Races Entered & Results

 

It is nice to be able to congratulate Club members on their achievements!

Especially when finishing is quite often the reward you aim for.

 

So as members of the club enter races individually or as a group we will report on them.

 

The Press Secretary is Jeni Richards who can be contacted at 07908265745 or

e-mail jeni.richards@talktalk.net

 

 

 

Llyn Brenig Multi-terrain race ~ 2/9/2006

 

One of the many highlights of a busy weekend for the Harriers saw the very welcome return of Simon Shields to the racing scene after almost twelve months out with injury. Shields returned with a bang, coming home an excellent seventh overall in a very high class field in the Llyn Brenig multi-terrain race, where he finished just outside 60 minutes. Tim Cahill also performed exceedingly well finishing in 62mins 29secs for 14^th overall, setting out clearly his intensions for the upcoming league season. Dave Edwards also ran superbly, finishing in 1hr 26mins, a fantastic time considering the very blustery conditions.

 

 

Caernarfon 10K ~ 3/9/2006

 

Thirteen Harriers took part in the Caernarfon 10k, which incorporated the North Wales 10k championships, and was run into gale force winds for the first 4k. Unusually, the club came away with no champions, but Steven McCormack, made up for that by taking the silver medal in the MU23 category, his first North Wales Road Racing Championship medal. His time of 39mins 53secs, a personal best by over a minute, also brought him home 16^th overall, and 2^nd Under 20 in the open race. Steven was one of six prize winners in the open race, where the club had an amazing seven runners home in the first sixteen places. First home, 6^th overall and 3^rd senior male, was the in-form Darren Blazier in an excellent time of 36mins 21secs, very closely followed by John Earlston in 36mins 26secs, 7^th overall and 3^rd MV45. Sean McCormack was just two positions further back in 9^th, in a time of 36mins 56secs, for 2^nd MV40, with Geran Hughes, in 38mins 35secs (12^th) 3^rd in the same category. Matthew Ashton and Justin McIlveen continued their intense rivalry, finishing in 13^th and 14^th respectively, in times of 39.21 and 39.27. Ossie Bell, who is currently training for the New York marathon, ran superbly to finish in 48mins 12secs (67^th), with Melanie Williams next in a fantastic time of 51mins 16secs, a time rewarded with the 3^rd FV40 prize. Ladies team captain Alison Guillemin was next in a superb 54.55 for 99^th, while Sara Cassidy-McIlveen’s time of 57mins 32secs (107^th), gave her one of only two personal bests on the day, by 3 seconds, a fantastic achievement given the windy conditions. Julie Jones, making a very welcome return to the racing scene, just in time for the league season, was next in a very creditable 64mins 40secs, while club newcomer Anwen Begley made an excellent race debut, finishing 123^rd in 72mins 49secs.

 

Llanwrst “Triathlon” ~ 3/9/2006

 

three Harriers took part in the Llanwrst Triathlon, which unfortunately was reduced to a 400 meter swim and 15mile bike ride because of a flooded car-park. Robert Spotswood, making his debut at the multi-disciplinary events, was first Harrier in 1hr 8mins 27secs, with Simon Grant finishing in an excellent 1hr 21mins 53secs, finishing almost exactly ten minutes ahead of mum, Pam, who finished the event in 1hr 31mins 55secs. Former Harrier Anna Evans finished in an outstanding 1.04.01 while Emyr Evans, representing Carneddau on this occasion, also had an excellent event.

 

 

Capenhurst 5k ~ 23/8/2006

 

Eight Harriers travelled to the Capenhurst 5k organised by Ellesmere Port Running Club. In a night of many highlights, the performance of the night came from up and coming junior, Steven McCormack who passed several more Harriers on his rise up the club ranks, finishing as third Harrier on the night, just ten seconds behind his father, and first under 20 in a lifetime best time of 17mins 36secs. Steven’s recent irrepressible improvements are emphasised by the fact that he finished four minutes and seven seconds faster than the same race just twelve months ago. Another outstanding performance on the night came from Darren Blazier, who achieved a personal best time by thirteen seconds, with a time of 16mins 29secs, to finish 9^th overall in a very high quality field. Second Harrier home and third MV40 was Sean McCormack in 17mins 26secs. Matthew Ashton also produced a fantastic performance, taking 45 seconds off his personal best for the distance, finishing in 17mins 54secs and 25^th overall. Where Ashton is, Justin McIlveen will not be far away, but on this occasion the infamous pair was split by Tim Cahill who finished in 18mins 9secs, 4^th in the MV40 category. McIlveen was just three positions further back, finishing in a very satisfying 18mins 25secs, just thirteen seconds outside his best for the distance. Sara McIlveen also ran fantastically, accompanied all the way by Robert Spotswood, who was recovering from a recent injury, with the pair finishing in a superb 26mins 30secs.

 

Ras Y Mynydd Hill Race ~ 23/8/2006

 

Club Captain Geran Hughes made a welcome return to the fells, when he, and wife Angie, ran the Ras Y Mynydd hill race in Bethesda. Geran finished the difficult 4.6mile course in 29mins 51secs, finishing as 6^th overall and 2^nd MV40. Angie, running better than she has done for several years, was rewarded with a tremendous 39mins 33secs for 3^rd FV40.

