NWFPAC ‘Michael Page’ Championship 2026 – Race 3: Oldham Parkrun

Our latest race in the calendar saw 14 of us making the trip to Oldham.  The weather on the drive down the M61 suggested it was going to be a soggy run and had me questioning, not for the first time, whether there were other hobbies I could get involved in.

Alexandra Park in Oldham is a lovely one for a parkrun, with nice wide paths, a few little slopes to dig your feet into, a beautiful pond complete with fountain, and a nice shelter to stow away post run clothing (the rain thankfully held off).  A great set up for a NWFPAC race, which clearly enticed the higher numbers.  The route was a three-lap course with a few hills, and the final lap containing a nice little woodland run, ending with a downhill and flat finish perfect for a sprint, more on that later.

The race briefing listed out several milestone runs, including 25 parkruns all the way up to 200. And the NWFPAC attendance also celebrated a few milestone parkruns – Mike Ginn ran his 100^th (!) and, to my surprise, I ran my 50^th.

To the start, and I was so busy chatting with Nicola and Dave that the run started with Nicola and I facing the wrong way – a great start….

Setting off I was among those to get giddy about the slight uphill at the start followed by a nice long downhill, meaning that once I caught up Nicola, she stated she had set off far too quick, which meant I clearly had too.  The first lap involved Nicola and I swapping positions several times, both aware of that extra point on offer.  However, by the end of the first lap, Nicola was firmly ahead but still within reaching distance.  I decided I would try and keep in her slipstream, and if possible, try for a last-minute push. By the third lap I thought I had left it too late but then the woodland arrived.  I thought this would be where I came into my own, seen as I am normally spotted in trail shoes rather than roads, however the combination of pushing to keep up with Nicola and the blocking by a fellow parkrunner every time I tried to take the racing line meant that I saw Nicola slowly getting away from me.  Well, I couldn’t let that happen.

The last downhill I decided to just go for it and put on my flying legs.  It was quite a long sprint, but I was doing it, reeling her in, I could taste the extra point.  That was until Mike Ginn kindly told Nicola I was gaining on her, meaning that she gave one final push and pipped me to the line by a split second (see the same finishing time).  Thanks Mike.

It turns out, there were a few of us in tight races, with Dave Simmons and Emily Kelly also finishing at the exact same time, but Emily benefitting from 7 extra points due her gender placing.  There were some standout performances, with 4 PBs – well done to Briony Fagan, Tom Grime, Chris Essex and Barry Davies, and also saw Aisha Anwar taking the win for the women (not forgetting the fact that her other half also stormed the run with a finish of just over 16 minutes).

A huge well done to everyone who took part and hopefully see you at the next one.