castles RELAY 2020

Unfortunately the club did not get into the 2020 Welsh Castles Relay

castles RELAY 2019

castles RELAY 2018

Over two days, 20 Abergele Harriers took it in turns to run stages of different distances that totalled 211 miles, from Caernarfon Castle right down to Cardiff Castle. They battled 66 other teams over tough mountain sections and also had to deal with really hot conditions.

Day 1 began with Stage 1, 9.1 miles from Caernarfon Castle to Pen-y-groes and was tackled by Jodi Waters, despite injury coming in 10^th with 1:02:19. Stage 2 was 10.7 miles from Pen-y-groes to Criccieth and Steve McCormack finished 20^th in 1:12:20. Stage 3, 12.3 miles from Criccieth to Maentwrog was ran by Steve’s father Sean McCormack resulting in 33^rd 1:27:05 and also winning a stage spot prize. Stage 4, 9.5 miles was Maentwrog to Harlech Castle, which was finished by Emma Cavey, coming 53^rd in 1:18:46. Stage 5, 9.6 miles was Harlech Castle to Barmouth and Darren Battersby came 34^th in 1:13:37. Stage 6, 10.7 miles from Barmouth to Dolgellau was ran by Meinir Huws for 65^th in 1:42:00. Stage 7, 10.1 miles from Dolgellau to Dinas Mawddwy, was tackled by Danny Williams coming 41^st in 1:20:04. Stage 8, 10.8 miles from Dinas Mawddwy to Foel was completed by Martyn Barnaby for 58^th place in 1:33:20. Stage 9, 8.5 miles from Foel to Llanfair Caereinion was finished quickly by Amy Owen-Jones for 23^rd in 57:26. Finally, Stage 10, 13.1 miles from Llanfair Caereinion to Newtown was completed by Nick Foden for 41^st in 1:34:44.

Day 2 began early at 7am with Stage 11, 12.3 miles from Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd finished by Anthony Howe for 61^st in 1:43:32. Stage 12, 11.2 miles from Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates was ran by Danny Snelson for 46^th place in a bang on 1:24:00. Stage 13, 10.6 miles from Crossgates to Builth Wells was made to look easy work by Rachel Shipley who was the first lady overall to finished (a first for the club) coming in 21^st with a time of 1:11:54. Stage 14, 10.8 miles, from Builth Wells to Drovers Arms was speedily finished by Darren Blazier for 19^th in 1:12:09. Stage 15, 12.8 miles, from Epynt Visitor Centre to Brecon was John Jones for 45^th place in 1:36:26. Stage 16, 12.5 miles from Brecon Canal Basin to Torpantau a new route for this year was Alan Ilsley for 41^st place in 1:39:32. Stage 17, 8.7 miles from Taf Fechan Railway Station, Torpantau to Cyfarthfa Castle which was another new route for this year was Sarah Edwards for 65^th place in 1:23:00. Stage 18, 7.6 miles from Rhyd-y-Car Centre to Quakers Yard was Mark Mayers for 30^th place in 52:35^. Stage 19, 7.7 miles from Navigation Park to Nantgarw was Dave Edwards for 61^st 1:13.00. Last up was Stage 20, 9.9 miles from Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle 9.9 miles by Simon Bonfield who this year had to honour of bringing the club home finishing in 32^nd place in an excellent time of 1:09:15.

Mark Mayers the club’s Castles Captain did a fantastic job over the two days together with all the pre-race work needed to make this a great success for the club, Mark was assisted by Dave and Sarah Edwards from the first stage, where the club helped to marshal the start to the very last stage, together with many members of the club and their families who helped look after the runners through out their stages in what must have been one of the hottest weekends all over Wales. The club is very proud of everyone who contributed from runners to helpers that made this a fantastic team weekend for Abergele Harriers

Day 1

Day 2

castles RELAY 2017

Individual Results

The vivid colours of the Welsh Flag stand out against the dark sky as the heaven’s opened for the 35th Annual Wales Castles Race starting in the historic surroundings of Caernarfon Castle. Ben Garnet was the first Harrier to have the honour of stage One, 9.1 miles to Penygroes in an excellent time despite harsh rain, he finished 37th in a time of 1:10:22.  As the weather was not improving, Richard Wilyman ran Stage Two 10.7 miles to the charming Criccieth Castle and finished in 14th place and 1:10.28; Anthony Howe completed Stage three at Maentwrog 12.3 miles and 62nd, 1:42.27; Steven McComack completed Stage Four Maentwrog to Harlech Castle 9.3 miles in 20th, 1:03:20; the weather was still having an impact on times as Stage Five started in Harlech Castle to Barmouth, 9.6 miles with Sean McComack running an excellent time of 01:06:37, 18th place. Stage Six from Barmouth; our runner unfortunately had to withdraw, so it was on to Stage Seven, Dolgellau to Dinas Mawddwy - 9.5 miles, Jodi Waters beat his time from last year with 01:05:04 in 26th place. Stage Eight Dinas Mawddwy to Foel - 10.8 miles Alan Newell ran an excellent time of 01:27:22 in 55th place; Stage Nine Foel to Llanfair Caereinion, 8.5 miles Amy Owen Jones ran brilliantly with a time of 58:03 and 31st place.  As the rain started to ease Stage Ten, Llanfair Caereinion to Newtown, 13.1 miles James Salt was hoping to improve on his time from last year he completed the last leg in 51st place and 01:34:51 in a high class field and tough conditions throughout the day.  The second day brought a lot better weather; an early 7am start Simon Bonfield had a tough Stage Eleven Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd, 12.3 miles and had a brilliant time of 1:30:27 and 42nd place; Darren Battersby took on Stage Twelve Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates 11.2 miles, he finished 35th and a great time of 1:17:55; Stage Thirteen from Crossgates to Builth Wells 10.6 miles, Rachel Shipley ran an excellent 1:14:56 and 32nd place; Stage Fourteen to Drovers Arms, 10.8 miles, Darren Blazier had another great time of 1:11:50 and 20th place. The warm and bright conditions continued to Stage Fifteen to Brecon when Ben Lightowler ran 12.8 miles nearly a half marathon he had a great time of 1:16:20 and 6th place; high in the Brecons Reservoir for Stage Sixteen 8.8 miles, the weather took a turn for the worse as low cloud and heavy rain suddenly arrived, Warren Brown beat his time from last year with 50th place and 1:08:45.  The clouds lifted as Paul Maguire took on Stage Seventeen to Cyfarthfa Castle 9.2 miles and a time of 1:13.00 and 51st place; Mark Myers, Abergele Harriers Castles Captain ran Stage Eighteen Merthyr Tydfil to Abercyon 9.1 miles, finishing in 29th place and 1:02:45, the penultimate Stage Nineteen 7.7 miles to Nantgarw Sarah Edwards finishing 64th and 1:13:00. The final Stage Twenty; the honour of the last leg went to John Jones which was from Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle, 10.7 miles.  The weather heated up and bright sunshine to the grand finish with a fantastic reception for all the many runners of this great event, John had a respectable time of 1:09.26 and 46th place in a tough field with many clubs putting their key runners for this leg.  The Wales Castles Relay is always a special race for many, and great experiences are had by all runners and club support crew throughout the two days, its well organised and Wales is shown in its glory and history, out for a field of 66 teams the Harriers finished in 46th place.

