RAB Mountain Marathon
The 5th RAB Mountain Marathon Visits North Wales
Jeremy Sainter/Adrian Boyes (Dark and White Events) / 11.10.2011
Navigation was always going to be fairly challenging on a map with very few footpaths and hardly any clearly defined features; in addition the area is un-enclosed, grassy & vegetated with some large boulder fields and rocky areas thrown in for good measure. Dramatic valleys offered as ever the classic route choice dilemmas. On a clear day there are stunning sea views from most of the summits; on a bad day with low cloud this would not be the place to have forgotten your compass!
600 hardy competitors awoke to a blustery grey and typically wet Welsh morning as they prepared for the start. Having registered at Dyffryn Ogwen School in Bethesda the start was only a short walk away via the open fell. The area in front of the start tent quickly became littered with competitors poring over their maps planning their first day and by 10:30 a.m. everyone was out on the hills.
The conditions early on were fairly tough with strong winds, rain and significantly reduced visibility at higher levels. Good navigational skills were definitely the order of the day. The area provided a wide range of ground conditions with soft marshy areas around the river and stream valley bottoms through tussock covered slopes leading up to rocky tops and outcrops. But if you could pick up on some of the animal tracks criss-crossing the area it was possible to make good progress.
The standard course offered 6 hours of running on the first day and the elite 7 hours, both courses with 28 live controls and 610 points on offer. At the end of the day competitors were heading down off the hills to the overnight camp site just above Abergwyngregyn and the Aber Falls, a fantastic spot, made even more beautiful by a sea view, blue skies and beautiful sunny weather. Cue lots of horizontal fell runners having a great time with the luxury of being able to dry all their day one kit and relax in the warming sun.
Competition at the end of day one was very hot with just a few points separating the main contenders. In the elite men’s class Neil Talbott was in first with 470 points closely followed by Bob Johnston & Charles Stead with 464 points. Julie Carter/Samantha Ayers lead the elite ladies with 270 points followed by Sarah Keast/Dawn Westrum on 240 points. In the men’s standard class Steve Watkins was in first with 395 points and Chris Naylor only 10 points behind in second with 385 points. Matthew Heywood was in 3rd with the same points total as Chris but slightly less than 3 minutes slower.
For the ladies it was Kirsty Bryan-Jones/Nicky Spinks in first with 325 points, with Clare Dallimore in 2nd on 255 points. So it was everything to play for on day 2.
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