RECORDS tumbled as hundreds of runners took to the roads around Birchwood and Croft yesterday for the 41st Birchwood 10K, organised by Warrington running club Spectrum Striders.
The popular annual race got underway at 10 am from Birchwood Shopping Centre, with competitors tackling a fast, accurately measured 10km course through Birchwood and towards the rural village of Croft before returning to a finish near the shopping centre.
The event is regarded as one of the area’s established summer running fixtures, attracting runners of a wide range of abilities, from experienced club athletes chasing fast times to recreational runners taking on the distance.
The race was once again supported by a large team of Spectrum Striders volunteers, with marshals and other helpers playing an important role in keeping competitors safe and ensuring the event ran smoothly.
Spectrum Striders had warned motorists in advance of rolling road closures between 8 am and 1 pm, with restrictions affecting a number of roads, including Dewhurst Road, Admirals Road, Ordnance Avenue, Cross Lane, Lords Lane and Birchwood Boulevard.
The event had a limit of 1,000 runners and featured chip timing, race photography, texted results and an extensive prize structure covering individual and age-category performances as well as club team prizes.
Every finisher also received the race’s distinctive memento and bespoke medal.
Jack White from Salford Harriers and Emma Taylor from City of Stoke AC were the leading male and female runners at the event, both achieving new course records.
The 41st staging of the popular Warrington race attracted a strong field, with the official Nifty Entries results showing 331 male finishers and 228 female finishers.
Picture John Hopkins
Male results
1. Jack White – 30:23
2. Daniel Cliffe – 30:52
3. Tom Charles – 32:00
4. Ryan Davis – 32:09
5. Dan Morgan – 32:52
6. Jack Pilkington – 33:11
7. Stephen Tomlinson – 33:46
8. Kieran O’Brien – 33:55
9. James McLeod – 34:58
10. Martin Peck – 35:02
Female results
1. Emma Taylor – 35:11
2. Kirsty Longley – 37:07
3. Donna Sherwin – 37:21
4. Louise Blizzard – 41:31
5. Elizabeth Horne – 41:54
6. Jennifer Houghton – 42:27
7. April Stewart – 44:11
8. Aimee Ellen O’Keeffe – 44:40
9. Olivia Brown – 44:45
10. Rachel Alves – 44:46
Picture John Hopkins
The results shown are gun times from the official Nifty Entries results pages supplied by the race organisers.
The performances at the front of the field were particularly notable. Spectrum Striders’ published course records for the current course were 30:30 for men, set by Nigel Martin in 2019, and 35:12 for women, set by Anna Bracegirdle in 2023.
That means White’s 30:23 and Taylor’s 35:11 are both inside the previously published course-record times, subject to confirmation against the official chip times.
The Birchwood 10K dates back to 1983, when Spectrum Striders organised the original Birchwood Races. It became a measured 10K the following year and has subsequently become an established fixture in the North West running calendar.
This year’s race was also significant because Spectrum Striders has announced that 2026 is the final running on the current course, with a brand-new course planned for 2027.
The event continues to combine competitive running with a race aimed at all abilities, with Spectrum Striders highlighting its environmental credentials, including support for tree planting through The Mersey Forest and efforts to reduce waste and recycle plastics.
Results: Spectrum Striders/Nifty Entries.
For more pictures Click on the image above
