Start of Parkruns pushed back again...

Announcement from Parkrun HQ (Wed 16th July)

Start of Parkruns pushed back again...

Following the announcement this week from the Prime Minister, confirming a delay to Step 4 of the Roadmap until Monday 19 July 2021, it is now our intention that 5k events in England will restart on Saturday 24 July.

A huge amount of work has been done in recent weeks to ensure we have permission to return from the large majority of landowners.

Whilst this delay is disappointing, we respect the fact that a significant number of these permissions were contingent on the country moving into Step 4, and we will therefore target a new reopening date of Saturday 24 July.

*NOTE: Last week Parkrun UK suggested a date of 10th July for Parkruns in Wales to possibly re-start on 10th July. In view of this latest update relating to Parkruns in England, it looks as though it will now be pushed back to a similar start date of 24th July.

We will just have to wait and see whether the Welsh Government make any further announcements this week, but NO Parkruns will commence in Wales before this latest update in England.

 

 

ATHLETES ON THE RUN IN THE SUN

*Kelly Marie Alford and her partner Cai Roberts with their young son Noah

ATHLETES ON THE RUN

Kelly and Cai beat the heat in “Secret” half-marathon

 

Both Kelly-Marie Alford and her partner Cai successfully completed a virtual half-marathon event last Saturday as part of a special “Secret Half” challenge. This was an invite only event from Cardiff half-marathon organisers HOKA One-One. The invites were offered to the top twenty non-elite finishers from the 2019 race, plus the top performers from certain age categories.

The pair, however, were unable to run together due to work commitments, so Cai ran his race from 12-noon, whilst Kelly completed her challenge in the evening after work. 

Cai also had his child-minding duties to undertake, so he pushed their young son Noah on a tough course around the Great Orme, with the youngster strapped firmly into his buggy. He finished in 2 hours 46 minutes, and Kelly – without a buggy – ran home in 2.03.28.

Afterwards, a relieved Kelly said: ‘I am happy to have finished it, but I didn’t take a drink and decided to do it after working all day.’

*Steve Roberts (above) and his wife Zoe (below)

 

Steve and Zoe ran for NHS charities

 

Husband and wife team Steve and Zoe Roberts also braved the extreme heat at the weekend to run and help fundraise for charity in the “Running at 40 plus, virtual 5k for the NHS.”

Steve is rapidly returning to top form and recorded an excellent 21 mins 59 seconds over his chosen 5k course. Afterwards, he confirmed: ‘Took part in my first virtual this year and looking forward to finally getting back to racing.’

Zoe also celebrated a great run, and despite a lack of competitive action over the past few months, she ran around a course close to home in 30 minutes 37 seconds, and said she too enjoyed her challenge with no pressure.

*Helen Hannam (right) with her mother

 

Helen completed Race4Life at Stoke

 

Helen Hannam ran and walked with her mother and son Shane in a 5k virtual Race4Life event for Cancer charities in Stoke last week. In very hot conditions, Helen said: ‘We had a well-deserved pint after completing this challenge. I was very proud of them both after walking that far in this heat.’

 

 

Club runners complete 15-hour ultra-challenge in heatwave

    *Ben Hudson ran the furthest distance in the relay

 Club runners complete 15-hour ultra-challenge in heatwave

Twelve hardy athletes from North Wales Road Runners set a blisteringly hot pace during a unique ultra-distance race despite the scorching conditions last Sunday in the Builth and District 15-hour relay challenge.

In this third virtual event organised by the ambitious Builth Wells based running club in Powys, where the previous competition attracted about 100 teams, and nearly 2,000 entrants, the aim was to run as far as possible within the permitted time frame, which began at 5am and continued until 8pm.

*Steve Poupart enjoyed a good run in the sun

The NWRRC team eventually ran a total of 96.12 miles, with Steve Poupart running a one and half hour slot, Ben Hudson a two-hour run, and Helen Hannam completed a remarkable two and a half-hour trot from 2.30pm, at probably the hottest part of the day.

*Helen Hannam ran for the longest time

Rachel Morris also made a welcome comeback after a long spell out of action, and she is still recovering from a serious injury. Rachel completed a brilliant 4.4 miles in an hour; and it was good to note some other impressive performances from Sarah Fergie Hudson, Vicky Taylor, Kevin Higgins, Rob Fryer, and Charlie Owen.

*Rachel Morris back after a long spell out with injury

Each team member however, played a vital role in this unusual challenge, and thankfully survived the exceptional heat, with most running in one-hour slots, and each athlete recording between 4 and 14 miles during their allocated time zones.

