Ultra_Tales_Issue_13

EVENT REPORTBRECON 10 PEAKSwas all set to leave the checkpoint when I arrived.I got that eerie feeling of quiet that I experienced atearly checkpoints in the RAT. I had come here for aday out on the mountains yet I sensed in the spaceof 2 hours, with one brisk ascent and a wisenavigational decision, I had landed myselfunintentionally in the competitive end of the field.Surely that would all change, as the real challengebegan with our first official peak.Peak 1. Fan Fawr at 734m. Arrival time 07:55First climb and not a path in sight! Riding high onmy earlier nav decisions I banked left of the steeperknoll heading for a herd of sheep in the hope theywould have worked some tracks into the tuft ladenand overgrown vegetation. Learning on the run Isoon discovered that the vibrant greener lookingvegetation indicated water and was best avoided.As the mountainside plateaued I saw the officialtrack running up a much steeper second ascent wayoff to the right.The relief of a terraced dirt track was short lived asmy legs showed the first sign of fatigue on theshort steep climb. I adopted the ultra crouch withhands on quads and pushed slow and steady to thesummit. As with all the western peaks the cairnteasingly sat further back on a gradual rise. Suckingin the cool air I had bagged Fan Fawr. The earlymorning cloud was gradually lifting and the viewsof the reservoir satisfying.Another runner caught me on the climb and assoon as I recovered my breath, and he kindly took aphoto, I followed him on the narrow path thatcircumnavigated the Nant y Gwair valley.Peak 2. Fan Llia at 632m. Arrival time 08:39On the aerial images the landscape between FanFawr and Fan Llia looked remote and desolute. Itwas a relief to discover the path was in fact welltrodden and there was no need to take bearings.This should have been one of the easier peaks butafter crossing the three rivers I really struggled onthe ascent to the Beacons Way. The terrain was hardwork with a slow walk at best as my energy waned.Following the hefty slog to Fan Fawr I alsoexperienced a few twinges of cramp in my calves.After the crossings I lost the path and several timesaltered course trying to follow a sheep track thatsoon faded into undergrowth. The other runner hadtaken a more direct line using poles to pushthrough the undergrowth. He was a distant figureon the rising ridge. Once on the official track with agradual climb to the summit I had little desire torun. Worse still, I contemplated switching to theshort route at the forthcoming checkpoint. Thedownside of doing the extra peaks at the startmade the temptation of stepping down all tooaccessible. As with the unexpected cramp, I put thefatigue in my legs down to the short recovery timesince my inaugural 100km. Or was it just the6,000 feet of tough ascent we had already faced thismorning? Burying the doubts so early in the daytook a lot of inner searching.Fortunately a swift and comfortable descent fromFan Llia to the checkpoint, which saw me catch theother runner, put my mind at ease. I had chosen aslightly longer, and more gradual, route followingthe Beacons Way which bought me out just beyondthe checkpoint. I believed the shallower gradientwould allow me to maintain controlled speed, and Iwould hit the bridge across Afon Llia rather thantackling the water.Peak 3. Fan Brycheiniog at 802m. Arrival time11:57Probably fitting that the most difficult peak topronounce (just) was also the longest peak toreach. First we had several uncharacteristic milesalong a rubble strewn Roman Road (Sarn Helen),over some open moorland and finally throughlimestone country to the third checkpoint. My mojohad returned as I put distance between myself andthe runner I had shared the first two peaks with.However, the sun was now sitting high and the heatbegan to bake the exposed rocky terrain. I wasbegging to get back onto the cooler high ground. Afurther challenge came from an unexpected source- cattle! Not only were they reluctant to move fromthe main path, but they were also protecting young,and strange calls echoed across the landscape as awarning of our imminent arrival. Anirrational bovinophobia just strengthened my176 ULTRA TALES | OCTOBER 2014Sponsored by thehttp://