MORE than 300 runners reached for the skies in the seven-mile annual race over the steep Kymin Hill.

The Spirit of Monmouth RC’s Kymin Dash race on Sunday (April 14) saw nearly 50 Wyedean club runners in action, with Forest of Dean AC’s Marcus Bennetto claiming local bragging rights in fourth overall and second in the senior men’s class.

He was one place up on Monross Trailblazers’ Gavin Jones, while FoDAC’s Chloe Wheeler was third fastest woman, also taking second in the female senior class.

Evergreen Niki Morgan headed an 11-strong Chepstow Harriers contingent, winning the over-50s women’s crown as fifth fastest woman overall, as clubmate Sue Ashton placed third in the over-60s class, matched by the FoDAC’s Andrew Thorpe in the men’s age class.

Runners praised the organisation and friendliness of Spirit’s members who sat out the race to marshall the course, which saw starters run from the bottom of Kymin Road to the 850ft Round House summity, with ‘King and Queen of the Hill’ prizes for first up.

The race then headed over grassland and across the Monmouth-Coleford road, before following forest trails past the Suck Stone and Near Harkening Rock – where they were serenaded by a piano – down to the riverside and back along the old railway line and Hadnock Road to the Monmouth School Sports Centre finish.

David Aubrey (Cheltenham Harriers) won the ‘King of the Hill’ in 9.28 by just four seconds from Huw Evans of Cardiff-based Les Croupiers.

Lliswerry’s Emma Woo- key (10.53) was crowned ‘Queen’ with a 47sec lead over former British mountain bike champion Maddie Horton from Plymouth.

But it was third fastest man up – Mark Jennings of Torfaen’s Micky Morris team – who took overall line honours in 40.50, with Aubrey second (41.16), Evans third (41.36), Bennetto fourth (41.51) and Jones fifth (42.10).

All five Monross runners made the top 50, with Luke Gray ninth (44.45), Toby Dickens 23rd (47.57), Dan Gray 36th (49.46) and Martin Scrivens 41st (50.53).

FoDAC’s 25 runners included four top 20 finishers, with Steven Harris 11th (44.52), Richard Cronin 12th (45.21) and John Russell 19th (47.10), while Chloe Wheeler in 27th (48.34) chased home fastest woman Wookey (46.12) and 2018 race champion Horton (47.53) as third quickest female.

Harriers’ Niki Morgan (51.12) took the over-50 women’s title by 55secs, 17secs up on FoDAC over-60s podium placer Andrew Thorpe, while Chepstow’s Sue Ashton ran 1hr 15.18 for third in women’s 60+.

Monmouth MP David Davies swapped running for office for tackling the Dash, finishing 78th in 55.05, while runners from Monmouth Triathlon Club, Newent Runners and Caldicot RC also raced.

The event was sponsored by Monmouthshire Conservatory Company, Brighter Foods, Wild Trail, Walford Timber and Dunn’s Engineering and any profits will be donated to the Ty Hafen hospice.

Results at spiritofmonmouth.co.uk/kymin-dash/results/