Latest News;
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Mark becomes a life member
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Congratulations to Mark Mayers who was elected tonight as only the 4th Life Member of the club in recognition of his work to keep the club going during the Covid pandemic.
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Handicap Race 2021
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Thansk again to Darren and Rachel for sorting out this years handicap race. Thanks also to Lorraine, John and Mark for helping to insure we had somewhere safe to me up afterwards. The full refulsts are now available on the Club Handicap page.
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Handicap Race 2021
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The club Handicap will be on Wednesday 4th August, we have manage to get the Mayquay, Kinmel Bay again, more details will be posted here later.
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Cross Country Championships
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The North Wales Cross Country Championships will be held at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham on Saturday 8th January 2022
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Cross Country dates for 2021-2020
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NWCCL SENIOR CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE
Sat 2nd October 2021 - Roman Road Sports Centre, Shrewsbury SY3 9DE
Sat 23rd October 2021 - Vaynol Park, Bangor
Sat 27th November 2021 - Mostyn
Sat 22nd January 2022 - Fox Hills, Colwyn Bay (Parking at Eirias Park LL29 7SP)
Sat 5th February 2022 - Marches School, Oswestry SY11 2AP
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Club Sesions restarting
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With this week being the official week (commencing 26th April) we can start as a group of 30, under Welsh Government rules, please be aware of social distancing and all guidelines that have been published by the Welsh Government.
We look forward to welcoming members back and if anyone has any comments about the new times, please let John Jones or Mark Mayers know, this is your club and were possible we are doing the best to make sure you enjoy your running safely.
Mondays - Mark's Session which will start at 6pm on Pensarn Prom, meeting outside Pantri Bach, near the railway.
Wednesdays - Club 10k run, start at 6.30pm, this will be the club captain with any reports he has and club news from the chairman or secretary. Again starting at Pantri Bach, this run also includes runners who are running less than 10k, nothing has changed regarding your distance.
Fridays - Mark's Session again at 6pm.
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Committee Changes
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After last nights AGM there has been lots of exciting new changes to the Committee. Please go to the Officials page for details. Thanks to all those who stepped down after many years of service (Particularly Rachel Shipley and Dave Edwards) and good luck going forward to all the new appointees, especially John Jones (Secretary) and James Salt (Menbership Secretary and Treasurer.
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Club Members Stats page
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The members stats page on our website, with all memebers' individual race results from January 2006 will no longer be updated. After 15 years of updating (although unfortunately very little updating done in 2020 because of the Covid Pandemic) Sean will no longer be updatign this section. The Club was way before its time with this and was keeping these stats before Power of 10 and before people had Strava, Garmin or FETCH. However with these there is no longer a need for our page. It has been a real joy logging all these results over the last 15 years and thanks to all the members who gave me their results over those years to allow me to keep the records accurate.
Once we start racing again the Results page will be updated weekly but not the individual Members stats.
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Training sessions.
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This week has seen the relaxation of rules regarding group running. Although the rules have been relaxed, it will be a very gradual return to running. The likelihood is, it will be well into next year before things can return to something near normal. With a view to this, some runners led by Mark, will be meeting up on a Monday and a Wednesday. Monday night will be the usual efforts and Wednesday a club run. Social distancing in all areas must be maintained at all times. On both nights, any runner who would like to turn up, must inform Mark (Lynne Mayers) beforehand. This is so he knows how many are coming, so he can safety plan the evening. Runners will meet on both evenings in the car park on Pensarn promenade, nearest the toilets. Monday night at 6.30 and Wednesday at 6.45. Runners are advised that the toilets currently aren’t open. No one is to leave their vehicles until instructed by Mark, and all care must be taken to social distance. Depending on the amount of runners, it may be that two different courses are used.
Hopefully given time these rules will slowly be relaxed, but for the time being they must be adhered to. I myself won’t be coming for a while, neither will Sean. Please make sure (in order to make things easier for him) contact Mark and let him know of your intentions of running 😊
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Haris Virtual 5
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The club is supporting the above race which is being organised in memory of Hari Ingman, the nephew of our club secretary, who sadly passed away from meningitis in 2017 and would have celebrated his 5th birthday on 9th June 2020.
https://abergeleharriers.niftyentries.com/Haris-Virtual-5-2020
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COVID 19 UPDATE
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DUE TO THE PRESENT COVID19 ISSUES ALL CLUB ORGANISED ACTIVITIES ARE CANCELLED UNTIL AT LEAST THE END OF APRIL2020
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Club Awards 2019
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Congradulations to all this years club award winners announced at tonights Christmas dinner. Thanks to Lorraine Nesbitt for organising the night and to John Richard Jones for the amazing slate coasters for all the Harriers who ran in the Welsh Castles Relay this year. Congradulations also to Paula H L Maguire who won our London Marathon number (Paul Quinton and then Steven Mc Cormack as reserves).
Award Winners;
Male Grand Prix champion; Simon Bonfield
Female Grand Prix Champion; Rachel Shipley
Club Person of the Year; Simon Bonfield
Powlsons Performance of the Year; Keith Tewkesbury
Captain's Merit Award; Steven Mc Cormack
Most Improved Athlete; Alan Ilsley
Male Athlete of the Year; Simon Bonfield
Female Athlete of the Year; Julie Owens
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2020 North Wales Road Running Championships;
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2020 North Wales Road Running Championships;
> 5km: Llanrug, Caernarfon;Wednesday 3rd June.
> 5 Miles: Abergele (Pensarn); Sunday 1st November.
> 10km: Twin Piers, Colwyn Bay; Saturday 18th January.
> 10 Miles: Rhyl; Saturday 22nd February.
> Half marathon: Village Bakery, Wrexham; Sunday 16th February.
> Marathon: Conwy (starts in Llandudno); Sunday 27th September.
> Road relays: Llandudno; t.b.c.
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Keith gets third in the Great North Run
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To get third in your age catgory in any race is a great achievment, but to get third in your age category in the world's biggest Half Marathon is something most of us could only dream of, but that is exactly what Abergele Harrier Keith Tewkesbury did on sunday in the Great North Run in an amazing time of 2:05:21 for 3rd MV75. Brilliant, amazing, fantastic.
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Cross Country dates 2019-2020
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Due to unforeseen circumstances there have been some changes to the cross country fixtures. Wrexham will now host the first fixture with Shrewsbury hosting the fourth fixture. The revised senior league fixtures are as follows:
Saturday 5th October - Wrexham
Saturday 19th October - Colwyn Bay
Saturday 23rd November - Dolgellau
Saturday 11th January - Shrewsbury
Saturday 1st February - Oswestry
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Border League provisional dates
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October 13th ..............Eryri
November 10th .............Deeside
December 1st ..............Wallasey
January 12th ..............Abergele
March 15th ................Helsby / Wrexham
April 5th .................Ellesmere Port
April 22nd ................Helsby / Wrexham
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London Marathon Number Criteria.
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At tonight's Committee meeting the criteria were again amended after a long discussion. The function of the criteria are to insure that the Club's London Marathon number goes to an active club member. The criteria requiring the member to have "completed 8 club races, at least 4 of which must be league races" has been removed completely. The length of membership has been extended from London 2021. For the 2020 race you will need to have been a member on 1st January 2019, i.e. a Member on the 1st of January of the year of applying. But this length is to be extended by another 12 months from the 2021 race, so for that race you will also have had to be a member on 1st January 2019. In addition, all those wishing to enter the draw will have to submit their names to the Committee for the November meeting, just before the draw, for the Committee to approve that all those in the draw are indeed active club members.
The new amended criteria can be seen in full on the London Marathon page of our club website.
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Julie selected for UK Inter-counties Cross Country
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Julie Martin has been selected for the Senior Ladies team for the UK Inter-counties Cross Country to be held in Loughborough in March, becoming the first Harrier selected for that competition in 10 years. Well done Julie.
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Club Awards 2018
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Many members together with their partners turned up for the Abergele Harriers Annual Presentation Awards Evening on Wednesday 12th December, at local sports venue Abergele Golf Club, in what was to be an enjoyable evening of awards and remembering the years past sporting highlights, for one club member Rachel Shipley the evening was going to be special, the first award voted for by club members was Female Athlete of the Year, Rachel was a natural winner, with many PB’s during the year, excellent training and consistently performing well, these results help Rachel win the next trophy which was Most Improved Athlete of the Year, which she tied with Alan Newell who again has consistently improved his times over the year.
The Club Male Athlete of years was again tied with Sean McCormack sharing the trophy with his son Steven McCormack, with a change of focus in their running patterns throughout the year saw both race consistently well in every race they entered, culminating in Chicago and Dublin marathons.
Each year the club sets an amount of races to achieve the Grand Prix and this year the Male Grand Prix winner was John Jones with 222 points, retaining the trophy back from two years ago, Christine Birch was the very worthy winner of the Female Grand Prix trophy with 146 points in what was a closely fought contest.
This years Powlsons Performance of the Year was won by Rachel Shipley for her excellent run in the Castles Relay 2018 winning the female stage 13, this was first time the club has won a stage in this highly competitive relay event.
The club also each year presents two special awards, one voted for by the committee, which is the Club Person of the Year, this is an award that is given to a member who has consistently supports the club, and it was a pleasure to award the trophy to Christine Birch who supports the club at every cross country and Border league and at the age of 70 plus consistently runs to a standard that is remarkable for her age.
The final trophy of the year was the Captain’s Merit Award, which Darren Blazier was happy to present to John Jones for all the work he does as Club Press Secretary and promoting the club with the printed newsletter.
Runners who took part in the Castles Relay were presented with Welsh Slate trophies for their support of the club in the race series, following the presentation the club thanked Susan Calvert for organising the event.
(Report courtesy of John Jones, Press Secretary)
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Three selected for North Wales in the Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships
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Three Harriers have been selected for the North Wales team in the Inter-regional cross country championships in Llandrindod Wells on Saturday 8th December. Julie Martin has been selected for the first time to represent the region in the Senior Female team while Tim Cahill is in the Male Masters 55+ team and Chris Birch in the Female Masters 55+ team.
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Chris shines for Wales
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Abergele Harrier Chris Birch ran for Wales in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country Championships held this year at Singleton Park in Swansea.
Chris finished 3rd overall in her FV70 age-group in 30-53.
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Cross Country Fixtures 2018
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I can now confirm that the league fixtures for the senior league for 2018/19 are as follows:
Saturday 6th October - Baschurch College Shrewsbury (SY4 2HL)
Saturday 20th October - Fox Hills, Colwyn Bay (LL29 7SP) parking is at Eirias Park; course 600m away
Saturday 10th November - Wrexham
Saturday 12 January 2019 - Northop
Saturday 2nd February - Oswestry
Steve Walford has indicated that Baschurch will be a different course in October as he may have to dam up the stream to create enough water for yoiu to go through and the 'lake' near the finish is non existent!!
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Rachel smashes another club record
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A brand new Abergele Harriers club record was set this weekend at the Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon. With 1342 finishers in total, Darren Blazier placed 156th in 1.30.55. He was closely followed by Rachel Shipley in 157th place in 1.30.56 for 22nd lady. This time was almost 7 minutes faster than her previous half marathon PB and was a brand-new club ladies record, taking over a minute and a half of the previous record and adding to the 5k club record she achieved just a few weeks back.
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Rachel wins Castles Leg 13
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Rachel Shipley made history for Abergele Harriers by becoming the Club's first ever stage winner when she won stage 13 on Sunday in the 2018 Welsh Castles Relay. She took 3 minutes off her time from 12 months ago and an amazing 10 minutes off her time for the same leg in 2015. For full details of everyone's results go to the Castles page.
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Cross Country 2018-19
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PROVISIONAL DATES HAVE BEEN SET FOR THE 2018/19 CROSS COUNTRY SEASON:
Saturday 6th October - Baschurch, Shrewsbury
Saturday 20th October - Colwyn Bay venue to be confirmed but not Llandudno
Saturday 10th November - Deeside venue to be confirmed
Saturday 12th January - Wrexham
Saturday 2nd February - Oswestry
The North Wales Cross Country Champs will be on Saturday 5th January at Corwen
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London Marathon 2018
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John Jones of Abergele Harriers proudly wore the Official Club number on Sunday as he lined up with the a record number of starters for the 38th London Marathon, which this year was run in record high temperatures averaging at 23 degrees Centigrade. Starting at the Blue Start John ran an excellent race handling the conditions very well and going through the first half in 1h47m12s. Like most others in the race including new British record holder Mo Farah, John slowed a little over the second half but still managed to finish in a superb 3h49m54s for 7,540 position overall and an extremely creditable 244th MV55.
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Welsh Castles Relay
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Abergele Harriers have been accepted into this years Castles Relay. See Castles Relay page for more details.
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Club has 2 Welsh Champions
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The club has 2 new Welsh Champions, with Darren Blazier and Chris Birch both wining their age categories in the Welsh Championships which were held withing the Nick Beer 10k road race on the Great Orme.
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Cross Country Success in Oswestry
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Three Abergele Harriers turned out for final fixture of the North Wales Cross Country League on Saturday 3rd February at Marches School,Oswestry.
The ground was very soft and already churned up by all the children who had been running there in the morning.
Chris Birch finished 64th overall in the ladies race and 1st FV70 on the day, and was awarded a plaque for winning the series of five races held over the winter at different venues.
Tim Cahill had a great run to finish 68th overall in the mens race and also received a plaque for second overall in the MV55 section of the series, and Anthony Howe had a splendid run to finish the mens race in 132nd position.
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AGM 2018
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I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 18th March, at 7.00pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP .
All committee and club positions, with the exception of President, will be up for
re-election at the AGM. Below please see a list of the holders of present positions. Nominations for any position must be made in writing to the Secretary, Chairman or Captain before Sunday 25th February 2018. For a nomination to be valid it must contain the following; the name of the fully paid up member being nominated, the position that member is being nominated for, the signature of the member making the nomination, the signature of a member seconding the nomination, and the signature of the person nominated.
Please note; nominations on the night of the AGM will only be accepted if no valid nominations have been received by the due date.
Items for discussion at the AGM must also be submitted in writing to the Secretary by Sunday 25th February 2018.
A list of nominations and items for discussion will be produced, distributed and publicised (on the notice-board and web site) by Sunday 4th March 2018.
POSITION Elected
President Mike Nolan (LIFE)
Chairperson Mark Mayers
Vice-Chairman Shane McCormack
Membership Secretary Rachel Shipley
Secretary Sean McCormack
Treasurer Dave Edwards
Vice-Treasurer Rachel Shipley
Race Director Sean McCormack
Social Secretaries Sue Calvert
Press Secretary John Jones
Vice-Press Secretary Danny Snelson
Club Captain Darren Blazier
Vice-Captain James Salt
Border League Captain Darren Blazier
Cross Country Captain Chris Birch
Male Welfare Officer Sean McCormack
Female Welfare Officer Jeni Richards
Other Committee Members Warren Brown, Steven McCormack, Paula Maguire.
It is YOUR club, please come to the AGM and have your say!
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Last Cross Country League Fixture
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The last league fixture at Oswestry on Saturday 3rd of February will start one hour earlier than the other fixtures
(i.e. Women 1pm; Men 1-45pm) to allow for presentations afterwards.
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Club Awards 2018
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Congratulations to all last nights trophy winners;
Male Grand Prix winner; James Salt
Female Grand Prix winner; Amy Owen-Jones
Club Person of the Year; James Salt
Captain's Merit Award; Anthony Howe
Powlsons Performance of the Year; Gareth Evans (Snowdonia Marathon)
Most Improved Athlete of the Year; Lorraine Nesbitt
Female Athlete of the Year; Amy Owen-Jones
Male Athlete(s) of the Year; Mark Mayers, Darren Battersby and James Salt.
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Chris runs very well in Derry
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Congratulations to Abergele Harrier Chris Birch who ran for Wales in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International on Saturday in Derry. Chris finished as 2nd FV70 in an excellent time of 33:02 over a tough course.
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Borders League race cancelled
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The Borders League race of November 12th has been cancelled. It will now take place on 18th February 2018 at Chester F.C.
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Cross Country News
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The Cross Country results are out from Saturday, well done to all.
Ladies; Chris Birch 68th 30:06, 1st in her age category and singlehandedly gets the ladies "team" to 12th out of 16 teams in Division 2. Come on ladies help her out next time :-)
Men; Tim Cahill 49th 35:00, Sean McCormack 68th 35:55, James Salt 73rd 36:13, Ben Garnett 103rd 38:20 and Anthony Howe 154th 44:05, making the men 7th in Division 2 out of 14 teams and 9th in the Mens Vet. league out of 17 teams. :-)
Next race in St David's in Llandudno on Saturday 21st October.
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London Marathon 2018
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Commiseration to all club members who didn't get into the 2018 London Marathon. But all is not lost; the club will have one Club Number which will be drawn in early December. The full list of criteria for inclusion in the draw is below and don't worry if you haven't done 8 club races yet there are still 2 qualifying Cross Country race, 1 Borders League race, the Conwy Half Marathon, the 4 lakes (if it is on) or any marathon, ultra or fell race. So far I have 1 person who has asked to enter the draw and fulfills all the criteria (James Salt). See the London Marathon page for the full criteria.
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Road Running Championships 2017
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The following events will be the Regional road running championships in 2018:
5km: Ffrith, Prestatyn Sunday 13th May (provisional date).
5 Miles: Abergele, Sunday 4th November.
10km: Caernarfon, date t.b.c.
10 Miles: Date and venue to be confirmed.
Half marathon: Village Bakery, Wrexham, Sunday 25th February.
Marathon: Run Wales, Wrexham, Sunday 11th March.
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British Masters 10 mile Championships 2018
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The Rhyl 10 Mile race in 2018 will hold the British Masters 10 mile championships but club members are advised that to be eligible to enter the British Masters Championships you must be a member of a Masters Association NOT just a member of Welsh Athletics. In most of our cases that is a member of the Welsh Masters Athletic Association https://www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk
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Anthony Howe hits 100!
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A great achievement for Abergele Harrier, Anthony Howe, this weekend as he completed his 100th Parkrun in York in a time of 22.20 and 81st place. Anthony’s first Parkrun was in Conwy on Saturday, 28th March, 2015; since then he has done 60 more in Conwy, and 39 all over the UK, ranging from Victoria Parkrun, Glasgow in Scotland to Queen Elizabeth Parkrun near Portsmouth, and many across the rest of the country, it’s a great achievement and certainly a lot of travelling, he also helps when he can as a volunteer, in the many tasks that are need to make Parkrun’s a success.
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Borders League Dates 2017-2018
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Note changes;
Season 2017-18
Race 1 Sunday October 1st 11am Ellesmere P
Race 2 Sunday November 12th 11am Chester Tri
Race 3 Sunday December 3rd 11am Wallasey
Race 4 Sunday January 14th 11am Abergele
Race 5 Sunday March 4th 11am Tattenhall
Race 6 Sunday April 8th 11am Wrecsam Tri
Race 7 Wednesday April 25th 7;30pm Deestriders + Presentation
*NOTE* Race 6 Date & 5 & 6 venues have had to be altered
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Abergele 5
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Online entries are now open, go to our facebook page or the Abergele 5 page on this site to enter
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New Vests
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Mark Mayers will be ordering new club vests on 31st July. The new vests will have the black stripe approximately 2 inches higher up and the "Abergele Harriers" will be printed by sublimation, which means it will be within the fabric as such and not simply stuck onto it. These vests must be pre-ordered from Mark and will cost the member £10 (the club will be suplimenting the remaining £7 plus as the vests cost us over £17). Please let Mark know as soon as possible and give him the £10 and your size.
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Borders League Dates 2017-2018
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October 1st: Ellesmere Port
November 12th: Chester Tri
December 3rd: Wallasey
January 14th: Abergele
March 4th: Wrexham Tri
March 25th: Tattenhall
April 25th: Deestriders 7.30pm
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Chris wins British title
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Congratulations to Chris Birch who won the British Masters V70 5k title in Horwich today.
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Welsh Castles Relay 2017
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Well done to everyone involved in this year's Castles Relay, especially Mark, Warren and Sarah. We finished 46th overall out of 66 teams, (40th open team out of 47th). Our individual results are on the Castles Relay page and full results can be found at http://www.welshcastlesrelay.org.uk/results/2017/index.html
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Cross Country 2017-18
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The dates for next seasons Cross Country League fixtures have now been set. Please go to the Cross Country page for details.
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London Marathon 2018
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The ballot for the London Marathon 2018 opens on 1st May for 5 days only so get your entry in. Remember if you don't enter the ballot, you are not eligible to go into the draw for the club number later in the year.
https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/how-to-enter/ballot-entry/
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Beginners / Improvers group
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Abergele Harriers welcomes adult runners of all abilities and currently we have a beginners / improvers group on a Wednesday. This is aimed at runners who already can run a little (up to 5k at any speed) but want to be able to run further and have the benefit of running with others. A number have already started but if interested please contact Paula Maguire or look at our Facebook page.
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Amazing Results in Cheshire 10k
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8 Harriers did the Cheshire 10k today and 7 got personal best times for the distance. Seee stats page for detaisl of all the amazing times.
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AGM 2017
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I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 26th March 2017 at 7.00pm in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP .
All committee and club positions, with the exception of President, will be up for re-election at the AGM. The closing date for nominations has arrived. Please note; nominations on the night of the AGM will only be accepted for positions where no valid nominations have been received by now, or for new positions that have not previously existed. .
The date for receiving “items for discussion” at the AGM has also arrived.
No further “items for discussion” will be accepted.
The full agenda can be found on the AGM page.
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Chris wins Welsh 10k title
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Congratulations to Chris Birch who once again won the Welsh FV65 10k Road Running Championship title in the Nick Beer 10k in Llandudno. Chris finished in an excellent time of 49mins 49 secs for 266th position overall and first FV65, over 5 minutes ahead of the second lady in her category. Another amazing run by Chris.
Also well done to John Jones, who got Bronze in the MV55 category with a great time of 45mins 20secs for 140th overall, 7th MV55 in the pen race and 3rd in the Welsh Championships.
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AGM 2017
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I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 26th March, at 7.00pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP .
All committee and club positions, with the exception of President, will be up for re-election at the AGM. Nominations for any position must be made in writing to the Secretary, Chairman or Captain before Sunday 5th March 2016. For a nomination to be valid it must contain the following; the name of the fully paid up member being nominated, the position that member is being nominated for, the signature of the member making the nomination, the signature of a member seconding the nomination, and the signature of the person nominated.
Please note; nominations on the night of the AGM will only be accepted if no valid nominations have been received by the due date.
Items for discussion at the AGM must also be submitted in writing to the Secretary by Sunday 5th March 2016.
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Chris triumphs again.
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Well done to Chris Birch who once again won the FV65 Category in the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League for 2016-2017. Chris travelled to the Marches School,Oswestry on Saturday to run in the final fixture of the season despite still recovering from cracked ribs. Chris finished 69th lady and 1st FV65 in 30:52, and 1st FV65 overall for the season. Excellent performances all season again.
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Club Committee Meeting
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The next Abergele Harriers Committee meeting is next Sunday,5th February at 7pm in The Community Centre in Kinmel Bay. Please remember all members are welcome to attend Committee meetings. Also if any member has an item they would like discussed at the meeting please e mail me at Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk
Currently the main three issues for discussion will be the Castles Relay, The 2017 Abergele 5, and the 2017 AGM.
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Chris conquers Walford!
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Chris Birch travelled to Walford College at Baschurch on Saturday to compete in the North Wales Cross Country League.
Runners enjoyed the muddy hilly course that took in woodland and a knee deep river crossing. Chris finished in an excellent 32:33 for 66th overall and 1st FV65.
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Trophy winners 2016
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Abergele Harriers held their annual prize giving at the club Christmas dinner last Wednesday.
This year’s Grand Prix winners were John Jones and Chris Birch.
The Captain's Merit award went to Mark Meyers in recognition of his contribution to the club and the support and encouragement he gives to his fellow runners.
Gareth Evans was voted Most Improved Athlete. Gareth improved his 10k personal best time by over 2 minutes this year running 40:34 at the Flintshire 10k in October.
Female Athlete of the Year went to Paula Maguire for smashing her goal to break the 50 minute barrier for 10k this year. Paula ran a fantastic personal best of 48:42 at the English 10k in Warrington in September.
Nick Foden picked up the trophy for Male Athlete of the Year after a fantastic 12 months of racing that saw improvements in his 5k, 10k and half Marathon times. Nick ran the Anglesey Half Marathon in March in 1:23:26 taking over 4 minutes off his personal best for the distance set only a month earlier in Wrexham. This performance was chosen as the worthy winner of the first
Powlsons Performance of the Year trophy.
Danny Snelson was the lucky recipient in the draw for the club’s London Marathon number.
Congratulations to all the 2016 trophy winners and to all the club members for their achievements throughout the year.
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Grand Prix 2016
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The final results are now available for the 2016 Grand Prix. Go to the Members Stats for the full results and the Grand Prix page. Well done to John Jones and Chrs Birch.
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Bangor Cross Country
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Well done to the four Harriers who travelled to Bangor for the latest round of the Grand Prix Cross Country League, Chris Birch, James Salt, Martyn Barnaby and Anthony Howe To see how they got on please go to the Cross Country page.
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Road Championships 2017
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North Wales Championships 2017;
5k; Ffrith 5k, Prestatyn Weekend of 6th/7th May (date TBC)
5m Abergele 5
10k Caernarfon 10k
10m Wrexham 10m
Half Marathon; Village Bakery Half Marathon
Marathon; Wrexham Marathon.
Welsh Championships 2017
10k; Nick Beer 10k
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Awards 2016
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Its the time of year when we start voting for our Athletes of the Year. This year as well as voting for Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year and Most Improved Athlete, there will be a new Award Sponsored by Powlsons Printers, The Powlsons Performance of the Year. Members are asked to vote from the following shortlist of 3 performances, produced by our captain, vice captain, and sponsor (Powlsons), and approved tonight by the committee.
Performances are simply in chronological order;
A. Nick Foden, Anglesey Half Marathon, 6/3/2016, 1:23:26
(Personal best time, taking over 4 minutes off his pb, set only 1 month earlier.)
B. Paula Maguire, English 10k, 18/9/2016, 48:42
(Personal best, finally getting under the 50 minute barrier after many years of trying.)
C. Gareth Evans, Flintshire 10k, 23/10/2016, 40:34
(Personal best time, taking over 2 minutes off his pb, set at the start of the year.)
*~*~*~*~*
Grand Prix 2017
*~*~*~*~*
There are some minor changhes to next years Club Grand Prix following last nights Committee meeting. The following races are removed form the list for next year; The Capenhurst 5k, all three specifically named Fell races. These have been replaced by The Helena Tipping 10k, The Llanfair Th 10k, The Wrexham 20 miler (held the same day as the Wrexham Marathon) and "any one Fell race". The full list of 35 available races will be on the Grand Prix page. For the record the "counting" borders league and cross country races will be drawn on Monday 5th December although this year it is very unlikely to make any difference to the male and female results!
*~*~*~*~*
Club Committee Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
The next club committee meeting will be held at 7pm on Sunday 20th November in Kinmel Bay. All members are welcome to attend.
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele 5
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers, celebrating their 30 year Anniversary this year, held their 30th race on Sunday the 30th October. Over 200 runners took part in the Spillane and Co. Wealth Management Abergele 5 road race, incorporating the North Wales 5 mile road race championship.
The top three men all beat the previous course record with John Ashcroft of Liverpool Harriers setting a new course record of 24:21. Philip Sesemann of Blackheath & Bromley Harriers ran 24:36 and Rob Samuel of Eryri Harriers finished in 24:41. First female, Lucy Holt of Notts AC, retained her title from last year running 29:22 to be one of only four ladies ever to run the course under 30 minutes. Mandy Vernon and Debbie Thomas, both from Trentham, finished 2nd and 3rd female in 30:34 and 32:03 respectively.
