North Wales runners star in national virtual relay challenge

Stuart Culverhouse (white) ran really well

Eighteen members from North Wales Road Runners Club (NWRRC) took part in a high-quality virtual road relay competition last weekend.

One of their mixed sides finished as the best Welsh team, and were 17th overall out of 352 entrants.

Organised by the JAFFA Running Club in Ipswich, and incorporating the Ellison’s Ekiden 2020 relay challenge, the event attracted a host of top athletes from across the UK.

Teams of six runners tackled varied distances of either 1 x 7.2k, 2 x 10k or 3 x 5k relay legs, with results based on the best finishing times overall.

Normally part of a prestigious annual South Eastern based challenge, this year the relays had to be run in a virtual style due to the current coronavirus problems, yet still attracted a massive response.

Hannah Griffith

NWRRC entered three teams in the senior (mixed) event, with many members recording excellent finishing times against tough opposition.

With names initially drawn out of a hat, Team B ran extremely well, and were highest-placed Welsh finishers, and club representatives, recording a very good total time of 2 hrs 54 mins and 18 secs for 17th place overall.

Team A finished 69th overall in 3.14.54, with Team C 158th in 3.28.39.

NWRRC (mixed teams): Individual times and distances: –

Team (2) B. Overall time: 2.54.18
Stuart Culverhouse 7.2k (29.52), Helen Hannam 5k (24.52), Martin Green 10k (36.35), Hannah Griffith 5k (23.53), Mark Jessett 10k (36.34), and Sarah Ferguson Hudson 5k (22.29).

Team (1) A. Overall time 3.14.54
Hugo Aguero 7.2k (27.35), Kelly Alford 5k (26.20), Ben Hudson 10k (45.13), Mia Morris 5k (26.09), Gethin Wyn Jones 10k (45.22), and Don Hale (24.15).

Team (3) C. Overall time 3.28.39
Siwan Kalatzi 7.2k (39.28), Kevin Slattery 5k (23.33), Richard Scamans 10k (46.47), Kay Hatton 5k (24.37), Steven Poupart 10k (47.07), and Cai Roberts 5k (27.07).

The group winners of this senior mixed section were Steadfast Runners 2:31:51, 2nd NNBR In the Mix, 2:31:57, and 3rd St Edmund Pacers Mixed A 2:32:02.

Mark Jessett

Men’s Open: 1st Ipswich Harriers Males Open, 2:18:21, 2nd Conac Avenue MO 2:22:26, 3rd Ipswich JAFFA Men’s Open A 2:28:16
Ladies Open: 1st Ipswich JAFFA Ladies Open A, 2:43:44, 2nd CONAC HIGHWAY LO, 2:50:56, 3rd Ipswich Harriers Ladies Open, 2:51:27
Fastest Legs:
7.2K: (Male): James Price, City of Norwich 24:21. (Female): Maddie Jordan-Lee, Stowmarket Striders 26:37. 5K: (Male): Lewis Sullivan, St Edmunds Pacers 15:07. (Female): Iona Lake, City of Norwich AC 17:10 10K: (Male) James Petterson, Ipswich Harriers 31:59, (Female): Helen Davies, Ipswich JAFFA RC 34:31.

*Individual team results: https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=56EC7C0093D7DC62!1915&ithint=file%2cxlsx&authkey=!AEdyEYkGxF5JB68
*Overall team results: https://www.ipswichekiden.co.uk