2025 Extra Miler Volunteer Recognition Awards
We’re now into our fourth year of the Extra Miler Recognition Awards! Every year we like to recognise the contribution our volunteers make and based on your nominations, we reward around ten volunteers and feature them on social media.
The final question on each event feedback survey invites you to nominate a fellow volunteer for this award. We also ask the supervisors and the wider Run 4 Wales event team to see if they would like to put forward someone.
This might be a fellow volunteer who went above and beyond to help a runner or spectator. Or perhaps you regularly volunteer alongside someone who always makes the day special for you.
Did you know that Run 4 Wales had the support of over 1700 volunteers this year?! They supported 48,046 runners from 89 different countries during the 2025 event calendar.
Without the support of volunteers, mass participation events would not be possible and we know R4W runners love seeing the Extra Miler community out and about on race days.
“The volunteers were fantastic, encouraging and helped make the day great! I especially liked the lovely lady who gave me the medal saying my name as she did it!” Barry Island 10K 2025 runner
The commitment and enthusiasm from the Extra Milers ensures the race can go ahead, with runners and spectators having an enjoyable and safe experience. At Run 4 Wales, we recognise that volunteers make a choice about how to spend their leisure time and we are super grateful that you choose to spend it supporting runners at our events. Your participation also enables thousands of pounds to be donated to worthy causes. At the Cardiff Half alone more than £4 million was raised by runners affiliated with a charity.
“All the Extra Milers were so supportive on the day, all the way around the route. They were absolutely awesome” Porthcawl 10K 2025 runner
Diolch yn fawr o galon to each and every Extra Miler! This includes pacers, back markers, cyclists and course marshals who look after the runners on the course, the water station teams who give out thousands of bottles of water per race, finish line volunteers who hand out well-deserved medals and the banter and welcoming faces of the bag drop team.
Ready to find out who received an Extra Miler Recognition Award this year?! Read on for the full round-up.
Extra Miler Recognition Awards 2025
“Claire is super fun to volunteer with and always has great ideas. Probably because she has been volunteering with Run 4 Wales for so long! I always look forward to seeing her at an event.”
Claire Davies is a regular Run 4 Wales volunteer and is usually found at the finish line, along with sister Alison. She told us “having previously run the event a few times myself, I started volunteering instead. We thought it would be a good way to enjoy the atmosphere but in a different capacity. My sister and I love the interaction and banter with the competitors, supporters and other volunteers, so much so that we try and volunteer at every Run 4 Wales event!”
Claire has done most of the different volunteer roles now and has volunteered at least once at every R4W event. She says, “I still love the finish line though, being part of a big team, hanging out with friends I’ve made through the Extra Milers and having the support of some wonderful supervisors! It really is loads of fun.”
“Geraldine always gets so many people to become Extra Milers and even organised a group lunch afterwards for those who could make it. She always goes above and beyond for everyone and all events!”
Geraldine Tucker is a committed runner who loves the atmosphere and feeling of events. As well as being a Run Leader with Cowbridge Moovers, she’s a well-known face at Run 4 Wales events and often recruits volunteers from her running clubs and friends and family.
She says, “participation in events, whether as a runner or volunteer, is joyful. You get so much from the day. I love that we have so many event options locally. They are all different and it’s hard to say which is my favourite! R4W and the Extra Milers are such a welcoming community. It’s a pleasure to be able to support them.”
“Lorraine was amazing to volunteer with from start to finish. She helped with lots of ad hoc tasks (especially getting more medals!) then was fantastic with the Toddler Dash giving out stickers and congratulating the families.”
Lorraine Berry, a regular volunteer at Barry Island 10K, says, “I love volunteering! It’s a great way of giving back to the running community and supporting all the participants. I’ve volunteered as an Extra Miler a few times now and I love the atmosphere. The tea and Welsh cakes when you arrive are great and also the packed lunch you receive as well!! It’s a great way to spend the day supporting others.”
“The Kingswood School volunteers were fantastic volunteers at the water station! They were enthusiastic, got stuck in and really enjoyed themselves. It is always lovely to see the excitement from young volunteers when the first runners arrive.”
Mr Harding, Head of Boarding, who brought along a group of students to the Bath Half 2025 to volunteer for the first time at an event was very pleased to be nominated. He told us, “our students had a really fun time and I was really proud of what great ambassadors they were for the school. I am sure to have lots of students keen to help again next year, especially if we can be on the water station again! As there were over thirty staff and students (present and former) running on event day, it was fantastic to be able to hand out water to them and cheer them on, along with everyone else.”
