Brecon Beacons Fell Race

[CovMike]

Does anybody know anything about this race?

How hard is it navigationally?

And how experienced do you need to be?

Thanks,

Mike.

[ifor]

In fine weather it's a easy navigationaly. Clowd down though there are a number if tricky bits and as the fields down South Wales are not so big you can not nessasaraly follow... If your competent with a map then not much to worry about if your not then a reccy would be in order. The tricky bits are at either end, over the main tops is straight forward.

As for experiance it's a good long race, so you need to know what your doing for the distance but if you have done some medium races it's as good a race to step up to long as any... Worst possibiblty is potentialy a realy hot suny day when it is all to easy to get de-hydrated if your not carefull.

Ifor

[Sherpa]

Further to this advice does anyone know the checkpoints on this? Would like to do it, but want to recce as I hate stopping to map read mid race (I'm slow enough as it is!).

[Longdogs]

Hi

Start/Finish Tal-y-Bont campsite (at least it used to be, now seems to be a building site) 105210

CP1 Tor-y-Foel summit 115195
CP2 Pant y Creigiau 057162
CP3 Lower Neuadd 031180
CP4 Trig on ridge 022176
CP5 Corn Du 008213
CP6 Pen y Fan 012216
CP7 Cribyn 024213
CP8 Carn Pica 068202

As has been said, the first and last bits are the most difficult navigationally. It's definitely worth a recce in my opinion. I've seen people miss CP4 because it's not on the path as such which turns right immediately from climb to top of ridge and along it. There seems to be alot of scope for going wrong around CP8, specially if claggy. I spoke to the orgnaiser yesterday and it's definitely clockwise this year.

[Sherpa]

Brilliant, thanks. recce definately on the cars!

[Boy Wonder]

Ohh goody, clockwise, that mega-climb up Tor-y-Foel to begin with!!.



Oh, I seem to be away in the Pyrennes

[Boy Wonder]

And congratulations Longdogs on your recent blistering form!

[Wheeze]

I prefer clockwise since coming DOWN Tory-Boy on shot legs is a sure fire recipe for cramp on the sprint (cough, cough!) across the dam. Mindyou, as Ifor says, the potential for falling off the ridge with dehydration after battling with Big Fanny is quite high. Once bounced a group of soldiers along the ridge to Carn Pica begging sweeties and water.

Carrying a camel is to be recommended. There's no standing water at all en route (unless you want to fall into Neuadd Resevoir!).

[Boy Wonder]

So when was the last time you sprinted over the dam? And is the camel an added handicapping system devised by CRB?

[Longdogs]

And congratulations Longdogs on your recent blistering form!

Thanks, that's kind of you to say so but has all gone a bit tits up mid-season with repetitive tonsillitis and wonky feet. But hoping for late comeback... My new weapon is the bicycle- primarily to outwit Gordon Brown (or whoever that other bloke is who's chancellor nowadays), but i hope it will improve my fell running too. Hope you are going ok and look forward to making the bat runs next winter...