Martin Green wins Senior Sportsman of Year – and prizes too for Carla and Llyr!

Report by Don Hale

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

North Wales Road Runner Martin Green was named Senior Sportsman of the Year at the Conwy Sports Awards in Llandudno last Friday following another superb season of extraordinary racing results.

And on Sunday morning, Martin’s wife Carla Green collected some additional family silverware after finishing first female athlete at the Running GP Oulton Park 10k with a stunning performance in 23rd place overall, to win her FV50 age category in just 44 minutes and 1 seconds around this spectacular motor racing circuit.

Meanwhile, Llyr Ap Geraint-Roberts, collected a very welcome, but surprise gold medal after winning his respective age cat at the recent Cardiff Half Marathon.
He confirmed: “Apparently, I was the fastest Welsh MV50-54 vet at the Cardiff event in October, so I received this medal through the post today, and it wasn’t even my fastest half-time either!”

Great support for two local charity events

Charity organiser, promoter and popular NWRRC official John Hatton, who has been involved with the organisation of two major fundraising events recently for local deserving causes, confirmed this week that £4.5k was raised on Sunday at the Mental Elf 5k fun run, and a further £14k was gathered at the recent Conwy Dark Run in October for Ty Gobaith, which utilised the Conwy Parkrun course from the RSPB centre.

John praised the generous public support for both events, and from numerous volunteers and marshals, saying: “The Mental Elf 5k fun run was a fantastic event, twice around the Eirias Park track in Colwyn Bay, then down to, and along the prom to the Toad, where turn-around Bob was there.

“I helped Mind charity to organise it, and we made £4.5k. The Conwy Dark Run staged on 28th October also raised about £14k for Ty Gobaith children’s charities.”

Will Williams on top form at latest cross-country fixture

Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of Lesley Goodson

Three members of NWRRC travelled to the PGL Centre at Baschurch, near Shrewsbury, last Saturday to take part in the latest highly successful cross-country fixture within the North Wales XC League.

Will Williams celebrated a podium result after claiming the 2nd spot in his respective MV50 age category following a determined run in the Senior Men’s race, finishing 49th out of 177 quality club entrants in a very respectable time of 30 minutes and 4 seconds.

Cheryl Frost and Kay Hatton competed in the Senior Women’s event, which also attracted 158 top club athletes, with Cheryl 78th in 25.21, and 4th FV55, whilst Kay was 88th in 25.43 and 4th FV60.

After the race Will said: “My fifth ever XC race. Learning each time. Much better this week as I paced it better and felt strong on last lap. Massive motivation last lap having my daughter, son in law, and granddaughter to cheer me on that last lap. Thank you to all who organise and volunteer at these events, without your commitment none of this joy would be possible.”

Cheryl explained: “Kay and I ran in the cross-country at Shrewsbury, which nearly didn’t happen as I had been unwell since Wednesday after a flu vaccination. It was literally this morning when I woke up and thought human at last!”

And Kay confirmed: “That was hard work, but a good undulating course.”

Praise from match official Bernie Jones

Bernie Jones, the secretary, and match referee from the North Wales Cross Country League, was pleased with how this latest XC event went, and stated: “A big thank you, to Shrewsbury AC, their volunteers, helpers, and officials for not only putting on a great course but also securing good weather.”

He added: “Also, I’d like to thank the staff at PGL who welcomed us and helped put on a great event. However, one man organised everything so a big thank you to Jim Higginbottom, who not only was busy setting up the course on Friday, and first to the course on Saturday morning, but he also managed to have a reasonable run as well.

“The next North Wales Cross Country League race will be at Dolgellau (postcode: LL40 1UU) on Saturday 20th January 2024, and before that we have the North Wales Cross Country Championships on Saturday 7th January 2024.”

Cold and crisp at Conwy Parkrun with fast times recorded

Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

It was very cold and crisp at Conwy Parkrun last Saturday morning where 14 Road Runners took part in this popular event, despite an afternoon cross-country fixture at Shrewsbury, and some other competing fixtures.

The NWRRC team packed well and collected four senior age category wins, one junior victory, plus four second places, and they also recorded a major PB time over this challenging 5k course, which again attracted some quality club and visiting social runners.

Josh Keogh returned to parkrun with a superb performance in 4th place, and was 2nd in his SM30 age cat in just 18 minutes and 3-seconds.

He was followed by Jamie Tharme, who shook-off a recent nagging injury to finish in 22nd place overall in 22.07, with Richard Scamans – another athlete returning to form – finishing 38th in 23.49.

Daniel Hennell enjoyed a good outing in 40th place in 23.52 and he ran much of the course with his friend Sarah Jones, who keeps improving each time, to record another major new PB in 41st place of 23.57, and she also won her SW30 age cat.

Master veteran Don Hale won his VM70 age cat after finishing 64th in 25.22, and Karen Butler was the additional and deserved winner of her VW65 age cat in 73rd place in 25.52, and led home a pack of five club runners, who quite remarkably, all finished in consecutive places, and within a few seconds of each other.

This included veteran Rob Fryer 74th in 25.58, and 2nd VM65 age cat, with master veteran Barrie Wells 75th in 26.04, and 2nd VM70. Hannah Griffith made a rare parkrun appearance in 76th place, and won her VW50 age cat in 26.07, whilst Ceri Jones completed the pack, 2nd VW40 in 77th overall in 26.23.

Gethin Wyn Jones continued his comeback efforts and ran for much of the course with colleague Steve Mason, with Gethin eventually settling for 81st place in 26.51, with Steve just one place and one-second behind.

Gwennan Charlton’s top form has continued, and she was just a few seconds away from collecting a new PB after running with her young son Edward, who finished 111th overall in 28.46, and won his JM11-14 age cat, with Gwennan only one-second and one place adrift.

*Rhodri Owen was the first placed male finisher overall following a storming run to win his SM30 age cat with a new PB of 15 minutes and 41 seconds. He was more than two minutes ahead of the 2nd placed athlete Conor Donaghy (Sale Harriers), with a course PB of 17.49, whilst impressive local runner Nic Brook (Eryri Harriers) put in another solid and determined effort in 3rd overall and 1st VM45 in 17.52.

Elin Jones was the 1st female finisher (7th overall), with a new PB of 21.24, and she additionally won her SW25 cat, with Melissa Ward-Williams 2nd (25th), claiming another PB in 22.22, with Phoebe Shirlow 3rd (29th) on her course debut in 22.44, and 2nd SW25.

*The parkrun event attracted 208 finishers. And praise was later given to the run director Bethan Wyn Roberts, and to all the volunteers and marshals.