The Anglesey Relay 2005

Anglesey Relay – Split Times for each Stage.   

Estimated & Actual Leg Times + Age Graded Percentages

The relay for me started last December when I was asked to organise another trip to the Isle of Anglesey. I agreed. Was it a good decision? You will have to ask those who took part but now it’s over I am quietly satisfied. I have been fortunate in that I have had the time to organise this trip perhaps more thoroughly than previous attempts and I hope that this showed over the weekend. Having said that, everything cannot be catered for and we had a few minor hic-ups along the way. But as the saying goes, it was ‘alright on the night’. 

The decision was made early that we would not stick to the original “Challenge” Rules as these were a bit restrictive and as we were all older we wanted to relax and enjoy the run without the pressure to try to beat a specific time. Basically, we wanted a training weekend. However, I thought that just going up and doing it wasn’t good enough and that a certain amount of discipline was needed owing to safety considerations. Thus our format of 15 stages of approximately 5½ miles starting and finishing at our point of accommodation was born. 

An initial reconnoitre was carried out early last December when I set the new changeovers and checked the mileages using the original route directions. Back at home I checked the mileages using a digital map measurer on the 1:50000 OS Map and on an OS CD-ROM and prepared the Draft Rules & Route Information. I then circulated, with the help of Barry Roberts, as many as possible soliciting interest in the project. From an original response of 34 members eventually there was a drop out of 50% as we progressed nearer the decided date in June. With accommodation booked; mini-bus hired; commitment from 15 runners (just the number required) and their legs chosen; most of the deposits collected then a second reconnoitre was carried out with 5 weeks to go to double check the route directions, mileages etc. 

With just over a week to go I held a briefing session when all the details were discussed and final arrangements were made. Everyone involved received a pack containing the rules, route directions and individual route details with map, a timetable for the weekend and a vehicle logistics list together with travelling directions as appropriate. It was now down to the runners. 

We arrived at Lakehouse Holidays mid afternoon on Friday, settled in and met the 4 others travelling independently, for our evening meal at The Ship Inn, Red Wharf Bay. After eating a drinking our fill we set off for Lakehouse to await the arrival of the mini-bus. Upon reaching Lakehouse, the mini-bus was already there and everyone was busily claiming their space and settling in. The many volunteers erected Dave’s tent quickly and all was ready before darkness descended completely. 

A final briefing at 11.00 pm was arranged when all details were finalised for the next day. We were a runner short and a substitute had to be found! Fortunately, we had a volunteer in the form of Mervyn who happily said he would do the last leg. Mervyn was driving the back up vehicle owned by Frank who was running an earlier leg. It was no problem for Frank to take over that role for the last leg. So that was settled. My only worry now was that Julian made the rendezvous point the next day. To explain. Julian had come into the team at a late stage when Terry Parker had to go in hospital for an operation. But he was working a night shift on Friday and had to travel to Anglesey straight from work, be picked up by the mini-bus, run his leg then back to Lakehouse for some sleep. Now, that’s commitment! We came up with a contingency plan but in the end it wasn’t needed. Then it was shuteye…

Up at 5.30 am; ablutions then breakfast for the early leg runners. And then the off. 

We had decided to start and finish at the bottom of the very narrow lane from Lakehouse to make it safer. This cut off a total of approximately a quarter of a mile from the route. We awaited the arrival of Frank’s Galaxy that we were using as the main support vehicle. This would carry the 2^nd to 5^th leg runners with the mini-bus following at 8.30 am with the remaining runners, catching us up then picking up Julian at Valley cross-roads. With 5 minutes to start time, there was no Galaxy! Peter and Frank arrived to tell us that the Galaxy wouldn’t start. Panic!! Frank had left a fridge running and the battery was flat. A party was quickly despatched to give the Galaxy a push. 

Meanwhile we had to start the relay…. 

“Grace & Style!”

