Elidir Fawr race

Race: Ras Elidir Fawr (5m/3000ft)
Time/Position: 1.09.44 (11th from 48)
An exhilarating, classic horseshoe, staged during the last couple of hours of daylight on a September evening: all rather memorable. As with the Cnicht race on Saturday, this is one of very few Welsh mountain races that I've never done. I think it has been absent from the calendar from time to time, but staging it in the evening at this time of year seems like a great idea. The climb is, of course, pretty hard: familiar to most people because of the standard Welsh 3000s route. Although there are some short sections of respite, they are very short and in essence it's a continuous 3000ft slog from the village of Nant Peris. I didn't feel especially sharp after an afternoon of constant slate climbing, although a tailwind helped in places. Some rain, and mist playing round the summit, which I reached in 40 minutes. The descent is familiar from Pedol Peris: steep, rocky and technical initially, then a few grassy sections allow for quicker running until the path begins to contour round the top of Cwm Dudodyn below Foel Goch. The long, looping descent is absolutely superb: reminding me a bit of the Waun Fach race. Very fast, into a headwind with the light beginning to fade and mist swirling around Crib Goch and Cwm Glas across the Pass. I picked up a few places, then the route follows the spur on the opposite side of Cwm Dudodyn (indeed, it is perhaps more accurate to describe the race as the Dudodyn horseshoe). This gets rocky at the end of the spur, then steep and fast down to the cwm and back to Nant Peris. Across the river, then across a field to the finish for bara brith. Later, a pint and a good meal in the Faenol Arms rounded off an excellent evening: an appropriate start to what will be a busy September.