This week I took on the inaugural Pen-Y-Fan Trail Challenge 13 miler by OTT (Off The Tarmac).

I drove and packed in a load of team mates from Hengoed Harriers, car sharing because of the known tight parking issues at the Storey Arms with hill walkers and people just popping in for an ice cream to take in the sights of the Welsh Hills, the organisers did encourage car sharing for this very reason which was good to see some fore thought.

We arrived with an hour to spare before the race started which was a good move because the car park was already almost full to capacity, where people then took to parking on the A470 road side verges which can be a little dangerous if personnel don’t pay the traffic some respect, however this is not a reflection on the event organiser, this is out of their control, just a point to note for anyone travelling to the spot for an event or just a visit.

We took a short walk from Pont ar Daf Car Park up to the Storey Arms to the registration tent, situated next to the burger van absolute torture smelling all that cooking bacon just before a race, but don’t worry I made up for it afterwards .

At registration the guys from OTT were very friendly and informative, which for me was a nice personal touch to the event, all too often event organisers forget about the people at the events and just concentrate on the nitty gritty stuff, so well-done guys a massive plus point for me on this one. Ohh nearly forgot we were issued with a nice buff type neck scarf thing as a thank you for signing up as well, which came in very handy for wiping away sweat (lots of it).

Race briefing started on time and covered all the salient safety points, directional information, marshal check points, feed station location etc etc. There was a real sense of excitement with everyone eager to get underway.

The race got underway heading up from the Storey Arms, a tough climb to get the lactic acid pumping through those muscles at the start but the adrenaline was coursing through the veins and nobody really seemed to mind (in the short term anyway), we turned right off Y Gyrn heading for Corn Du keeping Llyn Cwm Llwch to our left looking down over the small lake.

Corn Du got steeper and steeper before you broke out over the top where it was flatter, the marshals pointed you in the direction of Pen-Y-Fan a little rest bite from the hills before setting off up to the top of South Wales`s highest mountain, at the top the marshals took your number rigorously counting the participants in completing their safety checks, before sending them down Cefn Cwm Llwch a steep path with loose rocks and stones, care needed to be taken here, but once past this short section there is a lovely fast downhill section, but do take time for a breather to stop and look behind you at some stunning views up over Cribyn.

For the next few miles it was nice to take in what the mountain ranges of Wales had to offer before hitting a cheeky uphill section on tarmac to reach the Aid Station which had flap jacks, that looked like chicken nuggets according to one of our team (I think she was delirious) they also had jelly babies, cola bottles, crisps etc and of course the obligatory water, they also had some coke for that added calorie and sugar boost, again nice touch, however it would have been nice to have seen another aid station on the course, especially due to the heat on the day.

So now we start to hit the roman road which was tough under foot and seamed to just go on forever, but on the plus side it was a good time to take in the views on the way back up to Pen-Y-Fan, yes that’s twice up Pen-Y-Fan #love it. Jacobs Ladder was an absolute back, leg and moral breaker but when we got to the top we knew it was all done hill from then on in, its hard to describe the euphoria knowing that you have reached to top after such a tough climb.

On the way down we went to the left of Corn Du heading down Beacons Way from the saddle, approximately 400m down Beacons Way we headed right on the South Wales Traverse, the signs and marshalling were spot on trying to stop people taking the short cut strait to the car park, but this didn’t stop one of our team trying, actually she was over exited at seeing the carpark that she missed me, the marshal and the signs hahaha

With less than a mile to go it was a nice gravel path, but it didn’t stop my toes from smashing into the fronts of my trainers, oh the joys of being a trail runner. From some distance away, we could see the finish line where everyone seemed to have a new lease of life to cross the line as a team. We were greeted by OTT team who issued us with medals and offered to take team photos, again a nice personal touch, thank you for a memorable event, this was the first ever trail event for many of my team and I’m sure it won’t be their last.

Pros:

-       Well organised

-       Great pre-race information

-       Great Venue

-       Well-marked route

-       Well stocked aid station

-       Nice buff at the start

-       Volunteers #awesome

-       Stunning backdrops

-       Nice personal touch from the organiser

-       A tough but rewarding race

 Cons:

-       Not enough toilets, there was a 10 minute walk to the toilet so by the time you got to the start you were ready to go again.

-       Sadly, there was only one Aid Station, we could have done with at least two out on the course, especially due to the heat, I carried 2ltrs of water and consumed the lot as well as filling up more at the aid station so one more would have been great.

-       The weather, it was too hot!!! Anything above 10deg in Wales is positively tropical, can you please turn the thermostat down for next year, but not too far down

So as trail inaugural races go, this was a great attempt at providing something challenging, rewarding and fun but please look at the small things like extra toilets and an extra aid station and this could be a firm favourite on my list of races for years to come.

Final words go to the marshals, you were supportive, informative and fun to wind up, one lady had a great sense of humour when I asked where the toilets were on the top of Corn Du her response #priceless

Well done Guys I will return, so good job all round