News

28/03/2019 00:00, In Road /

Charlotte Arter and Dewi Griffiths will headline the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run on Sunday, and the pair will start as favourites to take the title of 2019 Welsh 10k Champion but will face strong domestic fields.

Charlotte Arter will race here a month after setting a new Welsh Half Marathon record of 69:41 in Barcelona. The sub 70 clocking was also the fastest by a British athlete since 2015. Arter is always modest when discussing her race intentions but did hint that a Welsh 10km record was possible, with the old record set by Angela Tooby standing at 32:15;

‘ I'm looking forward to racing the Cardiff Bay Run’ said Arter. ‘It's always fun to race on the streets of Cardiff and there looks to be a great race line up’. ‘I'm also looking forward to racing over a shorter distance, having raced over the longer distances of half marathons recently, so it will be good to test the legs over 10k before heading off to the U.S next week for some racing and a stint of altitude training’. ‘I'm putting no pressure on myself for Sunday, I just want to have a solid run, enjoy it and see where I am at. I'd obviously love to run a PB and if I can run a PB then the Welsh record could be in sight!’

Other athletes looking to feature in the Welsh Championships include Clara Evans who was the Welsh Half Marathon Champion in 2016 and is also enjoying a strong vein of form which includes a 72:52 for half marathon.  Natasha Cockram became the fourth fastest Welsh Marathoner of all time at Houston earlier this year with a mark of 2:34.18 and will race along with Beth Kidger who was the Welsh Cross Country Champion in 2016. Swansea Harrier Alaw Beynon-Thomas and Cardiff AC’s Lucy Marland should also feature. Kate Reed is the fastest athlete on paper with a 10km best of 32:07. The Bristol & West AC Olympian took the Bath Half Marathon title in mid-March.

Rebecca Murray was the BUCS Cross Country Champion at Sheffield in 2017 and will race in the Welsh Capital after missing the Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships in the city last October due to injury. Belgian 5,000m champion Nina Lauwaert and Norwegian athlete Maria Waagan will add some international flavour to a mainly domestic field.

Dewi Griffiths will return to the race after last starring there in 2017 when he set the course record of 29:08. The Swansea Harrier will contest the 2019 edition following a return to form, which includes a 61:44 clocking for the Half Marathon at Houston in January and a seventh Welsh Cross Country title at Pembrey a month later. Griffiths also took a Silver medal at the British Half Marathon Championships in London recently and will now use this race as part of his preparations for the Virgin London Marathon next month.

Charlie Hulson will also be in action. The reigning champion has had a successful Cross Country season, finishing 17^th at the Spar European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg and sixth at the IAAF Permit race in Belfast. Josh Griffiths was the 2017 British Marathon Champion and will race alongside fellow Swansea Harrier, Commonwealth Games eighth placer Jon Hopkins. Fellow steeplechaser Ieuan Thomas has previously run 29:13 and will also line up in Cardiff. Sam Stabler is perhaps the top non-Welsh athlete on the start lists with a 29:09 best for the distance and an Armagh 5km International title from 2018 to his name. Matt Clowes was second last year and will race along with Cardiff AAC clubmate Jake Smith who finished just ahead of him at the recent Speedway 10k in 29:45. Adam Clarke, Shaun Antell, Tom Merson and Jon McDonnell all have sub 30 minutes bests for the distance and all will be looking to test their fitness in Cardiff.