MORE than 300 runners competed in a brand new event near Chirk last weekend.

A total of 320 runners set out at the Brynkinalt Running Festival, run by Adrenaline Sporting Events, to take on a 5k, 10k or 20k course.

It was the first event of its kind to be granted a license by Welsh Athletics since before the first lockdown.

Organiser Alan Lewis was delighted to welcome people back with a new and well-received day of running.

“It was an incredible venue for us to be able to host three races of different distances. The hosts were fantastic,” Alan said.

“Before the event had even taken place, Covid had dictated a lot of the organising process.

“We were the first company to be granted a license for an event of this kind by the Welsh Athletics governing body since before the pandemic.

“The event was mega – it got top marks from Welsh Athletics and was well-received by everyone who attended.”

Runners came from all parts of the UK to compete, with the youngest runner aged just 12.

The charity partner for the event was The Movement Centre, based in Gobowen.

The standout performer was Andrew Davies – a New Balance runner who has represented Wales in the Commonwealth Games on two occasions.

Despite the competitive nature which comes with running events, Alan was delighted to see people excited to finally return to the running scene after a long layoff enforced by the pandemic.

He said: “The most important message from those who attended the event was how much everyone had missed this.

“People really highlighted the community feel as being something they had missed and the opportunity to catch up with friends.

“I think it made a lot of people remember how much they love events like this.

“A lot of runners said they will be attending the Oswestry 10k event this October.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Oswestry 10k run, or other events organised by Adrenaline Sporting Events can find out more at www.adrenalinesportingevents.co.uk