Buckley (Male) and Prestatyn (Female) took the team prizes with North Wales Police winning the corporate Challenge.
Seven Abergele Harriers took part in the race with Ben Lightowler leading the club home in 28:53 for 15th overall. Nick Foden ran 30:38 for 33rd followed by Darren Battersby finishing in 35:32 for 87th. John Jones ran 36:02 for 96th overall and M55 silver in the championship. Ben Garnett finished in 37:01 for 105th followed by Chris Birch running 38:41 for 125th overall and winning the FV65 category in both the open race and the championship. Alan Newell finished in 56:40 for 201st position.
The club would like to thank Spillane & Co. Wealth Management, Abergele Town Council, Woods Motorcycles and the many local firms who once again supported the race and helped to make it such a success.
*~*~*~*~*
Ten Harriers travel to Mold for first Cross Country fisture
*~*~*~*~*
7 men and 3 ladies travelled to Mold for the first fixture of the Cross Country League. For a report please go to the Cross Country page.
*~*~*~*~*
Committee meeting Cancelled.
*~*~*~*~*
Tomorrow night's Committee meeting has been cancelled and our next meeting will take place on Sunday 9th October at 7pm in the usual venue.
*~*~*~*~*
Change in Borders League date
*~*~*~*~*
The March 2017 Border League race in the Wirral has been changed from 12th March to 5th March 2017.
*~*~*~*~*
30th Anniversary party
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers 30th Anniversary celebrations is booked for Fri 23rd September at Departure Lounge, Abergele. Meal for 7.30 pm downstairs and upstairs for the band after. Upstairs exclusive for us. Sue Calvert is currently taking your meal choices and £5 deposit. Open to ex members as well. If anyone has any ideas for the evening such as a song or skit feel free to do a turn. There will also be a raffle. Menus on facebook page and hard copies available on club notice board.
Please contact Sue as soon as possible as deadline for menu choices and deposits is the 14th September.
*~*~*~*~*
New Cross Country League dates
*~*~*~*~*
New dates for Cross Country League races 2016-17
15 October 2016 Mold Alun School, Mold, CH7 1EP
5 November 2016 (note change) St David’s College, Llandudno (LL30 1RD)
26 November 2016 Treborth Track, Bangor LL57 2RQ
14 January 2017 Walford College, Baschurch, Shrewsbury SY4 2HL
4 February 2017 Marches School, Oswestry, SY11 2AP
*~*~*~*~*
Llanfair TH Mountain run
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to Jodi Waters today on winning the Llanfair TH Mountain Run in a time of 40:52, his best time for the course, and Paula Maguire, first lady home in 56:10.
1st Jodi Waters 40:52 (Abergele Harriers)
2nd Leon Davies 46:38 (NWRRC)
3rd Matthew Davies 46:55
4th Darren Battersby 50:51 (Abergele Harriers)
5th Paula Maguire 56:10 (Abergele Harriers)
6th Brian Robinson 1:02:59 (Clayton Harriers)
7th Ceri Hughes 1:03:15
8th Peter Barraclough 1:03:16
9th Iorwerth Roberts 1:10:59 (Eryri Harriers)
10th Ruth Robinson 1:14:34 (Clayton Harriers)
I have been assured the race will take place again next year on the last Saturday in July and we may even have it in our club Grand Prix. :-)
*~*~*~*~*
Next seasons Borders League dates
*~*~*~*~*
Race 1 - 9th Oct - Eryri
Race 2 - 6th Nov - West Cheshire
Race 3 - 4th Dec - Birkenhead
Race 4 - 22nd Jan - Deeside
Race 5 - 12th Mar - Wirral
Race 6 - 9th Apr - Helsby
Race 7 - 26th Apr - Wrexham
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins British Silver
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch has once again proved herself to be one of the best in Britain on the road by winning a silver medal in the British Masters 5k Road Championships in Horwich. The race was held as part of the Horwich Festival of Racing on a traffic free hilly town centre course. Chris finished in 24:14 to secure the silver medal in the FV65 category.
*~*~*~*~*
Brilliant result in Castles Relay.
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to the Harriers, 29th Overall in the Welsh Castles Relay, our joint highest finish ever (29th in 2008 also!). 30th Overall in the King of the Mountains (22nd in 2008), our second highest ever. Thanks in particular to Castles our organizers Mark Meyers and Dave Edwards for a job very well done. Roll on next year :-)
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Relay meeting
*~*~*~*~*
There will be a Castles Relay meeting next Wednesday, 25th May at 6pm at the College. Can all those running please try to attend, and can all those staying over on Saturday night, give the £33 to Mark that night at the meeting.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2016
*~*~*~*~*
Can all members who are taking part in this years Welsh Castles Relay please go to the Castles Relay page to find your Stage start time, postcode and your squad number. Please be aware you need to know your squad number for the role call at the start of your stage.
*~*~*~*~*
Members details update
*~*~*~*~*
The club would like to update contact details etc for all its members. Forms will be given out at club nights which will need to be completed by all members. Please return to Rachel.
*~*~*~*~*
North Wales 10 mile Championships
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to the four Harriers who traveled to Wrexham for the North Wales 10 mile Championships on Saturday, coming home with team and individual prizes. Darren Battersby won his first ever North Wales title by winning gold in the MV50 category in an excellent 1:12:56, while Mark Mayers and John Jones both won silver medals in the MV45 and MV55 categories respectively. The three veterans also won the Vets title and along with "Youngster" Nick Foden combined for a prize in the Senior Men's category also.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap Race 2016
*~*~*~*~*
The 2016 Club Handicap racis being held on Wednesday 8th June meeting at 6.30 pm at the car park at the bottom of Wern Road, Llanddulas.
Afterwards eating for 8.30 pm, Fairview Inn, Llanddulas. Please can you let Lucy Curtis have your choice of meal. She will be taking the names/order on Wednesday club night from 25th May. Deadline for names Wednesday 3rd June. We need definite names & choice meal.
The meal choices:
Vegetable Curry / Chicken Curry
Steak & Ale Pie / Cheese Onion Pie
or Lasagne
......................................................
Apple Pie with Ice cream or custard
Cheesecake
Ice Cream"
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country League races 2016-2017
*~*~*~*~*
The dates for next seasons Cross Country League races have been announced;
Oct.1st Treborth Track,Bangor,LL572RQ (reserve date 22nd Oct.)
Oct.15th St.Davids College,Llandudno,LL301RQ
Nov.26th Mold Alun School CH71EP
Jan.14th Walford College,Baschurch,SY42HL
Feb.4th Marches School,Oswestry,SY112AP
Jan.28th North Wales Championships
*~*~*~*~*
Manchester Marathon 2013-2015
*~*~*~*~*
Please be aware, in accordance with the facts that have come out this week proving that the Manchester Marathons of 2013, 2014 and 2015 were measured short, the statistics page has been updated to show these races as "Short Marathons", so although the results are still there, if you are to look at all your marathon times, these races will not be included in your search.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay
*~*~*~*~*
We have just been confirmed as IN this years Welsh Castles Relay on 4th and 5th June. If you would like to take part please contact Mark or Dave ASAP and give them them your £10 deposit.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris triumphs in the North Wales Cross Country League again
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to Chris Birch who once again not only triumphed in her age category on the day in the Oswestry round of the North Wales Cross Country League, but also won the overall age category for the season again. Chris is an inspiration to any runner of any age always giving her best and triumphing year after year. Well done also to all the Harriers who turned out during the season for the Cross Country team. Lets look forward to giving Chris the support she deserves by getting full teams out next season to all Cross Country League races.
*~*~*~*~*
2015 Road Race Rankings
*~*~*~*~*
The 2015 North Wales road rankings are now available at http://www.abergeleharriers.co.uk/nwrab/2015rankings.xls
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2016
*~*~*~*~*
I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 6th March, at 7.00pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP . Please go to the AGM page for full details.
*~*~*~*~*
Twin Piers 10k 2016
*~*~*~*~*
Thanks to Colwyn Bay AC for another fantastic Twin Piers 10k. Provisional results now available at http://www.abergeleharriers.co.uk/TP-2K16/
*~*~*~*~*
Walford Cross Country
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to the Cross Country teams yesterday in Walford for the 4th Round of the North Wales Cross Country League. Despite only 5 men on the day, the team ended up 4th on the day in Division 2 and have moved up to 8th overall. Official times; Rob Abergele 62nd, 43:14, Tim Cahill 70th, 44:04, James Salt 77th, 44:27, Sean McCormack 78th 44:37, Steven Mc Cormack 91st 46:55. Chris Birch finished a fantastic 44th in 27:56 for 1st FV65 and on her own managed to finish 6th in division two on the day. Well done all.
*~*~*~*~*
New Club Vests
*~*~*~*~*
The club is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year and have decided to change our club vest slightly to include a black horizontal stripe on the front. All existing members who have previously bought a vest will be given (free of charge) a new vest to be worn at all races from 1st April 2016. These vests are being ordered on 1st February 2016. Please note that Mark and Rachel have currently got samples to test for size and if you want to guarantee yourself a particular size with this order you must see them and give them your size before that date. Otherwise we cannot guarantee your correct size.
*~*~*~*~*
Membership Fees;
*~*~*~*~*
Club Membership fees are now due for the year from 1st April 2016 to 31st March 2017.
It has been decided that despite the fact that Welsh Athletics fees have gone up to £17 from £15, that the club will cover this increase and fees will remain at their present level of £40. This therefore includes £17 which goes directly to Welsh Athletics which gives you £2 off all UKA or WA organised races as an "affiliated" runner, and gives you 3rd Party Insurance while racing or training with the club. Please note however that the Club no longer has a Personal Accident Insurance policy for members. Your Membership fees also give you the usage of the changing rooms in Abergele Leisure Centre on Wednesday, and in fact any other day you choose to run from the Centre. It also includes a meal provided by the Club on the day of the Club Handicap Race.
Cheques of £40 should be made payable to Abergele Harriers and given or posted to Rachel Shipley, Membership Secretary, 12 St Margaret's Drive, Craig Y Don, Llandudno, LL301YD.
*~*~*~*~*
Shrewsbury Cross Country
*~*~*~*~*
Why not make Cross Country your new years resolution.
Your first opportunity to fulfill that resolution is only two weeks away, on Saturday 16th January at Shrewsbury. Please let myself or Cross Country Captain Chris Birch know if you will be joining us that day. We need 6 men and 4 women for complete teams. Happy New Year.
*~*~*~*~*
Grand Prix races 2015
*~*~*~*~*
The following league races were selected tonight to count in the 2015 Grand Prix; Borders League, 8th March, 12th April, 22nd April, 8th November and Cross Country League; 7th February, 3rd October and 28th November. These points have been added and the final Grand Prix positions are now available on the Members Stats page, Grand Prix section. Congratulations to Darren Battersby and Rachel Shipley.
*~*~*~*~*
Mold Cross Country League race.
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to the 2 Women and 6 men who braved the weather and came out to play in the mud in Mold for the 3rd round of the Cross Country League; brilliant runs by everyone in very testing conditions. Special thanks to Cross Country Captain Chris Birch as well as Sue, Rob, James, Tim, Dave, Steven and Sean. Results will be posted on the Cross Country page when they become available later in the week.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country League
*~*~*~*~*
Reminding all Harriers that the 3rd Round of the Cross Country League is next Saturday 28th November in Mold Alun School, Mold, CH7 1EP. The ladies race starts at 2pm and the mens at 2:45pm. Lifts will be organised at club on Wednesday night.
*~*~*~*~*
2016 Grand Prix
*~*~*~*~*
The races and details for the 2016 Club Grand Prix are now available on the Grand Prix Page. Why not get ahead of the game and check it out.
*~*~*~*~*
Annual Club Presentations
*~*~*~*~*
The annual club presentations will take place at the Christmas dinner on Wednesday 2nd December. Please get your vote in on or before Monday 30th November. Voting slips will be available from Sean at club nights from now until the 30th. Alternatively you can vote by e mailing Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk . Members vote for Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year and Most Improved Athlete.
Also can all of last years winners please get their Shields back to Sean before or on the Presentation Night.
Last years winners were;
Female Athlete of the Year; Jeni Richards
Male Athlete of the Year; Ben Lightowler
Most Improved Athlete; Diane Jones
Member of the Year; Dave Edwards
Captains Merit Award; Rachel Shipley
Female Grand Prix Winner; Sue Calvert
Male Grand Prix Winner; Jodi Waters
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele 5 Results
*~*~*~*~*
The Results of this years Spillane & Co Wealth Management Abergele 5 are now available on our Abergele 5 page. Thanks to everyone for coming. See you all next year for our 30th race on October 30th 2016.
*~*~*~*~*
Championship medlas in Snowdon
*~*~*~*~*
Two Harriers came away from the Snowdonia Marathon with championship medals. Meinir Huws took the FV55 category bronze in the Welsh Masters and won gold in the FV55 North Wales championships while John Jones took M55 silver in the North Wales Championships. Congratulations to both. For more details of how all Harriers got on go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country League
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to the 12 Harriers (8 men and 4 women) who turned out for today's Cross Country League race, it was the biggest club turn out since 9th October 2010 in Eirias Park. Hopefully we can get as big, if not a bigger team, out for the next round in Mold on the 28th November. Anyone wanting more information about Cross Country please ask Cross Country Captain Chris Birch, or Club Secretary Sean. For a full report on today's race go to the Cross Country page.
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon 2016
*~*~*~*~*
Bad news I'm afraid. Unfortunately the club has only been allocated one Club entry for next years London Marathon. All clubs have had their allocation reduced because of the increased number of "Good for Age" entries this year. The number will be drawn asap. Please check the London Marathon page for eligibility criteria. So far I only have two names, Susan A Calvert and James Salt.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League and Cross Coutry Leagues
*~*~*~*~*
17 Harriers turned out in Capenhurst for the first round of this years Borders League. Now see can we have as good of turn out for next Saturday's Cross Country League match at St David's College in Llandudno. Please let Chris or Sean know if you are available to run. The ladies race starts at 2pm and the men's 2:45 so you can be home well in time for the Wales South Africa match, so no excuses :-)
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon 2016
*~*~*~*~*
It's that time of year when members hear the bad news that they didn't get into London
The club hopefully will get 2 numbers which will be drawn in early November. They cannot be drawn until then as they are only allocated to us then and we need to be certain we have them before drawing. Please note the criteria below for entering the draw, and if you fulfill these criteria please give your rejection slip to Sean on club night over the next few weeks;
Criteria;
1) Must be a full club member before 1st January 2015
2) Must have proof of rejection from the 2016 London Marathon
3) Must NOT have had a club number for the 2015 London Marathon
4) Must have done at least 6 "club races" in 2015; a club race being any of the following; The Club Handicap, any borders league race, any cross country race, castles relay leg, or any other race in the 2015 Grand Prix.
Good luck,
*~*~*~*~*
Rachel selected for North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
Congratulations to Rachel Shipley who was been selected for North Wales for the first time after recent excellent form. She will be a member of the North Wales Senior Female team taking part in the Swansea Bay 10k which incorporates the Welsh Inter-Regional 10k Championships.
*~*~*~*~*
Llanfair Th Mountain Race
*~*~*~*~*
Unfortunately the Llanfair Th Sports Committee have announced that they have had to cancel this years Sports Day which means that there will be no Llanfair Th Mountain Race this year.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League dates for next season.
*~*~*~*~*
11th October......................Ellesmere Port
8th November.............................Wallasey
6th December.....................................Cybi
24th January................................Abergele
20th March..................................Tattenhall
17th April.......................................Buckley
27th April.................................Deestriders
Keep your diaries free!
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins British Silver.
*~*~*~*~*
On Sunday Chris Birch represented the Harriers in the British Masters 5k Road Running Championships and ran fantastically well over the hilly town centre course finishing in 22mins 35secs, her fastest ever time over that particular course, having run there previously in 2012 and 2014, to win the Silver medal in the British FV65 Championships.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap 2015
*~*~*~*~*
Thanks to everyone who turned up to run, help or support at the club handicap race this year. The full results are now available on the Club Handicap page.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers were among the 65 teams from across the UK taking part in the 33rd Welsh Castles Relay on the 6th and 7th June. Starting from Caernarvon Castle on Saturday morning and finishing in Cardiff Castle on Sunday afternoon, competitors ran 211 miles over 20 stages of between 7.7 and 13.1 miles. The team finished in 50th position overall and 20th over the mountain stages. Congratulations to all involved and particular thanks to Dave Edwards and Mark Mayers for organising a fantastic weekend.
For a full report of how everyone got on, please go to the Castles page.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap;
Can all members please remember that the Club Handicap is this Wednesday (10th June) and members need to be in the car park in the Sea Road end of Pensarn Beach at 6:30pm for your instructions and for the Handicap to begin soon afterwards so that everyone will have time to complete it and be ready for food by 8pm.
Please also note that you will not be allowed to carry any watch, phone , GPS or any other timing or measuring device.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015 Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
There will be a "Castles" meeting on Wednesday 3rd June at 5:50pm at The College, to finalise everything. Can everyone running please attend if possible and bring your club vest as we will be taking a photo of the team that night.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015
*~*~*~*~*
Due to injury, there is now one leg available on the first day of the Castles Relay on Saturday 6th June. If any member would like to be considered for this leg please contact Mark as soon as possible.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015 Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
There will me a meeting at 6pm in the College on Wednesday 13th May for members who are taking part in this years Welsh Castles Relay. Members need to attend in order to sign to run in the race. Please also remember if your club membership isn't up to date, Rachel will be there to collect your £40 which must also be paid in order to run in "The Castles".
*~*~*~*~*
Committee Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
Members are reminded that the next Committee meeting is on Sunday 10th May at 7pm at the Community House in Kinmel Bay. All members are welcome to attend. The main issues to be discussed are the Castles Relay and the Club Handicap race.
*~*~*~*~*
Number Swopping
*~*~*~*~*
All club members are once again reminded that number swopping, without the direct permission of the Race Director, is strictly prohibited in all UKAthletics races, big or small, and can lead to a 2 year ban for both the runner who gave the number away and the runner who ran with the number.
*~*~*~*~*
Chester Spring 5
*~*~*~*~*
Remember the Chester Spring 5 is part of our Club Grand Prix this year. The race is on this Wednesday coming, 15th April starting at 7pm and is chip timed for the first time. Entries will only be accepted on the day if the race limit has not been met before. On line entries are available at http://www.wcac.niftyentries.com
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015 Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
There will be a Welsh Castles Relay meeting before club on Wednesday 25th March in the College at 6pm. Anybody wanting information should come along as well as all members intending running in order to pay and confirm their section.
*~*~*~*~*
Mens team seccure position in Borders First Division
*~*~*~*~*
Despite only fielding 9 men for the League fixture in Mold the Harriers Borders League Men's team moved further away from the relegation zone in the First Division edging closer to safety, while the ladies had a full team and remained in third position in Division two. With two fixtures remaining, all members are encouraged to make themselves available for those fixtures (12th and 22nd April).
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015
*~*~*~*~*
The club have been accepted into the 2015 Welsh Castles Relay, which will be held over the weekend of 6th and 7th June 2015. We need 20 runners, to confirm your place please contact Mark or Dave ASAP.
*~*~*~*~*
Membership fees 2015-2016
*~*~*~*~*
Club Membership fees are now due for the year from 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016.
At the AGM on the 1st March 2015 it was decided to keep the fees at their present level of £40.
Please note this includes £15 which goes directly to Welsh Athletics which gives you £2 off all UKA or WA organised races as an "affiliated" runner, and gives you 3rd Party Insurance while racing or training with the club. Please note however that the Club no longer has a Personal Accident Insurance policy for members.
Your Membership fees also give you the usage of the changing rooms in Abergele Leisure Centre on Wednesday, and in fact any other day you choose to run from the Centre. It also includes a meal provided by the Club on the day of the Club Handicap Race, which this year has provisionally been set for Wednesday 10th June 2015.
Cheques of £40 should be made payable to Abergele Harriers and given or posted to Rachel Shipley, Membership Secretary, 12 St Margaret's Drive, Craig Y Don, Llandudno, LL301YD.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2015
*~*~*~*~*
All member are reminded that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 1st March, at 7.00pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP .
For full details please go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins Bebbington award
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch won the FV65 title at the final Cross Country League race of the season and was also awarded the Bebbington Shield for 'Special Endeavour’. The shield is awarded each year at the end of the North Wales League season to the individual judged to have made a special contribution to the League.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2015
*~*~*~*~*
I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 1st March 2015 at 7.00pm in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP . All committee and club positions, with the exception of President, will be up for re-election at the AGM. The closing date for nominations has arrived.
Please note; nominations on the night of the AGM will only be accepted for positions where no valid nominations have been received by now, or for new positions that have not previously existed. .
The date for receiving “items for discussion” at the AGM has also arrived.
No further “items for discussion” will be accepted.
For the agenda, please go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015 Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
A castles relay meeting will be held at Abergele College starting at 6.15 on Wednesday 11th. of feb for anybody interested or wanting further information.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Cross Country Championships
*~*~*~*~*
The Welsh Cross Country Championships are on 21st February at Rhug Estate, Corwen. Any member who wishes to enter needs to contact Chris Birch at chris.enid.birch@gmail.com giving her your date of birth and age on 31-8-2014 and your Welsh Athletics registration number and Welsh Qualification. Cheque payable to Welsh Athletics Ltd.for £3. or cash would be OK.
*~*~*~*~*
A.G.M. 2015
*~*~*~*~*
I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 1st March, at 7.00pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP .
For full details please go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Twin Piers 2015 results
*~*~*~*~*
The results of the Twin Piers race can now be found at https://www.abergeleharriers.co.uk/TP-2K15/
Well done to all the Harriers who raced, especially to all "beginners" who actually only started running almost exactly one year ago.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay 2015
*~*~*~*~*
The Club is hoping to enter the 2015 Welsh Castles Relay which will be held on the weekend of 6th and 7th June. Unfortunately we do NOT have enough members interested as of yet to enter and time is running short before the closing date for entries. If you are interested and want to run a leg please let Mark now as soon as possible and let him have a £10 deposit to secure your place. Twenty (20) runners are needed and if we don't get 20 in the near future we will not be entering.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers Prize Winners 2014
*~*~*~*~*
The 2014 club prize winners were as follows;
Female Athlete of the Year; Jeni Richards
Male Athlete of the Year; Ben Lightowler
Most Improved Athlete; Diane Jones
Member of the Year; Dave Edwards
Captains Merit Award; Rachel Shipley
Female Grand Prix Winner; Sue Calvert
Male Grand Prix Winner; Jodi Waters
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers shine in North Wales team
*~*~*~*~*
Two Abergele Harriers travelled to Builth Wells on Saturday to represent North Wales in the 17th Welsh Inter Regional and Masters Cross Country Championships. Both athletes produced excellent performances helping the North Wales team to secure 2nd position overall. Ben Lightowler, representing North Wales for the first time and competing in the senior men’s race, had a fantastic run finishing in 42m 24s for 12th overall over a 10.78k course. Chris Birch, running for the over 45 team, completed a 5.41k course in a superb 29m 49s for 49th overall. The North Wales ladies over 45’s took 3rd place in the team competition with Chris also winning the individual FV65 category in the Masters competition.
*~*~*~*~*
Three Harriers selected for Builth Wells
*~*~*~*~*
Three Abergele Harriers have been selected for the North Wales team to compete in next month's Welsh Inter-Regional Cross-Country Championships in Builth Wells. Chris Birch, despite being an over 65, has been selected for the FV45+ team, while Tim Cahill has been selected for the MV50+ team. Ben Lightowler has been selected for the first time for the region by being selected for the Senior Mens team. Congratulations to all three.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris runs for Wales
*~*~*~*~*
On Sat.22nd November Abergele Harrier Chris Birch competed for Wales in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International at Wollaton Park,Nottingham. Chris helped the Welsh team to the bronze medal in the FV65 category.
*~*~*~*~*
Parkrun
*~*~*~*~*
As there is now a Parkrun in North Wales (Penrhyn, Bangor) and many members are running. The provisional start date for the Conwy Park run that the club are very much involved in organising is Saturday 10th January. More details soon. The weekly club report is available at http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=1956
*~*~*~*~*
London Numbers 2016
*~*~*~*~*
The rules for the 2016 London numbers will be as follows;
1) You must be a fully paid up first claim member of the club before the 1st of January of the year of the draw for the places (ie the year before the Marathon in question).
2) You must produce proof of entry to the Marathon in question. (eg e-mail confirmation of entry or photocopy of written application).
3) A member cannot get the club place two years in a row unless there are less than two members who fulfil all the criteria.
4) Members must have completed 6 (SIX)"Club Races", a "club race" being defined as any of the following; Club Handicap, Castles Relay leg, any Borders League race, any Cross Country League race, or any other Grand Prix event.
*~*~*~*~*
Grand Prix 2015
*~*~*~*~*
Please go to the Grand Prix page to see some exciting changes to next years Grand Prix. The changes should mean that nobody is sure of who has won until the end of November 2015 at the earliest, so excitement all the way :-)
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Welsh Castles Relay 2015
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The dates for Welsh Castles Relay next year have been changed to Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June 2015.
Please give Mark you £10 deposit as soon as possible to secure your place on the team.
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London Marathon Club Numbers
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The club numbers for the 2015 London Marathon were given to;
Christobelle Pownall & Sonia Wignall
Thanks to Dave Edwards who has agreed to be the substitute.
Congratulations and start training !
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London Marathon Club Numbers
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The club has now received 2 numbers for next years race. So far Sean has been given 3 names (Dave Edwards, Sonia Wignall and Christobelle Pownal. If no more members give their name to Sean before Wednesday 19th November the numbers will be given to them. Please check the criteria below and if you would like to go into the draw please let Sean know immediately.
Please note the the eligibility criteria for the Club's London Marathon numbers for the 2015;
1) You must be a fully paid up first claim member of the club before the 1st of January of the year of the draw for the places (ie the year before the Marathon in question).
2) You must produce proof of entry to the Marathon in question. (eg e-mail confirmation of entry or photocopy of written application).
3) A member cannot get the club place two years in a row unless there are less than two members who fulfil all the criteria.
4) Members must have completed 4 Gran Prix events for the 2014 draw (2015 race).
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Great club turnout for Borders League opener
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Ten men and four ladies represented Abergele Harriers in the first Borders Road Running League race of the 2014/2015 season. After one race the men are 5th in Division 1 and the ladies 3rd in Division 2. For a full report of how all got on please go to the Borders League page.
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Abergele 5
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Abergele Harriers held their annual Abergele 5 Mile road race on Sunday. This year the race incorporated the North Wales 5 mile championships and the North Wales, Cheshire and Staffs inter-county team competition. Sunshine and blue skies greeted the 195 runners competing for individual, team, regional and corporate prizes.
Welsh International, Andrew Davies from Stockport Harriers set a new race record to win in a fantastic 24m 56s. Birchfield Harrier Georgina Outten won the ladies race in a superb 28m 41s beating her own race record by over a minute. The first three women broke the 30 minute barrier, doubling the number of women who have ever beaten 30 in the history of the race.
North Wales men and Staffordshire’s ladies won the inter-county team competition.
Full results are on our Abergele 5 page
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Harriers triumph in Snowdon.
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Three Harriers took part in this years Snowdonia Marathon, with Jeni Richards taking home overall Bronze and age category gold in the North Wales Championships held within the event. For full details of how all three got on, go to the Results page.
