Time/Position: 1.25.02 (16th from 70 [1st V50])
A sharp contrast with the last time I did this race, a long established Welsh classic. In 2014, howling gales and torrential rain turned the crossing of the ridge into a real battle. So I thought I was guaranteed a course PB today, in perfect conditions with a light tailwind and hundreds of inter-counties runners (on a shorter course) increasing the pace along the ridge. The recent pattern has seen me slightly down on my best times for oft-run races but I really felt that wouldn't happen today for all those reasons. Annoyingly, however, yet again I found myself almost three minutes down on that 2014 time, leaving me wondering (in vain) if the course has changed! Having said all that, this was a wonderful day: the view of the runners descending the ridge from Eilio is one of the best in the sport, with the view of Snowdon and Nant Peris providing the backdrop to the runners looping over the grassy but well-defined ridge. I got to the top of Eilio in 33 minutes, then took exactly 16 to run along the whole ridge (over Foel Gron and Goch) down to the Maesgwm (Telegraph) col. This seemed respectable enough, which leads me to wonder about my 2014 time into a fierce headwind in full kit with slight hypothermia. The next section might be the explanation: the climb up Cynghorion is long and draining, and I slowed considerably here. All the inter-counties runners were sprinting for home on their shorter route so we finally got an idea of our positions in the race. The steep descent off Cynghorion has always been notoriously arduous and is now slightly harder with a new fence at the bottom forcing you further left before crossing the valley floor and heading for home along the very fast track. I was surprised to find I'd won my category at the Padarn later on.
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