Special anniversary celebrations at Conwy parkrun featured on ITV.

*Pictured above - the picturesque 5k course at Conwy parkrun which was voted runner-up in the global online survey a few years ago.

Special anniversary celebrations at Conwy parkrun was featured on ITV.

Report by Don Hale.

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com

www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk

 

It was a good turnout again last Saturday at Conwy parkrun as nearly three-hundred entrants celebrated the 20th anniversary of this amazing global community activity, with ITV Wales also filming this week’s activities!

Organisers at this particular venue began their own journey a few years later, but this popular event has continued to flourish, with the weekly run from the RSPB Nature Reserve attracting over 200,000 finishers in total since the start, as this week they too celebrated their own 420th parkrun.

And about three years ago, Conwy's unique event was also voted by the general public as 'runner-up' in the world's best parkruns during an online survey!

These combined anniversaries encouraged a party-type atmosphere for participants including the gift of a free special edition commemorative magazine welcomed by a number of top club athletes and social runners who joined in the fun, including entrants from all over the UK.

North Wales Road Runners had seventeen members involved and Will Williams shook-off his recent injury problems to finish 5th overall, and he won his VW50 age cat in just 19 minutes and 15 seconds. 

 

*Will Williams (*above left), with Adam Lemalle and Steve Roberts.

Chasing club colleagues Adam Lemalle, Steve Roberts and Paul Aubert had a keen battle for some other top-twenty places, with Adam eventually finishing 17th in 21.59, and he was 2nd in his VW40 cat, with Steve just one place and five-seconds adrift in 22.04, but won his VM55 age cat, whilst Paul was another two-seconds behind Steve in 20th place in 22.06, and he was 3rd in his own VM45 cat.

Richard Scamans returned from last week’s Triathlon relay success to claim 22nd place in 22.14, and he was hot on the heels of this previous trio, with youngster Joe Culverhouse also back to form, and he won his JM11-14 age cat in 25th place in 22.40. Sion Thomas ran well too, and he was 40th in 23.50 and 3rd in his VM40 cat, whilst James Singleton returned to parkrun with a good performance in 43rd place in 24.09.

*Richard Scamans (*above left), with Sion Thomas, and Tony Gibson.

Master veteran Barrie Wells was another returnee and won his VM70 age cat in 25.15 in 53rd place overall, and veteran Tony Gibson clinched 89th place in 26.41.

Stuart Culverhouse guided partially sighted clubmate Daniel Owens around this picturesque 5k course this week, and Daniel successfully knocked over a minute from his time from last week to finish 92nd in 26.45, with Stuart just one place and second behind.

*Pictured above left - Mark Davies and Karl Morris, with John O'Shea.

Master vet Rob Fryer was 2nd in his VM70 cat in 129th place in 29.02, and veteran John O’Shea was 148th in 30.12, and it was pleasing to note that recovering mountain racer Mark Davies was another vast improver, recording a new course PB time of 36.08 – nearly thirty-seconds better than last week – to finish 215th, after running with his friend and club colleague Karl Morris. Karl finished just two places and one-second behind Mark in 36.09, whilst Elizabeth Driscoll was 255th in 53.06.

This is the link to ITV News: 

https://www.itv.com/watch/news/parkrun-celebrates-20th-anniversary/w62tgnt?fbclid=IwY2xjawFubnRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXEx6picUnVsc9zo7bbeYMmnUxLN_IU1-woMuwpXVOAYsrWFAOg_Pplulw_aem_asSN9RPv557qk5X9zV0XnA

*NOTE: There was also a welcome and surprise appearance by young but prolific fundraiser Charlie Sheen, (*pictured right), who made his parkrun debut and finished well in 39th place in 22.40, and he was 2nd in his JM11-14. In July this year he raised over £4,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Charity by running 75-miles up and down the promenade from Colwyn Bay to Llandudno.

This is my previous blog link to Charlie’s incredible exploits: Don Hale Blog: CHARLIE SHEEN RUNS 75 MILES AND RAISES OVER £4,000... https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2024/07/charlie-sheen-runs-75-miles-and-raises.html?spref=tw

*Praise was given to the run director and to all the marshals and volunteers. This is the link to the provisional parkrun results at Conwy: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/results/latestresults/

 

*The first finisher overall at Conwy was SM20 athlete Giovanni Torri on his course debut in 17.21, with SM18 runner Cai Curtis-Roberts 2nd with a new PB in 17.28, whilst another debutant Gareth Griffith, VM40, claimed 3rd place in 18.29. *The first female finisher was Becky Sleath (Newcastle University & Tri Club), a SW25 athlete in 22.05, (19th overall), with SW30 athlete Alex Aldous, 2nd (23rd overall) in 22.24, and Elin Cawley, SW20, finished as the 3rd female, (41st overall), in 23.57. *There were 267 runners in total.

 

Other results:

*Liverpool: Steve Mason finished 29th at the Princes parkrun in Liverpool last Saturday and he won his VM50 age cat on his course debut in 20.12.