With the nights closing in and the days getting colder, Wales’ top runners have been turning their focus to the cross country season over the last month or so.
A number of Aberystwyth based runners have been racing regularly in the country’s premier cross country league, the Gwent League, as well as the highly competitive North Wales Cross Country League. There has also been some success for local runners at regional and international level over the last few weeks.
On 19 November, hundreds of Wales’ best club runners descended upon Monmouth for the annual Welsh Inter Regional Championships which saw West Wales taking on North, South and East over various age categories. Three athletes from Aberystwyth who are part of the Team Dic running group, coached by local running legend Dic Evans, were racing for West in the men’s senior and Masters race at Monmouth.
First home was Owain Schiavone who finished an impressive 19th overall and fifth position in the M35-44 category. Schiavone was second scorer of five in the West Wales M35 team and helped secure a gold medal for the West Walians. Also in the winning team were Aberystwyth raised Sion Lewis, now running for London Heathside, and Pontypridd Roadent, Mark Horsman, originally from Cardigan.
Another taking home a medal was James Cowan as he was part of the West Wales senior team who won the silver medal. Cowan, who has only been running for around 18 months and is also chairman of the Aberystwyth University Harriers athletics club, finished 48th overall and was 25th senior.
The third Team Dic runner was Rhodri ap Dyfrig, who was selected for his West Wales debut in the M45 category. He finished a highly credible 15th in his category and was only 19 seconds off scoring for the team which would have secured him a silver medal.
Rhodri’s daughter, Lleucu Nest, was also racing on the day and representing Ysgol Penweddig yn the Girls’ under 15s race along with Freya Cooke.
Lleucu finished in 41st position with Freya close behind in 46th helping Penweddig to an 11th position finish out of 24 in the Inter Schools Championship.
Two other Aberystwyth Uni Harriers who are training with the Dic Evans group were racing in the Under 20s races - Chloe Piggott, who also runs for Aberdare AAC, was a solid 24th in the Womens race representing South Wales and James Price was 34th in the Men’s representing North.
Coach Dic Evans himself was racing the week prior and representing Wales in the British and Irish Masters International Cross Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland. Evans, now competing in the M75 category, has only missed these championships twice since they were first held in their current form in 1988 and had the company of Owain Schiavone this time round having been selected for the Welsh M40 team for the first time.
Evans, who won the M45 in 1991, has been suffering with long term injury and was disappointed with his own run this year but was pleased to see one of his coached athletes running well.
Schiavone was one of the scorers in a strong Welsh M40 team who just missed out on the podium.
“I was disappointed by my own race in Dublin but was very pleased to have Owain with me and gaining his first Welsh vest,” said Dic Evans.
“It gives me great satisfaction to see a runner I’ve been helping over the last few years representing his country for the first time and running really well in what was a high quality field.”
The Aberystwyth University Harriers will next be racing at Whitford in the third of the North Wales League fixtures on Saturday 26 November whilst a number of Team Dic athletes will also be running the following week in the Gwent League fixture at Pembrey Park which is also a West Wales Championship race.