A road and cross-country running league that’s been running in Gwent since 1986 hasa celebrated its 40th anniversary.
The Gwent Leisure Centre League (GLCL) is organised by volunteers from nine running clubs. Runners came together at the Olive Tree Club for a party on Friday 25 September 2026 to mark the special occasion.
Emma King, from Lliswerry Runners, is chair of the committee, and her “right hand” is Martyn Jenkins, from Fairwater Runners.
The pair stepped out of the party to chat to Cwmbran Life about what makes this free-to-enter league so special.
Emma said: “I think it’s the collaboration of all the clubs and the community it brings.
“There is strong friendships that are founded off the back of it. There’s a nice competitive spirit as well. People really look forward to the event, so I think you have to mark the 40 years with a celebration. I think 40 years is a big achievement to have one league running.”
Martyn said: “I think it’s an achievement for 40 years. We’ve got some of the people in the room who ran the first race, certainly ran the first season. It was started by a very small number of clubs. We’ve doubled in size now.
‘Tremendous bond’
“It’s been a tremendous bond in the running community in Torfaen, Monmouth, Blaenau Gwent and Newport. I think it’s worked because it’s run by the people who run the races.
“We all get an equal say, who does what, whether you run with the league for one year or 40 years, you get an equal say so we share the workload, share the responsibility, share the frustrations sometimes.”
The pandemic didn’t stop the races, with the committee organising virtual races so the running could continue.
Emma said the league is licensed with Welsh Athletics. Runners enjoy the mix of five races in the summer and five in the colder months.
She said: “The league road races are on a Tuesday night, but then the cross-country in the winter and the autumn are on a Sunday morning. If it’s off-road it can be muddy, boggy, you know. I think it’s a camaraderie of all the clubs that brings everybody together. I think that’s what makes the league so special.”
Martyn spoke about how the league is “inclusive” no matter how fast you run, along with no entry fees.
He said: “One of the reasons for the success, I think, is that it’s very, very inclusive. So of the member clubs, every member of those clubs can run. It doesn’t cost them anything so it doesn’t mean you have to be wealthy to run. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a five-minute miler or a 12 or 15-minute miler, you are still eligible to run in the league. You run as a team, that’s the other thing. You’re scoring points for your club.”
The free-to-enter league is so unique that it has requests from other clubs who want to join, but although Emma would “love to expand it,” she said it’s “not that easy.”
The committee has just accepted an application from Caldicot Running Club, which will take part in the upcoming cross-country league.
‘Waiting list’
She added: “It’s very popular. There’s a waiting list of clubs waiting to join so I think we get requests all the time and unfortunately we can’t just say to everybody, ‘yes’ come and join’ because of capacity, venues and parking. We do one of our events here [at Northfields], and we can’t sort of take over everything. We have to allow for other sports and parking and safety so there’s lots to think about.”
The nine member clubs of the GLCL are:
- Caerleon Running Club
- Chepstow Harriers
- Fairwater Runners Cwmbran
- Griffithstown Harriers
- Islwyn Running Club
- Lliswerry Runners
- Parc Bryn Bach Running Club
- Pont-y-pwl and District Runners
- Spirit of Monmouth Running Club
There are ten races a year. Each club hosts one event, with one club hosting two.