Race Review | Beacon’s Way 100k by GB Ultras

Following a shoddy year riddled with DNF’s, injuries and lots of personal bits and bobs, I decided to sign up last minute to the GBU Race Across Bannau Brycheinog - opting the shorter 61 mile route as opposed to the Full Monty (100mi).

Having DNF’d at 60 miles on Wild Horse 200 earlier in the year due to an ACL strain, I was keen to see the section of the infamous Beacon’s Way which I missed out on - and the 100k was the perfect solution!

With both the Arc100 and Wild Horse, my two A races for the year, not going to plan, the objective was simple here: finish at all costs.

No time goal. No gold standard. Just get the head back in a good place, and enjoy some much-needed time in the mountains…

The Pre’s

I arrived in the small village of Llangynidr a lot earlier than expected having left at the crack of dawn - with an abnormal start time of midday allowing for travel on the day.

After grabbing some Z’s in the car, I got myself registered nice and early before doing the usual admin - tape up the puppies, double up the socks and lube the rig.

Some last minute carbs and a brew, and before long midday had rolled around and we were off - just as the sun begun creeping out the clouds.

Llangynidr to Talybont (0-7mi)

The route started by easing us in with a brief stint on the canal path - but just as rhythm started to hit, a quick bridge crossing gave rise to the first climb of the day up onto the fells.

Feeling well-rested, I steamed up the first climb - mostly road - before breaking out the poles into a power hike as asphalt gave way for our first taste of the Beacon’s Way Trail.

3 miles of climbing produced an epic result - a panoramic view of the Talybont Reservoir. This was just a mere taste of the views to come for the rest of the day.

The well-maintained gravel track allowed for a decent pace to be set, before we descended back down into the valley.

The following few miles proved rather monotonous - a steady, straight incline along what seemed to be a popular cycle path that led us in to CP1 at the foot of Craig y Fan Ddu.

With only my emergency rations on my person, I made the most of the CP with a quick handful of watermelon and a banana for the road - keen to get stuck in to the first big climb of the day.

Pen Y Fan (7-15mi)

Looming straight out of CP1 was a brutal ascent up to Craig y Fan Ddu - which I negotiated nice and steady, aware that I wasn’t in my best shape for climbing mountains after a gentle training block.

Even in the absence of 100% effort, as I summitted I felt absolutely shattered - so took things back a tick, knowing that the Big Boys of Pen y Fan, Fan y Big and Cribyn were knocking on the door.

I shared a few miles with various different people, with most overtaking me at this point due to managing the situation after the first climb. I was more than happy to watch people pass and just stay in my lane!

The next few climbs gifted us with 360 views across the best of the Beacons - and we lucked out on visibility, with miles and miles of Welsh Gold sprawled in view ahead.

After reaching the top of Pen y Fan, it was a runnable, easy-ish descent on the popular path up from the visitor centre; providing some much needed respite after a couple of hours of saucy climbing and steep descents.

The only challenge being the large numbers of walkers sharing the path, making for a bit of slaloming!

In what seemed like minutes, we were back in the valley and into CP2 - where I stocked up on the beautiful combo of salty potatoes and watermelon (not together - main and dessert…).

Storey Arms to Penwyllt (15-27mi)

A flat mile or so out of the checkpoint took us to the Storey Arms - before crossing the main road and picking up the trail back into the hills.

This section started with a narrow, relatively gentle climb that went on for quite a while - allowing for a mix of marching and running on less aggressive sections.

The views continued to deliver throughout this section to CP3 - the majesty of the Beacons on all sides as you pass over the ridge line and back down into the valley.

Lots of very runnable trails meant it was not long at all before clocking off the checkpoint and cracking on.

At this point, everything seemed in good nick - body felt sharp, feet in decent condition, and all in all a much better place than 8 miles prior heading up Fan y Big!

I enjoyed the 6 mile section between checkpoints on my own - settling into a good rhythm while taking in all the surroundings. Even when the sun went in and the weather turned a bit gloomy, it was still so stunning.

Having sharpied the CP distances on my hand a mile more than they were (psychological trick - makes for nice surprises when they come around!), I was happy to see the ever-smiling volunteers of CP4 turn up well before expected.

Carmarthen Fans (27-39mi)

A quick brew and a jam sandwich, and it was onto the next. The clouds began to clear and the sun decided to pop out right in time for the most savage climb of the course.

Following a 2 mile descent out of the checkpoint, the intimidating spectacle of Fan Brycheinog stood ahead. A glance down at the watch told me it was just under 3 miles of ascent at an average of 13%…

With a good chuck of vert and 30 odd miles in the legs, I took my time from the off - working in a steady yet consistent rhythm while slowly making progress up the hill.

