Highlights of Vale Royal Performances in March (for full results, please see the Vale Royal AC Facebook group).
On 1st March, the Manchester Area XC League held their final race of the winter season at hilly Woodbank Park, Stockport. Aaron Doyle took a comfortable win in the senior men’s race and finished 3rd in the overall series. Sam Whitehead was 6th in the race whilst Stuart Doyle (MV50) and John Clarke (MV70) were 1st home in their respective age categories.
There were also great performances by some of our juniors; Aaron McDermott, Evan Hepworth and Isla Logan in the u11, and James Thorpe in the u13 race.
In the English Schools Cup cross country, there were great performances by Billy Spann (The Grange School) and Harry Parker-McLain (Shrewsbury School).
On 2nd March in Bologna, Italy, Tom Heaword was running his debut marathon finishing in 81st place with an all important sub-3 hour clocking.
On 8th March, there was the Inter-County Championship title at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham. First off was Josh Betteley in the first ever para cross country race. Josh came a brilliant fifth. Katie Latham, Eva Jha, Billy Spann, Max Roberts, Megan White, Nancy Carrington, Nathan Williams and James Griffiths also ran in their respective races.
Sunday 9 March 2025, the following ran in the Chester 10K: Charlie Weaver, Sharon Lynskey, James Dewdney, Debbie Moreton, Sara Eden.
Manchester Indoor Series took place on 9 March, with great performances from Tom Corwood, Theo Wassall, Dylan Carney, Sophie Harding and Lily Coates.
The English Schools Cross Country Championships were held, this year, in Haywards Heath, Sussex on 15th March. 9 of our young athletes were selected across all age categories to represent Cheshire Schools: Harvey Brown, Lily Coates, Eloise Davies, Nancy Carrington, Robbie Price, Eva Jha, Erin Carney, Ruby Carrington.
The Podium 5K series continued on 15th March across in Leicester. Holly Weedall and Sarah Dufour-Jackson competed in the elite women’s “A” race, recording new personal bests in finishing 12th and 18th respectively. In doing so they went 1 and 2 on the club’s all-time list for the distance. Second claimer Emily Lowery was 2nd woman in a mixed gender mile, also improving her personal best. Ironically, Jake Wilson equalled his personal best from May 2023 achieved at the same venue.
On Sunday 16th the crowds came out for the Nantwich 10K. Oli Williams was our first man to cross the line in a new personal best time of 33:48, whilst Lucy Smith, in heavy training for the
Manchester Marathon, continued her remarkable resurgence finishing as 2nd woman with a new personal best. The women’s race was won by second claimer Katie Latham. Dom Bourke, Lou Walker, and Jayne Lomax also ran.
On Sunday 23rd March, in a very high quality field at the Pulford 10K, all four of our competing athletes achieved personal bests albeit two of them, Sam Thomson and Meg White, were running their debuts at the distance. James Griffiths was our first to finish with a 23 second personal best in 84th place overall. Sarah Dufour-Jackson stormed home to a 15 second PB finishing as 12th woman ahead of some “big” names, moving up to 4th on the club’s all-time list.
At the Wilmslow running festival Lucy Smith was 2nd woman in the 10k. Sharon Wilson was 4th VF50. Lily Beevers was 9th in the junior race. In the half marathon, Aaron Doyle was 15th. Sam Whitehead was close behind in 18th place. There were great performances right down the list with some big personal bests: Oli Williams, Michael O’Connor, Elliott Lambert, Arun Dight, Stuart Doyle, Lee Carrington, Siobhan Tarbuck, Liz Gale, Louise Walker, Sara Eden.
