REPORTS
Dive into our round-up of club members competing in yellow and blue. It’s a mix of road, track (indoors and out), field events, relays, running across muddy fields, and up some terribly steep hills. From our youngest to our super-vets, we want to celebrate the achievements of our club.
Have we missed something? Let our race report team know.
The YELLOW WAVE Crashes for BCRL
Last night the Yellow Wave (as we have now become!) crashed on the shore of Porthcawl with the first of 7 Bridgend County Running League (BCRL) events. For those that are not aware of it – it’s a local league between us and 6 other running clubs in the area – and it’s a closely fought set of events that run once a month over the summer period.
Last night saw 49 seniors turn up for the event – possibly our best ever turn out for such an event – and we were rewarded with 5 of the available 6 podium slots.
Congratulation to ALL runners – and to those that took the podium places
1st Male – Mark Emery 1st Female – Bethan Hardman
2nd Male - Sean Tobin 2nd Female – Georgie Dando
3rd Female – Ebony Vanderras
It was particularly pleasing to see a real mixture of club stalwarts, new joiners, those returning from injury and up-and-coming juniors (as we can see runners over 16 run for us).
The final results are on the BCRL Facebook page.
Senior REPORT - 24/04/24
Congratulations to the following athletes in recent events…
Mali McDuff (U17) in London Mini Marathon
Georgia Armitage ran Mersey Tunnel 10K in 42.45 (5th Female)
Dan Morgan ran and biked in the Mallory Park Duathlon
Devin Coombes in BUCS 10K – smashing a great PB time of 31.34
2023 Welsh athletics Combined events
The 6th of November took our junior Combined Events athletes to NIAC for the Indoor Combined Events competition. We fielded a strong number of athletes and a fantastic day was had by all.
Our coaches comments about the day included-
“
Well done to each and everyone of you who competed today .
Extremely proud of all of you, the attitude and togetherness I witnessed today from you all was absolutely fantastic .
I am proud of each member individually but also as a group. You were supportive, competitive, gracious and most importantly happy.
That arena can become a lonely place when things ain’t quite going your way and to have the support and togetherness you all showed can go an awful long way.
You should all be extremely proud of yourselves not just for your performances but the way you all presented yourselves throughout the day is something Gerwyn, Mike and Chris will hold in high regard.
You can all relax and take the rest of the day off.
“
So many personal bests, in fact EVERY athlete had a personal best in at least one event, pb’s in-
Under 14’s boys
Ed Jeynes - Shot, Quad
Under 16’s boys
Harri Davies - 800m
Regan Mahoney - 800m,
Cian Smith - 800m, long jump
Olly Esmond - 200m, long jump
Under 14 girls
Emily Rideout - long jump
Tamzin Bennett - first track event
Abbie Williams - long jump
Under 16’s girls
Bethan Deeks - 60m hurdles, shot put
Kacey Carter - first track event
Flo Durrant - high jump, long jump, shot put
Bel Durrant - 60m hurdles
Daisy Lewis - shot(i)
Mia Amerein - long jump, shot put
Under 18’s girls
Bethany Jenkins - 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put
Tamzin was the 4th fastest hurdler and Emily 5th in the U14 girls
Bethan was 6th fastest hurdler, 8th longest in long jump, 3rd in Shot, 6th in 800m in U16 girls
Mia was 9th fastest in the 800m for the Y16 girls
Bethany finished 6th overall
Bethan finished 7th overall
Emily finished 8th overall
Huge smiles and lots have fun had throughout the day.
Junior athletes eagerly awaiting the first event.
The sun shines favourably on us
SSAFA 5k – race 2 – 22nd June
A hot day presented a ‘warm’ evening. Too warm for some people, who might have preferred the rain that greeted the runners for the first race in the three-part series.
Wednesday’s event had a race within a race. It included the South Wales championships.
4th Adam Bowden 14:49 (SB)
33rd Kate Roberts 17:18 (2nd lady)
42nd Jon Parry 17:45 (PB)
65th Rhydian Lloyd-Francis 18:59
80th Nick Stocker 19:45 (SB)
82nd Leigh James 19:50 (SB)
88th Georgie Dando 20:09 (SB)
91st Gareth Hardman 20:16 (SB)
106th Katy Griffiths 21:08
121st Evatt Cummings 22:27 (SB)
177 finishers
We’re still waiting on a full set of South Wales championship results to see how many Bridgend Athletics names are in there. For now, we know that both Adam and Kate took home medals for top three overall.
Most of our team - L-R - Gareth, Jon, Leigh, Kate, Nick, Georgie.
Welsh tiathlon medal
With a series of race distances over the swim, bike, and run discipline on Sunday 26th, Sophie Moore finished second in the Welsh champs. With 7th in the British champs, she’s qualified for the World’s next year.
Sion Evans and Jon Parry were also in action.
Sprint distance
151st Sophie Moore 1:16:48
Standard distance
176th Jon Parry 2:38:25
211st Sion Evans 2:43:09
Sophie in transition
Most recent parkrun results
Devin Coombes stole the show at this Saturday’s parkrun, with a first place finish at Porthcawl parkrun.
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
A short report written by Leigh James.
Photos Leigh Francis, Sion Evans, Cath Hayes.
Three letters fill the headline - WCR
WCR for those not in-the-know stands for Welsh Castles Relay. An event that runs for the tip of Wales, to the South, over two days. 55 teams. Each 20 members strong. It’s been in the pipeline for months. Gina has quietly soldiered on knitting our team together. Organising the troops. Travel. Logistics. Niggles and injuries.
This year marks the 37th running of the event, with 36 teams in the open category (the one we entered).
A handful and more of our team were making their WCR debuts: Leigh, Mark, James, Laura, Sadie, Steve, Jon, Sean.
Here’s our stage-by-stage recap.
Overall leg finish (open team position)
Stage 1 - Caernarfon Castle to Penygroes 9.1 miles
Leigh James 66:39
26th (22nd)
Leigh James finishing leg 1
“I had the dubious honour of opening the team’s account. But, I was spoilt by Team Hardman - a chauffeur services from my front door to the starting line, overnight accommodation, and a personalised set of drills to warm up by Seren. Despite a panicked reshuffle of the start, the race went off on-time. The noise from across the water (where we should have set off) raised a few smiles, and set the tone for the atmosphere of the day.
The wind was a challenge. I tucked in at the back of a train for the first few miles as much as possible. Had a sticky patch where I had to briefly stop. And a mostly solo run from midway. Not a vintage performance, but solid enough. And my work for the day over early.
From there on, it was a treat to support the day 1.”
Stage 2 - Penygroes to Criccieth Castle 10.7 miles
Mark Thomas 76:26
31st (24th)
Mark running strongly, and smiling.
Stage 3 - Criccieth Castle to Maentwrog 12.3 miles (mountain stage)
Evatt Cummings 1:42:12
53rd (35th)
Evatt negotiating the downhill finale.
Stage 3 NOT 4
Sometimes I do nice things. Sometimes. Just in case He is watching - I want to go Up NOT Down!!!!!
I wasn't asked to do stage 3 - I offered. Logistically the Castles is a nightmare and if you're trying, like Gina was going to, to get from the end of stage one to the start of stage 3 it's a bit of a rush and not ideal preparation for a mountain stage!!!!
Evatt on 3. Gina on 4. Potential problem avoided.
So, there I am stood by the boot of my car preparing to run from Criccieth to Maentwrog.
" Have you seen who's on this stage " an old Les Croups team mate says to me.
" I don't give a shit " I reply (I'm a Barry Boy and sometimes I remember that!!!!!!)
It doesn't matter how fast (or famous) your competitors are it all comes down to you and how you handle the occasion. I'm 53 and unable to run as fast as I once could so I spread the effort accordingly and settle into a pace I can keep for 9 miles. After running through, what can only be described as Holland (flat and uninspiring!!!!!), you reach the 9 mile point. You're sent left - I HAVE to go Up, Up, Up but, this time, I also HAVE to go Down..........
Well Done Everyone that played a part.