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Ben Lightowler's amazing run in Llandudno
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Ben Lightowler was among a team of nine who took part in the second North Wales Cross Country League race of the season and became only the second ever Abergele Harrier to get into the top ten in a cross country league race ever (the previous one was Simon Shiels who last achieved the feat in January 2004). Well done Ben, jumping into second in the all time Harriers list, leapfrogging in-front of Darren Blazier (11th in 2008), Geran Hughes (11th in 2007) and Sean McCormack (12th in 2008.
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Jodi breaks three hours again.
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Jodi Waters was the only Harrier to run in the Chester Marathon on Sunday, and ran an excellently paced race finishing in 2:59:44 (2:59:33 chip time), having completed the first half in a very steady 1:29:14. Following his 2:58:24 in London earlier this year, Jodi became the first Harrier in ten years to achieve two sub three hour marathons in the one calendar year.
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Opening Cross Country League Race
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Eight Abergele Harriers took part in the first fixture of 2014/2015 Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross country League on Saturday, which formed part of the club's Grand Prix tournament. For full details of how they got on go to the Cross Country page.
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Club London Numbers
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Commiserations to any club members who received rejections for the 2015 London Marathon. However all is not lost, as the club will have at least 1 and hopefully 2 numbers for next years race. Please insure that you give your rejection slips to Sean t club night to get into the draw for these numbers.
Please note the the eligibility criteria for the Club's London Marathon numbers for the 2015 onwards have been approved as follows;
1) You must be a fully paid up first claim member of the club before the 1st of January of the year of the draw for the places (ie the year before the Marathon in question).
2) You must produce proof of entry to the Marathon in question. (eg e-mail confirmation of entry or photocopy of written application).
3) A member cannot get the club place two years in a row unless there are less than two members who fulfil all the criteria.
4) Members must have completed 4 Gran Prix events for the 2014 draw (2015 race), and 6 in all subsequent years.
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Welsh Castles Relay 2015
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Update form Les Croupiers Running Club;
"WELSH CASTLES RELAY: REVISED DATES FOR 2015
Apologies to all but next years race dates have changed. The dates for next year's race are changed to Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June. We've taken this decision because of a major cycling event, Velothon Wales (14 June) which has only recently come to our attention."
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New Winter Course
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Soon we will be doing the winter course again. We have changed it a little to avoid running down Park Grove. Please take a look at the "New" course to familiarize your self with it before we start it.
http://gb.mapometer.com/running/route_3803362
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Mondays session 18th August
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Mondays session on 18th August will start in the usual place opposite Abergele Police Station but we will be going to the Golf Club Hill, so if you are late you know where to find us. Also please remembered there will be no session on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th August.
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Brian completes the Llanfair race
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The club is delighted to hear that Brian Robinson of Stockport Harriers, the runner who collapsed towards the end of the Llanfair TH Mountain Race, recovered completely and returned to complete the race, finishing 47hours 17mins and 36secs after he started, another course record for the day :-) Well done Brian and see you again next year.
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Llanfair TH Race
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This years race was run in blisteringly hot conditions, but despite that, resulted in a course record for Dean Longley of Prostatyn RC. Eight Harriers were among the starters and for full details and complete results please go to the Llanfair TH page.
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Chris helps Welsh Masters to third position in Inter Area Track and Field match.
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On Sunday, Chris Birch travelled to Solihull, following her selection as part of the Welsh team for the Masters Inter Area Track and Field Challenge. Chris competed in the 3000 metres, securing third place in the Ladies V60 category in a time of 13:29. She then went on to compete as part of the Ladies Vet 60 team who were placed third in the 4 x 100 metre relay. These results helped the Welsh team to secure a third place overall.
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Jeni and Sean run for 12 hours in Belfast
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Jeni Richards and Sean McCormack took part in the overnight Belfast 12h track race on friday night. For full details of how they got on go to the results page. Thanks also to Steven who acted as Support Team for both of them and whose help was absolutely invaluable.
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Darren's third victory in 8 days
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Darren Blazier won the Garry Speed 10k at Colwyn Bay on Sunday, and along with last Sunday's result in the Fairy Freckled Cow Trail Race and The Pen Y Bryn 5k on Friday meant that Darren has now been placed first in three races in just over a week, an Abergele Harriers record.
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Race the Train filling up
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The Caernarfon Race the Train 5k on Wednesday 23rd July is filling up fast. Remember this race is part of our Club Grand Prix so if you want to take part you need to enter asap. Entry forms available at http://www.eryriharriers.org.uk
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Borders League dates for next season
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Borders League Dates 2014-2015
9th November..................................West Cheshire
7th December.......................................Chester Tri
(7th December race is in our Grand Prix Series)
11th January..................................Birkenhead AC
8th March..............................................Eryri/Cybi
22nd March.......................................Wrexham Tri
12th April...........................................Prestatyn RC
22nd April.................................................Wrexham
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Darren wins at the Alwen
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This years Fairy Freckled Cow Trail Race was won by Darren Blazier, who had previously won it in 2008 and 2009, and is currently right back on form, improving on his 2013 time by 53 seconds, for an excellent 42mins 30secs. For a full race report go to our race reports page. Well done Darren!
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Grand Prix leads extended
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On Sunday 6th July, eight Harriers joined 75 other runners for this years Fairy Freckled Cow Trail Race run over a distance of 6.9 miles. For full details go to the Results reports page but as this race is part of the Clubs Grand Prix Series, both men’s leader Jodi Waters and Ladies leader Sue Calvert have extended their leads at the top. The next race in the series is the Llanfair TH Mountain Race on Saturday 26th July.
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Welsh Castles Relay 2015
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The dates for Welsh Castles Relay next year will be Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2015. Please keep this weekend free as the Club will be entering a team again next year.
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Chris adds Welsh title to her years haul.
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The Run Fest Wales series of events took place in Rhyl on Sunday consisting of a Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 km and 5 km road races with the 5k race incorporating the Welsh 5k Road Running Championships. In the 5km race, first Harrier home was Jodi Waters 18:08 (18:06 chip) for 26th place overall, followed by Mark Mayers in 22:32 (22:28 chip) for 55th place. The performance of the day though once again came from British Masters 5k Road Race Champion Chris Birch who finished in 22:59 (22:57 chip) and 57th place overall, to win the FV65 Welsh title to add to her list of achievements this year.
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Club Handicap Race 2014
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All stats and results for last nights Handicap Race are now on the Handicap Race page of the website.
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Llanfair TH Race
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This years Llanfair TH 10k race takes place on Saturday 25th July at 12 noon. Registration on the day only from 10:45 to 11:45 on the sports field. Remember this race is in the Club's Grand Prix.
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Club Handicap Race 2014
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Thanks to all who turned up for tonight's handicap race, a fun night for all. Thanks to Mark, Sue and Sharon K. who sorted the meal and Jeni, Vernon and Rob who helped on the course. Well done everyone. The full detailed results wil be on the sight on the handicap page over the next few nights.
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Three Harriers Debut in Deganwy
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Three of the Harriers newest members took part in the Deganwy Dash 5 Mile race on Friday night, all recording excellent times. Sarah Rowlands, Daine Jones and Vicky Jones, joined long time Harrier Sonya Wignall in the race , while three other runners who completed the recent Harriers Beginners Course also finished the race. For more details go to the Results page.
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Darren and Jodi selected for North Wales Masters team
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Darren Blazier and Jodi Waters have been selected for the North Wales Masters team to compete in the Inter-Regional 10k Championships which will be incorporated into the Caerphilly 10k on Sunday 22nd June. They are part of a 4 man Male Masters team that also includes Andrew Campbell of Wrecsham Tri and Harvey Wharton of Cybi Striders.
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North Wales track medals for Darren Barrerby
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Darren Batterby won his first North Wales medals today when he made his track debut for the club. Darren ran in the 100m and 200m races, completing the 100m in 14.01 for the MV35 Bronze medal, going one better in the 200m, winning the Silver medal in 29.65
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Club Handicap Race 2014
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This years Club Handicap takes place on Wednesday 25th June. The race this year will take place from Pensarn with members asked to arrive at about 6:40 to start at 7pm sharp. The distance run will be around about 4 miles so all members will be easily able to complete the distance. The meal afterwards, which is paid for by the club, will take place in the Castle Cove Cafe. Sue will be taking names and distributing the menus over the next few Wednesdays. Friends/partners/family are all welcome to come to the meal but will need to pay. However we do need to know numbers so please let Sue know if you are bringing someone with you. The race itself as usual will involve pacing and observation and will be fun for all. Please come along for a great night.
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Club Membership Fees due
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Club Membership fees are now due for the year from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015.
At the AGM on the 9th March 2014 it was decided to keep the fees at their present level of £40.
Please note this includes £15 which goes directly to Welsh Athletics which gives you £2 off all UKA or WA organised races as an "affiliated" runner, and gives you 3rd Party Insurance while racing or training with the club. Please note however that the Club no longer has a Personal Accident Insurance policy for members.
Your Membership fees also give you the usage of the changing rooms in Abergele Leisure Centre on Wednesday, and in fact any other day you choose to run from the Centre. It also includes a meal provided by the Club on the day of the Club Handicap Race, which this year has provisionally been set for Wednesday 25th June.
Cheques of £40 should be made payable to Abergele Harriers and given or posted to Rachel Shipley, Membership Secretary, 12 St Margaret's Drive, Craig Y Don, Llandudno, LL301YD.
Please note; At the AGM it was also decided that there would be a "late renewal" levy of £5 added to Membership fees for members who failed to renew before the 1st June 2014.
The reason for this is that membership numbers at around that time are the numbers that our London Number allocations are based on so it is extremely important that members renew early in the year.
Please also note that if you have not paid your membership fees for the year, you must enter races as "unattached" and may not run in Borders League or Cross Country races for the club.
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Harriers men back in Borders First Division
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Abergele Harriers men's team were promoted back to the Borders League first division as second division champions after Wednesdays final race. Despite the race itself not counting, the men had already secured the title after a series of superb runs all season. Unfortunately because the last race was voided, the Ladies team were denied the Imrovers trophy that they so richly deserved but there was some consolation with both Carol Willgoose and Chris Birch winning their age categories overall.
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North Wales Track and Field Championships
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Remember that a track race can earn members Grand Prix points this year. The North Wales Championships are being held on Saturday 24th May in Deeside and are open to all members to enter and even a 100m race would earn points :-) Entry forms are available at http://www.welshathletics.org/media/673043/north-wales-championships-2012.doc The closing date for entries is the 12th May.
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London Marathon
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Well done to the Abergele Harriers in today's London Marathon.
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Beginners Race a massive success
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Congratulations to all you wonderful athletes who competed in today's Beginners 5k. Thanks also to Jeni, Dave, Rob and Steven and the other Harriers who came out to help and support on the day, Richie Wilyman, Rachel Shipley, Lucy Curtis, Shane McCormack and Darren Batterby.
The Official times were;
1. Sarah Rowlands 26mins 24secs
2. Kelly Price 28mins 3secs
3. Madelene Coxon 29mins 18secs
4. Claire Sykes 30mins 11secs
5. Victoria Jones 30mins 30 secs
6. Diane Jones 30mins 52secs
7. Ffion Wynne 31mins 15secs
8. Barry Thomas 31mins 57secs
9. Sharon Hughes 32mins 6secs
10.Celia Free 32nins 12secs
11.Sonja Griffiths 33mins 1sec
12.Charlotte Smethurst 34mins 11secs
13.Nina Sardar 34mins 43secs
14.Emma Hall 35mins 27secs
15.Tania Parker 35mins 58secs
16.Catherine Evans 36mins 34secs
17.Michelle Evans 38mins 13secs
18.Dilys Bennett 38mins 14secs
19.Kath Coppin 38mins 54secs
Well done to all. Sean
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Castles Relay 2014 disappointment
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Unfortunately Abergele Harriers has not got into the 2014 Welsh Castles Relay. Everyone will get their deposit back and we will hopefully be more successful in 2015.
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New London Marathon Criteria
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At the AGM on 9th March the following additional point was added to the London Marathon Number draw criteria;
In addition to the present criteria, in order to be eligible for the London Marathon draw, members must have completed 4 of the Club Grand Prix events for the 2014 draw and 6 in all subsequent years. For the full criteria, please go to the London Marathon page.
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Congratulations to Sue and Sharon
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At the AGM on Sunday 9th March, Sue Calvert and Sharon Kynaston became the new Social Secretaries. All other Committee members remained as before. Congratulations to them and thanks to Helen for her excellent work in the position for the last few years.
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Stafford 20 Mile Relay
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On Sunday 9th March Harriers Darren Blazier and Jodi Waters travelled to Staffordshire as part of a combined North Wales team competing in the Stafford 20 Mile Relay. Along with Andy Edwards the combined time of 1:57:29 secured the team first place.
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Club Membership Fees
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Club Membership fees are now due for the year from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015.
At the AGM on the 9th March 2014 it was decided to keep the fees at their present level of £40.
Please note this includes £15 which goes directly to Welsh Athletics which gives you £2 off all UKA or WA organised races as an "affiliated" runner, and gives you 3rd Party Insurance while racing or training with the club. Please note however that the Club no longer has a Personal Accident Insurance policy for members.
Your Membership fees also give you the usage of the changing rooms in Abergele Leisure Centre on Wednesday, and in fact any other day you choose to run from the Centre. It also includes a meal provided by the Club on the day of the Club Handicap Race, which this year has provisionally been set for Wednesday 25th June.
Cheques of £40 should be made payable to Abergele Harriers and given or posted to Rachel Shipley, Membership Secretary, 12 St Margaret's Drive, Craig Y Don, Llandudno, LL301YD.
Please note; At the AGM it was also decided that there would be a "late renewal" levy of £5 added to Membership fees for members who failed to renew before the 1st June 2014.
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Great week for Jodi
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Jodi Waters topped off a great week by being selected for the North Wales Development team for an upcoming match. Jodi also won the February Captains award for his fantastic run in the long Wrexham Half Marathon, and lead the Harriers home in the Borders League race in Birkenhead Park on Sunday, so an excellent week all round.
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New Grand Prix leaders
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After this weekends races the club now has new leaders at the top of the mens and ladies Grand Prix leader board, with Sue Calvert leapfrogging over Carol Willgoose in the ladies competition and Rob Armstrong overtaking Jodi Waters in the mens. For the full details go to the Members Stats page.
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Wrexham Half Marathon
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Unfortunately there were organisational problems in today's Wrexham Half Marathon with most runners, and all 5 Harriers running the longer 13.7 course rather than 13.1. The race was part of the Club's Grand Prix series, but as it is position that counts, and not times, towards Grand Prix points, the race results will still be included in the Grand Prix, but the race times will be for a 13.7 race , not an official 13.1.
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AGM 2014
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The closing date for nominations and items for discussion for the 2014 AGM has arrived. For full details please go to the AGM page.
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Abergele Borders League race
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Abergele Harriers hosted the third round of the Borders Road Running League on Sunday. 17 Abergele Harriers were among the 272 runners lined up in cold but dry conditions to take part in the 5 mile race along the cycle path from Pensarn. Thanks also to all the club members, their families and friends who Marshaled and helped out with the very successful event.
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AGM 2014
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I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 9th March, at 7.00pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP. For full details please go to the AGM page.
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Safety in the dark
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The club has noticed that there are several street lights out along our "Winter Course", so please take extra precautions when out training, with High-Viz gear and/or head-torches.
These are great little head torches for safe winter running on dark nights
£15 from the website below - free P&P and come with batteries included
Front light angle adjustable and has full beam, low beam and flash
Red light at the back for safety
Very light and really comfortable to wear
Sean and Jeni have got them so if you want to have a look at one first just ask
https://www.alpkit.com/products/gamma
Gamma - lightweight LED headtorch - Alpkit
The Gamma is a light, compact, multifunctional headtorch featuring a high power XP-C Cree LED - 88 lumen
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Fell dates for Club Grand Prix
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The fell race calendar has now been fixed for the year so the dates for the three fell races in the Club's 2014 Grand Prix are as follows;
Moel y Ci - 22 Feb
Great Orme - 20 May
Cilcain mountain race - 25 Aug
For the complete list of Grand Prix races please go to the Grand Prix page and for the current standings go to the Members Stats page.
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Castles Relay 2014
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The club is going to enter a team into the 2014 Welsh Castles Relay which will take please in June (the weekend of the 7th/8th). It will cost members £10 each (plus accommodation if staying overnight).
Currently 17 members have confirmed their intention to run, so places are now limited. To avoid disappointment and to book your place on the team please give Mark your £10 as soon as possible.
Anyone who has not previously taken part in “The Castles”, please ask Mark or Dave for details or log onto http://www.lescroupierswcr.org/
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Twin Piers 2014 Results
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The Twin Piers race organised by Colwyn Bay A.C. was run today, and the full results can be found at http://www.abergeleharriers.co.uk/TP-2K14/
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Abergele 5, in the 2014 Run for Wales Series
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The 2014 Abergele 5 is part of the 2014 Welsh Athletics Run for Wales series. For full details of the series go to http://www.welshathletics.org/competitions/run-wales-series-2014.aspx
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Borders League Course for 2nd February
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The Abergele Harriers Borders League course for 2nd February can now be viewed at;
http://gb.mapometer.com/running/route_3750009.html
This is an GPS measured 5 mile course taking place along the coastal path between Pensarn and Llandulas. Runners head along the path for 1.6 miles, before turning left and heading up towards the caravan park on Beach House Road. (Note this is a different caravan camp to previous races). After a loop of the camp, runners then return to the cycle path and back towards the finish in Pensarn.
There is parking and toilets, however no changing facilities are available. A café will be open for hot drinks and food as required. Please try to car share.
Directions
Eastbound: 1. Exit A55 at junction 23A
2. Take 1st left off roundabout, & over railway bridge
3. Bear left, car parks are on the right-hand side
Westbound: 1. Exit A55 at junction 24
2. Take 1st main exit, signposted Abergele
3. After half a mile, turn right at traffic lights
4. Follow road for 0.7 miles
5. Take 1st left off roundabout over railway bridge
6. Bear left, car parks are on the right-hand side
**Please use the car parks as the race starts on the road adjacent**
Postcode for this venue is LL22 7PP
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Chris, Jeni and the two Darrens shine at the Christmas party.
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Several of the club's annual prizes were given out at the Christmas party on Wednesday. Chris Birch won the Female Athlete of the Year trophy for the 4th year in a row after another fantastically successful year, and also won the first Female Grand Prix. Club Captain, Darren Blazier, was also rewarded for a very busy year by winning the Male Grand Prix award while Jeni Richards won the Captain's Merit Award after a year where she qualified as a UKA Coach In Running Fitness and won a silver medal in the Welsh Ultra Distance Championships, in her debut Ultra race in Barry in February. Darren Battersby won the Most Improved Athlete award after a year that went from strength to strength with his highlight being a magnificent 5k personal best in Caernarfon in July of 19:38. Congratulations to all. The Male Athlete of the Year and Harrier of the Year trophies will be presented at a later date.
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2014 Grand Prix Series
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The Club has developed a new Grand Prix Series for 2014. There will be a maximum of 25 races that qualify for points, some are specific (eg Nick Beer 10k), some can be chosen by the Athlete (eg "any Marathon"). For full details go to the "Race Grand Prix 2014" page. The goal is that the Club's more "all round" athletes should win overall. Good luck to everyone.
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Important information re Club Insurance
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From the 1st April 2014 there will be an important change to the club’s insurance which you, as a club member, need to be aware of. At present £15 of your membership fee goes directly to Welsh Athletics and this gives you a very comprehensive “Third Party” insurance; i.e. You are covered if someone sues YOU over something that was caused by your running (eg if you ran into a child and knocked them over and injured them, or damaged any property while running). You are covered while racing or training with the club. THIS WILL NOT CHANGE.
However, at the moment £5 of the rest of you membership goes towards a Personal Accident Insurance Policy that the club has, covering people for their OWN injuries. However, as you can imagine, at £5 per person per year, this is a very limited policy and only covers Permanent injury or loss of function or death (e.g. loss of an arm/leg/eye etc). It does NOT for instance cover loss of a tooth, or temporary injury (e.g. broken leg). The club has therefore decided NOT to renew this policy when it becomes due on 1st April 2014. It is important that you are aware of this as you may wish, if you already do not have such cover, to investigate a Personal Injury/Accidental Injury Insurance. If you are doing this you MUST advise the company you are using that you are a runner as many policies exclude running as it is considered a “dangerous sport”.
For the record, please also be aware that most travel insurance policies DO NOT cover running related injuries either, so if traveling abroad and you intend running (even just training), you should inform your insurance provider.
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Castles Relay 2014
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The club is hoping to enter a team into the 2014 Welsh Castles Relay which will take please in June (the weekend of the 7th/8th). The club will only enter a team if 20 members commit to in beforehand. It will cost members £10 each (plus accommodation if staying overnight).
In order to book your place on the team please give Mark your £10 as soon as possible as only those who have paid will be considered to have committed. If Mark is unable to secure 20 x £10, a team will not be entered and you will receive your money back, but hopefully this will not happen and members will be eager to participate.
Anyone who has not previously taken part in “The Castles”, please ask Mark or Dave for details or log onto http://www.lescroupierswcr.org/
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Gun Time V Chip Time
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At a recent Committee Meeting the old issue of Clock and Gun time was once again discussed. As has been explained in the past, for statistical purposes, until such time as all races are chipped, the only way that the statistics can be recorded effectively is with Gun time. This is the only time that can be compared between all races. All prizes in races are given by gun time for this very reason, whether the race is chipped or not (i.e the prizes are awarded on position across the finish line not on position based on chip time which, even at the front of races, is often different).
Therefore the club statistics will continue to be recorded on the website as Gun time.
However, form the 1st January 2014, there will be a new facility on the statistics page for athletes to see their chip times (if this has been provided to Sean or either of the Press Secretaries). Chip times, although available for individuals to see, will not be those used when analysing individual, race or club statistics.
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Harriers do well in Tattenhall
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After the 1st Round of the Borders League in Tattenhall, the mens team are 2nd in Division 2, only 59 points behind the leaders Wrexham Tri, while the ladies are in 5th position. In the individual standings, Carol Willgoose is first FV55, while Darren Blazier is third MV40, all to run for until the end of the season!
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Abergele 5 Provisional results and photos
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Provisional results are now available on out Abergele 5 page of this site, while photographs are available of the Prestatyn Running Club site; http://www.prestatynrunningclub.com
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Abergele 5
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers held their 27th Annual road race on Sunday and despite weather warnings, 186 out of 198 runners finished the race. The race was won by the inform Iolo Hughes on Menai Track & Field in a time of 26mins 51secs, a superb time for the 17 year old. Runner up was Brendan Rothery of Eryri Harriers who went one better than last year with a time of 27mins 8secs, while Jordan Evans, also of Eryri Harriers was third in 27mins 29secs. The ladies race was won with a course record by three seconds, by Georgia Garnier of Colwyn Bay AC with a fantastic time of 29mins 44secs, winning the race by almost a minute from team mate Isobel Redfern in 30:42 but with the consolation of first FV40. Third place female on the day was Lynne Wright from Wrexham AC in 31mins 52secs. Other noteworthy male results came from Lee Jones of Deeside AAC who was 4th overall and 1st MV40 in 27:35, while the winner of the first every Abergele race 27 years ago Arwel Lewis of Eryri Harriers proved he’s still fast very competitive by winning the MV55 category in 31mins 29secs. For the ladies, one of the highlights of the day was Chris Birch from the host club who won the FV65 category in 37mins 29secs, a time that would have also won her the FV55, FV50, and Senior Female categories. Other Abergele Harriers among the prizes were Richie Lee who was second MV50 in 32mins 26secs (35th overall) and James Salt, who finished in 33mins 14secs for 3rd MV35 (41st overall). Andy Simpson also ran very well finishing in 35mins 52secs for 68 position, Andy Simpson also ran very well finishing in 35mins 52secs for 68 position, with DeeDee Plamperova also running brilliantly to finish in 47mins 22secs for 175th overall. The race also incorporated the North Wales 5 mile Championships and Chris Birch and Richie Lee both won Golds in the Championships, while James Salt also had a podium finish. The overall mens’ team winners were Eryri Harriers, with the Ladies of Colwyn Bay AC taking the ladies title. The Spillane & Co Wealth Management Corporate Team Challenge which is also held within the race was won by a team representing CGG.
The club would like to thank Spillane & Co. Wealth Management, Abergele Town Council and the many local firms who once again financially supported the race and helped to make it such a success.
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon 2014
*~*~*~*~*
The club numbers for the 2014 London Marathon were won by;
Jodi Waters & Tracy Roberts
The substitute is Sharon Kynaston
Congratulations and start training !
I
*~*~*~*~*
Chris selected for Wales again
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch has been once again selected for the Welsh FV 65 team for the British and Irish Cross Country International in Cardiff on 16th November. She will be racing in Blackweir Bute Park,in the forst race of the day at 11:30. Well done Chris.
*~*~*~*~*
Ras Abergele 5
*~*~*~*~*
Mae ffurflen gais ras "Abergele 5" ar gael yn Cymraeg.
Oes eisiau ffurflen Cymraeg cysylltwch hefo Jeni.richards@talktalk.net os gwellwch yn dda.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean wins British Bronze
*~*~*~*~*
Club Ultra Runner Sean McCormack, took part in the British Masters Marathon Championships on Sunday held within the Newcastle Town Moor Marathon and with a time of 3:14:16 won the bronze medal in the MV50 category. This is Sean's second British bronze, adding to the one he won over 5000m on the track 5 years ago.
*~*~*~*~*
Last call for London
*~*~*~*~*
The club has two club numbers for the 2014 London Marathon. The eligibility criteria to apply for those numbers are on the London Marathon page. To date only two eligible members have contacted Sean to put their names forward. If no other eligible members come forward in the next 10 days the numbers will be automatically given to these two members. If you are eligible and wish to be put in a draw for the numbers please let Sean know as soon as possible.
*~*~*~*~*
Christams Dinner
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harrier Christmas Night Out – Wednesday 11th December
The Black Lion, Llanfair TH- Arrive 7:30 – 8:00pm
Please pre-order your main course using forms provided by Helen at club night.
Return to Helen Ingram with £20 no later than Wednesday 4th December.
Late orders can be placed and paid for direct with The Black Lion - 01745 720205 www.theblacklionnorthwales.co.uk
*~*~*~*~*
2014 London Marathon
*~*~*~*~*
It is that time of the year again, when members hear whether they have been successful in getting into next years London Marathon.
Congratulations to the successful members, but for those who have failed to get in, you may be able to apply for one of out two club numbers.
The draw for these number will take place on the last Wednesday in October, and if you are eligible please let Sean know as soon as possible.
Please note the eligibility criteria;
The eligibility criteria for the Club's London Marathon numbers for the 2014 Marathon are as follows;
1) You must be a fully paid up first claim member of the club before the 1st of January 2013.
2) You must produce proof of entry to the 2014 London Marathon. (eg e-mail confirmation of entry or photocopy of written application).
3) You must be able to produce evidence that you have been unsuccessful with your entry.
3) A member cannot get the club place two years in a row unless there are less than two members who fulfill all the criteria.
*~*~*~*~*
North Wales 5 mile Champinships 2014
*~*~*~*~*
The club are proud to announce that our annual 5 mile road race has once again been given the the privilege of incorporating the North Wales 5mile road Championships within the race in 2014.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League Changes
*~*~*~*~*
Please note there has been a change in venue for 2 of next seasons Borders League races. The race on 15th December will now be hosted by Helsby and the race on 6th April hosted by Wallassey.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country News
*~*~*~*~*
The first Cross Country League race will be 5th October in Bangor. Please note that the November 23rd meeting has been moved from Northop to Wrexham. The North Wales Championships will be hosted by Deeside on 25th January 2014.
