VALE Royal Athletics Club achieved unprecedented success in the Northern Athletics Road Relays staged in Manchester at the weekend.
While the senior women's team of Sarah Dufour-Jackson, Abigail Howarth, Kate Moulds and Holly Weedall equalled the club's best performance with a bronze medal, the fifth-place finish by the men's team featuring Raif Serif, Chris Perry, Matt McCormack, Jake Wilson, Andrew Miles and Daniel Lloyd has never been bettered by the club.
To cap that, both men's sides – thanks to the B team's 21st place – have qualified for the National Road Relays in Royal Sutton Coldfield on October 8.
Furthermore on Sunday, Alice Gale, Sophie Harding and Hope Smith took the bronze medal in the under 17s women's race.
In total 54 of the club's runners took part in the event at the Etihad Campus, where relay legs that started and finished on the track at the City of Manchester Stadium included the environs of the football ground and adjacent car parks.
As well as within the team successes, fine individual performances are acknowledged by Imogen Ward, Alex Macnab and Eva Jha in the younger age groups.
And the first medal success came for the under 17s men's B team of Rhys Bowden, Jack O'Reilly and Thomas Corwood whose 11th place out of 23 made them the first B team to finish.
The under 17s men's A team narrowly missed out on a bronze medal, finishing fourth overall after a fine first leg by Isaac Leydon whose fourth position was maintained by Thomas Taylor and Robbie Price.
In the under 17s women's A team success, Hope Smith ran the fifth fastest leg overall on the final leg to overhaul both Trafford AC and Liverpool Harriers to take the bronze medal.
Holly Weedall, the youngest and fastest member of the senior women's team, ran superbly on the final leg to secure the bronze medal.
Her time was the seventh fastest on the day.
With the top 25 men's teams, to a maximum of two teams per club, guaranteed entry into the National Relays it proved to be a red-letter day for the club.
The A team's best ever fifth-place finish did so racing against 107 other teams and the B team of Ryan Moore, Matt Rowlinson, Harry Dexter, Aaron Doyle, Jacob Brown and Alex Doyle confirmed double joy through their 21st-place finish.
Elsewhere, Vale Royal's Debbie Broad was selected to represent England Masters in the vet 55 age category in the Great Bristol 10K on Sunday.
It was her first England vest and her time of 41:40 made her sixth in her age group on the day.
Her time was also a new Vale Royal AC age-record.
Northern Athletics Road Relays Results:
U13W VRAC "A" 8th 42:44 30 teams:
Imogen Ward (5) 13:37
Nancy Carrington (7) 14:23
Ella Harvey (8) 14:44
U13W VRAC "B" 27th 48:19:
Lily Coates (28) 15:17
Martha Bright (29) 16:07
Mia Broughton (27) 16:55
U15M VRAC "A" 28th 39:18 41 teams:
Alex Macnab (6) 11:24 8th= fastest leg
Theo Wassall (15) 12:47
Thomas Messenger (28) 15:07
U15M VRAC "B" 39th 43:21:
Ethan Price (44) 14:11
Tom Jenkins (44) 14:55
Noah Simpson (39) 14:15
U15W VRAC "A" 12th 40:48 40 teams:
Erin Carney (24) 13:57
Zoe Broughton (22) 14:30
Eva Jha (12) 12:21 5th= fastest leg
U15W VRAC "B" 37th 47:21:
Lauren Weedall (38) 15:03
Alexandra Sayers (40) 16:24
Ruby Carrington (37) 15:54
U17M VRAC "A" 4th 36:33 23 teams:
Isaac Leydon (4) 11:50 8th fastest leg
Thomas Taylor (4) 12:27
Robbie Price (4) 12:16
U17M VRAC "B" 11th 38:12 1st "B" team:
Rhys Bowden (18) 12:47
Jack O'Reilly (12) 12:33
Thomas Corwood (11) 12:52
U17W VRAC "A" 3rd 41:35 18 teams:
Alice Gale (6) 13:53
Sophie Harding (5) 14:08
Hope Smith (3) 13:34 5th fastest leg
SW VRAC "A" 3rd 94:59 82 teams:
Sarah Dufour-Jackson (6) 23:45
Abigail Howarth (5) 23:50
Kate Moulds (4) 24:10
Holly Weedall (3) 23:14 7th fastest leg
SW VRAC "B" 22nd 105:24:
Isobel Ashcroft (28) 25:32
Ellie Bushill (22) 26:21
Hollie Carrington (20) 26:37
SM VRAC "A" 5th 124:35 108 teams:
Raif Serif (23) 20:50
Chris Perry (7) 20:08
Matt McCormack (6) 21:04
Jake Wilson (6) 21:02
Andrew Miles (4) 20:49
Daniel Lloyd (5) 20:42
SM VRAC "B" 21st 131:28:
Ryan Moore (46) 21:43
Matt Rowlinson (34) 21:37
Harry Dexter (27) 21:20
Aaron Doyle (23) 21:36
Jacob Brown (21) 22:30
Alex Doyle (21) 22:42
SM VRAC "C" 71st 144:43:
Elliot Davies-Hayes (87) 23:44
Stuart Doyle (83) 23:30
Charlie Weaver (85) 24:35
George Frost (71) 23:34
Oliver Williams (67) 23:44
Matthew Haslam (71) 25:36
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