Anthony Powell on a fast rinse (photo: Clwb Rhedeg Meirionnydd)

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1 MALDWYN NEWS AND RESULTS UPDATE NOVEMBER 2015 There s a cornucopia of cross-country some squelchy fell and Mad Jack action and plenty of nail biting as the club championship goes to the wire with everything hanging on the last race the Elan Valley 10. We also raised a bit of cash for Children In Need and had some fun in the process. Here s November then FELL/TRAIL/OFF-ROAD Betws y Coed Trail 10k, 7th November 2015 Ed Davies finished in 9th place (43:32) and was 1st man or indeed anybody over 60. Reanne Atherton also gave it her all, clocking 64:20. Rhobell Fawr, Dolgellau, 7th November 2015 Rhobell keeps drawing ours back year after year and this time Anthony Powell and Paul Beeson were rewarded with top-10 places, with Ant finishing 6th in 58:53 with Paul not too far behind in 59:23 for 9th. Rob Martin in 22nd (65:30) and a below-par Glyn Fletcher (66:59 for 26th) also starred in which to the uninitiated (guilty as charged by the way) looks to all the world like a pretty miserable day out, except that these guys love it. Anthony Powell on a fast rinse (photo: Clwb Rhedeg Meirionnydd)

2 Paul Beeson before getting to wring out his socks (photo: Clwb Rhedeg Meirionnydd) (Right) Rob the Rhob (photo: Clwb Rhedeg Meirionnydd) (Left) Glyn grins and bears it (photo: Clwb Rhedeg Meirionnydd)

3 Mad Jack s 5, Attingham Park, Shrewsbury, 7th November 2015 Just the one Maldwyn entrant this year, Mandy Mullet having a recovery run after her Snowdonia Marathon exploits a couple of weeks previously and finishing in a time of 70:06. Helvellyn Trail 10k, Ullswater, 7th November 2015 Well done Donna Griffiths who completed the race in 64:13 A happy looking Donna (photo: Asics) Endurancelife Gower Coastal Trail Challenge, 14th November k they said but that was as the crow flies. To those relying on two feet such as Helens Owen and Wilkinson it seemed more like 8 miles. Add to that the wind and the mud and it turned into something of a real endurance. Hats off then to Helen O on her 1.26:06 and to Helen W who wasn t far adrift in 1.27:37. Meteorological puns aside, Lenny Hughes is having a storming year and was rewarded with a 10th place Ultra Marathon finish in a time of 5.51:13. Dan Owen too was well in contention at around half way before getting lost on route. We ve seen his name in subsequent results so must assume he found his way back at some point.

4 Winter Wolf Run, Leicestershire, 7/8 November 2015 It makes Mudrunner look like a Park Run and therefore must present an irresistible attraction to the family Hillman (Paul, Jill and Tim) who seems to excel in such conditions. Known as wild running it incorporates woods, obstacles, lakes, fields, they re all there and all designed to test mental and physical strength, skill and stamina. Really it s exhausting just typing all of this but it s all grist to Jill, Paul and family. Can t find results online, maybe that s not the point though. Get Jill to tell you all about it as the Christmas do. CROSS-COUNTRY Herefordshire League Cross-Country, Croft Castle, 8th November 2015 Croft Castle is turning into the most popular of the cross-country league fixtures. Last year we fielded 28 athletes, this year it was 35, ensuring yet another record race entry. Mind you the fact that this race was a counter in the 2015 club championships may well have been a factor in the number racing but also reflects the number of new and enthusiastic members some of whom have no stake in the club champs. In the event it turned out to be a great day for the club with Tim Davies and Nicola Davies winning the men s and women s races while Maldwyn men s A team comprising Tim, Roger Farrington, Bryan Arthur and Todd Tanner) won

5 the team race, the women (Nicola, Nikki Grainger and Becky Latham) taking seventh spot. Kaya Saul finished second in the junior race. No doubt they were all galvanised by the presence of chief cheerleader for the day, Dave Peters, whose unorthodox but direct approach to haranguing anything in yellow must have done the trick. Whether there was in fact a boat closing down on Reece Moles for the second time in just over a month is not for us to say but we sense that Reece will continue to be haunted by this image for some time yet. Won t he, coaching staff? Full results can be found here: Tim Davies embarks on the last lap at Croft (photo: IF)

6 Nicola Davies on the descent to the finish (photo: IF) While Kaya Saul makes good progress up Heartbreak Hill (photo: IF)