 

 

Birchwood 10k ~ 20/8/2006

 

Five Harriers travelled to Cheshire for the Birchwood 10k, which as usual attracted a very large high quality field. First home, in excellent form at present, was Darren Blazier, in a very satisfactory 35mins 21secs, a little outside his seasons best, and finishing him in 28^th position overall. Once again, behind Darren came the most eagerly watched intra-Harrier battle for supremacy at present, between Matthew Ashton and Justin McIlveen. On this occasion Ashton was victorious finishing in 72^nd position, in a time of 38mins 5secs, 32 seconds ahead of McIlveen,, who finished in 38mins 37secs for 88^th position. Both runners were, however, rewarded with personal best times for the distance. In there wives “competition” the positions were reversed with Sara McIlveen finishing in a personal best time of 57mins 54secs and Jaime Ashton, just a matter of second outside hers, in a time of 71mins.

 

Wolverhampton Olympic Distance Triathlon ~ 20/8/2006

 

Three Harriers travelled to the Wolverhampton Triathlon, including two making their debut at the discipline. Richie Lee, now an experienced Tri-athlete, was first to finish in a superb 2 hours 27 minutes for the Olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k cycle, 10k run). Dewi Roberts was next in 2hrs 31, a fantastic time for a first-timer, including a 41min 17sec 10k run. Twin brother Gareth was just behind in 2hrs 32mins, doing 42mins 10secs for the run. Overall this was a very good training session for the trio as they continue their training for the upcoming Berlin marathon.

 

 

Leg End 9 mile fell race ~ 13/8/2006

 

Ed Reid completed the Dwygyfylchi nine mile, category A, fell race in a very respectable 1hr 35mins 20secs, three minutes faster than he completed the race in last year. The race has a climb of 2890 feet.

 

 

Sale 10 mile Road Race.~ 6/8/2006

 

On Sunday a record number of twelve Harriers took part in the prestigious Sale 10 mile road race with nine of those finishing in less than 65 minutes. First home, in an outstanding time of 57 minutes 47 seconds, was the in-form Darren Blazier, for 23^rd position overall, in the International-class field. Not far behind, in his first race for several months, was John Earlston, in 58mins 17secs, finishing as third MV45 and 27^th overall. The next three Harriers home were the trio training for the Berlin Marathon in September, with Dewi Roberts finishing in a fantastic 1hr 56secs, twin-brother Gareth in 1hr 2mins 34secs (53^rd), and Richie Lee 55^th in 1hr 3mins 55secs. Next home, taking just over a minute off his previous best for the distance, was Matthew Ashton, in an amazing 1hr 3mins 55secs for 69^th position, just one position ahead of Tim Cahill who finished in a very satisfying 1:04:09. Justin McIlveen, just back from holidays was also very pleased with his time of 1hr 4mins 35secs for 74^th while Grahame Shone, proving the strength in depth of the club at present, ran an outstanding 1hr 5mins 27secs, for 77^th overall and ninth Harrier home. Ladies Captain, Alison Guillemin led home the female contingent in a marvellous time of 1 hour 29mins 37secs (302^nd), while Sara Cassidy-McIlveen, in her first ever 10 mile race was extremely satisfied with her time of 1 hour 39mins and 34secs. The performance of the weekend however came just behind from Ladies Borders League Captain Jaime Ashton, who took an amazing 13minutes off her personal best for the distance, finishing in an unbelievable time of 1hr 58mins 39secs. 

 

Carlingford 5k Road Race ~ 4/8/2006

 

Sean and Steven McCormack, while on holiday in Ireland, ran the Carlingford 5k road race. Sean finished in a satisfactory 17mins 41secs for the tough four lap course, while Steven, continued his meteoric rise up the club ranks, finishing just 41 seconds behind in an outstanding 18mins 22secs.

 

 

Swiss Alpine Ultra (78K) ~ 30/7/2006

 

Hilary Jaques ran the infamous Swiss Alpine Ultra, a 78k race over the Swiss Alps, in a time of 11 hours 29 minutes and 41 seconds, proving her strength over the longer distances, while producing one the best performances ever by an Abergele Athlete.

 

Dolgellau 5 Mile road race ~ 30/7/2006

 

For the first time ever in a single race, three Abergele Harriers got under 29 minutes for 5 miles. The successful trio raced the Dolgellau 5 mile race, with Dewi Roberts finishing in 28mins 38secs, Richie Lee in 28mins 56secs and Gareth Roberts in 28mins 58secs.

 

Snowdon International Mountain Race ~ 22/7/2006

 

Hilary Jaques, proved once again that she is one of the top off-road runners in the country, as she produced an outstanding run to finish the Snowdon International Mountain Race in an amazing 2 hours 1 minute and 7 seconds, for third position overall in her extremely competitive age-category.

 

 

Caernarfon Race the train ~ 19/7/2006

 

Five Harriers travelled to Caernarfon on Wednesday night to the annual Race the Train 5k, and despite the record high temperatures, four of the quintet managed to beat the "steamer" convincingly. First home, 6^th overall and first Veteran across the line, was Sean McCormack in a personal best time for the distance by almost a minute, finishing the course in a phenomenal 16 minutes 39 seconds. Second home, the only member of the team not to have raced the Great Orme Challenge just three days previously, was Tim Cahill, returning to form, with an excellent 17mins 45secs, proving he is still a force to be reckoned with. Behind Cahill, Justin McIlveen and Steven McCormack resumed their rivalry from the previous Sunday, with McCormack junior reversing the previous days result, coming home in 17mins 59secs and McIlveen just 13seconds further back in 18mins 12secs, both being rewarded with personal best times for the distance. Sara Cassidy-McIlveen, fresh from her success in the previous weekend, once again proved her competitiveness in this race, finishing particularly strong, passing five runners in the sprint to the line, and being rewards with an excellent personal best time of 24 minutes for the distance.

