On the 9th November, Grantham Running Club member Dale Towning crowned his amazing year of becoming a fully-fledged ultra runner by taking on the 10th Warrington Way 40 mile trail ultramarathon. Organised by Lymm Runners, the event offered various distances including the solo 40, and relay 10 and 20 milers.
The race starts and finishes in the Cheshire village of Lymm, about 5 miles east of Warrington and runners follow a route mostly on tracks, footpaths, field crossings and country lanes to circumnavigate the town of Warrington anticlockwise. The route is waymarked with tape markers, though runners must carry maps and be able to self-navigate.
This was Dale’s 4th ultra marathon this year and he set off determined to beat his previous 40-mile time set at the Grim Reaper in May. He absolutely loved the route, which offered all sorts of conditions, from sloppy muddy trails to dry roads with stunning views along the way.
Keeping a consistently strong pace throughout, Dale smashed his old PB by an hour, crossing the line at a sprint at 8:23:12. Thrilled to bits with such a fantastic result, he will definitely be back next year, citing the event as his favourite so far.
The winner of the men’s race was Roy Harries from Stockport Harriers in 4:49:41 and the first female was Charlotte Beddow from GB Ultras in 5:59:50.
Photos by Brian Tuohey Photography
