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

British Athletics Cross Challenge - Liverpool

Sefton Park, usually described as a mud bath, was largely dry on Saturday. In chilly conditions, with a tough wind (there’s storm Arwen to thank for that), conditions were firm underfoot.

Ffion Higginson swapped the yellow and blue vest for Welsh colours, finishing as 43rd u20 against quality opposition. The top finishers will be running for Great Britain, in Dublin, as part of the European Cross Country Championships.

Ffion covered the 4.4k course in 16:34. Pretty nippy, that’s a pace of 3:46/k

Beth Hardman pictured with Ffion (on the right).

Photograph Gareth Hardman on Twitter 

Parkrun

20 runners took part in parkrun this Saturday – Craig Burrows again fastest of the bunch. Kate Roberts was first female in Maesteg, and at the same venue Krista knocked 24 seconds off her best time.

Bridgend Athletics Cross Country

This Sarturday saw the next event of the Bridgend Cross Country season head to Cowbridge, in the beautiful setting of Forage Farm. Despite heavy winds overnight and early in the day, by the time of the first race the winds had gone. But unfortunately, it had wiped power from Forage Farm shop and surrounding areas - so no post-race hot chocolate and cake for most. The power did return by 2:30 just in time for those clearing the course to stop off and enjoy the hot drinks and cakes.

We had runners spanning across 19 of the Bridgend County Schools plus 4 invited athletic clubs, meaning we had 119 runners register to take part.

It was a challenging course for all age groups. Starting with a short flat and then straight into a steep climb, with some commenting ‘crampons and not spikes needed there’.  But that didn’t deter those present. Top 3 finishers were presented with rosettes, plus a box of chocolates for each winner:

U11’s

Boys

1st Jude Jenkins - West Park Primary

2nd Luke Woodhouse - Pencoed Primary

3rd Lewis Durston - Bridgend Athletics

Girls

1st Imogen Vecchi - Bridgend Athletics

2nd Sophia Rose Davies - Rhonnda Athletics

3rd Lucy Arnold - Bridgend Athletics

U13’s

Boys

1st Tom Gilbert - Rhymney Valley Athletics

2nd Liam Jury - Bridgend Athletics

3rd David Lenghel - Pontyclun Athletics

Girls

1st Eva Parry - Rhymney Valley Athletics

2nd Grace James - Bridgend Athletics

3rd Megan Pewter - Rymney Valley Athletics

U15’s

Boys

1st Iwan Froley - Porthcawl

2nd Alfie Sergeant - Barry & Vale Harriers

3rd Leo Watkins - Bridgend Athletics

Girls

1st Lily Stephens -Bridgend Athletics

2nd Alice Davies - Barry & Vale Harriers

3rd Katy Griffiths - Bridgend Athletics

U17’s

Boys

1st Ioan Van Der Elst - Pontyclun Athletics

2nd Josh Morgan - Bridgend Athletics

3rd Tyler Johnson - Bridgend Athletics

Girls

1st Freya Allen - Bridgend Athletics

Weekly report from Chris Jeynes, and Leigh James

Photographs from Gareth Hardman on Twitter 

Success for South Wales (and Bridgend Athletics)

22nd Welsh Athletics Inter Regional & 44th Welsh Schools’ Inter Schools 

The Welsh Inter-Regional Cross-Country Championships were held in conjunction with the Welsh Inter-Schools Championships for the second time, in 2021. The event used a new course at the tried and tested venue Penlan Arena Brecon. 

Race 1 started off with the Primary school girls at 11:30am with 1.455km to run. In the Bridgend AC coloured vests Imogen Vecchi completed the course in 6 minutes 25 seconds with a position of 6th and Seren Hardman completed the course not far behind in 7 minutes 5 seconds. Well done both! 

Race 2 started at 11:45am with the Primary schools' boys running 1.775km. In the Bridgend AC vest colours Finlay Griffiths came 8th and completed the course in 6 minutes 5 seconds. Great running Finlay. 

Race 3 saw five Bridgend ladies on the start line. They were racing just over 6k, running up the short sharp hill six times. As ever Georgie Dando led them all through the twisty course from start to finish. She crossed the line in 30th, after 25:54 minutes running. Leigh James was 37 seconds further back in 42nd, 26:31. Sophie Moore was next up in 57th, 27:40 followed by Ruth Davies 87th, 29:13. Completing our quintet was Helen Andrews just outside the top 100 in 101st, 29:58.

