A strong field of almost 400 runners turned out for the annual Penny Lane Striders 10k on Sunday. The race was won by Liverpool Harriers’ Haccalu Hundeessa in a time of 32:28, with team mate Ian Lawton second home in 33:27 to secure victory for the Harriers in the Mens team competition.

First lady home in a time of 38:42 was Liverpool Pembroke Sefton’s Kirsty Longley, followed by Pensby Runners’ Sarah Roberts (39:23). Victory in the Female competition went to St Helens Striders, with Rachel Fairclough first Strider home in 42:12.

Full results and pictures from the race can be found here.

Striders were to the fore once again at yesterday’s 5k and 10k races over in Ellesmere Port. In the 5k, mens captain Dale Higham was just 4 seconds shy of victory in a time of 16:58, with John Connolly finishing a close 6th in 17:23. Meanwhile Martin Swensson followed up a near-clean sweep at the recent PLS Awards Night with second place in the 10k (32:57). Further back, there were huge PBs for Claire Meadows (53:45), Debi McMillan (67:18), and with a first ever sub-60 minute 10k, Jo Sutherland (59:39)

Well done all! Next stop: the Warrington 10k on Thursday.

Sunday's Trimpell 20 mile race near Lancaster provided a good test for our runners ahead of the spring marathon season. 12 Striders took part in total, with Lawrence Eccles our first man home in 2:17 and Cristina Puccini first home for the women in 2:45. There were strong performances in evidence all the way down the field, proving that those long training miles aboard the Happy Bus or Miserable Train really are worth the effort...

Over at the Wilmslow half marathon, the club record was obliterated by (who else) Martin Swensson with a scarcely believable time of 1:10:48. Also racking up PBs were Chris Lee (1:24:33) and Eunice Nopondo (2:00:49). Meanwhile, much further afield Sam Bentall gave the new club vest its first ever overseas outing with a tremendous 4:02 finish at the Rome marathon. Ottimo lavoro Sam!

Closer to home, the Jacobs Leg It 10k in Ormskirk saw two of our runners - Jay Clarke and Graham Douglas - finish in the top 10, clocking sub-38 minute times into the bargain. And amongst the usual parkrun hoards, special mentions go to Rob Cooper, Lou Warn, Claire Meadows, Lesley Finnih and Debi McMillan: all of whom set parkrun PBs at the ever-popular Princes event.

Well done to all who ran! Next stop the weekend, and the small matter of team road relays and the Liverpool half marathon.

The brand-new Liverpool This Girl Can group is holding a launch event this Sunday (8th March) in assocation with 107.6 Juice FM. 

The event coincides with International Women's Day, and  starts at 12:30pm in Paradise Place. It will feature 'Come and Try' tasters, information from a variety of physical activity providers, as well as a free prize draw.

#liverpoolgirlscan
www.thisgirlcan.co.uk

The March 2015 edition of the Striding Report is now available by clicking here.

PBs were smashed left, right and centre in another busy weekend of running for Penny Lane Striders. 

Kicking off proceedings on Saturday was club Treasurer Andrew Leslie, who destroyed his 5k PB at Widnes parkrun with a time of 19:00 to become the joint fastest Strider around the rapid Victoria Park course.

Sunday saw a large turnout at the popular Port Sunlight combined 5k / 10k event, with several of the club's newer members enjoying their first competitive outing in the black and white vest. In the 10k race, first home for Penny Lane was Nigel Grant in an impressive 36:39, ahead of debutant Luke Harrison in a PB time of 38:37

Another busy weekend of racing saw our runners beat, demolish or give the full Bruce Lee treatment to their personal bests. Kicking off proceedings at Widnes parkrun was Andrew Leslie, whose time of 19:00 was a 19 second PB which also makes him the joint fastest Penny Lane runner around the rapid Widnes course.

Sunday saw a large turnout at the popular Port Sunlight combined 5k/10k event, and saw a number of Striders reap the rewards of a solid winter of base training. In the 10k, first home for the club was Nigel Grant in an impressive 36:39, followed home by Luke Harrison who clocked a PB of 38:37 in his first race for the club. Congratulations also go to Stephen Watkin, Michelle King, Ann Marie Williams, Anna Watkin, Lesley Finnih and Debi McMillan on recording their fastest ever 10k times. Lesley's feat was all the more impressive given that she also set a PB in the preceding 5k race, in which Marc Goudie was first back for Penny Lane in 21:41.

The final Northwest Sunday Cross Country League (NWSCCL) fixture at Birchwood saw Penny Lane Striders' men secure the club's first ever NWSCCL title with their fourth victory of the season. Leading the field home once again to retain his individual title was Martin Swensson, whilst top 20 positions for Bob Barrows, Neil Bullock, Jonathan Hazell, Neil Kelly and captain Dale Higham secured the club a comfortable 40 point margin of victory over nearest rivals Knowsley Harriers.

In the women's competition, strong performances from Sarah Flanagan and Sharon Samson - both in their first seasons with Penny Lane - and Cristina Puccini brought the club home 5th on the day, to secure a joint 4th place finish in the series.

Congratulations to the men's team, and to everyone who contributed to this season's cross country campaign. What a way to kick of the 30th anniversary year of our club!

A number of us took part in races over the weekend, with strong performances in abundance despite the wintry conditions. Over at the Rhyl 10 miler, Jerome Doyle came in first for the club clocking a sub-70 minute PB into the bargain. Hot on Jerome's heels was Paul 'Comeback Tour' Brady, whilst Neil Hannett's strong start to 2015 continued with another personal best.

Conditions were even worse in Blackpool for the Great North West Half Marathon, on a course that is pretty exposed at the best of times. First back for Penny Lane was Tom King in 1hr 37, with Stuart Harrison sneaking under 1hr 45 and Helen Osborne setting a superb PB of 1hr 56.

Sunday's Village Bakery half marathon was run in near-perfect conditions and saw a number of Striders smashing personal bests. First home for the club to claim his complimentary bara brith was Chris Lee, taking a huge four minutes off his previous half marathon best with a time of 1:24:41. Also dipping under the 1:25 mark was Colin Dobbs, whilst there were PBs for Andrew Leslie (with a first ever sub-1:30 half), John Jensen and Andrew Biddle. Meanwhile, Liz Simpson continued her comeback with a superb first place in the FV65 category.

Thankfully the wind stayed away for this year's Mad Dog 10k in Southport, which saw strong performances from all 32 Striders who took part. First home for the club was Jay Clarke in a ridiculously fast 36:06, whilst Fiona Dutton made light of a 20 month absence from racing to come home in 41:36. Elsewhere, there were impressive PBs for Claire Meadows and - smashing four minutes from her previous best - Debi McMillan.

Sunday morning saw Penny Lane Striders notch up another race win, this time in the NWSCCL fixture at Beacon Park. Martin Swensson's imperious form continued with overall victory on a tough course, whilst counting positions for Neil Bullock, Neil Kelly, Bob Barrows, Jonathan Hazell and captain Dale Higham secured a comfortable finishing margin over title contenders Knowsley Harriers and Liverpool Running Club. This means that Penny Lane Striders can secure their first ever NWSCCL title with a second place finish at the Birchwood Park season finale. 

The club's women were 7th on the day and consolidated their 6th place in the overall standings. A strong debut from Sharon Samson saw her come home 10th, ahead of fellow counters Pamela Thurtle and Cristina Puccini.