PRIZE Week began for Spirit of Monmouth runners with a Tuesday night trip to the Gwent Levels for the second Rose Inn race.

Held on two laps of a fast and flat four-mile course at Redwick, a strong wind meant a tailwind out and headwind back.

Ben Morris of the Mickey Morris team stormed home first in 20.49 closely followed by host club Chepstow Harriers’ Peter Nimmo in 21.02, while Louise Flynn of Les Croupiers took female honours in 23.48 from Karlien Heyrman of Cheltenham Striders in 25.39.

Nominated as a Spirits club championship race this year, it saw a larger contingent than normal and also with a number of first timers.

Tom Chinnick ran a fastest 5k of the year racing home in 13th and third over-40 in 23.34, followed by Matthew Visser in 31st, whose 24.59 included a 5k PB.

Lee Davies was 48th in 26.07 and Renske Bouwens 71st and second over-50 woman in 29.22, both also running fastest 5ks for 2026, while James Exton crossed in 29.27 for 73rd.

Mike Visser ran a 5k PB (88th 30.11) finishing just six seconds behind Nick Sloper (85th).

Julie Gee was also 148th in 38.16 and Fay Visser 154th in 40.22.

Wednesday saw the sell-out Caerleon 5-miler, with the 377-strong field starting at the Amphitheatre and heading out and back along the boardwalks of the Pillmawr Nature Reserve, with a circuit of Grove Park at the mid-way point.

In his second race in 24 hours, Tom Chinnick came sixth and first over-40 in 30.23, while there was an outstanding performance from Vicky Roberts who came home second woman and first over-35 female in 26th in 33.23.

Martin Blakebrough also came third over-60 man in 36.58, followed by Nick Sloper (39.31), Jeremy Creasey (40.45) and Julie Gee (49.19).

Heading off-road on Saturday, Louise Hartree ran the Offa's Dyke 15 between Hay-on-Wye and Kington on country lanes, fields, tracks and woodland, starting from the town clock tower and taking in ascents of Bettws Dingle, Disgwylfa Hill and Hergest Ridge before finishing off with a two-mile descent to Kington.

And she finished 67th woman out of 124 in 3.00.31.

Also off-road on Sunday was the Magic Roundabout, a beautiful 10k race in the Begwyns hosted by Hay Hotfooters.

Starting at the trig point (414 m), the 10km trail followed a "mildly" undulating course.

Katie Adams in 47.19 was second fastest woman and quickest over-40 just four seconds behind Chepstow’s Nikki Morgan.

Sarah Heath also took the women’s over-60 class in 49.29, while other Spirits in action included Martin Blakebrough (53.04), Marina Wright (57.37) and Jeremy Creasey (58.22).

On the parkrun front on Saturday, Nick Sloper took on the windy flat grass of Gloucester North (25.03), while Martin Blakebrough (22.18) headed for Leybourne Lakes in Kent.

Holly Janes-Thomas was at Llanerchaeron finishing fifth female 24.57, while Matt Visser ran a PB 20.45 at Llanfoist, where he was joined by Mike Visser (24.47), Susan Lincoln (PB 29.20), Julie Gee (PB 29.23), Steve Reason (29.44), Fay Visser (PB 30.52) and Catherine Eales (34.21).

Jeremy Creasey was at Lydney (24.57), Robert Nelson at Mallards Pike (23.31), where Renske Bouwens volunteered for the 50th time, and Brian Evans at Rogiet (22.19).

Both Vicky Roberts and Tom Chinnick also had storming runs at Newport Riverfront, with the latter second overall in the 497-strong field in a blistering 17.52 and Vicky fastest woman with a PB 19.31.

Back on home ground at Chippenham, Carol Oswell led the way (23.41), followed by Katie Adams (24.23), Emily Harrison (24.27), Rachel Waters (26.15), Stephen McMenemy (26.36), Marina Wright (27.49) and Alison McMenemy (31.27).