Ras Beca 2024. Waw, what can I say. Firstly again, a huge mahoosive thank you to all the helpers and marshals who help make this race happen. Without them, the race wouldn’t go ahead. 😉xx
So, as I marked the course out first thing on race day morning, I was questioning why I was even organising this race. I mean the route is pretty harsh in places, with thigh deep watery bog, and the harsh tussocky slog along the near-to-the-end bit is pretty grim!!! 😋 And that was after trying to work out the best lines for everyone. If I’m honest, I probably wouldn’t organise a race on that route, but the route itself is in the history books. And it wouldn’t be the same Ras Beca if I made significant changes. More about that later.
The weather gods were certainly on our side again, as it has been all year for our races tbh. With the weather that’s been of late, it could have been a lot worse! Obviously the rain we’ve had of late certainly made the conditions underfoot ‘challenging’ to say the least, and the state of some of the runners crossing the line certainly didn’t have to say that some of the runners had come a cropper in the tussocks!
There was a great turn out of junior runners from far and wide, and even though the junior route was far from ideal, everyone made it round un-scathed and home! The last section of the route was pretty knee deep for me, let alone those shorter than I!!! 😋 In the 0.5miler, Tomos Sandbrook won the u/11s in , whilst Lydia Evans wasn’t far behind him in third overall taking the female u/11s in . Even though Samuel McLevenna was racing in the u’8s cat, he was second overall in, whilst Bethany Harries was 1st u/8s female and 4th overall.
In the u/16s Dafydd Evans pipped Iestyn Colnet into 1st overall, in 4m 07s . There were no female u/16s. In the u/14s category Nia Rees was 1st female , whilst Ollie Plumb was 1st male.
Ok, and so onto the adults race. My daughter Carz was slightly injured, and so I’d asked her if she wouldn’t mind being R/o whilst I took her marshalling duties on the hill. I mean it’s bound to happen at some point! 😋 So a huge thanks to her and Rhyds for overseeing this.
It was pretty hotly contested amongst many of the categories today, with 52 runners starting out. Local lad Owen Lewis was sharing the lead by the time they’d reached CP1/Carn Pica(This is where I was at) with Carmarthen Harrier runner Steffan Davies. They were still together at the 2nd CP, which is where they started the long descent down. It was at this stage Owen had better descending legs and left Steffan behind. Owen finished approx 2mins ahead by the end to finish in 40m 52s. Local lad James G continues his winning streak in the M50 class this year, and came home in 5th overall. When James arrived at CP1, he was with an unknown runner to me. This turned out to be Stuart Penny who was 1st M60 runner, and finished 7th overall! 😉 Steve Noyce won the M40 class again, and finished in 11th overall.
In the womens race, Ailinor Evans continues her winning streak, by not only winning the F50 category, but also coming 1st female overall. 😉 Kat Green was then the 2nd female overall, taking the F40 win. It was great to see Corissa Smith take the OF win, even though she’d had a few stumbles in the boggy tussocks! 😋 And last but certainly not least, the F60 category. This was a close one. The Wasdale womble that is Lindsey Buck was ahead by the time she got to me at Carn Pica. However Lon Morgan closed in on her by the time they’d reached CP2, and was still just in the lead on the start of the descent. However, Lindsey must have pinned her ears back and past her between there and the finish as there was only 17 seconds between the two at the finishing line! 😋 Great running.
There was also a competitive family outing here too. The Birkett family had three runners, with John beating Thomas, who then beat Jacob. Nothing quite like a bit of family competitiveness! 😋
In fact, everyone did amazingly well. As I’d started to say earlier, it’s no easy course. I was questioning myself earlier in the day as to why? However, after seeing so many of you turn up, run, stumble, fall, talk about how tough it was, seeing you eat lots of cake, trying to wash those filthy legs of yours in the stream, seeing all the juniors there, and just having a good day, then it was all worth it. However, I might still alter the route a little bit, as that section from the bottom of the hill towards the finish is definitely getting worse each year, so I might change the route slightly to make it easier! I must be getting soft! We’ll see. 😋
A huge well done to one of the runners today. I didn’t get his name sadly, but today was his 15th running of this event! His first being in early 90s! 😉 Obviously all this boggy tussocks hasn’t put him off! 😋 I believe this race started in 1979, making it one of Wales’s oldest fell running races!
Two things I forgot? The gate at the end that the first runner smashes down! And a picture of everyone together!!! Doh! 😉 Maybe next year!
Huge thanks to my wife Rachel who has supported me throughout my organising of races. She had to dash off at the end as she was on Radio 2, Rylan’s game show! She did really well, getting 9 out of 10 questions right. However, the defending champion got 10 out of 10! Next time eh. 😉
Well, that’s it for the time being folks. Thanks all for running in our races in the past few months. The next event isn’t until between Christmas and December. The Brussel Buster! 😋 A 2hr night time orienteering event that myself and the Nobbler team organise. What could possibly go wrong! No exact date yet, but we’ll let you know in due course I’m sure. 😉
Diolch pawb/Thanks all.