NWFPAC ‘Michael Page’ Championship 2026 – Race 4: Yarrow River 10k Trail

Race 4 of the 2026 championship took us to Yarrow Country Park in Chorley, and what a day for it. A glorious sunny May morning greeted what was a fantastic NWFPAC turnout.

The Yarrow River Bluebell 10k is, on paper, a scenic one-lap out-and-back through woodland following the River Yarrow, with the bluebells in full bloom. In practice, it is a rather more character-building affair: undulating, technical underfoot (for this road runner), and deceptively unforgiving for those who like their 10ks to behave like 10ks. Which brings me neatly to the navigation.

It would be generous to say the field was split on route fidelity. Dave crossed the line having clocked 6.4 miles on his watch, a full half km of bonus effort courtesy of an unscheduled scenic detour. I think that next year's championship rules committee (Dave) might consider awarding bonus points to those who successfully stay on course, alas I was also not one of them.

The course does at least feature two river crossings which is rather novel, though one of them felt entirely optional with a brief detour off the path for the sole purpose of getting your feet wet. At least it comes near the end. Last year's report from Josh had something to say about Goretex trail shoes and the Yarrow River. Briony, I hope yours fared better.

Now. To the elephant in the room - or rather, the ringer on the start line.

Regular readers of this newsletter will recall that Race 1 at Wythenshawe saw a certain strategic deployment that raised a few eyebrows. I make no apology for consistency. Once again, I arrived with my longstanding secret weapon: and once again, the points gods smiled accordingly, leaving me level on maximum points with Tom Grime. I'm sure Tom will have thoughts about this; Tom, I look forward to your reply.

And what a near-miss for an historic NWFPAC (and friends) podium. Marv took the win overall, Tom stormed home in second, and Mike Ginn - running superbly - finished a very close 4th, just pipped to the bronze by the narrowest of margins.  Mike shared the 18 points with Briony who also claimed 4th in the ladies race.

A special mention must go to Adrian, who is fast becoming the unofficial veteran of this particular race with 4^th place overall last year, and this year leading his Pembroke and Sefton AC team to the win.

And to Nicola: congratulations on claiming the V45 ladies prize, a thoroughly well-deserved result on what was a proper trail effort. Sadly, puppy duties meant she wasn't there to collect.

All in all - a brilliant morning. Sunshine, bluebells (some anyway), river crossings, technical-ish terrain and strong NWFPAC representation. And the finest post-race tradition of all: a drink in the sun outside the pub. Kudos to Sian and Emily, the only two smart enough to have brought sunglasses. Dave: I'm casting my vote now for more races that finish at a pub.

A huge well done to everyone who took part and hopefully see you at another race soon.