2021 BAC Junior Cross Country League

After 4 rounds of the event at Newbridge Fields, Merthyr Mawr, Forage Fields and Heol Y Mynydd over the last few months the final event moves on to the Forage Lake course in Cowbridge on Sunday 29th  May. Over 75 juniors from the club have competed, and their best 4 performances are taken for overall league awards, but all are receiving a new club brand T shirt for completing.

The event has been a huge bonus for the young endurance runners at the club in the absence of any competitive opportunities due to the pandemic and has given a focus for their hard training that they have been undertaking on a weekly basis. A big thanks to the marshals and Landowners at each of the venues for making it happen.

Junior league events

Dates for your diaries!

With physical events looking unlikely though-out Wales in 2021 our coaches contacted Welsh Athletics to come up with something that can get clubs around the nation competing against each other.  While the framework of events and dates has been agreed we are awaiting Welsh Athletics to fully launch the event but as a club we are working towards these dates and events, if nothing else will give us a bench mark of our current abilities.

After running the first event and seeing the competitiveness and team spirit flowing out from our members it’s absolutely the right thing to do to carry on with the events and we look forward to when other clubs join in so we can compare our athletes.

PBs galore at Shepperdine

A handful of Bridgend AC made the trip over the bridge, to put their training to test over a half marathon. Joe, Mark, Lloyd, Jon and Tom travelled to Bloucester in convey. Phil Welch and our newest team member Sadie were on the start line too.

Covid plans were that everyone would set off in 10 second intervals. On the day this was closer to 2. But that played to our runner’s advantage. After just 800m or so, they’d formed a 5-man group, ticking off early miles around 5:30-40. Around 3 miles Tom decided to run his own race. The only blip to the perfect race-day was the headwind at the 7-mile turnaround.

Tea and cake at the finish line was a welcome touch.

“A well-organized event and good course… grateful that Rouge Runs put this event on, a first return to racing since Covid for most of us.”

To toot our own horn, Bridgend AC were first team.

Check out the full results.

Bridgend AC runners

Jon Butler 72:24 5th PB

Mark Emery 73:33 8th PB

Joe Thomas 73:51 10th, 1st V40

Lloyd Manning-James 74:56 13th PB

Tom Graham 75:55 20th PB

Phil Welch 82.47 67th PB

Sadie Pemberton 1:51:26 209 PB

Aged to perfection triumphs

Over the weekend of 20th-21st Feb, a group of Bridgend AC toed the line for the ‘Marathon of a Weekend Challenge’ – each covering the marathon distance, 26.2 miles.

Running from their front doors, individuals and teams competed against local rivals Porthcawl Runners, Cornelly Striders, Ogmore Phoenix, Brackla Harriers and Pencoed Panthers.

The marathon was split into a 5k at 9am on Saturday, followed by half marathon at 1pm. Sunday kicked-off with a 10k a 10am, then an off road 4.5k at 1pm, ending with an all-out mile effort on tired legs at 4pm.

Our Aged to Perfection team triumphed in the team event finishing in a fine 3:05:08. Richard Dando notched up a sub 3 performance for second overall in the individual standings in 2:54:11. And Gina ‘crossed the line’ first female in 3:32:49.

Check out the full results.

Team Event (Aged to Perfection)

1st, from 24 teams.

Steve Brace 5k – 21.22

Simon 0sbourne HM – 90:14

Tony Phillips 10k – 46.56

Rob Hunt 4.5k off-road – 20.02

Gareth Hardman 1 mile – 6:34

Team – 3:05:08

Individual Results

15 athletes

2nd Richard Dando - 18:56 88:54 38:22 22:10 5:49 – 2:54:11

6th Dan Morgan - 20:35 1:44:00 44:00 22:10 6:16 – 3:17:01

7th Gina Hardman – 23:05 1:46:53 48:56 26:40 7:15 – 3:32:49 (1st female)