Over 700 runners lined up for the start of the Round the Lakes 30km road race at Rhayader on Saturday.
The event was started by BBC Wales weather girl Sue Charles. The entries were 50% up on previous years and it was the inaugural race for the 30k distance following it’s cancellation in 2018 due to the snow.
Formerly a 20-mile race, the distance has been changed to simplify the route for safety reasons.
The event has been in existence for 35 years and is entirely run by volunteers on a not-for-profit basis, hence the low entry fee in comparison to most races on this scale.
Any profit resulting from the race is donated to a local charity or cause. Last year was the first time it had been cancelled, so organisers were pleased for the kinder weather to launch the event over the revised distance this year.
New bespoke medals and commemorative T-shirts for all the runners who finished were presented this year after the race. The five-mile race run on the same day also saw higher numbers than usual, and extra buses were required to take runners to a new start location. This year the races started and finished in the Nant Gwyllt Church car park, which was considered a safer location than finishing in the town centre.