L-R Sophie, Helen, Ruth, Georgie, Leigh

Georgie and Leigh were part of the scoring 5 in the women’s v35 race, in silver. Ruth matched them with silver in the v45 category.

Race 4 of the day, after the Senior & Master Women, the u13s girls started their race at 12:45pm running 2.425km. 6 Bridgend athletes ran the course with Isobel Davies, Grace James and Grace Baynham running for South Wales. Isobel finished the course in 9 minutes 49 seconds with Grace James not far behind in a time of 10 minutes 13 seconds, Grace Baynham running a time of 10 minutes 47 seconds.

As part of Welsh Inter-Schools Championships Bridgend athletes Mia Amerein, Daisy Cowan-Baylis and Calla Davies all run for their school, Bryntirion. Along with Isobel Davies they finished 4th team.

Mia ran a time of 10 minutes 49 seconds, Daisy 11 minutes 35 seconds, and Calla 11 minutes 50 seconds.

Race 5 was the u13 boys who ran 2.425km. All 3 Bridgend athletes represented the South Wales region. Rhydian Lloyd-Francis, Liam Jury and Harri Davies. Rhydian completed the course in 9 minutes 30 seconds, closely followed by Liam who ran a time of 9 minutes 58 seconds and Harri running a time of 10 minutes 8 seconds. Top running boys!

Race 6 was the u15 girls who ran 3.765km. Both girls Lily Stephens and Katy Griffiths represented the South Wales region. Lily completed the course in 16 minutes 36 seconds and not far behind Katy ran a time of 16 minutes 44 seconds. Well done both!

Race 7 was the u15 boys who ran 3.765km. Bridgend Athletes Leo Watkins and Fraser Higginson represented South Wales. Leo ran the course in a time of 15 minutes 31 seconds and not far behind, Fraser ran a time of 15 minutes 55 seconds. Congrats boys!

Race 8 was the u17 & u20 women who ran 4,735km. U17 runner Freya Allen represented South Wales and completed the course in a time of 21 minutes 22 seconds. Well done Freya!

Race 9 was the u17 and u20 men who ran 5.745km and all ran for the South Wales region. u17 runner Joshua Morgan completed the course in 27 minutes 16 seconds. U20 runner Devin Coombes ran the course in 22 minutes 7 seconds and Ben Jones completed the course in 26 minutes 52 seconds. Bravo all!

The final event of the day, race 10, was left to our men. Lloyd Manning-Jones pipped Joe Thomas to be first across the line just six days after the Gwent League – also in Brecon. Lloyd was 39th in 33:35, Joe 44th in 33:52. We think Joe just missed out on the 5-to-score v35, with Lloyd taking home a bronze. Matching his bronze as part of the v55 South Wales team, Rob Hunt finished 139th in 39:49.

Overall, 20 junior Bridgend athletes ran the cross country in Brecon on the 20th November, congrats each and everyone.

(We strongly suspect our junior squad bagged themselves a team inter-regional medal or two, but we’ll need to dive into the results to pick out the detail.)

parkrun

A dozen runners took part in parkrun this Saturday – Craig Burrows, one of two under the 17 minute mark over 5k.

Report by Josh Morgan.

Photographs by Gareth Hardman & Krista Humphrey.

DAVE’S BRECON HIP ENDS HIS STREAK

Sunday 14th November 2021 saw the second instalment of the Gwent Cross Country League at Parc de Pugh, Brecon. However, one name not on the list of finishers is the legendry, Dave Hughes. Missing his first Gwent League fixture after an unbroken run of 131 due to a very unfortunate accident in which he broke his hip. It won’t be long before he stands on the start line again. His run lasted approximately a quarter of a century!

Dave Hughes & Jack Ayoub

The weather was stunning and you could have been fooled into thinking it was a summer’s day until the sun dipped behind the line of trees later in the afternoon. It was a great setting full of autumnal colours.

Both the senior women and men lay in division two this season and at the start of the day the women were in a close 2nd, with the men sitting in 7th place. It was great to see so many Bridgend AC runners attend the event along with their children and dogs, some running, some spectating, some looking forward to their turn to put on their spikes or trail shoes in a few years’ time.

