsby. The Half Marathon distance obviously suited the Wilson family - with Dave and, new member Sarah, posting great times and PB's to head the rankings for 2010. There was also a PB for Andy Forrester as it was his first Half Marathon, although Andy was more pleased just to be back running again; and it looks like Kate, Keith and Adele all relished the opportunity to shake a few cobwebs off! Photo to come I believe. Dave Wilson reports that there was a good quality medal and a free bottle of locally brewed beer for all runners, which he said can't be bad.

14th January Just been announced that this weekend's XC fixture at Wrexham has been cancelled.

10th January I know that some of you are aware that Don Wilbraham is not too well at present, but many of you won't have heard. His wife, Liz, has given us an update which she is happy to have posted on the Notice Board. I am sure you will join me in wishing Don a speedy recovery.

10th January I have updated the racing page with races through to the end of March - weather permitting!

7th January A big welcome to Vicky and Sarah as 9 members braved the arctic conditions to run round the rugby pitches. Hopefully there's only another week of this.

5th January Simon Phillips, Bob Wilson, John Dillon and John Hopwood bravely turned out in the snow to run round the rugby pitches. It even looked like they enjoyed it!If you don't fancy running in snow and ice why not devise a circuit training session you can do indoors? See Notice Board page for ideas. Now would also be a good time to shed those extra Xmas pounds before the serious running starts again.

1st jan 2010 Reliable sources inform me that eleven of you had an enjoyable run round Brown Moss while I struggled to keep my Beamer on the A49.Well done, folks. Get the runs in when you can.

2009

29th December One result from the weekend. Somehow Elaine managed to find a race that didn't involve ice-skating! Elaine completed the Wheaton Aston Roman 10k in 59:41. Well done Elaine, puts the rest of us to shame.

27th December Icy conditions claimed another race with Simon Phillips denied the chance to break his neck plunging down Moel Famau. Maybe some things are for the best!

26th December 18 whippets turned up for the Boxing day run. Sadly, the icy conditions meant we had to settle for laps round the rugby pitches. At least we got a run in. A few of us then went on for a drink at the Cat on the Park. Let's hope New Year's day is better.

24th December Just Simon Phillips and myself down for a run. A record of sorts. Fortunately the paths were clear enough for a run round town.

22nd December Over twenty whippets sat down at Spice Heaven for an enjoyable pre-christmas curry. Not surprisingly, rather fewer fancied a run over icy paths beforehand! Hopefully normal running conditions will return in time for the Boxing Day run.

20th December Sadly, the freezing weather and consequent ice made the Telford 10k too dangerous and the race was cancelled at short notice. The race is being rescheduled for 10th January. I hope Dave Wilson was the only one to travel to Telford to find out the hard way - bad luck Dave!

14th December Kate and Elaine took part in the Tatton Pud Plod 10k on Sunday whilst Christine Henderson took part in the Great Langdale Christmas Pudding 10k on Saturday.

11th December Simon Phillips has found a novel challenge for anyone interested in a short run over the Xmas period. see Jubilee Plunge Run

6th December There were mixed fortunes for the 18 Whippets who ran in the Helen Tipping 10k. If you ran sub 50 minutes you kept dry otherwise you got an early cold shower! First back to the finish was Ken Robbins - sadly this was because his calf problem reappeared and his race was over after about a mile. Our lead runner was Gareth Dodd, who set a new club age record - sorry I missed you with the camera, Gareth, I didn't realise you were running! There was also an age record for Helen Robbins who put her success down to a bottle of wine, lager and a whisky the night before!Later she tried to claim it was the porridge she had for breakfast! There were also PB's for Sara Rogers, Alison Birch and Mandy Lewis.

30th November The results for the Bangor XC have now appeared. After a strong team performance the men have edged up a couple of places to 9th place in the League with Denbigh in sight. Last season we finished in 10th place. A good push now could see us finish in 8th place. The women were unfortunate not to pick up any more places but held on well to 8th place. The next race is at Wrexham in the New Year.

28th November There was a good turn out for Sunday breakfast at the Raven and some of us even enjoyed a social run round Ash and Brown Moss! Fortunately the rain stopped just as we set off and the weather just kept on improving. Definitely an experiment worth repeating.

21st November The North Wales XC league fixture at Bangor today was as close as members will get to swimming in mud. The photos will give a fair idea of just how wet and muddy it was. Despite the weather and last minute pull outs we still had full teams in both the men's and women's races.

First home for the Women was Rachael Foster (51) she was well supported by Sara Rogers (65), Kate Waterhouse (69) and Helen Robbins (76). The men were led home by Rob Sharam in 58th place. Behind him the team packed well with: Andrew Corbett (88), Simon Phillips (93), Dean Richards (106), Colin Jones (111) and Jon Morgan (114). Much to everyone's surprise, Colin stayed on his feet all the way round - even if he did set off a wee bit too fast on the first lap!

I'm sure they all enjoyed the race even if Kate refused to smile! The long journey was improved by the provision of Shortbread by Sara and Ginger cake by Helen Robbins. We like having a women's team as they bring so much more to the event!

15th November A select few took advantage of fine weather to enjoy a social run round Brown Moss. Thanks to Simon, Dean, Jen, Neal, Sara and Emma for keeping me company!

14th November Dave Wilson takes time out to run in the Bushy Park 5k while in London.

13th November The club marked its 2nd birthday with award presentations and a hotpot supper at the Dodington Lodge. Details of award winners and all the gory details here

9th November Results for Mad Jack's 5 now posted on the Racing page. Our first runner home was Simon Phillips. Photos are available from www.uksportpictures.com and www.fellrunningpictures.co.uk

8th November Simon Phillips reports that: "Eight Whippets made it out on Sunday for a slightly over 5 mile run around the scenic Attingham Park for the Mad Jack's Five. Although warned at the start to expect a water feature towards the end, no one quite expected the full on wade down a muddy stream that we all encountered. I think most of us enjoyed it, some maybe more that others, but I'm sure we'll all be entering again next year". Results will follow in due course.

