WCR 2022 Vets Team Race Report

 

Introduction

The Welsh Castles relay is a race over 2 days in mid June down the length of Wales from Caernarfon in the North to Cardiff in the South. Originally a relay with a baton, for safety and logistical reasons it is now 20 separate races, each around 10 miles in length where each race starts near the time and location the previous race ended, and the times are added up. The Ealing Eagles first entered a mixed Open team in 2013, and from 2014 onwards a Ladies team and an Open team. Due to the cut-off times it was decided that selection should be primarily on ability, in contrast to the Green Belt Relay, where teams are chosen by ballot. In 2019 we entered our first Vets team giving more opportunity for Ealing Eagles members to take on the Welsh hills. Getting 3 teams of 20 runners, 60 in total plus non-running support crew is quite an achievement. For those more used to running as an individual event, running as part of a team where every second counts equally, cheering each other on towards a common goal, it is an amazing event as shown by the testimonials at the end.

After the pandemic, this was our second attempt at entering a vets team, and it was particularly memorable. The pandemic hadn't gone away, and a couple of late positive tests required some last minute call up of reserves and rejigging of the stage allocation. Then last van to leave Ealing on Friday afternoon was passing Oxford when another car made a last minute lunge for an exit from the middle lane, spun and caused a nasty crash. News filtered through to the remote youth hostel in North Wales where the early vans had already arrived, and phone reception was only available down the road by the gate. The van ahead on the road turned back to take three shaken and bruised runners to Wales in the spare seats they had, while the two remaining runners explored ways to join on the Sunday. But whether they would be able to run was doubtful. Not the best start to the weekend.

Blue font denotes contributions from the runners themselves. The rest is down to me, Harry Claxton, who was fortunate to represent the team as captain. As it has taken 6 months to complete I have lost track of who to credit for the photos.

Stage 1: Caernarfon Castle to Penygroes, 9.1 miles
Tom Green 0:58:56

Normally stage 1 starts with a procession around Caernarfon castle to the cheers of the rest of the runners, with the race starting once they have crossed the footbridge across the estuary. However, as we were leaving the captain’s briefing we were called back in to be informed that they had just discovered that the bridge was out of action for repairs. A quick change of plan meant the stage 1 runners had to be dropped off on the far side of the estuary to avoid the swim. We couldn’t send all the vans down the narrow roads, so we had to give a big cheer from across the water as the race got under way.

The wind was quite gusty, and the first half of the course is exposed right on the coast, giving Tom a stiff headwind. The route cuts inland and joins up with a disused railway line on a slow incline to the finish. Lots of support as the route crosses a well marshalled large roundabout - now with the brand new Caernarfon bypass.

Tom was just coming back from injury, so was a late sub, but did a fantastic run as the first vet team home by almost 5 minutes, and over 10 minutes on 3rd. What a start!

Stage 2: Penygroes to Criccieth Castle, 10.7 miles
James Kaye 1:11:03

Having been told I was swapping teams and stages a couple of days before the weekend, I only had time to look at the stage 2 profile on the bus en route to wales. I was expecting a stage that effectively had a steady incline for the first few miles before a downhill to finish.

Once the race started I settled into a steady pace and enjoyed the rolling welsh countryside views. After a couple of miles a friendly runner from Altringham commented that I was really far from home and asked if we came for the whole weekend. I replied that there are over 60 of us and we love to make a racket all weekend - almost immediately we went past an impromptu cheer point with a huge Eagle cheer. Once our ears stopped ringing he turned and commented that I really wasn’t kidding!

After a relatively steady 6-7 miles and another huge Eagles cheer, the stage turned sharply right, straight into a headwind and the steepest part of the course for the next 3 miles. It felt very different to what my cursory glance at the stage profile had suggested, however the stage finished with a long overdue downhill including a slightly perilous change of surface from pavement to grass for the finish. Check out Paul Thomas’s post on Facebook to see what happens if you’re trying to overtake on a steep downhill!

I finished the race very content with 3rd vet and 1st Eagle home, beating the captains projected time by 4 mins. Even got a 10 km pb to boot. The best thing about finishing such an early stage is you get to relax and enjoy cheering on the rest of the Eagles for the whole weekend.

Jay was a super enthusiastic debutante in the previous vets team, and it was great to have an in-form Jay back in the team. Stage 2 continues south along the disused railway track, and we found a good cheer point half-way along, shown below. The finish is a tricky steep downhill on grass, where a couple of ladies took a tumble. Jay came in 3rd vet team - a great run.

