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*North Wales Road runner Mal Preece (above) at the London Marathon. Mixed emotions but a great experience for athletes at the London Marathon...plus other results and updates... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk Seven North Wales Road Runners competed in the televised London Marathon last Sunday amongst a mass participation of some 50,000 runners, who raised tens of thousands of pounds for various worthy charities, with many athletes recalling mixed emotions and personal best times! Mal Preece was the first NWRRC member home with an excellent time of 3 hours and 20 minutes, and he celebrated following a great new PB time. Afterwards he confirmed: “Very pleased with a new six-minute PB. I ran my first marathon back in 2011 at Chester, and to date I’ve knocked 20 minutes off that time. Looking to chip away my latest PB again next year with GFA time. My goal was to get my qualifying time for Berlin next year, which I achieved.” *Pictured (above) Ben and Sarah Hudson. Will Evans was also on top form to record 3.27, but later admitted just how hard this race, stating: “Wow! That was a long way, and it nearly broke me, but happy to go under 3.30.” Ben and Sarah Hudson enjoyed the occasion but also faced mixed emotions, with Ben claiming a new PB by finishing in 3.31, and Sarah recording 3.47, but she too spoke of the exhausting challenge of this popular event and confirmed: “It was not my day today, but I left it all out there. What an experience! It didn’t quite go according to any of my plans, and I was totally broken half-way around. “No excuses, but just so proud to finish in 3.47, and even more proud of Ben and his new PB. Thank you so much for all words of support and sponsorship…means so much. And here’s to Berlin and another crack at our sub 3.30 mission!” Samantha Williams was thrilled with her time of 4.40, which was her second fastest marathon time, and Kelly Marie Alford and her partner Cai Roberts ran well whilst running for charity in their telly-tubby fancy dress costumes, finishing in 4.51. *There were additional plaudits to other local charity fundraisers including Conwy parkrunner Elaine Heyes who completed the London Marathon in 4.55, and also to Josie Davies, and Mandy Owen. Other race results: *Wrexham: Sion Thomas ran in the Wrexham 10k last Sunday and finished 74th out of 782 entrants with a good time of 44.15. *Caernarfon: Gwennan Charlton competed in the Moel Smytho Orienteering event last weekend at Rhosgadfan, near Caernarfon, which included a 3.6k challenging course and she finished in 33.29. News snippets: International selection: There were international call-ups this month by Welsh Masters for three NWRRC members, including Will Williams, and husband and wife duo Martin and Carla Green, for two varied distance events. This formidable trio have been selected to represent Wales at the forthcoming Masters’ international 10k race at Birmingham on Sunday 5th May, and then in the Masters’ International half-marathon race in Manchester on Sunday 26th May. Deganwy Dash proves to be as popular as ever. Race full: Entries for the popular 5-mile Deganwy Dash, now known as Rohan’s Run, in memory of student Rohan Ingley, have now closed, as the 350-entry limit has now been reached. This event on Friday 31st May, will help to raise thousands of pounds for children’s cancer charities, and follows the Conwy Estuary pathway, including a very picturesque route from Deganwy Quay to the RSPB reserve via the Cob and back.

