Rhiwbina Runners mark 10 years with charity fundraiser

Rhiwbina Runners are celebrating their 10th anniversary this month with a special event - to collectively run as many miles as they can on 30 August.

The run will raise money for the MS Society and Cardiff City Hospice, charities which have helped some of the runners in recent years.

The Runners meet every Wednesday at 6.30pm outside Northwood Estate Agents to chat and run together on routes which take them around North Cardiff.

Led by friendly volunteer run leaders, most weeks there are two routes to choose from, a short - around 5km route - and a longer - around 8km route. Every runner can decide what they want to run on the night, with no pressure to run at any particular speed, and no one is left on their own. 

The club says no two weeks are the same, sometimes heading out towards Castell Coch, and other weeks having two groups branching off to explore parks or paths which all lead back to Rhiwbina Tap. 

They mostly run on the roads, but in the summer they head to the trails for a few runs, and occasionally tackle hill sessions.

"We welcome everyone to our club," Rachel Flint told us. "It is very casual with no commitment or membership fee. We also have some qualified guide runners to support visually impaired runners.

"As a social running club our group is not about being the fastest or running the furthest. There's no competitiveness, the whole club is just about a group of people supporting each other, having fun, all while running.

"If anyone is thinking about starting running or just wants to run without judgement or pressure, I'd encourage them to come along one Wednesday night. 

"I've never met such a lovely bunch of people and I feel very grateful to have found this club. This social running club isn't daunting, you can come whenever you like, and it's totally free. I've made friends for life - and there's often a cheeky drink in the Tap afterwards.

"Many of our members go running together outside of the club, exploring trails and heading to events, supporting each other to achieve fitness goals, from parkruns, to ultra-marathons, after meeting and becoming friends at Rhiwbina Runners.

The 10th anniversary event takes place on 30 August, starting in Rhiwbina, to raise money for the MS Society and Cardiff City Hospice. It will end with a group 1km run at around 5.30pm.

To find out more, you can join the Facebook group Rhiwbina Runners (Rhedwyr Rhiwbina) or come along on a Wednesday to join in on one of the weekly runs.