Clwydian Hills race

Race: Clwydian Hills fell race (10m/3000ft)
Time/Position: 1:24:09 (25th from 180)
A dispiriting performance, although the reasons for it are not hard to fathom. It was a very strong field, a championship race, and I knew I didn't have sufficiently strong climbing legs to get anywhere near the pace as I have done very little running in the hills since the Breidden fell race. Indeed, I was torn between doing this and the Abergele 5 mile road race. I would probably have done better on the latter, but it would have been a cowardly cop-out given the crisp sunshine and fine conditions. I've always felt that this race is the most gruelling in the Clwydians, with the possible exception of the Lletty, largely because it is so relentless. I struggled throughout really, but particularly on the long climb back up Moel Dywyll from the Vale side. I went reasonably well up the gully to the top of Moel Famau, but couldn't catch a big group of runners on the descent. This group of 7 or 8 stayed a frustrating minute ahead, which meant I finished well down the field. My time was just a minute quicker than 2008, when the gully was choked with deep snow.