IT proved another busy week for Spirit of Monmouth runners with members competing across a range of events.

Saturday saw the Inter-Counties X-Country Championships at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, where Katie Adams and Vicky Roberts represented East Wales in the senior women's event.

The relatively mud-free five-mile course started off with a big hill towards Wollaton Hall on the first lap followed by two big laps.

Katie, hampered by a lace coming undone early on lost half a minute, but still finished in 34 mins 41 secs to place 189th, while Vicky also finished strongly in 36.11 to match her 2025 time, as East Wales finished 26th team beating both North and South Wales.

With International Women's Day on Sunday, both were back competing just 24 hours later with Spirit in the fourth and final Gwent Leisure Centre League XC race, hosted by Griffithstown Harriers and Fairwater RC at Risca Leisure Centre.

The muddy course comprised 3.5 laps totalling 4.3 miles, with runners nearly losing shoes in places and slipping on boggy conditions underfoot in the woods.

Chepstow Harriers' Tim Batchelor led the field home in 28.30, while Spirit’s women scored well to secure their highest position this season in second, with the men's team placing sixth.

Katie Adams was second female overall and first over-45 in 34.13, just 31 seconds behind Lliswerry's Sandra Chipper, with Vicky Roberts fourth fastest woman and first over-35 in 35.55.

Barry Burns (over-55 33.51) and Renske Bouwens (over-50 39.43) also came third in their ages, while also racing were Ben Saunders (30.43), Matthew Visser (35.50), Kirk Hill (35.51), James Exton (41.38), Michael Visser (42.02), Cathy Fletcher (48.59) and Julie Gee (57.16).

And an enjoyable day was capped off with a social gathering at the club tent for tea and coffee with Ben's cookies and Fay Visser's Welsh cakes.

Back home, Elizabeth Hattam took on Sunday's 'Monmouth 10 Miles' organised by Stride Out Events, an out-and-back trail along the Wye from Monmouth to Symonds Yat via the Biblins’ footbridge , finishing 12th woman and 30th overall in 1 hour 39.41.

Martin Blakebrough and Jeremy Creasey were also in action at the Chippenham 10 miler, the former finishing in 1.13.39 for third in age and Jeremy in 1.21 a few seconds off his PB.

Monmouth’s 5k parkrun on Saturday attracted 185 runners to Chippenham fields, headed home by Forest of Dean AC teenager Arthur Dennant in a PB 19.13, followed by Chepstow Harriers’ Tim Batchelor in 19.54, just a second ahead of FoDAC’s Cory Sherwin.

First woman home was Stephanie Loveland in 21.40, followed by Pontypool’s Samantha Sinclair in 22.24 and unstoppable over-60 Spirit Carol Oswell, who finished her 50th parkrun in 23.13.

Spirits’ Renske Bouwens was first lady home on a very hilly XC course at Stratford Park in Stroud, crossing in 25.30, while club mates running back home at Chippy included Matthew Visser, Brian Evans, Michael Visser setting a new PB 23.15, Stephen McMenemy, Alison McMenemy, Julie Gee, Sarah Clifton, Fay Visser and Karen Blake.

Sian Fielding also ran Cwmbran, Elizabeth Hattam Trelai Park, Nick Sloper and Martin Blakebrough Rogiet, Jeremy Creasey Pontypool, Marina Wright, Linda Lloyd and Andrew Hillis Mallards Pike, and Jennifer Hartley Llanfoist Crossing