*Will Williams (above), was the first NWRRC athlete at Conwy parkrun. Unusually dry conditions at Conwy parkrun which boosted the numbers and finishing times... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk North Wales Road Runners only entered nine athletes this week at the Conwy parkrun due to other commitments including the London Marathon the following day, but they still claimed four age category wins and recorded some excellent finishing times. This ever-popular weekly event attracted another bumper attendance with 239 mixed ability runners taking part in this spectacular 5k riverside course, which again proved unusually dry despite mixed weather conditions all week. NWRRC athlete Will Williams enjoyed a good result in 2nd place overall and won his VM50 cat in 18 minutes and 36 seconds, with Stuart Culverhouse 4th, and 2nd in the same cat as Will in 20.21, and Adam Lemalle also celebrated another great new PB time of 21.22 and won his VM40 age cat. Steve Roberts was on form again and he finished 21st in 22.05, whilst Hannah Griffiths won her VW50 cat with another impressive performance in 77th place overall in 25.41. *Pictured (right): Stuart Culverhouse, Meanwhile, Gethin Wyn Jones continued his fitness battle, and he must have been pleased with his time of 26.52 in 102nd place, with master veteran Barrie Wells winning his VM70 cat after finishing 136th in 28.38. And fellow veteran John O’Shea was 149th in 29.29, and Elizabeth Driscoll recorded a time of 41.52 in 229th place. *The first male finisher overall was visiting athlete George Loxton (Belgrave Harriers) with a new PB of 17.07, and he won his SM20-24 age cat, with Will Williams (NWRRC), 2nd in 18.36, and Richard Scoppie was 3rd in 19.39, and he won his VM45 cat. *The 1st female finisher was Samantha Edwards (Red Rose Runners), on her course debut (22nd overall), in 22.06, and she also won her VW35.39 cat. She was followed by promising junior athlete and another debutant in Elin Evans in 27th place overall, who also won her JW11-14 cat, as the 2nd female athlete in 22.32, with Ffion Roberts taking the 3rd female spot in 22.58, and the winner of her SW20-24 cat in 34th place overall. The 1st Lady at Conwy, Samantha Edwards from Preston (pictured right), ran with her mascot Geraffe, and in addition, a couple from Nottingham started last Sunday and cycled from Cardiff to run the Conwy parkrun, and were later catching the train back home. *Praise was given to the Conwy run director, and to all the volunteers and marshalls. This is the link to the provisional results: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/results/latestresults/ Other results: *Wrexham: Sion Thomas ran in the Wrexham 10k last Sunday and he finished 74th out of 782 entrants with a good time of 44.15. *Sion Thomas (above), set a good time at the Wrexham 10k. *Caernarfon: Gwennan Charlton competed in the Moel Smytho Orienteering event last weekend at Rhosgadfan, near Caernarfon, which included a 3.6k challenging course and she finished in 33.29. *Penrhyn: Martin Green finished 4th overall at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun last Saturday in a superb time of just 17.39, and he won his VM45 age cat.

*Martin Green (above), crosses the finishing line at Colwyn Bay. Great performance by Martin Green to win the Pier2Pier half-marathon...and some other excellent club results... Report by Don Hale. Photos by John Hatton and Dave Jones. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com *The NWRRC team (above) at Colwyn Bay for the Pier2Pier half-marathon. North Wales Road Runner Martin Green quickly bounced back to top form last Sunday to win the new Pier2Pier half-marathon race following a close a battle with his club colleague Jonathan Kettle and the third placed finisher Chris Pownall. Martin, who has only just returned to racing following a period of ill health, looked comfortable all the way along this challenging promenade course from the Eirias Park Stadium to Llandudno Pier and back, despite a blustery wind, and dodging the aftermath of storm damage. He was one of ten NWRRC members who competed in this well organised event by RunWales, and he was pleased with his time of 1 hour 17 minutes and 35 seconds to additionally win his M45-49 age cat, and it quite remarkably it also turned out to be a family celebration in terms of results, with his wife Carla winning her own F50-54 age category, despite an earlier fall during her warm-up, yet she bravely continued and still finished well as the 3rd female athlete. Jonathan Kettle ran in close pursuit of Martin in 1.18.02 to finish 2nd overall, and in second spot in the same age cat, whilst Chris Pownall (Cybi Striders/Vegan Runners), won his M21-34 cat in 1.19.23. The Ladies race was won by Tinka Vinks, (Breda, Netherlands), 10th overall in 1.27.04, with Katie Johnson 2nd (24th), in 1.34.11, and Carla Green (NWRRC) was 3rd (27th) in 1.35.45, and she won her M50-54 cat. *Pictured above - Martin Green (left), with club colleague Jonathan Kettle. Stuart Culverhouse was another club athlete, who enjoyed his windswept dash in 21st place in 1.32.41, and he finished 3rd in his M50-54 cat, with Steve Roberts 58th, and he celebrated 3rd place in his M55-59 cat in 1.44.21. Meanwhile Kay Hatton won her F60-64 age cat with another great display in 71st place in 1.48.21, as the 9th female, and Adam Lemalle chalked up another excellent result in 76th place in 1.49.48. Master veteran Sandy Johnston also set a hot pace to win his M70-74 age cat with a determined run in 84th place in 1.46.32, and it was good to see Nicola Wylie racing well again, and she was the 20th female athlete in 98th place in 1.53.11, and 2nd in her F55-59 cat. And Helen Hannam was another race returnee