06Nov

Message from the Chairman

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The relays are now a distant memory, the clocks have gone back and the nights drawing in, so it’s time to turn our attention to the Winter activities of the club. Following a busy Summer things don’t really ease off too much as the Cross Country & Border League take over (both free to enter by the way!).

The first of the upcoming events is the club AGM where it’s your chance to hear what’s going on in the club. There will be a review of the year, a look forward to next year and an opportunity to join the committee and have some input to the future direction of the club. To give you some ideas of our work recent topics have included: club communication, updating the website, contact from the 1000m race organisers, presentation evening and obviously a few others! It’s not all tea and biscuits you know!

As some of the committee are not seeking re-election we are definitely looking for people to join and fulfill roles but please also note that all positions are to be re-elected, just because someone has said they will stay on doesn’t mean they have to! Below is a list of the current committee and if you wish to stand all you need is a proposer and a seconder at the AGM.

Chair – Stuart McDonald
Vice-Chair/Welfare Officer – Sioned Rowlands
Secretary/ Press & Welsh Language Officer – Emlyn Owen
Treasurer – Emily Wood (not seeking re-election)
Membership – Emma Green (not seeking re-election)
Mountain Secretary – Paul Jenkinson
Road Secretary – Arwel Lewis
XC Secretary – Becki Law
Webmaster – Dave Kirkby
Kit/Social Secretary – Ellie Salisbury
Equipment – Mike Blake
Ordinary Members:
Dilwyn Rowlands (not seeking re-election)
Lou Beetlestone
Geoff Fielding
Dyfed Whiteside-Thomas (shares Kit with Ellie)

My personal thanks firstly to those who will be standing down this time for all their time and efforts in their roles. It is hugely appreciated and whoever fills those roles has got a tough act to follow! Secondly to all those who are happy/prepared to continue. I’ve appreciated your support this year and think we can be proud of what we have achieved in particular the relays and our 40th celebration party.

As I said previously all posts are up for voting so please if you are keen to get involved then get in touch. Meetings are roughly every 6 weeks and are held at Celtest (thanks Dyfed!) in Bangor on Wednesday evenings starting at 7pm (or as close as we can! – think Tuesday Night Series race start times!).

The AGM will be held at PADARN LAKE HOTEL on TUESDAY 14TH NOVEMBER FROM 7PM.

The evening will start with food paid for by the club, which will be buffet style with the following options: Mixed Bean Chilli, Mushroom Stroganoff and Chicken Supreme all with chips, rice and salad for main and for dessert: apple and peach crumble or choc cake with ice cream.

We would be grateful if you could contact Mike Blake and let him know your choice so we can gauge how much we need. He can be contacted via e-mail: mikejohnblake@yahoo.co.uk or on mobile: 07778 145144. By the end of next week would be ideal.

Following the AGM there is of course the Pen Fell Race on the 18th November (entry online at www.fabian4.co.uk) and Bangor Cross Country on the 25th November. This is ‘our’ event so any helpers/cake makers and runners will be more than welcome. Contact Becki Law for more info.

On Sunday 17th December the annual Xmas Fun Run will be held from The Victoria Hotel in Llanberis including kids races and Fancy Dress Competition, followed by soup and a roll as always! At the fun run we will be holding a draw to fill the club places for the London Marathon 2018. This is open to anyone with a rejection slip and you will need to bring this along and hand it in. The draw will be held before the legendary Mike Blake raffle!

Moving into 2018 the first big club event will be Presentation evening where we take the opportunity to celebrate some of the fantastic achievements of the previous year. Pencil in your diaries Saturday 3rd March (hopefully we’ve avoided any rugby!) and more details will be published in due course.

The AGM is an important evening as it will steer the direction of the club for the following 12 months but it’s also an opportunity for club members to come together and I hope to see as many as possible on the 14th.