Stage 3: Criccieth Castle to Maentwrog, 12.3 miles
Kieran Santry 1:23:07

The late drop-outs due to covid positive tests presented me as captain with a conundrum: who could take on this gruelling mountain stage? They would be up against some of the top runners in the event - the stage was won by seven-time welsh cross country champion Dewi Griffiths. Step up Kieran Santry, happy to do a shift for the team, and someone who always pulls out a big effort on the big occasions.

We parked up in a school car park to cheer on the stage 3 runners in Tremadog. Kieran was looking strong and smiling at this point, but the big hill is at the end of the stage, a steep up and down, with a finish right at the base of the hill. Kieran came flying down the hill to the finish to be handed a spot a prize. Kieran had pulled out another big effort and we were still in a strong second place.

Stage 4: Maentwrog to Harlech Castle, 9.5 miles
Mike Duff 1:04:38

Definitely a rollercoaster of a weekend - Friday was a real shock to the system and so much kudos to those guys for still running and being a massive part of the weekend. Also from the highs of looking like taking the vets crown to the lows of Ronan being taken seriously ill and the way everyone's immediate thoughts were for him not the race - just shows the camaraderie we have.

It was great to see so many new faces - it must have been about half the people there were making their debut. I think that really added to the weekend - seeing their excitement and throwing themselves in and being a veteran of my second WCR giving them a few pointers on what to expect.

For my stage, the 40 mph headwind was certainly memorable. I may have mentioned to Andy Guy that I would quite like it to please go away as I passed at 10k (or words to that effect). It was great to pass so many runners on the route as they struggled in the wind and I kept going and then working with a Neath runner for the last couple of miles to draft our way home - shame I couldn't outsprint him at the end. Also, Harlech Castle is much further away than you think!

A great effort indeed, battling into the headwind. We cheered off the stage 4 runners by the picturesque bridge over the river, and were there to cheer them into the finish. Mike had put 10 minutes on the Sale vets runner, which promoted us back into the lead of the vets competition.

Stage 5: Harlech Castle to Barmouth, 9.6 miles
Gerbrand Alkema 1:07:13

The start of stage 5 is just on the side of the railway tracks going towards Barmouth, starting at roughly sea level, the race kicks off with a grade 5 climb for 1.4 kilometre or 0.9 miles to 64 metres or 209 feet above sea level. A quick run over the top before a long swoop down to sea level from 1.8 kilometre (1.1 miles) to kilometre 4 (2.5miles), which took it out on the quads a little bit, but fortunately nothing too steep or crazy, so no need for windmilling the arms. At kilometre 5 (3.2 miles) the next, depending on your outlook in life, incline/undulation/hill starts. This incline takes you to 43 metres (141 feet) from sea level. Though it isn’t graded, it is still a serious one and finishes at kilometre 6 (3.7 miles). As it was classed as a flat stage with one serious hill this didn’t sit too well with me, especially so, because you’re not really sure where it ends. After this climb, most of the hard work was done and it was cruising down into Barmouth (bar for the howling wind coming from the Irish Sea). The last bit of the race was a net downhill with, what we call in the Netherlands, false flats. It does go up, but I realised this because of the energy that is slowly being drained from your legs, while the downs are not restoring your legs as much as I still had to work hard ploughing into the wind. Finally as you start to see Barmouth in the distance at 12.2 kilometre (7.6 miles) one last significant incline of 800 metres (0.5 miles) is the last hard work and is then a cruise down into Barmouth. Once you see the first house on the right side of the road, make sure to overtake the runners in front of you if you can. After that house, it is a sharp (90 degrees) corner on a path down to the beach with a sharp corner to the left to follow with the finish just after the bend to the right, straight into the arms of the guy handing out the barcodes. So there is little to no overtaking opportunity on the path.

The first hill set the field and I only had to battle it out with one competitor in the first 4k or so and the field was set by then, after which I ended up in no-mans land, really no one to chase and no one at my back that I had to drop. The wind was from the south-west and strong (30-40 mile, we named it Storm Kevin) and thought it prudent to go a bit slower than the pace required by the captain. It was all quite open and straight into the wind, so could have easily invested too much, without too much gain with the risk of blowing myself up. Perhaps, better a head-wind than a scorching day, as there was little water on the course and there is no shade from trees. So hydrate well if it is sunny.

Gerb was a late call up - another super sub, as he was one of the Monarch’s of the Mountain from the last event. Having run the stage in my first WCR back in 2016, I agree it is by no means flat. Another great effort, and we were still in the lead.

