2010
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