Race Reports 2025
TAMESIDE 5K - 8th MARCH 2025
"Right, just let me check again. So, that over there is a running track?" Yes. "With no one on it?" Yes. "But we’re over here on a cycle track?" Yes. "And this is where we run our race?" Yes. So began the 2nd RRR race of the year. You may have guessed by now that it took place on a cycling track at the home of East Cheshire Harriers. The weather was lovely, all late afternoon sunshine with a gentle, shimmering breeze.
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The event was organised into 4 heats A-D, with a children’s race added on before the main events. It was interesting to note Shane Reading severely restraining himself from wanting to win the junior race in which his 2 sons were running. You could almost read the thoughts ("If I just put in a burst now I could still win!") etched across his face. If it wasn’t for those pesky kids...
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Having all 4 heats reasonably close together meant lots of RRRs were in attendance, runners & non-runners both. This served as a reminder that the club is not just for running & that much of the enjoyment comes from just having a good old chinwag with fellow members.
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Onto the races themselves, then.1st up, Heat D. These hearty pioneers were the 1st to bear the brunt of an unusually-shaped course & the by now stiff breeze. To complete 5K each runner had to do 5-&-a-bit circuits. This meant the spectators could see the slow deterioration of each runner’s positivity & energy as each lap went by. It also meant, however, that the runners received oodles of claps & cheers from several points around the track as they completed each circuit. On the final lap, Gary Smith shouted, "Just one more lap!" to Ronnie Quinn, to which he received short shrift in the form of a most ungentlemanly reply. Notable performances in this heat came from Bernie Cassidy (1st RRR home in 25:38, claiming the MV65 prize - though I’m sure his shorts are older!) & Steve Rogowskyj (completing his 75th RRR club race with a strong performance in 26:34). We also welcomed back Lisa Wilson, who has rejoined the club after a 'little bit' of time away.
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As it was International Women’s Day, I thought I would take the opportunity to ask some of our established female RRRs how they felt after Heat D in the hope of extending the word count of this piece. 1st up was women’s captain Mandy Richardson, who concisely stated the course was 'alright'. Next I moved onto Nat Brown, RRR Social Secretary, who succinctly told me the course was, again, 'alright'. Finally, Angela Rogowskyj, club 'ledge', who could hardly be contained in her enthusiastic response: "It was alright – bit windy." Thanks then, women!
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Next was Heat C & this was for the 20-25 minute finishers. I was involved in this one & I felt like a Formula 1 driver must feel at the start of a Grand Prix. Unfortunately I quickly realised that that driver I felt most like was Nigel Mansell in his retirement years rather than the currently-active, much-younger Max Verstappen. The route was slick, though, & there were ample corners that allowed for some sharp overtaking & manoeuvring. I tried to keep count of the number of circuits but that soon vanished after lap 2. Completing the race made me realise there are 5 stages to a 5K. 1st kilometre: "I’m feeling good, let’s keep this up." 2nd: "Oooh, this is getting tough!" 3rd" "There is no way I am finishing this." 4th: "Where the hell are my legs & lungs?" 5th (in 2 parts): "Please ground open up & swallow me whole!" followed by, about 2 minutes after the finish,"That was great, when’s the next race?" Some exceptional performances came from Brett Spivey (19:28, which meant he finished top MV40 in this heat) & a brilliant effort by Ed Grimley, posting a sub-20 5K; definitely one to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.
Then the fast kids arrived in Heat B. By now they had had plenty of feedback on conditions & strategy; superb performances followed accordingly. Shane Reading, still bitter from his demoralising defeat in the kids' race, reclaimed some pride with a sterling 18:01. Congratulations also to Chris Tattersall, completing his 25th RRR race in a superb time of 18:44. Maisie Wainwright posted a stunning time of 18:47, in keeping with her outstanding recent results. Adrian Brown also posted a sub-20 time; this after doing 4 laps of Heartbreak Hill, a parkrun & saving the world from near-destruction earlier on in the morning (probably).
Last, but not least, the streaks of lightning group (Heat A) set off at around 6pm on a dusk-tinged Saturday evening. Naturally, they lived up to their billing & provided us with wonderful displays of athleticism. Hats off to Luke Lawson-Healey, who came out top of the pile overall for RRR in a time of 16:45 that seems almost too unreal to type. An extra well done for being our sole representative in this heat, too.