Stage 6: Barmouth to Dolgellau, 10.7 miles
Rafal Machnik 1:09:57

Stage 6 really is flat though, as it follows the Mawddach river inland, and had been deliberately selected for Raf, as had been plagued with injuries and he wanted to avoid downhills. We took the 17 seater minibus over the wooden toll bridge while debating whether or not we were over the weight limit (we probably were). There is another great cheer spot on the edge of the river where a number of the Eagles minibuses had stopped. After watching some newlyweds get some photos on the toll bridge, we cheered the Eagle runners through. Another strong run, and we were still in the lead.

Stage 7: Dolgellau to Dinas Mawddwy, 10.1 miles
Andy Guy 1:11:55

Pinning on a race number for the first time in over two years and on the same Welsh roads I grew up on was emotional.  Started hard, wondering if the legs could still race and when James would overtake me.  Worked hard up the hill, all the time dreading the downhill. The Les Croupiers Vet passed me 100m from the crest of the hill….which helped me simply commit to the downhill.  Had overtaken him within 400m and away we fell.  

Jelly legs arrived at the foot of the hill with them unable to manage the severe up then the more severe down.  Was working hard and then was passed in a hurry by another runner. Unfortunately, as I glanced at the race number it was our then rivals in the Vets - Sale. “Kieran is going to give me hell over every second I lose for a year” was my first thought. Minimising the gap to 100m was the second. That would give me a chance. It always does. Somehow I hung on to Sale for 2-3km and the strange Stage 7 finish went my way.

Stage 7 is a brutal mountain stage - but you suffer in some stunning scenery. Climb after climb combines to over 350 m of elevation. Andy had come all the way from Singapore, and had the leg speed to take advantage of the steep downhill. A great battle, and we were less than a minute behind new leaders, Pontypridd vets.

Stage 8: Dinas Mawddwy to Foel, 10.8 miles
Massimo Biava 1:07:54

Massimo asked for a flat stage, but we needed a strong runner on stage 8, as it has the most elevation of the non-mountain stages. It is more of a continuous slow drag, and Massimo was happy to do a job for the team. He was kept company by the young John Foxall, all the way to a sprint finish on the line. Another great effort which put us back in the lead.

Stage 9: Foel to Llanfair Caereinion, 8.5 miles
Jozsef Kalman 0:51:50

When Jozef showed me the bruises caused by the seat belt from the car crash when he finally arrived very late on the previous evening, it seemed unlikely he, or any of those involved, would be running. He said he was happy to give it a go, though whether or not he or Nicola would be able to finish wasn’t certain,and there were plans to pick them up if they had to drop out. Jozsef rubbed some lotion down his shorts - “100% natural” he claimed and we left him, Colin and Nicola to walk to the start line and register. 

Stage 9 has a very steep uphill finish for the final 100 m, and Jozef steamed up it as the first vets team runner home! With Colin and Nicola finishing in great times it was quite an emotional finish line to witness. WCR is an intense enough weekend without also being involved in a serious car crash as well. I need to find out what that lotion was.

Stage 10: Llanfair Caereinion to Newtown, 13.1 miles
Simon James 1:29:17

However, the race moves on, so we were off to catch up with stage 10 and the iconic finish. Another demanding mountain stage, front loaded with a big hill. The Eagles had the big guns out - Niall, Alice, and for the vets stalwart Simon James. I cheered them on just where the incline kicks up next to a helpful “16%” warning sign.

After picking up the stage 9 runners we were pushed to make it to the finish in time. Tradition requires the captain to have a pint ready for the runner at the finish, and time was tight. I needn’t have worried, Tom Green had already got the beers in ready, and we made it to the finish line just in time to see the Eagles finish.

Now I have seen Simon wring the sweat out of his headband before, but I had never seen him in such a state at the finish line. The sweat was literally dripping off his nose and he seemed a bit delirious as he apologised for his effort. I was seriously worried for him, but after a bit of rehydration he slowly regained his composure. Up against the strongest runners on perhaps the toughest stage, It was clear he had put everything into the run, and had kept the lead in the vets competition going into day 2 for the Eagles to celebrate at the following meal. To be honest seeing the physical toll the run had taken made me even more nervous.about my stage the next day.

Stage 11: Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd, 10.5 miles
Liam McNicholl 1:11:39

Day 2 starts early - the closest place that could accommodate all three teams was back in England at the Coalbrookdale youth hostel. This meant an early start to drop off the runners for the 7:00 am race time. Stage 11 is another mountain stage - a long steady climb out of Newtown. The wind had dropped and with the sun out the inland stages can get warm, so the early start at least avoids the heat of the day.

Liam ran a storming stage, taking minutes off our rival vet teams to extend our lead.