“Rich stepped in as our Team Leader at short notice. He provided clear briefings, reminded the team when needed of things to look out for, checked on our welfare at regular intervals and was positive and enthusiastic. A pleasure to work with him.”
A familiar face among the Extra Milers, Richard Ford says, “I love being an Extra Miler for many reasons. For years I did different sports and without volunteers supporting us I could not have had these great experiences and made the lifelong friends I have! Now I can pay back the support I received by being a volunteer myself. One of the best things being an Extra Miler is the people I meet, not only volunteers but runners and the great team from R4W, who always look after us very well.
“As well as helping each runner fulfil their goal, with the support given by volunteers huge amounts of money are raised for many fantastic causes. So in fact the Extra Milers are helping to achieve this! Each Extra Miler has their own reasons for helping out but by volunteering everyone is helping the community in a fun and unselfish way and it’s always good fun (even if it rains on the odd occasion). I just love it!”
“Lyndon was a great supervisor. Relaxed, funny, supportive and – most importantly – totally organised. Thank you!”
Lyndon Evans is a well-known face at Run 4 Wales events, whether he’s volunteering, leading a team or working as part of the production crew. He’s a former competitive runner himself and as well as volunteering regularly with Run 4 Wales, he supported the cricket world cup when it was held in Sophia Gardens, the European Cup in the Millennium Stadium and the Cardiff Velothon twice. “At R4W events, I’ve now experienced most volunteer roles and met some wonderful people along the way. The whole volunteer force is a vital cog in ensuring R4W deliver world class events and showcase Wales to the world and I am extremely proud to be a part of the R4W and Extra Milers family.”
“I met Karen for the first time and her enthusiasm throughout was contagious. We also helped with the pen filling together. I would definitely volunteer alongside her again.”
Karen Wakefield is new to the Extra Milers this year and volunteered twice, coming along to support both CDF 10K and Cardiff Half Marathon. She says, “both experiences were wonderful with a lovely team of people. I currently struggle with autonomic dysfunction and have had some injuries which means my own running doesn’t always go to plan! I still wanted to feel involved so decided to join the Extra Milers volunteer team instead. I will definitely volunteer again in the future now I realise how important it is to pay back and how much work happens behind the scenes!”
“Mal is definitely an Extra Miler! He helps out with the start pen filling, then often paces or runs the race himself, and afterwards helps the finish line volunteers. He always congratulates and cheers on all the runners around him too!”
Mal Firouz has been part of the Run 4 Wales community for a long time, both as a runner and as a volunteer. He enjoys being part of race day, meeting lots of different people and helping out in a variety of roles. He says, “my goal has always been in helping out and giving back something to the sport of running, whilst encouraging others to take up the sport and get involved too. I’m really grateful to receive any sort of award. However the best award for me is to be able to help out more and more at future events. I love being part of the Extra Miler community!”
Mal asked us to donate the value of his award to Fareshare Cymru instead saying that he would rather see a local charity benefit.
“I would like to nominate Victor (45mins pacer). His enthusiasm and energy is just amazing and he paces the race brilliantly.”
Victor started his running journey in 2017 and is now one of Run 4 Wales faster pacers at 10K, marathon and half marathon distance. He told us, “It’s been a real pleasure and honour volunteering again this year. Pacing Newport Marathon, Porthcawl 10K, Cardiff 10K and then the Cardiff Half has been an absolute joy and the smile of people’s faces at the end is priceless -there’s no better feeling. Along with R4W events, I also volunteered as a pacer at other Welsh races organised by Front Runner Events like Llanelli and Great Welsh Half as well as Swansea Half and my local parkrun at Porthcawl, so it really been a full-on year and I’m hoping for more of the same next year!”
Follow our X and Facebook pages this December to find out more about the nominees and share your congratulations.
Want to see who won an award in 2024, 2023 or 2022?
2024 Extra Miler Recognition Awards
2023 Extra Miler Recognition Awards
2022 Extra Miler Recognition Awards
Our 2026 event calendar is now complete! Save the date for the Bath Half Marathon on Sunday March 15th, Newport Marathon Festival on Sunday 19th April, Barry Island 10K on Sunday 17th May, Porthcawl 10K on Sunday 5th July, Rabbit Run on Sunday 18th July, CDF 10K on Sunday 6th September and Cardiff Half Marathon on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October.
Take a look at our Rosterfy page to find out more and to sign up as a volunteer.
We’ll see you there!
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