An emotional return to running at Conwy for international mountain racer Mark Davies following a life-changing hit and run accident..plus parkrun results
*Pictured above - Mark Davies made a dramatic and emotional return to running at Conwy following his partial recovery from serious injury.
An emotional return to running at Conwy for international mountain racer Mark Davies following a life-changing hit and run accident...plus results and parkrun summary...
Exclusive report by Don Hale. Photos by John Hatton and Bill Scriven.
https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com
www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk
It was an emotional moment at Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning as about three-hundred athletes, volunteers, and marshalls welcomed a surprise and a quite remarkable return to action by Mark Davies, an award-winning international fell and mountain race runner, who miraculously survived a life-changing hit and run accident in January last year.
Mark, who won a special achievement award just two months before this horrific incident, following his previous success at the Swiss Peaks 360 Mountain Race, has spent a considerable amount of time during the past nineteen-months in specialist hospitals, and rehab, trying to rebuild his mind and body, with the dream of eventually being able to work, walk, and hopefully run normally again!
On Saturday at the RSPB Nature Reserve, and supported by friends, relatives, and club colleagues from North Wales Road Runners, he eventually realised his ambition to at least jog again, and finally made his parkrun debut on a very heavy and puddle-filled 5k course.
John Hatton from NWRRC, who is also the parkrun MC, together with run director Bethan Wyn Roberts, introduced Mark to the crowd, and confirmed some brief details about the accident that's devastated his life ever since.
Although Mark still has a long way to go in his determined bid to rebuild his world, his unexpected and incredible performance at Conwy was an important step in the right direction, and he so was pleased to finally complete his run at a steady pace, which he eventually finished in 246th place overall in 36 minutes and 35 seconds as a highly respected VM45 athlete.
*John Hatton (*above left), introduces Mark Davies to the crowd at Conwy and (*above right), Mark celebrates completing his first ever 5k parkrun.
After the parkrun, Mark bravely confirmed details of his ongoing fitness battle: “Where do I start. I had my knee rebuilt at the back and side when I came home from Heywood hospital after eight months in Stoke hospital. I thought a new knee would be fine once it was heeled. How wrong was I?
“I thought I would just start up again. Little did I realise that I was going to be like a child learning to walk again. I thought it was just a lifting my foot problem at first, but it’s still a problem now, with not being fit enough to run.
“Parkrun was a great help as a first run-out and I have been running around the block about four or five times a day since May when my brace came off my leg. As for the future. I just plan to keep trying to run again, and hopefully being able to run the Dragons Back race again in two-year’s time.
“I can't work anymore as my right arm hardly moves, and that is my main arm, so all I have left is my running. Switzerland is a thing of the past for me now!”
*These are some of my memorable blog links that confirm part of the difficult journey that Mark Davies has had to endure:
27/3/23: Don Hale Blog: Positive news about award winning mountain racer M... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/positive-news-about-award-winning.html?spref=tw
18/8/23: Don Hale Blog: MARK DAVIES UPDATE: Drunk woman drove off after th... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/mark-davies-update-drunk-woman-drove.html?spref=tw
6/2/23: Don Hale Blog: Mountain runner Mark Davies continues his battle f... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2023/02/mark-continues-his-battle-for-life-at.html?spref=tw
31/1/23: Don Hale Blog: Special fundraising page for hit and run victim Ma... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/special-fundraising-page-for-hit-and.html?spref=tw
30/11/22: Don Hale Blog: Welsh fell runner Mark Davies wins ‘Special Achiev... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2022/11/welsh-fell-runner-mark-davies-wins.html?spref=tw
Conwy parkrun results and report.
This week's Conwy parkrun also marked the promotion of the 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer appeal, which additionally celebrated its special birthday event, with many supporters wearing blue t-shirts and tops, to either help out, or run/walk, this picturesque riverside route.
