Ras Foel Fras

Race: Foel Fras fell race (12m/3100ft/BL)
Time/Position: 1:48:58 (2nd from 52 [1st V40])
Peaks: Drum, Foel Fras, Garnedd Uchaf, Moel Wnion
If last Sunday's win was unexpected, pulling into the lead in this long fell race after Garnedd Uchaf was even more surprising. It's my third or fourth time at this event, and it's one I really enjoy - with the very long but fairly gradual climb up Drum from Aber leading to big gaps between runners and some often quite challenging conditions on the higher tops spicing things up a bit. I gradually moved through the field on the climb, which is runnable throughout even for me, and was in second place as a fierce squally shower came in as we got to the top of Drum in less than 45m. I gradually started gaining on the chap in front during the boggy, hard climb up Foel Fras but he stayed away as the weather really closed in for the aquatic run over to Garnedd Uchaf (Carnedd Gwenllian as it now is). I finally caught him on Garnedd Uchaf in dire weather: heavy rain turning to hail, strong winds. There's no good route down to the traverse path, so I just ploughed through the boulders trying to keep the right line. I was getting colder and colder, and had memories of this race in 2009 - when a ferocious squall at exactly this point decimated the field and led to a few hypothermia cases - so I put on my jacket and checked the bearing briefly as I was now alone at the front of the race. This delay may have ended up costing me the race, but at least I was then comfortable and confident about the navigation. I upped the pace down to Llwybr yr Aryg and a marshall, then kept a good pace to the bwlch below Moel Wnion. I seemed to be well out in front as the sun came out, and to my surprise it looked like I was going to win a race for the second time in six days. I jogged up to the summit of Wnion, risking a backward glance and not seeing anyone in the big landscape. But then I looked over to the right, and saw that a) I was 100m left of the checkpoint and b) a previously unseen Eryri runner was storming up a more direct route up Wnion! I pelted across to the checkpoint and began the descent, but was inevitably caught and passed within a couple of minutes. Try as I might, I couldn't catch him on the very long descent, and was now uncomfortably hot in my coat and buff! Ended up a good 50 seconds behind, in second place at the finishing tape back in Aber village. I knew my time was a PB for the course, but suspect the time given was too fast: I didn't properly record my time but I don't think it was sub 1:50 as the results suggest. A great event as always, a real mountain race in one of my favourite areas.