and she finished 174th, and the 41st female in 2.07.44. A brave performance from Carla Green despite a nasty fall during her warm-up at Colwyn Bay. Pictured (*right). Carla however, was soon back in action to eventually finish as the 3rd female athlete. *There were just over 300 finishers, and this is a link to the provisional results: https://www.runwales.com/files/user_uploaded/results/535/Half%20Marathon%20Overall%20Results.pdf Other race results: *Manchester: Four NWRRC members competed in the Manchester Marathon last Sunday with Steve Mason leading the quartet home in 3 hrs 31 minutes despite suffering all week with hay fever. Cheryl Frost was next with another positive performance in 4.04.15, and Kelly Marie Alford also recorded a decent time of 4.10.18, and Cai Roberts ran back in 4.34.53. After the race, Cheryl said: “I ran the Manchester marathon today, and little annoyed as it was 26.5 miles, so did me out of a sub-4. Strava had me down as 4:01, anyway I was 41st in cat. Seeing the overall stats, I’m a bit happier, but I don’t think marathons are quite my thing!” And Kelly also added: “That was a tough one! Disappointed with my time but no way that I could go any quicker!” *Crete: Kevin Higgins completed a unique hat-trick of consecutive races whilst enjoying the sunshine in Greece. His race times and distances included: 10k (61.58), 5k (31.07), and a 2.5k race in 14.40. He later said: “All done in Crete! I ran in one race after another in very hot conditions. The times were not the best, but it was all about just finishing.” *Cheshire: Rachel Morris enjoyed a good midweek run in the Cheshire Spring 5-mile race finishing well in 55.11. Afterwards, she said: “This was the third time I’ve done this race. I love the route, and it’s always a beautiful evening run.” *Liverpool: Sion Thomas and James Jones ran in the Mersey Tunnel 10k last Sunday. James enjoyed his run run in 41.41, and he was 64th out of 1,976 entrants, and Sion also recorded a good time of 45.21, and he finished 148th.

*Martin and Carla Green (above), were welcomed back to Conwy parkrun. The Green duo welcomed back at Conwy parkrun in cool, blustery but relatively dry conditions... Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It was another good turn-out at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as nearly 300 athletes of mixed ages and abilities enjoyed an unusually dry 5k riverside course, yet they still had to contend with a rather cool and blustery wind. The event welcomed back North Wales Road Runners Martin and Carla Green following a period of absence, and this formidable duo formed part of a club team of twelve entrants, who collected two age category wins, three second places and two third. They both took it steady, like many other runners this week, due to additional race commitments the following day, with Martin finishing 6th overall, and he was 2nd in his VM45 cat in 20 minutes and 39 seconds, whilst Carla won her VW50 cat in 62nd place in 25.05. Will Evans was on form again in 8th place in 20.45 and he was 2nd in his VM40 cat, and Adam Lemalle impressed again, finishing 22nd in 22.04, and 4th in his VM45 cat. Daniel Hennell enjoyed a good run in 50th place in 24.43, with Stuart Culverhouse 58th in 24.58, and master veteran Don Hale won his VM70 age cat in 79th place in 25.49, with Hannah Griffith 85th and 3rd in her VW50 cat in 26.07. Another master vet, Mark Mason, returned to form with a positive run in 133rd place in 28.23, and he was 2nd in his VM70 cat. *Will Evans (above), on form again at Conwy. And veteran John O’Shea claimed the 3rd spot in 159th place in his VM65 cat in 30.02, with master vet Barrie Wells192nd in 32.24, and he finished 4th in his VM70 cat, whilst Elizabeth Driscoll was 261st in 41.15. *The first finisher at Conwy parkrun was Aled Hughes (GOG Triathlon), who also won his VM35 age cat in 18.23, with Cian Parry second in 19.21, and he won his SM25.29 age cat, with Richard Scoppie third with a new PB in 19.30, and he too won his VM45 age cat. And praise also to Steven Owen (GOG Triathlon), who finished 4th overall in 19.49, and he won his VM40 cat. *The first female finisher was Ella Grundy (Colwyn Bay AC) who was 17th overall, and she won her JW15-17 age cat in 21.40. Vicky Cole (GOG Triathlon) finished second (19th), in 21.51, and she won her VW40 cat, with Laura Elwell (St Mary’s Running and Triathlon Club), the third female (21st), with a new PB in 22.00 and she also won her VW35 cat. *Praise was given to the run director and to all the volunteers and marshalls and thanks were again given to the puddle-sweeper John Hatton for another sterling effort. This is a link to the provisional parkrun results: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/results/latestresults/ Other race results: Milford: Ben and Sarah Ferguson enjoyed another tourist outing to the Milford Waterfront parkrun in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, last weekend, and they both won their respective age categories with Ben finishing in 7th place in 22.10, and he was 1st in his VM45 cat, and Sarah was just one place behind, as the second female athlete in 23.00, and she also won her VW45 cat. Afterwards Sarah confirmed: “Great fun. We both finished in the top 10, and I was 2nd Lady. The London Marathon is next week, so ready or not here we come!” *Penrhyn Castle: Will Williams was the 1st VM50 age cat winner at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun where he finished 9th overall with a time of 18.48. *Cheshire: Rachel Morris enjoyed a good midweek run in the Cheshire Spring 5-mile race finishing well in 55.11. Afterwards, she said: “This was the third time I’ve done this race. I love the route, and it’s always a beautiful evening run.”

