Sarn Helen 16.5 Hilly Race - May 2008

Report by Brian Conerity

Let me first start off by saying the Sarn Helen running club did a very good job of organizing this race.  The path was marked very well and there were five water stations along the way.  The course markers were brightly coloured arrows pointing the way along with mile markers. 

The course itself is a mix of roads, trails, and farms.  The trails and farms were similar to a coastal path type run: follow the makers, climb over gates, watch out for sheep.  I can’t describe the exact course because it wasn’t just on roads.  I will try to summarize it though.  The start was a nice level start on the road to get the legs warmed up.  The first tough hill was at about the mile 1-2 mark.  It was a long uphill that was fairly steep.  After the hill at mile 2, we started running through the fields with a continued, but not as steep, uphill.  The fields had some spots that were rocky and muddy.  The trainers did get quite wet and muddy through this section.  A few spots also had high grass that we had to run through.  There were several gates to climb over along the way. 

Upon finally reaching the top (maybe mile 4) there was a little flat running and then a very steep downhill….too steep to enjoy.  We then ran along a mixture of roads and trails for the next 3-4 miles.  Some of the trails were tough during this section because they were narrow and traversing the hill.  Overall though, this section allowed the legs to recover a little in preparation for the real nasty hill at mile 8.  

I have to admit that I couldn’t even attempt to run up the hill at mile 8 it was so steep and long.  It was also very rocky.  The several people around me felt the same.  I walked to the top and started running again.  After this hill there was a really nice slight downhill run of about 3-4 miles.  This was along the road and really helped shake the hill climbing from the legs.  I was actually feeling pretty good at this point…..at least that’s what I thought.

Then along came the next uphill portion at about mile twelve.  This one was about as steep as the first hill, but I found out that my legs no longer had any hill climbing left in them.  From this point until the end, I had a constant battle with my legs over the pace to run (my legs usually won).  They just weren’t interested in moving any longer.  I walked up a part of this hill and started running again.  I then struggled with even the slightest uphill portion.  There weren’t anymore steep uphill section, but there were some moderate uphill sections.  This section of the run was on a good wide trail with soft terrain.  There were several gates that we had to climb over along the way.  I was unfortunately mixing some walking and running at this point trying to get to the end.

I did actually run down the final steep downhill back to the Lampeter Rugby club, along the street, and around the pitch to the finish line.  My total time was 2:40:55.  Not a very good time, but the only thing I can say is I finished…..and not last.  With three years more training I think I can do a lot better on this course.  It was very difficult, but I am happy that I gave it a shot.