The WAAT4 Challenge

It was a stupid idea to start with and having finished it, it was still a stupid idea.

When Tav gently suggested we do a 40k charity walk through the Brecon Beacons in June a few foolhardy souls agreed. In aid of good causes - Mountain Rescue, Air Ambulance and Cancer Wales to name but a few, it seemed a noble journey. Apprehension grew as to what we were going to do as the date approached but despite some half hearted discussion of whether we should go and do the 30k route, the fools that we were, boldly stuck to the 40k route. It was basically the same other than an extra 10k and one more big bloody mountain.

Friday evening found us gathering in the camp site after a variety of journeys - Dave H and Tav seemed to take the direct route and ended up with vegetation stuck on both sides of the Landrover. The tents went up - it wasn’t exactly wild camping. Tav and Dave H were there early enough for the Captains’s briefing (Tav obviously was Captain). Dave H as navigator basically carried the map. After 20 minutes of being told that it could rain in Wales, we were suitably briefed. The route was plotted and there was no escape.

Saturday dawned and after Paul C’s bacon butties (and in some instances a second bacon roll from the organiser’s barbecue) we assembled for the off at 7 am. Being squeezed between the Gurkhas and the Welsh guards made us somewhat worried we were outclassed but I guess that serves us right for calling ourselves Tavs Veterans. Tummies gurgling and bowels clenching the siren went and we were off. 30 seconds later we were off again in the right direction.

The first checkpoint was just over 5 km away along country lanes and gently uphill. We knew we needed to get some distance under our belt on this leg and the next before we hit the serious uphill so the pace was quick. Unfortunately Paul C had to drop out at the first checkpoint. That cast a pall over the rest of the day but we ploughed on the next 10k round to the Storey Arms. By this stage Paul T was on track for his chocolate bar an hour, the jelly babies and wine gums were out and we were wondering if it was too early for lunch at about 10am. A few running repairs at the Storey Arms before we headed up Pen Y Fan.

We made good time, determined not to stop and having reached checkpoint 3 at the top, we were delighted to see Paul C sitting up there. Having recovered from his mishap, he took the direct route up bring more mars bars for Paul T. There was another charity event taking place that day and it was both wonderful to see families all walking up Pen y Fan for Macmillan and depressing that most of them were atrociously equipped.

We plunged off Pen Y Fan conscious that our pace had slowed and we romped across the base of Cribyn where we stopped for a quick lunch. Everyone was having good and bad patches other than Lucy who just seemed to shrug it all off. A long leg to checkpoint 4 and then we had the next big climb where we all slowed down. We would periodically pass other teams who had split up (they had to regroup at every checkpoint) and at least some of the splits seemed to be causing marital strife. Not in our team - we were as tight as tight thing can be.

After the last climb it was then along a ridge and across a plateau down to the last checkpoint about 6km from Brecon. It rained and shone as well as blew so the waterproofs were on and off. The final leg was largely flat along roads and then the canal into Brecon where we reunited with Paul C. 

It turned out the 40k route was really 43k and we completed it in 10 hours 25 minutes - under ten hours for the 40k which had been our (unbelievable) target. On stopping our bodies all rebelled in different ways resulting in mini comas, inability to move or simply going grey. However we all recovered and decided to head home that evening as it looked like the party was going to get very messy indeed. A great day.

Plans are already being made for 2017.....

Tav checking his life insurance the night before