TWENTY six Spirit of Monmouth runners took part in the first race in the Gwent Leisure Centre League road series at Parc Bryn Bach round the hilly golf course and lake, reports VICKY ROBERTS.

Katie Adams was first Spirit home and second in her age category in 34mins 24secs, with Brian Evans next in 35.49.

Spirit of Monmouth ladies A team of Katie, Olivia Farrington, Lucy Macdonald, Renske Bouwens, Marina Wright, Rachel Waters, Trina Samie-Brown and Linsey Holt came fifth out of 20 full ladies teams.

And the men’s team also had a good start to the season coming 16th out of 26 full teams, in what was for many Spirits their first league race.

Saturday was the King’s Coronation day, and 21 keen Spirit runners met at Chippenham playing fields parkrun, in the pouring rain, dressed in red, white and blue to do a coRUNation celebration.

Katie again had a great run coming home in 20.31 just six seconds behind fastest woman Faye Johnson.

A bumper 123-strong field took part, headed by Forest of Dean AC’s Marcus Benetto in 17.45, who ran a 5k PB alongside six Spirits – Vicky Roberts 22.25, Nick Sloper 24.12, Andrew HIllis 25.37, Madeleine Newcombe 29.48, Sarah Jones 29.59 and Julie Glyn-Jones 30.13.

Further afield, Keith Penny took on another hilly challenge ‘The HOWUM 30-mile ultra’ in the heartlands of Wales, starting and finishing at Llanidloes and taking in the Sarn, the Clywedog Reservoir and parts of Glyndwr’s Way, the Severn Way and the Wye Valley Walk.

Keith finished in under six hours clocking 5.52.50, knocking 18 minutes of his previous time running the race.

Phil Chadwick also took part in the muddy TEC Brecon Beacons 10k Trail Challenge around Talybont-on-Usk, which he said was marked slightly wrongly causing runners to run an extra 5k up hills, making it a tough 15k!

On Sunday, Cathy Fletcher and Abigail Buckley took on the St Illtyds 50k Ultra Marathon.

Both ladies have trained hard for 18 weeks to take part in the multi-terrain challenge which takes in spectacular scenery including canals, woodlands, hills and rivers, Bluebells and old ruins.

Both ladies ran the whole race together, giving each other vital support throughout, finishing in under seven hours.

Cathy said: “The route was interesting but challenging. Uneven underfoot – every field was either waist-high grass or the farmer had recently churned it over with a tractor – so miles where you just couldn’t get any pace or rhythm, and a few cheeky hills.”

Also on Sunday Martin Blakebrough raced in the Sirhowy challenge, a 10-mile multi-terrain route starting on the Sirhowy walk, with 1568ft of ascent, finishing 22nd position out of 91 and taking fourth in his age.