Various news updates are posted below.
(For images please see our facebook or instagram pages)
We start this weekβs roundup not on the road, but on the trails. Y Domen Fawr is a well known fell race in Brecon. Spanning 5.8 miles, the route provides over 1,800ft of elevation gain! A huge congratulations to Lolly Evans who starred in the race for us π
Turning to another hilly race, but this time on the roads, Louise Flynn was in action at Cornwood 10k. Louise performed superbly, taking π₯ Female on the day finishing in a brilliant time of 39:37 π
Another 10k specialist, Gary Brown, took part in San Francisco Alexi Pappas 10k over the weekend! Gary was 13th overall and an impressive π₯ M45 in 37:56! π
By far the most popular event of the weekend however was Magor 10k. Always a popular event with Croups, we were there in numbers. Here is a summary of overall and age grade achievements:
Sam Griffiths π₯ overall in 31:12
Phil Hambleton π₯ overall in 32:44
Janneke Van Beijnum π₯ F45 in 42:49 - an F45 course record π
Susan Watson π₯ F60 in 46:01
Judi Rhys π₯ F65 in 49:16
Geoff Wright π₯ M75+ in 66:51
Andy Blair π₯ M60 in 38:47
Dave James π₯M65 in 40:34
Julie Scholey π₯ F65 in 59:52
Howard Kent π₯ M70 in 46:23
We also had some great team results on the day:
π₯ Womenβs team
π₯ Open team
Cracking runs everyone π
Β
(For images please see our facebook or instagram pages)
We start our roundup catching up on results from last Wednesday, where members were in action at the Sorbook Tough 10k!
Ryan Pugsley was first back for the club and a brilliant π₯ overall on the night in 39:21! Stephen Campbell was back not long after 9th overall in 42:33 π Eve Gallop - Evans was next, finishing the race in 1:01:24! π
Congratulations too, to Geoff Wright, who finished a brilliant π₯ M75 on the night in 1:15:05! π
Turning to the weekend, and we had an abundance of croups in action at the Rabbit run in Merthyr Mawr. Hereβs a summary of the results:
In the 12k:
Wayne Humphreyβs π₯ M50
Alfie Sargeant π₯ MU20
Carol Rees 5th F50
Rob Sage 9th M40
On Sunday, James Prosser took a magnificentπ₯ overall in the dragon 50 mile coastal ultra. Starting in Kenfig and ending in Cardiff Bay, James tackled dramatic dunes and cliff tops. Absolutely amazing result π
It is also worth mentioning that James also completely the Rabbit Run the day before - incredible effort π
Last night, we had a couple of croups starring at the British Milers club races in Aberdare!
π Ed Foster ran a brilliant 2:01:61 in the 800m
π Colin Williams ran a fantastic 2:19:74 in the 800m. This is a seasons best for Colin, and also only 0.19 seconds away from the M60 Welsh record!
π Vaughan Edwards ran a storming 4:16:24 in the 1500m
Lastly, but very much not least. We donβt usually do parkrun shoutouts, but this week we make an exception. Emily Fell broke the female course record by almost a minute at Henley Wood parkrun in Oswestry last weekend. She was also the first ever female to P1 in the event. A fantastic achievement π
(For images please see our facebook or instagram pages)
Wednesday night saw the return of our club 1500m track race. The evening comprised of four races. Here is a summary of the results π
Race 1:
Rebekah Miles (winner) in 06:54
Alan Mason (first man) in 07:08
Race 2:
David Ham (winner) in 5:42
Emma Brute (first woman) in 06:16
Race 3:
Alfie Sargeant (winner) in 4:53
Caitlin Williams (first woman) in 05:46
Race 4:
Oli Williams (winner) in 04:20
Medal table (overall):
π₯ Oli Williams: 4:20
π₯ Connor McCann: 4:39
π₯ Ben Starkie: 4:40
A huge thank you to the hard work of Marcus Meyrick and Kay Chapman for putting on another wonderful evening. Keep an eye on our social media for information regarding our next track race; 800m, coming in August!
It was a big weekend for Croups competing for their nations!