Funeral arrangements for the former Swansea Harrier and WMAA secretary Jonathan Kersting... Message from Mel James at Welsh Masters Athletics. I have received the sad news of the passing of a previous WMAA secretary Jonathan Kersting, on April 12th. Jon was secretary around the millennium time, alongside the great John Collins and Ken Bray. He competed for Swansea Harriers and WMAA within the B&I Cross Country International and many other masters events. I received this info from Ken Bray's daughter Yvonne, (Bullen) It was Jon's wife that informed her. I will attempt to find out more info, ASAP. These are the details of Jon Kersting's funeral arrangements. The funeral will take place on Wednesday 8th May. The Service is at St Mary's Church, Burry Port. SA16 0SL at 12.30pm. Followed by Cremation at Llanelli Crematorium, Penprys Rd. SA14 8BX. Friends and Family are cordially invited to meet after the funeral at Ashburnham Golf Club, Burry Port. SA16 0HN. Regards, Mel James, Welsh Masters Athletics.

Welsh Athletics teams for the forthcoming international events... TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT  - Master 10k and half marathon races... Report by Bernie Jones. We are delighted to share the team of athletes who will be representing Wales in the upcoming Masters 10km and Half Marathon Internationals this May! *Read the full team announcement here: https://tinyurl.com/welsh-masters-team

Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It was a super-crazy, and very busy weekend for a host of North Wales Road Runners last week, as many were winding down their marathon training plans to concentrate on a few varied distance races, only to be hit by Storm Kathleen, and faced a succession of gale force winds, and driving hail, or rain. Tom Aindow faced mixed weather on the coast at Brighton where despite an injury collected near the start of his full marathon race, but he bravely continued to record a decent finishing time. And plaudits too, to Jon Evans at the Berlin half-marathon, where he too faced his demons following a debilitating illness, to complete his 'target race' in a good time. Ben and Sarah Hudson, also faced a tough encounter from strong winds, with Sarah also collecting some unwanted blisters just weeks before her London marathon race, and there were mixed feelings, and results, from numerous other Road Running members at a variety of UK parkruns. *Jon Evans (above), ran a good time at the Berlin half-marathon, following a period of ill-health, and (*below), Tom Aindow, finished well at the Brighton marathon despite injury. *Brighton: Tom Aindow ran in the Brighton Marathon at the weekend and recorded his second fastest marathon time of 3 hrs 27 minutes, despite suffering a slight injury. After his race, he confirmed: “Ankle problems from pretty early on, and so hobbling by the end. Still a lovely day, amazing crowds, and another marathon done!” *Berlin: Jon Evans enjoyed a good run in the Berlin half-marathon on Sunday and finished in 1.58.07. Afterwards he explained: “Stress tests of lungs and pins. All good this morning at Berlin. Great city, great race and 100% recommended. Thanks to my support crew (@kaz_hulme), and of course @rhianroxburgh, without who, it would be a shambles.“This was a target race, but regrettably I contracted pneumonia and was/am still recovering, but had done some light training and ran around as a health/fitness test - all good. Splits were consistent and looking forward to getting a training block in prior to pacing Chester half.” *Wantage, Oxfordshire: Ben and Sarah Hudson (pictured above), competed in the White Horse half-marathon in Oxfordshire, as one of their last races before the London Marathon, but like so many other runners last weekend, their efforts were hampered by Storm Kathleen. Ben finished in 1.37.08, and Sarah 1.49.36. Sarah confirmed: “We did the White Horse Half in Grove, Wantage, as a last long run before London… a great course and event which could have been quick without the gale force winds. Not really the times we wanted but just glad to get the miles in in those conditions. "Amazing weekend of running and catching up with super lovely friends, but the racedidn't quite go according to plan with crazy winds and blisters, but hopefully that’s got the bad run out the way before London.” Other parkrun results: Blackpool: Martin and Carla Green (pictured above), took part in the breezy Blackpool parkrun at Stanley Park on Saturday, with Martin finishing well in 3rd place in 19.21, and he won his VM45 age cat, whilst Carla was the first female finisher in 15th place overall in 22.12, and she too won her VW50 cat. *Prestatyn: Stuart Culverhouse ran with his young son Joe at the Nova Prestatyn parkrun, supported by several family members. Stuart finished 7th in 20.25, and he was second in his VM50 cat, and Joe was also second in his JM11-14 age cat, and in 26th place overall in 24.17, and later he admitted: "it was great to run with the wife and kids and sister in law." *Bala: Adam Lemalle finished 10th overall in the Pont y Bala parkrun with a good time of 21.51 and he was 3rd in his VM40 age cat. *Dunstable: Richard Scamans went on his travels again last weekend and ran in the Dunstable Downs parkrun, which he admitted was, ‘very hilly, muddy, and run around boggy fields.’ Despite his problems, Richard still ran very well and finished 10th overall, and he was 2nd in his VM50 age cat in 26.15.