1^st Leg 8.7 miles. Tynygongyl to Cerrig Man

Traditionally Alex always runs the first leg on this type of relay and today was no different. I was driving the following vehicle and operating the stopwatch. The flashing amber light on top of the car was activated and we were off. Traffic was very light this early in the morning which was good because it allowed me to get used to driving at the lows speeds necessary to protect our runners. Alex was quickly into his stride and it was obvious he would attain his predicted time. This leg is undulating and Alex tackled the hills with ease. The weather was warm but overcast and was soon to clear to give us a sunny, hot day. The Galaxy overtook us, which was a relief as it carried the next runner. The 8.7 miles rolled by quickly. Alex carried our ‘baton’ with grace and style and was soon at the 1^st changeover in 61-41 over a minute faster than his predicted time. 

Horses Beware!!

2^nd Leg 4.9 miles. Cerrig Man to Peibron

Lynette in her first run in this type of relay took over from Alex who promptly fell in behind and ran the whole of the second leg supporting her. Another undulating leg, Lynette soon found out what running on Anglesey is like. Undaunted, she was soon in the rhythm and the miles slipped away. On approach to Bull Bay, approximately halfway, she pointed right down the hill to the Bay. “NO; NO” we shouted, “Bear LEFT”, thinking she was going wrong. No, she just wanted to run downhill because by bearing left there was yet another hill! A nice downhill section alongside a walled paddock sprang a surprise when two frisky horses decided to investigate these two running figures. We all thought they were going to jump the ‘wall’ and join in but fortunately they didn’t! Lynette was soon at the changeover in 43-52 only 18 seconds slower than her predicted time. 

“A doddle”

3^rd Leg 5.7 miles. Peibron to Llanrhyddlad

‘Pricey’ took over to run the 3^rd leg. Alan, somewhat less graceful than Alex but none the less effective on a good day, was quickly in his stride. Training to run up Snowdon in a few weeks, the hills proved to be a “doddle”. A very uneventful leg and next to no time we rapidly approached the changeover with ‘Pricey’ running a 41-23 leg exactly a minute faster than the predicted time. 

Knees, knees…

4^th Leg 5.2 miles. Llanrhyddlad to Llanfachraeth

Over to ‘Baz’ or Barry to his friends! Another stage described as gently undulating proved to test Barry’s fitness, or lack of it due to a knee injury, and although he kept his composure running consistently at an even pace, the hills took their toll. Barry ‘romped’ home in 41-44 nearly 2 minutes down on the predicted time for him. 

Superstar!

5^th Leg 4.8 miles. Llanfachraeth to Holyhead

A mental aberration on my part had this leg down as 5.8 miles and Frank had psyched himself up for it. Martin’s GPS confirmed the length to be 4.7 much to Franks relief. After a steady climb for 1½ miles the rest of the leg was either downhill or flat but wind could be a problem.  The mini-bus flashed by on cue, one less thing for me to worry about. Frank negotiated the road works at Valley crossroads better than I did in the following vehicle despite going ahead; I was stuck for 10 minutes at the one-way traffic lights. Frank, however, had read his instructions carefully and had researched his leg, so he was firmly on course. Meanwhile, I had a text message telling me the mini-bus had picked up Julian, the last worry item was gone. Now it was all running! A quick pit stop and we were on our way to catch up Frank who was by now running across the Stanley Embankment on to Holy Island. Frank applied himself well, was not distressed and finished in 42-51 over 5 minutes faster than his predicted time. What a star? 

“Shall I wear shades?”

6^th Leg 5.5 miles. Holyhead to Penrhosfeilw

Peter Davies took on this leg because he was familiar with Holyhead and hopefully knew where he was going. There was no guarantee that I could keep with him through the town owing to traffic lights, in the event there was no problem and Peter negotiated the changes from right to left and back with great aplomb! What Peter didn’t quite realise was the difficulty with the route once passed Holyhead. It progressed into a rugged and hilly landscape with narrow lanes, which gave trouble to both the following vehicle and mini-bus. The latter took a long time to catch me and ‘panic’ was beginning to set in. However all was well in the end and Peter slugged away to complete a difficult leg in 41-15 just over a minute down on the prediction. 

