Month: August 2025

What do you get when you enter one of Caz the Hat’s events?

Some ups (well, lots of ups), then the downs, some boggy bits, some technical bits, and of course an exciting and slightly zany route.

But that’s where the Dip-Dab is a little bit different – there is no route!

You get a map marked with lots of points to get to – plus this time a warning of high bracken! (and he wasn’t joking).

So where do you head? The Waterwheel? The Pointy Rock? Or to the Back of the Cavel?
(There was a lot of chat about “the cavel” after the event – turned out to be “the cave!”)

The Format

This year’s Dip-Dab was across 2 days – 4 hours each day to get to as many checkpoints as you can.

• Start: Llanerch in the heart of the Gwaun Valley
• Landmarks: Mynydd Dinas, Carningli, Cnwc yr Hydd
• Out to: the “tiny tree” on the far side of Foel Cwm Cerwyn, worth 80 points!

Staggered starts, 2 minutes to study the map and plan your route, and then you’re off – running alone or as a pair.

A couple of miles in and you start seeing fellow competitors across the hills – sometimes tracking the same route as you (a carrot or stick), sometimes heading elsewhere (Why are they over there?).

Moments of camaraderie on the hillside to work together to find the kite… before the competition kicks in again and you’re off to the next checkpoint.

Always questioning your choices:
time vs distance? route vs terrain? points vs what’s left in the legs?!

Day 1 – Clockwise Gamble

I chose a clockwise route – different to most – with a plan to hit the remote big points early (including the cavel) and then see how it was going on the slopes of Carningli.

But by the “large boulder” (which boulder?) and “foot of crag” in the truly high bracken, legs and time were running out.

Decision time at 5-Ways below Carningli – what’s doable without going over time? Decision made: down rather than up. Scooped up 70 more points and back.

• Finished 7 minutes inside the time
• 18 miles covered
• Legs pretty spent (right decision – still tomorrow to come!)

Missed two CPs, including “rock in pond” (and yes, that did involve you also getting in pond).

End of Day 1: 3rd place – 50 points off the young Swansea legs leading with a fast clean sweep. 10 off second, also a clean sweep but with a 40-point penalty for going over time.

Day 2 – The Push

Surprisingly okay after a rest (unlike Kev and Lenny who stayed a little longer at the Globe 🍻).

Strong start up to Cnwc, then spent too long locating the “depression” (20 points). Onwards to “tree rock” (50 points), where local knowledge helped. Briefly linked with 2nd place before he bounded off up Feddau.

A slip-up at “small waterfall” (60) – too high, leading to an interesting gully slide. Then across to the “tiny tree” – sweet 80 points!

Next: the dreaded hidden stream (40), somewhere in the mire west of Tafarn y Bwlch. Lots of wobbly circles for 5–10 minutes (there are several hidden streams!). Finally found it (thanks to others).

One more checkpoint, flagged by Arwyn “pretty in pink,” then down – 14 miles, all done, well inside time and just before the rain. 😎

Results & Thanks

Everyone back safe, with tales of trials and tribulations, laughter and smiles pouring over the maps once more – where kites had been hidden, luckily found, or so-close-but-missed.

All washed down with tea, squash, toast, and of course cake.

• The hidden stream eluded 1st place, costing 40 points.
• 2nd place got them all.
• At the top: two young racing snakes tied on points, Swansea boy taking it on time across both days – with a bespoke glass Dip-Dab trophy.
• Me? 3rd place, just 10 points behind – happy with that.

Big thanks to Caz, Carz and Rachel ❤️ – and Tim for the dibbers and the supportive words:

“If you’d just got to one more checkpoint on Day 1… but guess you already knew that.”

Fancy It?

Come on team – it’s a great event right on your doorstep.
Why not give it a go in 2026?

Passing the GOAT and Other Terrible Ideas

Distance: Just shy of 125km
Elevation gain: About 6,000m
Location: One of the most jaw-dropping places you could wear trail shoes.

The Build-Up

The build-up to the race didn’t go to plan. I had tanked a race a month earlier and came here to exorcise some demons, if possible.

The race starts at the sensible hour of 23:00 in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The whole town was out to watch — which was either touching or slightly mad, depending on your caffeine intake. But this was Italy, so naturally everyone was having a post-dinner espresso.

I’d qualified into the second elite group — close enough to the front to avoid a 1,600-person wrestling match to get started, but far enough from the real elites to avoid delusions.

Right in front of me? Courtney Dauwalter, Ben Dhiman, Josh Wade, Andreas Reiteter…
I was not going to be racing these people.

Early Miles

They bolted like startled deer. I sensibly let them go and tucked into the second group, ticking off the first climbs and wishing I could see any of the scenery everyone talks about.

First crewed aid station at 42km — I’m in 30th, feeling good. I foolishly told my crew:

“Once the sun’s up, I think I can catch 10.”

