Muddy marvellous – that summarised the efforts of all competitors in Saturday’s North Wales cross-country championships, as conditions on the Bangor course, which is notorious for being wet and muddy, were at their most challenging. Prestatyn Running Club captain Lee Bailey rightly described the event as a “mudfest” but that did not deter the 13 club members who turned out. Star of the show once again was Gordon Jones, who won the M65 class by the huge margin of over three minutes, while in the ladies’ event Sue Hughes took silver in the same age-group.
The placings were:- Ladies: 44 Ally Reid 38.46, 45 Sue Hughes 38.55 (2nd L65), 53 Clare Manley 52.34, 56 Emma Birchall 58.42, 57 Julie Evans 59.06. M65: 1 Gordon Jones 28.58, 13 Mark Dakeyne 38/25, 18 George Nixon 41.45. Senior men: 23 Jonah Armstrong 33.36, 28 Lee Bailey 35.29, 43 Gareth Jones 38/14, 52 Marc Jones 42.01, 55 Tim Cahill 43.13.
New Year’s Day saw 16 Prestatyn members travel to the Greenfield Valley Parkrun, and, showing none of the “morning after” effects, three of them set new course pbs.
The placings were: 7 Dafydd Montgomery 21.32 (pb), 15 Jamie Betts 23.24, 20 Marc Jones 23.51 (pb), 26 Dave Ellis 24.52. 34 Andy Clark 25.46, 42 Martin Gill 26.12, 50 Ally Reid 26.49 (pb), 60 Martin Cortvriend 28.17, 64 Sophie Johnson 28.40, 75 Jo Lewis 29.50, 83 Debbie Weedman 30.21, 84 Mandy Cartwright 30.23, 91 Debbie Jones 31.19, 93 Andy Carter 31.28, 113 Julie Evans 40.42, 127 Steve Weedman 54.01.
Three days later Dafydd Montgomery returned to Ruthin and chalked up his fourth consecutive pb, finishing fourth in 20.32.
Other Parkrun results from the weekend were:- Nova: 5 Darrell Jones 21/51 (pb), 6 Jamie Betts 22.32, 22 Andy Clark 25.03, 26 Dave Ellis 25.24, 28 Martin Gill 25.36, 35 Reg Jonas 26.09, 37 Nem James 25.19 (pb), 38 Martin Cortvriend 26.27, 73 Liz Martin 29.42, 80 Andy Scott 30.33, 82 Claudia Smith 30.56, 89 Rachel Jackson 31.10, 92 Andy Carter 31.21, 133 Karl Martin 25.25, 179 Steve Weedman 54.01.
Greenfield Valley: 11 Darren Thompson 24.14, 29 Mandy Cartwright 29.13, 30 Sophie Johnson 29.18.
Wepre: 15 Ben Thomas 26.21, 71 Nicki Triggs 33.20 (pb).
Things went rapidly downhill for three members the previous Sunday when they competed in the Jubilee Plunge, the hell-for-leather descent from the summit Moel Famau to Llangynhafal. Marc Jones was 39th overall and 1st over 60 in 16.11, and was followed by Helen Ashworth (62nd in 20.50) and Jo Lewis (63rd in 20.51.
This Saturday there’s another call for support from male and female members with the fourth and penultimate fixture of the David Alun Williams North Wales Cross-Country Leagie in Baschurch, near Shrewsbury.
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