Club News Archive 2020

Archive of weekly updates - 2020

Week Ending December 27th

Congratulations to Rob Foster and Lynda Elmore, who provided some good news by getting engaged on Christmas Day.

Well done also to Lynda Elmore, who completed the Sunrise to Sunset Half Marathon in Telford on Sunday 27th,

Week Ending December 20th

On Monday 14th December the club said its official good bye to Steve Woolley, ex-committee member, marathon runner and ex-webmaster. It was good to see the club colours at various points of the funeral route and some members were able to attend the funeral at Streetly Crematorium. Rest in peace Steve, you are sadly missed.

Thanks to Anne Kelsall, Sue Desborough, Sharon Shirley and all our Cake & Mulled Wine makers for a great Cross Country Practice event on December 19th, which was very well attended, with social distancing maintained well. Well done to all those who completed the somewhat muddy course but at least it was dry, even sunny at times. We hope that it will be possible to hold our next event on Saturday January 16th.

Well done to Jo Yarnall and her Festive Elves & Xmas Tree (Lucy Baker, Sarah Bishop, Roxy Babla and Anne Kelsall) for bringing some Xmas Cheer to Aldridge residents on Sunday 20th.

Results from week 10 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Marie Roberts (16:09)
2. Gemma Archer (16:11)
3. Sarah Baggott (16:42)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Sarah Baggott (25:15)
2. Paul Butler (25:54)
3. Wendy Sargeant (27:45)

Week Ending December 13th

Results from week 9 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Daniel Day (16:02)
2. Marie Roberts (16:11)
3. Lisa Wakeman (16:50)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Daniel Day (17:50)
2. Steve Blakemore (19:33)
3. Lisa Wakeman (19:45)

Well done also to those who took part in other virtual challenges:

Lucy Baker, Victoria O'Connor, Jane Quinn, Wendy Sargent and Anne Kelsall, all completed the Twist-mas Special Half Marathon on Saturday 12th December. This gave bonus minutes for elevation, off-road running, eating a mince pie, drinking mulled wine and wearing a Santa Hat. Congratulations to Jane, Wendy and Anne, who won joint first place for the best photo of the event, and to Lucy, first ARC member in the results table, with a Twister Special time of 147 minutes, with Victoria on 151 and Jane, Wendy and Anne on 161.
Lynda Elmore completed two challenges on 12th December: the 12 gins of Christmas (50 miles walking/running in 12 days with a gin every day)and the Sunset to Sunrise Half Marathon

Week Ending December 6th

Results from week 8 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables, noting that the top three adjusted times all represent significant unofficial PBs at 5k:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Marie Roberts (15:39)
2. Alex Dicken (15:50)
3. Marcus Nye (15:51)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Adam Smith (16:17)
2. Alex Dicken (16:59)
3. Daniel Day (18:00)

Week Ending November 29th

Well done to those who took part in virtual events over the past week:

Louise Berry completed the Twister 10 mile virtual race on Saturday 28th, with a Twister time (adjusted for elevation) of 02:01:00.
Lorraine Beesley completed the Remembrance Day 5k in a time of 22:36
Anne Kelsall, Wendy Sargeant, Jane Quinn and Sarah Hinkley took part in the virtual cross-county 6.5k event

Results from week 7 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Marie Roberts (15:27)
2. Matt Emery (15:41)
3. Louise Berry (15:44)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Steve Blakemore (19:29)
2. Lisa Wakeman (19:43)
3. Matt Emery (20:27)

Week Ending November 22nd

Well done to those who took part in virtual events over the past week:

Mandip Thandi and Lorraine Beesley completed the Remembrance 10k in 44:25 (3rd finisher) and 44:36 (1st lady) respectively
Kevin Adams and Phil Brayford took themselves out and achieved unofficial Half Marathon PBs
Anne Kelsall, Wendy Sargeant and Jane Quinn took part in the virtual cross-county 6.5k event

Results from week 6 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Marie Roberts (15:29)
2. Gemma Archer (16:12)
3. Nicola James (16:57)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Mark Shaw (19:35)
2. Steve Blakemore (19:54)
3. Louise Booker (24:50)

Week Ending November 15th

Well done to those who took part in virtual events over the past week:

Lisa Wakeman completed the Silverstone Half in 1:29:51 a significant (unofficial) PB
Louise Berry gained an (unofficial) PB for the Ironbridge Half.
Anne Kelsall, Wendy Sargeant and Jane Quinn took part in the virtual cross-county 6.5k event

Club members have been reminiscing about Presentation Evenings, as this year's should have been Saturday 14th November. It is hoped that this year’s trophies can be presented in some way when Lockdown is over.
The votes are in for the Paul Sebastian Cup and the Committee have voted for the John Floyd Cup and Jane Buckerfield Trophy, with some very worthy nominees for all three major trophies. The winners will be revealed at an appropriate time.

Results from week 5 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Matthew Emery (16:13)
2. Gemma Archer (16:45)
3. Wendy Sargeant (17:19)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Matthew Emery (20:59)
2. Anne Kelsall (26:56)
3. Wendy Sargeant (27:52)

Week Ending November 8th

Club members were saddened to hear this week of the sudden death of member Steve Woolley, who will be greatly missed. Our thoughts go out to his family.

As Lockdown 2 came into force the club reverted to privately arranged runs, either solo or with one other person.

Well done to Jo Yarnall, who completed a marathon in Ironbridge on November 4th, one of the last events to take place before the lockdown.

Results from week 4 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Marie Roberts (15:08)
2. Louise Booker (17:30)
3. Wendy Sargeant (17:48)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Mark Shaw (20:18)
2. Louise Booker (22:42)
3. Anne Kelsall (27:13)

Week Ending November 1st

Congratulations to the following, for achievements this week:

Barry Cheema completed a 45-mile challenge run for his 45th birthday on Sunday 1st November. Through this tremendous effort Barry has been raising money for the stem cell donor charity DKMS. You can still support him to meet his target by visiting his fundraising page here.
Kevin Attwood completed 29.2 miles in the Big Bear Birch Challenge at Cannock Chase on Wednesday October 21st (with apologies for missing this in last week's roundup).
Lorraine Beesley and Mandip Thandi completed a virtual 5k challenge for Halloween, finishing in 21:55 and 22:21 respectively and coming in as 2nd female and 2nd male. Congratulations to both.

Results from week 3 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Mark Shaw (19:00)
2. Brett Antill (19:11)
3. Steve Blakemore (19:28)

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Gemma Archer (15:42)
2. Marie Roberts (16:24)
3. Matt Emery (16:39)

Week Ending October 25th

Congratulations to those who took part in the Leicestershire 10k at Prestwold Hall on Sunday 25th:
Adam Smith (00:34:13, PB), Toby Oury (00:34:35, PB), Liam Harrold (00:35:09, PB), Marcus Nye (00:44:22, PB) and Louise Berry (01:07:42. PB).

Congratulations also to Paul Butler, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Saturday 24th by running a half-marathon, and to Lynda Elmore, who completed the virtual Moscow Half Marathon despite still struggling with the after-effects of COVID-19.

Results from week 2 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Henry Simpson (15:37)
2. Lisa Wakeman (15:58)
3. Gemma Archer (16:20)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Dan Williams (18:01)
2. Lisa Wakeman (19:07)
3. Steve Blakemore (19:45)

Week Ending October 18th

Congratulations to two members who not only managed to find a race this weekend but also recorded excellent results:

Lisa Wakeman ran the Newbury Racecourse 10k in a time of 00:41:39 on Saturday 17th, coming in as 4th lady and setting a new season's best for the club. Well done Lisa.
Liam Harrold set a new club 5k record of 15:58 in the Mallory Park 5k Festival on Sunday 18th. Congratulations Liam!

Meanwhile a group of club members enjoyed an informal cross-country session at Aldridge Airport on Saturday 17th and further sessions will be arranged - one each month for the duration of the season. Well done all, especially those for whom it was their first cross-country experience.

