PIGUM Race Report

Race four of the Pegasus Slam, the y Porth i Gymru Ultra Marathon (Gateway to Wales): a 48k (30 mile) looped course in Abergavenny with 1,660m of vert.

I tail walked the start to CP3 last year and often train in the mountains around Abergavenny so know the area well, which is a double edged sword as I knew how tough it was going to be!

It starts by taking you up to the Blorenge, a long arduous climb, followed by a section of lanes and cycle tracks before a rough moor crossing over to the Lonely Shepard, then a fast lane descent to the tastiest climb of the bunch: up Sugarloaf from a low point in the valley below it. Finally returning over the moorland down to Abergavenny for a push through the town.

Prep & Gear

The usual Salomon Adv Skin 12 filled with required kit, a Patagonia Capiline t-shirt which I find works nicely in the summer to keep me cool and some Happy Stride shorts Jamie had gifted me (thank you Jamie!).

On my feet I was in a bit of a test mode: I have been using the Merrell MTL Long Sky 2 Matryx on training runs for a while and love the feel of them. They have a nice wide toe box, and great lock down, solid grip and a low stack height which makes them feel stable over technical ground.

They also look SICK! 👇👇👇

However they are very low stack, with only 19mm of firm cushioning under your forefoot, so I've always hesitated using them for longer distances. They are designed for sky racing: short technical races usually up to a half marathon where ground feel and stability is more important than cushion.

At the PIGUM I wanted to see what they would feel like, whether their lovely fit and performance over technical ground would be worth the underfoot cushioning being minimal.

Hydration wise I was using SIS Hydro tablets which I've found more palatable over longer distances lately (they match my sodium loss profile nicely too). I also carry this little salty pouch full of salt stick chews and swallowable tablets which I'll dip into if I start to feel like I've sweat more sodium out then I've rehydrated with.

Fuelling wise it was a mixture of PH Chews, Nakd bars, Veloforte bars and whatever I felt like at the aid stations, which turned out to be that AMAZING homemade rocky road at the She Runs Cardiff checkpoint (and cola, obvs).

Lining Up & Conditions

The start line this year was Bailey Park, with a spacious car park next door. Jamie and I drove up at 05:00 (an actual lie in for once!) to get registered.

It was forecast to be raining in the morning, but warm and brightening up later on. Luckily when we got there it was dry and remained so until shortly into the run. I'd opted for a thin packable coat and was glad I did as I ended up just staying in my t-shirt throughout.

A whole heap of punks and slammers were here, all excited to take on the challenge.

Gave Rachel back her tutu from the VOGUM.

Over to the park for a short briefing, this time by the headline sponsors U-Xplore, a specialist outdoors shop local to Abergavenny, then we were lining up.

3,2,1 we were off, up to the Blorenge we go!

Start to CP1

A run through Abergavenny town, past Linda Vista Gardens then onto the lane climbing to the base of the Blorenge.

Having done this distance a few times before I was keen to really push myself, so shot off and tried to keep the front of the pack in sight.

This is the closest I've ever been to the legendary Nathan Hutton in a race (he, having recently won the Epona 100 and got the first sub-24 time, was pacing a friend, hence why this was even possible for me 😂)

Ran close to Andrew Mizen and made it my goal to try and keep up with him.

It was more drizzly and misty rain wise, I was soaked through but this helped keep me cool and moving, ideal.

The Blorenge climb was as heinous as ever, but reached the trig point feeling good.

I got real greedy here: I'd passed Andrew, Nathan and his friend Dan and I wanted to capitalise on the gap. Pushed myself hard off the Blorenge and descended quickly. TBH I really enjoyed this bit, the Long Sky 2s were made for quick technical descents and I felt like I was flying.

Passed the wonderful Craig and Sam Carter who had come for a hike to cheer folks on!

Came into CP1, nicely positioned on the swimming lake below the Blorenge. I'd drank one water bottle that stretch so refilled it, and got moving.

CP1 to CP2

My feet were already feeling a bit beaten up after pushing the descent hard, which mean this stretch was a real struggle for me.

You start with a long slightly downhill lane, which I pushed to try and stay with Andrew, then run around the edge of the hills with beautiful views over the Black Mountains, before a steep windy lane descent and long stretch of cycle path.

Needless to say in thin shoes this stretch I had to slow right down, being passed by lots of folks here. It felt like the shoes (or my lack of adaption to the shoes) really held me back. Lost sight of Andrew, Nathan and Dan early on.

