THE second in the summer series of midweek races is the popular Hafod race and there was a strong representation from Aberystwyth Athletic Club among the 52 runners in the adult race.

On a glorious evening Owain Rowlands led the Aber AC contingent home in a time of 35.07 securing 3rd place overall and winning his category.

James Thomas finished in 38.11 with Shelley Childs crossing the line in 42.52 with Rabi Thapa in 44.07 closely followed by Ivan Courtier in 45.26 and Toby Driver in 46.32.

Mark Bloomfield finished in 47.27 with Clive Williams crossing the line in 49.29 and Dave Humphreys in 53.38. Theresa Sharland finished in 58.14 and Rhian Meredith-Edwards completed the course in 1.00.41.

Owain Rowlands was delighted with his 3rd place finish: “These midweek races are a great addition to the local running calendar and it was to have a very pleasant evening compared to the first race in Nant yr Arian.

“The races make good use of the challenging terrain and beautiful landscapes we have on our doorstep. There was a strong turnout at Hafod so to come in 3rd overall, I am very happy with that.”

Another scenic but very tough race is the Eryri half marathon. Set in the beautiful Eryri National Park, it starts and finishes in the town of Llanrwst and this year saw the race celebrate its 13th birthday.

Three Aber runners took on the hilly challenge and came away with various successes in a field of over 600 runners with all three finishing in the top 100.

Paul Jones finished in 14th place overall and won his age category in a time of 1.40.11. Patrick Finney finished in 1.49.22 securing 3rd place in his category and Lynwen Huxtable claimed 2nd in her category in a time of 1.58.51.

Paul Jones was very happy with his time but admits it was tough: “This can be a tough race at the best of times but with the sun beating down the hills were even more challenging.

“They have also changed the course slightly to offer more hills and the steep incline after 11 miles is enough to make you cry! This was a good showing from Aber AC in a strong field and a great race.”

The Moy Park Belfast City Marathon is one of the leading marathons in the UK and Ireland.

The race itself starts at Stormont and finishes in Ormeau Park, running through all four areas of the City.

Wendy James was the Aber AC representative among the 6500 runners finishing in a great time of 4.30.54 and enjoyed her time in Northern Ireland in only her second marathon: “This is a great event, not as big as other marathons so it is slightly more relaxed and everyone very friendly.

“It is also good to be able to run past many historic landmarks in the city although I tried mainly to concentrate on my running and very happy with my time at this distance.”

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.