On Sunday, Lostock AC entered their first ever team in the Lee Mills Relay race, based in Rossendale, Lancashire, running from Stubbylee Hall, writes Samantha Sale.

Teams are made up of four - men, ladies or mixed.

The relay event starts in the Lee Mill Quarry site, for teams of four runners. All four runners will run individually over a 10.7k flagged course.

This popular fell relay is a firm favourite with many clubs, and has earned a reputation for excessive bogs, wintery conditions and great camaraderie over the years and the bog were no exception this year although the weather was a little kinder.

The team , called ‘GoldiLOSTOCK and the 3 bears’ consisting of James Jackson, Tony Marlow, Josie Greenhalgh and Chris Taylor was actually entered in last years event which was cancelled but roll forward 12 months and they were greeted with reasonably clement weather for the end of November.

Jackson was off first in the adrenaline fuelled mass start. 85 runners belted up the narrow lane and up onto the fellside. The early runners had some morning mist to cope with but it soon burned off and after a leg of 68 minutes James handed over to Chris Taylor for leg 2.

The going underfoot was very heavy to say the least and if you weren’t careful, it was easy to fall into waist deep bogs as some runners indeed did. Taylor posted a time of 74 minutes for the 10km course and Leg 3 saw Marlow take over as the sunshine appeared before happily handing over to Greenhalgh after 71 minutes.

Greenhalgh flew round, making a easy work of the underfoot conditions in a brilliant time of 61 minutes, for a team time of 4hrs 36 mins and 46th overall out of the 85 starting teams.

On the other side of Lancashire, a five strong Lostock team of Jordan Sunter, Albert and Michele Sunter, Melissa Anglesea and Mark “Checkers” Checkley took part in the David Staff Memorial race, a fast five mile race with 1200ft of elevation.

The start of this race changed a couple of years ago, after floods washed away the path around the top of Sunnyhurst Woods in Darwen. What used to be a short but steep scramble out of the woods, is now less steep but much faster.

The route climbs out of Sunnyhurst Woods, crosses Earnsdale Reservoir dam then climbs on tracks and paths to Darwen Tower.

Runners continued along the western side of the moor, drop steeply down Aggie’s Staircase then climb again before dropping down on the other side.

A third climb follows, up the main track towards the Tower but cuts off right to join the outwards route before reaching the summit. Runners then retrace their steps back to the bandstand.

Jordan Sunter was first home for Lostock in a brilliant 38mins 43secs followed by dad, Albert Sunter in 39:26.

Next to cross the line and 1st FV60 was Michelle Sunter in a fantastic 47:01, followed swiftly by Melissa Anglesea in 48:02. Mark Checkley rec was next over the line for Lostock finishing in a respectable 57:12.