Dug in and ground it out, CP2 was at a school after crossing the impressive Gateway Bridge. Rested here a bit longer, refilled my bottles and had some food.

CP2 to CP3

I put in a lot of sodium here, a few tablets and a chew, I think in hindsight a bit too much as my body really didn't want to drink my SIS filled bottles afterwards. I forced myself to sip the water though and it soon passed though.

This stretch took us over the undulating, harsh underfoot moors for a winding barely-a-trail stretch leading to the Lonely Shepard. The shoes were a bit of a mixed bag here: they worked well on the uneven ground, but the lack of cushion meant it also felt tough. They really shone on a tricky descent into a quarry.

Jenks caught me here rocking his Mafate Xs, I looked on with pangs of jealousy at the cushioning, though a twisted ankle slowed him up until the lane later.

Reached the lovely Lonely Shepard and paused to take it in. Daz was here taking photos of folks.

Down to the checkpoint was a steep tarmac lane and my legs did NOT love it. Rather than being able to capitalise on a very runnable stretch I was hobbling down. Jenks passed me confidently here and would go on to get an awesome time, showing the value of all the training he's been putting in lately.

Enjoyed the She Runs Cardiff checkpoint, had some lush home made rocky road, some cola and a sit down.

As I was leaving Jamie and George came in, they'd been pushing well from the start and caught up.

CP3 to Finish

Jamie, George and I soon regrouped after the checkpoint and would end up running the rest of the race together.

This final stretch had the toughest climb of the bunch: the long ascent to Sugarloaf. The route takes you down to a low point in the valley then straight up, a lot of broken souls on that climb.

Leap frogged a bit with Carl who had beaten me in the last couple of clicks on the VOGUM, joked that we were going to catch him later.

George was struggling here, under-fuelled and under-hydrated, knew the feeling well. We stuck together and conquered the climb.

Met a fella called Aled who was tackling his very first ultra, when we got to the top he was off and away, I really do wish folks doing their first ultras would stop kicking my arse! (massive congratulations on one a hell of a performance Aled!)

Top of Sugarloaf, time for George and his fell running legs to shine!

Only he cramped up hard on the descent a few times, likely due to low sodium. Jamie and I both helped stretch it out and gave him some salts to get in.

The last stretch was a long steep descent off Sugarloaf, followed by undulating moors at the base of the mountain then a real steep forest descent. Really enjoyed this stretch even if my legs absolutely did not!

We ran a lot of it with Gosia who ended up podiuming as 4th Lady.

George was properly broken when we got to Abergavenny for the final push through the town. I blared out on one of his favourite bands, Every Time I Die, to try and help that last click.

Before we knew it we were turning into Bailey Park:

Done in 06:16, joint 37th place with George and Jamie.

After Action Report

Four races down, two to go then that's the slam complete!

Despite a few things going wrong I did really enjoy this one, I pushed myself and came up short in a few places, but still got it done and ended up completing it with two friends.

What Went Well

• The comfort and fit of the Long Sky 2 Matryx shoes, despite some pretty hardcore descending in places my toes are completely fine, with the toe box feeling "Altra like" thorough yet still being well locked down around my mid foot
• Performance in general I was happy with, for the course 06:16 is a great time and throughout the race I was surrounded by strong runners which was a good sign I was doing something right
• Hydration went well despite the heat: drank to thirst, topped up my salts when I felt like water wasn't going down well, made sure I had 2 full bottles between each aid station and got through them nicely
• Fuelling went well, ate consistently (at least until the last stretch) and had energy through to the finish.
• I'm finding PH Chews are a good baseline fuel for me, they taste neutral, are easy to eat even if a little dehydrated and pack small

What Could Have Gone Better

• The cushioning of the Long Sky 2 Matryx is just too minimal, and for me this race solidified that. There was a lot of long stretches of tarmac that tore my soles apart, and I couldn't capitalise on the downhill lane stretches as my legs were so battered!
• I feel like I could have given a faster time with better suited shoes: hybrids with more cushioning for the road

Damage

• Exceptionally sore legs and feet, especially my soles and knees, really felt every bit of that race due to the low stack shoes
• No blistering
• No toe issues

Thank Yous

A huge thank you to Jamie and George, we all helped pull each other over the line of one tough race.

As always a massive thank you to all the volunteers, checkpoint crews, tail walkers, and organisers Rhys and Cerys.

Next?

Coming up in August is my nemesis race: the EDDUM: 50 miles of brutal remote terrain that I've bashed myself against twice before and came up wanting.

My aim is to complete it confidently, reaching the finish feeling strong and well fuelled.