We start at the Wales vs England masters 5k in Shrewsbury. Athletes did an incredible job to get around the course experiencing temperatures of 30 degrees plus. The following croups were involved π
Nynke Kuiper
Louise Flynn
Duncan McLauchlan
Angela Potter
Phil Hodge
Judi Rhys
Dave James
Dave Cundy
A huge well done everyone π
Next up, a huge well done to the brilliant Mia Goddard competed in the European Duathalon Champs in Banjoles, representing GB! Mia put in an amazing performance, finishing a brilliant 6th Under 23 on the day! Incredible π
Over to Torfaen now, we had two Croups taking part in the Mic Morris Torfaen 10k!
First back was Caitlin Williams, finishing in a brilliant 41:08, 5th overall in her age category π
Lindsay Allen was also in action, finishing in a fantastic time of 54:01 on the chip! Brilliant running! π
Lastly, but very much not least, a huge congratulations to Emily Musgrave who completely the Cotswold Classic Middle Distance Triathlon. With a finish time of 4:53:33, Emily finished a fantastic 5th in her age category π Fantastic result! π
(For images please see our facebook or instagram pages)
Last Saturday, we sent three teams to take part in the Cotswolds Way relay. Starting in Chipping Camden, the relay takes place entirely on the hills and trails of the Cotswolds way, finishing in Bath!
This has been the fourth year we have sent teams, a huge thank you to James Bruce for arranging all of it π
Hereβs how our teams placed π
Open Team (number 22) - 16th
Open Team (number 23) - 23rd
Vets team (number 60) - 9th vets team (due a slight correction)
A couple of notable individual performances from our runners too:
James Vassallo π₯ Vet stage 1
Phil Hodge π₯ Vet stage 2
Georgia palmer π₯ woman stage 2
Karl James π₯ Vet stage 8
A huge thank you to Team Bath for putting on another fantastic event π
(For images please see our facebook or instagram pages)
Whilst the most popular race for the club this weekend was the Cotswolds Way relay, a separate roundup will follow detailing our successes. There were still however plenty of croups in action over the past week:
We start last Thursday night, where lots of croups were participating in the Tintern Trot! This is a 5.5 mile multi terrain race organised by Chepstow harries, and is always popular with the club!
A summary of the results:
Rachel Lammin π₯ Woman π₯ F Senior
Angela Lewis π₯ F45
Michelle Amblin π₯ V50
Lolly Evans π₯ V55
Nat Palmer π₯ M55
Clive Osmond π₯ M65
Mick Tabor π₯ M70
Geoff Wright π₯ M75
Turning to Sunday now, and we had lots of Croups in action at the Porthcawl 10k! A warm morning didnβt slow club members down, and we had some amazing results:
π Phil Hambleton finished a brilliant 9th overall and π₯ M35 in 32:34!
π James Prosser was next home in a brilliant 34:00, a big PB π
π Angharad Mair continues her scintillating form, finished an amazing π₯ F65 in 41:13!
π Angela Weeks put in a brilliant performance, finishing π₯ F80 in 1:55:09! Inspiring!
We also had several other brilliant age category results:
- Judi Rhys π₯ F65 in 50:03
- Wayne Humphries π₯ M50 in 37:53
- Rob Evans π₯ M70 in 47:35
- Sarah Hamill 4th F40 in 43:17
- Lauren Green 5th F40 in 43:20
- Telor Gwyn 4th M40 in 36:26
- Gareth Cardiff 4th M55 in 42:56
Lastly, but very much not least, Cassie Summers took part in the PIGUM ultra over the weekend. This is a 30 mile ultra starting an ending in Abergavenny. No results have been published yet, but we wanted to mention Cassieβs achievement, ticking off yet another ultra! π
Β
Starting at the Long course weekend in Tenby, we had several members in action over the different distances:
In the Marathon, Susan Watson was home in a brilliant 3:43:43, finishing a brilliant π₯ F60!
Lee Dando was also in action, finishing the marathon in 2:59:52, coming home in a fantastic π₯ V40
In the 10k, Ceri Hooper was in action, finishing 4th F50 in a cracking 52:13!
Looking at track racing now, and we head to the Welsh Masters Championships.:
Welsh Masters Championships:
- Gabrielus Stuokus π₯ M35 800m and 5000m.
