Ras yr Aran

Race: Aran fell race (shortened:5m/600m)
Time/Position: 52.17 (24th from 57)
There are few other races quite as prone to bad weather as this one: coming as it does in mid-March, going up to just below 3000ft, staying high for a while, and with the summit of Aran Fawddwy a long way from help. It is, as a result, one of my favourites: a real mountain race. But it does mean that it often has to adapt to the conditions: last year, this meant it turned back just below the summit scree in ferocious wind and driving rain. One year I can remember it turning back at a very icy Aran Benllyn. This year, it turned round at the much lower Moel Ffenigl, just over 600m, a mere pimple on the long ridge up to Fawddwy. This seemed a shame but was perhaps understandable given the conditions; -20c windchill and snow showers. It's the length of the summit ridge that makes it an unusually exposed race for the time of year. The shortening meant the race turned into a fast dash up to the 600m Ffenigl, which was unfortunate given that I've done no speedwork for months - way off the pace, miles down the field, struggling particularly on the climb as intermittent snow showers swept in, so cold that I got a headache. Warmed down in a blizzard along the side of Llyn Tegid.