The Great Welsh leek Relay 2011: Day 1

IMG_1313, originally uploaded by The Alternative Food Festival.

This is coming a bit of a tradition to open Feastival. Why not run a leek over 300 miles using elite athletes from Bridgend to highlight the issue of Food Miles? Well this after all part of the Wales’ Alternative Food Festival, so lets do something a little different. OK, very different. What started last year as an office bet almost, is now surely to become an annual event. The support we receive en route and online (follow us on twitter at #leekrelay) has been incredible!

Steve Brace, current Head of Welsh Athletics and who could forget, double Olympian marathon runner for Team GB, John Embling, who I think is, as he puts it, is stuck on 49 marathons, and new face this year Jeff Thomas, an outstanding triathlete from the Bridgend Athletic Club (who’s daughter Zoe and wife Ceri – I hope I’ve got those names right – are talented triathletes too!). Also pictured is Steve’s wife Jackie who, as you guessed, is an athlete too who ran some challenging legs for us yesterday. Oh yes, and don’t forget, the person who took the photograph, me. The person who has to exercise his foot every second of the day by pressing that accelerator pedal in the support vehicle, and I can tell you, the speed at which these guys zip through the country, I need that pedal.

Anyway, beautiful day yesterday, stunning North Wales landscapes, ancient landscapes too. Makes you feel so proud to be Welsh and as expected, yep, its cliche, but everyone was so helpful and friendly. Loved Llandudno – Conwy – Bangor – Caernarfon and then over to Anglesey before tackling the mountains of Snowdonia and then down to Harlech to finish in the dark. They covered over 90 miles yesterday with the leek and I’m sure if our accommodation was another 90 they would have carried on. Great to see ITV Wales film us yesterday (I think it will be shown this week at some stage) and thanks to everyone who ‘egged’ us on.

So onto today. Its breakfast soon (a vital part of the day), then some pics by the stunning Harlech Castle before heading off down the coast to Aberearon in Mid Wales. They’ll be swimming with the leek today too, and dont worry about me, I’ll be still pressing my foot repeatedly on the pedal which please don’t underestimate, is a touch job, but someone has to do it! . See you later.