Saturday was the Llyn y Fan fell race in South Wales.. its in a beautiful but often overlooked part of the western Black Mountains. It tends to be an area overshadowed by its near neighbours the Brecon Beacons, but its a fabulous race- a stiff climb, fast ridge running and plunging descent- and a good test at 5.5m/2000′. Because of the long drive to the start for most, it suffers from small fields, but it was well worth it to me- a stunning day, the whole range visible and fantastic views. Anyway, only 19 started, and bizarrely i found myself in the lead from the off.. enjoying myself alot I extended it on the climb and the ridge, and didn’t go too mad coming down, thinking of the big British Champs race next weekend. So I beat all the boys this time- hooray for girls and for vegans- but to be honest its more a reflection of the average age of the field than my running! At least 2 of the entrants were born in WWII! This is one of the best things about fell running- everyone refuses to grow old gracefully and flies in the face of age by continuing to push themselves round ever more ridiculous challenges, giving 2 fingers to injuries along the way.