The race is on to beat Welsh sprint king Iwan Thomas and raise vital funds for Tŷ Hafan at the Healthspan Porthcawl 10K.

For every participant that crosses the line before the former 400m relay World Champion, the UK’s number one direct supplier of vitamins & supplements, Healthspan, will donate £10 to Wales’ leading children’s charity.

The #ibeatIwan campaign returns a year on from its debut at the inaugural Barry Island 10K. The 45-year-old finished behind 281 fellow runners last August to raise a grand total of £2,810 to support children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

If participants needed anymore motivation to leave Thomas in their dust, they will also receive a bespoke #IbeatIwan t-shirt after completing the challenging but scenic 10km course.

Tŷ Hafan Support Care Manager James Davies-Hale said: “We’re delighted that Iwan is lending his support to the Healthspan Porthcawl 10K. Although we’d normally be cheering him on, on this occasion, we hope he won’t be on his usual form and lots of runners will actually get to beat him! That way, we can raise even more money to help us provide support, comfort and care to children with life limiting conditions and their families”.

The European and Commonwealth gold medalist and Healthspan ambassador will take a group of Helthspan runners through a warmup before joining the 4,000-strong field through the heart of Porthcawl.

He will battle it out on fully closed-roads through sites such as Rest Bay, Trecco Bay, Coney Bay, the picturesque town centre, historic Grand Pavillion and the iconic Porthcawl Lighthouse.

Healthspan’s Director of Partnerships Chris Fisher said: ‘It’s not every day that you get to run alongside an Olympic medalist, and to do so while raising money for Tŷ Hafan just adds to the excitement of the Healthspan Porthcawl 10k. 281 runners finished ahead of Iwan last year, so the challenge has been set for the runners of Porthcawl to beat.’

Thomas made a big impact on new runners last year when he spearheaded the Healthspan 10 initiative. Participants taking their first steps at Run 4 Wales events were helped every step of the way by a range of Healthspan products as well as the expertise of Healthspan ambassador Thomas, who joined the team on the start line at Barry last year.