A touch of magic for club runners

MAGIC...Mel Hall (left), Emma Buckley, Janet Appleyard, Karen Mayes and Lorna Fennel, of Oldham and Royton Harriers, at Disney World

FIVE members of Oldham and Royton Harriers donned their Mickey Mouse ears to run the Walt Disney World Half Marathon and Marathon in Orlando, Florida.

Janet Appleyard, who joined the club's beginners group after her 61st birthday in 2015, was planning to run the half-marathon as part of her training for her first marathon in Manchester in April.

Unfortunately a storm caused the half-marathon to be cancelled.

A naturally disappointed Appleyard took one of the options offered by Disney - she entered the marathon next day!

Despite not having done a full marathon training plan, she joined her daughter Lorna Fennel and Emma Buckley - also doing their first marathon - Mel Hall and Karen Mayes. Hall acted as a pacemaker.

STEADY

The quintet set off steady and stayed as a group through the Magic Kingdom at five miles. The route also took them through Animal Kingdom, ESPN World of Sport and through Epcot to the finish.

The women ran together until just after 17 miles when Appleyard and Mayes began to drop back. Hall, Fennel and Buckley went on to finish in six hours 23 minutes, with Appleyard in an excellent 6:28 and Mayes in 6:41.

It was an excellent achievement by all the women, but especially Appleyard, who had not prepared for the full 26.2 miles, but with a good base of training having joined as a beginner,she ran amazingly well.

If anyone is inspired by Janet's story and wants to get fitter, why not join the club's free beginners group which runs on a Monday night for 10 weeks from January 30, Radclyffe Athletics track on Hunt Lane, Chadderton (6.45pm).

The group is led by Pete Williams, a UK Athletics Endurance coach who has been running for more than 35 years.

In the Hit the Trail race, Maria Wall had a great run in 36 minutes 47 seconds, and she was followed by Jaymie Shenton in 40:05.

At the Greater Manchester Cross-Country Championships at Woodbank Park, Stockport, Lizzie Glover-Jones produced a good run in the under-13 girls' race, coming home in 16:34, with Lauren Bartholomew (17:27), Megan Bartholomew (17:34) and Astacia Mannings (18:12) chasing her hard.

In the under-15 boys event, Harry Collier ran 18:02, while Sophie Andrews took the tape in the under-15 girls' event in 21:04.

For the boys, Ethan Glasgow-Lattibeaudierre ran 22:57 and Robert Smyk 25:14.

In the men's race, Mike Mannings registered 40:59 and Nathan Hilditch 50:02.

David Carroll ran well at the Watergrove parkrun to be first runner home in 19:53, with Daniel Race (29:57) following on.

At the Chadderton Hall parkrun, Ian Jackson ran well in 21:50. Maria Wall was the first woman home in 24:25, with Sara Bott (29:28), Gail Corrigan (29:39) and Jake Jackson (31:18) following on.

At Oldham parkrun, Lee Robinson recorded 19:02, ahead of Tony Hart (27:29) and Keith Pleasant (28:35).

Amy Hallett finished in 23:03 and Liz Thompson 27:30 at the Heaton parkrun.

While in Ashton at Stamford Park, Donna Gardner crossed the line in 27:08, John Felton in 35:56.