 

Great Orme 5k Challenge ~ 16/7/2006

 

A team of nine Abergele Harriers tackled the Great Orme Challenge on Sunday, a 5k road race from the bottom to the top of the Great Orme, with five of the team returning home with trophies. First Harrier home, in third position overall, and second under 40, was Darren Blazier, who ran a superb race to finish in 20mins 31secs, just fifteen seconds behind the winner. Only seven seconds further back, in 20mins 38secs, was Sean McCormack, in fourth position overall and first in the MV40 (first Veteran overall) category. Geran Hughes, gradually getting back to form, finished in 21mins 19secs for second position in the MV40 category. The next three Harriers home had a tremendous battle with less than 30 seconds separating them at the finish. Winning the spoils today was Matthew Ashton, in 22mins 6secs, while Justin McIlveen was a further 20 seconds back in 22.26 and ever-improving Steven McCormack just nine seconds behind that, in 22mins 35secs (2^nd home under 18). Unfortunately there were a number of mix-ups in the official time-keeping and results but once all was sorted, next Harrier home, Deborah Clift, was delighted to receive the 2^nd Female over 35 trophy. Steve Jeffery, also had a superb race, finishing in an excellent 26mins 45secs. The highlight of the day however, came a little further back, with Sara Cassidy-McIlveen rewarded for a superb run of 35mins 15secs, by finishing as third Female under 35, winning her first ever running trophy, and hopefully starting her collection for the future.

Photos available on the photos page.

 

 

Ellesmere 10k ~ 2/7/2006

 

On the same day as the Denbigh race and in equally hot conditions, the club showed its strength in depth, when three more Harriers took part in the Ellesmere 10k. Because of the intense heat, times were never going to be good, with the overall winner not managing to beat the 36 minute barrier. Despite this , Dewi Roberts, Richie Lee and Gareth Roberts, all ran excellently finishing in 40.51, 41.29 and 43.49 respectively.

 

 

Denbigh 10k ~ 2/7/2006

 

On Sunday thirteen Harriers ran in blisteringly hot conditions in the Denbigh 10k, with Harriers making up over quarter of the field, and taking home eight prizes. Despite the conditions Darren Blazier produced probably his best performance of the year, winning his first race for several years in an outstanding 37mins 31secs, turning the tide on several runners who had beaten him five days previously. John Earlston was 4^th home overall in an splendid time of 39mins 12secs, for first MV45, while Geran Hughes proved that he will soon be back to full fitness, finishing just seventeen seconds further back, in 5^th position overall and becoming the third Harrier to be first in a MV40 category in five days. On this occasion Justin McIlveen and Matthew Ashton couldn’t be separated, finishing in joint 6^th position, in 41mins 1sec, while Ed Reid wasn’t far behind them, in 42.22, for 12^th. Stephen Jeffrey, got back to his winning ways of old, finishing in 46mins 52secs to win the MV55 category, while Melanie Williams, in 54.02, and Angella Hughes, in 54.50 were also category winners, winning the FV40 and FV35 respectively. Ahead of both of these was, Debbie Clift, who ran fantastically well, coming home as second lady overall, in 51.16, and Pam Grant, 3^rd lady overall, in 52.34. The fantastic club performances were completed by Sara Cassidy-McIlveen in 67.10 and Jaime Ashton in 87.07.

 

Buckley Multi-terrain 5mile ~ 30/6/2006

 

On Friday, father and son duo Sean and Steven McCormack were the clubs sole representatives at the inaugural Buckley 5mile multi-terrain race. Over a very hilly, mainly off-road race, McCormack senior, continued his recent excellent form, finishing 4^th overall in 31mins 13secs, while McCormack junior, having just turned 17 the day before, was 2^nd under 20 and 14^th overall, in an tremendous 34mins 41secs.

 

 

Ras Y Faenol 10k ~ 28/6/2006

 

On Wednesday ten Harriers took part in the tough Ras Y Faenol 10k, with excellent performances by all. First Harrier home in 37mins 13secs was Darren Blazier, who despite recent injury, still finished in an excellent 9^th overall. Just one minute further back, in 14^th position, was the ever-improving Trim Cahill, who was rewarded for his superb efforts with first position in the Over 40 category. Over the tough course, personal best times were always going to be scarce, but next Harrier home, Matthew Ashton managed one, in 38mins 30secs. Arch-rival, Justin McIlveen, had to settle for second-best on this occasion, finishing 25^th overall, in 39mins 23secs, his best time for the distance this year. Alan Taylor, making a rare appearance over the shorter distances, finished in an excellent 43mins 16secs for 63^rd, while Steven Jeffrey, continuing his outstanding recent comeback to the sport, finished in a tremendous 43mins 52secs for 72^nd. First Lady Harrier was Pam Grant, in 47mins 45secs, giving her second position in the Ladies Over 45 category, while Deborah Clift was just three positions overall further back in 47mins 58secs. Alison Guilemin, running her third race in five days, ran an outstanding 54mins 9secs, while Jaime Ashton finished in an extremely satisfying 74mins 24secs.

 

 

South Cheshire 5 and 10k ~ 25/6/2006

 

Alison Guillemin ran the South Cheshire 5k, and took over two minutes off her previous day’s time, finishing in an outstanding 25mins 20secs, again over quite an undulating course. The superb time was rewarded with a 4^th place overall and first place in her age category. Meanwhile Sonia Griffiths, one of several new ladies running for the club, made her club debut in the South Cheshire 10k race and recorded an excellent 64mins 23secs.

 

Lymm 5k ~ 24/6/2006

 

Alison Guillemin and Robert Spotswood were part of the 150 strong field that took part in the Lymm 5k, which was run in very hot conditions over an undulating scenic country course. Guillemin ran an excellent race, finishing in a superb 27 minutes 35 seconds, while Spotswood, still suffering from a recent injury, ran mainly to test the injury out, but still managed a very creditable 27mins 37secs.

