Swansea Bay 10 km race:

Having run through Swansea on Saturday leaving ourselves only 12 km to run out of the city, meant an easy day for the runners with half of the team running in the Swansea Bay 10 km race.

The weather was threatening rain just before the start and the temperatures were a little on the cool side, but it was still pleasant for the time of year. There were three races scheduled, a 1 km run for under 7’s, a 5 km run and the 10 km.

The 1 km run for the under 7's was a great thing to see. At the finish line there were all kinds of scenarios with the children and their parents. Some of the runners were 2 - 3 years old.

Several thousand runners lined up for the 10 km start and the World Harmony Runners joined the crowd, running as a group and carrying the torch and flags through the misty afternoon.

The runners started at about a 50-minute pace and gradually worked their way up through the field, finishing in 46 minutes.

Several international runners came by The World Harmony Run stand just past the finish area and held the torch; these included the race winner, Tewadras Shiferaw from Adis Ababa, Ethiopia who had a chip time of 29:37.

Second-placed Simon Tonui from Nairobi, Kenya and third-placed Haggai Chepkwony from Kenya, who runs for Les Croupiers in Cardiff.

Fifth place runner, Ayele Mezgebu from Ethiopia and second placed lady, Birhan Dagne also came by; it was encouraging to see such goodwill for the Harmony Run torch.

We also met some very slim runners at the race. This one is probably a winner of the weight-loss contest.

After the races were over, the runners gathered together and ran the remaining 12 km out of Swansea along the A48 as a group; then it was home early.

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Distance: 24km

Team Members:
Ondrej Vesely, Rosta Vagner, Katka Prusova, Ivana Nemacova (Czech Republic), Balavan Thomas, Roger and Fran Chamberlain (England), Abichal Watkins (Wales), Jarek Werner (Poland), Terezia Hammel (Hungary), Ieva Kurzemniece and Anette Klavina (Latvia), Helena Kosuthova (Slovakia), Annemarie Beumer (Netherlands).

Harmonemail:
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Gallery: See more images!

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