Dulwich Runners Welsh Castles Relay 2006

Welsh Castles Relay 2006

Stage 1: Caernarfon Castle to Penygroes
Distance: 9.1 Miles
Level 4 (flat, then climbs, then flat)

Runner: John Tymukas 1:10:57

Stage 2: Penygroes to Criccieth Castle
Distance: 10.8 Miles
Level 6 (Flat then hilly second half)

Runner: Andy Murray 1:16:11

Stage 3: Criccieth Castle to Maentwrog
Distance: 12.1 Miles
Level 9 (Mountain stage)

Runner: Tiarnan Ocleirigh 1:27:55
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Stage 4: Maentwrog to Harlech Castle
Distance: 9.4 Miles
Level 3 (Flat - shady first half - exposed 2nd half)

Runner: Martin Morley 1:07:01

Stage 5: Harlech Castle to Barmouth
Distance: 9.6 Miles
Level 6 (Long steep hill at beginning)

Runner: Ros Tabor 1:12:23

Stage 6: Barmouth to Dolgellau
Distance: 10.7 Miles
Level 4 (Flat and well protected from sun and wind)

Runner: Nicola Stevenson 1:34:42
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Stage 7: Dolgellau to Dinas Mawddwy
Distance: 9.8 Miles
Level 8 Mountain Stage

Runner: James Godber 1:09:09

James writes: Having run and won the pancake flat leg 6 in 2005, my participation in this year’s running of this fantastic relay bought an altogether different challenge. I “ran” in leg 7, one of the mountain stages. The route climbs steadily for the first half, and steeply in parts before descending sharply and finishing with a final gentle uphill. It was hot (it felt unbelievably so), there was a headwind and it soon became my idea of pure hell, as after less than 3 miles, my legs were like jelly and I felt quite sick. I even resorted to a short 30s of walking as I approached the summit. The downhill stretch was slightly better, though I was passed by two runners both of whom headed into the sunset (in spite of my best efforts to get my legs going) and were never seen again.
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Stage 8: Dinas Mawddwy to Foel
Distance: 11.2 Miles
Level 6 (Undulating throughout)

Runner: Kev Wood 1:19:23
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Stage 9: Foel to Llanfair Caereinion
Distance: 8.6 Miles
Level 3 (Generally downhill but undulating)

Runner: Stephanie Burchill 1:13:54
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Stage 10: Llanfair Caereinion to Newtown
Distance: 13.3 Miles
Level 9 Mountain Stage

Runner: Joe Brady 1:31:22

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Stage 11: Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd
Distance: 12.3 Miles
Level 8 Mountain Stage

Runner: Simon Loach 1:17:38
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Stage 12: Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates
Distance: 11.2 Miles
Level 5 (Undulating)

Runner: Clare Wyngard 1:21:49
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Stage 13: Crossgates to Builth Wells
Distance: 10.6 Miles
Level 5 (Flattish and gradually uphill, big downhill near end)

Runner: Kirstin Baker 1:14:15
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Stage 14: Builth Wells to Drovers Arms
Distance: 11 Miles
Level 10 Mountain Stage (The toughest)

Runner: Mike Mann 1:18:08

Mike Mann writes: Another highly enjoyable and successful weekend, but the hot weather made for draining running conditions, particularly on Saturday. On the Friday night we met up with Dylan at a pub next to the Menai Straits Bridge. Unfortunately he was unable to run this time, having turned his ankle in one of his regular light training runs, a 22 mile fell run involving 8,500 ft of climbing. The heat combined with a strong headwind made proved challenging on Saturday, making the mountain stages particularly difficult. We stayed in a hotel in Llandrydynod Wells on Saturday where the head waiter seemed to have recently returned from a course at the Basil Fawlty school of hotel management. One of the motivational skills he had learnt was barking instructions to staff in front of customers. A request for the wine list was treated with surprise, whereupon we were told we could order anything as long as it wasn't white. Sunday dawned cloudy and the early legs took place in much more pleasant racing conditions. Unfortunately the clouds parted soon after the start of my mountain stage at Builth Wells, but there was plenty of support and water throughout the leg. It cooled off from about midway through the climb, though at the presentation the commentator's description of the conditions as cold suggested that he hadn't been following the whole relay. The first 6.5 miles can best be described as undulating, while the last 4.5 miles climbs to 1,500 ft with a brief dip before the final climb. During the climb I got into a steady, rather plodding rhythm, but found a fair bit of bounce in my legs every time the gradient eased. James has a photo of me grinning near the end, which probably suggests I wasn't trying hard enough. My time was similar to last year, but it felt a lot more comfortable and enjoyable. One mildly amusing episode - there weren't many - was about 2 miles from the end when I drew level with a competitor. He asked me how far it was to the finish. When I told him "by that clump of trees over there" which were on the horizon and looked a good deal further than 2 miles, he seemed to visibly crumple and I left him behind. A tactic to remember perhaps, though it wasn't deliberate.
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Stage 15: Drovers Arms to Brecon
Distance: 12.4 Miles
Level 6 (Undulating but overall downhill)

Runner: Tiarnan Ocleirigh 1:20:12
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Stage 16: Brecon to Beacons Reservoir
Distance: 9 Miles
Level 9 Mountain Stage

Runner: Mike Williams 1:00:46

Stage 17: Beacons Reservoir to Cyfarthfa Castle
Distance: 9.2 Miles
Level 2 (Generally flat and downhill)

Runner: Ruki Sidhwa 1:09:24
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Stage 18: Merthyr to Abercynon
Distance: 9.1 Miles
Level 4 (Undulating)

Runner: Kev Wood 1:07:51
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Stage 19: Abercynon to Caerphilly
Distance: 10.4 Miles
Level 5 (Undulating)

Runner: Joe Brady 1:16:02
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Stage 20: Caerphilly to Cardiff Castle
Distance: 10.7 Miles
Level 9 Mountain Stage

Runner Colin Bailey Wood 1:09:27
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