Ultra_Tales_Issue_13

EVENT REPORTBRECON 10 PEAKSstopping every hundred or so steps to catch mybreath. My legs occasionally cramped up. I hadbeen sweating heavily all morning and suspected Imay have some salt deficiencies. I attempted toconsume a salted Chia flapjack followed by amarmite sandwich but both were so dry I foundmyself spitting bits out. A few of the youngercompetitors in the group that departed thecheckpoint were soon distant dots on the skyline.Unfortunately what I thought was the final summitwas in fact a smaller peak at one end of a deepsaddle. To confound my situation the descent waspainful on the knees and quads.On the plus side, the ten pound USB charger hadworked. I had carried it, cables and Ambit in asandwich bag for fear of sweat or other moisturepenetrating any connections. Now with the watchback to 80% charge I was content my watch wouldaccompany me all the way to the finish withoutgoing to sleep. So I stashed the accessories away inthe bottom of my pack.I chatted to another runner on the final climb to thepeak. He was likewise frustrated by cramp which hehad never experienced in his training on these verymountains. I felt somewhat relieved that it was notjust me and an experienced local fell runner wasfacing similar issues.It took 75 minutes to travel 3.25 miles with just shyof 2000 feet ascent. The terrain was well walked andhard underfoot but after the initial climb the slopehad been gradual. At least with clear blue skies thepanoramic rolling views of the mountains had beenawe-inspiring and I reminded myself repeatedlyhow lucky I was to experience this majestic terrain.Peak 4. Bannau Sir Gaer at 749m. Arrival time12:12This swift out and back to Picws Du allowedopportunity to eye the opposition. Appearanceswere giving nothing away and I felt uncomfortableat how strong those in front of me looked. Ofcourse everyone exchanged encouragement or atleast proffered a smile in acknowledgement of ourshared experience.The descent was back to tuft laden, boggy, mudriddled terrain while the ascent from the col was ashort steep hard packed path. A bank of low cloudmoved in during the ascent and the air temperaturedropped instantly. While a brief respite from the sunwas welcome the temporary lack of visibility wasdisconcerting and made me appreciate how verydifferent the day would be if I was navigating incloud.The summit was a milestone. The furthest west wewould travel across the Brecon Beacons today. Thehorizon was too hazy to make out the Fan far off inthe distance but a black shadow loomed closer. Anomnipresent shadow lingering in the corner of theeye since reaching the ridge of Fan Hir. The steepimposing western scarp of Fan Gyhirych awaited.Peak 5. Fan Gyhirych at 725m. Arrival time 14:12Before tackling the steepest climb of the day, themarshall advised us we had one little hill to combat.A steep rocky descent led down to the calm watersof Llyn y Fan Fawr. I dunked my head several timesin the icy cold water. A brown film lapping at thewater’s edge made the prospect of drinking it lessappealing. I hoped my bottle and bladder wouldsee me through to the next checkpoint.A small path wound along the of edge of Nant-y-Llyn river leading to the foot of the hill. The darkshadow of the mountain loomed behind. It was aspectacular sight - the David and Goliath of theBrecon Beacons. Fan Gyhyrich only stood 725m highbut appeared to be so much higher.A few fresh faces followed close behind me now. Asthe descent steepened our travails were rewardedwith picturesque waterfalls in flow despite the longspell of dry weather. I could only imagine whatthese rivers would be like in flood by the depth ofthe gorge they had cut through the landscape.Time for focus. This section would probably be thetoughest of the day. Open country, overgrownterrain, and just a few sheep tracks to follow - ifthey could be found. I sought just such a trackacross the stile and right of the stream at the foot ofthe hill. It had been visible on Google Earth butwith wild grass hugging my knees a path was hardto locate. An old fence post served as clue and soon178 ULTRA TALES | OCTOBER 2014Sponsored by thehttp://