I am a keen jogger, and it’s always great to start a run in my home town of Blaenavon!

Better still, that’s just one of the great things about the Mic Morris Torfaen 10K, which was held last weekend and attracted hundreds of runners, including me.

We started with a moving minute’s applause to pay tribute to Jeanette Jenkins, led by many of her friends, clubmates and others from the Torfaen running community. It felt fitting that a race run in memory of one Torfaen athlete, Mic Morris, began with a tribute to another local runner.

The Torfaen 10K raises funds for aspiring local athletes and budding sports stars from our area as part of the work of the fantastic Mic Morris Memorial Sporting Trust.

I know it has made a real difference to the lives of young athletes, helping them with the considerable costs of their chosen sport. For example, Amelia Payne from Cwmbran, a member of the Cricket Wales under-15s team, was supported with a £500 award through the Mic Morris Trust to help with the cost of a tour to India.

I won’t be representing Wales at running any time soon, but it has had such a positive impact on me – and I’m lucky to have our wonderful valley with so many different routes for an early-morning jog.

As I ran down the valley towards the finish in Pontypool Park to complete the 10k, I was struck by three things.

Firstly, how great our valley is for such events. Is there another run that starts and finishes in such dramatic locations? A World Heritage Site to start in, and the stunning Pontypool Park to finish in. It’s a beautiful run as well as a fast course and an opportunity to set a PB!

Secondly, I was kept going by the enthusiastic support local people gave on their doorsteps for all runners.

Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly, I was hugely impressed by the spirit of all the runners – from the winner in under 31 minutes through to the last finishers.

We all have our targets – whether that is at an elite level, or just enjoying the challenge of getting active or trying to beat our previous times. At events like the Mic Morris Torfaen 10K, everyone is welcome. I hope to see even more runners there next year!

So a huge thank you has to go to the organisers of the race, to Torfaen Sports Development and all the volunteers who helped marshal the race, to the sponsors and supporters including Coleg Gwent, Blaenavon Town Council, Pontypool Community Council and Torfaen County Borough Councils, and to everyone who took part. It was privilege to hand over the different awards at the end of the race with Cllr Gaynor James. The sun even came out for a while to reward everyone!