The Fan Dance is a race that deserves the up most respect. This is the Route that the SAS use for there selection, it's 24km and staged across the Brecon Beacons, starting and finishing at the famous red phone box at the storey arms. It comprises of 2 climbs of the Pen y fan, south Wales highest mountain.
Woodhouse is an extended version, only an extra 6km but there's an absolute brutal 3rd climb of Pen y fan within it. Which of course is the option I chose.
I completed my first Fan Dance in 2017, where I took on the course loaded, 35lbs plus food and water on your back and it was absolutely Brutal, I remember the first time I tackled Jacobs ladder I literally thought that I was going to die, it's something else, that's for sure.
I then got in with Gary and Paul, and we formed Team Cowboy 🤠, the 3 idiots trying to quite literally kill ourselves on the Brecons, we went straight in and took on the Woodhouse, we went Clean fatigue (CF), but you still have to carry a pack, with a mandatory kit list plus food and water. This pretty much destroyed us, and took us well over 6 hours, but what I forgot to say was that we had actually signed up for the trident, which is all 3 events, The Woodhouse, then high moon at night, then the Fan Dance the Sunday morning. After completing the Woodhouse and the High moon, we all decided that we were done, and we didn't even get out of bed on the Sunday morning. 🙈
That was in the Winter, January, the best month for it. Everyone who's done it knows it's all about the winter 🙌 Any way failing the trident didn't sit well with me, so I went back in the summer to complete all 3, Woodhouse was then completed in 5 and a half hours, so I was improving, this was still the time in my life though that I used to just turn up and race, didn't train, it was all about winging it.
I returned then in 2019 to take on there 59km Bladerunner, it was actually my first ultra and pretty much smashed me up, but it got me on the path to Ultras, which is where I have quite happily stayed. Then January 2020, just before all this Covid kicked off, it was time for the Woodhouse again, which I won, completing it in a time of 4 hours and 7 minutes, I then went on to get a 2nd place overall and a 1st in my category for the high moon. Which was amazing, but I was never a fan of the odd 7 minutes, so I knew I'd return to go for a sub 4 hour Woodhouse, which leads me to today.
I had booked this back in September, thinking it would be the Winter Woodhouse again, but Covid and Wales doing there own thing kept meaning it was on then it was off, so Winter turned into Summer. As per usual in our lives, it hasn't been a straight forward run up, why would it be, we love a challenge. So it was only actually Thursday I got the green light I was doing it. Baby sitter issues, plus dropping a bathroom cabinet on the toe, which left it pretty painful and bruised left me in limbo.
I'd come off the back of 2 races that didn't really go to plan, so I was hoping I could pick up a win again, but more so get that sub 4 hour, I would have been happy with a top 10 finish if it meant I got sub 4 to be honest.
We drove up to Wales yesterday, distributed all the kids out for the weekend, and headed over to Registration via a standard pre Harvester 👌👌 we still had Nelly at this point, as she was getting picked up in the morning by my mum, I was running at 6am, and Carly was running at 8am, so we had another little window to see off the final child 🤣 Typical Nelly, didn't sleep well at all last night and was up about 4/5 times which isn't what you need before a race, but I should be used to it by now 😬
Anyway 4am alarm went off, and it was shower, 2 poos, and cereal, water and a vitamin drink and we were in the car and driving over to Brecon. It was all starting to get real now, and I actually felt nervous, and a little bit sick, I really didn't want to have to write another it just wasn't my day post, there crap and it gives the haters ammunition.
We arrived and I was in need of another 💩 a waddle to the toilet, to find there was no big roll, a slightly faster waddle back to the car for wet wipes, then an even faster waddle back to the toilets. It was then trainers on, pack on and off I went to the start line, which for the Woodhouse is just over the bridge in the pont ar daf carpark. Everyone is signed on to the mountain, and you have give your number at each checkpoint so every person is accounted for. The trouble is this is done at the bottom of Pen y fan and the paperwork needs to get to the top, so someone always gets spammed with this task, and guess who got spammed this time, that's right. So the pressure was there then, I had to make sure I was first to the top to hand over the paperwork.