The course was mostly flat and mud-free and was pretty much grass all the way, some lumpy, some well-trodden following the River Usk out to the east before meandering back towards the start. The women had a small loop followed by a large loop which was close to 3 miles, and the men had 2 large loops and one small to deal with.

Georgie Dando half a mile from the finish

The women started at 12:20 with 6 Bridgend AC members taking part out of the 291 starters. Georgie Dando was the highest ranked again in 44th position at a time of 30:20 and was 7th in her age category.  She was followed by Leigh James (position 57, time 31:09), Sophie Moore (80, 32:19), Gina Hardman (81, 32:21), Helen Andrews (151, 35:33) and Krista Humphrey (199, 38:46) who finished ahead of Jack for the first time.

The men’s race was at 14:15 and saw 10 Bridgend AC runners out of 395 starters.  Lloyd Manning-James was the highest ranked in 63rd and a time of 38:00. The other men were as follows: Joe Thomas (75, 38:23), Richard Dando (98, 39:13), Nick Grinnell (118, 39:53 and 2nd in age group), Ryan Bowen (215, 43:42), Nick Stocker (235, 44:13), Rob Hunt (266, 46:12), Stephen Summers (279, 46:53), Dan Morgan (280, 46:54) and Steve Brace (323, 50:58). Gareth Hardman unfortunately had to pull out after his warm up tester didn’t go to plan. There were season debuts from Lloyd, Joe and the two Nicks and it’s definitely not too late for anyone else wishing to join in the XC fun.

Jack Ayoub ran in the women’s race finishing in 23rd out of the 31 65+ Masters and 2nd 70 year old with a time of 39:54.

LLoyd Manning-James

These results have meant both teams have gone up a place. The women are now top of division two 201 points ahead of San Domenico. So, we need as many as possible in to run in the final three fixtures to keep our title hopes alive. And the men are up to 6th with Westbury Harriers topping their group.

The club team spirit was in abundance with plenty of support out in the races, some shouting encouragement, others taking photographs capturing the smiles and grimaces of the runners wondering how many laps or how far from the end they were.  All in all, it was another great Cross County day, and with 3 fixtures yet to come we hopefully will be looking to boost the numbers and thus the push for promotion to division one continues…

Next fixture: Pembrey Country Park, Saturday 4th December.

Writing and photography – Nick Stocker.

going all out - indoors

Welsh Athletics / WSAA Indoor Combined Events Championships

As the doors opened early on Sunday morning at NIAC in anticipation of a long awaited indoor event, a sea of yellow vests shone bright against the Azure blue track. No less than 23 Bridgend junior athletes participated in the U14 and U16 events ranging from ages 10 to 14.

Our U14s participated in the Quadathlon which is made up of 60m Hurdles, Long Jump, Shot Put and 800m and our U16s took part in a Pentathlon which for the girls is made up of 60m Hurdles, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump and 800m and for the boys 60m Hurdles, Long Jump, 200m, Shot Put and 800m.

For many Bridgend Junior Athletes, this was not only their first indoor event but was their first experience of competing at a track and field event in a formal arena. Every single athlete arrived with a huge smile and the determination to try their absolute best at a combination of events that tested their skill, speed, power and courage and every single athlete left the competition having achieved something that they didn’t know was possible.

Our army of U14 girls shone and none brighter than Bethan Deeks who not only took Gold in her age category but demonstrated sheer grit and determination – for those that were lucky enough to be there will never forget Bethan’s final lap of the 800m when she crept up on the leading Swansea athlete who was confidently just checking her watch before Bethan showed her what a sprint finish really looks like! Bethan was not alone in her 800m victory – Mia Amerein emerged from the final bend with aggression in what can only be described as a spectacular finish picking off her opponents taking second place in her heat. Our quiet and laid back Flo Durrant, savagely took the lead early on in her heat and left her opposition for dust, leading by a whopping 12 seconds! There were 4 Bridgend girls in the top 10 for the 800m with excellent runs from Isobel Davies, Scarlet Hodges and Grace James. All of the girls went away with a PB, a massive smile and very tired legs!

The U14 boys also rose to the 800m challenge with an excellent performance from Cian Smith taking third position overall with Harri Davies close behind coming 8th. Regan Mahoney put those springy legs to excellent use to take third position in the Long Jump with an impressive 4.10m jump!