“1^st Class”

7^th Leg 4.0 miles. Penrhosfeilw to Anchorage Hotel

Now it was Julian’s turn… Julian had travelled to Anglesey direct from working a night shift and despite never having been to Anglesey before made the rendezvous and was there to do the business. By now both Bernie and I in the following vehicle was a little tired after 4½ hours in the car but after a pit stop we caught Julian having the time of his life. Normally a race walker, Julian was waving to passers by, laughing and joking whilst all the time making good progress. Our running postman was 1^st Class arriving at the changeover within a few seconds of the predicted time in 32-31. 

Stage Fright!!

8^th Leg 5.1 miles. Anchorage Hotel to Bryngwran

A glutton for punishment, John Matthews chose this leg despite losing his way in 2000. Now much more familiar with the route with all the offending road works finished, John wanted to make amends. First problem was to negotiate the temporary lights at Valley; this John did easily although both the following vehicle and the mini-bus were delayed. We caught him up just before the troublesome island at the A5 and A55 intersections and we were able to offer protection as John crossed them safely. By now the weather had warmed up considerably and the sun was beating down.  This relatively flat stage nevertheless is tough with longer, straight inclines and this gradually had its effect on John who began to wilt towards the end of the leg. Dropping 4 minutes on his predicted time, John finished in 42-32 looking somewhat tired. 

“I got stung!”

9^th Leg 5.9 miles. Bryngwran to Porth Trecastell

Alan Britton took on this leg and promptly found he was running uphill! Alan was recovering from a nasty insect bite received whilst on holiday and had been unable to do much training during the period of taking anti-biotics. Even so, Alan kept up a good rhythm and did a solid leg only losing 3 minutes on the predicted time, finishing in 45-52. 

Hot Stuff

10^th Leg 4.7 miles. Porth Trecastell to Bethel

The start of this stage was uphill for just under a mile, which pleased Helen no end! But after that, pleasant running with excellent views of Snowdon, if you had the inclination to look! Helen soon settled into a steady pace and the miles rattled by. This is debatably the more picturesque part of the island but with the temperature continuing to rise and no shade each leg was becoming more difficult, so the scenery became irrelevant! Helen did very well and knocked over a 1½ minutes from the prediction with a clocking of 38-36. 

Flying Milkman!

11^th Leg 6.1 miles. Bethel to Bryngwyn

Brendan took over and was quickly in his stride. We were all aware of the heat and the need to keep hydrated and we were there in the back up car to provide this service. Water bottles were passing between the runners and us and we quickly became proficient with supplying the water. By now the traffic on the island had become busy and we were continually looking behind allowing them to overtake when safe. This is where the flashing beacon proved worthwhile. At one point two cyclists drew alongside and wanted to know if we were doing this for charity. “No, we are doing it for the enjoyment”. I’m not sure if they believed us! Brendan excelled as he finished 18 seconds adrift of his predicted time crossing the ‘line’ in 48-16.

A Heel of a Leg!

12^th Leg 6.8 miles. Bryngwyn to Llanfair PG

Martin ran this leg instead of John Adams owing to a niggling Achilles. We were trying to avoid steep hills to protect his heel and to some extent it worked. The mileage was the same but there were still hills to tackle albeit less steep. Martin worked very hard and never faltered, the dodgy Achilles bearing up well. From our view of his rear… Martin was composed and running well. Predicted times hadn’t taken into account the weather and Martin did well to complete the stage less than 4 minutes slower with a time of 52-53. 

On the way home

13^th Leg 5.1 miles. Llanfair PG to Beaumaris

Michael, quite rightly was protecting himself against the sun’s rays, set off on a difficult leg through Menai Village to Beaumaris. Michael I know is not as fit as he would like to be but he produced the goods by not going ‘bonkers’ and ran with a control of a runner with more experience. The result was a comfortable run dropping only 3 minutes from the predicted time, finishing in 41-29. 

