Angry runners have criticized the race organizer after events were canceled without refunds. Run Afan Forest has suddenly canceled races, including those that were supposedly not allowed.

Adam Newton, 32, is a director of Swansea-based Run Afan Forest, which announced its closure last week, and also runs its subsidiary Tough Runner UK, which went into liquidation in September. When Tough Runner disappeared, Run Afan Forest took over several races in Wales and other parts of the UK, which have since been cancelled, to the frustration of runners who say they have not received any refunds.

The 10 mile race at Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire, Pembrey MT 10, was due to take place last Sunday but was canceled a few days earlier. Carmarthenshire Council says Run Afan was “clearly informed” in September that there was no consent for the race to go ahead. Newton said his company was looking at all options for the event and that all affected competitors received race credits.

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A woman taking part in another Run Afan event, the 2024 Pembrokeshire Trail Half Marathon, was looking forward to running what would be her first half marathon next May. She told WalesOnline that she paid £25 in advance on November 8 and her partner signed up for the 10km ‘canicross’, in which people run alongside their dogs. Both events would take place at Minver Forest and Canaston Forest.

“We had just started training, running and a few days after signing up we received an email saying there were only 100 places left, so obviously a lot of tickets were sold. And then, two weeks after we arrived, we received an email saying the event was cancelled.”

The email was not from Run Afan, but from Let’s Do This, the platform the runner used to reserve her spot. She added: “They said they would give us a website credit instead of a refund, but that makes me a little hesitant about signing up for another event… I’m actually a little confused. Run Afan canceled the race two weeks after I signed up and apparently I had some problems, so why did they take money from me and hundreds of other people?

Welsh Athletics has confirmed that Run Afan has been banned from holding events sanctioned by the governing body. He stated that they would “carry out an inspection” of the company. And in a joint statement, Welsh Triathlon, Triathlon England and Triathlon Scotland revealed that multi-sport events organized by Run Afan would no longer receive licenses after the company failed to “comply with the necessary conditions”. They added that it is important to “maintain the high standards we expect from competition organizers and our sport”.

In August, an employment tribunal found that Tough Runner UK had made unauthorized deductions from the woman’s wages and ordered the company to pay her £866. Earlier this month, the Daily Record reported that Newton’s companies had canceled races in Scotland, England and Ireland, in some cases allegedly without compensation.

A member of booking site Let’s Do This we spoke to was informed in a message that their “partnership” with Run Afan had ended and that all Run Afan events hosted on their platform had been cancelled. Offer a professional loan in lieu of a refund. Let’s Do This said it had “no control” over the course of the race, but hoped the credit would allow the runner to participate in another event.

In a post on the Run Afan website, Newton confirmed that the company would close permanently. He said: “Over recent months, I recognize that I have not met expectations in a number of areas and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or problems this may have caused. Additionally, recent events have had a significant impact on my overall health and well-being. Given the circumstances, I believe now is the right time to step down from my current responsibilities. My main goal should be to spend quality time with someone I love and my two children, who I have inadvertently neglected in the past.

“Today I received a heartbreaking call. An old lady who lost her beloved husband eight years ago came forward to tell her story. He found solace and a renewed meaning in life by participating in our races. Today he uttered the words: “The day music died”. It is a very dark and disconcerting day. However, I want to take this moment to assure each and every one of you that music never dies.”

Newton told the BBC that everyone affected by the cancellation had received career credits and “no one should feel disappointed”. He added that he was “deeply concerned about the current state of governance of our sport” and that the “failure” of national governing bodies to “provide effective support” “has directly contributed to the collapse of our business”.