80 Races
DAVE KING rounded off his bid to run around the British Isles in 80 races by competing in two events in one day on New Year's Eve.
Dave headed for Mountain Ash in the Rhondda Valley to take part in the Nos Galan race. This is an annual event held each year to honour the legendary runner Guto Nyth Bran who could run faster than the birds or before a kettle was boiled and who in his final race collapsed and died in the arms of his loved one.
Thousands of spectators line the run for a spectacular evening which includes children's races, a fireworks display, the lighting of the beacon and then two adult races - one for an elite field and then the general race.
Somehow, Dave was thrown into the elite field of international runners for the 5km race which consisted of three laps on a tight town circuit. "I thought I was going to disgrace myself by coming last, but fortunately there were slower runners than me," said Dave, who clocked 20min 20sec for the distance.
After the 7pm race, he then shot off to Derbyshire, a 160-mile drive from South Wales to compete in the Bryan Clifton Memorial Race in Milford, Derbyshire. This was the very first race Dave competed in last New Year's Eve and it would also be the final one.
Just 33 runners lined up for the 2km race at 11.57pm, with Dave finishing ninth in 8min 32sec and Liz Hall 26th in 11min 18sec.
The challenge finished at 12.05am on New Year's Day.