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Race the Train ( cy, Râs y Tren) is an annual
The event was the idea of local dentist, Godfrey Worsey, and was first run in 1984 with around 48 runners. The following year, this had increased to 250 runners. In 2008, there were 822 runners in the main race; the winner completing the course in just over 1 hour 18 minutes, a course record.The time beat the previous record, set in 2005:
The full race of is from Tywyn to Abergynolwyn and back. The course is mostly over public footpaths and local privately owned farmland, with the permission of the landowners, though the first and last sections are on public roads. Although only the elite runners stay ahead of the train for the full distance, the train stops in various locations to take on water, pass other trains or to run round at Abergynolwyn, allowing other runners to overtake.
Additionally, there are shorter races in the morning, as follows:
*Quarry Challenge - from Quarry Siding Halt to Tywyn.
*Dolgoch Challenge - from to Tywyn.
*Tynllwynhen Challenge - from Tynllwynhen Halt to Tywyn.
*Toddlers trot for children round the perimeter of the race field.
Talyllyn Railway websiteRace the Train website
{{Talyllyn Railway Talyllyn Railway Athletics competitions in Wales Cross country running competitions Cross country running in the United Kingdom Annual events in Wales Annual sporting events in the United Kingdom
cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...
event that takes place in Tywyn
Tywyn (Welsh: ; in English often ), formerly spelled Towyn, is a town, community, and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd, Wales. It was previously in the historic county of Merionethshire. It is famous as the lo ...
, Mid Wales
Mid Wales ( cy, Canolbarth Cymru or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands") or Central Wales refers to a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd ...
. The race is organised by Tywyn Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...
, and attracts runners from all over the world. In the main event, runners compete to beat a steam train on the preserved Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a narrow gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 ...
over a distance of . The event has featured both in local and national media, including the BBC's Countryfile
''Countryfile'' is a British television programme which airs weekly on BBC One and reports on rural, agricultural, and environmental issues in the United Kingdom.
The programme is currently presented by John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker ...
programme.
History
The event was the idea of local dentist, Godfrey Worsey, and was first run in 1984 with around 48 runners. The following year, this had increased to 250 runners. In 2008, there were 822 runners in the main race; the winner completing the course in just over 1 hour 18 minutes, a course record.The time beat the previous record, set in 2005:
Route
The full race of is from Tywyn to Abergynolwyn and back. The course is mostly over public footpaths and local privately owned farmland, with the permission of the landowners, though the first and last sections are on public roads. Although only the elite runners stay ahead of the train for the full distance, the train stops in various locations to take on water, pass other trains or to run round at Abergynolwyn, allowing other runners to overtake.
Additionally, there are shorter races in the morning, as follows:
*Quarry Challenge - from Quarry Siding Halt to Tywyn.
*Dolgoch Challenge - from to Tywyn.
*Tynllwynhen Challenge - from Tynllwynhen Halt to Tywyn.
*Toddlers trot for children round the perimeter of the race field.
Event under threat
In March 2009, it was announced that the August race may be the last, unless more volunteers can be found to help organise the event. Due to a strong response from the local community, these fears have been allayed and it was announced in the 2009 Race Programme, that the event's future was secured for a number of years.References
External links
Talyllyn Railway website
{{Talyllyn Railway Talyllyn Railway Athletics competitions in Wales Cross country running competitions Cross country running in the United Kingdom Annual events in Wales Annual sporting events in the United Kingdom