Pontypridd Roadents RAT RACE Magazine January to June 2021

RAT RACE The Pontypridd Roadents Magazine January to June 2021

Inside: The Return To Running - Events Are Coming Back!

Misogyny Has No Home Here!

The Vegan Way How Safe Are Our Streets?

Otherside -TheUnique CushionCo www.pontypriddroadentsac.org.uk

RAT RACE

Hello to all. I know it’s been a long time since the last RAT RACE, but I hadn’t forgotten you all. It’s just a bit difficult to put together a magazine when... well...there’s nothing much happening. Some of our committee meetings should have been awarded first place for fastest completion times, as we had so little to say and talk about! Needless to say, with the vaccination roll out and the cautious return to opening up of society, things are starting to get back to some kind of normal, albeit the mask wearing normal. Let’s see what happens next!

The Committee Andy Davies Club President

Jo Gwynne Vice Chairperson/ COVID-19 Officer Nick Pounder Treasurer Sam Richards Club Championship Secretary Darren Bishop Kit Officer Fiona Davies Road Race Captain Ben Butler-Madden Road Race Vice Captain Neil Brooke-Smith Club Welfare Officer Mair Johnson Club Welfare Officer/ Child Safeguarding Officer Nick Denny Club Welfare Officer

Paul Graham Club Chairperson

Mike Gwynne Club Secretary Charlie Smith Membership Secretary/Club Welfare Officer Mark Douglas PR Officer

Lawrence Pole Website Editor Bretti Paxton Off-Road Captain Daniel Thrift Off-Road Vice Captain Darren Griffiths-Warner Magazine Editor Rhodri Evans Race Director Symon Murphy, David Mather, Liz May, Carol Roughley, Paul Harris, Martin Green All General Committee

Run Safe Page 12

Hywel Morgan of The ROADENTS @ The Furneral of HRH Prince Phillip

The Vegan Way with Sam Richards Page 8

Otherside with Gail Griffiths Page 10

Front Cover and this page: Jean Marchant & Phillip Evans @ The Severn Bridge Time Trial 16/4/2021 Photo by Tosh K Simpkin

EDITORIAL Misogyny Has No Place In Today’s Society Looking around, I supposed I was probably one of the oldest members of the crowd when, standing by my daughter Elin, we watched the band Swmrs take to the stage at the Leeds Festival in August 2019. I had never heard of this band before and thought their performance was good, but they were about to become embroiled in a scandal which highlighted that even in today’s society misogyny plays a major part. The sexual misconduct allegations that surounded America’s West Coast rock scene, with emphasis on the independent label Burger Records, seems something out of the dark ages as it again emerged that certain elements expected sexual favours in return for a rise up the publicity ladder. What made this more shocking was that the majority of the people in this music scene promoted themselves as believing in equality and equal rights for all, as a way to attract a younger more enlivened audience. What the scandal highlighted was that power can corupt the mind and, unfortunately for women, men seem to be the holders of that power. You can read about the whole episode via Elin’s After Midnight blog posting by following this link: https://aftermidnightblog.wixsite.com/aftermidnight/single-post/the-burger-records-allegations-and-the-toxicmasculinity-in-the-music-industry ‘Girls Against’ is a charity that tackles misogyny and assault in the music industry, and as from 7pm on the 12th June 2021 you can watch Elin’s After Midnight Summer Daze Online Festival in support of this very worthwhile charitable cause. The festival is a free event on YouTube and features a range of fabulous young artists who believe in equality on all fronts (see poster opposite), with any donations made on the night going to ‘Girls Against’.

Of course, sexual harrassment and misogyny isn’t exclusive to just one part of society and unfortunately sport has also suffered — for too long. Keep reading...

‘Moments later, I heard the scraping noise of leather shoes coming up fast behind me, an alien and alarming sound amid the muted thump thumping of rubber-soled running shoes. When a runner hears that kind of noise, it’s usually danger— like hearing a dog’s paws on the pavement. Instinctively I jerked my head around quickly and looked square into the most vicious face I’d ever seen. A big man, a huge man, with bared teeth was set to pounce, and before I could react he grabbed my shoulder and flung me back, screaming, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers!” Then he swiped down my front, trying to rip off my bib number, just as I leapt backward from him. He missed the numbers, but I was so surprised and frightened that I slightly wet my pants and turned to run. But now the man had the back of my shirt and was swiping at the bib number on my back.’

