Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is instant - Mark Twain
My epic challenge looms large on the horizon and I confess there is some fear there. I guess its the butterflies that tell me that the challenge is such a worthy one which I've already worked so hard for.
I'm running further in training than ever before as I now enter the meat of my training for UTMB. Unfortunately I don't live in the Alps so I've been travelling a little further than my local trails in the North York Moors in search of bigger hills to condition my legs for the assault they will take on Mont Blanc.
This is where the V3K Skyrace comes in. Skyrunning is all about racing in the mountains on very technical terrain and Snowdonia is the perfect place for this. To walk the Welsh 15 Snowdonian peaks above 3000 feet is a classic hiking challenge to be covered in 24 hours summit to summit. This race covers the same route with the addition of a climb of Snowdon and the descent to race HQ at Hendre Hall at the foot of the Carneddau range. Over 4,000m of ascent packed in to only 55km makes this an ultra distance challenge to be reckoned with.
Race entrants are vetted carefully and must be able to evidence sufficient mountain experience to convince the organisers that they are capable of finishing. Whilst this would be the most technical running event I have taken on and my first Skyrace, I have quite a lot of experience hiking scrambling and climbing in the mountains which did the trick. I also joined some fellow competitors for a recce weekend prior to the race which helped prepare the mind and the legs for what was to come.
In addition to being a brilliant celebration of running in some of the best mountain terrain the UK has to offer this event also has the added twist of the Vegan element. All competitors promised to remain Vegan for the duration of race day.
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| Nail biting! - Yeah those scrambly bits do look a bit gnarly... |
Arriving in a bit of a flap 5 minutes before the race briefing on Friday evening I found a brilliantly buzzing race headquarters and a welcome plate of pasta and delicious cake after a long drive. Following this was kit check and tracker fitting and after that there wasn't much else to do other than try to get my head down in my tent next door ready for a 4 am bus and 5 am race start.
After a fitful few hours the alarm was sounding too soon at 3.20 am. I scoffed some almond milk and cereal and deposited my groggy self on the bus hoping to catch a few more minutes snooze on the hour or so ride to the start at the foot of Snowdon's South Ridge.
After being stood for long enough to be savaged by the waiting midgies it was a relief to be setting off on the climb up Snowdon. In my mind this race was to be a training event first and foremost so I resolved to start slowly and work my way into it. That way I hoped to pass a few other runners and potentially work my way through the field a little.
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| Doing battle with Crib Goch |
This truly is a stunning route but there wouldn't be much of it on view today. The clag had descended in force and left a lovely greasy film of moisture on the polished rock of Crib Goch and Tryfan. This is my fourth time on Crib Goch in the last couple of years and this was definitely the spiciest encounter as I slipped and squirmed over the ridge in my squeaky yellow daps.
Crib Goch used to be a place which held an element of fear for me as it took me so long to get round to actually doing it. It is a true knife edge arête with sustained exposure and some stomach churning drops. It is a rite of passage for people who love the British mountains and a classic day out in its own right. I would say if you can pick a dry day and not too windy for your first attempt (unlike the photo above!) take your time and can keep your head its not so bad and can actually be lots of scrambly fun!
It goes to show how things have changed as I have gained experience and pushed my comfort zone these last few years. The fear has gone with familiarity, but the respect remains. I am in awe of those mountain goats who can bury their vertigo and skip along the crest without a care in the world. It definitely remains a strictly hands on affair for me with the occasional bum slide!
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| Other 'runners' on Crib Goch |
Thankfully I made it over the ridge in one piece although it took a little longer than I might have liked and it was on to the descent of the red screes where I took a few falls and picked up the first of what would become a collection of bumps and bruises for the day.
The Welsh 3000s are broken up into three perfect stages, Snowdon, Glyders and Carneddau, each distinct in nature with the latter being easily the least technical. I hoped to have enough gas left after all the climbing to be able to put together some actual proper running for the grassy Carneddau plateau.
After grabbing a few Vegan snacks and topping up the water bottles at Nant Peris it was soon onto what I knew would be one of the worst climbs of the day onto Elidir Fawr. I got my head down and found I was climbing strong and starting to catch a few people which made my confidence grow.
The trail was well marked with little red flags every 50 metres or so. Unfortunately the visibility on the tops was well below this at times which left you feeling on edge for a few moments after passing each one before the next one came into view. It can be a maze up there but I didn't need to break out my gps or map once even in the clag.
After negotiating the Glyders and the horrible descent down the Bristly screes Tryfan was scaled quickly and descended and I found myself amongst a group of runners at the aid station in the Ogwen valley. A festival of Vegan food was waiting for us and I was now ravenous. I gorged on sandwiches, soup fruit and fizzy pop which fuelled me to the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen, the last valley to summit climb of the day.
High on the Carneddau the clouds finally broke and we were able to run in the sunshine a little. As I reached the final summit of Foel Grach I had started to feel a little ropey, I couldn't quite believe that I needed to eat again after stuffing myself back down in the valley. Neverthless the poor old marshal fished out a now pureed banana from my race vest which I wolfed down and immediately started to feel better.
Time to hot tail it home and I found my legs were good to trot all the way back to Hendre Hall for more yummy Vegan treats. Not sure whether this was a running event with amazing food or a food event with some amazing running thrown in!
I came home in 11 hours and 33 minutes a time I was satisfied with given where I am at with my training right now. My summit to summit time for the 15 peaks was 8 hours and 51 minutes.
This is a definite step up in technicality to trail running with hands on rock scrambling and so much hands on knees climbing! The Vegan element and the fact it is already a classic mountain challenge makes it a unique race. I'd love to come back for another crack to see how fast I can go with a bit of a taper, hopefully with some views next time!
Thanks to the organisers and the plucky marshals stood for hours in the dreich conditions high in the hills. Thanks too to Scott Seefeldt for the amazing pictures more of which you can find here.
In other news a ten mile pb at the Otley 10 road race the other day. You don't get many ten milers to the pound and this is a local classic.
I am always wondering whether this long trail stuff will be at the expense of speed but volume of training still seems to be doing the trick. I was chuffed to complete this hilly race on a Wednesday evening in 1.04.48 without any recent speed work. I wonder if there will be time for one or two more pbs before the year is out...?
