We caught up with Wales and Great Britain international Dewi Griffiths, just a week out from race day. Dewi has been a regular over the last few years, and here he shares his thoughts with us.
Many will be familiar with your name I’m sure, but not with your training set up. Can you tell us a little bit about this?
Well I’m currently in my second year at Swansea University so based in Swansea. I meet up with my coach (Kevin Evans) on the Thursday nights on the track back in Carmarthen and also drop in to the Swansea Harriers sessions now and again when it suits. I’ve got everything a distance runner needs at my door so it’s ideal for my running.
You have excelled on all surfaces in the past, with international honours on the road, track, xc and mountains. What is your favourite?
It’s hard to say what my favourite is really. I tend to just like to mix it up through the season by doing a road race or two in the middle of a cross country season or something. A change is as good as a rest, the old saying goes. At the moment I think it’s the road because that’s where I had the biggest success lately, which oddly was the one that was my least favourite a couple of years ago.
While we are on the topic, what would you consider your biggest accomplishment in the sport to date?
There have been races and runs that stand out for me, such as recently the half marathon, 6-stage domestically and European Juniors and World Mountain Champs internationally. I’ve got to say though my greatest achievement on a personal level is finishing fourth and subsequently gaining my first GB vest, in the UK Inter-Counties Cross Country in the Junior Men's race as a 16 year old with, looking back, not that much training in the legs. I did run out of my skin that day and had absolutely nothing left come the finish line.
Moving on, what are your targets going forward? Is the Commonwealth Games in the back of your mind?
I think its got to be on my mind. I know if you look at my times on power of 10 they might seem miles away, but I firmly believe that I could go a lot faster than my pbs, which is a nice place to be as a developing athlete. A few of my pbs, such as the 10k, were done on not a flat race that I led from gun to tape. So hopefully I will run a fast course 10k in 2012 and see what I really could run. To be honest I’ll be disappointed if I don’t make it because I think I have a realistic chance of qualifying.
You have raced Armagh a few times now, so what is it that has made you want to come back and toe the line again year after year?
This year will be my fourth time there. I’ve ran for Wales there the previous three years and gone quicker every year. It’s just a great race to be part of with great atmosphere with no other race that I’ve run getting close to it. Also the standard of the field is always good which helps drag you along for the faster times. Hopefully I can beat my 14.31 I clocked last year.
And post-Armagh, what are your targets?
I hope to finish the cross country season strongly by hopefully have a good run in the UK Inter-Counties and hopefully the home nations international. Then I'll probably do a few road races over Easter such as the 12-Stage, before giving the track season a good go.
Best of luck next week Dewi, and cheers for your time!