*The NWRRC quartet pictured above (l-r): Nia Lister, Kay Hatton, Cheryl Frost and Mike Hayton. NWRRC quartet tackled an 8-mile challenge for the South Snowdonia Search & Rescue Team. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk North Wales Road Runners entered a quartet of hardy athletes in the SSART Trawsfynydd Multi-Terrain 8-mile race last Sunday afternoon amongst an entry of 232 finishers who helped to raise essential funds for the South Snowdonia Search & Rescue team. Described as a beautiful multi-terrain race starting from the Magnox Power Station and then around Trawsfynydd Lake in the Eryri/Snowdonia National Park, the course was claimed to be fast, with just one challenging hill over a mixed tarmac and trail route. The NWRRC team performed well despite the very blustery conditions, combined at times with hail showers, but Cheryl Frost led her group home in 68th place, as the 9th female athlete, with an excellent chip time of just 1 hour 12 minutes and 41 seconds, to deservedly claim the 3rd spot in her FV50-59 age cat. Kay Hatton remained in close pursuit, and she had a strong finish in 70th place, and won her FV60-69 cat, as the 10th female in 1.12.53. Nia Lister also performed well, and she was 166th overall and the 65th female in 1.28.24, whilst master veteran Mike Hayton put in a determined run to finish in 195th place in 1.36.20, and he was 4th in his MV70 age cat, and the 109th male athlete. *Cheryl Frost and Kay Hatton, performed well at the 8-mile multi-terrain event. *The overall race winner was Ben Porter (Cerist Triathlon Club), in 51.49, and he won his MU40 age cat, with Steffan Sayer (Menai Track & Field), 2nd in 52.16, and Aled Hughes (GOG Triathlon Club) finished 3rd in 55.10. The latter two athletes were also 2nd and 3rd respectively in the same age cat as Ben. *The first female athlete was Fiona Corrick (18th) in 1.02.17, and the FU40 age cat winner, with Amanda Bailey 2nd (28th), and she won her FV50-59 age cat in 1.05.06, and Margot Sayer ran well in 3rd place (31st), in 1.06.08, and she also won her FV40-49 cat. *NOTE:All proceeds received were in aid of the South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team. This important team is run entirely by volunteers, who are on call-out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help those in need in the local area. The team is a charity, dependent on donations from the public, and the proceeds of this race will provide vital funds. *This is a link to the provisional results: https://sssart.niftyentries.com/Results/North-Wales-SSSART-Trawsfynydd-Multi-Terrain-8-Miler#

*Pictured above - Jonathan Kettle at Conwy parkrun. Conwy parkrunners battled against Storm Kathleen. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It was wild and extremely windy at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as nearly 300 mixed ability athletes braved Storm Kathleen on this blustery riverside 5k course. Once again, this popular event attracted a host of visiting runners from across the UK, but they all faced the usual swamp-like, waterlogged course, following several days of heavy and unrelenting rain, combined with 40-mph plus head and side winds! North Wales Road Runners entered eleven members and Jonathan Kettle led the team home with an amazing performance considering the atrocious conditions under foot to finish in 3rd place overall, and he also won his VM45 age cat in just 18 minutes and 19 seconds. Will Williams was also in good form, and he won his VM50 cat in 6th place in 19.02, with Steve Mason 10th in 19.45, and 3rd in his VM45 cat. Sion Thomas, meanwhile, had another consistent run in 39th place in 22.26, and Jamie Tharme was 42nd, and just eight-seconds adrift of Sion in 22.34. Will Williams (above), in good form at Conwy. Master veteran Sandy Johnston turned in another excellent performance in 67th place, and he also won his VM70 cat in 24.36, with fellow master vet Don Hale finishing 90th in 26.17, and he was 2nd in the same age cat as Sandy. In addition, veteran Rob Fryer claimed the 2nd spot in his VM65 cat in 97th place in 26.41, and Barrie Wells was 138th in 28.23, and his 3rd place in the VM70 cat ensured the club secured all three