Ian Smallwood has sent in his Recommendation. Still awaiting some of your reports to be emailed to me!! grannanpm@gmail.com
What race is my current favourite race depends on what is meant by favourite, e.g. it could be best personal performance, memorable achievement, great venue, outstanding contribution to the team.
And having been running for many years there are several races that are in my “top 10” but the one I really like is the Bollington Nostalgia.
Why? Because it is local and has a bit of everything. The fell and hill runners love the first few miles then the views across Lyme Park and Manchester open out in front of you.
Racing downhill is good fun and heading across the fields provides some respite. Now the canal stretch is great for the speed merchants/ road/ track runners to overtake everyone. A gentle climb through the woods is just like cross country. The final road run lets the flat earth brigade catch up and the final descent is just mad.
Cup of tea and cake afterwards too!
The Bollington Nostalgia is every year on the second Sunday in July. The Bridgend Centre runs the Hill Race to raise valuable funds for their charity. It’s approximately 7.1 miles with an ascent of 1220 feet. It is extremely popular with the club and often in the summer series.
Having been running for many years there are several races that are in my “top 10” all for different reasons…
| Race | Why! |
| Cheshire County Cross Country | Wilmslow Men won the team event and I just made the team as the 6th counter – it was hard and my best contribution to Team Wilmslow RC |
| White Peak Marathon (Peak District) | My best marathon time – I finished just under 3 hours. Organised by my first running club Matlock AC. |
| Langdale fell race (Lake District) | Beautiful views whilst running for 3-4 hours. A most enjoyable autumn event with great pasties at the finish! |
| Roseberry Topping fell race (North York Moors) | A one mile race straight sprint/ climb/ run to top of the hill and back down – a ridiculous race – the winner normally finishes by the time I am at the top. |
| Man v Horse (Mid Wales) | The only trophy I have ever won – 1st V40 |
| Cross bay challenge | Unusual race across the sands or Morecambe Bay which I am pleased to have completed |
| Tour of Tameside | A series of 6 races in 7 days covering 52 miles (canal race, hill race, half marathon, road races and cross country) Hard but enjoyable experience |
| London Marathon | Best atmosphere at any race I have done, and my only TV appearance |
| Four Villages Half Marathon | Best race for getting rid of the excesses of Christmas |
| Bluebell Trail | Really pleased to have run up Trooper Hill and enjoyed the bluebells in Halifax |
| Parkrun | Although my times are slowing down as I get older. I enjoy visiting different parkruns whenever possible – Lyme Park is my local favourite venue but slowest times. |
Ian Smallwood
Thank you Ian and now for a piece of history .. results from 2012 when Wilmslow ruled the hills.
Bollington — PROVISIONAL RESULTS
Pos Num Name Cat/Pos Club Time
1 185 Jack Ross Staffs Moorlands AC 44:02
2 206 Rob Downs V40 1 Wilmslow Running Club 44:42
3 280 Steve Knowles V40 2 Pennine Fell Runners 47:02
4 181 Paul Littler Unattached 47:32
5 203 Lawrence Eccles Penny Lane Striders 47:51
6 237 Trevor Morris V50 1 Wilmslow Running Club 48:35
7 180 Paul Boardman V50 2 Horwich R M I Harriers 49:21
8 275 John Mooney V50 3 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 49:32
9 270 Mark Walker Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 49:49
10 238 Mike Hill V40 3 Wilmslow Running Club 50:23
11 267 Charlie Bathu V40 4 Stockport Harriers & Ac 50:30
12 273 Richard Marlton V40 5 Stockport Harriers & Ac 50:34
