Previous winners Dewi Griffiths, Omar Ahmed and Clara Evans will all be in action at the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay 10K this Sunday.
The popular annual road race will be the first fixture in the 2023 R4W 10K Series, starting in Cardiff Bay, taking runners on a picturesque route around the Bay that includes the Barrage before finishing on Roald Dahl Plass.
Dewi Griffiths (28:27) was the winner here in 2017 and will take on the 2021, 2022 winner Omar Ahmed (28:29) who re-set the course record to 28:42 back in 2021. This will be a test of road fitness for Griffiths who claimed an eighth senior Welsh Cross Country title in Brecon last month as he continues his preparation for the TCS London Marathon in April.
Ethiopian athlete Ahmed won the JCP Swansea Half Marathon last year and more recently finished as the runner up in the Chester 10k. He was able to get the better of Griffiths here 12 months ago with the Welshman finishing as the runner up on that occasion.
Lewis Jagger is next fastest with a best of 29:03 for 10km, set on the way to fifth at the Trafford 10k in December. The Sheffield and Dearne AC Athlete was the winner of the City of Lincoln 10k in October.
Dan Nash (29:23) is the British Record holder for 50km and claimed the bronze medal behind Griffiths at the Welsh Cross Country Championships in February. He’ll be looking to see how fast he can run over 10k alongside Cardiff Athletics clubmate Mike Ward (29:33) who recently fell just shy of his P.B. to clock 29:35 at the Valencia Ibercaja 10km race.
Shaun Antell (29:34) clocked 29:53 to finish sixth at this event in 2019 and is joined by fellow sub 30 minute performers Paul Graham (29:38) and Ciaran Lewis (29:46).
The women’s race will see a head to head between two of Wales’ top distance runners with clubmates Jenny Nesbitt (32:30) and Clara Evans (32:35) testing themselves on Welsh roads and currently sitting fifth and sixth on the Welsh all-time lists.
Nesbitt is a former UK Inter-Counties Cross Country Champion whose winter was spent on the Indoor Circuit with Evans opting for a different approach to the start of 2023 which included a 2:29.27 clocking for 16th at the Seville Marathon in mid February.
Swedish Olympian Carolina Wikstrom (32:38) is a twice winner of the Stockholm Marathon and is looking to revise her 10km best in Cardiff.
Hannah Irwin (32:49) is a Northern Ireland International who is returning from injury but has form at this distance which includes a 14th place finish at the European 10,000m Cup last year in 32:44.
Kirsty Longley (33:35) will chase the masters 45 British record of 34:02 on Sunday having narrowly missed it with a time of 34:24 at the Dewsbury 10k but hoping that the flat and fast course in Cardiff Bay will help her find the necessary 23 seconds.
Hannah Robinson (34:04) and Imogen Wood (34:16) are next fastest with a further eight athletes entered with times under 36 minutes.
