• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home European Athletics

Welsh Hills breed tough stock as Dewi Griffiths impresses in Frankfurt Marathon

RBR Adminby RBR Admin
October 30, 2017
0
0 0
0
SHARES
7
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

There was much excitement about the Welsh runner Dewi Griffiths with his fifth in Frankfurt in 2:09:49, a debut marathon for that matter. The full time sheep farmer had run 61:00 for the half marathon less than three weeks ago, and then, his gutty marathon debut has fascinated many. Race News Service wrote the following, and praised the new Welsh star.

Griffiths_Dewi-Frankfurt17.JPGDewi Griffiths, October 29, 2017, photo by PhotoRun.net

RelatedPosts

Jeff Benjamin’s Book Review 2025 Book # 1 “Always Speeding – Memoirs Of The World’s Fastest Human” By Steve Williams

Two World records at NIKE Pre Classic

This Day in Track & Field History, July 9, Rafer Johnson regains Decathlon WR (1960), by Walt Murphy

Welsh Hills breed tough stock as Dewi Griffiths impresses in Frankfurt Marathon

After running the fastest marathon by a Briton in three years with 2:09:49 for fifth place in Frankfurt – and on his debut at the distance – Dewi Griffiths laughs when asked if his running and lifestyle is a “throwback” to the 1980s, an era when British men and Europeans in general had considerably greater strength in depth internationally in the event.

The 26-year-old Welshman, who works with his parents on a sheep farm in Carmarthenshire, reflects that hard, physical work and a solid volume of training have done him no harm: “Back in the day, a lot of runners did manual work and ran 100 to 120 miles per week on top of it. You could probably say my lifestyle corresponds to it, I’m only running 100 miles per week and got up to a maximum of 110 in the build-up for this. I like to race a lot which the guys in the ’80s did as well and I started doing more of that this year.”

The record for a UK marathon debutant remains with his fellow Welshman Steve Jones, who won Chicago in 1984 with 2:08:05 and went on to break the world record with 2:07:13. It’s a measure of Griffiths’ achievement in the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon that up to 35 kilometres not only was Jones’ record under threat but Mo Farah’s debut time of 2:08:20 in London in 2014, which is the English rather than British record.

The omens were good for his marathon debut this year: a personal best of 61:33 in the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 1, capping a year when he had set lifetime bests at 5 and 10,000m followed by 5 and 10k on the road. “After the run in Cardiff, I thought I’d give it a go. I was running in the second group in Frankfurt and they were going faster than planned but it didn’t faze me. I got to 30k and I was on 2:07 pace, got to 35k and was still on for low 2:08 but then…”, said Griffiths, adding that you never really know how a marathon will feel till 35 kilometres.

The answer on the Festhalle’s red carpet in Frankfurt was, pretty good, since fifth place and the second fastest marathon by a European this year confirmed his range of options for the coming year. Having graduated from university four years ago, Griffiths has been supported by his parents but does his full share of work on the sheep farm in Wales. He wanted to explore his running potential.

“I told them, I want to give it a go. They supported me and, after going to the 2014 Commonwealth Games, I don’t get any questions any more, they know I’m getting better and who knows where I can go? As for the farm work, it can be physical, it can be long hours but I guess for the marathon, you’ve got to be mentally tough and strong.”

A stress fracture to the foot prevented Dewi Griffiths producing his best at the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He has possibly twin objectives in 2018, firstly doing justice to himself in the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, probably in the 10,000m. Then there might be a return to Germany and the European Championships in Berlin in August. He is certainly tempted by the prospect of the marathon there: “I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Half of the reason for competing in Frankfurt was having the option, whether I do the 10k or the marathon.”

Let the final word be with the man whom Dewi Griffiths beat in Frankfurt on Sunday: the German record holder Arne Gabius finished one place and ten seconds behind the Welshman: “The Briton is strong. It’s great for marathon running in Europe – we have strong runners again.”

Strength in depth across the nations for distance running can bring nothing but good news for the sport and a sheep farmer among the hills of Carmarthenshire is playing his part to the full.