top placings in this tough master vet section again. *Pictured above - Welsh Master Sandy Johnston with another excellent run. Nia Lister was the only female club representative at Conwy this week and she enjoyed her result finishing in 149th place in 28.49, and claimed the 3rd spot in her VW35 age cat, whilst veteran John O’Shea was 193rd in 31.27. The first three male finishers at Conwy parkrun included course debutant Robert Parker in 17.54, with James Perry(Macclesfield Harriers & AC), 2nd with a new PB in 18.12, and Jonathan Kettle (NWRRC), finished 3rd in 18.19. Emily Hanlon was the first female finisher on her debut in 20.58 (18th overall), with junior athlete Bethan Buckley (Keighley & Craven AC), the 2nd female, (20th), in 21.09, and Jo Buckley (Bingley Harriers) was 3rd (21st), in 21.20. *Praise was given to the run director Anthony Howe, and to all his hardworking team of volunteers and marshals at Conwy in very trying weather conditions. This is the link to the provisional results: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/results/latestresults/ Other parkrun results: *Blackpool: Martin and Carla Green took part in the breezy Blackpool parkrun at Stanley Park on Saturday, with Martin finishing well in 3rd place in 19.21, and he won his VM45 age cat, whilst Carla was the first female finisher in 15th place overall in 22.12, and she too won her VW50 cat. *Martin and Carla Green (above), enjoyed the breezy Blackpool parkrun. *Prestatyn: Stuart Culverhouse ran with his young son Joe at the Nova Prestatyn parkrun, supported by several family members. Stuart finished 7th in 20.25, and he was second in his VM50 cat, and Joe was also second in his JM11-14 age cat, and in 26th place overall in 24.17. *Dunstable: Richard Scamans went on his travels again last weekend and ran in the Dunstable Downs parkrun, which he admitted was, ‘very hilly, muddy, and run around boggy fields.’ Despite his problems, Richard still ran very well and finished 10th overall, and he was 2nd in his VM50 age cat in 26.15. *Bala: Adam Lemalle finished 10th overall in the Pont y Bala parkrun with a good time of 21.51 and he was 3rd in his VM40 age cat.

*Pictured above and below - volunteer and photographer John Hatton captures the unique atmosphere as the large number of runners begin their Easter dash at Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning. Bumper Easter turn-out at Conwy parkrun boosted by a host of visiting UK club and social entrants. Report by Don Hale. Main photos by John Hatton. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It proved to be another bumper Easter attendance at Conwy parkrun last Saturday as some 435 entrants from all parts of the UK, tackled the picturesque but soggy 5k riverside route to help celebrate the Bank Holiday weekend, and they just missed out on setting a new attendance record! Parkrun official Mark Jessett confirmed: "Saturday was our second highest attendance, and our highest since we restarted post-2020. Our highest attendance was at Easter in 2019. "Overall, across the UK, parkrun saw its highest attendances since the restart. Many parkruns in North Wales (Dolgellau, Nant y Pandy, and Nova Prestatyn, that I know of so far) set attendance records yesterday." This latest event was unusually and additionally boosted by bright sunshine, and a relatively light breeze, which enhanced the unique atmosphere on this special date for both club and social runners. And Conwy parkrun volunteer John Hatton repeated his recent efforts to help clear many large puddles from the start area, but the route still lived up to his unenviable reputation as one of the most challenging, and soggy parkruns in the region. *Pictured above (l-r): John Hatton, with Peter Knight-Griffiths, and Glenn Grant. Josh Keogh, shown (right): North Wales Road Runners entered fifteen athletes, and won three age cats, three second placings and two thirds. with Josh Keogh once again the first man back with following an outstanding performance in just 17 minutes and 18 seconds, his fastest time this year, to additionally win his SM30-34 age cat. And Will Williams continued with his good form to finish 9th in 18.58, and he was second in his VM50 