Latest news with #ClaireMcDonald
Press and Journal
15-05-2025
- Health
- Press and Journal
Pelvic tumour and degenerative discs can't stop Inverurie Hyrox fanatic mum Claire, 46
An Inverurie mum who used Hyrox to motivate her recovery from an operation to remove a pelvic tumour will race at Cardiff's Principality Stadium in two weekends' time. Claire McDonald, 46, was 25th out of 60 in the 45-49 age group of the women's open event on her Hyrox debut in Malaga, Spain, in March – her impressive time of 1:28.33 placing her 327th out of 792 women competing overall. Garioch Sports Centre member Claire signed up to her maiden race in July last year – despite being on an NHS waiting list to remove a 10-centimetre mass from her pelvis. She said: 'I booked Malaga last July knowing that I was still waiting for my operation – but I got a cancellation in September last year. 'The good thing about having Malaga for me was you got back on the horse really quickly, because I was like: 'I'm going to have to get back training.'' Claire is part of a thriving Hyrox community at Inverurie's flagship sports centre, where there are hall-based group Hyrox classes, as well as gym space dedicated to the fast-growing fitness phenomenon. Having developed a degenerative disc syndrome at the top and bottom of her spine, which put paid to her teenage participation in trampolining, Claire has also run marathons and taken part in triathlons over the years. But Hyrox – where eight 1km runs are punctuated by functional stations, including sled push/pulls, rowing, burpees and lunges – brings together multiple elements of her previous fitness pursuits, including gym training, while allowing her to also preserve her spinal health. She said: 'Trampolining was my background when I was younger, but I have a condition to my spine – degenerative disc syndrome at the top and the bottom. 'They didn't want to operate because the risks were too high. I just know how to manage it. 'I was told not to run at that point, but I find if I keep runs slightly shorter (it's fine). 'I have run a marathon – and was okay afterwards – (but) that's where Hyrox comes in. It's short bursts of running. One kilometre. 'I went into triathlon, just recreationally, and enjoyed that. And again, that's probably where the Hyrox stuff comes in – that transition in between different exercises.' While Claire's Hyrox race debut in Spain was not without its challenges – including the surprise of her GPS watch being unable to track her running distance indoors and a wrong turn at one stage – a special spectator's review of her performance contributed to an immediate desire to book her next race… She said: 'In terms of atmosphere, my husband Stuart said to me – he was there watching – and he's like: 'You were like a kid in a playground'. 'I absolutely had the best experience. It was just ace. 'There were no surprises, I knew I'd trained properly. I had fuelled going into the race right. 'I had the best time ever. 'I was massively proud of myself as well, because I'd done a lot of the training on my own. 'I was glad to be finished, but I also knew I had a lot more left in the tank.' Conveniently, when looking for her second race, Hyrox Cardiff happens to be taking place on the same weekend Claire's son, Commonwealth Games medal prospect boxer Ben Bonner, 18, is in the Welsh capital for the British Amateur Boxing Championships. Mother-of-two Claire said: 'I've got Cardiff booked – I've done the Friday rather than the Sunday. 'I'm down in Cardiff anyway, because my son will be competing at the British Championships. 'I have said to him: 'Do you fancy doing a doubles with your mum? But you'll have to slow down when you're running!' 'I'd like to be sub-1:25 in Cardiff, so fingers-crossed for that. 'I've got a different strategy going in – rather than looking at pace and the runs, Dave Cribbes, who trains here at Garioch and has done a few Hyroxes as well, he takes it by the run and the station together and looks at them for sub-10 minutes each. That's a better way.' After Cardiff, Claire is then also planning to go to Gdansk, Poland, in October for her third race of the year. Claire works in performance sport, for both the Inverurie Youth Sports Foundation, based at Garioch, and as a performance lifestyle practitioner for the Scottish Institute of Sport at Aberdeen Sports Village. However, her passion for Hyrox is about staying healthy for as long as she can, rather than the more hardened mindset required by athletes in her professional life. She said: 'What I don't want to do is get really competitive that it becomes all about times – it's also got to be enjoyable as well. 'In a performance environment, I get why we always look at improvement. That's the world I'm living with work. 'There's the other side of it where what I train for is around mobility and making sure that I'm well for the rest of my life – fit and well. 'I'm not 21 anymore. I'm 46 years old.'
Scoop
25-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Food Recall: Frozen Anchovies Recalled Due To Presence Of A Marine Biotoxin
Press Release – New Zealand Food Safety The affected products were sold at a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores. New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is supporting Pendarves Ltd in its recall of a specific range of imported frozen anchovies due to the presence of a marine biotoxin. 'Testing of the product has found the presence of domonic acid, a neurotoxin produced by certain algae that can cause Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning in humans,' says New Zealand Food Safety's Acting Deputy Director-General Claire McDonald. 'These products should not be eaten. You can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. If that's not possible, throw it out.' The affected products were sold at a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores. Visit NZFS's recall page for up-to-date information and photographs of the affected product. New Zealand Food Safety has not received any notifications of associated illness. Symptoms are mainly gastrointestinal, especially at low toxin levels. These usually appear within 24 hours of eating and may include vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. In more serious cases there can be neurological symptoms. These can take up to 3 days to develop and can range from headaches and dizziness to memory loss and, for severe cases, coma. If you have consumed any of this product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free advice. The products have been removed from store shelves and have not been exported. The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur. Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the NZFS food recall page: More information about illness caused by algae, including Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, can be found on our website
Scoop
25-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Food Recall: Frozen Anchovies Recalled Due To Presence Of A Marine Biotoxin
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is supporting Pendarves Ltd in its recall of a specific range of imported frozen anchovies due to the presence of a marine biotoxin. 'Testing of the product has found the presence of domonic acid, a neurotoxin produced by certain algae that can cause Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning in humans,' says New Zealand Food Safety's Acting Deputy Director-General Claire McDonald. 'These products should not be eaten. You can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. If that's not possible, throw it out.' The affected products were sold at a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores. Visit NZFS's recall page for up-to-date information and photographs of the affected product. New Zealand Food Safety has not received any notifications of associated illness. Symptoms are mainly gastrointestinal, especially at low toxin levels. These usually appear within 24 hours of eating and may include vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. In more serious cases there can be neurological symptoms. These can take up to 3 days to develop and can range from headaches and dizziness to memory loss and, for severe cases, coma. If you have consumed any of this product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free advice. The products have been removed from store shelves and have not been exported. The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur. Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the NZFS food recall page: More information about illness caused by algae, including Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, can be found on our website
RNZ News
25-04-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Frozen anchovies in recall over biotoxin threat
The toxic products were sold at a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores. Photo: Supplied / MPI New Zealand Food Safety is recalling a range of frozen anchovies imported from America after detecting marine biotoxin in the product. Testing has found the presence of domonic acid which can cause Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning in humans. Food Safety's Acting Deputy Director-General Claire McDonald says the toxic products were sold at a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores. "These products should not be eaten. You can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. If that's not possible, throw it out," she said. The anchovies have been sold at Pak'N'Save. Photo: Supplied / MPI New Zealand Food Safety said it had not been notified of consumers getting sick. Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning can cause gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps usually within 24 hours of consumption. Food Safety said more serious cases can cause a range neurological symptoms like headaches, dizziness and memory loss and, for severe cases, coma. These can take up to three days to develop, it said. Food Safety urged those with health concerns to contact their health professional. It said the products had been removed from store shelves and had not been exported. The product is sold frozen or thawed at: More information can be found on the MPI recall webpage.