1st November Members raced over Road and Country this weekend. Kate Waterhouse took part in the Flying Fox 10 while Bob Wilson ventured over to Stockport for the Woodbank Parkrun. Slightly nearer to home, Dean Richards and Andrw Corbett chose to wade through mud in the Delamere Hell Up North run - a race over 12 miles 107 yards according to what they told Dean!

28th October A dozen of us went over to Wrexham. For many of the group it was their first time on a track and certainly made a change from running up Alkington. Time trials over 1 mile and 400m proved very enlightening - I can see a dose of hard training coming up for one or two! A lengthy post mortem in a pub on the way back indicated that (nearly) everyone enjoyed the experience. We shall go back in about a month - and perhaps a few of you ladies might like to come too!

Ken Robbins reports that he: 'stepped in at the last minute to run with my brother Brian in The OMM Mountain Marathon based arround the Elan Valley in Mid Wales weekend 24/25 Oct. 1500 pairs took part in the two day event. Running in the 'C' class with Min of 21k covered on each day we came 208th out of 350 teams. After a poor 1st day we picked 50 places on the second day.'

27th October Gareth Dodd led the Whippet pack home with an excellent 7th place in the Halloween Hellraiser. Colin Jones found the course to his liking as he reversed recent country results to romp home ahead of Simon Phillips. Further results on the racing page. For those that enjoy cross country the Shropshire County Championships are coming up - see Noticeboard.

26th October Rob Sharam completed the Snowdon Marathon in a cracking good time of 3:22:01 which is only 10 minutes slower than his flat marathon time! Rob writes: 'the finish was more appealing than the start - with about 1/2 inch driving rain in the hour before it started, but all that blew over after the first mile. Overall an incredible rollercoaster experience, but spectacular route and well organised, an amazing number of supporters all the way round. The hardest mile was mile 24 which was entirely downhill but dropped about 700ft with it! it could be hard to convince many others to join me on it next year.'

25th October Seems that there are even more masochists in the club than I suspected! An eight strong pack made it over to Nantwich for the Halloween Hellraiser. Results in due course.

21st October As suspected a few whippets cropped up in the Bells of Pattingam 7. See Racing page for results.

19th October Whippets in action all over the place again. Alison Birch and Richard Stewart were found at Weston Park whilst the Wilson's ran in Cardiff and Southport - Bob set a Half Marathon PB of 1:32:48 in Cardiff whilst Dave set a 10k PB in Southport in the Natterjack Seaside 10k. I'm waiting for the Bells of Pattingham results because I'm sure a number of Whippets were also in action there. If you're running in the Halloween Hellraiser. See Noticeboard

17th October The North Wales Cross Country League now has its own website

16th October Even more photos will now be available on http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simgparsons

15th October Sara Rogers is now taking orders for Hoodies while Simon and Dean are looking to form a team for next years Thunder Run. See Noticeboard

14th October Just a few other results from the weekend. Daren Peacock broke his half-marathon PB by 5 minutes in the Congleton Half whilst Keith Cotton, Sara Rogers and Adele Minshall ran the Birmingham Half Marathon. Sara says she was a bit tired from the cross country the day before!

11th October Another succesful outing in the North Wales Cross Country League. We completed both a men's and women's team again. Simon Phillips reports 'The weather was ideal for running and the course was certainly more challenging than the Lilleshall course it had replaced. Highlight of the day, besides the running of course, was the excellent post-race home baked shortbread kindly provided by Sara. We're all now waiting in anticipation for the muddy course at Bangor and what home made goodies might also turn up.'

Positions: Women 46 Rachael Foster, 60 Sara Rogers, 66 Kate Waterhouse, 72 Elaine Dines.Men 73 Rob Sharam, 103 Jon Morgan, 111 Dean Richards, 121 Simon Phillips, 123 Mark Gregory, 131 Andy Forrester, 132 Colin Jones.

One earlier result for you - Andrew Corbett completed the Sandstone Trail 27.5km run on the 4th October in 31st place with a time of 2:19:27.

7th October - Added Pattingham 7 and Telford 10k to Racing Page.

6th October - Just a few results from the weekend - with Kate Waterhouse taking part in the New Balance Half in Warrington and Sara Rogers venturing over mixed terrain in the Badger Bite 6k. Have also got hold of the Cross Country Results from Colwyn Bay. The Men's team are lying 11th in League 2 and the Women in 8th place in Women's League 2. League Tables. Individual placings can be found on the Racing page. Photos to follow soon.

28th September - A busy weekend that saw the first of this year's cross country matches at Colwyn Bay on Saturday while more Whippets were in action on Sunday at Hinstock and Colemere over 5k and Preston over 10k. The first cross country fixture was again blessed with fine sunny weather and it was with much pleasure that we tucked into ice creams after the race. The fixture itself was even tougher than last year as it looked like a batch of faster runners had crawled out of the woodwork. First home for the men was Rob Sharam in 84th place. Rob was followed home by Andrew Corbett, Dean Richards, Simon Phillips, Colin Jones and Andy Forrester. Myself and Ken Robbins followed behind at a slightly more leisurely pace. I knocked over two and half minutes off last years time but only managed to move a few places further forward! More importantly the match featured the debut of our ladies team led home by Rachael Foster. Next in was Sara Rogers followed up by Jilly Hunt, Elaine Dines and Helen Robbins - who can't remember ever having run harder! Full results in due course.If you must know, I lost our copy somewhere between Colwyn Bay and the pub- honest!

Despite racing hard on Saturday, Sara, Ken and Helen turned out at Colemere on Sunday to support the very first running of their 5k race. Rob Wilson was the first Whippet home - running a very creditable 21:20 in 22nd place.

Joy and Steve Walwyn were both in action at Hinstock alongside a Katy Walwyn who we suspect may be related - if not, Joy will have to have words with Steve who finished one place behind said Katy!

Up in Lancashire Kate Waterhouse was on her own seeking to improve on her 2008 time over 10k. This she did in style, recording a new Personal Best.