*Kevin Higgins returned to competitive action again

NWRRC team skipper and relay organiser Sarah Fergie Hudson, who was first off in this all-day relay run praised the overall team effort and said: ‘There were some amazing runs, and I was glad to have done my run at 5 am. We ran a total of 96.12 miles in fifteen hours today. It was awesome running by everyone, especially in this crazy North Walean heat wave.’

*Sarah Fergie Hudson was the first runner in the team relay

Sarah’s husband Ben ran the longest distance in his two-hour slot completing an incredible 14.18 miles. Helen Hannam and Steve Poupart each ran 11-miles, and Stuart Culverhouse ran 8.4 miles.

After completing her run over a gruelling two and a half-hour period in soaring temperatures, Helen admitted: ‘I felt quite strong for the first eight-miles, but then heat exhaustion kicked in, so I had a 15-minute pit-stop in a friend’s garden, and then walked the last three. That was so tough, and I was sure glad to get that over with.’

*Great effort again from Stuart Culverhouse

OVERALL TIMES AND DISTANCES COVERED

Starting times: 5-6 am Sarah Fergie Hudson 7.1 miles; 6-7 am Vicky Taylor 6.1 miles; 7-8 am Gethin Wyn Jones 7.19; 8-9 am Kevin Slattery 7.66; 9-10 am Stuart Culverhouse 8.4 miles; 10-11 am Kevin Higgins 6.58 miles; 11-12 am Charlie Owen 5.43 miles; 12 noon - 1pm Rachel Morris 4.41 miles; 1-2.30 pm Steve Poupart 11.0 miles; 2.30-5pm Helen Hannam 11.0 miles; 5-7 pm Ben Hudson 14.18 miles; 7-8 pm Robert Fryer 7.07 miles.

When the provisional results were confirmed on Monday, NWRRC finished 15th overall with a total distance of 96.12 miles. The winners were shown to be Aberystwyth Power Rangers with 122.53 miles, and in second place was Run4all Neath Black with 119.04 miles, and third were Port Talbot Harriers with 115.71 miles. In the previous competition, NWRRC finished 18th and recorded 112.83 miles, and although they were about 16 miles down on last time, they moved a few places up the final table. Plaudits were also given to Sarah Fergie Hudson for her organising skills.

 

*Overall provisional results: https://builthanddistrictrc.com/893-2/

 

Provisional date in July given for Welsh Parkrun

Latest Parkrun updates globally - from Parkrun HQ

Provisional date of 10th July set for Wales

Last weekend saw 700 events take place across seven countries, with more than 62,000 participants enjoying the magic of free, community-led, outdoor, social physical activity opportunities.

It is so encouraging to see these events welcomed back by local communities, and to see our COVID-19 Framework in action and working well. This COVID-specific framework sits alongside individual local risk assessments, and was developed last year to document the necessary changes and mitigations volunteers at a local level need to be aware of and follow when delivering parkrun events whilst Coronavirus is still in circulation.

 

Reassuringly, more than 14,000 events at over 800 locations have now been delivered in accordance with this framework, with over 250,000 different people walking, jogging, running and volunteering more than 1.5 million times. We support track and trace in every region we operate in, and have not yet received notification of a single instance of COVID-19 transmission connected to any parkrun event.

 

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank every parkrunner who has participated at any one of these 14,000 events, for their patience and support, and for their belief in the parkrun movement. And in particular we would like to celebrate the incredible volunteers at every event who are making sure parkrun is safe, welcoming and enjoyable for everyone in their local community. 

 

As we look ahead there are a number of planned reopenings and although subject to possible changes to guidance, we expect to be able to restart in the following countries as follows:

 

12 June – Poland
19 June – Denmark
20 June – Scotland (junior events begin to return)
26 June – England and Northern Ireland (tbc)
3 July – France, Scotland (tbc)
10 July – Wales (tbc)
7 August – Sweden

 

In some cases we are still awaiting confirmation to officially publish a restart date. As and when this is possible, we will provide further information in this weekly update, as well as across the relevant communication channels for each country.

 

Meanwhile, positive conversations continue with landowners across England, and, at the time of writing, 76% of events have permission in place to restart. We will make an announcement on Friday this week on UK channels, confirming whether we have enough permissions in place to target a restart on 26 June as planned.

 

Thanks so much for your continued support.

