Running against the odds

Running against the odds

AW
Published: 27th July, 2026
Updated: 28th July, 2026
BY Martin Duff

Leading masters runner Kirsty Longley defies a doctor's warning she'd never race again to win at Birkenhead Park.

BIRKENHEAD PARK 5 MILES, Merseyside, July 22

New W50 Kirsty Longley, who holds the British W45 best time for five miles, took the women’s race overall in 29:05.

She said: “I am very happy as six months ago I was told I would never run again with arthritis and a torn meniscus. It was my first race in nine weeks after injury, so was a fantastic solid start on a slow slightly long course.”

Kirsty Longley (David Hewitson)

Overall: 1 O Chadwick (Wallasey) 25:40

M50: 1 R Grantham (Wirr) 27:49

M60: 1 R Webster (Wallasey) 31:00

Women: 1 K Longley (Liv PS, W50) 29:05; 2 N Alleyn (Wirral) 30:06

W45: 1 D Mannhart (Warriors) 32:12

W50: 2 L Blizzard (Warr) 34:28

W60: 1 J Hickman (W Chesh) 35:25

MAGOR 10km, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, July 26, 2026

Overall: 1 M Rees (Swan) 32:11

Women: 1 D Morris (Builth, W40) 35:54

SOUTH CAVE 10km, East Yorkshire, July 26

Overall: 1 O Donkin (Barton) 30:48; 2 W Lewis (CoH) 31:00; 3 S Pearson (KuH, U18) 31:17

M60: 1 J Harlock (CoH) 38:44

Women: 1 B Briggs (CoH) 35:14; 2 N Curtis (Off Couch, W40) 37:21

HECKINGTON 10, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, July 25

Newark’s Edward Buck won by more than six minutes in a personal best 49:57.

Overall: 1 E Buck (Newark) 49:57; 2 S Simms (Newark) 56:01

M40: 1 T Hansen (Linc &D) 56:43

M50: 1 K White (Mil K) 59:37

Women: 1 C Thornton (Linc W) 58:39; 2 E Hodson (C&C) 61:37

W40: 1 N Burns (Linc W) 62:52

M SPORT 5km, Cockermouth, Cumbria, July 25

Kate Maltby, 41, won her fifth open race of the year and did so in 16:47.

Overall: 1 A Duncan (Cumb) 16:08

Women: 1 K Maltby (Border, W40) 16:47; 2 E Nielsen (Edem, W50) 20:00; 3 N McNally (Peni) 20:01

W70: 1 S Cain (N’hall) 24:50

NEWSTEAD ABBEY DASH 5km, Inc Notts Championship, July 24

Overall: 1 E Sankey (Mansf, U20) 14:54; 2 J Crutchley (Beest) 14:59; 3 J Lonsdale (Worksop) 15:00; 4 S McAlister (Mansf, U18) 15:06; 6 C McNally (Red RR) 15:17

M45: 1 D Magalela (L Eaton) 15:56

M55: 1 S Brinklow (L Eaton) 17:09

Women: 1 K Marsh (Notts) 17:49

W50: 1 H Gill (Mansf) 18:01l 2 S Combes (Worksop) 20:25

W55: 1 H Stout (L Eaton) 21:42

W65: 1 B Stevens (Mansf) 23:39

POWER of 5km, Lancaster, July 24

Overall (Race 1): 1 M Brown (Salf) 14:42; 2 W Wetherill (A’side) 14:58; 3 N Postill (Border) 15:04

M55: 1 P Freary (Belg) 16:59

Women: 1 E Navesey (Preston, W35) 17:57

W40: 1 N Sutton (Preston) 17:45

Overall (Race 2): 1 M Briggs (Helm) 15:45

M55: 1 J Ratcliffe (Herne H) 18:09

Women: 1 M Draper (Soton, U18) 18:48

WORSTEAD 5, Norfolk, July 24

Overall: 1 D Adams (Norw) 25:21

M45: 1 M Eccles (Bure) 27:29

M55:  T Marshall (R Next Sea) 28:26

Women: 1 L Finch (Bure) 29:43

W40: 1 H Carr (Wym) 31:20

W45: 1 L McConnell (Wym) 31:52

W60: 1 A Ransome (L Goat) 36:30

HEDDINGTON 5km SERIES Wiltshire, July 21

Overall: 1 B Cole (Swin, M40) 15:12

M50: 1 B Leggate (Ciren) 16:54

Women: 1 L Morrison (Swin) 17:30

W50: 1 J Rockliffe (W tempo) 20:04

W60: 1 D Hier (Avon VR) 22:05

STANDARD CHARTERED GREAT CITY 5km, London, July 21

Andrew Fyfe, who ran a 2:12:36 personal best in this year’s London Marathon, won by well over 40 seconds in 14:41.

Women’s winner Nancie Bowley was just one second outside her personal best, set in Battersea Park earlier this year, with a 16:09 clocking whilst, in third spot, 56-year-old Karima Harris ran 17:42.