The hurdles was the hugely anticipated (and feared) event of the day but again, Bridgend were victorious with our U14 boy Cian Smith impressively gliding over each hurdle to win his heat and take fourth position overall. Our U16 boy Lewis Barnes overcame his biggest fear and tackled the hurdles head on to take fourth place and beat his biggest opponent to date, the Aberdare athlete (who went on to win the competition!). Again, our girls made us incredibly proud with Bethany Jenkins (U16) putting all that technical training to use for her favourite event and achieving a brilliant third in her heat with Ffion Calford (U14) making light work of the hurdles to take an impressive second place in her heat. But no one deserves a bigger mention than Ed Jeynes who had been set a challenge that if he cleared the 5 hurdles (which, as one of our youngest athletes are nearly as tall as him!) he’d be granted his dream of a pole vault lesson. Ed tackled each hurdle with determination and cleared each and every one of them. Ed is currently googling ‘where can I buy my first pole’ much to Chris’ dismay!

A very special mention to some of your younger athletes; Imogen Vecchi, Lucy Arnold and Eloise Neenan who entered the competition despite being the youngest and smallest in the U14 category (they are only 10!) but were not phased by their opponents and rose to the challenge – we are excited to follow their journey as there is so much more to come from these little athletes!

There can be no doubt that Bridgend was a dominant force throughout the event – never to be under-estimated. Our Junior Athletes did us extremely proud in their behaviour, attitude, team spirit alongside their fantastic performances.

So as the sun set over Cardiff after a long, eventful and exciting day; the athletes unlaced their spikes, put on their dryrobes, reflected on their achievements and congratulated each other with a fist pump and a knowing smile. They had shared an extraordinary experience.

Bridgend Junior Athletes results

U14 Girls

1st Bethan Deeks  - 1873 points

13th Grace Patterson – 1321 points

14th Isobel Davies – 1300 points

15th Grace James – 1300 points

17th Scarlett Hodges – 1270 points

22nd Daisy Lewis – 1161 points

23rd Ffion Calford – 1157 points

24th Annabel Durrant – 1152 points

25th Myla Svikeris – 1103 points

27th Imogen Vecchi – 1051 points

29th Mia Amerein – 1011 points

34th Florence Durrant – 924 points

35th Sophie Coles – 905 points

36th Martha Trivett – 835 points

40th Lucy Arnold – 710 points

41st Alys Arnold – 710 points

42nd Eloise Neenan – 581 points

U14 Boys

5th Cian Smith – 956 points

9th Regan Mahoney – 777 points

10th Harri Davies – 756 points

15th Ed Jeynes – 142 points

U16 Girls

8th Bethany Jenkins – 2050 points

U16 Boys

7th Lewis Barnes – 1966 points

Writing by Alana Barnes

Photos by Mike Guest & others

Soaked in sunshine for our XC season opener

From u11s to our v70s, Team Bridgend opened their Gwent League season at Cardiff’s Llandaff fields. It wasn’t ‘just’ the Gwent League, but the Cross Challenge, South Wales championships, and World Cross Country Tour meeting. 

The course was bathed in summer-like sunshine. Dry under foot, with only autumn conkers causing a few tricky patches getting caught in cross country spikes. 

Our juniors shone. A fantastic turnout, 41 members, with many attending their first Gwent League. 

Tom Coles and Lewis Dawson made the top ten in the under 11s race. Tom making the top 10%, securing himself an event t-shirt. Plus, strong performances from the first four to finish, Tom, Lewis, Findlay and Edward seeing them place 2nd team in the league. 

Our u11 first girl, Imogen, proved she’s not only good on track but off-track too. Liam, our first u13 boy, showed he can be as strong in the u13 category as he was in the u11’s. Grace J and Isobel had a sprint to the finish to be first back for the u13 girls, with neither letting up and the time keepers unable to split the two. 

Leo, our first u15, has recently moved across to the endurance group and we’ve no doubt he’s got lots more to give. Our u15 girls, Ariannah, Lily and Katy look like they worked well together finishing in consecutive places. The u17 teams may not have been as strong in numbers but they certainly put in strong performances with Dafydd and Freya being first male and female to finish for the club. Our u20 teams were a little lower in numbers but finished high up in against quality opposition. Both Devin and Ffion travelled from North Devon to finish 7th and 3rd in their age groups. 

