*The NWRRC team who Raced the Train last Wednesday (*back row l-r), Cai Roberts, Steve Bozier, Rachel Morris, Ben Hudson and Karl Morris, and (*front row) Kelly Alford, Hannah Griffith, Vicky Taylor and Sarah Hudson.
Perfect night to ‘Race the Highland Train’ from Dinas to Caernarfon for 300 runners...
Report by Don Hale. Some photos courtesy of Kelly Alford.
It proved to be another exciting dash from start to finish as nearly three-hundred mixed ability runners attempted to Race the Highland train from Dinas station to Caernarfon last Wednesday night.
On a warm and almost perfect evening Tomos Roberts (Meirionnydd RC) was the first athlete home in a fast time of just 14 minutes and 51 seconds over this interesting 5k course, with Ifan Dafydd (Eryri Harriers) 2nd in 14.55, and John Higgs 3rd in 15.02. In addition, Simon Cole (GOG Triathlon) finished in 5th place in 15.15.
The 1st female runner was Rachel Shipley (Abergele Harriers), who finished 19th place in 17.42. Gemma Moore (Eryri Harriers) was the 2nd female, and she also won her FV35-44 age cat in 18.06 in 25th place overall, and Gemma was closely followed by her club colleague Tinka Vinks, who was 3rd, and finished in 27th place overall in 18.14.
*The race was well organised by Eryri Harriers and attracted 290 finishers. The course record remains at 13.44 in 2012 by Matthew Clowes. The female record is held by Bronwen Jenkinson in 2017 of 16.55.
*North Wales runners (*above) are about to board the train to Dinas for the start and (*below) the locomotive is about to depart from Caernarfon.
North Wales Road Runners entered nine members for this unusual downhill race, with Steve Bozier leading the team in 34th place in 18.40. He was followed by Ben Hudson 50th in 19.46, and endurance athlete Karl Morris who ran well in 62nd place in 20.20. Sarah Ferguson Hudson continued her good form and claimed the 2nd spot in her FV35-44 age cat in 20.25, and Cai Roberts finished in 103rd place in 22.05, with Kelly Marie Alford 113th in 22.27. Hannah Griffith also put a determined run in 154th place in 24.07, whilst Vicky Taylor was 220th in 27.20, and Rachel Morris celebrated a great result to dip under the 30-minute mark, finishing 238th in 29.15.
*NWRRC members Cai Roberts, Kelly Alford and Sarah Ferguson (*above) in the carriage en-route to Dinas, and (*below), the Highland train arrives at Dinas station where the runners disembarked prior to the attempts to Race the Train back to Caernarfon.
*This is the link to the provisional results from the Race the Train event: https://www.tdleventservices.co.uk/en/results-embed.php?event=3958