Results from the first week of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:

Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Sarah Ashton (13:47)
2. Alex Dicken (15:59)
3. Marcus Nye (16:01)

Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Alex Dicken (17:41)
2. Steve Blakemore (19:55)
3. Aaron Neath (20:00)

Week Ending October 4th

The first weekend of October was dominated by the virtual London Marathon, in which we had a significant number of participants, but there were other notable achievements in other events as well.
Congratulations to the following:

Lisa Wakeman completed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10k, where a course change due to flooding resulted in its being over-long, in a magnificent time of 00:42:36, finishing as 7th lady and setting a season's best for the club over this distance.
Adam Smith and Toby Oury both completed the Dorney Lake Marathon in a time of 02:48:34, well within the London Good For Age time of 02:57:20, setting a joint season's best for the club over this distance. They were followed by Mark O'Rourke and Philip Brayford in impressive times of 03:16:44 and 03:27:21 respectively. This was Adam and Phil's first marathon and a significant PB for both Toby and Mark.
Jane Quinn completed the Warwickshire Sprint Triathlon - 200m swim, 20k cycle and 5k run - in 01:33.
Results for the Virtual London Marathon. This event was open not only to those who had a place in the original event, but was opened up for wider entries until the limit was reached. Please note that PBs are unofficial because this was a virtual race, and times are not directly comparable because of differences in courses, also the App made some people run further and not all were able to adjust their times afterwards: Adam Smith, (02:48:35, first marathon, GFA), Lorraine Beesley, (03:49:24, GFA), Mandip Thandi , (03:50:11), Laura Kirwan, (03:57:47, PB), Matt Emery, (04:13:16, first marathon), Anne Kelsall, (04:25:21, GFA), Philip Morris, (04:52:02), Roxy Babla, (04:55:37), Lizi Chambers, (04:59:14, PB), Michael Mason, (05:00:30), Barry Cheema, (05:03:16), Louise Berry, (06:28:37, first marathon), Liz Farrar, (06:28:51), Nicola James, (06:43:53), Gemma Archer, (07:07:53, first marathon), Jo Dulson-Cox, (07:12:42), Emma Preston, (07:13:58), Jonathan Cotterill (07:45:58). Victoria Bird, (07:55:46), Kevin Galer, (07:55:46), Katie McBeth, (08:40:10), Amanda Woolaston, (09:14:18, first marathon) and Sue Cotterill, (09:46:52, first marathon). You can find out more about our London Marathoners, including links to fundraising pages, on our London Marathoners page.

Week Ending September 27th

Congratulations to the following, for notable achievements this week:

Lorraine Beesley was awarded the FV55 trophy for the Virtual Spitfire 10k, coming in as the 6th lady
Marcus Nye achieved an unofficial PB of 44:04 in the Bartletts Farndon Virtual 10k

It was with great sadness that we heard this week of the sudden death of John Hobbs, a much loved previous member and staunch supporter of the informal Thursday group gym sessions at Aldridge Scool. He served as Secretary of ARC for many years. Our thoughts are with his wife Gail and family.

Week Ending September 20th

Well done to Dan Williams, who completed the Cheshire Half Marathon on Sunday 20th in an unofficial PB time of 1.21.30.
Congratulations also to Adam Smith, who submitted the fastest time for the Essington Harriers' Spring Six, which ran between 10th June and 20th September.

Week Ending September 13th

Well done to those club members who have been involved in recent races:

Liam Harrold gained 1st place in the 2020 Sutton Gates Run, covering 12.89km in 00:48:05. This orienteering race was also completed during June/July by Eamon Lyons (01:18:04), Sarah Baggott (01:18:26), John Quinn (01:31:40), Jane Quinn (01:32:11) and Anne Kelsall (01:47:04).
Barry Cheema, completed the Milton Keynes Marathon Reimagined in 04:53:21
All those members who completed the virtual Spitfire 10k between 29th August and 15th September.
Those who completed the virtual Great North Run on Sunday 13th September: Barry Cheema (02:28:20), Louise Berry (02:54:58), Roxy Babla, Sue Cotterill
Jo Yarnall completed the Phoenix Party Train marathon in 6 hours 10 minutes, possibly our first member to take part in a live event since March.

Week Ending september 6th

Our series of virtual handicap races finished after 18 weeks on 23rd July but we had a special bonus week of handicap races in the Bank Holiday week:

a 5k race (actual and adjusted)
a 10k race (actual and adjusted)
an elevation challenge (how many feet elevation can you run in 10mins)

Click Here for the full top 10 tables (adjusted times, absolute times and top improvers), list of participants and history for each week. With many thanks to Mark O'Rourke for organising. See here for an overview of the rules and how the results are calculated.

Well done to all who took part in this final effort- especially to those who completed all three challenges, and to our highest-achievers:

Adjusted times:
1st: Adam Smith {16:18)
2nd: Lisa Wakeman {16:19)
3rd: Daniel Day {16:22)

Absolute times:
1st: Adam Smith {16:10)
2nd: Dan Williams {17:42)
3rd: Alex Dicken {17:45)

Week Ending July 26th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 18, the last weekly handicap of the year:

Adjusted times:
1st: Eamon Lyons {15:57)
2nd: Sue Desborough {16:11)
3rd: John Quinn {16:36)

Absolute times:
1st: Eamon Lyons {22:06)
2nd: John Quinn (24:00)
3rd: Sue Desborough {26:10)

Improvers
1st: Wendy Sargeant {-98)
2nd: Sue Desborough (-79)
3rd: Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons (-58)

Congratulations to Barry Cheema, who completed his fourth marathon in July for the Samaritans by running a 31-mile route around Aldridge, accompanied by a number of club members along different parts of the route. Also to Anne Kelsall, who completed the Twister 10-mile virtual race in 1:35 on Saturday 25th.

Week Ending July 19th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 17:

Adjusted times:
1st: Adam Smith {16:04)
2nd: Rebecca Beale {16:19)
3rd: John Quinn {16:35)

Absolute times:
1st: Adam Smith {16:04)
2nd: John Quinn (23:59)
3rd: Rebecca Beale {24:54)

Improvers
1st: Kat Stevenson {-299)
2nd: Louise Berry (-105)
3rd: Rebecca Beale (-76)

Well done also to those who took part in the England Athletics Virtual 5k Road Running Championships from 11th - 13th July: Adam Smith (16:04, unofficial PB on the Walsall parkrun course), Lorraine Beesley (22:40), Mandip Thandi (22:42) and Anne Kelsall (26:29)

Week Ending July 12th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 16:

Adjusted times:
1st: Lisa Wakeman {16:44)
2nd: Sue Desborough {16:45)
3rd: John Quinn {16:53)

Absolute times:
1st: Steve Blakemore (19:26)
2nd: Lisa Wakeman (19:53)
3rd: John Quinn (24:17)

Improvers
1st: Kara Nichols {-88)
2nd: Steve Blakemore (+1)
3rd=: Sue Desborough (+11)
3rd=: Anne Kelsall (+11)

Week Ending July 5th

This week our handicap results were averaged in a competition with Sneyd Striders. Regretfully this competition was won by Sneyd on all counts:

Number of runners participating: ARC: 28 (10 of whom ran season bests), Sneyd - 51 (23 of whom ran season bests).
Average time compared to season best - ARC: +40 seconds (ie 40 seconds slower than best time on average), Sneyd +12 seconds (ie12 seconds slower on average)

Congratulations to all the Sneyd runners. Like every heavyweight battle though we have agreed to have a rematch, more details to follow...

ARC Results at the end of Week 15:

Adjusted times:
1st: Jo Yarnall {14:22)
2nd: Gemma Archer{14:58)
3rd: Lynda Elmore {15:11)

Absolute times:
1st: Adam Smith (16:22)
2nd: Liam Harrold (16:53)
3rd: Daniel Day (19:24)

Improvers
1st: Gemma Archer {-542)
2nd: Sharon Shirley (-165)
3rd: Mark Shaw (-45)

Week Ending June 28th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 14:

Adjusted times:
1st: John Quinn {16:34)
2nd: Jane Quinn{16:58)
3rd: Anne Kelsall {17:10)

Absolute times:
1st: Steve Blakemore (19:49)
2nd: Mark Shaw (20:30)
3rd: Jason Lee (23:14)

Improvers
1st: Sue Desborough {-242)
2nd: Jane Quinn (-239)
3rd: John Quinn (-78)

Week Ending June 21st

This week's handicap was the Aldridge 10k and 5k Special, in light of the fact that our annual race day should have been June 14th, with club members running our own races on Tuesday 16th. Members were allowed to submit 5k and/or 10k results, with many being able to run the race routes, although this was not compulsory.
Congratulations to the highest performers in each section:
5k:

Adjusted times:
1st: Lizi Chambers {16:12)
2nd: Louise Berry{16:39)
3rd: Mark Shaw {17:01)

Absolute times:
1st: Toby Oury (16:59)
2nd: Mark Shaw (18:42)
3rd: Lisa Wakeman(20:35)

10k:

Adjusted times:
1st: Liam Harrold {34:16)
2nd: Adam Smith{34:39)
3rd: Toby Oury {34:42)

Absolute times:
1st: Liam Harrold (34:08)
2nd: Toby Oury (34:30)
3rd: Adam Smith (34:39)

Well done also to those members who entered the British Masters Road Relays (5k) from 14th-20th June: Toby Oury (16:59 ), Daniel Day (18:47 ), Lisa Wakeman (20:35 ), Lorraine Beesley (22:24), Mandip Thandi (22:48 ), Jason Lee (23:13 ), Anne Kelsall (26:32 ), Laura Kirwan (27:13 ) and Nicola James (35:23 ).
Other virtual races:

Solstice 24-hr: Louise Berry (20.20 miles)
Twister Half Marathon: Jason Lee (01:53, adjusted time = 01:45)

and well done to Pete Kelsall for completing a virtual 100-mile bike ride to New Brighton on The Wirrall, on a turbo trainer in his front garden, raising nearly £1000 for a local charity.

