Missing the W1000 this year. One of my favourites but I have not been able to do hardly any training for a couple of months so it would have been frustrating, although just being up there would still have been good.
Good luck to everyone and fingers crossed for good weather.
It was chucking down earlier in Llangollen. Popped into a house clearance sale where, amongst other things, was a telescopic sight off a WW2 tank.
Cleared up nicely now and it's pretty warm in Betws Y Coed, where I managed to snap up a lovely Ogwen MOuntain Rescue buff.
MWIS forecast is still the same as its been for the past few days, I.e generally good, but the possibility of some cloud. But the Welsh 1000 fb page assures us we're in for a warm day and lengthy sunshine.
What a cracking day out today. I'm not saying it's THE hardest race, but today was the hardest I've ever had to work to finish a race.
I was 6:29 last year and hoping to knock off half hour and get under 6 hours. I'd trimmed 12 minutes by the time I hit the A5, and despite suffering badly with cramp over the Glyders I was 24 mins up on last year at pen-y-pass. Unfortunately the cramp hit a new level on way up Snowdon and I was unable to maintain my pace, losing a couple of minutes on that section and finishing in 6:07
So a missed opportunity given the pace I was setting (perhaps went off too fast) but given the struggle from the A5 onwards I'm very happy to finish, let alone knock a chunk off last year.
A big hello to Mr RaceTheSweeper who kept me company up to the first cp, unfortunately a duff line from me, saw you speed off into horizon, never to be seen again. I wouldn't have been able to keep up anyway.
And also a massive hello to whoever bellowed a huge "WELL DONE TRAVS" at me up on the carneddau. Unfortunately I was suffering from the heat a little and didn't recognise who it was.
I often hear the phrase "if you don't do Wasdale/Ennerdale/Borrowdale then you're just playing at fell running". I know it's said half in jest, but the same is true for the Welsh 1000 and Peris. They really are fantastic races and beyond tough. I'm going to commit sacrilege here and propose that they are better races over bigger and badder mountains.
Certainly the 1000's it's the sheer scale of the climbs that seems to do the damage, judging by the way myself and many others were staggering up the Pyg Track today.
Fantastic day.
Took a massive shortcut at the zig zags at the top of Pyg/Miners track, basically leaving the path and going straight up that steep slope. Perhaps I left the path a bit early and lost some time, as I kept looking at the finger stone and thinking I could have been there by now. However when I emerged on the top I'd taken over a couple, but perhaps I'd have taken them anyway.
Last edited by Travs; 04-06-2017 at 10:01 AM.
just entered this year's race
far too long (4 years) since I did this
excited already
anybody else...?
Scramble the rock face through the glare of morning sun — to run
I'm sadly missing it this year after doing it the past two years.
It is fantastic, and I'd argue that it is equally as tough as Peris, if not even a shade harder in anything but ideal conditions.., The sheer size of the climbs and descents, guaranteed cramp-inducer.
Did this for the first time this year. I had thought, "It's only three climbs and two descents, how hard can it be?"
Ha ha ha - the answer to that question is usually "Dead fookin hard," and so it was. What an epic!
The first six miles is virtually continuous climbing on rough underfoot terrain - no tracks or trods to speak of. A great expedition. And fewer than 100 runners - none of the riff raff from the lake District.