This excerpt is taken from Marathon Woman by Katherine Switzer. It’s the point at which Jock Semple, a Boston Marathon Official, tried to forcibly remove the runner from the race. Why? Because she was a woman. Switzer completed the marathon in April 1967, but it wasn’t until 1972 that women were officially allowed to participate in the Marathon.

Switzer was a 19-year-old journalism student at Syracuse University and had been training unofficially with the all-male cross country team before entering the race under the name KV Switzer. The previous year Roberta Gibb had jumped into the marathon at the start and finished the race, showing up the male opinion that the distance was too long for ‘fragile women’ to complete — but Switzer was the first woman to hold a bib number.

When she crossed the line nobody clapped for her and she was met with a barrage of damp aggressive reporters who had been made to wait the four hours and 20 minutes she had taken to complete the race asking questions like, “What made you do it?” (I like to run, the longer the better.) “Oh come on! Why Boston, why wear numbers?” (Women deserve to run, too. Equal rights and all that, you know.) “Will you come back to run again?” (Yes.) “They will ban your club.” (Then we’ll change the name of our club.) “Are you a suffragette?” (Huh? I thought we got the right to vote in 1920!)

Fast forward and in August 2020 Becky Grey published an article highlighting the extent of Misogyny & Sexism Within The United Kingdom Sports Scene revealing that over two thirds of the elite British female athletes who had experienced it did not feel able to report it. I’m writing this from a male perspective and I am embarrassed, no horrified, that women are finding very little outlet to report their concerns.

In 2021, is our society so bad that women have to suffer in silence?

So what were the reasons given for these unreported acts being hidden?

Many athletes said they did not know who to report it to, with their mostly male coaches not taking them seriously or understanding their plight. Others stated that they did not believe it would make a difference and would involve significant sacrifice while harming their opportunities for selection if they stood up and spoke out against sexism.

Here are few of the anonymous comments that were published in the article. You tell me that this is the way forward in this day and age!

‘I had a previous national coach who was completely sexist and I was bullied, I believe, for being female which was reported and then brushed under the carpet by another male.’

‘I have personally been jeered and laughed at for being a female rugby player at different clubs from the crowd. Clubs I have played at have declined to let my team use the main field despite being one of the top competing teams in the league, and not washed our kit or refused to let us use changing rooms or provide female hygiene facilities or food after games.’

‘Men are paid more than women at the club even though the women outperform the men at the same level in the sport.

Men are also given priority on facility use, finance, travel, spectator slots, promotion, etc. The owner of the club labelled himself as “a sexist pig” so I don’t see much point in reporting it and don’t want to reduce funding to the women further.’

‘We are not allowed in the gym when the men are in there and not allowed in the same room as the men, even though we play for the same team and represent the same country.’

‘Referees making women play to junior rules, coaches not treating us with the same respect as men, spectators saying rugby would get more crowds if we played in sport bras and hot pants, people asking about showers after games. I don’t report it because it never gets heard or nothing is done about it. Sometimes challenging it just fuels the fire.’

‘On occasions, male coaches who thought I was pretty would inappropriately express that to me when in a position of power. I didn’t want to annoy or get my manager in trouble in case I wouldn’t be selected.’

‘I have been in the situation in the past where a male coach showed a lot of interest in my sport and gave me a lot of advice so I felt really supported, motivated and I improved a lot. Then after a year of this, there was an occasion where I did not reciprocate his advances and then after that the advice and help stopped and I did feel very demotivated by that.’

I like to believe that our club, The PONTYPRIDD ROADENTS is inclusive to all. That’s all levels of abilities and all gender persuasions. We all must play our part to make sure we stand by that belief.

DARREN GRIFFITHS-WARNER

The Vegan Way! HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING PLANT-BASED FOODS

By SAM RICHARDS In 2018, I had my best year of running, but had kidney problems, which (I believe) was due to the amount of meat I was eating at that time. After struggling with injury, and after watching a few documentaries, I became vegan in 2020.

There are so many reasons to become vegan: to reduce cruelty to animals, to reduce the impact upon the climate, to prevent future pandemics, and to improve health. As this is a running magazine, I will be focusing upon the topic of health.