While Charlotte Arter stole the headlines, Georgie led our ladies first across the finish line in 58th place. Ruth made her BAC debut. And with a total of nine ladies on the start line, it’s perhaps the strongest team start to a Gwent League in a generation. 

Jack Ayoub toed the line in the women’s race as our sole v70 man coming in a fantastic 2nd in his age group. 

The men matched the ladies in numbers, with nine. But they ran three laps instead of the two for the women. Olympian Steve Brace got a star mention from the announcer’s box from James Thie and Tim Hutchings – he made his 21st century debut over the country. Not to be outdone by Mrs Dando, Rich was first across the line for us.

A special mention to our bakers. It was a podium worthy cake. 

Gwent League results: 

U11 boys

Tom Coles 5:04 6th

Lewis Durston 5:08 9th

Finlay Griffiths 5:23 15th

Edward Jeynes 5:59 40th 

Patrik Atkin 6:33 55th 

58 finishers 

Team 2nd & 23rd in the league

U11 girls

Imogen Vecchi 5:32 14th 

Ellaise Neenan 5:58 29th 

Bella Thie 6:16 37th  

Sydney Spear 6:20 40th 

Leela Wilson 6:43 50th 

Lili Whitchombe 6:48 51st 

Megan Howe 6:51 52nd 

Summer Moore 6:55 53rd  

66 finishers 

Team 5th & 16th in the league 

U13 boys

Liam Jury 10:52 47th 

Rhydian Lloyd-Francis 11:17 54th 

Harri Davies 11:19 55th 

Regan Mahoney 12:31 67th 

76 Finishers 

Team 15th in the league

U13 Girls

Team 7th, 20th & 31st in the league

Grace James 11:05 29th 

Isobel Davies 11:05 30th 

Myla Svikeris 11:36 44th 

Grace Baynham 11:52 53rd 

Sophie Coles 12:19 63rd 

Mia Amerein 12:27 69th

Calla Davies 12:57 80th 

Daisy Lewis 13:15 83rd 

Freya Helling 14:41 94th 

Ffion Calford 16:13 97th 

100 finishers 

U15 boys

Leo Watkins 12:12 59th 

Fraser Higginson 12:15 60th 

Olly Esmond 13:27 70th 

Alfie Osborne 16:04 74th 

75 finishers

Team 21st in the league

U15 Girls

Ariannah Thomas 13:38 43th

Lily Stephens 13:39 44th

Katy Griffiths 13:50 45th 

75 finishers

Team 14th in the league 

U17 Men

Dafydd Pratchett 20:21 39th 

Joshua Morgan 22:41 49th

Tyler Johnson 22:50 51st 

53 finishers

Team 18th in the league

U17 Women 

Freya Allen 20:21 23rd 

30 finishers

Team 14th in the league

U20 Men

Devin Coombes 20:49 7th 

Ben Jones 27:15 24th 

25 finishers

Team 5th in the league

U20 Women

Ffion Higginson 16:13 3rd 

22 finishers

Team 5th in the league

Senior men

Richard Dando 34.04 96th, 38th v35

Dan Nicholas 38.05 215th, 105th v35

Ryan Bowen 38:06 216th 

Rob Hunt 38.05 250th, 19th v55

Gareth Hardman 40:53 292nd, 28th v55

Dan Morgan 42:13 315th, 102nd v45

Steve Brace 42:30 328th, 39th v55

Evatt Cummings 46:58 372nd, 56th v55

Dave Hughes 46:58 378th, 58th v55

432 finishers 

Team 39th & 80th in the league – 15th B Division

19th v35 team, 17th v45 team, 5th v55 men team, 18th v65 team

Senior women 

Georgie Dando 25:57 58th, 24th v35 

Leigh James 26:53 81st, 38th v35

Ruth Davies 27:17 86th, 16th v45

Sophie Moore 27:46 97th, 49th v35

Gina Hardman 27:54 101st, 21st v45

Laura Gush 29:33 152nd 

Helen Andrews 31:09 198th, 70th v45

Abigail Morgan 34:20 252nd 

Krista Humphrey 34:25 253rd, 169th v35

315 finishers

Team 14th & 44th in the league, 2nd in Division 2

5th v35 team, 15th v45 team

V70 men

Jack Ayoub 33:19, 2nd v70

Stuart Davidson – take a bow

At Saturday’s cross country, Stu was acknowledged as ‘Regional Volunteer Award Finalist’. He’s a constant at club sessions, Porthcawl parkrun, and a good chunk of road and cross-country events coordinating, marshalling and more. Congrats Stu. You’ve made the club proud. 

