Epona 100 2026 - DNF Report

The Epona 100 this year was the first race of the 3 x 100 miler Ona Series (consisting of the Epona, Sirona and Divona). These were my A races, what I'd been focused on & training towards for the last 6 months.

My first 100 miler was the inaugural Epona back in 2024, and completing it was one of the proudest things I'd ever done.

However, since training for the Wild Horse in 2025, and subsequently DNFing it, something hasn't been right. I've felt a loss of enjoyment in the process, have hit a bit of a plateau with my running, and nothing quite seemed to be clicking together.

By the time I reached the Epona 2026, I was feeling burnt out and low in confidence. Signs of runners fatigue and overtraining were strong. To help with this I took a 3 week taper and reduced my volume dramatically, which did make a difference.

Standing on the start line, I had a feeling that the Epona would be one of two things: either it would be the race that helped me rediscover the wonder of long, adventurous challenges, or my low morale would rear its ugly head again and take any enjoyment out of it.

Lead Up

Please see this article for a breakdown of my kit and training leading up to the race.

Starting things off with a good bit of bad luck, when lugging my drop bag off the dining room table I knocked a chair over, which landed squarely on my big toe. Not ideal, it looks like this after the race (I'm oddly proud of the condition of most of my toes, but this one always seems to take the brunt of the damage, it's seen some shit I tell you):

I arrived in Abergavenny for registration by train, in Newport I'd bumped into Trina on her way to her first 100 miler, and we had a good chat waiting for our connection.

Got a good bit of grub before checking into the hotel, bumping into Steve in town and chatting away about our race plans for the year.

Headed over to registration and briefing next to Bailey Park, catching up with loads of folks I'd not seen in ages, all shaking off the pre-race nerves.

The wonderful Rachel had once again made charms for each run to attach to their packs, I went for a lush turquoise one:

Then, after grabbing some more food, it was time for the briefing from race directors Rhys and Chris

Job done, all that was left to do was get my gear ready for the morning and try to relax in the hotel room. I read a LOT of my book that night to keep my mind occupied (Alchemised by SenLinYu, strong recommend).

Lining Up

Managed to get up in time (set a bazillion alarms and made sure my phone was far enough away that I couldn't easily hit snooze), get ready and packed:

Then it was time for tracker fitting before we headed over to the start line.

The weather reports on the lead up told of a rainy, wet weekend; we instead had a clear, hot Saturday, with a bit of drizzle overnight, and a cooler Sunday.

Dan Morgan was celebrating his stag do, so started off the race as he meant to go on:

A few last words from the directors, then we were off. Beginning with a cheeky 100 meter sprint organised by Will (I came third behind Will and Dan 😅), before settling into the day

Start (Abergavenny) to CP1 (Crickhowell)

Despite my trepidations the race began well, and for the first stretch I was enjoying being out on the trails again. Ran with Will for parts of this stretch as we approached the Skirrid Fawr climb, then settled into the long hike up it's back.

The day was rapidly getting hotter, the morning chill lasting only a short while. Reached the Skirrid Fawr trig feeling good, then descended down into the fields onto the lane stretching towards Sugar Loaf.

My big toe was screaming at me on the descent due to the pre-race accident, and I resolved to switch out of the Injinji socks when I had a chance for a bit more cushion.

Next big climb, Sugar Loaf, this one stretched out for a while and already I was regretting not bringing poles. Was pooped by the top. The ankle injury I'd been dealing with since the start of the year was mostly ok, but unhappy on the climbs for sure.

Matt and Paul were on the summit taking photos of the runners.

Descended off and stopped midway down to unload my layers. The merino wool base layer was absolutely surplus to requirements in the heat!

Through some cooling woods alongside Will, then into Llanbedr where Jo and Matt were giving out bacon rolls and water top ups to folks before the Table Mountain climb (thank you folks!)

Here I'd already drunk all my bottles of water, yet was still dehydrated from the days heat and saturated in sweat. I was struggling to eat, nursed that bacon roll all the way up Table Mountain, only managed to finish it when I got to the checkpoint!

The Table Mountain climb was heinous, I was properly done in by the top. Entered a dark place on the way up, not enjoying the experience at all. Was already thinking about DNFing in Crickhowell (easiest place for my partner to collect me!) but decided that would be properly shit, I should at least get to ultra distance.

Switched socks on the descent off Table Mountain, back in the thicker Bridgedale T2 LW Merino socks, which helped my ouchie toe.

Stopped in a garage in Crickhowell for a nice cold can of coke, then plodded into the first aid station. Was great to see Courtney, Mike, Rich and Rohit here, who were out crewing, volunteering and supporting folks all weekend.

CP1 (Crickhowell) to CP2 (Llanbedr)

Got myself together with my dropbag, refilled my snacks, water bottles, steeled myself a bit then headed back up Table Mountain for the climb up to Pen Cerrig-calch. It was just as tough the second time around.

By this point food wasn't going in well. The Veloforte Bars were a bad shout, with my mouth feeling dry from dehydration despite drinking plenty of liquids, I just couldn't get them down me. My stomach started feeling nauseous and the Veloforte Chews didn't go down well either. Protein Rebel gels did still work, though if I'm honest my desire to eat anything was gone by the top of the Black Mountains.

