It’s running late, but town’s race worth the wait
IT was a month later than planned, but starting gun was finally fired for the Llanelli Half Marathon yesterday morning.
Two thousands runners took part in the event, which saw runners set off from Parc y Scarlets to tackle a 13.1-mile course along the Millennium Coastal Path.
It is the fourth consecutive year the event has been held, although it was originally scheduled to take place on February 9.
But extreme weather from Storm Ciara meant last month’s earmarked date had to be postponed on safety grounds, with gale force winds of up to 50mph and heavy showers forcing the hand of organisers.
All those who had signed up, however, were automatically transferred to Sunday’s event, which began at 9am, just minutes after the wheelchair race began.
And this time round, the running gods were kind, with the rain falling > beforehand making way as the race began.
Emma Martin-Jewell, of organisers Front Runner Events, said: “Everything went off as planned, and we had some great times.
“Before the race it was raining, but as soon as the klaxon sounded the sun came out, so we were lucky.
“We had 2,000 runners, and no major health or medical issues, which was good”.
The more serious competitors completed the course in some incredibly fast times, just over an hour.
But for hundreds more the run was just about making sure it was completed.
They were cheered on by hundreds of well-wishers, who braved the early morning rain to take up positions along the route.
Every finisher received a medal on crossing the finishing line, as well as an event T-shirt.