Record-breaking runs mark busy weekend for Penistone

Penistone Footpath Runners were in action across road, fell and parkrun events over a busy winter weekend, with standout performances including club records, age-group success and strong depth across all disciplines.

The headline performance came at the Dewsbury 10K, where Jade Crosby produced a superb run to break the Penistone Footpath Runners female senior club record, clocking 39-18 and dipping under forty minutes for the first time. Junior Flynn Rogers continued his excellent form with a personal best 34-09 to finish third in the under18 category, while Richard Heppenstall ran 35-00 to place fourth in the men’s over50s. Suzanne McGill also featured prominently, finishing fifth in the ladies over45 category in 40-46. Strong support came throughout the field, with Alan Nutton (35-15), Sean Pitt (35-33), Robert Lees (39-04), Alex Crosby (41-54), Michael Nicholson (45-32), Chris Baldwin (46-54), Sarah Bradley (50-24) and Stefan Butler-Gillen (57-22) all completing solid runs on the fast course. Heather Simpson closed the race particularly well, recording a personal best for the second 5K on her way to a 45-37 finish.

There was further success on the roads at the Alsager 5, where Nichola McNally produced an outstanding run to clock 33-48, finishing second in the ladies over55 category. This also represented a new club record.

On the fells, Damian Kilpin represented Penistone at the Cod Beck Canter Fell Race, a classic North Yorkshire winter event known for its steep climbs and rough terrain, continuing his consistent form on the fell circuit. A strong and evenly spread Penistone contingent also tackled the demanding Mickleden Straddle Fell Race, a long winter outing in the Peak District. George Parr led the club home with an excellent 11th place finish in 1-59-46. He was followed by Phil Hinchliffe and Daniel Rushforth, who both ran strongly inside the top fifty, while Chris Hodgson, Oliver Pike and Daniel Limb continued the depth of Penistone’s challenge on the tough moorland route. Steve Sanders and Shaun Swallow added further solid finishes, with Hannah Shaw first Penistone woman home. Lesley Parker claimed another age-category victory, taking first place in the ladies over50 category with a determined run of 2-35-29, while Jemma Williams and Fay Nicholls battled the conditions well to complete the course. The Penistone finishers were completed by Christopher Deacon and Harriet Drouin, rounding off a successful day on the fells.

At the weekend’s parkruns, Penistone Footpath Runners were well represented across a wide range of venues. At Penistone parkrun, the club filled the first two places, with Richard Cottam taking victory in 18-30 ahead of George Parr in 18-43. Elsewhere, Josie Smith claimed first female place at Barnsley, with Dawn Godley finishing second female, while Emily Duckett took third female at Penistone. The standout age-graded performances of the weekend came from Dawn Broom (84.04%), Dawn Godley (82.94%), Barbara Haigh (82.17%), Ian Neville (75.75%) and Richard Cottam (75.50%). In total, 64 Penistone seniors were represented across 16 venues.