Griffith Morgan (1700–1737), better known as Guto Nyth Brân (Guto being a diminutive of Griffith and ''Nyth Brân'' ( en, Crow's Nest) the name of his parents' farm near PorthDavies (2008), pg 570.), was an athlete. Many of Guto's running feats have since become merged with legend, and were disseminated by poets and authors such as I. D. Hooson, who wrote the ballad ''Guto Nyth Brân''. Much of what is known of Guto was recorded by in his 1888 book ''Plwy Llanwynno'' ().

History as a runner

Guto was born in Llwyncelyn, a small village found today in the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

of Porth. It was said that his talent first came to prominence as he was helping his father herd sheep when he managed to chase and catch a wild hare. Once locals heard of this there were new rumours every day of him catching hares, foxes and birds. One such legend has him running from his home to the local town of

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

and back, a total distance of some , before his mother's kettle had boiled. Another tale is that he could blow out a candle and be in bed before the light faded. His talent was noticed by a local shopkeeper, Siân o'r Siop (Siân from the Shop), and she became his trainer and manager. The very first race organised by Siân o'r Siop saw Guto taking on an unbeaten English Captain over a distance of 4 miles on Hirwaun Common. Guto won easily and collected the £400 prize money, the first of many prizes he and Siân would win. Guto and Siân fell in love. As Guto kept winning his races it became difficult for him to find willing opponents to race against. He and Siân decided to retire to a quiet life before Guto turned 30. But years later a new runner had come to the fore: his name was Prince and he was affectionately known as the "Prince of Bedwas". Siân convinced Guto to come out of retirement in 1737 for one race with the prize being 1000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

. This is . The race was over 12 miles between Newport and

Bedwas Bedwas is a town situated two miles north-east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly county borough, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. Bedwas neighbours Trethomas, Graig-y-Rhacca and Machen, and forms a council ...

. Guto's effort looked in vain as Prince took an early lead, but a devastating uphill sprint from Guto saw him surge past Prince near the end and beat his challenger, taking the prize and the honour of being named the fastest man of his time. But the race took a fatal toll on Guto: it is reputed that during the post-race celebrations he collapsed and died in his lover's arms after an over vigorous congratulatory back-slap.Davies (2008), pg 571. His body was laid to rest at St. Gwynno Church in the

Llanwynno Llanwonno ( cy, Llanwynno) is a hamlet high up in the hills between the historic mining valleys of the Rhondda and the Cynon in Rhondda Cynon Taf, deep in the heart of the South Wales Valleys. Llanwonno consists of St Gwynno's Church and an inn ...

forestry. A large gravestone was erected in 1866, over 100 years after his death.

Nos Galan road race

The

Nos Galan Calennig is a Welsh word meaning "''New Year celebration/gift''", although it literally translates to "the first day of the month", deriving from the Latin word kalends. The English word "Calendar" also has its root in this word. It is a traditio ...

( cy, Ras Nos Galan) is an annual 5 kilometre (3.1 mi) race, run on ''Nos Galan'' () in

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also * Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf Mounta ...

, in the

Cynon Valley Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south of th ...

, Wales. It attracts runners from all over Great Britain. The 2009 race attracted over 800 runners, and 10,000 people into Mountain Ash for the associated entertainment. The race was created by local Mountain Ash resident Mr. Bernard Baldwin, a PE teacher at Mill Street Secondary school in Pontypridd and a President of the Amateur Athletic Association, in 1958 as a memorial. It is run over the course of Guto's first competitive race. Each year a mystery runner competes: these have included

Lillian Board Lillian Barbara Board, (13 December 1948 – 26 December 1970) was a British athlete. She won the silver medal in the 400 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and two gold medals at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics in ...

Iwan Thomas Iwan Gwyn Thomas (born 5 January 1974) is a Welsh sprinter who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic Games in the 400 metres, and Wales at the Commonwealth Games. Thomas is a former European, Commonwealth Games and Wo ...

and

Linford Christie Linford Cicero Christie (born 2 April 1960) is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World ...

. The main race starts with a church service at Llanwynno, and then a wreath is laid on Guto's grave in Llanwynno graveyard. After lighting a torch, it is carried to the nearby town of Mountain Ash, where the main race takes place. The current route consists of three circuits of the town centre, starting in Henry Street and ending in Oxford Street, by the commemorative statue of Guto. Traditionally, the race was timed to end at midnight, but in recent times it was rescheduled for the convenience of family entertainment, now concluding at around 21:00. This has resulted in a regrowth in size and scale, and now starts with an afternoon of street entertainment, and fun run races for children, concluding with the church service, elite runners' race and presentations.

Memorial

A statue of Guto Nyth Brân stands in the centre of Mountain Ash.

Bibliography

* * Thomas. W. (Glanffrwd) (1888), ''Plwyf Llanwyno, yr Hen Amser, yr Hen Bobl, a'r Hen Droion'', Pontypridd. 2nd edition 1913. Revised edition ''Llanwynno'' (1949), published by

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

References

External links

Nos Galan Races (maintained by the local Council)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyth Bran, Guto 1700 births 1737 deaths People from Porth Sportspeople from Rhondda Cynon Taf Welsh male long-distance runners