This is the kind of confidence that only ends one of two ways: glory… or a slow public unravelling, usually dissected on the Pembs Ultra WhatsApp Group.

Passing Courtney (Briefly…)

A caffeine gel kicked in on the Tre Cime di Lavaredo climb, and I even passed Courtney.
This, I knew, was either a great sign… or an act of pure idiocy.

The sun was rising, the legs felt fresh, the scenery was incredible, and my playlist blessed me with:

• Walking in Memphis
• Say It Isn’t So
• Thanks for the Memories

I charged the descent like the finish line was at the bottom.

The 6km douche-grade climb after that — not flat, but not a proper hill either — felt like a marathon of mild suffering. Into the next aid station, now in 20th, I tried not to look too broken.

Trouble at Forcella

Then came the Forcella climb, and it all went sideways. Bent double, hands on knees, hoping to vomit, I resorted to some well-worn tricks:

• Gels
• Electrolytes
• Negotiating with myself to run 10 steps, walk 20

Somehow, the legs worked again on the descent, and I clawed back places, joining a group of four.

From 85–95km, I was working hard climbing through a valley that was heating up quickly.
Out of nowhere, Courtney floated past me smelling of bubblegum, offering the high praise of:

“You’re doing so good.”

And then she was gone — not to be seen again until her post-race interview.

Into the Best Scenery

The back-to-back crewed stations at Col Gallina and Passo Giau were welcome, though the section in between felt like climbing through wet concrete.

The tourists looked annoyingly happy — and for good reason. This was the best scenery on the course! Even through the graft, I was grinning like an idiot.

The Final Push

The final stretch had a few nasty surprise climbs — perfect for inducing a quiet tantrum.

Running alongside Altra athlete Ugo in 16th/17th, we skipped the last aid station and hurled ourselves into the 10km descent with mutinous toes.

Cortina appeared after 14 hours 20 minutes.
Top 20 in a stacked field.

I found a tree, lay down, and fell asleep for 40 minutes…
The glamorous ending to achieving your goals.

A coastal race in Cornwall in January — close to 165km and 4,500m (don’t believe UTMB, you’ll be annoyed when you’re not at the end at 160km).

We were nestled perfectly between two named storms — one had already churned the place into a mud pit, the next one waiting in the wings to hurl us into the sea. I don’t swim, by the way.

The Road to the Start Line

Back in June, a fresh-faced NBLR-to-be, I was hobbling around Pembrokeshire with a freshly pinned hip and a vague hope of starting this race. So to find myself on the start line, actually wanting to run through the night, felt like a win already.

This race is aptly named for its attritional rate — 50% don’t finish. But those folks clearly haven’t been on a Wednesday night NBLR winter sufferfest.

I’d trained hard, mostly sliding about doing repeats between Amroth and Pendine on the Welsh Coast Path — the “field of dreams,” assuming your dreams involve wet coastal running and questioning life decisions.

A Fast Start (Too Fast…)

It kicked off fast. By “it” I mean I kicked it off fast — a bit like I was running a parkrun and the winner got free pizza. The first 20km is technical, but I was buzzing to be near the front. Naturally, I paid for it.

Eventually, I settled into a group of four and hit the first crew point — aka espresso station number one. Double shot, obviously.

Things got damp, dark, and daft from here. Cramp crept in — partly because I ran too fast, partly because my hip still has hardware in it.

Into the Weather

By Penzance, I’d shaken the cramps and found the three runners ahead of me tucking into snacks.
I nicked a bite, legged it before they noticed.

Fergy (RD) appeared to warn us of incoming weather. I didn’t put my jacket on. I should have!

Lewis Ryan and I slipped away from the others in the bad weather and were now up front, sloshing through the soggy miles. My shoes surrendered somewhere near Land’s End.

Land’s End and Beyond

Cue big aid station stop at Land’s End — shoe change, caffeine, and food. A quick chase after Lewis ensued after he got out of there first. Bad idea. Stubbed a rock. Quad exploded. Brief meltdown. Considered stopping. Didn’t.

Then came the nastiest bit of the course — 25km of Mordor between Botallick and St Ives.
Honestly, I think Tim Plumb designed that section just to see if people would cry. I nearly did.

I kept glancing back, convinced I’d be overtaken.
Every puddle became a shortcut.
Every noise was someone coming from behind to pass me out.
I was running scared.

The Final Push

From St Ives, the path eases off. The infamous Dunes of Doom and The Bitches hills came and went — sounding scarier than they were. Soon after, I saw the last marshal who greeted me with the best thing I’d heard in a day:

“Congrats Dave, you are now off the coast path, turn right, follow the road.”

I still thought I was going to be caught! So the last kicker to the line was one last kicking for me.

2nd place!
It was more than I had ever hoped I would get out of it.