*~*~*~*~*
Thurday fell sissions finished for the year.
*~*~*~*~*
The thursday night fell sessions are now finished for this year. They will start again next spring/summer.
*~*~*~*~*
WANTED; Abergele 5 results 1998
*~*~*~*~*
Has any member got a copy of the 1998 Abergele 5 results? West Cheshire AC are trying to compile their club records and the only one of our races since their club was formed in 1998, that they don't have are the results of our 1998 race. If any member has these please let Sean know.
*~*~*~*~*
Darren sprints to victory
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to Darren Blazier who won the Vale of Clwyd 5k on Sunday, running a superb race from start to finish. For more details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Grand Prix Leadership Board
*~*~*~*~*
The 2013 Grand Prix Leadership board can now be viewed on the Members Stats page of the web site. Currently Darren Blazier is leading male and Chris Birch leading lady.
The points run from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2013 and are worked out as follows;
10 points for all races except Abergele 5 which is 0.
15 points bonus if you attend all Borders.
15 point bonus if you attend all cross countries.
1st position for club in any race additional 10points, 2nd 6 points, 3rd 5points, 4th 3points.
Captains award 15 points
15 points for helping at Abergele 5.
20 points for castles; castles bonuses, 15 top 10 finish, 10 if in top 20, 5 if in top 30.
15 for any involvement in club handicap (run or help) 15 extra for winners, 10 for 2nds ,5 for 3rds
*~*~*~*~*
Llanfair TH Mountain Race
*~*~*~*~*
This years Llanfair TH 10k Mountain Race takes place on Saturday 27th July from the Playng Fields in Llanfair TH. Entries on the day only. Please note the race starts at 11am this year as it is the 80th anniversary Sports Day and there is a lot of activities on the day. All Harriers are encouraged to support this tough but enjoyable race.
*~*~*~*~*
Courses for Wednesday's and Thursday's sessions.
*~*~*~*~*
It was decided at the Committee Meeting on 7th July that for the future we will announce at the start of each month what routes will be run on the Wednesdays and Thursdays of that month. For July;
Wednesday 10th; Tan Y Gopa course.
Wednesday 17th; Llanddulas course.
Wednesday 24th; St George course.
Wednesday 31st; Tan Y Gopa course.
Thursday 11th; Coed Y Gopa, meet at the Police Station.
Thursday 18th; Tower Hill, meet at ATS.
Thursday 25th; Llandullas, meet at Minffordd Road School.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League dates for 2013-14 announced
*~*~*~*~*
Next seasons Borders League dates are as follows;
17th November.............Tattenhall
15th December.............Wallassey
2nd February..............Abergele
2nd March.................Wirral
23rd March................Deeside
6th April.................Helsby
23rd April................Deestriders
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap Results
*~*~*~*~*
The full results of last night's Handicap race are now to be found on the Club Handicap page. Thanks again to Helen for organising the meal and well done to the four prize winners, Shane, Lucy, Rob and Kim.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Castles Relay
*~*~*~*~*
A team of twenty Abergele Harriers joined 60 other teams from across the UK to take part in the 31st Welsh Castles Relay
last weekend. Starting from Caernarvon Castle at 10am on Saturday morning and finishing in Cardiff Castle at 4pm on
Sunday afternoon, competitors ran over 200 miles through the heart of Wales in stages of between 7.7 and 13.1 miles with
some runners taking on tough mountain stages. See a full report on the Castles page.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap 2013
*~*~*~*~*
The initial instructions for this years Handicap race on Wednesday 12th June are now available on the Club Handicap page.
*~*~*~*~*
Two new Coaches for Club
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers can proudly announce that it has two new Road Running Coaches as Jeni Richards and Sean McCormack passed their final coaching assessment last night. Members are reminded that everyone is welcome to come to the Monday night sessions in Pentre Mawr Park. Jeni and Sean are also available for advice or help to any member on a Wednesday night too.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap 2013
*~*~*~*~*
This years handicap race will take place on Wednesday 12th June in Llanfair TH. Please meet at 6:30 in the car-park on the right hand side over the bridge. Everyone should be finishing at about 7:45 to eat at 8-8:15. Initial instructions will be placed on the club website AND handed out at club on the previous Wednesday night (5th). All members will be capable of running the distance involved and speed will be of no advantage what so ever. Anyone could win :-) It is an individual event and anyone could win. There will be a male and a female winner.
*~*~*~*~*
Tim smashes course record on the Orme
*~*~*~*~*
Tim Cahill, just 4 days after recording a fantastic 5k time on the road, his best time for the distance since 2009, followed it up to prove his all-round ability with a MV50 course record in the Joe Brown Midweek fell races on the Great Orme last Tuesday evening. Tim ran an outstanding time of 36m 02s for 15th overall and 1st V50.
Darren Blazier, in his first fell race of the season, was hot on heels finishing in 36m 08s for 17th position.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers do well in Chester
*~*~*~*~*
Seven Harriers ran the Chester Half Marathon today, all running very well Please note the times that appear in the Statistics page of the web site ate GUN times, not chip times has been explained in the past. The stats page is used for comparisons with other half marathon etc and as all races do not have chip technology, the only way to compare them is to use gun time for all races. The press reports and in fact the results report page will have both times printed.
*~*~*~*~*
Fell sessions are back!
*~*~*~*~*
Rob Armstrong will be leading off road / fell sessions on Thursdays again from this Thursday coming, 2nd May. The sessions start at 6.30pm, with the first session meeting outside the Police Station on the Llandullas Road in Abergele. A full timetable for the sessions will be available soon from Rob.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris honoured by NWRAC
*~*~*~*~*
The North Wales Regional Athletic Council has awarded Chris Birch of Abergele Harriers the 2012 ‘Performance of the Year’ by a lady athlete in North Wales for her fantastic run at the Twin Piers 10k in January of last year Chris finished in 44m 35s, breaking the previous FV60 record of 46m 01s set by Rose Rogers in 2011, and ranking her second FV60 in Great Britain.
*~*~*~*~*
Four Harriers triumph in London
*~*~*~*~*
Four Harriers took to the streets of London for this years Virgin London Marathon, all doing fantastically well. For a full report go to the Results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers in London
*~*~*~*~*
Dave Edwards will be running the London Marathon with one of the clubs two "club numbers" on Sunday, but unfortunately Tom Bancroft has had to postpone his number until next year for personal reasons. Other Harriers taking to the streets of London include Carol Willgoose and Andy Simpson. Good luck to all and all other North Wales runners in this years event.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country dates announced
*~*~*~*~*
Next season's cross country dates have been announced. The league dates are; October 5; Bangor, October 19; Llandudno, Novemebr 23: Northop, January 18; Lilleshall, February 8; Oswestry. The Cross Country Championships will be on January 25th 2014.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Adocates
*~*~*~*~*
At this years AGM it was agreed that Sean, Shane and Jeni were to become Club Advocates, namely people who all members can come to for any information regarding the club etc. All new Members should be directed to one of these three who can give them all the information needed or signpost them to others within the club. They can be contacted at training nights or by email; Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk / Shane@Abergeleharriers.co.uk / Jeni@Abergeleharriers.co.uk
*~*~*~*~*
Club Notice Board
*~*~*~*~*
Please note that from now on anyone wishing to put something onto the Club Notice Board, needs to give it to Rob Armstrong who will be in charge of the notice board.
*~*~*~*~*
Memberships due
*~*~*~*~*
Please note; Memberships are now OVER-DUE. This means that members who have not paid for year 2013-14 can't enter or run a race in club vest and are not insured until they pay this years fees. The fee for 2013-14 is £40. Please note it was agreed at this years AGM that from 2014, there will be an additional late payment fee of £5 for those who do not pay before the 1st April.
*~*~*~*~*
Change of venue for Wednesdays Border League Race
*~*~*~*~*
The border League race on 10th April will now take place at Corus Sports & Social Club, Rowleys Drive, Shotton,instead of Mold Sports Centre.
*~*~*~*~*
Monday training session back in Pentre Mawr Park
*~*~*~*~*
The Monday night training sessions will be moving back to their summer venue from Monday 15th April. We will now meet at 6.15pm in Pentre Mawr Park in the car park until September at leat.
*~*~*~*~*
Steven qualifies for Comrades.
*~*~*~*~*
Steven McCormack achieved a "C" qualifying time for the Comrades Ultra in South Africa in 8 weeks time. Steven needed a sub 3:40 marathon before the end of April so ran the Blackpool Marathon on Sunday and finished in an excellent 3:26:30. Steven was accompanied all the way by his dad Sean who had already qualified for the Comrades thanks of having finished it last year, with both achieving the same time in Blackpool for 97th and 98th position out of the 600 finishers.
*~*~*~*~*
2013 AGM
*~*~*~*~*
I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 14th April at 7.00pm in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP . All committee and club positions, with the exception of President, will be up for re-election at the AGM. The closing date for nominations has arrived.
Please note; nominations on the night of the AGM will only be accepted for positions where no valid nominations have been received by now, or for new positions that have not previously existed. The date for receiving “items for discussion” at the AGM has also arrived. No further “items for discussion” will be accepted. The full agenda is available on the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers sign up for World Record attempt
*~*~*~*~*
A number of Abergele Harriers have already signed up for the Great British Relay which takes place from 1st June 2013 to 2nd July 2013 and if completed will be the world's longest ever continuous relay event at just over 7,000k with the current record standing at 5,640. The relay is in North Wales on the 14th and 15th June and actually goes through Abergele, with Stage 246 going through the town between 10:30 and 11:30am on Friday 14th. For full information about the relay go to http://www.greatbritishrelay.com
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins British title.
*~*~*~*~*
Congratulations to Chris Birch who won the FV65 race in the British Cross Country Championships today held at Herrington Country Park near Sunderland. Well done Chris.
*~*~*~*~*
Jeni triumphs to silver in Barry
*~*~*~*~*
Jeni Richards won the Welsh Ultra-distance Silver medal, at her first attempt at Ultra running in the Barry 40 on Sunday. Jeni ran a perfect race finishing in a brilliant 6:08:09.
*~*~*~*~*
Llandudno 10 Cancelled
*~*~*~*~*
Following the cancelletion of the Llandudno 10 Mile Road Race, the following statement has been made;
“Following a meeting with Welsh Athletics and Conwy County Borough Council, it has been agreed that the 2013 Llandudno 10 Mile Road Race will not be held due to various constraints. It is hoped that the event will continue in future years.”
*~*~*~*~*
2013 AGM
*~*~*~*~*
I hereby give notice that the Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 14st April, at 7.00pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP .
Please go to the AGM page for full details.
*~*~*~*~*
Membership fees now due
*~*~*~*~*
Membership fee for 2013-14 has been set at £40.00 and are now due. This includes Welsh Athletics Membership, Insurance, and unlimited use of the showers and changing rooms at Abergele Leisure Centre.
If paying by cheque please make a £40 cheque payable to "Abergele Harriers"
If your Welsh Athletics registration is not renewed, you will not be eligible to run in Welsh or North Wales Championship races, or to represent your Region/County. You will also have to pay the unattached levy in any race held under UK:Athletics rules.
Can all members please also remember that they must wear club vests in races to promote the club and to be eligible for team prizes.
Please hand Membership money to Membership Secretary, Rachel Shipley on Club Night or post to her at;
Abergele Harriers Club Membership Secretary,
12 St. Margaret's Drive,
Craig Y Don,
Llandudno,
Conwy,
LL30 1YD.
*~*~*~*~*
Quality and Quantity for Harriers in Rhug
*~*~*~*~*
Only two Abergele Harriers took part in the North Wales Cross Country Championships held at Rhug Organic Farm in Corwen on Saturday but both performed outstandingly well. The ladies ran 5750m and the men 10760m over a very muddy course that involved crossing a stream. Chris Birch ran 30m 05s, for 1st FV65, adding the Championship title to the League title she secured last week in Oswestry. Tim Cahill, also followed up last weeks success with a time of 45m 37s for the silver medal in the MV50 Category.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins FV65 cross country title.
*~*~*~*~*
Having remained unbeaten in the league all season, Chris Birch won the overall FV65 title in the Grand Prix North Wales Cross Country League. She will now be hoping to add the Championship title next weekend's postponed North Wales Cross Country Championships.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country Championships Postponed
*~*~*~*~*
Unfortunately, after a course inspection today, the Cross Country Championships will NOT now be going ahead on Saturday 26th January. A new date has been fixed; The Champs will now take place on Saturday 9th February.
*~*~*~*~*
Twin Piers Results
*~*~*~*~*
The Twin Piers race organised by Colwyn Bay A.C. went ahead today but was run into a bitterly cold wind.
Full results can be found at http://www.abergeleharriers.co.uk/TP-2K13/
*~*~*~*~*
2012 Club Awards
*~*~*~*~*
The club held its Awards Dinner in The Black Lion in Llanfair TH on Thursday night. The Male Athlete of the Year award went to Sean McCormack who once again represented Wales at 100k during the year and got a silver medal in the Comrades Ultra in South Africa in June. The Female Athlete of the Year award went to Chris Birch who remained unbeaten nationally in her age group all season on the road and in Cross Country. The Most Improved Athlete award went to Shane McCormack who managed to break the hour for 10k in the Helena Tipping 10k in December. The Club Person of the Year, as voted my the Committee went to Mark Mayers, who became Club Chairman this year as well as entering into a Coaching in Running Fitness Course, and organises transport to all league races all year. The Captains Merit Award went to Peter Hardy who despite family illness and personal injuries still manages to attend Committee meetings as most league races. Well done to all.
*~*~*~*~*
Twin Piers race goes ahead
*~*~*~*~*
After an extensive course inspection this morning the Twin Piers race will be going ahead today. There is a light dusting of snow on the course and temperatures are currently about 2 degrees (8.15am). Runners are advised to be careful especially in the Penryn Bay estate where there are some slippy area when snow has compacted on the road.
*~*~*~*~*
Twin Piers Course Inspection
*~*~*~*~*
There will be another inspection of the Twin Piers Course at 8am on Saturday morning. An update of whether the race can still go ahead will then me released on this and the Colwyn Bay AC web site.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Dinner and Presentation
*~*~*~*~*
The Club Dinner and Annual Presentations take place in the Black Lion in Llanfair TH on Thursday 17th January. If any members wish to go and haven't already paid Helen, you can still go by contacting the Black Lion directly.
*~*~*~*~*
Membership fees set for 2013-14
*~*~*~*~*
The club membership fee has been set at £40 for 2013-14. Renewals will be due before 1/4/2013. Cheques to be made payable to "Abergele Harriers".
*~*~*~*~*
Family Santa Run
*~*~*~*~*
The Club will be holding a Family Santa Run on Saturday 15th December at 11am in Pentre Mawr Park. The run is open to all children or grandchildren or nieces/nephews of club members of any age and is free to enter, with the emphasis on family fun. "Runners" will run 5 laps of some distance appropriate to their age and all runners will get a Santa Hap to run in and a Medal on completion.
Please let Sean or Shane know if you are bringing Children along so we can an idea of how many to expect.
*~*~*~*~*
Nick Beer 2013 Entry forms now avaialable
*~*~*~*~*
The 2013 Nick Beer 10k takes place on Sunday 10th February. Entry forms can be downloaded at http://www.nwrrc.co.uk
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers go Ultra in 2013
*~*~*~*~*
Club Ultra Runner Sean McCormack learned this week that he has maintained his International status for 2013 when he was selected to run for Wales in the Anglo-Celtic Plate 100k race in Perth, Scotland on 31st March. Sean will be returning to the venue where he achieved his personal best for the distance of 7h 57mins 29secs in 2011. As well as training for this and a return to the Comrades Ultra in June, Sean is also coaching two Harriers to make their Ultra debuts in 2013. Jeni Richards is training for the Barry 40 mile track rece in February, one of the first females from North Wales to attempt the race for many years, while Sean's son Steven is making his Ultra debut when he runs the 56 mile Comrades Ultra in South Africa in June.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins Welsh title
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch won the FV65 Welsh cross country title in Builth Wells on Saturday while running for North Wales in the Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships which incorporated the Welsh Masters Championships. Tim Cahill was also representing North Wales in the MV50+ team and also ran very well finishing in 36mins 26secs for a very tough 8k course.
*~*~*~*~*
Family Santa Run
*~*~*~*~*
The Club will be holding a Family Santa Run on Saturday 15th December at 11am in Pentre Mawr Park. The run is open to all children or grandchildren or nieces/nephews of club members of any age and is free to enter, with the emphasis on family fun. "Runners" will run 5 laps of some distance appropriate to their age and all runners will get a Santa Hap to run in and a Medal on completion.
*~*~*~*~*
London Numbers
*~*~*~*~*
Due to the fact that the Club Dinner had to be cancelled due to recent flooding, the London Numbers were drawn at the Committee Meeting on Sunday night. The lucky "winners" of the two numbers were Tom Bancroft and Dave Edwards, with the reserves, in order, were Tracy, Jane and Jodi.
*~*~*~*~*
Trio does well in Wrexham
*~*~*~*~*
Three Harriers competed in the Helena Tipping 10k in Wrexham, with Lucy Curtis achieving a brilliant PB for the distance, Shane getting under the hour for his first attempt at the distance and Chris once again winning her age category. For more details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins more honours
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch learned this week that despite now running in the FV65 category, she has been awarded the 3rd position in the FV55 category following the Run Wales series of races.
*~*~*~*~*
"Gun time" V "Chip time"
*~*~*~*~*
I am aware that several members are confused as to which time is used for out stats page. Unfortunately for statistical purposes we have always used "gun time" as opposed to "chip time". This is what is universally accepted for statistical purposes as it is the only thing that can be compared from one race to another as all races dont have chips, so unfortunately until all races have chips we have to use the gun time for our stats. There are 2 arguements that are used, 1) is as above ie not all races have chips and 2) all prizes are given on gun time so everyone else should be too (clearly the first person across the line wins the race, but if someone from the back actually ran a faster time on the chip but came in second he would not be given the victory, first person across the line wins irrespective of chip time, so it has to be the same for everyone.
I agree it is frustrating and personally it makes no difference to me what people consider their time as for their pb etc , that is entirely up to the individual.
*~*~*~*~*
15 Harriers do the Conwy Half
*~*~*~*~*
It was the biggest turn out of Harriers for a Half Marathon for many years, when 15 Harriers took part in the Conwy Half Marathon on Sunday. For all their results go to the members stats page.
*~*~*~*~*
Annual Awards
*~*~*~*~*
It is that time of year when the club recognises the achievements of its members. There are five annual awards, the of which are voted for by the club members. The Committee decides on a "Club Person of the Year" recognising a member who has done a lot for the club not necessarily by running, eg in the background. The Club Captain decides on the "Captains Merit Award" for someone he feels shows a lot of club spirit. The members vote for; Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, and Most Improved Athlete of the Year. Voting slips will be e mailed to members or will be available from Sean on training nights. These need to be returned on or before Wednesday 5th December with results announced the following night at the Christmas Dinner.
*~*~*~*~*
Tim and Chris selected for North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
The North Wales team has been named for the Welsh Inter-Regional Championships at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells on Saturday December 8th. Two Abergele Harriers have been selected, Chris Birch for the FV45+ team, absolutely amazing given that she is actually a FV65, and Tim Cahill for the MV50+ team. Gook luck to both.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris medals in Belfast
*~*~*~*~*
On Saturday November 10th Abergele Harrier Chris Birch represented Wales in the British and Irish Masters International Cross Country Championships held at Queens University, Belfast. Chris achieved 3rd place in the W65 section and was the only individual medalist in any of the Welsh Ladies teams. The Welsh Ladies V65 team of Chris Birch, Shelagh Adkins, Brenda Jones and Clare Johnson were also awarded bronze medals
*~*~*~*~*
London Numbers
*~*~*~*~*
The club has 2 club entries for the 2013 London Marathon. To be eligible for one of these numbers ;
1) You must be a fully paid up first claim member of the club on the 1st January 2012.
2) You must produce proof of entry to the Marathon in question. (eg e-mail confirmation of entry or photocopy of written application).
3) A member cannot get the club place two years in a row unless there are less than two members who fulfil all the criteria.
Please give Sean your name and proof of eligibility on or before Wednesday 28th November and the draw for the numbers will take place at the Christmas meal on Thursday 6th December.
*~*~*~*~*
Club boasts three new North Wales medalists
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers can boast three new North Wales medalists after a series of fantastic runs in Marathon Eryri, which incorporated the Marathon Championships. Jeni Richards, making her debut at the distance won the FV45 title, Meinir Hews also took gold at FV55, while Carol Willgoose won a wonderful silver medal. For a full report go to the result reports page.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers conquer Snowdon
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to all seven Harriers who ran fantastically in Marathon Eryri 2012. See times and report on the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Seven Harriers take on Snowdon
*~*~*~*~*
Seven Abergele Harriers take on "Britain's toughest road marathon" tomorrow, Marathon Eryri. Good luck to all seven but especially to two members, who are not only taking on Snowdon for the first time, but actually taking on the distance for the first time! Jeni and Dom will be joining "seasoned campaigners" Haydn, Dave, Andy, Carol and Meinir. Good luck to all, enjoy the day! I will, supporting you all the way around :-) (taking one for the team!).
*~*~*~*~*
Chris selected for Welsh Masters International
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch has once again been selected for the Welsh Masters International in November. Chris joins Shelagh Adkins, Brenda Jones and Clare Johnson in the FV65 team to challenge in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country international, which this year will be held in the historic Stormont Park in Belfast on November 10th. Congratulations Chris, the whole Club is proud of you.
*~*~*~*~*
Change of venue for Monday training runs.
*~*~*~*~*
Due to the fact that the evenings are getting darker earlier we have had to move our Monday sessions back to the Eldon Drive loop. We will meat at 6.15 at the corner of Eldon Drive and Sea Road, and use the half mile of Eldon Drive itself and the 1.25 mile loop for speed and pace work. We will continue meeting there for our Monday sessions until the spring.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country Training
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch and Rob Armstrong are holding an off road training session at Bryn Eurin Nature Reserve on Saturday 15th September, meeting in the car park at 10-00am. Everybody is welcome, especially first time off roaders who want to give cross-country a go.
DIRECTIONS;
Off A55 at J20 and take Rhos Rd
3rd exit at roundabout onto Brompton Ave.
2nd left where Rhos road is on the right.
Keep going straight ahead over the crossroads and up a narrow lane to the car park on the right opposite the allotments.
*~*~*~*~*
Marshals needed!
*~*~*~*~*
This years Abergele 5 race takes place on Sunday 4th November. In order to have the race we need over 30 Marshals. All members are expected to either Marshal themselves or to provide a Marshal if they want to run the race. Please give your name to Haydn any Wednesday at club night.
*~*~*~*~*
North Wales Athletics Blog
*~*~*~*~*
Gareth Hughes of Prestatyn Running Club had been writing an Athletic Column for the Daily Post for over 30 years. The Post have decided to discontinue this column. Garth's column will be sorely missed by everyone in North Wales, as he gave a fantastic round up of the weekends results every Tuesday and an equally informative preview of the weekends races on a Friday.
Gareth has decided to set up a website to take over these roles which deserves the support of all runners in North Wales.
http://athleticsnorthwales.blogspot.com
*~*~*~*~*
Girl power again for the Harriers!
*~*~*~*~*
Rachel Shipley and Chris Birch once again proved the best in Wales in their respective age categories, this time over 10k, with outstanding runs in the Caernarfon 10k today. For full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Monday Night Training Group
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to the small group who turned out tonight for the Monday night session. We did a 1 mile time trial with the following times, which I have also put on the Members Stats pages;
Steven McCormack; 5m 33sec, Mark Mayers 6m 27sec, Rachel Shipley; 6m 47sec, Darren Battersby 6m 53sec, Michelle 7m 4sec, Lucy Curtis; 7m 42sec, Shane McCormack 8m 25sec, Alison Faulkner 9mins 32sec. Very well done to all. We will hold another time trial in 10 weeks time.
Next week we will meet at the usual time in the Pentre Mawr Park and then warm up to the Golf Club hill and do 2 x 8min hill reps, and then warm down back to the Park.
*~*~*~*~*
Jodi steams past the Train
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harrier, Jodi Waters, was in Tywyn, Mid Wales on Saturday to take part in the 29th annual Race the Train. 851 runners started the 14 mile race against a steam train along the Talyllyn Railway to Abergynolwyn and back. The route follows the railway track through the Welsh countryside on a tough mutli-terrain course with muddy, wet and rocky sections.
Jodi beat the train by almost 3 minutes finishing in 1h 45m 30s for 79th overall.
*~*~*~*~*
British Record for Chris
*~*~*~*~*
Congratulations to Chris Birch whose time last night in the Caernarfon Race the Train 5k would appear to be a British age group record by over 30 seconds, a record that has stood since 2003.
*~*~*~*~*
Ali and Shane debut for club
*~*~*~*~*
Alison Faulkner and Shane McCormack finally made their race debuts for the club when they were among a very strong Club contingent to take part in this years Caernarfon Race the Train, both running fantastic times. Well done also to Darren Blazier who lead the team home, and Jodi Walters, Darren Battersby, Chris Birch and Graham Arden, all of whom achieved personal bests for the distance.
*~*~*~*~*
Jeni selected for North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
Jeni Richards has been selected to run for North Wales, in the North Wales Mesters team for the Inter-Regional 10k Championships to take place within the Caernarfon 10k race on September 2nd. Unfortunately Jeni will not be available to run, but congratulations to her for her well deserved selection.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country Dates
*~*~*~*~*
Next years Cross Country dates are as follows;
6th October; Treborth Track, Bangor, LL572RQ.
20th October; St. Davids College, LLandudno, LL301RD.
24th November; Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham, LL139NG.
12th January; Lilleshall,Telford, TF109AT.
2nd February; Marches School,Oswestry, SY112AP.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League Dates
*~*~*~*~*
Next seasons Borders League Dates are as follows;
21st October, Eryri Harriers in Caernarfon,
11th November, Ellesmere Port in Carenhurst,
16th December, West Cheshire in Christleton,
13th January, Birkenhead in Birkenhead Park,
3rd March, Cybi Striders at Holyhead Breakwater,
10th April (7pm), Buckley Runners at Mold,
24th April (7pm), Wrexham at the Social Club.
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap results
*~*~*~*~*
The full handicap results are now available on the Handicap page. Well done everyone.
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap Race
*~*~*~*~*
The club held its annual Handicap race last night, followed by a fantastic meal and social event organized by Social Secretary Helen Ingrham. The whole night was a great success and a full report will be available on the Handicap page later in the week. Thanks to all who turned up, including Steven and Majella who helped with results, Steph and Jeni who Marshaled and thanks again to Helen for sorting out the meal afterwards.
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap Team Changes
*~*~*~*~*
Unfortunately Jaime Ashton, Steph Wynne and Peter Hardy have all had to pull out of the Handicap race;
The following team changes have therefore been made;
Team 349/399 will now be Sonia Wignall and Alan Lucas (Alan instead of Jaime Ashton)
Team 335/385 will now be Andrew Davies and Sue Calvert
There will be NO team 340/390
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins club's first ever British title.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch became the club's first ever British Champion by winning the FV65 5k Road title in a time of 22mins 39secs. Well done Chris, fantastic run, everyone in the Club is proud of you.
