"Peris Horseshoe" Mountain Race Snowdonia

"Peris Horseshoe" Mountain Race  Snowdonia

Category: AL
Distance: 28km / 17.5miles
Ascent: 2,600m / 8,500ft
"Peris Horseshoe" Race Details by Fell Running Routes.
Following on from Ian's great write-up of Snowdonia's Peris Horseshoe (Peris the thought), I thought I would add my tuppence worth. Part of the attraction to these long races is investigating the “sneaky routes”. Snowdonia is too far away so any investigation I could do would be by looking at maps, trolling the forums and blogs and chatting to people with “the knowledge” (Geoff a veteran with a whole one Peris Horseshoe to his name). The navigation would become more important in the second half as up to Pen Y Pas the field would still be close enough to play follow the leader. The research" proved to be mixed result with some successes and failures. The biggest failure, trying to cut the corner to the Snowdon Ranger path probably counteracted all the successes!
Peris Horseshoe Mountain Fell Race Snowdonia September Pennine Fell Runners
Less than optimum route choice!

I opted for the early start (1/2 hr before the main field, which is a great idea). The race started as it means to carry on - "brutally"! From Llanberis a 2700 ft climb through the disused quarry then continue up to Elidir Fawr. Scramble over a load of rocks then some contouring and another climb up to Foel goch. A nice descent than another climb up Y garn. Another long descent before a real slog up to Glyder Fawr. 
Peris Horseshoe Mountain Fell Race Snowdonia September Pennine Fell Runners
We gained height very quickly right from the start - looking back down to the start field.
Peris Horseshoe Mountain Fell Race Snowdonia September Pennine Fell Runners
Looking back down into the quarry we have just been through.
It is by the lake before starting this climb that the leaders started to overtake me. After that turn South-East to try and find a good line off Glyder Fawr down to Pen Y Pass. I took my time in the glorious sunshine in the first half and got to Pen Y Pass (which is the end of the Half Paris) in 2:30 where the "mars bar" man commented that I was looking very fresh.

The hardest bit was then then the run up the gradual climb of  the miners track to the turn off to Lliwedd, I could not be seen walking by the tourist so heart and lungs screaming I kept running up the slight incline! It was to some considerable relief that I cut off the main path and headed up the trail towards Y Lliwedd. I loved the “easyish” scrambling over Lliwedd and the east ridge and because of my early start I had loads of people around me. I would never have found/done the east ridge on my own as it was pretty claggy over the Lliwedd ridge and Snowdon.
Peris Horseshoe Mountain Fell Race Snowdonia September Pennine Fell Runners
Looking back at Lliwedd from the "East Ridge"
Once at the top of the East Ridge we are once again reunited with the masses. A lot of whom have gone up on the train and get in the way even more than the walkers.  Follow the train tracks down to the standing stone that marks the top of the Range path and then straight  down to the col before Moel Cynghorion. The dire warnings about the climb up (and decent from) did not materialize. I actually done too good a job of “keeping something back” so I found it was a nice steady climb up.
Peris Horseshoe Mountain Fell Race Snowdonia September Pennine Fell Runners
 About to leave the "Ranger Path" to start the last climb up Moel Cynghorion.
Peris Horseshoe Mountain Fell Race Snowdonia September Pennine Fell Runners
The summit of Moel Cynghorion is not the most exciting place in the world (but at least it is downhill from here)
Shouted out my number, over the style and then "that" decent where I got over-taken by a couple of people who gained a couple of hundred meters on me. They were off to my right and looked to have taken a better line as it looked less steep, something to lookout for next time! After the checkpoint I set my target to reel them in (more than likely pointless as I was probably half an hour behind them because of the early start!) I caught them and another woman with a dog who I did recognise because I nearly tripped over the bloody thing a number of times climbing Elidir Fawr. Crossed the railway line then join the road. As I was bombing down the hill a guy out side  the building (pub?) on the bend  having a fag shouts out the other runners went that way pointing to a gate behind the building. I could have kissed him I do not want to imagine how I would have felt if I went wrong a few hundred metres from the end of a 17 mile race. A bit of a windy track through the wood to arrive at a very low key finish line to meet a fellow Pennine Fell Runner who was hanging around to welcome us home.
I could have pushed it a bit more in the first half, with better lines and pacing I reckon I could easily have taken 15 minutes off my 5:31 time, but still pretty happy with it as I love Snowdonia and it was by far my biggest Mountain Races. The Peris Horseshoe is a fantastic race and I am at a loss to know why it is not more popular. I think sheep and lake land classics come to mind! In 2013 the Peris Horseshoe is a British Champship race so it will be considerably busier hopefully I will be there again!

Peris Horseshoe Mountain Fell Race Snowdonia September Pennine Fell Runners
Very early - climbing Elidir-Fawr Pic from "Picasawab Alastair Tye's Gallery"

The Ups and the Downs of Fell Running!

Now that road racing is behind me (for ever?) I have to seriously concentrate on "The Trigger". I had a window on Saturday morning until 09:30 to get a run in before the usually chauffeuring duties started. Six AM alarm call was followed by getting out at 06:20 to head over to Cobden Cross for a few reps. I had intended on doing six but time was against me so had to settle for five. Counting contour lines on the OS map reckons it is about 200 metres over about 1.75 Km. It is a bit of a brute of a climb as it is not constant with the  gradient at its steepest between 1 and 1.5 Km.

 I have created a Strava Segment for this climb  that puts it at 1.7 Km and (184 metres) The actual climb is a couple of minutes longer than the distance (and climb) covered by the segment. My PB for this segment is 12:38 with Marple's own Mr Iron-Man JohnE  holding the record at 10:47. When doing reps on it it tends to take about 31 minutes (17 minutes up and 14 down). I don't try very hard on the downhill! It would be considerably slower on a dark winter's morning with the soft ground and leaf cover. All my best times would be during the summer.

Got  out again on Sunday Morning at 6:15 for a 16ish Km run. I say "ish" as Strava said 18Km but it went mad 2 or 3 times and put in a few non-existent detoures. Got to see  a shooting star and a specular sunrise from "5 Ways" looking south-east towards Mount Famine. This is the best the rubbish camera on my phone could manage.

Stockport 10 Road Race 2013

Another year another Stockport 10. This is the 3rd year(and last time) I have done it. Perfect conditions this year, could even argue it was a bit on the  warm side (in December!) They bumped the numbers up this year allowing 1200 to enter, with 960 bothering to actually turn up on the day. I was not expecting too much this year as I have been struggling with lower abdominal muscle strain for about three months now. I have not really been enjoying my running during this time as I have a constant low level pain. This on top of changing over to forefoot running with the Inov8 bare 180s, which I am convinced are slower than my thick soled New Balance shoes. In fact I was in two minds about using the minimalist shoes because of the route change that will involve a mile on a pretty rough track which is exactly not what the bare 180s are designed for with their thin flat soles.

Race day!

 And They're Off

I turned down the volume on the phone as it is a bit embarrassing when the Strava woman starts announcing the details for the last Km. My tactics consisted of running as fast as I could from the start and try keep it up. It is a bit of a messy first few Km to this race as there are a lot of zig/zags through the park and housing estates, it was a relief to get to the Marple Rd and then down the rough track to start that great climb up from the river at Chadkirk. Being a fell runner I felt duty bound to show off a bit on this climb so I really pushed it and overtook loads of people Nearing the top of this climb I spied a lady in a Pennine top in front of me, that was a target, I caught her eventually only to be overtaken by her (and a load of other people) on the (rough) descent through the section I was concerned about. She got out of sight after that. This race finishes with a challenging climb at about 8.5 miles. I spied Holly in front of me again so yet again I tried to reel her in again to eventually finish 20 seconds ahead of her. She was telling me afterwards that she knew I was coming up behind here as my shoes have a very distinctive sound. The bare 180s have a very hard sole so they make a very loud "slapping" sound when running. I was convinced I was doing something wrong and even booked in with a forefoot (Pose running) coach. Basically my style was not too bad, not getting the right "forward lean", it is those particular shoes that are very "slappy". This photo below is just before starting the New Zeland Rd. climb, which is very late in the race. No wonder she looks tired.

I look better that that woman beside me but I do look like I am leaning back which could not be more wrong

They have a clock mounted just at the entrance to the park with is about 1/2 Km from the end. It showed that I was in and around the same time as last year, which I was delighted to see. That gave me extra motivation to push to the end to come home in 1:13:21. The EXACT same time as the 2012 race. I was very happy with this as the new route had to have been a few seconds slower due to that mile on the rough track. In fact looking at my Strava splits my three slowest kilometres are the two long climbs and then that rough section (which was downhill).

Nearly finished my 3rd Stockport 10

The 2012 and 2013 races had the same winner (Mohammed Abu Rezeq) with 14 seconds difference (2013 faster) in his two times.  Andi Jones  was 3rd in 2012 and second in 2013 despite being 17 seconds slower. Even though I had the same time I finished about 60 places lower in position 276. Have to mention the amazing effort by Pennine's AndyH. He smashed his 65 minute target with a 1:01:38.

I say it is my last year doing this and it probably will. I would not have entered this year only my wife had a deferred entry from last year that I took. I really fancy have a go at the Long Tour Of Pendle, which is only a couple of weeks before Stockport and I could not do both.