Bob Foreman reports:
A 350 miles round trip is a long way to go for a 3.5 mile fell race, even if it had 1,930 feet of ascent, but it was the 5th WFRA Championship event of 2023 so had to be done.
A four miles long single track road south of Brecon, with few passing places, has to be negotiated to get to the registration and car parking field at Cwm Llwch. I arrived at 10.30, in glorious sunshine, for the Noon start. The weather was forecast to turn, and it did as we walked to the start which was 15 minutes away. Just before the off the heavens opened and it was suddenly cold as we were battered with torrential rain and hailstones which continued for five minutes after the start. Fortunately, running up the first couple of fields warmed everyone up before the route took a right up a steeper path and on to the anti clockwise horseshoe which took in the ridge between, and the summits of, Corn Du and Pen Y Fan, which is the second highest Welsh mountain outside Snowdonia.
Straight off the summit of Pen Y Fan down a near vertical rocky scramble of 30 feet to a slightly less steep grassy and mossy concave slope down which the runners ahead could be seen and the best lines chosen across, what quickly became, more tussocky and boggy terrain. Eventually we reached a path and then on to the fields we had originally run up from the start but this time at a quicker pace to the finish. It also started hailing again!
A fantastic short and challenging race, very well organised and thanks must go to the marshals, especially those on the summits. This Sunday race can be run as a double up with the Fan y Big Horseshoe which was on the Saturday as part of the combined Brecon Fans Race Weekend.
I was a bit of a lightweight and only did the one which was a Championship race getting around in 46:52, 19th o/a and 1st M60.
The race was won by Jack Agnew of Mercia in 36.34 and the first lady was Joanne Henderson of Denbigh Harriers, 10th o/a in 42.59.
No real ale to report on as I had to get away sharpish straight to Manchester Airport to pick my sister up who was arriving from Australia and then take her back to Mid Wales. A very long day and I probably won’t be on the Just Stop Oil Christmas Card list!