Off went the Thunder bang and I was off, and it's just up, 891m of up straight up to the top of Pen y fan, I was putting in the effort and after last weekend I made sure I took my poles this time which were a massive help. First km done and a quick peek over the shoulder, I was leaving the rest of the pack already, so I pushed harder, hit corn du and then it flattens out a little bit so I was off, I know I'm good on the downs so I was putting in a shift, then before I knew it I was calling out the Staff who was in his tent on top of Pen Y Fan, paperwork handed over and my race number shouted at him 613 and I was off down Jacobs ladder, it was very misty, wet and slippy, this was meant to be summer fan dance but I've actually had better weather in January. Anyway Jacobs ladder I flew down all the way to the split point to head around cribyn, I was laying out 4.10 km here and extending the lead even more, I got to RV2 and there was no one there to meet me, I didn't know if to wait or just let them know at the next Checkpoint, the last thing I wanted was to be excused of cheating and not passing through it, bit on the other hand it's a race and I couldn't waste time waiting around, so I made the decision to go, followed the valley contour to the river crossing and the steepest assent on Woodhouse, I'm talking 18 minutes 19 seconds to do 1 km and there was a few of them all the way back up to the top of pen y fan, the staff were surprised to see me so quick, and when I said about no staff at the RV point they said it was coz I was going so fast 🤣🤣 down Jacobs ladder again and the mist and fog was really bad now, even some rain, I was soaked and my socks had slipped down in my trainers and my heel was running on the backs, I went to pull them out and pretty much ripped the sock in half, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Down Jacobs ladder for a 2nd time and to the split point a bit further on this time. Visibility at this point was now non existent and it wasn't long before I couldn't see any markets anymore. I knew where I was heading towards, but just couldn't see it, so headed down the field. This field is horrible, full of baby heads, I stacked it 3 times, and on the 3rd time I literally just lay there, I couldn't see anything, I thought I had completely messed it all up as I couldn't even tell where I was or which way I was even facing at this point. I whipped off the pack and got out my map, I knew there was a river but I couldn't remember what side I needed to be of it. I worked out where I was and soon realised I had come down the field way to far, so a quick detour back up and a few hundred metres further and the fog cleared, I could see an orange marker in the distance, boom. Back in action, but I knew I had to make some time up again, it's pretty flat from here to RV4 so I started dropping in some 4 minute Kms again and I made it to RV4 in 2 hours 11. This would give me 1 hour and 49 minutes to get back up, but I knew I wouldn't need that, so said to myself let's do this in 3 hours 45. As I turned around and left heading back up Roman Road, this is a never ending road, great on the way down but a slight uphill incline the whole way back up and it must go on for 4 Kms. The Fan Dancers had set off now at this point, so as I was on my way up, they were starting to head down, I then saw 2nd place of Woodhouse coming along the bottom road, I knew he was about 45/50 minutes behind me, so I knew I'd won unless something seriously went wrong, but I still had a time to beat so I couldn't relax just yet. I had been looking out for Mrs Smevs on the way back up and other ladies so I could let her know her position when I saw her, as I hit windy gap at Fan y big there she was, in 1st place 🙌🙌 Absolutely smashing it, I was so excited for her, she's been training like a beast as her main aim was get a sub 3 hour Fan Dance with her last one at 3 hours 45, so it was going to be a big ask. But she was buzzing, just as much as I was, I said I'm winning to her and she laughed and said I know. Then explained that I had been causing a bit of a stir over the radios as I was going so fast and they were trying to make sure that someone was in position for me 🤣🤣
We both then ran off in opposite directions, I only had about 5km left, Carly about 19km. I was soon hitting Jacobs ladder and this time I was climbing it rather than going down, Jacobs ladder is tough, very tough and it was really taking it out of me, but I knew I needed to get to the top with about 20 minutes to spare to be able to go 3.45. so I pushed on, I was blowing out, my legs were on fire but the top was getting closer. RV 5 the final one hit, 613 staff, and I was off, all downhill from here apart from one hill which from memory was tiny so it was good, a really good stretch with some 5 minute Kms and then the final climb, this wasn't the little hill I remembered, its nothing compared to Jacobs ladder but it was still tough when you've given everything. I hit the top and the last downhill to the famous red phone box, through the gate and that was it. 1st place Summer Woodhouse but what was my time, 3 hours and 42 minutes, I'd beaten my previous time by 25 minutes I was buzzing. A quick presentation with Ken and it was back to the car to get changed. But Carly had the car key, so it was back to the red phone box, wet sweaty and hurting while I waited for Mrs Smevs, hoping she would beat her time, and hoping that she could keep hold of 1st place. It was really tough conditions out there today so it was going to be tough for her, but I had no doubt she would do it.
Then in the distance, a female, blue top with a white cap, she was still 1st place, through the gate and a stop of the watch and a 2 hour 57 finish for her. What a day, both of us winning our races, both beating our times and both getting awesome trophies.
Teamsmevs dominated the mountain today! We both absolutely love this race and no doubt will be back to do it again in the winter.
The main thing that came out of today for me though is that hard work does really pay off, for us both to put the graft in like we do, it's all worth it when we see improvement like this. Massive thanks to Liz Weeks our running coach for getting us ready.
Now it's food, football, myomaster recovery, then bed before an early start tomorrow for a 3/4 hour training run.
Thanks for reading!
Smevs X
