A COUPLE of members of Prestatyn Running Club helped mark a special anniversary in the British fell-racing calendar on Saturday (April 6).

Sophie Johnson and Mandy Cartwright were among just a handful of North Wales athletes who travelled to Lancashire for the Pendle Hill race, which was first held in 1956.

The current course was adopted in 1974, and although it’s only 4.5 miles long, and involves 1,500ft of climbing it is regarded as a “real fell-race”, attracting many of the sport’s top competitors.

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Mud and rain added to the challenge but the joint club captains enjoyed the experience. Sophie finished 132nd overall in 58.16 and Mandy was just five places and 17 seconds behind her.

Conditions were just as testing on Sunday for three more of the club’s ladies who turned out in the eight-mile Trawsfynydd lake trail-run, with hailstones instead of rain.

Ann Claire Jones led the trio home in 102nd place overall after stopping to help another runner who had collapsed. Her time was 77.45.

Glenda Roberts was 141st and fourth L60 in 84.22 and Helen Alefounder 159th in 87.12.

Just 24 hours earlier, Ann Claire had competed in the Fell Foot Parkrun in Newby Bridge, Windermere, coming 62nd in 26.04.

Meanwhile, six club members travelled to Fron, near Caernarfon, for the short, sharp opening race in the annual Tuesday night series of fell-races.

In an excellent 10th place overall was Lee Bailey, with a time of 21.38, and he was followed by Ben Thomas (39th, 24.08), Ceri Vaughan (59th, 25.15), Sophie Johnson (108th, 30.30), Mandy Cartwright (109th, 30.39) and James Rogers (146th, 35.24).

Another of the sporting events being marked this year is the 70th anniversary of Roger Bannister’s sub-four-minute mile on the Iffley Road track in Oxford.

A month before the anniversary Martin Cortvriend was in the city for the University Parks Parkrun, in which he finished 117th  and first over-70 in 23.34.

Arwel Jones took another step on the comeback trail, clocking 27.30 in the Ruthin Parkrun, and Andy Carter was the club’s sole representative in Chester, where he was 81st in 25.59.

Elsewhere, 17 members turned out in the Nova parkrun, where a gusty wind affected times.

Some of them used it as a gentle return after injury while others kept company with other participants.

The placings were: 5 Dave Ellis 20.10, 10 Jamie Betts 21.19, 15 Marc Jones 22.02, 24 Steve Weedman 23.59, 41 Mark Dakeyne 27.23, 50 Reg Jonas 27.23, 78 Claudia Smith 29.25, 91 Nem James 30.54, 98 Debbie Weedman 31.06, 149 Clare Manley 39.22, 151 Andy Clark 39.25, 152 Sue Hughes 39.26, 158 Suzanne Evans 39.56, 163 Steve Hatfield 40.17, 186 Julie Evans 49.37, 187 Ian Cummings 49.38, 202 Martin Gill 65.59.