13 253 Stuart Parrott V40 6 Unattached 50:42
14 160 Graham Turner V40 7 Wilmslow Running Club 50:56
15 168 Thomas Peers Wilmslow Running Club 51:03
16 244 Allan McCormick Wilmslow Running Club 51:04
17 178 Ian Fraser V40 8 Unattached 51:09
18 249 Jeremy Bygrave Wilmslow Running Club 52:01
19 223 Ian Smallwood V40 9 Wilmslow Running Club 52:09
20 243 Diane McVey L 1 Wilmslow Running Club 52:14
21 205 Darren Fishwick V40 10 Chorley 52:19
22 286 James Bowden Hunters Bog Trotters 52:39
23 230 Paul Booth Pennine Fell Runners 52:58
24 235 Stephen Bull Goyt Valley Striders 53:07
25 222 Bruce Humphrey Altrincham & District Ac 53:13
26 263 Nick Jefferson Goyt Valley Striders 53:14
27 219 Robert Haslet Unattached 53:22
28 183 Paul Garnett V40 11 Wilmslow Running Club 53:28
29 261 Andrew McEvoy Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 53:57
30 217 Sandra Lewis L 2 Altrincham & District Ac 54:01
31 231 Mark Cliff V40 12 Pennine Fell Runners 54:05
32 193 Joe Dooley V40 13 Unattached 54:09
33 204 Andrew Clough V50 4 Chorley 54:14
34 260 Simon Bannister V40 14 Unattached 54:26
35 179 Patrick Phelan V40 15 Unattached 54:32
36 198 Jarrod Homer V40 16 Wilmslow Running Club 54:34
37 194 Steph Brookes L 3 Unattached 54:45
38 289 Martin Mallett V40 17 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 54:53
39 213 Andrew Stimson MDOC 55:04
40 220 Craig Hunt V40 18 Wilmslow Running Club 55:12
41 191 Tony Hulme V60 1 Wilmslow Running Club 55:18
42 163 Pete Robinson V40 19 Pennine Fell Runners 55:25
43 202 Simone Capponi Penny Lane Striders 55:39
44 201 Andrew Keeley V40 20 Penny Lane Striders 56:01
45 182 Michael Toman V40 21 Rossendale Harriers & Ac 56:12
46 245 Lucas Jones Goyt Valley Striders 56:20
47 259 Richard Lawson Wilmslow Running Club 56:49
48 162 Richard Hirons V40 22 Wilmslow Running Club 56:50
49 283 Tim Walton V40 23 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 56:56
50 189 Neil Gerrity Newcastle (Staffs) 57:07
51 279 Aron Myers Wilmslow Running Club 57:20
52 214 Alan Bocking V50 5 Cheshire Hill Racers 57:29
53 192 Kevin Good Unattached 57:32
54 265 Matt Yardley V40 24 Unattached 57:34
55 199 Geoff Gilbert V60 2 Wilmslow Running Club 57:41
56 271 Paul Rodgers Unattached 57:57
57 196 AnnMarie Jones L50 1 Altrincham & District Ac 58:04
58 226 Gavin Mendham V60 3 Wilmslow Running Club 58:09
59 190 Gareth Trimble Wilmslow Running Club 58:19
60 159 Paul Norris V50 6 Wilmslow Running Club 58:27
61 241 Dave Bowen V50 7 Pennine Fell Runners 58:46
62 216 Nick Bishop V50 8 Wilmslow Running Club 58:50
63 165 Janine Ellis L40 1 Wilmslow Running Club 58:55
64 208 Fiona Johnson L 6 Stockport Harriers & Ac 59:21
65 262 Philip Barnes V50 9 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 59:29
66 232 Daniel Sims Pennine Fell Runners 59:46
67 272 Anthony Rodgers V50 10 Goyt Valley Striders 59:49
68 258 Nicky Mowat L50 2 Wilmslow Running Club 1:00:07
69 224 Matthew Taylor Wilmslow Running Club 1:00:11
70 256 Tony Man V40 25 Penny Lane Striders 1:00:17
71 248 Louisa Harrison L 8 Wilmslow Running Club 1:00:22
72 174 Kate Sutton L 9 Wilmslow Running Club 1:00:43
73 252 Stephen Picken V40 26 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 1:01:17
74 264 Keith Butterworth V50 11 Clayton Le Moors Harriers 1:01:27
75 293 Simon Froggatt Unattached 1:01:36
76 277 Paul Hills V50 12 Pennine Fell Runners 1:01:50
77 177 Amanda Bradbury L 10 Wilmslow Running Club 1:02:00
78 225 Tim Hargreaves V50 13 Stockport Harriers & Ac 1:02:12
79 239 Rick Gratton V40 27 Unattached 1:02:34
80 269 Paul Hunt V40 28 Goyt Valley Striders 1:02:44
81 255 Lucy Hobbs L40 2 Todmorden Harriers & Ac 1:02:51
82 250 Michael Jones V50 14 Altrincham & District Ac 1:02:57