cat, with Steve Gardner 14th, and the winner of his VM60 cat in 19.33. Sion Thomas finished well in 37th place in 21.32, and Adam Lemalle recorded another course PB after finishing 40th in 21.39, with Steve Roberts 54th, and second in his VM55 cat in 22.25. Jamie Tharme returned from his recent marathon duties in Rome to enjoy a good result in 66th place in 23.03, and newcomer Sandy Johnston, celebrated his club debut, following his recent move from the Les Croupiers club, to win his master veteran’s VM70 age cat in 82nd place overall in 23.54, with fellow master Don Hale finishing 2nd in the same cat in 25.55, in 125th place.Veteran Rob Fryer was 142nd in 26.43, and Sarah Jones and Daniel Hennell ran the course together with Sarah 175th in 28.10, and Daniel just one place and one second behind. Hannah Griffith also ran around with a family member, and she finished 184th in 28.26, and claimed the third spot in her VW50 age cat. Master veteran And Mark Mason finished 3rd in his VM70 age cat in 186th place in 28.31, and his result also secured all top-three positions in that same respective age cat, and Steve Mason ran with his dog Coco again as the appropriate tail walker! *Pictured above left - Newcomer and master veteran Sandy Johnston, who won his VM70 age cat, with Rob Fryer, and Hannah Griffith. *Top male and female placings: Josh Keogh (NWRRC) was the first male runner in 17.18, and he also won his SM30-34 age cat, with Hamish Morton, (Cambridge and Coleridge AC), second in 17.47, and Conor Donaghy (Sale Harriers), took the third place in 17.56. The first female finisher was Gemma Moore (Eryri Harriers) - *pictured right - who won her VW40 age cat in 25th place overall in 20.37. And it was good to welcome back, Alice Johnston (Les Croupiers), who was second in 21.46, in 44th place overall, and she won her SW30-34 age cat, whilst Bethan Griffiths (Cardiff AAC), won her VW35 cat in 50th place overall, as the third female, on her course debut in 22.12. (*Plaudits were also given to Colwyn Bay AC youngsters Alfie Shiland and Ella Grundy, who both finished 4th in their respective male and female categories. Alfie won his JM11-14 age cat in 18.10, and Ella also won her JW15-17 cat in 22.16.) *Praise was given to the run director Gwyn Williams and his team of volunteers and marshalls, and this is the link to the provisional results: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/results/latestresults/ Special report by Gwyn Williams, the run director at Conwy Gwyn confirmed: “Blimey! Mam bach, that was a big one! We thought we’d broken our attendance record with 435 finishers. A huge number swelled by tourists from Nottingham, Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Leeds to name just a few. “We didn’t break the record though, that still stands at 453 set at the Easter weekend in 2019. I was concerned today that we wouldn’t have enough finish tokens, our set only going up to 500, but we were fortunately well under that number. “Congratulations to Daniel Calvert who joined the Cowell Club today running his 100th different parkrun. Thanks for choosing us to complete your challenge Daniel and well done, on to the next 100. I did mention the ‘donate’ page on our official Conwy parkrun website, if you feel flush at any point and are able to chuck a few quid our way it would be appreciated but please don’t feel obliged to donate. “Any money donated comes straight to us at Conwy parkrun and our core team carefully decide what to spend the money on, this week a new set of finish tokens but there is also the ongoing costs of servicing the defibs and other equipment items etc. “The link can be found here https://www.parkrun.org.uk/conwy/aboutus/ "And finally, I’d just like to thank our fabulous volunteers. A tougher job today with the increased numbers but they stuck to the task and put on another fabulous event. And a special mention this week to John ‘the golden egg’ Hatton who was out on the course at 7.15 am this morning, brushing out the puddles on the home stretch. We have a fantastic team of volunteers, makes being an RD a pleasure and an honour.” Gwyn Williams. *Volunteer Michael Finnie (*above left) with the Conwy run director Gwyn Williams.