7 Shropshire Young Athletes Cross Country League, Much Wenlock, 8th November Well you didn t think we d leave him out did you? Over the years we football fans have come to have scant regard for the fixture compiler. A bleak Northern outpost (Wigan, Bolton etc) for a January midweek away game? Been there, done that. This was the cross country equivalent. Herefordshire League for the seniors at Croft Castle and SYAXCL at Much Wenlock. The only saving grace being that they weren't both at the same time. So, what's to do? Both, I guess. I slogged round Croft Castle and just about had time to get to Much Wenlock before race 1. No cuppa, no cake and no scrumpy. No time I'm afraid. At least I didn't suffer the same fate as the U15 boys...read on. Despite having one or two regular faces hors de combat 22 athletes donned the Maldwyn vest. A goodly number indeed. Anyway U15's. According to the course map there were 2 shorter laps followed by 1 that included a fairly challenging climb. At the end of lap 3 instead of being directed to the finish they all got sent round again. If that had happened at Croft Castle you would have seen a grown man cry! Undaunted by this additional opportunity to demonstrate their climbing ability Dillon Gill and first timer Carwyn Owen both ran splendid races. Dillon eventually crossed the line in 4th with Carwyn edging into the top 10 in 10th. The extra lap didn't really affect the results, so no harm done, just one of those things. For the girls there was quite an inter Harrier tussle between Kate Jerman and Tayla Trigg. Kate narrowly edging the duel in 22nd to Tayla's 23rd. I think it was the socks that did the trick! Newcomer Carwyn Owen impressed the coaching staff on his XC debut (photo: Chris Copus)

8 Tayla Trigg in action in the U15 girls race (photo: Chris Copus) The U13's also had a crack at the hill (just 1). Dan Stones was particularly impressive coming home in 5th. He still looked really strong by the finish. It says much for the quality of these races that Dan isn't a regular top 3 finisher. Having run so well at Bridgnorth it was good to see Amren Stephenson run even better this time with a cracking 29th. There were 4 girls in this category. Leading the way was debutante Elin Astbury looking very much at home in finishing 29th. Sally Murton-Davies made a rather sluggish start but started moving through the field in the latter stages for 38th. Sally would certainly have benefitted from an additional lap! Carys Breeze also looked promising in her first outing in Maldwyn colours, 42nd, a little ahead of Morgan Roberts (44th) who seemed to enjoy this outing a little more than at Bridgnorth. Amren Stephenson attacks the Wenlock hill (photo: Chris Copus)

9 Kate Jerman modelling the latest from the Andre Hutchinson range of leg wear (photo: Chris Copus) We had a veritable plethora of U11's. Long may it continue. Harvey Gill led the way with a storming 7th, closely followed by new boy Aled Breeze (13th) and Callum Morgan (15th). Next home was Ollie Jones (28th) followed by Arwyn Walby (35th), Will Stead (37th) and Will Owen (47th). A good all round effort that earned 3rd place in the team competition. Well done. First home for the girls was another newcomer, Caitlyn Bloor who looked very good in 30th. Next up was old hand Phoebe Carter (37th), just getting the better of Piper Lloyd (39th) and Hazel Davies (40th). Virtually breathing down Hazel's neck was yet another newcomer Erin Clark in 44th. A good little race. Cold and muddy, now you're talking! It gladdened the heart to see so many athletes make the effort and don the Maldwyn yellow. Make no mistake, there were some really good performances there. Let's hope for more of the same at Packwood. (Chris The Travelling Harrier Copus)

10 Walford Farmageddon 5, Baschurch, 21st November 2015 Shrewsbury AC have a new cross-country course which will feature in next year s North Wales League and which they were keen to trial. Recent XC convert Kevin Jones pointed the car eastwards and was rewarded with a 50th place 45:56. Herefordshire League Cross-Country, Ufton Court, 29th November 2015 In one of his recent posts, The Travelling Harrier lamented the Indian Summer conditions and the fact that some of our younger athletes would listen disbelievingly to his tales of having to endure thin winds, tempest, mud and even snow at cross-country races. Perhaps there were a few seniors new to the sport who were also inclined towards such scepticism. Bet they re not now. On what might charitably be described as a dirty old day it was testimony to the spirit in the camp that despite the absence of captain Ifan Jones (recovering from the club trip to Lanzarote) 19 of our runners still made the journey to one of the most inhospitable and for some impossible to find corners of Herefordshire to which they were blown by near gale force winds and horizontal rain. Despite being short of a few of our big names our boys and girls in yellow performed admirably with Todd Tanner leading the men to second place in the team event, finishing in 8th spot. Todd was well supported by Bryan Arthur, Anthony Powell and Martin Copus who packed well for 12th, 14th and 17th places respectively. Julia Ellis spearheaded the women s challenge finishing in 25th place with Rachel Butler (32nd) and Helen Owen (36th) completing the Ateam scoring to earn them 8th place on the day. The results mean that after three races in the series and with two to go, Maldwyn s men share top spot with Wye Valley Runners on 72 points, just one ahead of Croft Ambrey. The women are also doing well and are currently 5 th with 43 points. Next up is Monkmoor Farm on 10th January and another early start. Expect the Captain s rallying (phone) call some time on the morning of 1 st January. About 8.00 a.m. should do it.