25th September - The results for the Seven Bridges 10k have now been posted. Dave Wilson has closed up on his brother over 10k whilst Elaine Dines just outsprinted a fast improving Jilly Hunt. Jilly knocked over 11 minutes off her 10k best but couldn't quite best a very determined Elaine. Elsewhere, Christine and Dave Henderson took themselves off to Anglesey. On a very hilly course, Christine set an age record for the Half Marathon and was first home in her age group although the organisers will have to explain how they've got her recorded as a male! Dave ran a more conservative 10k at the same venue.

23rd September - Still waiting on results for Seven Bridges 10k. But did learn that Kate Waterhouse competed in her first Triathlon at the weekend. Kate finished in 111 place in the Female Sprint event at the Cheshire Triathlon in Nantwich. The event comprised a 500m pool swin, a 20k bike ride and a 5k run. Kate is one of a growing number of Whippets who have competed in Triathlons. There's no truth in the rumour that they all have webbed feet.

20th September - Mark Gregory slashed 7 minutes off his 2008 time in the Great North Run. It must have been all that stretching they forced people to do! Either that or we've got the wrong Mark Gregory - there were three listed. I'm sure there were only two last year. Anyway, well done Mark. It looked like good fun in the sunshine. Mr Gregory was joined by Mark Sumner from the whippets. Perhaps you need to be called Mark to get an entry? Also spotted in the results was Gareth Dodds, who we're hoping will soon become a member. Also on Sunday was the Seven Bridges 10k. No results yet but we know that Sara Rogers, Elaine Dines, Jilly Hunt and one of the twins took part.

19th September - Added Lake Vyrnwy Photos

13th September - gorgeous weather accompanied the 13 whippets who took part in the Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon. Club records tumbled with Jon Morgan first home in 1:28:44. Rachael Foster was our first lady home - also with a club age record. There were also age records for Mel Oulton, Ken and Helen Robbins and Adele Minshall. Keith Cotton, Sara Rogers, Kate Waterhouse, Alison Birch, Jillian Hunt, John Rowlands and Elaine Dines were our other participants.

12th September - Dean Richards and Simon Phillips enjoyed perfect weather for the 10k night race round Prague's city centre streets. The boys missed out on the first prize of a new car and 1700 Euros but both set new PB's - Simon taking 20 seconds off his own Club Age Record. A new career in coaching beckons for John Dillon who inspired his team with the advice to "just run a bit faster".

9th September - Congratulations to Jon Morgan on winning his age group in the Sexarathon series (v50 category) with second place in the Madeley Matchmaker 5k. Jon had a great series winning the fifth race and coming second in the other five races. Kate Waterhouse also had a good series finishing in fourth place in the Senior Women's category. Sara Rogers would have featured highly if she hadn't been forced to miss the last race. Even so, she still managed to finish 9th in the Series. Well done to all three of you. Elsewhere last week, Dean Richards and Simon Phillips were in action in the Nesscliffe Nasty - part of the Pentarathon series. Simon Phillips just pipped Dean Richards on the day and was rewarded with third place in the v40 Category in the series. Also on Sunday, the twins took part in the Wolverhampton Half Marathon. Both can be pleased with their new PB's. Rob Wilson ran an excellent 1:33:22 in his first half marathon with Dave five minutes back in 1:38:59 - knocking 10 minutes off his PB.

3rd September - A group of 19 South Cheshire Harriers joined thirty of our members on our Thursday night runs. One group went over Brown Moss to Ash for a six mile run while another group did the 5 mile Canal run. The run was followed up by chip butties and drinks at the rugby club. A great time was had by all, and I now know how many chips runners consume - especially those from the Manchester area! Photos here We look forward to meeting up with the South Cheshire Harriers again next year. In the meantime there is an open invite to join them on a run from the Bhurtpore Inn at Aston on the 15th September at 19:00 - head torches recommended!

1st September - Discovered that Neil and Jen Spencer took time out to run a 5k in Bushy Park on Saturday.

27th August - A group of 4 Whippets made a succesful trip to Capenhurst for a 5k. Kate managed to knock off a whopping 4 minutes and 21 seconds off her time from last year, which was also her first race. Rob Wilson ran very well for his first 5K while Dean managed a new PB and Simon Phillips ran faster than last year.Good results all round. Also in action - at Delamere in the last of the Summer Trail series - were Ken and Helen Robbins. Kate Waterhouse and Sara Rogers.

25th August - I'm told that Carrie's farewell do went well. No more details I'm afraid - but I saw Carrie in Tesco's car park yesterday and she was quite chuffed with the whole affair.

23rd August - Mark Gregory was our only participant in the Birchwood 10k, warming up for the Great North Run. Mark was 287 in a time of 44:48 which I believe is a massive PB. Well done Mark.

13th August - In a nail-biting finish, Sara Rogers just hung onto her lead in the Summer Handicap series. A fiercely fought final saw Sara's lead cut to just four points. First home on the day was Rob Lewis, followed by Jilly Hunt and Alison Birch. Christine Henderson was the unlucky runner-up this year. The series has been well contested with 36 members running in at least one race. A big thank-you to Simon Phillips for organising this year's series. Definitely a born handicapper!

9th August - Whippets ventured afar for their fun this weekend. Simon Phillips left his bike behind to compete in the isle of Man Half Marathon - finishing in 46th position with a time of 1:41:51. David Wilson took himself off to Newark for the Newark Half and finished with a time of 1:48:08. Something makes me think that it was hardly the best of days to be running a half marathon, but well done to both.

4th August - Simon Phillips, Dean Richards, Mel Oulton ventured over to Gobowen on the last day of July for a 5 mile jaunt. Simon knocked nearly fourty seconds off his previous time whilst both Dean and Andy had storming runs. But the best run of the day possibly came from Mel who recorded a time of 40:26 giving her an improved WICAT age rating of 6 - up from 5. They don't even look wet. Must have stopped raining!

29th July - Helen Robbins continued her campaign in the Delamere Summer series with a race over 4.5 miles last Thursday. Helen finished 51st in a time of 43.14. Helen has completed all three races so far with one more to go in August. It's a shame the races have been scheduled for the same dates as our own handicap series, but it's definitely a series of races well worth taking a look at. I've just had a look at earlier results and noticed that Janet Broomhall took part in race 1.

