It’s been another fantastic week of running for our Sky Blues, albeit slightly quiet, as many prepared for Saturday’s Marathon Eryri! And, with the clocks now changed for the Winter, our Weekly Update makes for some fantastic and cosy evening reading!
The week began with another Junior session over at Wigmore School, the last one in the daylight before the all important clock change. This week they were practicing their efforts and recoveries around the school field.
As for our Seniors, on Tuesday it was all about Hills over at Shobdon Orchards with Sam, before a Long Interval session with Tim at Croft on Thursday.
Parkrun Saturday was on the quiter side this week, with plenty of our runners heading elsewhere to race. At Ludlow, first Croft runners home were Simon and Steve who finished in 8th and 9th with times of 22:04 and 22:05. Paul L, Naomi and Jamie volunteered. Elsewhere, Saf ran at Severn Bridge Parkrun and finished 15th overall with a PB time of 19:30.
Away from Parkrun, Natalie headed down to Sussex to run in the Beachy Head 10k. She would finish in 74th position, with a time of 55:57. She was 14th female overall and 2nd VF45-55. She told us: “I ran in the Beachy Head 10k race today down in Sussex. Pretty steep start, and good long hill at mile 5, so I was pleased to finish in 55.57. Weather was cool to start, then felt warm in the sunshine, light winds too. Couldn’t have had better race conditions. Overall finish position 74/648 starters, overall female finish position 14/364, and 2nd VF45-55 by 13 secs! My biggest race numbers wise to date so I’m very pleased with how I did. Chuffed to finish in top 20 females.”
Next up was the race that a lot of our runners have been prepping for for the past few months; Marathon Eryri, which takes place up in Snowdonia National Park. Every year, we get a good cohort of Croft runners head up to the North Wales mountains to take part in this 26.2 mile road race, that skims the bottom of Mt Snowdon. And, whereas last year’s race was completed in perfect conditions, this year’s couldn’t have been more different with wind, heavy rain, cold temperatures and plenty of hard-hitting hail! Out of our 16 runners to take to the start line, 16 came home, crossing the finishing line looking strong despite the harsh conditions they had been facing beforehand. It really was more of a test for one’s mentality rather than physical state! Here is the before pic:
Eric was our first runner home. Yes, the same Eric that completed another marathon only 6 days before. He finished in 03:19:47, in 96th place overall. Bella was our first female and finished in 04:41:44. We had no age category top three placements, but Ingrid did finish 8th in F65+. Full CARC results:
Eric Apperley – 03:19:47
Paul Parker – 04:24:23
Bella Evans – 04:41:44
Flora Gunner – 04:57:42 – 13th F60+
Oli Cameron-Swan – 05:20:23
Howard Verran – 05:20:35
Alison Benwell – 05:28:40
Anna Bromley – 05:46:00
Ingrid Mason – 05:46:00 – 8th F65+
Hayley Colebatch – 05:56:09
Joe Lynch – 05:56:10
Lisa Gray – 05:56:10
Michele Parker – 06:18:23
Ali Davies – 06:47:12
Lisa Davies – 06:49:02
Claire Verran – 07:02:58
Here is the after pic:
A few of our runners have given us their a few words of their 2025 Marathon Eryri experience:
Eric: “What a day. It wasn’t a wise decision, 6 days post Abingdon marathon, but it was more than a race. I enjoyed almost all of it with a smile on my face. It was also amazing supporting the croft runners in at the end they ran so well.”
Oli: “Well, that was a wild, wet, and windy 26.2 miles in the Welsh hills. Snowdonia Marathon Eryri 2025 you do not disappoint as an incredible experience, and I’m delighted to report no slips and trips on the downhill slaloms, and slightly less cramp in the calves than last year.”
Hayley: “I did 2025 Marathon Eryri today and I’m super proud of myself. The weather was biblical which made it extremely tough. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so cold, but I got it done. Thank you for everyone’s support and encouragement. (…) I’m super proud to be a Croftie, you guys were all amazing today!”
Well done Team Croft. You are all an inspiration!
With everyone taking a well earned rest after yesterday’s shenanigans, Saffi headed up to Tamworth to run at the Tamworth 10k. She finished 5th female overall, with a new 10k PB of 43:04.
Well done all! Please remember that if you would like your race and achievements included in the weekly report, please get them to me (Bronwyn) by 6pm at the latest. Any that come in after, I cannot promise they will be included. The upcoming training schedule will be live on our Facebook on Monday morning. In the meantime, don’t forget, we’re always on the look out for your race reports for the website, so get posting them on Facebook or send them to either Sam H, Huw or myself (Bronwyn).