Stage 4 - Maentwrog to Harlech Castle 9.5 miles
Gina Hardman 73:33
38th (28th)
Gina moments before the start of leg 4.
“As ever, plenty of last minute changes were happening – and I wasn’t sure which leg I’d be doing until the last day almost. Evatt very kindly offered to “take one for the team” and do the Leg 3 Mountain Stage – I’m very grateful Evatt! This left me with the relatively flat Leg 4 – 9.5 miles from Maentwrog to Harlech.
One of the main problems with being part of the organising team on WCR is that you tend to forget to feed yourself in the rushing from start to finish to start again. This meant that I turned up on the start line at 1pm with a few curly fries nicked from Seren’s plate at the pub to sustain me on my run…. Not surprisingly, after setting off at a cracking pace, it ended up like a scene from “One Wheel On My Wagon” as I got progressively slower in the final few miles.
Huge thanks must go to Stephen Jenkins and the South Wales Police team, who not only encouraged me on my run, but also gave me a lift from the end to our car, abandoned as it was by Gareth at the start of his leg in Dolgellau.”
Stage 5 - Harlech Castle to Barmouth 9.6 miles
James Matthews 77:30
37th (28th)
James less than meter from stopping the clock on leg 5
Stage 6 - Barmouth to Dolgellau 10.7 miles
Laura Gush 79:24
35th (26th)
“First time runner at the castles relay this year. It has a reputation as a prestigious elite event so I'd built up quite some nervous energy. I camped Friday night at Hendre Mynach right at the start line of leg 6 so I was there and ready to go. The 10.7 mile section runs along the promenade, across the bridge with its clickety clack boards and then joins the Mawddach trail for a long, flat, almost entirely straight 7+ miles on gravel footpath. The public toilets at the start area were locked so I ended up nipping into the ones at the harbour 1.5 miles into the race - 30 seconds but enough to not know who had gone past and where I was in the field. Along the Mawddach trail, it would bend slightly then straighten out again and I'd see the same little pack in the distance - always keeping the same gap so running exactly my pace. I couldn't reel them in so apart from overtaking 2 runners completely, I ran the whole trail completely alone. But it was a nice route with beautiful views, I felt strong, and I was able to push along maintaining my pace to the end. Bring on 2023!”
Laura storming down the finishing straight.
Stage 7 - Dolgellau to Dinas Mawddwy 10.1 miles (mountain stage)
Gareth Hardman 77:34
40th (30th)
Gareth, with the wind behind him.
Another finish line in sight.
“When offered either Leg 3 (longer, then stupid hill) or Leg 7 (shorter, stupid hill from the go, then knee damaging downhill section) – it was quite a challenge to decide which of these beauties I was going to do. In the end – Evatt offered to do Leg 3 – leaving me with Leg 7 – one I’d done a couple of times before – so a known quantity in theory. Weird how the memory blocks out previous trauma though eh?
I decided on “steady she goes, stay with Ian Ogilvie from Brackla” strategy. Heading up the hill (all 1300 feet of it) – I was definitely in Ian’s slipstream, as we both steadily chipped away at a few of the hares that suddenly realised just how steep this leg was. We crested the pass some 20m apart – Ian then set off down the hill like a runaway train – and my nice new operated-on-last-year-knees protested sufficiently that I had to let him go…. Still there was a nice tailwind for us (unlike many who didn’t benefit in the same way) – and I hit the flat section with gusto – and felt good at the end. The course record broken this weekend – a combination of the tail wind and nice new techie daps I suspect.
The nerd in me made me check on the first time I did this course in 2012. It was a slightly different course back then – I did the then 9.1 miles in 1.08.31 – ending up in 43rd position. This year course was 9.9 miles – and I did it in 1.17.35, finishing in 40th. So - 9 mins slower on a course 0.8 miles longer, and I’m 10 years older – I think that’s a “win”?”
Stage 8 - Dinas Mawddwy to Foel 10.8 miles
Kartin Higginson 91:21
51st (33)
Katrin clicking off the miles.
“After a bit of a hiatus of racing in yellow and blue I was back for castles relay 2022 Leg 8. Perhaps driving the reverse of the route on the way to the start was a mistake because then I knew anything I drove down I would be running back up later on. Nearly 7 miles of up hill took it out of me and the last 3 and a half felt like a marathon to me. Definitely by far the toughest race mentally I’ve ever done but I hope I have proven myself and I’m proud that I made it to the finish.
Being part of team Bridgend over the whole weekend was a privilege. Supporting the team all the way down to Cardiff on Day 2 was inspiring especially seeing Sean Tobin absolutely smashing leg 13 up to drovers arms. Thank you to Bridgend AC for choosing me to run again and I’m looking forward to racing in yellow and blue a bit more next year.”
All smiles.
Stage 9 - Foel to Llanfair Caereinion 8.5 miles
Sadie Pemberton 69:07
48th (33)
Keeping hydrated…
“After asking for an easy leg the Foel to Llanfair Caereinion did not disappoint! This 8.5 mile route (although my Garmin recorded 8 miles) definitely had a great start, a nice down hill with a great tail wind to add even more pace. Although undulating this stretch had more descent than ascent 456 ft compared to 240ft. The middle section of the race had some beautiful views, this coined with the great support I had along the leg enabled me to run in a faster time than I had anticipated. Thank you again to everyone involved in the organisation. As a family we had a brilliant weekend.”
Stage 10 - Llanfair Caereinion to Newtown 13.1 miles (mountain stage)
Andrew Tuckey 85:05
24th (20th)
Great minds…
Stage 11 - Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd 10.5 miles (mountain stage)
Nick Grimell 68:22
10th (9th)
Nick on the ‘wrong’ side of the road for photos.
Stage 12 - Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates 11.2 miles
Nick Stocker 79:00
34th (24th)
“After a night spent in a tent in Crossgates listening to the rural sounds of dogs barking and distant cars it was time to rise at 5.20am a bit bleary-eyed. Drove Nick G to his start at Newtown Sports Centre where we also met Laura and her dogs. Returned to Llanbadarn Fynydd next, the start of leg 12 after I had chance to check out the route on the way.
The stage started on time at 7.55am (without Ellesmere Port) at a reasonably quick pace which soon eased off a bit. The route was apparently downhill for a good section although it didn't feel like it. Some parts were a bit rough underfoot all on the main road to Crossgates. A few hills towards the end. Not a lot of overtaking going on. It was warm enough to have a few cups of water along the way and a bottle from Laura too.
The end came sooner than expected so mis-timed my sprint finish but Katrin said I looked strong coming in so I will take that! That was my 4th Castles and 4th different stage. Was a fantastic weekend. “
Nick, followed by Nick, on leg 12.
Stage 13 – Crossgates to Builth Wells 10.6 miles
Steve Summers 72:15
24th (22)
Steve nearly ‘home’.
Stage 14 - Builth Wells to Drovers Arms 10.8 miles (mountain stage)
Sean Tobin 67:06
10th (10th)
Sean striding out.
Stage 15 - Epynt Visitor Centre to Brecon 12.8 miles
Mark Emery 74:01
10th (10th)
Mark ‘pretty in pink’.
Stage 16 - Brecon Canal Basin to Torpantau 12.5 miles (mountain stage)
Jon Parry 86:19
21st (18th)
Jon on his debut castles.
“Really enjoyed my 1st WCR, Kate Roberts picked the perfect leg for me to do. Fast rolling front half with the hills bringing us home. Gave it a good push from the gun and staying strong on the way home. Bring on next year now. Thanks to the guys who put the work in behind the scenes as well, much appreciated.”
Stage 17 - Taf Fechan Railway Station to Torpantau Merthyr 7.8 miles
Helen Andrews 63:01
42nd (26th)
Helen thoroughly enjoying her run.
Stage 18 - Merthyr Tydfil (Rhyd-y-Car Centre) to Abercynon (Navigation Park) 9.1 miles
Cath Stephens 67:20
33rd (23rd)
Cath rounding off leg 17.