North Wales Road Runners turned out some fourteen members, which included Mark Davies returning from serious injury, and Daniel Owens, a partially sighted athlete, who was guided this week by Gwyn Williams (Colwyn Bay AC).
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*Pictured above (*left), partially sighted athlete Daniel Owens with his guide Gwyn Williams, and (*above right), Carla Green with some running friends.
Sion Thomas led the club team home in 17th place and finished 1st in his VM40 age cat in 22.10, with Karl Morris 20th, and 2nd in the same cat as Sion, and just seven-seconds adrift in 22.17.
Steve Roberts was 32nd in 23.29, with Hannah Griffith 78th in 26.15, and she won her VW50 age cat, with master veteran Rob Fryer 87th and 2nd in his VM70 cat in 26.37. Fellow master Don Hale struggled a bit this week and he finished 3rd in the same age cat as Rob in 104th place in 27.27.
Veteran Len Jackson ran his fastest parkrun this year with a positive outing despite the conditions in 27.55 in 116th place and he was 4th in his VM65 cat, with Daniel Owens and his guide Gwyn Williams running home together in 125th place in a shared time of 28.12.
Another master vet Mark Mason also finished 4th in his VM70 cat in 29.06 in 135th place, and deserved plaudits were also given to recovering club athletes Carla Green and Elizabeth Driscoll, with Carla finishing in 228th place in 35.18, and Elizabeth 272nd in 49.06.
*This is the link to Bill Scriven's photos from Conwy parkrun: https://runninginfocus.smugmug.com/Park-Runs-Conwy/Conwy-Parkrun-29-Sept-2024
*Conwy parkrun director Bethan Wyn Roberts (*third from left), with some of her team of volunteers, and (*below right), turn-around Bob and colleagues.
*The first runner back at Conwy was Josh Keogh who completed a hat-trick of consecutive victories with another strong run in 18.13, and he won his SM30 age cat. James Williams (Lymm Runners), finished 2nd in 19.12, with Oliver Seldon 3rd in 19.47.
*For the ladies, promising junior twins Ella and Gwen Hayes (Deeside AC) – who are the granddaughters of photographer Bill Scriven – claimed the 1st and 2nd female finishing places on their course debuts following an outstanding tussle, with Ella 5th overall in 20.04, and Gwen just one place and six seconds behind her.
They also finished 1st and 2nd in their JW11-14 age cat, and a couple of other visiting debut runners from Yaxley Runners and Joggers, took the next two places, and included SW20 athlete, Ellie Piccaver 3rd in 21.56, and VW60 athlete Roslyn Loutit, the 4th female in 21.57. *There were 289 finishers this week.
*Praise was given to the run director Bethan Wyn Roberts and to all the hardworking volunteers and marshals. This is a link to the provisional results:
https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/results/latestresults/
Other results from Saturday:
*Ruthin: Cheryl Frost and Kay Hatton took part in the Ruthin Memorial Playing Fields parkrun last Saturday and both their respective age categories. Cheryl finished 18th overall and she was the 4th female in 22.55 and won her VW55 cat, whilst Kay won her VW60 cat in 23rd place in 23.19, and she was the 7th female finisher.
*Newark: Harry Driscoll travelled to the Newark parkrun and claimed 2nd place overall with a good run in 19.03 and he won his SM20 age cat.
*Prestatyn: Stuart Culverhouse won his VM50 age cat at the Nova parkrun at Prestatyn after he finished 3rd overall in 20.34.
*Penrhyn: Steve Mason finished 24th in the Penrhyn Castle parkrun, and he was 2nd in his VM50 age cat in 20.47.
*Sheffield: Michael Finnie ran his fastest time this year at Sheffield last Saturday during his 309th parkrun, this time at the Graves Park parkrun over a tough and hilly course, where he finished 3rd in his VM65 age cat in 28.08.
*Lancaster: James Jones was 150th on his debut in a time of 31.13, at the Lancaster parkrun as he journeyed to Loch Ness last Saturday.
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