 

 

Riverbank Run 10k ~ 18/6/2006

 

The Harriers had a record twenty runners in this years Riverbank Run 10k, organised very successfully by Prestatyn RC, taking home a magnificent ten individual prizes. First Harrier home, second overall, first MV45 and just ten seconds behind the winner, was John Earlston, running a superb 36mins 20secs, despite a recent lay off. Just nine seconds further back, in third place overall, and 1^st MV40, was, in-form, Sean McCormack, finishing in 36mins 29secs. Club Captain Geran Hughes, still recovering from a serious knee injury, also ran excellently, to finish in eight position overall, and second MV40, in 38mins 4secs, while Darren Blazier, not fully recovered from the Castles Relay seven days earlier, made it four Harriers in the top ten positions, by finishing in 38mins 25secs for tenth overall. Next home, again running superbly at present, was Matthew Ashton, in 39mins 12secs (15^th), not far ahead of arch-rival Justin McIlveen, in 40mins 1sec for 21^st overall. Steven McCormack, continued his recent run of personal best times, finishing in 40mins 59secs, 27^th overall and 2^nd male under 20, taking seven minutes off his previous best for the distance. Simon Grant was 3^rd MU20, also running excellently, in 41mins 52secs, while between the two junior club members, was veteran club runner Grahame Shone, in a tremendous 41mions 24secs, 32^nd overall, and 3^rd MV55. Roy Evans, still recovering from injury, was next in 44mins 1sec (42^nd), with Stephen Jeffrey, continuing his welcome return to the local running scene, finishing just behind, in 44mins 13secs, for 45^th. Austin Bell, next finisher in 46mins 25secs, continued his recent improvements, beating his most recent 10k time by over two minutes. Deborah Clift was first of the ladies home in 46mins 47secs, a time that deservedly won her the second FV40 prize, while Pam Grant in an equally inspiring 47mins 33secs was second FV45. Just seven seconds further back, was Maurice Parry, returning to form in 47.40, coming home as 2^nd MV60, while just behind Melanie Williams and Angie Hughes had a fantastic battle, finishing in 49.11 and 49.27 respectfully, with Angie getting the consolation of finishing 3^rd in the FV35 category. Alison Guillemin also had a tremendous race, finishing in 55mins 3secs, while newly-wed Sara Cassidy-McIlveen came home very satisfied with her 1hr 1min 9secs time. Jaime Ashton completed a fantastic day out for the Harriers, just missing out on a p.b. by two seconds with a highly satisfactory 1hr 10mins 58secs.

For photos of the event please see the photos page.

 

Wauth’s Well Fell Race ~ 13/6/2006

 

Fell specialist Ed Reid ran the Wauth’s Well fell race on Tuesday, a four mile race with 1000m of climbing (Category SC), in an excellent 42mins 21secs, to finish in a very creditable 61^st position overall.

 

 

Man versus Horse ~ 11/6/2006

 

Three Harriers did the club proud coming home as 3^rd team overall in the famous Man versus Horse race in south Wales. This 22 mile, off road race, was run in blisteringly hot conditions, with Dewi Roberts coming home first of the trio in 3hrs 9mins, followed by Gareth Roberts in 3hrs 20mins and Richie Lee just another 30seconds further back.

 

Welsh 1000m fell race ~ 3/6/2006

 

Four Harriers very successfully completed the Welsh 1000m fell race, all in superb times. First home, taking a massive 25 minutes off his time last year, was Peter Lester-Owen, in an outstanding 6hrs 54mins. Just ten minutes further back, in his first attempt at the race, was Jeremy Bright, in an equally impressive 7hrs 4mins, with Andy Roberts just slightly further back in 7hrs 15mins. Hilary Jacques, who last year completed the shorter race, completed the full race this time in a very impressive 8hrs 15mins.

 

 

Rhyl Race for Life ~ 4/6/2006 

 

Three Harriers were among the 3,600 runners who took part in the Rhyl race for life. Alison Guillemin, despite a call of nature along the way, managed a fantastic 26mins 30secs, while Julie Jones produced an outstanding personal best time, taking over a minute off the time she posted for almost the identical course four days earlier, by finishing in 27mins 50secs. Pam Grant also ran the race.

 

Rhyl SunCentre 5k ~ 31/5/2006

 

Seventeen Abergele Harriers took part in the Rhyl SunCentre 5k, which incorporated the North Wales 5k Championships, taking home six individual prizes in the open race and producing two Champions. First Harrier home, winning his third North Wales MV40 road title of the year, as well as the MV40 title in the open race, was Sean McCormack in an excellent 17mins 46secs, while Pam Grant, in 22mins 52secs, retained the FV45 titles that she won twelve months previously in the same race. Second Harrier home, in a personal best time by nineteen seconds, was Matthew Ashton, in a superb 18mins 38secs, while the performance of the nigh came just behind him, where Steven McCormack took a further one minute of a personal best that was only set four weeks earlier. McCormack juniors time of 19mins 4secs was set despite the very blustery conditions. Pam Grant’s son Simon, continued the family tradition in the club, coming in just behind Steven, in 19mins 16secs, to collect the third place medal in the North Wales U/20 Championships, to add to his third U/17 twelve months previously. Ed Reid, returning to some of his previous form, ran superbly, finishing next in 19min 23secs, for third MV40 in the open race. Paul Ross, in 21mins 2secs and Robert Spotswood in 22mins 7secs were both extremely pleased with their times, while just behind, in 22mins 26secs, was Stephen Jeffery, one of the original founders of the club 20 years ago, making a very welcome return to racing, and being rewarded with third position in the open MV55 category. Deborah Clift, in 22mins 35secs, was third in the FV40 category while Susan Calvert, in a fantastic 24mins 6secs, was equally please to come home second in the open FV45 age group. Sandwiched between the two of them was Maurice Parry, in 22mins 54secs, Austin Bell, in 22mins 59secs, and Melanie Williams, in 23mins 47seconds, the latter two achieving outstanding personal bests, while new Ladies Captain, Alison Guillemin was equally impressive in 26mins 54secs. Julie Jones, winner of last seasons Cross Country Captains award, proved she can also do it on the road, with an excellent 29mins 11secs, while Jamie Ashton, continued her sequence of personal best times, finishing in 34mins 17secs, taking almost 2 minutes off her previous best for the distance.