Stuart Davidson - Regional Volunteer Award Finalist

Photo credit: Paul Stillman 

Parkrun results

20 Bridgend runners took part in parkrun this Saturday – Rob Atkin the fastest over 5k this time.

Writing by Leigh James

Results for Bridgend Athletics Newbridge Fields Event

Bridgend AC InviteS YOU…..

With a lack of cross country events presently, Bridgend Athletics Club would be delighted to invite pupils from Bridgend Schools to join us at our club organised Cross Country events.

Link to sign up for our first event is: https://forms.gle/DCQdmijcGTw8MQsX9

Further links will be sent as we make our way through the season.

Bridgend Juniors Cross Country Event Dates
31st October - Newbridge Fields Home Run
20th November - Forage Farm Fly the Fields
2nd January - Merthyr Mawr Camp Site Run
6th February - Heol Y Mynydd Mountain Madness
6th March - Forage laps of the lake and presentation

Every athlete who completes at least 4 of the 5 events will be presented (at the final event) with a celebratory Bridgend Athletics 2021 Cross Country Tee Shirt.

COVID GUIDELINES
BEFORE YOU TRAVEL TO AN EVENT:
Are you awaiting results of a PCR due to having had Covid symptoms?
Do you or anyone you live with tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 10 days?
Do you have Covid-19 symptoms or are you feeling unwell?
Have you been told to self-isolate as part of any contact tracing measures in place?
Have you returned from overseas in the last 10 days?
If you answer YES to any of the above, please stay at home and do not attend.

Even if you are under 18 or double vaccinated we do not expect to see you at an event.

Newbridge Fields

Date: 31st October 2021

Event Address: Bridgend Athletics Track, Newbridge Fields, Bridgend

Cost: £2 per entry

Race details and timings:

U11's (1500m) - 10:30
Must be at least 9 years old on the day of competition and be under 11 years old on 31st August 2021.

U13's (2800m) - 10:30
Must be at least 11 years old on the day of competition and be under 13 years old on 31st August 2021.

U15's (3200m) - 12:00
Must be at least 13 years old on the day of competition and be under 15 years old on 31st August 2021.

U17's (4500m) - 12:00
Must be at least 15 years old on the day of competition and be under 17 years old on 31st August 2021.

This route is NOT suitable for spikes.

We will have a league and will be based on best 4 out of the 5 events, in the event of a tie we’ll use scores from 5 events.

Scoring

Will be dependent upon the number of starters in each race. For example, if there are 100 starters in a race, then the first runner home will score 100 points, the second runner 99 points and so on.

We hope to have photographers at the events and will share photo's with clubs / schools. We may also use a photo or two on our social media pages. If anyone is sensitive to this then please do contact us beforehand.

Any queries to chris@rockcommercials.co.uk

Please keep an eye on this page for a route map nearer the event. Results will be published here as soon as practical after the event.

This event is supported by Bridgend Country Health Living

These events will be publicised on the Bridgend Schools XC page but they do not form part of their events.

Please see our list of events, the first one has passed but there are still 5 left to go and best 4 scores count towards the final league positions

Thanks

Christoper Jeynes

A new track, and the same great club

Left to Right – Steve Brace (Bridgend Athletics); Councillor Huw David (Leader of Bridgend CBC); Councillor John Spanswick (Mayor of BCBC); Councillor Susan Spanswick (Mayoress BCBC); Brian Davies OBE (Sport Wales CEO); Alan Kerr (Chair Bridgend Athletics); James Williams (Welsh Athletics CEO) Councillor Steven Bletsoe (Mayor of Bridgend Town Council) and Councillor Mrs Freya Bletsoe ( Mayoress of BCBC)

A New Track

In 1997 we opened this track.

