(Was the sweeper runner). 
 

Good instructions via the web site to get to start so easy to find.  2 official parking areas, local town has free parking in the bays for Sunday's. I went for this option.

starting point over the bridge, leading too a flat bit of land next to football ground etc. ( only flat bit of ground you will see ) :)

toliets next to start, they where delived short by the supplying company but did not cause a great issue.

route is hilly as you would expect, you keep going up till about the 4 mile mark, minus a rest via the first lake.  Don't worry the views make up for it on the way. A quick drop down to the second lake, round that then another drop down back to  almost starting level before a final sting in the tail up again before the final slope down back into town.

Helpers where still supportive of the tail runners all the way through.

water available every few KM's possible position of some fruit at the crossing point of the second lake maybe a recommendation for the RD.

well worth a trip for non PB hunters.

as trail as a road race can get and as road race as a trail race can get.

I signed up to this race as I wanted a big challenge before I started my marathon training. I certainly for that. It's very hilly through the first 2 miles before some downhill. You then have another big climb about mile 4, which burns out your legs. Once youve got through that it's relatively flat until mile 10/11. There is then a huge climb before heading down towards the finish.

As you'd expect the course is beautiful to run. If you can take your mind off your burning legs and look around you'll see some breath taking views.

I would recommend anyone seeking a challenge to look at this race, just don't go out too fast!

Parking was easy enough when arriving and it was a short walk to the start area. The bag drop is about 500 metres from the start area so leave plenty of time to drop your bag.

Feed stations were ok and the Marshall supervision was good. 

T-shirts at the end are cotton, unless you've ordered a technical one. I wasn't too struck by the colour (green).

I would run it again but put some hill training in beforehand.

Cost of the race is slightly high although most half marathons now seem to be north of £30.

I would also say this was a big step up from the organisation seen at the Wrexham Half.

Tough half marathons use words like 'challenging' and 'undulating' this one says 'tough' and 'hilly' - you better believe they mean it.
Organistion, like any Run Wales event, is brilliant. marshalls were a blast and the hills. the hills.
The scenery was absolutely staggering. 
they have ahill at mile 11 wher eyou get an extra medla for running it bottom to top - yep - I earned that beggar!
The half marathon to really, really challenge you?? You've just found it. run it at least once.
Did I mention hills?

Let me start by saying, this is the most picturesque race I have ever participated in - the scenery of Snowdonia National Park is stunningly beautiful, and well worth a visit. The course itself is incredibly hilly, with approximately 575m of elevation over the 13.1 mile course, including a beast of a 7:1 incline at mile 11. It is well-signposted throughout, and there are water aid stations (which this year were manned by local RAF cadets) at regular intervals - about every three miles. The support from marshalls and the occasional local was excellent, with everyone smiling and providing positive encouragement. 

The initial registration process was easily done online and on race day itself, number and timing chip were collected quickly from Race HQ. There isn't much information provided in advance of the race, and I felt I had to put in a lot of effort to searching the Run Wales website and reading small print to get details, and even then, a few key pieces of information weren't discovered until the minutes (and seconds) before the race started - i.e. bag drop details, the fact the car park would be locked at 1pm (when the race didn't start until 10am!) and lastly, that the wearing of headphones would result in disqualification from the race.

The distance between the car park, Race HQ and 'race village' with the start/finish line, was further than expected, and meant a couple of miles of walking prior to the race start. Having stayed in the local area for the weekend, I had plenty of time to sort myself out, but there were definitely some runners who were caught out by this and seemed very rushed and flustered! 

At the start line, there was a suitable bag drop facility, a little cafe and most importantly toilets, for a last minute nervous wee! There was a good atmosphere on the start line with music being played and the announcer talking about the course and the local area. With only around 500 participants, there was plenty of space and the course did not feel especially congested, which was a benefit due to the uneven terrain. I chose to go against the advice provided on the website, and wore my trail shoes rather than road trainers. The surfaces varied between tarmac, compacted earth, shale/gravel trails and I felt that the extra grip really helped on some of the hills, but in dry weather, the decision between types of shoe probably wouldn't impact on the overall race too much and it would be personal choice.

According to my Garmin, the mile markers were slightly off by between 0.1-0.3 of a mile, but the course came in at exactly 13.1 miles at the finish line... I think Mile 12 was actually 1.6 miles long to compensate! Providing you aren't using the markers to time your miles, that isn't really an issue. In fact, due to the elevation, consistent mile splits are practically impossible - this is not a course to aim for a PB!

On completion, timing chips were promptly exchanged for a good quality cotton t-shirt and medal, which were included in the sign-up price. Technical t-shirts were also available, but had to be pre-ordered at sign-up for an additional cost. The medals themselves are lovely, and there was the bonus of an "honesty medal" if you had run non-stop up Forest Hill, the afore-mentioned beast! One of my goals was to run the whole course without walking, which I achieved, so happily accepted my bonus gold medal! 

Overall, a really enjoyable, friendly race offering a challenging half-marathon experience with fantastic scenery to distract you from the burning in your legs! 

Having walked various stretches of the course a long time ago, I had a good idea of what to expect, or so I thought! Finding the building for registration was straight forward and parking was easy, but if the race grows in the future this may become a problem. Registration was easy and it is a short walk to the start. There is a bag drop if you need it but just take the basics. There didn't seem to be a race briefing but I doubt that is the case I probably just missed and the race started on time. This is a course that spreads the field out very quickly, with the first 2-3 miles being up hill. There are plenty of marshals on the course and the course is well marked, so you shouldn't get lost! Only water is available at the drink stations, although these a well manned, so if your looking for anything else you will need to take it with you. Due to the geography of the course there was very little on course support, other than this in the know and weekend walkers. Crossing the finish line there are plenty of marshals to help and you get your finishers medal / medals and tee shirt. At about 11 miles there is a stretch of hill, 1:4. I was told and if you run it all withou stopping you get a separate medal, which is the case. This is done on trust and honesty and unfortunately there are some people who don't Abide to this principle!! The t shirt is also cotton, which I think would be better if it was a technical t shirt. Changing facilities are in the cricket pavilion where you leave your bags and these are basic but good enough. Sandwiches, cakes, teas and coffees are also served here and no race is complete with out cake. Overall the race is well organised, in beautiful surroundings and a good honest race that I will return to.