“I was looking forward to a down hill 9.1 miles but it was fairly flat the first half with a lovely big uphill around half way! This part was marshalled by the BAC crew so it was a tonic to see their lovely faces despite me not being able to speak ! The second half was mainly downhill and despite a close shave with a supporters bus blocking my vision where I lost sight of the runners in front and nearly went off piste , they kindly pointed me in the right direction! Down hill from there with a supportive beep from Jack and Nick as they passed in the car, I motored onto the end and finished in 1 hr 7.”
‘That’s not a hill!?’
Stage 19 - Abercynon (Navigation Park to) Nantgarw 7.7 miles
Gemma Roche-Clarke 57:00
28th (18th)
“My 4th WCR experience, this time leg 19, 7.7 miles, navigation park to Nantgarw. A route of 2 halves with some undulating street running and lots of support to start and then the taff trail under the shade of the trees to finish. The second half was up a gentle gradient, just enough of a hill to feel relentless! I picked off those closest to me and settled into my pace, passing the odd cyclist and Sunday walker! Great to see some BAC support at the start and finish. Another great event, well done everyone involved!!”
“Let’s go”
Stage 20 - Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle 9.9 miles
Dave Murray 65:00
23rd (20th)
That’s a wrap - Dave rounding off our team’s efforts.
Dive into all the WCR results and stats you could ever want.
WCR shout-outs
A BIG Thankyou to:
All the kids who travelled to support. Their cheers were the loudest and I have no doubt they will run Welsh Castles in the future.
Marshalls Gareth says “Great to have Gareth Davies, Nick Grinnell, Stuart Davidson, Nick Stocker, Jack Ayoub, Gina Hardman providing the marshalling support for WCR today 👏👏👏👏. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
And Gina: “Stu, Jack, Gareth D, Nick G, Nick S and Gareth H for marshalling (if there were a prize for best marshalling team, we would easily win it!).”
Our reserves - Tony, Steve J and Cath H who were all on standby in case of emergency.
All the BAC runners, who each gave it their all … and everyone finished with a big smile. The BAC team spirit has shone all weekend and it was great to be part of
Supporting the WCRs is tiring work.
That’s not all
Swansea Bay 5k – 8th June
Stood with their toes milometers from the starting line, Rhydian and Katy put the club colours to the fore of the second Swansea Bay 5k. Katy had her usual fast start, and held strong in the challenging windy conditions – closely matching her time from SSAFA. It bodes well, particularly returning from an injury. And Rhydian, well, despite the conditions he still managed to dip under the 20 minute mark.
Rhydian Lloyd-Francis 19:59
Katy Griffiths 22:00
Earlier that day we’ve heard news that Rhydian was racing over 1500, competing at the Inter Schools. Naturally he won, in a nippy 5:16.
Cardiff tri – 11th June
Josh Morgan, 2nd
Josh’s words pinched from Instagram:
“Cardiff Junior Tri 2nd - 1st in heat then 2nd 🥈 overall - new and improved transitions making me have the fastest T1&T2 of the day and fastest bike and run leg - swim was alright need to improve.”
Podium photo.
British tri champs – Leeds – 11th June
Three of our members headed north to Leeds last weekend to take part in the British Triathlon Standard Distance Age Group Championships. Sean Petty, Richard Dando & Simon Osborne qualified to represent Welsh Triathlon’s ‘Tîm Tri Cymru’ and did the Welsh Tri suit proud! With a keen wind the race started with a 1500m swim in Roundhay Park, followed by a 2 lap 36km bike leg & rounded off with a lumpy 10km run around the park. All 3 had brilliant races but special mention to Sean for winning bronze in his 17-19 age group. Da iawn.
64th Sean Petty 2:12:08 (3rd 17-19)
74th Richard Dando 2:13:35 (13th 40-45)
269th Simon Osbourne 2:28:43 (6th 60-64)
TATA Steelman – 12th June
Evan John 10th in 25-29 age group 2:28:25
Swim 31:28 T1 1:26
Bike 1:15:09 T2 1:17
Run 39:04
Lucy John 5th in 35-39 age group 2:53:55
Swim 39:22 T1 3:23
Bike 1:24:48 T2 1:34
Run 44:46
In Lucy’s words:
“It’s a great event, very well organised, brutal head wind on the bike one side but lovely tailwind then on the return. Great finishes socks FairPlay, very happy with them! Ooo and I mustn’t forget the delicious bacon roll too 👌🏻”
Swansea half marathon – 12th June
Word from the race organisers is that it was a windy day. Scowling the results it looks like we had two who travelled West for the flat and fast half:
224th Ryan Bowan 93:56
1215th Jon Thiel 2:00:19
Welsh track and field championships - 11th & 12th June
Over the weekend the u15 age group and seniors were competing for Welsh medals in Cardiff. We’re thin on news on the ground, but have a scattering of results, and two fine photos. If you’d like to catch up, there should be a chance to re-play the events on Vinco (who were streaming live).
Lewis took home an impressive haul of three bronze medals. Sailing over the high jump, Alfie also took home a bronze.
Lewis Barnes 100 11.88 bronze
Noah Roberts 100 12.60
Alfie Osborne 100 13.20
Lewis Barnes 200 23.89 bronze
Lewis Barnes LJ 5.35 bronze
Alfie Osborne LJ 4.98
Alfie Osborne HJ 1.45 bronze
Mia Amerein: javelin 12.01
Annabelle Durrant javelin 12.13.
Florence Durrant javelin 10.05
Bethan Deeks 100 12.94 (PB)
Regan Mahoney 100 13.74
Ariane Smith 100 13.7
5Mia Jones 100 14.38
Bethan Deeks 200 26.68 (PB)
Ariane Smith 200 28.74
Martha Trivett 200 30.45
Annabelle Durrant 200 39.78
Mia Amerein 800 2:45
Florence Durrant 800 2:56
Annabelle Durrant HJ 1.25
Bethan Deeks LJ 4.70 (PB)
Regan Mahoney LJ 4.39
Martha Trivett LJ 3.87
Florence Durrant LJ 3.73
Proudly standing on the podium.
One of three Welsh Champs medals.
Most recent parkrun results
On what must contend as one of the busiest weekends for the club, we still had 17 athletes at this Saturday’s parkrun. Rich was seemingly warming up for his triathlon. Rhydian and Katy out over 5k again, albeit backing off the pace. Devin banked a first place at Exmouth parkrun with 16:36. And Adam Bowden making this week’s UK wide top 10, in 6th – 15:27.
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
This week’s report comes at you from Leigh James.
Photos Gareth Hardman, Mari Higginson, Laura Gush, Leigh James, Steve Summers, Krista Humphrey, Andrew Barnes, Peny Y Bont Tri club, and possibly more (our WhatsApp groups were flooded with images and videos).
Krista's PB shines
Jumping straight into the results this week, with no warm up…
Rhydian zipping along.
Aberavon 5k series – 1st June
There’s no better day than Global Running Day to snatch a PB. It’s been on the cards for a while – Krista thought she’d clocked 25 minutes on the nose, with perfect 8 min miles. The official results showed she dipped under the 25 mark for the first time. It’s a whopping 2:20 off her course best too.
Krista wasn’t the only one going over the 5k though. We had six Bridgend Athletics members racing, with Rhydian leading the way (again):
17th Rhydian Lloyd-Francis 18:35
25th Josh Morgan 19:28
38th Dan Morgan 20:38
52nd Katy Griffiths 21:37
91st Abi Morgan 24:54
93rd Krista Humphrey 24:58
Devin in PB action.
BMC Regional Races – Exeter – 31st May
After a 5:34.9 1500m outing in early April, and a 2k steeplechase at BUCS champs at the end of April (8:15.47), Katrin took to the track again at the BMC meet. With the Welsh Castles Relay only a matter of days away, she’s nicely finding speed.
18th 1500 – Race C – 5:41.06
BMC PB Classic - Milflied – 4th June
Sporting Exeter uni colours, Devin Coombes was spotted by our unofficial club photographer Gareth racing over 3,000. It looks like he dipped under the 9min mark for the first time:
Men’s B race, 2nd, 8:58.00
National Athletics League – Premiership – Eton – 4th June
Racing in her first club’s colours, here’s Kate’s report on her competition in Eton, on Jubilee weekend:
“It was a hot and windy day at Windsor and one lap into the 3000m I knew it wasn’t a day for any pb’s.
One runner took the race out from the gun but I sat back and ran my own race. Sitting comfortable in second place at 1800m I had the leader in my sights and managed to pass her with a km to go and push on for the win.
Shortly after the 3000m I was asked if I would have a run out in the 1500m. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty and my legs gave up on me 500m in but came away with second place.”
3,000 1st, 10:05.72
1500 6th, 4:58.37
Most recent parkrun results
At this Saturday’s parkrun Gina has made it to 50 and counting at Barry Island (98 in total). As well as Barry, Bridgend Athletics athletes were at the locals – Maesteg and Porthcawl – as well as Swansea, Druridge Bay and Pontypridd.
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
This week’s report comes to you from Leigh James.
Photos by Leigh Francis and Gareth Hardmam.
sitting in a Podium position
The event of the week had no competition for the headline – the second fixture in the BCRL was our focus.
BCRL – 24th May
Kate’s words about this race might resemble a series of characters $”@*!?” that we won’t spell out. She took an unfortunate fall not long after the starting gun, ending up in a bed of nettles. It’s safe to say she didn’t continue running, and didn’t get much sleep that night.
The rest of our team thankfully avoided trouble, trips and falls.
Bridgend Athletics held on to their 3rd place in the team standings. Richard Dando was first over the line for us in 6th, with Geoffrey nipping close behind in 7th, 5 seconds back.
It was a treat to see second-claim member Beth Hardman in our yellow and blue hoops. And great to see Jon Parry make his racing debut for us – plenty more to come.
Team standings
Bridgend Athletics 3rd with 1035
Don’t they look good - team photo from Kenfig.
A home competition - 28th May
Young athletes report from Richard Dando:
After the junior athletics meeting at Neath scheduled for Saturday 28th May was cancelled the day before, the brilliant team of Bridgend AC coaches & volunteers hastily arranged a club track & field fun day for our juniors.
From long jump & high jump, to shot and discuss, to 75m and 200m sprints, to 800m and 1500m endurance races - there was something for everyone. The last event was a mixed aged relay which went down well with all the kids. In between all the track & field fun there was a family game of rounders with ice creams & the day finished with pizza and chips.
For some of our newer junior members it was their first experience of a track & field event and judging by the smiles it was a great success.
A big thanks to all the coaches, volunteers & parents that helped put the event on in such short notice - and well done to all the juniors for their brilliant performances. Good luck for the rest of the summer track & field season.
Our junior squad
Swansea 5k – 29th May
With the offering of free places, there was a four-strong club turnout for the Swansea 5k. Organised by Activity Wales Events, it was part of a busy day’s competition including a triathlon.
Everyone negotiated the steps successfully. Phew.
Results (you might need to pick the event from the dropdown menu)
4th Richard Dando 18:19 (1st vet)
16th Nick Stocker 20:46
20th Georgie Dando 21:04 (1st vet)
22nd Deryl Stephens 21:36
71 finishers
Sorry if we missed anyone, we couldn’t filter results by Bridgend Athletics
Swansea tri – 29th May
At the aforementioned triathlon, Jon Parry swam, biked, and ran again (in prep for Long Course Weekend, in Tenby, we believe)
91st Jon Parry 1:17:38.7
Beast of Bryn – 29th May
Tuesday edit to drop in Gareth Hardman’s race report:
Sunday 29th of May saw a number of BAC runners travel up to the lovely Afan Valley to take on the “Beast of Bryn” 15 mile trail race. This was the first running of the event for 7 years – not run since the unfortunate incident where the marshal didn’t turn up at the turn-around point on a kids race…This resulted in most of the kids heading off down a railway track and being “rescued” by the Mountain Rescue Land Rover when the parents didn’t see their loved ones return after a worrying length of time. I was there that day – 9 year old Bethan had great fun in the Land Rover has to be said. This incident made the local papers and BBC Wales news at the time – so I guess the original organisers have had to keep a low profile for a while!
This year’s event, now under new stewardship, seemed to go off without any obvious hitch – in fact very well organised from what I saw – the complimentary alcohol free beers put on by brewery sponsors Days a very welcome alternative to Brecon Carreg sprint water! The route was mostly on forest trails with plenty of arrows and marshals, and sufficient water stations.
The weather has been dry in the main for the last few weeks, so the course, whilst very hilly, wasn’t overly muddy – and Andrew Tuckey, running on his birthday, choosing to run in ordinary running shoes, wasn’t impacted for lack of grip, coming in second place overall. He suggested he was running to test out the legs prior to Welsh Castles Relay – I think his selection for Leg 10 was justified based on this performance….
The run heads south of the village of Bryn to start with, up around the Cwmwernderi Reservoir, back into the Afan Valley, before doing another big loop to the north of Bryn, taking in sections of the Afan Argoed Forest Park.
Big thanks to the Morgan Tribe for the full support – but it was in their back yard I guess. Well done to Josh (who came 6th) and Ruth Davies (coming 4th Female) for running the “6 mile” race. This was essentially the first half of the main race and was about 7.1 according to Josh’s watch… – so no ordinary 10k for sure!
2nd Andrew Tuckey 1:46:00 (1st v45)
30th Simon Osborne 2:06:52 (1st v60)
38th Gareth Hardman 2:11:33 (3rd v55)
49th Dan Morgan 2:15:29
93rd Gina Hardman 2:31:38
140th James Matthews 2:43:46
Team photo
Most recent parkrun results
At this Saturday’s parkrun Krista has made it to 80 and counting. Richard made it two 5ks in two days, starting with Porthcawl parkrun. With another 17 club members in action.
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
Leigh James was this week’s reporter. Boosted by reports from Richard Dando and Gareth Hardman - thank you.
Photos by Josh Morgan, Cath Hayes, Krista Humphrey, and Alison Allen.
South Wales success
As the ‘summer’ racing season picks up pace, we’ve a mix of track and road running to report.
South Wales regional champs – 18th May
Josh Morgan had double success, racing twice in quick succession at the Ron Jones Stadium - Aberdare. It looks like he made his debut over 3k.
Bronze 3,000 - 10:54.24
Gold 1500 steeplechase - 5:49.99
Results event by event – there may have been others in action too!?
Josh in action
Soggy SSAFA 5k – 18th May
A happy accident to line up in number order, Gina, Leigh, Kate, Evatt, Huw (missing Rhydian and Katy)
A contingent of Bridgend Athletics athletes across the age groups hopped over to Cardiff’s Bute Park for the first race of the three-part series.
Conditions were good, for ducks. It was a wet night where the rain didn’t ease off much. It was still mild, and the rain didn’t bring the wind – so racing was still fast. Not as fast as the first k marker suggested though. It was positioned much closer to 900m than 1000.
Kate Roberts was first across the line (in her Swansea vest), finishing just the wrong side of 17 minutes with 17:03 and 2nd lady. Her 16:49 PB is sure to be re-written this year.
Rhydian and Kate were flying the flag for our juniors, and Huw proving form in his hopes of gaining a Welsh masters vest in Tenby on 3rd July.
24th Kate Roberts 17:03
52nd Rhydian Lloyd-Francis 19:24
63rd Leigh James 20:02
78th Gina Hardman 21:34
97th Katy Griffiths 22:38
98th Evatt Cummings 22:44
109th Huw Roberts 23:38
146 finishers
YDL
Here’s a space for you to fill - we’d love to hear about your track and field efforts, share your results, and snaps. We think a group of Bridgend Athletics juniors were out in Hereford!?
Cardiff Bay 10k – 22nd May
The sun was shining in the Welsh capital for athletes taking on the 10k. There was a near minute PB for Abigail in the mix. And it’s been a particularly busy week for Josh too.
