The Spirit of Monmouth Running Club has enjoyed a globe‑spanning week of achievements, with members competing everywhere from the heat of southern Africa to the cool efficiency of Berlin, while the club’s Masters shone closer to home in Wales.

Two Spirits set their alarms early for African races this week—both starting at 5:30am to dodge the worst of the heat, with mixed success.

In Zimbabwe, Marina Wright took on the Nyaradzo @ 25 Run in Chishawasha, around 25km east of Harare. With temperatures and humidity climbing even before sunrise, the conditions were tough, but Marina embraced the experience. She enjoyed chatting with fellow runners and was particularly impressed by the generously stocked water stations offering drinks and fruit every 2km.

Meanwhile in Durban, Martin Blakebrough tackled a popular South African half marathon with an unconventional mass start—no pens, just one gun and a surge of runners. Despite the 23°C heat and high humidity, Martin paced himself smartly, using the presence of 10km runners on the course as encouragement. He crossed the line in an impressive 1:47:50, earning 5th in his age category and 125th overall out of 994.

Also racing on Sunday was Michael Visser, who headed to Germany for the Berlin Half Marathon—his first taste of a “Super Six” event. The flat course promised speed, but heavy congestion meant achieving a fast time was difficult. Even so, Michael matched his previous half marathon performances and thoroughly enjoyed the famously slick organisation and buzzing atmosphere.

On Saturday, the club’s seasoned runners took centre stage at the Welsh Masters event at Parc Bryn Bach. Representing the Spirits were Barry Burns, Sian Burns, Brian Evans and Jeremy Creasey, tackling a challenging relay route that combined lake‑side roads with hilly sections familiar from the GLCL circuit. With each leg covering just over 5km, runners waited in holding pens ready for their teammates. Despite fierce competition and sub‑17‑minute 5k specialists in the field, the team delivered a fantastic 5th‑place finish, with Barry recording the 8th fastest leg of the day.

Back home, the club’s Ultra Crew continued preparing for mammoth events. Keith Penny and Elizabeth Hattam braved battering winds in the Brecon Beacons as they recce sections of their upcoming 200‑mile Wildhorse challenge. Elizabeth is also fundraising in memory of her late friend Brian, who died from a brain tumour last year.

Elsewhere, Louise (Looby Hearts) racked up 16 mountain miles with her canine companion, Vicky Roberts powered through a 20‑mile Newport Marathon prep run, and Renske Bouwens enjoyed some forest miles “Robin Hood style”.

There was success at the GLCL XC, too, with Vicky Roberts and Katie Adams winning their age groups, helping the women’s team to finish 4th and the men’s team 6th overall.

A strong contingent of Spirits turned out at parkruns near and far. Tourists included Carol Oswell in scenic Cape Town, Martin in Umhlanga, Andrew Hillis in Sheffield, Liz in Newport, Julie Gee (with a course PB) and Robin MacIntosh at Mallards, Sian Fielding with a superb 24:59 PB at Bryn Bach, and Brian warming up in the Forest of Dean.

Back home, the Chippy crew saw Matthew Visser finish first Spirit in 20:25, Katy pace her daughter to a PB, Nick break 23 minutes for the first time this year, and plenty more strong runs across the board.