28th July - A horrible thought, I know, but winter is on the way and with it the blessing that is the North Wales Cross Country League. Unbridled joy can be found in splashing through deep muddy puddles and panting up steep inclines in freezing rain all whilst wearing the flimsiest of vests! Anyway, I've just posted the race dates for the coming season on the Cross Country Page. If any women are interested in running we could look at entering a ladies team this year. The good news for you girls is that you don't have to run as far! Let me or Simon Phillips know if you are interested.

23rd July - Round 3 of the Summer Handicap. Newcomer Andy Forrester was first home round the testing 3 mile circuit. He'll learn! Fastest on the day was Jon Morgan with 19:04 just three seconds quicker than Mike Rigby. After 3 races the series is headed by Sara Rogers with Christine Henderson hot on her heels. There are still quite a number in contention for the championship. Roll on round 4.

21st July - a dozen brave whippets met up at the Bickerton poacher to enjoy a very hilly run over the Bickerton hills. By all accounts Rob Lewis felt very tired afterwards! He wasn't the only one. Relief was at hand in the form of drinks and food at the Bickerton Poacher. They all enjoyed it so much that there is talk of another run in August.

20th July - a fairly busy Friday with whippets running in the Packwood 10k and the Telford Crown Classic 10k. There were PBs for Dean Richards, Rob Wilson and Alison - who sneaked under the 60 minute mark for the first time. There was also a club age record for Mel Oulton. Well done to you all. The rain seems to have stopped by the time people raced but it was still very windy. The Packwood 10k was also described as undulating.

August races have now been added to the racing page.

16th July - Still waiting for weekend results from the Deva Divas Triathlon and the Wenlock Olympic 7 mile runs. But we do know that Hannah Rigby was 2nd in her Triathlon age group.

11th July - A few results from Delamere added to the results page. Helen Robbins has raced twice over at Delamere. In the first race she was joined by Kate Waterhouse and in the second by Dave Wilson.

5th July - John Rowlands took the hard way and completed the Shifnal Steeplechase Half Marathon. Not sure I'd have fancied that kind of distance in the heat. Well done John.

2nd July - A dozen of us went over to Nantwich for a friendly but very hot run with the South Cheshire Harriers. It made a nice change to run over new territory and the chip butties afterwards were very welcome. We will return the invitation in September.

1st July - Jon, Sarah and Kate continued their assault on the Sexarathon series. With just two races to go Jon heads the Male 50-55 group with a very consistent 2nd place in each race. Nearly there, Jon! Kate is 4th in the Senior Women and Sarah is 8th in the Female 40-44 group. Good luck to you all in the last two races.

29th June - Handicap standings available here. Thirty-one members have already run in the handicap this year. It's not too late to have a go as there are two more races left.

25th June - 23 people put our handicapper under pressure in race 2 of this year's handicap. Fastest on the day was Rob Sharam in 18:27. Slowest on the day was me!! Don't ask. I can confirm that setting off too fast really doesn't work! Results are on the racing page. Standings will be updated in due course but Sara Rogers is leading from Christine Henderson and Rob Lewis.

23rd June - A really good social run round the canal followed by a meal at the Horse an Jockey. Over thirty people took part in what proved to be a very popular event.

21st June - A quiet weekend with just one result for Sarah Rogers who ran her fastest 10k of the year.

15th June - July races added to racing page. And one more result to add for the weekend. Kate Waterhouse ran in the Potter's Arf Half Marathon in Stoke on Sunday. Bet that was on the warm side!

13th June - Last year it was the Muller that was baking hot - this year it was Newport. Only a small group from the club took part this year which was a shame as it is very well organised event. But it was hot and everyone suffered. Ken Robbins was least fortunate - picking up a calf injury in the last kilometre having done all the hard work! Highest placed was Rob Sharam followed by Simon Phillips, Rachael Foster, Sara Rogers without Rusty and Helen Robbins. I just watched - for which I was very glad!

10th June - Whippets have been getting about midweek. Jon Morgan, Sara Rogers and Kate Waterhouse raced in the third of the Telford Sexarathon races at Granville Country Park. Official standings aren't available yet but I reckon Jon is now leading in the 50-55 year age group. Kate is also well up in her group. On the same day Simon Phillips and Dean Richards ran in the Park Hall 5k part of the Oswestry pentarathon. Results aren't yet available.

8th June - Just one result to report. John Rowlands ran the Westbridge 5 in Stone on Sunday in a time of 46:34.

2nd June - A record twenty people turned up for the first of the four Summer Handicap 3 mile races challenging Simon Phillips on his first day as handicapper. Simon managed to get 15 of the 20 runners within 42 seconds of their actual times - a real achievement, but that doesn't mean Elaine is going to forgive him any time soon! As to the race itself, Christine Henderson ran from gun to tape to win. Little does she realise how such bravery will compromise her future handicap! Fastest on the day was Jon Morgan in a time of 18:32 - 7 seconds faster than his best last year. Full results are on the racing page. The next race is on Thursday the 25th June.

Ken Robbins informs me that he and Helen ran in the Delamere Trail 5 mile race on the 28th May. Helen was 2nd in her age group and Ken 5th in his.

1st June - Not much happening on the running front this week so thought I'd let you know that I have a limited number of copies of my novel available for purchase. If anyone would like a copy please drop me an email or otherwise let me know. Price is the same as through Amazon at £6.99 - but without the postage!

27th May - Two results that nearly passed me by. Last wednesday Jon, Kate and Sara ran the Phoenix Flyer - part of the Telford Sexarathon series. After two races Jon is lying second in the M50 category, Kate is 5th in the Senior Women and Sara is 11th in the F40 category. Good luck in the forthcoming races. Sara also took part in the BUPA Great Manchester Run on the 17th May recording a time of 58:02.

26th May - A busy bank holiday weekend. First up, on Sunday, was the Light Infantry 6.6 mile run round Black Park and Mile bank. First home for the club was Jeff Clarke in second place - beaten by a much younger man. First lady home was Rachael Foster who is dead chuffed with her winner's medal! They were backed up by Chris Wilson, Sean Evanson, Simon Parsons, Ken and Helen Robbins, Andy English, Kate Waterhouse and Sara Rogers and her dog, Rusty. Before the race, Sara asked Rusty if he was happy to run 6.5 miles - she assures me he said yes. Personally, I don't think she told him about the hills! No animals were harmed in the running of this event! Sorry, if I've missed anyone - it's been a long weekend!

