By Owen Morgan
Some of Wales’ top middle distance stars will be battling against each other as well as national and regional teams from across the UK on the streets of Cardiff on Sunday evening.
The Cardiff 5K – Race for Victory will feature the Welsh 5K Championships and an inter-area match between teams representing Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the English regions and the Armed Forces.
Leading the Welsh charge will be the likes of defending men’s Welsh 5K Champion Jon Hopkins, of Swansea Harriers and Cardiff AC’s Clara Evans, who have both recently returned from a Welsh Athletics high altitude training camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Both will be looking for fast times at an event which offers a flat, fast course in Whitchurch village as well as a festival atmosphere created by live music, street food stalls, a supercar parade and fireworks.
Hopkins will be joined on the start line in the Welsh team by fellow Gold Coast Commonwealth Games steeplechaser Ieuan Thomas, of Cardiff AC, who will be looking for a fourth Welsh 5K title.
The Welsh men’s team is completed by Swansea Harrier Guy Smith and Cardiff AC’s Matthew Edwards.
UK Inter-Counties Cross Country Champion, Adam Hickey is the top non-Welsh entry in the men’s field and the only athlete who has run sub 14 minutes for the distance on the road.
Newport Harrier Abed Teweldebrhan was third last year and along with Peter Lewis of the RAF and Chris Madden of Northern Ireland, will be looking to get amongst the podium places.
The women’s race is full of athletes in top form. Before heading for Albuquerque, Evans ran a 72:49 half marathon personal best in Barcelona.
Also expected to contest the Welsh title are fellow Swansea Harriers and Welsh Commonwealth Games athletes Caryl Jones and Elinor Kirk.
Jones is the third fastest Welsh athlete over 10km of all time with Kirk sitting fourth on the same list. Both athletes have run 15:37 for 5,000m on the track.
Kirk has been in sparkling form recently having run the second fastest parkrun in the UK over Easter and finished second at the Mid-Cheshire 5K last weekend.
Joining Evans and Jones in the Welsh women’s team will be Amman Valley Harrier, and former winner of the Welsh 5K title Jade Williams along with Belgrave Harrier Sophie Harries.
Kate Maltby, of Bristol & West AC will lead the England Midlands team and is likely to be at the sharp end of the race. Tamara Beach of Les Croupiers RC and Sarah Mackness of the North of England are the next fastest on paper in the women’s field.
The teams taking part in the inter-area match are:
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
England South
England Midlands
England North
Armed Forces
As well as elite and club athletes, the race features runners of all abilities from the age of 11-years-old upwards and gets underway at 7pm.