"Each step forward has a sacred meaning of its own"   Sri Chinmoy

Fan-y-big Horseshoe Race - July 2023 - Bannau Brycheiniog

With the Helvellyn Triathlon my main target-race for the year, I booked myself into a succession of fell races which sadly I then missed - to extreme-weather cancellation and covid to name just two reasons. I think I also failed to show for one of them because of an unforeseen family commitment? Anyway, all looked fine for the Fan-Y-Big race and I managed one or two off-road sessions in preparation. Since my long run a few weeks before on the Mendips (55 hilly KM in 8 hours) I hadn't done any speed or tempo work with the exception of a 2-miler in France, but nonetheless I felt my endurance was where it needed to be if not my speed. Then, with a couple of weeks to go, we had the shock news that kokila's mum had broken her femur and Kokila understandably wanted to spend the weekend with her while she was starting her recovery from the op. I was keen to go up too, but reckoned I could still do the race. After all, although I wouldn't have the car there are good transport links into south Wales and I've got a decent endurance road bike that I need to be doing some miles on right now.

On race day I rode down to Filton and caught the train up to Abergavenny, then set out on an 18 miler through the Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) to the village where the event was based, Llanfrynach. It was a testing ride with a few hills and a lot of heavy rain, but my goretex did the job and I arrived in reasonable shape under lightening skies. As per usual I was one of the first 2 or 3 to arrive at Race HQ and after grabbing my number I went off to recce the run-in, seeing as I'd had a succession of tricky finishes over the last year or two. The sun was bright and conditions race-perfect as i jogged up and back, memorising the turns and landmarks for the route down off the ridge and through the fields to the village. All in all there were 57 starters so as per usual I set myself the target of being in the top half - 28th or better. It's a random sort of target but a realistic one when a lot of the other runners are fell-race regulars and these days I very much an occasional (something I'd like to change, but those bike miles won't ride themselves and there are only so many weekends in the year). The landscape was gorgeous - warmup runs don't get any better than this. There was every kind of hill country from beechwoods to pinewoods, fields, and open fellside, ferns and heather.

We swiped in at the start with our wrist-strap timing bands then had a countdown start and off under skies that were starting to grey over, alongside a stream and through wooded hillside and over fields until the first big ascent came into view. I was running between 160 and 170 bpm and feeling like that was about right. It was hard to know how a 10 mile fell-race was going to feel after so long. I felt like I was going up OK, somewhere near the middle of the field, grabbing a drink on the way up and with a couple of gels ready for the top and half way down. The views were incredible and once on the high part of the ridge, the final ascent was a dramatic, steep spur up to a high point on the main ridge of the Beacons. I'd been trading places with others on the way up then fallen back a bit from the pack, which is why I'm totally solo in the picture that the summit marshal grabbed as I came up over the rim. Here we were dodging between groups of hikers, some on a long distance challenge event, the loose stoney path brading into several separate streams which allowed for easy two-way traffic. I dibbed in at the top and downed a gel shortly after, a little perturbed that while I still felt strong I was getting caught and overtaken a lot. Had I gone up too fast, or had they just run more savvy races with more in the tank for the way down? Later I checked my HR for the race and found it was pretty steady throughout so in fact I think I did the best I could.

The downward ridge was very runnable, a hard descent on the legs but fast and exhilarating at the same time. My recce run proved worth the effort when my landmarks - the nose of the woods with its shaggy pines, the diagonal path to a style, the sea of ferns and the gate with the orange digger - all came into view. I felt hammered at this stage and caught myself slowing a few times, having to summon up the will to push harder and use everything I'd got to get to the finish. On the last couple of miles, a succession of lanes down to Llanfrynach, I felt another runner gaining and ran hard to hold him off but he took me on the way back up and out of the village to the start/finish field. When I finally did cross the line the tank was empty so I was happy with my effort, 26th overall so on target too. Out of the vet 50 category I didn't do so well, but I'm sure the race was excellent prep for Helvellyn, as well as being an amazing run in its own right.

Major thanks to the organisers and timers, the marshals and volunteers - it was impeccably organised and amazing value for money.

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