Every now and then stopping to catch breath, a glance back at the fells shrouded in evening sun gave us renewed energy. I’d heard tales of how stunning the Camarthen Fans were, but words could never do it justice.

Once atop the ridge, I had to pinch myself every now and then - an unforgettable hour of running on my own, not another soul in sight, looking out over miles upon miles of insane natural beauty.

A special moment that is firmly in my top 3 all time memories in my running career.

After touching base with a few of the incredible media team, it was a quick descent back into the valley where I made the first of 4 big nav errors; failing to take the turning off the main path back onto the road.

Consequently, I ended up going bush to avoid climbing back up the hill. Luckily, I got away with a brief wade across a river and an additional mile or so on the road to get back on course towards CP5 at Almond Lodge.

Almond Lodge to Llangadog (39-61mi)

By the time I’d had a brief sit, some mash, beans and a brew, and headed out the checkpoint, it was starting to get dark - so I quickly readied myself for the night to avoid faffing once up in the hills.

The luxury of a dry top after having access to the drop bag quickly wore off, as we were greeted with a nasty climb soon out of the checkpoint.

As the hill began to level out, the last light began to fade - just as the route hit a nasty, pathless boulder field! The challenge here came with staying roughly on the right path according to the gpx, while simultaneously navigating the massive 6-10ft boulders without slipping and breaking and ankle…

Navigation grew increasingly harder, but after a few miles of frustration, lack of rhythm and slight loss of morale, I caught up to the bloke ahead who was struggling with his head torch.

I got my second of 3 on my person (never take chances after the Arc100…) out my pack, and we cracked on together - trying desperately to find any semblance of tread that went even slightly in the right direction.

It’s times like these where Ultra becomes more of a team sport - as another lad caught up with us, and the 3 of us worked together in our tired state to keep plodding in the right direction.

After what seemed like an eternity of slow, arduous work on the trails, we made our way into the final CP.

I was keen to keep moving as my body felt good, so I made a swift exit - grabbing a few snacks for the road to the final 14 miles to the end.

It only took a few miles before, in spite of moving really well, navigation errors came thick and fast - unnecessary yardage onto the total that made me lose my head slightly!

Even so, I kept at it - without another head torch anywhere ahead of me - hoping that I was at least making a bit of headway!

Then came the worst of the lot - an error that would have required a significant backtrack, and thus tried to take a shortcut.

One involving a barbed wire fence, a stream, and a half mile of wading through 8ft brambles and ferns. I was losing time floundering in the undergrowth, and was close to imploding when I saw a pair of head torches.

Two lads, Corey and Muhammed, had saved my race.

They kindly waited a minute or two while I swam through brambles to (finally) rejoin the path. I decided enough was enough, and held on to the impressive pace these guys were setting through the night.

If you’re reading this in anticipation of taking on the route, it is a must to team up for this section - particularly at night. Navigation for the remainder of the course was pretty sketchy, but made so much more manageable with 6 eyes instead of 2!

We made good progress through the night, and before long we had hit the final 4 mile road section into the finish.

It was here that I had to let the two of them crack on - as I had been so caught up in navigation that I had failed to realise the state of my feet.

As soon as we hit tarmac, my feet were screaming at me - combination of not looking after them through the race and (in hindsight) wrong choice of fivefingers for the job.

With the overall race goal of simply getting to the finish, I resigned myself to as fast a march as possible - save for the occasional quarter mile breaking into a light jog, only to succumb to the searing pain emanating through my feet.

I was a bit annoyed I couldn’t have finished stronger, as my body was feeling pretty good - but I wasn’t taking chances.

At 3:49am, I crossed the line at long last - bring an end to a pretty nasty last section, in stark contrast to the race as a whole!

The Final Word

The GBU Beacons Way 100K was a BEAST of a route - and the perfect remedy to the funk I had gotten myself into after a poor year of racing.

It was varied, fucking challenging, and ultimately everything you would want out of a mountain race. As with all GB events, every checkpoint was perfectly stocked with everything needed to smash your adventure.

Again, a consistent theme with every GB race is the unreal help each and every volunteer gives you; both at checkpoints and once you’ve crossed the line.

Everyone is willing you forward, doing everything they can to support you along the way. As someone who chooses never to have a crew, personally this makes the world of difference - particularly in the dark shifts during the night.

Cannot recommend this one highly enough - and I hope to be back next year to have a crack at the 100mi!

Huge shoutout to Wayne, Ian, Laura and the entire GBU Team of volunteers for putting on such a stunning event - both in the route and experience.