Stage 12: Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates, 11.2 miles
Nils-Kristian Liborg 1:09:37

My highlight was overtaking the Les Croupier vet runner with 2 miles left to go at the same time my minibus passed us. Went on to beat him by about 40 seconds after seeing set off at a murderous pace when he passed me in the first km. I think he was about 3 mins ahead at the most, but I could often see him on the long stretches and when I finally started to reduce the gap I understood I could get him.

Had a chat with him afterwards and he had been waiting for me to come for a while as he had checked me out on Po10 before the stage. Turns out his half marathon time was about 1 minute slower than mine…

Nils was one the team keen on a fast flat stage, and stage 12 is mainly very slightly downhill. Passing the Les Croups vet meant Nils was the first vet team runner in, and the excellent start to the day continued.

Stage 13: Crossgates to Builth Wells, 10.6 miles
Dominic Duroux 1:08:26

I will keep it to my stage, there's so much that has been said and can be said about the team - suffice to say I can't remember a better weekend or better company.

So WCR 2022 for me was unfinished business after I had put myself down for my debut in 2020. Stage 13 was 10.2 miles from Crossroads to Builth Wells, rolling terrain (is there a word for flat in the Welsh language?). Fortunately the wind had abated and it warmed up a bit - I felt good despite a couple of mediocre night’s sleep. The vets team had gained us a 15 min lead over Les Croupiers and Pontypridd Roadents and I wasn't going to give that up easily. Roadents vet was a big guy, and we exchanged a grin as each sized the other.

The starter set us off and I settled into a fast but controlled pace, catching Mr Roadent a mile in. Not quite being able to hold Sam C in the open entry I ran a few miles solo before passing the fantastic Eagles cheer squad, and hooked up with a couple of local runners for the hilly part soon after Llandridnod Wells.

It turned out the line of the profile map made it appear slightly tougher than the reality. However I had to drop back for a mile to run through a stitch, rejoining my companions fairly quickly. I pushed up the last kicker of a hill, dropping my companions in the knowledge it was over a mile downhill to the finish, and let fly as fast as I could turn my legs over.

With half a mile to go I realised there was a runner ahead that I was catching, with a vets number on it - Les Croupiers, the only runner on the stage in the vets competition ahead of me! Mental strength kicked in powered by the cheer squad, enabling me to take 2 seconds out of him at the line.

My name is Dominic and I'm a stage race addict.

I had the pleasure of dropping Dom off at the start line. Nobody needs a pep talk with this race. In fact, aware of my own nerves, I reminded him it was just a race. However it is great to see the enthusiasm of all the team, particularly those new to the event. Another amazing effort extending our lead even further.

Stage 14: Builth Wells to Drovers Arms, 10.8 miles
Harry Claxton 1:15:43

Standing on the start line of stage 14 felt similar to my first marathon; I really didn’t know how it would end. The closest race I had run was Stage 10 when I was in the form of my life 3 years previously. That has a 170 m hill right at the start, 350 m elevation overall. The 10 km to the base of the ‘beast’ are not flat, and then it is 290 m up at a fairly consistent 9% over 3 km or so. And then there is the kick at the end.

Last time I had multiple runners requesting the beast. This time none, in fact I was struggling for volunteers for mountain stages. As I had posted a decent time in the Wokingham half, and it was likely I might never be able to justify selection for this stage again, I gave myself the beast. As soon as I was publicly committed, the doubts started to creep in. My first mistake was to run to and from the hills session in Richmond Park with David Pack, when I started getting niggle in my right calf on the way home. It flared up really painfully the following Tuesday after the West Walk session ahead of the info evening. I was cycling to and from work every day, but struggling to get one painful run in a week, where the niggle had moved to both calves, then the tendons and then ankles. A trapped nerve meant I was in discomfort with my shoulder even when not running. Running a mountain stage is pressure enough, more so if you have requested it, but most of all if you gave it to yourself. I considered asking someone else to take it on, but with two of the strongest runners dropping out with Covid, and a final almost pain free long run the Sunday before I stuck with it.

After a busy week at work the Friday had started stressfully as I got caught in North circular roadwork jam on the way to picking up the van - then trying to navigate the 17 seater home, trying not to be too late to the pick-up point. With the news about the crash, trying to formulate plans with Kieran who could substitute if those involved couldn’t run as seemed most likely, and then a snatched conversation with my daughter, tired and downbeat after a week of A level exams [don't worry, she smashed them], struggling to hear from the noise of the wind and shivering from the cold, I resolved to announce that this would be my last WCR as captain of the vets when we finished in Cardiff.

