“The camaraderie. It’s free. Competitive. It’s social. You race your own level. Organised by volunteers.”
These were a few of the positive things that three runners who took part in the first season of a Gwent running league said at its 40th anniversary party on Friday 25 September 2026.
The Gwent Leisure Centre League (GLCL) has run every year since 1986. Nine clubs (soon to be ten) each host either a road or cross-country race. Every person who takes part scores points for their club.
The GLCL held a party in the Olive Tree Club in Cwmbran to celebrate the landmark. I tracked down three runners who ran in its debut year and asked them why the league is still going strong.
Dimitri Vorres, Pont-y-pwl and District Runners, said: “I think it’s the fact that we’re all local clubs. It’s the camaraderie between the runners, the competition; they love it. There’s a lot of hard work that goes on in the background and the people that are the committee of the GLCL, the hard work that they put in to make sure that it does go ahead and it runs well and people love it.”
Mike Williams, from Fairwater Runners, said: “I’ve got to honest, I feel quite humble to a point because when we formed all these clubs locally, a lot of them, it was in 1983, the clubs were quite young and we didn’t know which clubs would survive. Risca disappeared; Blaenavon disappeared in time.
‘Phenomenal level’
“But the ones that kept going, they built and built and built, and the membership really has driven the change. And to think the clubs survived this long or longer and the league that was set up in 1986, that’s survived. It’s grown to a phenomenal level now…you have hundreds of runners and I think that’s absolutely phenomenal…and to think I was helping at the start of all that. It’s just amazing to be honest, brilliant.”
He added that the points are awarded from “first to last” so “everybody can race their level and that makes it good. It’s a friendly thing.”
‘Social’
John Hill, Lliswerry Runners, said: “I just think from its very first run the idea was to be competitive but social. And you’ll see that in there today [he pointed at the roomful of people]. That’s the beauty of it…after 40 years, people can be bothered to turn up.
“It’s friendly but competitive. It’s inclusive from the fastest to, call it the slowest, but that doesn’t matter. I’m there now.
“At one time I was a third away from the front. I’m now right at the back. I’m 74 and I’m still doing it, still accepted.
“Obviously it’s self-financed by the clubs. It’s a good incentive to get somebody to come and join you as a club because you get the potential of ten free races a year, five cross country, five road. What’s the average cost of a race now? £25? £30? You’re talking a £250 to £300 saving.”
The nine clubs in the league 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
Caldicot Running Club has been accepted and will take part in the upcoming cross-country league.