The San Domenico 20 Mile Road Race
10AM, Sunday 22nd March 2009, Merthyr Tydfil
Start at Merthyr College CF48 1AR
With many thanks to our race sponsors:
Lidl, Start Fitness, Moti and Scimitar Developments.
Please take the time to visit their websites.
(in the case of Lidl it's also worth looking at their recipes website here)
Results available here
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Start photos are here
13 Mile photos are here
18.6 Mile photos are here
Finish photos are here and here
An ideal race or long training run for spring marathons especially London and Paris.
General information
- Probably the most enjoyable and picturesque 20-mile course in South Wales
- Now in it's 3rd year of 'resurrection' following a break of some 16 years
- Start, Finish and Race HQ at Merthyr College, CF48 1AR (www.merthyr.ac.uk)
- Scenic, mostly traffic-free, mainly off-road route along the 'tarmac' Taff Trail (www.tafftrail.org.uk)
- Excellent feedback from previous participants
- Some undulations and climbs on this accurately measured and certified course
- Bonus of £250 for Male and Female course records (Male 1:55:22 / Female 2:19:05), kindly donated by Scimitar Developments Ltd (www.scimitardevelopments.co.uk)
- Memento to all finishers, wicking t-shirt to all finishers
- Category prizes
- Changing / Showers / Refreshments / Parking / Baggage area
- First aid provision / water stations
- Race entry limit - 400 - no entries on day if race limit reached
- Run under WA rules / permit applied for
- Race packs will be sent out by Saturday 14th March 2009
For the safety of you and others, we advise against the wearing of personal listening devices such as MP3 players.
Course information
Following feedback from the 2007 and 2008 events we have made some improvements to the course, namely:
- Improved start - removing the 'laps' of the car park. The race now starts at the rear of the Welsh Assembly building which is a short walk from the RaceHQ.
- Re-routed the course at 13.1 miles to avoid 'the steps' using a new trail north of Pontygwaith, course now re-joins the Taff Trail in Aberfan.
2009 course map is available here (1.7Mb PDF file)
Previous results
2008 results are here
2007 results are here
Photos
2008 race start photos are here
2008 race finish photos are here
2007 course photos are here
Course and category records
| Category | Name | Club | Time | Year |
| Male | Simon Jones | Belgrave Harriers | 1:55:22 | 2007 |
| Female | Holly Rush | Team Bath A.C. | 2:06:56 | 2009 |
| MV35-44 | Julian Baker | Les Croupiers R.R.C. | 1:57:28 | 2008 |
| MV45-54 | Paul Rose | Yeovil Town R.R.C. | 2:09:05 | 2009 |
| MV55+ | John Hargreaves | Great Western Runners | 2:27:55 | 2008 |
| LV35-44 | Clare Phillips | Swansea Harriers | 2:19:05 | 2008 |
| LV45-54 | Caroline Jones | TROT's | 2:25:26 | 2009 |
Runners World race report
The 2008 race report from the May 2008 issue of Runners World is here
Previous competitor reviews
'a fantastic race, great preparation for London but a great stand alone race.'
'What a wonderful race.... scenery once outside Merthyr was superb and the views from the top of the Taff Trail made the climb worthwhile. Marshalls and St John's were very supportive with their applause and encouragement. A few tough climbs and a wonderful touch of half a dozen eggs to go with the goody bag!! Nice to have showers available as well. Good on you San Domenico.. even as a slow runner towards the back of the field I was made very welcome and would recommend this event to anyone'
'Fantastic scenery, good marshalling and a quick race'
'Enjoyed the race, it was a challenge though, slowed over last 3 miles, but I beat last years time by 7 minutes.'
The full Runners World reviews are here, 96% said they would do it again!
Last Updated on Friday, 08 May 2009 12:06