I would highly recommend you to watch “What The Health” and “The Game Changers.” These demonstrate the consequences that consuming animal products have on your body. By becoming vegan you can lower the risk of heart disease and lower your cholesterol level. It can also have a positive effect upon your libido. “The Game Changers” highlights sports people at the top of their field, such as Scott Jurek, Lewis Hamilton, Serena and Venus Williams, and many more. Having watched these documentaries, I believe that you can become healthier on a vegan diet. However, you still need to avoid vegan junk food — that I have eaten too much of during lockdown!

If you look at the majority of runners at the top level, they tend to eat low-fat meat, such as chicken which is still high in cholestorol. All animal products (apart from egg whites) are high in cholesterol. In my opinion, these runners would be faster if they replaced animal products with plant-based alternatives — which is also demonstrated in the programmes mentioned earlier.

There seems to be a common misconception that you can only get protein from animal products! However, here is a list of alternatives:

In the animal kingdom (apart from huskies), pronghorn antelopes, ostriches and camels are the only land animals capable of running a marathon quicker than humans — all of which are herbivores!

Recently “Men’s Health” magazine carried out an interesting experiment. Two men ate a similar amount of calories and carried out a similar exercise routine across three months. One man was on a vegan diet and the other was on a diet which included meat and animal products. The vegan participant gained 4kg — all of which was muscle mass. The meat participant gained 4.5kg — but only 3.7kg was muscle and his blood sugar levels were “terrible”.

A vegan diet can also improve kidney function — which is very important for me — as well as lowering your chances of having certain types of cancers and type 2 Diabetes. B12 supplement is essential to help keep the body’s nerves and blood cells healthy, and helps to make DNA — the genetic material in all cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent a type of anaemia (Megaloblastic anaemia) that can cause people to become tired and weak. Cattle naturally get B12 from the bacteria around grass roots, and chickens get B12 from pecking around for worms and other insects. But as most animals are factory-farmed they would be deficient in B12 without being given supplements. After gaining a few stone since I’ve been under quarantine, I’m intending to make a comeback with my running, and hopefully can be an example of proving how beneficial the vegan diet can be.

OTHERSIDE

with Gail Griffiths

Taking A Look At Lives Outside Running

Tell us a bit about yourself - where are you from, etc... Hello everyone, I’m Gail, I’m 56 and I’m from Pontypridd. I went to college in Swansea in the early Eighties and I studied Media, after which I got my dream job in London as a journalist on women’s magazines like Marie Claire, New Woman and Cosmopolitan. I loved every minute of living and working there for 15 years until I had my first daughter and made a conscious decision to move back to Wales to bring up my family. After working as a freelance writer for a few years, I then moved into education to manage and deliver English intervention lessons in secondary schools.

How has Covid-19 affected the work you do? Looking at the picture above you can see I’m no longer in education! I was a statistic of the pandemic and lost my job - with no schools open, no exams planned, there were no face-to-face interventions with teenagers. It was a shock to become unemployed having worked since my first part-time school holiday job at 16, but I had time to think and again made a conscious decision to start my own small business making cushions - you can never have too many, right!?! It all came about after enjoying making cushions in the 2020 lockdown for Christmas presents for family and friends - measuring, cutting, sewing and knitting was so therapeutic it took my mind off all the worries brought about by the virus. All my cushions are unique, individual one-offs, I don’t make two the same (unless it’s a special commission), hence the name for my small business, The Unique Cushion Co. What’s a typical day for you now? I still get up early, after years of alarm calls my body clock is conditioned to waking me around 6am. But now working for myself there’s no mad dash to get up, have breakfast, make packed lunch, drive to work - it’s get up, have breakfast, and head out for a run! Then, I’m in my sewing room by 10am to sort through my fabrics and get creating. I usually work until 4-5pm, but will happily work later into the evening if I have a commission I want to get finished. I’m loving designing my makes and I’ve been asked to do some really interesting projects, from personalised cushions for wedding presents to large cushions for garden furniture; and, of course, my Keepsake Cushions made from runners finishers T-shirts.

Future plans? With lockdown restrictions easing, some craft markets have recently been allowed to take place again. So, having been vaccinated, I’m feeling confident enough to join other creators & makers and take my makes out to the wider world and become a market trader at several artisan & craft fairs.

It’s all new to me, but I really enjoyed my first one at Cardiff Bay. So look out for The Unique Cushion Co when you’re out and about, and come and say hello!

MARKET DATES SO FAR: 27th June & 25th July at Bell Vue Park, Newport 7th-15th August & 11th-21st November at The Hayes, Cardiff City Centre

How Safe Do You Feel While Running Our Streets?

