Three teams took on the north west’s best at the North West Road Relays while 21 of our members made the short-trip to chase PBs at the Knutsford 10k!
North West Road Relays
The North West Road Relays are an annual event in which runners representing clubs from Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire compete against each other in a different area of the north-west. This year Greater Manchester were the hosts, and the North-West Road Relays took place in Heaton Park, Manchester.
We entered one U16 Boys’ team and two Senior Men’s teams this year. Those of you who have raced cross-country at Heaton Park will know that the park is hilly and that there are very few flat areas! The U16s each completed a lap of 3.3k each which included one loop of an extremely undulating section while the senior men completed 5.2k which included two loops of the same rollercoaster-like section.
The U16 Boys’ team consisted of Gus Fisher, Oscar Furness, and Tom Ardron. The boys raced strongly and were able to finish as the 8th team out of 36 as well as the 2nd best Cheshire team! In addition, Gus Fisher’s time of 10.20 was the quickest lap time of all 108 competitors!
| Name | Chip time |
| Gus Fisher (Leg 1) | 10:20 |
| Oscar Furness (Leg 2) | 12:01 |
| Tom Ardron (Leg 3) | 12:35 |
The senior men’s ‘A’ team consisted of Matthew Walker, Olly Cook, Cian Taylor, and Will Stewart while the ‘B’ team consisted of Tom Shirley, Nathan Finnis, Owain Morris, and Graeme Eddie. The ‘A’ team’s combined time of 71:23 was enough for them to finish 28th of 107 teams while the ‘B’ team’s combined time of 90:38 saw them finish 84th.
| Name | Chip time |
| Matthew Walker (A1) | 16:43 |
| Olly Cook (A2) | 19:23 |
| Cian Taylor (A3) | 18:41 |
| Will Stewart (A4) | 16:35 |
| Tom Shirley (B1) | 21:48 |
| Nathan Finnis (B2) | 25:02 |
| Owain Morris (B3) | 22:34 |
| Graeme Eddie (B4) | 21:14 |
Competing in the North West Road Relays and racing as part of a team was a great opportunity for all eleven of our athletes. It would be great to also field a ladies’ and a girls’ team next year!
Congratulations to everyone who took part in the North West Road Relays! Full results are available here.
Knutsford 10k
Taking place in the quiet lanes to the south-east of Knutsford, this race is both rapid and scenic! The added assistance of pacers means that this is a race which is well-attended by those chasing PBs.
Our fastest runner was Mark Walker whose time of 33:39 was also enough to see him claim 2nd MV45. Rob Whitby and Harry Hammon were the second and third male Macclesfield Harriers to finish, completing the course in 34:20 and 36:13, respectively. Harry Newton claimed the MV85 prize in a time of 71:24.
Our fastest lady, Kate Hamilton-Ryan, completed the course in 40:02, missing out on a sub-40 time by just 3 seconds, but claiming first place in the FV55 category. She was followed by Sue Stockdale in 44:38 and Kate Franklin in 49:56.
| Name | Chip time |
| Mark Walker | 33:39 |
| Rob Whitby | 34:20 |
| Harry Hammon | 36:13 |
| Dave Chambers | 37:31 |
| Andy Burns | 39:28 |
| Luke Humphreys | 39:55 |
| Kate Hamilton-Ryan | 40:02 |
| Olly Cook | 40:51 |
| Carl Barnard | 41:55 |
| Colin Hill | 42:01 |
| Graeme Eddie | 42:17 |
| Owain Morris | 42:51 |
| Ray O’Keefe | 43:46 |
| Rob Gorton | 44:24 |
| Sue Stockdale | 44:38 |
| Gareth Stockdale | 47:21 |
| Kate Franklin | 49:56 |
| Ava Rowlands | 51:41 |
| Ian Humphreys | 51:49 |
| Kirsty-Jane Birch | 68:08 |
| Harry Newton | 71:24 |
Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Knutsford 10k! Full results are available here.
Standings, recent marathons, and upcoming races
The standings for the 2026 Road Running Championship will be updated after every race and can be accessed at the link below. Thirteen men and two women have now completed six qualifying races. Mark Walker’s points haul from the Knutsford 10k see him jump into second place, just three points behind Rob Whitby. Kristy Thorp and Sue Stockdale remain the only two ladies to have ran six qualifying races, with Kristy holding a narrow two-point lead over Sue.
2026 Road Running Club Championship Standings
Marathon results also count for points in this year’s Road Running Club Championship, so please submit your results to the Road Running Manager, Owain Morris, if you would like your score to be added.
Our next three fixtures are detailed below
- Macclesfield Running Festival (5k, 10k, HM) – Sunday, October 18th
- Flying Fox 10 Miles – Sunday, November 1st
- Cheddleton 10k – Saturday, 28th
Please note that the Congleton Half Marathon due to be held on Sunday, October 4th has been postponed until January!
We look forward to racing with you soon!