There was action inside and out last weekend for athletes from Wolverhampton & Bilston, particularly for one runner from the club who managed a cross country and indoor track double header.
We’ll start this weeks’ round up at Leamington Spa for the Midlands Cross Country Championship where Alice Cattell was the only representative in the U13 girls race placing 40th in 13.45. In the U15 boys race Sam Thursfield placed 18th in 14.51, Will Hughes was 15.16 and Sam Southall placed 57th in 16.09, the trio were just one runner shy of the amount required for a team. Beth Tabor was mixing it with the top end of the Senior Ladies field placing a fine 13th in 31.38. And in the Senior Mens race, won by Tom Evans, the World Trail Running Championships bronze medallist fresh from a runners up spot at the World Cross Country Trials at Parliament Hill a week before. Even with a couple of late dropouts the club were still able to field seven runners and with six to count for a team placed 13th overall Luke Maskew was an impressive 67th in 45.48 over the three lap, 7.5 mile course. Ben Foster placed 96th in 47.33, Garry Palmer was 131st in 50.52, Derrick Milligan was 148th in 52.03, Dave Norman was 197th in 57.58, Rob Edwards placed 241st in 1.03.11 and Stu Whitehouse was 257th in 1.05.54. With this race also combining the Midlands Masters Championships Garry Palmer walked away with an M50 gold medal and Dave Norman placed 4th in the same age group.
Garry was in action 24 hours later at the British Masters Athletics Federation 3000m Championships in Sheffield. Although almost a week on there are still no official results he placed 5th in the M50 race on his indoor debut in a time of 10.42. An impressive effort after a muddy seven plus miles the day before, not surprisingly her commented that his legs were “a little toasty”.
Finally, there was action on the road at the Walton Wobble 10k where Paul Dean placed 20th in 42.24.
Dave Norman
