This Saturday, Donna Cartwright, Chairperson for Radcliffe AC, celebrated 40 years of competitive running. To mark the occasion, club members were out in force at Heaton parkrun, with 23 helping to celebrate in true RAC style by volunteering.

There were many also running the event, with Jack Porter flying into fifth place in 18:21, followed by Khama Banda (pacer) (18:54), Donna Carwright (22:26), Richard Parkinson (22:33), Paul Stevens (22:43) (PB), Alex Field (23:50), Mark Taylor (23:56), Dominic Parry (pacer) (25:02), Alison Howarth (25:52), Kath Biddle (pacer) (26:53), Neil Greenhalgh (pacer) (27:45), Simon Foulkes (27:46), John Szubert (pacer) (29:08), Mark Garner (pacer) (29:41), Lisa Riley (30:42), Laura Aiken (pacer) (31:09), Steve Hamer (31:11), Stephen Crowe (pacer) (31:29), Helen Kay (pacer) (34:58), Caroline Malone (pacer) (40:06) and Peter Warr (pacer) (45:09).

A few hours and a comical tent relocation later, also at Heaton Park, the second fixture in the Red Rose Cross Country League kicked off.

The first of the juniors were the under 11s who completed a challenging 2.4k loop led by Erin (12:15) joined by Fred (12:36), Isla (15:32), Grace (16:04), Skyler (16:08), Poppy (16:35) and Benjamin (17:53).

Lexi completed the under 13 2.9k race in 15:04 and Sophie in 20:29.

Turning to the Senior ladies’ race consisting of 3 grueling hilly loops, Emma Horner was back in 36:55 along with Lucie Tighe (39:52) Laura Tracey (39:53), Laura Aiken (43:42), Karen Doherty (43:44), Elaine Bailey (45:53), and Lisa Riley (50:37).

The Senior men took on three extended loops for a total of 8.7k with Rob Hall done in 43:55 along with Mark Garner (45:38), Paul Stevens (45:41), Andrew O’Donnell (47:27), Dominic Parry (50:44), John Szubert (55:31) and Stephen Crowe (1:00:16).

On Sunday, Stephen Crowe kept up the weekend’s volunteering as tailrunner at the Haltemprice 10k.  Starting and finishing in the East Yorkshire village of Kirk Ella, he led in the final runner in a time of 1:36:17.

Closer to home, two headed for the hills in the Accrington 10k, an undulating course with a 1.5-mile grandstand descent to the finish. Daniel Hunt was over the line in 49:56 and John Szubert in 54:07.

Donna Cartwright, Radcliffe Athletics Club Chairperson, shared the following after her recent attendance at the England Athletics Volunteer Awards 2025 – “As chairperson, I am so proud that our club was shortlisted for Regional Club of the Year by England Athletics, the national governing body for the sport. While we didn’t come away as winners, reaching this stage, especially alongside larger clubs with extensive facilities, was a huge honour, and we were absolutely delighted.

This recognition highlights the club’s inclusive spirit and the vibrant community we’ve built together. We have a dedicated team of volunteers who consistently go above and beyond to create a welcoming environment, prioritising both inclusivity and member welfare. The club continues to thrive, and that’s a testament not only to the dedication of our committee but also to every single member who contributes to making Radcliffe such a special place.”

Junior Benjamin attended North Yorkshire Waterpark parkrun this Saturday, joined by senior members Lucie Tighe and Emma Wolstencroft to celebrate his 25^th parkrun milestone.

Andrew O’Donnell sped round the Yorkshire Marathon on Sunday in a cracking time of 3:55:50. Setting off from the University of York, the route headed out past York Minster and into Heworth and the surrounding countryside. Ian Swan took on the 10-mile option, which he made short work of in 1:13:40 despite questionable early pacing strategies and the resultant calf injury 7 miles in.     

Adam Wills was out at the Lytham Green Drive Five, a 5-mile road race starting and finishing in the historic 18th Century tree-lined footpath of Green Drive Lytham, which he finished in 39:32.  Junior Thomas also completed the junior mile at the same event in a brilliant 9:22.

Junior member Skyler enjoyed the 2km U11 Strawberry Lace Fell Race in Oldham, the latest junior to lose a shoe along the way!

Over in Wales, two members raced the Abergele double – a 5k and then a 10k from the Pensarn Promenade. Daniel Hunt finished the out and back routes in 22:25 for the 5k and 52:56 for the 10k, with John Szubert back in a PB of 24:31 for the 5k and 56:46 for the 10k.

Radcliffe AC Junior Seth raced into second place last week at the RunThrough Heaton Park 1.2km junior event in a remarkable time of 04:44.

John Szubert kicked off a heavy week of racing with a fantastic PB of 51:50  at the RunThrough Everton 10k on Saturday, together with new member Daniel Hunt who completed the distance in 47:30.

John then swapped his road shoes and headed over to join his teammates at Leigh Sports Village for the first fixture in the Red Rose Cross Country League.

First up, the U11s covered 2k with Indie finishing in 9:18, followed by Seth (9:38), Fred (9:47), Erin (11:21), Isla (13:14), Grace (14:57), Benjamin (15:49) Skyler (16:39) and Poppy (16:42). The U13s were led in the 3k by Lexi in 14:27, then Sophie in 20:58 and Aoife in 22:56. Oliver completed the U15s 4k in 21:51.

In the senior races, the ladies covered just over 5k, with Laura Tracey flying in at 25:36, followed by Lucie Tighe (27:29), Laura Aiken (27:29), Karen Doherty (28:14), Eileen Sharman (30:26), Lisa Riley (32:11) and Tracy Wroe (36:02).

Andrew O’Donnell completed the men’s 10k in 44:40, alongside David Bartlett (58:14), Stephen Crowe (1:00:13) and John Szubert (1:01:48).

On the same day, Kath Biddle was at the Rivington Trail Half Marathon, a challenging off-road race through Rivington’s woodlands, moorland and reservoir trails, featuring rocky climbs, muddy tracks and sweeping views, which she finished in 2:05:28.

On Sunday, Stephen Crowe ran the last of the Run The Moors series, Withins Skyline, a tough 10.1km fell race at Penistone Hill Country Park, nr Haworth, Keighley, in a time of 1:25:40.

A large contingent of Radcliffe members joined the 28,000 at the Manchester Half Marathon, starting and finishing by Old Trafford. Steven Fawcett was the fastest to the finish line in 1:26:08. Other results included Ian Swan (1:30:48), Chris Mihalyi (1:31:56), Andrew O’Donnell (1:33:26), Mark Taylor (1:37:41), Dominic Parry (1:40:15), Paul Stevens (1:43:03), Emma Horner (1:44:12), Amanda Callan (1:45:28), Lisa Antrobus (1:51:47), Lucie Tighe (1:52:32), Alison Howarth (1:56:38), Laura Aiken (1:57:55), Charlene Leyden (1:58:12), Sarah Wilson (2:01:12), John Szubert (for his third race of the weekend) (2:05:26), Elaine Bailey (2:15:52), Tracy Wroe (2:44:43) and Sara Parry (2:52:07).

Whilst almost all members limped away from the finish with personal bests, the real standout was Sheila Jones, who was not only the first FV70 but led the category by nearly 24 minutes!