“It was 24 years ago when you first opened, with Lynn Davies MBE here. The only thing we have in common is that we both come from Nantymoel. I’m not Lynn the leap, but I did do the high jump in school.” John Spanswick

And last year through significant effort the track was re-laid. Today we officially reopen the track.

We extend our thanks to Sport Wales, Bridgend County Borough Council, Bridgend Town Council.
They contributed half of the cost of the track. With £50,000 invested by the club itself. Over the last 20 years the members of this club have contributed this money in their membership, and events we organise. Without everyone’s support, this wouldn’t have happened.

“Bridgend is the only town in Wales that hosts a top flight rugby, cricket, and football team within the top leagues in Wales. And we can never forget what Bridgend Athletics does.” Steven Bletsoe

The same great club

“Bridgend Athletics is one of the greatest athletics clubs in Wales. It’s produced Welsh, British and World champions, and that’s only possible with generations of incredible volunteers. I was proud when you asked to us to invest in this. And I’m sure we’ll see many more generations of athletes achieving – for themselves, their club, county and country.” Huw David

In a timely coincidence, we recently re-branded the club. What was Bridgend Athletics Club, is now Bridgend Athletics, which leads into Welsh Athletics, and into British Athletics. The revamp is partly to distinguish us from other sports clubs in the area. But the name change also represents the pathway in the sport of track and field, cross country and road running – Bridgend Athletics leads to Welsh Athletics, and later British Athletics.

Brian Davies OBE, Sport Wales Acting Chief Executive Officer:

“Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson always mentions Bridgend track when she’s interviewed about her start in athletics. The track didn’t actually exist then, when she trained here. She used to train in the multi-story carpark, going up and down the ramp, with her coach holding up the traffic coming in.

It’s facilities like this that start the journey.”

The running order of the event

Names from across the Welsh sporting scene attended the re-opening of Bridgend athletics track.

First up was club chairman Alan Kerr, who passed the baton to name John Spanswick - Mayor of Bridgend County BC Councillor, followed by:

Councillor Huw David, Leader of Bridgend CBC

Brian Davies OBE, Sport Wales Acting Chief Executive Officer

James Williams, Welsh Athletics Chief Executive Officer

Councillor Steven Bletsoe, Mayor of Bridgend Town Council

Other distinguished attendees:

Bridgend County Borough Council Councillors and CBC Mayoress Councillor – Susan Spanswick

Bridgend Town Councillors and Mayoress Councillor Mrs Freya Bletsoe

Chairs of all the local running clubs, Bridgend AC Officers; Committee and Trustees, the coaches, officials, volunteers with the businesses, landowners and organisations that have supported the club

A one-man team

Presentation of the Welsh Athletics Meritorious Award to Mike Guest

What to say about Mike Guest... he epitomises a commitment to community and elite sport. As an athlete he joined the club in the early 90’s.

“He came as a decathlete, with prowess across all disciplines. I can remember one notable trip, either Wrexham or Colwyn Bay, where Mike managed to do nine events – a one-man team – going round, event to event. We stayed in the Welsh League with just a car full of us.” Steve Brace.

He later coached his sons David and Stephen to national and international standard. To this day he’s recycling his vast athletics knowledge for our youngsters. We’re proud to have Mike represent Bridgend Athletics. And are proud that Welsh Athletics have awarded him the Meritorious Award.

Mike Guest being presented his Meritorious Award from James Williams – Welsh Athletics CEO

Efforts of marathon proportions

While our invited guests took the podium to speak, our junior athletes were running lap after lap on London Marathon weekend. The target? To cover the marathon distance, twice, and raise enough money for a defibrillator of our own.

At the time of writing, we’ve raised a hefty £2,510 (with more to come in). £1,500 will get us the defibrillator we’ve had our eye on, and the rest will be put into junior development.

Our athletes ran 687 laps of our 300m track. Over 128 miles. Nearly 5 full marathons. The quickest marathon team effort was a swift 3:12:29.