 

 

Granada, Costa Del Sol, 10k ~ 28/5/2006

 

Grahame Shone, while on holidays in the Costa Del Sol, ran the Granada 10k, which was run over a very hilly course, on cobbled streets and in very hot conditions (28 deg), and still managed the fantastic time of 39mins 31secs, to win the MV55 category. See his triumph on the photos page.

 

Mynydd Myfyr Hill Race ~ 29/5/2006

 

Four Harriers raced in the Mynydd Myfyr Hill Race in Oswestry and won the men’s team event. First Harrier home, making his debut at the discipline, was Sean McCormack in a time of 24mins 14secs for the four mile course, coming home 9^th overall and 2^nd MV40. New Club Captain Geran Hughes, still recovering from a serious knee injury incurred on the fells eight weeks ago, made a very welcome return to fell running, finishing very strongly just seven seconds further back, in 11^th position and 3^rd MV40. The third member of the winning male team, like his father, making his debut on the fells,  was Steven McCormack, whose fantastic time of 26mins 45secs won him the second Junior Male prize (34^th overall) and secured a fell team winners prize for the first time in the clubs 20 year history. It was a real family day out, as Club Captain Geran’s wife, Angie, was the fourth Harrier running, and ran a superb race to finish an extremely respectable 72^nd overall in a record size field, in a time of 32mins 14secs.

 

Chester Half-Marathon ~ 21/5/2006

 

Eight Harriers travelled to the Chester Half-Marathon, run in terrible weather, with the performances of the day going to the Ashton’s, with Matthew taking an incredible six minutes off his personal best for the distance with a superb 1hr 23mins 23secs, and wife Jaime managing to smash her personal best by eight minutes, in producing a 2hr 48min finish. Tim Cahill continued his excellent recent form, coning home as first Harrier in a fantastic 1hr 20mins 21secs, while Dewi Roberts was next in 1hr 22mins 50secs. Twin brother Gareth was only 90 seconds further back in 1:24:24, with Alan Lucas running his usual very consistent race, finishing in 1:40:46. Pam Grant’s excellent time of 1:45:13 and Anna Evans’ 1:55:56, came just seven days after the two ladies competed very successfully in the Liverpool ladies 10k, and completed a very successful day out in Chester for the club.

 

BUPA Great Manchester Run ~ 21/5/2006

 

Four Harriers were among 25,000 who ran the Manchester 10k which started on Oxford street, passes Old Trafford and Salford Quays and finished on Deansgate. The race, which was run in terrible conditions, was started by Alex Ferguson, Dennis Law and “Vera Duckworth”. Rob Spotswood ran the course twice but finished officially with an excellent 45mins 55secs with Alison Guillemin finishing in an excellent 63mins. Ossie Bell, making his debut for the club, also ran the race excellently, while Melanie Williams ran a superb personal best for the distance finishing in 49mins 8secs, taking nine seconds off the personal best she set just seven days earlier in Liverpool.

 

South Cheshire 20 ~ 21/5/2006

 

Richie Lee and Alan Taylor, both training for the Berlin Marathon later in the year, travelled to Crewe for the South Cheshire 20 (formerly known as the “Pre-Potteries 20”), with Richie proving he is still on target for a sub-3hr marathon, finishing the difficult course in 2hrs 19mins 30secs. Alan Taylor showed his training is also well on target with an equally impressive 2hrs 28mins 38secs. This race was also run in driving rain, making an already tough course even tougher.

 

 

North Wales Track and Field Championships, Deeside ~ 20/5/2006

 

On Saturday, Harriers Sean and Steven McCormack made their debuts on the track, for second-claim club Colwyn Bay AC, in the North Wales Track and Field Championships, both becoming 3000 meter Champions as Senior Male and Under 20 respectively, in excellent times of 10mins 18secs and 11mins 4secs.Their races were held in horrendous weather conditions making Steven’s time of 11.04, a personal best for the distance by over 30 seconds, even more impressive, while giving him his first North Wales title. 

 

 

Liverpool Ladies 10k ~ 14/5/2006

 

Four ladies took part in the prestigious Liverpool Ladies 10k, with two achieving personal bests and all achieving seasons bests. First Harrier home was Debbie Clift, running her fastest 10k of the year, in an excellent 46 minutes exactly, a fantastic time considering the large numbers of runners present. Pam Grant was next, finishing in 47mins 15secs, 1 minute 40 seconds better than her last run over the distance. Melanie Williams, another lady in top form at present, took almost 2 minutes for her personal best with a magnificent 49mins 17secs, while club debutant Emma Evans started her career at the club as she means to continue, with a superb 52mins 42secs.

