Ben Connor, Beth Kidger and Jess Gibbon head Competitive fields to contest the ABP Newport Marathon Festival on Sunday 13th April.
The event features Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K offerings along with supporting children and family races. The 10K race will also kick-start the 2025 R4W 10K Series.
Wales’ Beth Kidger (32:24) heads the start lists for the women’s 10K race as the fastest athlete on paper. The 2022 Commonwealth Games competitor set her P.B. for Half Marathon at 72:42 in January and is the fifth fastest Welsh Athlete of all-time for 10km.
Jess Gibbon (32:29) is next fastest and is a fierce competitor, demonstrated most recently by her English National and UK Inter-counties Cross Country titles for 2025. The Reading AC Athlete finished second at the Adidas Home Nations Podium 5K in Cardiff last summer.
Also racing will be Lauren Hall (32:39) who was the winner of the prestigious Chichester 10K in 2024 and the runner-up at the Wokingham Half Marathon in February.
Imogen Wood (34:16), Lauren Cooper (34:46) and Deborah Bruce (34:56) will also be in action over the 10km distance on Sunday.
The men’s race will feature Great Britain & Northern Ireland International Ben Connor (28:10) and twice winner here, Omar Ahmed (28:27).
Connor was the Silver medallist at the English National Cross Country Championships in 2024, dipped under 62 minutes for Half Marathon in January and was the runner up at the Sonia O’Sullivan Cobh 10 Mile last weekend in 48:15. Ahmed was the runner-up at the Bath Half Marathon in March and holds the course record here of 28:35.
Bahrain’s Abdinasir Elmi (29:00) is the most likely to challenge Connor and Ahmed, followed by Mike Ward (29:31) and Jonathan Butler (29:52).
Newport Harrier Owain Terrell (30:12) will be in action in the 10K Wheelchair race and was the winner of the Brecon Carreg CDF 10K and the Admiral Swansea Bay 10K last September.
The Half Marathon race was added last year and this time
is headed by Swansea’s Kate Roberts (78:35) and last year’s Marathon winner Liz
Dimond (79:56).
Ronnie Richmond (65:36) was the winner last time and returns to contest the
Half Marathon once again.
The Marathon races are known for being extremely flat and will see athletes chasing course records of 2:44.07 in the women’s race and 2:19.46 in the men’s race.
Prolific Marathon race winner Melissah Gibson (2:36.39) and Mountain Running specialist Rebecca Robinson (2:36.51) top the fields on the women’s side.
The men’s Marathon features Michael Eccles (2:24.44), James Elgar (2:27.38) and Joshua Hasson (2:28.38).