News Of Interest To Les Croupiers Members

Leo Holmes' Roundup 13th October

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Aside from the cross country fixture (a roundup of which will be coming separately later this week), it was a weekend of marathons for the Croups.

Starting in Chester, we had a number of croups taking part.

Sarah Hamill finished a fantastic 🥉 F40, recording a huge 6 minute PB in 3:11:40!

Alfie Sargeant, in his marathon debut, recorded an impressive 3:05:09. No doubt a result of his incredible training block!

Simon Gay & Zoë Gay were also in action in Chester, finishing in 3:12:11 and 3:28:16 respectively, this is a brilliant 12 min PB for Zoë! Awesome results from the running power couple!

Turning now to Chicago Marathon, we also had a good number of croups taking part!

First back for the club was Lauren Green in a brilliant 3:27:02, completing her first ever Chicago marathon!

Maria Zubizaretta was back soon after in 3:27:26, followed by Carole Goddard in a brilliant 3:34:40, amazing running!

Sue Watson and Angela Potter rounded off the club representation, finishing in 3:46:59, and 3:56:10 respectively. Hope you both are celebrating!

Finally a big shoutout to Mike Goddard who achieved his 5k PB in the Chicago 5k the day before. Mike achieved 27:08, paced by Carole who finished in the same time!

Staying abroad but back to Europe now, Jeremy Thomas was in action at Munich Marathon. He finished in an impressive 3:30:40, recording a brilliant 🥉 place M65 finish!

Elsewhere in Europe, we had several croups participating in Pisa Half and 10k on Sunday.

In the half, Siân Taylor-Jones was back in 2:24:15, an excellent result!

In the 10k, Angharad Price was in action, and was home in under an hour in 59:28! Ann Taylor-Jones also took part in the 10k, coming home in 1:07:14! 👏

Closer to home, Tim Petrides was up on the 3am coach to London to take part in the Royal Parks Half. Tim was back in 2:00:33, incredibly impressive given his early start. Pure dedication 🫡

Elsewhere in England. A huge congratulations to Liz Neville and Brian for completing the Bristol railway run on Sunday, a 25k trail run along the old railway line connecting Bath & Bristol! Liz was 5th female in 1:58:13, and Brian was back in 2:21:38 👏

Lastly, but very much not least, a huge congrats to Michelle Amblin and Shannon Jones who completed Portcawl Sprint tri on the weekend! Looked like great weather for it!

Leo Holmes' Roundup 7th October

By far the most popular race for club members this week was of course Cardiff half, where we had over 150 members taking part. A huge well done to everyone that ran, and Diolch to everyone who came out to support! There was some fantastic performances and many PB’s to boot!

A short summary:

👉 Dylan Nazareth was first back for the club and 🥉 Welsh runner home on the day in an incredible 1:07:42

👉Louise Flynn first back for the women and 🥈 F40 in 1:18:20

👉Susan Watson 🥇 F60 in 1:38:33

👉 Andy Blair 🥇 M60 in 1:23:58

👉 Angharad Mair 🥇 F65 in 1:26:05

👉 Dave James 🥇 M65 in 1:25:01

👉 Phil Hambleton 🥉 M35 in 1:10:17

We also had lots of new members taking part in Croups colours in the half for the first time. These included Bethan & Euan (forming part of the Chadwell triple running the race, that Steve hopes one day will rival the Goddard’s), Simon, Nicole, Dan & Rhiannon! 👏

Turning now to Cologne Marathon, we had three runners in action:

Penny Coyle finished with a brilliant new PB, completing the race in 3:22:34, an amazing performance! Sarah Beeching was home just after in a fantastic 3:36:37, and Owain Griffiths completed the trio in 3:53:37! Cracking running everyone 🇩🇪

Elsewhere, in Weston Super Mare, a huge congratulations to Stephen McDowell who came a fantastic 🥈 in the half on Sunday.

Stephen finished in a brilliant time of 1:18:31, a new PB! 👏

There was also a family affair at Kingston Half last weekend, with Keith and Mick McGeoch taking part. Keith finished in a brilliant 1.54:59, and Mick in a fab 3:00:06! Congrats both! 🙌

Turning now to the US, in the Crawlin’ Crab half marathon, Steve Spiers was in action, coming home in a brilliant 1:27:50. A really fantastic result, especially as Steve is now in the M60 age category!

