Race Date: Saturday 7th February 2026

My first race of the year was a Lancashire Walking Club 10km racewalk over on my side of the Pennines. After “thank you marshal” at Millhouses Parkrun off I went via the Snake Pass to Manchester. Awful weather driving over and it was raining when I did my warmup. Did I really want to do this? Amazingly enough (this was Manchester!) it stopped raining when it was time to race. It was a double out and back to Heaton Park for 10km. Ten lined up.

Off we went, I was in the lead but not pushing the pace, 17.06 at the first turnaround. I got passed as we headed back but I followed the leader to 5km (where he dropped out), 33.42 at halfway. Now clear in the lead but second place wasn’t that far back and I could hear him all the way. Working hard out to the park on lap two, feeling tired and left calf sore. 50.08 at turnaround, now trying to increase my lead. Pushed on harder with a mile to go and sped up again with 400m to go. In the last 100m I could hear him coming and I was passed just before the finish! The winner did 1:05:49, I was second in 1:05:51. Six finished the full distance and four did 5km.

I was pleased with my time but disappointed to lose by such a short margin. Still I have won a few Lancashire Walking Club races with a sprint finish over the years, so I got a taste of my own medicine! Nigel Shaw, who won the race, had won most of the club races last year but had been absent due to ill health. Looks like he has recovered.

I did a short recovery walk before we headed inside to get cleaned up and to have a cup of tea. It poured with rain all the way home.