Report by: Tony Bell

Race Date: 2nd September 2023

As well as running for Steel City Striders I also racewalk for Lancashire Walking Club. On Monday nights I do some racewalk training here in Sheffield with a training group containing some fast younger walkers. However, the Lancashire Walking Club group are somewhat older. My two racewalk worlds came together at the Lancashire Walking Club “Lambert Trophy” track walk at Bury on Saturday 2nd September. My speedy 16 year old training partner Ellis, English Schools International, came along with me over the Pennines to do a 1 hour track race. Ellis will turn 17 next year and will be racing 10km in championships, so he came to practice racing for about 10km.

Normally in a race we all try and get to the finish as fast as possible within the rules. In this case there is no finish line, you just try and walk as far as possible in an hour. It is done on a track so as to make it easy to measure the distance (provided you don’t lose count of the laps).

I had won this race in the past but I knew with Ellis this wouldn’t happen. I was soon in 3rd place, I did briefly get passed to go into 4th by one of my clubmates but then he slowed and I got back into 3rd. I was OK to 5km but then the warm weather took its toll and I slowed, still maintaining 3rd. Ellis lapped me twice as he won the race, I was almost 4 laps down on my best distance in this event.

Full results here.

1st. Ellis Simmonds (2DASH) 10077m

3rd. Tony Bell (Lancashire Walking Club) 9120m

8 finished

Photo shows my lonely walk in 3rd place.