The Plumlumon Challenge is a 25 mile race over the wild and beautiful Plumlumon range of hills in mid Wales. Three quarters of the route is either on the hilltops or in remote valleys with the rest being on good tracks. Less than 200m of the race is on road. As well as being a great race in its own right, the Plumlumon Challenge would be an excellent event for those entering the OMM who want to have a long run out on OMM-like terrain prior to that event.

The Plumlumon Challenge was the fourth and last short race in the 2008 Vasque series. With the other three short races having been won in super-fast time by runners who were not competing in the series, this was the last opportunity for racers in the series to get a decent score. What follows is an account of the race by Martin Beale, racing hard with Allen Smalls and Matt Davis for the Vasque championship.

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Instead of the beautiful sunshine we had been promised, we were greeted at the start line by cloud and drizzle. This suited me as my race plan was to try to get ahead of Allen Smalls and Matt Davis at the start and try to lose them in the mist. In this way, I could steal the points and hopefully secure a series win: this would require me to finish 12 minutes ahead of Allen.

Needless to say, right from the start Allen was right there with me. After a short rise, we were into a forest and tanking it down a forest track . Despite doing faster than 6 minute per mile pace, I was unable to shake Allen on this section. I couldn't shake him on the short uphill of the shapely Dinas hill or the subsequent track either. I was going to have to apply my reserve tactics - either try to get ahead on the brutal 300m climb up Y Garn and onto the Plumlumon range itself or just steadily grind him down over a long running section later in the race.

I applied forward gear up the grassy slope of Y Garn, ascending at over 20m / minute. Allen, Matt and myself were steadily pulling away from the rest of the field and although I go about 50m ahead of Allen, I couldn't extend the lead any further than that. We got into the clag and my pursuers were right there with me again. Once on top, we came across some beautiful running on short grass. Had it not been for the clag, there would have been a great view to Plumlumon diagonally ahead of us and a gut wrenching view down to our left to the sting in the tail of the race - the Toblerone shaped Drosgol. As it was, we were in our own little world, pounding out the miles in the mist. We ran past a radio checkpoint on the summit of Plumlumon and then across short grass and moss to the rocky summit of Plumlumon Arwystli. We were still going at a cracking pace at this stage and by this stage my options were narrowing. Allen and Matt ran with me down my secret little path to the easternmost point of the course while the walkers took a slower route by a fence - another chance for me to get away was blown.

By this stage in the race, we were passing a lot of walkers (there is a walking challenge over the same course that starts two and a half hours before us before the running event and is a good challenge in its own right). We were complimented on how fresh we looked, but they must have been being nice as I for one certainly did not feel fresh and the prospect of a mile of fast running along forest tracks and the Severn Way to the source of the River Severn weren't exactly alluring. The walking challenge looked like a more leisurely affair as we passed a pair eating their sandwiches by the dead sheep immersed in the source of the River Severn, but the thrill of a good race was what we were after.

We reached the Hengwm valley neck and neck after about two hours, fought with the tussocks and then cruised along a good path towards Cwm Gwerin. Cwm Gwerin is a fine rocky valley that punches its way towards the top of Plumlumon Arwystli. It could be compared to one of the great glaciated valleys of North Wales, but that would be unfair. This area has a wildness and a beauty that doesn't require comparison with the more famous mountain areas of the country: it is special in its own way. I'd admired Cwm Gwerin on the recce, but there was no time for that today: it was just a question of trying to follow the line and run to the race plan.

I'd thought that my last chance to get away would be in the lower reaches of the Hengwm valley. The valley becomes wet and tussocky there and I'd thought that maybe Allen and Matt would suffer in this terrain more than I would with my long legs. I gave it a good burn down this valley, but again could only gain a lead of about 30m which was simply not enough to defend and my pursuers caught me again as we passed an isolated radio checkpoint. We didn't realise that we had to clock in at this point and there was much frantic shouting between us and the marshalls to let them know our numbers. This was the main food station on the race and in our desire to get ahead, we missed the delights of the toffee caramel wafers that created such a talking point at the end of the race.

Before the fearsome looking Drosgol, the pyramid shaped mountain that plunges into Nant-y-Moch reservoir, there is a significant river. We ran straight down into this river. Allen got some terrible footings and was up to his chest in it several times. I crossed more gingerly and filled my water bottle. I think this was my undoing, but I didn't realise it at the time. As we ascended Drosgol, Allen and Matt got about 50m ahead. I was behind eating and drinking, but I seemed to be drinking just as a flat section would appear. Allen and Matt would run across as I fumbled with my water bottle. This lost me vital seconds and metres which allowed them to get ever so slightly ahead. I couldn't see where they went off the summit of Drosgol, but wherever they went, they got a better line than I did. It was disheartening to see them on the banks of the Nant-y-Moch reservoir when I was still 100m higher than them.

There are some long track sections after Drosgol. I forced myself to run as hard as possible along these. I closed the gap significantly in two places and was just 50m behind Matt as we ascended Disgwylfa Fawr with just two miles to go. I made a strategic error here by trying to take a cleverer line (higher up the hill and shorter) where I should have just dug in and chased Matt and Allen in their footsteps. They were less than 2 minutes ahead by the time I got to the last checkpoint and I always felt that I was in contention, but it is difficult to run on your own against a pair who can pace each other. I didn't see them along the final mile of track and just tried to get my head down and run as hard as possible to minimise the points deficit between me and Allen. I tanked it down the final forest path to come in 4 minutes behind Allen and Matt in 4h10m.

We had our first proper chat of the weekend once across the line. During the race there had been clear focus on the race in hand. This is the way I think we all knew and probably wanted it to be. There was general agreement that we'd run a good race and pushed each other hard. Indeed, we'd pushed each other so hard that Allen and Matt broke the course record by 30 minutes (and ran more than a mile further than the old course). We sat around at the finish, being joined by an ever increasing throng of tired but happy finishers. Those who finished in under 4h30m were able to watch the spectacle of the Red Kite feeding session at the race headquarters at Nant-yr-Arian visitors centre. Those finishing in under 5 hours qualified for a gold Plumlumon Challenge medal! Everyone finishing had a great race and were hopefully able to top their points up for the Runfurther series.

After Plumlumon, it is advantage to Allen Smalls for the series win. I now have an uphill battle on my hands at the Long Mynd Hike where I can still win the series if I win that race by 12 minutes or more. Whatever happens though, Allen and I are planning on a good fast race, finishing in time for last orders in Church Stretton.