Sunday, June 25, 2023

Moel y Gamelin

Race: Moel y Gamelin (16k/860m)
Time/Position: 1.32 (5th from 43)
Yet another big 'personal worst' for the course, a race I have done many times. I'm not too discouraged, however, as this is always a race of thirds, and it was only the 'third third' that destroyed me (after a 5000 metre elevation week). I felt I went fairly well over the Moel y Faen-Gamelin-Moel y Gaer-Morfydd ridge (exactly 30 minutes from the Ponderosa to the far end of Moel Morfydd), then kept a decent pace ticking over for the long, and very dry, cross-country section out towards Carrog. In fact I began to catch the 4th-placed runner here, and did catch him eventually on this fast, flat section - but it proved to be only a very brief flirtation with 4th place. At the road, as the route climbs back through the bracken, I hit the wall (a not-infrequent occurrence at this point in the race!). The rest was a desperate struggle, haemorrhaging time all the way back over Gamelin and along the ridge to the finish.

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