GO back 12 months and the Dale Half Marathon and 10k races had to be cancelled due to strong winds and rain but fast forward a year and the conditions could not be more different with warm sun and blue skies on offer.

The half marathon forms part of the West Wales Championships so is an important race and attracts a strong field.

Aberystwyth Athletic Club’s Paul Williams had a strong showing finishing in 6th place overall and winning his age category in a time of 1.33.02.

Sarak-Kay Purdon was nursing a sore ankle but still managed to complete the undulating course in a time of 2.17.37 and securing 3rd place in her open category.

In the 10k race Clive Williams finished in a time of 54.03 with Deian Creunant not too far behind in 54.42 with Helen Williams crossing the line in 58.20.

After the cancellation of last year Paul Williams was glad to see this race return.

He said: ”The location of this race on the seafront at Dale is idyllic, and while there are a few climbs which can be challenging some of the views around St Anne’s Head and Marloes are stunning and really show off the best of Wales’ coastline.

“After last year’s storms this year’s weather was perfect for running.

“I have a half marathon in Valencia in a few weeks and if the weather there is as good as in Pembrokeshire I will be very happy.”

Moving eastwards and the Shrewsbury Metric Half Marathon was run recently with two Aber AC athletes making their debuts at this distance.

Similar to Dale, the conditions were near perfect for the 2,000 competitors and Mel Hopkins came third in his age category in a time of 1.06.53 and Louise Russell crossed the line in a time of 1.24.15.

Running this distance, 13.1km, was an interesting experience says Louise.

She said: “Neither of us had run this distance before but more and more of them are popping up so we thought we’d give it a try.

“It is a good course, starting and finishing at The West Mid Showground before taking in some of Shrewsbury’s highlights such as the Welsh & English Bridge, Kingsland and Porthill as well as the picturesque town centre with its medieval buildings and unique street names.

“The seemingly never ending gruelling hill at half way did make me question my sanity but overall a pleasant race that was very well organised and I look forward to running more races at this distance.”

Moving to Scotland and Rhys Brassington ran the iconic Loch Ness Marathon, completing it in a great time of 3.33.37.

He explained: “I had wanted to do this one for a while and finally managed to cross it off my list.

“It’s a relatively flat course so a chance for a fast time and it is mainly run on the side of the loch offering beautiful scenery which sometimes managed to divert attention from the pain in my legs.

“Next up – marathon Eryri – so not quite as flat!”

If you would like to hear more about Aberystwyth Athletic Club and join in its activities visit https://aberystwythac.wordpress.com/ or find the club on Facebook.