Weekly Roundup, October 16th – October 22nd
Track Session
Monday’s Track Session at Brynmawr School was another big success despite the remnants of Ophelia making conditions a little breezy. This was the first track session for Caroline Matthews and Sian Jones and it was Deanne Griffiths’ first session in many years.
If you’re interested in attending the next session, it’s being held on Monday 23rd October at 8pm and costs £2. The club Calendar has future dates listed.
Jordan’s Triathlon Training
Will Jordan Hawkins be following in the footsteps of Mike Matthews? He was at the Triathlon Training Centre in Bristol practising outdoor swimming.
When in Rome
A great way to see the sights in a city is with a run and that’s just what Marcus Smith did whilst on a trip to Rome. Quite often you’ll discover sights that you wouldn’t usually see on regular sightseeing tours.
Thursday Training in a Nutshell
parkrun
69 ‘lunatics’ braved Storm Brian at PBB with some even running in fancy dress (Sarah Jeremiah and Deanne Griffiths dressed up as pumpkins to help promote recycling in Wales). Gareth Williams was volunteering for the 100th time and Cerys Scarlett-Swift went sub-25 for the first time with a PB of 24:57. It’s an amazing achievement for Cerys who has knocked off a whopping 5 minutes in the last 7 months!
parkrun Tourists
Portobello, Edinburgh
Whilst in Edinburgh for the Ultra Tour of Edinburgh I visited the Portobello parkrun. There are a few in the Edinburgh area and it was a toss up between Portobello and the main one along the Firth of Forth (bound to be windy!). The Portobello looked far more scenic and it didn’t disappoint. It was a very well organised and friendly parkrun with almost 300 runners.
Other Tourists
The only other tourists this week were Sam Jackson, Lee Griffiths and Derek Rainbird in Penallta.
Welsh Athletics Clubs Conference 2017
Rachel Lewis and Richard Sheehy represented the club at this year’s Welsh Athletics Club Conference in Newport. The clubs conference offers a unique opportunity for clubs across Wales to meet and share ideas/good practice.
Trellech Beacon Dash
The Trellech Beacon Dash is a brand new 10K multi-terrain running race organised by the Spirit of Monmouth Running Club. The race features tarmac, forestry track, woodland trails and farmland and like the Kymin Dash – another race organised by the club – the race starts on a hill.
Six club members entered the race (maybe more) – Roger Freeman, Owen Davies, Darren Kippest, DJ Milo, Laura Hire and Nathan Harper. The medal they received was pretty unique which makes a change from some of the generic metal ones you receive.
Darren’s Race Report
With 6 members racing It had everything all in one race that you could ever want. Starting off on a tarmac road with a steep tough climb it soon progressed to running through mud and dodging trees. With a few more hills thrown in the mix. It soon ended with climbing over stiles and through some fields and finally back on the road for a fast sprint to the finish line.
Silent Valley Challenge
The Silent Valley Challenge is a tough 10K race in aid of the Gwent Wildlife Trust. Held at the Silent Valley Nature Reserve in Cwm, the race features over 1,100ft of ascent. PBB took away a clutch of honours with Cyril and Ian getting 2nd in their respective age categories and Rhi Griffin getting 3rd in her age category.
Results
| Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Ian Davies | 01:01:28 |
| Rhi Griffin | 01:09:25 |
| Gwyn Palfrey | 01:09:53 |
| Roger Freeman | 01:09:58 |
| Cyril Williams | 01:16:57 |
Stroud Half Marathon
Sam Jones ran the Stroud half marathon on Sunday and was so close to getting under 01:19:00 for the first time. His chip time was 01:19:08 which is still an awesome time! Unfortunately Sian Jones couldn’t participate due to illness.
54th Trofeo Vanoni Mountain Relay
Julie Cashell and Sharon Woods were in Morbegno, Italy on the weekend for the 54th Trofeo Vanoni Mountain Relay. The town is twinned with Llanberis and as a result a number of Wales’ and Britain’s best mountain runners are invited to race in the event each year.
“Sha and me had a cracking relay run – still waiting for official results but we are buzzing. Made to feel so, so welcome. Can’t wait to come back – simply stunning and met the most loveliest people.”
Ultra Tour of Edinburgh
I travelled to Edinburgh for the inaugural Rat Race Ultra Tour of Edinburgh. The 55K race starts on the famous Royal Mile and takes in a variety of sights including Holyrood, Arthur’s Seat and the Firth of Forth before finishing on the pitch at Murrayfield.
Ron Skilton Half Marathon
Michael Cope, and supported by James Thomas, headed to Llanwrtyd Wells for the Ron Skilton Mountain Half Marathon. Michael finished in 5th position in a time of 01:41:59.
Great South Run
Katherine Williams was in Portsmouth for the Great South Run. She’s no stranger to the race having completed it twice before in addition to the Great North Run which she has also completed 3 times.
Thruxton Duathlon
Stephen Williams travelled to Thruxton in Andover to compete in the Thruxton Sprint Distance Duathlon. He finished 4th in his age category.
Wales Selection
Following the final selection race at the Gwent League in Llandaff, Damian Williams joins Lee Aherne, who had already been selected, and both will represent Wales M50s in British & Irish Masters Cross Country International, Gransha Park Grounds, Derry Saturday 18 November 2017.
Lee and Damian join Nicola Jukes and Margrett Monk making it 4 PBBRC members being selected! Well done also to Julie Cashell, Simon Lewis, Phil Miles and Michael Lewis who have all been selected as Reserves in their various age groups.
The Week Ahead
Ghost Run
A number of members are running the Run, Walk, Crawl Ghost Run in Cardiff on Thursday 26th October. The 5-mile night race is multi-terrain with a good chance of mud and fancy dress is encouraged.
Sugar Loaf Fell Race
This 6-mile race starts at The Crown at Pantygelli and features an ascent of almost 1,600ft! It’s £5 to enter on the day and is suitable for runners that want to experience fell running.
Richard Sheehy
October 22, 2017 (9:01 pm)
Excellent news regarding the international selections.