castles RELAY 2016

Well done to the club's Welsh Castles Relay team, with a fantastic 29th position overall, our joint highest finish ever, equal with 2008. Our King of the Mountains finish, 30th, is our second highest ever (22nd in 2008) so well done everyone. A particular thanks goes to our Castles organisers Mark Meyers and Dave Edwards for a job very well done.

Provisional results are available at;

http://www.welshcastlesrelay.org.uk/results/2016/index.html

Abergele Harriers gained their joint best ever result finishing 29^th of 64 teams from across the UK competing in this years Welsh Castles Relay on the 4^th and 5^th June.  Starting from Caernarfon Castle on Saturday morning and finishing in Cardiff Castle on Sunday afternoon with competitors running 207 miles over 20 stages of between 7.7 and 13.1 miles.

Darren Battersby led the team off from Caernarfon Castle to run the 9.1 miles of the first stage to Penygroes in a time of 1:14:23 (42^nd) followed by John Jones who ran the 10.7 mile second stage to Criccieth in 1:16:29 (25^th).  Steven McCormack took on the tough 12.3 mile mountain stage to Maentwrog finishing in 1:34:54 (42^nd) and Sean McCormack completed his 9.5 mile stage to Harlech Castle in 1:02:34 (12^th) with Jeni Richards running the 9.6m into Barmouth in 1:10:13 (24^th). 

Vince Wickham completed his 10.7 mile stage into Dolgellau in 1:27:03 (49^th) followed by Jodi Waters who ran the 9.5 mile mountain stage to Dinas Mawddwy in 1:05:22 (13^th ).  Anthony Howe took on the 10.8 mile stage to Foel finishing in 1:21:17 (28^th) while Lucy Curtis completed the 8.5 miles to Llanfair Caereinion in 1:11:13 (53^rd). James Salt ran the final stage of day 1 completing the 13.1 mile mountain stage into Newtown in 1:46:06 (50^th ). This left the Harriers with a combined time of 13:09:34 and 30^th place at the end of the first day.

Daniel Williams ran the first leg of the second day completing the 12.3 mile mountain stage from Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd in 1:26:12 (25^th).  Martyn Barnaby ran 11.2 miles into Crossgates in 1:26:20 (48^th) followed by Laurence Parry running 10.6 miles into Builth Wells in 1:09:56 (18^th).  Darren Blazier took on the 10.8 mile mountain stage to the Drovers Arms finishing in 1:17:22 (24^th) with Richard Wilyman running the 12.8 miles to Brecon in 1:18:05 (7^th)

Warren Brown ran the final mountain stage of the relay to Beacons Reservoir completing the 8.8 miles in 1:14:20 (48^th) followed by Danny Snelson running the next 9.2 miles to Merthyr in 1:08:42 (40^th). Rachel Shipley took on the 9.1 mile stage into Abercynon in 1:11:54 (37^th) and Sarah Edward ran the 7.7 mile penultimate stage to Caerphilly Castle in 1:17:00 (joint 55^th) with Mark Mayers running the 10.7 mile final stage from Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle in 1:12:38 (45^th ).

The combined time for all 20 stages was an impressive 25:52:03 which resulted in 29^th place out of 64 teams

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Start times, postcodes, and squad numbers for this year's race:

Abergele Harriers have secured a place for the

2016 Welsh Castles Relay.

The 2016 race will be held over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of June.

What is the Welsh Castles Relay?

The Welsh Castles Relay is a long distance relay event that spans over 210 miles. Starting in Caernarfon at 10.30am on Saturday morning, the race winds its way towards Newtown, with each stage measuring approximately 9.8 – 12.5 miles. The race resumes at 7am on Sunday morning and finishes at approximately 4pm on Sunday afternoon in Cardiff Castle

Why is the castles relay so special?

Competitors, support teams, spectators, friendly locals, the beautiful scenery, the overnight stop, the variable weather, the cake shop in Penygroes, The pub in Dinas Mawddyy (pronounced 'Dee nas m ow! thee), the camaraderie, the awesome Drovers, the mercifully short stage 9, the views over Dolgellau estuary, the cowbells, the horns, cleaning the minibus, sleeping in the leisure centre..

Abergele Harriers will need to form a team of twenty runners (as well a number of reserves) to compete over the two day period. Remember this is a team event with no high expectations, just enjoyable running (even if there are some tough stages).

How do I get involved?

Talk to Mark Mayers, Dave Edwards or any member of the race committee on club night.

What will it cost me?

To race in one of the twenty stages, will cost only £10.00, the main entrance fee has been paid for by the club.

What do I get for taking part in the race?

The satisfaction of supporting the club in a major team event and each competitor will be given a goodie bag which normally includes a souvenir of the race and a race tee-shirt.

How do I get to the stage that I’m entering?

The club will be providing transport to ferry the competitors to the various stage plus there will be some runners that will be travelling in their own cars to assist in helping runners to the different stages, if you are running on day two you will need to consider overnight accommodation or making your own travel arrangements on the day if travelling direct to the stage.

castles RELAY 2015

Abergele Harriers were among the 65 teams from across the UK taking part in the 33rd Welsh Castles Relay on the 6^th and 7^th June. Starting from Caernarvon Castle on Saturday morning and finishing in Cardiff Castle on Sunday afternoon, competitors ran 211 miles over 20 stages of between 7.7 and 13.1 miles.

