Lostockers put in ‘great' runs at popular Manchester events
Lostockers were part of a busy day of racing in Manchester as the city held its annual half-marathon and 10k event last weekend.
This is a huge event with 35,000 taking part in the event and racing with incredible athletes, including Vicent Ngetich, Selemon Barega, Medina Eisa and Emily Sisson.
It is a long day of racing with the half-marathon starting 8.10am and the final wave in the 10k commencing at 1.10pm.
Lostock's Matthew Carney competed in the half-marathon, starting on Portland Street in the city centre, the route starts with an out-and-back, heading to the Etihad Stadium before returning towards the city centre. Participants then head to Salford Quays, complete a lap around the Wharfside and then it is back to the city centre passing Old Trafford.
The support around the race is fantastic and crowds gather at Deansgate to welcome runners completing the race.
Carney had an awesome race, finishing in 1hr 50mins 59secs.
Jo McManus, Rachel Stevens and Markus Stevens took part in the 10k. McManus and Rachel Stevens set off in the Orange Wave at 11.45am, the race started by local girl, Keely Hodgkinson, Dame Kelly Holmes and Ann Brightwell Packer - the only three British women ever to win 800m Olympic gold.
This is also a popular race with celebrities with Strictly Come Dancing stars and Coronation Street actors also taking part.
It was a hot day which made racing conditions tough and prior to the race there were announcement warning runners against trying for a PB.
Despite this, McManus had an amazing race, finishing in 46:13 followed by Rachel Stevens (54:17). It was Markus Stevens' race debut for Lostock, starting in the Pink Wave at a hot 1.10pm, and he finished in a fine time of 1:08:39.
Josie Greenhalgh headed to the Lake District to complete Old County Tops Fell Race, organised by Achille Ratti and possibly the toughest event in the fell-running calendar.
This is largely down to the distance of 36 miles and the amount of climb involved at more than 10,000 feet. Furthermore, the route is not defined, so runners must navigate in pairs - often over rough terrain.
Greenhalgh joined forces with Kat Klunder, from Chorley AC, and the temperature was already high when they set off from Great Langdale alongside around 126 teams.
The route traverses the fells over to Grasmere before a long, gradual climb up to Helvellyn and a steep descent down to Wythburn. On the following section up and over to Angle Tarn, the heat escalated with no breeze and made racing conditions extremely difficult. Before long, the pair were summiting England's tallest mountain, Scafell Pike. Following the very quick refreshment stop, it was the final push up Coniston Old Man.
The last half mile on the road felt like forever but, crossing the finish line back in Langdale, Greenhalgh and Klunder had an amazing run, clocking 10:01:00.
Finishers received a coveted County Tops T-shirt and Greenhalgh and Klunder were also presented with a bespoke Old County Tops stoneware mug for winning their age category.
Back at Lostock AC, the club held their annual treasure hunt - always a fun event, with members racing around Westhoughton and Aspull trying to find the answer to clues prepared by member Mark Smith.
Members covered distances of more than five miles and many got lost, including one team that spent time wondering around a field.
There is a mad dash to the finish as for every minute runners are late, 10 points are deducted from their score. This was the unravelling of some teams whose desire to find the answer to more clues resulted in them being almost 10 minutes late!
The victorious team was Ian Johnson, Janet Rhodes, Sally McCoy and Heather Soden, while in second place were Ian and Lee Burns and in third was Josie Greenhalgh and Tony Marlow. The club thanked Janet and Ian Johnson for hosting the event.
