A BLAENAVON-BASED RUNNING club which was disbanded in the early 2000s is going from strength to strength since its revival, with July's Mic Morris 10k seeing one of the club's biggest ever turnouts.
Blaenafon Joggers was originally founded in 1985 but folded due to a decline in members and losing its base at the Blaenavon Recreation Centre in 2007.
In July 2017,
the group was re-established by Blaenavon resident, former Lancaster and Morecambe Athletic Club member Jon Tibke, who is now the club chairman and coach.
The club now has 30 members who regularly attend training sessions and races, while its Facebook group has more 140 people following news and supporting events.
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“Our regulars come on different days in groups always small enough for individual attention from the run leaders,” said Mr Tibke. “We train on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, travelling together to different local starting points to make sure we have plenty of variety on routes."
The Mic Morris event last month saw one of the club’s biggest-ever turnouts, with 17 running in the club’s new kit.
“We take part in lots of races, ranging from short Parkruns to fell and trail events," said Mr Tibke. "Lots of us ran the recent Mic Morris 10k, of course – it started in Blaenavon, so we just had to.
“We had loads of great runs and PBs (personal bests), followed by a family picnic in Pontypool Park.”
(Blaenafon Joggers taking part in the Torfaen Sprint Relays and in a training session at Garn Lakes. Picture: Blaenafon Joggers)
For the first time, the current Joggers entered a senior mixed team - Jon Tibke, Aislinn Harris, Angela Morgan and Damian Heward - at the Torfaen Sprint Relays.
“We have members with track, marathon and ultra distance ambitions – one is taking part in a 100-mile ultra event - and others who just want to improve personal fitness and be motivated by being part of a supportive group.”
Anyone interested in joining the club sessions should search Blaenafon Joggers on Facebook to check for times and contact details, or contact Jon Tibke on jon@personalbest-therapy.co.uk.
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