All the RRR finishing times: June Allingan (37:35), Stacey Carr (37:35), Bernadette Ball (34:56), Samantha Tattersall (34:25), Karen Jones (32:30), Angela Rogowskyj (31:12), Ronnie Quinn (30:47), Lisa Wilson (30:35), Natali Brown (30:27), Nicky Hall (30:03), Dave Bardsley (29:51), Martina Naismith (28:38), Amanda Richardson (28:32), Stephen Rogowskyj (26:34), Gary Smith (26:18), Jillian Hickson (25:55), Lucy Schindler (25:48), Bernard Cassidy (25:38), Suzanne Darke (25:12), Rochelle Reading (23:13), Trish Callan (23:12), Dave Peart (23:12), Warren Siddall (23:05), Andrew Ingham (21:16), John Fay (20:57), Andy Hall (20:51), Sarah Tomassi (20:35), Barry Greaves (20:31), Oliver Pozegic (20:28), Ryan Frost (20:18), Bernard Goodwin (20:03), James Moulton (20:01), Elliot Stone (20:00), Adrian Brown (19:54), Edward Grimley (19:47), Francois Clavaud (19:31), Brett Spivey (19:28), Maisie Wainwright (18:47), Chris Tattersall (18:44), Shane Reading (18:01) & Luke Lawson-Healey (16:45).
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Overall, it was a good day out & the feedback seemed mostly positive apart from the 'chip saga' earlier on - unfortunately there weren't enough timing chips available before Heat D, which meant some unnecessary delay & frustration. As always, well done to everyone. Remember it is a magnificent accomplishment to complete any race, so make sure you give yourself a big 'well done, you'. See you at Wilmslow. [Elliot Stone]
ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - 22nd FEBRUARY 2025
I made up my mind last December to run the English National Cross-Country Championships, when I found out that the event would take place at Parliament Hill, London. I have run there previously in the South of England Championship, previous nationals & the London League of Colleges.
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I thought this year I might try a marathon, as I don’t have one to my name yet, but I have a lot of busy commitments on weekends to get good long runs in. I once remember Athletics Weekly stating that the nationals could be compared to "the Super Bowl of the sport & cross country". The 1st national was held in 1876 & just featured a Senior Men’s race. Sadly there was no inaugural winner, as all the men went off-course together. I can imagine what 1876 might have been like; this was the early golden age of the steam railway, people used a stagecoach or coach & horses to travel across the country. One thing is certain from then until now is that the numbers have swelled.
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I think about the words of running historian Tony Barbat of Wallasey AC: "Anyone who has competed in the 'National' will understand the wonder of this cross-country race. Pitching yourself against the best runners in the country, from clubs far & wide. The stampede at the start, the kaleidoscope of club vest colours as far as the eye can see." Nowadays there are other age categories as well as the Senior Men - Senior Women, Under-13 boys, Under-15 boys, Under-17 boys, junior men & the same categories for girls. I can almost hear a gasp that the seniors run with veterans of all ages.
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I woke up on Saturday morning at St Christopher’s Inn at Greenwich. It had been raining all Friday night; I am normally lucky with the weather whenever I go to London in the winter for snooker. The pavements were still a bit damp on Saturday morning. A woman asked me what brings me to London. I answer, "Sport". She then asked me if I have come to see the football. I say, "No, I’ve come for athletics." I explain about the nationals & she wishes me the best of luck.
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Normally when I go to London for snooker, or something else, I get up early for a parkrun & then it’s over for the day. Now my race is at 3pm & is the last event of the day. It’s almost like I am made to sweat it out. Before heading to the course I had a short walk around where I was staying. There is the iconic Cutty Sark, Maritime Museum, Docklands & Greenwich Park close by.
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​My relationship with the race goes so far back. Just like those runners in 1876, I got disqualified from my first national in North Shields for picking up a junior’s number & not a senior's when I ran for Wycombe Phoenix Harriers at the age of 20 (the hovercraft from North to South Shields was interesting). I then had a few years at Wycombe where my position climbed steadily. I moved to Oldham when I was 25 & ran quite a few times representing Oldham & Royton Harriers. As an MV40, knowing I was past my running career best, I had the ambition of going back at least 1 more time. I ran at Nottingham & finished 635th. If someone had told me I would be going back in my MV50 years I don’t think I would have believed them; how did I get to 52?