On the Saturday I had the distraction of cheering on all the other stages. However, all the fantastic results only added to the pressure I felt as we were dropped off as the Stage 14 start - it felt reasonably likely that I would lose the Vets the race by blowing up on the beast. I introduced myself to the main Pontypridd rival who didn’t look leaner than me, but when we set off he quickly pulled out a gap along with the Sale Harriers and Les Croups vets, even though I ran 3:51 for the first km. I resolved to tuck in behind Greg and see if I could hold onto his pace as the rest of the first 10 km are rolling hills. I stuck behind him like glue into the slight headwind - he almost got away on the steeper downhills, and we gradually reeled in the Pontypridd vet, catching him just before we turned into the base of the beast. Then it was grinding out 300 m of elevation at 9%, dialing in a cadence and effort for 20 minutes. We slowly reeled in and passed the Les Croups vet. Most of the focus is on the road ahead, but I noticed the gorilla at the water station. As we crossed the cattle grid and reached the open hillside I finally pulled out from behind Greg. You don’t want to break the focus on the effort, but I certainly noticed the fantastic eagles support, if not the ambulance, and found myself overhauling the Sale Harriers vet. Exhausted at the top, I could see the finish flag in the distance, with just a dip in between. On the downhill I felt all new aches and pains and then the hardest 50 m of uphill - I kept rounding corners hoping desperately to see the flag, only to see more rise. By the time it finally came into view I had nothing left for a sprint finish. A few seconds later, Greg finished. We had conquered the beast, I hadn’t let the team down. We waited for ‘super Sue’ Park an amazing achievement for her, so it was an elated bus that set off to pick up the runners for stage 15. The slim overnight lead in the vets competition had grown to 14 and half minutes. What could go wrong?

Stage 15: Epynt to Brecon, 12.8 miles
Ronan Hughes 2:02:00

We were late arriving and from the Eagles already at the finish line we heard the news that our stage 15 runner, Ronan was in the ambulance 100 m from the finish. It wasn’t the first time we had a runner collapse on this stage, coming in the heat of the early afternoon with sun traps along the sheltered lanes and no water stations after 5 miles. Come the race weekend, there isn’t a lot the team captains need to do, except try to set the tone for the weekend, and let the event work its magic, as team members discover the joy of cheering on teammates, and being cheered on in return. Suddenly this took on an added importance. There was a bit of scramble to retrieve Ronan’s bag with his clothes from the van before it had to leave - luckily there was phone reception so we could check which one was his. After almost an hour in the ambulance, the paramedics relayed news that now he was rehydrated he was feeling better, and they had agreed Ronan would go to a relative in Cardiff. While Ronan’s health was the top priority, I thought he might regret not coming to finish, and give the rest of the team an opportunity to show some solidarity. Fortunately, he was gradually coming back to his old self, and we persuaded him to at least give him a lift back to Cardiff. 

Stage 16: Brecon to Torpantau, 12.5 miles
Ralph Dadswell 1:27:52

As there was a bit of anticipation around the outcome of something of a Head to Head on WCR Stage 16, I’ll take you through it. This was the Father and Son clash, with Henry there for the Open team and me representing the Veterans. Vicky Chan was there for the Ladies Team, watching us with a little amusement.

Stage 16 is described as a Mountain Stage, although it doesn’t really have any sections that would fill you with fear. Nothing much goes on in the first 10k, and then you steadily climb 300m in the second 10k.

We were getting ready in a car park in Brecon. I was ready, Vicky was ready. Where was Henry? I’ll cut the story down to size. I was getting very tense about needing to be at the start, while he was just casually going through his routine as the seconds ticked past. Eventually we got the start area with 10 minutes to go. The officials were jumping up and down, “you’re going to be late, get registered, and don’t wander off!”

Anyway, we started on time. I had said to Henry that I was going for about 41 minutes for the first 10k. He wasn’t sure if he could do that, in the knowledge that the next 10k was all uphill and mostly on a dirt track. That was the extent of our pre-race discussion. During the race we didn’t speak at all.

The first few kms are beside the canal. He was ahead to begin with, but then I got past. I wondered if I was getting a gap, but when we moved onto the road he overtook me.

The next section is lightly undulating. He would get ahead on the downhills, and I would get it all back when the road went up again. There were a couple of sub-4 kms in there, which worried me. I found out afterwards that he was also thinking “this is too fast”. He was also thinking “I need to slow down, but I can’t because I mustn’t let Dad go off up the road”.

We got a drink and a sponge just after 8km. These were welcome, as it was quite warm and sunny. A few minutes later we reached an Ealing Eagles cheer point and again got drinks. 10km passed in 41m 7s. Nice, but had we over-cooked it? The road was now starting to climb steadily.

