News Report 28th November 2009

A group of local athletes headed to the Canary Island of Lanzarote for the 10th consecutive year recently, their duel intentions being to take a break from the bad weather back home as well as competing at the 21st edition of the Lanzarote International Challenge.

The Challenge consisted of 4 running events, namely the 10k Clasica de Lanzarote road race, a 13k off-road ridge run, a 5k beach run, before the final event, the gruelling 21k Vuelta de Tinajo trans-island run.

Athletes were entitled to take on the whole challenge or to pick individual races within the challenge. With the vast majority of the travelling party choosing to avoid racing and to relax for the whole of the weeks stay, it was left to four athletes to represent Meirionnydd Running Club, two completing the whole challenge and two taking part in particular races within the challenge.

Completing all four events were Nich Bradley of Dolgellau in an overall time of 4hrs 19.08mins and Sioned Jones of Brithdir in 4hrs 39.50mins, a remarkable 35 minutes quicker than her cumulative time set in 2008.

Margaret Roberts of Dolgellau chose to compete in two of the four events, completing the 10k road race in a time of 57.07mins and the 13k ridge run in a time of 1hr 16.33mins.

Choosing just the 13k ridge run was Graeme Stringer, a Lanzarote stalwart, of Llanelltyd and he completed his chosen event in a time of 1hr 09.16mins.

The four local athletes in action at the Lanzarote International Challenge, from left to right, Nich Bradley, Graeme Stringer, Sioned Jones & Margaret Roberts.

A.Unwin