HAPPY 40th: Mandy Goth, Davina Raidy and Lynda Mason
Davina Raidy was one of the surprise packages at this year's Flora London Marathon where she returned a sub 3:20 time to be the third fastest woman from the East Lancashire region.
On Monday, she was the centre of attention as she celebrated her 40th birthday with a race in her honour, organised by Andy O'Sullivan.
Starting from the Albion Pub on the border between Whitworth and Rochdale, the approximate three-miler followed a brand new course which circled the disused Brown House Wham Reservoir.
The event was dominated by Raidy's club-mates as Rossendale Harriers accounted for 45 of the 85 entries, but Lee Passco of Blackburn Harriers was the party-pooper as he overtook home favourite Phil Bolton on the final descent to set an inaugural record of 16:13.
Dale's Ashley Kay set the junior benchmark of 16:18 in third, and the club's pride was restored as Emma Flanagan won the women's race, and the junior class, in 19:02.
The race had a serious side too as it was held to raise cash for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity.
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Raidy supported the cause after a close friend was diagnosed with the illness and had already raised £1,000 in sponsorship from her marathon effort.
Another £75 was raised on the night together with £75 for the Rochdale hospice.
Two local athletes completed the race to demonstrate that the illness can be overcome.
Mandy Goth, of Todmorden Harriers, is a year into her recovery, while Blackburn Road Runner Lynda Mason has just recently completed a course of chemo-therapy, and it was her first run since.
There was also a welcome return to action for the computerised results specialist John Schofield who suffered a heart attack last July.
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