A FOUNDER of the popular Village Bakery Half Marathon in Wrexham will be running himself for the first time ever at the age of 82, two years after overcoming prostate cancer.

In previous years Peter Norman, a three times world triathlon champion, was too busy helping to organise the race which meant he wasn’t able to take part until this year which will also mark its 25th anniversary.

The Village Bakery have supported the half marathon from the word go and the Wrexham-based family firm has just confirmed it’s going to continue with its sponsorship of the race for at least another five years.

Originally, all the competitors were rewarded at the end with one of the Village Bakery’s Bara Brith fruit loaves but these days the runners receive a packet of the company’s Welsh Cakes.

The race has grown a great deal since it started with a few hundred runners and this year’s event on Sunday, February 16, will see a record entry of 3,000 people taking part, with some from as far afield as Germany and Holland.

These days the race is organised by Run Cheshire in conjunction with Wrexham Athletic Club.

Originally, the plan for 2020 was for race headquarters to be based at the sponsor’s new gluten free bakery.

But the fire at one of the company’s bakeries on Wrexham Industrial Estate last August means that every square inch of space at their three other bakeries is being used to make up for lost production capacity.

Thankfully, Wrexham County Borough Council have stepped into the breach and offered space at Redwither Tower on the industrial estate as the new nerve centre for the 2020 event

When he founded the event in 1995 Peter used his loaf when he was looking for a sponsor and secured the backing of the Village Bakery where he worked as a maintenance engineer.

As well as winning three world triathlon titles in his 70s, Peter is the current British champion fell runner in his age group.

Competing in ironman triathlons – which involve swimming two and a quarter miles, a bike ride of 112 miles topped off with a full marathon – has taken Peter around the world.

His record is all the more remarkable because he didn’t take up running until he was 50 years of age.

He said: “Since then I haven’t stopped running and I still compete regularly. I did about 15 triathlons last year and I won the British championship for over 80s in the sprint version of the triathlon in Nottingham which involved a 750 metre swim, a 12 mile bike ride and a three mile run.

“I did have prostate cancer a couple of years ago but I had treatment for that, including radiotherapy, and it’s clear now.

“I run six miles every day and I do the park run at Erddig every Saturday morning and I have quite a few races lined up this year, including the Village Bakery Half Marathon.

“I’m really looking forward to it because I’ve never been able to take part until this year.

“I am really proud of the way the event has grown and I’m really grateful to the Village Bakery for their brilliant ongoing support.”

Mike Harrington from Run Cheshire said: “ Peter is an absolute stalwart who has put in a great shift helping to organise the Village Bakery Half Marathon.”