The Winter Fan Dance
Saturday 18th January 2014
Storey Arms Centre, Brecon Beacons

Having completed the Paras'10 'Treble of Pain' in 2013 (Aldershot, Colchester & Catterick) I was more than interested to take part in the Fan Dance, having heard about it from Kev Whyte.

The Avalanche Endurance Events page was very informative and gave me the inspiration to register. I knew it was going to be tough, I'd seen pictures of the Winter 2013 event (snow galore) and heard the stories via Facebook, so I had no doubt what I was letting myself in for!

Help for Heroes and the Army Benevolent Fund seem pretty well supported so I decided to raise money for the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund. As an ex-Royal Signals soldier (1983-1998: Regular; 1999-2005: TA) I wanted to do something for the Corps I love and which has been a big part of my life, and still is! I created my justgiving page and got in contact with Herbie at the RSBF to let him know about my challenge - Herbie was very supportive.

Training? Much the same as I'd done for the Paras'10: Runs, Tabs, Swimming. As Lowestoft is short of mountains I had the Lowestoft Scores' to train on - numerous steps leading from the High Street down towards the beach, some more severe than others but it was great for working the muscle groups I'd need on the Fan Dance.

Disaster: Two weeks before the Fan Dance Race I'd hurt my lower back rising from putting a load of shopping on the floor! I've been taught to "bend the legs and keep your back straight" but not this time. I was in agony. An Ibuprofen, hot water bottle, baths and muscle rub regime commenced, along with a couple of trips to a Sports Therapist in Lowestoft (Arthur at The Smart Clinic). By the Wednesday of 15th January I was pretty much pain free and raring to go (though I had missed 2 weeks training).

Sponsorship was going well, my target of £1,000 was eventually smashed when Vodafone (whom I work for) sponsored me £350 in a 'matched funding' promise. I also had some amazing sponsorship from family and friends.

Pen y Fan on a good day! Jacobs Ladder end!

Friday: On Friday 17th January I made the long journey to the Premier Inn, Merthyr Tidfyl, a journey of 6 hours - A12, M25, M4, A470 - an uneventful journey with a number of 'relief' stops.

That night I drove up to the Storey Arms Centre to register and have my bergen weighed. There I met Ken Jones, the event organiser and ex-member of the super elite SAS. I mentioned I heard the interview on BBC Wales on my drive which he remarked as "the worst interview I've ever had" and that he was close to hanging up on the Presenter... I have to admit, the Presenter was a total knob-end and kept on about if he'd been a member of the SAS he'd be telling everyone how tough he was! nuff said!

Ken asked how I managed to train for this in Lowestoft, I told him how I'd trained. He must have thought "he's going to die" :-)

Anyway, I picked up my race number, 216 (smiled as I know this is the number of the Parachute Signal Squadron), picked up my map, goody bag and bought myself a Fan Dance T-Shirt, Ale and Ken's book, Darkness Descending - duly signed by Ken himself :-) My bergen weighed 27lb without water or food and had to be weighed again in the morning. I also met up with Chris Powell and Dan Hurst (from Paras'10 events), and had a brief chat before I headed to my hotel via KFC!

Dan, me, Chris

 My goodies :-)

Saturday: Woke at 6.15am and had 2 pots of porridge, 2 bananas, a chocolate bar and a cup of tea and some orange juice. Made a flask of coffee and added water bottles/hydration/food to my bergen - All was ready! Headed off to the Storey Arms Centre at 7.30am on a cold, wet, morning.

Final bergen weigh in, 37lb! Met up with Chris and Dan again and also met Justin Launchbury who I'd not seen since 1986, whilst at 28 Signal Regiment. He was doing this with a friend and Justin and I had been communicating via Facebook, he looked in better condition than me :-)

Bergen Packed

At the start

Stood nervously with Chris and Dan at the start point, near the famous red telephone box. The usual squaddie humour/banter going on. Wind had picked up, low cloud and drizzle. Unfortunately we couldn't hear Ken's motivational speech but we did here the "Go" - and off we trudged... vertical from the off. Head down, plodding up the hill, wishing my 'second breath' had started early - I sounded like I should be in A&E with a suspected heart attack!

At the top of the rise some relief as it leveled out and a slight descent to a gated fence into a valley and, with every valley, a steep incline the other side of the stream at the bottom.

Once into the low cloud, and the upward climb to Corn Du, I saw a familiar animal, yes, it was a dog, and at the end of the lead I knew it was Marianne Hunter. We had a little chat and after the usual hello and how are you, my question was "are we near the top yet?" to which Marianne said "a couple more hills and you're there" - I got to a junction at Corn Du and let Marianne go on as I took a little breather and looked back down the hill - not much to see because of the low cloud.

On the approach to Pen y Fan the wind hit you from the right. It was so intense, so wild, the rain was horizontal and hitting you side on. Winds in excess of 60mph, it was a struggle to walk in a straight line!

Pen y Fan! I had got there. The wind battering me as I looked at the cairn and marker at the summit. A guy who had brought rock up from the base laid it on the cairn and said a prayer. I took a moment to take a picture and a video and the DS pointed me in the next direction, down the infamous Jacobs Ladder.