John Jones led the team off from Caernarvon Castle to run the 9.1 miles of the first stage to Penygroes in 1h 12m 52s (30^th). Darren Battersby ran the 10.7 mile second stage to Criccieth in 1h 18m 09s (32^nd) with Nick Foden taking on the 12.3 mile mountain stage to Maentwrog finishing in 1h 29m 43s (40^th). Vinnie Wickham completed his 9.5 mile stage to Harlech Castle in 1h 18m 02s (46^th) with Lucy Curtis running 9.6m into Barmouth in 1h 22m 25s (53^rd). Meinir Hughes completed her 10.7 mile stage into Dolgellau in 1h 31m 52s (58^th) followed by Pete Mould running the 9.5 mile mountain stage to Dinas Mawddwy in 1h 11m 39s (46^th). Anthony Howe took on the 10.8 mile stage to Foel finishing in 1h 24m 02s (51^st) while Graham Arden completed the 8.5 miles to Llanfair Caereinion in 1h 15m 52s (61^st). James Salt ran the final stage of day 1 completing the 13.1 mile mountain stage into Newtown in 1h 33m 12s (42^nd).

Ben Lightowler ran the first leg of the second day completing the 12.3 mile mountain stage from Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd in 1h 15m 59s (8^th). Martyn Barnaby ran 11.2 miles into Crossgates in 1h 25m 40s (47^th) followed by Rachel Shipley running 10.6 miles into Builth Wells in 1h 21m 25s (43^rd). Darren Blazier took on the 10.8 mile mountain stage to the Drovers Arms finishing in 1h 11m 27s (25^th) with Amy Owen-Jones running 12.8 miles to Brecon in 1h 35m 47s (41^st). Jodi Waters ran the final mountain stage of the relay to Beacons Reservoir completing the 8.8 miles in 1h 00m 02s (18^th) followed by Dave Edwards running the next 9.2 miles to Merthyr in 1h 21m 03s (54^th) Andy McDonald took on the 9.1 mile stage into Abercynon and despite a brave effort to complete the run was forced to withdraw en route due to injury. Sarah Edward ran the 7.7 mile penultimate stage to Caerphilly Castle in 1h 12m 44s (63^rd) with Mark Mayers running the 10.7 mile final stage from Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle in 1h 11m 34s (41^st). 

The team finished in 50^th position overall and 20^th over the mountain stages. Congratulations to all involved and particular thanks to Dave Edwards and Mark Mayers for organising a fantastic weekend.

castles RELAY 2014

Unfortunately Abergele Harriers has not got into the 2014 Welsh Castles Relay. Everyone will get their deposit back and we will hopefully be more successful in 2015.

castles RELAY 2013

A team of twenty Abergele Harriers joined 60 other teams from across the UK to take part in the 31^st Welsh Castles Relay

 last weekend. Starting from Caernarvon Castle at 10am on Saturday morning and finishing in Cardiff Castle at 4pm on

 Sunday afternoon, competitors ran over 200 miles through the heart of Wales in stages of between 7.7 and 13.1 miles with

some runners taking on tough mountain stages.

Anthony Howe set off from Caernarvon Castle to run the 9.1 miles of the first stage to Penygroes in 1h 11m 57s (32^nd). Tom

 Bancroft ran the 10.7mile second stage to Criccieth in 1h 23m 45s (42^nd) with Jodi Waters taking on the 12.1mile 3^rd stage

 to Maentwrog finishing in 1h 31m 59s (39^th). Pat Botham completed his 9.4 mile stage to Harlech Castle in 1h 35m 27s

(60^th) .  Deede Plamperova ran 10.7 miles into Dolgellau in 1h 47m (56^th) with Haydn Jones completing the 9.15 miles of

stage 7 to Dinas Mawddwy in 1h 18m 09s (54^th). Natalie Rushton ran 10.8 miles to Foel in 1h 37m 48s (61^st) while

 Graham Arden completed the8.6 miles to Llanfair Caereinion in 1h 26m (59^th). Alan Lucas ran the final stage of day 1

 completing the 13.1 mile leg into Newtown in 2h 11m (60^th).

Andy Simpson ran the 12.3 mile first leg of the second day from Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd in 1h 29m 51s (42^nd).

Ben Lightowler ran 11.2 miles into Crossgates in 1h 04m 53s (5^th) followed by Sharon Kynaston running the 10.6 mile 4^th

stage  into Builth Wells in 1h 33m 54s (58^th)^. Rob Armstrong took on the 8.6 mile mountain stage to the Drovers Arms

 finishing in 1h 03m 21s (37^th). Dave Edwards ran 12.8 miles to Brecon in 1h 49m 07s (54^th). Darren Blazier ran to

 Beacons Reservoir completing the 8.8 mile 16^th stage in 55m 53s (9^th). Lucy Curtis ran the next 9.2 miles to Cyfarthfa

Castle in 1h 12m 52s (43^rd) with Rachel Shipley completing her 9.1 mile stage into Abercynnon in 1h 10m 56s (41^st).

Kim Westell ran the 7.7 mile penultimate stage to Nantgarw in 1h 11m 44s (55^th) with Mark Mayers running the 10.7 mile

 final stage from Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle in 1h 13m 52s (35^th).

castles RELAY 2012

REPORT;

A team of twenty Abergele Harriers joined 58 other teams from across Europe to take part in the 30^th Welsh Castles Relay at the weekend. The relay started at Caernarfon Castle at 10am on Saturday morning and finished in Cardiff Castle at 4pm on Sunday afternoon with competitors running through the heart of Wales in stages of between 8.6 and 13.1 miles with some runners taking on the tough mountain stages.

The rain was falling as Hayden Jones started the first day running 9.1miles in 1:09:39 for 33^rd position. He was followed by Tom Bancroft who ran the 10.7mile second stage in 1:18:36 to finish 40^th.  Ed Reid took on the 12.7 mile leg from Criccieth to finish 39^th in 1:25:57.

As with the previous runners Anthony Howe started from Maentwrog in heavy rain but it soon eased off and he finished in 23^rd place completing his 9.5 mile stage in 1:07:20. Sian Hall ran the 9.6 miles from Harlech in a time of 1:20:52 finishing 49^th . Pam Grant then ran 10.7 miles from Barmouth to Dolgellau in 1:37:34 for 56^th place^.

Josh Dixon, running his first Castles, managed a fantastic second place on the 9.15 mile mountain leg from Dinas Mawddwy to Foel in a time of  54:16.  This was the clubs highest ever finish in a stage.  Steve McCormack then ran the following 10.8 miles in a time of 1:10:18 to achieve 18^th place while Graham Arden finished the  following 8.6 miles in 1:16:56 for 56^nd  place. The final stage of the day was compleled by Paul Thomas who ran the 13.1 mile stage into Newtown in 1:42:09 for 49^th position.