 

Tom Williams

Chief Operating Officer

parkrun Global

GOG Athletes performed well at World Triathlon championships

GOG Athletes performed well at World Triathlon championships at Roundhay Park

 

Report by Don Hale.

 

Ten members from the North Wales based GOG Triathlon Club formed a strong team at Leeds last weekend during the AJ Bell Festival of Triathlon, which was part of the World Championship series.

Events were staged over hilly and challenging routes on both Saturday and Sunday at the scenic Roundhay Park, and in near perfect weather conditions.

The GOG squad were pitched amongst about 4,000 competitors, including both amateur and elite athletes, and were able to gain valuable experience, and to even share the unique atmosphere at this prestigious blue carpet, multi-event finish.

                                        *Angharad Lewis

In the Saturday Sprint race, which involved a 750m swim, an 18.5 kms cycle race, followed by a 5k Run; Si­mon Hick was the first club man home in 1.28.41, with Caitlin Owen the 1st GOG lady to finish in 1.38.04, closely followed by Amelia Roberts in 1.48.28.

    *Caitlin Owen           

The Stan­dard Course event was held on Sunday, and included a 1500m swim, a 36.4 kms cycle race, and finished with a 10k run. Mared Dafydd was the 1st female GOG athlete home in 2.31.51, followed by Bled­dyn Evans in 2.44.59, with Andy Ell­wood back in 2.54.52, and Geri Evans in 3.05.40. 

                                              *Mared Dafydd

In addition, Ang­harad Lewis performed very well in the Stan­dard race in 3.07.40, which included a short­ened 750m swim. Afterwards, Angharad confirmed: ‘Back after being a triathlete. The Leeds triathlon didn't disappoint. 

'From being nervous, to having moments of not being able to get in the water, I had no choice when I heard "GO" and I absolutely loved it, especially on the bike racing close to others! 

‘Great support on the day from other members of the #gogtriathlonclub. Now to get ready for the next one!’

The events however, marked some slight disappointment for Rob Ste­wart and Chris Beardmore, who unfortunately, both suffered problems with their bikes.

Malcolm raced well in Ultimate Ironman Triathlon

 

Legendary GOG triathlete Malcolm Harrison took part in his 7th Ironman in the Ultimate Triathlon at Alderford Lake, near Whitchurch last weekend, after recovering well from injury and illness.

Veteran athlete, Malcolm, now aged 66, proved a genuine inspiration to club colleagues, as he had to endure a gruelling 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile cy­cle, followed by a 26.2-mile Marathon Run. He finally completed this arduous task in a highly respectable 14 hours, 47 minutes and 16 seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

Rohan’s relay boost for Children’s Cancer Charities

Rohan’s relay boost for Children’s Cancer Charities

Report by Don Hale. Photographs by Steve Jeffery.

Athletes and supporters of North Wales Road Runners had fun in the sun last Sunday as they competed in a special 5-mile relay challenge on Llandudno promenade in aid of CLIC Sargent, and Leukaemia in Children charities.

Some twenty-six runners took part in this unique fundraising event in memory of an extraordinary young student, Rohan Ingley, and included five teams of four, plus a guide, each completing 1.25 miles (2k), and one team of five “virtual” runners each running a mile.

The weather too proved a hit for all the runners, and a host of supporters and sponsors, with the relay bathed throughout in bright, and very warm sunshine. 

The race, organised by club officials John Hatton and Carla Green, with essential timekeeper Liz Driscoll, proved to be a real fun occasion, with many runners recording PB’s over this unusual sprint distance. 

The winning team was Team 1, who completed the 5-mile challenge in a total of 31mins 1 second. In 2nd place was Team 5, in 34.46; and in 3rd place was Team 3 in 35.00.

* The winning relay team pictured above (l-r) Kevin Slattery, Gethin Wyn Jones, Darren Dentith and Chris Spillane

Team 5 actually had the two fastest relay runners with Steve Bozier topping the results in the 1.25-mile race in 7 mins 11 secs, and team-mate Stuart Culverhouse clocking 7.24, which was also the exact same time as rivals Chris Spillane and John Dalzell.

Teenagers Freddie Spillane and Mia Morris produced some amazing performances with Freddie recording 7.47, and Mia 8.39. Mia was additionally the fastest female runner on the day, with Sarah Ferguson Hudson claiming the fastest female time in the virtual mile challenge of 6.49.

*Pictured (above) promising teenager Mia Morris ran the fastest female time in the 1.25 mile relay leg, and (below) Stuart Culverhouse, who ran the second fastest male time.