Monday saw John Dillon, Simon Phillips, Dean Richards and John Rowlands venture into Wales for the first run in the Oswestry Pentarathon. The race at Trefonen involved running up to the top of Mynydd Myfyr and back. This is known as fun! John Dillon was the first Over 50 man in 15th place. Some rather nice pots of jam were Fiona's reward for letting her husband out to play! Simon Phillips was next back - in a very respectable 44th place. Dean Richards came down in 69 position and John Rowlands, looking rather trim, was in 121 place - rather pleased to have won his own personal battle with a regular rival. Supposedly, no humans were harmed in the running of this event!

18th May - Six members ran in the Chester Half Marathon on Sunday and were treated to an unwelcome drenching half-way round. Still, saves on showering later! First home was Keith Cotton in 1:46:48. Congratulations to Mel Oulton and Kate Waterhouse for setting new age records.

15th May - Added map of Handicap Route. The Handicap series details can be accessed from either the Racing or Misc Pages.

14th May - Finishing adding photos of club vests. I know they're nearly all of blokes - but I'd only get into trouble if I started selecting pictures of all the great looking girls in the area!I really must get a life! Also added new Misc Page (see left) to act as link through to odd bits and pieces like this.

13th May - New Club Vests Directory. Shropshire today, Cheshire, Staffs and Wales coming soon.

12th May - Updated Muller results with corrections. Added more photos.

11th May - Still waiting for the Muller 10k results to settle down, results are changing by the odd place and seconds - but it looks like plenty of PB's, age records and a club record for John Dillon. Photo page all of it's own for the Muller 10k. Many more photos to appear in due course.

10th May - at least 34 Whippets raced round Market Drayton in the Muller 10k. It was the club's largest turnout. I will update this report tomorrow but for now just wanted to say that provisional results are on the racing page.

4th May - Kate Waterhouse had a go at the Haughmond Hill 9 mile Handicap. In her own words: "Very odd setting off on your own and then dreading the sound of thundering footsteps catching you up - but it was a good route and I enjoyed the challenge of doing something a bit different. Nice trail through the woods with plenty of time to take in the views of all the bluebells whilst hurdling fallen trees and dodging muddy puddles". One for you next year then Mr Dillon?

3rd May - My first novel has finally been published and is available on Amazon. More details here..

26th April - Triumph all round. All of our Marathon runners completed the distance. Preliminary results are London: Jon Morgan 3:24:20, Mark Gregory 3:52:36, Keith Cotton 4:22:34 and Dean Richards 4:39:50. Rob Sharam completed the Stratford Marathon in 3:12:53. Well done guys!

19th April - A busy weekend with Whippets in action all over the place! Dave Henderson ran on Saturday in the St George's Day 10k in Langdale. Ken Robbins and others were also enjoying the scenery - this time round Cholmondeley Castle. Completing the action were Kate Waterhouse and John Rowlands in the Newcastle 7. I will get all the results up this weekend.

12th April - Unable to run, I took my camera over to Crewe to watch the Air Products 10k. It was a beautiful sunny day made all the better by not having to sweat round an industrial estate! Anyway, those who did it seemed to have quite a good time. John Dillon knocked six seconds off his best setting another club record. Simon Phillips was less fortunate - I think I might have worn him out on Thursday - I have apologised! Sara smiled her way round, just glad she made the start on time Tip for the day - check the race start time before leaving home.

11th April - Received an email from Jo Meadowcroft who is on the other side of the world. Cast your eyes to the right to read her news.

10th April - race results updated for Reading Half Marathon on 29th March, Chirk 10k 5th April and Lilleshall 10k 8th April.

9th April - just been informed of two local events. Both are multi-terrain for those that are fed up with bashing their legs out on the road. The Cholmondeley Cross Country Charity Run is on the 19th April and is over 10k in the castle grounds. see www.thecholmondeleyrun.co.uk for more details.

The Marbury Mauler - part of the Murbury Merrydays- is on the 10th May. The Mauler is a 6.5k multi-terrain race around the picturesque village of Marbury in South Cheshire taking in road, hills, marsh, canal towpath and the Marbury mere. The race is sponsored by the Dusty Miller Wrenbury and the race organiser is our very own Mark Sumner. I have entry forms, so if you are interested please let me know .

7th April - John Dillon finally took his legs out to play in the Spring Sunshine. John and Simon Phillips took part in the monthly Alexandra Park 5k. Apparently, it was a scenic 3 lap course around the park. For John it was a chance to take up where he left off last Summer - recording an impressive 18:19. Not bad for the first race of the year - and there's plenty more to come. Simon was also in excellent shape recording a PB of 20:35. Simon says he could have gone faster but went off too fast on the first lap and paid the price later on. Just goes to show that there are always lessons to be learnt in this running lark.

1st April - A great crowd turned out for the first summer run and the AGM. It made a wonderful change to get out over Brown Moss again. Twenty of us then went on for a curry - next time we'd better think about warning the curry house. I think they had to send someone out to catch a few more chickens! Just learnt that Greg Watson also raced at the weekend. Greg had a great run in the City of Lincoln 10k, setting a new club record in the M65 Age Group with a time of 53:32 - a ime that wouldn't disgrace a much younger man! Well done Greg.

30th March - Two half-marathons and four whippets. Dean Richards, Keith Cotton and Mark Gregory headed over to Wilmslow whilst Kate Waterhouse travelled up to Liverpool. Kate seems to like the long stuff - in her own words: "Strangely I enjoyed it more than running in a 10k - but that may have been as I deliberately kept my speed down in the early stages to see how I felt towards the end. That way I was able to sit back a bit and watch others struggle over the first half of the race. It was a lovely day and the last three miles were along the port with a nice breeze so all in all a good run." The boys haven't told me what they thought - but in all probability I wouldn't be able to print their opinions!

