Gladstone 9

Racing day came! In a relaxed way, as the start wouldn't be until 1 pm. I was going to drive up with my date, Nick, who had said he wanted to come over to cheer me on. It didn't quite happen that way; my friend Harri phoned me and asked if we wanted a lift. And car sharing is a good idea! I knew that parking was going to be limited at the venue. But Nick was okay with sharing that part of the date with another man.

We drove up, parked, and went to registration. Then we did some final preparations (I exchanged my running jacket for a waterproof jacket as the weather wasn't quite what I had expected it to be) and when Harri went for a warmup run, Nick and I just went to the start. I thought it would be at the start of the public footpath, but I was wrong. At some point a lady summoned us to the actual start. This was by a kissing gate further up the path. I said goodbye to Nick and went up, accidentally quite far at the back.

We got a little briefing and then we were off. Walking, initially, as I was so far at the back, but after a while we could actually run. And then my jacket spontaneously fell off my running vest. I had to step aside and fix it again. That made me end up even further back in the queue! No running for me anytime soon.

At the start

Everything changed when we got through the downhill bit. There I am slower than most, so not so frustrated about being stuck behind slow people. So I could run in my preferred speed until, after the first checkpoint, we went up another narrow steep path where you couldn't overtake and where practically everyone was walking. The people who would win prizes in this thing probably had run all the way, but they had been much ahead of me.

Finally some running! Pic by John Mainwaring

The second steep path uphill through bracken

When the path finally came out of the bracken I could go back to running. From now on I could overtake if I wanted. It was my favourite part of the race; a clear path where you can make some speed without being too scared about your ankles, and with amazing views. I had more time to take pictures during my recce. 

Almost too soon I got to the second checkpoint, which was just before the ascent to the top of Tal-y Fan. I walked a lot of that; is very steep! And some bits are very rocky. And, of course, the hill was shrouded in mist. Given how bright it had been the day before I hadn't expected this! But I was prepared. It had been similar weather on my recce. 

On the ridge of Tal-y-Fan

It seemed to take forever to get to the top, but it happened. And then we started the descent. I happen to find myself in the company of another Eryri Harrier, and a bloke in a yellow shirt. This was the difficult part! After only 10s of meters we were in the middle of unending heather. That had happened to me as well during my brekkie. I had seen afterwards there had been a path a bit further to the west, so I was tempted to the west. Luckily the others agreed. But it was difficult going! Some of it was heather growing on block fields; you can't see the gaps between the blocks, and you are regularly up to your groin in heather. We also traversed a bog.

Negotiating a bog

In the bog we made different decisions; I veered to the west again, when the others didn't. And we all ended up on a bus, but they did that quicker than me. We could finally run again! And after a while a bloke joined me.

I knew I had to go left, but the path I took there quickly became nothing more than a sheep track. I needed to bring my GPS out again to help me along the way. Maybe I should just have held it in my hand all the way! But the bloke was happy to travel along. I again went too far west. But when I realised that, I saw other runners on a different path. I needed to get to where they were! But for now I just followed my own path. It should get to the same place. And the weather had cleared up, and the views were amazing!

With a bit of a mad dash to the other path I was on the route again, and soon in the stone circle where the fourth checkpoint was. And from there things got comfortable. A very good path, and not too steep, so I could finally go full pelt. I started overtaking people again! I hadn't done that since the Tal-y-Fan ascent, and there only to a limited extent. And when the path looped to the top of Foel Lus I put some distance between me and the others. That was good; I knew I was going to be slow on the descent there, and this way I had some space to go at whatever speed I wanted, without having to step aside and let people pass. 

A few people still passed me on that last stretch, but it was all downhill, so that was expected. When I came in, more than 2/3 of the runners had already finished. But that's what you get if you end up trudging inefficiently through heather fields and bogs. It was all right!

Having my chip scanned at the finish. Pic by Nick

Nick was there, and after some reporting back about the race we went to headquarters, where there was some soup and bread for us. I also got a drink in order to support the hotel. And then the ceremony started. In spite of my tardiness, I still won a bottle of beer and a bag of jelly babies as the 3rd female runner over 40! I hadn't expected that. But it was nice. And then we went home.

A prize, after all!

It had been a beautiful race! With a good atmosphere. And my ankle had held. And the week after it would be entirely different. That won't be very pretty, but I will be able to go as fast as I physically can all the way. It's on the road, so the limiting factor will be my heart and lungs. Or at least, as long as it won't be my knees. I hope I am prepared…