11 ROAD This being November there isn t much to report out on the roads but first we need to clear up something we missed in September when Lenny Hughes tackled the Hull Marathon and recorded a time of 3.30:35. Regular readers will be aware that we reported last month on Lenny s fine achievement in Dublin where he achieved automatic qualification for London having run the qualifying time in the M55 category. This must have been his dress rehearsal. Elan Valley 10 Mile Road Race, 21st November 2015 We went into this last race in our club championships for 2015with the tantalising prospect of a blanket finish in both men s and women s championships with the possibility of several changes to the lead positions in the age group categories. In the event our leading gentleman and lady were athletes who have only recently joined the club and had not completed the required number of races needed to trouble our ace statistician (that s Dave s second mention this month). In fact Jamie Loxam was the first Maldwyn associate to finish a splendid second place in a time of 58:00. However the first one home that was able to produce valid, current Maldwyn ID was Roger Farrington, 12th this year in exactly the same time as he recorded last year (63:22). Sean Clarke was making a last pitch for the overall championship and was rewarded with a new PB for the distance 67:02 for 23rd place, with Ed Davies our third man in 70:40 (41st). It was a measure of how cold it was that Ed finished the race with his top on (we ll allow a few seconds for that one to sink in).

12 Sean against the clock (photo: IF) Next to finish was our first woman, Nicola Davies, a recent transferee from Shropshire Shufflers and something of a revelation over cross-country and the road. Her time of 71:42 meant that she finished second in the women s race. Jenny Evans was our next woman home setting up a nail biting finish in the women s championship. Would her time of 78:36 place her close enough to the winner of the women s race to take the title? Another championship aspirant, Nikki Grainger, was our third Maldwyn woman home in 1.26:40 Here is how the others fared 1.14: : : : : :56 Lee Shackleton Chris Copus Becky Latham Helen Wilkinson Sharon Lloyd Jill Hillman

13 Hats on to Jenny, second Maldwyn woman (photo: IF) Nikki Grainger caps a great championship campaign (photo: IF)

14 And relax from left: Latham B; Wilkinson H, Harrier T (photo: IF) Conwy Half Marathon, 22nd November 2015 We ve a number of men going sub-90 minutes these days, including Ian Ellis who turned in a thoroughly good 89:23 while Sian Jones notched up a personal best time of 1.52:44. Good running both. News in Brief Club La Santa International Running Challenge, 23rd to 26th November 2015 Quite a few of ours treated themselves to a well-earned trip to Lanzarote for some late autumn sand, sea, sun and a four race challenge. Here are some of them ahead of the Vince Regan Classic 10k which kicked off the series

15 Pictured left to right: Ifan, Steve, Diane, Caroline, Paul, Sandra Dolly, Jan, Dave, Phantom Pete (photo: Bob Foy) Two of them ran all four races and here they are back in Blighty (you ll recognise the décor) with their medals The four by four boys in Steve s case it looks like the endorphins may have worn off! Well done to both (photo: Caroline Orrells)

16 Hopefully someone will provide as runner s tale, even a redacted version of what went on tour. We might even find out whether they actually got to meet Santa. Children in Need Floodlit Cross-Country (and footie match), 11th November Another successful evening and big thanks to the coaches, the helpers and everyone who turned out to run, give their support and donations. Here s Martin to tell you all about it: There was a huge turnout of junior and senior athletes competing in four different races. In the first sprint race defending champion Reece Moles powered up the hill to retain his crown before Dillon Gill claimed the victory in the 2 lap race. Following the first two races the action moved onto the football pitch for the Coaches vs Athletes match. The athletes went ahead when Dillon Gill curled home. A second half fightback from the coaches with 2 Martin Copus goals secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory for the coaches. Following that we returned to racing where Dan Stones came into his own winning both the 3 and 4 lap races to complete the evening. A total of was raised for BBC Children in Need, many thanks to everyone who helped out to make the event a huge success. This year of course there was extra incentive in that some of the races counted towards the Junior Endurance Championships and this how the top each table looked afterwards U11 boys Harvey Gill 389 points from 4 events. Callum Morgan (367 from 4) Ollie Jones (347 from 4). U11 girls Piper Lloyd 329 points from 4 events Hazel Davies (247 from 3) Chloe Murton and Neave Wright Cooke (179 from 2)

17 U13 boys Dan Stones 402 points from 4 events U13 girls Sally Murton 252 points from 3 events Elin Astbury (189 from 2) Carys Breeze (152 from 2) U15 boys Dillon Gill 388 points from 4 events U15 girls Kate Jerman 281 points from 3 events A total of 73 athletes have competed in at least 1 event in the Championships. The next race is the final Shropshire Young Athletes cross country fixture at Packwood on 6th December Any news, results or photos are gratefully received. Please contact Ian at fraserman1@hotmail.co.uk