Cheers for now

Stuart

13Oct

SMARNA GORA, SLOVENIA. Saturday 7th October 2017

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SMARNA GORA, SLOVENIA. Saturday 7th October 2017

All three Welsh athletes competing in the Smarna Gora, World Cup race in Slovenia on Saturday 7th October excelled themselves with excellent performances. On the challenging, mainly uphill 9.5k/650m course, Wales were led home by the experienced Rob Samuel in 14th place overall with a time of 46.26 followed by: 41st & 5th Female – Bronwen Jenkinson in 53.48 and the very inexperienced, but very talented, up and coming 17 year old Annabelle McQueen who finished 60th overall and 1st under 20 female finisher with a time of 57.41. Team Manager Paul Jenkinson also ran well to finish 94th in a time of 66:08.

The event attracted a high quality field and was won by Norway’s Johan Bugge in a time of 42.27 while the very experienced and former Marathon Olympian (London) and 6 time World Mountain Running Championships winner Andrea Mayr (Austria) was the first female finisher in 20th place overall in a time of 47.40.

A very good European elite mountain running event from which our athletes performed very well and will have gained valuable elite competition experience.

A special thank you for the fantastic welcome from the Smarna Gora Race organisers, especially Tomo Sarf who is also the General Secretary of the WMRA.

Race Results:

http://www.smarnagora.com/pdf/tek2017_rezultati_abs.pdf

07Aug

Pedal Peris Marshall help needed

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The Peris Horseshoe is a month away and I’m looking for marshals. This has been an iconic race for Eryri Harriers for a number of years and this year is part of the Open Welsh & North Welsh WFRA Championships.

For those new to the Peris there are Full and Half versions. The Full takes in Elidir Fawr, Y Garn, Glyder Fawr before dropping to Pen y Pass then climbing Lliwedd, Yr Wyddfa & Moel Cynghorion to finish back in Llanberis. The half completes the first three summits and finishes at Pen y Pass.

As with every race they can only go ahead with the help of volunteers out on the hill so if you can spare some time on Saturday 9th September it would be greatly appreciated.

The major marshal locations are the 6 summits, Pen y Pass (Half finish & drinks station) and the finish of the Full in Llanberis. So there’s something for everyone!!

Please get in touch if you can help and pass on to friends, family and clubmates as everyone is welcome.

In the past couple of years we have been lucky that peopel have been generous with cakes which we have used at the Half finish/feed station of the full and at the finish of the full. If this can happen again then I’d be very grateful. It all helps to create the atmosphere of the race.

One final thing! This year registration/HQ will be in Electric Mountain rather than The Heights. The Heights have been great to us over the last few years but it’s not an ideal scenario for either them or us as race organisers. Electric Mountain will make a great race HQ.

If you can help please give me a shout. stumcd10@hotmail.co.uk

Cheers

Stuart
Organiser

10Jul

Tal Y Fan Fell Race Report and Results

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Saturday 8 July 2017

 

The morning was warm, clear and fine, with a touch of breeze.  At 2pm, 37 competitors lined up, and Spiderman sounded the hooter for the start.  Off the runners went, out through the car park and on to the road through the village of Rowen, before 300m later, turning rights and the start of the ascent, first on tarmac up to the youth hostel, before levelling out a bit up along the old roman road to Cae Coch, and then after climbing the stile, up the grassy bank and then the rocks to Tal y Fan summit.  The runners then benefited from the recent sunny weather, as the usually boggy bit was not too boggy, allowing for quick runs across the moors to the Penmaenmawr stone circle.

 

Along the North Wales coastal path for a stretch before another right turn, and an uphill section (avoided by those running with heads down, who went left past the Old Llangelynin Church and down to the scout camp) back towards Rowen youth hostel, (except for those who failed to turn left over the wall and did a detour back to Cae Coch before realising their navigational error), and it was then downhill all the way to the finish back at the Carnival.  Gavin Roberts, Paul Jones, Matt Lewis and Emlyn Owen had a close run race at the front of the field, with Gavin pulling away after the bridge (CP5).

 

A big thanks to all our marshals and helpers, Mike Blake for sweeping up at the back and keeping the tail enders on the right track.  Next year we may put up a few more arrows for the navigationally challenged.

 

Helen and Doug Blair

Race Organisers

 

TAL Y FAN RESULTS 2017 final