Club results (that we’ve spotted)
77th Sean Petty 37:26
144th Ryan Bowen 39:35
151st Mark Emery 39:39
303rd Josh Morgan 43:53
495th Huw Roberts 47:36 - 5th v65
864th Abigail Morgan 52:37
1107th Krista Humphrey 55:30
Mark
Sean
Josh
Huw
Abi
Krista
Most recent parkrun results
22 Bridgend Athletics athletes took part in parkrun this Saturday – with Laura bagging her Z for the parkrun alphabet challenge.
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
Race report scribbled by Leigh James
Photos by Dan Morgan and Jon Parry.
Regional Champs - aberdare
Well it’s unlike me to put pen to paper and write about one of the events attended but I think the time is right to pencil some words.
Saturday (14th May) saw us heading to the fantastic facilities at Aberdare to take part in the regional track and field champs. Leaving Bridgend in overcast conditions led to false sense of security as the weather in Aberdare was scorching, thankfully I’d remembered a hat this time.
We had some 25 junior athletes entered from across a range of disciplines and none failed to put all their energy into their chosen events.
There was a fantastic atmosphere both between our athletes and those athletes from other clubs. I couldn’t be prouder of each and every athlete present. They were polite, honest, supportive and represented the club impeccably. Even when things went a little awry on the shot… the u15 ladies had to throw twice as the first 3 shots thrown were 1kg overweight. Fortunately the error was noticed, but only once they’d all had 3 throws. There were no cross words or tantrums, the young ladies from all the clubs just got on with it and threw again.
To see so many smiling faces enjoying the competition makes the hours spent each week at the track worth it.
I really do feel very luck to be part of the team.
I really don’t care if you come first, last or somewhere in between but what is important is that you enjoy what you do. There is absolutely no point spending hours each week at training if you don’t actually enjoy it and clearly at the moment you are all enjoying it.
For those interested in the medal tally:
Gold medals for
Ffion Calford (Hammer), Lewis Barnes (200m), Lewis Barnes (100m), Bethany Jenkins (long jump), Daisy Lewis (discus)
Silver medals for
Alfie Osborne (High Jump), Bel Durrant (hight jump), Bethan Deeks (100m), Georgia Smele (discus), Georgia Smele (300m), Harri Davies (hammer), Lewis Barnes (long jump) Ruby Scourfield (100m), Mia Amerein (800m), Ffion Calford (discus)
Bronze medals for
Maddison Mustoe (300m), Alfie Osborne (100m), Cian Smith (800m), Mia Amerein (shot)
Written by
Chris Jeynes (Proud Coach)
Swim, bike, and ‘RUN’
A mixed bag of results this week, showing off our various talents. We’re not just a running club, as some might believe. Please send us your result with a few words to help us plug the gaps.
Canine corner - Maverick Terrex Trail – 14th May
What follow’s is Laura’s report on her and Welly’s race. It’s a club record – for writing a report. It stands at 41 minutes – from the b of bang (being asked to write something) to crossing the line (sending this through). Can you beat it?
“On Saturday, I ran the Maverick Terrex trail race in the Forest of Dean. They put on a series of races, mostly in the South of England and a few across Europe. They returned to the Forest of Dean in 2022 after 7 years. A low key, friendly race; they offer three distances - short (7km), middle (12km), and long (22km) course.
In true trail fashion, the long was more like 23km but I can't comment on the others. I ran with Wellington (the Vizsla), setting off at the front because he always goes off like a rocket (probably taught well by poorly-pace-it me). After about a mile, the short and medium course runners headed straight on and we turned left, so the field thinned out. We probably maintained 1st lady, 1st dog position for about 5km, but it was quite hot and hilly and his longest race to date, so I made sure he had some puddle paddle stops to cool off, and we walked up the gnarliest hills (and the hairy scary biggest downhill). It is mostly wide undulating forest paths and not too technical, but with a couple of very uneven sections, and a downhill or two made scary by a complete lack of ankle stability and a strong dog pulling ahead.
The aid stations were well stocked for both human and canine, and at the finish line we were both presented with a medal and some snacks.
There were around 300 runners across the 3 distances and probably just under 10% running with dogs. Having finally made it to a Maverick race after seeing many friends do them, I would agree with the hype, and recommend this race to others next year.”
Laura Gush and Wellington
And, they’re off.
South Wales track and field champs – 14th May, day 1
We haven’t heard from anyone on the ground, but saw a snap of the club branding on show:
The results are split by event and age groups, and include East Wales competitors – take a hop, skip, and a jump through them for yourselves.
Walking wonders
Gemma Price and Fraser Higginson gatecrashed the West Wales regional championships in Neath for the combined regions 1km race walk event! Both donned the Bridgend vest with pride and both came away with regional titles and PBs - what more could any coach ask for?
Fraser 5:07:52
Gemma 5:53:25
A huge thank you to Martin Bell who ventures to Bridgend on a weekly basis to ensure the walkers are put through their paces and perfect the walking wiggle and build on their endurance!
BCRL – Rest Bay – 10th May
May 10th saw the return of BCRL after 978 days away due to the pandemic.
The first race took place on Rest Bay, the same location as the previous race on 5th Sept 2019.
It was a sunny evening with a fresh onshore wind and the course was 1 small lap followed by 2 large laps. Each time the runners ran away from the start their feet would get more wet as the tide came in but this produced some spectacular photos and a very smooth and flat albeit damp terrain.
Of the 284 finishers, just 23 were from Bridgend. However we still managed to sit in a very commendable 3rd place overall behind Porthcawl Runners and Ogmore Phoenix.
Tom Wright was 2nd overall, with Richard Dando 6th, and Mark Emery 7th. The first Bridgend AC female was Mia Allen (36th) beating Georgie Dando (37th) by just 3 seconds. Ruth Davies was 3rd Bridgend lady finishing in 81st place.
‘We need you’. The more numbers we get out, the fewer points we get.
Put Tuesday 24th May in your diaries - Kenfig Nature Reserve.
Bridgend team snap.
Welsh 10k championships – Caerphilly – 15th May
An individual shout-out from the man-on-the-ground, Stuart:
“Well done Simon Osborne only BAC VEST at Caerphilly”
Simon cut the sub 40 as close as it can get with 39:59. But his chip time gave him a little more breathing space, 39:56 for 72nd.
And escaping Stu’s eye, Kristofor Powell was out too (possibly not in a club vest!?) 69:59 on the clock.
In the 2k event Bella Thie put in a commanding run, with 8:39. 30th overall, 8th female out of the 307 finishers.
Bryn Meadows Caerphilly 10k results
Running+
Outlaw, Nottingham – 15th May
We know Beth Lance was taking on the 70.3 in Nottingham. This is a space left for her words, once she’s rested.
19th female, 5:07:24
1.9k swim 32:32
Transition 3:40
90.12k bike 2:41:33
Transition 4:02
21.3k run 1:45:37
Llanelli Sprint Triathlon – 15th May
Over the 750m swim/ 30k bike/ 5k run we had Sean Petty, Jon Parry, and Tom Graham were in action.
A race debrief from Sean:
“I thought it was going to be rainy, but luckily it held off. The race went really well. I swam well (I think) and came out the water with a little group. I pushed on the bike, cycling with Tom all the way more or less, until he made bit of a gap at the end. I worked on the run, managed to catch him up and then ran with him then. No watch, so will have to wait for the official results.”
And the results are in:
Tom 6th 1:16:30
Sean 7th 1:16:32
Jon 126h 1:34:03
Most recent parkrun results
17 Bridgend Athletic athletes took part in parkrun this Saturday – with Jack getting closer to his parkrun (aka Porthcawl – his parkrun record is 100% at Porthcawl) best. He’s now within 25 seconds of it.
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
Race report pieced together by Leigh James
Photos by James Evans, Clout, Josh Morgan.
Taking to the trails
Slim pickings for a report this time, with a few fleeting mentions (please do share results and info about the events you’re taking part in).