 

Christleton 5k ~ 12/5/2006

 

A quintet of runners took part in the Christleton 5k race on Friday night with Tim Cahill once again in magnificent form, finishing as first Harrier in17mins 26secs, his best time for the distance since his prime of 20 years ago. Still just a few weeks since running the Paris marathon, Richie Lee proved his worth at the shorter distances too, with an excellent 17mins 48secs. Dewi Roberts, tackling the distance for the first ever time, also ran superbly, finishing just 15 seconds further back, while twin-brother Gareth, another debutant at the distance, recorded a very satisfying 18mins 29secs. The performance of the weekend came just behind however, with sixteen year old Steven McCormack, in his second race for the club in seven days, taking an amazing 1 minute 38 seconds off his personal best for the distance, finishing in a tremendous 20mins 5secs.

 

 

Bird Rock Half Marathon ~ 30/4/2006

 

Five Harriers started the Bird Rock Half marathon. Richie Lee, just four weeks after the Paris Marathon, was seventh, finishing in 1hr 23mins 32secs, an excellent time for such a hard race, with Alan Taylor not far behind in 23^rd position in a time of 1hr 31mins 47secs. Alan Lucas, just one week after completing his 60^th Marathon was next in 1hr 46mins 54secs (66^th) with Dave Edwards also running superbly to finish in 1hr 54mins 27secs. The Harriers were joined by teams from Roissy En Brie and Barmstedt. A fuller report of the weekend can be found on the “overseas” page.

 

 

Wrexham 10 mile ~ 29/4/2006

 

Of the eight Harriers to race in Wrexham, six achieved personal best times for the distance. The highlight of the day was Sean McCormack’s 58 minutes 26 seconds, which took 32 seconds off his previous best, and won him the MV40 North Wales title, completing a trio of North Wales titles won by the Irishman in the last six months. The time was also good enough to win the MV40 open race and McCormack also lead the team home to bronze medals in the team event. Second Harrier home was Tim Cahill who is gradually returning to his former glory days, with a 61min 14sec time, a p.b. time as a veteran, rewarded with a third place trophy in the championships. The strength in depth at present in the club was demonstrated as the next four runners finished within three minutes of each other and all once again achieved personal best times. The quartet was lead by Justin McIlveen who proved his strength by gradually working his way up the field from the half way mark, finishing in an excellent 62mins 1sec. Just eleven seconds behind was Dewi Roberts in a superb 62mins12secs, while twin brother Gareth finished in an equally impressive 63mins 43secs. Matthew Ashton also smashed his previous best for the distance by 38 seconds with a fabulous 64mins 55secs. The ladies were lead home by Kristy Stephenson who proved what high standards she sets for herself by being disappointed with her time of 75mins12secs, despite achieving 3^rd place overall in both the open and championship races and 2^nd place in the FV40 category in the championships. Second lady, running a very brave race, finishing like her husband Matthew with a personal best time, was Jaime Ashton in a hard earned 2hrs 12mins 2secs.

Photos on the “photos page”

 

Knockddu Fell Race ~ 29/4/2006

 

Geran Hughes’ returned to racing only six weeks after his horrendous knee injury, when he pulled on a Welsh vest in the Knockddu fell race in Ireland. Despite the injury Geran represented his country with honour, finishing in 61^st position in a time of 48mins 19secs. Wife Angie also ran superbly finishing in 65mins 29secs, proving that married life hasn’t slowed her down!

 

 

Hamburg Marathon ~ 23/4/2006

 

Three Abergele Harriers this year took part in the Hamburg Marathon on the same day as its London equivalent. All three produced personal best times; Dave Jones 3hr 18mins, Jeremy Bright 3hrs 25mins and Pete Lester-Owen 3hrs 54mins. Well done to all and to Garry Tann who, despite not being able to run himself due to injury, still went over for support.

 

Whitehead 5 ~ 17/4/2006

 

Sean McCormack travelled to Whitehead in Northern Ireland for their Annual Easter Monday 5 mile road race. Reputedly the oldest road race in Ireland (going since 1924), Sean ran the 3 lap undulating coarse in an excellent 28mins 18secs, to finish 7^th overall and 3^rd MV40.

 

Runcorn Bridge 5 ~ 16/4/2006

 

Allison Guillemin and Robert Spotswood ran their final race before London in Runcorn, on a very wet day. Both ran together and finished in a very respectable 44minutes 39 seconds, a perfect warm-up for London.

 

 

Paris Marathon ~ 9/4/2006

 

Five Harriers competed in the Paris Marathon. Allison Guillemin, making her first attempt at the distance, had a fantastic run in excellent conditions, finishing in 4hrs 34mins 17secs, with Robert Spotswood finishing in the exact same time. Spotswood, who is also doing the London Marathon in two weeks time, used the race as a warm-up for the latter event. The times for Richie Lee, Alan Taylor and Alan Lucas were not available at the time of writing.

 

Llangynhafal Loop Fell Race ~ 8/4/2006

 

Ed Reid took part in the Llangynhafal Loop fell race finishing the very tough course in 49mins 27secs, slightly down on last years time.

 

Chester Spring 5 ~ 5/4/2006

 

Tim Cahill produced one of the performances of the season finishing the Chester Spring 5 mile road race in a fantastic 29 minutes 30 seconds, his fastest time for the distance for many years.

 

 

Ackworth Half-Marathon ~ 2/4/2006

 

Sean McCormack and Kristy Stephenson were among a team of nine who represented North Wales in the U.K. CAU Inter Counties Half-Marathon Championships in Ackworth in Yorkshire. Despite the long journey, and on a very undulating and difficult course, on a day when many runners produced “personal worst” performances, McCormack bucked the trend and produced a superb performance, finishing in 1hr 18mins 54secs, for 7^th MV40 and 47^th overall out of 700 finishers. Unfortunately Stephenson hadn’t recovered from her recent 20 mile race in Rhayader and was among those who were disappointed with their times, but still produced a very creditable 1hr 41mins 47secs for 12^th LV40 and 312^th overall.

