MONMOUTH Tri Club and Spirit of Monmouth member Renske Bouwens enjoyed a fruitful trip to Barry Island, bringing home two medals representing Wales (Tim Tri Cymru) in the SWYD aqua, which featured the British and Welsh Aquathlon Championships, reports KELLY SALTER.

Attacking a 750m sea swim in an incredible 13.31, followed by a speedy 5km run in 22.31, Renske finished in 37.88, winning a Welsh silver and British bronze in the 50-54 class.

Fellow MTC (www.monmouthtriclub.org) members took on a less dignified challenge at the Forest Warrior in Huntley on Sunday.

Andy Howells, Sharon Neville, Rob Neville, Victoria Baker and Kelly Major slogged through 10km of waist-high mud, fallen trees and whopping obstacles in 70 minutes.

Lashings of teamwork ensured everyone made the line, which welcomed runners home with electric shocks and a full body ice-cold dunk!

Meanwhile, Spirit's Katie Adams and Marina Wright took part in the Blaisdon 10k in midweek, an out and back on country lanes hosted by Forest of Dean AC, writes VICKY ROBERTS.

Katie crossed in 44.02 for second in her age category, while Marina finished in 52.12 ahead of many club runners.

Sian Fielding also ran the Rabbit Run on Saturday, a 12km trail through Merthyr Mawr Estate, crossing two rivers, sand dunes and muddy woodlands and trails, finishing in 1.39.33.

On Sunday, four Spirits entered the Wye Valley Tunnel 10k organised by Relish Running, which took runners through the railway line tunnel from Wyedean School near Chepstow to Tintern and back, ending with an uphill finish.

Steve Reason, Julie Glyn-Jones, Julie Gee and Charlotte Brown all called the race mesmerising with its ‘hypnotic’ rhythmic sound running through the tunnels.

Steve finished in 55.46, followed by Julie Glyn-Jones in 61.29, Charlotte in 62.17 and Julie Gee in 72.53, who admitted: “I felt a wave of panic as I entered the tunnel with its dark and encroaching depths, and was pleased to see the daylight at the end."

Marina Wright also took part in the OTT (Off The Tarmac) Pen Y Fan challenge on Sunday, a 13-mile race up and down South Britain's highest mountain twice – an ascent of 4,097ft made tougher by the heat.

Beautiful views and scenery made it a spectacular event and brilliant training ahead of the upcoming Wyedean Ultra.

With the sun shining, Marina left her four-legged friends to enjoy the lake with her family, and enjoyed a great run, finishing in a decent time.

Sunday also saw Spirit ladies Cathy Fletcher, Elizabeth Sim and Abigail Buckley take on the Dragon Coastal 30 Miler in the heatwave, an ultra-trail footrace along the Wales Coast Path from Southerndown, with the final mile over the Cardiff Bay Barrage to a finish at the Captain Scott Memorial and Norwegian Church.

The course included sections of rocks, slate and hard sand which was tough on the ankles, via the sights of Nash Point Lighthouse, Atlantic College, Llantwit Beach, Aberthaw Power Station, Porthkerry Park, Cold Knap Point, Barry, Sully Island, Penarth Pier, and up the legendary Kymin Steps.

All three supported a man whose muscles were cramping and was literally crawling to the finish, picking him up and supporting him across the line, reached in seven hours five minutes.