SPIRIT of Monmouth runners battled wet and windy conditions at the IAAF Cardiff World Half Marathon on Saturday (26th March). Despite headwinds and hailstorms, the atmosphere was fantastic, with thousands of spectators lining the route to support Mo Farah and cheer on the runners.

The first runner home for Monmouth was Gareth Jones, finishing in an impressive 1 hour 23 minutes. He was followed by Brian Evans of Trellech. The first woman home was Nerys Chaplin, setting a new personal record of 1 hour 40 minutes.

Matt Wood of Rockfield joined the running club just six months ago and this was his first half-marathon. He set himself a target of finishing in under two hours and achieved this comfortably, with a time of 1 hour 58 minutes; a really strong time for a first half-marathon.

Gail Richards of Monmouth was also running her first half-marathon. An incredible achievement considering she only took up running last year, at the age of 62, through Spirit of Monmouth’s Couch to 5k new runners course. Gail and her daughter have raised a fantastic £600 for an Alzheimer’s charity through their racing.

Emma Griffiths of Overmonnow was completing her second half-marathon in three weeks in aid of her chosen charity, MIND. Following her success at the Newport half marathon earlier in the month, Emma put in another strong performance at Cardiff and has raised more than £370 in the process.

For runners inspired to join the club, they meet at Monmouth School Sports Club at 7.20pm on Tuesdays and 7.00pm on Thursdays. Visit spiritofmonmouth.co.uk for more information.