ATHLETICS
hour virtual relay.
It replaced the popular Welsh Castles Relay - that was called off owing to the coronavirus pandemic – and Ogmore Phoenix Runners took the concept on board in entering five teams, comprising 123 runners.
The event was built around how far teams could run during a 15-hour period from first light at 5am to the approach of twilight at 8pm.
Only one runner at anytime was allowed during these 15 hours while members had to pre-book times, and then piece the whole day together on either Strava or Garmin platforms.
If teams were unable to get a runner to fill any given period then they didn’t get any distance for that slot.
The challenge was taken up by 58 teams with a combined total of 6,092.4 miles equivalent to a run from Builth Wells to Cape Town in South Africa.
The winning team was Aber Athletic A who completed 140.05 miles in 15 hours from Ludlow Runners 133.77 and Parc Bryn Bach 132.5.
Ogmore Phoenix A team clocked up the best mileage of 124.51 to finish ninth while the totals for the others read D 102.62, B 96.97, C 89.4, E 81.1 while Bridgend Cani Runners placed 72.98 miles on the clock.
One of the top Ogmore Phoenix performances came from the club’s popular chairman Chris Pratt.
He completed a staggering 105 laps of a village green close to his home in Brackla, and in the process ran 21 miles in three and a half hours.
As a club, the 122 runners spread over the five Ogmore Phoenix teams racked up 492 miles in the space of 15 hours.
Builth Wells & District Running Club via Twitter said: “Amazing distances came from some amazing people, and we’d like to thank you all.
“We’re proud of everyone - and in the madness there was so much fun.”
The event gave further evidence – even in the face of the coronavirus crisis – of the popularity of running and what virtual running is providing during the vacuum created by the cancellation of events.
OGMORE Phoenix Runners earlier in the month used Volunteers Week to sing the praises of their amazing group of people who turn up in all kinds of weather to back the thriving community club.
Like all volunteers – the Porthcawl and Maesteg Parkruns along with Bridgend Junior Parkrun are other classic examples – they provide support and camaraderie for runners throughout the South Wales community.
Ogmore Phoenix singled out club captains Pippa Clark and Gareth Jenkins along with chairman Chris Pratt, Debbie Bennion, Jayne Bissmire, Steven James and Elizabeth Sim.
A membership in excess of 300 is down to their unwavering devotion and support, combining in some cases NHS work with club duties of all kinds.
FOR those runners missing this year’s Big Social Runs, then I Run Wales is this weekend staging a first Virtual event.
This Saturday and Sunday there’s an open invitation to bring people across the country together through the special virtual run with social distancing.
Individual runners along with families are invited to escape lockdown, and either walk, jog or run for 30 minutes or more at anytime of the day. And there’s no competition, no cost or no prizes – the satisfaction is derived from being part of a mass day of involvement.