At 7:00 am Andy Simpson got the second day off to a good start by completing the 12.3 miles from Newton to Llanbadarn Fynydd in 1:30:01  for 44^th. Paula Maguire then came 55^th running 11.2 miles in 1:34:53 and Kim Westell ran the 10.6 mile stage into Builth Wells in 1:32:49 for 56^rh place.

Rob Armstrong took on the tough 10.8 mile mountain stage to the Drovers Arms and finishing 33^rd in 1:15:34, followed by Lucy Jones who ran the 12.8 mile 15^th stage in 2:08:00 for 57^rh . Mark Mayers started his 9 mile mountain stage at Brecon finishing in 1:02:36 for 29^th.  Lucy Curtis ran the next 9.2miles in 1:18:09  finishing 50^th  followed by Peter Hardy who completed his 9.1 mile leg in 1:22:17 for 57^th position.  Dave Edwards was 54^th over the 10.8 mile penultimate stage with a time of 1:40:22 whilst the final 10.7 miles from Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle was taken by Rachel Shipley, again running her first Castles Relay, in 1:23:56 for 49^th position.

FINAL MEETING

A final meeting will take place at the College in Abergele, at 6pm on Wednesday 6th June for all those involved in this years race. It is very important for all to turn up to this meeting as final instructions and numbers will be distributed.

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Abergele Harriers have secured a place for this years’

2012 Welsh Castles Relay.

The 2012 race will be held over the weekend of the 9th and 10th of June.

What is the Welsh Castles Relay?

The Welsh Castles Relay is a long distance relay event that spans over 210 miles. Starting in Caernarfon at 10.30am on Saturday morning, the race winds its way towards Newtown, with each stage measuring approximately 9.8 – 12.5 miles. The race resumes at 7am on Sunday morning and finishes at approximately 4pm on Sunday afternoon in Cardiff Castle

Why is the castles relay so special?

Competitors, support teams, spectators, friendly locals, the beautiful scenery, the overnight stop, the variable weather, the cake shop in Penygroes, The pub in Dinas Mawddyy (pronounced 'Dee nas m ow! thee), the camaraderie, the awesome Drovers, the mercifully short stage 9, the views over Dolgellau estuary, the cowbells, the horns, cleaning the minibus, sleeping in the leisure centre..

Abergele Harriers will need to form a team of twenty runners (as well a number of reserves) to compete over the two day period. Remember this is a team event with no high expectations, just enjoyable running (even if there are some tough stages).

How do I get involved?

The first Castle Relay meeting will be held on Wednesday 21st of March at six o’clock at

Llandrillo College Abergele

Or

Talk to Rob Spotswood, Dave Edwards or any member of the race committee on club night.

                                                         Can I book a race stage?

Yes, e-mail or speak with either

Rob Spotswood at spotswoodrobert@aol.com,  or Telephone 07971708172

or

Dave Edwards at d.edwards@llandrillo.ac.uk or telephone 07961291328

What will it cost me?

To race in one of the twenty stages, will cost only £10.00, the main entrance fee has been paid for by the club.

What do I get for taking part in the race?

The satisfaction of supporting the club in a major team event and each competitor will be given a goodie bag which normally includes a souvenir of the race and a race tee-shirt.

How do I get to the stage that I’m entering?

The club will be providing a minibus to ferry the competitors to the various stage plus there will be some runners that will be travelling in their own cars to assist in helping runners to the different stages, if you are running on day two you will need to consider overnight accommodation or making your own travel arrangements on the day if travelling direct to the stage.

Accommodation has been secured in Llandrindod Wells at the Commodore Hotel by Rob Spotswood who has already paid a deposit.  Six twin rooms have been booked and will cost each runner £24.00, cheques made payable to Robert Spotswood paid in full in advance of the Castles Race.  There is no food included in this price but arrangements are usually made with the hotel on our arrival, where they have booked tables for us.  Each person will pay the hotel direct for their food.

Training for the race.

The club will be looking to hold training days possibly on a Friday evening or a Sunday morning; again this will be discussed at the meeting to help

castles RELAY 2011

Provisional results are available at;

http://www.welshcastlesrelay.org.uk/

Thanks for the following report from Rob Spotswood

The Welsh Castles Relay 2011 

(The Tour-De-France on Legs)

A team of twenty Abergele Harriers joined 58 other teams from across the UK and Europe to take part in the 29^th Welsh Castles Relay at the weekend. The 210 mile route starts from Caernarfon Castle at 10.30am on Saturday morning June 11^th and finishes in Cardiff Castle at 5pm on Sunday afternoon June 12^th.   Competitors run stages of between 8.6 miles and 13.3 miles to take in seafronts, mountains, hills, towns, villages and our beautiful Welsh countryside (not forgetting the odd castle along the way). Cloudy skies, rain, hail and a cold blustery wind greeted the runners and supporters arriving at Caernarfon Castle at 9.30am on Saturday morning but, as the first stage got underway at 10.30am, the sun was starting to appear from behind the clouds for the start of a fantastic weekend.

This year the team joined by many newcomers gained a fantastic overall position of 49^th and in the open Category 39^th position.  The tough gruelling mountain stages saw the team gain an incredible 33^rd position overall, due I’m sure to many of our mountain goat runners amongst us. 

A massive well done to all of those who took part and to the spectators, without your dedicated support throughout we could not have achieved it,   pat yourselves on the back you deserve it.  

DAY 1

Castles newcomer Chris Berrington started the day off for the Harriers. Running from Caernarfon Castle towards Penygroes, thinking the finish line was the first roundabout where we were able to cheer him on, was deflated to find out, that he still had another 3 mile to run.  Picking up a calf injury on the way, Chris still managed to power his way through the 9.1 miles in an incredible time of 1hr 18mins 09secs to finish in 47th position.

Hayden Jones, an old hand taking on this 2^nd stage for the first time, ran the undulating scenic route towards Criccieth Castle. The team were pleased to see Hayden storming to the finish having run 10.7miles in a fantastic 1hr 14mins 57secs taking 36^th position.

Fell runner Ed Reid set off from Criccieth to Maentwrog on the first of 6 mountain stages. Stage 3 takes in a gruelling hill towards the end of a 12.1 mile route but Ed, having run this stage before, took the heat and the hill in his stride finishing in a great time of 1hr 28mins 36secs and 41^st position.

Stage 4 from Maentwrog to Harlech follows a flattish course so they say till you run it and find that their flat means some nasty inclines, the route follows alongside the river for 9.4 miles.  Castles veteran Pam Grant coped well in the very hot conditions to complete the stage in a terrific time of 1hr 15mins 33secs for 37^th position.