Week Ending June 14th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 12:

Adjusted times:
1st: Jane Quinn {15:13)
2nd: Laura Kirwan {15:22)
3rd: Steve Blakemore {15:26)

Absolute times:
1st: Dan Williams (17:08)
2nd: Steve Blakemore (18:15)
3rd: Brett Antill (18:38)

Improvers
1st: Lisa Wakeman {-97)
2nd: Louise Berry (-72)
3rd: Nicola James (-64)

The week from Monday 8th - Sunday 14th June also saw many club family members taking part in the Chair's Children's Challenge, in lieu of our children's races that should have taken place alongside our 10k and 5k races on Sunday 14th. Details of this can be found here. Well done to all those children who took part.

Week Ending June 7th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 11:

Adjusted times:
1st: John Quinn {15:11)
2nd: Jane Quinn {15:52)
3rd: Gemma Archer {16:03)

Absolute times:
1st: Mark Shaw (19:51)
2nd: Lisa Wakeman (20:58)
3rd: Louise Booker (23:27)

Improvers
1st: Gemma Archer {-392)
2nd: Sue Desborough (-257)
3rd: Louise Booker (-145)

In addition to our now regular handicap race, this week (Monday 1st - Sunday 7th June) saw 62 members competing in a Marathon Relay Challenge, inspired by Nike's international "NN Team" Virtual Marathon Relay. Members were allocated randomly to teams and each ran 6.6 miles. Congratulations to Team 'Bekere', who topped the table and will be the winners of the new Claire Heaven Trophy, also to Toby Oury, Liam Harrold, Adam Smith and Dan Williams, who achieved the top 4 times and will also be recognised at Presentation Evening. Many thanks to Adam Smith for organising and for his fantastic video, which can be viewed here.
Results:

Team 'Bekere' (03:07:54): Toby Oury (00:35:54), Philip Brayford (00:43:47), Lisa Wakeman (00:48:22) and Jane Quinn (00:59:51).
Team 'Julien' (03:18:17): Dan Williams (00:38:47), Daniel Day (00:40:34), Alex Dicken (00:45:51) and Stephanie Elcock (01:13:05).
Team 'Joshua' (03:22:03): Liam Harrold (00:36:47), Mark O'Rourke (00:44:19), Louise Booker (00:54:57) and Lynsay Boucher (01:06:00).
Team 'Yimer' (03:29:17): Lorraine Beesley (00:50:46), Karen Kiteley (00:51:11), Mandip Thandi (00:51:26) and Jo Stephens (00:55:54).
Team 'Geoffrey Kirui' (03:32:36): Nick Ford (00:48:03), Simon Hudson (00:53:08), Henry Simpson (00:54:51) and Sarah Baggott (00:56:34).
Team 'Geoffrey' (03:36:35): Kevin Adams (00:45:10), Eamon Lyons (00:55:14), Les Reeves (00:56:04) and Melissa Emery (01:00:07).
Team 'Bashir' (03:37:04): Steve Blakemore (00:43:46), Marcus Nye (00:45:56), Laura Kirwan (00:51:47) and Lynda Elmore (01:15:35).
Team 'Mule' (03:38:02): Gordon Walker (00:42:47), Paul Butler (00:53:32), Rebecca Beale (00:56:24) and Roxy Babla (01:05:19).
Team 'Degitu' (03:43:13): Brett Antill (00:43:31), Lizi Chambers (00:53:43), Paul Haworth (01:00:21) and Barry Cheema (01:05:38).
Team 'Birhanu' (03:45:02): Matt Emery (00:47:41), Mandip Thandi (00:48:03), Carl Nicholls (00:53:51) and Louise Berry (01:15:27).
Team 'Kenenisa' (03:50:12): Adam Smith (00:37:26), John Quinn (00:55:21), Louise Gadd (01:03:08) and Angela Oury (01:14:17).
Team 'Eliud' (03:50:43): Steve Hammond (00:51:26), Emma Lawton (00:56:12), Kara Nicholls (00:58:27) and Anita Passmore (01:04:38).
Team 'Marius' (04:04:07): Tony Dutton (00:52:08), Claire Crook (01:00:08), Mark Chapman (01:02:19) and Jo Yarnall (01:09:32).
Team 'Rono' (04:17:07): Mark Shaw (00:44:36), Usingh Bolt (01:05:22), Sharon Shirley(01:06:00) and Julie Marlow (01:21:09).
Team 'Abdi' (04:29:06): Richard Lodge (01:02:27), Wendy Sargeant (01:03:10), Rossella Bigongiari (01:11:08) and Valda Davies (01:12:21).
Team 'Selly' (04:42:33): Anne Kelsall (00:57:50), Claire O'Brien (01:09:39), Nicola James (01:15:10) and Sarah Bishop (01:19:54).

Week Ending May 31st

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 10:

Adjusted times:
1st: Simon Hudson {16:17)
2nd: Anne Kelsall {17:47)
3rd: Mark Shaw {17:52)

Absolute times:
1st: Mark Shaw (19:33)
2nd: Simon Hudson (23:58)
3rd: Louise Booker (25:52)

Congratulations also to those who completed the British Milers' Club 1k Time Trial between 22nd and 25th May: Alex Dicken (2:45), Liam Harrold (2:47), Toby Oury (2:49), Adam Smith (2:53), Mark O'Rourke (3:12), Daniel Day (3:12) Lisa Wakeman (3:21), Marcus Nye (3:28), Steve Blakemore (3:32), Mark Shaw (3:41), Nick Ford (3:46), Lizi Chambers (3:47), Paul Butler (4:15). Sarah Baggott (4:18), Simon Hudson (4:19) and Nicola James (6:43).

ARC Virtual JOGLE attempt Monday 25th May - Sunday 31st May

Following a suggestion from Sue Benzie, our club Chair, we set out as a club to run collectively the mileage plotted by Barry Cheema for his JOGLE challenge last year during the week from Monday 25th - Sunday 31st May. After starting at 00:00 on 25th, with Eamon Lyons, Sarah Baggott, Lynda Elmore and Rob Foster the total mileage of 997 miles was achieved during the day on Thursday 28th, so it was decided to see if we could get back to John O'Groats within the original time limit, this time by a shorter (884-mile) route. Well done to all who participated - we completed the 1881-mile total around 9.45am on Sunday 31st with Louise Booker /Dan Williams finishing the mileage - and many thanks to Mark O'Rourke, for compiling the data. Overall during the 7 days a total of 2118.9 miles waa covered, by 91 participants.

Week Ending May 24th

This week's handicap (17th - 22nd) provided a different challenge from the norm. Following an online poll it was a measure of the elevation achieved in a 10-minute run.

Well done to all who took part this week::
All participants: Liam Harrold (414ft),Steve Blakemore (399ft), Toby Oury (386ft), Sue Desborough (372ft), Mark Shaw (363ft), Emma Desborough (357ft), Marcus Nye (325ft), Daniel Williams (291ft), Lizi Chambers (276ft), Louise Booker (269ft), John Quinn (246ft), Simon Hudson (236ft), Anne Kelsall (234ft), Brett Antill (232ft), Lucy Walters (226ft), Adam Smith (224ft), Rebecca Beale (214ft), Jane Quinn (191ft), Sarah Anne Fitzsimmons (180ft), Kara Nichols (174ft) and Wendy Sargeant (127ft).