A roll-call of those taking part, despite the grey and gloomy weather were:

Alex Clarke, Bel Durrant, Bethan Deeks, Calla Davies, Daisy Cowan-Baylis, Daisy Lewis, Eli Phillips, Ffion Calford, Ffion Howe, Flo Durrant,
Fraser Higginson, Freya Allen, Freya Helling, Gemma Price, Grace Baynham, Grace James, Grace Patterson, Hollie Lewis, Imogen Vecchi,
Isabelle Sheppard, Isobel Davies, Jacob Barnes, Jake Beynon, Joshua James Crump, Katy Griffiths, Lewis Barnes, Lili Whitcombe, Lily May Crump, Maya Hodges, Megane Howe, Noah Roberts, Rhydian Lloyd-Francis, Scarlett Hodges, Seren Hardman, Skye Evans, Sophie Coles, Sydney Spear, Tiffany Sheppeard, Tom Clarke, Tom Coles

“I’d like to pay tribute to all the parents, grandparents, all the people that get behind the sport. There’s a lot of people that contribute behind the scenes, making it happen. On days like this. Standing on the side lines. Getting wet.” John Spanswick

A few of the club youngsters completing their laps around the track in the Marathon Challenge in aid of an AED

Newbridge Fields Athletics Track and Bridgend Athletics Clubhouse.

letter-press.co.uk

BAC Home Junior Decathlon

During the difficult lockdown months, the junior members embarked in a weekly decathlon challenge at their own homes. With some creativity and ingenuity 10 events were devised and documented into fact sheets, so that each discipline was undertaken safely, overseen and recorded for scoring purposes. The events undertaken were Standing Long Jump; 10x10 metre shuttle run; Chest Push; Balance Test; Speed Bounce; Target Throw; Vertical Jump; Hi Stepper; Reaction Test and Standing Triple Jump – all great disciplines to improve their coordination mobility and strength.

Easter 4

Over 60 of the clubs youngsters competed in the “Easter 4” - a combined events competition of 4 disciplines all done on one day – a 2km run (parkrun route); Long Jump, Shot and 100m sprint. A busy schedule that kept both the officials/volunteers and competitors very busy. It was a great day for the youngsters of all the age groups under 11, under 13, under 15 and under 17 to show their skills of running, throwing, and jumping. It proved to be a great preparation event ahead of summer track and field competitions, that all are hoping will go ahead.

2021 BAC Junior Cross Country League

After 4 rounds of the event at Newbridge Fields, Merthyr Mawr, Forage Fields and Heol Y Mynydd over the last few months the final event moves on to the Forage Lake course in Cowbridge on Sunday 29th  May. Over 75 juniors from the club have competed, and their best 4 performances are taken for overall league awards, but all are receiving a new club brand T shirt for completing.

The event has been a huge bonus for the young endurance runners at the club in the absence of any competitive opportunities due to the pandemic and has given a focus for their hard training that they have been undertaking on a weekly basis. A big thanks to the marshals and Landowners at each of the venues for making it happen.

Junior league events

Dates for your diaries!

With physical events looking unlikely though-out Wales in 2021 our coaches contacted Welsh Athletics to come up with something that can get clubs around the nation competing against each other.  While the framework of events and dates has been agreed we are awaiting Welsh Athletics to fully launch the event but as a club we are working towards these dates and events, if nothing else will give us a bench mark of our current abilities.

After running the first event and seeing the competitiveness and team spirit flowing out from our members it’s absolutely the right thing to do to carry on with the events and we look forward to when other clubs join in so we can compare our athletes.

PBs galore at Shepperdine

A handful of Bridgend AC made the trip over the bridge, to put their training to test over a half marathon. Joe, Mark, Lloyd, Jon and Tom travelled to Bloucester in convey. Phil Welch and our newest team member Sadie were on the start line too.

Covid plans were that everyone would set off in 10 second intervals. On the day this was closer to 2. But that played to our runner’s advantage. After just 800m or so, they’d formed a 5-man group, ticking off early miles around 5:30-40. Around 3 miles Tom decided to run his own race. The only blip to the perfect race-day was the headwind at the 7-mile turnaround.

Tea and cake at the finish line was a welcome touch.

“A well-organized event and good course… grateful that Rouge Runs put this event on, a first return to racing since Covid for most of us.”

To toot our own horn, Bridgend AC were first team.

Check out the full results.

Bridgend AC runners

Jon Butler 72:24 5th PB

Mark Emery 73:33 8th PB

Joe Thomas 73:51 10th, 1st V40

Lloyd Manning-James 74:56 13th PB

Tom Graham 75:55 20th PB

Phil Welch 82.47 67th PB

Sadie Pemberton 1:51:26 209 PB