Competition was also fierce in the M65 plus veteran’s section of the relay. Kevin Slattery was the first man home in a very fast time of 8.10, with Don Hale and Peter Armstrong sharing the same finishing time of 8.55. New club veteran runners Ian Turner and Gilbert Gillan also ran extremely well, with Ian finishing in 10.41, and Gilbert just four seconds adrift in 10.45. And Mike Hayton, also celebrated a return to live action in 11 mins dead. In addition, it was great to note the return of partially sighted runner Daniel Owens and his guide Carla Green, who both ran home in 9.27.

*Helen Hannam (above) and (below) partially sighted runner Daniel Owens with his guide Carla Green both ran well together in the relay challenge on the prom

*A strong veteran's entry in the charity relay with Kevin Slattery (above) and Gilbert Gillan (pictured below)

*Another fine run from Lesley Goodson (below) in the relay

OVERALL RESULTS: In relay running order:

 

1st Team 1: Total 31.01: Kevin Slattery 8.10, Darren Dentith 7.43, Gethin Wyn Jones 7.43, and Chris Spillane 7.24.

2nd Team 5: Total 34.36: Steve Bozier 7.11, Stuart Culverhouse 7.24, Gilbert Gillan 10.45, Don Hale 8.55.

3rd Team 3: Total 35.00: Lesley Goodson 9.20, Freddie Spillane 7.47, Vicky Taylor 9.36, Merion 8.17.

4th Team 4: Total 35.41: John Dalzell 7.24, Peter Armstrong 8.55, Steve Roberts 8.22, and Mike Hayton 11.00.

5th Team 2: Total 38.20: Daniel Owens running with Carla Green 9.27, Mia Morris 8.39, Helen Hannam 9.33, and Ian Turner 10.41.

6th Team 6: Virtual mile each: Total 40.40: Kay Hatton 7.18, Tony Gibson 7.19, Hannah Griffith 7.30, and Rachel Morris 11.44.

*Steve Roberts (above) and veteran Peter Armstrong (below)

The main aim of this event was to support Rohan’s Run, formerly the Deganwy Dash, which unfortunately had to be postponed last May, and again this year due to Covid-19 restrictions on live outdoor races.

NWRRC however, were determined to run the relay as a fitting tribute to Rohan Ingley, a remarkable young student, who tragically lost his young life to cancer in August 2018, aged just 17.

During his long struggle with serious illness, Rohan had expressed a desire to help many other youngsters facing similar battles and recommended these nominated children’s cancer charities. 

*NWRRC officials John Hatton and Carla Green with Rohan's parents and sister.

The former Abergele teenager was a highly talented all-rounder, who excelled at sport and music, formerly attended the King’s School in Chester. 

His mother and father, Aradhana and Sanjay, together with his sister Shreya, who are all involved in the medical profession, were quite obviously devastated by his loss at the time but wanted everyone to know just how much Rohan’s short life was appreciated by so many people. 

All the family attended the relay and later helped to present some prizes to the winning teams. Sanjay thanked the race team and officials for their support, and it was understood that at least £1,000 had been raised on the day with more donations expected.

 

*All proceeds from this relay race will be donated to CLIC Sargent and in aid of Cancer and Leukaemia in Children with donations welcomed via this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carla-green1

 

Personal best time for Carla Green in Welsh 5k test race

Personal best time for Carla Green in Welsh 5k test race

Report by Don Hale. All photographs courtesy of Paul Brooks.

 

Carla Green continued with her excellent form last weekend and knocked more than a minute off her previous personal best (PB) time during the welcome resumption of the “live” Welsh 5k series of races on the Marsh Tracks at Rhyl.

The North Wales Road Runner finished as the 8th female athlete, and she was 2nd in her respective F45 age category on this popular lapped course held last Saturday afternoon as part of a special Welsh Athletics test event.

The race, originally targeted at elite runners, attracted a host of high-quality athletes from across Wales, and the results naturally reflected the high standard of entrants.

For the ladies, despite Carla enjoying a great run in 19 mins 9 seconds, the race was won by Carol Parsons (Cheshire Dragons) in 17.49, with Emma Crowe (Deeside AC) 2nd female finisher and the 1st F45 runner in 18.00, with Tracy Rogers (Buckley AC) 3rd in 18.18.

*Ladies prepare for the start at the Marsh Tracks 5k.