*~*~*~*~*
Darren wins Welsh Gold
*~*~*~*~*
Club Captain Darren Blazier, won the Welsh V40 10 mile title in the Llandudno 10 mile race in a time of 1h 1min 5secs. Darren lead home a team of 11 Harriers; for full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Teams selected for Handicap Race
*~*~*~*~*
The team for next weeks Handicap race have been selected and can be found on the Handicap page.
*~*~*~*~*
4000 Castle Photos
*~*~*~*~*
Eastleigh Running Club have supplied, free of charge over 4000 photos of the weekend, just click on the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/hammy8241/collections/72157630074897448/
*~*~*~*~*
Happy Birthday "Beginners"
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers "Beginners" group started 1 year ago last Wednesday. Without any doubt this was the most successful activity that the Club has ever undertaken, and congratulations to all those members of the club who only started running one year ago and are now full and very active members of the thriving club. Great to have you all on board and a pleasure to be involved in such a great Club, where the club "spirit" is better than it has ever been before. Keep running!
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Report
*~*~*~*~*
A full report of the weekend is now available on the Castles page.
*~*~*~*~*
Josh's record run on Day 1 of Castles
*~*~*~*~*
Josh Dixon achieved the Club's highest ever finish in a Welsh Castles Relay leg by finishing a fantastic 2nd overall in 7th leg of Day 1, a mountain leg. Josh finished in a fantastic 54mins 16secs, well ahead of the 3rd place runner. All team members performed brilliantly on day one, with a great team ready to continue the successes again tomorrow.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris goes to the top of the UK rankings
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers Chris Birch is now top of the UK 5k FV65 rankings after her fantastic time of 22mins 8secs in Christleton last week. She did of course beat that time in Rhyl today but, through no fault of her own, that time will not go into the record books because of problems with the course. Chris has also been denied a North Wales FV65 Championship record as well because of this. But well done Chris, the whole Club are proud of your amazing achievements.
*~*~*~*~*
Rachel wins in Rhyl
*~*~*~*~*
Rachel Shipley was the star of the Harriers team that entered the Sun Centre 5k in Rhyl, when she was first Senior Lady home in a time of 21mins 33secs. Full results will be available on the results page soon. Well done Rachel!
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap Race 2012
*~*~*~*~*
This years Handicap race will take place on Wednesday 20th June at 6.30pm with food afterwards in The Black Lion in Llanfair TH at 8pm. We will have to meet in the Car Park in Llanfair TH at 6.30pm for final instructions and will actually start running at about 6.50pm.
It will be a team race. I will need to know who is going to turn up as soon as possible so that I can pick the teams out of a hat at Club training on Wednesday 13th June.
Please confirm by e-mail if you will be running the race or not.
Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk
For more details go to the Handicap Race page.
*~*~*~*~*
E-mail group to be set up
*~*~*~*~*
The Club has decided to set up an e mail group for distributing club information. Committee Member Shane McCormack is to be the only person to distribute information this way. Any member wanting to use the service must give Shane the information to distribute. Shane can be contacted at Shane@Abergeleharriers.co.uk. Each person's e mail address will not be visible to everyone else (“blind carbon copied”). Members will have the option to unsubscribe to the service at any time.
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
A final meeting for the Welsh Castles Relay will take place on Wednesday 6th June at 6pm in the College. It is essential that all those running a Casltes "leg" attend as final instructions and numbers will be distributed at this meeting.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean gets Welsh call up
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers Ultra specialist Sean McCormack has just been selected again to
represent Wales in the 2012 Anglo-Celtic Plate 100k race which takes
place on 22nd July in Redwick, near Newport, where he will be running
against England, Scotland and Ireland. This will be Sean's third
successive Anglo-Celtic Plate and his fourth Welsh Senior International
vest.
*~*~*~*~*
Thursday Fell sessions start
*~*~*~*~*
The Thursday night Fell training sessions begin on Thursday 3rd May. All members are invited to come along and give it a go, no previous fell experiece necessary. The first session will be a "taster" session of loops of about a mile and a quarter, members can run as many or as little as they want. The sessions will be lead by experienced fell runner Rob Armstrong and the meeting point for the first session will be on the Llanddulas Road in Abergele, opposite the Police Station at 7pm. See you all there!
*~*~*~*~*
Three Harriers on the podium at Borders League
*~*~*~*~*
Three Harriers ended up with prizes for the overall season in the Borders League this season. Carol Willgoose and Chris Birch won the LV50 and LV60 titles, while Jeni Richards was runner up in the LV45 category. For more details go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Rob starting Fell training group
*~*~*~*~*
Rob Armstrong, the club's first Fell Running Manager, will be organising some Fell training sessions very soon. The sessions will take place on Thursday evenings possibly starting on Thursday 3rd May. Maps and details will be available on the Club Notice Board on on the website. Watch out for details in the near future!
*~*~*~*~*
Seven Harriers take on London
*~*~*~*~*
Seven Harriers took on the London Marathon this year, including three attempting the distance for the first time (Mark Meyers, Peter Hardy and Jane Roberts) and four going at it for a second time (Lucy Jones, Cheryl Richards, Andy Simpson, and Keith Tewkesbury) and seasoned campaigner Robert Spotswood.
*~*~*~*~*
Snowdonia Marathon places available.
*~*~*~*~*
This years Snowdonia Marathon entries are closed. However, as the race encorporates the North Wales Marathon Championships, the North Wales Regional Athletic Council have obtained an extra 20 places for North Wales eligible athletes. As of Friday 20th April, 18 of those places were still available. Should any member wish to apply for one of these entries, so long as they are eligible to run in the North Wales Championships, please let Sean know.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers take on London
*~*~*~*~*
Good luck to all the Harriers taking part in this years London Marathon, Lucy, Cheryl, Mark, Peter, Andy, Rob, Keith and Jane.
*~*~*~*~*
Kim Conquers Coventry
*~*~*~*~*
Kim Westell took on the 40 mile Coventry Way Challenge on Sunday to raise funds for local children’s hospices, Ty Gobaith and Hope House, completing the distance in 12 hours 12minutes.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers return to the Track
*~*~*~*~*
Two Harriers returned to racing over standard distances on the track, after a three year abscence, to take part in the inaugural North Wales 10,000m championships in Deeside on Saturday. To see how they got on, go to the Results page.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2012
*~*~*~*~*
The 2012 AGM took place on Sunday 1st April. The Committee members for 2012-2013 were elected and congradulations to all. Please go to the Club Officials page for details of the new "team". A big welcome in particular to all the new members to the Committee, and to Mark Mayers our new Chairman.
*~*~*~*~*
Change of venue for Monday training runs.
*~*~*~*~*
From Monday 2nd April, Monday training runs will start in Pentre Mawr Park at 6.15, meeting in the carpark.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League success in Christleton.
*~*~*~*~*
Fifteen Harriers ran in Christleton in the penultimate round of the Borders Road Running League, all running excellently. It was particularly great to see Club Captain, Darren Blazier back in competitive action for the first time this year. Hopefully this sees the start of a great recovery and return to his posiition at the front of the Club. For full details go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers are in the Castles
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers have been accepted into this years Castles Relay. All members are invited to take part. The clus is particularly eager to get some of our newer members involved. Go to the Castles page for details.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2012
*~*~*~*~*
All members are invited to this years AGM which takes place on 1st April. For full details of nominations and items for discussion go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Tom Watson RIP
*~*~*~*~*
It is with deep sadness that we learned today of the death of Tom Watson of Colwyn Bay AC. Tom will be remembered very fondly by all who had the honour to ever know him. He was a pleasure to train with, and run against, always smiling and encouraging those around him. Abergele Harriers would like to express our heartfelt sympathy to his family, particularly his twin brother Richard, and all at Colwyn Bay AC. May he Rest In Peace.
*~*~*~*~*
Richie speeds home in Mold
*~*~*~*~*
Richie Wilyman lead the thirteen strong Harriers team home in todays Borders League race in Mold. For more details and photos go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Relay 2012
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers hope to secure a place for this years’ 2012 Welsh Castles Relay.
The 2012 race will be held over the weekend of the 9th and 10th of June. For full details go to the Castles Relay page.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers turn out in numbers on the Orme
*~*~*~*~*
Eighteen Harriers were in action in this years Nick Beer 10k in Llandudno. Chris Birch once again won the FV60 age category while Carol Willgoose was second in the FV50 one. Several other harriers ran excellent times, including many of our "newer" members (no longer "beginners" !). Full details on the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris finishes Cross Country season unbeaten.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch once again finished first in her age category in the last Cross Country race of the season to easily win her category in the League. For full details and photos go to the Cross Country page.
*~*~*~*~*
Change of date for Flint 10k
*~*~*~*~*
In order to avoid a clash with the Mold Food Fair event, the above race has now changed their date to Sunday 14th October.
*~*~*~*~*
Jeni and Chris Conquer North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
Ten Harriers turned out to the magnificent Rhug Estate near Corwen for the North Wales Cross Country Championships, with Jeni Richards and Chris Birch winning North Wales titles in the FV45 and FV60 age categories respectively. Richie Lee was runner up in the MV45 category to complete an eccellent day of the Harriers. For a full report go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2012
*~*~*~*~*
This year's AGM takes place on Sunday 1st April at 7pm in Kinmel Bay. For full details go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Hayden wins Captain's Merit Award
*~*~*~*~*
Haydn Jones recieved the Captain's Merit Award for 2011 from Darren last week for his dedication to the Club over the last twelve months. Well done Hayden.
*~*~*~*~*
Slight Change to Members Stats Page
*~*~*~*~*
Please note, there has been a slight change to our Member's Stats page, with the races and results now in the opposite order to before; i.e. The mort recent race is at the top, not the bottom.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers out in force at Twin Piers
*~*~*~*~*
24 Abergele Harriers were among the 365 competitors lining up at the Pier in Llandudno to run the 2012 Twin Piers 10k along the seafront to Colwyn Bay. 8 harriers made their debut for the club, 7 harriers ran 10k personal bests and 4 harriers received category awards. For more details go to the results page of for full results go to;
http://www.abergeleharriers.co.uk/TP-2K12/
*~*~*~*~*
Committee Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
The next Committee Meeting will be on the 22nd January at 7pm in Kinmel Bay.
*~*~*~*~*
Awards 2011
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers handed out their Annual Awards tonight. Male Athlete of the year; Sean McCormack (Welsh International Ultra Distance runner), Female Athlete of the Year; Chris Birch (Unbeaten in her age category all year and Welsh Masters International), Harrier of the Year; Rob Spotswood (Despite an injury that kept him out all year he still was an integral part of the Abergele 5, The Castles Relay and the Beginners Group), Most Improved Harrier; Graham Arden (From "Beginner" to "Half-Marathoner!"). The Captain's Merit Award wasnt presented and will be announced at a later date.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris becomes Welsh Champion
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch continued her outstanding year by becoming FV60 Welsh Cross Country Champion , winning her category in the Welsh Masters Championships which were held in conjunction with the Inter-Regional Cross-Country Championships in Builth Wells on Saturday. Chris, who has been so outstanding this year, that despite the fact that she is a FV60, she was selected to run in the FV45 North Wales team. She completed the 3.4 mile course in a magnificant 28mins 37secs for 49th overall but 1st in her FV60 category. Well done Chris.
*~*~*~*~*
Trio selected for North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
Three Abergele Harriers have been selected to represent North Wales in the Welsh Inter Regional Cross Country Championships at Builth Wells next weekend. Josh Dixon will make his debut for the Senior Men at regional level with Carol Willgoose and Jeni Richards running for the Female Masters team.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris helps Welsh Masters to Bronze in Scotland
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch, despite not feeling well, competed for the FV60 Welsh Masters team in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country Championships in Glasgow. Despite a total mix-up by the organisers with the start, Chris worked her way brilliantly through the field to finish is a superb time of 28mins 59secs for 97th overall and 9th FV60 in the high quality International field to help Wales to the Bronze team medal, only one point behind Ireland in silver, with England only marginally further ahead.
*~*~*~*~*
"Beginners" success in Conwy
*~*~*~*~*
Two Harriers who joined following the "Beginners" course over the summer "graduated" to the Half-Marathon distance on Sunday. Graham Arden and Helen Ingram, joined eleven other Harriers to compete in the race, with five Harriers altogether running the distance for the first time. Graham finished in 2h 22mins 29secs while Helen ran equally impressively to finish in 2h 35mins 51secs.
*~*~*~*~*
Gareth makes an amazing "debut"
*~*~*~*~*
Gareth Roberts made his "debut" in the V45 category in the Preston 10 and produced one of the highlight performances of the year for a Harrier, by getting a pb for the distance by 47 seconds, a distance he has raced 21 times previously over the last 5 years, a fantastic achievement. The time was good enough for the runner up position in the category, only 14 seconds behind twin brother Dewi, who of course was also debuting in the category!
*~*~*~*~*
Busy weekend for the Harriers
*~*~*~*~*
It was a very busy weekend for the Harriers with nine members turning out for the third round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League on Saturday in Northop, and fourteen turning up for the Borders League race in Wallasey the following day, including five memebrs who ran both. Go to the relevent pages to see reports and photos of both teams.
*~*~*~*~*
Photos from Abergele 5
*~*~*~*~*
Photos from the abergele 5 are available at;
http://www.sportpicturescymru.co.uk/abergele5saesneg2011.html
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele 5 results now available
*~*~*~*~*
The 25th Abergele 5 mile road race took place today, again very kindly sponsored by Spillane & Co. Wealth Management, and encorporating the North Wales 5 mile road championships as well as the first Corporate Challenge. Full "provisionsal" results are now available on the "Abergele 5" page with a report on the "results" page. If there are any issues with the results please e mail the race Director at Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk See you all again next year.
*~*~*~*~*
Monday Night Training Runs
*~*~*~*~*
A group of us are once again meeting on a monday night. We meet at 6 O'Clock at the junction of Eldon Drive and Seea Road in Abergele. We run loops of 1.25 miles. There were five of us tonight but any member is welcome to join us. Some did 4 loops (5 miles) and a couple did 5 loops (10k). Any member can join us and run as many or as few loops as they want, at whatever speed they want. Nobody will be running alone. If you can't make 6 o clock come a little later and joint us as we pass by you. Just turn up and met us or talk to Sean, Mark, Jeni or Delyth on a Wednesday.
*~*~*~*~*
London Numbers drawn
*~*~*~*~*
The Club numbers for the 2012 Virgin London Marathon took place at tonight's Committee meeting. The lucky members were Lucy Jones (24608) and Delyth Evans (24609) with Cheryl Richards as "substitute".
Good luck to all.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers triumph in Snowdon
*~*~*~*~*
Six Harries did this years Snowdonia Marathon with Andy Simpson , making his debut at the distance, leading them home with a fantastic 3h 51m 51s. To see how they all got on go to the results and reports pages.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris selected for Welsh Masters
*~*~*~*~*
Congradulations to Chris Birch who has been selected for the Welsh Masters team for the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International taking place in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow on Saturday 26th November.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean shortlisted for Conwy award again.
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh International Ultra-Distance runner and Club Secretary Sean has been short-listed again this year for the Conwy Senior Sportsman of the Year award, following his peformances in the Anglo-Celtic Plate 100k in March and the Commonwealth 24h race in September. Sean actually won the award in 2010, and this years ceremony takes place in November.
*~*~*~*~*
13 Harriers travel to Borders League
*~*~*~*~*
Thirteen Harriers took part in the first round of this season's Borders Road Running League, with the ladies again stealing the show with both Carol Willgoose and Chris Birsh winning their age categories. For full details go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies success in Cross Country opener.
*~*~*~*~*
Nine Harriers travelled to Bangor last weekend for the opening round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League in Bangor, with the ladies doing particularly well;Chris Birch 1st LV60 and Carol Willgoose 2nd LV50. For full details go to the Cross Country page.
*~*~*~*~*
Club "London" numbers.
*~*~*~*~*
The club has obtained its usual two guaranteed London numbers. To be eligible for the numbers you must have been a fully paid up club member on 1/1/2011, have entered London yourself and have been rejected. Rejection slips must be produced in order to go into the draw for the numbers. The slips should be given to Sean on club night. The draw will take place at the next Committee meeting on Sunday 30th October.
*~*~*~*~*
Commonwealth success for Sean
*~*~*~*~*
Sean McCormack represented Weles in the Commonwealth 24h Championships from Friday to Saturday. He was 13th overall, running 211.942k, 131 miles 1,221.4 yards, and helped Wales to the Silver medal in the team competition.A full report with pictures will be available when he recovers in the next few days!
*~*~*~*~*
"Beginners" 5k race a massive success.
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers held a 5k race tonight strictly limited to “graduates” of the club’s highly successful “Beginners Group”. The group at its biggest had 84 people attend but 35 completed week 10 (the 30 minute run) and 23 turned up for the 5k race. All 23 pushed themselves to the limit and ran fantastically well, and hopefully all have now got “the racing bug” and will continue running for years to come. The official times were as follows;
Position Name Time
1st Darren Battersby 24:54
2nd Natalie Boobyer 25:25
3rd Mike Davis 26:47
4th Graham Arden 29:15
5th Stephanie Wynne 29:28
6th Vicky Foulkes 29:35
7th Shane McCormack 29:51
8th Ceri Cook 30:18
9th Gary Howgate 30:46
Joint 10th Kati Stewart 31:26
Joint 10th Alexandra Scarlett 31:26
12th Louise Jenkinson 32:38
13th Vicki Kennedy 33:06
14th Vicky Dale 33:15
15th Helen Ingram 33:38
16th Nichola Nixon 33:49
17th Nicola Chan Gizzi 34:00
18th Alison Faulkner 34:16
Joint 19th Nicky Stewart 36:17
Joint 19th Julie Whitehouse 36:17
Joint 19th Rebecca Chapman 36:17
Joint 19th Teresa Bushell 26:17
23rd Catherine Adey-Davies 37:55
Congratulations to all!
*~*~*~*~*
Darren helps North Wales Vets to gold in Merthyr
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Blazier was in South Wales this weekend competing in the Merthyr Police 10k road race incorporating the 10k Welsh Athletics Road Running Championship and Inter-Regional Championships. Darren ran 35m 26s for 26th overall and together with Desi Damiani of Wrexham and Jez Brown of Buckley took gold for the North Wales masters team in the inter-regional title.
*~*~*~*~*
Beginners Group about to "graduate!"
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers' Beginners Group reaches their 10th week this week and will be "graduating" with a non stop thirty minute run on Wednesday night. The group still has over 35 dedicated members all of whom have have done fantastically well to reach this level. Good luck to all on Wednesday.
The following Wednesday (17th August), the club has organised a 5k "race" specifically for this group only, to gave each member a "5k time" to demonstate objectively to them just how much they have all progressed.
*~*~*~*~*
Llanfair TH Mountain Race
*~*~*~*~*
This years Llanfair TH Mountain race was another great success with the ladies race being won by Isabel Redfern of Colwyn Bay AC in a course record time of 42:57. The full results are now available on the Llanfair page.
*~*~*~*~*
Olympic Tickets for Sian and Vernon
*~*~*~*~*
The Club's two sets of Olympic tickets went to Sian Hall and Vernon Pownall. Congratulations to both, and thanks also to Anthony Howe who was actually selected but declined the tickets for "more longer term members". Thanks Anthony and good luck to Sian and Vernon, and I believe Jeni and Christobelle will be accompanying them.
*~*~*~*~*
Olympic Tickets
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers have been allocated 2 pairs of tickets for the London 2012 Olympics. The tickets are £50 tickets for the evening sessions on Tuesday 7th August (includes the mens 1500m final) and Thursday 9th August (includes the mens 200m and 800m finals). It was decided at the most recent Committee meeting that to be eligable for the tickets one needed to be a fully paid up member of the club since at least 2010 (ie you must be a fully paid up member at the moment and last year). There are 42 members eligable and all 42 names will be put into the draw. The draw will take please at 6.45 on Friday 29th July at the reception in Abergele Leisure Centre. All memebrs are welcome to come along to see the draw taking place. Club Chairman Alan Lucas, Club Secretary Sean McCormack and Club Captain Darrren Blazier will supervise the draw. 10 names will be drawn in order and those on that list will be contacted in order over the weekend and offered the tickets until 2 members each accept a pair of tickets. Members will have 24 hours to accept the tickets. Once accepted, that member him or herself must actually use the tickets themselves (with one other)and will have to pay Welsh Athletics the £100 and supply the names and contacts of the 2 ticket holders before 12th August. Sean has the paperwork etc needed. Good luck everyone.
*~*~*~*~*
Llanfair TH Mountain Race
*~*~*~*~*
This years Llanfair TH Mountain race takes place on Saturday 30th July at 12 noon. Entries will only be accepted on the day with registration starting at 11am. The race as usual is over a tough course of approximately 10k in distance.
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap Race postponed
*~*~*~*~*
Due to holidays etc this years Handicap race has been postponed. It will no longer take place on 17th July and will now probably take place in mid September, with exact details closer to the time.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League Dates 2011-2012
*~*~*~*~*
The dates for next season's Borders League fixtures have been fixed. Go to the Borders League Page for all the details.
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Relay Weekend
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers had another great Castles weekend. A link to the provisional results can be found on the Castles page. Thanks again to Dave and Rob for organising another great "Castles" adventure.
*~*~*~*~*
Beginners Group gets off to a flying start!
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers Beginners Group got off to a flying start on Wednesday night when 61 people turned up for the free ten week course. The free ten week course, at the end of which time, all “Beginners” should be able to run 30 minutes without stopping, started off with a very simple but enjoyable run /walk program around Pentre Mawr Park. Fourteen Harriers helped out on the night, twelve of whom had recently gained qualifications from Welsh Athletics to lead out the group. Welsh Athletics had recently specifically organized a course for the Club to help establish this new group, and thanks to a Community Chest grant of £590 which partially funded the course, twelve Harriers became qualified and insured. The club are expecting several new members to attend next week, and anyone interested in attending can simply turn up to Abergele Leisure Centre between 6.30 and 6.45 on Wednesday night. The aim of the group is simple to introduce people to running, whether it be for fitness, weight loss or general health improvement, and to show people how much fun running can be. No previous running experience is needed and it doesn’t matter how “unfit” people feel they are, they will enjoy the free ten week course. A spokesman for the club said “it was one of the best days in the history of the club to see so many people out enjoying themselves and learning to enjoy running”. For further details ring Sean on 07774948596 or e-mail Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk.
*~*~*~*~*
"Beginners Group" start on Wednesday
*~*~*~*~*
The Abergele Harriers Beginners Running Group starts on Wednesday 8th June at 6.45pm from Abergele Leisure Center. The FREE 10 week walk/run programme is aimed at anyone aged 18 or over who would like an introduction to running - no previous running experience is necessary. Sessions will last between 45 - 60 minutes and will be informal, relaxed and fun. The group will follow a walk-run programme that aims towards running 3miles (5k) in 10 weeks.
If you are interested in taking part in the course please contact:
Sean McCormack on 07774948596 or sean@abergeleharriers.co.uk
Jeni Richards on 07908265745 or jeni.richards@talktalk.net
*~*~*~*~*
All systems go for "Castles".
*~*~*~*~*
Twenty Abergele Harriers together with a support team will join club runners from across the UK to take part in the 2011 Welsh Castles Relay on 11th – 12th June. The 210 mile route starts from Caernarvon Castle on Saturday morning and finishes in Cardiff Castle on Sunday afternoon. Competitors run stages of between 8.6 miles and 13.3 miles that take in seafronts, mountains, hills, towns, villages, castles (of course) and our beautiful Welsh countryside.
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap Race 2011
*~*~*~*~*
The 2011 Club Handicap will take place on Sunday 17th July 2011 starting at 11.00am in Llanfair TH, starting in the car-park on the right just over the bridge into Llanfair. For full details go to the Handicap page or ask Sean on club night.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean get's the nod for the Commonwealths
*~*~*~*~*
Club Secreatary Sean McCormack has been selected for the Welsh 24h team to take part in the Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra Distance Championships to take place in North Wales at the end of September. Sean's selection came as a result of his personal best performance, leading the Welsh home in the Anglo-Celtic Plate in Perth at the end of March. The 24h race will be taking place around a very short loop in Llandudno and Sean hopes that home advantage, and hopefully home support from the Harriers, will give him the edge on the day/night. Please keep some time available on the weekend of the 24th and 25th of September to come and support.
*~*~*~*~*
Two new Welsh Champions for Harriers
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers can boast two new Welsh Champions among its ranks with Dewi Roberts (MV40) and Jeni Richards (FV45) both winning Gold in their Categories in the Welsh 10 mile Championships help within the Llandudno 10 mile race on Sunday. Gareth Roberts also joined them on the posium with a silver medal in the MV40 category. For more details of how they and others got on, go tot the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies shine in Chester
*~*~*~*~*
The sun may not have been shing in Chester for this years Half Marathon, but the ladies of Abergele Harriers were in blisteringly hot form with all three, Jeni, Dominique and Sonia, all achieving personal best times for the disdtance. For full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Beginners group starts on 8th June
*~*~*~*~*
RUN FOR FUN BEGINNERS GROUP
A FREE 10 WEEK WALK- RUN PROGRAMME STARTS
WEDNESDAY 8th JUNE 6.45pm
No previous running experience is necessary.
The course is open to men and women aged 18 and over.
Meet at Abergele Leisure Center at 6.45pm on Wednesday evenings.
Sessions will last between 35 – 45 minutes and will be informal, relaxed and fun.
There is no obligation to attend all the sessions so feel free to come along and see if this is for you.
You will need a pair of trainers, suitable clothing and a bottle of water.
We will take you through a walk – run programme that aims to help you run up to 3 miles/ 5k by the end of the 10 week course.
The programme is ideal for anyone wanting to enter a ‘RACE for LIFE’ but not sure where to start.
If you have any health concerns please speak to your doctor
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Sean McCormack on 07774948596 or sean@abergeleharriers.co.uk
Jeni Richards on 07908265745 or jeni.richards@talktalk.net
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies stay in top division
*~*~*~*~*
The final race of this season's Border's Road Running League took place on Wednesday in Wrexham. The ladies for the first time in the club's history managed to stay in the top division for a second season and also managed to win two individual age group categories. For further details go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Dave smashes his pb in London
*~*~*~*~*
Dave Edwards smashed his personal best time for the marathon distance by almost ten minutes in London today by finishing in exactly 3 hours 48 minutes. For full details of how all the Harriers got on see the London Marathon page.
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AGM 2011
*~*~*~*~*
The 2011 AGM took place on Sunday 10th April 2011. The new Committee can be found on the Club Officials page. The club would particularly like to thank Geran Hughes (previous Chairman and ex-Captain) and Matthew Ashton (previous Treasurer) who have stepped down from their positions after a number of years of excellent service to the club.
*~*~*~*~*
Press Secretary e-mail change
*~*~*~*~*
Please note Jeni Richards, our Press Secretary has a new e-mail address; Jeni.richards@talktalk.net
Please e mail her your race results as soon as possible after your event.
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Cross Country Dates for 2011-2012
*~*~*~*~*
The dates for next seasons League races have been announced and can be found on the cross country page.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean lead's the Welsh home.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean McCormack took over an hour off his personal best time for the distance when on Welsh International duty on Sunday by leading the Welsh team home in the Anglo-Celtic 100k Plate in Perth, Scotland, in a time of 7hrs, 57mins 10secs. More details on the Results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Relay meeting
*~*~*~*~*
The first meeting for this years Castles Relay will be held on Wednesday 30th of March at 6pm at Llandrillo College, Abergele.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2011
*~*~*~*~*
The closing date for nominations for this years AGM has arrived. For full details go to the AGM page.
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Mark enjoys his best position in Mold!
