Get ahead in race for place
IT MAY still be summer but the “race for a place” at this year’s 60thanniversary Nos Galan Road Races on New Year’s Eve will soon begin.
IT MAY still be summer but the “race for a place” at this year’s 60th-anniversary Nos Galan Road Races will soon begin.
Online registration opens at 10am on Monday, September 10 – and it promises to be a very special night on New Year’s Eve.
This year marks an important milestone for the event, which began in Mountain Ash on December 31, 1958, going on to become a world-renowned, award-winning annual occasion.
This year’s races may seem a long way off as everyone continues to enjoy the great summer weather, but the race for a place these days is as keenly contested as the races themselves.
All race categories fill up fast each year, months ahead of race night.
Councillor Ann Crimmings, chairwoman of the Nos Galan Committee and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council cabinet member for environment, leisure and heritage services, said: “It comes around so fast every year – I cannot believe we are just weeks away from online registration opening for what will be the 60th anniversary of the Nos Galan Road Races.
“As you can imagine, preparations are already well under way for this year’s event, and I am delighted to say that the Nos Galan Road Races are as popular today as they have ever been.
“Last year, all race places were once again taken up long before New Year’s Eve, and we anticipate similar scenes in 2018 as more and more people are eager to be a part of the biggest street party in Rhondda Cynon Taff – especially on the races’ 60th-anniversary year.”
Fees for 2018 are frozen at last year’s prices – £10 for affiliated athletes, £12 for non-affiliated athletes and £6 for children.
The Nos Galan Road Races take place in Mountain Ash on December 31 each year, in memory of legendary Welsh runner Griffith Morgan (Guto Nyth Bran).
The races attract thousands of athletes of all ages and abilities from around the world. The event consists of a series of childrens’ races, an elite race and a 5K fun run around Mountain Ash town centre.
Each year a celebrity mystery runner also represents the spirit of Guto Nyth Bran and last year, former world champion boxer Nathan Cleverly and former Wales and British and Irish Lions rugby player Colin Charvis did the honours.
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