Victory for Martin Green at windswept Conwy Parkrun...plus great new PB for Kelly in half marathon

*Martin Green recorded another superb victory at a windswept Conwy Parkrun.

Storm Malik provided a stern challenge for Conwy parkrunners as Martin Green claims victory...

Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery.

 

Storm Malik provided an extra element of strong gale force winds to Conwy parkrun’s already challenging 5k course last Saturday, thereby reducing many hopes of obtaining personal best times for 176 brave souls.

Facing powerful head and side winds and with the tide racing in on the RSPB estuary, the runners were forced to battle unusually buffeting conditions as they completed this picturesque “out and back” course, which probably reduced all finishing times by at least a minute.

North Wales Road Runners entered eleven athletes and claimed nine age category podium placings, including Martin Green, who returned to parkrun and easily won the event despite including his run as part of his tough ongoing training schedule. 

Martin finished well in 19 minutes 4 seconds to win his MV45-49 age cat and he was one of four club members who each won their respective age cats. Harry Driscoll enjoyed another fine performance in 4th place and won his SM20-24 cat in 19.34, with Steve Mason 9th and continuing his consistent form to claim 2nd spot in the same age cat as Martin in 20.32.

*Harry Driscoll (*above) with another positive run at Conwy last weekend.

Dave Spofforth ran on his own this week and celebrated by finishing in 17th place and 2nd MV40-44 in 21.52, and Ben Hudson returned to parkrun claiming 3rd spot in his MV40-44 cat in 24th place overall in 22.28. Richard Scamans was another parkrun returnee in 30th place in 22.59, and Gethin Wyn Jones finished in 36th place, and was 3rd in his MV35-39 cat in 23.41.

*Ben Hudson (*above) returned to parkrun and finished 3rd in his age cat, whilst (*below) Richard Scamans was another returnee with a good result.

Endurance runner Sarah Hudson was 46th overall and 3rd in her VW40-44 cat in 24.28, and Carla Green ran as part of her gradual recovery from injury and finished 67th in 25.38 but won her VW50-54 age cat. And master vet Don Hale was just seven seconds behind Carla and won his M65-69 cat in 69th place in 25.45, whilst Rachel Morris added to her marathon miles by finishing 122nd in 32.00.

*Sarah Hudson took a break from her endurance training for some speed work.

*Another long absentee from parkrun was Zoe Roberts (*pictured below), who enjoyed her first outing for about two years despite the conditions and finished 144th overall in 36.27.

*This is the link to the provisional Conwy parkrun results:

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/results/latestresults/

Other tourists on the run:

*Stuart Culverhouse and his son Joe travelled down the road to the windy Wepre parkrun on Saturday where the youngster celebrated victory in his JM11-14 age cat finished 17th in 25.41. Running together the pair shared the same time, with Stuart finishing 2nd in his VM50-55 cat. Afterwards he said: ‘It was a tough one, very hilly and muddy but good fun.’

*John Dalzell went a little further to compete in the Walsall Arboretum parkrun where he just missed out on a new course PB by a mere three-seconds but ran well to finish 7th overall in 19.06, and he won his VM45-49 age cat.

*Joe and Stuart Culverhouse (*above) at the Wepre parkrun last week.

PBs for Cai and Kelly at hilly Heaton Park half-marathon.

Cai Roberts and his partner Kelly-Marie Alford tackled the challenging Heaton Park half-marathon in North Manchester last Sunday and despite the cold weather and a hilly course, both athletes ran well and recorded personal best times. The pair both ran and finished together in 2.03.25 in 243rd and 244th places respectively, with Kelly 4th in her VW35-39 age cat and knocked five-minutes off her PB on this course.

*Kelly-Marie Alford and Cai Roberts (*above) at the Heaton Park half-marathon where Kelly claimed 4th place in her age cat together with a five-minute course PB.