Andy reports: I was a bit worried about making the whole stage, due to injury and lack of distance training. Runners get a great send-off from Caernarfon Castle as about half of all runners watch the start. This year a new team from Spain, Interval M-2000, gave us a chant and then they all jogged the first few hundred metres to the footbridge. From here it was almost traffic-free but sponsors Air Products managed to get to the middle section to give us some water. Firstly we ran with flat views of Anglesey across the Menai Strait. Most runners had run ahead of me but I caught a couple in this section. After 2.5 miles we turned south, getting views first of the mountains on the Lleyn Peninsula and then of Snowdonia. We got a slight breeze across us, needed as the temperatures rose through the low twenties, whilst we ran along country lanes, climbing three times. The only runners in sight were two women visible ahead on straight bits. Eventually the lanes petered out in a church car park, with a gate out to a cycle path along a disused railway line. At first it was loose gravel but soon became tarmac. We got a good bit of noise in support when we emerged at a roundabout and then went back to the cycle path for the last three miles. I had little push from the left leg but kept going and managed to overtake one runner at a footbridge, keeping going to the finish with much relief. The rest of the day was brilliant - great countryside, visits to three pubs and an ice cream parlour and a refreshing sea dip at Barmouth, whilst also seeing some gutsy runs, e.g. from Wills (what hill?) and Stefan, who had to run probably the hottest ever stage 10. The Sunday was almost as good, despite being given a dangerous marshalling job by the organisers. There are some challenges there for us for the future - there is a special V50 stage and Cleveland AC won the relay this year at the 17th attempt (we have done about 9).

Mike reports: This was my first attempt at this mountain stage which was quite challenging due to the heat and the steep climb right at the end. The first two thirds which was a combination of gently undulating and flat I found reasonable, despite feeling that my head was boiling at times, but I struggled on the uphill section, walking at times and losing a couple of places. Once it had flattened out some zip was restored my legs and I quite enjoyed the steep descent at the end. This was the hottest Welsh Castles I have taken part in and we witnessed a number of runners coming to grief from heat exhaustion or dehydration, including one women on this leg only a mile from the finish. My leg was ably supported by Martin and Marion, with Martin providing the only piece of entertainment when he fell backwards into a ditch at one point. As always this was a highly enjoyable weekend, excellently organised by Kirstin, who was so focussed that she was giving us instructions to ensure we got Sam to his start on time towards the end of her very hot leg. She needn't have worried as we reached Sam's start in the badlands of Merthyr with almost 10 minutes to spare. This was undoubtedly the most uninspiring area of the whole relay, and Dylan informed us later that someone had tried to burn down the leisure centre. I wish them more luck next time.