 Cairn and Summit of Pen y Fan

Jacobs Ladder was tough on the thighs, going down. Some people who took to running down the grass bank were falling over. It was hard to control the descent - Oh, I was running down! More pressure on the thighs stopping to gain control. At the bottom of Jacobs Ladder was a RV tent, and I checked in there with the DS and headed off down the Roman Road - I knew this was going to be a long drag.

I ran/walked most of the Roman Road, it was a relief to be on some form of level ground, but still not a smooth surface in sight, just loose rocks.

Roman Road

After the woods, and about 1.5Km from the turnaround point, I walked a bit more. I knew full well that I needed to conserve some energy for the return leg. Justin and I crossed, he'd left the turnaround point and was heading back, he still looked better than I did! :-) At the turnaround point I checked in with the DS, had my meat pie, some coffee, energy gels and headed off eating a Snicker bar.

I met up with Marianne again and had a quick chat, until she passed me along the Roman Road again. For some reason I couldn't break into a jog. Maybe it's because the Roman Road was going uphill, yes, that'll be it!

I checked in again at the RV tent at the base of Jacobs Ladder, for a second time and I knew what was in store for me... yes, the climb back up! The wind was as strong as it was on the summit the first time!

I started off, at first it was an 'OK' climb, there was a fair bit of mud and wet rocks but I plodded on. I passed a couple of guys that were out walking along with a 10 year old girl! One of them, not the girls Father, said "it was lovely yesterday" - no shit Sherlock, well it 'aint now is it! Anyway, I plodded on. I met up with Dan, he was OK and doing his thing. I told him I was struggling but I plodded on ahead of him.

After a while, Jacobs Ladder goes vertical (well, almost... well, it gets bloody steeper)! My pace dropped, my head dropped, the wind picked up and wanted to spin you around. Every 5 minutes I needed a break, and would look down as far as the mist would allow me to see. I could see dark figures trudging up at the same pace as me, resting when they could. The pain in my hamstrings and calf muscles was intense. Whenever my foot hit a rock 'wrong' the cramping pains would start. I decided to plod up flat-footed. I knew that if I went up off the front of my feet I would get cramp in my calf muscles. The low cloud meant you couldn't see the summit - you never could from the moment we set off. I tried to recount the time I ran down it to work out how much longer I would have to endure this pain, but I couldn't. I just wanted it to end. I knew that at the top of Pen y Fan, for the second time, was pretty much 'it'. Then at last, a rock formation I recognised, the large rocks near the top. Getting over these was a struggle and I was trying not to induce a cramp in my hamstrings. I stood at the top with a nervous, weary smile. The raindrops on the rocks were pushed up by the wind on to my gaiters... upward rain! I smiled and plodded on to the summit of Pen y Fan for the second time. There the 2 DS asked me how I was. I was fine, elated, relieved. I thanked them after they reminded me of the direction for the final push. I took one last look at the cairn of Pen y Fan and went on my way. Again, the ridge was windy as hell and it just wanted to roll you over. Turning down the mountain the wind was blocked by the ridge and I could make good speed down to the bottom of the valley again. I passed someone and said "last hill" and he acknowledged with a smile.

The last climb was a bitch, but I managed it without further cramps or too much pain. I knew then that it was downhill to the finish.

Before long I could see the red telephone box, I ran down the hill, my bergen was trying to push me faster, my thigh muscles now took another beating as they tried to control my run down. I really thought they were going to burst through the skin. I was smiling with pain. Pain is funny sometimes, and because it hurt so much it was funny!

I saw Marianne up ahead, I caught her at the gate, she had beaten me by a length of the gate :-) waiting the other side was Ken Jones, congratulating all finishers with a "well done", a handshake and the award of the infamous Fan Dance Winter 2014 Patch! I had done it! 5 hours and 52 minutes. I was happy with that, it was tough. 

I thought the Paras'10 was the ultimate endurance event - in a way it is, but this.... this truly is 'the' ultimate endurance event. You're still carrying the same weight but look what you have to contend with: the weather conditions (variable and extreme), the hills, the mountain, the inclines, the underfoot conditions. The physical and mental strength at the turnaround point to get your body to do it all again. To keep going when all you want to do is click your heels and say "there's no place like home, there's no place like home". 

Thanks:

To Ken Jones and his team - many many thanks for a truly memorable event. One that will stick with me all my days. Well organised and the pre-race communication was excellent.

To Kev, Chris, Dan, Marianne and Justin - until the next time my friends...

To Emma, all my family and friends and those close to me - many many thanks for your support x

To all those that sponsored me - truly amazing, a staggering £1,150+ raised for the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund. Thank you so much.

Will I do it again? Probably!
Would I recommend it? Definitely!

Back at the hotel with Finishers Patch in hand

Youtube clip of some of the route - certain going out and some of the return 
http://www.thefandancerace.com/
http://www.justgiving.com/AndyOsborne-FanDance2014