10 swimmers – 11 riders – 9 runners

1.5 mile sea swim (shortened due to sea temperature and windy conditions)

175 mile bike (c16,700ft of total ascent, c16,200ft of total descent)

32 mile run (5,600ft of ascent, 5,600 ft of descent)

Swim

The swim start was delayed due to one of the marker buoys making a valiant bid for freedom, and starting a wind-assisted journey out into the Irish Sea. Once recovered, the decision was made to shorten the swim due to the strong winds and extremely cold water – a decision entirely vindicated by all competitors after they emerged from the water, exhilarated, but very chilled.

Steven Lord stretched out a substantial lead over the rest of the field during the swim (although later confessing that he had mistaken his own arm for the splashes of a second placed swimmer, meaning he had been pushing on perhaps faster than he might have needed to). Steven emerged from the water in 25 minutes, 5 minutes ahead of second placed Jo Carritt.

A more relaxed transition saw Steven surrender his early lead to Shaun Lamb, who had exited the water in 5^th place, with a time of 32 minutes. T1 in general was not the hive of slick arrivals and departures witnessed at some larger (and shorter) events, with competitors choosing to grab something to eat, jump in their cars to warm up whilst changing, and put on extra layers, since the air temperature at 7am was still fairly sharp.

	SWIM	Time
1	Steven Lord	00:25
2	Joanna Carritt	00:30
3	Nino Baglione	00:31
3	Tom Beaver	00:31
5	Alex Thompson	00:32
5	Shaun Lamb	00:32
7	Heather Flaherty	00:33
8	Carl Atkinson	00:36
9	Simon Smith	00:38
10	Sarah Nason	00:39

Bike 

The early sections of the ride bring competitors up from the coast into the Cambrian Mountains, with some very steep climbs and descents, accompanied by glorious scenery. The weather remained clear, and began to warm slightly. Positions on the bike remained broadly the same, with Shaun retaining his lead, Steven and Jo cycling together about 30 mins behind him, and then a bunch further back, which, for the early sections at least, interchanged positions as they intermittently stopped for support – Sarah Nason, Carl Atkinson, Nino Baglione and Tom Beaver all within 30 mins of each other. Simon Smith, Heather Flaherty and Barry Elston were cycling steadily behind this group, and Alex Thompson, who had left T1 last after a more prolonged transition, and then been unfortunate in missing an early sign, and foxed by a second marker for a mountain biking race (leading him down a forest trail), bringing up the rear. Alex’s ride was notable for a fantastic recovery from these early set-backs – making up enormous ground on the rest of the field, and eventually coming into T2 in 5^th place.

The afternoon warmed up significantly, and as competitors rounded the coastal section past Dolgellau, most were greeted with Barmouth Bay bathed in sunshine. Despite having been caught slightly in the middle section, Shaun Lamb extended his lead over the latter part of the bike, whilst Steven and Jo likewise defended a persistent challenge from Carl Atkinson, to cement their joint second place. Alex Thompson made his way steadily through the field, fighting his way from last place to 5^th.

The final climb up to Pen y Pas is followed by the exhilarating descent and gentler run into Llanberis, which most competitors made comfortably before dusk, arriving at T2 in surprisingly balmy late-afternoon sunshine.

Shaun Lamb finished the bike leg in a fantastic 10hrs30, and, after an absurdly swift transition, set off on the run looking remarkably fresh. The run course opens with the climb back up to Pen y Pas, meaning that competitors finishing the bike meet competitors heading out on the run. Jo Carritt and Steven Lord were about an hour behind, finishing the bike in 11hrs29, followed 45 minutes later by Carl Atkinson, with a 12hrs15 bike split. Transition times varied, with Steven and Jo heading off reasonably sharply, whilst Carl took the time to sit down and eat a Pot Noodle before beginning the final element of the event. Alex Thompson arrived in T2 in 5^th place, with a 12hrs48 bike split – particularly impressive given he calculated his detours to have cost him around 15 extra miles. A less-than-bashful approach to transition came as something of a surprise to the Llanberis locals.