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’ve had an 11-year absence from the event & I realise technology has advanced. There was electronic timing the last few times I ran, but now you can view every race on the big screen next to the running track without getting your feet wet. Friends & family can also track your run through internet streaming.
Barbet’s words are certainly correct - what a sea of coloured vests! - but could anything have prepared me for the mud-bath ahead? Could someone from a good fell running background be prepared, or maybe Tough Mudder? At 3pm the Senior Men’s race began. The surge of runners & the thunder of feet didn’t disappoint. My aim was not to get too mixed-up with the field. I certainly agree with the nationals own race report that "by the time the senior men raced, the course was cut to pieces". The 1st long straight was incredible muddy. The 1st major hill looms & you reach the top then a steady downhill to the cheer of the roaring crowd. By now the leaders have disappeared into the big blue yonder. I know I have to do 3 full laps round. There is eventually a section on the course where I can do some overtaking, in the drier conditions, but the same runners would overtake me on the mud. I’m still wondering, when I’m lapped by the leaders, how anyone can run in these conditions. I finished 1,767th, in the home straight when there was an announcement for the prize-giving.
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The clear winner was Richard Slade of Chiltern Athletics Club, who decided to hit the front late. The 1st Senior Men's team was Bristol & West, who also qualified for the 9-men prize. I was glad to see my old club Wycombe Phoenix finish 38th in the team results; the top-20 list was dominated by London clubs. Greater Manchester's 1st club home was Sale Harriers in 17th position, followed by Salford in 23rd. Looking at the complete race results, it was good to see Jake Ireland of Macclesfield win the under-15s title. I raced against Jake when he was 11 at Lyme parkrun; he definitely would have beaten me if he could have seen in the fog that day. When interviewed he said that he had been working on a sprint finish after losing the North of England Championships & it definitely paid off.
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In 2026 this event moves to Tatton Park. The championship does a rotation between south, north then midlands. I watched the North of England Cross-Country Championships at Tatton this season & I think it helped me to watch both of the senior races to see how fast their legs were moving. It was as dry as a bone, conditions literally suitable for road trainers. Another day another dawn! [Owen Flage]
HALE 10K - 16th FEBRUARY 2025
According to the dictionary the word 'hale' means "in strong health and vigour", as in the phrase 'hale & hearty'. Was I feeling like that for the 1st race of season? Would I feel like that by the end? Well the bungee jump on offer at the start line certainly gave me food for thought.
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My journey to Hale (the place) was made in the company of our erstwhile president, Ronnie Quinn. Anyone who had heard about our capers at Oldham parkrun a few weeks ago ("Check the Facebook page, Ronnie!") will know that this doesn’t always go as planned. However, as we left behind the metropolis of Manchester & arrived in Hale, tree-lined avenues & salubrious-looking houses greeted us as we reached the parking spot at the rather bleak-looking Ashley Hall.
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The weather? What else but bitterly cold. However a quick scan around showed the surrounding area to be flat & that cheered me up no end. As much as I appreciate the benefits of hill training, if I ever win the lottery I will be moving to Flatsville, Pancake City as soon as possible.
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Slowly but surely the RRR green, white & yellow began to appear around the start line. Of course, it being the 1st race of the year, excuses for below-par performances were in abundance. I had pre-prepared a Run Excuse Bingo Card & managed to get a ‘HOUSE’ relatively easily. "Tight hamstring", "Bit of a sniffle", "Not got the miles in yet" & "It’s bloody freezing" were all to be heard. To be fair, no-one could have argued with the last one.
The start line was a 1K trot away from race HQ. Ronnie had to wear his balaclava & was heckled (not for the 1st time – read on) by the official photographer. A fun warm-up at the start line was completed before the race got underway. The squat section was a bit awkward, as 2000 runners were packed into a narrow funnel. However it felt like the season was on & we’d never been away.
