FIVE Bury AC members competed in the Wilmslow 10k on Sunday.

Josh Birmingham was the first local runner home in an excellent 21st place, smashing his personal best by more than one-and-a-half minutes with a time of 32.28mins.

This is the fastest time recorded by a Bury athlete this year and illustrates how Birmingham is just getting faster and faster.

A little further down the field in 51st was Luke Harreld, recording a very respectable 34.52.

Next was Sarah Thomas, the eighth women’s finisher, and she also annihilated her previous best time of 42.19, breaking the 40-minute barrier with a brilliant 39.51.

Thomas is another athlete who, like Birmingham, is realising the benefits of training hard with endurance coach Dave Cole.

Chris Barrow was Bury’s next finisher with 41.11, followed by Dan Anderson in a new personal best of 42.00. Heledd Rimmer was the club’s final finisher, her 46.31 enough to give her third place in the under-20 women’s age category.

The previous day, a small team of Bury’s youngsters competed in the South East Lancs Cross Country League at Heaton Park. The u15 girls performed brilliantly, winning the team category, while Freya Potts produced her best run of the season and completely dominated the race, running out 50 seconds clear of the second-placed athlete.

Reilly Carson took ninth with Grace Gibson in 14th. Their combined score of 24 points was the same as rivals Altrincham, but Potts’ win ensured first place went to Bury.

Lucy Dent had a brilliant run in the u11 girls’ race, taking an impressive second place. Team mate Imogen Gibbons claimed 25th place while in the boys’ race Oliver Cooper finished 11th with Edison Marsden in 15th.

Next week sees the final fixture in the Red Rose Cross Country League at the notoriously muddy Marl Pits course in Rossendale, where lots of Bury athletes will be vying for league medals.