Meinir Huws, running this part of the relay for the first time, took on stage 5 in the heat of the afternoon sun. The 9.6 miles from Harlech to Barmouth provides little shade and starts with a long slog uphill before levelling out to follow a very undulating course that finishes on Barmouth seafront. Meinir completed the stage in a superb 1hr 29mins 13secs to secure 56^th position

The heat didn’t deter newcomer Delyth Evans running this relay for the first time from producing yet another wonderful run on stage 6; the 10.7 mile route from Barmouth to Dolgellau. Taking in the scenic mountain range of Fairbourne before crossing the footbridge to join the Mawddach Trail, Delyth reached Dolgellau in 1hr 36mins 16secs for 55^th position.

Again another seasoned Castles Relay team member was Steven McCormack who not only stepped in at the last minute to help us out due to other runners being injured but took on one of the hardest runs of the first day the mountain stage from Dolgellau to Dinas Mawddwy.  This run starts with a strength sapping 1200ft 5.5 mile climb before dropping 700 feet for a 4.25 mile undulating finish.  Steven took on the challenge in his stride and completed the course in an excellent 1hr 12mins 28secs for 44^th position.    

Next was Sean McCormack again stepping in at the last minute to help out the team and also the father of Steven on Stage 7.  Sean took on stage 8, a tough 11.3 mile route from Dinas Mawddwy to Foel, “saying I am only going to treat it as a training run” until that is the hooter went off and his competitive instinct took over, even after having a pint at the local pub (photo to prove it ha-ha), didn’t slow him down.  Sean showed off his strength and his 10 hours per day of training for his 24 hours Commonwealth Race in September by powering the uphill trek of 7.5 miles and his speed on the descent into Foel, gave him a great time of 1hr 08mins 43secs taking 13th position.

Stage 9 gave Lucy Jones the opportunity to put all her training into practice as she joined the castles relay team to tackle the 8.6mile route from Foel to Llanfair Caereinion.  Lucy after being nervous at the start and who had been to the loo several times although she hadn’t been drinking any water was rewarded with  a fantastic 54^th position and completing the stage in an excellent time of 1hr 18mins 35secs. ( Lucy rest assured we all feel like that, no matter how experienced a runner we are).

Stage 10 from Llanfair Caereinion to Newtown is the longest stage of the relay with several punishing steep hills especially at the start that would overwhelm most of us. Fortunately for the Harriers Paul Thomas was ready and willing to take on the challenge of the last leg of the first day. Despite the distance, the heat of the evening sun and the hills he still managed to get to Newtown in an amazing 1hr 42mins 43secs beating last years time by nearly 2 minutes and improving his position by four to finish 51^st.

A well earned stop overnight for those carrying on to the second day was had by all at the Commodore Hotel in Llandrindo Wells, with great food and of course a drink of the amber nectar, before retiring to bed early, apart from those that decided they wanted some night entertainment by walking around Tescos at midnight.

DAY 2

Day 2 and Stage 11 saw an early start by Dave Edwards and newcomer to the Castles Relay Andy Simpson as they both had to get up about 6am to drive 25 miles to get Andy to Newtown in time for a 7am start.  Andy had said he had wanted something challenging, so he volunteered for the triple whammy; an early morning start, a 12.3 mile run and the first mountain stage of the second day.   Setting off at 7am from Newtown on a wet, wet cold damp Sunday morning with more rain lashing down than you could imagine (a complete difference to the sun the day before) saw Andy reach Llanbadarn Fynydd in a tremendous 1hr 26mins 21secs for 28^th position.

John Cody, running Stage 12 for the second time and wanting to improve his time of last year, proved he too could meet the challenge. by running the 11.2 mile from Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates in a fantastic 1hr 31mins 36secs knocking nearly 5 minutes off last years time and 3 positions to the better by coming in, in 53^rd position.

Andrew Goodson ran the 10.6 mile 13^th stage from Crossgates to Builth Wells in 1hr 26mins 27secs for 50th position by having to endure the horrendous hill 2 miles out , which no one tells you about before the drop down to Builth Wells, enjoying the Castles experience despite the RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN. 

Club captain Darren Blazier took on the tough 11mile mountain stage from Builth Wells to the Drovers Arms. The 14^th stage is considered the most difficult mountain stage of the weekend with a very steep climb to the finish. Despite continuing injury Darren showed real spirit and determination to reach the Drovers Arms in 1hr 14mins 09secs knocking over 7 minutes off last years race and a whopping 21 places to the better for 14^th position and disappointingly no one there to cheer him home due to traffic difficulties, on this stage but still has the admiration of all the Harriers

The 15^th Stage from the Drovers Arms to Brecon is the second longest stage of the relay at 12.8 miles. Newcomer Richard Wilyman, on his castles debut and who had never run this distance before in his life, stunned everyone by running at speeds of an express train coming through the finish line in 13^th position in an awesome time of 1hr 20mins 48 secs. 

Mark Mayers, running the castles relay for the second time, took on the final mountain challenge of the weekend again (to the relief of his team mates). Bragging that he could do the 8.8 mile stage from Brecon to Beacons Reservoir in under 63 minutes and with the unforgiving hill from start to finish had us all laughing, that was until he made us eat our words by proving his running talent by finishing the 16^th stage in a brilliant 1hr 02mins 57secs with a remarkable 25^th position to add but insult to those that doubted him.

Jonathan Perry, ran the next 9.2miles from Beacons Reservoir to Cyfartha Castle in Merthyr Tydfil through some of the worst weather today, the elements throwing everything at him that it could as he ran downhill which proved tough on the knees as well as on the face from the lashing of wind and rain. Jonathan did the club proud by finishing the 17^th stage in 1hr 19mins 16secs taking 52nd place. 

Ever improving Peter Hardy recovering from a sever Achilles injury, ran the 18^th stage from Rhyd-y-Car in Abercynon to Navigation Park. Having spent the best part of the weekend supporting all the other runners and again having to brave the weather ran the 9.1 mile leg in a superb 1hr 15mins 19secs for 53rd position.

Anthony Howe who travel 200 miles on the Sunday to run Stage 19 from Navigation Park to Caerphilly Castle showed what commitment to the club was all about.  Not only did he drive the 200 miles to the stage, he then ran 10.4miles in 1hr 27mins 32secs finishing in 45^th position.  He then drove down to the finish of the last stage at Cardiff Castle, supporting the team and last team member of the weekend, having then, to make the long journey of 210 miles back home.  Our hats go off to you Anthony.

