rab mountain marathon: snowdonia

ruth passed around the lemoncello, whilst jane sat *trying* to do the cryptic crossword (next time we're taking the 'quick' one) and the rest of us lounged about in the sun. it was hard to think that just a few hours previously we'd been battling wind and rain and deathly slippery boulder fields in the search of fiendishly hidden checkpoints.

after last years mistakes jane and i had come prepared with a plan, we'd even discussed tactics beforehand. jane would navigate on day1 and we'd stick to a strict 4km per hour rule when planning our route. which i know sounds incredibly slow but it would stop us biting off more than we could chew so to speak! the significant difference between this mountain marathon and the others we normally do is that you choose your own route, trying to pick up as many checkpoints within the allotted time as possible. leaving many more opportunities for on hill 'discussions' and 'interesting' line choices.

day1 started with waterproofs and clag. occasionally the wind would clear a view of seascapes or craggy mountain ridges. despite the weather we seemed to be picking up the checkpoints without too much struggle. we had a great ridge run, which always pleases me, even though we couldn't see a thing. getting to our designated half way point, everything was going smoothly but the weather was seeming to get worse. we decided to miss a checkpoint out for fear of running out of time. eventually we arrived at the mid camp with just over 30minutes to spare. we didn't care, at least we hadn't lost any points! and all of a sudden the sun was shining and to top it off we discovered that cat and ruth had inadvertently camped next to team ibuprofen. all was well with the world.

half way route analysis over re hydrated noodles commenced. i love this aspect of mountain marathons, chatting with other folk and seeing their routes, getting tips for the following day and realising that you could've/should've gone for that extra cp.

i woke with a full blown cold on sunday morning, which was reason enough to (bottle out) let jane continue with the navigation. a 42minute slog, straight up the side of hill is a fine way to start any day. clear skies and fierce winds would dominate the days run. again we stuck with our plan and had no navigational issues, jane was on top form. i was starting to struggle a bit but it was hard to tell if it was the normal day2 blues or if i was actually starting to feel poorly. 3hrs in, a few gels stomached and i could confirm that i was ill and not just being a bit rubbish. we cut our route slightly shorter, due to my snotty nose and wheezing lungs.

but it was great to be in a position where we felt in control of the situation. we always knew where we were and were making good judgments about time and distance. jane convinced me to go for one final cp, "it's practically on the way to the finish".... one final up. we finished with our best ever result in a score event, 83/292 overall and 7/34 female . dead chuffed.

and what better way to finish the best mountain marathon in north wales than with the best chippy tea in north wales. enoch's at llandudno junction in case you're passing.