Lostock member Paul Lacey had a fantastic run at the world-renowned Chicago Marathon.

This is a beautiful marathon, starting and ending at the Chicago lakefront. Participants run north following Lake Michigan for a long run to Pine Grove, then head back towards the city through the streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the ‘Windy City’. Runners continue to head south to Douglas before heading back to the lakefront.

Lacey completed the race in 3hrs 58mins 30secs - and also ran an extra mile, completing 27.25 in total.

A lot closer to home, Gareth Pratt, Rachel Hancock, Andy Laycock and Janet Rhodes completed the Rivington Half Marathon.

This is an extremely tough half-marathon with an elevation gain of more than 1,300 feet. This is a race of mixed terrain with hills, mud, ankle-deep water, fields, steps, styles, gates and rocky trails making it an interesting and challenging event.

Starting and finishing at Rivington and Blackrod High School, competitors were straight into a steep climb up the rocky path, which is Roynton Road, then some lovely downhill.

Participants run all the way down Sheephouse Lane to the bowling green then up the rocky path towards Yarrow, then back down towards Anglezarke and on towards White Coppice. At the halfway point runners were cheered on by other Lostock members.

It was then back from White Coppice cricket club along the path through lots of ankle-deep water towards the tip of Anglezarke, then up the steep steps and across the boggy field towards Nab Hill followed by a long mile downhill.

It is then back towards Rivington and the lower trails and back to the school to finish after an unnecessary lap around a muddy field.

Pratt was the first Lostocker home in fantastic 2:06:32. The next across the finish line was Hancock, in 2:12:47, who won her age category. Laycock was next in 2:16:06, followed by Rhodes, in 2:25:57.

Cross-country season started last Saturday and saw nine Lostock AC members travel to Heaton Park for a hot and muddy start to the season.

The ladies completed their race first, covering 4.2 miles with an elevation gain of 463 feet. Melanie Crompton-Goodall was the first Lostocker home in 39:22. She was followed by Heather Soden (40:55), Karen Taylor (50:35), Kate Rotherham (51:31) and Gillian Caldwell (52:10).

The men’s race covers 5.74 miles and an elevation gain of 584 feet. Paul Edwards was the first to cross the line in 42:50, followed by James Jackson (47:57), Mark Shuttleworth (52:03) and Mark Checkley (1:06:45).

Johanna McManus and Dave Parry took part in the West Coast Half Marathon which started at Preston Docks and headed down Preston New Road through Freckleton into Lytham and finished at Fairhaven Lake, in Lytham St Anne’s.

Parry was the first back in an impressive time of 1:38:21 to finish in 18th position overall and second in his age category. McManus finished in 1:51:10 and was the eighth female and first in her age category.

Tony Maxwell, Sheila Garewal and Mark Checkley took part in the Gin Pit 5, which starts and finishes at the Marker Stone for the Gin Pit mine in Tyldesley.

The race is three laps around Nook Pits Wood and it was a muddy course making racing conditions difficult. Anthony Maxwell crossed the finish line first in 41:27 and, fresh from cross country the previous day, Checkley completed the race in 49:17, followed by Garewal in 51:40.

In parkrun, Sinead Carney (31:55) completed Bolton Parkrun, while Ian Burns (29:12) and Rachel Stevens (29:35) finished at Haigh and Anthony Maxwell (26:07) and Sheila Garewal completed Fell Foot.