Most runners of a certain age enjoy reflecting on past glories, but as he approaches a major milestone Prestatyn Running Club’s Arwel Jones has a particularly fond memory.
For exactly 50 years ago this month he stormed to a new Welsh junior boys’ record in the 1,500 metres.
Then a 14-year-old pupil at Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Arwel claimed the record of 4m 22.6s at a schools’ international championship in Connah’s Quay.
He was a member of Wrexham AAC before joining Prestatyn after the club was formed in 1982, and has been a consistent performer on road and cross-country ever since.
He has overcome a series of injuries and, last year, a lengthy illness, but is now getting back to fitness and has the new incentive of entering the M65 category before the coming season.
After a hectic couple of weeks the past seven days has been relatively quiet on the racing scene, with most of the action being in Parkruns.
Fourteen club members travelled to Dolgellau in support of Emma Birchall’s FEEL, FIND, MIND campaign for breast cancer awareness.
The placings were: 6 Marc Jones 21.38, 12 Dave Ellis 22.35, 15 Steve Weedman 23.25, 24 Ann Claire Jones 23.31, 28 Andy Carter 25.12, 30 Andy Clark 25.20, 45 Jo Lewis 28.19, 53 Sophie Johnson 30.08, 55 Mandy Cartwright 30.11, 60 Debbie Weedman 31.37, 88 Clare Manley 40.00, 89 Suzanne Evans 40.01, 90 Emma Birchall 40.49, 91 Julie Evans 40.50.
Other Parkrun results are:-
Nova: 69 Claudia Smith 30.24, 72 Cathy Wood 30.31, 82 Nem James 31.36.
Conwy: 2 Tom Carter 17.57.
Wepre: 30 Martin Cortvriend 28.25.
Upton House (Poole): 108 Paul Sanders 27.10.
James Rogers was the club’s sole representative in Saturday’s Tal-y-fan race from Rowen, a true fell-race which involves 880 metres of climbing, much of it in the first two miles. He finished 38th in 2-27.50.
Three of the club’s ladies turned out in the Craig Petrie Memorial 5k in Greenfield Valley. Craig was a Holywell lad who moved to New Zealand in 2012.
A talented triathlete, he was chosen to represent New Zealand in the Long Course championships in Denmark in 2018.
In 2020 he was sadly killed when he was knocked off his bike, and a mountain ridge has been renamed Petrie Ridge in his memory.
The official results of the 5k were unavailable at the time of going to Press but Ann Claire Jones led the trio home in 23.48 and is believed to have been the second female finisher. She was followed by Sophie Johnson and Mandy Cartwright.
Comments