There were plenty of opportunities for athletes to pull on the vest and race at the weekend, even if it did fall in what could have been a lull between cross country league fixtures.
Three club members pulled on the Shropshire vest to claim county honours in the Meerbrook 15k and they came home as part of the victorious team after completing what must be the equivalent of a fell race, just with tarmac. Jack Pickett led everyone home claiming the win with a blistering downhill last mile and crossing the line in 51.06. Dan Turner was 12th in 56.03 and Sabrina Thomas stopped the clock in 1.07.63 to take 45th place.
While the Shropshire team were in action elsewhere a small group crossed the border into Shropshire for the Weston Park 10k and there was another win for the club with Pravesh Patel crossing the line in 1st place in 37.51, Ben Pilsbury was also amongst the prizes in 3rd place in 38.37, Peter McCullagh was 30th in 47.56 and Russ Blair had a day out with the family running round with his son Matt to finish in 154th in 1.17.47.
There was more Shropshire action in the Beckbury Trail 10k with Dan Maskew running over his favoured terrain coming home in 4th place in 38.14, only a handful of seconds off the 3rd place finisher. Dan Vaughan was 14thin 44.00, Dave Newport finished in 17th in 44.43, Mark Perry was 102nd in 57.02 and Julia Condon placed 246th in 1.18.42.
Also, over the trails Rob Edwards took part in the “Tuff Un”, the former Suicide 6 over the familiar tracks and tracks around Baggeridge Country Park and the grounds of Himley Hall, Rob stopped the clock in 51.39 to take 53rd place. And Derrick Milligan travelled to North Wales to compete in the Conwy Half Marathon, again with more than its fair share of climbing skirting the Great Orme finishing in 1.27.52 in 51st place.
And finally, the club’s marathon monsters were at it again competing in the Oulton Park Marathon around the motor racing circuit in Cheshire with Dave Joynson finishing in 18th place in 3.25.26 and Gillian Mitchell finishing in 5.01.23 in 86th place.
Dave Norman