Radyr and Morganstown Trail half – 7th May
Saturday 7th of May was a nice warn day – so NOT ideal possibly for a hilly half marathon taking in The Garth and the woodland above Castell Coch… As part of the annual Radyr and Morganstown Festival there are a couple of low-key races organised – a half and a really tough full marathon that took runners nearly 5 hours to complete this year.
We decided that the Half was enough thank you….and certainly the 2,200 ft of climb that was involved in that one was enough for both of us.
Starting and finishing at the Cardiff Harlequins Rugby Club near Whitchurch, the race takes you through lovely trails in the Taff Valley just north of Cardiff, up above Radyr, over to the Garth, flying down the steep bit to Gwaelod and then back up through the bluebell woods at the back of Castell Coch.
It’s a very low-key event – with only a 100 or so in the Half – and whilst pretty well marshalled and signposted – suspect the number of signs wouldn’t have met the high “Steve Brace” standards – there were a couple of places where you might have done a few extra yards of trail.
We were lucky this year – the weather on the day was perfect and it had been dry in the proceeding weeks. If it had been wetter then this would have been a real challenge – as there were plenty of trails where you were thankful it wasn’t muddy.
Nice wooden medals to finish with – Gareth coming home in 2:12 and Gina not long after.
Gina Hardman
Gareth Hardman
Notable mentions
We’re aware of a few other events. Clare Hughes cycling Carten (100 or so miles from Cardiff to Tenby). There was some multi-sport action for Rob, Dave, and Steve over the half ironman distance.
And our young athletes were competing in the early season YDL.
Most recent parkrun results
A few first-place finishes at parkrun this Saturday – Katy Griffiths at Penallta, Leigh James at Mole Valley, and Craig Burrows at Milford Waterfront
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
Race report by Gareth Hardman, brought together by Leigh James
A festival of fast five ks
This is a bumper round-up, not just for this week but events spanning three weeks or so.
Fast Running – 16th April
In the fastest parkruns for Saturday 16th April, Adam Bowden proudly sat in the number one spot. His 15:01 at Pontypridd was enough to lead the way. A snip under two weeks after his marathon at Manchester, it looked like a good test of speed.
Blustery Bath – 23rd April
A few athletes took to the road for Bristol Track Club’s 3k/5k, which wasn’t held in Bristol but in Bath’s Odd Down Cycle Circuit. St George’s day brought gusty conditions to the cycle track. But that didn’t seem to slow our youngsters down much, Rhydian was 6th over the line and Katie 11th – she sped in with a fine first place for the girls.
3k results
6th Rhydian Lloyd-Francis 11:20 (3rd u13)
11th Katy Griffiths 11:57 (1st female)
5k results
Leigh James 20:38
Leigh James in the finishing stretch
Rhydian Lloyd-Francis
https://www.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16665&RId=3323&EId=1
Eight and a bit 5ks – 24th April
Kept under wraps, Nick Stocker quietly ventured to Sheperdine to run a marathon. On a looped course, he covered the five+ laps in 3:33:08 to finish 23rd out of 49.
“No shade, no shelter from the wind, very lonely! But very friendly.”
An endorsement from Nick… “great after race support and refreshments, no stress and very cheap.”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ply62Ffg53cKrkuUmfdFV7T_jtSblQbX/view
Nick Stocker
First finisher – 24th April
In her debut parkrun (on a Saturday or Sunday) Bella Thie stormed to a first place finish and third overall at Cardiff junior parkrun, in a nippy time of 8:21 for the 2k distance.
Bella Thie
There may have been an outing to Yale too for the UK Youth Development League, but not being at the event and no mutterings of news or results we can’t report anything here. Keep your ears to the ground though, and eyes on Facebook.
Welsh Junior Trail Running Championships Devils Bridge – 31st April
Josh turned to the trails to take part in the Welsh trail champs. We hear it was a tough course – although that was what we’d expect from an event like this. We haven’t seen the results, yet.
Josh Morgan to the fore
Race for Victory 5k – 1st May
Many club members spent their bank holiday weekend racing around the streets of Whitchurch. At the pointy end were athletes competing for Wales and their regions. As with previous years, the race included the Welsh 5k championships.
With 20 runners in yellow and blue hooped vests, it’s perhaps one of our strongest turn-outs for an event in a while. A good balance too, almost 50/50 male and female.
It looked like a storming run from Rhydian, a target sub 19 PB for Josh (the day after running up big hills). There were too many PBs in the mix to highlight them all. Pencil next year’s race in your diaries though – it’s the place to go for fast times and a quality event.
Gun positions, chip times:
56th Devin Coombes – 15:43
108th Mark Emery – 16:37
159th Sean Petty - 17:32
191st Ryan Bowen – 17:54
242nd Rhydian Lloyd-Francis – 18:33
260th Josh Morgan – 18:51
343rd Leigh James – 19:55
370th Benjamin Jones – 20:23
392nd Katy Griffiths – 20:58
407th Mia Allen – 21:07
410th Dan Morgan – 20:59
420th Sophie Moore – 21:14
438th Freya Allen – 21:28
448th Gareth Hardman – 21:19
500th Huw Roberts - 22:23
501st Ruth Davies – 22:08
648th Seren Hardman – 24:08
712th Abigail Morgan – 24:52
747th Krista Humphrey – 25:11
844th Daisy Lewis – 26:44
1380 finishers
https://results.sporthive.com/events/6926486474351149312
We’ll sit tight for Welsh champs results.
Most recent parkrun results
A few stand-out runs this Saturday – Rich and Georgie took on what’s considered one of toughest parkruns in the UK, at Woolacombe Dunes. Rhydian switched 3k for 5k, with a storming 18:59 at Cardiff, while Jack hit his sub 24-minute target at Porthcawl.
Let us know if we’ve missed your result, and if you’re up for writing a report sometime – it’s a team effort.
Report by Leigh James
Photographer credits Seren Hardman, Leigh Francis, Tosh K Simpkin, James Thie, Welsh Athletics.
Chasing times, and trails
Therme Manchester Marathon – 3rd April
Adam Bowden might have had his sights on a Welsh Commonwealth Games qualifying time (unconfirmed). Snuggled in at the back of the lead pack until just before halfway, he crossed the 13.1-mile mark in 66:37. According to the Power of 10, that’s just 43 seconds outside his best for that distance. Detached in the second half, he lost some of the first half pace but still bagged a near 3-minute PB to finish 12th and 5th V35.
To Greg Newhams’ disappointment, Adam’s 2:17:18 slots him into 3rd in the club’s all-time rankings, overtaking Greg by a whole two seconds.
Adam’s own words: “I’m very pleased with my PB today of 2:17:18. I went off with the pace from the start and through half way in a 66 which is a little quick and I paid for it over the next half. I’m still learning the pacing but this is only my second marathon so I’m very pleased with my progression.
It was really nice to have my family there for support. The crowds were awesome and the event was well organised.”
CF64 – also 3rd April
A lovely spring day saw Gina and Gareth Hardman run the “CF64” – a nice low-key 10.4K trail race around the Cosmeston Park area, organised really well by Penarth & Dinas Runners. Normally this race would be a pretty tough muddy affair. But having been moved due to Covid, and a really dry period meant the underfoot conditions were difficult (in a different way) due to dry ruts where cows had been previously – hardly a mud patch in sight.
The race sees lots of the local “usual suspect” clubs – many of whom probably see this as an extension to the parkrun that takes place in the same area. The race goes out of the park and on to the ridge to the west of the main park area – so there’s a nice hill you go down, then back up with a mile to go which is a bit mean frankly. That would NOT have been fun if the mud was out in force for sure.
Gareth was 34th (6th v55M) and Gina came home in 41st position (2nd v45W), Congratulations to Chris Jeynes, BAC Junior Club coach – running for Brackla – coming home in 11th.
217 runners finished in total.
Parkrun results
A few stand-out runs this Saturday – Josh Morgan notched up his 50th parkrun with a debut sub 20 at Maesteg. That’s where Krista Humphry bagged a course PB. Over at Porthcawl, celebrating their 9th birthday, Sally Murray finished in a PB of 26:13.
