THE Dyffryn Cledlyn five mile race, wonderfully organised by Clwb Rhedeg Sarn Helen, is a May bank holiday tradition and the good weather this year attracted a strong field of 79 runners.
Six Aberystwyth Athletic runners made the journey to Drefach and had a good day out.
Shelley Childs secured a fourth place overall and first in his age category in a time of 31.01 with Huw Griffiths coming in 13th place in a time of 33.33.
Anita Saycell crossed the line in a time of 40.44 with Deian Creunant finishing in 42.26 closely followed by Clive Williams in 42.56 and Theresa Sharland completing the course in 49.24.
A great race and Shelley Childs was very happy with his finish place: “The over 50s category was very competitive this year, and so it panned out with a fierce battle amongst the top five contenders.
“I started off in fifth place and gradually worked my way through the field by controlling my pace and applying pressure when needed.
“Luckily the legs responded and I managed to hold on for the category win and 4th overall. A lovely event and great to see so many taking part.”
The Heart Of Wales Ultra Marathon (HOWUM) is a 30 mile run/walk challenge from Pegasus Ultra Running into the heart of Wales and the source of the River Severn.
The route starts outside Llanidloes and takes in the Sarn, Glyndŵr’s Way, Severn Way and Wye Valley Walk.
Always up for a challenge, Elaine Rowlands of Aber AC gave it a go and finished in a time of seven hours 25 minutes but it was pretty tough says Elaine: “Having set off at 7am from Llanidloes, we begun the long trek out to the half way point, climbing to the trig point at the Source of the Severn.
“With almost 4,500 feet of elevation and with the sun beating down it was pretty tough. I then had a bad fall after 25 miles which meant a painful last few miles, and I was very happy to see the finish line.”
Onto Shrewsbury where a point to point 10k race was held.
This is a fast and scenic running event which starts at Upton Magna and finishes at Quarry Park in Shrewsbury Town Centre. Paul Jones was the sole Aber AC representative and in a field of 350 runners finished in an impressive 22nd place overall, winning his age group in a time of 38.37.
Paul said: “This is a great race with a long downhill stretch at the start allowing runners to set a good pace from the outset.
“It runs along the canal and riverside paths which is probably quite scenic if I had a chance to look around. Maybe next year!”
In the capital city the popular Race for Victory Cardiff 5k was held. With over 1,700 runners Aber AC’s Janos Vranek secured a great 29th place overall in a time of 14.55. Edd Land finished in a time of 17.10 with Lina Land coming well inside 25 mins in a time of 24.20.
If you would like to hear more about Aberystwyth Athletic Club and join in its activities visit aberystwythac.wordpress.com or find the club on Facebook.