Promising youngster Bryn Woodall from Colwyn Bay AC finished 2nd overall in 14.51 in the male race, and he was just 20-seconds behind the eventual winner Andrew Davies (Stockport Harriers) in 14.31, with Christian Prior (Cardiff AC) 3rd in 15.08. The race also included five Cardiff AC runners, and another five from Prestatyn AC.

*At the start of the male race at Rhyl.

This was understood to be one of, if not the first “live” race permitted by Welsh Athletics since Covid 19 restrictions were implemented early last year. The well organised event staged on a closed road circuit involved many social distancing precautions in line with the relaxation of Welsh Government rules, including individual chip-timing used for accuracy, and was the first 5k event in this summer series.

*Female results: https://data.opentrack.run/engb/x/2021/GBR/rhyl5k1/event/2/1/1/

*Male results: 

https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2021/GBR/rhyl5k1/event/1/1/1/

 

 

 

 

RACE CERTIFICATE GRANTED FOR NICK BEER 10K RACE FOLLOWING LIFTING OF OUTDOOR SPORTS RESTRICTIONS IN WALES

BOOST FOR NICK BEER 10K RACE FOLLOWING LIFTING OF OUTDOOR SPORTS RESTRICTIONS IN WALES

Report by Don Hale. Most photographs by Steve Jeffery. 

**NEWS FLASH: Welsh Athletics award Nick Beer 10k a race certificate (9/6/21).

The popular Nick Beer 10k road race re-scheduled for Sunday July 18th received a welcome boost this week, when the Welsh Government finally lifted a number of Covid-19 restrictions, to allow more people to both attend and compete in outdoor sports events.

Race directors, John and Kay Hatton, say that in view of this welcome boost, they remain extremely confident that this year’s event will now go ahead as planned with a ‘live’ run starting and finishing on Llandudno promenade. 

Entries remain open for this major race which always attracts hundreds of runners from across the UK, and beyond, to enjoy the scenic splendours of a challenging course around the Great Orme. 

Starting and finishing opposite the Imperial Hotel and now at the REVISED START TIME OF 10am, this will be the 29th annual run to help commemorate the life of a well-known former local athlete, Nick Beer, who sadly passed away in 1992, aged just 27, after eventually losing his battle with hydrocephalus.

Race officials John and Kay, who have supervised this event for over twenty-years, have therefore re-started promoting the race following the easing of Welsh Government sports restrictions.

John also explained that athletes will be able to collect the second part of a unique three-medal set on completing this exciting 10k run, with an option to secure the third and final medal next year for the 30th anniversary.

In addition, he additionally provided some interesting background and origin of this well-known 10k memorial race and explained: ‘Nick Beer joined NWRRC from Colwyn Bay AC, and his smile soon made lots of friends. He was there at every race. He tried and tried until his improvements staggered us all, and you could always rely on that smile at the finishing post.

‘We all need occasional laughter to make us feel good, and Nick provided that in abundance. His presence was welcome, pervasive, selflessly giving, and never asking the price. Nick was living with hydrocephalus and passed away after finishing the Lake Vyrnwy half-marathon race in September 1992.

‘Maybe when we run his race each year, it will remind us of the importance and positive results that trying hard and participating can bring. Nick Beer was a true son of the sporting ethic, who left us with a wealth of fond memories, and a legacy of inspiration.’

*Entries are now open for the Nick Beer 10k Memorial road race on Sunday 18^th July 2021, with a REVISED START TIME OF 10am. Entry details and further information, will be sent to all entrants asap: https://secure.onreg.com/onreg2/front/step1.php?id=4963

*The cost of entry is £15 affiliated, and £17 non-affiliated. On the day it will be £16 affiliated and £18 non-affiliated. If you enter after midnight on Thursday July 8th, you will need to collect your number on race day from one of the gazebo/tents on Llandudno promenade. 

Online entries will close at midnight on Thursday 15th July. Conwy County Council are also supporting the event. *Contacts: E-mail: kaysahatton@gmail.com *Internet:www.nwrrc.co.uk

 

 

Josie runs over 100 miles for skin cancer charities

Josie runs over 100 miles for cancer skin charities

Report by Don Hale.

Endurance runner Josie Davies has just completed a gruelling 100.7 miles fundraising challenge for melanoma and skin cancer charities.

North Wales based runner Josie has braved a variety of mixed weather over the past month or so during her runs but remained determined to raise as much money as possible for a cause very close to her heart.

