HOPKINS STORMS TO ANOTHER VICTORY
GLOUCESTER 10K
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RIDGEND runner Jonathan Hopkins stormed to victory in the Gloucester 10K event, writes Tony Poole.
In a penultimate run of the year, Hopkins (Swansea Harriers) raised the bar in clocking 29:27 which was not only a personal best but also a course record.
It’s a fitting end to an injury-riddled year for the 27-year-old occupational therapist, who in 2018 finished sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase for Team Wales in the Commonwealth Games that were staged on the Gold Coast, clocking 8:34:12.
In the Gloucester victory, Hopkins finished 26 seconds in front of Peter Le Grice (Bristol & West AAC) while third-placed Thomas Merson (Exmouth AAC) completed the course in 30:07.
Top female was Rachel Fenton (Shaftesbury & Barnet AAC), who registered a time of 34:37.
PORTHCAWL 5K PARKRUN
JONATHAN Mark Phillips (unattached) last Saturday made it two wins in three starts at Porthcawl 5K Parkrun.
His last victory back in June produced a personal best time of 17:07 while his latest success was 14 seconds slower.
Runner-up Matthew Verran (Les Croupiers) came home in 17:53 while behind him were Christopher Jenkins (Neath Harriers) 18:18, Adrian Cartlidge (Porthcawl Runners) pb 18:52, Dave Moore (Brackla Harriers) 18:58, Neil Price (Ogmore Phoenix) 19:05, Dave Dickson (Porthcawl Runners) 19:22, Jeffrey Thomas (19:27), Liam Osbourne (both Bridgend) 19:44, Jamie Harrowing (unattached) 19:51, Robert Jones (Cornelly Striders) 19:53, Jack Evans (unattached) 19:56 and John Lloyd (Brackla Harriers) 19:57.
The 343rd staging of the event attracted 348 runners with Laura Gush, who clocked 21:14, best placed female in 27th spot from Deborah Roberts-Goule (Porthcawl Runners) 21:40 (35th), Charlotte Johns 22:58 (65th), Lucy Edwards (both Brackla Harriers) 23:11 (73rd), Joanne Edwards 23:22 (78th), Kate Ashton 23:36 (81st) and Paula Wilfort (all Cornelly Striders) 23:45 (86th).
MAESTEG 5K PARKRUN
OLIVER Williams (White Rock Runners) last Saturday won Maesteg 5K Parkrun at the first time of asking.
He completed the Welfare Park course in 17:23, ahead of Nicky Bennett (Ogmore Phoenix) pb 19:31, Matthew Aherne (Pontyclun Road Runners) first-time competitor 19:39, top female Ffion Higginson 19:42, Aled Hughes (Ogmore Phoenix) 20:15, Daniel Morgan (Bridgend) 20:19, Paul Speyer (Brackla Harriers) 20:24, Tyler Handley (unattached) pb 20:29, Dave Kembery (Ogmore Phoenix) 22:27 and Tom Mahoney (Just Run Penybont) pb 22:31.
Second female finisher in Maesteg race number 117 was Abigail Morgan (unattached) pb 24:33 (15th) from Mari Higginson (Bridgend) 26:23 (25th), Libby Lavis (Brackla Harriers) 26:36 (26th), Freya Allen (Bridgend) pb 26:37 (27th), Krista Humphrey (Bridgend) pb 27:18 (28th) and Jacqueline Villis (unattached) 27:26 (29th).
WEST GLAMORGAN CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE
LUCY Edwards (Porthcawl Runners) won the U20 Ladies category at the second West Glamorgan Cross Country League event of the season at Kenfig Nature Reserve.
The meeting was once more successfully presented by the Cornelly Striders club with the multi terrain course that embraced the sand dunes attracting 334 runners.
Lucy Edwards clocked a category winning time of 30:12 in a race won by Dave Keenan (Llanelli AAC) in 24:13.
He was followed across the finishing line by Rob Davies (Amman Valley Harriers) 25:05 and Nino Gatti (Port Talbot Harriers) 25:13 while Rachel Davies (Swansea Harriers) was first female finisher in 28:12.
Geraint Lewis (Porthcawl Runners) was the highest placed competitor from the Bridgend County clubs, he registered a time of 26:00 to take ninth spot, ahead of Jacob Griffiths (Brackla Harriers) 26:19 (15th), Dave Dickson (Porthcawl Runners) 27:16 (27th), Paul Smith (Ogmore Phoenix) 27:36 (34th), Robert Jones (Cornelly Striders) 27:49 (38th), Jeffrey Thomas (Porthcawl Runners) 28:15 (44th), Matthew Gregory (Brackla Harriers) 28:42 (54th), Rob Bennett (Porthcawl Runners) 28:49 (57th), Ian Ogilvie (Brackla Harriers) 29:04 (61st), William Edwards (Porthcawl Runners) 29:38 (70th ) and Gareth Danter-Hill (Cornelly Striders) 30:03 (79th).
And Deborah Roberts-Goule followed Porthcawl team-mate Lucy Edwards home in 30:53 to take second place in the female over-45 bracket.
Behind her in a time of 33:17 came another Porthcawl runner, Sharon Ford, who was second in the over50 category, along with Sian Price (Ogmore Phoenix) 34:05 (4th female 35+), Nikki Dowie 34:18 (4th female 50+) and Kate Ashton (both Cornelly Striders) 34:22 (3 rd female 40+).
The Glamorgan Cross Country
League now takes a break until the New Year, and next up on January 12 is the Tata Steel Round the Margam Reservoir run.
It’s also been announced that the Margam Park meeting, organised by the Run4All club in Neath, will be staged on February 2.
BRITISH ATHLETICS CROSS CHALLENGE
JAMES Hunt (Cardiff AAC) motored in to 19th place in the British Athletics Cross Challenge that was staged at Sefton Park in Liverpool.
The Bridgend runner carded a time of 31:52 with Ben Connor (Derby AAC) triumphant in 30:22 from Mohamed (Southampton AAC) 30:27.
Jessica Judd (Blackburn Harriers) took the Women’s Senior event in 28:22 while at U20 level three young Bridgend County runners were to the fore.
In a race that Saskia Millard (Herne Hill Harriers) won in 15:32, Hannah Jenkins (Porthcawl Runners) finished in 17:58, Ffion Higginson 18:19 and her older sister Katrin Higginson 19:04.
MORUN 10K SWANSEA
LEE Owen (Penybont Tri Club) came 12th in a field of 207 competitors at the Morun Swansea 10K event.
In a race that Ollie George won in 40:14, Owen came home in 49:16.
Further down the finishing-list came Thomas Mahoney (Just Run Penybont) 52:08 and Paul Iskander (Ogmore Phoenix) 57:03.
BRIDGEND JUNIOR 2K PARKRUN
DAN May (Cornelly Striders) was once more the winner last Sunday of Bridgend Junior 2K Parkrun in Newbridge Fields.
He took the 209th staging of the event in 7:59 while the next three young runners all carded personal best times – Alex Powell 8:08, Sean Bolland 8:11 and Samuel Cubbage 8:15. Fifth-placed Luke Woodhouse came home in 8:17, and was followed across the finishing line by Nate Greig pb 8:17, top female Bryony Brace (Cardiff AAC) 8:18, Lewis Durston 8:50, Mia Allen (Bridgend) 9:05, Elliott Jenkins 9:08, Jack Woodhouse 9:10, Rosie Harry 9:30 and Megan Jones pb 10:03.