Well that’s it then summer is already over as the Cafe reverted back to it’s normal closing time of 18:00 on Bank Holiday Monday, sorry for anyone who was turned away as we prepared for our very tired staff party to say thank you for two months of hard work. Thanks too to everyone (literally thousands of you) who visited us & enjoyed what we try to offer, got it wrong for the odd person, where this was our fault our apologies, where it wasn’t no comment.
My running still seems to be in a post Alpine duldrum so a sound kick up the ass is required because this is a very big running month for Betws & the surrounding area with the World Running Championships less than 2 weeks away. I must get out & try the courses so that I can at least sound like I know what I am talking about. I hear it’s suitably demanding so well done to Arwel & all involved.
Of course the Cafe is very pleased to be hosting the mid-week race, at least that is one route I don’t need to re-hearse any time soon.
Whilst all this is going on I am part of a team taking part in the Fabain 4 Dyffren Conwy Mountain Challenge on Sunday 13th September together with Phil (we’ve had quite a summer together) & Penny so I really do have to get running if I’m not to let these respective Mountain Biker’s & Kayaker’s down.
All that said last Sunday I did manage to dodge the pots & get myself down to Croesor for the Cnicnt race. Quite why I’m not sure as the first half of the descent is anything but my type of terrain. It is life threateningly steep & an accident waiting to happen for someone with my technique (well it’s relative to a proper fell runner at least such as Emlyn Roberts who was 2 minutes behind me going up but 4 minutes ahead by the end). Still I think I get it about this race, £4 entry fee (includes a pint, which I declined at the local pub, as the race organiser, Dei Jones, said at the start Maths is clearly not his strong point if he’s trying to make a profit), good local support on an iconic little mountain make this a race to cherish & be part off.
My time of 53:56 by my watch placed me 19th out of 36 & gave me a pb by 16 seconds despite making an absolutely idiotic nav. error early on the descent. Stand out moment was running past Mike Blake (Marshalling at the top style) on the descent (once of the technical stuff) to be heckled with ‘Well done Paul, only 3 women ahead of you’, yeah thanks Mike but I did know that. He even had the audacity to say at the finish afterwards ‘I was only trying to motivate you Paul’. I almost threw an expensive Fell shoe at him, thank god I didn’t as the inevitable retort would have been ‘3 women ahead of you despite wearing that…’
Great race, time to get out & train for the 13th & hope to see you at the Cafe on the 16th, a quick thank you to Alwyn & Maggie Oliver for offering to Marshall at the summit, gratefully accepted.