Week Ending May 17th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 8:

Adjusted times:
1st: Sharon Shirley {15:41)
2nd: Lizi Chambers {16:01)
3rd: Lisa Wakeman {16:07)

Absolute times:
1st: Toby Oury (16:24)
2nd: Dan Williams (17:25)
3rd: Lisa Wakeman (19:31)

Improvers (from Week 6)
1st: Wendy Sargeant (-182)
2nd: Gemma Archer (-169)
3rd: Sharon Shirley (-31)

Week Ending May 10th

Well done to all who took part in this week's virtual handicap race, which was changed from its normal format into a 1 mile dash, in celebration of Sir Roger Bannister's 4-minute mile on 6th May 1954. Congratulations to our first finishers:

Adjusted times:
1st: Eamon Lyons {3:32)
2nd: Toby Oury {3:38)
3rd: Lisa Wakeman {3:39)

Absolute times:
1st: Toby Oury (4:23)
2nd: Dan Williams (4:47)
3rd: Adam Smith (4:48)

Week Ending May 3rd

Sunday 3rd May saw many club members take part in a virtual challenge - a Lockdown Ultra Marathon Relay in which individuals ran for 15 minutes each. Together they exceeded their fundraising target of £1000 but it's not too late to add to this total on the JustGiving page. The total mileage will be added here when it becomes available. Well done to all who took part, especially to Nicola James, Emma Preston, Mark O'Rourke and Gav Parrott for their part in organising the event.

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 6:

Adjusted times:
1st: Jane Quinn {14:52)
2nd: Sharon Shirley {15:48)
3rd: Todd Nash {15:52)

Absolute times:
1st: Toby Oury (16:44)
2nd: Adam Smith (17:05)
3rd: Liam Harrold (17:28)

Improvers:
1st: Jane Quinn (-87)
2nd: Simon Brown (-50)
3rd: Joh Quinn (-44)

Week Ending April 26th

Sunday 26th was to have been a big day for ARC, with a record number of club members running the marathon in London and a large cheer squad supporting both them and the thousands of other marathoners. Many instead took on personal challenges, including the Virgin Moneygiving 2.6 challenge and the marathon-in-a-week challenge, providing some support for charities who are seeing a significant drop in income at this time. If you've not donated a little extra this week you might like to find one of our many fundraising club members to support, or use the 2.6 challenge link above.

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 5:

Adjusted times:
1st: Lucy Farrington {14:10)
2nd: Tim Farmer {15:10)
3rd: Emma Desborough {15:17)

Absolute times:
1st: Toby Oury (16:06)
2nd: Adam Smith (16:48)
3rd: Liam Harrold (17:05)

Improvers:
1st: Emma Desborough (-250)
2nd: Jane Quinn (-180)
3rd: Wendy Sargeant (-108)

Week Ending April 19th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 4:

Adjusted times:
1st: Karen Murphy {11:44)
2nd: Gav Parrott {15:12)
3rd: Tony Dutton {15:28)

Absolute times:
1st: Toby Oury (16:16)
2nd: Adam Smith (16:51)
3rd: Dan Williams (17:31)

Improvers:
1st: Wendy Sargeant (-224)
2nd: Tony Dutton (-81)
3rd: Louise Gadd (-77)

Week Ending APril 12th

Club members had an unexpected opportunity this week to take part in the National Road Relays, by running their own 5k race. This turned out to be massively more popular than the organisers' anticipated, leading to some results not being received. Full results and various tables can be found here.
Congratulations to all who took part:
Men's scoring team (102nd out of 135 teams): Liam Harrold (16:08), Adam Smith (16:44), Toby Oury (16:55), Alex Dicken (18:10), Dan Williams (18:29), Daniel Day (18:53), Brett Antill (18:56), Mark O'Rourke (19:34), Aaron Neath (19:56), Mandip Thandi (20:10), Steve Blakemore (20:20) and Marcus Nye (20:54).
Women's scoring team (118th out of 135 teams): Laura Kirwan (22:55), Lizi Chambers (23:44), Louise Booker (25:26), Sarah Baggott (25:30), Rebecca Beale (26:10) and Anne Kelsall (26:31).
Additional club runners: Mark Shaw (21:20), Matt Emery (22:09), Nick Ford (24:24), Simon Hudson (24:58), Chris Waple (25:28), Claire Crook (26:48), Karen Waple (28:27), Louise Gadd (30:48), Gav Parrott (31:01), Jane Quinn (31:39), Nicola James (34:09) and Tim Farmer (36:04).

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 3:

Adjusted times:
1st: Emma Desborough {15:18)
2nd: Marcus Nye {15:49)
3rd=: Liam Harrold {16:00)
3rd=: Brett Antill {16:00)

Absolute times:
1st: Liam Harrold (16:08)
2nd: Adam Smith (16:44)
3rd: Toby Oury (16:55)

Improvers:
1st: Chris Waple (-228)
2nd: Tim Farmer (-167)
3rd: Hayley Reid (-67)

Week Ending April 5th

Virtual Handicap Results at the end of Week 2:

Absolute times:
1st Toby Oury (16:38)
2nd= Adam Smith (17:02)
2nd= Liam Harrold (17:02)

Adjusted times:
1st: Laura Kirwan (12:49)
2nd: Matt Emery (14:28)
3rd=: Emma Lawton (15:05)
3rd=: Josephine Clensy (15:05)

Improvers:
1st: Gav Parrott
2nd: Jane Quinn
3rd: Emma Desborough

Week Ending March 29th

With Government instructions on March 23rd to stay indoors except for essential work, shopping and exercise our annual handicap races became virtual, organised by Mark O'Rourke. Results from Week 1:

Absolute times:
1st Toby Oury (16:20)
2nd Adam Smith (16:57)
3rd Liam Harrold (17:12)

Adjusted times:
1st: Lucy Farrington (14:43)
2nd: Sarah Hinkley (15:01)
3rd: Emma Desborough (15:05)

Week Ending March 22nd

This week began with the news that parkruns worldwide had been put on hold in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It ended with us losing a beloved member. Claire Heaven passed away on the morning of Sunday March 22nd. She loved Aldridge Running Club and contributed in so many ways - starting up the walking group and the biscuit club, also providing many of the memories shared at our 30-year anniversary celebration. Many of our members owe her a debt of gratitude for her welcome to the club and for her encouragement. The club is a better place for having this caring, fun-loving and wise lady as part of it and she has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to many. Claire will be greatly missed by all of her ARC Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Week Ending March 15th

We had 59 parkrunners on Saturday March 14th, with 31 members at Walsall Arboretum. Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week: Liam Harrold, Dan Williams, Alex Dicken, Daniel Day, Emma Lawton,
James Whitehouse, Laura Kirwan, Steve Blakemore and Pauline Smith, also to Liam Harrold, Dan Williams, Alex Dicken, Ammar Zia, Pauline Smith and James Whitehouse, who achieved parkrun PBs this weekend, and to Liam Harrold, Dan WIlliams, Kevin Attwood, Steve Blakemore and Pauline Smith, who achieved age-graded percentages in the top 10 of their event.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Liam Harrold (1st overall finisher), Daniel Williams (4th), Alex Dicken (7th), Daniel Day (10th), Gordon Walker, Mark Shaw, Ammar Zia, Nick Ford, Craig Simmons, John Quinn, Emma Lawton (9th lady), Michael Davis, Abigail Victoria Louise Wright, Anita Passmore, Marcus Nye, Tony Dutton, Lucy A Farrington, Paul Butler, Karen Waple, Shelley Louise Nicholls, Joanne Butler, David Johnson, Gavin Parrott, Helen Phillips, Jason Vigrass, Stephanie Elcock, Mark Johnson, Jayne Bunch, Michelle Bennett, Rachel Antoine and Helen Hirst.
Sutton Park: Laura Kirwan (10th lady), Lucy Walters and Sue King.
Chasewater: Steve Blakemore(4th), Todd Nash, Daniel Ford, Pauline Smith(5th lady), Deborah Hartland, Diane Hammond, Tim Farmer, Tracey Chadwick and Joanne Dulson-Cox.
Beacon: Wendy Sargeant.
Sandwell Valley: James Whitehouse (8th), Kevin John Attwood, Leslie Reeves, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons and Rebecca Steele.
Perry Hall: Susan Cotterill.
Lowestoft: Mandy Brassington-Harris.
Wyre Forest: Eamon Lyons, Sarah Louise Baggott, Sarah Bishop and Louise Berry.
Ludlow: Richard Lodge.
Stratford-upon-Avon: Terence Anthony Hastings and Gillian Jean Hastings.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

Friday 13th was a day of announcements of cancelled and postponed races, including marathons in London, Manchester and Vancouver and the Ashby 20 (scheduled for Sunday 15th). However, some races did go ahead so we send our congratulations, to those who raced over the weekend:

Saturday 14th

Wolverhampton Trail Half Marathon: Lynda Elmore (sweeper)
20_20 Fission 20k - Lorraine Beesley and Mandip Thandi (01:42:48).
20_20 Fission 20 miles - Anne Kelsall (03:07:24), Roxy Babla (03:55:16), Josephine Clensy (03:57:51, PB), Barry Cheema (03:59:50) and Nicola James (04:29:35)