Report by Gareth Hardman and Leigh James
Photographer credit Abyd Quinn Aziz
BRIDGEND ATHLETICS LADIES TRIUMPH AT gWENT LEAGUE, DIVISION 2
Saturday 19th March brought the Gwent League season to a close. It saw 12 seniors battling it out at Singleton Park in Swansea on a glorious sunshiny day! We had a couple of newbies in Deryl Stephens and Mark Thomas who both enjoyed the experience and Gemma Roche-Clarke returning for her first GLXC for a few years. The race also saw the return of Kate Roberts after a 5 year hiatus who finished in a very impressive 4th place.
The weather was sunny and warm but there was a stiff breeze out on the course which was all grass and undulating with plenty of hilly sections. The ladies did 2 large laps and the men 3.
In the ladies race which was near enough 4 miles, Georgie Dando came in first for the club in 24th place with a time of 27:25. Following her were Gemma Roche-Clarke (53rd, 29:02), Gina Hardman (68th, 29:39), Catherine Stephens (72nd, 29:55) and Laura Gush (91st, 31:00). There was 179 starters.
In the men's race (closer to 6 miles), Nick Grinnell was first in 74th with a time of 36:10 followed by Ryan Bowen (137th, 39:52), Nick Stocker (165th, 41:29), Mark Thomas (169th, 41:39), Stephen Summers (190th, 43:34) and Deryl Stephens (212th, 45:36). There was 249 starters.
Jack Ayoub finished 4th out of the 70+ men in a time of 33:02!
MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SENIOR LADIES for topping Division 2 comfortably by close to 1000 points !!
The senior men meanwhile finished in 6th in division 2.
Well done also to Georgie, Gina and Jack for being the only club members to race in all 5 XCs out of 34 club members who took part across the season.
Next fixture.... who knows... Cardiff Cross in October TBC !
Storm Eunice doesn’t dampen team spirits
A tale for our juniors
‘‘Twas the night before Gwent League and all over Wales Storm Eunice was busy delivering heavy rain and powerful gales. As Bridgend athletes lay asleep in their beds dreaming of the muddy hills of Blaise castle and the athletes from rival clubs to battle. While anxious parents dynamically risk assessed and checked the weather forecast. No fallen tree or closed bridge would deter them!
A wet and windy Saturday in Blaise Castle greeted 13 junior Bridgend athletes and their entourage of dedicated parents, soggy siblings and excitable dogs! Despite the challenges it was lovely to see a Bridgend vest in every race and even more pleasing to witness the support from fellow athletes!
Results:
U11 girls
Imogen 7th
Eloise 20th
Seren 25th
Team currently 5th
U11 boys
Lewis 5th also placed in top 10% and will be the proud owner of a Gwent League t shirt!
Team currently 5th
U13 girls
Myla 13th
Grace 28th
Calla 48th
Team currently 5th
U13 boys
Rhydian 17th
U15 girls
Katy 20th
U15 boys
Fraser 38th
Leo 41st
U17 men
Joshua 21st
U17 women
Freya 17th
So, a final word from me (Mari)…. Well done to all and to all a well done!!
A 700-point buffer for our senior ladies
The women took their usual lunch-time slot in the middle of the racing schedule, and ran three laps of varying sizes. Emily re-wrote the script, finishing ahead of prolific team leader Georgie. Third over the line was Leigh, closely followed by Beth making her cross country debut. She was treated to a ‘proper’ cross country course on her first outing. Completing the 8-strong team were Gina, Laura, Krista and Abi.
Our ladies now lead the Division 2 standings by over 700 points. And we’re hoping to flood the Swansea fields with yellow and blue vests in March, in what we hope will be a celebration. Come join us, even if you haven’t dabbled over the mud yet.
Jack took part in the lady’s race as a V70, and finished a fine 5th in his age group.
Women
Emily Evans 28th, 32:05
Georgie Dando 38th, 32:43
Leigh James 49th, 33:09
Beth Lance 58th, 33:42
Gina Hardman 107th, 36:29
Laura Gush 134th, 38:21
Krista Humphrey 163rd, 41:01
Abi Morgan 175th, 41:57
234 finishers
=9th team overall, 2nd in Div 2 on the day (1st in the league)
A podium near miss
The men get the worst of the conditions, when everyone else has nicely churned up the course. It was a new face leading our men this time around – Adam was at the pointy end of the field, finishing a fine 4th. Three men made the top 100, Rich and Nick G joining Adam. Next over the line saw Dan, with Nick S and Steve S in a battle of their own and perhaps a sprint finish!? Steve B rounded up the 8-man team in 277th.
Men
Adam Bowden 4th, 32:44
Rich Dando 69th, 37:03
Nick Grinnell 82nd, 37:32
Rob Hunt 151st, 41:11
Dan Morgan 197th, 43:40
Nick Stocker 245th, (no time in results)
Steve Summers 246th, (no time in results)
Steve Brace 277th, (no time in results)
314 finishers
17th team overall, 4th in Div 2 (6th in the league)
Parkrun results
Just the one parkrunner this Saturday – Finlay Griffiths at Bryn Bach, finishing in 22:37.
Report by Mari Higginson and Leigh James
Photographs a mix from Steve Brace, Laura Gush, Krista Humphrey, Nick Stocker, Mari Higginson.
Bridgend in Belfast
Northern Ireland International Cross Country
A mix of events were incorporated into the Belfast meet on Saturday 22nd Jan. The British Athletics Cross Country Challenge, round 4. The Home Counties. And the Celtic Challenge.
While the senior race was headed up by global star Hellen Obiri, one of our youngest athletes flew Bridgend colours in the Flahavans Primary Schools race. Seren Hardman crossed the line in 21st place, stopping the clock in 4:35.
Speedway 10k
Two of our leading senior males made the trip to the notoriously fast Speedway 10k on Sunday 23rd Jan. It’s the place to go for fast times and PB hunting. And Joe snatched that PB, one that’d stood still for over a decade. Not to be outdone, Lloyd shaved over a minute from his previous best.
69th Joe Thomas 32:57
120th Lloyd Manning-James 34:22
Parkrun
28 runners took part in parkrun this Saturday – notably Gareth topping his age group, and Gina in Northern Ireland. Others were closer to home in Cardiff, Porthcawl, Maesteg, and four other venues.
Report by Leigh James. Photograph Gareth Hardman.
GREAT TURNOUT FOR PUDDING RUN
The Merthyr Mawr Pudding Race returned on 5th December 2021 after a 2 year hiatus due to the pandemic and yet another course change was inflicted on the runners this time removing the one quick section of road and replacing it with yet more sand. The race went off in two waves, the first at 10:00am and the second which was described as a Fun Run at 10:10. The weather was fine and even a bit sunny although was a bit on the cold side!
The race which was approximately 10km started by heading up the Big Dipper (the 2nd highest sand dune in Europe) before snaking back down the other side towards the car park. From there the new route started by heading towards Candleston Farm down the sandy road but doing a loop of the nearby hilly, slippery field before heading up the stony path to the farm. From there the route took runners down the edge of the dunes downhill through the trees before eventually heading towards Newton Beach. Then a mile of beach followed by another mile of dunes and a bit of water through three stream crossings before finishing at Candleston Car Park to collect Christmas puddings!
Below are the results from all 19 Bridgend AC runners including the time to get up the Big Dipper.
Write up and Photography: Nick Stocker
Ultra X Azores Trail Race 2021
Ultra X Azores Trail Race 2021
Emily Evans – a personal reflection
On Sunday 28th November I took part in the Ultra X 50km trail run event alongside my boyfriend, Tom. This was the shortest of the two events, the longer being a two stage 125km route. To be honest we signed up to the event a little late and even though we had friends doing the 125km event, we didn’t have time to train for that, which if you’re considering any of the Ultra X events, I would seriously consider your training time. For us that was the right length to challenge ourselves and still enjoy our holiday we had planned.