Leo Holmes' Roundup 30th September

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We start this week’s roundup on the shores of Loch Ness for the Loch Ness Marathon, where Susie Bowes and Peter Heath were racing!

Susie was back in 3:15:12, a fantastic result for the marathon specialist, and Peter has a brilliant run, completing the course in 5:52:09!

Moving to Berlin, where we had several croups taking on the marathon.

Sam Griffiths was first back for the club in 2:20:26, a PB, and a result that puts him second all time in croups Marathon rankings!

First back for the women was Carole Goddard in a brilliant PB of 3:20:26, another fantastic result in the marathon for Carole this year!

Tom Flitcroft also shone, running an amazing sub 2:30, finishing 2:29:35! This puts Tom among five men who have broken 2:30 this year, the most in the clubs history!

A huge shoutout too to Mark Price, who was home in a fantastic 2:34:45, and Ben Kennedy, who was back in 2:47:16, an impressive result given his injury in the buildup!

Barnstable Marathon also took place on Sunday. We had Wendy Cole & Dave Walker in action! Wendy was over the line in 5:23:28, and Dave completed in 4:29:42. Da iawn both 👏

Turning now to the Forest of Dean Half, which was selected as a Wales vs England Masters international race. We had a few runners in action representing Wales:

Nynke Kuiper 🥈 F35 in 1:28:21!

Emily Jones 🥈 F Senior in 1:34:11

Susan Watson 🥉 F60 in 1:44:54

A huge congratulations to Judi Rhys and Phil Hodge for also completing 👏

Heading next to the London vitality 10k. Paul Francis was back in action, finishing in a brilliant 36:38!

Another 10k that took place over the weekend was Loughrea 10k in Ireland! The Bruces took part! James completed the race in 44:10, and Claire was home in 1:13:25! 👏

Swindon Half marathon:

Gab Stuokus was 1:50 pacer in this race, clocking an impressively accurate 1:49:58!

The most popular race however over the weekend was the Sports Shoes Podium 5k. We had runners representing the club in four of the races this year!

Elliott Richards was in the elite men’s race, clocking 15:26!

Emily Fell ran in the Elite women’s race, coming home in a fab 17:45!

Anthony Smets was in action in the 2nd race, finishing in 15:53, a fab new PB!

Here’s a lowdown of the first race:

Angharad Mair 🥇 W65 in 19:54

Emyr Morgan 🥇 M55 in 19:31

Tom Hall first was first back for club in first race in 17:34!

Matt Jones achieved a big PB, finishing in 17:45!

Leo Holmes' Roundup 23rd September

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We start this week’s roundup in Porthkerry, where the popular 5 mile race took place. Lots of club members took part, with excellent performances across the field! Here is a summary of the results:

Armorel Jackson 🥇 F35

Howard Kent 🥇 M65

Julie Scholey 🥇 F65

Julie Chamberlian 🥈 Female

Donna Hamer 🥈 F45

Oli Williams 🥉 overall

Hayley Patterson 🥉 F45

Luke Starkie 🥉 M45

Mick Tabor 🥉 M65

Swansea 10k 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Turning to Swansea now, where we had lots of members in action at the Swansea Bay 10k!

Rhys Thomas was the first male back for the club in 35:43, with Janneke Van Beijnum first back for the women in 41:55! 👏

We also had a couple of age category results to note:

Janneke Van Beijnum 🥇 F45 in 41:55

Dave James 🥇 M60 in 38:30

Copenhagen half 🇩🇰

Looking abroad now, we turn to Copenhagen half marathon, where there were lots of croups partaking!

