The Christmas and New Year period wasn’t all about eating, drinking and being merry, there were plenty of opportunities to race and athletes grasped them with both hands to stop them ending up face down in a tub of “Celebrations”.
There were plenty of club members out supporting the Dominic Kemp Boxing Day Handicap, blowing away the festive excesses and remembering a well-loved club member who is no longer with us. With the handicap rules giving runners a head start so that, ideally, they will finish together the win went to Lee Partridge who managed to hold off the chasing pack, finishing the course in 19.12, Charlotte Rogers was 2nd, and 1st female with a time of 21.03. The field of 45 was heavily weighted with Wolves & Bilston members with even Chairman, Colin Thompson, having a run out.
The following day we were in deepest Staffordshire for a Christmas tradition, the Wheaton Aston 10k. Jonny Morris claimed the victory, clocking a superb 32.06, Dan Turner was 9th with 33.53, Tom Isherwood clocked 35.17 for 16th place, Alex Kelly was 18th with 35.32, Ashley Atkinson was 25th with 36.40, Tony Cheema 39th in 38.57, Andy Horton 53rd in 39.38, Jay Patel 55th in 39.41, Sabrina Thomas placed 65th and 9th female in 40.36, Alex Blair was 71st in 41.00, Darren Owen-Jones 74th in 41.39, Simon Calrow was 1st M65 and 91st in 43.19, Mark Illidge placed 97th in 44.04, Emily Simmonds was 123rd in 46.23, Vaness Landreau-Barnes placed 160th in 49.39 and Mark Perry was 180th in 51.00.
We’ll move on to New Years Eve at the Mizuno 5k at Battersea Park where Jack Stockton was rubbing shoulders with some super elites in a blast around the park. Jack clocked an outstanding 15.11.8 to take 40th overall and 6th U17 in the Open A race.
There was more handicap action as 2025 turned into 2026 in the DK New Years Day Handicap, again athletes were sent off in reverse order with the prize going to the runner who finished nearest their handicap mark. Tom Pryor scooped the prize running the 4 ish mile course around the country lanes in 22.43, only 1 second off his handicap mark. Andy Horton ran 24.47, only 6 seconds adrift of his mark, Paul Marson ran 22.40, Ben Foster 22.09, Tony Cheema 24.44, Rob Sannwald-Dunn 23.34 and Jay Patel stopped the clock in24.52.
There was some racing on the roads at the Tatton Park 10k where Ashley Atkinson clocked an impressive 37.05 off very little training due to work commitments to take 5th place.
And we were back into cross country action on Saturday, the traditional date for county championships, where the wind was bitter and the ground frozen at both venues. In Shropshire were Dan Turner placed 15th in 36.41 and Sabrina Thomas was 14th overall and 3rd vet. And in the Staffordshire Championships, which were held at Betley Farm in Cheshire, Bertie Dixon placed 5th in 7.05 in the U11 boys race, Pixie Palmer picked up a bronze medal in the U11 girls race clocking 7.17, Seb Palmer pocketed a gold medal in the U13 boys event with a 12.27 finish. Louise Hacket was the silver medallist in the Senior ladies race clocking 25.29, just 4 seconds off 1st place, James Neilson won the U20s gold coming 5th overall in the combined U20, Seniors and Masters race in 32.40, Louie Lambeth was 9th in 33.47, Joe Marples was 37th in 38.11, Tom Pryor ran 40.25 for 49th place, Paul Rogers was 52nd in 41.16, Paul Dean was 66th in 45.15, chased home by Dave Norman who was a place and 10 seconds behind in 67th and 45.25 and Rob Edwards placed 68th in 46.11. The team missing out on a medal by only 24 points and placing 5th.
Dave Norman
