I live in the beacons and most ultras in this area can often use the main honeypots like Pen Y Fan. This race it is no exception, but unlike most race this one comes from the south side. It links together a series of foot paths coming out of Merthyr Tydfil, summiting Pen Y Fan and returning through some fantastic singletracks back to Merthyr. This race has every type of trail going like road, forestry track, Mountain paths, woodland tracks and mud. But the most impressive part of it wasn't the natural scenery, it was the man-made features along the way such as woodland art, Beautiful views from viaducts, quarries and the beautiful Victorian buildings. There is also some spectacular scenery of the Brecon beacons and some of the best woodland trail i run on towards the end of the race. All in all refreshing course in an area that I know well, that was full of surprises. Some great fast running, with the first half mostly uphill then the second-half mostly downhill. I will definitely be back next year hope to see you there.

Small, local team organising a superb event. No stuffiness. Lots of smiles. Checkpoints nicely spaced, well stocked, including hot drinks (snow on top of Pen Y Fan made those very welcome); cheerful & helpful marshals, mountain rescue on hand in case of emergencies, clearly marked navigation with blue flags at vital junctions. Race HQ was dry & warm (solid building not a marquee) with plenty of space for faffing with kit & loads of food on return. Loos on site.  V generous facilities for the entry fee. Bling was unusual - no medal but a slate, engraved coaster - nice touch. Course is relatively easy for a Beacons event - "only" 1400m ascent - but it depends on your ability. Nice mix of single track, forestry roads, boggy sections, and a couple of short road sections. Views will depend on the weather but potentially stunning. At this time of year, very few other people / walkers / runners around. Will go into my race calendar for next year. 

This was my first Ultra and just as advertised it was a great course to make the step from Marathon to UItra distance. The support was brilliant, with marshals even standing in bogs to ensure we were going in the right direction through to mountain rescue checking we were OK as we came off Pen-y-fan. The course was very well marked throughout with many flags and signed and whilst I always run with my own navigation the whole course was marked well enough that it could be completed without checking that navigation.

The check points provided fantastic support with a good selection of backup nutrition and water and very, very encouraging marshals who were amazingly happy considering how cold it was.

The scenery was stunning, and I added to the distance as I weaved about to get better views of waterfalls, distant valleys, and wild life.

The other competitors were very friendly (I much prefer smaller friendly events) with everyone supporting each other to safely complete the course. Finally, the coaster in place as of a medal was a great idea and is now proudly in use at home.

My first time running with OTT and they didn't disappoint,I found everyone involved knew exactly what they were doing.

Everyone was very pleasant and helpful.

I don't blame the crowd for not turning up,the weather was miserable.

The route was tough going due to the conditions.

Really enjoyed the whole experience.

Many thanks everyone 🙌

You couldn't ask for a better event than those organised by OTT! 
From start to finish the communication is thorough and clear, and the vibe is welcoming, friendly and supportive. It's instantly obvious this is a mountain event organised and run by people who love the mountains themselves - from the route choice to the support along the way, it's one massive, happy trail running experience. 
The slick organisation makes the whole experience hassle-free and I guarantee you'll leave with a huge smile on your face (and a belly full of cake!) 

Highly recommended indeed!

Amazing Event, you should be super proud of yourselves guys! From the get go everything was so organised! Marshall's were excellent, anything they could help with they would. Weather was horrendous yet everyone kept smiling. So well signposted! Can't wait to join you again for possibly the mountain marathon :) keep up the good work!! 

Absolutely stunning scenery in this fantastically organised 30 mile event,can see this race becoming a sell out every year

Tough but beautiful,basically a trail half out of Merthyr to the foot of Pen Y Fan through beautiful trails,an ascent and descent of Pen Y Fan and back to Merthyr 

Loved it 👍