Approaching 12km we had a third drink of water, but then we crossed the dam just after Aber and bid farewell to tarmac under our feet. We were now running on a dirt track, and it was going to be all uphill until the finish just past the 20km point.

There was no conversation. As it turns out, we were both thinking the same things. A combination of “how do I get rid of him?” and “I’m not sure I can keep this up”.

For half an hour we continued, plugging away. I was always keen to keep one step ahead, but never really thought of getting away. Henry would occasionally move up alongside, but I would slightly react to maintain the position. Once or twice he moved to my side of the path, just in front of me. I didn’t like that, as I needed to see where I was going & so had to move across, or alongside again. Maintain vigilance at all times.

When we reached 19km, we both knew there were only a few minutes left. As the trees thinned out slightly, we could see the track was about to steepen. We both instinctively accelerated (not that you would’ve noticed, but I could tell), along the final metres before the grim finale.

The boy got a small gap. I tried to respond, but it wasn’t easy. Also, cunningly he had placed himself on the other side of the path, so he wasn’t even running in front of me. As we reached the sharp slope of the finale, he had a few metres of lead. Despite trying everything, I couldn’t do more than maintain that difference in those agonizing seconds. We both knew we had to run to the flag, and it’s only when you’ve nearly covered that steeper section that you can see the flag. Another 50 metres of desperation before you’re over the line and you’re done.

(photo by Liam, at about 10km)

Ralph always puts his hand up for the toughest of stages, so he was always pencilled in for a mountain stage, and the only question was which one. The long, long steady uphill of the second half of stage 16 suited Ralph's strengths. I got the impression that everyone else was keener to see a battle of the generations than he was, perhaps he knew what challenge the younger Dadswell had become. The rest of us are just in awe of his age defying abilities. Another great run.

Stage 17: Torpantau to Merthyr, 7.8 miles
Brian Stakelum 0:52:44

Brian is one of the vets with a young family, so was down for a later stage on the Sunday so they could all make it to Wales.This is a fast mainly downhill stage, and Brian ran a great stage narrowly coming in as 3rd vet team runner, coming back into form with great timing.

Stage 18: Merthyr Tydfil to Abercynon, 9.1 miles
Tom Corbett 0:54:00

Tom had been in the crash, which was not great with his long legs, and it had been doubtful whether he would be able to start. FortunatelyTom was another runner keen to do a fast flat stage. He was paired up against Ricardo in the Eagles open team, and it proved an inspired piece of stage selection. We stopped off with Ronan who was coming back to life, just in time to see Tom Corbett fly past being chased by Ricardo on stage 18, still racing hard. Tom finished the stage over 4 minutes ahead of the next vet team runner, an impressive feat over the fast 9 mile course, particularly in the circumstances.

Stage 19: Abercynon to Nantgarw, 7.7 miles
Robert Willin 0:53:14

I was eating jelly babies most of Sunday prior to stage 19 as I had forgotten my gels. I started conservatively in the middle of the pack so I had a few slow runners in front, so I did not let rip on the steep bit at the start but once clear of the bridge where the spectators were cheering us off I could get into a more natural rhythm. On the nice easy downhill path I could start pushing and picking off the slower runners and start chasing my rival vets. The Les Croup Vet was in sight but slowly pulling away. Then on to roads, tougher in the sun, but continuing to pick off a few more runners, helped by the cheering, then onto another cycle lane, some in the sun, some in shade, hard work and not many spectators. I picked off a lady Les Croupier with a bit of a battle, she kept me honest but then got ahead and I was running on my own. It is a long way to the finish line, so still pushing 15th out of 55 which on WCR is a pleasing result.

As I hope he won’t mind me saying, the veteran of the veterans team, 15 out of 55 is a great result.

Stage 20: Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Castle, 9.9 miles
Jesus del Moral 1:06:39

Jesus has an exam on the Saturday so he was given the task of bringing the team home. The day was still warming up, and Pontpridd had a runner in their open team collapse, demonstrating once again how tough the conditions could be. We had lost around 40 minutes on stage 14 after being given the cut-off time, but were still racing for a podium finish. Jesus came as second vet team runner, ahead of our rivals and secured us the 3rd place.

Results

When everyone cheered home the final stage 20 runners louder than any other team I was proud how the Ealing Eagles all reacted, and glad that Ronan was there to cheer them in too.

