I was talking to a Marshall at Holyhead today who was on Snowdon last night until dark... He claimed it was still 24deg on the way down around 11pm...
I was talking to a Marshall at Holyhead today who was on Snowdon last night until dark... He claimed it was still 24deg on the way down around 11pm...
Did the Snowdon Uphill race again tonight... this year was not the high 20's on the start line like 2019, but was still warm and humid... with a stiff headwind for substantial parts. Zero visibility at the top... which made for a comedy sprint finish between the three of us, as nobody knew exactly when the finish line was going to appear!
Once the race settled down after the initial road climb, found myself in a little group containing 12-15th... with the top 10 just tantalisingly out of reach, and the people behind never really putting undue pressure on us.... We battled most of the way up the mountain, and when it flattened around the Finger Stone we were going at it hammer-and-tongs like a cross-country race...
I came over the line 13th (4th v40) in 53:49, winning our little three-way sprint by a matter of seconds (largely i expect by knowing the summit area a little better, rather than any running talent... we were pretty evenly matched all the way)
Was a pb by almost 6 minutes, and really that is what i wanted... to go well clear of 55mins.
I'd love to think that with training i can get to 50mins... but being realistic, while i think there's perhaps a minute or two that could come off (i can always get a bit fitter, and be more determined on the steepest parts, where i broke into power-walks)..... but looking at the results today even the likes of Vicky Wilkinson ran 51 mins, so perhaps i'm kidding myself that sub-50 is attainable.
Great racing, glad the ominous reports of cancellations/shortening of the race didn't happen.
Holyhead Mountain tomorrow.
Last edited by Travs; 24-06-2022 at 10:36 PM.
Well done Travs.
Without the humidity, headwind and with your determination, under 50 could be on the cards.
I've just looked at the results and was surprised to see that the field was so low in numbers, only 56!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Yes, when i did the race in 2019 there were almost 180 starters. Although i think either that race, or the following Snowdon International was maybe a qualifier for a big World/Euro race.
This year not so.... but there were 77 entries... but i expect the dire weather forecast and hints at shortening the race, had put a chunk of the entrants off...