Thanks to all the athletes who competed at this 23^rd staging of the Pentyrch Hill Race, and to everyone who helped with the organisation, especially organiser John Gough.

Apologies if any of the names of athletes are not quite right. Some of the handwriting was very difficult to read. Please let me know if any names need to be changed – or, indeed, if there are any errors in the results.

For the first time since 2006, it was a dry evening!

The 125 starters – and, just as importantly, the 125 finishers – bettered the previous entry of 114 in 1997.

There was no doubt about the two senior winners. Local lad Peter Ryder, a former Radyr Comprehensive pupil, has made a welcome return to regular competition over the country and on the road this winter and, in the absence of recent winners Matthew Collins (Cardiff), Andrew Hunt (Cardiff) and Julian Baker (Les Croupiers), he finished over three minutes ahead of Hugh Aggleton (Mynddwyr de Cymru). In the senior women’s section, the 2008 winner, Angela Tyrell, has married in the last twelve months and is now Angela Heeley but the San Domenico runner was still strong enough to set her fastest time on the Garth course. Her 51:14 timing, only twenty seconds outside Ruth Pickvance’s 2003 course fastest, was over 40 seconds quicker than last year and placed her 14^th overall and nearly six minutes ahead of second placed Katie Beecher (Les Croupiers).

Another local athlete, Taffs Well resident Peter Coles continued his impressive record in the master section. Third overall, with a time just outside his best, the Pontypridd Roadents M45 was the leading Master at this event for the sixth consecutive year, with clubmate Nick Frost taking second spot.

In the Master Women’s competition, Sara MacBride Stewart (W40) claimed her first Pentyrch win.

Matthew Hooper (Cardiff) was the only junior athlete competing.

Unattached athletes are not eligible for prizes. Ideally, they need to join a club because some would have picked up an award. Although they have not been included in the positions, an asterisk indicates where they might have placed.

A recent request from Regional Athletics Council resulted in the South Wales Regional Hill Running championships being held within this event for the first time in a number of years. Given the record entry, it is possible that some of the participants were not aware of the Regional competition, may not have completed the required paperwork and may not have been included in the results.

In the Pentyrch race, the awards for the men’s master age group start with M40. At Regional level, there is only one master category for men and women and both start at 35. The region also provides team awards on the basis of three to score.

Later in the summer, there will be a Welsh Inter Regional Mountain Running championships (individual and team) in the Snowdonia area. Hopefully, South Wales will send senior and master teams to the event. Ron Morris (San Domenico) has indicated that he might be willing to team manage.

Regional Results

Senior Men: 1 Peter Ryder (Cardiff AAC); 2 Hugh Aggleton (MDC); 3 Rhys Pitman (Pontypridd): No teams

Master Men: 1 Peter Coles (Pontypridd); 2 Nick Frost (Pontypridd); 3 Chris Harrhy (Liswerry): Team: 1 Pontypridd 7; 2 San Domenico 36; 3 Mynyddwyr de Cymru 40; 4 Les Croupiers 44; 5 Cardiff Harlequins 53; 6 Les Croupiers B 83

Senior Women: 1 Angela Heeley (San Domenico); 2 Katie Beecher (Les Croupiers); 3 Cheryl Hugdell (Les Croupiers): Team: Les Croupiers 9

Master Women: 1 Sara MacBride-Stewart (Les Croupiers); 2 Julie Scholey (Les Croupiers); 3 Caroline Dallimore (Les Croupiers): Team: Les Croupiers 6

1	133	44:19	Peter Ryder	Cardiff AAC	SM	1					1
2	69	47:25	Hugh Aggleton	Mynyddwyr de Cymru	SM	2					2
3	68	47:59	Peter Coles	Pontypridd Roadents	M45			1				1
4	136	48:23	Jason Rowley	Clevedon	SM	3
5	137	48:25	Justyn Rowley	Clevedon	SM	4
6	49	48:35	Nick Frost	Pontypridd Roadents	M45			2				2
7	93	48:57	Laurence Humphreys	Fairwater	SM	5
8	67	49:08	Gareth Battle	Unattached	SM	*					*
9	41	49:29	Chris Harrhy	Lliswerry	M40		1					3
10	26	49:51	Huw Jones	Unattached	SM	*
11	44	50:17	Adrian Weaver	Port Talbot	SM	6
12	124	50:47	Thomas Burden	Unattached	SM	*
13	145	51:04	Jason Scanlon	Pontypridd Roadents	M35	7						4
14	54	51:14	Angela Heeley	San Domenico	SW					1			1
15	61	51:20	Chris Taylor	Mynyddwyr de Cymru	M50				1
16	130	51:27	Dimitri Vorres	Griffithstown	M45			3
17	86	51:35	Rhys Pitman	Pontypridd Roadents	SM	8					3
18	110	51:46	Steve Davies	Griffithstown	M50				2			5
19	46	53:05	Andrew Baker	Pontypridd Roadents	M40		2					6
20	47	53:15	Garga Chamberlain	Sri Chinmoy A.C	M40		3
21	66	53:57	Rhydian Reston	Unattached	SM	*					*
22	29	54:10	Rob Scott	Les Croupiers RC	SM	9					4
23	114	54:15	Leigh Searle	Unattached	M35	*
24	116	54:20	Ian McDonald	San Domenico	M45			4				7
25	125	54:25	Charles Daniel	Great Western Runners	M50				3
26	113	54:43	Alun Williams	Fairwater	M45			5
27	108	55:02	Matthew Townsend	Les Croupiers RC	M40		4					8
28	34	55:13	James Clemence	Mynyddwyr de Cymru	M45			6				9
29	102	55:30	Gareth Griffiths	Unattached	M40		*
30	25	55:58	Matt Unsworth	Mynyddwyr de Cymru	SM	10
31	64	56:11	Chris Bedford	Unattached	M35	*						*
32	129	56:23	Matthew Hooper	Cardiff AAC	JM	***						***
33	32	56:35	John O'Shea	Les Croupiers RC	M50				4
34	63	56:40	Andrew Davies	Pontypridd Roadents	M45			7				10
35	97	56:43	Rich Lloyd	Fairwater	SM	11
36	24	56:48	Graham Betty	Unattached	SM	*
37	100	56:55	Phil Holder	Cardiff Harlequins	M45			8				11
38	31	56:58	Dominic Shields	San Domenico	M40		5					12
39	81	57:01	Katie Beecher	Les Croupiers RC	SW					2			2
40	45