Parkrun results: Bolton - Teri Aldred 28:46 (first in age category); Haigh Woodland - Anthony Sutton 22:21 (third in age category), Chris Baker 23:35, Luke Baker 24:11PB, Ian Burns 29:05 (first in age category), Katie Edern 30:24 (third in age category); Worsley Woods - Hazel Hatfield 23:06 (seventh female and second in age category), Mark Shuttleworth 23:27.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
‘The Pretender' Review: The Boy Who Would Be King
Set at the end of the Wars of the Roses, the long dynastic struggle between the English royal houses of York and Lancaster, Jo Harkin's exuberant historical novel 'The Pretender' brings to life one of the stranger footnotes in late-medieval history. In 1487 Henry VII's right to the crown as a distant Lancastrian descendant through the female line was challenged by a boy only 10 or so years old, whom his supporters claimed to be the rightful Earl of Warwick, nephew of Richard III and a direct Plantagenet heir. The Tudor historian Polydore Vergil in his 'Anglica Historia' (1555) named this pretender Lambert Simnel, a base-born lad 'not entirely of bad character.' The episode ended in victory for Henry later that year at the Battle of Stoke Field. Vergil records that Simnel was pardoned for his role in the attempted takeover and was put to work in Henry's kitchen as a spit-turner, while the Tudors went on to rule England for the next century. The rest, you might say, is history. Or is it? Ms. Harkin takes this incident as the starting point for a rollicking story that's part fact, part lively speculation, and along the way asks some probing questions about the nature of identity. On an Oxfordshire farm, a peasant boy called John Collan is growing up with no battles to fight other than those with the farm goat, until a mysterious nobleman arrives bearing astonishing news: John isn't the farmer's son at all but Edward, the young Earl of Warwick, who as a baby was concealed among simple country folk for his own safety. Now he is to be brought out of hiding as the last Yorkist hope.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Arise, Sir David Beckham: The Soccer Star Will Be Knighted
It was perhaps the biggest moment of David Beckham's decorated soccer career. England needed to score against Greece in 2001 to qualify for the World Cup, and he stood over a free kick with little time left. He duly bent the ball into the net, setting off paroxysms of joy throughout England. The announcer Gary Bloom spoke for the nation when he shouted, 'Give that man a knighthood!' It took 24 years, but now he's getting one. How do you get a knighthood? In the modern age, knighthoods are conferred by the British royal family upon citizens who have achieved great success in their fields and served their country in one way or another. 'Recipients range from actors to scientists, and from school head teachers to industrialists,' the royal family's website says. It might now add 'impossibly handsome and famous ex-football stars.' Those conferred with a knighthood get the title 'sir.' Let's hear the credentials of Beckham, er, Sir David. Mr. Beckham, 50, was a brilliant soccer player, most memorably for Manchester United and England's national team. His famous right foot had the uncanny ability to curl balls through the air and into the net, inspiring the title of the 2002 film 'Bend it Like Beckham.' His post-football career has included co-ownership of Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer team. He has been a UNICEF ambassador, and his charisma helped London secure hosting duties for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hypebeast
an hour ago
- Hypebeast
Tomas Gittins Takes Us Behind His Debut Solo Exhibition, 'Pursuit of Joy'
For Manchester-basedTomas Gittins, art making is an act composed of instinct and intention in equal measure. Gittins is just one artist leading the charge of a promising class of up-and-coming talent in the UK – a cohort opting for a more raw, unfiltered dialogue with the world at large, often going beyond the traditional white-walled space and into on-the-ground pockets of culture. Only six months in, 2025 has already been a banner year for the Brazilian-English artist, locking in a range of fashion and artistic projects under his belt. Now, theToxic Artsstarlet is coming back together the gallery, this time, gearing up to openPursuit of Joy, his debut solo exhibition. Staged in the heart of Soho, Gittins lands in London with a fresh crop of his signature face paintings — all of which have sold out days before opening doors. Alongside the works on view,Pursuit of Joyalso marks his first step into footwear. In collaboration withSalomon Sportstyle, he brings a sketchbook twist to the classicXT-6's. With a duet of monochromatic characters stretched across the side panels and stars that kiss the heel, thecustom, one-of-one pairwill be given to a visitor on June 6. Additionally, a special, screen-printed Gore-Tex jacket will be making an appearance, as well as a three limited-edition t-shirt giveaway for the first 100 visitors. Rather than a final stop, Gittins envisions his canvases as captures of feeling in-flux. 'Every character I make is a reflection of those feelings trapped inside. When I walk away from a canvas, I know a piece is done when I look at it and it's looking back at me,' he told Hypeart. 