The small matter of sub-zero temperatures did not stop St Helens Striders from competing in a wide variety of races at the weekend.
A number of Striders competed in the Southport Mad Dog 10k. This is a highly sought after event with places selling out in minutes.
Pushing through the bitingly cold sea-breeze to lead the Strider pack was Karl Bowles in 41 minutes, followed by Eric Ranson nipping at his heels in 42 minutes.
First female past the post was Sharon O Connell who pushed extremely hard, running with partner David Brisco, to achieve an outstanding new personal best of 48 minutes.
Sarah Bowles was delighted with her speedy 54 minutes after a gruelling week of long runs and Jenny Appleton and Joanne Mercer, both back after a period of injury, were very pleased to see progress with their times.
Zoe Fillingham, Mark Fillingham, Ian Jones, Peter Teeling, Ian Spencer and Angela Cropper smashed out amazing runs with husband and wife duo Zoe and Mark also achieving club age group records.
Half-marathons are physically challenging enough but half-marathons which include 4 laps of a race track add the extra element of mental endurance too. This was the case for runners competing in the Aintree half marathon on Sunday.
Despite this, the ever-improving Anthony Ellis took an incredible two minutes off his previous best with an impressive 1:35:10. Katie Taggart finished the race with a new age-group club record and Pete Medlicott and Alison Medlicott also put in excellent performances.
Over in Blackburn, Brian Davies achieved a strong time of 57 minutes in the aptly named ‘Winter Warmer 10k’ event.
Finally, this season’s strong Strider team presence at cross-Country continued this weekend at Croxteth Park. Spectators were treated to a sea of red and black vests delivering determined and strong performances, despite the freezing temperatures. Kelly Hamilton and Rachel Fairclough’s strong season has caught the attention of regional scouts and they have been selected for the senior ladies Merseyside cross country team for the Inner County Championships in March. This is richly deserved and all at Striders know they will do St Helens proud.
More about St Helens Striders Running Club
The St Helens Striders Train on a Monday and Wednesday Evening from the Windlehurst Sports Club on Windleshaw Road. The warm up starts at 6:50pm and the prearranged training plans start from 7pm. All Abilities Welcome!
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