Radcliffe runners battled against mud and wind

Date published: 30 August 2011

Two Radcliffe AC runners took on the Gin Pit Marathon on Bank Holiday Monday battling against mud and wind.

Paul Rushton and Kevin McGilvray ran the six lap event at Tyldesley with Rushton clocking 4hrs 2mins 23secs and McGilvray running 4hrs 8mins 30secs. The event was a low key friendly marathon on trails around the area with a section in Lilford Park and they were using the event as training for the Robin Hood Marathon in two weeks. On hand on the course to keep them going was McGilvray's wife Anne Marie, also a Radcliffe member.

For McGilvray it was a busy weekend he had already joined four other members on Saturday running the Chipping Show Fell Race, Bowland, a tough 7.5 mile race with 1,800 feet of climbing. Early torrential rain made the course boggy but conditions during the event were good.

McGilvray (V55) was a first home for Radcliffe in 1hr 31mins 17secs followed by George Critchley (V50) clocking 1hr 32mins 40secs, despite a wrong turn.

First Radcliffe woman was Anne Marie McGilvray (V45) in 1hr 40mins 06secs followed by Mark Murphy (V40) in 1hr 43mins 14secs and Kath Davies (V45) in 1hr 46mins 54 secs.

The event was part of the Run The Moors grand prix the club takes part in and members agreed it was one of the toughest in the series.