RAC runners shine in atrocious weather17 July 2023 (by D.Cartwright) |
Two Radcliffe Athletic Club members ran the gamut of British summer weather when they completed a 50k ultra race.
Katherine Biddle and Emma Wolstencroft faced rain, hail, wind and occasional sunshine at the Ultra X Summer Trail Race on the hills around Hebden Bridge.
It was a baptism of fire for Emma who took on her first ultra marathon to celebrate her upcoming 50th birthday. She ran with Biddle, with the pair completing the course which has 4,757ft of ascent in 9:34:02.
It included a climb to Stoodley Pike in the last 10k, and Wolstencroft said: “Running conditions were really tough as wet stone, cobbles and trail shoes were a disaster waiting to happen.
“We missed a checkpoint, took a few wrong turns and I fell over, but it was a great experience and I’m looking forward to doing my next ultra - hopefully with better weather conditions.”
Two RAC runners also took on tough climbing in atrocious conditions at the weekend’s Kentmere Horseshoe Fell Race in the southern Lake District. The 12.3-mile race, which traverses the fells in the upper Kentmere Valley, is part of Radcliffe’s fell championship and the Run The Moors Fell Grand Prix which is contested by local clubs.
With 3,301ft of challenging climbing, the event attached top-class fell runners. RAC’s Annette McQueen finished in 2:36:54 and Warren Simmens clocked 2:51:25.
Mia Derbyshire completed the two-day West Pennine Way Endurance event, a challenging 50-mile loop of the West Pennine Moors with 8,500ft of climbing which starts and ends near Jumbles Country Park. Organised by Bury’s Sunnywood Project, the event was a challenge rather than a race, but Derbyshire was first across the finish line with partner Matt Cooper who runs for Trafford AC.
Meanwhile, Gail Champion headed to the Welsh seaside for the very wet and windy Abersoch Half Marathon, finishing in 2:17:00.
Members were at a variety of parkruns, with Adam Wills finishing ninth at Chadderton Hall in 23:45. Results from elsewhere: Bolton – Mark Williams (23:49), Kathryn Davies (28:53) and Natalie Hitchen (37:06); Cheadle Hulme – Helen Kay (31:36), Caroline Malone (34:19) and Bev Quinton (42:25); Fell Foot – Sheila Jones (first WV65 24:56); Keswick – Karen Doherty (27:07); Sale Water - Alison Howarth (27:17) and Stephen Crowe (28:30); Stamford Park – Martin Archer (26:48); Worsley Woods - Rob Shiels (20:26), Tracy Wroe (30:57) and Michael Scott (39:27); Wythenshawe – Mark Garner (22:23).
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