In 20 separate races with 60 Eagles runners there is always a chance of some misfortune, and this weekend certainly had its fair share. After an initial mix-up where it looked like we wouldn’t get a medal, we each came away with a memento and a few stories to tell. To make the event meaningful you need to compete and put effort in, but at the end of the day it is only a race, and the main reason to take part is to enjoy the weekend and make new friends, and we succeeded there. We will be back next year - Ronan wants stage 15 again. Maybe we will win, maybe we won’t, but if we race it with the same attitude, I’ll be happy.

The online race updates certainly added to the excitement of the weekend, and overall Les Croups put on a fantastic event. Special thanks goes to all those who helped make it happen particularly Lisa and Abi with the organisation and logistics who coped with everything thrown at them amazingly, and Paul and Cameron helping out with the driving which makes a huge difference on such a busy weekend.

Testimonials

These are all from the “WCR 2022 THE BIG ONE!” WhatsApp group. Remember these were written right after the race with heightened emotions, so don’t hold anyone to any promises made:

Raf Machnik: Very short from me, as I really don't like to faff about and overshare, as you know.

Childcare favours from 3 different friends/families and my sister flying over from Berlin for the weekend allowed me to come this year after I missed it 2 or 3 times since my first in 2017. It was so worth it thanks to all of you amazing people, let alone the daytime sleep catching up that I was able to do. Not sure about you, but I'm already planning winter training hoping to qualify for next year with a good enough time to be in a position to request *the Beast*. Yes, @⁨Greg Fernandes Lawes⁩ , I'm eying up your splendid effort from today as the target for next year. Who's excited for Spring 2023 qualifier season?!

Hannah: Thanks all for a brilliant weekend! It was so good to meet lots more of you, have a laugh in the sunshine, and watch you all smash it 🤩 big thanks especially to the drivers for navigating complex schedules and windy roads (and navigators for keeping us in check)! See you all soon!🦅

Nicola: Frankly, you guys have all made me feel like I could achieve anything. Best and most emotional race ever, thank you everyone who has been involved at every step of every stage of making Welsh Castles Relay happen for Ealing Eagles again this year.

Special mention to Paul Thomas for being my personal photographer and chauffeur (felt like!) this weekend. You rock. 

I'll be joining you for winter training, Raf, after my autumn marathon - and I'm requesting a mountain stage too, please!

Rob Willin: Terrific weekend thanks to everyone especially Lisa Abi and all the drivers. I must have been unique in sitting in exactly the same van seat the entire weekend. Great team effort from the Vets and I am really chuffed with my medal. But a big part of that is the team efforts from everyone Ladies and Open. Looking forward to the next one

Dom Duroux: WCR 2023 training starts tomorrow. Just as soon as I've recovered from my hangover....

Andy Leung: Thanks captains and crews for this wonderful trip. I am so happy being participated. Great to meet all of you.

Suha Lagu: Thanks to everyone who helped make this weekend such a success. What a wonderful team effort. It was amazing to be around such a great bunch of Eagles.

James Cooper: Thanks to all the Eagles involved in making this weekend a success 👏 Well done everyone!

Anna: Thanks everyone, great running and great fun. I will upload all the photos I took to a Facebook album when I get a chance this week

Colin Overton: An amazing weekend, I loved it all! ♥️ Thanks to everyone who organised, ran and cheered. (I'm shattered now though.)

Neil: Great to meet you all, thanks for making me feel welcome. Thanks to all the support crew and organising team, and thanks to Kieran for stalking me and persuading me to join the team! See you all soon.

Sarah: Congratulations team what a bunch of champs you all are! Amazing job from our organisers and captains for making it all happen you should be very proud! And to our navigators-big thank you  to Andy for keeping bald eagle on track. even though I wasn't able to run it was great to still be part of the weekend and still the funnest of times...now sleep well everyone!!

Liam McNicholl: I had heard some stories about WCR being the best weekend ever and running experience. I'm glad I now can confirm it. Thanks to you all for this weekend, roller-coaster of emotions (and hills). As I always say to my kids, you don't necessarily need to win to be a winner.

A: You are all amazing people ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you so much for organising, driving, feeding us and cheering for us and other runners. The atmosphere was incredible, views beautiful and runs amazing. Thank you Ealing Eagles (every single one) 🦅 🖤

Veronica: Can only echo what everyone has said about how amazing this event was and add a thank you as big as the Welsh mountains combined to drivers, organisers and the team!