'I do art to make myself feel whole.' Embarking on this new era and road to joy, the artist takes us along for the ride. Ahead of the opening, Gittins walks us through pre-show feels, the ever-evolving UK creative landscape and what it's like to be an artist on the rise. The exhibition will be on view in London on June 6. 'My paintings evolve as people — we're all slowly just coming into the final image of what we'd like to be.' Can you describe the origins of your mantra 'The Joy Must Grow' and how it informed the title of this first solo,Pursuit of Joy? I started with works on paper and would sell them for £30. It led me to make larger pieces and over time, this expansion of scale — and joy — gave me the confidence to work with canvases. 'The Joy Must Grow' is about spreading how it makes me feel into the masses and then building my joy through this ethos. This show is really a benchmark for me. It's a way to say, 'This is what I am.' I love what I do and to be able to share it — that's my pursuit of joy and it will only get bigger. This is also your first time designing footwear. How did this collaboration with Salomon come about? Any surprises you encountered along the way? I'm a big runner and I love Salomon. My friend bought some of their shoes and I kept the box to make a drawing. I texted a picture of it to someone from Salomon and they offered me a pair of shoes. Since then, we've been able to form a really natural friendship and partnership, which has allowed me to get to this point. I still can't believe it. I had an initial drawing I made by hand, but had no idea how I was going to get it on the shoe, so I went to a sneaker guy for some help. They turned out so good, I'm really happy with it. It's one of those things where you close your eyes and just see an image of what you want: something that is truly me. Can you walk us through your XT-6 design and your decision to add these embellishments rather than redesign it entirely? I wanted to make it so that when you stand, my characters look at each other, and wanted to put as much as myself on a shoe without making it too garish. Something bold and recognizable, but also something that seamlessly fit with the design. That's how the faces come across, and I just love the star. It's so cute on the back. The last time we spoke with you, you mentioned that your practice was shaped by the solitude of living in Cape Town. Since your return to England, how has your creative practice, or your emotional connection to it, evolved? From the time I came back, I started to hone in on how I wanted my work to be perceived. I wanted people to look my pieces, recognize it as mine and just feel things within them. My paintings aren't just one layer. I'll probably paint like seven faces on top of one another. If you ever get to see my pieces in person, you'll see the layers of faces that passed through beforehand, and it's like my paintings evolve as people — we're all slowly just coming into the final image of what we'd like to be. What keeps me motivated is just making my drawings grow. I've got to wake up and feel the fire and just see where my future takes me. As someone navigating the UK arts scene firsthand, what shifts have you noticed as an emerging artist? How does the London scene compare to Manchester's? It's all about going out there, making connections and working on stuff that's true to you. Right now, it's a lot of brand work. I love working with Salomon because it's very me, and by doing a project like this, it propels me in these different directions that help me navigate the scene. It's also about tapping into all these different pockets and utilizing everything within the UK scene. We're a small nation, so everything's quite accessible if you're willing to seek it out. With Manchester, we're sort of new to the art scene. Gallery presence is still growing, and it's coming along nicely. There's really a real push for young Manchester artists because we're seeing a lot of potential and now people have a better understanding of how you can make it through art. What is the synergy like between yourself and Toxic Arts? They operate very uniquely in the way that they give artists so much trust and agency to showcase their work authentically. It's been such a breath of fresh air because I'm not a businessman, I just love to paint. Toxic Arts gives me the opportunity to focus on creating without pigeonholing me or stunting my abilities. They don't have an in-person gallery space, but every time they do a show, it's all about bringing you into their world. They've entrusted me with the belief of what I want to do, so it feels more like working with friends that want to see me reach my potential and really do that as well. What do you hope the audience walks away from your show with?I want people to come in and see my work and feel a connection to what I've built, especially something that's as recognizable as faces. A lot of people have said my work feels quite nostalgic. As long as it evokes a feeling or a memory, I'm happy with just that little bit of connection. That's all I want — for people to see the character in the piece and not just the 2D image. What's been keeping you motivated, excited or inspired these days?When I started making art, I realized this is what I'm going to be doing. It's what makes me smile when I wake up and excited to start my day. What keeps me motivated is just making my drawings grow. I've got to wake up and feel the fire and just see where my future takes me.