- Kieran McDonnell π₯ in the 800m and 100m. A stunning M70 time of 14.68 in the 100.
- Colin Williamsπ₯ M60 in the 800m.
- Gary Brown π₯ M45 in the 1500m
- Clive Osmond π₯ M65 in the 1500m
- Mel James π₯ M80 in the 100m.
We next turn to the Llandudno Triathlon, where Lucy Marland, Sam Griffiths and Emily Musgrave were in action. Sam Griffiths was back in 10th overall in what was his first time completing an open water swim π
In the Llandudno Duathlon. Gafin Griffiths was competing, finishing a brilliant π₯ V40 in the event which involved a 5k run, 35k bike, and then a 10k run!
From the shores of Llandudno, to peaks of Switzerland. Howard Owen was in action at the Aletsch Half Marathon. An event with huge climbs and over 1000m of elevation gain in a UNESCO world heritage site, Howard finished in a brilliant 2:51:50! π¨πβ°οΈ
Elsewhere in the Alps, Mark Palser completed the infamous Marathon du Mont Blanc. The gruelling race involved over 2,500m elevation, with steep and slippery terrain. Mark completed the race in just over 7 hours, amazing!
Finally, turning to Sprint triathlon, Luke Starkie, was in action at the Welsh sprint Triathlon Championships. He took homeπ₯ M45. Fantastic performance Luke! π
We have had croups out racing across lots of distances over the past week!
We start with the summer series 3 miles last Wednesday. We had some great results in the gender and age categories:
Cheryl Evans π₯ F35 in 21:57
Janneke Van Beijnum π₯ F45 in 20:24
Carol Rees π₯ F55 in 22:03
Julie Scholey π₯ F65 in 27:37
Telor Gwyn π₯ M40 in 17:04
John Craven π₯ M45 in 19:03
Emyr Morgan π₯ M50 in 18:10
Andy Blair π₯ M60 in 18:20
Clive Osmond π₯ M65 in 22:26
Rob Evans π₯ M70 in 22:18
Jeff Aston π₯ M75 in 38:56
Oli Williams π₯ overall in 15:45
Julie Chamberlain π₯ Female in 18:43
Torfaen Relays
Also last Wednesday evening, we had a number of runners taking part in the Torfaen Relays. Strong showings from all of the teams:
π₯ Senior Men's team,
π₯ Senior Womenβs senior
π₯ Senior mixed team
Congratulations everyone π
We turn next to the inaugural Stow on the Wold 10km in Gloucestershire!
Carol Rees finished a brilliant π₯ F55 in 51:01!
Donna Hamer was home soon after, finishing π₯ F50 in a brilliant 51:28!
Elsewhere in the 10k race distance, Phil Hodge was in action at Thornbury 10k. Finishing in a fantastic 40:13, the time earned him π₯ M60 π
Neil Hodge also ran, coming home in an impressive 51:45, 7th M60 π
Turning finally to trail racing where Peter Heath was in action West Yorkshire trail half marathon in Leeds! A race with lots of elevation and a huge variation in terrain, Pete finished strong πͺ
We begin with a couple of results from mid week last week:
Rose Inn Race 2 (Tuesday)
A superb evening of racing saw Les Croupiers runners collect an impressive haul of category prizes.
π Louise Flynn continued her remarkable winning streak, taking 1st Woman and recording her 10th victory and 9th consecutive win at the series.
Category winners included:
* π₯ Susie Bowes β F45
* π₯ Howard Kent β M70
* π₯ Bryony Eames β FSNR
* π₯ Angharad Price β F45
* π₯ Lolly Evans β F55
* π₯ Matt Jones - M35
* π₯ Rich Baker β M55
* π₯ Julie Scholey β F65
* π₯ Pete Warren β M65
* π₯ Carol Rees β F55
* π₯ Rob Evans β M70
Caerleon 5 Miler (Wednesday)
At the Caerleon 5 Miler, Joseph Mordey was first home for Les Croupiers, finishing an excellent 17th overall and 14th Male Senior!
Meanwhile, Nicola Mason produced another outstanding performance, claiming 1st F70 in a superb 52:33.
