BEHIND THE HEADLINES: Runners get ready for Newport half-marathon

PLANNING for a city centre event as large as Sunday’s Newport Half Marathon comes not without its “logistical problems”, said Kris Broome, one of the event organisers.

With the River Usk carving its way through the heart of the city, the central location of the Royal Gwent and the city’s heavily-used rail and road links, Newport “is not an easy place to find a flat route”.

But for a city competing with other nearby half marathons such as Cardiff and Bristol, the organisers felt it was important to come up with a city centre route large enough to accommodate their ambitions for thousands of runners.

This year’s half marathon, on Sunday, will be Newport’s third since its launch in 2013 and the second since Admiral became its main sponsor.

Some 2,400 people registered in record time for the 13.1-mile race on St David’s Day, although organisers expect fewer to run on the day because of an estimated usual 10 per cent dropout rate.

Sunday will mark the first time the circular route goes through the city centre, after Newport City Council approved the course and necessary road closures last year.

“This year we’ve developed a route which has enabled us to take more runners. We thought we could take around 3,000 runners so we’re pleased with the numbers we’ve got,” said Mr Broome, who is one of a small committee at St David’s Hospice who plan the event.

“Now Newport City Council is on board a lot more, we were able to develop a route which goes through the city.

“This year the route takes us to the city centre. Last year we started and finished in Rodney Parade.

“But most city runs go through the city centre and we wanted that.

“We start at Westgate Square and the route goes past many iconic landmarks with a nice flat finish. It’s picturesque for both the runners and spectators.”

The route goes along the banks of the River Usk, under and past Newport’s bridges and passes the remains of the riverside castle before making its way to the historic Roman town of Caerleon.

Even with more than 2,000 runners expected for Sunday – up from 1,300 last year – the event organisers said their long-term plan is more ambitious, aiming to get the number of runners up to 10,000.

Mr Broome said: “As a long-term plan we aim to get about five to 10,000 runners.

“From the charity’s point of view we do it to first raise funds and second to raise our profile and the profile of all the other sponsors, to get our name out there.”

Planning for the Admiral-sponsored event is thorough, with running clubs across Gwent offering their help to organise the race both in advance and on the day.

After the route was finalised, some members of Lliswerry Runners club ran as much of the circular course as possible in early February to check the course was up to scratch.

Chris Davies, chairman of the club and the man in charge of the start and finish of the Newport Half, said: “We had a group test driving it the weekend before last.

“The route just gets better and better each year and we are trying to build it towards much more of a city half marathon.

“We already had a number of different routes, some a bit more ambitious than others. We looked at some of the bigger routes and ones with higher capacity. But we slowly learn each year.”

One hundred of the Lliswerry club’s 300 members are planning to run Sunday’s course, with 30 other members volunteering on the day with the start and finish team.

They make up more than 150 volunteers who are involved in helping the event run smoothly, as well as support and organisational help from local running club Pontypool and District Runners.

Mr Broome said: “It’s not just the people volunteering but their friends and family also come along and get involved so we’re giving a massive thank you to all of them. It’s their event as well as ours.”

As well as an increase in the numbers of runners and volunteers, this year’s race has also seen an uplift in the number of local businesses and groups getting involved.

St Joseph’s Hospital in Newport is the official physiotherapy partner for this year’s half marathon, which sees their team providing advice on recovery and injury management, with runners receiving a post-race massage at Newport Leisure Centre.

Band Newport Rock Choir will also be providing free entertainment on the route on race day outside the St Julian’s Inn in Caerleon from 9.30am.

Olympic gold and silver medallist Darren Campbell has also pledged some refreshing support for the marathon by providing runners with 3,000 bottles of his isotonic drink.

The athlete, who runs a business based in Gwent, has been involved with the Newport half marathon since its inauguration.Radnor Hills Water will also be providing refreshment, supplying 12,000 bottle of the Welsh water to runners at the three water stations along the route.

Among the famous faces running in Sunday’s event will be Billy Webb, of Goldie Lookin’ Chain, who had never run at all before signing up for the Newport Half last September.

He said: “It is a bit daunting. It will be great if I stop off in Caerleon, go to a couple of pubs until the buses start running again.

“But seriously, I have been saying I’m going to do it, and running in general, for about five years but I had never bothered getting off my backside. But this year I said I’m going to do it.”

Mr Webb said the training has been “horrendous” since he started about five weeks ago, but he is looking forward to the event. He is fundraising for Welsh children’s cancer charity Latch.

Also set to run is Newport East AM John Griffiths and the mayoress of Newport Tina Evans.

Mr Griffiths is no stranger to long-distance running, having run six consecutive London marathons from 1994 to 2000, and has run the Newport race since its launch.Mrs Evans, 52, is running in aid of the mayor’s nominated charities, Teenage Cancer Trust and Newport Sea Cadets, after raising £500 for Women’s Aid when she ran the Cardiff half marathon last September.

Joining them are four of the Argus’ staff – Ruth Mansfield, Nathan Briant, John Phillips and Martin Wade – who have been training for months ahead of the course, as well as physiotherapist Bethan Wakely who signed up to the Newport Half with her husband as part of a family weight-loss competition.

Newport physiotherapist Mrs Wakely used to run and completed the Paris marathon, but has not run at all since having her two children. After New Year she pledged to begin her training, starting with smaller runs.

She said: “We both started running again, only small runs, maybe going out for 30 minutes, just enough to try and drop some weight and win the competition! It was also a relief from plodding along whilst pushing the boy in his pushchair.”

There is little rest for the small committee in charge of organising the Newport Half, as planning for next year’s event, on Sunday, March 6, 2016 starts the day after this year’s one. Mr Broome said: “If you can plan for an event 18 months in advance that’s ideal but we’re going to start on March 2.”

“In order to keep up with other city half marathons, next year’s event should be launching the day after. The routes are not static so it’s always the route which takes the planning. In fact, if anyone’s got any suggestions then please get in touch!”

TOP TIPS:

Troy Wilson, Clinical Director of Physiotherapy, St Joseph’s Hospital, Newport, gives his key running tips for this week’s race.

1. Don’t just run. Running shouldn't be the only thing you do while training for the big race. Cross-training at least once a week with low-impact workouts like swimming or yoga will improve your overall fitness level.

2. Eat well. Diet can make a big difference to your bone health, especially over these dark winter months when the lack of sunlight can reduce our body’s production of Vitamin D. Good food sources of Vitamin D include oily fish (salmon, sardines, or mackerel), eggs, and fortified breakfast cereals.

3. Don’t ignore pain. The dreaded “shin-splints” are a common, but hopefully avoidable, injury as you start to increase your mileage. The most important thing is to increase your mileage gradually and not run through shin pain as it will more than likely get worse. It is a good idea to ice your shin area for 15-20 minutes after your longer runs to help reduce any inflammation in this area.

4. Rest. One of the best ways to avoid injury is to listen to your body and allow it regular rest, especially when you feel the need for it.

5. Train symmetrical. Ensure your body strength is symmetrical to reduce injuries. Simple tests to compare left and right include single calf raises, single leg squats and single leg bridging. If one side is weaker focus on building up your reps on that side until you are nice and even.