Photos of the whole team on the photos page.

 

Chirk 10k ~ 2/4/2006

 

Eight Harriers took part in the very challenging Chirk 10k, with Richie Lee, just one week before the Paris Marathon, producing an excellent performance, finishing 7^th overall in a time of 40mins exactly. Ever improving Matthew Ashton was less than a minute behind in 40mins 40secs with Gareth Roberts, enjoying the terrain more than his twin brother, running a fabulous race finishing just 26 seconds further back. Justin McIlveen, in his first race back following an injury on the fells, showed he’s right back on form with a superb 41mins 20secs with Dewi Roberts just 26 seconds further back. Jamie Ashton, in only her second race of the year, once again ran very well, finishing very strongly in 1hr 22mins 20secs, with Melanie Williams also running superbly finishing in 55mins 47secs. Dave Edwards continued his recent improvements finishing in a very creditable 52mins 18secs.

 

Photos available on the photos page courtesy of Neale Lewis-Jones, Colwyn Bay.

 

 

Ironbridge Half-Marathon ~ 26/3/2006

 

The performance of the weekend came in Telford, in the Ironbridge Half-Marathon, where seventeen year old Simon Grant made his first attempt at the distance and completed the mainly off-road course in a phenomenal 1hr 35mins, just 24 hours after achieving a 31^st position overall in the Welsh Schools under-20 cross-country championships in Brecon. Grant junior was one of six Harriers to tackle the Ironbridge race, in a field of about 1000 runners, with his mother Pam, second Harrier home in 1hr 50mins. Dave Edwards was next in an excellent 2hrs 2mins, while Rob Spotswood and Alison Guillemin finished together in 2hrs 5mins 36secs despite both just missing the start of the race. Tracy Wright, running her second half-marathon in eight days, improved on her Liverpool time by three minutes, producing a stunning 2hrs 10mins

 

 

Rhayader 20 ~ 19/3/2006

 

Ten Harriers travelled to mid-Wales to the Rhayader 20 mile race which, as well as being an extremely hilly course, was made more challenging this year by icy conditions under-foot for the 300 starters. First Harrier home, in a personal best time, was Mike Hobday in a fantastic 2hrs 37mins 18secs, a superb pre-London work-out. Alan Taylor, preparing for Berlin, was just behind in 2:38:18. Davie Jones, again running excellently at present, was next in 2:41:21, while Garry Tann , just returning form a long spell of injury, proved he’s right back to form, with a fabulous 2hrs 48mins 21secs. Kristy Stephenson, recently crowned North Wales Half-Marathon champion, showed her credentials with a fantastic 2hr 48mins 59secs, with Debbie Clift just behind, in 2:49:50. Alan Lucas, also ran very well, finishing in 2:56:40, with Judith Jones not far behind in a personal best time on 3hrs 1min 11secs, just five seconds ahead of training partner and club Captain, John Humphries. Andy Roberts, another Harrier just recovering from injury but still hoping for a successful run in London, put in a superb effort, finishing in a very pleasing 3:09:25, a personal best for the distance.

 

Liverpool Half-Marathon ~ 19/3/2006

 

A number of Harriers took part in the Liverpool Half-Marathon, which by contrast, was run in glorious conditions. First home was Ian Roberts in a superb time of 1hr 36mins 10secs, with first lady Melanie Williams in a tremendous 2 hours and 39seconds. Tracy Wright was next in an excellent 2hrs 3mins, with Jane Seas, not far behind, in an equally creditable 2hrs 13mins.

 

Stafford 20 ~ 12/3/2006

 

Three Harriers travelled to the Stafford 20 mile road race in preparation for the forthcoming Paris and Berlin marathons. Newly transferred twins Dewi and Gareth Roberts had a superb battle finishing in 2:14:02 and 2:14:03 respectively, with Richie Lee not far behind, finishing in a very creditable 2:16:18.

 

Moel Wnion 4mile fell-race ~ 11/3/2006

 

Geran Hughes experienced the highs and lows of fell running within seconds of each other, when he finished a fantastic 5^th in the Moel Wnion four mile fell face, in 37mins 18secs, and was automatically selected for Wales for a forthcoming International race in Ireland, only to then realise that a fall 400 meters from the finish had not only cost him 4^th position, but had fractured his knee cap and will put him out for several weeks, thus making him miss the international. The club wishes Geran a speedy recovery back to his recent superb form. Angie Hughes completed the very tricky course in 59mins 2secs for 3^rd FV35.

 

 

Pipe Dream 5 mile Fell Race. ~ 5/3/2006

 

Honours for bravery (or stupidity!) this week go to the trio who raced the Pipe Dream fell race on Sunday, with the course covered by over one foot of snow in places. Geran Hughes continued his recent superb form, to finish the five mile course in third position, in an outstanding time of 40 minutes 45 seconds, unbelievably quick given the conditions of the mountain. Not to be outdone, Geran’s partner, Angie Davidson, ran equally well to finish as third FV35, in 55mins 3secs, superb results among the very high calibre of fell runners. Unfortunately Justin McIlveen, running his first ever fell race, came to grief on the way down, losing his footing in the deep snow, and was injured, and had to be withdrawn from the race. The club wishes him a speedy recovery back to full fitness.

 

Farnden 10k ~ 5/3/2006

 

Darren Blazier and Tim Cahill were among the 250 runners in the Farnden 10K, which was also run in horrendous conditions, with Blazier, just recovering from illness, clocking 37mins 41secs, while Cahill, continued his recent run of excellent results, by finishing a mere nineteen seconds further back.