Tonypandy Track Classic
There were some excellent performances on the track, including a personal best and a standout international appearance.
In the 5,000m races:
* Sam Griffiths β 15:00
* Owain Morris - 16:08
* Anthony Smets β 16:48
* Carl Nealon β 17:32 (PB π)
* Caitlin Williams - 20:33
In the Masters International 3,000m race, Vaughan Edwards ran a fantastic 9:14.25, earning a well-deserved personal best. Congratulations Vaughan on a brilliant run.
Comrades Ultra Marathon, Durban
A special mention goes to Dave Coles, who was representing GB Vets at the world-famous Comrades Ultra Marathon in Durban.
The iconic race covered 53 miles (86km) from point to point and featured a gruelling 1,750 metres (5,700 feet) of climbing. Dave completed the challenge in an outstanding 9:47:21, a tremendous achievement in one of the toughest and most prestigious ultra-marathons in the world.
Summing up the experience, Dave said it was βepic and painful at the same timeβ.
From one ultra to another, Emily Musgrave took part in the Cotswolds Way ultra challenge on Sunday. Emily completed the 53k course in a brilliant 6:15:40. This meant she placed 10th overall, and π₯ Female! Absolutely brilliant run π
Whilst the last weekend has been dominated by Castles, we had Croups in action in other races across π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ
Swansea Half:
We had a total of 23 Croups in action at Swansea half on Sunday. There were fantastic performances throughout the field, a huge well done to everyone that ran π
Highlights below π
π First home for the club was Dylan Nazareth in 1:07:08, a hugely impressive 4th overall. He was followed shortly after by Sam Griffiths in 1:08:45, 9th overall π
π First home for the women was Julie Chamberlain in a brilliant 1:28:01, continuing her amazing form π₯
π We had a number of athletes competing for the Wales masters team. One of these athletes was Dave James, who finished a brilliant 4th M65 in 1:24:52!
π Judi Rhys was also in action, finishing a superb F65 in 1:50:02
Turning to the ultra distances, our regular ultra runner, Cassie Summers, completed the VOGUM 40 miler on the weekend. This involves a route all the way along the coast from Porthcawl to Penarth. Cassie was home in 8 hours and 25 minutes. Brilliant work π
Another regular ultra runner, Gethin Evans, completed the Pembrokeshire coastal 50k over the weekend. Gethin finished in a brilliant time of 6:39:21, which saw him place an impressive 9th overall, and 7th male. Great running π
Finally, turning to Weybridge, a huge congratulations to Normal Gibson, who took π₯ M70 at the Weybridge 10k. Norman recorded a brilliant time of 53:05 π
2026 was another hugely successful year for the club, with top quality performances put in across all stages π
Hereβs how our teams placed:
π΄ Womenβs team: π₯ (retaining their title from 2025, winning by 56 minutes and 34 seconds)
π’ Vetβs team: π₯
π΄ Open team: 6th
We also had a number of individual stage winners:
π΄ Leah Stephens π₯ Female Vet Stage 5
π’ Oli Williams π₯ Male Vet Stage 6
π΄ Dave Craig π₯ Male Vet Stage 13
π’ Lowri Morgan π₯ Female Vet Stage 14
π΄ Eliana Basini - Gazzi π₯ Female Stage 15
π’ Louise Flynn π₯ Female Stage 16
π΄ Lucy Marland π₯ Female Stage 18
Queen of the mountain:
π’ Louise Flynn for her Stage 16 π₯
Course records:
π΄ Louise also broke the Female course record for stage 16 by 52 seconds!
The following advice is intended to keep our runners SAFE at all times!
It is also essential that, whilst out running as a club, we are seen to be polite, responsible, set a good example & not put others at risk.
AT ALL TIMES BE SAFE BE SEEN! You can never be too visible! During the day, always wear bright or light-coloured clothing - fluorescent is good.
At night we would strongly recommend that people ALWAYS wear light-coloured clothing plus a REFLECTIVE (not just fluorescent) bib or sash.
Clip on flashers are a great way to be seen. NEVER ASSUME YOU'VE BEEN SEEN. Always be cautious with traffic.
We would like to remind people that they are responsible for their own safety and that they run at their own risk.Β