Dave Edwards had the honour of running the final stage from Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle. Having travelled all the way down from Caernarfon Castle on the Saturday, driving one of the support vehicles, supporting the runners, getting up early on the Sunday morning to run Andy to the start in Newtown, missing his breakfast, brave the onslaught of the wind, rain, mud, puddles and managing the whole team from start to finish, he still had time and energy to run the 10.4 miles to Cardiff Castle finishing in the Castle grounds in 55^th position in a time of 1hr 21mins 45secs to the cheers and support of all the Abergele Harriers and the 1,200 crowd of fellow teams. 

The following were the individual results:-

Leg 1:  Chris Berrington - 1:18:09 - 47th - (9.1 miles)

Leg 2:  Haydn Jones - 1:14:57 - 36th - (10.7 miles)

Leg 3:  Ed Reid - 1:28:36 – 41st - (12.1 miles mountain stage)

Leg 4:   Pam Grant- 1:15:33 - 37th - (9.4 miles)

Leg 5:  Meinir Huws - 1:29:13 - 56th - (9.6 miles)

Leg 6:  Delyth Evans- 1:36:16 - 55th - (10.7 miles)

Leg 7:  Steven McCormack - 1:12:28 - 44th - (9.75 miles mountain stage)

Leg 8:  Sean McCormack - 1:08:43 – 13th - (11.2 miles)

Leg 9:  Lucy Jones - 1: 18:35 - 54th - (8.6miles)

Leg 10: Paul Thomas – 1: 42: 43 - 51th - (13.3 miles mountain stage)


 

Leg 11: Andy Simpson – 1: 26:21 - 28th - (12.3 miles mountain stage)

Leg 12: John Coady - 1:31:36 - 53th - (11.2 miles)

Leg 13: Andrew Goodson – 1:26:27 – 50th - (10.6 miles)

Leg 14: Darren Blazier - 1:14:09 - 14th - (11.0 miles mountain stage)

Leg 15: Richard Wilyman - 1:20:48 – 13th - (12.4 miles)

Leg 16: Mark Mayers - 1:02:57 - 25th - (8.8miles mountain stage)

Leg 17: Jonathan Perry - 1:19:16 – 52nd - (9.2miles)

Leg 18: Peter Hardy - 1:15:19 - 53th - (9.1 miles)

Leg 19: Anthony Howe - 1:27:35 – 45th - (10.4 miles)

Leg 20: Dave Edwards - 1:21:45 - 55th - (10.4 miles)

Link for Results            http://www.welshcastlesrelay.org.uk/results/2011/index.html

A big thanks goes out to all who took part – runners and supporters alike, a really fantastic weekend. Roll on next year – the Harriers are ready!!

There was certainly a welcome in the hillsides that weekend.

An old Chinese proverb once said

“to be able to run a thousand miles, you have to take the first step” 

The Abergele Harriers took many WELL DONE.

CASTLES RELAY   2011      JUNE 11 – 12

Overnight stop at Newtown Leisure Centre Approx. 9:00 pm–6:30 am

Abergele Harriers have  secured a place for this years’ 2011 Welsh Castles, relay.

 The race the friendliest if not the greatest (according to those of you who return to do it year after year) long distance road relay on the planet.   The 2011 race will be held over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of June. 

What is the Welsh Castles Relay?

The Welsh Castles Relay is a long distance relay event that spans over 200 miles. Starting in Caernarfon at 10.30am on Saturday morning, the race winds its way towards Newtown, with each stage measuring approximately 10 miles. The race resumes at 7am on Sunday morning and finishes at approximately 4pm on Sunday afternoon in Cardiff Castle

Why is the castles relay so special?

Competitors, support teams, spectators, friendly locals, the beautiful scenery, the overnight stop, the variable weather, the cake shop in Penygroes, The pub in Dinas Mawddyy (pronounced 'Dee nas m ow! thee), the camaraderie, the awesome Drovers, the mercifully short stage 9, the views over Dolgellau estuary, the cowbells, the horns, cleaning the minibus, sleeping in the leisure centre..

Above detail taken off the http://www.lescroupierswcr.org website

What next

Abergele Harriers will need to form a team of twenty runners (as well a number of reserves) to compete over the two day period. Remember this is a team event with no high expectations, just enjoyable running (even if there are some tough stages).

How do I get involved?

The first Castle Relay meeting will be held on Wednesday 30^th of March at six at Llandrillo College Abergele

or

Talk to Rob Spotwood, Dave Edwards or any member of the race committee on club night.

Can I book a race stage?

Yes, e-mail or speak with either

Rob Spotwood at spotsw1r@llandrillo.ac.uk  or 07971708172

or

Dave Edwards at d.edwards@llandrillo.ac.uk or telephone 07961291328

What will it cost me?

To race in one of the twenty stages, will cost only £10.00., the main entrance fee has been paid by the club.

What do I get for taking part in the race?

The satisfaction of supporting the club in a major team event and each competitor will be given a goodie bag which normally includes a souvenir of the race and a race tee-shirt.

How do I get to the stage that I’m entering?

The club will be providing a minibus to ferry the competitors to the various stage plus there will be some runners that will be travelling in their own cars to assist in helping runners to the different stages, if you are running on day two you will need to consider overnight accommodation. We are trying to confirm accommodation at Park House Motel Crossgates  , more details to follow.

Training for the race.

The club will be looking to hold training days possibly on a Friday evening or a Sunday morning; again this will be discussed at the meeting.

Many thanks, look forward to see you at the First meeting.

Dave Edwards.

Castles Relay 2010

_______________________________

Castles Relay 2008.