 

Trafford 10k ~ 5/3/2006

 

On the same day that others were wading through feet of snow, but in perfect ice-free conditions, Rob Spotswood and Alison Guilemin competed, along with 500 others, in the Trafford 10k. Spotswood ran a very steady 46mins12secs to finish in 169^th, while Guilemin also well very well, finishing in 53mins 22secs, for 211^th.

 

 

Wrexham Village Bakery Half Marathon ~ 19/2/2006

 

Abergele Harriers have two new North Wales Champions as twelve Harriers travelled to Wrexham for the Village Bakery Half-Marathon, which once again incorporated the North Wales Half Marathon Championships. First Harrier home was Sean McCormack in an excellent 1hr 18mins exactly, a time good enough to crown him North Wales MV40 champion, while Kristy Stephenson, in an equally inspiring 1hr 35mins 36secs, captured the corresponding female title. Also among the prizes was Pam Grant, whose superb time of 1hr 46mins made her 3^rd FV45 in the open race. Second Harrier on the day, in his best time for the distance for several years, was back-to-form Richie Lee, in 1:20:37, over three minutes faster than he managed in Helsby just four weeks earlier. Newly transferred twins Dewi and Gareth Roberts, who as of yet are not able to run in Abergele vests, were next, both achieved personal best times for the distance, of 1:21:19 and 1:21:59 respectively. The twins were just ahead of Justin McIlveen, who was running his first ever half-marathon, and finished in an outstanding time of 1hr 22mins 35secs. Ian Roberts, who was just returning from a long spell of illness, acquitted himself very well not far behind. Melanie Williams, another Harrier tackling the distance for the first time, had a tremendous race, finishing in 1hr 52mins 37secs, while the intra-club rivalry for the day was provided on this occasion by Stevie Ward and Meinir Huws whose sprint finish was unable to separate them, the pair finishing in 1hr 53mins 20secs. Alison Guilemin, running her second half marathon in two weeks, finished very strongly, in 2hrs and 2 minutes, taking almost thirteen minutes off her time on that occasion. Rob Spotswood, who was injured, still managed to complete the 4.25 mile “fun run” in a very creditable time of 31mins 31secs.

Photos from the event can be viewed on the “photos” page.

 

 

Nick Beer 10K ~ 12/2/2006

 

Twenty-six Abergele Harriers were among the 451 finishers in this years Nick Beer 10k road race in Llandudno, with the ladies in particular shining, retaining their team title and taking home three individual prizes. First lady home, in a superb time of 44mins 5secs, was Kristy Stephenson, to win the FV40 category by almost three minutes. Second ‘Gele lady, again running superbly, was Angie Davidson in 48mins 3secs, finishing as 3^rd FV35, just ahead of Debbie Clift, in 48mins 21secs and 3^rd FV40. Lucy Sumner was next lady in a time of 50mins 28secs with Melanie Williams exactly one minute further back. Susan Calvert, in 52mins 10secs, just missed out on a prize, finishing as 4^th FV45, with Meinir Huws, in 53.06 just one place further back in the same category. Julie Jones and Tracey Wright also ran superbly, both unlucky to just miss out on the one hour mark, finishing in 1hr 17secs and 1hr 40secs respectively. The ladies, with a combined score of 32 won the team trophy by 12 points from Vale Royal. The men just missed out this year finishing second to Eryri Harriers and one point ahead of Colwyn Bay. First Harrier home, in an outstanding time for the course, was the in-form Darren Blazier, in 34mins 59secs, finishing in 6^th place overall. Second home, in one of his best performances to date for the Harriers, was Geran Hughes, in 36mins 6secs (13^th), just ahead of John Earlston in 36.28 (16^th). Earlston was the only male Harrier to take home a prize, finishing as 2^nd V45. Sean McCormack was just behind, in 36.54 (19^th), with Tim Cahill producing one of the performances of the day to finish in 38.27 (35^th) just nine seconds and two places ahead of Richie Lee. Matthew Ashton and Justin McIlveen continued their recent rivalry with Ashton winning on this occasion in 39mins 5secs to McIlveen’s 39.24.

Roy Evans, returning very quickly after injury, ran a very pleasing 41mins 30secs, while Ifan Hughes returning after six months from a serious back problem, was equally please with his time on 50mins 47secs. Other excellent times were; David Jones 43mins 57secs (128^th), Jeramy Bright 43mins 57secs (129^th), Emyr Evans 44mins 11secs (134^th), Rob Spotswood 45mins 10secs, Peter Lester-Owen 47mins 54secs (199^th), David Edwards 48mins 27secs (213^th) and Stevie Salt 51mins 25secs (278^th).

 

Woking Half Marathon ~ 12/2/2006

 

Stevie Ward ran the Woking Half Marathon, finishing in a very creditable 1hr 54mins 2secs.

 

35th Parbold Hill Race ~ 11/2/2006

 

Alan Taylor ran the 35^th Parbold Hill race on Saturday, a race he first ran 20 years ago, finishing in an exceptional time of 55mins 41secs taking over three minutes off his last years time for the very difficult off road seven mile course.

 

 

Torremolinos Half Marathon ~ 5/2/2006

 

The Harriers had spectacular success abroad when Grahame Shone won the MV55 category of the Torremolinos Half Marathon in a time of 1hr 24mins 44secs for 70^th position overall out of 1,250 runners. Shone was joined for the race by Alan Lucas who finished in 1hr 44mins 45secs for 4^th in the MV60 category, while Robert Spotswood and Alison Guilemin ran together, finishing in 2hrs 15mins 23secs, with Alison ending as 13^th FV35 in the prestigious International race. For photos of the event see the photos page.