She was relieved however, to finally finish the job, and later confirmed: ‘That’s it all done. Over 100 miles completed in May for Melanoma Focus and SKCIN Charities to raise the awareness of melanoma and skin cancer. Thank you to everybody whose sponsored me so far.

‘I am forever grateful as we really need to make people more aware of the devastation of this horrible disease which can just creep up on you when you least expect it. Also PLEASE protect your kids out there and not just in the beautiful weather like today and cover them up.

‘And just today whilst running the Orme I passed one little boy with no top on, and it was boiling hot. We need to protect them as they have no idea of the consequences. Stay safe and enjoy the lovely weather which we’ve been longing for.’

*Further donations are still welcome and may be made via this link: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=JosephineDavies5&pageUrl=1

 

 

 

 

Llinos completes her 727-mile fundraising challenge for the RNLI

Llinos completes her 727-mile fundraising challenge for the RNLI

Report by Don Hale

North Wales athlete Llinos Davies has just completed her ultra-marathon task of completing her 727-mile target for the RNLI as part of their Mayday mile fundraising challenge.

The popular GOG Triathlon endurance star swam, cycled, walked, and ran the distance for this worthy cause and welcomed the brief extension of the programme till last weekend 31st May.

Llinos proudly explained: ‘I had hoped to raise £1 for every mile but never expected this total distance since 3rd May. It’s been a total blast. I’ve been out in all weathers, hail storms, rain, wind and sunshine.

‘Thank you to everyone who has donated, and I managed to raise £150 and together GOG Triathlon have raised over £500 for the RNLI. And thank you to all my friends who have accompanied me on these quests. We have had an amazing time.

‘I think the highlights must be hearing a cuckoo, and seeing an Osprey, together with great views of a Red Kite on our 15-mile trail run around Brennig and Alwen.’

*Llinos pictured (above and below) with some of her fundraising colleagues

*Further donations are still welcomed and may be made via this link: https://themaydaymile.rnli.org/.../llinos-daviess...

 

 

 

Jonathan strikes gold at Gateshead half-marathon

Jonathan strikes gold at Gateshead half-marathon

 

Report by Don Hale. Gateshead photographs by Mick Hall.

 

Jonathan Kettle celebrated a great run in the sun last weekend and claimed a gold medal podium position in his respective age category, whilst finishing 10th overall, in the prestigious Gateshead half-marathon.

The North Wales Road Runner won his notable award after crossing the English border again and performed well despite the heat, amidst a quality field of almost eight-hundred athletes.

It was a close-run contest however, with Jonathan narrowly winning his age cat title in 1 hour 18 minutes 36 seconds, and he finished just 12-seconds ahead of an M45 rival, Steve Middleton.

*Jonathan Kettle won his age category in the Gateshead half-marathon

Braving the long journey and very warm conditions, Jonathan admitted: ‘It was hot and lumpy but good fun. It was a fantastic race, and great to see my good friend and amazing photographer Mick Hall. I was smiley at the start then suffered in the heat.’

The results confirmed the high standard of competition with the first sixteen runners all dipping under 1 hr 20 mins, with the main honours shared by North-East clubs on their own patch, including 1st Liam Aldridge (Billingham Marsh House Harriers) 1.08.07; 2nd David Green (North Shields Poly) 1.12.48; and 3rd Ryan Holt (Tyne Bridge Harriers) 1.13.13.

 

Heat took its toll on Llyr in Boston half-marathon

 

NWRRC member Llyr ApGeraint Roberts had mixed feelings after battling the heat in the Bank Holiday Monday half-marathon at Boston and finishing 42nd overall out of nearly 800 finishers.

Llyr (pictured above) said his performance was probably hampered by several factors and understood the start was supposed to be staggered with four large groups of about 200 runners each for the half-marathon, but claimed it practically started en-mass, and was virtually a normal start.

Looking back, he admitted: ‘I was really gutted about no PB. I ran 78 mins 52 seconds in March with a small group of runners, and what a difference it makes when you are in a group in comparison to running solo, which I did for virtually all the way round.

‘It was not what I wanted but what I deserved. I was going OK for 15k but then the wheels came off. There were lots of things that contributed to it including a poor warm-up, off sooner than planned, and I missed the first water station.

‘In addition, I nearly tripped up, but most importantly, I think the main thing was setting off slightly too fast and when the heat came, I had nothing; but I haven’t felt 100% since my first Covid jab which has affected my training over the past three weeks.

‘My head wasn’t right either but hey, those are my excuses. My only solace is that I was quicker today than two years ago over the same course.’