More information is available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com

Author

  • RBR Admin

    View all posts
Previous Post

Some elite athletes to watch out for at the TCS New York City Marathon

Next Post

The MEB Archives: Meb Keflezighi & Bob Larsen: The Gamblers, by Larry Eder (reprint of January 2012 article)

RBR Admin

RBR Admin

Similar Post

Jeff Benjamin’s Book Review 2025  Book # 1  “Always Speeding – Memoirs Of The World’s Fastest Human”  By Steve Williams
Reviews

Jeff Benjamin’s Book Review 2025 Book # 1 “Always Speeding – Memoirs Of The World’s Fastest Human” By Steve Williams

July 10, 2025
Two World records at NIKE Pre Classic
Diamond League

Two World records at NIKE Pre Classic

July 10, 2025
This Day in Track & Field History, April 28, 2024, Charlie Paddock (1928), Glenn Cunningham (1934), Roger Bannister wins Penn Relays mile (1951), CK Yang (1963) sets WR in Decathlon at Mt.SAC, by Walt Murphy News and Results Service
2024 Diamond League

This Day in Track & Field History, July 9, Rafer Johnson regains Decathlon WR (1960), by Walt Murphy

July 10, 2025
The women’s long jump is on fire!
Diamond League

The women’s long jump is on fire!

July 10, 2025
Dos Santos Reclaims Momentum With a Season-Best Win Over Benjamin in Eugene
Diamond League

Dos Santos Reclaims Momentum With a Season-Best Win Over Benjamin in Eugene

July 10, 2025
2023 USATF NYC Grand Prix: Zarnel Hughes 9.83 WL/NR, Sydney McLaughlin 49.51, Athing Mu goes 1:58.73!
Diamond League

Athing Mu-Nikoleyev’s Flat Return Raises Hard Questions Before U.S. Championships

July 10, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

April 5, 2023
2023 Nike Pre Classic: Two Amazing Days of Track & Field!

Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

March 7, 2024
Grand Slam Track’s Kingston Slam Comes to a Close with 12 Slam Champions

2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

April 12, 2025
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

February 6, 2025
Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

8
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

7
My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

7
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
Jeff Benjamin’s Book Review 2025  Book # 1  “Always Speeding – Memoirs Of The World’s Fastest Human”  By Steve Williams

Jeff Benjamin’s Book Review 2025 Book # 1 “Always Speeding – Memoirs Of The World’s Fastest Human” By Steve Williams

July 10, 2025
Two World records at NIKE Pre Classic

Two World records at NIKE Pre Classic

July 10, 2025
This Day in Track & Field History, April 28, 2024, Charlie Paddock (1928), Glenn Cunningham (1934), Roger Bannister wins Penn Relays mile (1951), CK Yang (1963) sets WR in Decathlon at Mt.SAC, by Walt Murphy News and Results Service

This Day in Track & Field History, July 9, Rafer Johnson regains Decathlon WR (1960), by Walt Murphy

July 10, 2025
The women’s long jump is on fire!

The women’s long jump is on fire!

July 10, 2025

Popular Stories

  • Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • An epic pole vault competition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Jeff Benjamin’s Book Review 2025  Book # 1  “Always Speeding – Memoirs Of The World’s Fastest Human”  By Steve Williams
Reviews

Jeff Benjamin’s Book Review 2025 Book # 1 “Always Speeding – Memoirs Of The World’s Fastest Human” By Steve Williams

July 10, 2025
Two World records at NIKE Pre Classic
Diamond League

Two World records at NIKE Pre Classic

July 10, 2025
This Day in Track & Field History, April 28, 2024, Charlie Paddock (1928), Glenn Cunningham (1934), Roger Bannister wins Penn Relays mile (1951), CK Yang (1963) sets WR in Decathlon at Mt.SAC, by Walt Murphy News and Results Service
2024 Diamond League

This Day in Track & Field History, July 9, Rafer Johnson regains Decathlon WR (1960), by Walt Murphy

July 10, 2025
The women’s long jump is on fire!
Diamond League

The women’s long jump is on fire!

July 10, 2025

Recent Tweets

Next Post

The MEB Archives: Meb Keflezighi & Bob Larsen: The Gamblers, by Larry Eder (reprint of January 2012 article)

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved