Hotfoot up Famau

[Fellhound]

Great little race tonight; thanks very much to Martin and the marshalls! (sounds like a 60's pop group!) A bit disappointed in my performance but still recovering from the Berwyns I think. Met some nice guys from Wrexham A.C. too so all in all a good night!

Ahoy, the Heinz Baked Beans man.... I think I was a lot closer to you at the Llangynhafal Loop but this time I struggled. I put it down to tiredness from Buckden Pike on Saturday but then you mention you did the Berwyns. :angry: You must be much younger... I can't recover in 4 days nowadays.

You passed me up the first big climb (after the initial descent) going very determinedly, but I went backwards on dead legs after that.

Still enjoyed it though - the Clwydians must have magical properties!

[sphide]

Ahoy, the Heinz Baked Beans man.... I think I was a lot closer to you at the Llangynhafal Loop but this time I struggled. I put it down to tiredness from Buckden Pike on Saturday but then you mention you did the Berwyns. :angry: You must be much younger... I can't recover in 4 days nowadays.

You passed me up the first big climb (after the initial descent) going very determinedly, but I went backwards on dead legs after that.

Still enjoyed it though - the Clwydians must have magical properties!

Ahoy to you too sir! It was a tough course, and I struggled with this one and Llangynhafal if I'm honest! And I can't recover in 4 days either to be truthful, I'm sore today and I'm sure some of its from the Berwyns!
But we turned up and did it instead of lounging in front of the TV so we all did well IMHO.

[Mark Smith]

Loved it, as ever. As having just started to move up from a very low ebb of fitness to a quite low ebb, it was pleasing to know that i was only 20 seconds slower than 7 years ago and the inaugural hotfoot! These summer races are a real highlight in these parts and i was very chuffed to make it back in london in time for it after a crap day at work.

Well done Martin and really hoping to make the Druid

[Welsh Harrier]

Ahoy to you too sir! It was a tough course, and I struggled with this one and Llangynhafal if I'm honest! And I can't recover in 4 days either to be truthful, I'm sore today and I'm sure some of its from the Berwyns!
But we turned up and did it instead of lounging in front of the TV so we all did well IMHO.

There weren't many who did both - and I think you might have recognised most of the marshalls had run Berwyn!

Results are now at WFRA. Thanks everyone for coming along and thanks to all the marshals, helpers and especially the sweeper for whom our last runner was very grateful.

Nice evening for it wasn't it - it would have been a bit damp if we'd held it 24 hours later!!

[Fellhound]

I was a perfect evening. I'm sure the rocky gully can be very er... interesting after/during heavy rain!

[idler]

Any fans of the stone shoot want to head over to this thread and give an opinion?http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showt...avourite-Famau
Thanks!

[Fellhound]

For anyone who's interested, here is my report of the race, from the Bowland Blog...

Having enjoyed every race I’ve ever done in the Clwydians, from the Loggerheads and* the Cilcain Mountain race of many years ago to the recent Jubilee Plunge and Llangynhafal Loop, I earmarked a few more races in the area, including this one, involving another route over Moel Famau.

The race started from a fairly remote pass (Bwlch Pen Barra), between Mold and Ruthin, and we arrived there with half an hour to spare after a fairly laborious after work drive of about 1:45 from Blackburn. Traffic on the motorways around Manchester and Chester was a bit snarled up in places; an occupational hazard for the opportunist evening fell racer.

On arrival conditions looked perfect – clear, dry and fairly warm but with a nice cool breeze ideal for running (chilly for standing around).

After registering I went for a warm up with my partner Gill, who intended to have a little run up the Offa’s Dyke Path to the summit of Moel Famau, whilst we in the race dropped down into a deep valley near Fron Bellaf before climbing up and over the hill-fort summit of Moel y Gaer then plunging down again to the valley of the Nant y Ne. From here (having followed part of the old Loggerheads race route thus far) we would join the route of the Llangynhafal Loop for the ascent of the infamous “rocky gully” to reach the Offa’s Dyke Path near the top of Moel Famau, where we would turn right and follow the very fast path along the ridge and back to Bwlch Pen Barra. Amazingly, this amounts to only 3.5 miles and 1200ft of ascent. Apparently.

Returning to the start I introduced myself to Jim Rhodes, the only other Bowlander in the race, and got ready for what I knew would be a fast start. After a quick briefing from the irrepressible organiser, Martin Cortvriend, We were off.

There’s only a very short stretch of uphill on the main path before the course drops left to make a long descent into the valley so I made a fairly fast start. Legs felt OK and I was up ahead of a number of people I knew would be my competition as we started the descent (Jim was visible up ahead, among the first group). The descent was on a narrow path cutting diagonally across the hillside and I was soon feeling held-up as thick heather each side discouraged overtaking. Clearly, an even faster start was called for. One bloke, losing patience, razzed past in the* rough on the uphill side only to trip and go tumbling through the runners on the path ahead, scattering a couple like skittles and saying “sorry guys” as he went. I nipped past the sprawling bodies but the same guy overtook me recklessly again further down… proper fell racer.

