Congratulations to Tom, Gordon and Gareth – Prestatyn Running Club Stars at British and Irish Masters' Cross-Country International

Key Highlights :

1. Prestatyn Running Club's Gordon Jones was one of the stars of the Welsh team in Saturday's British and Irish Masters' cross-country international in Glasgow.

2. Conditions were perfect for the event, and the standard of competition was as high as ever in the men's and ladies' races.

3. Last year in Dublin, Gordon was the first Welsh finisher in the M60 class and this time, as a 65-year-old, he reproduced his good form, coming fourth overall.

4. He looked likely to be the recipient of the trophy for the best performance of the day by a Welsh athlete, only to have it snatched away from him by Swansea's Ifan Lloyd, who took silver in the M60s' race.

5. In the same race as Gordon, Gareth Hughes (M75), who was representing Wales for the sixth consecutive year, had a steady run and finished strongly.

6. In the high-quality M35-M49 race Tom Carter refused to be dragged along in the fast start, keeping plenty in reserve, and claimed some important scalps as he eventually finished 24th in the M40 category.

7. Meanwhile, endurance was the key factor for two club members at the weekend, especially for Cathy Wood to took on the tough Pen Llyn Winter Ultra, a 35-mile race from one coast of the Llyn Peninsula to the other, and then back again. Cathy finished well inside the cut-off time, clocking 11h 21m.

8. It was wet and windy for the Clwydian Hills 15k fell-race but Lee Bailey coped admirable, finishing fifth overall and second M40, taking eight minutes off his pb.

9. On home ground, 11 members turned out in the Nova parkrun, with the club claiming three of the top five places.

10. Results: 3 Jamie Betts 18.50, 4 Oliver Birch-Jones 18.53 (pb), 5 Steve Stocker 19.29, 9 Simon Bonfield 21.22, 18 Marc Jones 22.56, 37 Ally Reid 26.14, 40 Sue Hughes 26.34, 54 Rachel Jackson 28.52, 70 Lesley Furneaux 30.27, 77 Claudia Smith 31.31, 115 Ian Cummins 42.11.

11. Chester Parkrun: 68 Dave Ellis 25.04, 113 Andy Carter 26.25, 159 Nem James 28.48.

12. Yamba Parkrun (New South Wales): 15 Martin Cortvriend 23.43.

13. Conwy: 26 Darren Thompson 22.15.

14. Greenfield Valley: 26 Debbie Jones 29.07, 30 Sophie Johnson 29.59, 31 Mandy Cartwright 30.00, 46 Julie Evans 36.53.

15. Prestatyn Junior Parkrun: 3 Tia

     On Saturday 11th November, Prestatyn Running Club's Gordon Jones was one of the stars of the Welsh team in the British and Irish Masters' Cross-Country International in Glasgow. The conditions were perfect for the event and the standard of competition was as high as ever in the men's and ladies' races.

     Last year in Dublin, Gordon had been the first Welsh finisher in the M60 class and this time, as a 65-year-old, he reproduced his good form, coming fourth overall. He looked likely to be the recipient of the trophy for the best performance of the day by a Welsh athlete, only to have it snatched away from him by Swansea's Ifan Lloyd, who took silver in the M60s' race.

     In the same race as Gordon, Gareth Hughes (M75) had a steady run and finished strongly, representing Wales for the sixth consecutive year. Tom Carter also put in a great performance, refusing to be dragged along in the fast start and keeping plenty in reserve. He eventually finished 24th in the M40 category.

     Meanwhile, endurance was the key factor for two other club members at the weekend. Cathy Wood took on the tough Pen Llyn Winter Ultra, a 35-mile race from one coast of the Llyn Peninsula to the other, and then back again. She finished well inside the cut-off time, clocking 11h 21m.

     Lee Bailey also coped admirably in the wet and windy Clwydian Hills 15k fell-race, finishing fifth overall and second M40, taking eight minutes off his pb.

     At the Nova parkrun, 11 members of the club turned out with three of them claiming the top five places. Other members also took part in the Chester, Yamba and Conwy parkruns, as well as the Prestatyn Junior Parkrun.

     Next Sunday (November 19), several club members will join the large field in the annual Conwy half-marathon. November 25 is the second fixture of the David Alun Williams North Wales Cross-Country League, for which a mini-bus is being laid on. Though the venue is Baschurch, it is an entirely new course to the one which many members will recall as one of the wettest in memory.

     Well done to Tom, Gordon and Gareth for their excellent performances and congratulations to all the members of the Prestatyn Running Club for their commitment and hard work.

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