VOGUM 2025 Race Report

Race three of the Pegasus Slam, and by all accounts my all time favourite race, the Vale of Glamorgan Ultra Marathon.

I tackled this 3 years ago as my first event with the Pegasus folks and had a whale of a time, returning the following year to compete then the year after to volunteer.

The VOGUM is a 40 mile race starting in Porthcawl on the beach then following the Wales Coastal Path east all the way to Penarth near Cardiff. For the most part it is beautiful coastal running with the odd beach, plenty of vert and stunning views. Towards the end you are treated to Barry Promenade for a chance to get an ice cream / slushie / battered sausage, before an admittedly arduous road stretch then the final push along the coast up onto Penarth Cliff Top for the finish.

Prep & Gear

After the Wild Horse DNF I wasn't nearly as broken as I was expected to be coming into the VOGUM: if anything I was tapered as you can be after a week's family holiday.

My main aim this year as a returner was two fold:

• Use a new hydration strategy to stave off the dehydration that has plagued my races these last 2 years
• See if I could beat my previous best time of 07:46:00

Hydration wise I was aiming to take in 1L/h of water mixed with Active Root Sports Mix. This would help me hit ~450mg sodium and 80g carbs an hour whilst being well quenched.

As a back up I'd bring some Tailwind and Voom bars I could switch to if the Sports Mix proved too strong (taste wise it is very sweet and feels thick), then Salt Stick Caps I could use with plain water as a last resort.

I'd be wearing a Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily t-shirt which I've found works well in hotter weather.

Standard Salomon Adv Skin 12 pack.

Shoes wise I'd opted for the Merrell Agility Peak 5s. Though they do cause me a bit of big toe rubbing, the bulletproof grip, decent cushioning and roadie feel means they'd do well on the mixed terrain and tarmac sections of the race.

Lining Up & Conditions

Fellow slammer Jamie gave me a lift to Penarth, where we'd then catch a coach at an ungodly hour taking us to the start at Porthcawl.

After all the hydration prep, the weather had shifted and we ended up with a rainy day with some hard downpours at times, clearing a little later on.

Pegasus had moved registration into a local hall so folks could prepare in the dry before heading out.

This year the event was a Running Punks takeover, with Hannah and Rhods doing registration, the briefing and the finish line.

Was lovely seeing everyone and chatting away before the start.

It was Rachel's birthday (the awesome Rachel that helped so, SO many folks during the Wild Horse): she had asked if anyone fancied joining her in wearing a tutu for the race, so Dan, Tim and I stepped up. I'm still unreasonably annoyed at how natural Tim (middle below) looks in his tutu.

Chatted with Russel for a bit who gave me some advice on an ice bandana that really helps during hot weather.

Chatted with Lee a bit who was using VOGUM as a kit test for Dragons Back, he gave me some advice on sugar vs sodium absorption. He said sugar absorbs almost instantly, whereas sodium can take 60-90 minutes to absorb into your body!

Met the paramedic I'd seen at the Wild Horse before pulling out, had a bit of a chat and thankfully he didn't have to talk to me in a professional capacity on this race 😂.

We all then headed off to Penarth beach, thankfully with the weather holding off for a tick.

Hannah and Rhods gave the briefing, a countdown was issued, then we were OFF!

Start to CP1

After choosing a thick properly waterproof jacket, the start was dry and a little warm 🤦‍♂️. I'd be thankful for the jacket later, but for now it soon came off onto my waist. It was tricky layer management in general all race: rain heavy enough you'd need a coat on, but warm enough that you'd regret it quickly.

Bumped into Martin and Peter from TACH early on and had a bit of a chat.

Ran with Chris McCarthy for a bit who I'd first met during the Gower 50 back in 2022.

One of the highlights of the course was in the first stretch: the stepping stones next to Ogmore Castle. Sometimes dry, sometimes underwater, depends how the tides feel. My most confident crossing this time (which isn't saying much, was still sheepish!)

Some undulating hills next for a short stretch then into Checkpoint 1 where Hannah and Rhods were waiting to greet folks.

Got my water bottles refilled (nailed the water intake on that section) then got going.

CP1 to CP2

Leaving the checkpoint the next stretch was all gorgeous coastal path.

Some hard, heavy rain came in here, coat back on.

I'd only experienced the coastal path in the dry before, so it was a shock to see just how muddy and slippy the descents got after some rain. It was slow going and little grip picking my way down those.

Saw Cath at the checkpoint, we chatted a little as I refilled bottles then I got going.

The Active Root was definitely starting to taste a bit strong, but it was keeping me moving and feeling fuelled so I stuck with it for the next stretch.

CP2 to CP3

As we were leapfrogging a fair bit, Peter and I ended up running together for a chunk of this stretch.

His pace was strong however, and when we hit the muddy cornfield I started to lag behind. Also, that muddy cornfield, was an absolute dick. The clay-like soil clung to your shoes, weighing you down and making every step a struggle.

