• Risca man whose brother died of heart condition runs London Marathon
  • Cwmbran woman, 50, who started running in 2014 finishes in under four hours
  • Gwent’s Poppy Appeal man on target for £3,000 after four-hour time

AN inspirational Risca man whose brother died after collapsing with an undiagnosed heart condition was among Gwent runners who completed the London Marathon on Sunday.

Luke Powell, 25, a Royal Navy engineer, took on the mammoth challenge nearly eight years after his brother, Craig, died suddenly on his 22nd birthday on May 29, 2008.

Keen to raise awareness of undiagnosed heart conditions in young people, Mr Powell is on track to raise £2,500 for the CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) charity as a result of his efforts.

He said he was overwhelmed by the support he received on the day after he reached the finish line in a time of four hours, three minutes and 12 seconds.

He said: “I think a lot of people go into the London Marathon with a time in their head and as soon as you start running that goes out of your head and it’s all about the atmosphere and the achievement on the day.

“I struggled to catch my breath because of the build-up over the last three or four months to the race and with a couple of miles to go, I was quite emotional.”

Another first-time runner was Nicola Smith, 50, from Cwmbran, who only started running in 2014 after joining Pont-y-Pwl and District Runners.

Ms Smith, a manager at Simply Gym in Cwmbran, completed the race in three hours, 58 minutes and 45 seconds – which was better than the average time for her age group.

She said: “My goal was just to go and enjoy the whole thing and according to all the people who went with us, all I did was smile all the way round.

“With the messages I’ve had on Facebook from everybody at Pont-y-Pwl Running Club and people I don’t even know about how inspiring it has been, I’m quite humbled by it really.”

Elsewhere in Torfaen, Gwent’s Poppy Appeal co-ordinator knocked nearly half an hour off his personal best – just days after his 60th birthday.

Mike Jones, from Pontypool, finished the race in four hours and one minutes, which was 27 minutes better than his previous personal best after completing the gruelling challenge in 2009 and 2013.

Mr Jones, who is an ex-service man and retired police officer, is now on track to raise £3,000 for the Royal British Legion’s county Poppy Appeal.

He said: “As it’s my third time, I was enjoying the race and I was trying to keep an eye on the time.

“I trained well for it and I put the effort in. I was keeping an eye on the time so I didn’t burn my legs by the end of the race.”

In Monmouthshire, four members from Caldicot Running Club have raised £4,000 for the Stoke Association and the Lost Souls Dog Sanctuary after completing the race.

Damian Waite, Dave Holloway, Mostyn Jones and Alex Llewellyn undertook the challenge, with Mr Jones having previously suffered a life changing stroke – which meant he could no longer drive.