Six months after breaking her ankle, Mel tackles Snowdon – and the notorious Dinorwic Quarry – to complete her marathon trilogy
September finally saw the completion of the ‘Man vs …’ trilogy. The first of the trilogy, Man vs Coast. was completed back in 2019. Last year you may remember I wrote an article about my epic two-day 60 mile adventure running around the lakes (Man vs Lakes).
At the beginning of September I made my way to Snowdonia to conquer Man vs Mountain, finally completing the trilogy after two years of deferrals and cancellations due to the pandemic.
To say I was ready for it would be … incorrect. In fact, half way up the mountain I instantly regretted not training enough!
I always knew that 5,000ft of elevation across 22 miles of tough terrain, this was never going to be an easy race.
But six months post ankle break? Probably crazy, I hear you say. Trust me when I say that the views were honestly worth every single step.
This epic mountain adventure started at sea level from the stunning Caernarfon Castle, with not a mountain in sight.
A few miles in, the beautiful mountains of the Snowdonia National Park came into view and the ascent up the Rangers path to the summit of Snowdon began. I made the summit and breathed a massive sigh of relief – and had a little sit down.
The view from the top
I took a moment to appreciate my surroundings – how could you not? We were so lucky with a beautifully clear day.
After such a gruelling climb I definitely appreciated the ease of the descent down the Llanberis path. Although, saying that, there were a few hairy moments on the loose shale. The village of Llanberis was a welcome sight, but just when I thought I was done with the hills I reached the infamous ‘vertical kilometre’ up Dinorwic Quarry.
A few swear words might have slipped out at this point!
In true Rat Race fashion, the race ended in an array of different obstacles. It’s traditional, and this time included a bit of kayaking and a refreshing dip in Llyn Padarn before crossing the finish line, to receive the medal for the last segment of the trilogy.