As we moved through the power station section I passed fellow slammer Anna; she'd be running exceptionally well at the CANUM and HOWUM, coming top 5 in both I believe, so this was a bit of a confidence boost for me (spoilers: Anna passes me easily later on 🤘)

After a harsh climb up to a caravan park, we descended to the best sight in the world: a fully stocked SheRuns Cardiff checkpoint, filled with home cooked food galore!

Switched from Active Root to Tailwind here; the taste was becoming overwhelming and claggy. I think this was a mistake though, the Tailwind didn't sit well from the off, and I should have realised what I needed was extra sodium and a little plain water

Had some home made rocky road and roast potato then it was onwards to Barry!

CP3 to CP4

A fair bit more trail lay between Barry and I however, including the steep steps from hell.

I was really starting to flag here, and struggling to get the water in. I was keen to keep jogging though and keep that course PB in sight.

Approaching Barry Andrew Mizen came up behind me, which was strange as I thought he was miles ahead (he almost always is, a tremendously talented trail runner). Turns out I'd passed him whilst he took a loo break. He was having a bad day and his stomach was struggling. It gave me flashbacks to my own race in 2023 where, almost in the same spot, Rhys passed me as I struggled along broken.

Andrew held back at a walk and I kept moving. My goal the rest of the race was to beat Andrew. I thought this may be the only Slam race I'd achieve that.

This meant not stopping at Barry Promenade for a snack, and continuing to keep pushing through the tarmac slog to the next checkpoint.

Tailwind was a struggle to get in here, my body wasn't keep on it, however I popped 2 salt caps, something I've not done before when using a drink mix, and after a delay that seemed to help a good deal.

Checkpoint 4 came into sight, with Will from Adventure Athletes here cheering folks on. Had some cola and took some sweets to eat in the final stage. Andrew came shortly after, giving me good motivation to get up anf finish off that last 13k.

CP4 to Finish

So the hydration had gone better than it usually does, especially as I was trying to keep a strong pace, but it had totally fallen apart on this final stretch.

I was feeling overheated, water and Tailwind wasn't going in well, and this section was a right slog with a long road portion, followed by twisting trails taking you slowly closer to Penarth.

Joshua caught me here, we leap frogged a bit but he came in stronger in the end.

Caught Carl and Kristie who were jeffing away. They ended up passing me about 3k out when I was having a wee and then kept that lead nicely.

As alluded to earlier slammer Anna passed me confidently and sped up nicely that last stretch.

I managed to catch Russel, again a bit of leapfrogging but I managed to stay ahead somehow.

One of the photographers, Daz, cruelly parked at the top of a hill to take photos, but did get some amazing jump shots from folks.

The finish line came into sight, if only it wasn't up a long bloody hill

I put on a hard tune and tried to sprint best I could to the cheers of Running Punks at their finish line takeover.

Got a medal from Hannah, sat down and tried to recover. One of the volunteers and fellow Bristol Punk Karen brought me coke and snacks, I had a coffee from the cafe to warm up and waited for the slog squad to come in.

Being a Running Punks takeover, we were inundated with folks cheering people over the line. I got a solid few hugs despite being soaked to the bone in sweat.

After Action Report

Finished in 07:34:00, 12 minutes faster than my first attempt, I'll take it!

What Went Well

• Active Root Sports Mix worked well for me the first half of the race, felt fuelled
• Merrell Agility Peaks did me well, worked nicely on the road stretches and kept the pace strong
• Popping a couple of Salt Stick Caps to bump the sodium levels when I start to feel like water isn't going in well. Should be looking at Salt Stick Chews to get the sodium in faster
• Bridgedale T2 Lightweight Socks: 40 miles with my feet soaking wet from the start, no sock or shoe changes, not a single blister

What Could Have Gone Better

• Active Root Sports Mix tasting too strong and not having quite enough sodium to keep up with my sweat rate
• The Agility Peaks did leave my left big toe pretty beaten up from all the descents
• Agility Peaks were also a bit too high stacked for the slippy descents, felt unstable when the ground was slick and muddy
• Hydration still fell apart at the end, another race finished fuelled by coke and spite

Damage

• Real sore butt crack from where the tutu & shorts kind of bunched together 😅
• Slightly sore left big toe from where my feet got wet early then became more susceptible to toe bashing (soften skin == less resilient to impact)

Thank Yous

A huge thank you to the Running Punks and especially the dream team Hannah and Rhods taking over the finish line. It was such a great vibe, loads of cheering, music, chatting and joy.

A massive thank you to all the volunteers, marshals, checkpoint crews & those who came to support on the day.

And of course a big thank you to Rhys & Cerys for putting on these amazing events.

Next?

A good long training block now between the VOGUM and the next race in the slam: the PIGUM. I'm going to focus on hill and strength sessions, build up stronger legs for that big old Blorenge climb at the start.