WHEN Warrington master athlete Louise Blizzard takes on the London Marathon this Sunday it will be her 28th time doing so. She missed the 2022 event, but only because she was running for the Great Britain Police team in Eindhoven at the time.
The Warrington Athletics Club competitor revealed it will be an emotional return to the capital.
“This year will be particularly significant as my dad died last May after a short illness which has been a really sad time. I ran my first London Marathon with him back in 1994 so I’ll be thinking of him so much this year,” she said.
Blizzard said she is pleased with her preparations for the 26.2 miles challenge ahead.
“Training has been going well,” she said.
“I’ve worked hard and been getting the miles in at all hours and every type of weather!
“I was very lucky to go to Portugal on a training camp in March which was so beneficial.
“I’ve been racing lots in between working full-time at Cheshire Police HQ.”
In her recent races, Blizzard placed 30th overall, fifth woman and second over 45 woman in the Calder Vale 10-Mile Road Race, clocking 1hr 13mins 16secs.
Five days later she was 102nd overall, ninth woman and fourth over 45 woman in the Chester Spring Five Miles Road Race, crossing the line in 33mins 47secs.
Three clubmates tackled the same event and tough wintry conditions.
Faith Roberts produced a stunning personal best in finishing 189th overall and 37th woman, as her time of 38mins 45secs obliterated her previous pb for the distance by 14 minutes and 31 seconds.
Dan Schofield, making his debut over the distance, was 27th in 29mins 07secs.
Dave Gill came home 73rd place in 32mins 07secs, missing his personal best by two seconds but winning the over 65s age group.
Gill, on a run of three races in nine days, finished 35th overall in the Mersey Tunnel 10K Road Race on Sunday in 39mins 49secs to win the over 65s age group and was also the first over 60s finisher.
He also won the over 65s age group of the Salford 10K in 39mins 18secs, placing 144th overall.
In the same event, Dave Norman was 125th place in 38mins 44secs to place fourth in the over 60s age group.
Warrington AC’s Steve Burthem, running for his second-claim club Spectrum Striders, finished 74th in the Rivington Pike Fell Race in 25mins 01secs which placed him second in the over 60s age group.
WARRINGTON Athletics Club held their first open track and field meeting of the season at Victoria Park on Saturday, with athletes turning out from as far afield as Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire and the Isle of Man.
With the weather being sunny and almost windless all day many personal bests were achieved.
Warrington AC wins were led by under 17 Jack Marwood, making his debut over 3000m, and clocking 9mins 03.12secs.
In the under 17 women’s 800m, Esme Heavey was an outstanding winner taking seven seconds off her personal best with 2mins 14.56secs.
Under 20 Ben Pucill also won over 800m, taking the senior race in 1min 58.71secs which was his first time under two minutes and an improvement of four seconds.
In the under 15s girls’ 200m, Tallie Wing Lam Sze won with a personal best 27.85secs and was second over 300m in 44.67secs.
Completing the track wins for the club were under 17 Lewis Shaw, with a success in his speciality 100m hurdles in a personal best 14.07secs, and Olivia Crawford in the under 15s 75m hurdles with 12.06secs.
In the field events, the club winners were under 13 boy Louis Green in the long Jump with a leap of 4.03m, while under 15 Fraser Savage won the high jump with 1.70m which puts him seventh equal in the early season UK rankings.
In the senior women’s long jump, first year under 20 athlete Cova Ko won with a jump of 4.68m.
Meanwhile, Warrington AC’s master athlete Dave Watson continued his good form by winning the over 65s age group of the Rhyl 10K Road Race.
He finished in 37th place overall, recording 43mins which improved his personal best time set in 2015 by more than four minutes.
The final results of the Manchester Area Cross Country League have been confirmed for season 2022/23, with Warrington AC having two individual and one team gold medal winners - all in the under 15s age group.
The individual winner in the under 15s boys was Jack Marwood, who won the first four races and was able to miss the final race as he could not be caught.
In the under 15s girls Esme Heavey took the title after finishing second in the first race behind teammate Imogen Wharton and then winning the next three races to put her out of reach of the nearest rivals.
In the under 15s girls Heavey led her team to the overall title, winning the first two races and then adding a second and third place.
Warrington Athletic Club’s Katie Lowery, running for Leeds University, took part in the Isle of Man Easter Festival of Running.
The festival consists of three races, a 10k road race at Port Erin on Friday, followed by the Peel Hill ace on Saturday and a 5k road race in Douglas on Sunday.
Lowery was third in the 10K in 35mins 52secs, second in the hill race and third in the 5k, securing her third place overall across the three events.
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