Alvils Berzinskins first back for the club in 1:32:55. Jess Wadey first female back for the club in 1:36:25 👏

A huge well done too, to, Gill Hopkins who finished in 2:01:42, Gareth Norton who was back in 2:03:46, Gerry Crispy who finished in 2:09:04 and Kelly Crofts who came home in 2:12:32 🙌

A huge congratulations to Kelly too, who has now completed all of the Super Half’s! 🥇

Castle2Castle 🏰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

We had a number of runners taking part in the Castle 2 Castle run coordinated by the Velindre Cancer Charity on Sunday. The route follows the Taf trail from Caerphilly to Cardiff castle, this year involving over 1,700 people. A huge well done to all our runners who participated 👏

Leo Holmes' Roundup 9th September

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The first weekend of September was packed with racing for the club. By far the most popular race for club members was Cardiff 10k, returning for its 40th edition. We had 107 members participating in total, and there were numerous PBs and incredible performances 👏

Highlights of the results as follows:

👉 Sam Griffiths first home for the club and 11th overall in 30:55 👏

👉 Louise Flynn first woman home for the club in 36:05, finishing 🥈 F40 🙌

We also had a boat load of age grade results:

Susie Bowes 🥇 F50 in 42:32

Dave Craig 🥇 M50 in 35:00

Susan Watson 🥇F60 in 44:45

Angharad Mair 🥇 F65 in 39:24

Dave James 🥇 M65 in 38:29

Janneke Van Beijnum 🥈 F45 in 41:30

Howard Kent 🥈 M70 in 46:11

Julie Chamberlain 🥉 F40 in 38:48

Oli Williams 🥉 M40 in 32:53

Andy Blair 🥉 M60 in 38:23

Richie Bullen 🥉 M65 in 42:41

From fast road running, to ultra trail running now. We had three members participating in the Riddum ultra on Saturday. The route is 30 miles around the Rhymney Valley, involving 4,252 feet of elevation gain 😮

Results are yet to come, but a huge congratulations to Bryony Eames, who finished 🥉, as well as Cassie Summers and Lolly Evans who took on the trails and performed amazingly 👏

By completing this ultra, Cassie also completed the 2026 Pegasus Slam. This involves completing 6 of Pegasus’ ultra events, covering a total of 210 miles and climbing over 23,515 feet. Absolutely incredible work Cassie 👏

Saturday also saw the Roman Run take place. Taking place in Brecon, the race is over 15.8 miles involving 2015 feet of climb. We had two runners taking part. Rory McDermott finished in 2:28:27, and Isabel James was back in 2:54:06. Cracking runs both 👏

Sunday saw the return of the Waun Fach Fell race in the Brecon Beacons. This race is 7 miles long, involving 2,000 feet of elevation gain! We had Gab Stuokus in action, and he recorded a fab time of 1:07:34 🙌

Leo Holmes' Roundup 2nd September

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The Cardiff Pentath-Run (CPR) race returned over the bank holiday weekend. This event involves five races which total a marathon distance over the weekend.

A huge well done to everyone that took part. Here are some highlights from the results for us:

Oli Williams 🥇 overall in 2:32:37

Susie Bowes 🥇 F45 in 3:14:01

Julie Scholey 🥇 F65 in 4:25:29

Libby Crees 🥈 F55 in 4:10:14

Clive Osmond 🥈 M60 in 3:40:36

Next, we turn to the Murder Mile, a tough mile of uphill racing hosted by Islwyn running club. Gab Stuokus was first back for the club in 09:50, followed by Rory McDermott in 11:20. Joel Price was back next in 11:57, and Mike Riley recorded 12:10! Great runs all! 👏

The bank holiday weekend also saw the return of the Ponty Relays, hosted by Pontypridd running club. We had runners starring in two teams.

In the Women’s race. Team Les Croupiers Queens finished 4th overall. A huge well done to Steph Hambleton, Shannon Jones, Ella Jennings, Alaw Evans!

In the open race, Team Past-Present-Future finished 5th overall. Congrats to Matt Davies, Gab Stuokus, Anthony Smets & Riley Nealon!

Finally, Monday saw the hosting of the Machen mountain trail race. Always a popular one with the club, we had a number of croups competing. A huge well done to Michelle Amblin who finished 🥇 F50.

Tom Eames was the first man back for the club and Rachel Lammin was the first female back for the club on the day! 🙌

Another class weekend of performances 🔴🟢

Leo Holmes' Wyedean roundup

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Leo Holmes' Roundup 26th August

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We start this weeks roundup in Antrim, where Sam Griffiths was in action representing Wales in the Half. Sam finished in an astounding 1:05:50, a new PB for him, and putting him 3rd all time in the clubs half marathon rankings! A super result 🙌

From Antrim, to the Beast of Bryn trail race in the village of Bryn, near Port Talbot. We had three runners taking on the 10.5 mile race.