It was another successful weekend for Abergele Harriers as they completed their third Welsh Castles Relay which takes 58 teams from Caernarfon Castle on Saturday morning to Cardiff Castle on Sunday afternoon. On a weekend when team performance was more important than individual performance, the club finished in a highly respectful 29^th position overall and 22^nd in the King of the Mountains competition. This was a club record (34th last year), taking 29mins 11secs off their previous best time for the event. The honour of highest individual finishing position went to Sean McCormack who finished sixth in the 16^th Stage , a mountain stage from Brecon to Beacons Reservoir, in an outstanding time of 53mins 36secs, just 1min 45secs behind the winner. Also finishing sixth in his stage was second claim member Tom Watson who finished Stage 8 in an excellent 1hr 7mins 7secs, just over six minutes behind the winner. The bravest run of the weekend came on Stage 15, where Keith Elliott finished the stage despite aggravating a pre-existing injury quite early in the run, and still recorded a time of 1hr 43mins 13secs, for 53^rd position. The weekend was started off by Matthew Ashton who ran the first stage out of Caernarfon Castle, taking an amazing six minutes off the time he set for the same leg last year, finishing in 60mins 21secs for 11^th overall. The final, so called “glory” stage was run by Steven McCormack this year, who has returned to the excellent form of twelve months ago, running a tremendous leg, finishing in a time of 1hr 7mins 52secs for 15^th position. Last year’s final stage runner Darren Blazier swapped stages with McCormack this year, taking on the toughest mountain stage of all, stage 14 up to the Drovers Arms. Blazier produced a fantastic performance, finishing 10^th for the stage, in a club record time of 1hr 8mins 38secs.  Others to take on Mountain Stages this year were Ed Reid who finished Stage 3 out of Criccieth in an excellent 1hr 21mins 10secs for 24^th, Haydn Jones who triumphed over stage 7 from Dolgellau in 1hr 12mins 23secs for 42^nd, second claim member Richard Watson who completed stage 10 out of Llanfair Caereinion in 1hr 22mins 42secs and Pete Smith who took on the 7am stage out of Newtown on Sunday morning, finishing in 1hr 40mins 41secs for 54^th. Also running superbly on Sunday were Alan Lucas, stage 12, 1hr 24mins 21secs, 49^th; Alex Dutton, stage 13, 1hr 27mins 47secs, 49^th;  Stephen McCarten, stage 17, 1hr 13mins 9secs, 52^nd; Dave Edwards, stage 18, 1hr 9mins 9secs, stage 30^th; Katie Williams, stage 19, 1hr 31mins 53secs, 51^st. Fantastic Saturday stages come from Grahame Shone, stage 2, 1hr 10mins 19secs, 18^th; Rob Spotswood, stage 4, 1hr 11mins 30secs, 29^th; Pam Grant (second claim), stage 5, 1hr 17mins 44secs, 43^rd; Carol Willgoose, stage 6, 1hr 17mins 46secs, 30^th; Meinir Huws, stage 9, 1hr 9mins 39secs, 44^th.

Club Captain Geran Hughes specifically decided this year not to run a stage in order to concentrate on the organisational aspects of the weekend, once again proving himself invaluable, ably helped all weekend by wife Angie. Club President Mike Nolan also travelled with the team providing fantastic support all along the way.

The club are already planning next years’ assault on “The Castles” and would like to thank Edward Hughes Solicitors of Rhyl who very generously sponsored this year’s Castles Team.

Once again a massive thanks to all from the Les Croupiers Running Club in Cardiff for organising such a mammoth event.

The following were the individual results;

Leg 1; Matthew Ashton, 1hr  21secs, 11th, (9.1miles):

Leg 2; Grahame Shone, 1hr 10mins 19secs, 18^th, (10.7miles):

Leg 3; Ed Reid, 1hr 21mins 10secs, 24^th, (12.1miles, mountain stage):

Leg 4; Rob Spotswood, 1hr 11mins 30secs, 29th, (9.4miles):

Leg 5; Pam Grant, 1hr 17mins 44secs, 43rd, (9.6miles):

Leg 6; Carol Willgoose, 1hr 17mins 46secs, 30^th, (10.7miles):

Leg 7; Haydn Jones, 1hr 12mins 23secs, 42^nd, (9.75miles, mountain stage):

Leg 8; Tom Watson, 1hr 7mins 7secs, 6th, (11.2miles):

Leg 9; Meinir Huws, 1hr 9mins 39sec, 44^th, (8.6miles):

Leg 10; Richard Watson, 1hr 22mins 42secs, 13th, (13.3miles, mountain stage):

Leg 11; Peter Smith, 1hr 40mins 41secs, 54^th, (12.3miles, mountain stage):

Leg 12; Alan Lucas, 1hr 24mins 21secs, 49th, (11.2miles):

Leg 13; Alex Dutton, 1hr 27mins 47secs, 49^th, (10.6miles):

Leg 14; Darren Blazier, 1hr 8mins 38secs, 10th, (11.0miles, mountain stage):

Leg 15; Keith Elliott, 1hr 43mins 13secs, 53rd, (12.4miles):

Leg 16; Sean McCormack, 53mins 36secs, 6^th, (8.8miles, mountain stage):

Leg 17; Steve McCarten, 1hr 13mins 9secs, 52nd, (9.2miles):

Leg 18; Dave Edwards, 1hr 9mins 9secs, 30th, (9.1miles):

Leg 19; Katie Williams, 1hr 31mins 53secs, 51st, (10.4miles):

Leg 20; Steven McCormack, 1hr 7mins 52secs, 16^th, (10.4miles).

Provisional overall results

Photos
More Photos
Even More Photos

Castles Relay 2007

It was another fantastically successful and enjoyable Castles Relay for Abergele Harriers with club captain Geran Hughes once again calmly and successfully leading the club from Caernarfon to Cardiff for the 25^th anniversary event. The Harriers took a total of 26 hours 8 minutes and 49 seconds to complete the 210mile course, an improvement of 1 hour 13 minutes 19 seconds over last year’s time, finishing 34th overall, a huge improvement on last years position. Even more impressively, the club finished 16^th in the “King of the Mountains” competition, again a club record result. For the second successive year the honour of achieving the highest finishing position went to Darren Blazier, whose time of 1hr 6mins 34secs gave him an outstanding 7^th place in the twentieth and final stage into Cardiff Castle. The “King of the Mountains” competition is made up of six of the toughest stages of the event with the team getting of to an excellent start when Sean McCormack completed stage 3 in 1hr 14mins 23secs for 10th position, his highest “castles” position to date. International fell runner Geran Hughes continued the good work on stage 7 in 1hr 3mins 10secs for 12^th. Richard Watson ran the final stage of day one into Newtown, in a tremendous 1hr 27mins 21secs to maintain the Harriers excellent position at the halfway stage. Hillary Jacques, following the difficult 7am start of day two, completed the next mountain stage in 1hr 44mins 34secs for 57^th place. Stage 14, universally accepted as the most difficult stage of the whole event, was this year run by the club’s youngest team member Steven McCormack, who ran an extremely powerful race, finishing in 1hr 16mins 41secs for 28^th. The final mountain stage, nine miles up the Brecon Beacons, was run superbly by Keith Elliot, in 1hr 10mins 45secs, giving him 49^th position. Another one of the many notable performances of the weekend came at the very first stage from Caernarfon, when Matthew Ashton started the whole proceedings with a time of 1hr 6mins 48secs for 15^th. This was followed up by veteran “castles” runner Grahame Shone, in an equally impressive 19^th position, with a time of 1hr 11mins 54secs. Angie Hughes, who suffered more than most from the midday sun, still managed a fantastic time of 1hr 12mins 59secs (31^st) while other excellent day one performances in mid-Wales came from Meinir Huws 1:39:25 (54^th) and the ever-improving Paul Thomas 1:04:01 (25^th), both of whom combined family trips with the event. Pam Grant 1:24:32 (47^th) and Tom Watson 1:14:58 (21^st) also did the club proud in the blisteringly hot conditions. Peter Smith, another early starter on day two, completed his “castles” debut with a superb 1hr 22mins 27secs (41^st), while Haydn Jones, a fellow debutant, completed the very difficult downhill section from the Drovers Arms to Brecon, in 1hr 31mins 19secs (38^th). Chief mini-bus driver for the trip, Steve McCarten, still managed to find the time to complete a stage himself, running wonderfully well, in a time of 1hr 10mins 18secs (45^th). Dave Edwards, who travelled down with his family to Merthyr Tydfil to run his stage, continued his recent excellent form, finishing in 1hr 11mins 5secs for 32^nd. On day two, Helen McArthur, completed stage 13 in 1hr 19mins 32secs (39^th) and Clare Johnson completed stage 19 in 1hr 41mins 36secs (58^th) rounding off a memorable weekend for all concerned.