After a muddy section down the stream valley, a marshall turned us straight up the steep side of Moel y Gaer and we were all immediately walking. I hadn’t gone far up here before Saturday’s Buckden Pike race came back to haunt me and I laboured up the top half of the climb on aching legs, allowing a man in a Heinz Baked Beans vest (now identified as 'sphide' of this forum - someone I’d battled with at the Llangynhafal race) to forge past, going very strongly.

Over the summit and onto a gentler ridge, I was still walking as a small group jogged past but they dropped to a walk as the ground steepened briefly and I managed to walk back up to them before we started the descent to the Nant y Ne. My legs were clearly not recovered from Saturday and the following descent finished them off completely.

The route dropped down on a mulchy path, through still-dead bracken and I took to the rough and overtook two or three people, despite the handicap of rubber legs and Mizuno Wave Harriers instead of Walshes. The bottom section, down to the stream, was lined by heather and gorse and I was forced onto the mulchy path, which was far beyond the grip of the Mizunos. Despite employing the fastest footwork my wobbly legs could muster I plummeted down the final bit completely out of control, plunged knee deep in the stream and crashed headlong into gorse bushes on the opposite bank. Ouch (or four letter words to that effect). Extricating myself from the bushes I started up the very easy path towards the rocky gully. In the Llangynhafal race a few weeks ago I ran up here very strongly but now I just walked, breathing very heavily and completely unable to raise a run. Those whom I’d just passed on the descent came steaming past and I was left on my own, plodding wearily up to the gully. I’d now completely lost sight of Baked Bean man.

Finally reaching the steep and rocky climb I was amazed to catch up with another ‘runner’ who was going even slower than me and we exchanged words of mutual misery as I creaked painfully past. The gully was as interminable as ever and someone who had been way behind relentlessly reeled me in. I was on a treadmill! Any ordinary fellwalker could have romped past me easily as I crawled up the final narrow section but astonishingly I caught up with someone else. The reason soon became clear; he was explaining to the marshal that one of his shoes had fallen apart but not long after I’d squeezed past he overtook me again, deformed shoe flapping. My Mizunos were still doing fine and I was now about to get onto the long run back on the hard surface of the Offa’s Dyke Path, which had prompted me to choose these rather than gnarly Walsh PBs, which have zero cushioning.

The marshal at the junction said “just over this little hump then it’s all downhill” to which I replied, “that might not help much…” At the top of the ‘little hump’ I stopped for a second or two and took a deep breath then set off to catch the man with one shoe, who was still hobbling gamely along. He seemed to be having trouble with the initial downhill, which was over some strange corrugated slate paving. Aha, I’ll soon get past. Or so I thought. But no, once onto the more level gravelly stuff he picked up pace again (despite having what looked from behind like a club foot) and gradually the gap opened again as I shuffled along. Obviously having only one good shoe was less of a handicap than having two rubbish legs…

The marshal had lied as well – there were two definite little uphills before the drop to the finish and to add insult to injury and general decrepitude, the incredibly slow ‘runner’ from the stony gully re-passed me along here. Finally, the last blessed downhill arrived and I almost took one place back at the end, mainly due to having no brakes…

Jim and Gill were both waiting at the finish and despite a weary run I didn’t feel too bad. I felt like I’d gone through the same fatigue curve you might experience at, say, Ennerdale, but compressed into three and a half miles. It’s gotta do me good!

After changing, Gill and I set off back but we called in at the Colomendy Arms in Cadole for a couple of beers and a chat with some of the runners from the race before returning home, very late, on roads that were amazingly blissfully quiet.

Looking at the results, I was a disappointing 71st and Jim was an excellent 19th, out of a field of 96.

Another great little race, well worth the EFFORT but, AW, you're gonna have to do a lot better!

AW

[sphide]

great race report, Fellhound. Especially liked the bit about the Baked Bean man.

[Danbert Nocurry]

Looking forward to this one on Wednesday! Travelling down straight after work.

Am I right in thinking that, as far as the R turn below Moel Famau summit, the route is nearly the same as a section of the old Loggerheads race?

Is there a post race social at a local hostelry?

Wasn't this the course?

http://www.mapmywalk.com/s/routes/vi...g-map/49783132

[Welsh Harrier]

Wasn't this the course?

http://www.mapmywalk.com/s/routes/vi...g-map/49783132

Yes but it's very approximate especially the North Eastern section.

How was Ireland Danbert?