2021 and most running events are accessible to all genders with the 2019 Cardiff Half-Marathon having more entrants identifying as female for the first time. But still getting to that start line for most women had been a struggle from a different perspective.

In the report ‘Women Run The Streets’ by Dr Sara McBride-Stewart & Dr Charlotte Brookfield for Cardiff University, the main sponsors behind the Cardiff Half-Marathon, a number of barriers to women were highlighted which created an unequal environment to participation in the sport.

Initially some of the reasons given for the increase in more people identifying as women taking part in the event was given as the organisers Run4Wales targeting other women’s events, actions by various groups (such as the Pontypridd Roadents) to increase women’s participation and, of course, the rise in the parkrun movement.

The report then went on to discuss the runnability of their local streets, with four areas being selected to investigate further. These were Ely, St Mellons, Grangetown and Merthyr, and were chosen as urban areas where the household incomes are below the Wales/UK average.

Of those women poled, 65% said they trained on the streets with only 25% rating their local area as excellent for runners. This highlighted a number of problems, with 40% citing poor conditions of pathways, lack of lighting and trees or plant growth blocking their way. However, 40% reported feeling extremely safe when running alone, though this reduced by 6% during night-time running.

Many of the women runners also adopted a number of strategies to help sustain their running, including Running With Others, Avoiding Certain Parts Of The Day and Avoiding Other People.

When addressing the subject of feeling unsafe while running, the strongest factor that was highlighted was the level of lighting and traffic rather than people or animals, though 1/5th said that ‘catcalling’ and inappropriate comments were a problem, with this increasing to 30% in some areas.

So how do we support and value sustainable running for women, whose lives are more affected by pressure between work and family commitments? How do we give them more opportunities to run regularly for a regular period of time in an area that is safe and fit to do so? How do we go about creating local places that are more runnable?

According to the report’s findings not all areas have the same issues, so improving runability needs a place by place approach. The issue of busy streets suggests that it may be worth advertising routes to women that are runnable and less busy, while checking the amount of lighting available and reporting faults to local councils if necessary. One of the areas studied reported that the local police force were encouraging women to treat catcalling seriously and report it to the police.

Currently, due to the impact of the report, Cardiff University and Run4Wales are working on devising a number of suggested Runnable Routes For Women within the Cardiff area, which offer practical solutions to counteract some of the recurring barriers, especially around safety, that negatively impact regular running.

During the Lockdown, one aspect of problems highlighted was that of catcalling and abuse. With many indoor training facilities closed even our top runners have had to take to the streets to exercise, with some saying they no longer feel safe exercising in public. As Stephen Morris reported in The Guardian, top women athletes from Wales who had reported their ordeals were instrumental in the Welsh Government relaxing lockdown rules to allow an individual to meet one other person from another household to exercise locally in direct response to the concerns of women who did not feel safe running or walking alone. Welsh Athletics is now working with South Wales Police to explore ways of making the streets safer for female runners.

The Welsh 400-metre international Rhiannon Linington-Payne, from Cardiff, said: “I’ve had comments about my figure, comments about the kit I’m wearing and the fact it’s tight fitting. I’ve had wolf-whistling. I’ve had cars slow down and people heckle while I’m running. I had an empty beer can thrown at me out of a car window three weeks ago. It’s a disappointment that so many women are experiencing similar things.”

Linington-Payne, who is head of competitions at Welsh Athletics, continues, “It’s not just happening here in Cardiff or Wales but across the UK. I’ve been contacted by runners from London and Manchester. This is also an issue that goes beyond sport. It’s about people respecting other human beings regardless of who they are or what they look like. Everyone has the right to go about their business and not be challenged. It goes a lot deeper than sport but seems to be a common experience in sport.”

She said she was concerned not only for top athletes but for leisure runners who were facing harassment. “We’re saying people can go and do exercise but it’s dark and the street lighting isn’t great in some places.”

Hannah Brier, a Wales and Great Britain sprinter, from Neath in South Wales, said it was ironic she was not allowed on the track for safety reasons but did not feel secure training in public. She has taken to wearing plainer and looser running kit. “Before lockdown I’d never experienced running on the road, as I’m always running on the track or training in the gym. I was completely shocked by the amount of inappropriate comments.”