I didn’t even know where the Azores was before I booked the event, so I was pleasantly surprised by the lush temperate climate of the Atlantic Archipelago. There is so much to see on the Island, it felt a shame that a lot of the competitors were flying in just for the event and out again before they had a chance to explore, but for those short on time around work, the run routes sure gave you a full 360 view of the island through the 5000m+ climbing (2000m+ for the 50km event) so you wouldn’t feel disappointed with a long weekend away.
For the 125km event, the route took you from Sao Miguels’ main city, Ponta Delgada, along the coast a short way, before climbing through the hills, fields, a lot more hills (according to my friends) and then finally descending down to Faial Da Terra, where there was a camping spot arranged a stone’s throw away from the sea and where the start line stood for the next day. After speaking to a few of the 125km participants they seemed pretty worn out yet not deterred by a very full day covering 75km and 3000m+ of climbing. There were plenty of abilities taking part in both distances and the Ultra X crew had unfailing enthusiasm for keeping everyone motivated throughout the two days, helping wherever they could, especially making sure that the final people finishing in the early hours of day one were as safe and happy as possible after 17h of being on their feet!
At the start of day two the 125km participants went an hour ahead of the 50km. There was well organised transport arranged for those coming in from the main city for the shorter event to the start line, which was about 80 minutes away and a stunning journey in itself. I really didn’t know what to expect not having ever done a route so hilly before and I was getting a little nervous. However once we started everything went like a whirlwind. At 1.5k we started the first accent and I was immediately grateful for having walking poles with me. We had already heard that our fast running friends from the 125k had taken 55 minutes to cover the first 5k, so that pretty much set the tone for the day! Tom and I plodded up the hills using our poles at a pace that I wouldn’t normally be proud of, but to be honest I think his wise pacing saved the day. The severity of the incline never really let up and we mostly opted for power walking Nordic style with our poles for most of the uphill, and jogging on the flat and the down hill. However the downhill was pretty sever too and took a lot of concentration to cross land slips, streams and boggy ground. It was really a wonderfully epic event. The event was well marked, although sometimes you had to look a little harder to find a flag, but all the major turns were unmissable. We took one wrong turn, but that really was our own fault for reading the arrows the wrong way around! I guess that’s what happens when you get a bit tired!
There were check points roughly every 10km with plenty of water available, massage, physio and medical treatment on hand too, most importantly many friendly faces to keep motivation high. We really tried to enjoy every moment along with all the spectacular scenery, as it can be all too easy to be focused on time and pace. We passed through the town of Furnas which is a great tourist attraction, there is a lot of geothermal activity there and the town can be seen for miles by the billowing steam rising from the ground. Although my personal highlight was running down a double row of Plane trees which stretched for about 1.5km. They are found all over the island, but this was really quite enchanted. Tom also spotted some fantastic wild plants that are mostly found in the UK as ornamental garden plants, so if you are green fingered there is plenty to marvel at.
As we were nearing the end of the race and descending, I can’t deny that my legs were really feeling it and that Tom had taken a couple of painkillers to take the edge off his own wears and tears, but we were still smiling! Although we met and chatted to many wonderful people along the way, I was most pleased to bump into my good friend and sports buddy Fieke, as she completed the last 2km of her 125km journey. She started an hour ahead of us but it took us about 6.5h to catch up with her. The 3 of us ran in together accompanied with two of our friends and supporters where we crossed the line together. It felt like a long time coming of being able to do an international event, travelling somewhere new and spending time with some friends in the way that we knew best- by doing an epic sporting event.
Medals and beers were well received, many hugs were shared and laughter had at recounting stories of the gnarly parts of the trail.
Thank you Ultra X crew for a great event!
Emily Evans
Report by: Emily Evans
DANDO DOUBLE SUCCESS AT PEMBREY
The third fixture of the Gwent League Cross Country League took place on Saturday 4th December 2021 at Pembrey Country Park. The weather was probably best described as being fresh with a bit of rain during the men’s race and by the end it was pretty icy! Not for the first time Pembrey’s temperatures have been close to zero!
The conditions were great. Nice and firm underfoot and pretty fast with very little mud. A mixture of XC spikes or trail shoes were the order of the day.
The senior ladies 7.3km race kicked off at 1pm and for the 3rd time this season Georgie Dando was the first Bridgend AC runner across the line in 43rd and a time of 30:27. Georgie now lies in 12th V35 place overall after 3 fixtures. Leigh James followed in position 61 (31:13) and is the 2nd of 4 ladies who have featured in all 3 fixtures so far. The other two being Sophie Moore (Pos. 81, 32:17) and Gina Hardman (98, 33:02). Completing the impressive line-up of 9 women who turned out for BAC was Catherine Stephens (116, 33:47), Ruth Davies (119, 33:55), Laura Gush (175, 36:23), Helen Andrews (180, 36:57) and Krista Humphrey (187, 37:47). There were 278 starters. Bridgend’s ladies finished a very impressive 12th on the day out 75+ teams and have cemented their position at the top of division 2, 459 points ahead of San Dom in 2nd.
The senior men’s race was at 2.35pm was 9.8km and saw 363 runners start the race. This time it was Richard Dando’s turn to take first finisher’s spot for BAC in 94th place and a time of 35:14. He lies in 20th place for V35s after 3 fixtures. Next BAC member was Nick Grinnell (131, 36:34) followed by Andrew Hodgson (73, 37:10), Daniel Nicholas (84, 38:04), Simon Osbourne (123, 40:19), Dan Morgan (140, 41:20), Greg Newhams (168, 43:08), Stephen Summers (177, 43:59) and Steve Brace (217, 47:44). The men’s team remains in 6th place in division 2, almost 1000 off 3rd spot. With a few more runners being able to make the next fixture, we may be able to climb further up the table.
Well done and thanks to all those who ran and supported on Saturday.
Next Fixture: Blaise Castle, Bristol 19th February.
Source for most of the stats: https://www.gwent-league.org.uk/res3.html
Write-up & Photos: Nick Stocker
Welsh Multi Events Championships - A personal reflection
Welsh Multi Events Championships - A personal reflection
November 7th 2021
by Junior Athlete Bethany Jenkins
Prior to taking part I was a little nervous as I have never experienced an indoor competition before. Taking part in some training at the NIAC venue really helped prepare us though. After lockdown and Covid restrictions it was a little nerve wracking competing in front of a crowd again too. I really enjoyed competing in the 5 different events and the fact that there was a variety of events to take part in on the day. This made me want to try harder in the ones I’m not so good at to have a better score overall.
I really enjoyed being around a lot of my Bridgend AC friends for the day and having people around to support me. Having my coaches nearby helped a lot with my confidence, and I think helped improve my performance on the day. Although I didn’t have any other girls from my own club competing in my age group, it was great chatting to girls from other clubs and getting to know some of them. The most challenging event for me was the 800m knowing that everyone else was good at it. I tried to push hard so I could get the result I really wanted and came away with a PB! Also, I found shot put really challenging as I didn’t think that I had enough practise and that I may not have been ready for the glide technique. However, I managed to get my confidence up and get three throws in. Surprisingly, I struggled a bit in long jump which is one of my favourite events but with a coach right next to me encouraging me, helped me get better jumps. I really enjoyed the hurdles event and this an event I’d really like to improve on in the future. Even though this was still my first time I managed to get 8th place out of 16 which I’m very proud of. I was overjoyed to see my team mate and friend Bethan Deeks win the overall U14s Gold Medal. Having someone from our club win that was great for all of us.
Things I found challenging and would do differently next time:
I found it challenging hearing the officials as they were quite quiet in a loud place, especially with masks on. This ended up with me almost not getting a practise jump if I didn’t speak up. I will speak up next time if I don’t understand or hear something. I also found the long gaps in between quite challenging. Personally, I would eat and drink a lot more next time to have more energy over the day and maybe perform better. I also need to work on my long jump run up a little more and my glide technique in shot put. Next year I’m moving to a new age group which will give me an even newer experience which I’m looking forward to. For next time, I will try to develop more and improve my skills so I can perform even better. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience and am very thankful for anyone who helped and supported me.
Bethan Deeks
Bethany Jenkins
Writing and photos by Bethany Jenkins