*Carla Green (above) finished as the first female at the Nova parkrun. North Wales Road Runners travelled to various parkruns. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk It was another very busy weekend with many club runners travelling to take part in numerous parkruns around the country. *Prestatyn: Carla Green was the first female finisher at the Nova parkrun at Prestatyn last Saturday, in 13th place overall, and she also won her VW50 age cat with another excellent performance in 21.39, and she was just ten-seconds off her PB. This result mirrored her run the previous week at the Aberystwyth parkrun, where she also claimed the first female title, and she was 12th overall, in 21.05. *Pictured above - Ben Hudson and Sarah Hudson. *Keswick: Ben and Sarah Hudson made their course debuts at the Whinlatter Forest parkrun near Keswick but faced mixed results on a very tough and challenging route. Ben finished 21st overall in 25.54, and he was 2nd in his VM45 age cat, whilst Sarah was disappointed with her time after a long hard training run the previous day, and eventually came home in 84th place in 35.16, but she claimed the 3rd spot in her VW45 cat. After the run, Sarah confirmed: “We have just run the Whinlatter Forest parkrun. It was brutal My slowest 5k ever! However, we did run 20 hilly miles though yesterday in my defence!” *Pictured above (l-r): Mandy Owen, Vicky Taylor and Kelly Marie Alford at Penrhyn Castle parkrun. *Penrhyn Castle: Kelly Marie Alford and Vicky Taylor joined their friend Mandy Owen at the Penrhyn Castle parkrun, with the trio running the course together. Kelly was 207th in 32.25, with Vicky just one place and once second behind, and she shared the exact same time with Mandy. Richard Scamans (*above) ran at the Woodbank parkrun at Stockport *Newborough: Darren Griss and Kevin Higgins took part in the Newborough Forest parkrun on Anglesey. With both members making their course debuts, Darren was happy with 155th place in 28.43, whilst Kevin finished 170th in 29.36. *Stockport: Richard Scamans travelled to the Woodbank Memorial Park near Stockport on Saturday to make his debut in the Woodbank parkrun, and he finished in 42nd place overall in 24.57.

*NWRRC member Will Williams (above), called-up for double Welsh date. Easter surprise - Double date Welsh selection for Will Williams - and international call-ups and news for other NWRRC athletes. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk North Wales Road Runner Will Williams received a welcome Easter surprise this week with confirmation that he has been selected to represent Welsh Masters in two varied international distance races next month against the old enemy England! He is now one of three top-level club athletes who have recently had their talents recognised by the sporting authorities following some consistent and outstanding performances. Will, who has just recovered from a niggling knee injury, confirmed that he will compete in the Masters’ International 10k race at Birmingham on Sunday 5th May, and then again for the Masters’ International half-marathon event at Manchester on Sunday 26th May. Following news of his selection, based on several previously outstanding efforts in the red vest on both the road, and at cross-country events, confirmed: “I am super-proud to have been selected to represent my country (Wales), for the two forthcoming international races against England.” This latest exciting selection news for Will Williams, follows hot on the heels from last week’s announcement that his club colleague Llyr Ap-Geraint-Roberts, was selected for the GB team for next year’s Duathlon Championships, following his qualification success last week in Edinburgh. *Pictured above (left) - Steve Gardner misses out due to injury. Disappointment for Steve Gardner. And, in addition, we have further confirmation from the NWRRC M60 veteran and track colleague Steve Gardner, that he also received news of his own selection for the GB team after previously qualifying for this year’s European Sprint Distance Duathlon Championships at Coimbra, in Portugal on 15th June 2024. Steve, however, has unfortunately had to decline the offer, as he is still recovering from injury, and explained that he needs some more time to regain full race fitness. He confirmed: “I have just seen the good news about Llyr. I was also selected for the GB team for this year’s European Short Course Championships in Portugal but have had to decline.” Steve said he received a congratulatory letter from Rosemary Hayward, the team manager for the British Triathlon age group team but replied: “I feel honoured to have been selected. This was a goal of mine after returning to the sport after 25-years of inactivity. (I came 4th in 1994 world champs in Hobart), but my winter training hasn't gone to plan, so it is with reluctance that I will have to decline the offer on this occasion. “I am intending to concentrate on running in 2024 and will hopefully be back racing in duathlons in 2025. Many thanks for the offer, all the best to you and the team in the champs.” Sandy Johnston join NWRRC from Les Croupiers club. *NWRRC members welcomed Welsh international athlete Sandy Johnston, who joined the club this week following his transfer from Les Croupiers at Cardiff. Sandy, who is a prolific Masters M70 Veteran and Welsh Athletics representative at many varied events, is very well-known from numerous local events since moving to North Wales, and is also a regular entrant and age category winner at Conwy parkrun. He made is debut for the Road Runners last Saturday in the 5k dash at Conwy and won his VM70 age cat in 23.54. *Sandy Johnston (pictured above), made his new club debut for NWRRC.