News

01/05/2025 00:00, In Blog /

Clara Evans-Graham, James Heneghan and Mike Ward will head the start lists for the Welsh 5km Championships at the Cardiff 5k - Race For Victory on Sunday evening.

The ever popular community event takes place in Whitchurch and incorporates the Welsh 5km Championships. The 2025 race will also feature teams from England, The Midland’s and the North of England, along with a team from North Wales and one representing the UK Armed Forces. The race will start at 19:00 and feature the usual Supercars, live music and pyrotechnics.

Athletes will focus their attention on both the course records of 15:29 set by Charlotte Arter and 13:55 by Omar Ahmed and on the Welsh all-comers records currently set at 15:29 by Arter and 13:39 by Tom Mortimer.

European U20 Cross Country Champion Innes Fitzgerald (15:08) returns as the winner from last time and more recently set the European U20 record, whilst re-setting her own UK U20 record to 15:08 at the Bristol Track Club 5k. Back in early February the Exeter Harrier set the European U20 Indoor Record over 3,000m with a time of 8:40.05 in Ostrava.

2024 winner Innes Fitzgerald.

Clara Evans-Graham (15:34) is a previous winner here and was the runner-up last time, setting her P.B. in the process. Evans-Graham returns form a short injury spell but despite this will still be the outstanding favourite for the Welsh title. She is Welsh Record Holder for both the Half Marathon in 69:00 and the full Marathon Distance with 2:25:01.

Clara Evans taking the win in 2023.

Atsede Gidey (16:15) is likely to make her presence known and has a 10km best of 32:34. Megan Marchant (16:14) and Chelsea Baker (16:16) come here with 10km bests of 33:54 and 33:45 respectively.

Other notable entries include Jenny Leggate (16:24) who was fifth U20 at the English National Cross Country Championships, Katie Hawkins (16:25) who won the Bolton 5k earlier this year and Hannah Clark who was second at the South of England Cross Country Championships in January.

Alaw Evans (16:07) was sixth here last time and was the winner of the Cardiff 10k in 2023. Evans will face local rival Lauren Cooper (16:39) and Sophie Pikett (16:19) in the Welsh Championships title race.

Wales’ Eden Odea (17:58) and Bryony Boyce (17:01) are also likely to feature in the Championships.

Aron Gebremariam (13:33) is the fastest in the men’s field. The Birmingham based Eritrean Athlete won the U20 race at the UK Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in February and followed up with a third place finish at the prestigious Podium Festival in Leicester with an incredible time of 13:33.

Blake Moore (13:52) is next fastest and starts with an impressive P.B. that was also set in Leicester. His last visit to Cardiff sealed a 14:03 clocking in 12^th place at the Adidas Home Nations Podium 5k.

Seb Beedell (14:20) will lead a strong England U20 Team and was fourth at the English National Cross Country Championships in February.

The battle for Welsh honours here should take place between Pontypridd Roadents Mike Ward (13:54) and James Heneghan (14:13) who dipped under 14 minutes on the track at the Fast 5,000 in France last summer. Fellow Welshman Samuel Roberts (14:13) will also be chasing a sub 14 clocking and has a 29:32 10km best to his name.

Jon Butler (14:19), Rhodri Owen (14:26), Dylan Nazareth (14:31) and Alex Jackson (14:33) will also be contesting the Championships.

Good luck to all athletes competing.