Sunday 15th

Stafford Half Marathon (GP): Toby Oury (01:16:10, PB and new Club Record), Adam Smith (01:16:57, PB), Mark O'Rourke (01:28:10, PB) Lisa Wakeman (01:31:57, PB), Philip Brayford (01:33:15), Ian Jennings (01:43:51, PB), Matthew Emery (01:46:39), Henry Simpson (01:56:43), Abigail Wright (02:07:17), Sue Baker (02:07:34), Nick Benton (02:07:33), Rachel Antoine (02:18:26, PB), Mark Chapman (02:18:53), Jo Yarnall (02:26:59), Sarah Bishop (02:43:42, PB), Louise Berry (02:43:47), Emma Preston (02:51:46, PB) and Gemma Archer (02:55:58, PB).
Shrewsbury 10k: David Coleman (00:54:39)
Seven Pools 10k: Eddie Evitt (00:51:24), Kevin Attwood (00:51:47), Tony Baker (01:24:14)

Week Ending March 8th

We had 56 parkrunners on Saturday March 7th, with 29 members at Walsall Arboretum. Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week:Toby Oury, Lisa Wakeman, Liz Chambers, Edward Evitt. Pauline Smith and Mark O'Rourke, also to Lizi Chambers, Carl Nicholls, Eddie Evitt, Emma Preston, Michael Mason, Jonathan Cotterill and Sarah Baggott, who achieved parkrun PBs this weekend, and to Toby Oury, Eddie Evitt and Pauline Smith, who achieved age-graded percentages in the top 10 of their event. Congratulations also, to Michelle Bennett, who joined the 50 parkrun club this weekend.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Freddie Penrose, Gordon Walker, Mark Shaw, Lisa Wakeman (3rd lady), Carl Nicholls (PB), Martin Wall, Kevin John Attwood, Liz Chambers (10th lady, PB), Michael Davis, John Quinn, Jason Vigrass, Simon Brown, Kara Nicholls, Nick Ford, David Coleman, Abigail Victoria Louise Wright, Helen Phillips, Shelley Louise Nicholls, Ammar Zia, Paul Butler, Lucy A Farrington, Rachel Antoine, David Johnson, Jane Quinn, Victoria Day, Joanne Butler, Lucy Baker, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons and Rebecca Steele.
Sutton Park: Lucy Walters, Geoffrey Card, Laura Kirwan, Tony Baker and Emma Preston (PB).
Chasewater: Michael Mason (PB), Todd Nash and Pauline Smith (5th lady).
Perry Hall: Michelle Bennett.
Beacon: Terence Anthony Hastings, Jayne Bunch, Gillian Jean Hastings and Mandy Brassington-Harris.
Sandwell Valley: Craig Simmons, Katrina Wyke Jonathan Cotterill (PB), Susan Cotterill.
Conkers: Eamon Lyons, Henry Simpson, Sarah Louise Baggott (PB), Simon Hudson, Sarah Bishop, Nicola James and Louise Berry.
Babbs Mill: Mark O'Rourke (8h).
Armley (Leeds): Edward Evitt (10th, PB).
Cardiff: Toby Oury (5th).

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

Well done too, to those who raced over the weekend:

Saturday 7th

Groundhog Marathon (105.5 laps): Anne Kelsall (04:19:48), Phil Morris (05:11:38) and Barinderjit Cheema (05:28:28), with Marcus Nye completing 78 laps and Half Marathon (72.75 laps): Brett Antil (2nd place, 01:35:04), Roxy Babla (02:35:48), Gav Parrott (02:47:39)

Sunday 8th

Fradley 10k (GP, PBs are unofficial): Liam Harrold (00:34:12, PB, 8th, new club 10k record), Adam Smith (00:34:43, PB, 10th), Daniel Williams (00:36:24, PB), Daniel Day (00:38:11, PB), Alex Dicken (00:38:34), Steve Blakemore (00:40:33), Kevin Adams (00:41:54), Philip Brayford (00:43:02), Ian Jennings (00:45:50), Leslie Reeves (00:50:10), Claire Crook (00:50:34), Henry Simpson (00:50:30), Kieran Wood (00:51:47), Rebecca Beale (00:52:42), Melissa Emery (00:52:47, PB), Emma Lawton (00:52:51, PB), Simon Brown (00:52:59), Joanna Stephens (00:53:06), Wendy Sargeant (00:54:58), Gary Elcock (00:58:35, First 10k), Anita Passmore (00:59:43, PB), Hayley Reid (00:59:58), Deborah Hartland (00:59:59), Mark Chapman (01:01:42), Sharon Shirley (01:03:11 PB), Stephanie Elcock (01:04:16, PB), Sarah Hinkley (PB), Jo Yarnall (01:13:47) and Gemma Archer (01:17:08).
Cannock Chase 5 mile: Mandy Brassington-Harris (01:07:50)
Chester 10k: Mandip Thandi (48:08) and Lorraine Beesley (48:09)
Knighton 20: Laura Kirwan (03:07:17) and Claire O'Brien (03:52:19)
Cardiff Stroke Association 10k: Toby Oury (34:38, PB)

Week Ending March 1st

We had 71 parkrunners on Saturday February 29th, with 49 members at Walsall Arboretum. Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week: Liam Harrold, Toby Oury, Adam Smith, Lizi Chambers, Jo Stephens, Claire Crook, Rebecca Beale, Anna Davies and Sarah Baggott, also to Liam Harrold, Lynda Elmore and Eddie Evitt, who achieved parkrun PBs this weekend, and to Toby Oury, Liam Harrold, Eddie Evitt, Adam Smith and Jo Stephens, who achieved age-graded percentages in the top 10 of their event. Congratulations also, to Pat Brazier and Tony Dutton, who joined the 100 parkrun club this weekend and to Eddie Evitt and Trevor Harris, who recently set new club age-category records at 5k.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Liam Harrold (1st overall finisher, PB), Toby Oury (2nd), Adam Smith (3rd), Daniel Day, Gordon Walker, Brett Antill, Edward Evitt (PB, new club MV60 record), Craig Simmons, Carl Nicholls, Todd Nash, Martin Wall, Liz Chambers (9th overall lady), Ammar Zia, Daniel Ford, Marcus Nye, Jason Vigrass, Michael Davis, Emma Lawton, John Quinn, Kara Nicholls, Barbara Johnson, Paul Haworth, Pamir Azami, Nick Ford, Gary Elcock, Abigail Victoria Louise Wright, Paul Butler, Lucy A Farrington, Roxy Babla, Mark Chapman, Joanne Butler, Stephanie Elcock, Victoria Day, Anita Passmore, Barinderjit Cheema, Sarah Louise Hinkley, Jane Quinn, Sally Gordon, Rebecca Steele, Valda Davies, Jayne Bunch, Mark Johnson, Michelle Bennett, Patricia Brazier, Tony Dutton, Tracey Chadwick, Kevin Galer, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons and Gillian Jean Hastings.
Sutton Park: Richard Lodge, Laura Kirwan, Geoffrey Card, Tony Baker, Mandy Brassington-Harris and Amanda Woolaston.
Sandwell Valley: Leslie Reeves, Joanna Stephens (3rd overall lady), Claire Crook (6th), Rebecca Beale (7th), Anna Davies (9th) and Alexander Crook.
Perry Hall: Simon Hudson.
Cannock Chase: Steve Blakemore, Nicola James.
East Park: Sarah Louise Baggott (7th overall lady), Eamon Lyons, Robert Foster and Lynda Elmore (PB).
The Wammy: James Whitehouse.
Northampton: Rachel Antoine.
Bushy: Emma Preston.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

Well done too, to those who raced over the weekend:

Saturday 29th

Dirty Dozen, Cannock Chase 9 miles: Nicola James, Victoria Bird
RAF Shawbury 10k: Anne Kelsall (00:52:10, 1st FV60)
Belvoir Challenge (16 mile): Liz Holt and Wendy Sargeant

Sunday 1st March

Anglesey Half Marathon (alternative route with extra hills!): Louise Berry (03:12:38)
Cambridge Boundary Marathon: Kevin Attwood
The Marches School Oswestry 10k: Sue (00:56:27) and Emma (01:07:01, PB) Desborough
Vitality Big Half and Big Mile: Rachel Antoine (02:27:37)
Action Heart 5 mile (GP): Tony Baker (00:57:45)

Week Ending February 23rd

Despite the cancellation of several local parkruns we had 48 parkrunners on Saturday February 22nd, with 36 members at Walsall Arboretum. Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week: Toby Oury, Lisa Wakeman, Jo Stephens and Rebecca Beale, also to Lizi Chambers and Rebecca Beale, who achieved parkrun PBs this weekend, and to Toby Oury and Jo Stephens, who achieved age-graded percentages in the top 10 of theirevent. Well done too, to James Whitehouse, who clocked up his 50th different parkrun.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Toby Oury (1st finisher), Daniel Day, Lisa Wakeman (5th lady), Edward Evitt, Liz Chambers (PB), Nick Ford, John Quinn, Richard Lodge, Jason Vigrass, Michael Davis, Barbara Johnson, Laura Kirwan, Lucy Walters, Geoffrey Card, Anita Passmore, Helen Phillips, Karen Waple, Shelley Louise Nicholls, Roxy Babla, Ammar Zia, Stephanie Elcock, Gary Elcock, David Johnson, Marcus Nye, Tony Dutton, Jane Quinn, Barinderjit Cheema, Diane Hammond, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons, Rebecca Steele, Valda Davies, Michelle Bennett, Lucy Baker, Claire Crook, Alexander Crook, Allan Hodson.
Sandwell Valley: Joanna Stephens (5th lady), Rebecca Beale (9th lady, PB) and Anna Davies.
Cannock Chase: Trevor Harris and Katrina Wyke.
Leamington: Emma Preston.
Arrow Valley: Louise Berry.
Stratford-upon-Avon: James Whitehouse.
Hackney Marshes: Jayne Bunch.
Crissy Field (San Fransisco): Sarah Louise Baggott.
Fletcher Moss (nr Manchester): Robert Foster and Lynda Elmore.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

Well done too, to those who raced over the weekend:

Saturday 22nd

English National Cross Country Championships, Wollaton Park, men: 12k+: Liam Harrold, Adam Smith, Mark Shaw, Mark O'Rouke, Gordon Walker and Simon Hudson.
English National Cross Country Championships, Wollaton Park, women 8k+: Karen Kiteley, Anne Kelsall, Abigail Wright, Wendy Sargeant, Claire O'Brien and Rachel Antoine.
Birmimgham Running Festival, Sutton Park. Half Marathon: Philip Morris (01:46:29), Josephine Clensy (02:39:52)

Sunday 23rd

Walton Wobble 10k (Grand Prix race): Kevin Attwood (00:47:59), Jason Vigrass (00:52:30), Barbara Johnson (00:57:56), Helen Phillips (01:00:08), Lynsay Boucher (01:05:42), Mandy Brassington-Harris (01:17:45) and Gemma Archer (01:18:48).
Carsington Water Half Marathon: Emma Preston (03:03:30)
Leicestershire Half Marathon, Prestwold Hall: Dan Williams (01:23:40), Mandip Thandi (02:09:42) and Lorraine Beesley (02:09:42)
Wokingham Half Marathon: Todd Nash (01:46:58) and Dan Ford (01:55:09)

Week Ending February 16th

We had 56 parkrunners on Saturday February 15th, with 30 members at Walsall Arboretum and 9 travelling to Babbs Mill to promote our summer 5k/10k races. Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week: Liam Harrold, Daniel Day, Mark Shaw, Jo Stephens and Rebecca Beale, also to Mark O'Rourke, who achieved the club's only parkrun PB this weekend, and to Liam Harrold, who achieved an age-graded percentage in the top 10 of his event. Well done too, to Pat Brazier, who sported her 25 volunteer shirt for the first time, on her 99th parkrun.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Liam Harrold (1st overall finisher), Daniel Day (9th), Mark Shaw (10th), Gordon Walker, Trevor Harris, Craig Simmons, Marcus Nye, Pamir Azami, John Quinn, Barbara Johnson, Michael Davis, Roxy Babla, Abigail Victoria Louise Wright, Ammar Zia, Helen Phillips, Anita Passmore, Wendy Sargeant, Jason Vigrass, Mark Chapman, Stephanie Elcock, Kay Mchugh, Terence Anthony Hastings, Jane Quinn, Barinderjit Cheema, David Johnson, Joanne Butler, Kat Stevenson, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons, Gillian Jean Hastings and Patricia Brazier.
Sutton Park: Carl Nicholls, Richard Lodge, Lucy Walters and Gemma Archer.
Sandwell Valley: Leslie Reeves, Joanna Stephens (5th lady), Rebecca Beale (10th lady) and Anna Davies.
Conkers: Richard Moore.
Telford: Emma Preston.
Isabel Trail: James Whitehouse.
Oaklands: Kevin John Attwood, Simon Hudson, Lynsay Boucher, Jo Yarnall, Sarah Bishop, Mandy Brassington-Harris, Michelle Bennett, Louise Berry and Nicola James.
Coventry: Tony Baker and Geoffrey Card.
Valentines (Ilford): Lynda Elmore.
Wycombe Rye: Mark O'Rourke (PB).
Conyngham Hall (nr Harrogate): Chris Waple and Karen Waple.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

A number of races were postponed or cancelled this weekend because of the adverse weather conditions, notably the Rugeley 10 miles (new date TBA) and the Wrexham Half Marathon (cancelled). Congratulations to those who did manage to compete:

Saturday 15th

Winter Railway Ultra 19 miles; Rossella Bigongiari (04:02:33)

Sunday 16th

Oulton Park Half Marathon: Anne Kelsall (02:01:15, 1st FV60)

Week Ending February 9th

The big events of the weekend were the final league cross country races of the season, with our men running at Gloucester, hoping to seal promotion to Division 2 of the Birmingham Cross Country League and the club hosting Division 2 of the Midland Women's Cross Country League at Aldridge Airport. Both events went to plan:

Congratulations to our men's 'A' Team of Liam Harrold (7th), Bruce Fanshawe (10th), Toby Oury (13th), Freddie Penrose (16th), Dan Williams (22nd), and Mark Shaw (48th), who came second, sealing overall second place in the league this season and thereby gaining promotion to Division 2 for 2020-21, and to our 'B' Team of Mark O'Rourke, Daniel Day, Aaron Neath, Kevin Adams, Ian Jennings and James Whitehouse, who came third in the 'B' team table, with Philip Morris, Eamon Lyons, Les Reeves, Simon Hudson, Richard Lodge and Lawrence Hewitt completing the fantastic ARC turnout at this event.
Final men's league placings for the season (best 3 performances) show Liam Harrold in 6th place, Toby Oury 11th, Adam Smith 12th, Dan Williams 21st and Mark Shaw 36th.
The event at Aldridge Airport went very well, thanks to the prior work of members, especially Karen Waple, Simon Hudson, Tony Baker and Anne Kelsall, also all those members who gave up their time on the day and beforehand. Well done to all involved.
We also managed to field a team to compete in the women's event. Congratulations to our team of Karen Kiteley, Claire Crook, Melissa Emery and Jo Stephens, who came 10th, sealing 10th position overall for the season and 6th place overall for the Master's team, also to Emma Lawton, Abby Wright, Sarah Hinkley, Jane Quinn, Claire O'Brien, Rachel Antoine and Lynda Elmore, who completed the team.
Congratulations to Karen Kiteley and Helen Beecham, who achieved overall 25th and 33rd place respectively in the individual Masters' league placings for the season.

As well as the cross country on Saturday we had 56 parkrunners on February 8th, with 34 members at Walsall Arboretum Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week: Lisa Wakeman, Charlotte Newman, Sarah Louise Baggott and Pauline Smith, also to Anita Passmore, Philip Brayford and Rebecca Steele, who achieved parkrun PBs this weekend. Well done too, to Pauline Smith, who achieved an age-graded percentage in the top 10 of herevent.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Lisa Wakeman (3rd lady), Philip Brayford (PB), Trevor Harris, Edward Evitt, Todd Nash, Daniel Ford, Carl Nicholls, Nigel Bullock, Michael Davis, Kara Nicholls, Keran Wood, Roxy Babla, Simon Brown, Jason Vigrass, Katrina Wyke, Anita Passmore (PB), Helen Phillips, Liz Chambers, Mark Chapman, Ammar Zia, Joanne Butler, Stephanie Elcock, Marcus Nye, Barinderjit Cheema, Gavin Parrott, Paul Butler, Sally Gordon, David Johnson, Valda Davies, Kat Stevenson, Jayne Bunch, Alexander Crook, Michelle Bennett and Kevin Galer.
Sandwell Valley: Kevin John Attwood.
Perry Hall: Rebecca Steele (PB).
Glossop: Mandy Brassington-Harris.
Sutton Park: John Quinn, Lucy Walters, Geoffrey Card, Laura Kirwan, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons and Gemma Archer.
Chasewater: Charlotte Newman (3rd lady), Michael Mason, Garry Newman, Pauline Smith (6th lady), Lucy A Farrington, Kay Mchugh, Jackie Shan, Diane Hammond, Louise Berry and Emma Preston.
Babbs Mill: Sarah Louise Baggott (3rd lady), Eamon Lyons and Lynda Elmore.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

A number of races were postponed this weekend because of the adverse weather conditions, notably the Cannock Chase 5/10 miles (postponed until March 8th), the Draycote Water Winter 10k (postponed until February 16th) and the Walton Wobble (postponed until February 23rd).

Week Ending February 2nd

We had 64 parkrunners on February 1st, with 35 members at Walsall Arboretum Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week:Liam Harrold, Dan Williams, Lisa Wakeman, Steve Blakemore, Sarah Louise Baggott and Pauline Smith, also to Liam Harrold, Trevor Harris, Philip Brayford, Sue Desborough, Pamir Azami, Jane Quinn, Carl Nicholls and Richard Moore, who achieved parkrun PBs this weekend. Well done too, to Pauline Smith, Jane Quinn, Eddie Evitt and Liam Harrold, who achieved an age-graded percentage in the top 10 of their event.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Liam Harrold (3rd, PB), Daniel Williams (6th), Daniel Day, Mark Shaw, Lisa Wakeman (3rd lady), Trevor Harris (PB), Gordon Walker, Philip Brayford (PB), Martin Wall, Michael Davis, Roxy Babla, Sue Desborough (PB), Marcus Nye, Nick Ford, Gary Elcock, Katrina Wyke, Jason Vigrass, Abigail Victoria Louise Wright, Anita Passmore, Paul Butler, Hayley Reid, Victoria Day, Joanne Butler, Stephanie Elcock, Rachel Antoine, Ammar Zia, David Johnson, Alexander Crook, Jayne Bunch, Gillian Jean Hastings, Michelle Bennett, Joanne Dulson-Cox, Kevin Galer, Lucy Baker and Victoria O'Connor.
Chasewater: Todd Nash, Pamir Azami (PB), Garry Newman, Pauline Smith (7th lady), Lucy A Farrington and Kay Mchugh.
Sutton Park: Laura Kirwan, Richard Lodge, John Quinn, Geoffrey Card and Jane Quinn (PB).
Beacon: Carl Nicholls (PB), Rebecca Steele, Mandy Brassington-Harris, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons and Gemma Archer.
Cannock Chase: Clive Whitmore, Sue Baker and Richard Moore (PB).
Sandwell Valley: Steve Blakemore (6th).
East Park: Edward Evitt.
Isabel Trail: Eamon Lyons, Sarah Louise Baggott (9th lady), Robert Foster and Lynda Elmore.
Cheltenham: Tony Baker.
Bakewell: Emma Preston.
Sherwood Pines: James Whitehouse.
Amager Strandpark (Denmark): Gavin Parrott.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

Well done to Kevin Attwood and Anne Kelsall, who took part in the Polar Bear Challenge 6hr event at Ryton Pools, Coventry on Tuesday 4th. Kevin completrd 10 laps (just short of 33 miles) whilst Anne completrd 6 (just short of 20)

We wish both of our cross country teams well next weekend - the men's team are hoping to win promotion to Division 2 of the Birmingham League whilst the club is hosting the women's league event for the first time. Volunteers for the Aldridge event please see Tony Baker.

Week Ending January 26th

We had 67 parkrunners on January 25th, with 43 members at Walsall Arboretum Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week: Toby Oury, Liam Harrold, Daniel Day, Lisa Wakeman, Daniel Williams, Sarah Louise Baggott and Charlotte Newman, also to Toby Oury, Gary Elcock, Paul Haworth, Phil Morris, Todd Nash, Kevin Attwood, Mandy Brassington-Harris and Stephanie Elcock, who achieved parkrun PBs this weekend. Well done too, to Toby Oury, Dan Williams and Liam Harrold, who achieved an age-graded percentage in the top 10 of their event and to Claire Crook and Kara Nicholls, who both joined the 50 parkrun club this week..

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Toby Oury (1st finisher, PB), Liam Harrold (2nd), Daniel Day (6th), Lisa Wakeman (5th lady), Brett Antill, Michael Mason, Trevor Harris, Ian Jennings, Tony Dutton, Craig Simmons, Marcus Nye, Claire Crook, Rebecca Beale, Joanna Stephens, Michael Davis, Simon Brown, Nick Ford, Carl Nicholls, Roxy Babla, Barbara Johnson, Gary Elcock (PB), Kara Nicholls, Katrina Wyke, John Quinn, Alexander Crook, Laura Kirwan, Anita Passmore, Hayley Reid, Jason Vigrass, Paul Butler, Helen Phillips, Stephanie Elcock (PB), Mark Chapman, Jane Quinn, Sharon Shirley, Victoria Day, Lynda Elmore, Josephine Clensy, Jayne Bunch, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons, Rebecca Steele, Valda Davies and Kevin Galer.
Sandwell Valley: Paul Haworth (PB).
Sutton Park: Philip Morris (PB), Richard Lodge, Geoffrey Card, Nicola Baker and Tony Baker.
Chasewater: Todd Nash (PB), Charlotte Newman (8th lady), Daniel Ford, Garry Newman, Sarah Bishop and Tracey Chadwick.
Cannock Chase: Sharon Fern and Richard Moore.
East Park: Kevin John Attwood (PB).
Beacon: James Whitehouse and Mandy Brassington-Harris (PB).
Gloucester North: Sarah Louise Baggott (4th lady) and Eamon Lyons.
Oaklands: Edward Evitt.
Salcey Forest: Rachel Antoine.
Princes parkrun, Liverpool: Daniel Williams (5th finisher) and Emma Lawton.
Greenwich: Emma Sprocket.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

Saturday 25th also saw the Midland Cross Country Champtionships at Prestwold Hall, Loughborough. Well done to Karen Kiteley (40:30), Helen Beecham (41:50), Melissa Emery (46:43), Anne Kelsall (48:28), Shelley Nicholls (51:02) and Abby Wright (51:21), who made up the women's team running 8k, and to the men's team of Adam Smith (44:27), Freddie Penrose (45:42), Mark Shaw (49:30), Aaron Neath (55:17), Simon Hudson (01:04:10) and Lawrence Hewitt (01:14:27), who completed a 12k course.

The main attraction over the weekend seemed to be the National Running Show at the NEC, with the only other event a canicross race on Sunday 26th, where Toby Oury came in 2nd place with Hugo. Well done both!

Week Ending January 12

We had 59 parkrunners on January 11th, with 31 members at Walsall Arboretum, 12 at Chasewater and 9 at Sutton Park. Congratulations to our top-10 finishers this week: Lisa Wakeman (2nd, Walsall), Lizi Chambers (10th Walsall) and Sarah Baggott (9th, Oaklands), also to those who achieved a parkrun PB: Clive Whitmore, Ian Jennings, Terry Hastings, Kevin Attwood and Anita Passmore. Well done too, to Lisa Wakeman and Pauline Smith, who achieved an age-graded percentage in the top 10 of their event, and to Tony Baker, who completed his 100th parkrun.

Our parkrunners were:

Walsall Arboretum: Lisa Wakeman. Trevor Harris, Edward Evitt, Liz Chambers, John Quinn, Katrina Wyke, Barbara Johnson and Roxy Babla. Pamir Azami, Sue Desborough, Carl Nicholls, Jason Vigrass, Abigail Victoria Louise Wright, Nick Ford, Paul Butler, Mark Chapman, Anita Passmore, Alexander Crook, Helen Phillips, Kara Nicholls, Stephanie Elcock, Victoria Day, Joanne Butler, Gavin Parrott, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons, Rebecca Steele, Jayne Bunch, Sally Gordon and Lucy Baker.
Chasewater: Michael Mason, Todd Nash, Charlotte Newman, Garry Newman, Pauline Smith and Michael Davis. Terence Anthony Hastings and Kay Mchugh. Gillian Jean Hastings and Patricia Brazier.
Sutton Park: Ian Jennings, Laura Kirwan, Simon Brown, Richard Lodge, Geoffrey Card, Lucy Walters, Angela Oury, Tony Baker and Gemma Archer.
Oaklands: Sarah Louise Baggott and Eamon Lyons.
Tamworth Wetlands: Richard Moore.
Telford: Louise Berry.
Cannock Chase: Clive Whitmore.
Arrow Valley: Craig Simmons.
Kingsbury Water: Laura Malsbury.
East Park: Kevin John Attwood, Robert Foster, Emma Preston and Lynda Elmore.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun this week.

Saturday also saw the third event in this season's Cross Country League:

Congratulations to our men's 'A' team of Liam Harrold (5th), Toby Oury (10th), Adam Smith (12th), Bruce Fanshawe (13th), Dan Williams (19th) and Freddie Penrose (24th), who came 2nd, improving our overall league position to 2nd place with one event left in the season. Congratulations also to Mark Shaw, Daniel Day, Mark O'Rourke, Aaron Neath, Kevin Adams and James Whitehouse, who were the 2nd-placed 'B' team, with a score that would have put them above a number of A teams. Well done too, to Phillip Morris, Eamon Lyons, Les Reeves, Henry Simpson, Martin Wall and Lawrence Hewitt, who completed our bumper team on this extremely challenging course at Trentham.
Our Women's team of Lorraine Beesley, Karen Kiteley, Helen Beecham and Claire Crook came 12th in their event at a very muddy Coventry course, with 24 teams taking part. In the Masters' category our team of Lorraine, Karen and Helen came 6th. Completing another impressively-sized team were Jo Stevens, Anne Kelsall, Melissa Emery, Emma Lawton, Rebecca Grimshaw, Rossella Bigongiari, Wendy Sargeant, Abby Wright, Sarah Hinkley, Lynda Elmore, Rachel Antoine and Judith Toase.

Special congratulations and thanks to Bruce Fanshawe, Daniel Day, James Whitehouse and Rachel Antoine, representing ARC for the first time in a Cross-Country race, also to Freddie Penrose, Sarah Hinkley and Rebecca Grimshaw, returning after a break.

Congratulations also to Jo Dulson-Cox, who completed ARCs only other event this week: the Draycote Water 10k on Sunday 12th.

The club sends congratulations and best wishes to Mark Shaw and Louise Booker on the birth of Elise Isabel on Saturday.

Week Ending January 5

We had 54 parkrunners at the bonus parkrun on Christmas Day, with 50 members contributing to the record 739 runners at Walsall Arboretum. Congratulations to Adam Smith, 2nd overall finisher, also to Liam Harrold (5th, PB), Dan Williams (8th, PB) and Lorraine Beesley (5th lady, PB).

Elsewhere, Henry Simpson ran at Cannon Hill, Rachel Antoine ran at Northampton and Geoff Card ran at Rogiet, South Wales. Congratulations to Toby Oury, who was 2nd overall finisher at Daventry.

On Saturday December 28th we had 62 parkrunners, with 39 at the Arboretum. Congratulations to Adam Smith, 2nd overall finisher in a PB time, setting a new club 5k record of 16:12 on his 50th parkrun. Well done also, to Liam Harrold (4th, PB), Toby Oury (5th) and Lisa Wakeman (4th lady, PB, new club season's best).

Elsewhere, Michael Mason, Les Reeves, Simon Hudson, Charlotte Newman, Pauline Smith, Garry Newman, Dave McHugh, Jo Stephens, Kay McHugh and Diane Hammond ran at Chasewater, Geoff Card and Gemma Archer ran at Sutton Park, Mandy Brassington-Harris ran at Perry Hall, Kevin Attwood ran at East Park and Emma Preston ran at Babbs Mill.

Further afield, Brett Antill was 8th overall finisher at Harrow, Rachel Antoine ran at Sixfields Upton (Northampton), Mark Chapman ran at Newtown (Wales) and Sarah Baggott, Eamon Lyons, Sarah Bishop, Tim Farmer and Louise Berry ran at Severn Valley.

New Year's Day offered parkrunners to complete a 'double', which was achieved by 31 of our members:

Sutton Park & Chasewater: Adam Smith (4th at each event), Daniel Day, Gordon Walker, Ian Jennings, Daniel Ford, Nick Ford, Les Reeves, Jo Stephens, Dave Mchugh, Michael Mason , Roxy Babla, Mark Chapman, Barinderjit Cheema, Rebecca Steele, Kay Mchugh, Sharon Shirley and Nicola James.
Sutton Park & Kingsbury Water: Freddie Penrose, Lorraine Beesley (3rd lady, Kingsbury), Mandip Thandi and Claire Obrien.
Sutton Park & Perry Hall: Abby Wright
Brueton & Kingsbury Water: Jason Vigrass & Helen Phillips
Conkers & Rosliston: Lynsay Boucher, Kat Stevenson, Mandy Brassington-Harris,
Long Eaton & Alvaston (Derbys): Sarah Baggott & Eamon Lyons
Ludlow & Severn Valley Country: Rob Foster & Lynda Elmore

Additionally, 30 members completed a single parkrun:

Chasewater (22): Jason Lee, Pauline Smith, Garry Newman, Simon Brown, Anne Kelsall, Emma Lawton, Chris Waple, Karen Waple, Anita Passmore, Terry Hastings, Stephanie Elcock, Steve Hammond, Diane Hammond, Sarah Bishop, Louise Berry, Viki Dobbs, Gill Hastings, Tim Farmer, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons, Gemma Archer, Emma Preston and Tracey Chadwick.
Sutton Park: Toby Oury (overall 1st finisher), Liam Harrold (5th), Victoria O'Connor,
Kingsbury Water: Gail Cooksey
Perry Hall: Eddie Evitt
Milton Keynes: Rachel Antoine
Barry Island: Jane & John Quinn

We had 71 parkrunners on Saturday 4th January, with 31 at Walsall Arboretum. Congratulations to Adam Smith, 2nd overall finisher at the Arboretum, also to Liam Harrold (3rd) and Lisa Wakeman (4th lady).

Chris Waple, Laura Kirwan, Karen Waple, Sharon Shirley, Emma Desborough and Sue Desborough ran at Sutton Park and Leslie Reeves, Dave Mchugh, Daniel Ford, Charlotte Newman, Garry Newman, Michael Mason, Rebecca Beale, Pauline Smith, Jo Stephens, Anna Davies, Geoff Card, Lucy Farrington, Deborah Hartland, Kay Mchugh, Emma Preston and Gemma Archer ran at Chasewater,

We also had 15 tourists at The Whammy (Newcastle under Lyme): Freddie Penrose (6th overall), Karen Kiteley (4th lady), Kevin Attwood, Simon Hudson, Henry Simpson, Sarah Baggott, Eamon Lyons, Rob Foster, Lynsay Boucher, Tim Farmer, Lynda Elmore, Jo Yarnall, Louise Berry, Sarah Bishop and Mandy Brassington-Harris.

Elsewhere Clive Whitmore and Sharon Fern ran at Cannock Chase and Rachel Antoine ran at Oaklands (Sparkhill).

Well done to all those who achieved a parkrun PB over this two weeks: Liam Harrold (x2), Michael Mason (x2), Dan Williams, Lorraine Beesley, Pete Kelsall, Adam Smith, Lisa Wakeman, Mark Shaw, Rebecca Grimshaw, Les Reeves,Simon Hudson, Dan Ford, Simon Brown, Anne Kelsall, Sarah Bishop, Gill Hastings, Gemma Archer, Mandip Thandi, Melissa Emery, Les Reeves and Anita Passmore. Also to those who gained an age-grade % in the top 10 of an event: Adam Smith (x4), Pauline Smith (x2), Toby Oury (x2), Lorraine Beesley. Geoff Card, and Karen Kiteley. Additionally, Mandy Brassington-Harris completed her 100th parkrun and Adam Smith,Sharon Shirley completed their 50th. and Barry Cheema completed his 50th volunteer role.

Many thanks, as always, go to all those club members who volunteered at a parkrun over the holiday period.

Other events over the festive period:

Friday 27th December

Wheaton Aston 10k was cancelled due to flooding but a large number of our club ran the Aldridge 10k route instead and then many enjoyed the meal that was already booked at Wheaton Aston - many thanks go to Kat Wyke for organising this.

Sunday 29th December

West Bromwich Harriers Winter Warmer (5 mile): Adam Smith (2nd place, 29:53), Toby Oury (3rd place, 29:58), Liam Harrold (4th place, 30:12), Karen Kiteley (3rd lady, 39:23), Simon Hudson (41:27), Anne Kelsall (45:58) and Claire O'Brien (52:46)
Gloucester 10 mile: Barry Cheema
Hill Lake 19k (Italy): Rossella Bigongiari

Wednesday 1st January

Liverbird Marathon - Kevin Attwood (04:21:07)

Sunday 5th January

MacTuff OCR event: Jo Dulson-Cox