NWFPAC ‘Michael Page’ Championship 2023 – Race 6: Fletcher Moss Parkrun

When Dave’s pre-race email landed in our inboxes on Thursday, it was evident that Fletcher Moss Parkrun would feature fierce competition for valuable championship points. At the Quarry Bank Trail 10k, you could secure a minimum of 13 points by simply buying an entry before it sold out (or if you were Adrian, by having a secret handshake with someone who works at Run North West). However, with 17 runners expected at Fletcher Moss, we all knew that points would be much harder to come by.

I arrived fashionably early, giving me ample time for a warm-up jog with Charlie. As we jogged along, Charlie confessed his burning desire for sweet revenge against Tim after he narrowly beat him by less than a second at Quarry Bank.

And just when our spirits were high in mid-warm-up, we spotted Max Bridge breezing past us in the opposite direction. At that point it was evident that Max had discovered the elusive "accept" button next to “Tentative” in his Outlook, and given his ability, we knew that was likely another point lost.

As we all gathered at the start line, I couldn't help but notice the sea of carbon race shoes on show. To absolutely no one’s surprise, I was wearing my carbons too, but imagine the shock when Steven Henderson, renowned for his ability to take maximum points in a pair of vintage Brooks Glycerins, decided to join the carbon club. Clearly, we were all in for a speedy ride.

Shortly after 9am, under grey and drizzly conditions, we set off. Max and Steven immediately surged to the front, with Mike and me not too far behind. As the first kilometer flew by, Max and Steven started to pull away into the distance, and it was clear that those two would be battling it out for the top spot. I was determined to keep Mike within my sights, hoping he would eventually make a wrong turn or develop a sudden craving for ice cream.

Fletcher Moss is one of my favourite Parkruns. The course is run on meandering trail paths with gently undulating terrain. The pleasant and varied scenery keeps the mind occupied, providing a nice distraction from a hard 5k race effort.

Around the 4km mark, I reluctantly accepted that catching up to Mike seemed unlikely. Yet, I stuck to my plan, trailing close enough to keep him glancing over his shoulder at every bend. In the end, Mike finished 12 seconds ahead of me in 18:03. Little did I know, I should have been more concerned with who was behind me. Stephen Grice crossed the line just 11 seconds after me, with Charlie hot on his heels, finishing 2 seconds later. No epic photo finish this time, but well done to both Stephen and Charlie for their 18:26 and 18:28, respectively, and snagging course personal bests along the way. Charlie did, however, get his coveted revenge on Tim, who finished a couple of places behind with a time of 19:17. This was at least a course PB for Tim, providing him some consolation.

In the podium positions, Steven took 1st place with a sizzling 16:52 (course PB). Max followed behind, securing 2nd place with an impressive time of 17:25. Daria's remarkable effort of 21:20 (course PB) earned her a well-deserved 3rd place overall. Congratulations to all the podium finishers for their exceptional performances!

Further congratulations to Alan Reynolds and Josh Nelson, who also achieved course personal bests with times of 20:57 and 21:21 respectively. And of course, well done to everyone else who turned up and raced - it was great to have so many of us out there.

As the adrenaline settled, we gathered for post-race festivities at the Didsbury Sports Ground Clubhouse. Coffee flowed, laughter echoed, and, in true NWFPAC race day fashion, we forgot to take a group photo.