*~*~*~*~*
Mark Mayers was one of eleven Harriers to travel to Mold for the latest leg of the Borders League, when he finished 69th overall, his highest position ever in the League. For full details of the day go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Champion news for Grahame.
*~*~*~*~*
Grahame Shone of Abergele Harriers got some “champion” news this week when the official results of last weekend’s Village Bakery Half Marathon were announced. Shone’s excellent time of 1hr 32mins 55secs was not only his best time for the distance in over two years but also won him the North Wales V60 half marathon championship title, the club’s first regional road title of the year.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM
*~*~*~*~*
This years AGM will be held on Sunday 10th April, at 7.30pm, in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP. For full details go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris adds Cross Country League title to Championship title
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Birch added the North Wales Cross Country League FV60 title to the Championship title she won last week, with an excellent run in the final race of the season in Oswestry. For more details go to the cross country page.
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Cross Country Champions
*~*~*~*~*
Unfortunately only two Abergele Harriers competed in this years North Wales Cross Country Championships, but both achieved outstanding results. For the first time in the history of the club the Senion Mens North Wales Championship was won by a Harrier with Josh Dixon running a fantastic race coming home ahead of the field, despite the freezing cold conditions. In the Ladies race Chris Birch confirmed her palce as by far the best FV60 in the region by easily winning her category, maintaining her unbeaten record in North Wales this season.
*~*~*~*~*
Chris wins FV60 Category at Cross Country again
*~*~*~*~*
Unfortunately Abergele Harriers had only one member who travelled to Lilleshall for the penultimate round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League, but although Chris Birch was on her own she flew the Harriers flag with pride, easily winning the FV60 category on the day by almost three minutes with a fantastic time of 27minutes 6 seconds.
*~*~*~*~*
Beginners Group
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers will be starting a new beginners group on the 4th May. A ten week course will start that night at 6pm and by the end of the 10 weeks all members of the group will be able to run 5k (3.1 miles) without stopping. The group is for anyone interested in running and is FREE. At the end of the 10 weeks you may want to join the Harriers but there is no obligation to do so. There will be 4 group leaders, under the overall leadership of Jeni Richards. Anyone interested in joing the group can contact Jeni for details on 07908265745 or e-mail Jeni.richards@tesco.net
*~*~*~*~*
Wednesday Runs
*~*~*~*~*
A questionnaire will be distributed to members at club nights over the next two weeks asking for your opinion regarding Wednesday runs; whether members would prefer to all start the run together (as we do at the moment), or to have a staggered start in order to all finish at about the same time (as we used to do). Please make you thoughts on the subject known either by filling out a questionnaire or by e-mailing Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk
*~*~*~*~*
Coaches wanted!
*~*~*~*~*
Would any club members like to train as a coach? The club is actively trying to recruit memebers to train as coaches. A level 1 course would be a single day course probably in Deeside Leisure Centre. The club would pay for the training and would ask any member trained to give a little back to the club by helping with coaching of beginners groups. If any members are interested would they please contact Sean or Jenni.
*~*~*~*~*
2010 Trophy Winners Announced
*~*~*~*~*
The club trophy winners for 2010 were announced at training tonight. The Club Person of the Year, as voted for by the Committee went to Jeni Richards for her enthusiastic work for the club , both on and off the road. The Captains Merit Award, awarded by the Club Captain Darren Blazier, went to Dave Edwards for his many league appearances and for organising the Castles Relay team. The Male Athlete of the Year, as voted by the members, went to Sean McCormack who ran Internationally for Wales this year, while the Female Athlete of the Year went to Chris Birch, who won her age group in almost every race she ran this year. The Most Improved Athlete, was won almost unanimously, by Mark Mayers after a fantastic year that saw him improve race by race.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean gets another Welsh call up.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean McCormack learned on Friday that his has been selected for the Welsh Senior team to run in the Celtic Plate 100k race in Perth, Scotland, on 27th March next year. His pre-selection for the race will allow Sean to concentrate entirely on the event without the need to run selection races in January or February.
*~*~*~*~*
Helena Tipping 10k postponed
*~*~*~*~*
The Helena Tipping 10k that was due to take please in Wrexham this sunday has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. It was been rescheduled for Sunday 9th January 2011.
*~*~*~*~*
Four Harriers selected for Region
*~*~*~*~*
Four Abergele Harriers have been selected for North Wales in the Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships in Builth Wells in December. Carol Willgoose and Jeni Richards have been selected in the female over 45 age category while Tim Cahill and Richie Lee were selected in the male 40-49 category. Congratulations to all four.
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon "Reserves"
*~*~*~*~*
The draw was held tonight for the London Marathon reserves". The first Reserve is Chris Berrinton, second Sue Calvert and the third is Haydn Jones.
*~*~*~*~*
Conwy Sportsman of the Year Award for Sean
*~*~*~*~*
On Friday night at the Annual Conwy Sports Awards Abergele Harrier Sean McCormack won the Sportsman of the Year award for 2010 in rocognition of his victory in the Welsh Ultradistance Championships in Barry in March and his part in the Senior Welsh team that won a silver medal in the Celtic Plate 100k race in Boddington in June. The award was presented by John Regis MBE, who was a member of the famous 4 x 400m World Champion Relay team from Toyko in 1991, at the glitzy annual awards in Venue Cymru in Llandudno.
*~*~*~*~*
Web Site updated
*~*~*~*~*
The recent problems with the web site have been sorted, all pages have now been updates again.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Awards
*~*~*~*~*
The time has come to vote for this years Club Awards. Members can vote for "Male Athlete of the Year", "Female Athlete of the Year", and "Most Improved Athlete of the Year". Voting slips will be distributed by the Club Secretary over the next few weeks and must be returned on or before Wednesday 8th December, with presentation taking place before training on Wednesday 15th Decemebr. Any members not able to attend training can e-mail their vote to Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon "Reserves"
*~*~*~*~*
Peter Hardy and Dave Edwards got the Club Entries for the 2011 London Marathon. We therefore need "reserves". Any member who wishes to be a "reserve" needs to let Sean McCormack know on or before Wednesday 24th November. The only criteria to be a reserve is to be a fully paid up member at this moment. All those who wish to be a reserve will be be put "in a hat" and drawn to an order on Wednesday 24th November.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Membership
*~*~*~*~*
Membership fees for 2011 will be due in January. The fee to Welsh Athletics has risen from £5 to £15 so fees for 2001 will be £35 (£20 payable to Abergele Harriers and £15 to Welsh Athletics) without a Club Vest and £45 with a club vest. For those who haven't pain their fees for 2010, plase pay the Membership Secretary imediatly.
*~*~*~*~*
Captain's Award
*~*~*~*~*
The Captain's award for September has been awarded to Dewi Roberts for his performance at the Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon, while the October accolate went to ever-improving Mark Mayers for his outstanding Personal best time at the Caernarfon Border League race.
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele 5 Results
*~*~*~*~*
The provisional results for this years Spillane & Co Wealth Management Abergele 5 are now available on the Abergele 5 page. A report is a also availoable on our results page.
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon Draw
*~*~*~*~*
The draw for the Club London Marathon number took place on Wednesday 20th October before the club run. Dave Edwards was the lucky member to get the number with Peter Hardy as the reserve.
*~*~*~*~*
Twins triumph in Cardiff
*~*~*~*~*
Dewi and Gareth Roberts both achieved magnificant personal best times in the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday. For full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean short-listed for award
*~*~*~*~*
Sean McCormack this week learned that he has been short-listed for the Conwy County Borough Council Senior Sports Man of the Year award for 2010 in recognition of his victory in the Welsh Ultra Distance Championships in Barry in March and the Silver Medal he achieved with the Welsh Senior team in the Celtic Plate 100k race in Boddington in June.
*~*~*~*~*
Sixteen Harriers turn out in Colwyn Bay
*~*~*~*~*
Sixteen Harriers turned out for the first round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League. For details of how the 8 men and 8 women got on go to the Cross Country page and even more details on the Cross Country League website linked from there.
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon Club Places, 2010
*~*~*~*~*
Members who have entered the 2011 Virgin London Marathon will by now know if they have been successful or not. The two club places will be drawn on Wednesday 20th November at 6.45pm (before the club run). To be eligible for the draw runners must have been a member before the 1st January 2010, have proof of entry for the 2011 race and have proof of rejection. Also unfortunately a member cannot get the club places two years in a row (Sue Calvert and Lucy Jones had the 2010 places).
*~*~*~*~*
Calling all members
*~*~*~*~*
The Abergele 5 mile road race takes place on Sunday 7th November. We need at least 30 marshals on the day but so far have only half that number. All members are asked to either make themselves available on the day or nominate a marshal on their behalf. Please let Chief Marshall Haydn Jones or Race Director Sean McCormack know if you can help as soon as possible.
*~*~*~*~*
Dafydd saves our ladies!
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers would like to thank Dafydd Bullman, one of the helpers at The Anglesey Running Festival at the weekend. Sian and Jeni missed the bus to the start of the half-marathon, ("obviously took too long to put our make-up on!" according to Jeni) but Dafydd Bullman, who was helping out at the festival came to their rescue, and took pity on our damsels in distress and took them to the start in his own car with less than a minute to spare. Thanks again Dafydd.
*~*~*~*~*
Dewi smashes his Half-Marathon PB
*~*~*~*~*
Dewi Roberts took a massive 1 minute 31 seconds off his personal best for the Half-Marathon distance in the Lake Vyrnwy Half-Marathon. Dewi was among six Harriers who completed the race, for full details see the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Three New Champions
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers have three new North Wales Champions following the North Wales 10k Champs in the Caernarfon 10k on sunday. Darren Blazier, Grahame Shone and Christine Birch all won their age group titles while Darren also won the overall men's bronze medal, while Jeni Richards went one better winning the overall female silver medal. For more details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Llanfair TH Mountain Race Results
*~*~*~*~*
Nine Harriers were among a field of 27 runners in this years Llanfair TH Mountain Race, with star of the show for the Harriers Jeni Richards who was first lady home this year. For a full report and results go to the Llanfair TH page.
*~*~*~*~*
Llanfair TH Mountain Race next saturday
*~*~*~*~*
All Harriers are reminded that the Llanfair TH Mountain race is on Saturday 31st July, starting at 12 noon, but with registration in the field from 10.30. This is a tough 10k (approx) road race and is Licensed by Welsh Athletics. Don't expect a fast time, but expect a good race and all the fun of the fair afterwards. This year there will be medals for all finishers.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country dates for 2010-11
*~*~*~*~*
The dates for next season's Cross-Country league fixtures are now available. Go to the Cross Country page for details.
*~*~*~*~*
Lucy and Dave are Handicap Champions
*~*~*~*~*
Twenty five Harriers toot part in this years Handicap race in Llanfair with the team consisting of Lucy Jones and Dave Edwards clearly winning. For full details go to the Handicap page.
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Borders League Date Change
*~*~*~*~*
The date for the second Borders League race has changed from November 21st the the previous week, the 14th.
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Handicap "teams" selected
*~*~*~*~*
The teams for this year's handicap race were picked "out of a hat" before tonight's training run. The teams can be found on the handicap page. Can each team give Sean their estimated "total time" as soon as possible to include the full 10k (2 x 5k) and any penalty time accumulated.
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Borders League Dates for 2010-2011
*~*~*~*~*
The dates for next season's Border's League races are now available. Go to the Borders League page for details.
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EGM
*~*~*~*~*
An Extraordinary General Meeting has been called for Sunday 22nd August 2010, at 6.55pm in the Community House, Cheshire Avenue, Kinmel Bay to consider the following proposal;
It is proposed to remove section 5 b) from the constitution with no replacement.
Section 5 b) reads;
“All club and committee positions can only be held for a maximum of 3 (three) years, and not retaken up by the same person for a minimum of a further 2(two) years. If there is nobody willing to take up a position an EGM must be called.”
The Committee have recommended acceptance of this proposal, as it would mean that members could stay on longer than three years in a position if it was felt to be in the club’s best interest and if the person in the position was willing to continue and if they were to win any vote if another member went up against them.
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap race date fixed
*~*~*~*~*
The club handicap race will now take place on Sunday 11th July, 2010. For full details go to the handicap page.
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Sean makes his Welsh Senior Debut
*~*~*~*~*
Veteran Sean McCormack made his Senior debut for Wales on Saturday, over 100k, in the Anglo-Celtic Plate in Boddington. For full details go to the results page.
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Welsh Castles Relay 2010
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers, for the third time in its history, took part in the Welsh Castles Relay at the weekend. for full details of how everyone got on, please go to the Castles page.
*~*~*~*~*
Sian and Dominique run for charity.
*~*~*~*~*
Sian Hall and Dominique Jones were among 1800 women raising money for Cancer Research UK by taking part in the 5k Race for Life at Rhyl on Sunday morning.
*~*~*~*~*
Jeni does well in Borders League Handicap
*~*~*~*~*
The overall results of the Borders League Handicap for the season 2009-2010 are now available on the Borders League page and Jeni Richards finished in a wonderful 6th position overall for the season, a real testament to her improvements all year.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean gets Welsh call up
*~*~*~*~*
Following his victory recently in the Welsh Ultra-Distance Championships in Barry Sean McCormack had his selection confirmed this week for the Welsh Senior Mens team to compete in the Anglo-Celtic Plate at the Boddington 100k on June 19th. Sean is part of a four man team the other three being John Pares of Buckley, Iain Ridgeway of Eryri Harriers and Jeremy Mower of Gloucester AC.
*~*~*~*~*
Handicap Date changed
*~*~*~*~*
The date for the club Handicap race has been changed as the original date fixed (11th July) clashes with the World Cup Final. A new date will be announced as soon as possible.
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Meeting and Training
*~*~*~*~*
A meeting will be held to confirm final arrangements for the Castles Relay on Wednesday 2nd June at 6.30 in Llandrillo College, Abergele. All those involved are urged to attend. A training session for those involved will take place on Sunday 23rd May from Abergele Leisure Centre at 10am. Two groups will go out, one tackling a "flatish" course, one a hilly course.
*~*~*~*~*
Alan becomes a Life Member
*~*~*~*~*
At the AGM on Sunday former Club Captain and Chairman, and present Vice-Chairman Alan Lucas was made a club Life Member in recognition of both his running prowess and hard work behind the scenes for the club over many years.
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AGM 2010
*~*~*~*~*
The Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 9th May at 7.30pm in the Community House, 57 Cyn Las, Chester Avenue, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5LP. All members are invited to attend. For full details go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies rule in Borders League
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers Ladies team finished the League season in style to win both the Second Division and the Ladies Improvers title. As well as this there were individual prizes for Carol Willgoose (1st in her age category), Jeni Richards (2nd in hers) and Sian Hall (3rd in hers). A full report will be posted on the Borders League page very soon.
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon 2010
*~*~*~*~*
Well done to the seven Harriers who completed this years Virgin London Marathon. For a full report of how they got on go to the London Marathon page.
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Details of final Borders League Race
*~*~*~*~*
WEDNESDAY 28 APRIL 2010 7:15PM
Venue: Corus Sports & Social Club, Rowley’s Drive, Shotton, nr Queensferry.
Directions:
From Queensferry travel towards Flint on B5129. Pass Deeside Leisure Centre and B&Q on your right and go straight ahead at traffic lights by church (on the left). After lights, take first right into Rowley’s Drive; continue over railway bridge to end of road and turn left into sports club grounds.
From Flint travel towards Queensferry on A548 & B5129 passing Kelsterton College on your right. Continue straight on over hill and through lights at Wepre Drive. Shortly after going under railway bridge there is a car park on the left. Immediately after car park turn left into Rowley’s Drive, continue over railway bridge to end of road and turn left into sports club grounds.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2010
*~*~*~*~*
The closing date for nominations and "items for discussion" for this years AGM has arrived. For full details go tot the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies still on course for promotion
*~*~*~*~*
The ladies team are still well on course for a return to the top division of the Borders League with another excellent performance in the penultimate round in Prestatyn. For full details go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Castles Relay 2010
*~*~*~*~*
The club will be holding a Castle Relay meeting at Llandrillo College Abergele in room D69 on Wednesday the 14the of April at 6.30 -7.15. For more details go to the Castles Relay page.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM 2010
*~*~*~*~*
This year's AGM takes place on 9th May 2010. For full details go to the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean wins the Welsh Ultra Distance title
*~*~*~*~*
Sean McCormack, in his first ever "ultra" race, won the Welsh Ultra Distance title by finishing 3rd overall and first Welsh finisher in the Barry 40 mile race on Sunday which incorporated the Welsh Ultra Distance championships. For more details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
New Press Secretary
*~*~*~*~*
The club wishes to announce that it will have a new Press Secretary for May 2010. The new Press Secretary is Jeni Richards who can be contacted at jeni.richards@tesco.net or phone 07908265745. It is up to members to get their results to Jeni as early as possible before Sunday evening in order to be published in the press.
*~*~*~*~*
New membership secretaries
*~*~*~*~*
The club is delighted to announce that we now have new membership secretaries in place; Lucy Jones and Cheryl Richards. As membership fees for 2010-2011 are due on 1st April they will be giving out forms over the next few weeks. The annual fees are £25, with £20 payable to "Abergele Harriers" and £5 payable to "Welsh Athletics" (please give 2 separate cheques). Social or second claim membership is £20, while first time membership is £35, but includes a club vest.
The club would like to thank the outgoing membership secretary Angie Hughes and wish her and Geran a great future with their new child Medi.
*~*~*~*~*
Jeni leads the way in the Borders league handicap
*~*~*~*~*
The borders league handicap results for the recent round of the league held in Abergele have just been released and it's great news for the Harriers. Not only did the Harriers have 4 members in the top 10 on the day, Mark Mayers, Keith Elliott, John Essary and Jeni Richards, but the result puts Jeni in the overall leaders position at the half way point in the competition. For full details go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Twin Piers Results available
*~*~*~*~*
The full results of todays Twin Piers 10k are available on our results page at the end of our report on the race.
*~*~*~*~*
Wrexham Cross-Country Cancelled
*~*~*~*~*
Due to the adverse weather conditions this Saturdays Cross-Country League race in Wrexham has been cancelled.
*~*~*~*~*
Borders League Race Cancelled
*~*~*~*~*
Todays Borders League race in Tattenhall was canceled due to ice on the course. THe next round is our own race on February 14th. Any member not intending running that day is asked to help. Please let Darren Blazier know of you availability.
*~*~*~*~*
Great weekend for the Harriers
*~*~*~*~*
Seven Abergele Harriers were in action over the weekend in places from Builth Wells in mid Wales, to Stockport in England and Malaga in Spain. Three members were in representative duty for North Wales in the Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships, while two travelled to Stockport and another pair raced in Spain, all running superbly. For full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Bangor times in
*~*~*~*~*
The official times for the Bangor Cross Country are now available. Go to the Cross Country page and follow the links to see the times.
*~*~*~*~*
Angie Added to the Inter-Regional team
*~*~*~*~*
Angie Hughes was celebrating this week after learning that her name has been added to the North Wales Female Veteran 35 to 44y team to take part in the Inter-Regional Championships in Builth Wells in December, following her excellent performance at Bangor last weekend.
*~*~*~*~*
Ten plough through Bangor Mud
*~*~*~*~*
Ten Harriers travelled to Bangor for the third round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League which was held in atrocious weather conditions. For a report from Cross Country Manager Sue Calvert go to the Cross Country page.
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies flying high
*~*~*~*~*
The official Borders League results from last Sunday have just become available and can be found by following the link from the Borders League page. The good news is that the ladies team were first second division team home on the day and are now pushing very strongly for promotion, just a single point behind Wrexham Ladies. The ladies are also sitting top of the improvers league, while the men are sadly languishing at the bottom of theirs.
*~*~*~*~*
Joy for Jenni
*~*~*~*~*
Jenni Richards was one of four Abergele Harriers selected to represent North Wales in the Inter Regional Cross Country in Builth Wells on Sunday 13th December. Jenni was rewarded for excellent runs in the first two races of the North Wales League in Colwyn Bay and Bridgend. Gareth Roberts was also selected for the first time following his excellent recent form, while Dewi Roberts and Geran Hughes were also selected for the MV40-49 Team.
*~*~*~*~*
Wednesday Club Runs
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At a committee meeting on 15th November 2009 it was decided that in order to improve "club spirit" and as a matter of health and safety, that the whole club would run as a group for the first mile of the Wednesday night training run before then going off in smaller groups. All runners are encouraged to keep to groups of at least 2 runners even after this first mile. On a "forward winter" run, the group run will go as far as Pensarn Beach. On the reverse run, the group will run together as far as Sea Road, while in the "Summer course" the group run will go as far as the bottom of St George's Road.The club will be lead by Club Chairman Geran Hughes, with no member to "pass" him until the agreed point has been reached. The run will start promptly from the Leisure Centre at 7pm.
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Sue and Lucy off to London
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Sue Calvert and Lucy Jones have been awarded the clubs London Marathon places for 2010. Good luck to them both and all other Harriers taking part on the day.
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Abergele 5 Results are now available.
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The results from todays Spillane & Co. Wealth Management Abergele 5 are now up on Abergele 5 page. The results are provisional. If you have any queries please contact Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk. Thanks to all the runners today who braved the terrible weather and congratulations to all.
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Borders League is Back!
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This seasons Borders Road Running League started in Christleton where sixteen Harriers were among the 320 starters on Sunday. For full results and a report go to the Borders League page.
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New Cross-Country Web-Site
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Anew web-site for the North Wales Cross Country League has been set up. Find a link to it at the top of our cross-country page.
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Colwyn Bay Cross Country results
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The official times and positions of the first round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country league held in Colwyn Bay are now in and on the cross country page. A full set of results will be posted on our notice board in Abergele Leisure Centre.
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Sue's team does well in Colwyn Bay
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New Cross Country Manager Sue Calvert took a slightly weakened but successful team to the first round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League in Colwyn Bay on Saturday. See her report on cross country page.
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Vernon and Ed win Welsh Titles
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Both Vernon Pownall (MV55) and Ed Reid (MV45) won the Welsh Masters Marathon titles at the Anglesey Marathon on Sunday. For more detains go to the results page.
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Darren Triumphs in Llanddoged again!
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Darren Blazier once again won the Llanddoged 12.5k road race on sunday in the second fastest time the race has ever been run in. For full details go to the results page.
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Darren's hatrick of North Wales titles.
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Darren Blazier added the 10k North Wales title to the Half-Marathon and 5k titles he won earlier this year, with a fantastic performance in this years Caernarfon 10k on Sunday. For full details go to the Reports page.
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Hillary runs up the Alps
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Over last weekend Hillary Jauqes travelled to Switzerland to take on two uphill mountain races on success days. On Saturday she completed the Schilthorn Half Marathon from Lauterbrunnen to the top of Schilthorn, a 7,200 foot ascent, in a magnificent time of 3hrs 44mins. She then travelled to Zermatt early the next morning, on the 5am train, to complete the International Matterhorn Race, which is a 12.49k race from Zermatt to Schwarzsee with just under 3,000 feet of climbing, in an outstanding time of 1hr 53mins.
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Geran conquers the Welsh 3000s
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On Saturday Club Chairman Geran Hughes had intended taking on the Welsh 3000’s challenge but postponed it for 24 hours because on the weather conditions. The following day, in only slightly better conditions, he set out running from the Pen-Y-Pas and ran over all 15 Welsh peaks that are over 3000 feet, running for more than 27 miles and climbing over 13,000 feet altogether to finish on the top of Foel Fras in Carneddau 8 hours and 48 minutes later. The overall challenge also included over two hours of walking/running in addition to this to get to the start and from the finish, but was all worth while as Geran raised over £500 for Autism. Thanks also to all those who helped to make the challenge possible, including wise wife Angie who supported him in Nant Peris and Ogwen Valley and ran to meet him at the finish, to Alwyn Oliver of Eryri Harriers who helped to pace him up the last section up Carneddau, and Jenny and Islwyn Richards who also helped pacing towards the end, as well as Sue Calvert and Lucy Jones who helped with the sponsorship; a tremendous team effort overall.
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PBs for all in Sale
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Four Harriers were in the field of 300 in the Sale 10 mile road race with all four achieving personal best times. For full details of how they all got on go to the results page.
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Llanfair Race biggest for years
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Eleven Abergele Harriers were among the thirty runners in this years Llanfair TH Mountain Race, the biggest field for several years. Full results and report on the Llanfair TH page.
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Darren Blazes a trail up the Orme
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Darren Blazier won the Orme 5k on Sunday in an amazing time of 19,ins 21secs. For more details go to the results page.
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Cross Country Training Run
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A Cross Country training run will take place on Saturday 5th September at Eirias Park in Colwyn Bay, starting at 10am. There will be a get together afterwards at Cross Country Captain Sue Calvert's house the same day from 4pm to 8pm.
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Committee Meeting date changed
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The next Committee meeting has been changed again and will now take place on Sunday 26th July at 7.30pm in the Be Hotel.
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Borders League Dates for 2009-10
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The dates for next seasons Borders League have now been fixed. To view them, go to the Borders League page. Please note the club has to organise the race on the 14th February, and the final race is on a Wednesday.
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Geran running the Welsh 3000s for charity.
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Club Chairman, Geran Hughes will be running the Welsh 3000s for "Autism" on Saturday 15th August, starting at 10am at the Pen Y Pas and finishing 6-8 hours later on Foel Fras in Carneddau, 27 miles later having completed 13,000 feet of climbing. Any member (or otherwise) who would like to run any part with him is very welcome, or who would like to support him along the way, please contact Geran or Angie.
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Llanfair TH Mountain Race
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This years Llanfair TH Mountain Race takes place on Saturday July 25th at 12 Noon. Members are encouraged to support this tough race over Llanfair mountain. Entries on the day only. Enjoy the fun of the fair afterwards in the Sports and Recreation field where the race finishes.
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Club Handicap 2009
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The 2009 club handicap race took place in blistering sunshine on Sunday in Llanfair TH. For a full report and photographs go to the handicap page.
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More North Wales titles for Harriers
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Abergele Harriers can boast two new North Wales Champions after nine Harriers were among the 95 runners who took on the elements in this years Sun Centre 5k which once again incorporated the championships. For full details go to our results page.
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Borders League Results Arrive
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The results of the final Borders League race in Wrexham are now available. Go to the Borders League page to view.
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Committee / Race Committee Meeting
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The next Committee meeting will be held at 7.30 pm on Sunday 10th May in the Bee Hotel. Abergele. There will be a meeting of the Race Committee immediately afterwards. It is essential that all members of the Race Committee attend as the race positions will be decided at this meeting.
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Harriers maintain Premeriership status!
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Thanks to a fantastic team performance at the last Borders League race in Wrexham on Wednesday, the men's team managed to draw in a deficit of over 100 points and climb out of the relegation zone to safety in the top flight for another season. Congratulations to all who turned up on the night and especially Club Captain Darren Blazier, who also was one of only three Harriers to win an individual prize for the season (5th Senior Man), the other two being Tim Cahill (2nd MV45 and Josh Dixon (2nd Junior Man).
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Six Harriers triumph in London.
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Six Harriers took part in this years London Marathon, with two making their debuts, two achieving personal best times and the remaining two achieving their best times for several years. For full details log on to the London Marathon page.
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Club shines in windy Wrexham
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Seven Harriers travelled to Wrexham to the North Wales 10 mile Championships, all coming home with prizes, including Four new North Wales Champions, three Runners up, the Male Vets team gold and the Senior mens team silver, making it the most successful North Wales Championship race in the clubs history. For full details go to the results page.
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Club Handicap Race 2009
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The details of this years Club Handicap race which takes place on Sunday June 14th in Llanfair TH are now available. Go to the Handicap page to find all out.
