WITH spring in the air and the sun shining Penarth runners continued their marathon training by taking part in a race along the Taff Trail on the weekend.
A strong contingent from the club experienced both the sunshine and the rain as they ran the San Domenico 30k race on Sunday, March 23.
The annual 20mile race had been shortened to 30k after resurfacing works began on the popular South Wales trail.
Despite the course being shortened to around 18.6miles it was a welcome return after last years race had to be cancelled after an unexpected flurry of snow.
For many of the Penarth runners the hard work paid off and they can no look forward to tackling the 26.2mile beast of their respective marathons, with many members taking part in either the London or Liverpool marathons.
Richard Jackson-Hookins, who is set to tackle the London Marathon in a few weeks, was the first Penarth runner to cross the finish line in an impressive 2.14.57 and 21st overall in a strong field.
Clem Clement, who secured the Penarth and Dinas Runners club place along with Rob Wilson to run the London Marathon, finished in 27th in 2.17.21.
Rob Wilson was next up in 34th in 2.20.34.
Chris Nellins was next up in 44th in 2.24.33.
Andy Jones followed him in 50th in 2.26.12.
Andrew Frayling achieved 56th in 2.27.25.
Marc Durkin finished was 62nd in 2.29.44.
Andrea Hurman was the first woman from Penarth to finish in 87th in 2.38.33.
Lisa Cleary followed her in 91st in 2.40.18.
Ruth Owens sneaked into the top 100 as she finished in 99th in 2.44.05.
Lindsey Hunt was next in 144th in 2.50.43.
Josh Davies was next in 137th in 2.55.57, with Danielle Rayner next over the line in 2.56.10.
Yvonne Williams followed them in 144th in 2.57.33.
Steve Goodfellow was next in 151st in 3.01.42
On Sunday, March 23, Helen Griffiths also took part in the Llanelli 20 mile race as she prepares for both the Paris and Boston Marathons. Helen finished the race in 54th place in 2.49.08.
Sara El-Khatib also completed the Rome Marathon and finished in 4.25.40.
Penarth and Dinas Runners meet every Monday evening at Penarth Leisure centre at 7pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article