Phil Hambleton was 🥇 overall in the race, finishing in a fantastic 1:02:55! Nynke Kuiper was back soon after finishing 🥇 female in 1:15:10! Cracking performances both 👏

Martyn Driscoll was also taking part, finishing in a brilliant 1:19:02! Brilliant results on the trails!

We now turn abroad, firstly, to France, where Anthony Smets was in action in his hometown, completing Course le Cathèdral 10km race in 35:21, which saw him take 🥉 senior! 🇫🇷

In Sweden, Wendy Cole took part in the Djurgårdenvarvet 10k trail race. Wendy finished in an excellent 1:04:47. Very well done Wendy! 🇸🇪

Lastly, but very much not least. Last Thursday, Jeff Aston and Gab Stuokus were in action at the Severn Bridge 1 mile. Jeff recorded a time of 12:50, and Gab a time of 5:29. Brilliant performances both! 👏

Leo Holmes' Roundup 18th August

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We start the roundup this week on the international stage, at the European Athletics Championships no less! Peter Gillibrand took part in the 800m media race, pipping fellow journalists over the line in an impressive 2:30!

Elsewhere, in the Ed Nicholls 800m, Ed Foster raced to 2:00:30 which was a seasons best performance. Impressive in windy conditions!

From middle distance to long distance now, as we turn to Ironman Copenhagen where Lucy Marland was in action. Lucy finished a brilliant 🥇 F40, and 30th female overall. Absolutely fantastic performance 👏

Elsewhere, we had Alan Mason taking part in Frome Half, finishing in a superb 2:01:55. Great work Alan 👏

We also had Gethin Parker, Liz Neville and Brian Jones all taking part in the two tunnels 10km race in Bath. No results have been posted as of yet, but we wanted to mention them to say well done!

Turning to a couple of 5k races. Danielle Phillips finished a brilliant 🥈 Female in the Jon Ward 5k in Hereford, crossing the line in a fantastic 20:05 🙌

We also had three croups taking part in the Unity challenge 5k in Birmingham, a mass participation run on the Sunday of the European athletics championships.

Janneke Van Beijnum finished a brilliant 6th in her age category, crossing the line in 21:24. Emyr Morgan and Gab Stuokus also took part, finishing in 20:27 and 19:09 respectively!

Clare and James Bruce also ran together, completing the race in 29:37 and 29:38. This is very much a more impressive result for Clare, as she had to experience 5k worth of James’ dad jokes.

Lastly, but very much not least, on Tuesday evening, Ciaran Lewis completed the Dennison round in a brilliant 1:17:03, which puts him 🥉 all time on the famous board. Brilliant result on the hills ⛰️

Leo Holmes' Roundup 11th August

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We start our roundup on Saturday, with Geoff Wright ticking off another 10k race of the year, this time in Crickhowell. The race takes place along a canal side, and is classed as a trail race! Geoff completed the course in 1:09:57 👏

Turning to Caerphilly 5k on Sunday evening, and we had lots of Croups in action as part of the Welsh Championships, Masters Championships, and in the open race.

Dylan Nazareth finished an amazing 🥉 in the Welsh Championships, finishing in a brilliant time of 14:59 👏

Turning to the masters:

Louise Flynn 🥉 overall female and 🥈 F40 in 18:20

Julie Chamberlain 🥉 F40 in 19:19

Janneke Van Beijnum 🥇 F45 in 21:14

Angharad Mair 🥇 F65 in 20:28

Judi Rhys 🥈 F65 in 24:19

Dave James 🥈 M65 in 19:51

Lastly, but very much not least, we catch up on a result from a few weeks ago. In the Pegasus EDDUM 50 miler, which took place in Ceredigion, Cassie Summers finished in a brilliant 13 hours and 40 minutes. A fantastic effort in the heat over brutal terrain. Fantastic work Cassie! 👏

Leo Holmes' Roundup 4th August

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Leo Holmes' Roundup 29th July