This evening was round 2 of the summer run calender for the Arrowe park run🏃🏃.

With many of the VRR runners away on holiday ✈🏄🏊 27 met to run one of the toughest and longest runs through Arrowe park to Irby and back.

Great weather conditions ⛅ are always a bonus and tonight was no exception even if a little humid.

Bit of a trail run and opportunities to run on roads, tracks, grass, mud and horse muck 🐎 😂😂

The run isn’t easy whether you opted to take on the 7 miles or shorter route as the uphill slog through Arrowe park is unavoidable 😕.

For the ones who wanted to go ‘the extra mile’ 💪 then it’s a wicked one from the Irby Mill pub up to Irby village.

Everyone ran fantastic of course 🏃🏃👍🙌🙌 and it wasn’t long before we were back and heading off for our well earned customary post run food and drinks 🍟🍝🍺🍻at the Arrowe park pub.

We are grateful as always for being made very welcome 🙋 even though we were rather hot and sweaty 🙈 🙈

Great food and drink .🍻🍺🍝🍟.great company 👬👭👫 lots of laughs .😊😊….oh and a bit of running🏃🏃 to end another VRR gathering 😃

Jo Dutton

The month got off to a slow start as there weren’t too many races entered, but as the month progressed, more people were out and about! So here’s a summary but of course it doesn’t include the weekly park runs or the charity event which so many took part in.

This month approximately 291 miles were run in races.

As always, if I’ve missed anyone out please let me know!

Tour of Merseyside 52 miles

Carolyn Brennan, Anne Fleming, Trish Monks

Whitehaven harbour 5k

Charlie Anderson

Bolton Ironman

Alex Hughes

Deva Diva sprint Triathlon

Rachel Keenan, Donna Mckeown, Mo Osborne, Laura Reece

Walton Hall 5k

John Milward

Aintree 10k

Tony Clixby, Barry Cottier, Dave Leece, Brian Seal

Aintree half marathon

Freya Evangaline

Helena Tipping 10k

Charlie Anderson , Johnnyboy Brown, Mark Critchley, Dave Leece, Donna Mckeown

July seaside run

Tony Clixby, Dermot Gough, Jack Kiley, Steve Leslie, Donna Mckeown

Sandra Riley

🌞🌞🌞 A great turnout of 34 runners 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️though one runner over slept from an afternoon nap 😴😴 Jack Kiley 😂😂,for one of the favourite runs on the summer calendar where we all trudge through the beautiful scenery of Thornton Hough, acoss the fields of 🐄🐄 dodging all the cow pats on the way 💩💩 but not being able to escape the flies and mosquitoes 🦟🦟. Because of the conditions some chose to take the shorter 5 mile route at a leisurely pace with the hardened runners tackling the full route 🥵🥵🥵 This after Tuesday when it was equally as hot so well done all 👏👏👏 and on my birthday too 🎂🍺🍺.Afterwards of course a well earned drink, though there was a split in the group..Stags or Stars🦌 In a scene reminiscent of the house of commons , the eyes to the left 👀 voted to stay at the stars 🍺🍺, the noes to the right chose the stags 🦌🍺🍺🍔🍜🍗🍟🐟 Using the warm evening conditions to go al fresco , we even dodged the predicted ⚡⚡🌦 thunderstorms. Next week promises to be a bit cooler at Arrowe Park.👍

Johnnyboy Brown

Congratulations to Ian Evans for winning a bottle of Prosecco. His was the nearest guess to the correct answer of 47 years 11 – the average age of the 100 affiliated runners in the VRR club. 👏🏻👏🏻

Great evening for a run round Eastham country park 🏃🏃🏃

33 runners gathered and were given the usual briefing of ..staying together👭👭 ….staying with someone who knew where they were going..problem was ‘did anyone actually know where they were going?’ Or were they making it up along the way?’

Not going down any paths on their own..in case they got lost..like so many have before 😕 18 men 15 ladies ….2 having already run from the village hotel to Eastham !!🏃🏃 just a little warm up ?? Set off into the woods. 🌳🌲This run is harder than you think 💪 ..at least if you run uphill you do get to run downhill. 😊

It wasn’t long before individuals and groups were running in various directions ↗↖⤴⤵ and crossing paths.

We were lucky to have VRR marshals at different points thanks to Jenny, Sharon, Linda and Alistair for sending us in the right direction 😆.

Grandad Dave did his usual running commentary 🙉 of how lucky we are to have such great places to run…with great views etc etc …why would you run down a road when you can run here?

Dave is right though the park is made for running ..the paths are well maintained, tonight the ground was just right,, the light was shining through the trees 🌳 🌳 ..making it a perfect summer evening run.

Judging by the varying times ⌚runners arrived back is an indication of how many different routes / distances you can take …thankfully no one got lost.. all home safely …

Well done Freya 🙌🙌 whose name was drawn to win the holiday 🌞 👙🏊 (courtesy of Alejandra) for taking part in the charity run/walk last weekend😄.

Then it was over the road for drinks 🍺🍻 at ‘the Tap’..lots of banter, laughs and crisps to end yet another great Summer run..👍👍

Congratulations to Freya who won the holiday!

Ian’s name was pulled out as the winner of the draw on Tuesday but having already booked several holidays over the coming year, he feels he hasn’t got time for another. He was delighted to have won but is now reluctantly declining SO THERE WILL BE A SECOND DRAW TONIGHT AFTER THE RUN!

🎉🎉🎉👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

A bottle is Prosecco is up for grabs here! Dave has set a challenge after a comment by Neil last night.

What’s the average age of affiliated VRR runners? Answer in years and months.

Whoever gets the correct – or nearest- answer to Dave by next Tuesday’s run wins the prize!

GOOD LUCK!

😉🍸🍸🏃🏻‍♂️🤔

Following further donations from VRR members, the current total raised from Saturday’s event is £409. After last night’s run, the draw was made by Alejandra for a week’s stay in her Tenerife apartment and the winner is Ian Hayhoe. As he wasn’t present, Tony called him this morning and reports he sounded delighted to have won! Congratulations to him!

The final total from the collection from the charity run was £369. Thank you to all who so generously donated. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Anyone who ran will have their name put in the draw for a week’s apartment stay in north Tenerife- this will be drawn after Tuesday’s run. If you ran but don’t want your name in the hat please message me. Thank you!