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Cross Country dates for 2009-10
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At the AGM of the North Wales Cross Country Association on 3rd April 2009
the following was decided;
Race dates 2009-10;
Colwyn Bay 26th September
Telford 10th October
Bangor 21st November
Wrexham 16th January
Oswestry 6th February
Inter-Reg East Wales 13th December
(Selection only race)
N.W. Champs ? Northup 9th January
Welsh Champs South Wales 31st January
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Josh does very well in English Schools Cross-Country Championships
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Josh Dixon ran in the English Schools Cross-Country Championships on Saturday. To see how he got on, go to the results page.
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Blazier and McCormack win Welsh medals down south
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Darren Blazier and Sean McCormack were part of the North Wales Masters team that travelled to the Atlantic College 10k race at St Donat’s Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan which also incorporated the Welsh 10k Road Championships, and both came back north with Championship medals.For details go to the results page.
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New membership forms
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Membership is now due for 2009-2010. Membership forms are available from Membership Secretary, Jaime Ashton, or can be downloaded from the "membership information site". Jaime also now holds all the club kit. Any orders of kit need to be made with a kit order form which again can be got from Jaime or downloaded from the kit page.
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Josh selected for Wales
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Josh Dixon, who has been running fantastically well recently, has been rewarded with a Welsh vest, having been selected to run for Wales in a cross-country international to be held in Caernarfon at the end of March.
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Darren becomes the Club's latest Captain
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Congratulations to Darren Blazier who was elected the club's latest Captain at the AGM on Sunday. Congratulations also to Haydn Jones who was elected Vice-Captain and Sue Clavert who was elected Cross Country Manager. For full details of the new Committee and the AGM go to the Officials page and the AGM page. Early details of this years handicap race were also discussed at the AGM (see the Handicap page)and the eligibility criteria for the 2010 London Marathon Club places (see the London Marathon page).
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Meinir is just Champion!
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Meinir Huws became the club's latest North Wales Champion when the official results of the recent Wrexham Half Marathon results became available. Meinir's outstanding performance on the day earned her the FV50 Half Marathon Championship title.
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Two new North Wales Champions for the Harriers
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Abergele Harriers is celebrating its first two North Wales Champions of the year after the Village Bakery Half-Marathon in Wrexham which as usual incorporated the North Wales Half-Marathon championships. For details go to the results page.
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So near and yet so far!
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The final results from the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League are in and it is a matter of so near and yet so far for the men's team finishing up fourth in both the Men's first division and the Men's Veterans League, missing out on medals in the later by only five points. Unfortunately the ladies team were relegated back to the second division after only one year in the top division. Both teams will be hoping for better next season.For full details go to the Cross Country page.
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AGM News
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The closing date for nominations for next years Committee has arrived, as has the date for "items for discussion". For full details go to the AGM page.
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Cross Country season comes to an end.
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Eleven Harriers braved the weather and travelled to the final round of the Grand Prix Express North Wales cross country league on Saturday in Oswestry. To see how the season concluded go to the cross country page.
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Josh gets the nod for Nottingham
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Josh Dixon has been rewarded for his excellent recent form by being selected for the North Wales Counties Under 20 team to take part in the UK Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in Nottingham on 7th March.
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Veteran Men retain North Wales title
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Abergele Harriers Veteran men's team retained their North Wales title at the North Wales Championships in Northop on Saturday. For full details of how the club got on go to the results page.
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Josh wins in style in Colwyn Bay.
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For the second year in succession Abergele Harriers produced the overall winner of the Twin Piers race in Colwyn Bay, when Josh Dixon ran magnificently to win the race by ten seconds from Eryri Harriers Matthew Roberts. For a full report and the complete results go to the Results page.
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Long Sunday runs
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"Long Sunday runs" are to begin again on Sunday mornings. The runs will be lead by Alan Lucas, so anyone interested please talk to Alan.The runs will be approximately 15 miles or more, but with the provision that some members may want to cut off at a shorter distance. Anyone interested in running with Alan needs to contact him on the Saturday night to confirm that they will be turning up. Alan can be contacted on 07866925818.
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AGM
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This year's AGM will take place on Sunday March 1st. Nominations are needed for the following positions which will become available at that time; Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Captain, Vice-Captain, Secretary, Membership Secretary. Nominations must be received in writing on or before Sunday 8th February, and can be given to any of the Committee. All nominations will be published on the website and on the Noticeboard by Sunday 15th February. Items for discussion must also be received by 8th February.
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Castles Relay 2009
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The date for this years Welsh Castles Relay is June 13th and 14th. The club needs commitment from 20 members before the club enters the race. Please give your name as soon as possible to Alan Lucas if you would like to run in the "relay".
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Abergele 5, 2009
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Please note the date for the 2009 Abergele 5 race which includes the North Wales 5 Mile Championships is November 1st NOT November 8th as in the Welsh Athletics Handbook.
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Cross Country success in Wrexham
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The Harriers' men's team produced its best result of the season in Wrexham on Saturday, while Sue Calvert and Sonia Wignall did the club proud in the ladies race. For full details go to the Cross Country page.
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Josh wins College Cross Country race
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Josh Dixon ran a 5.2mile Cross Country race for his college on Saturday coming first out of a very strong field of 86 runners, finishing in a fantastic time of 27mins 57secs.
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Harriers Award Night
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Abergele Harriers made their annual presentations at training on Wednesday night, honouring those members who went that extra mile in 2008. The trophy for the Most Improved Athlete of the Year went to Keith Elliott who achieved personal best times at most distances during the year. The Captain’s Merit Award went to John Essary who is the only club member to have competed in every Borders League race since the club entered the league over seven years ago, fifty one league races in succession. The Club Person of the Year award went to Haydn Jones, for his work for the club all season, especially his help with organising the Abergele 5 in November. Female Athlete of the Year was Carol Willgoose, who despite a major ankle injury in September in the Colwyn Bay had managed enough excellent performances earlier in the season to impress. Male Athlete of the Year went to Sean McCormack who achieved Welsh titles on the road and on the track and gained his first Welsh International vest in cross country in November.
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PACT Grant from North Wales Police
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Abergele Harriers are delighter to announce that they were successful in obtaining a grant from the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT), which helped towards the costs for this years Abergele 5 road race in November. The race this year, which was once again a huge success, required extra funding to go towards new safety signs in particular, in order to comply with Health and Safety regulations. The grant from PACT along with the support of the North Wales Police on the day helped the race to run smoothly and safely and satisfy the British Association of Road Runners (BARR) scrutinisers who were present that the race complied with all the regulations for a Gold Standard race, one of only a hand full of Gold Standard races in Wales. Once again the club would like to thank the North Wales Police for their continued support and help.
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Harriers crowned Welsh Masters Cross-Country Champions
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Abergele Harriers made history on Saturday by winning the Welsh Masters MV40-49 title in Wrexham for the first time ever, adding it to the Welsh 10K road title the club’s Veteran team won in September.The star of the day was Dewi Roberts in 7th position overall, and for more details go to the Results page. Photos on the Photos page.
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Two Harriers ranked First in Wales
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The Welsh Masters Athletic Association have published their ends of year Track and Field rankings and two Harriers find themselves ranked first in Wales. Club Captain Geran Hughes was the top ranked Veteran in the 3000m Steeplechase with a time of 10mins 56secs and second at the 3000m with a time of 9mins 29secs. Sean McCormack is ranked top Veteran at 10,000m with a time of 34mins23secs and second at 5,000m with a time of 16mins 43secs. McCormack is also ranked fourth at 3000m (9m40sec), eight at 800m (2m24sec) and fourteenth at 400m (62.9sec), with his 10,000m time also ranking him third “Welsh” male of any age for the distance in 2008.
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Harriers of the year
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It is time for all Harriers to vote for their “Athletes of the Year” and “Most Improved Athlete”. Voting slips can be got on Wednesday nights from the club and must be returned on or before Wednesday 17th December. Please note that these awards should be based on Athletic Performances and not “services to the Club”. The Committee award a separate trophy “Club Member of the Year” to a member that they feel has provided great service to the club throughout the year, irrespective of their performances or running ability.
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Darren succesful in Lanzarote again
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Darren Blazier has just come back from Lanzarote following another very successful weeks racing there. At the end of the week he finished in 8th position overall and once again won his age category following a superb 1hr 16mins for the final race, the half-marathon. During the week he also took part in his first ever aquathon, which incorporated a 200m swim and a 3k run, and won the event, and also was part of the winning triathlon and duathlon teams.
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Six selected for North Wales
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A club record six members have been selected for North Wales for the Inter-regional Cross-Country Championships to be held in Wrexham on December 13th, including one member making his debut for the region and one returning after many years. Dewi Roberts has been selected mfor North Wales for the first time after impressing the selectors in the Bangor Cross Country race on Saturday while Tim Cahill has been rewards for superb runs in Bangor and Colwyn Bay being reselected for the region after an absence of many years. Dewi will become one of a very select group of individuals who have represented North Wales in two different sports, having represented the area in Cricket as a junior in the past. Also in the V40-49 team is Sean McCormack and Geran Hughes, while in the under 20 team, Steven McCormack and Josh Dixon were both also selected.
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Steve Ward leads the field
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Steve Ward was second overall in the Handicap at the Hoylake Borders League race and is now a magnificent 3rd overall in this season's Handicap competition. For full details go to the Borders League page.
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Sean runs for Wales in Swansea
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Sean McCormack made his "debut" for "his country" in Swansea on Saturday, in the British and Irish Masters Cross-Country International. To see how he got on, gop to the results page and for photos to the photos page.
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Grahame remains unbeaten in Spain
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Grahame Shone made in four wins out of four in Spain recently, when he ran the Salou Half-Marathon. For further details go to the results page (photo on the photos page)
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Course Recors at 22nd Annual Race.
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Abergele Harriers held their 22nd annual road race, The Spillane & Co. Wealth Management Abergele 5 on Sunday in almost perfect running conditions. There was an extremely strong field of 240 runners, and given the quality present it was no surprise that the course record was broken. For full results go to the Abergele 5 page and for a report go to the Results page. Next years race will be on Sunday November 1st.
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Josh Runs for St Kentigans Hospice
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Josh Dixon is doing a charity run from Abergele to the Great Orme, along the North Wales coast, in aid of St Kentigern's Hospice in St Asaph, on Sunday 14th December. To donate to Josh, log onto http://www.justgiving.com/joshdixon
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Sean gets to run for "his country!"
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Irish-born Sean McCormack will be in the Welsh MV45 team to face England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and his native Republic of Ireland in Swansea on November 15th.The Harriers can boast a new International to its ranks with Sean McCormack winning his first Welsh “vest” following an International call-up at the weekend. Darren Blazier has been named as a reserve for the MV35 team.
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London Marathon Club Places, 2009
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The clubs 2 guaranteed places will be drawn in early December. Please remember, in order to qualify for one of the places you must;
1) Be a fully paid up first-claim member of Abergele Harriers.
2) Have attended 15 Wednesday training sessions between January 2008 and December 2008.
3) Have applied, and been rejected for the 2009 race.
Please give your rejection e-mail or slip to Sean McCormack ASAP.
The sooner we have all the rejections in, the sooner we can make the draw.
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Busy weekend of League races for Harriers
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It was a very busy weekend for Abergele Harriers with a Cross Country League fixture on Saturday and a Borders Road Running League fixture the following day, with six men turning out for both teams. Thanks also to Geran Hughes, on Saturday, and John Earlston on Sunday, both runners injured at present but travelled to the fixtures to help out and support. To see how both teams got on, go to the cross country and border league pages.
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Official Cross Country times in.
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The official times for the cross-country race in Colwyn Bay have just arrived. Go to the Cross Country page to see members' times.
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Quartet debut well in Newcastle
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Five Harriers competed in this year's Great North run including a quartet of women tackling the distance for the first time. To see how they all got on, go to the results page.
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21 turn out to new "Beginners Group"
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The first major success of the week can on Wednesday when Jamie Ashton started her latest “Beginners Group” and lead out 21 new runners. The turn out was beyond the club’s wildest dreams and all the new “runners” appeared to enjoy it. The aim for the new group is that in twelve weeks they will all be able to run 3k without stopping and who is to know, but hopefully a number may well be running in next years Great North Run.
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Tough opening fixture for Harriers
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It was a very tough opening fixture for the Harriers in the Grand Prix Express North Wales Cross Country League, with many key members injured both before and during the races. However, despite disappointing overall team results, there were many outstanding individual performances. To details and photos go to the cross-country page.
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Carol gets Championship best in Flint
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Carol Willgoose won the FV50 North Wales 10k Championship title in Flint on Sunday in a new championship best time. For more details go to the results page and ther are lots of photos to be seen on the photos page.
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Cross-Country training
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Members are reminded that the cross-country season is nearly upon us, with the first league race taking place on Saturday September 27th in Colwyn Bay. In preparation for this there will be a cross-country training session in Colwyn Bay on Wednesday night, 10th September, meeting at 6.30pm at the skate park in Eirias Park, and starting at 6.45pm. For further details contact Cross Country Captain Sean McCormack at Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk
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Harriers Strike Gold Again
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It was history in the making for Abergele Harriers with the club winning it’s first ever Welsh team gold medal in Caernarfon, as well as three individual Golds and one Bronze. For full details of how everyone got on go to the results page.
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New beginners group starting up in October
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Beginners Running Group
Club Vice-Captain Jaime Ashton is starting up a new beginners group on October 1st. For further details go to the Members Information page or contact Jaime on; jaime118@fsmail.net
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Steven strikes gold in Neath
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Steven McCormack became the third Welsh Champion for the club this year by winning the Welsh Under 20 10,000m gold medal in Neath on Wednesday night. On the same night, Dad Sean won silver over the same distance in the Senior Men's race , despite being 10 years out of the age category!
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Geran does well in Europe
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On Sunday Geran Hughes was representing Great Britain in the 16th European Veterans Championships in Ljubljana in Slovini in the 3000m steeplechase. To see how he got on go to the results page and for photos go to the photos page.
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Hillary Shines on Snowdon
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Hillary Jaques ran the Snowdon International Mountain race on Saturday and finished 2nd lady in her age category, a magnificent achievement in such a prestigious race. For more details go to the results page.
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Hughes and McCormack strike Gold in Newport
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Abergele Harriers can boast two Welsh Champions in its ranks, after Geran Hughes and Sean McCormack both won Gold Medals in the Welsh Masters Track and Field Championships in Newport just two weeks after winning bronze medals in the British Masters Championships. For more details go to the results page.
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Tim returns to the track in style.
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Tim Cahill returned to track racing after a fifteen year absence, to take part in the 3000m race at Trafford on Tuesday night. To see how Tim, Sean and Steven got on go to the results page.
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British Bronzes for Geran and Sean
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Club Captain Geran Hughes won a Bronze medal in the British Masters 3000m steeplechase in Birmingham on Saturday, while Sean McCormack also won British Masters Bronze in the 5000m in the same championships the following day. For more details go to the results page and photos on the photos page.
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North Wales Selections
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Darren Blazier and Sean McCormack were rewarded for the recent good form by both being selected for the North Wales Masters team to take part in the Welsh Inter-Regional 10k Championships which are incorporated into the Caernarfon 10k race which takes place on 31st August.
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Borders League Dates for 2008-09
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The borders League dates for the coming season have just been announced. Go to the Borders League Page to see them.
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Castles Success!
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It was another very successful Welsh Castles Relay for the Harriers over the weekend, with the club completing the course in a club record time of 25hrs 27mins, almost 30 minutes faster than last year. For a full report, and the provisional results go to the Castles page. See also over 400 photos of the event courtesy of Geran, Steven and Rob.
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Two new North Wales Champions for Harriers
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Abergele Harriers can boast two new North Wales Champions after the Rhyl 5k with Darren Blazier winning the MV35 category and Stephen Boyton winning the under 17 title. For full details go to the results page.
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"Castles" planning meeting.
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Plans for this years Castles Relay on the weekend of 14th and 15th of June are almost complete, and all members involved are advised that there will be a “Castles planning meeting” held in the Bee Hotel at 7.30pm on Sunday 1st June. All members involved in the race must attend this meeting for details of the course, safety regulations and marshalling duties. Anyone who finds it impossible to attend needs to contact Club Captain Geran Hughes.
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Harriers win 5 medals at Track Championships
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Sean and Steven McCormack travelled to the North Wales Track and Field Championships in Deeside on Saturday, taking home 3 gold and two silver medals. For a full report go to the Results page with some "action" pictures on the photos page.(Sean's "dip" for the line in the 400m and Steven's "water jump" technique are worth viewing!)
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Another record night for Harriers
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It was records all round for Abergele Harriers at the final race of the Borders Road Running League in Deeside on Wednesday, with the team winning the Veterans League for the first time in club’s history, winning a record seven individual prizes overall, and on the day fielding a record twenty six members and the men’s team getting a league record ten counters home in the top thirty nine positions, scoring a club record 251 points in the process. Full report on the Borders League page.
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Harriers Double North Wales Champions
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Five Abergele Harriers travelled to Wrexham for the Wrexham 10 Mile road race that once again incorporated the North Wales Championships, coming home with several prizes including team and individual titles. The team went one better than last year, winning both the North Wales Men’s and Veteran Men’s Championship titles, having been silver medalists in both categories twelve months previously with the exact same team. For full details go to the Results page.
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Five do very well in London
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Five members took on this year's Flora London Marathon, one doing it for the first time, and two others achieving personal best times. For full details of how they got on go to the London or results page.
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Cross Country news.
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All the important dates for next seasons Cross-Country season are just in , as well as some very import news regarding the numbers of ladies "to count" in the ladies races next season. For full details go to the Cross-Country page.
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Harriers Champions in the Spring
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers won the team prize in the Chest Spring 5 on Wednesday as well as a number of individual prizes. For full details go to the results page.
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Annual General Meeting, 2008
*~*~*~*~*
The 2008 AGM takes place on Sunday April 6th at 7.30 in the Bee Hotel, Abergele. For agenda and details of committee nominations go to the AGM page. All members are urged to attend.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers have their youngest ever International
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers have a new International added to their ranks with Josh Dixon making his debut for Wales in the Presidents Cup in Dublin on Wednesday. Josh, who has been running for less than 12 months, only made his North Wales debut on Saturday and has now been selected for full International honours.
*~*~*~*~*
Three do well in Nottingham
*~*~*~*~*
Three Abergele Harriers were on representative duty at the weekend for North Wales in the UK Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships and World Cross-Country trials which were held in Wollaton Park in Nottingham on Saturday. For details of how they got on go to the results page, and see the photos on the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
Blazier on fire in Lanzarote
*~*~*~*~*
For the second time in less than a week Darren Blazier was victorious, this time in the La Santa Half-Marathon. For full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Darren wins once again in Lanzarote.
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Blazier won his second 10k race of the year, by winning the La Santa 10k in Lanzarote on Saturday, while his Borders League team produced an excellent performance in Mold to stay top of the Veterans League and well in contention in both the Men's and Ladies Leagues.For Darren's race details go to the results page , while full details of the League race are on the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Two Harriers selected for North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
Two Harriers have been selected to represent North Wales at the UK Athletic Union Cross Country Championships in Nottingham on 15th March, championships that will once again be televised on Sky Sports. Steven McCormack is in the Under 20 team while Geran Hughes, a Veteran, ran so well all season that he has been selected as a reserve in the Senior Men's team. Congratulations also to Phil Edge of Deeside, who trains with the Harriers on Wednesdays and has been selected in the Under 17 team.
*~*~*~*~*
Two new North Wales Champions for the Harriers
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers can boast two new North Wales Champions for 2008 with Darren Blazier and Sean McCormack both winning their age categories in the North Wales Half-Marathon Championships held in the Village Bakery Half-Marathon in Wrexham on Sunday. For race details go to the results page and photos on the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers win Regional Honours
*~*~*~*~*
At the North Wales Regional Athletic Board Meeting on Friday, the road running rankings and annual awards were announced and ratified. Darren Blazier was ranked third male overall on the road in 2007 and 1st in the MV35 category, while John Earlston was ranked both first in the MV45 category and first Veteran overall for the year after outstanding results , most notable his 74mins 14secs in the Wrexham half-marathon in February. Sean McCormack won the Manager's award for Best Male Performance for North Wales in 2007, with his 77min 28secs for the Humbar Half-Marathon in June.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers Shine on the Orme
*~*~*~*~*
Ten Harriers took part in this years Nick Beer 10k, including three who had raced in Oswestry the previous day. Two members won their age categories and all ran superbly. For full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
More Cross-Country Success for the Harriers
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers for the second time in three weeks proved their strength in depth at cross-country,following the final race in the Majestic Travel North Wales League in Oswestry, with the ladies team winning the second devision and gaining promotion to the first, while the men's team were runners up in the first division and bronze medalists in the Veterans League. Added to this four members won individual prizes. For full details, go to the cross-country page.
*~*~*~*~*
"Abergele 5" goes Gold!
*~*~*~*~*
The Abergele 5 race in November 2008 has been awarded a "gold grading" for the first time ever this year by BARR. The race this year which will be held on November 2nd will also once again include the North Wales 5 mile championships.
*~*~*~*~*
Home advantage pays off in Borders League
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers hosted the fourth round of this seasons Borders Road Running League, and made home advantage pay off, by not only getting the best ever score in the seven years that that club has been in the League, but also won the race on the day with the best score by any club this season. For full details go to the Borders League page.
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Champions!
*~*~*~*~*
Saturday was one of the greatest days in the history of Abergele Harriers when the male cross-country team became both Veteran and Overall North Wales Cross-Country Champions at the championship meeting in Northop College. For details go to the results page and photos on the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
Grahame wins in Alicante
*~*~*~*~*
Grahame Shone won the MV55 category in the Sante Pola Half-Marathon in Spain, in an excellent 1hr 27mins 59secs. For full details of how he and Alan Lucas got on, go to the results page,
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Storms to Victory
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Blazier had the greatest race triumph of his career by winning the 2008 Twin Piers race on Saturday, in an outstanding time of 33mins 13secs, 36 seconds clear of his nearest rival. Darren was one of thirteen Harriers in the race, five winning prizes. Full results are available here
*~*~*~*~*
Marshals needed!
*~*~*~*~*
All Harriers are reminded that the club will be hosting the next round of the Borders Road Running League on Sunday 3rd February. Any members not racing are asked to make themselves available to marshal on the day, by contacting Borders League Manager, Darren Blazier. All those who do race are asked to also provide a marshal to represent them.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross-Country Success in Wrexham
*~*~*~*~*
Nineteen men and six ladies took part in the penultimate round of the Majestic Travel Cross-Country League in Wrexham, all getting on very well. The ladies manages to score a record 100 points while the men also maintained their push for medals this season. For full details and photos go to the Cross-Country page.
*~*~*~*~*
Record turn-out for Handicap
*~*~*~*~*
A record 26 Abergele Harriers turned out for the club’s annual Handicap race, which this year again had a new format, simply consisting of a five mile out-and-back course, where members were asked to pace themselves evenly to try to run each direction in exactly the same time, without the aid of any timing device; the winners being the man and women who got closest to an exact split. For full details of how everyone got on and somegreat photos go to the Handicap page.
*~*~*~*~*
Darren produces the Race of a Lifetime
*~*~*~*~*
“Club Member of the Year” Darren Blazier, justified his recent award, by producing probably the greatest race performance of his career to date, and possibly the best by a Harrier all year, in the Sale 5 mile race on Sunday. For full details of who he, and three other Harriers got on, go to the results page.
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Christmas Celebrations for the Harriers
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The Club held its annual Christmas dinner and awards evening on Friday night in Rhos Cricket Club. For details of all the award winners and photos to be admired at go to the Christmas Dinner page.
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Welsh Masters Cross-Country Successes
*~*~*~*~*
The official results of the Welsh Masters Cross-Country Championships were published this week, with the race taking place within the Ibter-Regional Championships. All Harriers were celebrating, none more so than Angie Hughes who achieved a fantastic 4th position, only nine seconds away from a medal, in the FV40 category. Sean McCormack was 5th in the MV40 age group and Justin McIlveen 7th in the MV35 age group. For full results log onto the Welsh Athletics web site.
*~*~*~*~*
Club Handicap Race
*~*~*~*~*
The 2008 Club Handicap race takes place on Sunday 6th January at 11am from Pensarn. Please meet first at Abergele Leisure Centre at 10.45am. The race will be approx 5 miles with details only supplied on the morning of the race. Hint; The person who can best pace themselves will win! Presentations will take place back at the Leisure Centre at about 12.30pm with food then provided by the club in the Bee Hotel at 1pm. All members, first and second claim, are welcome for the "race".
*~*~*~*~*
London Marathon Club Places
*~*~*~*~*
Congratulations to Carol Willgoose and Simon Grant who won the club's two London Marathon places, with Keith Elliott and Robert Spotswood as first and second substitute respectively.
*~*~*~*~*
Quartet of Harriers run well in Cardiff.
*~*~*~*~*
Four Harriers were on representative duty for North Wales in the Welsh Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships in Cardiff, all running fantastically well. For details go to the results page with photos on the photos page.
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London Marathon Club Places
*~*~*~*~*
The London Marathon "rejections" are out and the Club Places need to be "raffled" as soon as possible. To be eligible for the club's numbers you need to be 1) A fully paid up first claim member of Abergele Harriers, 2) Have attended at least 15 training sessions with the club since January 2007 and 3) Have applied and been rejected for the 2008 FLM. Please give your rejection slips as soon as possible to Sean. The names so far given are Robert Spotswood, David Edwards, Carol Willgoose, Simon Grant, Pete Smith and Keith Elliott. If you haven't given Sean your rejection slip yet, please do, and if there are any other members eligible please let Sean know as soon as possible.
*~*~*~*~*
Darren wins in Lanzarote.
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Blazier easily won his age category in the Lanzarote International running week, by over 10 minutes. For full details go to the results page.
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Five selected for North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
Five Harriers have been selected for the North Wales team to take part in the Welsh Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships on December 9th in Cardiff; Geran(v40) and Angie Hughes(fv40), Sean(v40) and Steven McCormack(u20) and Justin McIlveen (v35. Carol Willgoose was also selected but unfortunately isn't eligible. yet to compete for the region
*~*~*~*~*
Record day for Harriers in Bangor
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers had another record turn-out in Bangor for the latest round of the North Wales Cross Country Championships, with a number of outstanding results. At the end of the day the mens team were 3rd in the first and veterans divisions, while the ladies team went top of the second division. For details go to the Cross-Country page.
*~*~*~*~*
Justin shines in Penmaenmawr
*~*~*~*~*
Justin McIlveen produced one of the performances of the season in the Penmaenmawr fell race on Saturday. To see how he got on go to the results page.
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Justin third in North Wales Fell series.
*~*~*~*~*
Following a fantastic run in the Rhinog Horseshoe Fell race recently, Justin McIlveen finished third overall in the North Wales Fell Championship Series. For details of Justin's run go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers have a new North Wales Champion
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers added a new name to its long list of North Wales Champions, when John Ford won the MV35 title at the Abergele 5 mile road race on Sunday. For full results and photos go to the Slaters 5 page and for a report go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele 5 Results and Photos
*~*~*~*~*
The Abergele 5 results and photos are already on the Slates 5 page. Have a look!
*~*~*~*~*
Geran and Tim for Wales
*~*~*~*~*
Following outstanding performances in Colwyn Bay and Telford, Geran Hughes has been selected for the Welsh v40 team to travel to Belfast for the home internationals in four weeks time, while Tim Cahill was also rewarded for his tremendous form when he was selected as a reserve in the MV45 team for the same race.
