Thanks for your help Yiannis. Do you think this is unsuitable for my first race then? I thought it might be OK because it's marked so I haven't got to worry too much about route finding. Also I know the distance is manageable for me.
I'm most worried about the ascent (I can often walk faster than I can run on uphill routes!) but I'm not too bad coming downhill, even where it's steep and rough. I'm also not worried about coming last - just about coming in after everone's gone home
. I've looked at the times for the last couple of years and think I'll be OK.
I run in the hills behind Prestatyn, for distances of up to 7 miles. However, the ascent and descents obviously won't be as long, or hard. I'm an experienced mountain walker so I have the appropriate gear and I'm used to walking in bad weather conditions in the mountains. However, I haven't walked Arenig Fawr before. My husband and I are planning to camp the night before the race though and do a recce on the Saturday.
Also, if the weather's too bad, I can always change my mind