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Top placings for Penistone at Thurlstone Chase
Thursday evening saw a fantastic showing from the club at the Thurlstone Chase, a 4.2-mile fell race with over 500 feet of climbing and a fast finish. The club turned out 46 runners and came away with an impressive haul of podium finishes and category wins. The women led the charge, with Suzanne McGill storming to second female overall in 30-26, while Rachael Mayston followed closely to claim third female overall in 30-58. Adding to the club’s honours, Barbara Haigh was first over70 in 48-04. The men were also impressive. James Mumford led the club home with a fifth-place overall finish and took first in the men's over40 age category in 27-06. Ian Neville claimed top honours in the men's over60 category with 29-59, and Stuart Woodhead continued his consistent form to win the over70 category in 38-46. Excellent performances also from George Parr (6th, 27-09), Dan Rushforth (11th, 27-30) and Lee Storey (29-00).
On Friday evening, Gareth Irvine produced a season’s best performance at the fast and flat DonFaster 5K, clocking 19-19 (chip time) to finish 55th overall and continue his strong summer form. His result also placed him among the top finishers in the MV40 category, underlining steady improvement through the season.
Two Penistone runners took on the latest edition of the fast and competitive Loxley Lash 5K on Tuesday night. Rob Lees delivered an excellent run to place 27th overall in a time of 18-39, earning him 3rd place in the men's over45 age category. Gareth Irvine ran a solid 19-51, finishing 49th overall and 8th over45 man.
Two Penistone runners took part in the Coal Aston Gala Race on Saturday, hosted by Dronfield Running Club as part of the village’s annual festivities. Peter Beever ran strongly over the undulating multi-terrain course to clock 42-13, while Kelvin Bowskill followed in 44-21, earning a superb 2nd place in the men’s over70 category.
Six intrepid Penistone runners took on the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon this past weekend—an iconic two-day event held in the Lake District, where competitors must carry all their gear, including tents and cooking equipment, as they navigate mountainous terrain between overnight camps. Despite wet and challenging conditions, spirits remained high as club members tackled different courses. On the Fairfield course, Tom Fryers and James Fryers finished an impressive 8th overall, while Steve Sanders and Damian Kilpin placed 25th on the same route. On the Carrock Fell course, Jon Hallam turned in a strong performance to finish 30th, and Sarah Jones-Morris completed the Harter Fell course, placing 76th overall.
It was another standout weekend for the Penistone ladies across parkrun venues near and far. Dawn Broom was the top female finisher at Mansfield, clocking 22-54 and also achieving the run of the weekend with an age-graded score of 84.72%. Jade Crosby also claimed a first-place female finish at Penistone in a PB time of 20-33. Second gender finishes came from Suzanne McGill (20-45) and Andrew Heppenstall (18-31), both at Penistone. Third gender places went to Loida Lopez at Thornes (24-56 PB) and Julia Johnson at Dewsbury (23-28). It was a milestone weekend for several club members. Gareth Irvine completed his 200th parkrun at Hillsborough, finishing in 20-42. At Penistone, Kate Rushforth ran her 100th, while Dan Rushforth and Jen Holley each notched up their 50th parkruns. Other notable performances included Richard Cottam’s PB of 18-01 at Barnsley and a PB for Lee Storey (19-21) at North Yorkshire Water Park. Jill Scrivens, Nick Pepper, and Gemma Nutton also recorded PBs. On the age-grade front, five runners broke the 75% mark: Dawn Broom (84.72%), Julia Johnson (83.88%), Suzanne McGill (79.84%), Ian Neville (77.46%) and Richard Cottam (76.87%).