Welcome to The Beacons Ultra |
The RouteThe route is a very varied one that will test competitors strengths and weaknesses; flat land specialists will love the canal bits whilst the mountain goats will prefer the 'gap', and then of course there's all the 'in between' bits. The start of the 2009 Beacons Ultra takes place in the heart of the Brecon Beacons starting and finishing in the delightful village of Talybont. Within half a mile the route takes you on to the picturesque Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. The tow path to Llangynider is probably the flattest 3 miles you will find in Wales! The route then splits from the canal at the canal locks and heads up the Beacons way on to the ridge of Talybont forest. Here it picks up the old coal route where originally the tramway and later on the railway brought coal from ‘over the other side’ to be loaded on to the barges for dispatch to Newport. A steady climb continues towards Torpantau before dropping slightly and entering the Taf Fechan Forest. The forest trail then starts to change into open hill, and follow what the locals call the ‘Gap Road’. At all times the route is easy to follow in terms of navigation and is well trodden, although map reading would be useful for piece of mind particularly if the weather comes in (which is highly likely in Wales during the first week of December!) The highest point of the route is 600 meters above sea level at the ‘Gap’ itself. After all that height gain there is quite a bit of descending along one of the Brecon Beacons ‘classic’ routes, down to the canal at Pencelli and back to the begining of the second loop at Talybont(if you've still got some 'go' left!). There will be checkpoint here which will determine whether folk want to or intend to attempt the second loop. If they wish to do so they must achieve the 2pm cut off time to be allowed to continue. Competitors arriving at he checkpoint after this time will be asked to retire back to their accomodation and the comfort of their bunkhouse or indeed the pub! Route maps and profile can be viewed here
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Registration:Registration will take place at the following times: *Please, if possible, register on the Friday night. Please demonstrate that you have all the compulsory equipment. Talybont Rec Centre & Start Finish Area Friday 4th 5:00pm - 10:00pm Saturday 5th 5:30am - 6:30am Race Day: The event itself will start at 7am Saturday 5th December at the Talybont Outdoor Recreation Centre. (Map) Participants must complete the first lap of a two lap course. Participants must complete the first 'loop' of the course by 2 pm. Participants must complete the entire course by 11pm. Participants failing to meet these very generous cut off's will politely bve asked to retire from the course. Accomodation: Accommodation will be available for those that have opted for it. There are two main accomodation venues, both in the village of Talybont. The White Hart Bunkhouse is now full. The Talybont Outdoor Recreation Centre is also at capacity. The above accomodation options are block booked and must be reserved through the entry procedure. Of course, some athletes may wish to source their own accomodation seperately. Please note that 'Likeys accomodation' arrangements are now full. However, a popular alternative for those that have yet to book may be the Dan y Wenallt YHA: you need to book this independently if it is of interest; some competitors have already chosen this approach.
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Compulsory Equipment:*Rucksack It must be emphasised that there will be compulsory kit checks. You must have all of the above on you at all times. Please also understand that the above is the bare minimum and many individuals may wish to add their own kit requirements to that outlined above.This is especially relevant if the weather conditions are harsh.(temps in 2008 dropped to minus 8 at night)
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