It’s a few weeks on now, but still time I think to get in a huge thank you to Run Walk Crawl for another epic event. This was my first 100 miler and I wonder if I should just retire now because as a race experience it’s going to be hard to beat.
The course: 100 miles of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path with 20,000ft elevation gain, from St Dogmaels to Dale, stunningly beautiful coastline, seals, porpoises, seabirds, wildflowers, seaside villages. Really I can't recommend it enough. It was slight torture to run (walk) past all those sandy beaches with turquoise crystal waters, but it’s all about the mental battle after all.
The conditions: Plenty to enjoy for runners who like weather. Uplifting sunshine to start but the forecast was mixed so we weren’t looking ahead to relentlessly blazing sun - good news. The intermittent cloud / mist / drizzle were pretty welcome. The outlook overnight was sounding a bit damper than I would have liked though. In the end it torrented down non-stop with thunder, lightning and rainwater cascading down the trail. But since my main concern was getting cold, and I did not get cold, the storm turned out to be a bit of a highlight. Energising, distracting and rain + headtorch + sleep deprivation makes for kind of a magical experience. The next day the sun came out, everything dried off and the views were stunning. Five stars.
The gear: Some special mentions for gear that I particularly appreciated on this one:
Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z poles - these beauts have covered well over 3000 miles of trails and they’re still going strong. Came in pretty handy when everything started to give out around mile 70.
Keeping on top of nutrition / hydration / sun protection seemed like it was going to be important on this one so I used my OMM Waistbelt 3 to keep the essentials ultra-accessible and cinched my poles on top. That plus the hourly reminder on my watch worked a treat.
The OMM Core+ Hoodie is one of my absolute favourite things to pack because just knowing it's in my bag if things start to get cold and wet is very psychologically soothing.
First race with the Scarpa Golden Gate 2 ATR trail shoes and I'm so happy with them, they properly fit my feet, and I only lost one toenail which I know doesn’t sound good but I am honestly counting that as a huge win.
As with all these events though it’s the people that make it and so a massive thank you to the awesome RWC organisers, checkpoint volunteers, photographers, finish line welcoming party, my amazing support crew, everyone else’s lovely support crews, and runners on all distances - huge congrats to you all for taking on the PCP! Look forward to seeing you next year!
A huge well done to Chrissie from the Up and Under team for placing second on her first 100 miler!
And huge thanks as ever to everyone from Run, Walk, Crawl for their continued support of Up and Under and for providing such cool races across the spectrum of outdoor riches that South Wales has to offer. Follow the links for more information on Run, Walk, Crawl events and for something a bit less taxing their partner company Trail Revolution.
