The popular and long running Dolgellau Five mile Road Race made its much anticipated post-Covid return, with some notable successes for Aberystwyth Athletic Club as individuals and as a team.

A steep first kilometre on the outskirts of town was followed by a short descent followed by a continuation of the incline, albeit at a more forgiving gradient before the start of a long descent at the start of the third mile.

The fast descent which headed back towards the town at the northern end of the bypass meant finally some flat roads for the final mile, finishing off at the rugby club.

Aber AC’s Gary Wyn Davies was first to make a break on the first climb, gradually pulling away from the lead pack and maintaining the lead comfortably to win in a time of 29 minutes 42 seconds.

Shelley Childs wasn’t far behind in fourth place overall and winning his age category in a time of 31.33.

Llýr ab Einion was in 6th place overall in a time of 31.50, and along with Gary and Shelley ensured that Aber AC won the men’s team prize.

Ian Evans won his age category in a time of 33.02 with club stalwart John Evans again winning his age category in a time of 47.22.

Theresa Sharland was the sole female representative from the club and completed the course in a time of 50.21.

Club member Balázs Pinter ventured slightly further afield and took part in another challenging trail race, the Walser Ultra in Austria.

This is a 63km race with an overall ascent and descent of 3,900m with a range of elevation of between 1,060 and 2,199 metres.

The start time was 6am and all competitors had 16 hours to complete, which Balázs comfortably achieved, finishing in a time of 11.31.12.

Balazs Pinter crossing the finish line Walser Ultra in Austria 2022
Balazs Pinter crossing the finish line (Aber AC)

He finished in 35th position overall out of a field of 124, quite an achievement once more for the seasoned runner but the stunning landscape helped along the way.

He said: “The weather was ideal: partly sunny, partly cloudy, no rain, no strong wind.

“We had to run and clamber up and down, mostly over rocks.

“The views were breath-taking though, and they changed every minute, which made the pain of running the 63km slightly easier to bear.”

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