Despite the intense heat, and thanks to superb teamwork, fantastic support and inspired leadership from Club Captain Geran Hughes, the weekend was a tremendous success, with the club already planning for next year’s attack on the event.

The following were the individual results;

Leg 1; Matthew Ashton, 1hr 6mins 48secs, 15th, (9.1miles):

Leg 2; Grahame Shone, 1hr 11mins 54secs, 19^th, (10.7miles):

Leg 3; Sean McCormack, 1hr 14mins 23secs, 10^th, (12.1miles, mountain stage):

Leg 4; Angie Hughes, 1hr 12mins 59secs, 31^st, (9.4miles):

Leg 5; Pam Grant, 1hr 24mins 32secs, 47^th, (9.6miles):

Leg 6; Meinir Huws, 1hr 39mins 25secs, 54^th, (10.7miles):

Leg 7; Geran Hughes, 1hr 3mins 10secs, 12^th, (9.75miles, mountain stage):

Leg 8; Tom Watson, 1hr 14mins 58secs, 21^st, (11.2miles):

Leg 9; Paul Thomas, 1hr 4mins 1sec, 25^th, (8.6miles):

Leg 10; Richard Watson, 1hr 27mins 21secs, 22^nd, (13.3miles, mountain stage):

Leg 11; Hilary Jaques, 1hr 44mins 36secs, 57^th, (12.3miles, mountain stage):

Leg 12; Peter Smith, 1hr 22mins 27secs, 41^st, (11.2miles):

Leg 13; Helen McArthur, 1hr 19mins 32secs, 39^th, (10.6miles):

Leg 14; Steven McCormack, 1hr 16mins 41secs, 28^th, (11.0 miles, mountain stage):

Leg 15; Haydn Jones, 1hr 31mins 19secs, 38^th, (12.4miles):

Leg 16; Keith Elliott, 1hr 10mins 45secs, 49^th, (9miles, mountain stage):

Leg 17; Steve McCarten, 1hr 10mins 18secs, 45^th, (9.2miles):

Leg 18; Dave Edwards, 1hr 11mins 5secs, 32^nd, (9.1miles):

Leg 19; Clare Johnson, 1hr 41mins 36secs, 58^th, (10.4miles):

Leg 20; Darren Blazier, 1hr 6mins 34secs, 7^th, (10.4miles).

Once again a massive thanks to all from the Les Croupiers Running Club in Cardiff for organising such a mammoth event.

Photos

More Photos

Even more Castles Photos!

More more more Photos
Leg 1 Photos

Welsh Castles Relay

10-11 June 2006

Abergele Harriers completed their first ever Welsh Castled relay race over the weekend, completing the 210 mile course from Caernarfon castle to Cardiff castle, in a superb cumulative time of 27 hours 21 minutes and 58 seconds. The race was run in blistering heat, but despite that, thanks to superb teamwork, fantastic support and inspired leadership from Club Captain Geran Hughes, the weekend was a tremendous success, with the club already planning for next year’s event. The highlights of the weekend are too many to mention, with the emphasis on fun, good competition, excellent running and camaraderie between all 60 clubs participating.

The following were the individual results;

Leg 1; Austin Bell 1hr 16mins 32secs, 33^rd (9.1miles):

Leg 2; Grahame Shone 1hr 13mins 38secs, 13^th (10.7miles):

Leg 3; Matthew Ashton 1hr 33mins 55secs, 40^th (12.1miles, mountain stage):

Leg 4; Pam Grant 1hr 17mins 26secs, 36^th (9.4miles):

Leg 5; Simon Grant 1hr 14mins 26secs, 26^th (9.6miles):

Leg 6; Angie Hughes 1hr 37mins 16secs, 45^th (10.7miles):

Leg 7; Paul Thomas 1hr 23mins 27secs, 48^th (9.75miles, mountain stage):

Leg 8; Justin McIlveen 1hr 17mins 0secs, 17^th (11.2miles):

Leg 9; Steven McCormack 59mins 47secs, 13^th (8.6miles):

Leg 10; Paul Ross 1hr 45mins 45secs, 45^th, (13.3miles, mountain stage):

Leg 11; Alan Lucas 1hr 45mins 31secs, 54^th (12.3miles, mountain stage):

Leg 12; Roy Evans 1hr 21mins 41secs, 36^th (11.2miles):

Leg 13; Rob Spotswood 1hr 22mins 20secs, 44^th (10.6miles):

Leg 14; Sean McCormack 1hr 15mins 15secs, 24^th (11.0 miles, mountain stage):

Leg 15; Darren Blazier 1hr 14mins 21secs, 5^th (12.4miles):

Leg 16; Hilary Jaques 1hr 15mins 42secs, 52^nd (9miles, mountain stage):

Leg 17; Dave Edwards1hr 16mins 52secs, 50^th (9.2miles):

Leg 18; Melanie Williams 1hr 16mins 10secs, 38^th (9.1miles):

Leg 19; Meinir Huws 1hr 44mins, 51^st (10.4miles):

Leg 20; Geran Hughes 1hr 11mins 48secs, 29^th (10.4miles).

Thanks also to the travelling reserves and supporters, Sara McIlveen, Jaime Ashton, Alison Guillemin and Majella McCormack.

Photos