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Weekend Round-Up (12-13 April 2025)
14/04/2025 00:00, In Blog /
ERRA NATIONAL ROAD RELAYS 2025 – BIRMINGHAM, 12 APRIL
Pontypridd Roadent Jake Smith ran a course record of 14:28 as his club finished 13th overall in the men’s 12 stage event in a total time of 3:12.39. Meirionnydd were 14th in 3:12.43 and Les Croupiers 38th in 3:28.03.
In the women’s six stage event, Swansea Harriers finished seventh in 1:52.19, with Hannah Kinane clocking their fastest time of 17.52. Les Croupiers were 10th in 1:52.55, with Pontypridd Roadents 35th in 2:14.17.
ENGLISH ATHETICS RACE WALK CHAMPIONSHIPS – MOULTON, 12 APRIL
At the English Championships at Moulton College in Northampton, under-13 athlete Spencer Jones (Wrexham) won the under-15 boys 2,000m race in 10:51.71.
The under-13 girls 1,000m race saw Gwen Fitzpatrick (Carmarthen Harriers) claim a second place finish in 7:26.28.
In the under-15 girls 2,000m Cerys Fitzpatrick (Carmarthen Harriers) was third in 13:18.51 and Nia Vale (Aberdare Valley AAC) fourth in 13:18.52.
EUROPEAN RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS – BRUSSELS, 13 APRIL
Welsh Commonwealth Games athlete Jenny Nesbitt (Pontypridd Roadents) represented Great Britain at the inaugural European Running Championships in Belgium on Sunday morning.
On a wet morning in Brussels, Nesbitt faced a tough 10km course where she finished 47th in 33.30.
The highest placed GB competitor in the women’s 10k was English athlete Verity Ockenden, who represents Swansea Harriers. Ockenden finished 11th in 32:11.
The Great Britain women finished fifth overall in the 10K team event.
ABP NEWPORT MARATHON FESTIVAL – 13 APRIL
The biggest ever ABP Newport Marathon Festival saw records galore tumble on Sunday.
New women’s course records were set across the marathon, half marathon and 10K, with a new best time also set in the men’s half.
It was the event’s largest entry yet with 10,000 runners signed up across the three distances including the junior races.
The outstanding home performance came from Beth Kidger, who is the fifth fastest Welsh Athlete of all-time over 10K.
The Brighton Phoenix athlete took this year’s title and set a new course record with a time of 32:54.
Kidger, who represented Wales over 5,000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, said:
It was good. It was harder than I thought it would be but it’s a good course.
The atmosphere was really good and there was a lot of people cheering along the way which was good.
I was hoping to go a little bit faster but I got a little separated from the rest of the group, so I feel like it was a good run out.
The men’s 10K was won by Abdinasir Elmi (Bournemouth AC) in 31:17. The highest placed Welsh finisher was Phil Matthews (Parc Bryn Bach) who was fourth in 31:48.
The 10K races kickstarted the Run 4 Wales 10K Series which also includes the Barry Island 10K in June, Brecon Carreg Porthcawl 10K in July and the Brecon Carreg CDF 10K in September.
There were also Welsh wins in the wheelchair categories.
Promising young Welsh Athletics National Development Programme competitor Owain Terrell (Newport Harriers) won the wheelchair 10k in 32:53, ahead of Gareth Pickman (Cheltenham and County Harriers) in 44:26.
Meanwhile, Ron Price (DSW Para Athletics), crossed the line in the marathon in 2:51.01.
Sam Humphrey (Penarth and Dinas) clocked 2:32.15 in the men’s marathon as he finished second to Daniel Husbands (Shrewsbury AC), who broke the tape in 2:27.57.
The women’s marathon was won in a new course record of 2:38.01 by Melissa Gibson (Ealing Eagles) – slashing more than five minutes from the previous record. The highest place Welsh athlete was Eliana Basini-Gazzi (Les Croupiers), who was fifth in 3:00.25.