83 212 Chris Cannon V50 15 Wilmslow Running Club 1:03:01
84 282 David James V40 29 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 1:03:06
85 170 Andrew Dixon V50 16 Unattached 1:03:10
86 229 Jane Eardley L 12 Penny Lane Striders 1:03:44
87 195 Peter Bream V40 30 Wilmslow Running Club 1:03:51
88 200 Ben Masters Unattached 1:03:53
89 211 Sharon Janes L40 3 Wilmslow Running Club 1:03:55
90 276 Adrian RigbyBates V50 17 Unattached 1:04:07
91 234 Sarah Bull L 14 Goyt Valley Striders 1:04:47
92 254 Ross Kennedy Unattached 1:05:08
93 164 Alan Turner V40 31 Wilmslow Running Club 1:05:13
94 172 Angela Maziere L50 3 Wilmslow Running Club 1:05:31
95 288 Christine Geraghty L50 4 Wilmslow Running Club 1:05:36
96 257 Julie Lucas L40 4 Wilmslow Running Club 1:06:00
97 210 Simon Fenton V60 4 Wilmslow Running Club 1:06:24
98 287 Melissa Broughton L40 5 Unattached 1:06:31
99 197 Andrew Bookes V40 32 Unattached 1:06:58
100 215 Nina Birch L 19 Wilmslow Running Club 1:07:09
101 161 Carolyn Hirons L40 6 Wilmslow Running Club 1:07:10
102 240 Barrie Sanderson V40 33 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 1:07:37
103 268 Moira Hunt L50 5 Goyt Valley Striders 1:08:02
104 228 Edson DeCarvallo Unattached 1:08:18
105 292 Mick Fowler V50 18 Unattached 1:08:36
106 266 Don Bullough V50 19 Wilmslow Running Club 1:08:56
107 281 Sarah Miles L 22 Wilmslow Running Club 1:08:58
108 236 Karl Smith V40 34 Goyt Valley Striders 1:09:18
109 207 Ian Manners V40 35 Manchester Ymca Harriers 1:09:21
110 247 Jeremy Woodham Stockport Harriers & Ac 1:09:43
111 278 Nick Gilfillan V50 20 Unattached 1:09:44
112 221 Roy Pownall V60 5 Wilmslow Running Club 1:10:23
113 242 Christine Bowen L50 6 Goyt Valley Striders 1:10:29
114 173 John Riley V70 1 Northern Veterans Ac 1:10:30
115 233 Philomena Smith L40 7 Goyt Valley Striders 1:10:34
116 291 Helen Madden L40 8 Unattached 1:11:47
117 166 Robert McCurrie V40 36 Unattached 1:11:55
118 274 Michelle Wilder L40 9 Manchester Tri 1:12:11
119 176 Ian Ashcroft V60 6 Wilmslow Running Club 1:12:47
120 227 Henry Tindell V60 7 FRA 1:12:55
121 251 Maggie Jones L50 7 Altrincham & District Ac 1:13:00
122 246 Tracy Vernon L50 8 Goyt Valley Striders 1:13:45
123 167 Catriona Marshall L40 10 Wilmslow Running Club 1:13:57
124 171 Trevor Faulkner V70 2 Wilmslow Running Club 1:14:24
125 285 Becky Judson L 30 Manchester Tri 1:15:05
126 218 Helen Gary L40 11 Goyt Valley Striders 1:15:23
127 284 Jennifer Johnson L 32 Manchester Tri 1:16:54
128 187 Tony Lee V40 37 Swinton Running Club 1:17:46
129 186 Marc Royle V40 38 Swinton Running Club 1:17:47
130 184 Elspeth Gibson L40 12 Wilmslow Running Club 1:18:00
131 209 Gail Hill L 34 Wilmslow Running Club 1:18:01
132 188 Greg Wilson V40 39 Swinton Running Club 1:19:17
133 290 Michael Poyser V50 21 Unattached 1:20:15
Bollington — TEAM RESULTS
NOTE: Unattached and non-counters are DELETED before teams are calculated
1 Wilmslow Running Club 16
2 Rob Downs
5 Trevor Morris
9 Mike Hill
2 Macclesfield Harriers & Ac 40
7 John Mooney
8 Mark Walker
25 Andrew McEvoy
3 Pennine Fell Runners 50
3 Steve Knowles
20 Paul Booth
27 Mark Cliff
4 Stockport Harriers & Ac 74
10 Charlie Bathu
11 Richard Marlton
53 Fiona Johnson
5 Penny Lane Striders 75
4 Lawrence Eccles
35 Simone Capponi
36 Andrew Keeley
6 Goyt Valley Striders 82
21 Stephen Bull
23 Nick Jefferson
38 Lucas Jones
7 Altrincham & District Ac 94
22 Bruce Humphrey
26 Sandra Lewis
46 AnnMarie Jones
8 Manchester Tri 298
94 Michelle Wilder
101 Becky Judson
103 Jennifer Johnson
9 Swinton Running Club 317
104 Tony Lee
105 Marc Royle
108 Greg Wilson
Great report Ian. Very interesting to see some of the names on the Bollington results – Geoff Gilbert, Gavin Mendham who used to be my competitors – and Nic Bishop was in his prime!