Another record smashed at Penrhyn Castle parkrun and four age cat wins at Bala...

*Four members of NWRRC won their respective age cats at Port y Bala parkrun last Saturday. They are shown (*above l-r): Kay Hatton, Carla Green, Martin Green, and Elizabeth Driscoll with her dog Winston.

Another record smashed at Penrhyn Castle parkrun and four age cat wins at Bala...

Report by Don Hale. Photos by John Hatton and Michael Finnie.

*The start of the Penrhyn Castle parkrun (*above) in the rain.

It seems that records at Penrhyn Castle parkrun are more like London buses, with nothing for ages then suddenly two come along at once. Only last week Sara Ismail-Sutton smashed the female course record and last Saturday, despite the rain, there was another bumper turn-out of visiting athletes, who beat the previous attendance record with 370 finishers.

And it was very nearly a hat-trick of records, with Colwyn Bay athlete and US student Bryn Woodall (*pictured right), enjoying a tremendous run at Penrhyn on their four-lap woodland route on his return to the UK for a summer break, and he came within a whisker of claiming a new course record.

Bryn, who recently recorded a new PB and won a prestigious NAIA 1500m track final in America, showed his versatility with another incredible PB, in just 15 minutes and 54 seconds, and he finished more than three-minutes ahead of his nearest rival.

He was followed by debutants Ben Allee (Daventry RR) in 17.58, and George Heyes (Wigan & District AC) in 18.34. The first female finisher was Rebecca Yates (Mickleover RC) on her course debut in 21.57, but it was a very close finish with Llio Owen just three-seconds behind her, and junior athlete Leusa Metcalf a close 3rd on her debut in 22.07.

*Some other local runners at Penrhyn included: 18th Stuart Culverhouse, who was 3rd in his VM50 cat in 20.27; 37th Joe Culverhouse, who won his JM11-14 age cat with a new PB in 21.52; master veteran Sandy Johnston, who finished 76th, and he won his VM75 cat in 23.58, and John O’Shea who was 254th in 32.02.

 

*Pictured above left - Stuart Culverhouse at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun and (*above right), Gethin Wyn Jones at the Calgary parkrun in Alberta, Canada.

Four age category wins for NWRRC quartet at Bala.

Four members from NWRRC ran at the Pont y Bala parkrun last week, and they each won their respective age categories. Martin Green, who holds a dual club registration with the Road Runners and Meirionnydd RC, was the first finisher overall on his course debut in 17.38, and he also won his VM50 age cat. 

His result was quite remarkable, as it came just 14 hours after finishing 3rd overall in the hot and humid Friday night Deganwy 5-mile Dash. Martin’s wife Carla Green enjoyed a great run out too, finishing 7th overall out of 118 entrants, and she was the 1st female finisher and won her VW50 age cat in 20.47. Veteran Kay Hatton also won her VW60 cat in 25th place, and she was the 4th female with a new course PB of 23.27, whilst Elizabeth Driscoll won her VW55 cat in 48th place on her debut in 27.00.

*Calgary: Road Runner Gethin Wyn Jones travelled to the Nose Hill Park parkrun last Saturday in Alberta, Canada, and he finished 39th out of 127 entrants in 28.35 and he was 5th in his VM40 age cat.

*Prestatyn: Lewis Morris (West Cheshire) was the first finisher at the Nova parkrun at Prestatyn in 17.45, with debutants James Braban (Chorlton Runners), 2nd in 18.29, and Boyd Park (Southport & Waterloo), 3rd in 18.56. The 1st female finisher was Anna Drinkwater (Eryri Harriers), in 4th place overall in 18.59, with Mary Ann O’Neil (Wrekin RRC), 2nd in 22.57, and debutant Nicola Moore 3rd in 24.05. *There were 278 finishers.