22nd March - Rob Sharam and Jon Morgan took on the hills around Ironbridge in the Ironbridge Half Marathon. Congratulations to both for fine performances - John was 3rd in his age category while Rob improved on his previous year's performance. Jon's run was also a club record in the M50 age group.

17th March - Simon's talk on 10k training was very well attended. Around twenty people turned up to learn that they have probably been running too quickly over too few miles (that's the edited version). For those that unfortunately missed it - it may well be repeated, albeit in a slightly shorter form!

15th March - John Rowlands was also in action, in the Stafford Half, coming home in 2:15:08 and setting a new Club Record. Good work, John!

15th March - Kate Waterhouse has done it again - another PB over 10k this year. This time in the Trafford 10k. Well done. Not only did Kate have a great run in the morning but she also turned out to help with the Whitchurch Swim-Run Event. Thirteen club members and a few extra friends helped out with this inaugural event. Children swam a number of lengths in the pool before running to St John Talbots. Nearly 40 children took part. Thanks to all of those who helped. The event was deemed a great success.

8th March - Ten Whippets turned out for a cold and windy Stafford 20 on Sunday. The race also featured a relay and the club fielded both a men's team and a mixed team. Unfortunately the runners who were completing the full distance or the last leg of the relay had to cope with torrential rain, whilst those who'd already finished tried to find some shelter. First home were the men's relay team (John Hopwood, Simon Phillips and John Dillion) coming 10th in the relay, followed by the mixed team (Jo Meadowcroft, Rachael Foster and Andrew Corbett) three places behind. Rob Sharam was the first solo runner home, followed by Jon Morgan, Dean Richards and Keith Cotton.

3rd March - The Farndon results are in. Club records for Rob and Jenny. Pb's for Neil, Kate and a whopping 10 minute improvement for Alison - just what did you put in those cakes?

2nd March - Oops- nearly forgot to post the final cross country results! The club had a good final fixture at Oswestry on the 7th February finishing in 6th place - ahead of West Cheshire and only one place behind hosts Oswestry. The final league table shows us in 10th place out of 16 clubs. There is no reason why we can't move significantly up the table next season.

1st March - A lovely warm sunny day saw nine whippets race round the country lanes near Farndon. Alison Birch deciding a 10k race was the fitting way to spend her birthday. She sees a specialist tomorrow! Nice buns, by the way. Alison very kindly baked some cakes for us to enjoy post race. Back to the racing, and first home was Rob Sharam. Followed by Jo Meadowcroft, Neil Spencer, Rob Lewis, Elaine Dines and Katy Waterhouse. Jenny Spencer was next in, delighted to learn that her result sets a club record in her age group. Jenny - I promise to update the records as soon as I get the official results!! Jo was equally delighted to learn that she was first woman home in her age group, winning a prize for the second race in a row. After Jenny, were Alison Birch and Mandy Lewis.

24th February - Fifteen whippets enjoyed a curry at Eastern Spice the next one will be at the end of March.

20th February - Results from the Ennstone 7 now in. Good runs from both Elaine Dines and Kate Waterhouse.

18th February - Results from Wrexham Half Marathon now in. Club records for Rob Sharam, Jon Morgan and Adele Minshall.

14th February - With Marathon preparations well under way Rob, Dean, Jon, Keith and Adele made their way over to Wrexham for a test over half the distance. They were joined by John Rowlands and Jo Meadowcroft. Photos Here. Good runs were had by all - with Rob first home breaking 90 minutes for the first time. Next in was Jon Morgan just a few seconds over the 90 - but still his best half for a few years. Dean was followed home by Jo, Keith, Adele and John. Adele was rightly delighted with a seven minute improvement over her last effort over the distance. Results will follow in due course.

7th February - Our cross country team finished off the season at Oswestry in fine style. The melting snow and muddy channels making for a true winter cross country course. They all said they enjoyed it. Clearly looks can be deceiving! First home was Rob Sharam in 68th Place. The team then packed closely with Dean in 76th, Simon in 80th, Jon in 91st and John Hopwood in 96th. Well done guys. A good first season.

1st February - A good pack made it over to Alsager for a very cold 5. First home was Gareth Dodd for the men, on his debut, and Jo Meadowcroft for the women. There were good runs all round despite the cold conditions. The women's team were 9th vets team out of 20!!

30th January - Results for Wrexham XC finally arrived. We were 8th team on the day, ahead of both Oswestry and West Cheshire - an excellent result that keeps us in 10th place in the league.

25th January - Katie Waterhouse travelled all the way up to Preston to take part in the Chernobyl 10k. She was rewarded with a new PB of 59:06 - her first time under the hour. Congratulations, Katie.

22nd January - Jon Morgan ran in the Four Villages Half Marathon at Helsby on Sunday the 18th - setting a Club Record in the process. Well done Jon.

20th January - Race diary updated to end of March. See Racing Page.

17th January - a depleted team made its way over to Wrexham for Race 4 in the North Wales XC league series. On the way the team of Rob Sharam, Dean Richards, Simon Phillips and John Hopwood picked up a couple of Whippets! The race itself was run in a strong bitter wind but fortunately didn't involve any extra laps. The rain began just as the last man finished. The race between John, Dean and Simon was very close, finally resolving itself in John's favour. A very good debut from Mr Hopwood. We hope to see him racing again for the club in the future. Rob Sharam stayed ahead of the pack the whole way making him our first runner home in 78th place. John was next in 97th with Dean in 99th and Simon just 3 places further back in 102nd. The next race is on February 7th at Oswestry.

13th January - Updated XC page with league table after Bangor. The club remains in 10th place in the 2nd Division.

6th January - Just learnt that Greg Watson set a club record in the Bupa Great Manchester Run back in May. Well done Greg and thanks for letting us know.

1st January - A good crowd turned up for a run round Brown Moss. I can't remember how many due to the drinks at Curshaws afterwards!

2008

26th December 22 members turned up for the Boxing Day run and enjoyed a social run round Brown Moss.

23rd December - well done to the eleven or so that raced at Telford over the weekend. I've added the results but can't update club records because of the problems with the Helen Tipping results.