Despite my malasie it was a GORGEOUS day, the mountains filled with wild horses, clear blue skies for miles, perfect visibility.

So believe me when I say that, despite those views, I was in a real dark place mentally. I just couldn't seem to snap out of it or enjoy the scenery.

Struggled on through this stretch, mostly jeffing, sipping water but not getting much food in. The course veered off the mountains and back down this beautiful valley towards checkpoint 2.

Despite moving so slowly I only got passed by 1 other person on this stretch. I think everyone was slowing down in the heat.

I'd say half way into this stretch I had resolved to pull out at CP2. Any joy in it had gone and I just wasn't "there" for this mentally. To finish a 100 miler you really, really have to want it. So many times during a race like that, every bit of your body will be telling you to stop, and you need a strong mind to say "no" and keep going. I knew then that, where I was in myself, I wouldn't be able to push through.

Reached the checkpoint and pulled my tracker off.

Whilst waiting for a lift back to Crickhowell I saw Sarah, Laura, Neet and Graeme come in, all running well and doing amazingly.

DNF

Made it 49k in the end with an insane 2,200m elevation gain. Having seen the Strava activities for folks who finished, all of them had over 6,000m elevation in the end over the 100 miles 🤯. For reference Mount Everest is 8,848m.

It was a particularly slow run for me, mainly I feel due to that elevation gain (3 steep climbs then the big on up into the Black Mountains) before a slow pace over the mountains to the checkpoint.

After Spencer gave me a lift back to town, we bumped into Rhys and Nick. Had a chat with Rhys explaining my reasons for a bit, then went and got some ice cream

Hung around in Crickhowell for a few hours waiting for a lift home from my partner. It gave me a good amount of time to sort my thoughts out (and get a chippy dinner).

Switch to Cheerleader

On the Sunday I was keen to support folks still on the course. After picking my drop bag up that Jo and Matt had kept safe for me, I took the kids to Big Pit in Blaenavon, where many runners were coming through to hit CP7.

Was really happy to have caught Neet, Leah, Sarah, Laura, Marc, Tracey, Emily and Scott smashing the race. Each one of them finished strong, with Neet getting 4th female and Leah getting 5th 🎉🤘!

Damage

Actually a fair bit broken after this one despite only covering 49k. My left big toe is properly swollen with a black toenail from the chair accident. Running on it definitely worsened it, and I've had to drain it a few times 🤢.

My ongoing ankle issue means that, after 2,200m of climbing, it is especially tender at the moment and needs a good rest.

But other than that, the other toes are all good, feet, knees, all fine.

Race Lessons

I went with plain water and salt capsules this time round, this helped reduce the stomach issues I've been feeling during races, however when swallowing salt capsules I was finding that, when they "burst" in my stomach, that released a new wave of nausea 😅. I think sticking to a drinks mix that gradually gets a bit of salt into your system, or saltier food like the Protein Rebel gels, is better, especially on hot days.

Think it's time to give up on Veloforte products for races: the bars were far, far too hard to eat when dehydrated, and the chews gave me a funny feeling when I tried to eat through some nausea, the texture is not a vibe. I will say though that Veloforte Bars are still a good choice for aid station fuel, when you can sit down and eat something more substantial.

Protein Rebel gels worked well, easy to get down, and also a good way to top up your salts.

As for the shoes: I'm on the fence with the Altra Experience Wild 3+, on the one hand they performed well for me, no blistering or toe issues, on the other I didn't enjoy the softness of the midsole over rocky ground, fatigued my feet a fair bit due to that. In general finding I prefer a firmer shoe underfoot especially for mountain running. Still yet to find a shoe that works as well for me as the Merrell Agility Peak 5s did, though I value my knees too much to return to them.

The Instinct X8 18L pack did it's job well, lots of options for stowing kit during the run, no chafing issues, also found I could store my back up bottle in the top pocket and reach it without taking the pack off, game changer for spare water.

The Main Lesson

I know things haven't been right for a while. I've not been enjoying training, my morale has gone early in races, and if I'm honest I'd been considering deferring the Ona Series on the lead up to the race.

By 10k in already I knew this wasn't my day, I wasn't enjoying it, it felt like a chore, like I didn't really want to be here. Surrounded by the most beautiful scenery Wales has to offer, I couldn't appreciate it.

All this points to a level of fatigue in training. If you're not enjoying something, you shouldn't be doing it. I'm a firm believer in enjoying the process, something that hasn't been true for me for a while.

Due to that I think it's clear what I need to do for the rest of 2026.

I've cancelled my Sirona and Divona places, with no other races in the calendar for the year.

Instead I'll take a solid rest, let my ankle heal up, then switch focus to running for the joy of it again. Exploring new places, keeping my volume lower, running to feel, running how I want, not how I "should be" to prepare for a race.

I'm hoping that, with a few months relaxing back into it, the motivation will return, and I'll be able to look at some solo adventuring.

All going well, I'm hoping to come back stronger in 2027, with a renewed why.

Thank Yous

An extra special big thank you to all the volunteers at the Epona, each and every one pulled a hell of a shift helping all the runners out, many taking on roles that would have them staying up through the night aiding folks on.

Massive thank you to folks who sent support, both before the race and after my DNF, it has meant the world.

I'll see you on the trails soon 🙏