Karima Harris (Cliff Hide)

Overall: 1 A Fyfe Belg) 14:41; 2 S Jinks (High) 15:23

M40: 1 C Busaileh (Kent) 15:45; 2 R McTaggart (B’mth) 15:46

Women: 1 N Bowley (Belg) 16:09; 2 D Smith (High) 17:30; 3 K Harris (High, W55) 17:42

W45: 1 Z Oldfield (Lought) 18:08

FRAMPTON 10km, Gloucestershire, July 20

Overall: 1 W Lewis 31:07

M60: 1 A Gardiner 35:42

Women: 1 A Tredgett (Sev) 37:14

W45: 1 K Jacobs (Ciren) 38:40

STRATHCLYDE PARK RACES, Motherwell, July 26

Overall (HM): Ewan McKerral 71:10

M50: Mark King 80:40

Overall (10km): Robbie Maher 33:55

M70: Terence Coyle 42:27

Women: 1 Rebecca Gray 36:52; 2 Eilidh Boyd 38:35

STROMNESS 10km, Stromness, July 25

Overall: 1 Benjaman Post 34:22; 2 Ewan Foubister 34:49

VICTORIA PARK 10km, Glasgow, July 24

Women: Hannah Nisbet 38:56

Multi-terrain

MONTANE LAKELAND 50, Coniston, July 26

Overall: 1 R Webb (La Spr, M40) 7:44:29; 2 R Forbes (Bilbo, M40) 7:45:40; 3 A Gray (Penic, M40) 7:47:07; 4 Daniel Weller 7:55:21; 5 J Atkinson (Ochil) 7:57:06; 6 Robert Trigwell 8:12:54

M60: Marcus Lancastle 11:44:28

M70: Malcolm Cox 13:31:05

Women: 1 Katie Sijpesteijn (W40) 8:23:21; 2 Charlotte Fisher 8:40:45; 3 R Collins (Dallam) 9:34:29; 4 L Nicholls (North’tn R, W40 9:35:53

W50: Linda Wolfenden 10:43:58

W60: H Allan (Turb) 14:12:40

Fell running

JAMES HERIOT RACE, Leyburn, July 26

Overall (14km/305m, results taken to two decimal places of a minute): 1 S Chotai (Ilkley) 53.73; 2 M Cardus (Sett) 55.52; 3 Ian Cocks (M40) 60.57; 4 Ryan Dunn (Sett) 60.77; 5 N Patrick (Lon FR, M40) 61:42; 6 R Bergstrand (N Yrk M, M60) 68:61

M70: A Stokes Dallam) 82:23

TEAM: Lon FR 271.13

Women: 1 Milly Heseltine 71.50; 2 Colleen Fotherby (Nidder) 73.22; 3 Lisa Molus 75.35; 4 R Howard (Quak, W40) 75.85

W50: F Brewer 76:28

W60: A Eagle (Upp Wharf) 80:93

TEAM: Swale 358.59

Mixed: TEAM: Lon FR 215.22

ALDERMAN’S ASCENT (English championships counter), Oldham, July 25

Overall (8.5km/400m): 1 B Rothery (Ilkley) 35:21; 2 T Crudgington (Newc) 35:37; 3 S Bentham (Ilkley) 37:01; 4 M Walker (Miloc) 37:14; 5 R Sparkes (Bev) 37:23; 6 D Haworth (Mat) 37:45; 7 C Allmond (Amble) 37:55; 8 O Dawson (N Fells) 38:01; 9 G Foster (Kesw, M40) 38:03; 10 H Webb (D Peak) 38:07

M45: G Greenhow (Amble) 39:58

M50: R Hope (Horw) 41:01

M55: G Mulholland (Calder V) 41:20

M60: E Fowler (Mercia) 47:56

M65: M Johnson (Bowl) 48:15

M70: S Entwisle (Penn) 55:25

TEAM: 1 Dark Pk 91; 2 Kesw 108; 3 Wharf 244; 4 Calder V 268; 5 Penn 308

Women: 1 E Cowper-Coles (Dark Pk) 43:15; 2 S Willhoit (Mercia) 43:27; 3 C Lambert (Kesw) 43:50; 4 S McCormack (Amble) 44:23; 5 H Haigh (Holm, W50) 45:05; 6 L Watson (Dark Pk) 46:47; 7 P Cooke (Ack) 47:02; 8 M Browne (Wharf) 47:13; 9 C MacDonald (Morp) 48:07; 10 A Walker (SHUOC) 48:24; 11 I Trinder (G’dale) 48:25; 12 P Wardley (Dark Pk) 48:51

W55: J Powell (Wharf) 54:17

W60: E Batt (Dark Pk) 56:37

W65: K Brierley (Tod) 62:49

TEAM: 1 Dark Pk 19; 2 Wharf 53; 3 Mercia 57; 4 B Combe 70; 5 Calder V 86

HARROCK HILL RACE SERIES, Bispham, July 23

Overall (5M/900ft: 1 J Goudge (Horw, M55) 34:03; 2 M Brussels (SHS) 34:11; 3 O Sutcliffe (Liv PS) 34:17; 4 J Mcleod (Acc RR, M40) 34:25; 5 F Rafferty (S’port W, M55) 34:35; 6 D Procter (Liv PS) 34:58

M60: A Bramham (Horw) 39:45

M65: T Harvey (Liv PS) 41:53

Women: 1 R Fitzsimmons (Chorlton) 41:27; 2 G Beesley (Liv PS) 42:47; 3 H Fairclough (Penny L, W40) 42:52; 4 S Leonard (BWF) 43:04

W45: R Yates (Liv PS) 44:07

W50: L Cusak (Penny L) 51:40

W60: C James (S’port W) 51:43

W65: Maureen Wallymahmed 56:41

M70: G Schofield (Chorly) 60:29

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