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The route took us through some early, traffic-free roads that went past the grammar schools of Altrincham (jolly hockey sticks & all that!) & the main street of Hale. There were lots of supporters lining the route & they were a lovely sight to see. You forget how much difference a shout & a cheer make on race day, compared to the low rumble of traffic during the dark training nights of December & January. Also, I’d never spotted so many people in dry-robes before! After the high street, the course meandered through some windy & winding country roads. Naturally the biting chill seemed to attack you from all sides. There were also a few bridges to run over, but they were not quite steep enough to be classed as 'hills' – Oldham hills, anyway. Ronnie mentioned that after one of the bridges someone had heckled him, "Great hair, Ronnie!", although he wasn’t too sure if they might have instead said 'grey hair'. The very same heckler shouted a similar jibe at me, "Great face, Elliot!". Now, he either meant it (unlikely!) or he thought my face resembled a demented duvet; as it was about 7K into the race, I’ll let you decide which one was the most accurate.
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The race seemed to whizz by & the cobbled end was soon in sight. I fell prey to the decoy finish line & had to dig out another 50 yards to get to the real finish. The DJ was calling out all the finishers' names, but despite having no-one around me, he didn’t mention mine. Perhaps it was the intimidating demented duvet face that made him think twice.
At the end it was good to be able to watch the sprint finish of other RRRs & as always the camaraderie was fantastic. Solid medals & protein snacks were efficiently handed out & everyone seemed happy with their efforts. Personally, I thought the race was an excellent choice for 1st race of the season & I definitely felt hale & hearty about the whole kit & caboodle. For the warm-down I queued for a coffee whilst waiting for Ronnie to finish. The queue took so long to die down that he actually finished before I ordered the brews. It was also the coldest wait for coffee I’d ever had in my life.
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Some notable achievements were to be had, even this early in the season. Congratulations to Stacey Carr, Alison Royle, Suzanne Darke & Francois Clavaud, all completing their 1st race in RRR colours. Gail Shaw & Neil Brock both came 1st in their respective FV60 & MV60 categories, super efforts in such a strong field. June Allingan beat off some tough competition (tee-hee!) to win the FV80 category. Well done to Sarah Tomassi for being 3rd in the FV40 category, continuing her startling improvement from last year. Maisie Wainwright put in an excellent effort to finish sub-40 & 1st female for the club as well as 6th female overall. Starting strong in the men’s section (in order to defend his title?) was Rob James, 1st RRR finisher & 23rd overall. But don’t forget, your time & finish was brilliant, too.
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All the RRR finishing times: Stacey Carr (1:23:45), June Allingan (1:21:19), Samantha Tattersall (1:12:23), Hasna Budsworth (1:11:55), Joanne Lawton (1:09:44), Dave Bardsley (1:09:16), Ronnie Quinn (1:08:26), Angela Rogowskyj (1:05:16), Natali Brown (1:03:51), Alison Royle (1:03:37), Howard Mills (1:03:15), Billie Chamberlain (1:02:39), Elaine Brown (1:00:55), Martina Naismith (1:00:39), Rachel Chadwick (58:30), Sharon Dracup (58:05), Amanda Richardson (58:02), Claire Timms (57:27), Lucy Schindler (56:54), Stephen Rogowskyj (56:28), Owen Flage (55:22), Kirsty Agnew (54:52), James Wright (54:37), Matthew Cartner (53:18), Karen Price (53:17), Suzanne Darke (53:14), Dave Watt (52:41), Andrew Naismith (52:40), Jason Keast (52:36), Mark Foran (51:49), Dave Peart (50:51), Bernard Cassidy (50:16), Jonathan Green (49:55), Mark Baxendale (49:03), Gail Shaw (47:53), Trish Callan (47:06), Adam Stirling (47:00), Andrew Ingham (44:30), James Moulton (43:17), Lee Earnshaw (43:03), Neil Brock (42:11), Edward Grimley (42:08), Elliot Stone (41:45), Sarah Tomassi (41:35), Adrian Brown (41:30), Francois Clavaud (40:50), Wesley Henshaw (39:57), Brett Spivey (39:42), Maisie Wainwright (39:17), Andrew Rogers (38:58), Chris Tattersall (37:50), Luke Lawson-Healey (35:19) & Rob James (34:08).
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Finally, a short footnote if I may. This was my 150th championship race with the club & I would just like to say a huge, heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made each & every one of those runs special. Running - we sometimes forget this - is a great privilege & a wonderful pleasure (yes, even those last, long miles) & to be able to share those moments with friendly, like-minded people is a beautiful bonus. See you at the Tameside 5K, if not before. [Elliot Stone]
