THE blue hoops of Dudley Kingswinford Running Club were rubbing shoulders with the green and white hoops of Tipton Harriers last week as a sizeable group made the short trip across the Black Country to take part in the Andy Holden 5, a race held to commemorate a man many consider to be running royalty in these parts.

The former Tipton Harrier having represented his country in the 1970 Commonwealth Games, the 1972 Munich Olympics was remembered in this midweek mad blast along the local canal towpaths, towpaths that Holden regularly trod during his heyday.

The host club kept many of the prizes to themselves with Dean Bate taking first place in 26.34, Tom Holden claimed 2nd place in 26.55 and Harvey Maguire placed 3rd in 27.23.

Tipton’s Lynne Hill was first in the lady’s race in 32.15 from Sue Street-Hall in 33.02 making it a 1-2 for the home club, only Lizzie Watters of Birchfield, who finished in 33.22 to take third, prevented a clean sweep.

Stuart Perkins was first back for DK in 12th place in 30.02, Simon Blizzard was 20th in 31.38, Dave Norman 28th in 32.46, Mark Homer 29th in 32.46, Mick Quane 34th in 33.30, Mark Judge 36th in 33.36, Steve Parr 45th in 34.42, Sergej Lyubovnikov 56th in 35.49, Tracy Alderson 57th in 35.50, John Andrews 78th in 39.37, Cath Quane 96th in 42.25, Meg Dowen 117th in 47.03 and Sam Hemming was 121st in 48.52.

Elsewhere at the weekend a couple of DK runners travelled to Arley Hall in Cheshire for the Cheshire Half Marathon, having travelled together they ran round together with both recording the same gun times but Dave Ede just edged it on chip timing finishing in 1.50.47 compared to Paul Baker’s 1.50.49. And there was another couple seemingly running round hand in hand at the Trentham 10k with Alison and Keith Whitehouse finishing in the same time of 59.42, with Alison just getting the better of her husband in 142 with Keith a place behind.