Race Date: Saturday 3rd August 2019

This was my first trail marathon and I chose a corker! The Cybi Coastal marathon is a beautiful coastal run around the Island of Cybi/Holy Island off Anglesey. This was its second year of running. Of a possible 200 runners, there were 162 running on the day. It was a muggy day but thankfully not the scorching heatwave of the previous week! The run starts off with a few miles of road running before hitting boardwalks, beaches and undulating coastal paths in the first half, then rocky, steeper ascents and descents in the second, finishing in a steep scramble up and down Holyhead mountain towards the end. The first man was Mark Davies of NWRRC who finished in 3:42, the first woman was Keeley Smith (unattached) in 4:14, with a range of times from here to 8:10 to complete the race. There were some minor issues with the course marking which led to some runners doing a bit of extra distance, but everyone was very good natured about it and I’m sure it will resolved by next year! 

The run had a really nice feel. It was fully organised and marshalled by volunteers, with all profit going to local lifeboat charities. The organisers had a keen green ethos and all runners received a beautiful wooden trophy instead of a medal! If you fancy a challenging, summer marathon with stunning scenery, I would highly recommend this race!!!

Striders Results: