BURY AC’s senior athletes were out and about in what was generally a quiet weekend for club competition.

On Saturday it was once again a double victory for Bury’s athletes in the Heaton Park 5k Parkrun. Josh Birmingham prevailed in a battle with Rossendale’s Joe Moores and was rewarded with a new personal best of 16mins 04secs.

Byron Edwards was third in 16.53 while Ian Warrington, making his Bury AC debut, took fifth place in 17.36 knocking a massive 26 seconds off his previous best for the course.

Next home was Chris Whittaker, also making his debut for the club and crossing the line in 18.31.

Sarah Thomas increased her number of Parkrun victories to 46 as she notched up yet another win in a time of 18.55. Bury other top 50 finishers in the field of over 800 runners were Matthew Garside in 37th position in 20.13. Bury’s other finishers included Lizzi Cheshire (22.31), Ed Hitchin (23.48), Pater Henderson (27.38) and Pam Hitchin (28.23).

Sunday saw athletes battling the conditions on the Blackpool seafront in the Great North West Half Marathon.

Paul Johnston shrugged away Storm Dennis and set a new personal best of 1:23.14 to take 12th place overall and second V40. Rachel Marshall, in her debut over the distance, completed the course in 1:37.40 to finish as eighth woman but first in the V40 age category. New member, Victoria Osten, took second place in the Lancaster Valentine’s 10k in a very respectable time of 41.58.

A number of Bury’s junior athletes were selected to represent Greater Manchester in the Regional Sports Hall Athletics Championships.

The event was hosted at Sportcity and the young athletes who made the county team from Bury included Jantzen White, Oliver Cooper, Anna Gisbourne, Devonne Samuels, Blessing Idoku, Jayden Barlow and Grace Gibson.