Agnieszka: I loved it! Thank you so much Eagles. I am happy that I could share this incredible weekend with you. Couldn’t imagine better beginning in Eagles 🦅😎

Kat: Thank you everyone such a fun weekend! I’m so glad I’ve finally been able to experience the whole thing and not just the last stage all while not having a clue what was going on! 😂 Thank you especially to Abi and Lisa for your organisation skills and to all the drivers and navigators 😊 Will see you all on West Walk to get in training for next year! 💪🏽

Cat: What an incredible weekend! I loved every minute (even the hills 😂). Thank you all for making it happen 🦅

Tom Green: Brilliant weekend, thanks all ! So nice to meet so many new people, see some truly heroic performances on the course, and uphold our reputation as the loudest and friendliest club taking part.

Thanks for letting me join at the last minute! 🍆

Jennifer Watt: The morning after - hoarse voice, and a wonderful (sort of) lie in - but I already miss all the crazy and joyous ordered chaos. And I also  I feel like I didn’t give a big enough shout out to the runner drivers and navs - and our last minute subs (Claire, Agnieszka, Liz, Tom and Neil - did I forget any men - such a crazy final week of stage a shuffling)! So I am shouting  out to you now  - thanks thanks thanks ❤️

Liz: Thanks all for the most amazing race finish experience ever. Eagles are the best!!! Well done to all who made the weekend happen.

Ronan Hughes: A huge thanks to everyone. Was brilliant to get to meet so many of you properly for the first time. The atmosphere the Eagles create along the route is incredible. A massive thanks to Abi, Lisa and the captains. I’m more determined than ever to be back next year and am calling first dibs on stage 15 again pls

Tom Corbett: Really great to see everyone despite it only being from stage 18. Loved the atmosphere in Bute park. Big thanks to Abi, Lisa and Harry our excellent vets captain. 

 🦅 flying high as ever.

Ricardo A: If it was your first WCR, congratulations. 

If you beat your predicted time, congratulations. 

If you ran so hard that you didn’t finish, congratulations. 

If you already started training for next year, be it mentally, congratulations. 

If you cheered and made someone feel like they were a GB athlete, on super Saturday of the 2012 olympics, in the Olympic stadium, congratulations. 

Lost your voice, drove, navigated, handed out a wet sponge, snapped a special moment, contributed to the banter, shook a cowbell with your head out of a moving vehicle, got a medal, beat the eagles stage record (we see you Tom Corbett), your best was number 1 amongst us eagles but only second place on your stage… congratulations. 

Congratulations to you all for your incredible contribution and continuing to make WCR weekend the best on the running calendar. 

PS, if you are having withdrawal symptoms, they usually last 3-4 days, attending the next summer league usually helps. Bet I see you all there this coming Sunday ❤️

Next stop, Headstone Manor

Andy Guy: Not many things, people or Clubs I’d sacrifice 6 days annual leave, travel half way around the world and go to the depths of running effort for.

But 🦅 in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 is that weekend.

Thank you to all that make it happen and to you ALL for being supportive, appreciative and incredibly impressive runners.

Proud to run with you guys & girls.

NIall: It was just as good as everyone said it would be. I think it was Kieran who mentioned this yesterday and it was so true, I barely remember or care about my own run - spending a weekend with a top bunch, cheering everyone on and having a great laugh was class ❤️🦅

Ben Smith: Everyone has already said it better, but that was one of the most memorable weekends of my life. You’re all incredible ❤️🦅

Greg Fernandes Lawes: Thanks everyone for a great weekend. 

It was a new era for the Eagles, there were some doubts whether or not it would live up to its usual hype. But it certainly did, thank you to those on their debut for getting in to the spirit, you did you and yourself proud.

Thanks to all the organisers and the drivers, we couldn’t have done it without you, it’s certainly not an easy task.

Thanks for the captains and Kieran for trusting I wouldn’t fuck up my stage too much.

The roar from you guys as I got to the top of my stage was genuinely special.

Hope to see you all next year with 10 minutes off your times.

Now I’ve reached my compliment quota for the year, so don’t push it.

Alice Sunderland: I absolutely echo all the brilliant things everyone has said about this weekend! Loved the experience, the organised chaos (thanks Abi, Lisa, team captains and all drivers), loved supporting and spectating (we don’t often get to see each other racing), and even loved running Stage 10! I’m only sad to have missed the last 8 stages and the grand finale in Cardiff! Such a fun weekend and I will optimistically put next year’s WCR in my family calendar now! See you all at training or on the race circuit soon, or at least that second weekend of June 2023! 😂👍xxx

Colin won the caption competition with

Jozsef: “Have you seen my pint?”
Tom: “No, have you seen my pint?”

“Couldn’t have asked for anything more. Look at the state of him.”

Obviously we had other things on our minds when Ronan was in the ambulance, so here is a picture of the ambulance parked near the top of the beast [Sorry Greg].