Phillip Mears
Henry Wright
/ Session Leader
Sarah Scire
Karen Minto
Phillip
Mears
Chair Person
What I love about White Rock:
It’s a smaller bout friendly running club with a good mix of ages & abilities
Favourite Distance:
Half marathon
Pre-race breakfast?
Porridge & banana
Favourite Race
Cardiff half marathon or Lliswerry 8
Memorable Race Mishap
Finishing the 2011 Dublin marathon and throwing up on the volunteer giving out the medals
Best training advice you've ever been given?
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
Biggest achievement / proudest sporting moment to date?
Running cross country for wales boys when I was 17 and running the snowdonia marathon as I don’t like running hills
Current 2023 goal/target event?Sub 20 min parkrun, get back to running times pre-Covid
If I wasn't running / doing triathlon
I'd be an overweight couch potato
Edward
Brown
Welfare Officer and Run Leader
What I love about White Rock:
We are genuinely one of those small friendly clubs with a great mix of abilities and ages. It's relatively easy to get to know many members. We take it seriously, support and encourage one another but never forget that while we all run for different reasons, we all want to have fun and enjoy it.
Favourite Distance:
I love a half marathon, it's the perfect distance to train and be competitive at while continuing to have a life!
Pre-race breakfast?
Not going to lie, my nutrition is dreadful. It's likely to be a bag of Haribo and a black coffee
Favourite Race
Welsh Castles Relay, we are a small club but I'm lucky enough to have raced this event 5 times. It's a club relay run down the spine of Wales and reminds us all why we love being a member of a running club.
Memorable Race Mishap
I fall over, I fall over a lot. There's barely a trail race or cross-country fixture that I've run where I haven't succumbed to gravity. Most notably was the time hit the deck right in front of the WRR cheer station during Gwent League Cross Country at the Blaise Castle fixture
Best training advice you've ever been given?
Rest Matters.
Biggest achievement / proudest sporting moment to date?
Finishing my first half marathon. Like many others running was a part of massive lifestyle change. It was less than a year from my first run (under cover of darkness because I was so self-conscious) to completing the distance in 1h47 minutes.
Current 2023 goal/target event?
Currently Training for the 2023 TCS London Marathon while at the same time trying to find the pace and condition that have left me in the last year.
If I wasn't running / doing triathlon
I'd be at a gig or in a record shop
Sarah
SCire
Female Welfare Officer / Session
What I love about White Rock:
We're friendly, sociable and definitely don't take ourselves too seriously, but we also like to train and race hard when the time comes! We're small enough that everyone knows everyone, and are so supportive of each other's achievements, whether it's someone's first 10km or an ultramarathon - we love seeing people smash their personal goals, whatever they are.
Favourite Distance:
I enjoy all the distances (as long as they are on road!). They all have pros and cons, but I'd probably say 10km.
Pre-race breakfast?
Always porridge, peanut butter and banana! I've experimented with very mixed success over the years, this one is a definite winner.
Favourite Race
The Cardiff Half is definitely up there, great home city crowds and support - we always have a good turnout from WRR too.
Memorable Race Mishap
Too many Paula Radcliffe moments to name just one.
Best training advice you've ever been given?
Less is more, do those easy sessions and recovery runs so you can hit the hard sessions hard without overtraining and getting injured. Also, remember we do this for fun, so enjoy it. Run for the love of it, and be proud of what your body can do.
Biggest achievement / proudest sporting moment to date?
Toughest race was probably the Wales Marathon in Tenby but potentially my proudest sporting moment is my first ever race - the Movember 5km, it was a bit of a journey to get there - from zero running, being very overweight and told I shouldn't run (blame the dislocating knee cap) to taking up running, getting fit and loving it!
Current 2023 goal/target event?
London Marathon
If I wasn't running / doing triathlon
I'd be at a gig or a festival probably - live music is the best.
Karen
Minto
Treasurer
What I love about White Rock:
The members
Favourite Distance:
5k
Pre-race breakfast?
Berry flavoured Berocca
Favourite Race
Pembrey MT10
Memorable Race Mishap
Missing start of GLXC final round for an al-fresco loo break
Best training advice you've ever been given?
Try and overtake the person ahead
Biggest achievement / proudest sporting moment to date?
My first and last London Marathon
Current 2023 goal/target event?
100 Parkruns /200 Volunteers.
If I wasn't running / doing triathlon
I'd be 2 stone heavier.