RACE REPORT
2022 Blacks to the Beacons
Marathon and 50 Mile Ultra Marathon, Half Marathon & 12k
Saturday 30th April - what another glorious day in Wales for trails this weekend.
The village was once again high on the atmosphere.
Runners arriving from all parts of the country, and even a few from abroad.
The geo-location map showing where each entrant travels from always makes us smile, but also highlights the need for us to be “on it”….to give everyone a fabulous experience so the word reaches far and wide.
Four distances always mean the day is bound to present some pressure and problems, but once again we managed to maintain our composure, and meet each little blip with a positive vibe.
Our worst predicament of this event was actually the day before, with the drop-out not of our runners, but our medics!
Keeping our smiles and usual banter going at pre-reg, we managed to find local last-minute help from the amazing and professional ESA Medic team 😊, saving the day, and how great they were!
A huge shout out to the team. A bank holiday too and a 24-hr event! We can’t thank them enough. Goes without saying that they will be back - another step towards keeping everything even more local.
The next issue was an elderly gentleman running into HQ on Saturday morning complaining about the smoke from someone’s BBQ wafting into his garden 😊 - cooking bacon butties in the open whilst sat outside your tent pre-race should be made a crime…. apparently.
So we offered a bottle of wine to ease his stress, and that seemed to do the trick!
So, these issues over with, we got on with the events.
The coaches pulled out of HQ with excited runners and a dog, taking them to the start a few miles away in the heart of the Black Mountains.
Arriving there, we were greeted by the most glorious weather – chilly, but perfect conditions. We waved off all the Ultra & marathon runners, watching as we do, to see if anyone managed to run all the way to the top. This little hill beats most, and it is funny to watch how the legs go from run, to jog, to walk, to even a crawl for some!
Back to business, the day was a perfect day for trail running. Spectacular views.
One poor guy rolled his ankle on the first leg. He was met by the medics and transported back to HQ, where he was taken to a local hospital for a check. Arriving back in a boot rather than a trail shoe was sad to see, but he bravely put on a big smile. Determined that he would be back. Amazing attitude.
Check points, dot watching. These guys and gals were storming this route. Hitting the mountains full on and beating them. Some say the chips at CP2 may have helped a little...
At HQ, we were flabbergasted to welcome the first marathon runners getting in before the 12k started! This made for a great finish, as they had a welcome-party cheering them in.
So, with most of the 50 & 26 milers still making their way through the mountains, we saw off the half marathon & 12k distances.
Do not be fooled by the shorter distances as, believe us, both of these are brutal trails. We are always blown away by the amount of first-time trail runners on all of our routes. Trails, especially around our area, are a big step-up from road.
Out on the course we saw our two amazing photographers each take on some summits to ensure the best pics ever would be available as a keepsake, a reminder of such individual feats of endurance, strength, and commitment. Andy and Mixy, what a dedicated pair; the photos well worth a look on our events gallery.
Each runner given encouragement and applause when they crossed the line. Beaming smiles of relief and joy.
Hats off to our determined group at the back of the 50 Ultra, who finished at approx 6.30am. They started in daylight, and finished once again with the sun starting to shine, and birds singing them in, along with the dedicated team of Stu, Ian and Elle.
Bacon butties and lashings of tea later, we saw them safely back to their cars whilst trying not to disturb various runners who had earlier sneaked into various nooks of the hall, armed with judo mats and coats for beds….
Here are the Top 3 winners and times - head over to our Results and Galleries section for all the photos and results. Impressive!
50 Ultra
Male
1. Wykeham Bosworth 9:44:57
2. Matt Tomlinson 9:44:58
3. Daniel Rothwell 9:50:39
Female
1. Una Miles 11:53:01
2. Sam Callear 12:00:14
3. Helen Brown 12:51:01
Marathon
Male
1. Rupert Milton 4:10:48
2. Thomas Chappell 4:14:29
3. Eddie Cairns 4:49:12
Female
1. Seema Srivastava 6:52:16
2. Lurdes Corlett 7:25:21
3. Karen Hassall 7:25:38
Half Marathon
Male
1. Chris Moseley 2:06:51
2. Neil Cox 2:08:06
3. Richard Antrobus 2:11:21
Female
1. Sarah Uncles 2:25:33
2. Jessie Main 2:51:45
3. Jane Taylor 3:00:18
12K
Male
1. Robert Quinn 1:23:38
2. Rhys Horn 1:24:47
3. Miles Haslam 1:27:29
Female
1. Clementine Mollier 1:28:48
2. Ana Luisa Lage 1:29:22
3. Jenna Richmond 1:31:08
We must give huge shout-outs…
… to our back-runners and medics - what a dedicated team;
…to Llangynidr Village Hall for allowing us this special place to host our event, along with the help and support of the local community;
… to our CP staff for providing hot and cold food;
…and to Juli and Sharon for serving hot food to everyone, including a few supporters, at the finish.
We had an incredible day with many great individual stories about our runners, and some awesome teamwork once again by our LT staff.
See you at our next event, the Black Mountains 50 mile Ultra and Marathon on 11th June!
Elle, Stu and the team at LT
