Aphrodite 10K/5K Road Races:
The 1st Aphrodite Run held in Polis Chrysochou, took place on Sunday 13 April. The event was organised by Running in Cyprus in cooperation with Polis Chrysochou Municipality. Club members felt it was important to support this 1st running event and many of our runners took part. Angela McGill, Christine Bell, Claire Rinkes, Jo Parry, Kathy Kaiser, Louise Robinson-Georgiou, Marc Slatter, Neil Bithell, Rita Leyland and Viv Couldrey all successfully competed in the 10K and Di Henry-Ward in the 5k. The weather forecast wasn’t inspiring and true to form we all arrived in Polis in heavy rain with the possibility of thunderstorms. There was a great deal of reluctance to get out of the cars and make our way to the start! The route started and finished from the town centre and was a hilly tough route but everyone managed to finish the 10K race. The rain eventually stopped and the sun made an appearance.
The Aphrodite 5k race commenced from the same point as the 10K. The 5K race started 15 minutes after the 10K which was very advantageous for the 5K runners as, the rain had stopped. The race was relatively flat, except for the hill coming up to the finish line and quite picturesque as the course route included running by the edge of the Limni State Forest. As previously mentioned Di Henry-Ward took place in this race and was awarded 2nd place in the 60 years and over age group category. Well done Di!
Jubilee Run Free Race:
On 27th April Angela McGill, Louise Robinson–Georgiou and Neil Bithell took part in the Run Free 11K trail race up in Troodos. The rugged course starts and finishes at the Jubilee Hotel and takes in many beautiful mountain vistas (well it would have if there hadn’t been low cloud and mist that day!) The weather didn’t dampen the spirits of our intrepid runners though and they enjoyed the well-earned complimentary buffet lunch laid on at the hotel afterwards. A memorable run to be recommended!
West Coast Runners on Tour:
Christine Bell recently went on holiday to Kefalonia a beautiful island of the West Coast of Greece, staying with family in a small village Klismata about 20K from the capital Argastoli. Christine intended on doing a short 5k easy run proudly wearing her WCR T-Shirt from the villa and back in time for breakfast. However, she thought it would be a good idea to run to Spartia Beach. The views were stunning but it soon became apparent that it would be tough running back uphill! To add, getting lost towards the end turned a 5K run into 9.5K. Breakfast was well deserved!
If you would like to join us at one of our weekly runs, our schedule is updated monthly and can be found on our Facebook page or contact Di on 97761015 or Gerry on 99926291 for further information. We also have an events calendar showing externally organised races that our members take part in.
West Coast Walkers:
The Walking Group have continued to meet every Monday morning at various places around Paphos and surrounding areas. Recently 9 of the group walked 19K from the Baths of Aphrodite to the end of the peninsula. Ruth Poole, who was leading the walk stated, “that she carried a First Aid Kit, Wipes and Gels and although it wasn’t too hot ensured that every-one had plenty of water. Their first stop was at the Blue Lagoon about 5K from the start. The group took lots of photos and they enjoyed the gorgeous views of the crystal blue waters. It was another 4K to reach the end of the peninsula and a further photo stop. On the return there were further stops firstly to have a packed lunch and dip their feet in the sea and again at the Blue Lagoon to watch the boats come in and people swimming. The walk terminated back at the car park. It was a lovely, peaceful day, listening to nature, seeing the waves and the goats roaming. Ruth would recommend this walk to others wanting to be out in the Cyprus countryside and experiencing the beauty”.
If you want to experience walks like this one or other routes around Paphos. Please see the West Coast Walkers Facebook page for meeting points and start times.