Sarah Nason had a great ride, and came into T2 after 13hrs18 on the bike – to be greeted by a fantastic array of support vehicles and mountain bikers. Preferring the comfort of one of the support camper vans to the less salubrious Accelerace tent, Sarah was soon out on the course again, complete with entourage. Nino Baglione and Tom Beaver, both training for their respective Arch2Arc attempts later this year, were tackling the event together, and treating it as an extended training day and opportunity to practise their support systems. Looking particularly relaxed, they rolled into T2 after 14hrs10, only to discover that one of their support vehicles (containing Tom’s kit) had had a double blow-out on its way to Llanberis, and was stranded waiting for the AA. Undeterred, Tom borrowed some items of running kit from the organisers (including shoes 2 sizes too big), and he and Nino headed out onto the run, meeting the recovered vehicle about 13 miles into the course, at which stage Tom was understandably happy to put his own running shoes on.

Simon Smith, Heather Flaherty and Barry Elston arrived in T2 after 15hrs20 on the bike, an exceptional effort, given Simon had never completely recovered from the cold of the swim. In light of this, he decided not to continue with the run, and instead jumped in the support car to help Heather, who launched into the run very enthusiastically.

	BIKE (+T1)	Time
1	Shaun Lamb	10:30
2	Joanna Carritt	11:29
3	Steven Lord	11:34
4	Carl Atkinson	12:15
5	Alex Thompson	12:48
6	Sarah Nason	13:18
7	Nino Baglione	14:10
7	Tom Beaver	14:10
10	Simon Smith	15:18
11	Heather Flaherty	15:23
11	Barry Elston	15:23

Run

The run unfolded gradually, with most of the positions fought out in the section post Beddgelert. With most of the run tackled in the dark, this is a superhuman effort of mental and physical resilience – the 32 miles takes in over 5,600ft of ascent and equivalent descent, and with run times varying from a little under 6 hours to well over 9 hours, this section of the event tests competitors to the limit.

Shaun Lamb wasn’t going to be caught after leaving T2 with a 1 hour cushion, actually extending his lead over Jo Carritt and Steven Lord by about an hour over the 32 mile course. Shaun came in to win the Mid Wales Ultra 2008 in a smashing time of 16hrs53, finishing at just after 11pm, completing the run in an excellent 5hrs51. Jo was first lady home – in 18hrs44, crossing the line at the same time as Steven, both posting 6hrs45 run splits. Sarah Nason showed incredible grit, and the value of her extensive support team, and finished in 21hrs39, after a sterling 7hrs42 run split. Carl Atkinson was unfortunate to lose his way on the final off-road section over the ridge before coming back into Llanberis, and was turning back (the only sensible, if galling, thing to do given the circumstances), when he was meet by Sarah coming the other way, who was able to help navigate to the top of the final descent. Carl finished strongly in 22hrs09 after a 9hrs18 run. Alex Thompson made the most of his excellent bike performance, and hung on for 5^th place in an overall time of 22hrs55, with a run time of 9hrs35, narrowly beating Heather Flaherty home, who put in an astonishingly quick run of 7hrs09 and came in only 10 minutes behind Alex with an overall time of 23hrs05. Nino Baglione and Tom Beaver cruised home at 6:23am, almost exactly 24 hours (24hrs04) after starting, posting 9hrs23 run splits, and after tackling almost the last 10 miles without support (having mistaken where they were on the course, and sending their support car back on to the finish).

	RUN (+T2)	Time
1	Shaun Lamb	05:51
2	Joanna Carritt	06:45
2	Steven Lord	06:45
4	Heather Flaherty	07:09
5	Sarah Nason	07:42
6	Carl Atkinson	09:18
7	Nino Baglione	09:23
7	Tom Beaver	09:23
9	Alex Thompson	09:35

All 9 who started the run, finished the run – quite a testament to the calibre of the competitors, who remained cheerful and positive throughout the event. It’s also a huge sign of the quality of the support crews – who each did a magnificent job, assisting, cajoling, encouraging, feeding, watering and generally maintaining their athletes.

The post-event breakfast at Pete’s Eats got a 50% turn-out, with lie-ins preferred by the rest, but spirits were high, and given the rigours of the day before, all looked in good shape. Roll on 2009!

	OVERALL	Time
1	Shaun Lamb	16:53
2	Joanna Carritt	18:44
2	Steven Lord	18:44
4	Sarah Nason	21:39
5	Carl Atkinson	22:09
6	Alex Thompson	22:55
7	Heather Flaherty	23:05
8	Tom Beaver	24:04
8	Nino Baglione	24:04