*~*~*~*~*
Male Vets team lead the Borders League
*~*~*~*~*
The men's veteran team for the first time in the club's history are leading the Veteran League after the first round of the Borders Road running League in Prestatyn, with a hansom 105 point lead over their nearest challengers Buckley, while the overall male team is in second position in the League.
*~*~*~*~*
Telford Cross-Country
*~*~*~*~*
The mini-bus for the Telford cross-country race will be leaving Abergele Leisure Centre at 11am on Saturday 20th October and will be expecting to return at about 6pm.
*~*~*~*~*
Superb Borders League opener
*~*~*~*~*
Nineteen Abergele Harriers turned out for the first round the Borders Road Running League in Prestatyn. The men’s team, back in the first division this season, posted a fantastic team score of 336 points, one of the best on the day.For full details of how everyone got on go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies rewarded with top spot
*~*~*~*~*
The ladies team that turned out to the Cross-Country on Saturday in Colwyn Bay got their just rewards by finishing the day top of the second division for the first time in the history of the club. The men's veteran team were also very pleased with third position overall in the Veteran League, the same position that they finished in last season. For full details and lots of new photos of the day, go to the cross-country page.
*~*~*~*~*
John still unbeatable!
*~*~*~*~*
John Earlston continued his unbeaten run in Wales this year with a fantastic run in this years Flintshire 10k. For more details see the results page.
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Record turn-out in Colwy Bay
*~*~*~*~*
Nineteen members represented the club in the first round of the Majestic Travel Cross Country League, including a record nine women. For details and photos go to the cross-country page.
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Darren Triumphs in Llanddoged
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Blazier ran the race of his life to win the Ras Fawr Llanddoged on Sunday, against fierce competition both from fellow Harriers and a very strong Eryri team. The Harriers also won the team prize. For full details go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Sara Delivers!
*~*~*~*~*
Congratulations to Sara and Justin McIlveen on the birth of their new son Charlie, just in time for Sara to resume training for the upcoming cross-country season! A reliable source stated that Charlie had donned his first pair of trainers today, at 4 days old!
*~*~*~*~*
Haydn does well for Charity.
*~*~*~*~*
Haydn Jones ran to Llanwrst (20miles) and cycled back home (23 miles because he got lost!) on Saturday in aid on the Air Ambulance. His total time was 4hrs 58mins and he made over £150 for the cause. Very well done Haydn!
*~*~*~*~*
Three New Champions
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers have three new North Wales Champions following the Caernarfon 10k road race which incorporated the 10k Championships, including Darren Blazier who won his first Championship in the newly formed MV35 category. For full details check out the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Rob Races to Victory
*~*~*~*~*
Robert Spotswood achieved the first race victory of his career, with a superb run in Crewe on Sunday. For details, see the results page. Congratulations Rob!
*~*~*~*~*
Man power beats steam power.
*~*~*~*~*
Steven McCormack proved that man power can get the better of steam power, when he was one of two Harriers who took on the Talyllyn Steam train in Tywyn on Saturday. For details go to the results page and photos on the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
Justin wins over the fells
*~*~*~*~*
Justin McIlveen of Abergele Harriers, became the latest club member to win a race, on Sunday in the Leg End fell race. For full details, go to the results page.
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Simon right back on form.
*~*~*~*~*
Simon Shiels proved he is once again a force to be reckoned with when he raced the Sale 10 on Sunday. To see how he, and several other Harriers, got on, go to the results page.
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Captain Geran shines in Birmingham
*~*~*~*~*
Club Captain Geran Hughes took part in the British Masters Track and Field Championships in Birmingham on Sunday. To see how he got on , go to the results page and see photos on the photos page.
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Harriers win in Dolgellau again!
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers won the team prize in the Dolgellau 5 mile race for the second year in succession, as well as two individual prizes. See full details on the results page.
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Sean makes it a hat-trick in Llanfair.
*~*~*~*~*
Sean McCormack, was first home in the Llanfair TH Mountain run for the third time in four years. For details of the run and photos of the days events, go to the Llanfair Sports Day page.
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Barefoot Becky gets her reward
*~*~*~*~*
Becky Smith was the latest winner of the Captain's Award (June) for her performance in the Riverbank 10k where she had to run the second half of the race barefoot after her shoes started giving trouble. For a full list of winners see the captains Award page.
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Six go and beat the train
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A club record six members, out of eleven members who did the race, beat the train on Wednesday night in the Caernarfon Beat the Train event. See details on the reports page and photos on the photos page.
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Harriers Men Clean up at the Orme
*~*~*~*~*
The Abergele Harriers Men's team made it a clean sweep at the Great Orme Challenge on Sunday, taking home eight of the eleven male trophies available, with seven men finishing in the top ten. For full details go to the results page and see photos on the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
Men miss out in Liverpool by the narrowest of margins.
*~*~*~*~*
Four men and one lady took part in the Penny Lane 10k on Sunday, and although the quintet of runners achieved three personal best times for the distance the men missed out on the team prize by a single point, 58 points to 57, to Liverpool running club. For details gop th the race results page , with photos on the photos page.
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Borders League Dates Arrive
*~*~*~*~*
The Borders Road Running League dates have just arrived. For details see the Borders League page.
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Sean and Haydn shine in Northop
*~*~*~*~*
Sean McCormack and Haydn Jones took part in the Celyn Trail race in Northop and both came home with trophies. For details see the results page.
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Record run at the Riverbank
*~*~*~*~*
Eighteen Harriers took part in this years Riverbank Run, taking home 11 prizes. For full details go to the results page, with photos on the photos page.
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Hughes do well in Horwich
*~*~*~*~*
Geran and Angie Hughes took part in the British Masters 5K Championships in Horwich, both doing very well. For more details, go to the results page.
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Not "A Bridge Too Far" for the Harriers
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Blazier and Sean McCormack represented North Wales in the British Inter-Counties HALF marathon Championships which were incorporated into the Humber Bridge Half MARATHON. To see how they got on, go to the results page.
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Pete meets Ron Hill
*~*~*~*~*
Pete Smith completed the Freckleton Half-Marathon on Sunday and afterwards met the infamous Ron Hill, who also ran in the race. See a photo of Pete and Ron on the photos page.
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Harriers record run through Wales
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers completed the Welsh Castles relay over the hottest weekend of the year completing the 210 mile course from Caernarfon Castle to Cardiff Castle in 26hrs 8mins 49secs, 1 hr 13mins and 9secs faster than last year, finishing 16th in the King of the Mountains competition and 34th overall, massive improvements on last years results. See a full report and photos on the Castles Relay page.
*~*~*~*~*
Justin conquers Snowdon
*~*~*~*~*
Justin McIlveen finished a fantastic 2nd overall in the Snowdon section of the Welsh 1000M fell races on Saturday in an amazing time of 1hr 49mins 27secs, just 8 seconds behind the winner.
*~*~*~*~*
Blazier and McCormack head for Humber
*~*~*~*~*
Darren Blazier and Sean McCormack have been selected to represent North Wales in the British Inter-Counties Half-Marathon Championships as part of the four man team traveling to the Humber Bridge Half-Marathon on 24th June. The other two members of the team are Paul Wathan and Darren Rowlands.
*~*~*~*~*
Record Harrier turn out at the Sun Centre
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers made up over quarter of the field in the SunCentre 5k on Wednesday and took home an even higher proportion of the prizes, yet the stars of the night were Jaime Ashtons "beginners group" graduates. To see how the bclub has three new North Wales championships and several future stars in the making go to the results and stats pages.Photos very soon.
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Bright Sunday for the Harriers
*~*~*~*~*
It was celebrations all round for Abergele Harriers on Sunday with the men’s team taking the honours at the Chester Half-Marathon, while several ladies made their club debuts in the Rhyl Race for Life. For full details of both go to the results page.
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Final Handicap Results In
*~*~*~*~*
The handicap resultss from the final Borders League Fixture in Wrexham are here. Go to the Borders League page to view them
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Earlston selected for North Wales
*~*~*~*~*
John Earlston has been rewarded for his outstanding form this year by being selected to represent North Wales in the UK Inter-regional Half-Marathon Championships which is incorporated into the Humber Bridge half-marathon in Hull on June 24th.
*~*~*~*~*
Harriers wrap up the league in record style!
*~*~*~*~*
The final round of the Borders Road Running League was held in Wrexham on Friday night, and it turned out to be the most historic night in the 21 year history of Abergele Harriers. Not only did the club have its biggest ever turn out for a league race (22 runners), the Harriers won the race on the night for the first time since joining the league seven years ago, they had five runners in the first 20 home for the third league race in succession, they won the second division with one of the best ever scores, and three Harriers won their individual categories overall, another was runner-up and another third. For full details of the race and season, including photos, go to the Borders League page.
*~*~*~*~*
Earlston extends unbeaten run
*~*~*~*~*
John Ealrston remains unbeaten in his age category this year following the Wrexham 10 raod race on Saturday. To see how John and five other Harriers gor on, go to the results page.
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Geran, first Vet home for Wales in Knock Dhu
*~*~*~*~*
Club Captain Geran Hughes had a superb run in the Home International fell race in Knock Dhu in Northern Ireland. To see exactly how he got on, go to the results page, with photographs of the day on the photos page.
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London Marathon
*~*~*~*~*
Several members traveled down to London for the capital’s annual event, including a number of members tackling the distance for the first time. For details of how they all got on, go to the results page.
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Hilary shines in Boston
*~*~*~*~*
Hilary Jaques ran the 111th Boston Marathon on Monday, which is not only the oldest Marathon in the World, but also the only Marathon where everyone must get a qualifying time in order to run it. For details of how she got on, see the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM News
*~*~*~*~*
Congratulations go to Geran Hughes who was elected unopposed for a second year as Club Captain, and Jamie Ashton who was elected unanimously as Vice-Captain, at the Club's AGM which was held on Sunday Night.
For full details of the new committee see the Club Officials page.
For further details of items discussed see the AGM page.
*~*~*~*~*
Honours Shared in "Mob Match"
*~*~*~*~*
The first "Mob Match" between Abergele Harriers and Prestatyn Running Club was held within the Borders League race in Northop on Sunday with honours shared, Abergele taking the Men's trophy and Prestatyn, the Ladies. For full details see the Borders League page. This will hopefully become an annual fixture between the clubs.
*~*~*~*~*
Ladies success in Isle of Man
*~*~*~*~*
Three female and two male Harriers travelled to the Isle of Man Easter Athletics festival, with the ladies having geat success. Angelle Hughes was not only 3rd Vet in the 5k race on Easter Sunday, but she was also 3rd Female Vet for the Festival overall. As well as Angie's success, Hilary Jaques also got among the prizes, finishing third Vet in the fell race on Saturday. For all the details go to the results page and see photos on the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
WA Fees now due
*~*~*~*~*
Welsh Athletics Membership fees are now due for 2007-08. If you have not received a form, please inform Angella Hughes, Membership Secretary.
If your Welsh Athletics registration is not renewed by April 1st, you will not be eligible to run in the Border League or Welsh and North Wales Championship races, or represent your Region/Country, after that date. You will also have to pay the Unattached Levy in any race held under UK Athletics rules.
*~*~*~*~*
AGM
*~*~*~*~*
The closing date for nominations and items for discussion at the AGM has arrived. Go to the AGM page for details.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country news.
*~*~*~*~*
The provisional dates for next seasons cross country League meetings have been fixed. Go to cross country page for details.
*~*~*~*~*
Geran wins another Welsh Vest
*~*~*~*~*
Club Captain Geran Hughes has been selected for the Welsh fell running team to travel to Knockdu in Northern Ireland on 28th April after a magnificant 5th position in the selection race, the Ras Moel Wnion on Saturday. For full details of the race go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Earlston remains unbeaten all year.
*~*~*~*~*
John Ealrlston has remained unbeaten in his age category all year, having once again run fantastically well in the Trafford 10k in Manchester. For full details of the race go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
Annual General Meeting
*~*~*~*~*
The Annual General Meeting of Abergele Harriers will be held on Sunday 15th April in the Bee Hotel, Market Street, Abergele. All committee and club positions, with the exception of President, will be up for re-election at the AGM. Please see a list of the holders of present positions on the "Club Officials" page. Nominations for any position must be made in writing to the Secretary, Chairman or Captain before Sunday 25th March 2007. For a nomination to be valid it must contain the following; the name of the fully paid up member being nominated, the position that member is being nominated for, the signature of the member making the nomination, the signature of a member seconding the nomination, and the signature of the person nominated.
Please note; nominations on the night of the AGM will only be accepted if no valid nominations have been received by the due date.
Items for discussion at the AGM must also be submitted in writing to the Secretary, Chairman or Captain Sunday 25th March 2007.
A list of nominations and items for discussion will be produced, distributed and publicised (on the notice-board and web site) by Sunday 1st April 2007.
*~*~*~*~*
Steven does well in world trials in Nottingham.
*~*~*~*~*
Steven McCormack was representing North Wales in the UK Intercounty Championships, which incorporated the world cross country trials in Nottingham. To see how he got on see the results page and for photos go to the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
Two new North Wales Champions for 2007
*~*~*~*~*
The Club can boast two new North Wales Champions after John Ealrston and Pam Grant both won the V45 titles at the half-marathon distance, in this year's championships which were held within the Wrexham Half on Sunday. For full details see the results page, with photos on the photos page.
*~*~*~*~*
Shone's Cross Country Success
*~*~*~*~*
Cross country veteran Grahame Shone got third position in the highly competitive MV55 category in the Majestic Travel North Wales Cross County League, despite the cancellation of the final race in Oswestry, following superb races earlier in the season.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross Country team celebrate Vet success
*~*~*~*~*
The final round of the Majectic Travel Cross Country League race that was cancelled on Saturday last will not be re-scheduled, so the male vet team have won the bronze medals in the Veterans team competition for the first time in the clubs history. The men's team also finished a very safe 5th position in the first division while the ladies remain in the second division for another year following a mixed season.
*~*~*~*~*
Annual success in the Orme
*~*~*~*~*
The Harriers had their usual share of success in the annual Nick Beer 10k, with two category winners and narrowly missed out on both team prizes. See a full report on the "results" page and photos on the "photos" page.
*~*~*~*~*
Cross-Country cancelled
*~*~*~*~*
The final round of the Majestic Travel Cross-Country League was cancelled on Saturday because of sever weather conditions in Oswestry.
*~*~*~*~*
Record successes in Borders League
*~*~*~*~*
Not only did the Harriers have a recort three Category winners in Sundays Borders League race in Christleton (John Earlston 1st V45, Sean McCormack 1st V40 and Grahame Shone 1st V55) Ed Reid became the first winner of the Borders League Handicap. See the Borders League page for full details and results.
*~*~*~*~*
Record successes in Borders League
*~*~*~*~*
Not only did Abergele Harriers have a club record three category winners in Sundays Borders League race in Christleton (John Earlston 1st V45, Sean McCormack 1st V40 and Grahame Shone 1st V55), eD r
*~*~*~*~*
Three Harriers in Top 10 in North Wales rankings
*~*~*~*~*
Three men made it into the top 10 "senior men" overall road racing rankings in 2006. Darren Blazier was 4th, Sean McCormack 6th and Tim Cahill 10th. In addition , Sean was ranked 1st overall in the MV40 category, thanks to a 1st rankinjg in 10 miles and Half-Marathon and a second in 5k. The full details of the rankings will be available very soon.
*~*~*~*~*
Steven selected for North Wales.
*~*~*~*~*
Steven McCormack has been rewarded for his recent excellent form in Cross-Country by being selected for the North Wales team that will take part in the British Cross-Country Championships in Nottingham on February 24th.
*~*~*~*~*
Club has two new North Wales Cross Country Championships
*~*~*~*~*
Abergele Harriers can boast of two new North Wales Cross Country Champions in its ranks following the Championships in Northop on Saturday, with Steven McCormack taking the Under 20 title and Grahame Shone the MV55 one. For full details of how everyopne got on go to the results page.
*~*~*~*~*
PB haul in Helsby
*~*~*~*~*
Four of the six Harriers running in this years Four Villages Half-Marathon in Helsby achieved personal best times for the distance. For details of how they all got on, go to the Results Page.
*~*~*~*~*
Hughes make it a unique family double.
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Geran and Angie Hughes made it a unique family double by both leading home their teams in the latest round of the Majestic Travel Cross-Country League in Wrexham, while Steven McCormack added his father's scalp to his list of club conquests. For full details of how everyone got on go to the Cross-Country page, and for short videos of the races go to www.telfordrunning.co.uk
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Welsh Castles Relay 2007
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The club has once again entered "the Castles" this year. For full details see the Castles Relay page.
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Twin Piers Success
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Fourteen Harriers took part in the Twin Piers 10k race which was once again staged superbly by Colwyn Bay AC. The Harriers scooped 6 induividual prizes and both men's and ladies team prizes. Photos available on the photos page.
A full set of results is available in our "race results" section at the end of our own clubs report.
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Committee meeting
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The next club committee meeting will be held on Sunday 14th January in the Bee hotel at 7.30pm. Among the items for discussion will be the proposed Easter trip to the Isle of Man, the 2007 AGM, the 2007 Christmas Dinner, and new and extra trophies for 2007. All club members are welcome to attend.
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Annual Club Handicap Race
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The 2007 Club Handicap Race was held on Sunday 7th January. For a full report see the Handicap page.
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Its a Happy New Year for Darren!
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Darren Blazier learned this week that following an outstanding years running, he has been selected to represent North Wales in Port Talbort on the 14th January in the Inter-Regional 10k Championships, which also include the Welsh Championships.
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Happy Christmas
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Happy Christmas to all from Abergele Harriers! Don't forget Club members, don't eat too much over Christmas, the Club Handicap takes place on Sunday 7th January!
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London Club Places
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This years London club places went to Alison Guillemin and Meinir Huws with Dave Edwards and Rob Spotswood as substitutes. Good luck to all.
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Welsh Inter-Regional Cross-Country Championships
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Two Harriers were on representative duty for North Wales in the Welsh Inter-Regional Cross-Countery Championships in Swansea. Go to the results page and the photos page to see how they got on.
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Two new "graduates" from Jaime's "beginners" group.
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Sonia Wignall and Shirley Royles joined Anwen Begley as Harriers who have "graduated" from Jaimes "beginners group" to "racers" when they were among seventeen Harriers to take on the elements in the Helena Tipping 10K race in Wrexham at the weekend. For full details of how everyone got on go to the Race Reports page. (photos also on photos page)
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A Family Affair in Swansea
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The Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships next week in Swansea have become a family affair with Angie Hughes being added to the squad (FV35-45 Team), making hewr debut for North Wales along with husband Geran and father and son "team" Sean and Steven McCormack
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Club Annual Awards
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The Clubs annual awards were presented at the Christmas Dinner on Friday. for full details see the Christmas Dinner page. Female Harrier of the Year went to Jaime Ashton, Male Harrier of the Year to Sean McCormack and Most Improved Harrier to Steven McCormack.
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Harriers success in Cross-Country
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Abergele Harriers had another wonderful day on saturday at the 3rd round of the cross-country league. Thanks to excellent team performances the mens team have leap-frogged into 4th position in the first division and 3rd in the male veterans league while the ladies team were one short of a complete team but still managed an excellent result. For full details of the race and league positions after the 3rd race see the cross-country page.
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Father and Son selected for North Wales
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Father and son, Sean and Steven McCormack were among four Harriers selected to represent North Wales in the upcoming Inter-Regional Cross-Country Championships in Swansea on the 10th December. Steven will be making his running debut for the region (has previously represented North Wales at rugby!) in the Under 20 competition, while Sean was selected in the V40-50 age group along with Geran Hughes (running for the North for the first time, having run as a seniour previously for the South). The quartet is completed by Hilary Jaques who was selected to run for the FV45+ team.
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Club London Places
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The Clubs two London places have arrived. Members are reminded that to be eligible for one of these places a runner must be; 1) A fully paid member of Abergele Harriers, and still so on the day of the race 2) Have attended at least 15 Club nights Since 1/1/2006 AND 3) Have applied for London themselves and been unsuccessful this year (a rejection slip must be produced). As it is clear that rejection slips will nopt be available until after the Club Christmas dinner, the places will be drawn at club night on Wednesday 13th December. 2 names and 2 substitutes will be drawn. Members are reminded that these numbers are allocated to the Club and not the individual and therefore if the four people drawn are unable to do the race the numbers must be passed back to the Committee for futrther allocation and not passed on to others of the individuals choice.
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2007 Handicap Race
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The date has been set for the 2007 Handicap race which will be over a GPS measured 7k course on 7/1/2007. For further datails contact Sean.
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Easter Tour to Isle of Man
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The club has decided to organise a tour to the Isle of MAn over Easter 2007 to the 45th Isle of Man Easter Athletics Festival. This involves 3 races in 3 days, a 10k on Good Friday, a Fell Race (4k men, 3k ladies) on Easter Saturday, and a 5k (relay for men, individual race for ladies)on Easter Sunday. There are individual cash prizes for each race and overall and members can do any or all of the races. For full details of the festival go to http://www.easterfestival.info/ and any member interested is asked to contact Sean McCormack as soon as possible.
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Caernarfon Border League
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Eighteen Harriers travelled to Caernarfon for the second round of the Borders League. The men's team scored 496 points maintaing their run-away position at the top of the second division, while a solid performance from the ladies keeps them well in contention for the improvers trophy.
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Committee meeting
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A comittee meeting is geing held on Sunday 12th Noember at 7.30 in the Bee Hotel. All members are welcome to attend. The main items for discussion include the Abegele 5 Race debrief, the Christmas Dinner and next years Handicap race.
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Geran for Wales!
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Club Captain Geran Hughes has been rewarded for his superb recovery from injury earlier in the season by being selected for Wales as a travelling reserve for the upcoming Vets Home International Cross Country race in Scotland. Geran was selected following superb recent cross-country performances in Telford and in Gwent.
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Abergele Slaters 5
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Provisional results are now available on our results page. A report is available on our results reports page. Thank you to everyone who helped on the day to make it once again such asuccessful day and thank you to all the runners who took part and hoep to see you all again next year, when we will once again be hosting the North Wales Champs.
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Full steam ahead for Slaters 5
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Next Sunday, the 5th of November, sees the twentieth running of the “Abergele Slaters 5 mile road race”, which this year, once again, incorporates the North Wales five mile championships. This years race already has a huge entry with many more expected on the day. The race starts at 1pm from the bottom of St Georges Road and goes on its traditional course up to St George and back to Abergele Leisure Centre via the Kinmel Manor Hotel. Entries are accepted up until 12.30pm at the race headquarters, Abergele Leisure Centre. Abergele Harriers are indebted to their sponsors, which this year includes Slaters of Abergele, Abergele Town Council, The North Wales Police and Athletes Feet, as well as many other local businesses, including AES Electrical, Cambrian Concrete Products, Crescent Services, Decantae Water, Gwalia House Butchers, Mulberrys Leisure Club, Simon Lloyd Fire and Electrical and Woods Motorcycles. Thanks also to St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, Brynwood Design and Print, Wales and West Utilities, Sovereign Trophies, Ysgol Ap Iwan, Abergele Leisure Centre, Kinmel Manor Hotel and The Kinmel Arms, all of whom also contribute to make the race such a massive success each year. The presentations, which will take place as soon as possible after the race, and again this year, the race is honoured to have the Mayor of Abergele presenting the prizes.
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Cross-Country Vets stay third in League
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After the second cross-country raqce of the season, the Mens Vets team remain 3rd in the League, by far their highest ever position. Full results and team positions are now available on the cross-country page.
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Cross-Country teams keep up their excellent work.
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It was another outstanding team performance for the Harriers in the second round of the Majestic Travel Cross Country League in Telford, with fourteen members making the trip, resulting in the men’s team consolidating their safety in the first division and the ladies also producing a superb team performance. For full details see the cross-country page
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Running shoes found at cross-country
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A pain of Inov8 Flyrock runners have been found at the Telford round of the Majectic Travel Cross Country League. For details contact Sean@Abergeleharriers.co.uk
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Committee / Race meeting
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A meeting will be held in the Bee Hotel at 7.30 on Sunday 22nd October, with the main item for discussion being the upcoming Abergele Slaters 5 race. All club members are welcome.
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Telford Cross-Country
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Cross-country Captains Sean McCormack and Angie Hughes are hoping to take strong teams to Telford next weekend for the second round of the Majestic Travel North Wales Cross-Country League on Saturday. A mini-bus will be leaving Abergele Leisure Centre at 11am and returning at 6pm. Could all team members please let the captains know of their availability.
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Borders League Success
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The mens team scored a club record score of 395, including seven finishers in the first 42 overall, while the ladies also scored fantastically well in the first round of the Borders Road Running League in Oswestry. For full details see the Borders League page.
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Cross-Country Season off to a flying start!
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A record team effort took place in the first round of the North Wlaes Cross Country League at Colwyn Bay on Saturday. The Men's team finished 4th in the first division and 3rd overall in the vets competition, while the ladies finished 5th in their division. For more details see the cross-country page.
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North Wales Police Sponsor Race
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The North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) was launched in 1998. It is a registered charity. The Trust supports initiatives, particularly those in which the Police are involved, which aim to improve the quality of life by reducing crime and fear of crime in all communites of North Wales.
In 2002 The Community Beat Manager Small Grant Fund was created. This fund is designed to make grants available to CBMs who know best what is needed at grassroots level in communities. As long as an activity or project improves the local community, it is likely to be approved.
Abergele CBM PC Neale Duffy says "The small grant fund is great. It helps local communities with local problems. I am really pleased that I have been able to access the £250 for Abergele Harriers. The cash will go towards the costs of organising their "Slaters 5" race which is to be held on 5th November at 1pm."
Abergele Sergeant Craig Jones handing the cheque for £250 to Sean Mccormack, race secretary
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Spring Marathon Fever
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Next year Abergele Harriers are considering organising a trip to a Spring Marathon abroad, rather than the traditional trip to London. If any member is interested in organising such a trip or would like to discuss it in more detail, please contact any committee member
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20th Anniversary Celebrations
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Abergele Harriers are celebrating its 20th year of existence in its present form. There was an Abergele Harriers many years before, but the "new" Harriers were formed in May 1986. To mark the occasion, this years Christmas dinner is open to all ex-members of the club, and anyone interested in attending is asked to contact Social Secretary Jaime Ashton (01745 825850)or Acting-Chairman Steven McCarten. The dinner will take place on 1/12/2006 in Colwyn Bay Cricket Club at 7:30.
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Darren going to Swansea for North Wales
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An excellent week for Abergele Harriers was topped off by the news that Darren Blazier has been once again selected to represent North Wales, this time in the Inter-Regional match which takes place in the Swansea Bay 10k next weekend. His selection was just reward for some superb performances recently over the distance, his most noteworthy being his victory in Denbigh, and his 2nd position in the Twin Piers in January.
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Committee meeting
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A Committee meeting has been arraged for Sunday night (17th) at 7.30 in the Bee. All members are welcome to attend. The main item for discussion is this years Abergele 5 race on November 5th.
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League Changes
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There has been a change in venue for the first Border League race on 8th October. It will now take place in Capenhurst, organised by Ellesmere Port RC, while the race on 18th March 2007 will now take place in Mold, organised by Buckley Runners.
The dates for the last two Cross-Country races are now January 20th, Wrexham and February 10th Oswestry (changed from February 17th).
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Cross Country Training
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All Harriers are reminded that the Cross-Country season kicks off in Colwyn Bay on September 30th, and special cross-country training will take place on Wednesday 20th September, leaving from Abergele Leisure Centre at 7pm, to meet in Eirias Park at 7.15pm. For all cross-country details, contact Cross-Country Captain, Sean McCormack on 07774948596.
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