13th December - Still waiting for corrected Helena Tipping results. if you want to look at the wrong ones go to www.wrexhamroadrunners.org. In the meantime races for next year added to Racing Page.

11th December - Congratulations to Jon Morgan and Adele Minshall who were allocated places in the London Marathon. These two places were given to the club under a club scheme by Flora. Four people who had been rejected went into a draw. Commiserations to Rob Sharam and Nikki Ryder who were unlucky this time.

10th December - A total of 18 whippets ran the Helena Tipping 10k. The results are still being corrected but we do know that Jeff Clarke won a prize for being 3rd over 45 man and Jean Bancroft was 2nd over 60. Well done both of you. See the photos page for pictures.

7th December - A large group descended on Wrexham for the Helena Tipping 10k. It was great to see so many. I know a number of Pb's were set which was very pleasing. I hope Elaine has forgiven me. She was looking to get round in just under the hour. For some reason she was out of breathe afer I dragged her round in under 52 minutes! Congratulations to all who ran. For some reason Dean Richards preferred a 10k in New York to Wrexham Industrial Estate - can't think why! His result is on the results page. The Helena Tipping results will be posted as soon as I have them.

22nd November - Six of us made the long journey to Bangor for the third fixture in the North Wales Cross Country League. The fixture was expected to be tough but no one expected the organiser to get confused and throw in an extra mile and a half lap! The course ended up being a very wet and muddy 7.3 miles instead of the usual 5.5 miles! It was a real feat of endurance. On the bright side, Jeff Clarke ran his first league race for us and was first back in 93rd place with Rob Sharam snapping at his heels in 94th. Simon Phillips had a good run to finish in 105th. Jon Morgan chased him hard in 114th with Dean Richards a further 11 places back in 125th. I made sure the fixture finished in the dark by staying our a fair bit longer, coming home in 164th place - still an improvement, though. We look forward to next year and a shorter race!

20th November - Whitchurch whippets take over the front page of the Whitchurch Herald with articles on Sara Rogers and Kit Ebben. Most members will already be aware that Sara Rogers competed in the New York Marathon but it now appears that Kit Ebben also took part. Kit was running with three friends from the Malpas area. Kit completed the distance in 4 hrs and 2 minutes a fact you wont find in the article. It's also a Club Record for the M35 age group. Kit and his friends raised over £9,000 for Kidney research. Both articles can be seen in the 20th November edition of the Whitchurch Herald and online at www.whitchurchherald.co.uk.

16th November - Kate Waterhouse and John Rowlands struggled through the mud in the Sandon 5 a McMillan Cancer Support event.

14th November - A 50 strong pack of whippets turned up at the Dodington Lodge to celebrate the club's 1st Birthday. A hotpot and apple pie meal was enjoyed before Simon's 'easy' quiz. (Well it seemed easy to me - Simon). The quiz was won by a team calling themselves the Pheasant Pluckers. They know who they are - even if you don't! After the quiz a number of awards were presented. See Social Page

9th November - John Rowlands seems to have been the only whippet out to play this weekend. John completed Mad Jack's five - a multi-terrain race near Shrewsbury. Over 200 runners braved the wet conditions for the first running of this race at Attingham Park.

3rd November - Sara Rogers completed a chilly New York Marathon, her first full marathon, in 5 hrs 47 minutes. Sara was raising money for cystic fibrosis.

27th October - Andrew Corbett and Keith Cotton went overseas to perform in the Dublin Marathon. I hope they didn't drink too much guiness whilst over there.

26th October - Jon Morgan, Adele Minshall and Emma Edge took part in the Birmingham Half marathon. Jon and Adele setting new club records in the process. On the same day, Dean Richards sneakily ran in the Nantwich Halloween Hellraiser.

25th October - Helen Griffiths and John Rowlands were also in action last Sunday. Helen completed the Weston 10k - her first 10k - well done Helen, I knew you could do it! John Rowlands fought his way round the Pattingham Bells 7 mile all-terrain course.

22nd October - Latest Cross Country Table can be accessed from Racing page. We are still in 10th place but the gaps are narrowing. If we keep putting out full teams we will move up the division.

19th October - John Dillon, Simon Phillips and Jo Meadowcroft travelled up north to Lytham St Annes to take part in the Green Drive Five. The rain held off and all three recorded personal bests over 5 miles. Must surely be down to my wonderful coaching! Congratulations to all three and especially to Jo who made her debut in a club vest.

13th October - New photos added to Photo Gallery

11th October - Whippets were in cross country action in Lilleshall and South London this weekend. In bright sunny conditions Simon Parsons showed off the red whippet vest in a sea of black in the Blackheath and Bromley Harriers 5 mile Championship - a race that goes back to 1880. Simon felt honour was best served by jogging round at a comfortable pace to give onlookers a better chance to see our kit!

By contrast the first team were in action in light refreshing drizzle. We managed to get out a full team for the first time. The difference it makes showed in the team score which was nearly 200 points better than in the first fixture. We will have to wait for the full results to see what effect it has had on our position in the league. The course was about 5.7 miles long consisting of 4 laps. The course was much flatter than Colwyn Bay, but quite muddy in a few places. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, although cross country may not be John Dillon's favourite pastime!! Our results can be found on the racing page.

8th October - First results back for the North Wales CC league. We are in 10th place in Division 2

5th October - While Shropshire was under water two club members were lucky enough to find themselves running in glorious sunshine. Mark Gregory and Mark Sumner both completed the Great North Run. Mark Gregory posted a time better than even he expected - a just reward for all the hard work he has put in this summer

29th September - Keith Cotton was our only representative in the Macclesfield Half Marathon. His result can be seen on the Racing page. Keith is well into his marathon training at the moment

28th September - New photos added to Photo Gallery. Your UKA Registration number can now be found from the Membership page.

27th September - A lovely afternoon beside the seaside for the club's first appearance in a team event - the North Wales Cross Country League. Judging by the curious looks we got before the race our presence clearly scared the established clubs. The 4 lap race round Erias park proved a novel experience for all five of us. I don't think we realised quite how tough the opposition was going to be. We soon found out! Still, we had a good time and the consensus was that it was great fun and that we can't wait for the next fixture at Lilleshall in two weeks time. The results will be posted when available but for the record the team was Dean Richards, Simon Phillips, Rob Sharam, Simon Parsons and Ken Robbins.

