FIVE more North Wales titles, three other individual prizes and two team awards went the way of Prestatyn Running Club on Saturday when the club hosted the North Wales cross-country championships at Rhug, Corwen.
The course is tough at the best of times and the heavy mud made it even more challenging than usual, but that was not enough to prevent some exceptional performances.
Gwyddelwern’s Adele Jones (L50), Gabby Waring (L55), St Asaph’s George Nixon (M60), Dave Hughes (M70) and Roger Harrison-Jones (M75) all won their classes, with Amie Bagnall (U20) and Corwen’s Neil Owen (M55) taking silver.
Meanwhile, Steve Hatfield took bronze in the M65 section, while the senior women finished second and the veteran women were third.
Nixon’s success came exactly 30 years after he won the North Wales senior title, while Adele’s win was in only her second appearance since joining the club.
There were several other excellent runs in the conditions.
Teenagers Ben Harrison and Abbie Cheetham showed great determination in their toughest races yet and Russ Cheetham and Arwel Jones had their own battle in the senior men’s event.
In her first race for almost two years, Leah Hughes led the women’s team home and there was further good support from Becky Roberts and Eleri Jones.
The meeting, postponed two weeks earlier because of the weather, was another massive success at the venue and it again reflected great credit on the organising club, with changes to the course being well received.
Huge thanks are due to the Rhug Estate, who sponsored the event and who were enthusiastic in their support of the meeting.
Placings: Ladies U-17: 4, Abbie Cheetham 20.38. Ladies U-20: 2, Amie Bagnall 30.25. Senior ladies: 5, Leah Hughes 27.55; 9, Gabby Waring 29.51; Adele Jones; 10, Rebecca Roberts 29.53; 25, Eleri Jones 34.03. Men U-17: 8, Benjamin Harrison 29.05. Men O-75: 1, Roger Harrison-Jones 31.00. Men O-70: 1, Dave Hughes 32.43. Men O-65: 3, Steve Hatfield 50.00. Men O-60: 1, George Nixon 38.20. Senior men: 16, Neil Owen 48.08; 25, Russ Cheetham 52.51; 27, Arwel Jones 53.05.
On the same day, supervets David Owen and Phil Jones had their own battle in the Tarran Hendre fell-race at Abergynolwyn, where low cloud and murky conditions led to some runners going astray.
David got the better of things, finishing 64th in 82.23, with Phil 69th in 83.22, but he had the consolation of winning the M70 class.
Less than 24 hours after racing in Corwen, Gabby Waring picked up another award when she was second L55 in the Nick Beer 10k in Llandudno.
The club’s other prizewinner was vice-chairman Mike Davis, who came third in the M65 class.
Placings: 101, Russ Cheetham 43.59; 122, Jo McDonough 45.08; 282, Gabby Waring 50.53; 290, David Owen 51.10; 304, Jo Lewis 51.34; 341, Claire Gadsby 52.51; 355, Helen Ashworth 53.20; 447, Mdlenka Hooper 56.39; 471, Julie Logan 58.08; 490, John Jones 58.57; 497, Helen Baxandall 59.29; 504, Elizabeth Martin 59.57; 512, Gill Brandrick 60.18.
This Saturday sees the club making an outing to Birmingham to watch Mo Farah and many of the sport’s top stars competing in the British Indoor Grand Prix.