Welsh Castles Relay

Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th June 2005

Steve Clews gets  underway at Caernarfon (left) & Steven Elsmere sprints in at Criccieth.

Team manager Richard Malin managed to get a complete B&R men's team of 20 runners out for the relay  from Caernarfon to Cardiff  over two days. The team finished 20th out of 54 teams and was 17th team in the Open category. The team's time was 24 hours and 29 seconds, nearly three and a half hours behind the winners Thames Hare & Hounds.

Clive Brown singing on leg 3 (left) & Ian Keyte meditates on the long hill towards Dinas.

Phil Carbutt came nearest to earning the prized yellow jersey that goes to the winner of a leg, finishing second over the 11.2 miles from Dinas Mawddwy to Foel (leg 8) in 64 minutes 52 seconds, just 31 seconds adrift of John Collingham (Corus).

Tamsin Clark (left) was a stage winner and Roger Beacham celebrates finishing at Cardiff Castle to complete the relay for B&R.

B&R's women runners featured in the Mercia Maidens team, comprising runners from several local clubs. They finished 3rd women's team and 48th overall in a time of 27 hours 40 minutes and 30 seconds. That's less than 2 hours behind the winning womens team, Serpentine R.C. from London, after running nearly the length of Wales. Tamsin Clark (B&R) was the first woman home in 70 minutes and 49 seconds over the last 10.4 mile stage from Caerphilly to Cardiff Castle.

A fuller report with all the B&R and, hopefully, all the MM times and more pictures should appear shortly.

Pictures: Courtesy of Richard Malin