Neath Boys To Run for Snid

9th July 2008

Neath director of rugby Rowland Phillips will have a very special reason to reach the end of the Bupa Great Wales Run when he takes part in the Cardiff Bay race on Sunday, 27 July.

The dual rugby international will be joined by the majority of the Neath playing squad as the club begins to find raise money for the Gareth Jones Memorial Fund.

Scrum half Jones tragically died last month after breaking his neck in a Principality Premiership game against Cardiff, and his team mates are determined to return to the Welsh capital to raise as much money as possible for his three children.

"Everyone connected with the club is still feeling the loss of Gareth. He was a fine young rugby player and a great character," said Phillips.

"Our dressing room is a much quieter and less jolly place without him and I don't think we will ever forget him. We are all still coming to terms with what has happened, but this race will give us a chance to do something positive for his family,.

"The race organisers very kindly gave us the chance to enter as a group and now the challenge is to raise as much sponsorship as possible for the newly created Gareth Jones Fund."

The 10k race around Cardiff Bay on Sunday, 27 July has already attracted an all-star cast and the 30-strong group from the Principality Premiership and Konica Minolta Cup double winners will only add to it.

Former World 5,000 metre champion Richard Limo will head the field, along with fellow Kenyan and reigning champion Francis Kiboyet, while Bridgend-born British 10,000 metre record holder Jon Brown will be among those chasing them.

Olympic long jump champion Lynn Davies, relay silver medallist Jamie Baulch, Wales Grand Slam prop Gethin Jenkins and former world boxing champion Enzo Macarinelli are all committed to the event and Phillips and co will be among an expected field of more than 3,000 runners for the second running of the event.

"There is obviously a very serious element to this race, but as far as we are concerned the serious bit for us will be in raising as much money as we can," said Phillips.

"We have to ensure that Gareth's family are properly looked after. He gave us, and Neath rugby club, everything he had and now it is our turn to do something for him.

"The 10k distance is perfect for the players as they build towards the new season. As for me, it might take me a little bit longer than the rest of them."

Dual international Phillips used to be a county cross-country runner as a teenager growing up in Pembrokeshire. But rugby dominated after that and his only other foray into athletics came two years ago when he ran the London Marathon.

"Running 26 miles at 19 stones is not the easiest thing to do, especially when your preparation has only been two training runs of three miles," admitted Phillips.

"By the time I finished they were clearing everything and I'd even been beaten by two men carrying two canoes that were filled with money as they went round the course. I'm not sure how I'll cope with six-and-a-quarter miles, but I'm sure I'll hear Gareth's voice in my head telling me not to be so useless and to keep going to the end.

"I just hope we can convert the huge amount of sympathy that has been expressed for Gareth and his young family into hard cash via this event. I'll be chasing around our sponsors and fans to try to encourage them to support us and people out on the course won't be able to miss us because we will all be wearing out No 9 'Snid' T-Shirts in Gareth's memory."

To enter the Bupa Great Wales Run just log on to www.greatrun.org. The entry date has been extended to 21 July.

Details of how to sponsor will appear here soon - watch this space!