A TEAM of Ryde Harriers athletes made their mark at the International Snowdon Fell Race in North Wales.

Despite challenging weather conditions, which included rain, wind  and mist above 2,000ft, the fell runners performed well.

The Snowdon Fell Race is considered the pinnacle event in the fell race calendar.

It features participation from international teams across England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and Ireland and is even broadcast on the iPlayer.

Gary Marshall, a seasoned runner, but a novice to fell racing, was impressive on his first time out, on the challenging course, to come 44th and fourth Vet 40 runner.

He was able to surpass some of the elite international athletes — even managing to outpace one in a final sprint to the finish.

Gary, a former soldier, from Newport, finished in 1.21.24

He said: "It was physically tiring, with the terrain being rugged and steep. I had a few falls, which luckily only resulted in minor bruises".

Experienced fell-runners, Trevor McAlister (1.48.19) and Les Cupis (1.52.57), pulled off exceptional runs too, placing in the top half of a field of 460 runners.

Although they were familiar with the challenging terrain of fell races, they still found the course tough, but inspiring.