About MDC

I joined MDC after they recruited me while running in the dark on the Garth! In 2018, I headed to the Mont Blanc massif, completing the UTMB CCC – a 101km journey through Italy, Switzerland, and France. Closer to home, I completed the ``Triple Crown`` of Everesting challenges, involving repetitive climbs on a single hill until reaching the height of Mount Everest (Chomolungma) (8,848m) three times over. For the running leg, I chose the steep slopes of Pen y Fan. I also enjoy combining my love for the Welsh mountains with a bit of digital creativity. In 2016, I was one half of the duo that mapped out and ran the now-famous 'Dragon Strava Art'. We navigated a massive, intricate route across south Wales that, when viewed via GPS, forms the shape of a Welsh Dragon—a project that has since become a fun piece of local running lore.

Chris is the Secretary for MDC.

I have always run. My earliest memories are at school in the running club and running in wellies through the snow (my PE teacher was keen!). I did cross country in school too. I first came to an MDC Tuesday night run in January 2020. I arrived in the dark and rain and was greeted by a very friendly group. I spent the entire run behind Alice (the Wise) cursing my trail shoes and wishing I had more grip! Anyway, I had a great adventure and was still hooked and I’ve been running with the club ever since (in fell shoes!). Every Tuesday we run and every Tuesday we eat at a pub or have a picnic and catch up; it’s very social and feels like a lovely community. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you fancy joining us!

In 2019 after checking out the Strava route up Pen y Fan of a friend who had recently joined MDC, I realised that it must have been in the dark. I had just run across a park in the dark on my own; I joined the following week. It took me a while before I did my first fell race, I was a bit worried about navigating a race without GPS (not allowed in fell races). However, there are many experienced runners and orienteers in the club who are really helpful when it comes to sharing their knowledge. My first ever orienteering event a few years ago was in Albania – glad I didn’t get lost there. I am also the Race Organiser of Cribyn fell race; I like to think of it as one of the toughest in the South Wales Series, ascending via a route probably only ever used for this race – oh and then you have to climb Pen y Fan before descending. There are lots of different events to suit all abilities, all run by volunteers, so they don’t cost a fortune. So contact me if you are interested in doing a fell race or you want to join the club.

When he's not running, Richard does a lot of Orienteering and is the go to person for anything to do with race stats! Richard is the person to talk to for all new MDC members.

I first started running on the moors of Derbyshire in the 90s through Viking Venture Scout Unit and that spread for a few years in the Lakes too. A sabbatical lasted until the mid 2010s when I started running again and got introduced to Mynyddwyr de Cymru by a friend, who was also a member. Living right on the English border I don’t often get to Tuesday night runs, lift-sharing with the very East of Wales MDC members means I tend to be at a lot of the South Wales series races meeting up with the wider MDC contingent and helpfully bring up the rest of the field. As a side running/walking hobby I have traveled by foot all the way from Plymouth to Scotland and Cardiff to London and I look to extend this “line” every year. As the Treasurer I am responsible for keep our year accounts up to date, made easier by our membership fees being co-ordinated through Fabian4, paying our few bills (mainly the ones to Welsh Athletics) and searching for a bank that doesn’t hit us for huge fees on our small account.

We moved to Wales from Kelowna, Canada in 2022 and one of our first tasks was joining the local fell running club. Sarah had been a member of the Westerlands Hill Running Club in Glasgow and we were both active in the trail and mountain running scene in Canada. When we aren't running or volunteering at fell races, we spend our weekends exploring new, ``creative`` routes—typically by train—across the south Wales valleys. We plan varied runs for MDC across south Wales. There's a good mix of classics, runs accessible by train and runs near independent local pubs. Check the training runs page for upcoming runs. Join the club and start exploring Wales!

Mark and Alice are the MDC Welfare Officers. If you need some help, get in touch...

I joined MDC in summer 2021 and my first run was a big loop up Pen y Fan. I was at the back, finding it hard, and happened to be the only woman out for the run that evening – but I was hooked. I've run with MDC ever since and love all the local races. I also volunteer for the Welsh Fell Runners Association (WFRA)—the organisation who support fell running and racing in Wales and the Borders—as Secretary and Environmental Officer. In MDC, I look after the website content and help to bring relevant knowledge through from my professional and voluntary roles to inform our club practices.

I don't like running, or cycling, and my relationship with swimming is best summarised by my proudest aquatic achievement – the 10m badge I earned aged 8. It is therefore a mystery—to me as much as anyone—that I somehow did well in the sufferfest that is Ironman Wales; I knew that black belt training would come in handy one day! I've been a reluctant member of MDC for around six years, discovering that fell running adds mud, bogs, and hills to the list of things I don't enjoy. A DNF at the Ring O'Fire after 40 miles on day 2 was my crowning glory — a decision I maintain was entirely rational, and which I try not to think about when club members casually mention their Dragon's Back finishes. By day I'm a retired CTO from the tech startup world, which means I've spent decades solving problems I probably caused in the first place. The club's IT is therefore in safe hands. Probably.

I have been a member of MDC since 2003 when I left my sanity behind. My other hobby is sticking pins in myself while standing under a cold shower. I love the camaraderie of this club with like-minded people who can think of nothing better than running up a local hill. In this risk assessed world it is refreshing to leave my daily life behind and lose myself in the wilds of South Wales. As Safety Officer my role is to try and minimise the risks of people causing themselves serious damage.