Returning triumphantly with personal best times all round, seven Buxton AC athletes were rightly proud of their performance at the Wilmslow Festival of Running last weekend. The Festival incorporates two distances – 10K and the half marathon, both on courses renowned for returning fast times on the traffic-free lanes of leafy Cheshire.

Pride of place goes to Paul Wardman whose finishing times consistently shrink with each race he participates in, and on this occasion Wardman slashed over two minutes from his half marathon PB, completing the course in 1.33.55 and from a huge field of 2,790, finished in 402^nd place. Six athletes took part in the 10K event, Chris Morten leading his Club mates home in 46.55 (48^th from 452), followed by Louise Morten in 49.23 (77^th), Gemma Davies 53.20 (128^th), Kathryn Dobson 54.46 (143^rd), Anne Hallows 60.10 (239^th) and Charlie Narejko 60.33 (247^th).

Still over in Cheshire, this time at the Cheshire 10K held at the scenic Arley Hall, Jennie Light finished in 64.02, a personal best time for the distance.

The Monsal Trail Half Marathon is so popular that it must be held over two days, numbers are so great. Saturday’s race saw Rob McNeil take part along with over 300 other runners, and with a finishing time of 1.48.03, gave him 89^th position. Sunday’s event had just under 300 finishers, and Buxton fielded eight athletes, with many finishing in personal best times for the event. Heading the Buxton team was Rebecca Day in 1.40.21, followed by Fran Ross in 1.44.39, Adele Thornton 1.46.15, Alan Talbot 1.47.36, Mark Day 1.50.34, Ian Drayton 1.54.38, Mandy Bromley 2.2.38 and Teresa Macmillan 2.36.39.

The breezy conditions, tinged with the occasional few rays of sunshine, helped Tim Aldridge, Nick Jones and Richard Goff around the iconic Edale Skyline 21.1 mile fell race on Sunday. After the steep ascent all the way up to the Kinder plateau, the course undulates its way round the edges, giving the runners a few challenging climbs. Aldridge finished in 90^th place in 3 hours 39 minutes and 31 seconds, close behind was Jones in 3.41.14, while Goff finished in 4.34.20. Some 286 runners took part.

Further afield, Martin Oates took part in the Westonbirt Duathlon, while Tracy Gregory added another ultra event to her growing list when she took part in the Canalathon Ultra 31 mile race, from Manchester all the way to Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire, along the Lancashire/Yorkshire canals, finishing in 6.15.25, some 26 minutes faster than her previous time at the event.

The first of six events in the English Fell Championships was held at Stretton Hills on the Shropshire/Welsh borders last weekend, covering almost 6 miles with 1800 feet of climbing. From a field of around 350, Jason Brunnock was first Buxton runner home in 90^th place, in 53.11, while Richard Goff finished in 70.19 (288^th) and Tania Wilson (291^st) in 70.43.