Click here for the Vegan Welsh 3000s website

Date:  Saturday 28 June

Distance:  34 miles (Short)

Ascent:  14800ft/4500m

2013 winning time:  8:46.  Really.  Although it’s a “Short” in Runfurther terms, it will probably take you longer than any of the 2014 “Medium” races.

OPEN FOR ENTRIES NOW

This is a new event for Runfurther, and is a bit different from the others as it is very much a mountain race.  It includes all the Welsh mountains over 3000 feet high, so there is a lot of climbing and a lot of the route is at high altitude.  It also includes the Crib Goch ridge, weather permitting.  Before entering, be sure you know what you are up against.  You must be capable of mountain navigation in poor weather, and must be confident with “easy” scrambling in exposed situations.  If you don’t know what Crib Goch is like, go and investigate it before entering the race.  It is significantly more exposed than Striding Edge on Helvellyn, for instance.

A condition of entry is that you agree not to eat or drink animal-derived products for the duration of the race, so don’t enter unless you are happy to go along with that.  The organisers will provide advice if you ask them, but it’s not too hard really.  Kendal Mint Cake worked for me, but then it generally does.  You can eat what you like before and after, but it would probably not be politic to wave a sausage roll at the organisers – we want to stay friends with them!  It’s a very friendly event, and ends in a pub beer garden.

Make sure you enter the right race!  The V3K Ultra is the one that counts for Runfurther.  The “Extreme” doesn’t.