Our own club member Fiona Davies has also had a number of unpleasant moments over the years: “I’ve run alone since I was 13 so I have, of course, experienced a fair bit of male harassment - shouted comments, mainly of a

sexual nature, men walking who think it’s funny to try to block my path, an occasional drunken attempt to grab at some part of me. However, I have noticed the incidents decreasing over the years - now I am more likely to get old men warning me to take it easy, and what I’ve noticed over the last few years is actually more men making encouraging comments like ‘keep it going’ or ‘you’re doing well’. I’d like to think the improvement is due to more enlightened attitudes as more women are running, but maybe it’s just me getting older (and better sports bras which stop my boobs moving so much - haven’t had the black eyes comment for many years!!).

“At age 14 I was stopped by a couple of men in a car while I was running. One said he’d like to photograph me and gave me the address of his studio. I was innocently quite flattered and said, ‘OK, I’ll get my mum to bring me down on the weekend.’ Funnily enough that wasn’t what he wanted and he muttered some excuses and drove off!

“I actually feel safer in the dark if I’m running than if I’m coming home alone from a social occasion, as I have the confidence (whether misplaced or not) that in running kit I could outrun or evade most opportunistic attackers. Dressed in a skirt/dress with heels I feel much more vulnerable. I remember as a student, coming home from a club with a friend (also a runner) and being followed by a group of men - we had to keep increasing our pace to stay ahead and finally lost them when we took off our shoes and ran up all the four flights of steps to our flat - thank goodness for hill training!

“My perspective on addressing male harassment of female runners is that men themselves need to be more challenging of attitudes among their peers. When women speak about these things, I believe we are primarily heard by the men, like most of those I know, who wouldn’t dream of making an inappropriate comment to a female runner. Broadly speaking, the men who do abuse female runners are those who also believe women’s opinions are of little importance, who see women primarily as sexual objects. They tend to express such opinions in male only environments - the male sports club, the boys night out, the building contractors van as they return from work - I have a few stories from when Gareth (my husband) worked as a plasterer!

Women need supportive men to challenge such opinions and attitudes when they are expressed, so that an unacceptable culture can be changed from within.”

James Williams, the Chief Executive of Welsh Athletics, said it was working with South Wales Police to promote a campaign called Exercise Our Freedom. He said: “We support the right for everybody to train and enjoy their exercise, and everyone should be able to do so without the fear of unwanted comments or behaviours.”

Now a campaign to help people ‘run without rudeness’ has been launched. The Exercise Our Freedom (#ExerciseOurFreedom) campaign is delivered by South Wales Police in collaboration with partner agencies Welsh Athletics, Run Wales, Sport Wales, Welsh Cycling and Ramblers Cymru. Whether a novice runner, a veteran cyclist or just someone who wants to enjoy some fresh air and take a stroll, the #ExerciseOurFreedom campaign aims to raise awareness that unwanted and derogatory comments or intimidating behaviour directed at those exercising is not acceptable.

Chief Constable of South Wales Police, Jeremy Vaughan, said: “I hate the idea that anyone should be put off enjoying our fabulous towns, cities and countryside when exercising for fear of being intimidated by harassment or by insults. We want people to be safe and feel safe. It’s everybody’s right to enjoy our public spaces, fear free.”

The public are advised that should there be a pattern to this type of behaviour or an incident which they feel is more serious it could be deemed as harassment and therefore a criminal offence. Those affected are asked to report it by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.

Gareth Hall, Run Wales Programme Manager commented, “Running has been proven to positively affect the physical and mental health of those who take part in it. New and novice runners are the most likely to stop taking part if they have a negative experience. This is why Run Wales is proud to support a campaign that helps anybody enjoy all the benefits that exercise, and the great outdoors can bring.”

The #ExerciseOurFreedom campaign materials will be shared online and offline by each of the partner agencies and aims to educate and empower local communities.

British Athletic have also published a series of guidelines to help keep runners safe while out training. The following pages are a copy of those guidelines from both a runners and spectators perspective.

EVENT REVIEWS

SHEPPERDINE HALF-MARATHON Saturday 25th APRIL 2021

The race follows a similar route to the old 20k Fission route in Gloucester starting at Berkeley Power Station on reasonably flat country lanes. No running in Wales in April so I decided to venture across the border for one of the first half marathons within reach of Wales since Covid19 restrictions were relaxed. Due to numbers and social distancing rules, we were given 10 second gaps between start points with the magic chips recording the rest. This seemed to work well with 5-mile estimated timings provided in advance which minimised the overtaking and bunching of runners. (Possible template for things to come?)

