WREXHAM Athletic Club is now home to a world champion.
New Zealander Anna Frost finished eighth in the final round of the World Mountain Running Championships Grand Prix Series in Ljubljana to be crowned the women’s overall winner.
Her title-sealing performance was all the more remarkable given she was suffering from a nasty case of laryngitis that made her unable to speak or run just seven days before jetting out to Slovenia.
There were age- group titles aplenty for Wrexham long- distance aces in the second round of the North Wales Cross Country League in Lilleshall.
Darren Rowlands, the M40 winner, led the club’s men’s charge in sixth (31.55mins), followed by: 17 Mike Robbins (34.14 – third M45), 72 Tony Parry (38.11), 81 Eddie Hughes (38.43), 88 Adrian Bryan (39.19), 92 Phil Walker (39.41), 96 Charles Ashley (40.00), 100 Arthur Egan (40.16 – first M60), 120 Steve Spires (43.11), 131 Bob Frost (44.41), 138 David Williams (46.35), 143 Mike Edwards (50.48 – third M65).
Wrexham’s men were fifth in Division One with their veterans two places better off in third, helped by Peter Norman’s victory (22.44) in the M70 race. Ray Billington came fifth (28.34).
Gina Paletta, the Under 20s women’s winner, finished the women’s race in seventh, followed by: 10 Helen Davies (19.17 – second W40), 14 Lisa Morley (19.26 – third W35), 26 Alison Whitelaw (20.45 – first W50), 31 Ros Adams (21.02 – second W50), 49 Ruth Pearson (22.44), 51 Margaret Docking (22.49 – second W55), 56 Debbie Dodd (23.20), 63 Kim Harrison (24.32), 69 Gill Csizmadia (26.09).
Wrexham’s women had to settle for second in Division One, but there was success for their veterans.
Daniel Weston was the club’s first runner past the post in the opening race of the Border League in Christleton in 10th (33.53).
He was followed by: 11 Robbins (34.11 – second M45), 23 Darren Jones (35.11), 61 Stuart Wolstenhome (37.17), 81 Parry (38.11), 91 Tim Bent (38.53), 97 Robert Jones (39.09), 98 Connor Corr (39.15), 100 Tom Csizmadia (39.31), 102 Morley (39.37 – seventh women, first W35), 109 Bryan (40.05), 123 Melvyn Ollier (40.34), 157 Ian Carson (42.16), 181 Johnathan Davies (43.36), 199 Frost (45.17), 223 Pearson (47.19 – 38th women), 225 Dodd (47.24 – 40th women).
Wrexham’s men’s and women’s teams were second and fourth respectively in Division Two.
Robbins finished the gruelling 17-mile Sandstone Trail Race in ninth in 2.8.28hours.
