A frosty morning followed by torrential rain falling on the already waterlogged grounds of Attingham Park did not deter the 430 runners who took part in Shrewsbury Athletic Club's 12th Mad Jack's 5 Mile Race at Attingham Park on Saturday, held in conjunction with and with kind permission of the National Trust. The conditions were some of the most difficult in the race's 12 year history and resulted in alterations to the race route, but the popularity remained the same, with two thirds of the entrants being unattached, alongside Club runners from the County and further afield.
Oliver Blake of Oswestry Olympians was the comfortable winner of the Mens' Race in 26/40, followed by William Kay of Mercia Fell Runners, at 16 years of age already one of the County's top fell runners, in 2nd place in 28/06 and Neil Godsell of Maldwyn Harriers 3rd in 28/36. First woman was Amanda Wright-Smith of Mercia Fell Runners in 31/55, followed by Beverley Whitfield, unattached 2nd in 33/03 and Wendy Swift of Trentham Running Club 3rd in 33/07.
National Trust General Manager at Attingham Park, Mark Agnew, praised the runners for taking on the challenging conditions and thanked the National Trust, local running club volunteers and police cadets for their assistance with the staging of the event. Race organiser Kevin Francis praised the runners and the support of the race sponsor Cotswold Outdoor.
Category Winners:
Men: Senior Men: Oliver Blake Oswestry Olympians 26/40, Junior Men: William Kay Mercia Fell Runners 28/06, Over 35: Neil Godsell Maldwyn Harriers 28/36, Over 40: Paul Rochfort Unattached 29/40, Over 45: Jamie Shingler Ludlow Runners 30/48, Over 50: Mark Agnew Mercia Fell Runners 31/42, Over 55: Martin Hargreaves Shrewsbury AC 31/21, Over 60: Colin Wells Mercia Fell Runners 35/19, Over 65: Stephen Roberts Oswestry Olympians 34/22, Over 70: Mac Bardsley Shropshire Shufflers 38/20.
Women: Senior Women: Naomi Cook Shrewsbury AC 34/15, Junior Women: Lissy Llewellyn-Bell Unattached 42/59, Over 35: Sarah Blackwell Unattached 35/25, Over 40: Beverley Whitfield Unattached 33/03, Over 45: Wendy Swift Trentham RC 33/07, Over 50: Amanda Wright-Smith Mercia Fell Runners 31/55, Over 55: Gill Evans Shrewsbury AC 39/34, Over 60: Yvonne Nicholls Chase Harriers 47/10, Over 65: Sue Johnson Mercia Fell Runners 47/43.
Phot courtesy of Colin Williamson
Report compiled by Tony Scales