BJ looks good

14^th Leg 6.8 miles. Beaumaris to Pentreath

John Adams took on Martin’s leg with gusto, until he came to the hill going out of Beaumaris. First gear in my little Jimny and 1^st gear in the mini-bus were the order of the day. The mini-bus belching out diesel fumes in protest overtook John and made its way to the next changeover. Meanwhile, John was finding things pretty tough and HOT! Taking plenty of water on board, John hammered away putting his strength to good effect. After the nursery at Pentreath, a slight rise then the last half-mile was downhill. Time to relax. On a very difficult leg, John came home in 55-12 only losing 4 minutes on the predicted time. 

Merv The Sub Saves Relay

15^th Leg 3.4 miles. Pentreath to Tynygongyl

In theory we had no one to run this leg, as we were a man short but Mervyn, one of our support vehicle drivers volunteered to run the last leg (“as it’s only short”). Mervyn actually is a veteran of the Anglesey Relay and his experience came to the fore. An undulating ‘short leg’ proved quite a challenge and Mervyn hid his condition expertly. We only had the predicted time of the original runner to go on but Mervyn gained 5 minutes on this and completed his leg and the whole relay in 25-40. 

The Finish… 

We completed the relay in 10 hours 55 minutes 17 seconds, no records but we did it! Everyone was more or less in one piece and smiling. 

My thanks go to all the team who made all the aggravation that comes with organising an event such as this all worthwhile. A special thanks goes to Julian Barnett, who drove the 150 miles to Anglesey after working a night shift, all for a 4-mile run. This he did with humour and determination to enjoy it. Thanks also to Bernie for putting up with everything and John Matthews for his help with the route reconnoitre.

The relaxation…. 

After a quick shower and smartening up all 24 in the party had a Buffet Dinner provided by Lakehouse Holidays. There was plenty to eat and drink and we were all then ready for the night’s entertainment. Unfortunately, the Social Club we were expecting to visit was closed; they must have got wind of our presence! Dave Webster, our mini-bus driver volunteered to drive us into the nearest village, Benllech, where a suitable establishment was found. It did happen to be the world’s worst Karaoke but who cared; we all enjoyed ourselves although no amount of persuasion could get Martin and Brendan to sing a duet. Most went back to base in the mini-bus but I have to say there was a small party led by Mervyn who trekked our way back through the dark lanes using Merv’s white shirt as a beacon. With Pricey bringing up the rear we arrived at our destination to tuck in to the leftovers and have one last drink! 

Sunday dawned, earlier for some, later for others… We all ate an hearty breakfast, packed up, hopefully left Lakehouse tidy, said our farewells to Keith and Jean Twist who had looked after us most splendidly and made our way to the beach. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t so good, a little overcast and cooler but this didn’t deter that intrepid trio of Julian, Peter and Pricey from taking a dip in the sea. Closely watched by the rest of the gang, the dynamic trio showed us different ways to tackle the initial dip, Julian straight in, Pricey testing the water first and Peter doing a circuitous route through the little streams of water gradually reaching the sea and maximum coldness! After the swim came a three-man race along the beach followed by searching the rock pools for crabs. Meanwhile, the saner of us were chilling out reading the morning papers, listening to favourite mp3’s, chatting and generally doing nothing. 

When the black clouds were looming we decided to break camp and head back home. The mini-bus travelled back via Llanfair PG for a look at the famous railway station with the world’s longest name. Don’t ask me to spell it! Horrendous thunderstorms greeted us nearer home but all arrived safely. 

This was a very successful and a most enjoyable weekend, although a little tiring. Will we go again? Who knows? 

Tom Morris                    

Anglesey Relay – Split Times for each Stage.

** This estimated time was for Neil Hensley who did not run. Mervyn Green was the last minute substitute.

Estimated & Actual Leg Times + Age Graded Percentages