The weather on the day was sunny and dry which at the time of writing seems a long time ago. The head wind that appeared out of nowhere on the last 8k seemed to take its toll on a lot of runners, especially those doing the full marathon distance which was also an option. See FOD runner on YouTube who mentions this on his video of the race.

Entry was a last-minute decision after a fellow Roadent offered up a space on the FB page. So, with no real training and a realistic time in my mind off I went. Really surprised how well the race was organised and how beautiful an area of Gloucester in which the course was set. I will be returning and would recommend to everyone in the club. Proved to be cracking value for money with a lovely bright yellow t-shirt (not been worn yet) and a hand-crafted pottery medal to boot (kids loved the sheep). Time 01:41:27 first and last Roadent home, or maybe not - ha ha.

MARTIN CARSON

SEVERN BRIDGE 5 MILE TIME TRIAL Friday 16th APRIL 2021

After a very long year of hardly any races taking place it was great to be able to take part in the Severn Bridge 5 Mile Timed Race. I had actually entered sometime way back in the past year but like everyone else practically forgotten I had. It was an evening race and it started at 7pm on the English side. There was not a huge number of entries with the restrictions but still had that race feel about it. It was perfect weather conditions for the Bridge as there was hardly any wind and no rain which was a definite plus. We started on the slip road to the bridge from Aust Services in 10 second gaps. The course was all the way over the bridge to the Welsh side, along the cycle/walkers path. Once over the other side you are directed under the motorway bridge viaduct and into the park, back up the slip road and along the other side of the bridge back to the Services. It’s a very strange feeling running along the Bridge as it bounces underfoot, those of you who have run over this before will understand that. The run back to the finish is one of the longest hill climbs I have done for a while and it seems to go on forever. At the finish there was coffee, tea and water available and also cakes. Unfortunately, there was no medal or T-shirt at the end which was disappointing but for a £12 entry fee well worth it. We had great results with a PB for Phillip Evans coming in 13th with a time of 32.43 and Liz May being 27th overall and the first back for the V40 group in a time of 35.51. The first three runners back for the men’s team came 3rd overall and the women’s team 7th. To finish off such a great day we found a lovely pub round the corner and sat outside enjoying a drink to celebrate.

JEAN MARCHANT

REUNION 5k GOVERNMENT PILOT TRIALS Saturday 15th MAY 2021

EVENT REVIEWS

On Saturday May 15th, my partner Michelle and I attended the Reunion 5k held at Kempton Park Racecourse, Michelle as a participant and myself as a spectator. The event was made up of 3 races of 5k with varying degrees of social distancing, with an anticipated 3k runners per race. One race maintained social distancing, one had spectators distanced but runners not, and the other race had no social distancing.

The 5k races were organised as a pilot government test as part of the Government’s Events Research programme.

The aim was to provide scientific data on Covid-19 transmission levels to hopefully help pave the way for the return of mass participation sporting events.

The day before the event we both had to take a lateral flow test, not the most pleasant of things to have to do, but an absolute necessity. We both then received an email and SMS confirmation of a negative result. On the morning of the event we both also had to take a PCR test which had to be posted in a priority mailbox before the race. Entry to the event required photographic ID, proof of the negative lateral flow test, and the QR code from the sign up email. Once inside, people had the option of social distancing and wearing masks if they still preferred to.

The event was just like old times, music playing, people from different clubs chatting and mingling (we chatted to runners from Hillingdon, Pont-Y-Pwl and Aberdare). There was even the expectedly large queues for the toilets. The atmosphere was brilliant.

The races themselves were on the paved areas of the racecourse itself with chip timings provided. One race was set off in pairs every couple of seconds with others having a mass start. There were also timed pens depending on estimated completion time. It was evident a lot of people had waited some time for some semblance of competitive racing and there were some impressive performances.

The day seemed very successful and was very well organised. There was even a wooden medal at the finish. The final piece of the jigsaw was for all participants to complete another PCR test five days after the event. I hope the data captured from this event will expedite the return of racing, notwithstanding the new Indian variant of the virus.

MARTIN GREEN

Want to tell everyone about the race you took part in - submit your reviews to me directly at darren@darrenwarner.co.uk

PROUD TO BE PONTY...

Welsh Athletics 5k Races @ Pembrey Country Park Photos by Paul Stillman