23rd September - Just learnt that Mark Gregory also ran in the Shell Sutton six setting a new PB. Well done Mark - sorry I missed your result.

22nd September - A small pack of whippets raced in the Shell Sutton Six. Despite magnificently knocking over two minutes off his best and setting a new club record, John Dillon still found himself only 6th best v50!! Simon Phillips and Dean Richards also made good steps forward. People do seem to race well just after a handicap run. Food for thought there! John Rowlands was also in action but couldn't quite match his run from last weekend.

18th September - And the winner of the Summer Handicap series is Simon Phillips! The final race of the series took place in perfect if slghtly dark conditions and as a result a number of improved times were set. Simon crossed the line in 3rd place. Series leader Andy McGurrin ran faster than his handicap but was still edged out of the top spot. Congratulations to Simon Phillips, who is a deserving champion having improved in all four races. Thanks to all of you who raced for supporting this new event. And a special thanks to all those who helped me on the finishing line.

14th September - congratulations to John Rowlands who set a new V60 club record in the Goodrich 10k.

9th September - The club will be taking part in the North Wales Cross country League. The first fixture is on the 27th September. For more details click here

7th September - Congratulations to Joy Walwyn on setting a new club record in the Wolverhampton Half marathon. She was accompanied by her husband Steve, and Jon Morgan - running his second race in five days.

3rd September - Jon Morgan and Sara Rogers finish the Sexarathon series in fine style. Jon finished 4th in his age group and Sara 8th. Maybe next year one or two others will join them in the series.

27th August - Jon Morgan and Sara Rogers take part in race 5 of the Sexarathon series. Jon is in 4th place in his age group just 24 points behind the leader with one more race to go.

20th August - Congratulations to Kate Waterhouse on competing in her first ever race - the Capenhurst 5k. John Dillon and Simon Phillips also took part; showing how much they are still improving. It has been noted.

5th August - Emma Edge won the third of the summer Handicap races on her debut. Andrew McGurrin was second home in a hotly contested race. Andrew took a minute off his previous best for the course and as a result has moved into a close lead in the series. Fastest time of the day went to John Dillon with 17:50, just one second faster than Jeff Clarke. The next race is on September 18th. Click here for current standings and more on the Summer Handicap Series

3rd August - Club Discount now available from Whitchurch Sports for club members.

1st August - Simon Philips and John Dillon contest the Gobowen 5. John improves again taking the 2nd M50 prize. It has been noted for the handicap!!

26th July - Training advice now added to training page. Old news moved to News Archive.

24th July - The town's pavements trembled as 35 members took part in the 3 mile social run. It was a struggle but we somehow managed to hold the fast pack back!! It was good to see so many in the bar afterwards. We are already talking about holding another run in October.

20th July - Dean Richards pushed his way up the 10k rankings with a good debut 10k in club colours in Nantwich. Adele Minshall stretched her legs to good effect in the Trentham 10 miles while Emma Edge, Mandy Lewis, Amanda Corbett and Maureen Whyte completed the Deva Diva Triathlon.

18th July - John Dillon and Simon Phillips took part in the Packwood 10k setting new club records.

10th July - Despite the weather, things are hotting up in the Summer Handicap. Ken Robbins caught the handicapper out with a strong debut performance but after two races Simon Phillips heads the series. Consistent performances have moved Andrew McGurrin into 2nd place with Andrew Corbett hot on his heels. Click here for more details

5th July - 18 members attended the summer social in Curshaws. See the social page for more details.

2nd July - Jon Morgan and Sara Rogers took part in the Ironbridge 4 the 4th race in the Telford Sexarathon series. Jon lies 5th in the V50 standings whilst Sara is 8th equal in the LV40 category.

14th June - A dozen members made their way down to Newport for the Carnival 10k. I just wish someone had told me about the hills before I got carried away at the start. Club records were set in several categories, with Adele Minshall breaking 60 minutes for the first time, proving it's possible to run hard and still look stylish!Records were also recorded by Jeff Clarke, Simon Phillips, Jon Morgan and Joy Walwyn.

12th June - Fifteen members took part in the first of the Summer Handicap Races. Mandy Lewis ran well to lead from gun to tape and therefore head the series after one race. Fastest runner was Jeff Clarke who ran the 2.96 mile course in 17:57. More details to follow in due course.

5th June - An article on Sara Rogers appeared in the North Shropshire Chronicle. Sara will be running in the New York Marathon in November. She is hoping to raise £1200 for Cystic Fibrosis. This will be Sara's first full marathon. I'm sure Sara will appreciate any support fellow whippets can offer!

5th June - The last of the Beginners session took place. The course exceeded expectations and we hope a fair number will join the club as a result.

1st June - Andrew Corbett took part in the TRI UK Shropshire Triathlon held at Ellesmere. Finishing in 122nd place, his time of 2:32:37 was almost four minutes faster than last year. It must be all that running he's been doing!

25th May - A nine strong pack of whippets took part in the local Light Infantry Run. A strong wind was in our faces on the challenging and hilly way out. Sadly, the wind didn't seem to give the strong push we needed on the way back. The course was over 10k at around 6.6 miles. Jeff Clarke narrowly failed to win the event won by Gareth Dodd in a time of 39.46. We will have to work on getting Mr Dodd to join us! Helen Robbins was 1st lady home and she was delighted to receive a trophy for keeps!

19th May - A number of members took part in the Shell Chester Half Marathon setting seven Club Records in the process. There were 1841 finishers. The women finished as 12th team of 18! Jon Morgan, Alison Birch and Adele Minshall took part in the Cholmondeley 10k on the same day.

11th May - 19 club members took part in the Muller 10k setting a record for the number of club members taking part in a single race.

8th May - A very pleasing seventeen people turned up for the Beginners programme

2nd May - You can now get a 10% discount on kit at Up and Running Shrewsbury on production of club membership card

30th April - The club is now 50 strong and still growing!!

2nd April - The club's affiliation to England Athletics has been confirmed

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