Dave Evans reports:

With the rail strike scuppering the normal transport arrangements for some club members, it was very heartening to find 8 aspirants tackling this non-standard event under the hot sun which registered an uncomfortable 24 degrees. Ellis Simmonds, an up-and-coming young walker, made the journey from the other side of the Pennines and his smooth and disciplined style saw him exceed the 10,000 metres distance by 77 more. He maintained a metronomic pace throughout and showed he was a very competent performer.

In contention for most of the race was new member Ken Connor who has the makings of a decent heel and toe exponent but will need to pay special attention to the technique and not let his running background get the better of him in this different discipline.

John Crahan has had to miss quite a number of club events recently through rail disruption but he threw caution to the wind today and spent 4 hours travelling to Bury by bus. He walked really well given his seated preparation and looked pretty tired as he left the post-race get-together with another marathon journey ahead of him. A special thank you to the lapscorers and those who endured the very warm conditions.

Results

1. Ellis Simmonds 10077 metres
2. Ken Connor 10062 metres
3. Tony Bell 9120 metres
4. Roy Gunnett 8104 metres
5. John Crahan 8092 metres
6. Joe Hardy 7713 metres
7. Pat Evans 7700 metres
8. Ian Hilditch 7621 metres

As ever many thanks to Greg Smith for the evocative images.