Celtic Sea

Thanks to a full British breakfast at our lovely B&B, Anna and I both felt ready to take on today’s big challenge along the shores of the Celtic Sea. This being my fourth ultra race in the Coastal Trail Series, I was happy to find it just as well-organized and friendly as the previous ones.

After a 1.5-kilometre walk to the start in Little Haven, we executed our pre-race plan: walking all climbs and easing into the race. That was easy enough, as most of the first ten kilometres were on single track.

After the first checkpoint, we started picking up speed. We caught a shower or two, but the overcast skies kept us comfortably cool for most of the first 40 kilometres. Once the clouds cleared, we were treated to incredible ocean views that more than made up for the slight heat exhaustion. One day I will learn how to drink enough during an ultra – but since I was taking it slow, I eventually caught up on fluids.

Throughout the race, Anna kept impressing me by soldiering on. She ran 14 kilometres further than she ever had before, stayed in high spirits the whole way, and finished strong by racing into the goal – after climbing a total of 1,176 metres!