Gareth's Press Report - 26th April 2026

Prestatyn Running Club’s David Hudd was among the competitors in Sunday’s Shakespeare Marathon who ignored the Bard’s advice “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast”.

Just two weeks after the Boston (Lincs) Marathon he was delighted to slice 11 minutes off his time in Stratford-upon-Avon, , clocking 3-06.16. He is now looking forward to next year’s marathon in Boston, USA.

The club had six representatives in this year’s London Marathon, and they adopted a range of tactics.

Dafydd Montgomery went through halfway in 1-28.51 in the hope of breaking three hours, but slowed in the later stages to cross the line in 3-08.56, still highly commendable for a relatively inexperienced runner.

The two Joneses – Marc and Darrell, who are both in their 60s – set off steadily together and were still close at the 13-mile mark. They maintained a pretty even pace, the slightly younger Darrell eventually pulling away to finish in 3-37.34 to Marc’s 3-41.34.

Canyon Wilson was the fourth Prestatyn finisher in 4-08.41, and he was followed by Jamie Betts in 4-16.32 and Nem James in 4-36.56, both of whom were raising money for charities.

Instead of  joining the 55,000 in London Zack Webster did it alone – in the Virtual Marathon – and clocked 3-54.40.

Another in long-distance action at the weekend – and feeling the heat – was veteran endurance specialist Cathy Wood. This time she travelled to the picturesque Calderdale Way Ultra, a 30-mile event involving 5,850 feet of ascents, and finished in an excellent 8-59.

Club captain Gareth Jones also chalked up the miles in the 55k race between Prestatyn and Llandudno and came a superb third out of 61 finishers in 5-15.51.

Later in the day he was at the start of the Moel Wnion fell-race in Bethesda to watch clubmates Lee Bailey and Rachel Jackson in action. The results were not available at the time of going to press.

Conditions for the weekend Parkruns were perfect, and several members clocked their best times of the year.

The results were:-  Nova: 3 Alex Ryder 18.48, 7 Adam Jeffers 20.03 (pb), 9 Lewis Pierce 20.17, 12 Lisa Lines 21.07 (1st lady), 46 Neil Davidson 24.43, 49 Jonah Armstrong 24.52, 58 Millie Robinson 25.16, 92 Mark Dakeyne 27.33, 101 Andy Scott 28.15, 102 Liz Martin 28.24, 125 Karl  Martin 30.10, 174 Claudia Smith33.07, 191 Lesley Furneaux 34.40, 283 Nicki Triggs 62.29.

Park in the Past (Hope): 181 Ian Cummins 55.27.

Llandrillo-yn-Rhos: 3 Tom Carter 16.47, 61 Jack Lally 22.22, 90 Martin Cortvriend 23.41.

Greenfield Valley: 5 Judah Eastwell 22.13, 44 Debbie Jones 29.41.

Newborough: 148 Katie Newe 32.32.

Beckton (East London): 113 Nem James 27.06.

Harrogate: 344 David Roberts 33.31.

Flint: 34 Andrew Carter 25.17.

Pont y Bala: 19 Andy Thomas 23.27.

A few weeks after his 80th birthday club President Gareth Hughes turned his attention from running to walking and completed a 24-hour walk.. Accompanied by club and family members for various stages, he walked 51miles from Saltney to Llandudno along the North Wales coastal path, raising over £2,000 for the charity Christian Aid.