BACK in 2010 Gary Morgan’s sister-in-law, Laura Morgan who runs for a running club in London, stated that he wouldn't be able to beat her in a half marathon.

Mr Morgan works as a postman in Barry and walks up to seven miles a day so he thought he could give it a go. Having never run before, he registered for the Cardiff Half Marathon and gave it a go.

He ran twice a week, nothing too serious but whilst it was a challenge he always felt great afterwards. Mr Morgan like many others, now competes in the Cardiff Half Marathon annually as he enjoys it and the rivalry with his sister-in-law is still there, with usually five minutes between their times.

This year Mr Morgan wants to push himself further. He will be running the Virgin London Marathon for a fantastic charity called Victa.

Victa are a children's charity who organises activities designed to improve the emotional, social and living skills of the children and young people that they support. Bringing children and young people who are blind or partially sighted together to socialise, have fun and travel which helps them to realise just what they can achieve.

As a dad Mr Morgan was inspired by the great work of Victa and is honoured to be raising money for such a worthwhile cause.

When asked about his training he said, “I am now following a detailed training plan and last year I joined Barry Running Club. My wife who is also a member of the club persuaded me to join because there are runners of all abilities. Since running with the club I have found the training sessions have enhanced my running with the various sessions that they offer, particularly the Fartlek and hill sessions. Everyone at the running club is really friendly and I would recommend it to everyone from beginners to the serious.”

This week at Running Club on Sunday, January 24, Mr Morgan and some of the other members had two runs to choose from. Both were ideal for those focusing on longer distance runs.

The first was a flatter run to Cosmeston, and the second a more challenging hill run to St Hilary. The distances were 13.5 and 16 mile efforts.

The numbers for some may seem a bit daunting, but for those that don’t want to do the distance, or just fancy a much lighter option, the choice of running either route for 30 or 45 minutes, and then turning around, was available.

Mr Morgan is one of the club’s faster runners, and he has worked so hard with all his training, and everyone wishes him the very best of luck.

If anyone would like to support this fantastic charity and help him reach his fundraising goal please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Gary.Morgan

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