Race Reports 2006

Radcliffe AC 12 Mile Race - Sunday 26th February 2006

Radcliffe Athletic Club staged their annual 12 miles trail race last Sunday and got their biggest entry to date. Graham Patten of Ambleside AC made the journey down the M6 and was rewarded with a fine win as he managed to gain a 5 second lead over the persistent Mark Russell of Bolton Triathlon Club. Salford Harrier Ken Chapman had to be content with third place – he usually wins Radcliffe’s races when he enters them – and Robert Jackson, a former winner of this race, maintained good form to win the veteran’s prize in fourth place. Swinton’s Carl price fought off Thornton Taylor of Rossendale and his team-mate Roger Parris to win a particularly competitive over 45’s prize. Rochdale Harrier Carly Needham was fastest lady, with her mum and club-mate Jan Needham making it a family affair by winning the over-50’s. Local interest centred on Radcliffe resident Manny Aspinall, (his son Michael won last year and his course record remains intact) who managed third place among the over-60’s. You’d think at 60 you could just jog round to win something, but not so, it’s still a competitive situation for the older veterans. One pretty remarkable performance came from Derek Clutterbuck of Todmorden Harriers. He was 147th of the 190 finishers and completed the estimated 12.2 miles in 1 hour 54 minutes and 26 seconds. (The winner did 1.13.52.) Derek reaches his 75th birthday this year, yet looked relaxed and composed afterwards. The race is a part of many runners’ build-up to the London Marathon. Radcliffe’s Jim Sutcliffe was numbered among these, and he was well please to achieve his target with a time of 1.39.38. Author - Bill Armstrong
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Radcliffe AC 10k Race - Sunday 30th April 2006

Radcliffe Athletic Club’s annual 10k road race took place last Sunday, with Salford Harrier John Brown, timed at 32 minutes 29 seconds, proving to be the quickest of the 254 finishers. The cool cloudy conditions were just right for running, if a bit chilly for the spectators, and Tom West’s efforts in organizing the race were rewarded with a quality turn-out. A really pleasing result was that local man Jim Rhodes took the over-65 section, a great achievement after he was laid low for months after being hit by a motorbike in training. It’s never easy to get back after being out of circulation for so long, and Jim has not only got back to running, clearly the former Bolton Harrier, now with Northern Vets, has got back to winning as well. Neil Tattersall of Pendle AC was second, half a minute adrift of the winner, and former winner Ken Chapman found himself pushed back into third place. Quickest veteran on the day was David Lockett, 6th overall in 35.51, holding off the challenges of club-mate James Jackson and Newburgh Nomads Mark Boardman. Steve Duckworth, another former winner, is still going strong. He pushed himself as hard as he always did to win the over-45’s prize. New over-40 Robert Jackson, good runner though he undoubtedly is, was squeezed out of the prizes, showing what a good group of quality runners had entered the race. John Reilly, Middleton, and Stephen Doxey of Swinton finished to claim the over-55 and over-50 prizes, just before Horwich’s Lisa Heyes closed in to claim first place among the ladies with a good time of 38.58. Yvone Wyke of Wigan Phoenix and Suzanne Budgett of Horwich closed in to take the over 35 and over 40 prizes, Horwich’s Susan Leaver following close behind as the over-45 winner. Those Salford lads don’t ease off as they get older: Roland Bowness took the over-60’s prize for them, holding off Wigan Phoenix man Mike Leary, while Middleton’s Jill Barratt was busy winning the ladies over-55 category. Katherine Eckersley, Middleton, came through in great style to win the over-60’s section. All in all, this left the organizer Tom West and his support staff from the Radcliffe Athletic Club well pleased with another good event that gives local runners a good test of their current fitness. Author - Bill Armstrong
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