Once I had explained the challenge (14 miles off-road in under 1 hour 48 minutes) it was generally agreed that we were going to be running in the general vicinity of the train rather than racing the train.

With the race on the Saturday we travelled up on the Thursday so that we could relax after registration on the Friday.  This didn’t go entirely according to plan as we ended up on Friday afternoon doing a two hour trek through the woods where we were staying at Dolgellau.  Lying in the van that evening listening to the rain beating down gave some warning of the conditions we could expect the next day.

We were up at the crack of dawn on race day to ensure we could get parking spaces for our three motor homes near the start.  We passed this test with flying colours as were the first three vehicles in the car park and were actually there before the attendant arrived. 

Carole was doing the 5.5 mile Dolgoch Challenge in the morning so she got on with her breakfast to ensure she was ready to catch her train (the Dolgoch Challenge gives you a chance to ride on the train because you get taken out by train and then you race it back).

I waited at the station to see Carole’s train leave in the pouring rain and then it was back to the van for a change of clothes and something to eat before going to the finish to await her return.  It wasn’t long before the runners started coming back because the 3 mile, 5.5 mile and 10k races all run together but start progressively further away from Tywyn.  In theory the only way to tell what race the runners are taking part in when they come into the finish is by the race number but this year it was easy to pick out the 10k runners because they were the ones with mud half-way up their calves because their race included the quarry which is the hardest part of the route back in the main race in the afternoon.

Carole crossed the line in a time a few seconds over the hour.  This was slower than the time she achieved last year but she said that the headwind was so strong that she was almost reduced to a walk at times.  Things were not looking too promising for a good time in the main race but at least the rain had stopped.

Our race was due off at 2.05 pm and Ceri, Richard and I were chipped up and on the line at 1.45 pm on the bridge to await the whistle from the train which would set us off.  Richard said he was going to take it nice and easy and enjoy the scenery - probably a good idea in view of the fact that his training consisted of a leg of the Classic Quarter, a few club nights and several games of golf.  I decided to start with Ceri and see how long I could stay at her pace which would give me a good start.  The whistle went and I put my plan into action.  I stayed within touching distance of Ceri for the first three miles during which time we passed a runner dressed as a chicken.  Then we caught up with a runner who was incorporating the race into his stag weekend and was running dressed as a bride complete with a bouquet.  At this stage Ceri and the “bride” started to pull away from me.  At about five miles I could hear the second train coming behind me (it starts 15 minutes after the actual race train) and I knew this was the one with our supporters on (Carole, Sheila and Raymond).  As they overtook me I could hear them shouting my name which spurred me on to the turning point (I discovered afterwards that the stag weekend mates of the “bride” were in the same carriage as our supporters so it was fairly “lively”).

The seven miles to the turn is fairly level running through fields and at the turn I was 1½ minutes quicker than last year.  The run back is when the terrain gets “tricky” with a couple of sharp climbs, ankle deep mud, single track on the side of a hill and rocky paths.  Combine this with the wind in our faces and I knew that the return journey was going to be a struggle.  On the way back I did see the second train a couple of times before it disappeared into the distance not to be seen again until the finish.

The closer I got to Tywyn the more the legs were telling me that conditions were much tougher than last year.  The streets of Tywyn were lined with spectators which gave me enough of a boost to get me to the finish line.  My time of 2 hours 20 minutes was 5 minutes down on last year which meant I lost 6½ minutes on the return leg (a fair reflection of the difference in conditions this year).  When I found Ceri she told me that she had finished in 2 hours 16 minutes - not as far ahead of me as I was expecting. 

I then joined the welcoming party for Richard who came in at 2 hours 36 minutes looking a lot more comfortable than I felt (there is something to be said for this running to enjoy it).

An indicator of the difficulty of this year’s conditions compared with last year was the fact that 151 competitors in the main race beat the train this year compared with 201 last year.  Well that’s my excuse for my time and I am sticking to it.

The next day we decided on a bit of sightseeing to take advantage of our presence in Snowdonia.  Apparently we had had enough of trains because rather than take the train to the top of Snowdon it was decided that we would trek to the top.  Recovery runs on the day after a race are one thing but a five hour recovery mountain trek is something else again. 

For anyone interested in off-road running “Race the Train” is a must do.  I am planning next year’s trip already.

Barry.