Moel Hebog fell race

Race: Ras Moel Hebog (4m/2400ft/AS)
Time/Position: 56:10 (4th from 25 [1st V40])
Shame about the small turnout, as this is a great event and a classic race. My time was a little slower than last year, presumably because I picked an appalling initial line down from the summit. The weather was cloudy but mild and still as we set off from the village to pick up the tracks that lead to the main ridge line. I found myself gradually moving through the field into third place and had to pick the line through the boulders as we approached the summit (because the first two runners were miles ahead of the rest of the field). My line of ascent was reasonably direct, emerging on the summit ridge above the normal little scrambly wall, and I pulled out a bit of a gap on my two pursuers. Some mist playing around as I stupidly plunged off the ridge towards the village far too early, to be faced by the inevitable unstable boulders and very awkward terrain. Inevitably, I was soon overtaken before I had managed to locate the right line lower down. Try as I might, I couldn't regain third spot, even though the rest of the descent went well and ended up 15 seconds or so behind third. Ice creams all round and a family walk round Beddgelert to finish.