In the women’s half marathon, there was a third place finish for Kate Roberts (Swansea Harriers), who registered 1:21.27, behind the winner Grace Leyland (Herne Hill Harriers), who won in another course record of 1:17.53.
Ronnie Richmond (Bideford AC) won the men’s half marathon in a new course record of 1:06.54. Jamie Parry (Parc Bryn Bach) was seventh in 1:13.36.
Run 4 Wales Chief Executive, Matt Newman, said of the event:
A huge congratulations to all our runners who took part in this year’s ABP Newport Marathon Festival and a massive thank you to all of our partners and sponsors for making the event possible.
This year was our largest edition yet with a record 10,000 participants registered for the ABP Newport Marathon Festival – making it one of the largest running events in the UK, and second only to the Cardiff Half Marathon in Wales.
Thank you to everyone once again for making the event so memorable. We’re very much looking forward to returning to the city to do it all again next year.
SOUTH WALES JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT OPEN – ABERDARE, 13 APRIL
More than 260 athletes took part in the South Wales Junior Development Open at the Ron Jones Stadium on Sunday.
Olivia Thomas was in excellent form in the under-13 events as she won the 200m, long jump and 100m.
The Cardiff Archer recorded the fastest time of the day in the 200m as she claimed a new PB of 26.3. The long jump also saw her achieve a PB of 4.16m, while in the 100m she once again finished on top of the podium with another PB of 13.2.
The Under-15 girls events saw two excellent performances from Abbi Beadle in the 100 and 200m.
The Cardiff Athletics sprinter won the 200m in a PB of 25.9 before winning the 100m in another PB of 12.4. Moridiat Olagunju (Newport Harriers) was second in both races in 26.3 and 12.7.
Joshua Thomas enjoyed a double in the Under-15 boys 100 and 200m. The Cardiff Archer claimed a PB of 24.00 in winning the 200m and then repeated the feat in the 100m with a winning time of 11.7.
NORTH WALES JUNIOR LEAGUE 1 (INCLUDING OPEN MEETING) – BANGOR, 13 APRIL
Myla Brookwell (Menai Track and Field) enjoyed a successful day in Bangor on Sunday.
The under-13 athlete claimed a hat-trick of wins and personal bests in the long jump, 100m and 200m.
Brookwell won the long jump with a best of 3.90m before going on to win the 100m in 13.20 and the 200m in 28.30.
The performances helped Menai Track and Field win the overall team match with 210 points ahead of Colwyn Bay AC with 155.5 points and Deeside AAC with 147.5 points.
NORTH WALES SOUTH SNOWDONIA SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM (SSSART) TRAWSFYNYDD MULTI-TERRAIN 8 MILER – 13 APRIL
The multi-terrain race around Trawsfynydd lake in aid of the SSSART is held over a predominantly flat course with one ascent near the start.
This year’s winner of the men’s race was Steffan Sayer (Menai Track and Field) who completed the 8.6 mile course in 50:47. Dave Bus Hughes (Eryri Harriers) was second in 51:25 with Deio Roberts was third in 53:46.
The women’s race was won in commanding style by Alaw Beynon Evans (Les Croupiers) in 54:04, who had competed for her club in the ERRA National Relays the previous day.
The time meant Beynon Evans also finished fourth overall. Anna Drinkwater (Eryri Harriers) was second in 58:55 with Hannah Thomas (Maldwyn Harriers) third in 59:17.
YATE AND DISTRICT AC 20TH SPRINTS AND HURDLES OPEN – 13 APRIL
In his season’s opener, National Development Programme T35 athlete Will Bishop (Newport Harriers) celebrated two new PBs.
In the 100m he took 0.10 off his previous best as he ran 14.05, while he slashed 0.75 of his 200m best with a time of 29.29.
T54 wheelchair athlete Toby Richardson (Yate/Welsh Anglo Athletes) also enjoyed a PB double. In the 100m, he bettered his best of 16.73 with a time of 16.14. In the 200m, he improved his time of 31.76 to 29.40.
Credit Run4Wales for the photos.
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